This Month ...

'Tis the Season to ... 

Celebrate All Cultures

  December is a time to celebrate, a time of holidays . . .  but we don’t ALL celebrate the same way. Some celebrate Hanukkah. In Hebrew, “Hanukkah” means “dedication,” and is celebrated for 8 days and nights starting December 4.

   Some celebrate Kwanzaa, a holiday that honors African-American heritage and community; it begins on December 26 and ends on January 1.

   More of us celebrate Christmas. These days, Christmas is a mix of both secular and religious traditions that vary around the world.

   The History Channel has some fantastic online exhibits that will tell you all about these holidays--click to learn about the history and traditions of Hanukkah; the origin of Kwanzaa; and the real story of Christmas.

    Find out what Christmas is like in Mexico, in Poland, and in Sweden. And learn about Old Japanese Christmas and Samurai Santa!

World Aids Day, Dec. 1

   Did you know that more than 25 million people have died from AIDS since the disease was diagnosed in 1981? More than 33.2 million people are currently living with HIV around the world, with over 2 million new cases this year alone (visit the World Aids Day website for more information). UNAIDS—the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS—is a chief advocate for global action on the epidemic. Get the facts & figures, programs & initiatives on a global scale.

Stay Warm ... with a good book!

Our Featured Author ... Philip Pullman

  Author Philip Pullman was born in 1946 in Norwich England, and lived for a time in Zimbabwe before settling in Australia when he was only 8. As a young boy, Pullman loved radio serial hours, and was an avid fan of comic books (Superman and Batman).

   A graduate of Oxford University with a degree in English, the author has been telling stories for ever it seems. Pullman has written novels, plays, and picture books, among other things.

   Pullman now lives in Oxford, England, with his wife and children. He has received many awards for his fiction, including the  Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Award for The Golden Compass, the first book in the the “His Dark Materials” trilogy (all available in print and audio at the library).

   The Golden Compass, which will appear in theaters this month, has been the subject of much controversy given its religious themes. Pullman, however, is happy with the film version of his book (he was co-screenwriter on the project). "This must the the only film attacked in the same week for being too religious and for being anti-religious--and by people who haven't seen it," he said in a recent newspaper interview.

  Find out more about the movie at Bridgetothestars.net; and about the author at his official website.