RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAÑOL

,,Leonera" de Pablo Trapero

,,Leonera" es una película argentina dirigida por Pablo Trapero y se trata de una mujer llamada Julia Zárate quien ha cometido un delito, el cual la manda a una cárcel para mujeres. Ahí descubren las autoridades penitenciarias que Julia está embarazada y la trasladan a otra prisión, ahí da luz a Tomás. Con Tomás aisla su desesperación y desolación emocional y en lugar donde no hay secretos Julia crea un paraíso y de una absoluta libertad. Es decir, que la inocencia de un niño no existe la abrumante soledad y terror de una cárcel, y dentro del amor que existe entre Julia y Tomás no hay prisiones.

Costumes Galore!

I found a Halloween costume!

This may not sound like a big deal for some of you, i.e., children and men. This is because costume designers have decided anyone under yea tall and/or with XY chromosomes may have all the fabric you want because, hey, it’s not like they’re using much on the women’s costumes. Every outfit I found either had a skirt cut to high heaven, a top so low you can see your navel, it was see-through, or a combination of the three. Which is fine...in the summer time! Do designers mistakenly believe Halloween happens in July? Apparently none of them has ever gone to Wunderground and discovered October is a fairly cold month.

And they're expensive! These almost non-existent outfits are like condos---they seem cheap until you add in all those hidden accessories such as the tail and the ears and the $261 HOA fee. I thought I’d go crazy (or crazier) when I finally found something. But for those who have not been fortunate enough to find a costume, have you thought about making one? I’m not talking about dragging out the sewing machine and buying a truckload of fabric. I’m talking about something simple.

Like decorating a paper bag.

What Can You Do With a Paper Bag? Apparently plenty. You can make hats and caps, accessories and costumes. Paper bags are great! They’re easy to get, and they’re affordable. After all, you had to buy groceries anyway. Just remember to ask for paper the next time you’re in the store.

For all the other people who think making an outfit at the last minutes sounds a bit daunting, do what I did---go to Claire's. I'm sure there's a few set of wings left on the rack.

Sacramento Career Night

I remember back when I was searching for a “real” job---you know, the kind with health care and benefits people in Europe take for granted (along with leaving their babies outside of restaurants while they eat in peace). My mother had always said, “Somebody has quit, retired, died or got fired since yesterday.” In other words, keep trying. However, I wasn’t too worried until the day she told me, “I don’t want anyone to die, but you need a job.” Imagining my mother wearing one of those hideous orange jumpsuits because she committed some unspeakable crime to land me my dream job was enough to intensify my search…

That, and staying home with children was driving me crazy.

If you’ve never stayed home with children, your own or others, I advise against it unless you have the patience of Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy, enjoy wearing splattered clothes, eating chicken crackers, chicken fingers, and chicken noodle soup daily, fishing toys (and jewelry) out of the toilet, carrying on bizarre conversations, or watching the same DVD for hours (months) on end. Using your remote to block out all the horrible children's programming only goes so far in reserving your sanity. The day I repeatedly told everyone, “He said banana! Can you say banana? Banana! Say banana! You’re such a good boy!” was the day I applied to graduate school.

But for those of you who aren’t looking forward to five figures in student loans, the Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento Public Library, UC Davis Extension, and SETA presents Sacramento Career Night: Resources to Help you Stand out from the Crowd. Enjoy a free session that will help you land a job, create an effective resume, switch careers, stand out from other candidates, and find career success in today’s job market!

This event starts at 5 pm in the Library Galleria. Parking in the Library Garage (off of J St. between 8th and 9th streets) will be available for $5.

We hope to see you there!

Sacramento History Photo of the Week Number 27!

Pictured above, in the fall of 1917, are Helen and Janet Kay, the daughters of David and Janet Kay. The picture was taken at a rally, held at the State Armory, located underneath what is today Interstate Highway 50.

As soon as the Great War started, interest in the Red Cross (ICRC) grew – folks who couldn’t pick up a rifle, because of age, gender or disability wanted an army to join and the ICRC was there. And, by the end of April, a headquarters had been established at Fourth and “J.”

What was required of Sacramento members early on was the ability to type, lift, sterilize and prepare surgical equipment, and drive (especially if you had your own car) so as to collect supplies and donations. Sewing was also in demand and Sac High offered 125 female pupils to do as much.

The Southern Pacific shops immediately signed up 1,700 members. And while the capital city had formed its own chapter, Walnut Grove, North Sacramento, Auburn, Loomis, Newcastle and Stockton were all quick to establish chapters as well.

Fund drives were organized around the ICRC – in early May, county employees had raised $600.00 while Weinstock-Lubin had donated $3,034. The earliest goal for the IRC in Sacramento was $30,000.

The city also voted to levy a property value tax of two cents, just to fund the local chapter – for a total of $14,000. An additional method of funding came from a Red Cross thrift shop on Front Street. Clothing, books, scrap iron, even bones, donated by a local butcher shop, brought in funding for the organization.

Learn more about the Sacramento Red Cross as, on November 5 at 6:30, the Central Library will be presenting The Great War in the Great Valley: Sacramento During the First World War. The program will include discussion on the city and War and a presentation of photos of Sacramento during World War I.

This photo and many more like it can be found in the Sacramento Public Library’s Sacramento Room which is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5, and Thursday 1 to 8.

Internet Librarians

Every year during the last week of October, about 4,000 librarians gather in Monterey, CA for the Internet Librarian conference sponsored by InfoToday. Four librarians from Sacramento Public Library are wandering around in the Monterey fog this week - quite literally, check the weather report - and hobnobbing with the very best Internet Librarians in the world - also quite literally, as we've met folks from Nigeria, South Africa and Canada just in the first few hours. This year's theme is "Net initiatives for tough times," and we're expecting to come back with some exciting ideas we can put to work for Sacramento Public Library.

We are all blogging our conference sessions, and you can follow us by visiting the Conference Calls blog. We've listed our blogs in the right sidebar. Librarians @civillibrarian, @hapalibrarian and @annot8 will be tweeting as well, and photos from everyone will proliferate over the week on Flickr.

RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAÑOL

,,Paraíso Travel" es una película colombiana dirigida por el director Simón Brand, la cual se trata de un grupo de colombianos en busca del sueño americano. El título de la película tiene cierto son cómico amalgando dos realidades las cuales una opuesta a la otra. También el título ,,spanglés" oculta una realidad verdaderamente negra. ¿Cuáles son esas realidades? La principal realidad es la de los Estados Unidos como un verdadero paraíso hecho en realidad, la otra es la pesadilla que muchos hemos vivido en la actual América Latina. Pero el sueño americano que muchos latinos buscan en vano es eso: un sueño. ¡Y ese sueño no se puede repartir en partes iguales para todos!
No me malentienden...la cosas bondadosas que nos ofrece la vida están a nuestra alcance pero también requieren cierto esfuerzo. Pero el esfuerzo el cual de que yo hablo no es necesariamente de sudor y sangre sino de inteligencia. Me refiero al siguiente: el trailer que ustedes pueden disfrutar abajo es la versión para el mercado estadounidense y la otra es para el mercado europeo. Comparen las dos versiones y pienso que ustedes podrán llegar a una clara conclusión.

Versión EEUU:





Versión Europa:

Fright Night

I love Halloween. It has pretty colors, you can dress up, it has great movies, and unlike other holidays, there’s no awkward moments with relatives, or plastering on a present face after the cousin you gave a KitchenAid Mixer to gifts you a Chia Pet shaped like the president’s head. And there’s no turkey to cook! After last year’s incident in which I was forced to transfer the turkey to a Macy’s bag at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning when I realized I hadn’t removed the plastic giblet bag from its frozen carcass, I’m pretty sure I won’t be placed on poultry duty this year…

But people are lazy, so you never know.

Still, Halloween has its drawbacks. Finding a costume can be a real pain. For those of you who haven’t had your laugh for the day, Google “modest adult female Halloween costume” and see what pops up. Apparently modest means choosing between mid drift clothing or a nun’s habit. Then there’s the logistics of it all. Thus I’ll give people a few tips on how to approach Halloween.

1. Go easy on the vampires, okay?
Yes, we get it. You’re enthralled with vampires. They’re mysterious…just like the contents of that Tupperware container in my vegetable bin. I, too, like vampires, hence the Lynsay Sands and Sherrilyn Kenyon novels in my personal collection. However, living forever on a disintegrating planet doesn’t appeal to many of us non-Twilight mania people. Plus, as a children’s librarian, when I hear about a 100 year-old man obsessed with a 17 year-old girl, I don’t think, “How romantic!” I think, “Pedophile!” So enough with the vampires already. We realize adding plastic teeth to your already black wardrobe makes for a cheap costume, but you might want to check with your friends first. No one needs to see 20 Edward wannabes at a single party.

2. Remember, it’s cold outside.
The average women’s Halloween costume is skimpier than my college cheerleading outfit. I’m not bringing up college cheerleading because a class reunion is staring me in the face and I realize I need to lose 10 (or 20) pounds, get my teeth whitened, and make $50,000 more per year within the next few months in order to compete with my former teammate (or with their Facebook profiles). I’m saying this because we were freakin’ cold! At least in high school they allowed us to be fully “clothed” i.e., an outfit with a real sweater. Should you mistakenly purchase the scrap of clothing retailers call a costume, add some leggings. And a turtleneck. Maybe a scarf…

3. You may play some Michael Jackson music.
Sometimes I forget Michael Jackson has passed away. Then I hear the Billy Jean ring tone on someone’s cell phone and I’m reminded all over again. Usually, when musicians you’ve never met pass away and you start listening to music you hadn’t played in x number of years, I would give you four weeks before screaming, “Enough!” But there’s the Thriller album to consider, a perennial favorite come October, so I’ll let it slide if you throw in a few songs. That being said, unless you want your iPod docking station thrown into the bond fire, don’t scroll to his name and hit play. It’s Halloween, not an MJ tribute.

We’ll save that for the American Music Awards.

4. Don’t go completely disgusting.
Have you seen Extreme Halloween? It’s really cool. The projects are akin to taking the kitty litter cake to the nth degree of grossness. There are a few things in there that are doable. However, if you make food which is too gross, no one is going to eat it. You’d be better off setting out a platter of wheat germ. Everyone’s going to stare at the dish you spent $25 and six hours of your time creating and pass it right by. If you make the house too scary, no one’s going to knock on your door and you’ll have a bucket of candy to eat all by yourself. This may seem great (“Mine! Mine! All mine!”) until mid-November hits and you realize you have 10 pounds of Halloween candy left, and since it’s covered in pumpkins and ghosts, you can’t foist it off on others.

5. Come to the library for ideas and programs.
We’re free. Which means a lot in this economy. Central Library is hosting Trick or Treat @ Your Library on Sunday, October 25th at 1 pm. Families, children and teens are invited to put on a costume, park their cars on the street (it’s free on Sundays), and join us for stories, crafts, trick or treating, Rock Band and snacks. I promise not to make anything gross---when it comes to baking, I’m more Martha Stewart than I am mad scientist. (Plus I’m not willing to put one of my nice baking pans at risk.) For those with itty-bitty-teeny-tiny babies, we have the Baby Boos and Ghouls Lapsit Storytime on Saturday, October 31st at 10 am. Costumes are optional, and parking is free at the 10th and I Street and 10th and L Street city parking garages.

Sacramento history photo of the week number 26!

In April 1917, America was still a nation of the perpetual stand down, using a small volunteer army and then calling on the citizen soldier when needed. On the eve of the Great War, the regular army numbered 97,000. By the end of the War 4.5 million Americans had been mobilized to military service.

Now, contrary to what you may think, with this Great War to make the world safe for democracy, soldiers weren’t blazing their way to the recruiting office to sign up. The Sacramento Naval recruiting office had 12 recruits in the first week. The Marine office averaged 2 a day for the first week and the Army office had similar numbers. By the end of April, the voluntary option had enabled California to fill 21percent of its quota of 4,700 recruits. Nationwide, the figure was abysmal – 17 percent. Nevada led the country at an astonishing 97 percent.

The only solution would be a draft bill, which President Wilson signed on 28 May, 1917. So, the draft was now law and all able-bodied men between 21 and 30 were required to register. Governor Stephens, in line with this, created a statewide registration holiday which would close businesses and free up these fellows to do their legal duty. This meant that major businesses closed – Weinstock-Lubin, Lavenson’s Shoes, and Breuner’s Furniture were a few.
That day would be June 5.

Overnight 10,000,000 Americans would be eligible to be drafted. In Sacramento County, it was estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 men registered. However, over half of those claimed exemption – in most cases, for dependency. By July 12, it was determined that Sacramento City would be required to provide roughly 507 men for service, the county 196, while the entire state would have to provide a total of 23,000.

On the morning of August 4, Karl Oehler, a bank teller at the Fort Sutter National Bank and the son of a German-immigrant pastor was the first Sacramentan to take a physical examination under the draft. He claimed exemption on grounds of having a dependent wife. Didn’t matter – Oehler didn’t pass the physical because he didn’t weight enough according to his 5’11” height – 8 pounds short.

Learn more about the WWI Draft as, on November 5 at 6:30, the Central Library will be presenting The Great War in the Great Valley: Sacramento During the First World War. The program will include discussion on the city and War and a presentation of photos of Sacramento during World War I.

This photo and many more like it can be found in the Sacramento Public Library’s Sacramento Room which is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5, and Thursday 1 to 8.

RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAÑOL

,,Bajo La Sal" de Mario Muñoz

,,Bajo La Sal" es una película mexicana dirigida por Mario Muñoz, y se trata de un tema algo similar a las muchachas asesinadas en Ciudad Juárez hace algunos años atrás. Ésta película toma lugar en una salinera gigante situada en Baja California del Sur nombrada Guerrero Negro. Muchachas trabajando en la salinera o en el pueblo cercano han desaparecido misteriosamente. La delegación policial del pueblo ha contratado a un detective de muchos años de expereiencia, el Comandante Trujillo (actuado por Humberto Zurita) para resolver el misterio antes que la serie de desapariciones afecta negativamente al imagen de la salinera. Una historia verdaderamente estremecedora para los que no les gusta películas de esta índole. A mi, me encantó ,y realmente el director y los actores involucrados
se les merece un gran elogio.

Sacramento history photo of the week number 25!

Pictured above in 1918 is Mather Field's first graduating class of airmen.

In January of the same year, a group of Army officers traveled to the Sacramento area to view prospective sites for aviation school. Although North Sacramento lobbied hard for the field, the military opted for a spot 12 miles southeast of Sacramento known as Mills Station, right on the Southern Pacific line. In its original form, the base would encompass over 700 acres and include over 50 buildings, a machine shop for repairs, a PX, a 100 foot “swimming tank,” and a machine gun target range. Once completed, it would service roughly 1,000 aviation cadets. The construction project immediately brought 2,500 jobs to the area’s economy with the contract went to McDonald and Kahn. Overall, the base was projected to produce an annual payroll of $200,000 and construction was complete in 70 days!

Apparently, upon arriving, the first thing the first cadets did - having just graduated from the UC Berkeley 'ground school' - was build a baseball diamond. Other diversions to follow were a field band and a football team that was good enough to beat the big, bad Presidio 45-0 at Buffalo Park in October 1918. Boxing was also big on base. The many vineyards that surrounded the base also provided a ready source for jam. The base newspaper was originally called the “Fly Paper,” but was soon changed to “Air Currents.”

The specter of Mather for Sacramentans was enormous – how many Sacramentans had actually seen an airplane (ship) before let alone be close to an airport? The first official flight from Mather – conducted by Lieutenant John F. Buffington - took place on the evening of June 12th – in a plane built at North Sacramento's Liberty Iron Works, a JN-4 or "Jenny". Weeks later, during 4th of July festivities in Sacramento, a squadron of planes from Mather was armed with hundreds of small, American flags which they dropped over business and residential sections of the city.

Learn more about Mather Field as, on November 5 at 6:30, the Central Library will be presenting The Great War in the Great Valley: Sacramento During the First World War. The program will include discussion on the city and War and a presentation of photos of Sacramento during World War I.

This photo and many more like it can be found in the Sacramento Public Library’s Sacramento Room which is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5, and Thursday 1 to 8.

RINCóN LATINO: NOVEDADES

¡BRASIL será la próxima sede Olímpica 2016!


Es oficial...Río de Janeiro será la sede de la ciudad olímpica en 2016. Otras ciudades en compatencia fueron Chicago, Madrid y Tokio pero por primera vez en la historia olímpica una ciudad sudamericana será la sede en 2016. En años pasados hubo murmuraciones de ciudades como Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile y Caracas pero por una razón u otra estas ciudades no fueron elegidas. Brasil será la ciudad del Mundial 2014 y ahora los cariocas estarán de moda. Brasil se encuentra al umbral de una época espeluznante ya que su economía y su cultura está para reventar con cambios profundísimos para el país y para América Latina.