I must admit it - I'm addicted to the Fox television show, "So You Think You Can Dance."  Every week I sit in my comfortable stuffed chair and snack on junk food while beautiful, athletic, and talented young dancers perform.  I've never been interested in dance before, so I think producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe must be doing a good job.  Recently, he announced National Dance Day, a time for everyone to "get up and move."  Always thinking, if not moving, the lightbulb went off!  Our library has dance movies and books.  I can celebrate Dance Day by doing my favorite thing - reading or watching a movie.  It's not what Nigel had in mind, but it works for me!  You might also enjoy the following DVD's or books:

Saturday Night Fever
Hairspray
Michael Jackson's This Is It
Dirty Dancing
Mad Hot Ballroom

• Broadway, The Golden Years
• The Dancer Within: intimate conversations with great dancers
• Master's of Movement: portraits of America's great choreographers

Join us Tuesday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m. for our discussion of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  The Washington Post review states:  "...Immortal Life reads like a novel...It's a deftly crafted investigation of a social wrong committed by the medical establishment, as well as the scientific and medical miracles to which it led." Read more...

_{(HeLa cells from Henrietta Lacks)}

Read and discuss My Stroke of Insight, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's account of her stroke and remarkable recovery.  She will be speaking at the Wharton Center on March 1.

As the New York Times Review stated:  "Jill Bolte Taylor was a neuroscientist working at Harvard's brain research center when she experienced nirvana.  But she did it by having a stroke. On Dec. 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor, then 37, woke up in her apartment near Boston with a piercing pain behind her eye. A blood vessel in her brain had popped. Within minutes, her left lobe — the source of ego, analysis, judgment and context — began to fail her. Oddly, it felt great."

Find out why that was the case and discuss your thoughts with the Nonfiction Book Group.

Confirmed! There will be a drawing for book group attendees for a pair of free tickets to Dr. Bolte Taylor's presentation courtesy of the Wharton Center.

Five new titles have been added to our collection of Lit Kits - the book club in a bag.  We've added the "Great Michigan Read", Stealing Buddha's Dinner  and East Lansing's "One Book One Community" selection, The Soloist.  The other new additions include: The Shadow of the Wind, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Would you like a chance to win $1,500 toward your child's college education?  Then participate in the "Get Creative @ Saving for College" program offered through the East Lansing Public Library. 

Simply fill out an entry card and return it to the reference desk.  Six contest winners will be chosen from participating libraries throughout the state.

Entries must be postmarked by August 21, 2009 and contest winners will be announced by September 30.  Visit the reference desk for an entry card and visit www.misaves.com/library for more information.

The final physical contact between humans and the Hubble telescope occurred last week.  Visit http://hubblesite.org to find out all about Hubble and its successor, the Webb Space Telescope.  You can also watch videos of Servicing Mission 4. 

Two of the library's latest acquisitions on the Hubble are:

• Hubble Imaging Space and Time
• The Universe in a Mirror: The Saga of the Hubble and the Visionaries Who Built It

On this day, many Jewish communities will light candles to remember and honor victims of the Holocaust (http://urj.org/holidays/hashoah).   Here are the most recent acquisitions on the Holocaust for adults:

My Germany: a Jewish writer returns to the world his parents escaped by Lev Raphael

Defiance by Nechama Tec

The journal of Helene Berr by Helene Berr

Born on March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein has become an iconic figure in science and popular culture.  Three recent additions to the science collection are:

• Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius
• Einstein's Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe
• Very Special Relativity: An Illustrated Guide.

In February, 1930 Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto after other astronomers had been searching for 30 years.  Now, Pluto's status has been changed to that of a "dwarf planet".  Read more about Pluto in:

The Pluto files: The rise and fall of America's favorite planet,
    
Is Pluto a planet? A historical journey through the solar system,

The kid who named Pluto and the stories of other extraordinary young people in science.
    

 A noted pioneer in the field of mind/body integration, Dr. Borysenko's books demonstrate the compatibility of science and spirituality.  Learn more on spiritual exploration and positive psychology by hearing her speak, visiting her website, or checking out her books at the East Lansing Public Library: 

Darwin Day Celebration website reports that there are 598 events planned in 40 countries for Darwin's birthday!  Visit the website to learn more about Darwin and visit our catalog to find books about this immensely influential scientist.  Three new library offerings on Darwin are: 

• Darwin's Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution
• Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man
• On the Origin of Species, Illustrated Edition

Have you felt as though you were "different"?  Or maybe as though you were an outsider?

Dr. Leonard Felder, Ph.D. has written a new book that combines encouragement, compassion, and specific action steps.  Fitting In is Overrated will help you see that what makes you different, can be a strength.  Make a New Year's resolution to appreciate yourself!  The book can be found on the New Non-Fiction shelves.

Get prepared to cast your vote wisely in the upcoming elections.  Several online resources provide information on candidates, voter registration basics, proposals, and candidates' issue positions:

• Michigan.gov/vote - Find out where you are registered to vote
• Lansing State Journal's Election '08 Voter Guide - candidate comparisons
• League of Women Voters - comprehensive voter information
• Publius - basic voter information including voting locations