Gardening Blogs

Now that the sunshine is beginning to peek out (for now, anyway!), it's time to start thinking about getting that garden back into blooming shape. Need some help getting into the spirit?

Why not check out this compilation of over 80 gardening blogs - everything from organic gardening to international gardens!

Aren't sure when we're going to have the next sunny day? You can always consult weather.com or weatherunderground.com for a local forecast. To keep abreast of watches and warnings in the area, or to understand why the sirens are sounding in town, be sure to check out the National Weather Service alerts page for the area.

End of Life Choices

As the Terri Schiavo case continues to dominate the news cycles, we've compiled some online resources for information...

• The Family Caregiver Alliance, an education and advocacy organization has a fact sheet that discusses two common decisions facing families of chronically ill people: using feeding tubes when the person cannot swallow, and ventilators when the person cannot breathe on his or her own.

• The University of Miami Ethics Programs has a site dedicated to policy and legal materials related specifically to Terri Schiavo. The site "features a timeline of key events, a selected bibliography, Web links (including religion and faith-based resources) and streaming video of conference presentations on the case."

• FindLaw, a site dedicated to providing comprehensive legal resources on the Internet for both the public and law professionals, has a page dedicated to living wills and healthcare power of attorney, including sample living will forms.

• The Indiana Government Website has the legal codes specific to Indiana regarding living wills, life prolongment, and terminal conditions.

How Is Your Memory?

How observant are you?

In conjunction with the release of her upcoming novel Countdown, Iris Johansen has a neato contest on her website. It involves watching a short video of a perpetrator running away, and then choosing facial components to create a police sketch of him. If you were a witness to a crime, would your mind go blank, or could you help with identification?

Johansen's novel is due for release on May 10.

Easter Closing for APL

Reminder: APL will be closed Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27. We will reopen for regular hours on Monday, March 28.

We hope you enjoy your Easter holiday!

Women's History Month

In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

To learn more about the timeline of key events in the American Women's Rights Movement, visit this site by InfoPlease, or for more information about women's history visit the Feminist Majority Foundation's site .

NYPL Digital Gallery

The New York Public Library has recently unveiled their Digital Gallery. This expansive site "provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more."

NYPL staff process and add images daily and the website is updated twice a month. They plan to reach an ultimate goal of 500,000 items. Amazing!

St Patrick's Day

Who was that Saint Patrick, anyway? What's the skinny on those leprechauns? When did Chicago decide to dye the Chicago River green?

Answer all these questions and more at The History Channel's website dedicated to the history of St. Patrick's Day.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

Music @ Your Library - a 110th Anniversary Program

Don't forget to visit APL tomorrow evening between 7 and 8pm to enjoy a performance of Rowan Tree, a Celtic musical group. This quartet will perform in the library using different instruments, including the dulcimer, bodhran, guitars, violin, whistles and voices.

This performance is free to the public, so stop by anytime to enjoy these seasonal tunes in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day!

We hope you enjoy Celtic music @ Your Library!

Social Security Information

While it's not a whizbang site with graphics or nifty design, this Social Security site, created by the Economic Policy Institute (a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank), does host a wealth of information on Social Security, a current hot topic across the country. The site boasts articles, tables, explanations and links about this governmental program.

Credit Report Reminder

Just a reminder...

A new federal law (passed on December 1st) is allowing US Residents to obtain 1 free credit report per year, and as of March 1st, Indiana residents can obtain their free report. Reports can be found at http://www.annualcreditreport.com and features all three major credit report agencies.

Note that there is a catch. You can view your credit report for free, but it will cost extra to view the all-important credit score.

Get Gadgety!

Mobile PC Magazine lists its top 100 gadgets of all time. See if your top ten stacks up against the top ten of this computing magazine. Each entry has a photo, a description, and an invention year.

Frankly, we're on board any list that recognizes the genius not only of the iPod and the cell phone, but of the Lite Brite and Magic 8 Ball.

Feel the need to get gadgety @ Your Library? Let us help! Why not stop by and pick up some new release DVDs, a couple of music CDs, a few computer games for home, an audiobook for the drive home, and a Leap Pad with some new book titles? It can all be found @ Your Library!

Flu Tracking

Are you still trying valiantly to avoid the flu that has descended on the Midwest this winter? Want to see how the other states are faring?

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has a weekly snapshot of flu activity on their website.

To see the country as a whole, click on "current U.S. map". Looks like we Hoosiers are holding our own!

If you are downed by the flu and have some recuperation time, consider grabbing some of our books on CD or tape, renting a few new release DVDs, or picking up that bestselling novel from a few years ago on our "past bestsellers" display in adult fiction.