Whether you like reading books for prizes, drinking good beer or learning crafts, the Albany County (Wyoming) Public Library promises to have something fun for adults this summer. From 6-8 p.m. on June 24, the library hosts World Travel Night, which is a Laramie 20/30 event focusing on world travel topics. Laramie 20/30 is the library’s events and activities program for adults. “Our target audience is really 20- and 30-somethings because I feel they’re an underserved population at the library,” Erin Wilkins, the library’s public services assistant, said. “People have been unanimously in favor of this program.” While the name suggests 20- and 30-somethings, the group is open to anyone over 21. “We card people because we sell beer,” Wilkins said. World Travel Night will tie in with the library’s Adult Summer Reading Program, Wilkins said. I’m getting Altoids tins and people are going to decorate them and … make a little pocket-sized travel kit,” she said. “And, we’re going to be creating stationary out of old maps.” The library also will offer cuisine from around the world, courtesy of several local restaurants, Wilkins said. “There will be (food from) Mexico, India, Japan, the Middle East, Switzerland and Tim Tams (from Australia),” she said. The Albany County Library Foundation is sponsoring World Travel Night, Wilkins said, so the food will be free. Beer, however, will cost $2 per bottle. “That’s the only thing that isn’t free,” Wilkins said. “Everything else — all the crafting supplies and the food — is provided.” http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2011/06/23/news/doc4e02c441a35fa201996511.txt

Lake Erie Water Withdrawal Ohio's attempt to write between the lines of the international Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Compact is flowing at a flood's pace toward Gov. John Kasich's desk. With a single Columbus Democrat joining Republicans in support, the House voted 60-37 to approve a bill allowing heavy manufacturers, mining operations, power plants, and other businesses to draw up to 5 million gallons of water a day directly from Lake Erie before facing regulation. "We can do both," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Lynn Wachtmann (R., Napoleon), owner of a water-bottling company that draws from the watershed. "We can protect the environment, and we can also make sure that jobs are protected, that economic growth is protected, and that's what [this bill] does," he said. Pushed by Ohio's business community and opposed by environmental groups, House Bill 231 goes to the Senate, where it is expected to receive rapid consideration next week. In addition to the threshold on water withdrawals from the lake, the bill would allow a business to withdraw up to 2 million gallons a day if the water is taken from inland sources within the watershed and up to 300,000 if taken from streams that have been designated as high quality. http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2011/06/23/Ohio-House-OKs-Lake-Erie-water-withdrawal.html

Quotes from And I Shall Have Some Peace There by Margaret Roach
I am nothing more than a work in progress . . .
. . . gardening had been my first moving meditation, my yoga.
It is no wonder so much of gardening is done on one’s knees; this practice of horticulture is a wildly humbling way to pass one’s days on earth. Even the root of the word humility comes from the soil (from the Latin humus, for earth or ground), and a good soil is rich in the partially decayed plant and animal material called humus.
Cartoon from Margaret Roach's A Way to Garden blog: http://awaytogarden.com/a-cartoon-that-slays-me-by-andre-jordan

Queen Anne is said to have proclaimed St. Paul's Cathedral in London as “awful, artificial and amusing.” Architect Christopher Wren was flattered rather than insulted, because at that time “awful” meant “awe-inspiring,” “artificial” meant “clever” or “artistic,” and “amusing” meant “riveting” or “astonishing.” The moral of that tale (which may or may not be true) is, of course, that words change their meanings over time, sometimes dramatically. Such is the case with “terrific,” and, to a certain extent, “terrible,” both of which have diverged from their origins as close relatives of “terrify.” The Indo-European root of all three words is “tres,” meaning “to tremble,” with the sense “to shake with fear.” (The same root gave us “tremble” and “tremor.”) The Latin descendant of “tres” was “terrare,” meaning “to frighten,” from which came “terribilis” (able to cause great fear) which eventually gave us the English word “terrible.” A parallel development from the same root was “terrificus” (the Latin suffix “ficus” meaning “making”), which eventually gave us both “terrify” (to make very afraid) and “terrific” (capable of causing great fear). http://www.word-detective.com/2007/03/01/terribleterrifyterrific/

Warner Bros. has settled the lawsuit brought by Missouri tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill over the mark on Ed Helms' face in Hangover 2, which Whitmill claimed infringed a copyrighted tattoo he created for boxer Mike Tyson. Sources say the deal was hammered out during an all-day mediation in St. Louis on June 17. Whitmill, who created the original tattoo and registered the copyright, sued in April asking that a federal judge halt the release of the blockbuster comedy sequel because it prominently features the tattoo without permission. But on May 24, just days before the film was scheduled to be released, a judge denied Whitmill's request for a preliminary injunction. The judge did suggest that she saw merit in the case, even referring to the studio's defenses as "silly." In subsequent court filings, Warners said that it planned to digitally alter the tattoo for the home video version of the film if the case didn't settle quickly. And now it has. A notice of dismissal is expected to be filed shortly, putting an end to one of the odder copyright cases in recent memory. The film, meanwhile, has gone on to earn almost $500 million worldwide. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/21/us-hangover-idUSTRE75K0DF20110621

Paul Bocuse was honored as the Chef of the Century at The Culinary Institute of America's (CIA) fifth annual Augie™ Awards at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square in New York City on March 30. In addition to Chef Bocuse, four other foodservice and hospitality greats were honored at the event, which raised about $500,000 for scholarships to support the education of future culinary leaders. Bocuse is the father of modern French cuisine. He was one of the first to emerge from behind the kitchen door, bringing the face and personality of the chef into the dining room and beyond. His l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges near Lyon, France has held three stars in Michelin Guide for 47 consecutive years. He is also the creator of the prestigious Bocuse d'Or international culinary competition. See other honorees plus pictures at: http://www.cianewswire.com/2011/04/paulbocuse.html

BOOK ADDICTS by Martha Esbin
Book addicts fear having no books,
take extra books on trips in case
they run out, store books on the floor,
have books in each room of the house,
make up reading lists for themselves. (a cinquain with five eight-syllable lines.)