Lisa's blog

WHERE WERE YOU IN '86?

25 years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, the Oprah Winfrey Show debuted, and over 5 million people joined in Hands across America.  A gallon of gas cost $.89, but a Tandy 600 portable computer cost $1599.00.

While Imelda Marcos was fleeing the Philippines (without her famous collection of 1060 pairs of shoes), we were going to the movies ($3.75 per ticket) and seeing:

Alien

Down and Out in Beverly Hills

An American Tail

50 YEARS AGO

What do Night of the Iguana, James and the Giant Peach, Breakfast at Tiffany's, West Side Story and Barack Obama have in common? They're all eligible for an AARP card because they turned fifty this year.

Long before Harry Potter or the Baudelaires and their Series of Unfortunate Events, Roald Dahl wrote James and the Giant Peach, the story of a small boy who is orphaned when his parents are eaten by a rampaging rhinoceros. He is then sent to live with his two horrible aunts and finally escapes by entering a giant peach and having surreal adventures with its insect inhabitants.

AVOIDING IDENTITY THEFT

It's great to be number one. Just last year, Colorado was named the fittest state in the nation in a report produced by the Trust for America's Health.

Turns out we're also number one for identity theft crimes, according to the Federal Trade Commission, with Greeley leading the way.

Below are 10 tips you can follow in order to help secure and protect your personal information and ensure that your identity or your credit have not been compromised:

Versatile, Sustainable, Influential Bamboo

Image: panda

Did you know that bamboo:

  • Was the first plant to re-green after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 1945?
  • Is actually a grass that can grow 3-4 feet in 24 hours?
  • Provides houses for over 1 billion people?
  • Is a crucial element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
  • Has the tensile strength of mild steel?
  • Furnishes 90% of a panda's diet?

No wonder bamboo is considered to be a critical element for lifting thousands of people in developing countries out of poverty. Its fast growth and many options for large uses, such as flooring or building materials, benefit small-scale farmers as well as those employed in the construction industry.

Why not have a Labor Day Party

The first Labor Day  was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, and who we have to thank for its creation is hotly disputed. 

Was it Peter Mcguire or Matthew Maguire?  Whichever camp you're in, you can celebrate the American worker (and get rid of the overage from your garden) by hosting a Labor Day party. 

Jefferson County Symphony

Most mothers who are trying raise three small boys while making extra money by cleaning houses aren't thinking of learning to play the violin.  Rose Ann Taht, reference librarian at the Central Library, was doing just that, though, back in the mid-70's.

Alongside 3-year old Mark, who was learning to play Suzuki style, she used her background in piano and saxophone to study the violin traditionally.  Nowadays, Rose Ann plays with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, performing pop, classical and holiday-themed selections, usually at the Green Center in Golden.  Last fall I spent the best $20.00 of my life when I saw the Fall program which featured the orchestra, in costume, performing selections from "

RAYMOND CHANDLER

image Raymond Chandler

"It is not a fragrant world"

   --Raymond Chandler

Born in 1888, Raymond Chandler was, along with Dashiell Hammett, hugely influential in the creation of the modern American detective novel. Gritty, luxurious, mid-century Los Angeles is the setting for his seven Philip Marlowe mysteries, most notably The Big Sleep & Farewell, My Lovely. He also wrote screenplays for highly successful adaptations of James M.

LON CHANEY: MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES

Lon Chaney was born April 1, 1883, in Colorado Springs to deaf parents.  This contributed to his versatility as a silent film star as he became greatly skilled in communicating through pantomime, animated facial expression and sign language.

 

Desperately Seeking Someone?

Dog the Bounty Hunter

Whether you're Dog the Bounty Hunter or just looking for a long-lost cousin, we have the resources to help you succeed in locating someone who's gone missing.

If you want to start with the basics, check a few free websites such as Switchboard, DexKnows, or Zaba, a site that provides basic information including birth year, month, phone number and address (and deeper background information for a fee). Or try ReferenceUSA for standard white page listings and key business people by name.

HAVE AN IDEA? LET US HELP YOU PATENT IT.

Have you devised a product to make the world a better place while making you a lot of money?  If so, let us help you find the best resources to assist you in your journey to fame and fortune.

Conducting a thorough patent search is not easy, especially if you're a novice. Luckily, the Denver Public Library is a Patent and Trademark Depository Library, meaning that we have a core collection of helpful materials including books, microfilm, and access to Pubwest, a web-based search tool.  If your invention is only an idea, you'll want to start with the U.S.

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