Category: Reference

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

We Remember….9/11/2001

- Ann Leave a comment

written by Tana

It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years. Still, we remember. We remember those horrifying images: the second plane flying into the World Trade Center, it’s Twin Towers later falling into a roaring cloud of dust, the attack on the Pentagon, and the remains of United Flight 93 littered across a field in Pennsylvania. We especially remember those who lost their lives.

These titles can help.

Above Hallowed Ground: A Photographic Record of September 11, 2001 by the photographers of the New York City Police Department. This volume has haunting aerial photographs with very limited text, proving that a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion by Susan Hagen and Mary Carouba. This collection features many first-person accounts of survivors but also includes reflections about others who were not so fortunate.

Heroes: 50 Stories of the American Spirit by Lenore Skomal. These are short, easy reads presented in a respectful manner, making it a worthy tribute.

Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey

- Ann Leave a comment

One of the hottest trends in crafting today is the influence of various Japanese crafts and styles. This is showing up especially in knitting, crocheting, fabrics and hand sewing. “Zakka” is the Japanese term for “household goods”, specifically hand-crafted domestic items such as tableware, kitchenwear, containers and even articles of clothing. Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey is an excellent introduction to the craft – and all the translating has already been done for you!

Projects in this book reflect the Japanese aesthetic – love of nature, of simplified shapes, of careful details, of making even the humblest object into something beautiful as well as functional. You’ll find pot holders, tote bags, coasters, placemats, house slippers, even a squirrel shaped tea cozy! Quick facts about Japanese culture and crafting are sprinkled throughout. Directions are clear and detailed, although some prior knowledge of sewing is helpful. A shopping guide for supplies in both Japan and the US is included.

Spice up your crafting with some international flair!

International Literacy Day

- Ann Leave a comment

Today is International Literacy Day! What better way to celebrate than to teach someone to read?

At the Davenport Main Library, we have two special sections which can help you do just that. Our ESL (or English as a Second Language) area is located on the second floor in the southwest corner. If English is not your native tongue, this is a good place to start. Picture dictionaries are an example of the material found here. If you can’t remember the word, you can always point to the picture of it!

Another area located in the same corner at Main is the Learning Center, which deals primarily with literacy issues. Most of the items here help those with limited reading abilities who want to master basic life skills. For example, there’s a whole series called Life Skills Literacy which includes titles such as Things to Know About Personal Paperwork or Things to Know About Spending and Saving Money, all by Richard Kimball. Come to think about it, even some very literate people could use these books!

DVDs for September

- Ann Leave a comment

September 16

Made of Honor – Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan

Tom and Hannah have been platonic friends for years. He’s a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn’t found Mr. Right. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her “maid” of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her.

Also coming out September 16

Another Cinderella Story

Speed Racer

September 23

The Leatherheads – George Clooney, Rene Zellweger

A romantic comedy set against the backdrop of America’s start-up pro-football league in 1925. Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero, is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. Carter Rutherford, a golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. Lexie Littleton is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter’s war story. As the new game of pro-football becomes less like the freewheeling sport he knew and loved, Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams.

Also coming out September 23

Deception

Sex and the City

September 30

Iron Man – Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Palthrow

Tony Stark is the complete playboy who also happens to be an engineering genius. While in Afghanistan demonstrating a new missile, he’s captured and wounded. His captors want him to assemble a missile for them but instead he creates an armored suit which uses to escape. Back in the U.S. he announces his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that his second in command at Stark Industries has been selling weapons to the insurgents. Tony must use his new suit to return to Afghanistan in an attempt to destroy the arms and to stop Stane from misusing his research.

Also coming out September 30

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Taxi to the Dark Side

New DVDs for August

- Ann Leave a comment

August 5

Nim’s Island – Starring Abigail Breslin, Gerald Butler, and Jodie Foster.

Nim’s Island is the story of a girl named Nim who lives on a beautiful uncharted island with her father Jack, a research scientist. Nim spends her days exploring the beautiful island and reading. When her father is lost at sea after a storm, Nim contacts her favorite writer of adventure stories, Alex Rover, convinced he will know what to do. What Nim doesn’t realize is that “Alex” is really Alexandra, a woman who is afraid to leave her house. Will Jack survive? Will Alexandra find the courage to come out of her shell? An adventure story about the courage in each of us, Nim’s Island will delight the whole family.

August 12

Smart People – starring Thomas Haden Church, Christie Lahti, Ellen Page, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid stars as a bitter, washed out widower in Smart People, a film that tackles the lives of several seriously unhappy people in surprisingly funny and touching ways. A hated literature professor at Carnegie Mellon, Lawrence Wetherhold has been earning the scorn of his students, colleagues, and family since the death of his wife several years ago. A health scare, an unexpected visit from his adopted brother, and a new romantic interest shake things up and stir Lawrence from his constant misery. Fine performances and a sharp script make this a must-see movie.

August 19th

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – Starring Amy Adams and Frances McDormand

In 1939 London, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew is a middle-aged governess who finds herself once again unfairly dismissed from her job. Without so much as severance pay, Miss Pettigrew realizes that she must seize the day and intercepts an employment assignment for a social secretary. Arriving at a penthouse apartment for the interview, Miss Pettigrew is catapulted into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse. This funny and delightful movie proves that following your heart is right thing to do.

Vacationing at Home

- Ann Leave a comment

Price of gas got you down? Planning on canceling or cutting back on travel plans? Try taking a vacation in your own backyard. Here are some books that can inspire you to makeover your yard for your own private retreat.

Backyard Design by Jean Breskend. Covering all types of backyards – city, suburban, country – Backyard Design will give you lots of ideas and tips on handling many different situations – swimming pools, fences, driveways, retaining walls, recreation areas, patios and decks. Both inspirational and instructional, this is a good place to start.

Deckscaping by Barbara Ellis. Already have a deck, but it’s less than inviting? This book is filled with ideas for decorating decks of all shapes and sizes. As well as including ideas on choosing plants and containers, there are sections on outdoor furniture, how to build trellises and arbors and how to create beautiful container gardens for your deck.

In Your Own Backyard by A. Cort Sinnes. Illustrated with charming line drawings and whimsical paintings, here is a book that encourages you to create a backyard retreat that fits your personality and needs, not what will impress the neighbors (or Martha Stewart) Whether it’s a hammock or a gazing globe or a croquet court, this delightful book encourages you to follow your dreams.

Yoga for Computer Users by Sandy Blaine

- Ann 2 Comments

We’ve all been guilty of it – spending too much time hunched in front of the computer, typing and clicking, either for work or entertainment. Pretty soon the stress of bad posture and repetitive motion catches up to you and your body reacts with aches and pains. Yoga for Computer Users was written with you in mind with a series of simple yoga poses targeting the neck, shoulders, wrists and hands. Each pose includes a list of specific benefits of the exercise, a detailed description of how to do the exercise and is illustrated with photographs. Many of the exercises can be done right at your desk and none require any equipment more complicated than a towel or a chair. They range from quick 5-minute breaks, to 30-minute sessions to do at home. There is also a section of lifestyle tips for adding yoga to your everyday life, such as become ambidextrous, strengthen your core, and balance your load. Blaine also recommends that you disconnect from technology when possible; she has made her Sundays computer free and was amazed at how restful and stress-reducing this practice has become. So, unkink that neck, stretch out those cramped fingers and enjoy sitting at your computer again.

Four Fun 4th of July Facts

- Ann 1 Comment

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” -Erma Bombeck

1. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two of the most influential founders of the United States and former Presidents, died within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the country they helped to create – July 4, 1826.

2. There’s a better than 1 in 4 chance that that hot dog you’ll eat on the Fourth originated in Iowa, the nation’s leading producer of hogs. It’s estimated that the number of hot dogs eaten by Americans on the 4th is 150 million.

3. There are 31 places in the United States that have the word “Liberty” in them. Iowa is the state with the most – Libertyville, West Liberty, North Liberty and New Liberty.

4. Fireworks imported from China to the United States in 2006 were valued at $216 million. Be sure to catch some of those fireworks at Red White and Boom tonight, a fireworks display on the riverfront presented by Davenport and Rock Island.