"Happy Ides of March" or doom looms…
By Kathleen Whalin
Children's Librarian
AFTER SCHOOL IS COOL. Twice this month, the library is offering a special new after-school program for children ages 6 and up and their parents. The first event, held on March 8, brought scores of children to the library for an hour of Lego Building or Knitting for Kids. If you missed the fun on March 8, there's no reason to fret. It's happening again this Tuesday, March 20 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Please register by calling the library at 363-2818 and bring your own Legos and/or knitting supplies, though the library will have some supplies available for this time of creativity. Siblings are also welcome!
Photo by Sudie Blanchard
YORK VILLAGE - There's something appealing about a really good disaster yarn, provided of course that it's not happening to you.
Each year we acknowledge the Ides of March, first made infamous in 44 BCE by the murder of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare gave us the tagline, "Beware the Ides of March," but I'll bet people would have remembered it anyway.
Years later, we still are a little superstitious as the 15th of March approaches.
The website for the Darwin Awards (www.darwinawards.com), "honoring those who improve the species by accidentally removing themselves from it" reminds visitors that March 15 is coming and that it's time to submit your own tale of personal disaster or vote on your favorite tales from others.
So settle back and vicariously experience other's misfortunes - the weather's nasty, there are no major holidays and misery reigns. Read or watch something disastrous - you'll feel so much better about your life in your warm, safe, home.
Books: "Caesar: life of a colossus" by Adrian Goldsworthy; somehow a biography of the father of the feast seems appropriate. "Collapse - How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond; Australia, among other cultures, is not sustainable. "A Crack in the Edge of the World" by Simon Winchester; relive the terror of the San Francisco earthquake. "In a Sun-burned Country" by Bill Bryson, who can resist Australia, a country loaded with creatures designed to kill you? "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer; Everest for amateurs - NOT! "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan; the very food we eat is very bad for us. And, of course, there's the disastrous children's series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket.
Movies: "Airport" (1970); there's a bomb aboard a jet. "Apollo 13" (1995); Houston, we have a problem. "The Day after Tomorrow" (2004); the Earth is heading toward a second Ice Age. "Earthquake" (1974); an earthquake strikes Los Angeles, not San Francisco. "Independence Day" (1996); the aliens are coming, the aliens are coming. "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972); a tidal wave capsizes a luxury liner. "Titanic" (1997); an iceberg capsizes a luxury liner. "Towering Inferno" (1974); fire breaks out in the world's tallest building. "Twister" (1996); tornado researchers battle evil corporate tornado chasers.
