TOW (Answer)...

To answer the question --> Who said "First in war - first in peace - and first in the hearts of his countrymen...." & in what context?

The quote is from Henry Lee's funeral oration for George Washington.  It was delivered in 1799.

The questions (& answer) are found on page 169 of Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History by William Safire.  The book was published by W. W. Norton & Company in 1997.

Events for the Week of October 1…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Arts & Crafts Make a Magnet Project on Tuesday (10/2) at 3:00
• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (10/3) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• Test Taking Strategies Seminar on Wednesday at 4:30
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (10/4) at 4:00
• Word Processing Basics Class also on Thursday at 6:30

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Websites I Use…

Now today’s is not one I use for reference.  It’s a for fun website that I visit once or twice a week when I’m looking for momentary diversion.  It’s the web comic strip xkcd (http://xkcd.com/).  If you’re not familiar head on over and peruse some of the strips.  Hint: once you’ve read a strip – hover your mouse over it for a pop up additional comment.

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles

So I’ve been thinking that I can’t only discuss books I’ve read and liked enough to at least finish.  I should also discuss books I read and disliked & even books I start but can’t bring myself to finish.  In the category of starting but not being able to finish I must include the book Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten.  This book did not engage me.  The characters were all one note & overly caricatured, the plot (at least the part I read through) was silly and inconsequential, there wasn’t even any redeeming quality in the writing style and structure.  I finally gave up on the thing in the third chapter.  So this goes on my DON’T recommend to others list.

History of Highland Park…

Check out this newspaper article (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/10/520335.pdf) on the history of the Pasadena Freeway.  The article was printed in the 12/31/1970 edition of the Highland Park News Herald – Star Review and marks the 30-year anniversary of the Arroyo Seco Parkway by going into some detail on its history. 

It’s fascinating to read the Safety Record section and learn that the freeway, at that time, was considered to have an “impressive safety record” that “enjoys the benefit of all safety refinements as developed.”  Just goes to show you how much perspective and context plays into how we perceive something.  I wouldn’t consider the Pasadena Freeway the touchstone of safety refinement today (an additional 42 years after the article).

Trivia of the Week....

& now for this week's question --> Who said:

"First in war - first in peace - and first in the hearts of his countrymen...."

& in what context?

Arroyo Book Club Selection for October….

The Arroyo Book Club will be reading Watchmen written by Alan Moore & illustrated by David Gibbons for our October meeting.  This is a graphic novel so if you haven’t tried one yet this is your chance.  If you’re already a fan you’ve almost certainly read this book – perhaps it’s time for a reread.  In either case stop by the library to pick up your copy and plan to join us for a discussion on Saturday, October 27 at 3:00.

Arts & Crafts Project for All Ages…

Stop by next Tuesday, October 2^nd at 3:00 for an Arts & Crafts Hour.  We will design and construct personalized magnets. We'll make and embellish one emergency contact numbers magnet for reference in an emergency and one decorative, personal magnet.

Then come by again on Tuesday, October 16^th at 6:00 for another Arts & Crafts Hour.  Join us, this time, for a get out the vote themed arts & crafts project. We'll create customized pins... lovely enough to wear anywhere... each with its own community conscience.

These programs build on the themes of community and democracy found in the book Paradise Built in Hell (July’s Arroyo Book Club selection). These programs are for people of all ages so join us -- everyone is welcome....

“This project is part of Searching for Democracy, an initiative of the California Council for the Humanities in partnership with the California Center for the Book and the California State Library, and made possible with funding from BayTree Foundation, the Seedlings Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit www.calhum.org.”

TOW (Answer)....

In answer to the question what is a tessellation let's turn to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics by Christopher Clapham, p. 276.

"In its most general form, a tessellation is a covering of the plane with shapes.  Often the shapes are polygons and the pattern is in some sense repetitive.  a tessellation is regular if it consists of congruent regular polygons...."

So your floor tile is an example of a tessellation.  There are artists who play with the idea and some of their works are quite cool.  Check out M. C. Escher for a prime example of this.

Events for the Week of September 24…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• eMedia Answers Seminar (bring any emedia questions) on Tuesday (9/25) at 6:30
• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (9/26) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/27) at 4:00
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/28) at 3:30

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Websites I Use...

If you’re looking for Los Angeles Codes, be it Municipal, Charter & Administrative, Planning & Zoning, Election, or Council Rules check out this (http://www.amlegal.com/library/ca/losangeles.shtml) website.  These guys are the publishers of those code books and they make it all available online.  So if you want to know what city code says about your noisy neighbors check out the Municipal Code section on Noise Regulation (Chapter XI).

The most frequent questions I get with regard to Los Angeles Codes all relate to building codes, those can be found in Chapter IX of the Municipal Code Book

Trivia of the Week...

The question for the week is --->

What is a tessellation?

Classical Guitar Performance…

Join us on Saturday, September 22^nd at 4:00 for a performance on classical guitar by Taro Wayama and Thomas Foster.  They will be performing:

• Fly Away (2012) by Taro Wayama
• Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 (1722) by Johan Sebastian Bach

Prelude & Fugue 1 (1685-1750)

• from Chords & Thyme English Folksongs arr. Edward Flower

Barbara Allen

The Death of Queen Jane

My Last Farewell to Stirling

• Summertime (1935) by George Gershwin (1898-1937) arr. Toru Takemitsu
• Sonatina Transatlantique (1930) by Alexandre. Tansman (1897-1986) arr. James Smith                                           

Fox-Trot                                                                                                   

Spiritual/ Blues                                                                                   

Charleston

• Tonadilla (1959) by Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
• The Fool on the Hill by The Beatles arr. Leo Brouwer

Let me let them tell you a little bit about themselves --->

Taro Wayama is a Japanese born guitarist/composer. He is a winner of numerous competitions such as 1st place in the 2003 Aron Green/American String Teachers Association Guitar Competition and 2nd place in the Thailand International Guitar Competition. 

As a composer he received “Best Original Score” at the Los Angeles Movie Awards for an independent film, “Anne Jennings”. 

Taro is an active soloist and a chamber musician. He has performed in Japan, Thailand, Canada, and the US. He frequently collaborates with clarinet, flute and voice performing music from Renaissance through 20th Century and Folk/World music. 

Taro holds Masters and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Pepe Romero, William Kannengiser, James Smith, Brian Head and Scott Tennant.

He has performed in number masterclasses by great guitarists such as Pepe Romero, David Leisner, Scott Tennant, Benjamin Verdery, Dusan Bogdanvic, Fabio Zanon, and William Kanengiser.

____________________

Thomas Foster is a long time student of world-renowned guitar pedagogue Aaron Shearer. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the North Carolina School of the Arts and Master of Music from Appalachian University. He received his Suzuki certification under the tutelage of William Kossler and has developed a special guitar curriculum for children that is aligned with California State Educational Standards. 

Thomas has performed in master classes throughout the U.S. with Pepe Romero, David Russell, Assad Brothers, Ricardo Cobo, John Holmquist, Steve Arron, David Leisner, and Dusan Bogdanovic just to name a few. He has studied world music and jazz with Miroslav Tadic, David Oaks, Richard Smith, and Adam Del Monte. Recently he was one of four players selected to perform for John Williams at the Merida, Mexico Guitar Festival in 2004. 

Currently, he is completing his doctorate as a student of Prof. James Smith at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. He has pursued doctoral minors in the areas of theory and ethnomusicology and has studied performance with the Pepe Romero, Scott Tennant and Bill Kannengiser.

1222

1222 by Anne Holt is a book that falls into the Scandinavian mystery oeuvre, Norwegian in this case.  The story takes place in the aftermath of a train accident and during a massive blizzard somewhere 1,222 feet above sea level, in the Norwegian mountains.  Hanne Wilhelmsen, a former police officer paralyzed by gunfire, is our investigator. 

The victims of the train wreck are taken to a nearby hotel where they wait out the blizzard.  During this period two of their number are found dead, murdered.  Hanne pieces together the clues and finds out what happens. 

The book was quite suspenseful and Hanne is an interesting addition to the collection of misanthropic detectives I’ve encountered in my reading.  I liked it enough to order another from the series…. So... recommended.

Events for the Week of September 17…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Voter Registration Drive on Tuesday (9/18) from 4:00 to 7:00
• Desktop Publishing Basics Class on Wednesday (9/19) at 10:00
• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/20) at 4:00
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/21) at 3:30
• PSAT Practice Exam on Saturday (9/22).  It starts at 10:00
• Arroyo Book Club on Saturday at 3:00
• Classical Guitar Concert also on Saturday at 4:00.  Taro Wayama & Tom Foster will be performing.

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

TOW (Answer)...

Let's answer the week's question ---> what is the conducting system?

To answer this week's question you had to pay attention to the framework of the question as well as the question itself, in other words, it probably helped if you noticed that the question came to us from the realm of anatomy.  So in anatomy, the conducting system refers to the pathways air travels through to reach the lungs.  Included in this system are the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi.

Find this question (and answer) as well as a ton of other anatomical information - and really, cool, very detailed illustrations in The World's Best Anatomical Charts.  The book is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and is copyrighted 2000.  I found the information on page 6.

History of Highland Park...

Here is a report titled “Uptown” Los AngelesThrough the Years: A History of Highland Park by Evelyn Byard.  Written in 1979 it is exactly as described by its title. 

Websites I Use...

A question I’ll get at the reference desk, particularly in Term Paper Season, revolves around how to format paper citations in the format requested by the teacher.  The site I like in reference to this particular question is The Purdue Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/).  This site is dedicated to helping you with your writing skills generally --- but it particularly goes into a wealth of detail about the major citation styles.  From the main page, for example, click into APA Formatting and Style Guide (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/) to find everything you need to know about formatting a paper in this style.  The site covers APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual.

Of course you can also use its many other parts to brush up your writing skills.

Celebrate Citizenship Week (the week of 9/17)…

One of the most important rights of citizenship is the right to vote.  Exercise your right!

Join us for a Voter Registration Drive on September 18th from 4:00-7:00

• If you’re not registered stop by & get registered. We’ll provide help if needed
• If you are registered pick up some forms to give to friends & neighbors who aren’t registered.
• Go vote in November!

Tubes

The book Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet by Andrew Blum is an exploration of the physical Internet.  In this book Blum makes a pilgrimage to the actual physical things that make the Internet we all use and love work.  This book is a fascinating, if very basic look at the Internet’s infrastructure.  It is definitely aimed at the beginner though, I found myself wishing for a few more details and a little less gossipy chat.

So if you’re looking for a non-fiction book that would make a good arm-chair read this is the book for you.

Trivia of the Week....

The question for this week comes to us from the realm of anatomy --->

What is the conducting system?

TOW (Anwser)...

Today we are answering the question ---> what is a redshift?  Allow me to quote from the reference book in question:

The nineteenth-century discovery of emission and absorption lines in the spectra of gases revolutionized observational astronomy, allowing astronomers to determine for the first time the chemical composition of the gas emitting the light.  But the spectral lines also had another use.  Doppler shifts in the expected wavelength of the lines allowed astronomers to measure the velocity of the source along the line of sight. [...] Astronomers use the symbol z to designate the change in a wavelength [...] The shift z is called a redshift when the object is moving away and a blueshift (or a negative redshift) when the object is moving towards the observer.

The question (and answer) were taken from the book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Universe edited by Ian Ridpath and published by Watson-Guptill Publications in 2001.  I opened to page 124.

Events for the Week of September 10…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Teen Council Meeting (featuring Loteria) on Tuesday (9/11) at 4:00
• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (9/12) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/13) at 4:00
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/14) at 3:30
• Computer Basics Class on Saturday (9/15) at 2:00

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

History of Highland Park…

Check out this draft Historic Context Statement of the Northeast Los Angeles Subregional Planning Area prepared by the Historical Resources Group for the Los Angeles Conservancy in February of 1990.  It is a 24 page document that looks at

• geographic boundaries & natural features
• history of development
• economic development
• residential development
• development of civic, religious, cultural, and social institutions
• etc.

An interesting perspective on the history of the area.

Losers in Space...

I recently read the book Losers in Space  by John Barnes.  Although aimed at the YA market this book will appeal to anyone who likes a good science fiction yarn.  The author went to great pains to write science fiction by which I mean that everything that happens could happen (the science allows it).  Interestingly the author would write asides periodically to explain the science behind the scene that had just happened.  He styled them as asides so the uninterested could skip over them and follow the story while the interested could learn something.

So, then, what is the book actually about?  It is set 117 years in the future in a world that has enough capacity (via robots etc) so that no one has to work and there is no poverty, starvation, etc.  In this world entertainment is what consumes most people’s time and energy.  The consequence of both these things is that one of the few ways to rise above the pack (be important in some way) is to be a celebrity.  This book then follows the story of a group of teens who seek to become celebrities by stowing away on a space craft.  Things go astonishingly wrong from here.

Trivia of the Week....

This week's trivia question comes to us from the realm of Astronomy...

What is a redshift? 

Websites I use….

I really like this online graphing calculator (https://www.desmos.com/calculator/).  It is a very cool thing to just play with.  Start with the example tab to get some insight into what you can do here and then venture off on your own.  If you’re still in school try running graphs on your homework even if you don’t think graphs are relevant to the topic you’re on…. you might be surprised.   

Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council….

The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council finally has a website (http://highlandparknc.com/site/) or maybe it’s that I’ve finally found the website of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood council.  In any event, check it out for all kinds of information. 

Events for the Week of September 3…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (9/5) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/6) at 4:00
• Introduction to Library Web Tools & the Internet (a class) on Thursday at 6:30
• Real Estate Seminar on Thursday at 6:30
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/7) at 3:30

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.