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Library Assignment

The Los Angeles Times reported that the city cut $22 million and 328 full-time positions from this year’s library budget. In response, the Los Angeles Public Library System had to drop to a five-day-a-week schedule with doors closing on Sunday and Monday.

In September, Los Banos Enterprises reported that Merced County Board of Supervisors voted to reduce library hours in each of their regional libraries. They estimated that the cuts in library hours would save the county $97,407. This is a response to the $300,000 they were forced to cut from their budget. Besides cutting down their hours of operation, the library had to cut their book budget, operational costs and all nonmandatory traveling.

Los Banos Enterprises interviewed Jacque Meriam, one of the librarians in Merced County. Meriam said she was satisfied with the cuts. She says her goal was to keep everyone working. She said this way she was able to not have to close down any branch entirely.

Los Banos Enterprises also interviewed Meri Osegueda, a library assistant. Osegueda says people come in already aware of the library hours being cut. She said the people are disappointed about the cuts. Osegueda says a lot of the people who go in to their library stay through the whole day looking for jobs online and in the newspapers which are provided free of charge.

In Santa Clarita, despite protests from dozens of residents, libraries are joining a growing movement of communities that are turning over their libraries to private management. The Daily News of Los Angeles reported that the move was approved by the City Council with a 4-1 vote. The City Council said it’s designed to save the city thousands of dollars.

The Daily News interviewed Barbara Cogswell, a resident of 15 years. Cogswell said more research should have been done before the Council made their decision. They also interviewed City spokeswoman Gail Ortiz who said the savings will allow the libraries to be open more on Sundays and weekdays.

Overall the American Libraries Association says the library budget has been cut by $14 million; Seven million dollars each from the Public Library Foundation and the Transaction Based Reimbursement program. The Los Angeles Public Library website shows that their budget is $130 million. Two interesting facts about the library are that they have 2,300 computers and have had 17.3 million visits, according to their website as well.

LA Public Library website:

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Article Sources:

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Do you live in the dorms and sometimes find yourself with nothing to do? Thinking,"Wow, CSUN is soooo boring. There's absolutely nothing to do here." Well you won't think that anymore after reading this article. CSUN has a plethora of fun activities for you to get involved with. But I took some time out to talk to a few of my friends and try to figure out what are the top ten things students love to do here on campus. There was so much that came up in our discussion but the following are what we thought were the most memorable and fun activities. Certainly you will realize after this, that there is absolutely no reason to ever be bored while on this campus. Great thing about most of these is they are available at a minimal cost to you or free...yes I said FREE...as in Free.99!!!

1. BIG SHOW

This annual concert has some of the biggest names in the industry performing. In the past we have had Ludacris, Ne-yo, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Tyrese and most recently LMFAO.

2. MATADOR NIGHTS

Matador Nights is so fun that students have demanded that we have at least one a semester. One of the things that makes it so fun is themes. 80s theme was my favorite.

3. ATHLETIC GAMES

Are you a sports fan? Well our Division 1 sports teams' games are the best place to go spend your free time at. They even have a section called Red Rally for the most dedicated fans. And get this, they get free t-shirts.

4. TICKLE ME TUESDAYS/COMEDY NIGHTS

Like to laugh a little? Or maybe even a lot lol (laugh out loud). This comedy show has become very popular over the past year. We've even had big name comedian come out such as Mike Epps.

5. NOON TIME CONCERTS

If you are between classes on Thurdays at noon...take a walk over to the USU and listen in on our Noon-Time concerts. It's a nice break from all of the stress that comes with school.

6. ESPRESSIONS

Spoken word, poetry, coffee, hot chocolate, a little song. Does this all sound good to you? Well stop on by the Espressions night and enjoy this open-mic night. And if you have some courage...get up on the stage a share a little something yourself.

7. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Sports fans plus a sports pub and football equal sooooo much fun.

8. NEON NIGHTS

Stop on by this old time tradition of CSUN.

9. GAME TOURNAMENTS

Think you have what it takes to compete in a tournament? Well enter and maybe you will win some prizes!

10. CRAFT CORNERS

Remember what it feels like to be a kid again and make a craft that will melt your mommy's heart.

Interviewed: Meaghan Hall, Sociology, 21 yrs old. Senior.

Thanksgiving is a long American tradition starting way back in the 1800s. It was originally a historically religious holiday to give thanks to God. Although the “thanks” part about it is still there, this nationally holiday is now an event where families all over the country join together and enjoy a feast. It got me wondering what CSUN students were planning on doing for their holiday break.

Several students are going back home to spend time with their immediate and extended families. Some are having other family members coming to their homes where others are going to spend time out of town.

Another component of Thanksgiving is giving back. Some students are feeding the homeless. Others are joining with organizations to give back to their communities. Three girls we spoke to are a part of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority whose philanthropy is helping fight arthritis. Another young man we spoke to was a part of a club who cleans beaches and parks.

Some people will be going back home to continue on family traditions. A young lady said her family writes down on a piece of paper what they are thankful for then puts it in a bag. Then each family takes turns picking one piece of paper from the bag and the whole family then guesses which person wrote what was on the piece of paper.

But whatever your tradition or activity you do during this holiday, make sure to remember to be thankful for what you have. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

(download)

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Top 5 Thanksgiving spots in Northridge

If you ever wondered how this holiday began...take a look at this following video.

<p>Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.</p>

This is a video montage of my Journalism 310 classmates and I's weekend pictures. Some people decided to go to Halloween parties and others decided to visit family members. One classmate celebrated their dog's 2-year birthday. 

<div class="dipity_embed" style="width:600px"><p style="margin:0;font-family:Arial,sans;font-size:13px;text-align:center">Best WorldCup Goals '86-'10 on Dipity.</p></div>

(specifically at Freudian Sip)

BY: THABIE SIBANDA

Step #1: Decide which Freudian Sip you want to go to. There are 4 locations on CSUN's campus. The Sierra Center, the USU, the Arbor Grill and the Bookstore Complex.

Step #2: Stand in line. While in line, look at the menu and decide which coffee drink you would like to buy.

Step #3: Order your coffee drink. If you would like to eat something with your coffee, order a delicious pastry treat.

Step #4: Add sugar, milk or cream to your drink for a more savory taste. Mix it up with a stirrer.

Step #5: ENJOY your coffee drink. And remember be careful because it's hot.

And that's how you order & enjoy a cup of coffee.

(download)

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Banana Wafers - "Expect the unexpected"

If you are looking to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours, don't look to do so with the Banana Wafers. It's definitely not what you would expect when you first take a bite of this surprisingly very salty treat. It's nothing exciting for your taste buds but it's something worth trying if there is nothing else to eat. The assumption one would make is the sweetness of the banana and the saltiness of the black pepper would create a delightful contrast that is pleasing to your palette. Unfortunately, it fails to live up to that expectation. The lack of flavor leaves a lot to be desired. The wafers taste like a semi-stale thick potato chip that skipped the conveyer belt on its way to the flavoring machine. And the texture, it resembles a soft cracker instead of the familiar softness of an actual banana. Go ahead and try it, if you don't mind the garlicky aftertaste. Just remember, it's not going to be what you expected. 

YELP POST:

These wafers are not too bad but they're aren't something I'm about to begin to crave as a midnight snack. If you have nothing else to eat then go ahead and try it. It leaves a garlic like aftertaste and you'll probably want some sticks of Orbit gum afterwards. It takes a little while to get used to the taste. But at your 6th chip, your taste buds will have gotten used to it. It's definitely not like any other banana treat you would think of like banana pudding or banana bread. It's more like potato chips, but not the barbeque or sour cream & onion kind. It's alright. But if you have a choice...just choose something else. 

Weakness: CONFIDENCE

My freshman year in college I decided to enter into the Apollo night competition held by the NAACP chapter here at CSUN. I was going to sing. This was a big step for me considering the fact that I once thought I couldn't sing at all. Even though people would tell me I had a lovely voice I still doubted myself. However, because I enjoyed it I still joined choirs and chorales where ever I went. I was involved with all the choirs at my church, in my community and in my school. But you wouldn't ever catch me sing a solo. Maybe a duet but never a solo. So like I said, singing at Apollo night would be a big step for me. Especially considering the option for the audience to "boo" the contestants. I really wanted to try it so I could get out of my comfort zone and actually gain some confidence. 

I planned everything out to the tee. I even had a band to play with me while I sang. I had a pianist, a drummer and a saxophonist. Initially, I just wanted a pianist but he suggested that we get the other two so reluctantly I agreed. The night came and it was time for the mic check. I was really nervous because I hadn't practiced at all with the full band. They kept falling out on the plans and to make matters worse they were late for the mic check. So I only got to do my mic check with the pianist. It sounded really nice so I thought I would be okay. Right before I went up, the band decided to do a quick little practice backstage with me. Somehow they kept playing the wrong note. I thought I was screwed but they assured me that it would be fine once I went up there. 

I was so nervous. My hands were shaking, I had this tingling feeling inside me and I really thought I was going to throw up. I was up next and my band was setting up on stage. I almost wanted to back out. But I looked out into the audience, saw my friends and they gave me a thumbs up. The band started playing and lo and behold they were playing the wrong note. I was pissed but I tried to hide it. I walked up there, greeted the audience and began singing. I sounded nice because I was singing in tune but I knew it would have been way better had it been the note I had been practicing all along. I began to hear the boos come in slowly but my friends were cheering me on. Finally I gave up and suddenly told the band to stop in front of everyone. I said, "let me just do this acapella." That didn't make it any better. Needless to say I got booed off stage.

Everyone was laughing. I was thoroughly embarrassed. Contrary to what everyone thought when I ran off stage, I didn't cry. I was laughing just as hard as they were. And till this day I still laugh when I think about that night. Hey, I am laughing right now as I write this. But to my defense, everyone got "booed" that night. Even the person who won the grand prize! :)