Birmingham Public Library Blog

One of Vincent van Gogh’s 1887 paintings, Patch of Grass , has recently revealed a portrait of a woman hiding underneath the paint. Van Gogh was known to paint over some of his earlier works, perhaps because of his lack of funds and the cost of canvas. The new technique—synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy—goes beyond X-ray radiography, which has been used successfully to discover other concealed paintings. An international research team from the Netherlands and Belgium are credited with discovering the portrait. For a time van Gogh worked as a missionary in a mining region. His fondness for these hardworking people shows in his first major painting, The Potato Eaters . Van Gogh accused his art dealer brother of not pushing his works more, but buyers of bright Impressionist paintings weren’t interested in the drab portraits of the local poor. Van Gogh believed becoming an artist was a spiritual calling. Although he painted for only ten years and sold one painti...

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains one of the most unsettling and controversial events in American history. At today’s program local author and activist Jim Douglass will discuss his recently published book on the topic, JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters . Wednesday, August 6, noon. Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 3rd floor of the Linn-Hinley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

Forget what your teacher told you about keeping quiet in the library. It's time to make some noise! Raise your voice and say what you want Birmingham City Schools to become. And it's happening not only in the libraries, but all over town in churches, community centers, homes, and workplaces. Now is the time to speak up and say what you want from your schools and what you would suggest to make them stronger. What you and other citizens say will shape a new Community Agreement around shared goals—and serve as a road map to better schools. (BPL Associate Directors Renee Blalock and Pam Lyons discuss the library's involvement with Yes We Can! Birmingham) Yes We Can! Birmingham needs to hear from every citizen. Help spread the word that everyone is invited, be sure to attend a community conversation yourself, and raise your voice. Please join one of the Community Conversations at these Birmingham Public Libraries to improve our schools. Check the Yes We Can! Birmingham Websi...

I always thought that celebrity cookbooks were kind of hokey, especially when written by country singers. But Trisha Yearwood proved me wrong with her excellent family-inspired cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours . Trisha’s father was a banker and a farmer, and she grew up enjoying a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Georgia Cooking is filled with simple, down-home recipes and plenty of beautiful color photographs. Her mother and sister, Gwen Yearwood and Beth Berman, worked with Trisha to compile old family recipes, and they all share anecdotes and tips about the recipes in the book. The twice-divorced Yearwood married Garth Brooks in 2005, and he pops up here and there praising his wife’s cooking. His favorite recipe of Trisha’s? Her German Chocolate Cake. He can’t wait for his birthday to roll around so he can enjoy it, so Trisha surprises him with it throughout the year. Aw. Like another big-boned country gal , Trisha likes her ...

Photo courtesy of Jones Valley Urban Farm Edwin Marty, Director of Jones Valley Urban Farm , will discuss how to conserve water at home and still keep your garden growing. He will share ideas from the very simple to the more intricate. Learn how to lower your water bill while making your garden green again. Wednesday, July 30, noon. Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 3rd floor of the Linn-Hinley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

Five Points West Library is hosting the 7th annual Ujima Math & Science Fun Day on July 26, 2008. Event activities are based on the idea that “Science Is All Around”. Children, or adults for that matter, are more likely to understand and enjoy math and science if they can play with scientific and mathematical concepts in the real world. This years interactive exhibits and events will include: Birmingham Rocket Boys, Fun With Dry Ice, RC Car Racing, Math Challenge, Iron Working Exhibit, Martial Arts Exhibit, The Alabama Power Water Course, The Magic of Materials, Amazing Biology, The Potato Guy, Computer Science, and the UAB chapter of the Student National Medical Association. Come visit as professionals who work in math and science careers engage children in fun and hands-on activities. 0 Math & Science Fun Day July 26, 2008 from 1pm to 4pm Five Points West Library 4812 Avenue W Birmingham, AL 35208 For more information visit mathsciencefun.org and watch this interview from...

Location: BPL-Avondale Regional Branch Library Date/Time: Sunday July 27, 2008, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm Commercial photograper Marc Bondarenko will be displaying and discussing his career and work! Works will be on display during the month of July. For more information contact Jon Newman at 226-4000. jnewman@bham.lib.al.us

Whatever happened to the Mommy Dearest approach to making kids eat their vegetables? Back in the day if you didn't finish your veggies, you had two options: 1) Sit at the table long after everyone else is gone and build up the nerve to force them down. 2) Seal your lips and refuse to eat them, but don't be surprised if breakfast is a big plate of last night's veggies, chilled and congealed. It seems that the deceptive approach to getting kids to eat their veggies is the current rage. For those not familiar with the battle of the sneaky soccer moms, in 2007 cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine 's book The Sneaky Chef was turned down by HarperCollins but was eventually published by Running Press. HarperCollins published Jessica Seinfeld's (wife of Jerry Seinfeld) Deceptively Delicious six months later. Lapine hired a lawyer to sue Seinfeld and HarperCollins for plagiarism. Jerry went on Late Show with David Letterman and called Chase a "wacko." Chase has si...