Posts by Ursula Murphy

I recently finished the memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I have been a big fan of his dream-like novels for almost fifteen years now, having first discovered The Wild Sheep Chase at a yard sale in Cambridge, MA. I was with a friend who declared the back cover synopsis to be the worst summary ever.  Something about it intrigued me though and I bought the copy for about 50 cents.  It was worth every penny. I went through his other novels rapidly and a few of them are among my all-time favorite books (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and Wind Up Bird Chronicle). Not only are 

The Oscar nominations were announced last week and this year, there are four Best Picture nominees that were adapted from books.  If you've seen the films and want to read the books, here they are:

Many jobs within the City of New York government are filled through competitive, citywide examinations, which are administered by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services or DCAS. Positions like Police Officer, School Safety Agent and Correction Officer are all filled on a yearly civil service exam schedule. Take a look at the exams for jobs booklet or this informational website if you have additional questions. Also available through DCAS, scheduled licensing exams for skilled tradespeople. Check here for general licensing examination requirements.

Are you confused about the numerous benefit and assistance programs offered by New York state and city government and whether you qualify? There is a lot of information to digest out there and it's constantly changing. Both Access NYC and My Benefits are two helpful sites that allow you to screen for your eligibility for public assistance. You can do so anonymously or by creating an account. You will be asked to enter some basic information about yourself and your family to determine eligibility.

The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known more commonly as the Food Stamp Program, provides support to low-income New Yorkers including working families, qualified immigrants, the elderly and the disabled to increase their ability to purchase food. A household must qualify under eligibility rules set by the federal government to enroll in this program.  To determine your eligiblity for this or other goverment assistance programs, click here.

Woody Allen was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg 75 years ago on December 1st in Brooklyn, New York.

Looking for free GED programs in Manhattan? Here’s a list by zip code. Also, see below for PDF flyers for NYC Department of Adult and Continuing Education locations and programs.  See this previous blog post for additional programs located in Harlem.  Know of any other free GED programs? Please make a comment to alert us. Thanks! 

The third course chapter of Kitchen Confidential recounts Tony's series of jobs after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America.  From the fading glory with a view of the Rainbow Room to the Apocalypse Now atmosphere of Works Progress, then later to the slow failures of Tom's and Rick's Cafe, etc. Along with an increasingly fat paycheck, his stories of the various kitchens he worked in include lots of objectionable language and an atmosphere not unlike prison with macho posturing and threats.  He jumped from one restaurant to the next, building up colleagues and industry secrets. During what he calls the 

Welcome back to the Reader’s Den.  This month we are reading Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.  Jenny’s post from last week gave us some background on Bourdain.  We are progressing in the book onto the second course now, which outlines “what strange beasts lurk behind the kitchen doors” as well as several don’ts Bourdain has learned from working in the industry for so long.  While he freely admits that good food “is about risk,” he also can’t overlook some truths he’s found out along the way.  Below you'll find some of his anecdotal rules for eating out. 

The cold weather is approaching and heating costs can get expensive. The New York State Department of Energy Research and Development Authority has some tips on how to save on energy costs, weatherize and find emergency heating assistance near your home.  As well, you might qualify for government assistance to help pay for heating and/or utility costs.  HEAP and UAP are two programs offered to citizens of New York.  You can check here for eligibility and information or call 311 or 800-692-0557. 

Welcome to this month’s Reader’s Den!  This month we’ll have a discussion co-led by Jenny Baum and Ursula Murphy about Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Please feel free to comment or bring up anything relevant to the book in the comment section.  We'll try to address and facilitate discussion as it comes up. 

The New York State General Election is November 2, 2010.  Both Senate seats and a gubernatorial election are up to be voted on as well as many other races. The voter registration deadline is coming right up, read below for more information.

Recently we found some old and not so old photographs of the Harlem branch among our files and wanted to share. 

The first is from April 8, 1910 and is a photograph of our 2nd floor children's room with its beautiful marble frieze and fireplace (which at the time seemed to be functioning). This was taken not too long after the branch opened in July of 1909. 

Looking for GED Prep in Harlem?

Follow these links for free prep courses and resources for adult learners. 

Harlem Kids Add Their Voices: Keep Our Libraries Open!

Kids from the local school Promise Academy wrote these letters and more to voice their support for their local branch here on 124th street.   Our children's Librarian Leah Zilbergeld made this poster for everyone to see that kids love and need the library in their lives. 

Please don't shut down the library.  We need it to get our knowledge and people need computers because they print books and to go online to connect to an Internet!
 

Because if you shut down the library how will we read and survive and get new books and 

If the answer is not so green, perhaps you might think about coming by the Harlem Branch Library on June 1st at 5:30 pm to get some helpful tips from Kellie Madden of Harlem Lofts. 

One last question to wrap things up, Julian and Daniel’s lives follow very similar trajectories. Yet one ends in tragedy, the other in happiness. What similarities are there between the paths they take? What are the differences that allow Daniel to avoid tragedy?

More discussion questions from the Reader's Den, please feel free to comment on one or more questions.

After reading for a week, we've gotten to some of the mystery and intrigue of the novel and some interesting points have arisen for discussion. Feel free to weigh in on any or all of these questions.