Election day in Stratford

Election Day news from Mayor James Miron

I am pleased to share with you important information regarding Election Day - this Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

I encourage you to visit http://www.townofstratford.com/to obtain information regarding the seven referendum questions on the ballot in Stratford, including Question 7 regarding the proposed sale of Long Beach West to the US Fish & Wildlife Service. While at the Town's website, please take a moment to view the video of Long Beach West created and donated by Stratford resident Sib Law of Saxon Mills, LLC. Additionally, I will be conducting information sessions regarding all seven referendum questions and a presentation will be made by a proponent and opponent of the sale of Long Beach West to US Fish & Wildlife. The final sessions will be held Wednesday, October 29 at 7 pm at the Birdseye Municipal Complex and Thursday, October 30 at 7 pm at the Library.

The Third Annual Election Day Food Drive is being held again this year. In these tough economic times, it is crucial that we as a community help our neighbors and families who might otherwise go hungry. Please bring canned goods and/or non-perishable food items to your polling place. Collection containers will be set up at each of Stratford's polling locations on Election Day, from 6am-8pm. All donations will be delivered to local food pantries in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.

Stratford Health Department is once again offering a "Vote & Vax" flu clinic at the Johnson House on Election Day from 5pm-8pm. If you vote at the Johnson polling location, you can cast your vote and get your flu shot all in one visit. The Stratford Health Department's flu clinic will be offering both types of flu vaccines by injection and by nasal spray. All Stratford residents (9 years and older) are welcome to get their flu shot at the "Vote & Vax" clinic on November 4 - those residents over 18 years will, of course, have to vote in their own designated polling location.

Please exercise your right to vote and encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same. Visit http://www.townofstratford.com/ for your polling location or an absentee ballot application.

Therapy Dog Reading Program

Therapy Dog Reading Program for Kids at the Library Thursday, October 30, 6:30 - 8:00 PM Saturday, November 15, 10:30 - Noon In the Therapy Dog Reading program, a child can read out loud from a favorite book to a specially trained, calm, friendly therapy dog. It helps the children develop self esteem, as well as improving their enunciation, vocabulary, and expressive oral reading skills. Children may sign up for 15 minute slots to read to the dogs, by coming in to the Children’s Department, or calling 385-4165. The therapy dogs are friendly, non-judgmental, and good listeners. Reading to the dogs is especially meaningful to many children, including:

• Children who may feel nervous reading aloud to adults
• Children whose literacy skills may not be at grade level
• Children who have reading or speech difficulties
• Children from homes where another language is the dominant one, who are learning English
• Children who are afraid of other dogs find that these dogs are so very gentle and move so slowly, that they feel very safe with our therapy dogs.

Then there are the children who are voracious readers and just love to read aloud to an appreciative audience! Our founding member of the Therapy Dog reading program is Sue Monroe. She comes on a regular basis with Paddington, a certified therapy Newfoundland and Lola, his “little” sister Newfie, a therapy dog in training. They are certified through R.E.A.D. Reading Education Assistance Dogs, www.therapyanimals.org/read Sue was our first, and for many years our only volunteer with a therapy dog. She began coming to our library in 2004 with her award winning Newfoundland, Salle. Over the years we have celebrated Salle’s birthday each year with a party for all the children who came to know and love her, and when the sad time came for Salle to depart this world, some of the reading children attended, and spoke at, her memorial service. Now we celebrate Paddington’s and Lola’s birthdays with parties in the late spring or early summer, and Paddington has followed in Salle’s paw prints and taken up his big sister’s proud position as chief Newfoundland therapy dog in the Children’s Room, teaching his little sister and apprentice, Lola, through example, how to charm the children with his winning personality and good listening skills. Sue has a very gentle, hands off approach and lets the child form a relationship with Paddington, only intervening to facilitate the bonding. Call 385-4165 to get the latest schedule for Paddington.

Ten Thousand Electric Guitars Groovin' Real Loud

Monterey Pop: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7 pm Woodstock: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7 pm Films are free and open to the public; recommended for adult audiences.

Were you at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967? How about Woodstock in 1969? Come to the library and share your memories with the tribe as we revisit those historic gatherings in our rock concert film series. Or if you're too young to remember those days of love-beads and headbands, come see how your grandparents' generation used to have fun in the 1960s (hint: clothing optional).

As part of our ongoing rock concert film festival, the Stratford Library will be showing Monterey Pop on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7 pm. The first major rock concert film, Monterey Pop was shot at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival during the “Summer of Love”. Director D.A. Pennebaker’s expansive documentary captures the essence of the feel-good hippie festival which launched the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding. The Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, and Ravi Shankar also turned in stellar performances. Guest speaker at the film will be writer/photographer Jeff Wignall. He spent many years as a concert photographer and has photographed hundreds of acts, among them Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. For the past 15 years he has also hosted a Tuesday-afternoon show on WPKN 89.5 FM in Bridgeport.

Two weeks later, we'll continue the "musical trip" with a free showing of Woodstock, on Tuesday, November 4, at 7 pm. WPKN programmer Ken Best, who has a long career in music journalism and is the author of a history of rock and roll, will introduce the film. Come and groove with the Who, Santana, Country Joe and the Fish, Richie Havens, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and a sea of muddy hippies.

Internet nostalgia

Google turns ten years old this month, which reminds us of how much fun it is to explore the "olden days" of the Internet on the The WayBack Machine, part of the Internet Archive.

The folks at the WayBack Machine have archived millions of web pages so you can look back nostalgically on how much simpler -- and often uglier -- were the early days of the World Wide Web.

Maybe you remember learning how to use Yahoo when it was mostly a long list of blue text on a white background

Looks like the New York Times didn't quite know what to do with a computer screen in 1996.

And take a look at the Stratford Library's first web page in 1998 -- we've come a long way!

Consumer Reports

The Consumer Reports monthly magazine rates products and services, offering invaluable help in determining quality and truth-in-advertising. For example, the latest issue (November 2008) includes a cover story of "100 Top Products", and the issue also features additional articles about electronics, appliances, exercise equipment, and cars. This month, the magazine produces other articles such as "The Great Turkey Cook-Off" and "Get Ready for Digital TV". Stop by the Adult Services Reference Desk, and ask to see the latest Consumer Reports!

Did you know that you can also read the the magazine online - at home or at work - for free? You can by going to the ICONN database, click on "individual resources" then "general onefile" from there click on "publication search", type in Consumer Reports and hit search. You will get a list of the Consumer Reports publications that are available on ICONN. Select the magazine by clicking on it. You will now be at a page that gives magazine info - go to the drop down menu where you can then pick the year and the issue you are looking for.

It is lots of clicking - but worth it. Please call if you have questions 203-385-4164