Monthly Archives: September 2017

09 17, 2017

MPL Talks: Political Cartooning after the Civil War

By |2017-09-17T06:00:43-04:00September 17, 2017|

Alan Gephardt, a ranger at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, discussed the role of political cartooning in the latest program of our Civil War series.

He talked about how illustrators like Thomas Nast and Joseph Keppler affected political discourse and changed the lives of post-Civil War politicians like Boss Tweed and Presidents Grant, Hayes, and Garfield.

He also explained:

  • the origins of the donkey and elephant as totems for Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
  • how cartoonists of different political affiliations approached the same events.
  • how the artists used allegory and references to Shakespeare, Fine Art, and more to make their point.

Those who may have missed Gephardt’s talk can watch it in its entirety right now.

Our Civil War series continues with a look at Commodore John Carter, the skipper of the first U.S. iron-hulled boat, at noon on Oct. 11 at our Main Branch. The talk is free and open to all.

Other talks from our Civil War series:

09 15, 2017

7 books about Cleveland Mafia

By |2017-09-15T06:00:42-04:00September 15, 2017|

51kgSGtAMRL._SX350_BO1,204,203,200_Local historian Dennis Sutcliffe visited earlier this week to talk about the history of the Cleveland Mafia. Here are some reading recommendations for those interested in the topic.

1. The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood by Rick Porrello

Porrello has a unique perspective on the Cleveland Mafia. His grandfather and three uncles were killed in the Corn Sugar Wars during the late 1920s and early 1930s, but he’s also a police chief. His book is well-researched and an excellent primer on organized crime in Cleveland during the Prohibition Era.

2. To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia by Rick Porrello

A sequel to Rise and Fall. This book follows the Mafia’s long and fatal war with Danny Green’s Celtic Club. It was later turned into a film.

3. Mobbed Up by James Neff

Neff tells the story of Jackie Presser, a Teamsters leader who was connected to the Cleveland Mafia. After decades of working with the mob, he became an informant for the FBI.

4. Brancato: Mafia Street Boss by Frank Monastra

Frank Brancato was a mainstay of the Cleveland mafia for almost 50 years. He bridged both the Corn Sugar and Celtic Club eras. (In fact, Brancato’s credited with introducing Greene to the Cleveland underworld.) In his lifetime, Brancato went from gambler to capo to consigliore. The author, Monastra, is Brancato’s grandson

5. The Sly-Fanner Murders by Allan May

May recounts the infamous Sly-Fanner Murders, a payroll robbery turned fatal, committed by Little Italy’s first mob boss, Dominic Benigno.

6. Shocking Stories of the Cleveland Mob by Ted Schwarz

Schwarz traces the wild history of the Cleveland Mob, which includes the origins of everything from Las Vegas to the Cleveland Browns.

7. The Silent Syndicate by Hank Messick

Messick describes—in minute detail—the actions of The Syndicate, a Jewish organized crime unit that was contemporary to the Mafia. While they grabbed fewer headlines than the Mafia, they were arguably more successful by favoring the bribe over the bullet.

09 6, 2017

Resources for opiate addictions & prescription medical abuse

By |2017-09-06T06:00:39-04:00September 6, 2017|

Some resources and recommendations for discussing medicine/opiate abuse with your loved ones

Some resources and recommendations for discussing medicine/opiate abuse with your loved ones

Members of the Cleveland Clinic recently visited us to discuss the opiate epidemic in Ohio.

They suggested local resources, ways to safeguard your home, and signs and symptoms of medicine abuse.

We share them in hopes that you never need them, but have them if you do.

Resources

The Lake County ADAMHS Board plans, funds, monitors, and evaluates Lake County’s mental health and addiction recovery services. If you’re looking for help but don’t know where to start, you can call the ADAMHS Compass Line at (440) 918-2000 or (440) 350-2000.

For urgent mental health issues, you can call the ADAMHS Crisis Hotline at (440) 953-8255, dial 911, or visit the nearest hospital emergency department.

If you’re worried about your child, Crossroads in Lake County provides behavioral-health services to children, adolescents, young adults and families, including specialized treatment for chemically dependent adolescents. Its phone number is (440) 255-1700.

Meanwhile, the Emerald Jenny Foundation provides a searchable online database with more than 400 resources that includes rehabilitation and treatment facilities, healthcare providers, counselors and other organizations for people and families struggling with addiction.

For more information on addiction and resources to help, visit starttalking.ohio.gov.

Three Steps to Safeguard your Home

Two-thirds of teens who abuse pain relievers say they get them from family members and friends. Here are three steps, courtesy of Start Talking, that you can take to protect your own home.

  1. Monitor. Keep track of the amounts of your prescriptions, control your kids’ medicines and encourage your friends and relatives (especially grandparents) to monitor and secure their own.
  2. Secure Your Medicine. Keep prescription medicine secure, preferably locked, in a place that your kids and visitors will not easily find.
  3. Dispose properly of Your Unused Medicine. Crush and mix it with unpleasant garbage, or find a medicine take-back site near you. Never flush your medicine down the toilet.

Know the Signs and Symptoms of Medicine Abuse

Educate yourself. The best way to prevent prescription drug abuse is to learn about the issue. That way, you can effectively present the facts when talking to your teen.

Get Help. If you think your child has a problem with prescription drugs or over-the-counter cough medicine, please contact the resources listed above. If you don’t know where to start, you can call the ADAMHS Compass Line at (440) 918-2000 or (440) 350-2000.

Talk to your family, friends, and other parents. Children who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to use drugs than those who do not get that critical message at home.

Start talking. They’ll listen.

Thanks to the Cleveland Clinic, Start Talking, the Lake County ADAMHS Board, Lake County Opiate Task Force, Crossroads, Emerald Jenny Foundation and Partnership for Drug-Free Kid for the above information.

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