Arroyo Book Club Pick for July….

The Arroyo Book Club book for July is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.  The book description says:

In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys--best friends--are playing in a Little League baseball game in New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills his best friend's mother. Owen Meany believes he didn't hit the ball by accident. He believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after 1953 is extraordinary and terrifying.

It certainly sounds like an interesting read.  Pick up a copy and join us for discussion on July 25th at 3:00. 

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what does “eripuit caelo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis” mean? Bonus points for providing context.

Events for the Week of June 28…

This year the Fourth of July is on a Saturday which means that the library will be closed for two days… July 3 & July 4.  Events going on at the library during the rest of the week include…

• All about Spreadsheets Class on Sunday (6/28) at 2:00
• Summer Fun for Kids: Puppet Show on Monday (6/29) at 4:00
• UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic on Tuesday (6/30) from 8:30-12:00 (Appointment Required)
• Tai Chi Session on Tuesday at 10:30
• Teen Summer Fun program on Tuesday at 4:00
• LGBT Author Reading also on Tuesday at 6:00 (more info here: http://www.arroyoseco5.blogspot.com/2015/06/new-addition-to-our-upcoming-lgbt.html)
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (7/1) sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• Tai Chi Session on Thursday (7/2) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday at 4:00 --- Session two of “make your own music video” program.

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)....

This week’s question was what is implosive therapy?  To quote from the source:

A form of behavior therapy developed by Thomas Stampfl in the late 1950s, implosive therapy is based on the hypothesis that neurotic behavior – notably intense anxiety – develops as an avoidance mechanism for coping with a repressed traumatic experience, and that the relative success of avoidance enables the anxiety to persist. In treatment the patient’s anxiety is increased and maintained at an almost intolerable level by imagining a series of provoking cues, described either by the therapist or by the patient with the therapist’s assistance, until the anxiety dissipates.  Proponents believe the technique reinforces anxiety control and extinguishes related public responses by depriving the anxiety of its avoidance function.

The question, and answer, were taken from p. 189 of Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by Raymond J. Corsini and published by John Wiley & Sons in 1984.

Reign of Evil

Weston Ochse continues his saga of Seal Team 666 with Reign of Evil.   He also continues his rather alarming tendency of killing off his principal characters (if I was employed as a character in one of his books I’d be justifiably concerned).  This book begins with one of the characters from the last book visiting Stonehenge to witness a Solstice ceremony only to be sacrificed as that ceremony turns out to be one to summon the return of King Arthur.  Our guys from Seal Team 666 are summoned, eventually, by their English equivalents in an attempt to thwart this attempted overthrow of England.  

Readers who enjoy a good military adventure and are not put off by fantastical plot elements and excessive violence will enjoy this book.

History of Highland Park(ish)….

Curious about the Mount Washington Railway? Here (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/10/520302.pdf) we have an article that describes the short life of the inclined railway that ran from Ave 43 & Marmion up the hill to the Mt. Washington Hotel.  The article was published in 1974 and was written by Roger Swanson.  Photographs are included.  

Foxglove Summer

Ben Aaronovitch continues his excellent Rivers of London series with Foxglove Summer.  In this volume Peter Grant is called to the countryside when two girls go missing.  Things are, of course, not what they seem and soon he’s mired in questions of changelings, mythical beasts, stroppy bees, and more.  If you’ve been reading the series you’ll definitely want to pick this book up.  If you’re unfamiliar find Midnight Riot and see what you’ve been missing.  Recommended. 

Events for the Week of June 21…

Events going on at the library during this week include…

• Make Music LA! on Sunday (6/21) The Andersons at 1:30 & Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas at 3:15
• Summer Fun for Kids: Twinkle Toes Dance Class on Monday (6/22) at 4:00
• Tai Chi Session on Tuesday (6/23) at 10:30
• Teen Summer Fun program on Tuesday at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (6/24) sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• Tai Chi Session on Thursday (6/25) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday at 4:00 --- Session one of “make your own music video” program.
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/26) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (6/27) at 2:00
• Arroyo Book Club discussion 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 comes to us from psychology and asks what is implosive therapy?

TOW (& Answer)...

The question was what are the Mixtec known for? The Mixtec are “distinctive chiefly for their painted manuscripts.”  They complied pictorial genealogies covering centuries of history.  They were also master gold and metalworkers, making pendants, rings, bells and other items.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 178 of The Culture Vulture by Carol Dunlap.  The book was published in 1994 by The Preservation Press.

New Addition to our upcoming LGBT Author Reading....

We have an additional reader at our upcoming LGBT Author event.  Verónica Reyes will be reading too.  Below is my original entry for the event with the addition of our new reader.  Make plans to join us...

June is LGBT Heritage Month.  To celebrate we will have an Author Event planned for June 30. Join us at 6pm for a reading by 4 local LGBT writers.  On the schedule are:

• Seth Fischer.  A writer/editor whose writing has appeared in Best Sex Writing, PANK, The Rumpus, Guernica, and it has been listed as notable in The Best American Essays. Winner of fellowships and residencies by Lambda Literary, Jentel, and Woodstock Byrdcliffe. Seth also teaches at Antioch University Los Angeles and Writing Workshops Los Angeles. (www.seth-fischer.com)
• Kyle Sawyer.  Programs Coordinator at the Lambda Literary Foundation. He spends much of his time connecting his passions to social justice and is a long time trans* activist.  Kyle has developed an experiential Trans* Ally Workshop to help educate individuals, organizations, and service providers on best ally practices. (www.lambdaliterary.org)
• Melissa Chadburn.  UCSD writing instructor. She has written for Guernica, SLAKE, Salon, McSweeney’s, American Public Media’s Marketplace. Her essay, "The Throwaways," was noted in 2013’s Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading.” Follow her on twitter @melissachadburn. She loves your whole outfit right now.
• Verónica Reyes.  A Chicana feminist jota poet from East Los Angeles, California. She scripts poetry for the people. Her poems give voice to all her communities:  Chicanas/os, immigrants, Mexicanas/os, and la jotería. Her work has appeared in Calyx, Feminist Studies, ZYZZYZVA, Ms. Magazine (on-line), and The Minnesota Review. Her book, Chopper! Chopper! Poetry from Bordered Lives (Arktoi Books/Red Hen Press 2013), has won Best Poetry from International Latino Book Awards 2014, Best Poetry from Golden Crown Literary Society Awards 2014, the Goldie award, and Finalist for Lesbian Poetry from Lambda Literary Awards 2014.
  
  

Websites I Like…

The USA.gov site has a section dedicated to government forms.  So, if you’re looking for a form stop by this page: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/forms.shtml.  

Events for the Week of June 14…

Events going on at the library during this week include…

• MediCal & Cal Fresh information table on Sunday (6/14) from 1:30-5:30
• Summer Fun for Kids: Zumba on Monday (6/15) at 4:00
• Teen Summer Fun program on Tuesday (6/16) at 4:00
• Family Sing-a-long also on Tuesday at 6:30
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (6/17) sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (6/18) at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday at 4:00 --- Session two of Scratch “animate your favorite book” program.
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/19) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (6/20) at 2:00
• Introduction to Genealogy Research 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.

This Book is Full of Spiders

In This Book is Full of Spiders David Wong continues the existential craziness that began in John Dies at the End.  In this book our narrator discovers spiders that crawl inside people’s heads and take them over.  Things spin out of control and pretty soon the town is barricaded by the military and the rest of the world is screaming for the death of the zombies (or spider infected people).  David and John with the help of Amy and Molly (the very good dog) must figure something out.  The charm of Wong’s books lies in the joy with which he is continually playing with philosophical & existential questions… the type of thing 19 & 20 year olds obsesses about.  So reading one of his books is like taking a vacation with your younger self.

Anyway this book is recommended to those who like to ponder the imponderable and don’t mind mixing really bizarre plot points into the mix.  The book can be read on its own but you probably do want to read both books, so start with John Dies at the End.

Broken Homes

I guess it speaks to how much I personally like Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant books that the very next book I read after Whispers Underground was another in that series.  Broken Homes lands our detectives with a whole slew of murders & more.  It’s kind of hard to get into the plot without giving too much away but we have a housing estate, a magically deranged architect, more of the shenanigans of the villain of the story, and (unfortunately) a betrayal.

If you’ve been following the series you’ll definitely want to read this one too.  If you haven’t pick up Midnight Riot and get started.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what are the Mixtec known for?

LGBT Author Reading

June is LGBT Heritage Month.  To celebrate we will have an Author Event planned for June 30.  Join us at 6pm for a reading by 3 local LGBT writers.  On the schedule are:

• Seth Fischer.  A writer/editor whose writing has appeared in Best Sex Writing, PANK, The Rumpus, Guernica, and it has been listed as notable in The Best American Essays. Winner of fellowships and residencies by Lambda Literary, Jentel, and Woodstock Byrdcliffe. Seth also teaches at Antioch University Los Angeles and Writing Workshops Los Angeles. (www.seth-fischer.com)
• Kyle Sawyer.  Programs Coordinator at the Lambda Literary Foundation. He spends much of his time connecting his passions to social justice and is a long time trans* activist.  Kyle has developed an experiential Trans* Ally Workshop to help educate individuals, organizations, and service providers on best ally practices. (www.lambdaliterary.org)
• Melissa Chadburn.  UCSD writing instructor. She has written for Guernica, SLAKE, Salon, McSweeney’s, American Public Media’s Marketplace. Her essay, "The Throwaways," was noted in 2013’s Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading.” Follow her on twitter @melissachadburn. She loves your whole outfit right now.

Events for the Week of June 8…

Events going on at the library during this week include…

• Summer Fun for Kids: One World Rhythm show on Monday (6/8) at 4:00
• Marketing Program on Tuesday (6/9) from 10:00-12:00 --- pre-registration required.
• Teen Summer Fun program also on Tuesday at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (6/10) sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (6/11) at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday at 4:00 --- Session one of Scratch “animate your favorite book” program.
• Computer Basics class on Thursday at 6:00.
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/12) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (6/13) 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 are the ways a batsman can go out?  To answer: a batsman is out when he:

• Allows a delivery to knock a bail off his wicket
• Hits a ball caught in the air by a fieldsman
• Hits his own wicket and knocks off a bail
• Uses his body to block a delivery from hitting his wicket, even if unintentional
• Is not over the popping crease when a fieldsman throws a ball and knocks the bail off the wicket toward which the batsman is approaching, or when a fieldsman holds the ball and knocks the bail off by hitting it
• Crosses the popping crease while trying to hit the ball and the wicket-keeper grabs the ball and knocks the bail off his wicket before the batsman can return
• Touches a ball in play
• Hits a ball twice
• Intentionally interferes with a fielder
• Breaks his wicket while receiving, or preparing to receive, a delivery

The question (& answer) come from p. 75 of The Sports Rules Book by Thomas Hanlon.  The book was published in 1998 by Human Kinetics Publishers.

Tai Chi

We are fortunate this summer to have a volunteer to lead us in twice weekly Tai Chi sessions.  He will teach you techniques to ease your tension and stress, and improve your balance and breathing. 
Sessions are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30.  The first will be on 6/23 and the last on 7/23.  Please feel free to join us for any session.

The instructor provides us with some information about the characteristics of Tai chi quan…

• Slow and graceful movement which goes on and on.  It is “like the clouds scurrying across the sky and the water flowing down a river or stream.”  It does not stop until the whole exercise comes to a peaceful end.  Choppy movements are anathema to tai chi practitioners.
• Natural and unblocked flow of ch’i, meaning vital energy, in the whole body at all times.  To do that, the tai chi practitioner must focus their mind on their movement, trying in every way to keep themselves from being distracted by a medley of ideas.
• A perfect combination of action and quietness.  The body of the practitioner is moving all the time, but his mind is dominated by a peacefulness that comes only with a lot of exercise.  In appearance, he is sort of restless, at heart, he experiences a serenity which onlookers find difficult to comprehend.  Ultimately, he finds himself at one with the universe.

The instructor also provides eight basic rules to follow:

1. Keeping the upper part of the body straight.  One must not slant forward or backward.  This will ensure the flexibility of the waist, which is the axis of the human body, the starting point of almost every bodily movement.
2. Keeping one’s gravity low.  This might be difficult for first-time learners, but it is highly important because probably more than anything else it contributes to a good bodily balance.
3. When moving forward or backward, do not place one’s feet in the same line.  Only then can one be “as steady and firm as a mountain.” Placing both feet in the same line would most likely lead to the loss of balance.
4. Not moving a foot when the body’s weight is on it.  To move the right foot requires shifting the weight away from it to the left foot; to move the left foot requires shifting the weight away from it to the right.
5. Allowing the shoulders and elbows to hang down naturally.  The term “hang down naturally” means the total relaxation of the muscles in the neck and arms.  Raising the shoulders is a sin.  And even when the arms are moving, the elbows must not unfold like a bird’s wings.
6. Every movement must “round out” in the end, not in an angular fashion.  This applies especially to the movement of the hands.  Slow, continuous, and elegant, it has nothing to do with what is short, sudden and rough.  It is this feature that gives the practice of tai chi a look of elegance.
7. Matching one’s breathing with movement.  As one will find out, tai chi quan consists of open and closed movements.  “when open, breathe in; when closed, breathe out,” that is what one has to remember.  The effort to match breathing with movement will naturally slow down the movement.
8. Control deep breath by the diaphragm, allowing ch’i to go deep into the abdomen instead of the lungs.  While doing this occasionally is easy; it takes all the focused attention that one can give to do it continually.  However, the effort to do it will be amply rewarded.  This is also the secret of an opera singer’s powerful voice.

June’s Electronic Resource of the Month…

The Electronic Resource of the Month for June is Opposing Views in Context.  Opposing Viewpoints provides resources on major social and political issues.  It provides pro and con arguments with contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues drawn from news articles, journals, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.  Perfect for students with a social studies paper or an interest in debate.

Find the Opposing Views database on the library’s Research & Homework page (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#O).  You will need your library card number & pin if you are accessing the database from a non-library computer.  Once on the database you can browse through suggested topic categories or type in what you are looking for. Take a look at it and remember it for all your social interest needs.

Whispers Underground

If you enjoy a good adventurous police procedural and don’t balk at the inclusion of spell casting policemen, wizardly evildoers, and the odd river god then you’ll enjoy Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series.  Whispers Underground is actually the third in the series, though, so you might want to back up and start with Midnight Riot.  Aaronovitch creates an interesting world and then sets his police constable to work within it.  In this volume a dead American is found in a subway station.  Peter is called in because of the suspicion that something “spooky” is involved and, of course, it is.  He then proceeds to get to the bottom of things.

I quite like Aaronovitch’s series.  The books are full of action & interesting characters and the world described (barely different from our own) has a coherent structure.  Recommended for lovers of just left of the real world fantasy.

Websites I Like….

Need your birth certificate?  Looking for an old death certificate?  The US Government has a handy page that tells you, by state or territory, exactly what you need to do to get those documents.  Interestingly enough it is off of the CDC’s web page.  Find it here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm.