Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Patrick Swayze, 1952-2009


Who could ever forget the movie Dirty Dancing? Certainly not the men who were forced by their fiancees to learn the famous dance sequence and perform it at their wedding receptions. Yet even if you never had to take your two left feet and perform a graceful pirouette, you probably still remember the movie, or at least the line, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Patrick Swayze was not the actor originally picked to play Johnny Castle. Billy Zane was slated for the role, until it became apparent that Zane could not dance. Swayze had trained at Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet schools. Dirty Dancing, a movie which was supposed to go to theaters for one weekend before heading to video, catapulted Swayze into the spotlight.

However, maybe dancing wasn’t your thing. There was Point Break, which had Swayze play a surfer/felon who robbed banks while wearing a Richard Nixon mask. There were other movies, shows, and animated features, but it was likely Ghost which the public will best remember Swayze. Ghost had it all---action, comedy, and an early scene which made throwing a ceramic pot downright romantic. It was a sad story, but one about second chances, and why you should tell people you love them instead of just “Ditto.” And it makes you ask yourself, what would you do if you had another chance to do something good?

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Sacramento history photo of the week number 23!

In the Fall of 1918, Sacramento and the country were at War with Germany and Austro-Hungary. Area farms were mobilized to double their crop production, high school boys were pulled from Valley cities to pick crops, Sacramento women were immersed in one of the largest Red Cross chapters in the State, and the county's Southern Pacific routes and tressels were being guarded against "Teuton" espionage.

The following advertisement for Weinstock, Lubin and Co. Department Store was taken from a late October Sacramento Bee. With the capital city in a warmaking mood, even a jolly Saint Nick's depiction with a doughboy helmet seemed okay.



Mark your calendar 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 on the Central Library's Third Floor, which is where one can view both the Sacramento Bee and Union back into the mid-nineteenth century.

Dear customer, pardon the delay in posting this serial.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Central's National Day of Service

Tomorrow, September 11, is the first National Day of Service and Remembrance. Legislation introduced last March has inspired groups to organize volunteer service opportunities on that day across the nation. In Sacramento, Mayor Johnson is hoping to have over 500,000 hours of volunteer service logged by the end of 2009.

We're hoping you will take part in this national service activity. Central Library is hosting activities for volunteers tomorrow. Drop in anytime from 10 am to 1 pm to help us check our collection for books that need to be mended and cleaned, tour the secret spots of Central Library and reflect on what service means to you. No advance registration is needed, just come on down and serve! Stop at the volunteer table on the first floor to sign in.

If you can't make it tomorrow, there are lots of other opportunities for volunteer service in Sacramento. At Serve.gov, and at Volunteer Match, you just type in your zip code for a list of organizations that need volunteers. The Corporation for National and Community Service and Service Nation have additional information for volunteers on their web sites.

Friday, September 4, 2009

RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAÑOL


,,Cronocrímenes" de Nacho Vigalondo


Cronocrímenes se trata de un simple y sencillo hombre llamado Héctor quien vive (ó revive) parte de vida pero en el futuro. ¿Confundidos? Bueno ... sí alguna vez hayan escuchado o leído sobre los bucles espaciotemporales, nuestro protagonista Héctor navega entre el presunto presente y el futuro para descubrir quién lo está persiguiendo. ¿Es el ó alguien verdaderamente desconocido?

Esta producción española fué hecha con muy poca plata y sin utilizar efectos especiales de alto rango pero sin embargo muy convencibles. Obviamente la producción está en español pero mis jefes piensan que porque el título está en inglés entonces eso merita una signatura en inglés ... yo estoy de desacuerdo pero a mi no me pagan por llegar a esas conclusiones ignorantes pero en fin...ahí tienen. Como siempre les deseo mucha suerte y por el momento ,,¡¡CHAUSITO!!"


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Central Has New Copiers!

We've all been frustrated over the years by the old, clunky, temperamental copiers in the building. Over the last week, Central Library has installed several new copiers with an up-to-date set of tricks! On the second and fourth floors, in addition to traditional copying where you place the original on the glass, deposit your coins and press "print", the new copiers can also read your flash drive and print directly from it - no hard copy needed. Similarly, they can scan a print original in gray-scale or color and save it to your flash drive, where you can take it away at no charge (no toner+ no paper= no charge!) The digital image can then be attached to e-mail, edited, or printed later.

The color copier resides on the third floor in the periodicals section, near the microfilm readers. (It also copies in gray-scale.) It doesn't do flash drives, but we feel the ability to print in color will make up the difference. Ask us to show you how it works!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009

Senator Edward Kennedy will be buried today at Arlington National Cemetery. Despite the notoriety attached to some events in his life, he is being praised by both friends and opponents for his ability to get people with diverse views moving in the same direction.

Sacramento Public Library has Books about Ted Kennedy, and provides access to Articles about Ted Kennedy in its journal databases. The Biography Resource Center has a collection of shorter biographies and articles as well. These resources are free at any branch and also at home for those with a Sacramento Public Library cards.

roberthuffstutter's image used with permission.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAÑOL

PVC-1 de Spiros Stathoulopoulos

La táctica de colocar ,,collares bomba" no les diré que es común para secuestradores pero les diré ques si es una táctica que atrae mucha atención de parte de los medios. Esta práctica comenzó en Colombia varios años atrás durante el apogeo de la guerra contra las Farc pero también ciertos carteles narcotraficantes la ha empleado.

El director griego Stiros Stathoulopoulos ha dirigido una espeluznante película tratándose de este tema. Aparte de un electrizante escenario y un paso feroz, esta película fué rodada en una toma. como siempre no revelo mucho sobre las película que reseño simplemente porque quiero fomentar más suspenso de la que ya existe.