Author: Bill

General Election 2008

- Bill Leave a comment

In just under two months it will be over. You can a) duck and cover until the smoke clears, or b) eagerly watch how these races are unfolding.

But, you don’t need a network talking head to monitor the gallons of ink and glowing pixels expended on the elections until November 5th…you can check on them yourself in mere seconds.

Zogby and Pollster are impartial data-gatherers with simple and interactive maps refreshed every time new numbers come in.

When the fated day comes, the library receives many calls about where to go to cast a ballot. The answer is found by typing in your address on the Scott County Auditor’s site.

Here are the local contacts for the McCain and Obama Campaigns:

McCain Eastern Iowa Victory Office
1880 E. 54th Street
Davenport, IA 52807
Contact: Amanda Sebastian
asebastian@iowagop.org

Scott County Obama HQ
901 E. Kimberly St
Davenport, IA 52807
563-386-1721

It’s what’s for dinner….during Lent

- Bill Leave a comment

To be filed under the category of “where does it come from” is Richard Ellis’s Tuna: A Love Story. There are all kinds of fish facts to amuse your dinner company, including:

* What you’re eating out of the can scientifically isn’t tune per se, but a member of the family called skipjack.

* The largest fish market in the world is in Tsukiji, Japan. Every day, this icebox is loaded with catch from around the world and millions of dollars are exchanged. One fish brought $173,600 US in 2001.

* The purse seining method of tuna fishing leads to the deaths of thousands of dolphins per year. If a can is labeled “tuna safe”, it merely means a good faith effort is made to rescue as many as possible, and these regulations are far from a global standard.

* A highly-prized bluefin tuna (a rich dark red meat unlike our Starkist, Bumblebee, and Chicken of the Sea) can fetch upwards of $400 a pound. The sushi restauranteur marks up from there.

* Around one in 40 million tuna eggs will make it to adulthood. Once they do, however, few species can compete physically with a quarter-ton fish that can swim in excess of 50 mph.

* The insatiable appetite and unlimited finances of the Japanese for this delicacy may very likely result in the species’ extinction in the future.

Sorry Charlie!

Apocalypse, Atheists, the Ark, oh my!

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How important is religion to you? Well it’s important to someone, as several of these new red-hot religious book have a starting print run of 200,000 copies.

Here are a few titles that just came off the mountain at DPL for your perusal:

Sylvia Browne – End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies about the End of the World
The world has become a scary place—religious wars, global terrorism, and genocide are all over the news, and thanks to the Internet, the Information Age has ushered in the Anxiety Age. Who better to lead the way out than Sylvia Browne, the most popular psychic working today?

Jack Kerouac – Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha
Published for the first time in book form, an account of the life of the Buddha by the author of On the Road

T.D. Jakes – Before You Do: Making Great Life Decisions
A guide by the author of Reposition Yourself identifies twenty-five spiritual and psychological tools for reevaluating one’s place in life before making decisions about relationships with family, friends, and others

A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musings on Why God Is Good and Faith Isn’t Evil
Social Psychologist David Myers admits that many people throughout history who have claimed to believe in God have caused much evil in the world. He is respectful of his atheist interlocutors, like Richard Dawkins, preferring to discuss how Surely, in some ways I’m wrong, you’re wrong, we’re all wrong.

The lost ark of the covenant: Solving the 2,500 year of fable of the biblical ark
With painstaking historical scholarship, groundbreaking genetic science, and hair-raising fieldwork, Parfitt, who the Wall Street Journal calls “a British Indiana Jones,” debunks the previous myths and reveals the shocking history of the Ark and its keepers. From Israel to Egypt, Ethiopia, and the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the journey leads to places Parfitt could never have imagined.

Anne Rice – Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession
In a haunting memoir, the best-selling author of Interview with a Vampire presents an intensely personal journey of faith that records her New Orleans Catholic childhood; loss of faith and involvement with secular humanism; the alienation and tragedy that marked her life; and her eventual return, after thirty-eight years as an atheist, to New Orleans and a belief in Christ

Joel Osteen – Daily Readings from Become a Better You: 90 Devotions for Improving Your Life Every Day
An anthology of inspirational and motivational readings by the pastor author of Become a Better You includes pieces that illustrate his seven principles for leading an improved life

100’s 101

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Are you trying to figure out what to do with your life, the meaning of life, or making plans for what happens after you stop breathing? Walk to the 100’s range of the Davenport Public Library. The 100’s are the destination for philosophy, psychology, new-age spirituality, and the supernatural. Here are a few brand-new “100’s” you might enjoy:

Thanking the Monkey
By Karen Dawn of the Washington Post is a look at the issues of animal rights, past and present, pulling quotes from celebrities in the use of animals as pets, entertainment, food, and test subjects

Just Who Will You Be
Maria Shriver pens this bestseller, which addresses living a full life when the foundations of one’s self image are taken away. Shriver was forced to resign upon husband Arbold Schwartzenegger’s election as California governor after 25 years as a national news anchor/reporter.

Ghosts Among Us
Van Praagh, the New York Times bestselling author and co-executive producer of the CBS series The Ghost Whisperer, shares his knowledge and life experience about ghosts. Contains true ghost stories and details about their active participation in our lives.

Incoming casts!

- Bill Leave a comment

Charles Milne WWII PodcastPeculiar thing about Kamikaze planes, they tended to decrease the number of available carriers for fighter planes to land on. That didn’t stop local WWII veteran Charles Milnes, who fashioned runways in the water out of steel sheets. Enjoy this story and Gen. Douglas McArthur’s lack of fear of incoming artillery shells, in Davenport Public Library Podcast #8.

Charles and other area WWII/Korean War Veterans were interviewed 7 years ago by our Special Collections staff. The DPLcasts blog is condensing those interviews down to a best-of format and attempting to bring you the best library news you can hear.

Liquid lunch

- Bill 1 Comment

Okay, it’s not the best for the ol’ waistline, but it sure helps get the lawn mowed. Extreme Brewing by Sam Calagione is a useful tool for novice zymurgists. Pssst…that’s geek speak for folks that make their own beer.

While The Complete Joy of Homebewing by Charlie Papazian is considered the de facto standard for homebrew instruction, I find Calagione’s book a much more pleasurable read. It is practical, gives hints for cutting corners, and suggests ways to kick recipes up a notch.

Unlike most homebrew books, this guide is loaded with attractive full color photos which makes it especially useful. Also, Mr. Calagione is the owner and founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, so you know he knows what he’s talking about.

And if you screw up, you’ve got 5 gallons of bratwurst marinade.

The Chris Farley Show: a Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley

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Chris FarleyFans of comedy can probably look back and wonder where they were when they found out that comedian Chris Farley had passed away at the age of 33. If they read the papers at that time, they can also recall not being shocked.

The hot nonfiction title The Chris Farley Show, cowritten by his brother Tom, is an illuminating character study broken into 3 acts. Act I paints the portrait of a deeply religious and well-intentioned boy from Madison, Wisconsin with a Midwestern innocence that he never lost even at the darkest hour. Act II shows a fireball ascent through the ranks of Second City, Saturday Night Live , and motion pictures by a natural talent with spot-on instincts in terms of timing, physicality, and energy. Unfortunately, Act Three ends like it does in the real world, as the professional parallels between himself and idol John Belushi materialize in an all-too real fashion. The conclusion is painful, as the book shows us a kinder man than the one John Q. Public merely saw take pratfalls for the amusement of unseen millions.

The writing style takes a while to get used to, as the linear narrative of the author is consistently backed up by quotes from his friends, family and celebrity co-workers. It’s worth it. You’ll wish you could change the ending, though.

CD’s for spring

- Bill 1 Comment

Dare I say, it might be time to turn off the DVD player or Tivo and finally spend some time outside.

I’ve been watching you, and some folks have been just driving around to feel what the moving air is like coming in the car. How long has it been?

Anyways, here are some new CD’s for all ages and interests that just hit the shelves at Davenport Public Library. Click on the links, put a hold on them, give ’em a road test and tell us what you think.

Black Keys — Attack and Release

Mariah Carey – E=MC2

Gnarls Barkley — The Odd Couple

Madonna — Hard Candy

Portishead — Third

George Straight — Troubadour

3 Doors Down — 3 Doors Down

Neil Diamond — Home Before Dark

Where’s the beef…indeed.

- Bill Leave a comment

Wendy\'s buyoutArby’s swallowed up Wendy’s last week after a buyout from its parent company. It’s bad news for all you baconaters out there.

Lets remember the good times in the days of Dave Thomas as we weep over our Biggie combos.

Did you know founder Dave Thomas….
-was adopted
-dropped out of high school and earned his GED late in life?
-dreamed of running a hamburger restaurant, since Columbus, Ohio DID NOT HAVE ONE.
-starred in over 800 Wendy’s commercials
-once worked for KFC’s Colonel Sanders as a franchise operator.

Check out the book of an inspiring man who wasn’t skimpy with the portions.

Rest in peace, Dave.

One Million Dollars, hoo hoo hoo hah hah hah!

- Bill 1 Comment

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Say it with fiendish glee like Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers trilogy for maximum comedic effect…

For a cool million bucks, you can have Minneapolis’s automated book-sorting system. Adapted from the travel and postal industries, an employee beeps in the item at the beginning of the belt and the system allows it to travel a prescribed distance before a pneumatic arm pops out and flicks it into one of 40 specific bins. Course, with 25 branches and a cathedral like the downtown building, a nifty doohickey like this comes in handy.

Can you fathom there are library systems larger than Davenport, Iowa’s? I Know! They must have a real savvy HR person at the San Francisco Public library system to keep tabs on their 800 employees. One of the cool things from attending the Public Library Association’s conference last week was the opportunity to see how these mega-systems keep things running smoothly.

Enjoy the additional shots of reflecting downtown skyscrapers, the five-floor Jetsons-esque view from the Minneapolis Public Library entrance, and the world’s most gigantic cherry from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Downtown Minneapolis

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