Events for the Week of December 1…

Don’t miss any of the exciting events going on at the library this week…

• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (12/3) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets on Thursday (12/4) at 4:00
• Introduction to Spreadsheets Class also on Thursday at 6:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (12/5) at 3:30
• Covered California Enrollment Assistance on Saturday (12/6) from 10:00-2:00
• STAR Reader also on Saturday at 2:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Covered California….

Do you have questions about anything Covered CA related?  Do you need help enrolling?  Would you like assistance changing your existing coverage?  If so then you should plan to swing on by the library during any of our many Covered California Enrollment events.  A number of local community organizations have stepped up so that we may offer you the following schedule of events: 

Saturdays:
11/29 - 12/13 from 10:00-2:00
12/20 from 1:00-5:00
12/27 from 10:00-2:00
1/3 from 10:00-2:00
1/10 from 12:00-4:00
1/17 - 2/7 from 10:00-2:00

Mondays:
12/15, 12/29, 1/12, & 2/2 from 4:00-7:00

Wednesdays:
12/17 - 2/4 from 4:00-7:00

(note that 12/25 and 12/31 are holidays so are not part of the Wednesday series)

Experts will be available at each of these events to answer your questions, help you get enrolled, and just generally offer you whatever assistance you need.

The organizations that are so very kindly doing this are: 

• Arroyo Vista Family Health Center
• Bienestar
• Comprehensive Community Health Centers
• Community Health Alliance of Pasadena
• Vision y Compromiso
• The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles

Arroyo Book Club Pick for December….

The December Arroyo Book Club book is Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas.  Let me entice you into the book by sharing the book jacket description:

In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years here. More family soon followed, and the clan has been here ever since. Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas’s wonderfully engaging family: her engineer father, a sweetly quixotic dreamer who first sought riches on Bowling for Dollars and in Las Vegas, and later lost his job during the Iranian revolution; her elegant mother, who never fully mastered English (nor cared to); her uncle, who combated the effects of American fast food with an army of miraculous American weight-loss gadgets; and Firoozeh herself, who as a girl changed her name to Julie, and who encountered a second wave of culture shock when she met and married a Frenchman, becoming part of a one-couple melting pot. In a series of deftly drawn scenes, we watch the family grapple with American English (hot dogs and hush puppies?—a complete mystery), American traditions (Thanksgiving turkey?—an even greater mystery, since it tastes like nothing), and American culture (Firoozeh’s parents laugh uproariously at Bob Hope on television, although they don’t get the jokes even when she translates them into Farsi). Above all, this is an unforgettable story of identity, discovery, and the power of family love. It is a book that will leave us all laughing—without an accent.

Stop by the library for a copy and plan to join us for discussion on December 27 at 3:00.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question doesn’t really have a right answer.  Think of it instead as an opportunity to prove a literate turn of mind by being able to provide a quote, proverb or maxim on the topic of necessity.

The First fifteen Lives of Harry August

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North begins by setting up a class of people who live their lives, die and are reborn as themselves but with all their memories.  So generally the first time they are reborn they experience a bout of insanity as they try to cope with being a child who rembers a complete life.  Eventually as their lives pile up they adjust and are able to capitalize on the fact that they already know what will happen in the world to steer their own lives in many different directions, avoid calamity, and ensure comfort.  Harry August, as you’ve no doubt guessed, is one of these individuals.  Then as Harry lies dying for the twelfth time he is visited by a little girl who gives him a message from the future to take back to the time of his birth --- the world is ending, sooner then it should.  So Harry is reborn and undertakes to find out why this is happening.  Harry who was born in 1919 and generally dies sometime in the 90’s takes us on many different tours of the 20^th century as he lives his lives and endeavors to find the cause of the changing future & solve it.

The book is interesting and the premise is actually quite believable as the author describes it (I’m not sure I did as well with my synopsis).  A good book for fans of the speculative who like a bit of a mystery.

Events for the Week of November 24…

We will be closed on November 27 & 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Events going on the rest of the week include… 

• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (11/26) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Correo Electronico Para Principiantes on Wednesday at 6:30
• Covered CA enrollment assistance on Saturday (11/29) from 10:00-2:00
• STAR Reader also on Saturday at 2:00 

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

TOW (& Answer)...

The question was what is the significance of Wilson v. Shaw?  Wilson v. Shaw was a 1907 case in which the plaintiff argued that the U.S. government did not have the right to buy the Panamanian land to build the canal.  The case came back against the plaintiff and the Supreme Court found that not only did the government have that power but they had the power to construct interstate highways. This cleared a legal hurdle and allowed for the government to being paving U.S. roads.

The question (& answer) were found on p. 183 of The Historical Atlas of American Crime by Fred Rosen.  The book was published by Facts on File, Inc. in 2005.

Library Events in December…

(Mark your calendars accordingly)

The library has a number of interesting events planned in December.  I thought I’d take a minute and give you a run down so you could plan ahead.  Let’s start with the non-repeating events:

- - - - - - - - - -
12/9 @ 4:00
Gift Bag Decorating
Teens join us to create personalized (& lovely) gift bags you can use for the upcoming gift giving season.

12/18 @ 4:00
Kids Arts & Crafts
Kids! Come use your creativity to make paper decorations & holiday cards.

12/23 @ 4:00
Shrinky Dink Fun
Join us to create your own shrinky dink object.  Make one for yourself & one to give to someone you love.

12/27 @ 3:00
Arroyo Book Club
Join us for a lively discussion of the book Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas.

- - - - - - - - - -

Covered California
During the Covered California enrollment period a number of outside partners will be teaming up with the library to offer enrollment assistance.  In December that assistance will be available:

Saturdays
12/6 & 12/13 from 10:00 to 2:00
12/20 from 1:00 to 5:00
12/27 from 10:00 to 2:00

Mondays
12/15 & 12/29 from 4:00-7:00

Wednesday
12/17 from 4:00-7:00 

- - - - - - - - - -

Each month the library also has a number of ongoing classes & events.  They are:

Little Ones’ Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 10:30
Little Ones’ 3 and under & their grownups are invited to join us for stories, music, & games.

STAR Volunteer Readers - - - Available on Wednesdays at 3:00 on Saturdays at 2:00
STAR readers present the fun of storytelling and reading to children one-on-one or in small groups. Kids earn a free book to keep after 3 visits.

Fun With Tablets - - - Thursdays at 4:00
People of all ages are invited to join us as we explore tablet computers by accomplishing an interesting task.  If you have a project in mind suggest it & we might give it a try.

Drop in Computer Lab - - - Fridays at 3:30
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers.

- - - - - - - - - -

Finally, we have computer classes.  These are formal, free 1-hour sessions.  This month we have:

• Introduction to Spreadsheets on Thursday, 12/4 at 6:30
• Word Processing Basics on Saturday, 12/13 at 2:00
• Computer Basics on Wednesday, 12/24 at 12:00

Please do not hesitate to call the library at 323-255-0537 if you have any questions or would like more information.  Remember that you can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

The Rosie Project

Graeme Simsion brings us a very different love story in The Rosie Project.  Our narrator is Don Tillman.  Don is a genetics professor and can be described as not neurologically typical.  He has decided he wants a wife and so creates a carefully designed, scientifically sound survey designed to find the perfect partner.  Needless to say things do not go as he expected. 

This is an entertaining and enganging book that attempts to make a narrator who is clearly somewhere on the autism scale likeable, relateable, and understandable.  I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to people interested in alternate viewpoint novels and those looking for an understanding depicture of people who are not neurotypical.

History of LAPL…

Today for your delectation I bring you the 1936 Annual Report to the Library Board of Commissioners (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/05/517348.pdf).  This report includes a “Brief History of the Los Angeles Public Library” so not only do you get to peruse library statistics from that particular year you get a 55 page history of the library.  Both are fascinating so take a look.

Events for the Week of November 17…

Don’t miss any of the exciting events going on at the library during the week… 

• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (11/19) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• How to Deal with Utility Companies Program on Wednesday at 6:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday (11/20) at 4:00
• Puppet Show also on Thursday at 4:00
• Desktop Publishing Basics on Thursday at 6:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (11/21) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (11/22) at 2:00 
• Arroyo Book Club Meeting also on Saturday at 3:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what is the significance of Wilson v. Shaw?

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

In Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Caitlin Doughty gives us a book that is part memoir part polemic about the current American cultural attitude toward death.  Doughty writes of her time working in a crematorium, reminisces about her personal encounters or lack of them with death, and posits that our current cultural practices around death & dying reinforce a fear of death in the population at large.  While her experiences are quite interesting and her larger point has some merit she overplays her hand.  I found her apparent belief that no one can learn without direct concrete experience very irritating after a while and did not recognize my own beliefs and attitudes nor those of my friends and family in her depiction of the current cultural state of death.

The book was interesting for the personal experience portions and it did raise questions about death and the way we handle it for the reader to consider.  While the author does not make the case she thinks she is making she does tell an interesting story.  I would recommend it on those grounds.

TOW (& Answer)...

The question was who is Ricardo Flores Magon?  To quote from my source Ricardo Flores Magon was 

“an intrepid and progressive essayist, speaker, organizer, politician and one of the intellectual pillars of the Mexican revolution of 1910.  Forced into exile in the United States for his opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, he began publishing a radical newspaper, Regeneracion, which by 1914 was headquartered in Los Angeles.  Convicted of U.S. neutrality law violations and imprisoned, Magon and his brother Enrique languished in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where Ricardo died, perhaps by assassination, in 1922.”

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 94 of the Illustrated History of Mexican Los Angeles 1781-1985.  The book was written by Antonio Rios-Bustamante and Pedro Castillo and published by the University of California in 1986.

November’s Electronic Resource of the Month….

November’s Electronic Resource of the Month is the Veterans Resources Gateway.  Find the Gateway online via the LAPL website from the Research & Homework page (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#V).  If you are not on a library computer you will need to have your card handy as you access the site.

The site provides resources on general subjects, governmental resources, upcoming events, web resources for veterans collected by LAPL, resource handbooks, books, and ebooks (the ebooks will require your library card for remote access).

In addition to the online collection of resources the library has nine veteran center locations dedicated to helping veterans and their families (you will find a list of all physical centers on the gateway page).  Each center has trained volunteers who can meet and help in connecting veterans and their families with essential information.  

Events for the Week of November 10…

Remember that the library will be closed on 11/11 for Vetran’s Day.  Don’t miss any of the exciting events going on at the library during the rest of the week…

• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (11/12) at 10:30
• Library Web Tools & the Internet Class also on Wednesday at 12:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday (11/13) at 4:00
• Computadoras para Principiantes also on Thursday at 4:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (11/14) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (11/15) at 2:00
• Winter Planting Presentation by local Master Gardeners brought to you by the Arroyo Seco Friends of the Library on Sunday (11/16) at 1:30

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Everything Leads to You

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour tells the tale of Emi Price the summer she graduates from high school.  Her brother, off to Europe, lets her stay in his apartment with the challenge that she make something great take place there.  Emi manages to do just that.  During the course of the summer Emi recovers from her first love, solves a mystery involving a film legend, finds her artistic (and presumably her eventual professional) feet, and falls in love.

This is a sweet story that is aimed at a young adult audience.  I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventurous, over achieving girls making a mark on the world.

Trivia of the Week....

This week’s question is who is Ricardo Flores Magon?

Websites I Like….

If you’ve ever wondered just how a certain word (in another language --- or even in your own) is correctly pronounced then Forvo (http://www.forvo.com/) is the site for you.  Forvo provides audio playback clips of word pronunciations by native speakers in over 280 languages.  Totally and completely cool.  You can sign up to do pronunciations yourself and, if a word isn’t already pronounced you can request that it be.

My Real Children

My Real Children by Jo Walton is a fascinating story.  In it we meet Patricia, in 2015, very old and suffering from dementia she is usually described by her nurses as very confused.  She has reason to be confused as she can clearly remember living two completely different lives that stemmed from one yes/no choice she made in her early 20s.  The book follows Patricia’s remembrance of both lives and reveals that not only Patricia’s life is different in each life but the entire world around her --- for whatever reason her own yes/no choice sent the world on two very different paths. 

This was an entertaining book with interesting characters and the added fascination of piecing out what is different in each version of reality.  I would recommend it to lovers of speculative fiction and historical fiction alike.

TOW (& Answer)...

The question for the week was what is a Mohawk turn?  To quote from my source:

A Mohawk turn is a turn from forward to backward, or vice versa, from one foot to the other in which the curve of the exit edge continues the curve of the entry edge.

To clarify things a bit… a Mohawk turn is something a figure skater might do.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 120 of The Sports Rules Book by Thomas Hanlon.  The book was published by Human Kinetics Publishers in 1998.

Events for the Week of November 2…

Don’t miss any of the exciting events going on at the library during the week…

• Magic Show for the pre & elementary school set on Sunday (11/2) at 2:00
• Teen Sock Puppets program on Tuesday (11/4) at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (11/5) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday (11/6) at 4:00
• Como Utilizar la Internet also on Thursday at 6:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (11/7) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (11/8) at 2:00
• Computer Basics Class also on Saturday at 2:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

History of LAPL…

Ususally I bring you a history of Highland Park article but today I’m going to let you look at an article about the Los Angeles Public Library (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/14/522809.pdf).  

The article is titled Biggest Lender in the West and briefly described with “9,000,000 Books a Year: A Report to the People of Los Angeles on their Public Library.”  It was put together in 1955 and provides a snapshot of current and projected library use and uses.  Most interestingly it is filled with absolutely charming graphic images.  I’d say take a look at it if only to admire these drawings.