Jacob Riis was a reformer, journalist and photographer who lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century. His stories and photographs chronicled the desperate poverty of tenement dwellers. Riis’s work brought the hidden world of urban slums to middle class eyes–and to those of political leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. His work led to reforms in [...]
High gas prices put a dent in your caribbean vacation budget? Need a weekend away from home, but not TOO far from home? Get outside NEARBY. Shenandoah National Park is in Richmond’s backyard; part of the 2100+ mile Appalachian Trail winds through Virginia’s mountains. Hiking is healthy, simple, and cheap. What can hiking do for [...]
Ever wondered what stories your family might have to tell? StoryCorps helps America listen and remember. In less than a decade, StoryCorps has recorded and preserved over 30,000 interviews; children interviewing parents, husbands telling romantic stories about their wives. All of the interviews are stored at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. [...]
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) calls itself “the definitive record of the English Language.” Unlike standard dictonaries, which have current meanings and spellings of words, the OED is a historical dictionary. The OED defines current words, but also traces the history of words through real examples. Think quotes and examples (3 million in all) from [...]
Part science project, part dinner… Cooking for Geeks author Jeff Potter shows you how to hack it, mash it, sous-vide it, caramelize it, and eat it! THEN he explains the science behing it all. Think Mythbusters for the kitchen… Cooking for Geeks (print) and Cooking for Geeks (web) Not feeling geeky? Try these other cooking titles from [...]
Nationally known speaker Cindy Conner shares techniques for the backyard food gardener. Come learn to feed yourself using organic GROW BIOINTENSIVE tools to make your garden productive all year long. This workshop is presented during the Fool for Art festival—a free community event held by John Tyler Community College. Details Saturday, April 9, 2011 • [...]
Concerned about cost, source, even the methods used to grow your food? GROW YOUR OWN! Why garden? Health. Gardening provides exercise and food. Variety. Home gardeners select vegetable varieties for taste or appearance—not on how well a vegetable keeps in the refrigerator, or how well it travels to market. Striped tomatoes, anyone? Heritage. Remember your [...]
Ever wonder why Romeo didn’t get the tip from Friar Lawrence that Juliet was only taking fake poison? It’s not because Friar John got held up in the quarantine house—it’s because he wasn’t checking his Facebook messages! That is according to Sarah Schmelling in Ophelia Joined the Group of Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit [...]
One name, two fates… Same situation, same neighborhood, same age, same name. One man is a Rhodes Scholar and Iraq Combat Veteran, the other is serving jail time. What happened? Read the book (available in the JTCC library or locally at Barnes and Noble) and join the discussion Tuesday, March 8 at 2:00 in C103. [...]
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Come celebrate and learn about the influential history of African Americans at the JTCC library. Discover important leaders from the Civil War, [...]