Runs: Jan.31-May 24, 2009 at Weisman Museum Art
As the first major touring exhibition to feature Vietnamese women artists in the U.S, the exhibition explores the roles of women in Vietnamese society and challenges the stereotypes they face. Changing Identity reveals these women in their historical and social contexts as artists, as Vietnamese, and as individuals. 

Wondering where the money will go? Here's a textual summary of the act's provisions plus the H.R. 1 document from the Congressional Budget Office.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has information about obtaining legal advice for immigration issues and protecting against immigration fraud. "Don’t Be a Victim of Immigration Fraud" brochures to download are available in several languages, including Spanish and Chinese.

The Wall Street Journal reports a growing trend in which parents pay to pad their child's resume by buying unpaid internships for their offspring. Whether they are purchased through charity auctions or for-profit operators,  the fairness of this practise is debatable.

See Motor Trend for the Detroit Auto Show.  Check out other auto shows too.

According to Peter Schiff's recent article in the WSJ, the financial burden of President Obama's proposed stimulus package would fall on the USA's much poorer creditor nations.   For more of Mr. Schiff's insights into the world of finance and investment, read THE LITTLE BOOK OF BULL MOVES IN BEAR MARKETS.

Forbes magazine lists America's most wired cities, and "the surprise of the list is Minneapolis, which improved its standing from No. 11 to No. 7."

Read Hillary Clinton's remarks as she takes office as Secretary of State. You can also subscribe in a number of ways to DipNote, the official blog from the State Department.

from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Use their searchable database to identify potentially contaminated products.

Would you rather stay in a house or cabin?  Check out Vacation Rentals by Owner for rentals all over the world.

Perhaps one of the more popular tools on the internet, refdesk.com provides over 20,000 quality links covering such subjects as business, news, sports, and weather. The addition of comic strips and crossword puzzles make this a heavily used resource.

Scary, scary news from the UK's Telegraph.

The Child & Family WebGuide is one of many resources found in this subtopic of hard to categorize resources.  This particular site covers children from birth to 19 with topics from family/parenting, education/learning,  typical child development, and more!

Barack Obama and his staff have a blog on the White House website.  The feed isn't working in my feed reader, but maybe it's just me....

Learn about current events with video and comprehension exercises in Tell Me More's weekly lessons. Lessons are offered for English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German learners. Once you're hooked, set up a free account with Tell Me More via the library web site.

The official  White House website provides information about President Barack Obama and his administration. Find the text of his inaugural address on the Presidential Inaugural Committee site.  Learn more about the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and inaugural history on the U.S. government webpage for citizens.

So, how are you following the inauguration?  If online works better for you than televised, the New York Times has listed several options, from Hulu to Twitter to Photosynth.

Minnesota Newspapers are listed in the Minnesota Newspaper Association web site.

Library lovers and book lovers, read this article from today's Wall Street Journal, and rejoice.

If Mary Quant is correct, at least we'll look good in the days to come.    For your fashion update, read this article from www.telegraph.co.uk.   

Get the inside scoop on a company's corporate culture and compensation from the people that work there at Glassdoor.com. No fees involved. Just post an anonymous review of your employer for full access to the ratings.

This month, the Family Handyman website shares tips on how to stop dust during a home remodeling project. You'll also find an archive of repair advice.

Explore Minnesota provides ice fishing tips and tales.

While Thomas Jefferson had many inventions, Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. President to have been granted a patent. It was called Buoying Vessels Over Shoals and was issued on May 22, 1849.

The Year of the Ox begins on January 26, 2009.  Check out the website, China the Beautiful, for facts and history about this festive holiday. 

The photos below were taken on Jan. 17 at the Augsburg Park Library's Asian new year celebration.

Read this recent article from the Ottawa Citizen to find out.

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd's 2008, Letters to a New President, is a reflective book on the great power and responsibility of the executive branch and the opportunity it brings.  A thoughtful book to ponder as our new president takes office. 

Google Book Search is adding magazine content. Full text articles can be found online in their original print layout. In order to limit a search to full text magazine articles, select  Advanced Book Search and limit the search to "Full view only" and "Magazines". Currently, the selection of magazine titles is small, but the chronological range is impressive.  (For example, one can find issues of Popular Science from 1872 to 2008.) The Google blog says that more titles will be added. Unfortunately, there is no print command for articles found through this search.

Do you know a sneeze can send 2,000 to 5,000 bacteria-filled droplets into the air at 70 to 100 mph? Learn more at  Anatomy Of A:  Sneeze from the Washington Post.

Try an online practice test using LearningExpressLibrary, available from the Library's website 24/7.

CommonCraft produces excellent videos that help teach web 2.0 topics.  A recent one is social media -- explained in ice cream.

The NOMMO series is sponsored by the University of Minnesota and features authors reading and discussing their work, as well as the state of African American literature. John Edgar Wideman, two-time PEN/Faulk Award winner and National Book Award nominee, will be the guest author on February 5 at 7 pm at the Hubert H. Humphey Center's Cowles Auditorium.

According to psychologist Stephen Greenspan (see previous blog entry), it was gullibility.    Here is the bibliographic record of ANNALS OF GULLIBILITY, Greenspan's new book on the subject.    Looks interesting, doesn't it?   It will be recommended for purchase by the library.   Readers can draw their own conclusions.

Most common foodborne illness. Read about symptoms and how to prevent getting infected. MN Dept of Health and MedlinePlus.

Do you have a basic legal question?  Try the Minnesota District Court Self Help Center.
Hennepin County is the 4th Judicial District.

Follow the current developments in the Gaza conflict on the Gaza Crisis page from CNN.  A daily 3 hour respite from bombardment was announced that will allow aid to reach area civilians.

The world of retirement is changing and here's what you need to know.  Can You Afford to Retire? evaluates the impact of the economic meltdown and gives answers to questions about pensions and 401(k)s and other savings.

Read the Hard Facts and "Pucker Up: The Effects of Sour Candy on Your Patients' Oral Health"  from the Minnesota Dental Association.

With the combining of the city and county library websites, these subject guides were combined too -- browse for some new goodies.  I've always loved the Skyscraper Page, one of the new ones...

Information fairs for the Minneapolis and St. Paul School Districts are coming up soon. Find expert advice on what to look for when choosing your child's school.

Take a look at this online guide to snowflakes and snow crystals, which includes many detailed graphics.

Madoff victim Stephen Greenspan explores "Why We Keep Falling for Scams" in today's Wall Street Journal.    The classic Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds and Robert J. Shiller's Irrational Exuberance also describe past investment disasters that were spawned by gullibility and conformity.   

My colleague Jim M. adds that Robert J. Shiller, creator of the Case Shiller Home Price Index, was one of the first and the few economic analysts to issue an early warning regarding the housing bubble.  See "Bubble Trouble."