Are you caring for someone with a debilitating illness? If so, you are not alone. According to the 2003 National Alliance of Caregiving/AARP National Caregiver Survey, at least 44.4 million adults provide the care that is so critical in helping friends and loved ones with debilitationg illnesses remain in their homes and other community settings. Find Online support through the National Alliance of Caregiving.

Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Man on Wire relates the story behind "the artistic crime of the century." In 1974 tightrope walker Philippe Petit attempted a daring, but illegal, high-wire walk between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers.

I'm always interested in hearing what people want in the International Language Collection. Fill out a paper survey (found in the International Language Collection), suggest materials online, or comment to this blog to let me know.

Are you a dog person who loves to spoil your furry friend? The Three Dog Bakery is a fantastic gourmet treat shop for dogs! They use all-natural ingredients to make their adorable cookies and cakes, not to mention being very reasonably priced. With their added selection of toys, clothing, and just about every dog-related item you can imagine, they have something for everyone. I was just there over the weekend buying a personalized birthday cake for my dog.

Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors.

Learn about the decades in a fun way by using our database Pop Culture Universe. Each decade, from the 1920s to the 2000s, is populated with facts about the arts, culture, fasion, movies, food and drink, literature, music, politics, TV and radio of the time period. A must-stop for any school "decades research" assignment! An excellent source for a glimpse of Americana!

The Faith of Barack Obama explores the religious background of Barack Obama, examines his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, and discusses how his beliefs shape his personal and political life. Read this book for an insight into our new president's ideals.  

You don't have to be an etymologist to enjoy thinking about the roots of language.  In Alphabet Juice, Roy Blount Jr. has a lot of fun looking at the relationships between word structure, meaning and phonetics.  On a more serious note, the arguments he discusses can be traced back to Plato's Cratylus in Plato Unmasked by Keith Quincy.   

Not scared enough by global recession, terrorism, peanut butter, or nuclear war? Death from the Skies by Philip Plait will give you many new reasons to fear, every time you look up.

Plait covers topics such as asteroid impacts, solar flares, nearby supernovae, gamma ray bursts, black holes, and aliens. He concludes with inevitable scenarios; how the Sun will die, and the cold quiet that will end the Universe.

Have you joined your neighbors in our Everyone’s Reading, community wide reading program sponsored by public libraries in Oakland and Wayne counties?  Similar to other One Book, One Community programs across the country, Everyone’s Reading promotes community dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book.

Secondhand Prose Used Book Shop specials for February are Romance and Mystery books.  You can buy two and get one free of either paperbacks or hardbacks.  The bag sale days for February are the 20th, 21st and 23rd.  $5.00 per bag full.

The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, has been nominated for two Academy Awards - Best Art Direction and Best Costume.

The warm weather we had earlier this week was like a quick taste of spring, and it inspired me to start planning in earnest for the vegetable garden I'll plant later this year. So far I'm thinking peppers, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, and corn, though I'm sure I'll find more goodies to add to the list. Did you know that you can check out seed catalogs at CPL?

In 2009 it is expected that as many as 75,000 homes will go into mortgage foreclosure in Wayne County alone.  To address this crisis, Wayne County has created the Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program.  In this program, residents who are at risk of mortgage foreclosure will gain viable options through a process of foreclosure education, process awareness and intervention.

Nominated for five Academy Awards, The Reader, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes is set in post-World War II Germany where nearly a decade after his encounter with an older woman came to a sudden and mysterious end, a young law student discovers her as she defends herself in a war crimes trial.

In one of history's most fascinating coincidences, February 12, 1809 was the birthday of two of history's most extraordinary and influential figures - Abraham Lincoln and Charl

Doesn't it seem as if partisan bickering dominates politics and government these days? Are we so caught up in red state/blue state, liberal vs. conservative that perhaps we have lost sight of what is really important?

Both the House and the Senate have recently voted to delay the switch from over-the-air analog signals to digital from February 17 to June 12, 2009. President Obama has promised to sign the legislation, granting a reprieve to the as many as 10 million consumers who are still unprepared for the digital transition. The government's $1.5-billion program to send $40 coupons to analog TV owners toward the purchase of a converter ran out of money last month. It is estimated that there about 3.2 million coupon requests on the waiting list. For more information go to dtv.gov.

February 12, 2009 marks the 200th birthday of America's 16th - and perhaps greatest - president, Abraham Lincoln. He is being celebrated in ceremonies all over the country, including at an exhibit in Plymouth, Michigan called "In the Presence of Lincoln" which will run through November 4.

Celebrate Jane Yolen’s 70th birthday by checking out one of her books in our collection.  From picture books to poetry, teen fantasy to fairy tales and short stories to science fiction, it sure seems like she’s written something for everyone.  One of my favorites is Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast.