Friday Fun - Online Brain Race

Here's hours of entertainment. As your library, we like to think we're assisting in the development of your intellect. With games! This Multiple Choice Quiz is fast. I'm doing well, pretty smart, then bam! I have to actually think about the answer and it's all over. The questions don't change - at least in the few minutes I tried and retried - so you could go farther each time you play. I wonder how many correct choices you have to make before you actually win? Or is winning diabolically impossible? Mwahahahaha.

Year of Which Tiger

We all know it's the year of the Tiger.  Tigers are cool, so this time we paid attention when informed of the change in the Chinese year. Those born in the Tiger years are in command, they're fighters and bubbling over with energy.  The particular tiger year in which you were born further defines you. If you were born in 1974 you are a "popular, adaptable, team player" like Penelope Cruz.  If you were born in 1986, as bonus traits you get to be dramatic, passionate, persuasive.  Get this.  Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson were born in '86.  Yes, the women who could be blown away by a kid popping his bubblegum bubble are dramatic, passionate, persuasive.  Am I crazy, or are these a better fit for Penelope Cruz?  Maybe it explains the Olson twins' dynamic business empire.
 

Year of the TIGER. Flare, 07084927, Feb2010, Vol. 32, Issue 2  as accessed through EbscoHost.
To read more, click on the EBSCOhost link above. If you are outside the library you will type in your Des Moines Public Library Card number and PIN. The PIN is usually the last 4 numbers of your telephone number. Click on Continue, type in your search words, check the box next to Full Text and you are good to go.
Graphic Source: Dover Publishing

Celery - More Than Just a Pretty Face

Apparently in the nutrition department, celery kicks fanny!  I always figured celery was a diet food that consisted of string and water.  Turns out the green menace is crammed with nutritiony goodness. First of all, you get a burst of silicon and phenolic acids.  These two powerhouses build bones and fight cancer.  Then a study in Nashville found that if patients ate 4 celery sticks a day they enjoyed a small decrease in blood pressure.  My source didn't define 'stick'.  I think if they meant 'stalk' they would have said 'stalk', so a stick must be smaller than that.  Whew.  Chew away.

Source:  Men's Health Jul/Aug2009, Vol. 24 Issue 6, p84-85, as accessed through EBSCOhost.
To read more, click on the EBSCOhost link above.  If you are outside the library you will type in your Des Moines Public Library Card number and PIN.  The PIN is usually the last 4 numbers of your telephone number.  Click on Continue, type in your search words, check the box next to Full Text and you are good to go.

The Best Chicken Ever!

Araucanas are so cool!  They're from South America and they don't have tails. Kind of like a Manx cat, they just stop short.  This is not even the coolest part.  Araucanas lay blue eggs!  Really blue, not blue like 'blue' cats that are really smoky gray, but actual I-can-really-tell it's blue.  (I don't know why cats keep coming up.  They just do.)  Plus, if you breed an araucana with a regular chicken, the offspring will lay colored eggs. Who wouldn't want a bird like that?

The field guide to chickens

Extraordinary chickens

Today in Hiiiistory!

February 24 1582.  Pope Gregory XIII, nee one Ugo Buoncompagni, issued the papal bull Inter gravissimas. 

Thus dictating the Gregorian calendar's use in the Catholic world.  Now it's everywhere! Pope Gregory modified the Julian calendar used since 45 BC.  That's longevity.  He added leap years and everything.  We can't blame him for daylight savings though.

Source:  infoplease

FAFSA Help Tomorrow

Gesundheit!  FAFSA is the fabulous "Free Application for Federal Student Aid".  On Saturday, February 20, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM volunteers from the Iowa College Access Network and other agencies will be available to help you file. You need help because this baby can be complicated to navigate. As you can see from the length of the program! OK, it may not take that whole time for you to file.  Leaving time for questions.  Lots and lots of questions.  Here's a link to a U.S. Government site for more FAFSA facts. 

African American Biographies - Sparkling, Crisp, Gleaming

In other words, the latest! We are up to our ears in wonderful new biographies of African Americans.  We have your famous:  Doc : the rise and rise of Julius Erving,    Obama : the historic journey,     Baldwin's Harlem : a biography of James Baldwin.

Your not-so-much in the fame department: The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks,    Scared silent : the Mildred Muhammad story    A mighty long way : my journey to justice at Little Rock Central High School  .  

And what we librarians like to call your 'collective biographies':  African American firsts : famous, little-known and unsung triumphs of Blacks in America,      The shadows of youth : the remarkable journey of the civil rights generation,      Black genius : inspirational portraits of America's black leaders.  They're 'collective' because the books cover several people.  Nothing to do with communes.  Help yourself to fresh-made history. 

Free Tax Help!!! The 211

For you qualified citizens there are places scattered throughout the metro that offer free tax help!!!  Whoohoo!

Direct quotes from the Iowa Department of Human Services web site:

A.  IRS certified tax sites will help prepare tax returns for low income families and seniors FREE of charge.

B.  Just Call 2-1-1 to find free tax help in your community.
C.  View a list of Free Return Preparation Sites where you can get free help with your taxes from trained volunteers. 
I tested the 211 number.  You get the United Way and an extremely nice person tries to find the perfect site for your needs.  Just so you know, none of these free help sites are at any of our libraries. None.   Any.  But we are thrilled that they are out there for you!  Taxes are hard.

Remember the Fabulous Automobile Fix-It-All-by-Yourself Resource

Did you know this about a 2004 Cadillac DeVille DHS V8:
When removing the halfshaft you must prevent the inner CV-joint from becoming over-extended. Over-extension of the joint could result in separation of internal components and possible joint failure. I have no idea what this means! But some of you could breeze through those two sentences and know exactly what to do. Auto Repair Reference Center has repair information for hundreds of vehicles. With diagrams, including the bonus wiring diagrams. You can use this baby in any of our 6 libraries or in the comfort of your own home. To get at it from home you’ll need your Des Moines Public Library Card number and PIN – the PIN is usually the last 4 numbers of your telephone number. Click here, then click on Auto Repair Reference Center; input your info and go! One flaw is that the database does not provide repair information for every vehicle listed. But it’s pretty dang cool nonetheless.