MEET THE AUTHOR!

Susan Conley

Author of The Foremost Good Fortune

Wednesday, February 16 at 7 p.m.

Click here for all the details.

Yesterday health officials in the United States declared the latest strain of the Swine Flu a public health emergency.  PandemicFlu.gov is a government site devoted solely  to providing the latest  swine, avian and pandemic flu news and updates.  The following links provide more specific information about the current outbreak.

Travel Health precautions from the Center for Disease Control

Outbreak Notice: Swine Influenza from the Center for Disease Control

Information for airline passengers exposed to the Swine flu from the Center for Disease Control

Flu terms defined

White House Press Briefing on the Swine Flu

World Health Organization Swine Flu Updates

Connecticut Department of Public Health Swine Flu Press Release

National Institute of Health and the U. S. National Library of Medicine Swine Flu updates

Swine flu information from the CDC:

For those interested in a more historical perspective, check out

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague by John M. Barry

Flu: The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it by Gina Kolata

An important film about Lyme Disease!

Coming soon to theaters...SOONER to Darien Library!

UNDER OUR SKIN

Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30)

“Under Our Skin” is a dramatic tale of microbes, medicine, and money. This groundbreaking documentary investigates the human, medical, and political dimensions of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic destroying countless lives.  
Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film is meant to open viewers’ eyes to a danger in their own backyards. “Under Our Skin” was an Audience Choice Award Finalist at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Lyme disease is one of the most misunderstood and controversial illnesses of our time. Because the disease is difficult to test accurately, tens of thousands of people go undiagnosed - or misdiagnosed - with such conditions as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, autism, MS, and ALS. Each year, many of these patients are told that their symptoms are “all in their heads.”

Our showing of the film is well-timed, as this is the time of year that the adult deer ticks are easier to spot, and when most people, especially children, become infected.

According to research conducted by Dr. Eva Sapi of the University of New Haven, 60% of ticks that were tested in our area are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

This film is not recommended for children or young teens. Running time is approximately 105 minutes. There will be a question and answer period following the film.

Those wishing to learn more about the film may visit www.UnderOurSkin.com. 

Those wishing to learn more about Lyme disease may contact Russell Cornelius: CTLyme@hotmail.com.

 Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

DARIEN GOVERNMENT ACCESS TELEVISION - TV79

Airing this week… 

- Inside Town Hall – Dept of Public Works ( runs :44 )  Airs 1:15 am, 4 pm, 7 pm 

-Bd of Education 4-14 ( runs 1:28 )  Airs 2:15 am, 10:15 am

-Bd of Selectmen 4-20 ( runs 1:05 ) Airs 4 am, 12 noon, 8 pm 

-RTM Rules Comm. 4-20 ( runs 1:51 )  Airs 1:09 am, 5:09 am, 9:09 pm 

-Zoning Bd of Appeals 4-22 ( runs 2:03 )  Airs 7 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 11 pm

Live coverage (usually weeknight evenings) will pre-empt the schedule above. To receive TV79’s weekly program schedule, e-mail channel79@darienct.gov

The Darien School Art Show is now on display here in our gallery and also at Town Hall. All town schools are represented and the artwork on exhibit is considered a representative sampling of the talent in town. The exhibit will run until May 14th and the pieces at the Library are in our art gallery on the lower level. Here's a sampling:

(Above) Will Collier -(Drawing with marker) Ox Ridge School

(Right) Ari Singer - (Painting) - Tokeneke School

 (Left) Charlie Close - (Painting) - Hindley School

(Below left) Charlie Malpass (Mixed media on canvas) - Darien High School

(Below right) Caroline Wetterauw (Drawing on graphite paper) - Middlesex Middle School

 "By the year 2025 the world will need to find a way to increase its freshwater supply by 20 percent in order to meet current demand. And that ain't easy; you can't just make freshwater." - New York Times bestselling author Thomas Kostigan, in his latest release, You Are Here.

Water is in trouble. This once-vast natural resource, arguably the most definable characteristic of planet Earth - in essence, the reason we are here - is rapidly depleting worldwide at rates that will not sustain life as we know it. This might be a very simple fact, but it cannot be stated often enough, if only because here in the United States, where to drink, shower, flush the toilet, brush our teeth, or launder our clothes is very second-nature, most of us do not think twice about our water consumption. (I am certainly at fault. This morning, I ran my shower for 5 minutes just to warm the pipes. Yikes!)

Part of the issue is pollution; part of it is urbanization. According to environmental expert Thomas Friedman, these are things that require collective action on the part of government (and he means our government) that will disrupt the world's patterns of consumption - and perhaps he is right. However, part of the issue is also lack of awareness, and that is something that can be fixed by all of us right here in Darien. Here are a few ways of how we can all become more aware:

The Darien Community Association & Connecticut Fund for the Environment are currently hosting a Spring 2009 Environmental Lecture Series, entitled Troubled Water: Safeguarding a Vital Resource. (Click here for more information). The speakers will discuss the water crisis from varying perspectives, including the impact of a green economy on our water supply, the efforts to preserve the Long Island Sound and its natural habitats, and how restoring certain fishes to Connecticut's rivers can help to improve the health of our water. To complement the lecture series, the Darien Nature Center will exhibit "No Water No Life" by one of the lecturers, Alison Jones.

In addition, stop by Darien Library's 2nd Floor to check out a display of books that provide some additional perspectives on solving our troubled water situation. A few selections of note: 

Power to the People by Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, who uses his expertise in economics (as a correspondent for The Economist) and technology (as a graduate from MIT) to lend authority to this edgy, entertaining examination of how we can save our planet.

When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce. He travels to more than 30 countries to assess the current state of the world's rivers and offers remedies that suggest developing a new water ethic and management system, as well as ridding ourselves of practices based on self-interest.

Blue Gold by Maude Barlow & Tony Clarke. It's about the bottom line, of course! A chilling account of how corporations such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Evian are quickly purchasing the rights to freshwater supplies and in turn, selling bottled water for profit while depleting municipal supplies.

Also, visit H2O Conserve, where you can calculate your water footprint (it's fun and verrrry revealing!), read about current issues related to the water crisis and various solutions for them, and learn simple ways that you and your family can begin to conserve water at home, at work, at school, and at play. You will find that it is easy to make simple changes in your life that can truly make a difference!

This Saturday from 8:30 - 9:30pm local time, millions of homes, businesses, organizations (Darien Library included!), and major landmarks will turn off their lights for 1 hour in a collaborative stand to raise awareness about conserving energy. It's a simple but effective way to show ourselves that with a flip of a switch, we actually can make a meaningful difference in the fight against global warming and educate each other about easy ways to green our lifestyles.Visit EarthHour.org for more information and ways to participate. Will you be joining in?

(Image by Flickr user tammyjq41)

Dear Hindley School Students and Families,

Thank you so much for donating your Box Tops for Education money to Darien Library!  On Thursday I had the honor of accepting the donation from Miss Emerson's Class who collected the most tops in the whole school! Congratulations!

Donations to the Library are what we buy our books with and in a few weeks, you'll be able to see all the aweomse books we ordered with your donation money on the shelves. Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Miss Gretchen

Announcing a comprehensive series of free financial workshops to help you in this time of economic uncertainty.  Experts in their fields will provide useful information to help you make informed decisions about your financial security. 

March 3 Your Approach to Money –Money Psychology and It’s Impact on Cash Management and Investment Risk Tolerance
Carol Piscitelli, MA Life Coach; Elizabeth Cox, CFP®, Director, FPA CT Pro Bono;  Christopher Tasik, CFP®, Tasik Financial Strategies LLC*  

March 10 Getting Out of the Red – Consumer and Medical Debt/Credit Management Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General, State of Connecticut; Nan Jackson, CFP®, FP; Katalin Goencz, Founder MedBills Assist.

March 17 Rebounding from Job Loss – Labor Market Trends and Reinventing Yourself in a Tough Employment Market; COBRA/Health Insurance
Jo Shute, Vice President – Marketing, Communications & Planning, The Workplace, Inc.; Richard Spann, SVP, Gateway International Group; Lydia Maffei, Insurance Broker, CLTC

March 24 Hanging on to Hearth and Home – Mortgage Debt, Refinancing, Short Sales, and Foreclosure Intervention Merrie Hawley,Esq., Attorney;  Burt Hoffman, Esq., Attorney; Marc Hawley, Mortgage Broker, Landmark Financial LLC

March 31 Securing Your Family’s Future – College and Retirement Funding Peter Slavin, President, FPA Fairfield County Chapter; John Pearson, CPA, Barnum Financial Group

These events are co-sponsored by the Darien YWCA and the Financial Planning Association of Fairfield County. All lectures will be held at the Darien Library.

Money Matters workshop attendees should register in advance and at no charge with the YWCA Darien/Norwalk.   For additional information about the YW or to register for the free workshops, visit www.YWCADarienNorwalk.org or call (203) 655-2535.  Carol Piscitelli can be reached at (203) 655-2535 x 307 or by email at ywcounsel@ywcadariennorwalk.org.