In Dog We Trust

June 4, 2019March 11, 2019 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Today’s post comes to us from our Teen Librarian, Kelley:

It’s not just a snappy title – I really do have enormous faith and trust in a dog. My husband is blind and he (and I) depend every day upon the amazing skills of his guide dog Becca to help him navigate his world. I can go off to work and not worry about him, because I know he and Becca will manage perfectly well. They’re not stuck at home and are never bored. They go on long walks, golf, visit friends… at this point they actually have a much richer social life than I do! I am filled with wonder every time I see the two of them working together – she warns him of curbs, cars, and dangers both underfoot and at head height, she finds doors, counters, empty seats, and me (!) whenever needed and with great determination and enthusiasm.

Once we were shopping at the grocery store, and a family with children walked by. The parents conscientiously cautioned their kids about not distracting Becca while she was working, telling them that she was a service dog. The littlest child wasn’t quite sure what a service dog was, but he used his own best judgement, and looked out for us for the rest of our shopping trip. He alerted everyone: “Don’t bother that dog- she’s a serious dog!” every time we crossed paths. It was adorable, but he was absolutely correct- Becca is a very serious dog when she is working.

Other dogs besides our Becca do serious work that truly helps others too. These dogs all have natural talents that are carefully perfected with exhaustive training. Detection dogs have exceptional senses of smell. A detection dog is trained to sniff out a particular substance or group of substances such as currency, illegal drugs, explosives, blood, insects, and even cancer. Herding dogs work with various types of livestock, such as cattle, sheep, goats, reindeer, and even poultry. Military dogs assist members of the military with their operations. Police dogs, often called K-9s, are trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in the line of duty. Search and rescue dogs have high energy, great stamina and focus. These highly trained animals serve in many different fields, including tracking, specialized search, avalanche rescue, and cadaver location. Therapy dogs offer emotional support to sick or injured persons, often visiting hospitals, schools, hospices, nursing homes and more. Service dogs are working dogs that have been specially trained to assist persons with disabilities.

There are many other types of working dogs out there who have real jobs that they take very seriously, and new types of jobs for dogs are being developed all the time. You can read more about them with our doggone good list of books about inspiring dogs who love to work. Good dogs!!

What the Dog Knows : The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs by Cat Warren
Dogs of Courage : The Heroism and Heart of Working Dogs Around the World by Lisa Rogak
Loyal : 38 Inspiring Tales of Bravery, Heroism, and the Devotion of Dogs by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh
Every Dog Has a Gift : True Stories of Dogs Who Bring Hope & Healing Into Our Lives by Rachel McPherson with Deborah Mitchell
Soldier Dogs : The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes by Maria Goodavage
War Dogs : Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love by Rebecca Frankel

From the Children’s Room:

Working Dogs by Josh Gregory
Buddy, the First Seeing Eye Dog by Eva Moore
Super Sniffers : Dog Detectives on the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Top Dogs : True Stories of Canines That Made History by Elizabeth MacLeod

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in June

May 28, 2019May 30, 2019 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

“Oh, Alexander Hamilton, when America sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game?”

– “Alexander Hamilton”, lyrics by Lin-Manual Miranda

Hamilton-philes will be happy this month, we’ve got several Alexander Hamilton-themed programs (both historical and pop-culture) on the June calendar, in addition to our regular month of varied programming! Here’s some of what’s in store for June:

Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement

Part 2 Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Part 3 Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00pm

This educational program by certified financial planner Steve Choquette continues with 2 classes in June, covering important money management concepts and issues that are important to people near retirement. Participants will gain a strong understanding of their financial options along with the pros and cons of each. Registration for each class is required.

Portrait Painting with Jack Montmeat

Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Jack Montmeat is an award-winning local portrait painter and illustrator with a studio in East Lyme, CT. After receiving his BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio in 2002, as well as studying in Paris and Florence, he began painting portraits full-time. This program is sponsored by the Cheshire Art League. No registration required.

New Movie Thursday: The Upside

Thursday, June 6, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00pm

A recently paroled ex-convict, Dell (Kevin Hart), strikes up an unusual and unlikely friendship with a quadriplegic billionaire, Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston). From worlds apart, Dell and Philip form an unlikely bond, bridging their differences and gaining invaluable wisdom in the process, giving each man a renewed sense of passion for all of life’s possibilities. Rated PG-13. Registration is appreciated.

Travel Meetup

Monday, June 10, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Going on vacation soon? Chat with others before you go. Share your own travel experiences, photos from around the world and meet other travel enthusiasts. Registration is appreciated.

Author Talk: How to Survive a Brazilian Betrayal

Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Lightening darkness with humor, Velya Jancz-Urban and her 25-year-old daughter, Ehris, introduce readers to their offbeat Connecticut family. This memoir takes readers along on an unconventional family’s hilariously honest, yet heart-wrenching, journey. Readers will fall in love with their spunk, feel the knockout punches of betrayal along with them, and be rooting for them to get back up off the mat. Registration is required.

The Popularity of Alexander Hamilton

Thursday, June 13, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Discover the inspiring story of the Alexander Hamilton, who stood for American ideals. Bev York, historian and educator, will share an illustrated talk about his contributions, struggles, and tragic death. Registration is required. Don’t miss our Hamilton themed events all month long!

Passport Event

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 1:30 – 3:00pm

Join us for a one-stop-shop for your passport needs. You can fill out forms, have your picture taken and the post office will mail off your paperwork. (You are welcome to print out forms ahead of time and prefill them out to streamline the process.) Please bring two checks per application for payment and change as you may wish to use the copy machine on the lower level. Please be advised that it can take 6-8 weeks to receive a completed passport by mail. Any questions please call the Postal Department at 1-877-487-2778.

Plastic Pollution

Monday, June 17, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Plastic pollution has become a major global problem. Join NAMEPA’s Education and Outreach Manager, Lisa Piastuch, to learn more about the plastic pollution clogging our lands and oceans and simple changes you can embrace to reduce the plastic pollution problem! Registration is required.

Meditation – the WOW Factor

Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Based on his own experience as a gerontologist and someone who has been meditating for many years, Dr. Matthew Raider will talk about what keeps you young even as your body ages. He will also explore the eternal nature of consciousness and explain how you can experience it yourself. Registration is required.

Documentary: Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway

Thursday, June 20, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

A remarkable story of how a group of inspired mavericks made an unlikely marriage of hip-hop and history to create the biggest show on Broadway…and strangely apropos to what is happening in politics today. Featuring interviews with creator and star Lin Manuel Miranda, as well as the cast and crew of Hamilton. Registration is required.

Grow Small Backyard Fruits

Monday, June 24, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Berries have high nutritional values and full of health benefits. Since some of them generally don’t require too much space and are low-maintenance, you can enjoy fresh fruit from early summer through late fall by growing them in your backyards. This talk will discuss how to select and grow easy and quick yielding berries in your home gardens. Registration is required.

Hip-Hop Hamilton & The Founding Fathers

Thursday, June 27, 2019, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Join Stephen Spignesi for an informative illustrated lecture based on his book 499 Facts about Hip-Hop Hamilton and the Rest of America’s Founding Fathers. Spignesi begins with the three Founding documents of America—the Declaration of Independence, the Acts of Confederation, and the Constitution—and then discusses what might be called the “Top 10” Founders: Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Paine, Hamilton, etc., including all kinds of fascinating historical facts and trivia about each. Registration is required.

Planting Your Garden

May 21, 2019May 1, 2019 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Spring is here! As we put those tender seedlings into the ground, up sprouts the constant question: should I go Organic, or should I show up my neighbors by using Miracle Grow? Will I poison my children if I use it on my tomatoes? Is my neighbor’s cancer due to Round Up™, and did it blow over into my yard? If a lawncare company treated my grass, are my grass clippings poisoning my compost?

So many questions for such a busy season!

“Organic” is a shady term to start with. We think of hippies and happy sheep, and fields strewn with mulch and recycled orange peels, when in reality it just means the land cannot have been treated with synthetic pesticides, fertilizers (including Miracle Grow), or GMOs for three years. Sounds nice, right? Except that two of the three companies licensed by the USDA to certify organic farms are for-profit (Oregon Tilth is not). The farmer wanting to be certified pays the company to license them. That’s like paying a teacher to give you a grade. The problem is worse overseas: 100 countries export “organic” produce to the USA, and though they are supposed to abide by US law, the countries inspect and license their own. And let’s not forget that a good percentage of “organic fertilizer” in many countries is human in origin. (The E. coli that keeps poisoning lettuce is usually animal in origin).

Won’t chemical fertilizers like Miracle Grow poison me? No. Plants don’t care where the nutrients come from, horse manure or a green and yellow box. Plants use them the same way. The issues with Miracle Grow are 1) the concentration of ammonium phosphate may be too high for some plants. MG makes different formulas for roses, tomatoes, azaleas, etc. Choose the one you need. 2) The greatest issue for chemical fertilizers is that heavy rains can wash a recent fertilizing away. If twelve homes get washout, and it flows into the brook behind them, too high a concentration in water systems can cause algal blooms that suck up oxygen and kill wildlife.

Okay, but what about Round Up™? If I kill the dandelions in my walk, won’t I die?

Uh, that’s a loaded question. Yes, more than 14 countries have banned Round Up (chemical: glyphosate), and while the courts have said yes, Round Up causes cancer, the US maintains it does not. And there’s the difference: In Europe, you must prove a chemical is safe before it hits the market, and that’s hard to do. In the US, chemicals are presumed innocent and you must prove they’re harmful – which is really easy to sidestep even with math and science. In America, it is up to the manufacturer to show their product is harmful, not the government (Got that? The man making and marketing the product must show that what he’s selling is harmful.) When the people with highest exposure to Round Up were studied (ie, farm workers), they had a 41% higher risk of a type of cancer called Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. People with heavy, frequent exposure over time. NO risk was found in people who go outside three times a year and spritz a weed. If you want to use it, do so sparingly, wear rubber gloves, and wash with soap immediately after, and whatever you do, don’t inhale it.

But if those chemicals wind up in my compost bin, won’t they pollute my compost? Mm, depends. According to John Reganold, Professor of Soil Science at Washington State University, “The heat and microbial action of most compost piles break down many produce pesticides.” So don’t feel bad throwing that non-organic banana peel in the pile. BUT: some pesticides (like clopyralid – Reclaim) can become concentrated. Things like termiticides bind to the soil and last a long time. And even treated and composted animal/human waste can still contain parasites. If in doubt, buy local, where you can ask what might have been sprayed on the food.

But rest easy: Miracle Grow has never been shown to cause cancers.

So, is organic worth it? Depends on what you’re willing to pay. The most chemical-contaminated foods in the grocery store are strawberries, peaches (more than 57 pesticides on one sample), celery, lettuce and greens (and that’s not counting the E. coli risk), and most other fruit. If you want to reduce your pesticide ingestion, consider buying organic just for fruits (or grow your own), and wash, wash, wash what you do bring home.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are about the best thing there is for your body, and growing your own, organic or not, is a fun (and tasty) experiment anyone can do anywhere. Try growing some popcorn, or a yellow or brown or purple heirloom tomato. Pole beans are great for kids, because they grow incredibly fast and are very prolific, as are grape tomatoes (so why are they so expensive?).

No matter which method you use, read further on gardening in these topical books:

Starter Vegetable Gardens : 24 no-fail plans for small organic gardens by Barbara Pleasant

Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

101 Organic Gardening Hacks : eco-friendly solutions to improve any garden by Shawna Coronado

Rodale’s All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and Barbara W. Ellis

Organic Gardening for Dummies / by Ann Whitman, Suzanne DeJohn,

The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey

Vegetable Gardening : from planting to picking by Fern Marshall Bradley, Jane Courtier

High-Yield Vegetable Gardening : grow more of what you want in the space you have by Colin McCrate and Brad Halm

Northeast Fruit & Vegetable Gardening : plant, grow, and eat the best edibles for Northeast gardens by Charles Nardozzi

The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible by Edward C. Smith

This is Your Brain on Podcasts – a new kind of on-the-go storytelling

May 14, 2019May 27, 2019 / emclaughlinz / Leave a comment

Podcasting is rapidly becoming the newest and most easily consumable form of storytelling. As of June 2018, iTunes features more than 500,000 active podcasts, including content in more than 100 languages and over 18.5 million episodes. Now if you’re new to podcasts, this number can be overwhelming, how are you supposed to sift through a sea of seemingly endless possibilities to find the hosts, and topic, that keep you listening? To be fair, a lot of listening is trial and error. Maybe you don’t like the hosts tone, or their voice, or maybe the topic just doesn’t grab your attention, but stay vigilant, there are enough podcasts in the world for everyone, there must be one for you! I’ve compiled a list of podcasts that are easy to get into for beginners, based on (of course) your favorite books, all of which can be found at the Cheshire Public Library!

Note : The podcast’s listed here may be explicit, or contain explicit language.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood- The most chilling part of the world that Atwood has created is that it has a strong basis in history, a history that is doomed to repeat itself. If you love history, and the dark origins behind common folklore, you’ll love Lore. Aaron Mahnke, the host and author himself, draws you into the rich history that paints our modern day nightmares. Tune in to learn the humble origins of the werewolf, how fairies terrified and mystified pilgrims, and how Krampus, the Christmas demon, still receives tribute every year in a tiny town in Germany. It’ll make you wish all history classes were this interesting. Released every two weeks on Mondays, Lore is an award-winning podcast that will soon be produced into a television series on Amazon. With 6-million monthly listeners, it has been awarded as iTunes’ “Best of 2015” and “Best of 2016” podcast.

Want to check out more of Mahnke’s writing? Check out his novel list here.

Do you comb the stacks looking for self help books, that lay forgotten about because, really, who has time? Don’t feel alone in this pursuit, it’s hard to read someone else’s promises of a better life. After all, who really has all the answers? One book I found refreshingly honest is Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things . Lawson, an American journalist, author, and blogger, is known for her hysterically skewed outlook on life, and her candor about her struggles with depression and mental illness. If you’re looking for a podcast that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, and focuses on the bright side of life, look no further than Wonderful! , a podcast for joyful and enthusiastic people that like hearing about the passions, big and small, of other people. Each week Rachel and Griffin McElroy will talk about things they love and invite listeners to write in with their treasured items of enthusiasm. Topics may include movies, television, sports, books, drinks, eats, animals, methods of transportation, cooking implements, types of clothing, places in the world, imaginary places, fictional characters, and fonts, to name a few. It’s a delightfully sweet and genuine series, and a quick break from a world full of negatives.

Now if you’re a true crime lover like me, I’m always searching for a new case to dissect, and for a new podcast or book that leads me through the facts of the case. That’s exactly why I was drawn to Adnan’s Story : The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial . A full-length account of the story investigated by the award-winning Serial podcast draws on some 170 documents and letters to trace the experiences of Adnan Syed, who in 2000 was sentenced to life for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and who the author and other supporters are certain is innocent. If you want to listen to the podcast that brought the case to light in the first place, check out Serial season one. I’d compare it to a classic radio drama, the pacing and tone is incredible and keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the journalistic research that goes into every episode is admirable. It’s a great place to start if you’re just getting into true crime podcasts, or need something to listen to after binging the first and second season of Making a Murderer on Netflix.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a podcast that brings the book club to your home (without having people over to your actual home), look no further than Overdue . Overdue is a podcast about the books you’ve been meaning to read. Join Andrew and Craig each week as they tackle a new title from their backlog. Classic literature, obscure plays, goofy murder mysteries: they’ll read it all, one overdue book at a time. While not actively encouraging you to return your books late (insert finger wagging from behind the return’s desk) this podcast encourages the over zealous reader in all of us to take the time to head back into the stacks for the book you might not have otherwise checked out.

If you’re having trouble accessing podcasts or don’t know how to start, check out this easy to use guide provided by Gimlet : How to start listening. It’ll take you step by step on how to both download, and enjoy the hundreds of podcasts iTunes has to offer.

Science Fiction and the Red Planet

May 7, 2019April 17, 2019 / cheshirelib / 1 Comment

Today’s post is by our sci-fi-guy, Harold Kramer.

Mars, our nearest planetary neighbor, has always fascinated science fiction writers here on planet earth. Science fiction about Mars began with Jules Verne and his 1865 novel From Earth to the Moon. This novel, like many others by Verne, was accurate in concept, although technology in his day made many of his ideas impossible to execute.

During the first half of the 20th century, science fiction writers were obsessed with Martians. Belligerent Martians invaded earth in H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds. Orson Welles’s 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds even caused a nationwide panic. Written in 1950, The Martian Chronicles, a collection of strange and haunting short stories by Ray Bradbury were about an expedition to the red planet. Another early Mars novel was A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs who was a master of fast-moving adventure stories, whether in the jungle with Tarzan or on the moon with the Princess. I have recently re-read some of these early science fiction novels and, while definitely not scientifically accurate, they still are good reads.

Beginning in the 1970s, the first NASA and Russian probes and rovers obtained real scientific data about Mars. Once sci fi writers realized that there were no little green men on Mars, science fiction tackled more realistic Martian topics and focused on the challenges of human colonization on the red planet. A major sci fi theme was terraforming Mars to make it into a self-sustaining environment that was fit for life that developed on earth. Another major theme was what type of society and governmental structure might exist in a Mars colony.

One of the first works that explored these ideas was The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. This series consists of three books: Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars. Red Mars won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1993. Blue Mars won the 1997 Hugo Award. The trilogy begins with Red Mars when the first colonists arrive on Mars and simply try to survive. Green Mars and Blue Mars and continue the story one hundred years in the future when Mars has been terraformed into a green and politically independent world. My favorite of the three is the first book, Red Mars.

Ben Bova has written four related novels about Mars: Mars, Return to Mars, Mars Inc. and Mars Life. The planet Mars is the fourth stop on his Grand Tour – a series of related novels that take place in the 21st Century and that focus on exploration and colonization of every planet in our solar system. I enjoy reading Ben Bova’s books because of his clear writing, scientific imagination, and expansive ideas.

The Martian by Andy Weir, written in 2011, is my favorite book about Mars. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction in 2014 and the Audie Award in 2015 for best science fiction audio book. The Martian is a modern-day Robinson Crusoe story about an American astronaut who is presumed dead but who is actually alive and stranded on Mars. What makes it so interesting is that the technology is highly credible, and the writing is taut. It was made into a movie in 2015 that was directed by Ridley Scott and starred Matt Damon.

Many other great science fiction novelists have written about Mars. These include Greg Bear’s Moving Mars and Arthur C. Clarke’s The Sands of Mars. Also notable are Larry Niven’s Rainbow Mars and Robert Heinlein’s classic, Stranger in a Strange Land.

Although this is a science-fiction blog post, I would like to mention a non-fiction book about Mars and planetary exploration and colonization. It is called The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and our Destiny Beyond Earth, by physicist Michio Kaku. This scientifically based work is an extraordinary projection of the future of humanity as it moves from earth to the stars.