Yoga Workout! 7-8 p.m. Thursday, July 27, Multipurpose room, Downtown Library

Wed, 07/26/2006 - 9:59am by K.C.

The first of four yoga workshops is tomorrow (Thursday). Come learn how to relax, meditate, and strengthen your body. Instructor Victoria Forman-Duranona will guide you through each exercise. Wear comfortable clothing, bring a mat if you have one, and don't eat a big meal beforehand.

Film Revolutionary

Sun, 07/23/2006 - 5:01pm by Maxine

July 26 is the birthday of film director, Stanley Kubrick. Born in 1928 in New York City, Kubrick began his film career shooting a documentary of a boxer, "The Day of the Fight" for which he made $100. Kubrick's films are known for their brilliant cinematography. More than any other director, most of his films were based on books. Some of his most famous were Dr. Strangelove and 2001: Space Odyssey. His last film before his death in 1999 was Eyes Wide Shut. Known as a perfectionist who demanded much from his actors and crew, Kubrick will be remembered as one of the most influential film directors of the 20th century.

Celebrating American Women

Fri, 07/21/2006 - 11:33am by Maxine

Friday, July 21 is the 27th anniversary of the the founding of The National Women's Hall of Fame. The hall was founded to honor women who have been the most influential in the development of the United States. Located in Seneca Falls, N.Y., "the birthplace of women's rights," the Hall of Fame stands where the first Women's Suffrage Movement Convention was held in 1848.

Some recently acquired biographies of American women are:

Mary Evans Walker: Above and Beyond by Dale L. Walker. Walker was a physician during the Civil War.

Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's First Poet by Charlotte Gordon.

If the Creek Don't Rise: My Life Out West With the Last Black Widow of the Civil War by Rita Ann Williams.

Ladies First:40 Daring Women Who Were Second to None by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.

Beach Reads 2006 (#4, mostly Fabulous Fiction Firsts)

Thu, 07/20/2006 - 5:31pm by muffy

Blow the House Down by Robert Baer. Riveting and complex debut spy thriller by an ex-CIA operative whose memoir inspired the film Syriana.

A Field of Darkness* by Cornelia Read. A tough-talking, shotgun-toting, ex-debutante being drawn into a cold case involving a double homicide. (A noteworthy FFF - primed as a mystery series opener).

The Futurist* by James P. Othmer. Wildly entertaining and deadly serious satire on global politics and personal integrity. (A FFF)

The Girls* by Lori Lansens. The lives, loves and dreams of a set of conjoined twins. Unforgettable, from a noted Canadian author.

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn* by Sarah Miller. A wild ride inside the head of a sensitive, funny, and a bit lusty 15 year-old prep school hunk. (Another FFF!)

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs. Entertaining nonfiction account of one man's attempt to read the whole Encyclopedia Britannica. (Recommended by Sancho Panza).

Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio. FFF from a noted poet, about a has-been junior beauty queen, a pregnant teenager and a baby girl determined to carve out her own future. Moving and engaging. Reminds me of Billie Lett's debut novel Where the Heart is.

Owl Island by Randy Sue Coburn. A romantic and wise look at first loves, set in the Pacific Northwest. You will be hard pressed to find a better beach read.

* = Starred reviews

Animanga This Fall

Tue, 07/18/2006 - 2:21pm by lola

Planning Animanga Club for this fall is underway. I know everyone said they liked meeting on the Weekends but there are many football Saturdays to compete with in the fall. What about meeting Friday nights? Also, what do you think about doing Full Metal Alchemist in the fall? I also have a call for a Vintage Night.

Pre-Season is Here!

Sat, 07/15/2006 - 5:05pm by lola

Start practicing for the AADL-GT Super Smash Double Dash Championship Series on Sunday, July 23, from 12-5pm downtown in the multipurpose room. Size up your opponents and get your clan together for some hard core practice playing Super Smash and Mario Kart. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in Super Smash, Mario Kart single-player and team events. If nothing else, stop by for some pizza and a little single player Mario Kart. Let the trash talking begin!

Super Smash Double Dash: Preseason Tournament Next Sunday!

Sat, 07/15/2006 - 1:41am by eli

It's been a long, long, off-season, but the wait is almost over. The AADL-GT Super Smash Double Dash Championship Series returns with our PRESEASON EVENT next SUNDAY, July 23rd, from Noon-5 PM at the Downtown Library. Registration is now open! This year, we've got several changes to the system planned, the biggest of which being MORE PRIZES! Each Gamecube Tournament will consist of 4 events: Super Smash Bros Free-For-All, Super Smash Bros. Team Battle, Mario Kart Single-Player Race, and Mario Kart Coop Team Race. The top 3 finishers from each event will take home giftcard prizes: $40 for 1st, $30 for 2nd, and $20 for 3rd. For Team Events, the teams will split that prize (you'll each get your own giftcard). So, if you manage to win all 4 events, you could walk home with $120 just from a single tournament!

As always, winning any single event qualifies you for the Grand Championship in December, where you'll have your shot at winning a DS, an iPod, or (hopefully) a BRAND-NEW NINTENDO WII! Read on for details about the the upcoming season...

Into the Wild

Tue, 07/11/2006 - 5:48pm by amy

Sean Penn is currently filming Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (1996) about Chris McCandless' ill-fated Alaskan wilderness odyssey of 1992. Although the book is dramatic enough, it's unlikely Penn will spin off, as Krakauer does, into the intriguing stories of other fanatical adventurers--Everett Ruess, John Waterman, Gene Rosellini--who also ventured off into the wild full of ideals and hubris, never to return. Part cautionary tale, Krakauer also does his bit to counter those who would dismiss the bright, Tolstoy-quoting Jack London-loving McCandless as mere crackpot by setting him within the context of other intensely motivated nature lovers (John Muir, Henry David Thoreau) who also retreated from society into the seductive refuge of nature.

Buckminster Fuller- Renaissance Man

Sat, 07/08/2006 - 3:06pm by Maxine

July 12 is the 101st birthday of Buckminster Fuller, architect, inventor, engineer and philosopher. Fuller is best known for his invention of the geodesic dome, one of the most revolutionary structural inventions of the twentieth century. Fuller was a rare combination of the romantic and the scientist, one who believed in the possibility of the impossible and with the technical knowledge to bring dreams to fruition. Check out one of his other inventions, the dymaxion house at the Henry Ford Museum.

SNAP! Get Digital.... Camera Classes -

Fri, 07/07/2006 - 11:28am by erin

If you have a digital camera and want to learn how best to use it - be sure to sign-up for the SNAP! Get Digital Classes (there are 2) on Thursday and Friday July 27 & 28 - from 1:00-3:00 PM - in the DOWNTOWN library computer lab on the 3rd floor. You'll learn about a variety of cameras, what to do with it once you have it, how to get things on your computer, customize your image and send it to your friends. We neglected to tell you to sign-up in AXIS, but you do need to. Just call 327-8301 or visit ANY library reference to reserve your spot. Hope to see you there -