CD Spotlight - Joe Thomas - Signature

Title: Signature
Author: Joe
Media type: Sound Recording
Genre: R&B/ Soul

Joe Lewis Thomas (born July 5, 1972), usually credited simply as Joe, is a seven-time Grammy Award-nominated American R&B singer and record producer. Joe's extensive background in gospel music has allowed him to produce his albums as well as sing on them. A native of Georgia, Joe later moved to Opelika, AL; since he was the son of two preachers, he spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir. Influenced early on by gospel stars like The Winans, Commissioned, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Joe grew to love soul legends Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye plus contemporary stars Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat.

While working at a gospel record store and continuing his music education through a local church, he met producer Vincent Herbert and recorded a three-song demo tape. He signed to Polygram/Mercury and in 1993 released his album debut, Everything. This album produced a minor hit for him and he was subsequently released from his contract. Joe also had a song called All the things that appeared on the soundtrack to the Wayans. (retrieved 10/28/09, Lyrics You Love.com)

Joe has several CD’s and his latest was just released on 7/07/09. He is multitalented and has many memorable songs, but the one that stands out most for me is All the things (your man won't do), off his Greatest Hits CD. When this song was played, many women including myself felt that he was speaking directly to us. Anyway, his has had several songs that will remain classic for years to come.

ALL THE THINGS (YOUR MAN WON'T DO)
Tell me what kind of man
Would treat his woman so cold
Treat you like your nothing
When your worth more than gold
Girl to me your like a diamond
I love the way you shine
A hundred million dollar treasure
I'll give the world to make you mine

I'll put a string of pearls right in your hand
Make love on a beach of jet black sand
Outside in the rain, we can do it all night
Out to tour the places he would not
And some you never knew would get you hot
Nothing is forbidden, when we touch

Baby, I wanna do
All of the things your man won't do
I'll do them for you

I know you all love this song, but make sure you get his latest CD, Signature, so that you will continue to hear that classic Joe sound.

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Movie Series: Native Voices: We Shall Remain – America Through Native Eyes

Movie Matters, Native American Style!

Join us at the Clark County Library each Monday in November to help us celebrate Native American Heritage Moth. Every Monday, there will be a different movie that will help you learn more about this fascinating culture. From the award-winning PBS Series American Experience comes WE SHALL REMAIN, a provocative multi-media project that establishes Native History as an essential part of American history.

At the heart of the project is a five-part television series that shows how Native peoples valiantly resisted expulsion from their lands and fought the extinction of their culture -- from the Wampanoags of New England in the 1600s who used their alliance with the English to weaken rival tribes, to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the momentum of the civil rights movement to forge a pan-Indian identity. We Shall Remain represents an unprecedented collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers and involves Native advisors and scholars at all levels of the project. (Retrieved PBS.org, November 5, 2009)

We will feature four of the five movies in this series. All of these movies will be held in the theater of the Clark County Library located at 1401 East Flamingo. Join us for this unique experience. Second in the month long series is Trail of Tears.

Monday, 11/9/2009, 7 p.m.
Film: Trail of Tears
Explore the resolve and resilience of the Cherokee people, who resisted removal from their homelands in the Southeast in every way they knew: assimilating a European-style government and legal system, accepting Christianity and even taking their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Directed by Chris Eyre. (2009, 75 min.)

Don’t forget the third movie in the series, Geronimo, which airs next Monday. ... Read more!

Urban Fiction Feature Author - Meesha Mink and De'Nesha Diamond

The Urban fiction Authors for the month of November are Meesha Mink and DeNesha Diamond

Title: Title: Shameless Hoodwives
Author: Meesha Mink and De’Nesha Diamond
Genre: Urban Fiction

Niobia Bryant is an African-American novelist of both romancee and mainstream fiction. She also writes Urban Fiction as Meesha Mink and Young Adult Fiction as Simone Bryant.

Adrienne Byrd - National Best-selling author Adrianne Byrd has always preferred to live within the realms of her imagination where all the men are gorgeous and the women are worth whatever trouble they manage to get into. As an army brat, she traveled throughout Europe and learned to appreciate and value different cultures. Now she calls Georgia home.
This novel is the African-American version of the television series, Desperate Housewives. The difference is these characters lives are based out of the Bentley Manor Apartment Complex (Projects) in Atlanta, GA.

This is the second book in this series. It was even better than the first, with lots of unexpected twists and tragedies. Things at Bentley Manor are not always as they appear.

Takiah – She finally escapes from her pimp/husband when he goes to jail. She is on the run for her life, but must return to the only place that is safe. The one place she vowed never to return to, Bentley Manor. When she shows up at her grandmother, Mz. Cleo door unannounced, she is welcomed and can stay, under one condition. She must attend church and get counseling from the pastor. She is resistant until, the pastor offers her a deal she can’t refuse. The pastor has more on his mind than counseling and redemption for this lost soul. He teases her with drugs and they become involved sexually and now Takiah begins to question whether or not there may be a real God that can actually save her from her life of sin. Amidst the rumors and her pregnancy, Takiah continues to stay involved with the pastor until her husband returns. She is literally running for her life when her husband catches her in a compromising position with the pastor. Will she be redeemed in the sight of God or will she suffer an eternal damnation in hell?

Mz. Cleo – The savior of the neighborhood who is not afraid to resort to violence to try and save the innocent souls in Bentley Manor. Unfortunately she cannot save the soul of her granddaughter Takiah. She harbors guilt that she may have led to the demise of her granddaughter when she insists that she seek counseling from the pastor of the church. Her world is turned upside down after she is mistakenly shot by the police and she finds out the tragedy that has occurred with her granddaughter. Will this be the end of Mz. Cleo, or will we see her and Mz. Osceola in the next book?

Woo-Woo – She has finally found a man who can take her away from the hell of Bentley Manor. She has changed her look to fit into her suburban lifestyle. No more long nails, no more braids, no more flashy clothes. Unfortunately, you can take the girl out of the projects, but you can’t take the project out of the girl. Woo-Woo continues to sneak to Bentley Manor to be with the one person who makes her heart flutter and provides hot steamy sex at the drop of a hat, Hassan. Hassan becomes enraged that Woo-Woo will not leave her husband and decides to break it off with her. This enrages Woo-Woo and she shows up at places that Hassan hangs out to win him back. She decides that she wants to be with Hassan and decides she will tell her husband once the holidays are over. She never gets the chance to tell her husband she is in love with Hassan, because after a tragic meeting at the local shopping mall, all kinds of secrets are revealed. You know I can’t tell you, because that would spoil the book, but you are in for a surprise.

Keisha – Keisha and Smokey were high school sweethearts, drug addicts and parents together. Now, Keisha has kicked the habit and is looking to change her life. She is also tired of the emotional and physical abuse that she has endured for years from Smokey. Her brother in-law Shakespeare comes to the rescue when he offers to pay for her to go to cosmetology school. She is thrilled and begins to see a way for her to move her and her kids out of Bentley Manor. Smokey also sees this change and much more than Keisha and Shakespeare realize. He is upset and on Christmas Day, he shows up with a gun to reveal the secret and to get revenge. What happens after that is left up to you to find out.

Princess – At only seventeen, she has been through more than some women who are twice her age. She has been abused physically, emotionally and verbally by her mother as well as by her mother’s many boyfriends. What helps her keep her sanity is her friend Lucky. Lucky has always been there for her. However, what happens when Lucky is accidentally killed when she wants to watch a street fight? Princesses’ life takes her whole new turn. She is so lost and when a fight ensues between she and her mother, she is sent to jail for 3 months for assault and battery. She is at rock bottom and does not know what to do. Her saving grace is her voice. Will she be able to use her talent to get her out of Bentley Manor, or will she meet her demise as all others have in Bentley Manor. I really felt for this character and I was glad to hear her story. When hope is gone, that is when you find your true blessing.

I read this book in two days because I wanted to see what happened to each character. I was routing for some to make it out of Brentley manor and others, I thought they got what they deserved. Very quick read that kept me somewhat guessing almost until the end. This book is for those who love this genre, but want to see characters that are actually human and are representative of their circumstances and how they have learned to deal with life in the inner city.

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Native American Dance program for the entire Family

Learning about Native American can be fun and exciting. You can experience a sampling of Native American Culture by watching one of the five performances by the Hopi/Choctaw Native American, Derrick Suwaima and Hopi Native American, Ryon Polequaptewa.

Dance and Music with Derrick Suwaima Davis and Ryon Polequaptewa, 11/16/2009, 7p.m., West Charleston

Dance and Music with Derrick Suwaima Davis and Ryon Polequaptewa, 11/17/2009, 1p.m.
West Las Vegas

Dance and Music with Derrick Suwaima Davis and Ryon Polequaptewa, 11/17/2009, 4p.m.
Rainbow

Dance and Music with Derrick Suwaima Davis and Ryon Polequaptewa 11/18/2009, 10a.m.
Clark County

Dance and Music with Derrick Suwaima Davis and Ryon Polequaptewa, 11/18/2009, 1p.m.
Sunrise

Derrick Suwaima Davis is a Native Arizonan, from the Hopi and Choctaw Nations. Suwaima, who began participating in Pow Wows at the age of 3, is a Four Time World Champion Hoop Dancer and Champion Fancy Dancer. In addition to dancing competitively, Suwaima also has many other interests. He serves as the choreographer for, and performs in, the annual Native Song & Dance production at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Suwaima also functions as Artistic Director for the Native Trails Tour and Scottsdale Festivals.

For 7 years, he was a member of the pop/rock group “Clan/destine”. Furthermore, Suwaima has worked with The Phoenix Symphony and Canyon Records. In 2002, he was Head Man Dancer at the Inaugural Pow Wow at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, DC. (Retrieved November 5, 2009, the Charleston Agency)

Ryon Polequaptewa not only is one of the finest Kachina Doll carvers, but writes, sings, and drums for Blu Thunder, a group of Hopi city dwellers that left their beloved homeland. The Blu Thunder singers have been singing together over a span of 10 years, and the singers never stop thanking The Creator for giving them the gift of singing and guidance in all of their endeavors. Listen to Ryon's Grassdance from the Blu Thunder CD. (Retrieved November 5, 2009, Native American Links)

These two come together to create a fun program that can be seen by the entire family. World famous Hoop Dancer, Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi/Choctaw), and singer, Ryon Polequaptewa (Hopi), will present a 30-minute family program of Native American dance, music and storytelling. Watch as Davis uses his hoops to create the shapes of different animals that play a vital role in the circle of life. The duo will discuss the importance of the drum and the playing of shakers, rattles and flutes in Native American culture. At the end of the program, the audience will be invited to perform a Friendship Dance, a cross-cultural dance celebrating life.

Don't miss it! ... Read more!

Native American Heritage Month

As we embark on the close of another year, we would like to pay homage to the Native American population in our society during Native American Heritage Month.

First Americans Day was first celebrated around the turn of the century when Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, Director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside one day for this special group of people. As a result, for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.
The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday. (Retrieved November 4, 2009, Library of Congress)

So how did this one day develop into a month long celebration?
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month) have been issued each year since 1994. (Retrieved November 4, 2009, Library of Congress)

Want to learn about this culture and have fun in the process? Great! To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the Las Vegas–Clark County Library District has planned several programs for your enjoyment. Click here to find out about all these events.

Don’t forget to check out these great library resources to find out more information about this topic.

American Indian Experience

American Indian History Online

Biography Resource Center

Native American Heritage Infoguide

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Book Review: 19 Girls and Me

19 Girls and Me
by Darcy Pattison
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
Children’s picture book

Can girls and boys be friends? Author Darcy Pattison has a fun time considering that question in 19 Girls and Me, the story of a very unusual kindergarten class. If you’re looking for a funny story for a school age child, this story is a terrific choice.

Mrs. Ray’s class has nineteen girls and one lone boy, John. When they go out for recess each day, John is determined not to play any sissy games. As the days go by, the games John and his classmates invent together grow more and more imaginative and begin to attract the attention of others. How will John react to being seen playing with nineteen girls?

Read it the first time to enjoy the story and playful illustrations. Then read it again to practice counting to twenty or to notice details in the illustrations, like the way Mrs. Ray’s chalkboard foreshadows events in the story or how black and white images are contrasted with color ones. This book also provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on and discuss stereotypes about girls and boys. If you like this story, try The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, also by Darcy Pattison. ... Read more!

Library Closed November 11th

What?
Las-Vegas clark County Library District libraries, urban and surrounding areas wil be closed.

Why are libraries closed on this day?
To celebrate Veterans Day

What is Veterans Day?
Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed onNovember 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that endedWorld War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice (Retrieved November, 2009)

When will the library reopen?
On Thursday, November 12th from 9a.m. to 9p.m.

What happens if my books are due on this date?
No worries, items will not be due on this, but the following day. You can also use the outside bookdrops if you need to return items on this date. Please remember no dvds or cds can be placed in the outside bookdrop because they can get damaged.

What happens if I have homework?
No worries, our electronic resources are available 24 hours a day. Just make sure your card is valid and you have a personal identification number, then you are all set.

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