Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

On October 23, 1775, some 240 men, women and children left Tubac, Sonora to follow Juan Bautista de Anza in an effort to forge an overland route to the San Francisco bay and establish a settlement there. The journey was arduous. It took nearly five months to travel the 1,210 miles some on horseback, some on foot. These families became the first colonists of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Fremont Main Library is hosting a special exhibit from the National Park Service about the Anza Expedition and the  Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

The exhibit, located on the second floor of the library next to the Maurice Marks Center for Local and California History, commemorates the story of the 1775-1776 Spanish Expedition whose members, consisting of some 30 families, made the trek from Sonora to Alta California. They founded and established the Mission and Presidio of San Francisco, the Mission in Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San José. Most settled in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The exhibit also features the Galindo-Higuera Adobe, a local landmark along the trail with ties to the Anza Expedition. Artifacts, photographs and a slide-show courtesy of the Museum of Local History round out the display.

The Washington Township Historical Society was instrumental in bringing this special exhibit to Fremont. The exhibit opened on July 25th with a presentation by NPS Ranger Steven Ross and will be available to view through September 15.

Read more about it: The Anza Trail – Tri-City Voice July 22, 2011

Web de Anza – primary source documents and multimedia resources

and Books from the library collection several of these are housed next to the display and are available for check-out.

Stop by next time you visit the library!

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Looking for Fun?

Join us at our last preschool craft program in the Fukaya Rooms on Tuesday, August 9th at 1:30 pm!

We’ve had a lot of fun so far in our previous three craft days. We’ve made handprint sunflowers, paper plate turtles and hot air balloons mosaics.

All of the crafts are designed for preschoolers to make on their own, with a little assistance from an adult. The crafts help preschoolers practice cutting with scissors, using glue sticks, coloring with crayons, following directions and best of all, have fun with crafts!

Our last class for the summer is Tuesday, August 9th at 1:30 pm. Please stop by the Children’s Desk at 1:15 pm to pick up your free tickets for the program.

Preschool Crafts will continue in the fall, and will move back to its original day (fourth Wednesday of the month) at 1 pm.

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One World Many Stories – Food and others

What are the similarities and the differences among all the people who live in the different parts of this planet Earth?  For instance, the crops we plant, the food we consume, and the ways we prepare our meals can be quite similar, yet still different.  One example of this is: rice is a main source of food for both Asian as well as Latino cultures, however, the method of preparation is quite different. I just came across a good book that shows the interesting facts around the world:

Hungry Planet  by Faith D’Aluisio 

Here are some pictures from the book:

One week of food in different countries.

Japan : The Ukita family of Kodaira City.

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25.

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily.

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11.

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide.

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07.

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina.

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98.

Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca.

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09.

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna.

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27.

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo.

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53.

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo.

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55.

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village.

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03.

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp.

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23.

 

By glancing through the catalog, I also found some other books that will give you insights on the rest of the world that you may not be familiar with.

 

 What The World Eats

by Menzel, Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I eat : around the world in 80 diets

 by Faith D’Aluisio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s disgusting– and we ate it! : true food facts from around the world– and throughout history!

by James Solheim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This child, every child : a book about the world’s children

by  David J. Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Material World : A Global Family Portrait 

 by Menzel, Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women In The Material World
By D’Aluisio, Faith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Ride On Mother’s Back : A Day Of Baby-Carrying Around The World

By Bernhard, Emery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teens around the world : different and the same

By Jonathan Garfunkel

 

To Be A Kid
By Ajmera, Maya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun reading.  As this summer’s reading game states, it is  One World but Many Stories.

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Learn Something New Today!

There are over 500 online classes which may benefit you. These are classes for your personal enrichment and do not provide school credit. You will be surprised at the number of topics you can choose from.

 These classes can be accessed via the Alameda County Website at www.aclibrary.org. Under Research find A-Z Resource List from the drop-down menu. Choose U from the alphabetical list for Universal Class.

 You are welcome to enroll in up to 5 courses.  You have up to 6 months to finish each course. You have access to your course 24/7 via the Internet. Attend class and do assignments on your schedule. Each course has a real instructor who you may communicate with using email.

 Here are some examples of the variety of classes you can take:

For Business Folks

Business Applications | Career Development | Home Business | Home Ownership | How to Build Your Own Business | How to Save Your Money | Human Resources | Management | Marketing | Money Making Strategies | MS Applications | Organizational Finances | Self-Improvement | Small Business | Writing Improvement

 For those who seek Self-Improvement and Self Help

 Beauty Lessons | Behavior Management | How to Cope and Live with an Illness | Medical Skills | Money Making Strategies | New Age Studies | Reiki Studies | Religion and Spirituality | Self-Improvement | Social Science | Social Services | Therapy and Treatment | Violence Prevention Strategies | Writing Improvement

For Test Preparation

Basic Finance Skills | ESL | Exam Preparation | General Science | Medical Billing | Medical Coding | Medical Skills | Social Science | Teacher Curriculum | Teacher Resources | Writing Improvement

 There is so much more…….Explore!

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Things to do in Fremont

One  of  the  things I love about living in  this area is that there is so much  to do. I  came  from  a  very  small, quiet  town on  the east coast  and now,sometimes there are too  many  choices.

Tonight, you could go to  the  local  silent film  Museum – where they  are  showing a  Talking Picture!

This Sunday in Niles you can hear a great , free concert and this time around there will be some fabulous food trucks including The Sweet Bakery and the fiveten burger .

This lecture on Monday at the library Looks interesting

for other ideas:

how about a link to  the local  theater  company Broadway West.

Fremont Coffee Roasting often has music.
Here is a link to some of the programs put on by East Bay regional parks
For more ideas look at the Tri City Voice .

Enjoy your city!

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Evaluating Internet Information

“Not many librarians see the Internet as a threat to their jobs. That’s because they know the Internet lacks something which libraries are famous for: quality control.” http://studioclassroom.com/sc/sc_article.php?article_id=07b08&volume=2011-07-01&zoot=08 Nowadays, anyone can publish any information on the Internet.  Therefore, it would be dangerous to assume the information we find there is true.  So how can we tell what we see on the Internet is truth or a lie?  There are some guidelines for evaluating Internet information:   Make sure the information is relevant to the topic. Pay attention to the Internet page construction, spelling, grammar, and the url. Those may be clues to the quality of your information. Be aware of when the information was published. Make note of the copyright date. Be aware of the differences between fact and opinion. Not everything we read is true. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/quicklinks/k12students/kctoolsievaluate.cfm   For further reading:   The Quality Information Checklist   Ten C’s for Evaluating Internet Sources Evaluating Internet Resources http://www.library.georgetown.edu/tutorials/research-guides/evaluating-internet-content

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A story of hope

You probably know this one already. Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped near a South Lake Tahoe schoolbus stop in 1991 when she was 11 years old, and for 18 years she was subjected to rape, manipulation and verbal abuse.  In captivity she gave birth to two daughters fathered by her kidnapper Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender whom corrections officers supposedly were monitoring. In 2009 a Berkeley campus officer who saw Garrido with his two daughters called his parole officer, starting a chain of events that eventually led to the return of Dugard to her mother and the conviction and sentencing of Garrido to life in prison and his wife Nancy Garrido to 36 years to life for the 1991 abduction. The Berkeley officer has said that, as a mother, the girls’ behavior with Garrido appeared odd to her.

Dugard kept a secret journal while she was held captive.  She shares her remarkable story of hope and survival in her book, A Stolen Life. In an interview, Dugard tells Diane Sawyer she did what she had to do to survive.

The California Department of Justice’s Megan’s Law web site provides access to information on more than 63,000 persons required to register in California as sex offenders.

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Literary Pubs in England: The Ship Inn

There are “literary” pubs (pubs which highlight an author) all over the British Isles, a handful in Kent , England alone: one can even book tours/crawls and visit several. One such pub is the Ship Inn/Hotel  in Dymchurch, Kent (118 High St.)  Those of us of a certain age will remember the dashing Patrick McGoohan as the Vicar of Dymchurch (Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow—aka The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh) in a three-part series on Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in 1964 (it was actually released in Britain the previous year).  McGoohan’s Dr.  Syn is based on the titular character of the books made famous by Russell Thorndike (the first –Dr. Syn— was written in 1915).  The Disney version of Thorndike’s literary hero is one of a handful of filmed versions featuring the good Doctor: George Arliss played Dr. Syn in 1937; Peter Cushing was Captain Clegg (another alter ego in Syn’s previous life) in 1962.

Kent resident Thorndike used to visit The Ship Inn frequently and it has been said that this is where he might have come up with the idea for the Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn—a beloved Vicar by day, the infamous Scarecrow—leader of a band of smugglers (the “Marsh Men”) on horseback– by night.  It was a natural: The 16^th-century Ship Inn really was a smugglers’ meeting place in its time. The Inn also has a Dr. Syn collection on display (believed to be one of the biggest), and sells Syn posters and postcards designed by artist Terry Anthony, and other memorabilia as well (http://www.drsyn.net/).  St. Peter and St. Paul Church is just across the road from The Ship Inn (the “Dymchurch” of the novels, but in the Disney series, Dymchurch was “played” by St. Clements church, in Old Romney.)  At St. Peter and St. Paul Church, one can find a brass plaque at the church commemorating Russell Thorndike.  Thorndike even borrowed some of the names from the tombstones in the churchyard:  they appear as names in the Dr. Syn books. Thorndike himself is buried there.   Dymchurch even has a “Day of Syn,” a biennial event usually taking place in August (August Bank Holiday weekend—the next will be 2012), complete with book reenactments and story characters –including the infamous Scarecrow–come to life. Indeed, the first Syn novel was so popular, six more were written afterwards—prequels, because the Syn character is killed off in the first book!

So if you happen to be traveling on the Southern Coast of England and you are either a Russell Thorndike or a Dr. Syn Alias The Scarecrow /Dr. Syn film fan, make The Ship Inn a stop and knock back a pint!

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Happy Anniversary Apollo 11: Launch 7/16/69 9:32 a.m. EDT

We may still be lamenting the final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis earlier this month, but there is still plenty to celebrate with the anniversary of the launch of the first manned mission to land on the moon. The rocket engines of Apollo 11 ignited at 9:32 a.m. EDT on July 16, 1969 and the ship began its ascent.  I remember my third grade teacher pulling out the school’s old black and white television for the class to watch this historic event. Do you remember where you were when the Apollo 11 launched? Do you remember all the excitement around the event? Do you even know what black and white television was like? Our hats off to, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins for this historic mission!  The famous first steps on the moon took place on July 20th, 1969. 

Celebrate by checking out books and DVDs on space and space exploration. Have a listen to the Apollo 11 audio database or just sit back and have a look at highlights of the Apollo 11 launch and other exciting videos courtesy of NASA.

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Harry Potter

 

Tonight is the night …Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II starts playing at midnight. Do you have your tickets? I just purchased mine this morning and am super excited to see the final Harry Potter film. I’m also a little sad that the whole thing is coming to an end. I’ve been a Harry Potter fan for many years now as I’m sure many of you have been too. The first time I saw a youngster at the library carrying around the huge Goblet of Fire book I knew there must be something special about the series and the author J.K. Rowling. As I read the series I delved into the wizarding world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts and was mesmerized! So if you are like me and you have read all the books, seen the movies and are wondering what to do next…wonder no more. Come and check out the Harry Potter Jeopardy game at the Centerville Library next week. The Jeopardy game is for kids but parents will want to watch too. If you are a fan then you’ll want to test your Potter knowledge!

Tuesday July 19     Beginners Level: books 1 – 3 grades 4 and under

Thursday July 21      Expert Level: books 1 – 7 grades 8 and under

Schedule for both days as follows: 2:00-5:00

2:00-2:45  Quiz Contest

No participants are allowed in 15 minutes after quiz starts.

2:45-3:45  Grading
3:45-3:50  Quiz winners announcement

4:00-5:00  Jeopardy!

Only quiz winners will compete in the Jeopardy game   but everyone is welcome to watch. If no contestants can give    the correct answer, the question will be open to the audience.
  

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