Re-cycle Your Cell Phone

If you are like many other people, you don’t quite know what to do with your old cell phone when you get a new one. Throw it out? Put it in the recycle bin? The EPA has a solution for this problem, one that’s much better than a box of old phones hidden in the garage. They recommend e-cycling your phone. This has a triple benefit – you clear out your old phone collection, it keeps usable materials out of landfills, and many donated cell phones are given to charities to be sold at a discount or given to those in need. For example, Verizon Wireless uses old cell phones to provide a helpline for victims of domestic violence and AT&T uses funds from recycled phones to buy prepaid phone cards for active duty military personnel. Other programs take the phones apart and reuse the metals for new products. The EPA page on e-cycling provides links to programs offered by various manufacturers and service providers. Next time you get a new phone, join the over 14 million Americans who recycled their phones in 2007 to help out the environment and your community!

Click here for e-cycling information

Indiana By the Numbers

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development's Hoosiers by the Numbers website has a new look! Visit the website HoosierData.IN.gov for easy links to the latest news on jobs & employment, education, businesses & industry, and income in Indiana. View data organized by Indiana region or alphabetically by topic. Additional resources include links to helpful maps, a cost of living calculator, and the ability to access publications by geographic area. Check out the new Indiana Workforce Intelligence System (IWIS), driven by a consortium of four Indiana members and supported by the Lumina Foundation and the Lilly Endowment. The IWIS serves as a data powerhouse to help analyze and understand education outcomes for Hoosier workers. Take a look also at Career Path Discovery, a service created to assist workers and job seekers in making decisions about careers and planning for a career change.

The first pitch has already been thrown for Major League Baseball.  Area high schools have started their seasons.  Soon our local little league baseball and softball diamonds will be full of activity.  I encourage you to get in a baseball frame of mind by checking out some of our books on our national pastime or even watching some baseball movies.

The Best of Baseball Digest - More than 60 years of classic baseball stories by the game’s leading writers from Baseball Digest. All the thrills, strange plays, terrific players, memorable performances, and humor of the great American game.

A Great Day in Cooperstown - The Hall of Fame opened in 1939 with the induction of some of baseball’s greatest names - Ruth, Cobb, Young, and others. This book looks at the early history of the game and the start of the Hall of Fame.

Coaching Youth Baseball - Written by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., this book is a great resource for coaches and parents who are looking to help their children become better baseball players.

Moneyball (Movie) - Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is handicapped with the lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win the World Series, Billy must find a competitive advantage. He is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.

The Natural (Movie) - The story of Roy Hobbs who seems to be an average player but suddenly becomes a legendary player with seemingly divine talent.

The Sandlot (Movie) - Scotty Smalls learns about life and baseball through adventures with his friends in this timeless classic that is fun for the whole family. 

New Movies on the Shelf

Here a couple of DVDs new to our shelves.  Come in and check one of these new ones out . . . 

War Horse - From legendary director Steven Spielberg comes this epic adventure.  Set against the sweeping backdrop of World War I, this moving story begins with the remarkable relationship between a horse (named Joey) and his young trainer, Albert.  When they are forced apart by war, we follow Joey's journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets.  (Rated PG-13)

We Bought a Zoo - Matt Damon gives a heartfelt performance in this film which is based on a true story. When his teenage son gets into trouble, Benjamin Mee gives up his good job to move his family to a zoo.  With the help of his staff, and many misadventures along the way, Benjamin works to restore the old zoo to its former glory while uniting his family.  (Rated PG)

Barton Rees Pogue Arts Festival

The Second Annual Barton Rees Pogue Poetry and Arts Festival will take place in Upland April 14, 2012. There will be a poetry writing contest where poets will present their original poetry for a panel of judges. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded in each of four age groups; elementary, junior high, high school and adult. In addition, a grand prize of $100 will be awarded to the poem judged best of the twelve finalists. To receive an application to take part in the poetry competition please call 998-7747. Deadline is April 8.

There will be a variety of other events that day, including an art exhibit. If you are an artist and would like to show, demonstrate or sell your work please call 998-7747 for more information. Visitors will vote on the art work that best represents the spirit of Pogue’s poetry and on the best work using a local building or landscape as a subject. Deadline to register for this Art Exhibit is April 1.

Festival Director, LaRea Slater expressed, “I would like to encourage all potential participants in the poetry reading and writing categories of the festival. The preliminary interpretive readings of Pogue, favorite poets as well as original poetry have been very rewarding. People who didn’t realize they were poets, who never thought they could read aloud in front of “strangers” have overcome the fear and embraced the informal, comfortable atmosphere and have become friends with the other presenters.” Various styles of poetry will be accepted including free verse and lyric. Judging will be on originality, imagery, rhythm, communication of the theme and emotional appeal.

Music, interpretive dance and ballet will also be part of the day’s programs, as well as non-competitive “just for fun” poetry reading, all of which will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. in various locations around Upland.

For all the details, including schedules and locations, can be found at . . .

Barton Rees Pogue Poetry and Arts Festival