Blog Post
Crazy World? Try Some Stories!
by StoryLaura
If you are looking for clever ways to deal with uncertainty and conflict in this wild time, Dan Keding’s collection of folktales, Stories of Hope and Spirit: Folktales from Eastern Europe may give you resolution. From the Croatian version of Stone Soup, to the Slovakian Cinderella, these tales share the wit, wisdom and strength of the Slavic culture and fuel the human spirit. Keding is an award-winning storyteller and musician who grew up on tales from his Croatian grandmother.
Blog Post
Embracing Eatonville at UMMA Off/Site
by muffy
There is still time to visit the photography exhibition Embracing Eatonville at the University of Michigan Musuem of Art Off/Site (through March 18th).
Located in Orange County, Florida, Eatonville was the first incorporated African-American community in the nation. Today, it is perhaps best known for its annual showcase of arts, literature and culture that celebrates native daughter Zora Neale Hurston.
The current exhibition "celebrates the spirit and character of Eatonville through the work of contemporary photographers Dawoud Bey, Lonnie Graham, Carrie Mae Weems, and Deborah Willis, each of whom have created a new body of work for this exhibition as they explore the importance of place to individual and collective identity".
Blog Post
Thomas Lynch: “I’d rather it be February”
by annevm
Now that the month is almost over, brace yourself and read (or re-read)
Thomas Lynch’s wonderful essay “Tract,” in which he wishes that February might turn out to be the month of his funeral. “With the cold behind and the cold before you and the darkness stubborn at the edges of the day. . . And a wind to make the cold more bitter. So that ever after it might be said, 'It was a sad old day we did it after all . . . '" This essay is in The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade for which Lynch – Milford’s famous undertaker and writer - won the American Book Award in 1998.
Blog Post
Rain Gardens, Green Roofs and Organic Lawn Care
by Mazie
Project Grow has linked up with the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program for a series of programs. They will be offering classes throughout March on how best to protect our vulnerable local watershed.
The first class on rain gardens and how they can reduce runoff will be on Wednesday March 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Leslie Science Center. Dave Russell will discuss plant and soil selection and other ways to improve our local water quality.
Other classes will be on green roofs and organic lawn care.
No fee is required, but donations are encouraged. Check out the class calendar for the "2007 Gardening For Water Quality Series".
You can also call 734-996-3169 for more information.
Blog Post
Buhrrr!
by Sancho Panza
Actually, it seems to be warming up a bit. So there’s no excuse not to check out the Buhrrr Fest this Saturday! According to the Ann Arbor Observer, there will be ice skating, a bonfire complete with s'mores, and special events, including “a figure skating exhibition, an ice cream eating contest, and broomball.” Sound fun? I think so!
Blog Post
Winter Break Gaming: Super Smash, Retro Octathalon ][, DDR, Pokémon and More!
by eli
Midwinter Break is almost upon us, and that means videogames at the library! We've got a great schedule of events lined up for you, starting this Friday night with a Super Smash Bros. Melee Regulation Throwdown for Ages 13+, From 6-8:30 at the Downtown Library. Read on for full rules for this event. Then, on Saturday, 2/24, from 11-5 PM, we'll have our second annual Retro Octathalon for All Ages, an 8-game high score contest featuring great classic (pre-1990) games. Then, on Sunday, 2/25, from 1-4 PM, our DDR tournament series continues with an All-Ages DDR Tournament.
But that's not all! The games continue into the week, with a pair of Pokémon Tournaments from 1-4 and DS Fest / Open Play Events from 4-7, on both Monday 2/26 and Tuesday 2/27. So, if you're stuck in town this break, stay warm with gaming, food, prizes, and some serious competition at the Downtown Library! Read on for full tournament details.
First, the long-awaited ruleset for the SSBM Regulation Throwdown. This is a slightly modified version of the MLG SSBM Ruleset, which you can read in all its glory here. Here's how it's going to work:
No Items.
Banned Stages:
Yoshi's Island (Pipes)
Fourside
Hyrule Temple
Flatzone
Great Bay
Brinstar Depths
Icicle Mountain
Big Blue
Mushroom Kingdom 1
Mushroom Kingdom 2
Venom
Yoshi's Island 64
Peach's Castle
Kongo Jungle
Onett
Poké Floats
Random Select Stages:
Final Destination
Battlefield
Yoshi's Story
Fountain of Dreams
Dreamland 64
Pokemon Stadium
Allowed Pick Stages:
Corneria
Jungle Japes
Green Greens
Brinstar
Rainbow Cruise
Mute City
1st Round will be in the form of randomly assigned 4-player round-robin pools. Each player will play the 3 other members of their pool 1v1 and the 32 players with the best overall records in the first round will advance to the elimination rounds. Ties going into the top 32 will be broken by 'strength of schedule'; if you defeated someone who went 2-1, you're more likely to move on than someone who defeated someone who went 0-3.
All matches will be 1v1, 4 Stock, 8 Minute, but due to time constraints, not all rounds will be best of 3 matches. Pool matches will only be a single round against each opponent, but if time allows, quarterfinals and higher may be best of 3.
In the pools, with only 1 match per pairing, there will be only random stages, but once we move to best of 3, we will use Advanced Slobs picks. This means:
The first match is on a random stage. We won't have the staff to enforce Double-Blind character picks, but you can work that out with your opponent.
In the Second and Third matches, the loser of the previous match can either choose a random stage or select a stage from the random or allowed picks stages. The winner of the previous match then chooses their character, and the loser can then choose their own character.
Each of the 3 matches must be on a different stage.
Stalling / Camping / Hiding will not be tolerated. If you are spotted refusing to engage, you may be forced to forfeit one of your lives in that match.
I think that about covers it for SSB. Any questions / suggestions?
OK, moving on, here's the game list for the Retro Octathalon.
1. Paperboy, 1984.
2. Mappy, 1983.
3. Spy Hunter, 1983.
4. Jungle Hunt, 1982.
5. Donkey Kong, 1981.
6. Ms. Pac Man, 1981.
7. Rally-X, 1980.
8. Breakout, 1976.
The top 3 scorers in each age group (12 and under, 13-18, over 18) across all 8 games will be invited to the finals which will feature surprise retro games. Stop by any time during the day to try for high scores, even try more than one to improve your scores if time allows!
OK, hope to see you all there this weekend!
Blog Post
DVD Top sellers on Amazon.com
by jillean
Here are the latest Amazon.com Top Sellers available in our collection. The cast of The Departed looks pretty impressive, although a role for Robert DeNiro would have been icing on the cake. But I guess he can't be in every Martin Scorsese film. Drat! Speaking of which, maybe Scorsese will finally take the Oscar for Best Director home this year at the 2007 Academy Awards, which are scheduled to air next Sunday, February 25th. Who are you rooting for?
The Departed
Flags of our Fathers
An Inconvenient Truth
Little Miss Sunshine
The Illusionist
Marie Antoinette
Babel
The Guardian
The Prestige
Blog Post
Circus and theater combine in this production of "Alice in Wonderland"
by emilyas
One Chicago theater company, Looking glass Theater, is setting out to combine theater, dance, music and circus into a production of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The play, called "Looking glass Alice," is currently playing at New York's New Victory Theater. The next stop of the tour is in Philadelphia's Arden Theatre in May and then the troup returns home to Chicago in June. For more information you can read an article on NPR that discusses the acrobatics in the play, or check the Looking glass Theater's website for images, video and tour dates.
Blog Post
2nd Annual AADL Staff Art Exhibit
by kcrj49
Exhibit Showing through February 27
Be sure to stop by and see the talent of the 18 AADL staff members currently on display in the lower level exhibit cases at the Downtown Library. This year's show features a wide mix of media, including cell phone photos, painted kimonos, blown glass, welded scrap metal (shown here: "Kelper no. 2", by Anne Drozd), graphic novel illustrations, mixed media assemblage and digitally manipulated photographs.
Blog Post
Sancho's Scene: Community Events that Wander off the Path
by Sancho Panza
Little miss…Washtenaw? Fans of the super-popular film, Little Miss Sunshine, and pageants alike can check out the real thing this weekend. Tweens and teens will compete for the Little Miss Washtenaw title this Saturday in a performance open to the public. Winners go on to compete in the state pageant, a part of the Miss America competition. Pick up a Zoom Lends copy of the film and make a day of it!