Free Republic

The artist who created the now-infamous Livermore library mosaic that contains 11 misspellings says she no longer wants to fix it because of the "nasty messages from people who don't understand art." Maria Alquilar, who complained that her name, too, was often misspelled, said she had been overwhelmed by dozens of phone calls and more than 1,000 e- mails since her errors -- from "Eistein" to "Shakespere" to "Michaelangelo" -- were widely publicized. Fed up, Alquilar said Friday that she was reconsidering her decision to correct her work because the people of Livermore had been so mean. "If I come...

A colorful mosaic gracing the entrance of Livermore's new library has 11 of the 175 names and words on the piece misspelled -- from "Eistein" and "Shakespere" to "Van Gough" and "Michaelangelo." The $40,000 project now will cost the city a few thousand more because it must pay the artist to fly from her Miami home and correct the mistakes. was unapologetic about the blunders when she told the Associated Press that others present when the mosaic was installed should have caught them. Besides, she said, it's art.

LITTLE ROCK — The buzz builds daily in Little Rock for the Clinton Presidential Center opening on Nov. 18. From busboys to friends of Bill Clinton's, everyone wants a ticket to an event during opening week festivities. For Arkansas, the grand opening of the center — which houses the Clinton Library — will be one of the biggest events in the state's history. All former presidents and President Bush will attend. Ben Affleck, Bono and Barbra Streisand have been invited, along with foreign dignitaries. Aretha Franklin will perform on Nov. 16. "This will be a great, memorable event for Little...

Release of Clinton and Bush Presidential Papers under Scrutiny Former President Bill Clinton has said he wants to make 100,000 domestic-policy records available to researchers when his presidential library opens in Little Rock November 18, but the decision is actually up to President Bush. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 allows for public access to presidential records through the Freedom of Information Act beginning five years after the end of an administration; the sitting president must approve the release of any records to be opened earlier. “In the weeks after November 18, we’re going to make every effort to open...

Several books were recently rubberstamped with anti-Semitic inscriptions at the main public library in Paris, library director Gerard Grunberg revealed Thursday. "The worrying tide of anti-Semitism and incitation to racial hatred one is noticing in French society is also permeating within the walls of the library. Books were covered with anti-Semitic inscriptions and addresses of websites denying the reality of the Holocaust," the director of the Bibliotheque Publique d'Information (BPI) at the Pompidou Center in Paris said. "Needless to say," added Grunberg, "we lodged a complaint and we shall do our very best to identify and prosecute the culprits." A...

<p>October 10, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton was showered with pricey gifts while he was in office from the leaders of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, but he didn't disclose them because they were earmarked for his presidential library in Arkansas, a new report yesterday revealed.</p>

A few days ago my daughter related how she took my ten-year-old Grandson to the Eau Gallie, FL (near Melbourne) public library to check out some books. She turned him loose in the kids' section while she looked for some books for herself. A while later, they each took their stack of books to the counter, checked them out, and went home. My daughter didn't inspect his choices any farther than the covers - big mistake. This is one of the books he chose (cool cover, right?): Gunsmith Cats: Bonnie & Clyde by Kenichi Sonoda Published by Dark Horse Comics"Meet...

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - A new exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library showcases items and images from Reagan's funeral. Nearly 6,000 people visited the hilltop library on Sunday for the opening of "Mourning in America," a play on Reagan's upbeat "Morning in America" presidential campaign theme. Reagan died June 5 after battling Alzheimer's disease for a decade. The exhibit recalls the 40th president's funeral, burial and public viewing as well as the nationwide outpouring of sympathy for the Reagan family. On display were the black velvet-draped bier that supported Reagan's mahogany casket in Simi Valley; riding boots placed...

A number of Freepers have expressed an interest in visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library while the events of his memorial services were still fresh in their minds.  Many were unable to pay their respects to President Reagan either in Simi Valley, California, or in Washington, D.C., during the viewing opportunities.  Now southern California Freepers have made plans to conduct a group tour on August 1st.  If you've felt compelled to visit the Reagan Presidential library, this would be an excellent time to do so. Free Republic's Ventura leader Rabid Dog has graciously offered to host a gathering at...

"Indecent Exposure" John Kerry political cartoon.  June 9, 2004... Kerry photo-ops Reagan casket Presumptive Democrat presidential nominee John Kerry showed up at the Reagan Library on Tuesday afternoon to view the deceased former president’s casket, setting off a firestorm of reaction. ·        At issue: The need for a Kerry visit to the Reagan Library in California. As reported by Rush Limbaugh, a Kerry spokesperson had already announced Kerry would attend the State Funeral for Reagan on Friday in Washington, D.C.·        At issue: The photographer accompanying Kerry into the Reagan Library. Clear guidelines (handed out to everyone prior to entering...

<p>The Repose at the Reagan Library will start at 12:00 noon on Monday the 7th, and continue until Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m.</p> <p>We would like to encourage folks to bring chips or other semi-non-perishable finger foods, and drinks to this meeting place.</p>

Family, Friend of Library Worker Sentenced to Prison in Denmark Stolen Rare Books Case By Jan M. Olsen/Associated Press Jun 3, 2004 COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Three family members and a friend of a dead Royal Library worker who stole thousands of rare books, maps and copper prints in the 1960s and 1970s were convicted Thursday of selling some of the items through international auction houses. The four were convicted by Copenhagen's City Court for handling stolen goods and selling 104 books and copper prints through international auction houses in New York and London. The dead librarian was not named...

Library for all -- not just the homelessBy ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST Pure bling-bling. That's what the highfalutin' New York Times called the new Seattle Central Library, a $165 million, 11-story glass-and-metal "big rock candy mountain of a building." Let's hit the streets for a salt-of-the-earth perspective. "A pearl in the metropolis," says Mark Penman, as he stands in a lunchtime feeding line for the poor near Fourth and James. "A precious pearl." His index finger traces a newspaper article that harrumphs the trapezoidal house of books that will open to the public Sunday. Penman pauses at...

Like a finely cut gem discovered among the river rocks, the new Seattle Central Library jumps out from the surrounding city. Eleven zigzagging stories tall, wrapped in a neatly pleated, diamond-patterned curtain wall, it isn't so much beautiful or ugly as alarmingly, excitingly foreign. Step through the doors, however, and what's most striking is how sensible the building is. Indeed, the architect who led its design, Rem Koolhaas, describes it, without a hint of irony, as "wonderfully old-fashioned." That's the paradox of this building. From its gravity-defying form to virtually every material used in its interior, it leaves almost...

Library drill team run by the book Four staffers pushing carts do choreographed routines to march from `River Kwai' By Carol Biliczky Beacon Journal staff writer Librarian Penny Marshall marches to the beat of a different drummer -- one festooned with balloons, with a library book cart in tow. As a member of the Stark Carters, she's part of a fledgling movement among librarians: book-cart precision drill teams. Marshall believes the Stark County District Library may have the first team in Ohio, but it's not alone in the nation. Many libraries have started the teams to build community spirit and...

Archaeologists have found what they believe to be the site of the Library of Alexandria, often described as the world's first major seat of learning. A Polish-Egyptian team has excavated parts of the Bruchion region of the Mediterranean city and discovered what look like lecture halls or auditoria. Two thousand years ago, the library housed works by the greatest thinkers and writers of the ancient world. Works by Plato and Socrates and many others were later destroyed in a fire. Oldest University Announcing their discovery at a conference being held at the University of California, Zahi Hawass, president of Egypt's...

Two months after placing five sexual instruction manuals at the reference desk, the Marple Library Board has added a sixth volume to the collection. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein and Felice Picano, which the panel initially decided would remain in its proper Dewey sequence, has been removed from the self-help section of the adult non-fiction circulating area. The book joins Ecstatic Sex: A Guide to the Pleasures of the Tantra, by Ma Ananda Sarita; The Illustrated Guide to Extended Massive Orgasm, by Steve Bodansky; Sexopedia, by Anne Hooper; Sex Toys 101: A Playfully Uninhibited Guide, by...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The controversial children's book "Walter the Farting Dog" will remain on the shelves at West Salem Elementary School of another attempt to remove it from the library. The book, which came under scrutiny in January, barely survived an appeal to the West Salem School Board by Maynard Carlson and his son, Richard. In the split decision, the board voted 4-3 to keep "Walter the Farting Dog" in the district's elementary school library. The book was questioned by Maynard Carlson earlier this year after his grandson (Richard Carlson's son) read it to...

LITTLE ROCK — A group dedicated to building a Counter Clinton Library museum here received a new level of legitimacy this month by becoming a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Counterlibe Corp. of Washington, D.C., received 501(c)3 status from the IRS to pursue its goal of rebutting what it sees as "propaganda" planned for exhibits at the official $160 million Clinton Presidential Library, which is scheduled to open in downtown Little Rock on Nov. 18. The federal recognition gives the Counter Clinton Library the same status as the presidential library and the Clinton Birthplace Foundation at Bill Clinton's birth home in...