Soccernomics

In Soccernomics Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski use statistics and economics to analyze soccer (particularly the English Premier League) in a variety of ways to answer questions & make predictions.  Each chapter takes a question or issue and exhaustively explores it via the medium of statistics.  Representative chapters include The Worst Business in the World: Why Soccer Clubs Don’t (and Shouldn’t) Make Money, Need Not Apply: Does English Soccer Discriminate Against Black People?, The Country That Loves Soccer Most, The Curse of Poverty: Why Poor Countries Are Poor at Sports, and Core to Periphery: The Future Map of Global Soccer.

The book is actually quite interesting.  Those who find statistics unexciting will still find the sections where the authors offer their interpretations of their analyses fascinating --- particularly if they like soccer.  I would recommend it to anyone interested in a behind the scenes, number based look at a popular sport. 

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is when was James Cook’s second voyage to the Pacific?

Websites I Like…

The American Museum of Natural History (http://images.library.amnh.org/digital/) has a database of more then 7,000 archival images that you can search, browse, and otherwise explore.  They provide access to rich collections of digitized archival photographic images, art and memorabilia images and Rare Book Collection illustrations.  Give it a browse.

TOW (& Answer)...

This week’s challenge was to provide a quote, proverb or maxim on the topic of necessity.  There are tons of acceptable answers.  Let me provide a few from my source:

• “Necessity is the last and strongest weapon” –Livy Ab Urbe Condita. Bk. iv, ch28
• “Necessity weighs hard upon us” –Homer, Iliad Bk. vi, 1. 85
• “Necessity makes even cowards brave” –Thomas Day, Sandford and Merton, p. 44
• “You cannot escape necessities; but you can conquer them” –Seneca, Ad Lucilium. Epis. xxi, sec.3.
• “Necessity’s sharp pinch” –Shakspeare, King Lear ii, 4, 214.

The idea for the challenge and my selection of quotes were taken from p. 1666 of The Macmillan book of Proverbs, Maxims, and Famous Phrases.  The book was “selected and arranged” by Burton Stevenson and published in 1976.

December’s Electronic Resource of the Month…

Freegal is the December Electronic Resource of the month.  

What is freegal? Freegal is a download music service with access to millions of songs in hundreds of muisc genres.  The library’s subscription allows you (the patron with a library card) to download 5 songs a week that are free & free of drm.  Additionally you can stream music 24/7 via this service.

How do you access freegal?  You will find freegal listed on the library’s website (http://www.lapl.org/) in the Research & Homework alphabetical online resources list (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#F).  You will need your library card to access the service.

Once you’re logged in you will find the site fairly intuitive to use with plenty of FAQs (found on the right hand corner of every page) offering specific help.  Give it a try if you aren’t already a user.

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.