Category : Adults

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

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Celebrate Library Card Sign–Up Month by getting a library card, or by rediscovering the many ways to use one!

Today’s Gwinnett County Public Library is an AMAZING place to go for knowledge and fun. Whether you want to READ about it, LISTEN to it, WATCH it, or EXPERIENCE it — every day is a new discovery.

Instead of just checking out books, we let you check out the WORLD with FREE access to movies, online magazines — and even subscription websites. You can learn new languages, discover your family history, and add job-specific software skills to your resume!

Over four million Georgians use their library cards to check out books, magazines, sewing machines, to learn job skills; or even to attend yoga. There are so many different ways to utilize your local library – explore the benefits of a library card today!

With your library card, you can also check out passes for free admission to Georgia State Parks, the Carlos Museum, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Go Fish Center, Center for Puppetry Arts, and more.

Check out everything your public library has to offer!

3 Health Benefits of the Keto Diet Backed by Science

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Submitted by Alexandria Ducksworth

The keto diet is all the rage these days! You might have seen amazing physical results from Halle Berry or LeBron James. Everytime you go to the grocery store, there are barely any avocados left in the produce section.

Could this diet help you live a healthier lifestyle?

The keto diet consists of eating more healthy fats and less carbohydrates. Healthy fats include avocados, salmon, chia seeds, and eggs.

Once these foods are in your system, your body goes through “ketosis,” using the fats as energy for you to keep moving. This stage speeds up the weight loss process.

Sounds great, right? Scientists have discovered three health benefits from the keto diet:

1. Improves Sleep

Researchers from the University of Sydney examined 14 men under the keto diet. Their sleeping patterns indicated it took them a shorter time to fall asleep.

2. Slows Down Cancer Cells

Scientists concluded the keto diet reduces cancer growth. Cancer cells thrive on glucose (sugar) as food. On the other hand, it cannot do the same for ketone bodies. The cells then starve to death, reducing the rate of growing malignant tumors.

3. Reduces Depression

When you’re depressed, you’re in no mood to do anything. A study at the University of Toronto revealed their depressed test mice on the keto diet were more active compared to others not taking the meal plan. According to the report, the mice were “less likely to exhibit behavioral despair.”

Ready to give this diet a go? GCPL has many books to offer:

– Keto Diet: Your 30-Day Plan to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, Boost Brain Health, and Reverse Disease by Dr. Josh Axe

– Southern Keto: 100+ Traditional Food Favorites for a Low-carb Lifestyle by Natasha Newton

– Keto for Foodies by Nicole Downs

– Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Keto Diet, Including Simplified Science and No-cook Meal Plans by Maria Emmerich

– Keto Diet for Dummies by Rami Abrams

**Note: The keto diet may not be suitable for everyone. Talk to your doctor for the best recommendations for your health.**

Five Presidents – Book Review

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Submitted by Jon Freeman

Clint Hill, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, reveals in his book Five Presidents stories from his time serving under President Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. The book follows Clint Hill through these five presidents and we learn about what things were like being a man on the inside who is assigned to protect these leaders of our country. Hill saw some of the most significant events in our country’s history as someone close to the person in a position making tremendously tough and significant decisions. He went through the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Watergate scandal, the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew, and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Hill shares his unique perspective on these events and five presidents who made decisions that had an impact on the United States, and sometimes the world. From the book you will learn interesting things about these five presidents the public did not know anything about during their time in the White House. You will also get an insider’s details about things some of the public knew. Things such as the fact that President Eisenhower liked playing golf at Augusta National Golf Club, and while there guarding him Secret Service agents carried golf bags outfitted with sub machine guns. Agent Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard Jacqueline Kennedy during John F. Kennedy’s time as president, and over time became one of her closest friends. When shots rang out on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, and President Kennedy was shot, Hill ran as fast as he could towards the president’s limousine, jumped onto the back of it, and threw his body on top of President Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline to try and act as a shield and protect them in case more bullets were coming.

Discover some details about what happened on December, 21, 1970, when Elvis Presley showed up at the White House unannounced and met with President Nixon. Learn about what was happening as the Nixon presidency began and continued to unravel, culminating with President Nixon resigning from office. Also, find out what Clint Hill thought about each of the five presidents he served under during a career that ended with him retiring as the Assistant Director of the Secret Service.

10 Helpful Books to Alleviate Writer’s Block

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Submitted by Alexandria Ducksworth

Don’t know if you can write a book? Stuck in the middle of writing the great American novel? Can’t find the right words for your love poem?

Looks like you’re suffering for writer’s block. Here are ten helpful books to alleviate your problems:

1. On Writing by Stephen King

2. Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott

3. Seven Steps to Confident Writing by Alan Gelb

4. Writing Your Way: Creating a Writing Process That Works for You by Don Fry

5. Writing is My Drink: A Writer’s Story of Finding Her Voice (And a Guide to How You Can Too) by Theo Pauline Nestor

6. The Writing Warrior: Discovering the Courage to Free Your True Voice by Laraine Herring

7. Story Genius by Lisa Cron

8. Help! for Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces by Roy Peter Clark

9. Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content by Mark Levy

10. The Story Cure: A Book Doctor’s Pain free Guide to Finishing your Novel or Memoir by Dinty W. Moore

You can find more under “writing” in our library catalog. Keep on writing!

You Can Get a Video Game Career

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Submitted by Alexandria Ducksworth

YouTube gamers and eSports competitors have been making a fortune creating careers out of their hobbies. Can you?

Perhaps, you’re more interested in game creation. There are many ways you can get a video game career:

1. Video Game Artist/Animators

Are you an avid gamer with an extensive art portfolio fit for the next virtual world? Video game companies need you!

But first, many gaming companies require you to know how to use software such as Maya, Adobe Photoshop, and ToonBoom. There are many artists and animator jobs you can apply: character modeler, concept artist, weapon artist, 2D/3D artist, and environment artist.

Artist Samwise Didier became the artistic director for Blizzard Entertainment. Many of his works include the games World of Warcraft, Warcraft III, and Heroes of the Storm.

2. Video Game Programmer

Alexey Pajitnov was the programmer behind Tetris. He created code (computer instructions) to make the game tiles move, switch places, and disappear. To be a programmer, you must gain knowledge in Java or C++. Programmers code what animations are supposed to do. If not, the entire game would be all over the place!

3. Video Game Tester

A video game tester’s job is serious business. It’s all not fun and glamorous playing video games all day. Testers look out for any bugs in developing games. If they find any glitches, they send issue reports to programmers to fix it.

Nobody wants to play a faulty game. Video game testers make sure games are high quality before they hit the shelves.

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Are you ready to start gaming career now? You can find jobs through our digital resources: Reference USA and Job and Career Accelerator.

You can upgrade your drawing, programming, and animation skills in Lynda. All you need is a library card to get started!

Book recommendations:

– Career Launcher: Video Games by Lisa McCoy
– Careers for Tech Girls in Video Game Development by Laurie LaBella
– The Crazy Careers of Video Game Designers by Arie Kaplan
– Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Chris Solarski
– How to Become a Video Game Artist by Sam Kennedy
– So You Want to Be a Coder? By J.M. Bedell
– Video Game: Design and Code Your Own Adventures by Kathy Ceceri

One Vital Lesson You’ll Learn From “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”

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Submitted by Alexandra Ducksworth

Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki wouldn’t be the multi-millionaire today if he didn’t learn from his two fathers. His biological father worked for the government while his best friend’s dad owned various businesses.

What made poor dad “poor” and rich dad “rich?” One vital lesson Kiyosaki learned from his rich dad was the power of passive income:

“My rich dad taught me to focus on passive income and spend my time acquiring the assets that provide passive or long-term residual income…passive income from capital gains, dividends, residual income from business, rental income from real estate, and royalties.” -Robert Kiyosaki

Passive income is money you receive from an asset that requires little to no work. For example, if you purchase a home and rent it out as Airbnb property, you earn passive income from the renters.

There are many ways you can gain passive income: Youtube monetization, real estate investing, blogging, stock dividends, and more.

Ready to build your passive income streams? Check out the following books:

1. Real Estate Investing 101 by Michele Cagan
2. Investing in Dividends for Dummies by Lawrence Carrel
3. Youtube Marketing for Dummies by Will Eagle
4. Starting an Online Business All-in-One by Shannon Belew
5. Blogging for Dummies by Amy Lupold Bair

You can find more information about passive income via Lynda.

Specifically looking into stocks? Head over to our digital resources Morningstar and Value Line.

Can You Retire Sooner Than You Think?

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Submitted by Jon Freeman

In his book, You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think, Certified Financial Planner Wes Moss reveals how he thinks you can ensure a successful retirement. He also explains how those approaching retirement can possibly retire sooner rather than later – without winning the lottery. Moss conducted a study to discover the financial habits and secret practices that are common among happy retirees. He says in his book that “…it doesn’t take financial genius, millions of dollars, or sophisticated investment skills to ensure a safe, solid retirement.” Moss proposes that it takes these five practices or “Money Secrets” for most individuals to achieve the retirement they want:

1. Determine what you want and need your retirement money for
2. Figure out how much you need to save
3. Create a plan to pay off your mortgage in as little as five years
4. Develop an income stream from multiple sources
5. Become an income investor

To learn more about what Wes Moss says in his book about these secret practices feel free to check out a copy of You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think from your local Gwinnett County Public Library. For more information on personal finance topics remember that you can also access the GCPL Personal Finance Guide.

Tips on Recognizing Tax Scams

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Submitted by Jon Freeman

Every year people fall victim to different types of tax scams. These scams can be via a phone call, or some other format. Here are some things the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thinks taxpayers should remember to help them spot scams and avoid becoming a victim:

Tax Phone scams:
1. The IRS does not leave pre-recorded, urgent or threatening messages.
2. In many versions of phone scams, potential victims are told if they do not call back, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. Other verbal threats include law-enforcement agency intervention, deportation and revocation of licenses.
3. Criminals can fake or “spoof” caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country. Scammers can even spoof an IRS office phone number, or the numbers of various local, state, federal or tribal government agencies.

The IRS will never do the following:
1. Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. The IRS does not use these methods for tax payments.
2. Ask for checks to third parties. The IRS has specific instructions on how to pay taxes. All tax payments should only be made payable to the U.S. Treasury.
3. Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
4. Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

To learn more about spotting these types of scams visit the IRS tax scams web page. For more information on managing your money feel free to visit the GCPL Personal Finance Guide.

Join These FREE Classes on GALE Courses!

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Submitted by Alexandria Ducksworth

GCPL has an amazing digital resource called GALE Courses. Here, you can sign up for free six-week classes. You heard right: Free! All you need is your library card to sign up.

Here are previews of the classes you can join:

BUSINESS
-“Learn to Buy and Sell on eBay”
-“Real Estate Investing”
-“Start Your Own Business”

COLLEGE READINESS
-“GMAT Preparation”
“Prepare for the GED Test”
-“SAT/ACT Prep Course Part 1”

COMPUTER APPLICATION
-“Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking”
-“Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2019/Office 365”
-“Introduction to QuickBooks”

HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL
-“Introduction to Natural Health and Healing”
-“Become a Veterinary Assistant”
-“Become a Physical Therapy Aide”

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
-“Discover Sign Language”
“How to Get Started in Video Game Development”
-“Resume Writing Workshop”

TECHNOLOGY
-“Creating Mobile Apps with HTML5”
-“Introduction to Java Programming”
-“Introduction to Programming”

WRITING AND PUBLISHING
-“Effective Business Writing”
-“Fundamentals of Technical Writing”
-“How to Make Money From Your Writing”

More class subjects include Accounting and Finance, Design and Composition, Languages and Arts, Law and Legal, and Teaching and Education.

If you have any questions about GALE Courses, read the GALE Courses FAQ. Feel free to call us at 770-978-5154 or chat online via askGCPL (during open hours) for even more questions.

Disaster Strikes! The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time

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Submitted by Jon Freeman

There have been many great space missions throughout history – from Alan Shepard being the first American in space on the Freedom 7 spacecraft, to the Apollo 8 mission that flew around the moon, to Apollo 11 and the historical moon landing with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins. There have been many space missions throughout history that were successful. However, there have been many problems, mistakes, and disasters that happened on the journey to space flight and reaching the moon. Danger is an unavoidable part of space exploration.

In Disaster Strikes! bestselling author Jeffrey Kluger has written about twelve dangerous space missions that involved mishaps and at times major tragedies. It includes stories of missions run by both Americans and Russians during the height of the space race, complete with photos of the people and machines behind them, that led humankind to the moon and beyond. Readers will read the story about Gus Grissom almost drowning when his Liberty Bell 7 space capsule opened too soon after the splashdown in the ocean in 1961. Get detailed information on the space disasters you have heard of like the 1986 explosion of the Challenger space shuttle shortly after takeoff; and the 1970 Apollo 13 mission that was unable to land on the moon, but was able to get its crew back on earth alive.

You probably know about Neil Armstrong being the first human to set foot on the moon. But did you know that before that major historical event Neil Armstrong almost died in a disaster involving the Gemini 8 spacecraft in 1966. If it were not for the extremely quick thinking of mission commander Neil Armstrong, then he and the rest of Gemini 8’s crew would have all been killed in a disaster. This well researched book is worth a read for anyone curious to find out more about some of the most thrilling and dangerous space missions in history, and the mishaps and disasters that occurred in mankind’s quest to reach the moon and explore space.