Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. On August 9, 1945, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Both cities have been involved in peace movements since their bombings.

You can see old newsreel footage of the bombing of Hiroshima. The Library of Congress has a letter from FDR to Robert Oppenheimer thanking him for his secret atomic research that led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Tonight, HBO will air the documentary White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at 6:30 p.m.

Did you know ...

Computers can read your mind? Can you figure out how this site works?

Coast Guard Day

Saturday was Coast Guard Day for the 217-year-old organization. The Coast Guard has volunteers who help, and of course, you can join or attend the academy.

This video is of Coast Guard rescues in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And this video is a commercial, but it's funny and shows up when you do a YouTube search for coast guard.

Author Interview

Entertainment Weekly has an interview with Stephanie Meyer. She's the author of the vampire novels Twilight and New Moon. Here's the description of Twilight:

When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.

We have copies of both books in the library, and they're all checked out. But you can request them, and we'll let you know when it's available.

Enjoy!

When I Snap My Fingers

Today is Hypnosis Day. You can find out about hypnosis here or at the library. And, this site explains how hypnosis works.

Enjoy!

Games and More Games

If you like playing online games, here are some you might try.

Presidential Pong - it's like the original Pong game, only you and your computer opponent are current presidential hopefuls
Darfur Is Dying - a game that allows you to put yourself in the place of a Darfur refugee and forage for water or survive in the refugee camp. While it seems kind of trite to be sitting at a computer playing a game about genocide, you are reminded of just what a nightmare life in Darfur is.

There are more games available at Persuasive Games.

Learn Japanese

Konnichi wa! August is Learn Japanese Month, and we've got a few sites for you to do just that.

Free Japanese Lessons
Nihongo o Narau Learn Japanese
Learn to Speak Japanese Online
Japanese Language

The library also has books and sound recordings to help you learn Japanese.

Happy learning! Sayonara!