The Essentials

The next time you’re doing research on the Internet, instead of going through the hassle of opening a new tab or window in your Web browser, use LibX to get extreme access to Cornell University Library.

LibX, an open-source Firefox extension configured for use at Cornell, gives you access to all the library’s online resources with just the click of your mouse or the use of the browser’s toolbar. Highlight a phrase or some key words, right click and instantly search the catalog or Google Scholar to learn about and get access to materials available through the library.

“The genius of LibX is that it allows you to to from wherever you are on the Web to the library’s resources – this could be books,electronic resources or DVDs,” said Susette Newberry, outreach coordinator in Olin Library. “LibX lets you get what you need, when you need it, where you need it.” Download LibX or listen to a LibX podcast.

A new version of the Lab of Ornithology’s quarterly magazine, Living Bird, has gone online. The site offers nature and bird photography and articles by bird experts, access to the current issue and archives, multimedia galleries, high-resolution video clips from the lab’s Macaulay Library, and a Web Exclusives section with photography, video and sound recordings.

Ready to “run away” from the long months of darkness and winter hibernation? Before you sign up for the next 5K, take time to ease your body back into physical training. Remember, it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to experience the physical and mental health benefits of aerobic exercise. (Aerobic exercise refers to any sustained, rhythmic activity done for a period of 15 minutes or longer while maintaining 65 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.) Start out slowly. Set long-term goals for yourself, but also set weekly goals. As you become more fit, gradually work out for longer periods of time or at a faster rate.

If you are just beginning an aerobic program, be sure to begin with a level of activity equivalent to your current level of fitness. Don’t push too hard, too soon. If you would like to start jogging, a walk/run program might be a good way to begin. Learn to warm up, cool down, stretch properly and pay attention to your target heart rate. If you are over the age of 30 or have a personal or family history of heart disease, you should also have a physical examination before starting any type of aerobic program. The CU Wellness Program offers a number of classes to help motivate and structure your physical activity.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a Cornell nutrition researcher’s book convinced a 6-foot-5, 247-pound NFL star to stop eating animal foods in favor of a vegan diet. Tony Gonzalez, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, read T. Colin Campbell’s 2006 book, “The China Study,” on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. By page 40, Gonzalez became convinced animal foods lead to chronic illness. He now eats only plant foods.

On March 1 and 2, Barton Hall will come alive as some of the greatest student athletes in the Ivy League converge for the 2008 Indoor Heptagonal Championships. The meet, which crowns the Ivy League champion teams and individuals in indoor track and field, returns to Ithaca for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Cornell has a recent history of success at the Indoor Heptagonal Championships. The women’s team has won each of the last six indoor meets, while the men’s team has finished first in three of the last five seasons, taking second place in the other two years including a runner-up finish last year at the Armory in New York City.

The Big Red women return with a pair of Heptagonal Champions from last season, as Maria Matos ’09 tries to defend her weight throw title, while Jeomi Maduka ’09 also attempts to repeat as the league’s long jump and triple jump champion. For the men, Saidu Ezike ’08 will look to repeat in the 60-meter hurdles, while Muhammad Halim will try to perform the same double as Maduka as the league’s reigning champion in the triple jump and the long jump.

Action begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1 and on Sunday, March 2, at Barton Hall.

March 31 marks your final chance to see the “Woodchucks in Watercolor: The ‘Wild Bill’ Hamilton Groundhog Card Series by Jack Lambert” exhibition at Mann Library’s first-floor display cases. Professor emeritus Jack Lambert created a series of humorous cards based on the traditional American observance of Groundhog Day, dating to the 1960s, for his friend and former teacher, the late Cornell mammalogist William J. Hamilton.

In honor of the 2008 Ivy League men’s and women’s basketball champions, a new display by Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections offers a glimpse into Cornell basketball history. Cornell students first formed a basketball club in 1898, and the university officially recognized the men’s team (pictured here in 1933) in 1901. That year, Cornell joined the first intercollegiate basketball league, along with Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale. The Cornell record that season was 5-5 (2-4 in league games). Since then, the men’s team has had six championship seasons, competing in the NCAA tournament in 1954, 1988 and 2008, and the women’s team (pictured in 1905) earned its first championship title in 2008. A display featuring these highlights and more is on view in the Olin/Kroch libraries corridor.

Extended computer usage of any kind can be tough on your body. Prolonged use of a laptop can be especially hard on the user. Why? Laptop design makes it impossible for the computer screen and the keyboard to be in the optimal position for a user at the same time. To make a laptop “ergonomically friendly,” you need to elevate the laptop off a work surface so that you can see the screen without bending your neck, and connect a separate keyboard and mouse so that it can be used in the correct position. Without such adaptations (as well as regular stretches and breaks) extensive laptop use is likely to cause aches and pains (e.g., sore shoulders and tight neck) or pain, tightness or tingling in your wrists or forearms.

If you experience these symptoms, don’t delay seeking medical attention. Often the recommended treatment includes physical therapy to help alleviate discomfort. Additional information and resources on this topic can be found at (search “laptop ergonomics”).

From the Cornell Store Annual Report: Amount paid to students for used books: $924,000

Number of used books in stock: 45,000

Percentage of textbooks on shelves on the first day of class: 98

Number of textbooks whose “adoption” the store managed: 12,000

Dollar amount of merchandise and gifts cards donated by the Cornell Store to departments, student initiatives and alumni groups: more than 35,000

Fiscal year 2007 sales: $24,759,811

Fiscal year 2007 expenses: $24,422,202

College of Human Ecology sophomore Ryan Stanisz’s 30-second public service video, “The New Animal Kingdom,” has made it to the final three in a contest sponsored by National Geographic. Featuring Cornell students and locales, it raises the specter of who will survive on Earth if humans don’t curtail their trash and waste.