Han Shoots First!

Tue, 05/09/2006 - 11:28pm by Edith Wharton

It appears that LucasArts has finally given in to fan demands and promised to release the original Star Wars trilogy in all its unaltered glory. I am glad the greed finally won out over Lucas's strange need to tinker..

You too can keep tabs on Bush administration shakeups

Tue, 05/09/2006 - 3:55pm by remnil

AADL Select Sites : World

The recent resignation of CIA Director Porter Goss has followed a string of a high-profile personnel changes in the Bush administration. Other changes include replacing the Press Secretary Scott McClellan with Fox News and radio pundit Tony Snow and Joshua Bolten stepping in as Chief of Staff, a position previously held by Andrew Card.

With all these changes, it can be dificult to keep the people in power straight here in the U.S., to say nothing of what's occuring worldwide. That's where Rulers.org, one of our handy AADL Select Sites, steps in. This website details how leadership has changed in countries over their histories. For instance, you can see the powerful people in France throughout history, including its kings, emperor, and presidents.

Rulers.org also tracks recent changes in country officials and royalty. May 2006 has seen not only Goss's resignation, but also new cabinets in Israel and Afghanistan and a reshuffling of the British cabinet. Simply click the the month and year in which you're interested from the Rulers.org homepage.

Hullabaloo!

Wed, 05/03/2006 - 6:54pm by sstonez

Current magazine says this “rousing band indulges in hip-shaking ska, Latin, and rock.” I’d add swing and rockabilly to that mix, but whatever you call it, Hullabaloo is sheer energy and fun. They play at T.C.’s Speakeasy in Ypsi on Saturday night. If you can’t wait that long, try one of Hullabaloo’s CDs from the Library collection.

Literary Mysteries by Boris Akunin

Wed, 04/26/2006 - 12:02pm by sstonez

The Diane Rehm Show on Tuesday, April 25th featured an interview with Russian author Boris Akunin, the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili. His literary detective novels became bestsellers in Russia and soon spread to the English-speaking world. The AADL owns several of his books in both English and Russian, as well as The Winter Queen and Murder on the Leviathan as books-on-CD. Can anyone spot the sly allusion to a certain Russian thinker hidden in Chkhartishvili's pen name?

(Boris Akunin = B.Akunin = Bakunin, a prominent anarchist of the 19th century.)

San Francisco Earthquake Centennial

Tue, 04/18/2006 - 7:03pm by amy

April 18 is the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake and fire--a major historical and social event in the life of Californians and a cornerstone in the study of earthquakes and seismic activity in the U.S. Most of the city's 400,000 residents were still in bed when the monstrous (magnitude-7.8) quake hit at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906. AADL owns a variety of materials on this event, including last year's San Francisco is Burning: The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires and A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906.

Caruso and the earthquake

Wed, 04/12/2006 - 12:33pm by sstonez

One night Enrico Caruso was serenading San Francisco opera lovers in Bizet’s Carmen, the next night the city was in flames after the massive 1906 earthquake. The earthquake and fire destroyed the opera house and Caruso never sang in San Francisco again. Read more about the earthquake, and see a picture of Caruso in costume for Carmen, at National Public Radio’s website. You can borrow a recording of Caruso singing “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” from Carmen from the library to get a feel for the magic of that night. Or if you’re heading out San Francisco way, Carmen is once again in the SF Opera’s 2006-7 repertoire.

Muhammad Ali Sells Rights to Name and Likeness

Wed, 04/12/2006 - 11:01am by Rich

Muhammad Ali recently agreed to give up majority control of the rights to his name and image to an entertainment and licensing firm in exchange for $50 million. CKX, Inc. also owns the rights to Elvis Presley's marketing.

The library has many materials for those interested in learning more about Ali. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times and the more recent The Lost Legacy of Muhammad Ali, both by Thomas Hauser, are highly recommended. Other books include The Muhammad Ali Reader and King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero.

DVDs include When We Were Kings, an excellent documentary about the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" versus a younger and meaner George Foreman. Also on order is Michael Mann's director's cut of the 2001 film Ali. For those who don't want to wait, the original DVD release is also available.

Hoot

Thu, 04/06/2006 - 3:28pm by Edith Wharton

Look for Hoot, based on the novel by Carl Hiaasen, which should be coming to AA theaters sometime soon. I'm going to try to make it to the free screening tonight and I'll let you know if I think its any good. I really loved the book, so I hope so.

Visions 2006: Low-Vision Vendor Fair

Tue, 04/04/2006 - 3:14pm by iralax

If your vision is diminished in any way, then come visit the fifty vendors at this wide ranging display and demonstration of products at the Morris Lawrence Bldg. on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, Wednesday, May 10, 10:00 am-4:00 pm. You will learn about services, supports and technologies to help individuals facing sight loss. Sighted assistants will be available, snacks, and Dr. David Zacks of the Kellogg Eye Center, will give a special talk on "New Frontiers in Vision Research: From the Lab to the Clinic." Sponsored by Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Michigan Commission for the Blind.

The Simpsons on the Big Screen

Mon, 04/03/2006 - 11:54am by Rich

Could this be a cruel April Fools joke on fans of the Simpsons?

According to news reports, the most beloved American family made their debut on the big screen this past weekend in a trailer announcing a new Simpsons movie in the works. The short teaser trailer featuring Homer Simpson in his tighty whities was shown in theaters across the country before the new animated film, Ice Age: The Meltdown. The release date is July 27, 2007 so mark your calendars!

The library has many books and videos on the Simpsons, including DVD sets of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons of the popular television show. For those of you who want to read about the Simpsons, there are books discussing the social relevance and philosophy of the Simpsons.