The Lehigh Valley

On my way to the library today, I followed one of the new Hybrid Electric LANTA buses down Route 309 and I was curious about how much cleaner these vehicles were to drive. LANTA’s facebook page says that three are on Valley roads daily and that hybrid electric buses get 20% better fuel economy and the use of electric results in a 61% reduction in pollutants. LANTA also promises a quieter ride. LANTA bus schedules for numerous routes are available at the library or on LANTA's website.


…Lehigh Valley International Airport is also going to purchase hybrid vehicles for use servicing planes and for use in the terminal with a grant received in May from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. I have always seen the Lehigh Valley as a very green place. Here’s to hoping the area industries will help to keep it that way.

Lehigh Valley Resources at PCL:
Lehigh Valley Magazine – current issue does not circulate. Other bimonthly issues are available from 2004 to the present and have a three week check out period. Issues from 2002 – 2003 are shelved in the Local History section.
Lehigh Valley Style – Issues from 2002 forward circulate except for the current issue.

Some DVD’s of interest from the Lehigh Valley living history series produced by PBS 39:
Hollywood on Hamilton: Remembering Hess's
Bethlehem Steel: The people who built America
Carousel of memories
Football legends of Pennsylvania
The Lehigh Lafayette legacy
Make a joyful noise: The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

…And don’t miss PCL’s Local History section for a stroll down memory lane.

Environmental Pollution

Today I came across an important resource from the Political Economy Research Institute which names the top 100 toxic air polluters in the US. Incidentally BP is #25 on this list which spans a wide range of industries from paper manufacturers to electricity corporations. In the context of the BP spill, could another similar accident occur at one of these corporate facilities? The environment is still feeling the effects of past environmental disasters. How long will the Gulf cleanup take? How long until the marine life recovers? See some of these library materials to learn more.

Past global environmental disasters:
Chernobyl by David Erik Nelson
– If you prefer fiction, read Wolves eat dogs by Martin Cruz Smith, set in Pripyat, Ukraine .
Five past midnight in Bhopal - an account of the Union Carbide gas leak in India,  December 3, 1984
-For a fictional account of the effects of this disaster on lives, Animal's people
Three Mile Island: A nuclear crisis in historical perspective

For research: Environmental issues: Essential primary sources and Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change

To gain awareness on environmental issues:
*READ coverage of the Gulf oil spill in the New Orleans’ Times-Picayune on the America's Newspapers database.
*Hot, flat, and crowded: Why we need a green revolution and how it can renew America
*Red sky at morning: America and the crisis of the global environment
*Dire predictions: Understanding global warming
*Eaarth: Making a life on a tough planet

Newsweek’s photo slideshow of Eco Disasters

Take the non-fiction challenge

Everyone is now flocking to the library to pick up summer reading. Try to have a few alternate choices in mind in case the book you wanted is checked out. You can always get on the hold list, but how about trying a non-fiction book that is every bit as entertaining, action-packed, and suspenseful as fiction? You might also pick up some trivia which could come in useful if you like crosswords or practicing for Jeopardy! (like I do). I’m going to suggest one page-turner in each main Dewey category (plus biography). Take the non-fiction challenge: Read something on the list and give me your feedback here.

Collective biography (B9) – The dirt by Motley Crue

Biography (B) – High on arrival by Mackenzie Phillips

100’s - My secret: A PostSecret book

200’s – Don’t know much about mythology, another Kenneth Davis book packed with trivia.

300’s – Curtains: Adventures of an undertaker-in-training (Kim gave this one a thumbs-up)

400’s – Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's guide to better English in plain English

500’s – Wicked plants: the weed that killed Lincoln's mother and other botanical atrocities

600’s – The hot zone – Ebola, monkeys, and biological weapons will put you on the edge of your seat.

700’s – The art of Ancient Egypt by Gay Robins

800’s – Undateable : 311 things guys do that guarantee they won't be dating or having sex – This is just too funny; both the text and the pictures merit laughs. Check this promotional clip.

900’s – Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910

I'll be looking forward to your comments.

Those crazy lemurs!

I thought this was a cute news story.  I can just see these two being as funny as King Julien (see the Penguins of Madagascar below).  And to think they wound up in the library!

DVD's just for fun

Penguins of Madagascar

Madagascar

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Magill's Literary Annual 2010 - new in reference

PCL now has electronic access to Magill’s Literary Annual 1977 – 2010. This reference work covers fiction and non-fiction books that appeal to general readers, represent trends in publishing, and are commonly taught in literature courses. This database can access 33 years of past annuals - over 6,900 reviews. Essays are indexed by author, title, and category and are illustrated as well. See the 2 volume print 2010 Annual in the Reference section.

Magill's Literary Annual is published by Salem Press

Answers to Friday's Brain Teasers

Brain Teasers


1. The ball costs .05.  The bat costs $1.00 more at $1.05.  Together they add up to $1.10.
2. The number of lily pads on day 47 covered half the pond.  They doubled and completely covered the pond by day 48.

3. Each machine is making 1 widget per minute.  100 machines making 100 widgets will still only take 5 minutes.

4. He is a midget and cannot reach his button. When it is raining, he has his umbrella to push the button.

These stumped Adam!

Try to twist your brain around these puzzles. Answers will be posted on Monday.

1. A bat and ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

2. A cluster of lily pads is growing in a pond. Each day the cluster doubles in size covering more of the surface of the pond. If the pond is completely covered in 48 days, how many days does it take for the pond to be half covered?

3. If 5 machines take 5 minutes to make 5 widgets how long will it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

4. There is a man that lives on the top floor of an 11 story building. Everyday he gets the elevator down to the ground floor to leave the building to go to work. Upon returning from work though, he always travels on the elevator only up to the 7th floor and walks the stairs the rest of the way. unless it is raining. Why does he do this (it is not because he needs the exercise)?

For more visit WebRiddles.com or check out these PCL titles-
The lady or the tiger? : and other logic puzzles, including a mathematical novel that features odel's great discovery
The Oxford A-Z of word games

Have a great weekend!