Blog Post
Le Photographe (The Photographer)
by lucroe
The French graphic novel Le Photographe ( The Photographer) by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier has finally been published in the U.S. by First Second with translation by Alexis Siegel. It is the late photographer, Didier Lefevre's, story of his travels with Medecines Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors Without Borders) to Afghanistan in 1986. Guibert incorporates Lefevre's photos (he went through some 4000 taken in the 2 months he was there) as well as his own artwork to tell the harrowing story of which Lefevre barely survived. More importantly the novel is about the daily life of the people of Afghanistan who face disease, famine, brutal weather and of course the brutality of war. The courage of the MSF when going into war ravaged areas to perform major surgery or having to ask the Russian doctors for assistance for instance is a big part of this story. All in all an incredibly gripping story with the photos and artwork only adding to the intensity of each scene. Guibert is a well-known French artist. His Alan's War (also just recently published in the U.S.) is an Eisner nominee for best new graphic novel and yet another excellent biography.
Blog Post
Up the Rouge!
by cecile
Author Joel Thurtell and photographer Patricia Beck, veteran Detroit Free Press staff, collaborated to produce this wonderful book about canoeing on the Rouge River—yes, the Rouge River!! The Rouge--not as well-known as the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie catching fire in 1969, but confident in its reputation as a famously polluted body of water.
How this river (a regional treasure in our midst) can still be invisible, ignored, misused and abused, has long been a mystery. To help put focus on the river’s plight, the two canoed 27 miles from Zug Island (!) up the Rouge’s main branch to Nine Mile and Beech Daly. What they describe and beautifully illustrate on their journey is both hopeful and grim at the same time.
Hopefully, this book, the continued work of volunteers and the Rouge River Project will attract more people dedicated to treating the river with the respect it deserves.
Blog Post
You’ve Graduated: Now What?
by cecile
For any recent graduate looking for their first professional job, Bridget Graham and Monique Ready have written a great little book, Working World 101: The New Grad’s Guide to Getting a Job, packed with great advice about resumes, networking, interviewing and workplace etiquette.
Each chapter has a cheat sheet that covers the key points of the chapter and sprinkled throughout the book human resource professionals give important and really good tips.
Congratulations recent grads!!!!!! Now take a breath, stay confident and shove off (of course if I were you, I’d take the summer and go backpacking in Europe Europe by Eurail or the West Hostels U.S.A. and save the gung-ho job search for September—but that’s just me)!
Blog Post
Swine Flu Information & Updates
by Debbie G.
The Washtenaw County Public Health Department has developed a web page on the Swine Flu outbreak. You'll find breaking news, info on symptoms, recommendations for treatment and much more. The CDC Swine Flu page provides a state-by-state tally of reported cases and the World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating global information and response.
Blog Post
Cross the Border with Michigan's New Enhanced Driver's License
by Debbie G.
Planning a trip to the Stratford Festival or the Shaw Festival? There's an alternative to the U.S. passport now required for border crossings, the Enhanced Driver's License. The EDL eliminates the need to carry multiple ID documents when returning to the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean. The cost is $45, far less than a passport and it arrives in 2 - 3 weeks. Be sure to bring proof of a valid Social Security number and U.S. citizenship in addition to your driver's license to any of the designated Secretary of State offices.
Blog Post
Vacations to Enrich Your Life
by darla
On our new book shelf here at the AADL you can pick up a copy of The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life, written by Pam Grout & published by National Geographic. The author's intent, as she states in the introduction, is to alter your idea of what vacation is meant to be and offer you the potential to change your life. The experiences are divided into four categories: arts and crafts getaways, learning retreats, volunteer vacations, and wellness escapes. Even if you can't afford some of the fabulous ideas set forth in this book, it's still enjoyable to read about them. Consider a three-day mahout (elephant wrangler) training course in Thailand. Spend a month working for African Impact, a lion rehabilitation center in Zimbabwe. Master the art of blending scotch at the Glengoyne Distillery in the Scottish highlands. Ride horses to Machu Picchu's sacred sister city, Choquequirao, Peru.
The trip that caught my attention is run by COBATI (Community-Based Tourism Initiatives) in Kampala, Uganda. Instead of a typical African safari package that does little to benefit the locals, COBATI homestays offer the amazing opportunity to stay in small, rural villages and learn about the real Uganda. Visit banana plantations, stay with midwives, learn beekeeping & mushroom growing, attend community weddings, visit flower farms and see homesteads with Ankole longhorn cattle (indigenous to Uganda for at least seven centuries). Interested? Visit www.cobati.or.ug or head to the library for a copy of this unique travel guide.
Blog Post
Space Tourism!?!?!?
by Liberry Shortstack
Never thought you'd live to see the day when space travel become a tourist attraction, did you? Well, you're living it! Russo-Hungarian software developer Charles Simonyi is traveling with two other personnel who'll be relieving Space Station crew members who recently returned to Earth via Discovery shuttle. Simonyi, Gennady Padalka, a Russian air force colonel and Michael Barratt, a flight engineer and space physician, are expected to dock at the International Space Station at 9:14am EST Saturday morning. Simonyi isn't publicizing how much he paid for passage aboard the Soyuz rocket, bound for the ISS. However, the list price is $35 million. This is Simonyi's second trip to space, and he's indicated that the cost of booking a seat on space shuttles has increased for since his first trip.
Blog Post
BOCD for a spring family road trip
by annevm
If a driving trip with young children is in your future, say for spring break, be prepared, be very prepared. That could mean checking out PLENTY of family BOCDs from the library. Here’s one from James Herriot to get you started: Treasury for Children, a collection of the author’s stories for kids, including Moses the Kitten, The Market Square Dog, and Smudge the Little Lost Lamb. Happy travels!
Blog Post
World Travel 101
by shannon riffe
The Michigan Council of Hostelling International will be in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Downtown Library on Wednesday February 18, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm to offer tips and resources for travelers getting ready for their first trip or travelers eager to save money. After the program, make sure to check out our selection of travel books to plan your next trip; the Let's Go series is a favorite.
Blog Post
Made in Spain - Cooking an Empanada
by eby
If you're looking for a high energy cooking series look no further than Made in Spain with José Andrés. Here's a clip from the show on making an Empanada.
If this looks like your type of cooking show then AADL has both the 2 DVD set of the Made in Spain series and the cookbook that accompanies the series. Many of the episodes include a visit to regions of Spain and restaurants that make the regional specialties, so if you love Spanish food, pick it up. If Made in Spain doesn't fit your taste then we also have many other Spanish cooking items available.