Monthly Archives: May 2011
Does History Move or Repeat?
The last time I wrote something here, it concerned the continuation of the Arab Spring specifically in Libya. It’s one month later and there is no change yet in Libya’s governance or what is left of it. The rebels are … Continue reading
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Miniature inventions
Did you know that until 1880, in order to obtain a patent you were required to also submit a model along with your application? The models were small (12x12x12″) working replicas of the invention itself, sort of 3D versions of … Continue reading
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Some Music from Syria
Syria is the latest in a growing succession of Middle Eastern or North African countries rumbling with civil unrest. In Syria’s case, unfortunately, protests are being met with especially violent suppression. In my dream world, whenever a country or culture … Continue reading
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Collection Highlight du jour
I’m thinking of a nonfiction category at CLP—Main that contains more than 6000 books. Gardening? A catalog keyword search turns up 1839 titles. World War II? 2234 titles. Maybe by now you’ve sniffed out my subject area du jour—cookbooks. The 6,303 … Continue reading
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After the Fall
All the buzz about the world ending has put me in the mood to refresh my survival skills. While the label of “survivalist” is sometimes synonomous with “nutjob,” you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t spend a little … Continue reading
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Trivia night at the library!
Do you love trivia? My guess is yes! Do you love the library? Of course you do! Well, you are all ready then, to come down to Oakland for Trivia Night at the Main Library. This Thursday, May 26th, from … Continue reading
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The Project Flood
When one of my younger sisters was a toddler, she would chant from her car seat as our mother drove across the Fort Pitt Bridge and in view of the Point, “Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio, Mississippi!” Her multisyllabic nursery rhyme was … Continue reading
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Easy DIY Iced Coffee
If you’re like me, you like your coffee-making to be inefficient and time-consuming with not a single of thought of convenience. For almost all of my coffee addictions, I swear by the french press. I grind my beans for the … Continue reading
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Too Many Nelsons
I’m not sure how it happened, but one afternoon I found myself staring at our catalog and wondering why there were so many Nelsons in it. Here are a few examples for you. Nelson Algren – He’s the author of … Continue reading
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Country Noir
What an absolute pleasant surprise Daniel Woodrell turned out to be. A friend turned me onto him a year or so ago when they read about a film adaptation of his 2006 book. The friend, much like myself, likes to read … Continue reading
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