• David D. Anderson on Louis Bromfield
• Martin Kich on James Purdy
• Jack Matthews about Blog-O favorite Ambrose Bierce
• Robin Hemly on Sherwood Anderson
• Mary A. Truzillo on Roger Zelazny
• Herbert Woodward Martin on Paul Laurence Dunbar

I'm fairly sure I went to this last year. From the auditorium to the gallery to the hallways, The King Arts Complex in Columbus is turned into a multi-venue celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's life and spirit. The scope of the Remembering Martin: MLK Open House performances last year was impressive and I remember wishing that we had come earlier since there was a lot we missed. The auditorium, for example, had a full schedule of various singing and dance groups that were first rate.

One of my most favorite things, though, was the mural installation Cargo: Middle Passage that is made to look like the holdings of a slave ship. This is a permanent installation that has nothing specifically to do with the Martin Luther King open house but the open house what got me to the King Arts Complex. Visitors pass through this section when they go from one part of the building to another. There are interpretive writings about slavery and props that capture the essence of what it was like to travel on such a ship.

With the building that surrounds this installation bursting forth with creative forces and energy on the day that Martin Luther King Jr.s' life is celebrated seems like the most fitting of tributes. Cargo: Middle Passage is a dark spot of human history that also represents survival. The activities on January 15 are the essence of human glory. The gorgeous clothes some people wear to this event are also a sight to behold.

I thought I had written about all I had to say about donuts, but here's one more. There's a new bit of news about Franklin County's penal system popping up across the U.S. There will be no more donuts. Not jelly, not custard, not a powdered or plain. Not even the donut holes. Too bad for Whitehall-based Jolly Pirate Donuts since they would have had the contract to provide Franklin County prisoners with sweet eats according to one article I came across. I started looking for more info and found same article or a slight variation in several locations ranging from ABC News to WTOP, a Washington, D.C. based radio station to North County Gazette based out of New York State. There are more.

Trans fats are to blame for the donut cuts. The aim is for healthier prisoners. Here's some more about this donut piece of news. Franklin County folks who pay taxes were coughing up $55,000 a year to keep inmates in crullers , glazed and jelly donuts. It's not clear though if some donuts were eaten by people who worked at the prison or just prisoners. No matter, if you want to eat a donut, you'll have to do it off county prison grounds. The Jolly Pirate Donuts in Grove City earned 5 stars from a very satisfied customer. You could head there.

I was reading the New York Times article on Jim Tressel and the bizarre dichotomy between his sterling behavior and the not-so-sterling behavior of his players, and it mentioned a great statistic: how many Ohioans would vote Jim Tressel in as a major politician, based solely on his performance as the head coach at OSU. Quite a few, is the response. (Exact number?) I can't really blame them; I'm from Berea where the Tressels are from (I once had his brother as a teacher in sixth grade; and there is a Tressel street), so we love the Tressels without question.

But I'm also a Clevelander, and so here's my thought: who would win in a political race between LeBron James and Jim Tressel? That is a tough question. You have LeBron "King" James, bringing the Cavs and Cleveland's sports back into the national spotlight (sportlight?). He's young, he's energetic, and he'd obviously be able to get the entire youth vote. But what about Jim? Been around for a while, also getting national recognition for his team. A little more of a leader (corralling young football players year-round has got to be good for leadership) and obviously a little more mature than 22-year-old LeBron. But who would win? Let's see some votes!

Sometimes life imitates art. Here is an example. Recently I wrote a blog that mentioned the emergency room at Riverside Methodist Hospital. I'm also writing an article about Riverside for something else. This morning I was at Riverside Methodist Hospital's emergency room on an unplanned visit. Not my personal emergency but a family member's. That turned out fine and in the process I found out a few things worth sharing that made this emergency room visit run smoothly.

If you are taking medication, write down what you're taking and what the dosage is on a 3 X 5 card. Have that with you in a wallet or a purse at all times. This makes it easier for the ER in-take person. Instead of you having to recall everything, hand him or her the card and he or she can easily put in the data. Also, have the name of your primary care physician written down. These are things asked for when you visit an emergency room. If you have this written down, the person who is with you, even if he or she is family won't have to worry about this information. A lot of times who knows this stuff anyway. This was the case in my situation which meant I didn't really have to do too much but stand around and look alert which is a good thing. I would have had no idea if asked.

This got me thinking that this information wouldn't be bad to have on a 3 X 5 card to send with my son and daughter when they go over to a friend's house in case there is an emergency and I can't be reached. It's also not bad to have the information written on a card that I can grab it if I have to go out the door quickly-that way if there is a really dramatic scene like on the TV show ER the information is readily available and not reliant on my ability to think clearly. I just searched Children's Hospital website to see what their recommended list of needed information contains. Here's the rundown: list of vitamins and supplements, medication, insurance card and immunization record. This website also has a printable form if you want to have it filled out and ready to bring if you ever need to.

Here are a couple more tips from Riverside Methodist Hospital's website. They recommend that you leave valuables and credit cards at home. Also, when visting a patient remember to wash your hands before and after visiting the hospital to cut down on the spread of illness to you and to someone else.

I did not see any chests getting cracked open, mayhem or bedlam or people mumbling to themselves. There were no shoot outs or medical personnel smootching anywhere, so maybe art does not imitate life all that much--thank heavens.

It's amazing that a museum that does a tremendous community service by providing hands-on science education to thousands of children would have to struggle to survive, but that's exactly what's happening with COSI Toledo.

You read about COSI Columbus' problems in part one. Toledo's situation is even trickier. This past November, COSI asked the taxpayers to pass a .167 million levy. This was the first such request in the museum's ten year history. Unfortunately, the voters were taking as dim a view of levies as they were of one of the parties. The levy was voted down by the slimmest of margins. Still, the very closeness of the vote gives hope that a new request, perhaps as early as May, will pass. The request would cost money, which is in short supply.

Adding insult to injury in the whole situation is the fact that COSI Toledo won a coveted award from the Institute of Museum and Library Service back in 2005. So, what will happen? It's too early to tell, but one thing is certain. No one in Toledo wants to see COSI close. It's just too much of an asset to the area. The wolf has been driven from the door for a while by the generosity of several foundations, businesses, and individuals who made generous donations to help with operating costs. I tend to doubt that the city government would like to see COSI's location, the former short-lived Portside Festival Marketplace, standing empty. There is also a proposal for a cooperative Science Corridor, encompassing COSI, the Toledo Zoo, and the University of Toledo's medical school. One way or another, Toledo is not likely to give up on an award-winning museum without a fight.

It's regime-change time! Governor Taft left office on Friday, and had a day full of activities and work, which I admire. He was getting things done! But with turn there comes time for change, which means time for Ted Strickland. And I've got to confess something. For reasons not totally clear, in my head, I like to refer to him as Big Ted Strickland. I think it's got a nice ring to it!

Anyway, Ted will be shedding the title of Governor-Elect this morning, bright and early. He and Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher will head over to the state house in Columbus, and I personally can't wait to see what they have in store for us! In a quick search for articles about Strickland, it seems that quite a few people would like for him to focus a bit on Ohio's education. I've got to say: me, too. But we'll give him a month or so to figure out the twists and turns of the statehouse before we start expecting massive reform. Good morning, Governor!

Mwa-ha-ha! I found this story to be quite hilarious. Apparently, some 30 students and others who were arrested after the OSU-Michigan game for underage drinking and disorderly conduct were sentenced for community service. And when will the community service take place? It will take place tomorrow! Ahh! They won't get to celebrate during the pre-game festivities for the national championship between OSU and University of Florida (team name: the Gators)! The judge who sentenced them apparently wanted them to realize that they still have to obey the law while at Buckeye football games - a wise ruling. So the students have to clean toilets, pick up trash and do some gardening work at the state fairgrounds tomorrow. Hopefully they'll get done before kick-off!