All posts by Brian Herzog
New Ska CDs
If you had the opportunity to see The Skatalites play at this year’s Lowell Folk Festival, then you know that ska is great, upbeat party music. The library has an excellent collection of ska, and we’ve just expanded our offerings with the following titles (record labels are in parentheses):
Blazing Horns / Tenor in Roots by Tommy McCook (Blood & Fire Limited)
Saxophonist Tommy McCook, who died in 1998, was one of the founders of the Skatalites. This disc actually combines two LP’s from different periods in McCook’s career. He is backed up by the famous session duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on many of the tracks.
Alpha Boys’ School: Music in Education (Trojan)
An interesting compilation of tracks by musicians who attended the school in Kingston, Jamaica, including Don Drummond, Lester Sterling (who is still in the present incarnation of The Skatalites), Rico Rodriguez, and Tommy McCook. The first few cuts are mainstream jazz, while the majority of the selections are ska.
Studio One Scorcher (Soul Jazz)
Downbeat the Ruler: Killer Instrumentals from Studio One (Heartbeat)
Two very good compilations of ska and reggae. The sound quality on Downbeat the Ruler is surprisingly clean. Be sure to tie down your sub-woofers; the bass is thundering.
Trojan Rude Boy Box Set (Trojan)
Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set (Trojan)
More of the inexpensive 3-disc compilations that Trojan is famous for. Rude boy and skinhead reggae were offshoots of ska. Rude boy is considered a form of rocksteady, while skinhead reggae, as its name implies, grew out of the British working-class sometime between the Mods (think Quadrophenia) and punk. The late 70’s saw a revival of sorts with the British bands, Madness, The Selecter, and The Specials. Nowadays, most of us think of skinheads as right-wing xenophobes, but that isn’t always the case. See Wikipedia’s entry on skinheads for more information.
For more ska and rocksteady, try these discs:
This Is Ska! (Music Club)
This Is Ska Too! (Music Club)
Trojan Ska Box Set (Trojan)
Trojan Rocksteady Box Set (Trojan)
World Wide Wednesday Music Concerts
Like past summers, the Library’s World Wide Wednesdays summer concert series is proving very fun and popular. Even though rain has forced two concerts to be held indoors at the Chelmsford Senior Center, the audiences have all enjoyed the music and dancing each week.
This week’s performance by InkasWasi, brought to life the color of Peruvian culture, through their costumes, songs and dance. Check out some photos from past concerts to be part of the fun.
There are three more concerts scheduled for this summer:
- July 30 – Mariachi Mexamerica – songs of their colorful culture Guadalajara, Mexico
- Aug 6 – Jolly Kopperschmidts – traditional German music in ‘oom pa’ fashion complete in lederhosen
- Aug 13 – ContraBanditos – New England Contra, Barn Dance, Celtic, Old Time Fiddle and contemporary
All performances start at 6:30 p.m., and are held outside at the MacKay Library – in case of bad weather, performances are moved indoors at the Chelmsford Senior Center.
For more information and a complete schedule, please visit https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/programs/programs/world_wide_wednesdays.html. This program is supported by the Chelmsford Friends of the Library with technical support from the Music Academy of Chelmsford.
ChelmsfordVolunteers.org Is Launched!
A new resource for volunteering in Chelmsford is ready to be used!
ChelmsfordVolunteers.org is a website designed to bring together people who are willing to lend a hand within the community with those organizations who have a need for volunteers.
The Chelmsford Library developed and sponsors it, but ChelmsfordVolunteers.org is really for the community to use and maintain. Organizations can submit their information and volunteer needs, and adults and teens of the town and search to find volunteer opportunities that fit their interests and abilities.
ChelmsfordVolunteers.org is actually two tools in one. First there is a calendar of upcoming events, at which people can volunteer their time. These can range from helping out at the Friends of the Library’s book sale to setting up for the Lowell Folk Festival, and be for one hour at a time or an ongoing weekly schedule.
The second component is the Community Information Database, which is sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC). This database lists non-profit groups from all over the Merrimack Valley, and includes contact names and information, description of purpose, meeting times, and more.
If you’re a volunteer, check out ChelmsfordVolunteers.org to find the volunteer opportunity that is right for you.
If you’re an organization and would like to have your group and events listed, please use the event submission form or organization update form. Or, contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at the Library at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109 with questions.
Emergency Preparedness Kits Available
Are you ready for an emergency? Many local governments and other agencies are encouraging residents to include a “go-kit” in their emergency planning. These kits include supplies that would be of use in case you needed to evacuate your home quickly, such as a radio, batteries, food, etc.
The Chelmsford Board of Health and the Upper Merrimack Valley Medical Reserve Corps are working to help local residents have go-kits ready and waiting. The groups have purchased supplies in bulk, to make it easier for local residents to prepare their own 72-Hour Emergency Kits. Not only can residents taken advantage of the discounted pricing, but materials have been selected and collected in one place, ready for pick-up.
The kits are available for $50, and the cost covers a backpack, emergency disaster guide, crank flashlight and radio, tarp, tent, and numerous first-aid and emergency supplies.
Cost: $50.00/kit (prepayment required by June 10th)
Location: Chelmsford Police Station Training Room
Date: Thursday June 26, 2008
Time: 6 –7 pm (pick up backpack); 7 – 9 p.m. (MRC information/orientation if interested)
Register by calling the Chelmsford Board of Health at 978 978-250-5241. To pre-pay for your kit, send a check for $50 made out to Town of Chelmsford and drop it off or mail it to the following address:
Chelmsford Board of Health
c/o Carole McCaul
50 Billerica Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
A pdf flyer for this program is also available for download.
Proper Care & Feeding of Books
We love our books,
And we know you do too.
We’re sure you want to
take good care of them –
here’s what to do:
DO
- Take a paperback to the beach (hardcovers don’t like the sand)
- Use a thin, flat bookmark, like a checkout receipt, phone message, love note or bill, or even one of our bookmarks; everything else – like paperclips, straws, crackers, pens or even those pretty beaded or ribbon bookmarks you get at the bookstore – can damage the pages or binding
- Make notes in your diary, blog or on scrap paper (but please, not in the book)
- Keep books dry (even a little bit of moisture can make a lot of mold)
- Enjoy a snack or drink while reading (but be careful not to spill)
- Make copies or scans of a page or two, if you need it (don’t cut or rip the page out)
- Renew it, or bring it back on time (so someone else can love it, too)
Sorry, here’s one DON’T:
- DON’T fold the corner down to mark your page, even once – eventually the corner will fall off, even if it was only folded down once.
These DOs and a DON’T will ensure that we can all love our books for years to come.
These guidelines, along with the Proper Care & Feeding of DVDs, are also available for printing as a bookmark [pdf, 90kb].
Proper Care & Feeding of DVDs
We love our DVDs,
And we know you do too.
We’re sure you want to
take good care of them –
here’s what to do:
DO
- Press the center button to release the DVD from the case (you shouldn’t have to force the disk out)
- Enjoy a snack or drink while watching (but not while handling the DVD or its case.)
- Handle the disk by the edges only (you’d be surprised how easy it is to scratch the disk, and dirty/smudged disks don’t play right, either)
- Keep the DVD in the case when you’re not watching it (cases get lonely when they’re separated for a long time, or brought back to the library without the disk.)
- Teach your family the right way to handle DVDs.
- Let us know if there’s a problem with the disk, so we can fix it for you and the next person who wants to borrow it, too.
- Renew it, or bring it back on time (so someone else can love it, too)
Sorry, here’s one DON’T:
- DON’T try to clean the disk yourself unless you have a disk-cleaning system – doing it the wrong way can ruin the disk.
These DOs and a DON’T will ensure that we can all love our DVDs for years to come.
These guidelines, along with the Proper Care & Feeding of books, are also available for printing as a bookmark [pdf, 90kb].
2008 Tax Rebate Schedule
Today, May 2nd, 2008, marks the first day that that people will start to receive their Economic Stimulus Payments.
Payments between May 2nd and May 16th will go to filers who chose to receive their payments by direct deposit. Paper checks will be mailed started May 16th and continue through July 11th.
All payment are being made by social security numbers. The IRS has published a complete schedule of payments, and also offer more information on the payments, including an online payment calculator.
In addition, here’s some other information on the Economic Stimulus Payment:
- IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Information Center
- AARP’s Q & A concerning the payment
- Reuters news article explaining the payment
- An answer to the question, “Is the Economic Stimulus Payment taxable?”
- The Top5 Uses for the payment, from NuWire Investor
2007, 2008, economic stimulus payment, federal, irs, tax, tax rebate, tax refund, taxes
New Board of Library Trustees
The make-up of the Library’s Board of Trustees changed slightly after the April 1st Town Elections. Two Trustees retained their seats, but a new face, Charlie Wojtas, was elected to the Board.
Charlie is replacing long-time Trustee Betty McCarthy, who decided not to run for another term after helping guide the Library for almost 40 years. Betty received the Outstanding Trustee Award from the Massachusetts Library Trustees Association in 2006, becoming only the eighth individual to earn this honor.
Following the Town-wide election, the Board itself met to elect new officers. This meeting saw Charlie immediately jumping into things by serving as the Board’s Treasurer. Lisa Daigle is the new Chair, and David Braslau the new Vice Chair. See the Library’s website for a complete listing of the Library’s Board of Trustees.
For more information on Charlie Wojtas, his background and his plans for the Library, check out the article “Library is all in the family” in this week’s Chelmsford Independent.
board, chelmsford, library, trustee, trustees
Do Not Call Listings
The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs is promoting the Massachusetts Do Not Call Registry.
This registry allows Massachusetts residents to list their home or cell phone number as one that does not want to receive calls from telemarketers. Listing here will not eliminate all telemarketer calls, but should reduce them.
To add your number to the list, please visit http://www.mass.gov/donotcall.
In addition to the Massachusetts Do Not Call List, there is also a National Do Not Call Registry. Usually, adding your number to one list is good enough, but adding your number to both doesn’t hurt.
To add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry, visit http://www.donotcall.gov.
Also, more information is available on the MA Do Not Call List and the National Do Not Call Registry, including how to verify your number’s status and instructions on filing a complaint against a telemarketer.
Fabulous Photos Workshops
Last night was the first in a series of workshops designed to help people do more with their digital cameras.
Last night’s session with Loreen Liberty, of TLM Studios, focused on the technical aspects of a digital camera: how to set resolution, compression, what memory card and batteries, to use, etc. Next week, on March 19th, Loreen will switch from the technical to the creative aspects of photographs – choosing subjects, balancing foreground and background, paying attention to color and lighting, and much more.
The third and final workshop, on April 2nd, will give one example of what can be done with the pictures you take with your digital camera. Brian Herzog of the Chelmsford Library will demonstrate how the photo sharing website flickr can be used to store, organize and share photographs.
For more information on this series, visit the website.