John Scalzi's Hugo-winning book Redshirts is an odd duck, to be certain. As it starts, it seems like an excellent pastiche of the sci-fi phenomena of the 'Red Shirt'. For those not up on their tropes (and haven't gotten themselves trapped reading everything on the site I just linked), the Red Shirt is a character who is introduced solely to die for dramatic effect. In…
Read moreThe 16th Street Baptist Church, where the SCLC organized the Birmingham Campaign in 1963. The church was bombed by KKK terrorists in September of that year in response. This photo is by flickr user iamNigelMorris. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded in 1957 by none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Junior himself after the civil rights victory in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Initially formed…
Read moreHave you noticed East Library's unofficial mascot?  Before the move to Temporary East Library, our mascot lived a quiet life in the staff workroom.  Now she is prominently displayed for all to see! This of course leads to one of our most frequently received questions, "is that really a Librarian Action figure?" Why yes, yes it is! Behold the Deluxe Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure! Mint-ish in her box, Nancy comes…
Read moreCouture Prairie And Flea Market Treasures by Rachel Ashwell; photography by Amy Neunsinger Rachel Ashwell, who popularized "shabby chic" delivers page after page of photos and narrative-- delightful pastels, provincial furniture, floral patterns, distressed finishes, whimsical objects, cowboy memorabilia, bucolic landscapes and rustic Texas flea market charm. She visits Round Top antique markets, purchases a farm property called Outpost, and transforms it into "The Prairie"…
Read moreCoralie Sardie thrills the masses at The Museum of Extraordinary Things on the 1911 Coney Island boardwalk. She appears as the Mermaid, alongside the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. Her hands are webbed and she can swim with speed and ease; her father, "the Professor," trained her to use a special breathing device so she could spend an hour or more…
Read moreI bet you thought that vending machines were made only for snacks, sandwiches, and sodas. Well you would be wrong! Bay View Library now has a vending machine for, wait for it..., LAPTOP COMPUTERS. You heard me right, computers from a vending machine. The Bay View Library vending machine holds 18 laptops. They are available to patrons, age 8 and up, with a valid library card…
Read moreWhen most people think of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, they think of Martin Luther King Junior, the crowds, the 'I Have a Dream' speech, and all with good reason. Yet one of the chief organizers of the event, Bayard Rustin, remained carefully and pointedly out of the spotlight. Why? Why was a man who was so integral to the nonviolent resistance…
Read moreDaily Rituals by Mason Currey is incredibly fantastic, offering a peek into the lives (and perhaps minds) of great cultural figures. The project started as a blog, so it has that same short, easy-reading format. The book covers authors, composers, poets, artists, scientists, mathematicians, inventors, and filmmakers; and the huge variety in how different people create. Some toil waiting for inspiration, others chug ahead day…
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