Waukegan Public Library Announcents

 The Holidays at the Waukegan Public Library via Zoom

Winter Holidays Around the World Trivia Online

Join us for a night of trivia and learn the different holidays celebrated around the world at this time of the year.

Date:

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Time:

6:00pm - 7:00pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

Holiday Movies & Music Online

Journey back with us over the past century of film history as host John LeGear showcases some of the happiest and most memorable holiday moments from classic and popular films. Join us for songs—including a sing-along —dances and magical movie scenes from some of the most warmly embraced holiday films of all time, among them “Holiday Inn,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Polar Express,” “Going My Way,” and of course, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.”

Date:

Monday, December 7, 2020

Time:

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Categories:

  Adult Library Program  

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

Fantasy Book Club: "Blood & Iron" by John Sprunk Online

This is the first meeting for the fantasy book club, where we'll be talking about a different fantasy book each month and why you should read it if you haven't already. First up is "Blood & Iron" by John Sprunk, a fantasy adventure that takes inspiration from Spartacus.

Date:

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Time:

5:00pm - 6:00pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas: American Christmas Traditions Online

Come see Martina Mathisen explain the history of how American Christmas traditions developed over the centuries.  For example, many of our modern ideas of Santa Claus are quite different from how some people imagined Santa Claus a century ago. 

Date:

Monday, December 14, 2020

Time:

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Categories:

  Adult Library Program  

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

Waukegan Writing Group Online

A virtual group for writers, both professional and hobbyist, to meet and discuss the craft. We'll also have a short writing session and critique volunteers' work.

Date:

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Time:

5:00pm - 6:30pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

Graphic Novel Discussion Group: The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House Online

We meet every month, usually on the third Monday, to discuss a graphic novel that was chosen the previous month. You can find most of the graphic novels on Hoopla or Overdrive, found at https://www.waukeganpl.org/resources/databases/

In The Doll's House, after a decades-long imprisonment, the Sandman has returned to find that a few dreams and nightmares have escaped to reality. Looking to recapture his lost possessions, Morpheus ventures to the human plane only to learn that a woman named Rose Walker has inadvertently become a dream vortex and threatens to rip apart his world. Now as Morpheus takes on the last escaped nightmare at a serial killers convention, the Lord of Dreams must mercilessly murder Rose or risk the destruction of his entire kingdom.

Date:

Monday, December 21, 2020

Time:

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Time Zone:

Central Time - US & Canada (change)

Categories:

  Adult Library Program  

Online:

This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

Covid 19 Pandemic updates

 Fauci warns of 'surge on top of surge'

Many people did travel and did get together with family members this last holiday weekend. Right or wrong, for better or worse, families like to gather for the holidays. However Anthony Fauci, the nation's top pandemic expert and other experts as well, predicate that there will be and increased number of infections as a result of holiday activities. They urge anyone who did travel or get together with family to get tested for the virus:

"Americans’ insistence on attending Thanksgiving celebrations despite the coronavirus pandemic could lead to “a surge superimposed upon that surge that we’re already in,” Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, predicted on Sunday.

Other experts joined him in sounding the alarm: Anyone who traveled or attended large gatherings over the holiday should assume they’re infected and get tested in the next few days, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx told CBS News’s Face the Nation.” (Fauci warns that Thanksgiving could lead to surge on top of a surge)

Question: What do you think? Are these valid opinions or just scare mongering? 

Why do young people engage in violence?

 Sacramento California mall shooting kills two young men ages 17 and 19, why?

Once again on Black Friday, violence erupts in malls and cities across the nation. In Sacramento, California, at the Arden Fair Mall, two brothers were gunned down inside the mall and both are now deceased. It is a tragic event, but it is unfortunately all too common. In New York, in Philadelphia and of course in Chicago, shootings erupt without clear motives and innocent lives are lost. At the Sacramento shooting, the local media describe the event:

"A mall employee told The Sacramento Bee that he heard two shots at first before a flurry of others broke loose. All told, around eight to 12 shots went off before crowds of shoppers began fleeing the mall.

The two victims were brothers: 19-year-old Dewayne James Jr. and 17-year-old Sa’Quan Reed-James. Family and friends gathered at the mall at 6 p.m. to pay respects and ask the community to step forward with information and demand more resources for the community’s Black youth amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s time for the community to stand up, take back our community, teach our children different,” Community activist Jamilia Land said. “Give them something other than guns and rap music to pick up and follow behind.” Family of brothers slain in Black Friday shooting at Arden Fair speak out

Why does this scenario occur again and again? Is it a result of popular culture and especially music? Perhaps the recent shooting of King Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, outside of an Atlanta club gives some answers. His music was quite popular among some people. A father of two children and popular on Youtube. Yet he was a likely gang member and a 'trigger man' for the gang he belonged to. In other words he was a violent criminal as well as a singer. Perhaps such people are not heroes and maybe their music has very negative messages that influence young people in destructive ways. Maybe this is part of the answer to why some young people choose violence. What do you think?

Shooting suspect charged with murder in Chicago rapper King Von’s death

Column: Violent death of rapper King Von reminds us how people across the country are dancing to the music of revenge and murder in Chicago

A second man dies after Sacramento mall shooting

Question: What do you think causes some young people to engage in violence?

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Turkey Pardon 2020

Did you know that one of the Thanksgiving traditions in the United States is for the president and other elected officials to pardon at least one turkey and save it from ending up on a dinner table? This has been the tradition since at least the early 1900's, although legend has it that the act of giving turkeys as a gift to the president began during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. In any case every year since around 1913 presidents have pardoned turkeys at thanksgiving. Pardoned turkeys nowadays go to Gobbler’s Rest, an enclosure at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Blacksburg. There they live a live of comfort and ease until they pass away from natural causes. The turkeys bred for dinner tables only have a normal life span of about 1-2 years because they have been bred to grow large quickly, which reduces their life span. The night before they are pardoned the turkeys get to stay in a luxury hotel in Washington DC, what lucky turkeys!

Whether you have turkey or any other food this thanksgiving have a safe and enjoyable holiday

What Happens To The Pardoned Turkeys?

Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey

Question: can you name the two presidents in the pictures below?

K-pop Korner-trot pt3

 Top Trot Singers Today (Trot pt3) 

Some of the most popular Trot singers today are quite young and achieved their name recognition as members of K-pop groups. Hong Jin Young is one example of this trend. She began her career as an actress in TV dramas and then as a member of the K-pop group Swan. Later, at the young age of only 24, an agent suggested she start singing Trot as a solo artist. Hong initially thought she was too young to sing in this genre of music that appeals to older Koreans, but agreed to try it out. She has become a very successful Trot singer and is one of the most popular in recent years. See her song; 'Love Battery' below:

Another very popular Trot singer is Jang Yoon is Jang Yoon Jung,  another young singer who achieved her start in 2004 and has sung exclusively in the Trot genre. Her songs are extremely popular and Jang is considered instrumental in popularizing Trot among younger Koreans. She was the third most popular singer in Korea three years ago. See two of her videos below:

The final Trot singer that I will cover here is Tae Jin-Ah. Tae Jin ah is a more typical trot singer in that he is 67 years old and his songs follow very typical themes such as unrequited love. Tae was a truck driver and then operated a laundromat in the USA before returning to South Korea and becoming a trot singer. He is one of the top male singers of trot in Korea today. His song 'Jin Jin Jara' is in the video below:

Read more about how younger Koreans are rediscovering trot: Move over K-pop: Korean youth turn to old-time trot music

Question: which trot singer do you like the best?

Shop till you drop

 What is Black Friday really?

We all know that black friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is now the main shopping event during the entire year.  But how did it get its start and why do we call it 'black friday'? The term black in this case refers to accounts and finances being in 'the black', meaning they are growing and making a profit. This is the opposite of being in 'the red', meaning the account is negative and is losing money. So black friday means a time when retail stores hope to sell enough merchandise to be in 'the black' the rest of the year. This event originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s' when people visiting that city for a very important football game flocked to stores in large numbers. This created problems in terms of staffing for employees, but also created a large profit for the stores. Since then many shops and now online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have the biggest sales of the year on the friday after Thanksgiving. These days you might know that people get crazy on black friday, with some people even getting into fights on the store floor over items and others camping out Thanksgiving night in order to be ahead in the line the next day. This year of course will be mostly online, as the pandemic continues. But next year things will get back to the normal craziness after people get vaccinated and crowds can once again return to shopping.

Why is Black Friday called Black Friday? History of the November sales event, origins of its name - and when it takes place in 2020

Here’s What to Expect from the Most Unusual Black Friday in History

Black Friday’s History Comes Straight From Philly

Question: will you buy gifts on black friday this year?  Online or in-store?

K-pop Korner; background to Korea

 Traditional Korean clothing: Hanbok

BTS and Blackpink in Hanbok

In some of the K-pop videos and in many Korean dramas you may have noticed the groups wearing special and colorful clothing. This is Korean folk costume called Hanbok (한복). Hanbok is a very colorful and modernized form of traditional clothing that many Koreans wear for more formal occasions, such as weddings, holidays, church services and birthdays. On these special days and at special ceremonies you can often see people wearing these clothes. In Japan traditional clothing are the kimono , while in China there is the hanfu and cheongsam. Hanbok is elegant and is quite light in weight and airy. The colors are usually pastel as you can see in the photos. It is made of different pieces and takes a little while to put on, women's hanbok can have 6-8 separate pieces along with the billowing dress and short top, with more pieces needed in winter due to the cold. See the information below to learn more:

What is Hanbok?

Hanbok sweeps global K-pop fans off their feet

From hanbok to hangeul, BLACKPINK oozes Korean heritage in comeback

Question: Do you wear special clothing for more formal occasions?

India's first female surfer

 

Ishita Malaviya is India's first female surfer and is a real pioneer!

Ishita Malaviya is a young Indian woman from Mumbai. She grew up in a normal family and graduated from college with a degree in journalism. However, after she first tried surfing in 2007, she fell in love with the sport immediately. At that time there were very few Indian surfers even though India has a very long coast line with plenty of waves, but Ishita was determined to become a professional. She dedicated her energies to the Shaka Surf Club and did not pursue a job in journalism like her family wanted her to. They refused to help her buy a surfboard because they did not support her career choice.  Therefore at first she had to share a surfboard with her partner, and then the club got surfboards by fixing broken boards left behind by tourists. Now she is considered a pioneer in India as the first professional female surfer and one of the first professional Indian surfers in general. See the information below to learn more:

Ishita Malaviya, India's first female surfer, is changing her country's perception of the ocean

Question: what are your career plans?

K-pop Korner: Trot pt. 2

 The Fabulous Kim sisters! (Trot pt 2)

One of the earliest Korean groups that became popular outside of Korea were the Kim Sisters. The Kim girls sng songs for the American soldiers as children during and after the Korean war. The American troops really enjoyed hearing the little girls singing together near the American military bases and gave them cash and chocolate, money which was used to buy food for the family at a time when many South Koreans went hungry. As the girls grew up they became the most popular singers in Korea with many albums and top songs. By 1863 they were in the United States performing on the very popular Ed Sullivan tv show. This was the first group of Korean singers introduced to the American public and to listeners outside of Korea. Therefore, in many ways the Kim Sisters were the earliest K-pop stars in history. In contrast to many female K-pop stars today, the Kim Sisters did not try to appear 'sexy' but in fact were very 'cute' and wholesome. In any case the Kim sisters became very popular in the United States in the 1960's and created a path to fame outside of Korea that contemporary K-pop stars still follow today. See their videos below:

For the Original K-Pop Stars, Survival Depended on Making it in America

Question: What do you think made the Kim Sisters so popular in America in the 1960's? 

Saving wildlife

 Tiny owl was rescued from a giant Christmas tree!

Saw-whet owl

A giant pine tree that was cut in northern New York state for the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree in New York City was being transported to the city when a worker noticed a tiny owl that was trapped in the tree. He rescued it and kept it in a box until he was able to notify a wildlife center. The tiny bird was not a baby owl, as the rescuer initially thought, but was in fact a very small variety of owl called a saw-whet owl. The little bird was fed at the wildlife center and has fully recovered from its journey to the big city. It is now living in the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in New York and has a safe and secure home. The rescue is being described as a miracle and the lucky little owl is now named Rockefeller!

An adorable ‘miracle’ found inside the Rockefeller ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree

Question:  have you ever rescued a wild animal?

Rockefeller

Rock for a change

 Who was Eddie Van Halen?

Eddie Van Halen and  Michael Jackson

You may have heard that a older, famous rock star named Eddie Van Halen died recently, on October 6 of this year. Eddie Van Halen was the founder of a famous rock band of the1970's and 80's along with his brother Alex and with the lead singer for the band; David Lee Roth. The hard rock/heavy metal band was named Van Halen and produced many famous songs becoming one of the top bands in rock history. Although Eddie Van Halen and his brother grew up mostly in Southern California, they were born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and their native language was Dutch. The Van Halen family was of Dutch and Indonesian background and immigrated to the United States when Eddie was 7. Unfortunately the Van Halens had problems with alcohol addiction, like many musicians, but in the end were still able to produce many great songs. See some of the Van Halen videos and songs below:

Eddie Van Halen The Joy and Pain of Rock's Last Guitar Superhero

Question: how do the Van Halen songs compare with the music you listen to?

Dogs and Us

 Dogs have been our friends for at least 15,000 years!

Did you know that dogs have been the companions of humans for at least 15,000 years? All dogs are descended from wolves and are the same species. The difference is that wolves are wild and dogs are domesticated, meaning they are bred to live with humans and help us in our tasks such as animal herding and transporting materials, as well as protecting us from danger. As you know, the police use dogs to catch criminals and they are very effective in this task. But in ancient times dogs were needed to protect humans from dangers such as wild animals and other tribes of humans and even from closely related non-modern humans such as Denisovans and Neanderthals. According to research:

"Dogs make for interesting research subjects, from both a biological and an anthropological perspective. Domesticated dogs, wolves, and dingos all belong to the same species, even though dogs diverged evolutionarily from wolves sometime between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago. Since that split, people have bred dogs into the genetically distinct populations that we call breeds. By comparing dog genomes, we can learn about the human-made processes that produced these populations—and by studying ancient dog genomes, we can work to understand what those processes looked like far into the past." (Ancient Dog DNA Reveals Their Enduring Connection With People)

So dogs and humans have evolved together and the movements of different breeds of dogs can also tell us about how ancient humans migrated to different parts of the globe. Dogs really are our best and oldest friends!

Ancient dog DNA reveals 11,000 years of canine evolution

Question:  What other animals were domesticated by humans? Which one is the most important for our survival?

K-Pop Korner

 New girl group: aespa!

A new k-pop girl group named aespa, released its first video and song this week, entitled 'Black Mamba'. Aespa is unique in that its human members each have a virtual avatar that are said to live in an alternative, virtual world called Kwangya, an alternative space. According to the South China Morning Post: 

"Fittingly, the act’s name, which is stylised in lower case as æspa, is a combination of the words “avatar”, “experience” and “aspect”. SM said the group would explore the theme of “experiencing a new world via the encounter of the ‘avatar’, your other self” (New K-pop girl group Aespa features human and virtual members, and comes from Red Velvet managers SM Entertainment)

The title 'Black Mamba', seems to refer to an evil being represented by the snake, that the girls in the group and their virtual avatars must defeat in order to save the world or worlds. Check out the video below and see if you like the concept:

New K-pop girl group Aespa drop first single ‘Black Mamba’ with futuristic music video

aespa 에스파 'Black Mamba' MV

Question: what do you think of the concept of the singers having a virtual counterpart?

Monkey Brains

 Scientists inject human dna into monkey brains

It could be too late already, before primates get smarter and take over the earth like in the movie; Planet of the Apes! Just kidding, however, scientists have now injected fetal monkey brains with human genes that have caused their developing brains to become larger and have more folds, like human brains. Our ancient ancestors experienced mutations in brain structure that allowed for an increase in size of our brains, and when the size of our brains became limited by the bones of our skulls, brains became folded and thus became more complex. This let us become the super smart species that we are today. Scientists in Germany that engaged in this experiment to see if the ARHGAP11B gene would cause monkey brains to increase in size and complexity. It did as predicted. However, the scientists did not let the monkey fetuses continue to grow and then be born. Instead the growth was halted for ethical reasons. However, could this experiment lead to future ones where more intelligent animals are created and then become rebellious like in the movie? What do you think?

Uh-Oh, Scientists Used Human Genes to Make Monkey Brains Bigger

Plot of 'Planet of the Apes'? Scientists Use Key Human Gene to Make Monkey Brains Larger!

Question:  is this experiment ethical and useful research or is it a form of animal cruelty?

Before and after pictures of the monkey brains

K-Pop Korner

 The other K-pop: Trot! (pt. 1)

We all know about BTS and Blackpink, they are the current symbols of contemporary K-Pop. But do you know that there is another style of K-pop called 'trot'? Trot (트로트) is an older form of Korean popular music that began in the earlier 1900's when Korea was a colony of Japan. Traditional Korean music along with Japanese and American influences came together to create a new genre of music that is more popular among older people in South Korea than what the rest of the world knows as K-pop. Trot in many ways is comparable to American country music. It has a much more 'Asian' sound and the themes are very different, often about failed love affairs. This music is played by taxi and truck drivers and you can hear it being played when riding on public buses and in the marketplaces. I am posting some examples of Trot below for you to get a taste of this music, In future articles I will introduce more examples of trot and explain more about its history. Although this music appeals to an older crowd in Korea, it is a very popular form of music and some K-pop singers also sing some trot songs. In many ways it is a form of popular music in Korea that is much more authentic and 'Korean' than K-pop. 

Hot for trot What’s bigger than K-pop?

Question: how does trot compare to K-pop?

The first video is two famous trot singers, Nam Jin and Jang Yoon Jang

Time to go!

 President Trump still won't concede his loss to Joe Biden

Despite losing both the popular vote at 78.8 to 73.1 million votes as well as the electoral college at 306 to 232 votes, President Donald Trump has refused to concede the 2020 election to Joe Biden. It is safe to say that based on n the evidence that Biden and Harris did in fact win the election. It was certainly a very emotional and potentially dangerous contest with a serious possibility of unrest and violence. However, since Joe Biden appears to have won, his supporters have remained mostly calm and Trump's supporters have not engaged in violence, even if they refuse to concede that their leader lost the election. Trump himself seemed to admit in a tweet over the weekend that Biden won, but then backtracked and tweeted: “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA,” Trump subsequently tweeted. “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!." Meanwhile in an interview over the weekend former president Obama made the statement: "And when your time is up then it is your job to put the country first and think beyond your own ego, and your own interests, and your own disappointments. My advice to President Trump is, if you want at this late stage in the game to be remembered as somebody who put country first, it’s time for you to do the same thing”. President Trump's lawyers continue to make legal challenges to contest voting in different states, but it is clear in the end that he will lose. It is therefore time for President Trump to simply admit this and move on. (Trump tweets words ‘he won’; says vote rigged, not conceding)

Obama says election results show nation is deeply divided

Trump seems to suggest Biden 'won' but later says he's not conceding

Question: What should the United States do if Trump refuses to concede?

K-pop Korner

 Blackpink criticized by Chinese fans for handling new-born Panda

 

The Korean K-pop sensation Blackpink has been strongly criticized by Chinese netizens over their handling of a new-born panda. China donated the baby panda's parents to South Korea as part of its 'Panda diplomacy'. The Blackpink members recently visited the new-born panda at a Korean zoo. When videos of this event were presented on a Korean reality show, criticism from China erupted. According to Reuters news service:

"Some Chinese local media and online commentators denounced the girl group for touching Fu Bao with bare hands and while wearing too much make-up, saying it threatened the health of the young cub. The comments set off a storm on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter."

On the other hand, South Korean fans pushed back against the Chinese criticism:

"Hashtags “BLACKPINK” and “Panda” were trending on South Korean Twitter as well over the weekend. Some South Korean social media users pushed back at the Chinese criticism, urging South Korea to “return the pandas” or arguing that “pandas are not ours and it is too expensive to raise them anyway”.  (RPT-K-pop girl band pulls video after backlash in China over baby panda)

China and its Asian neighbors, including South Korea and Japan, often have 'internet wars' over issues of national pride. This 'flame-war' between Chinese and Korean fans is just the latest example of thaht kind of conflict.

K-pop girl band pulls video after backlash in China over baby panda

Professor Defends BLACKPINK From Chinese Netizens Following Backlash for Holding Pandas 

Question:  was Blackpink wrong for handling the baby panda?

New Covid 19 Lock Down?

We may have a new lock down in Illinois soon!

Unfortunately the cases of Covid 19 infection continue to increase in Illinois and in the Chicago area. As you already know, the return to the WHS campus has been delayed until at least mid January. In addition, due to the rapid increase of cases here in Illinois we may soon have another state lock down order issued by Governor Pritzker. According to ABC Channel 7 News:

"The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 536,542, with a total of 10,477 deaths.

Over a 24-hour period, officials said the state processed 100,617 specimens, for a total 8,765,100. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Nov. 5 to Nov. 11 is 13.9%. As of Wednesday night, 5,258 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 956 in the ICU and 438 patients on ventilators." 

Illinois COVID-19: IL on verge of new shutdown, Pritzker warns, as state reports 12,702 new cases, 43 deaths

This all means if cases do not decline today and this weekend, there could be another state-wide lock down issued, possibly next week. 

Meanwhile Chicago is already on a new, 30-day, stay at home order issued by Mayor Lightfoot and scheduled to take effect next week. This means that many  locations will be closed again, such as restaurants and museums, may close once again. See below for more information:

Chicago ordering a 30-day stay-at-home advisory starting Monday 

As COVID-19 cases spike, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issue dire warnings urging people to stay home to avoid more drastic measures

Remote Learning Extended Through Mid-January  

Question: do you think a new lock down is needed?

School update

 No in-person school until mid-January at least!

The superintendent of our district, Theresa Placencia, announced yesterday at a school board meeting that in-person instruction will not resume until January at the earliest:

“I know there is concern we may be starting Stage 2,” Plascencia said. “With the (coronavirus pandemic) numbers where they are and our concern for student safety, we will be holding off.”

The district introduced a four-pronged plan in July for the current school year, starting with all remote learning. That is still in effect. Stage 2 brings preschoolers through third graders back in the buildings two days a week under a hybrid plan.

Plascencia said after the meeting in a telephone interview, remote learning will continue for all students through at least the middle of January because of the escalating number of COVID-19 cases and the uncertainty it brings." (Waukegan schools will not resume in-person classes until at least January, superintendent assures overflow virtual crowd and union members)

Well, that settles it! We'll be out of school and learning from home until at least January! Unfortunately virus rates are increasing both in Illinois and around the country and even around the globe. Consequently as the superintendent says, with these rates of infection we really can't return to campus until after the holidays at the earliest.  Do you best learning at home and we'll all look forward to returning at some point in the Spring if possible.