Teens Spring Events at San Francisco Public Library

    GREAT TEEN BOOK SWAP

    Sunday, March 19, 2017— 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    FREE book! Just leave us a review.

    Here's how it works: Every Thursday, the librarian will bring out several books and allow teens the chance to look through them for one that you'd like to keep. You will, in turn, swap us a review of the book by the end of the month.

    For ages 12— 18.

    For more information, contact Dorcas at dorcas.wong@sfpl.org.

    THE MIX BOOK CLUB!

    Sunday, March 19, 2017— 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Teens aged 13— 18 are welcome to The Mix at SFPL Book Club! We read a different book each month that you help choose. This month we're reading The Sun is Also A Star, by Nicola Yoon. New members and drop-ins are always welcome!

    For more information, please e-mail catherine.cormier@sfpl.org or call (415)557-4404.

    THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY BY HENRY JAMES

    Sunday, March 19, 2017— 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

    Please join Chinatown's World Literature Book Club for an enjoyable discussion of The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. This famous novel follows the young, free-spirited heiress, Isabel Archer, as she travels from New York to Europe.

    CARTOONING & GRAPHIC NOVEL WORKSHOP

    Saturday, March 25, 2017— 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

    Join teaching artist and cartoonist Aaron Southerland for a cartooning and graphic novel workshop. Students will learn to create their very own cartoon and comic characters through advanced drawing techniques.

    This is a Reading, Writing & Poetry program from SFPL. We love reading/ sharing/ creating words.

    Recently some articles claim the word “selfie” as one of the most annoying words. But I'd like to offer that maybe it isn't not so bad.

    The “selfie” is used to describe the self taken photo, often from a smart phone. Women and men alike adorn their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts with these pictures, sometimes with puckered lips or large smiles. In fact, the selfie has become so widely known that over 31 million photos on Instagram are captioned with the selfie.

    Let's think about it. Someone takes about 10 seizes each time they do, and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn't that beautiful? In that one picture, someone has even him or herself confidence.

    Self-image is important. In society today, we are so often consumed with what society tells us is perfect. But maybe, with that one selfie, we feel like we fit that bill. We feel handsome, beautiful, confident, smart, happy and content. For that moment, everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us is erased, because that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves.

    I saw a spoken word poem recently and the young man said: If I ask you what you love the answers will most likely roll off your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds, music, tattoos… Your mom, your brother, your sister, your daughter, your best friend, your dog. How long do you think you could go on and on before you said “I love myself”？

    That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all of my life. I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However, the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves. Pamela Rutledge agrees, stating, “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”

    Time for an adventure?

    Are you a hit bored with your nine - to - five routine? Have a look at our exciting range of holidays and decide what type of adventure you'd like.

    Activity holidays

    Our activity holidays are for everyone, people who love danger or who just like sports. We have a huge variety of water, snow or desert holidays. We'll take you SCBA diving in the Red Sea or kayaking and white water rafting in Canada. If you prefer snow, you can try skiing or snowboarding in the Alps or even igloo — building. For those who like warmer weather, we also have sandboarding (the desert version of skateboarding) or camel safaris.

    Polar expeditions

    Take a cringe to Antarctica or the northern Arctic; explore a Land of white natural beauty and wonderful wildlife. Our experts will explain everything about the two poles as you watch the penguins in Antarctica or whales and polar in the Arctic, There's no greater adventure than travelling to the ends of the earth. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

   ultural journeys

    Our cultural journeys will help you discover ancient civilizations: India, Thailand, Egypt and many more. Visit temple, palaces and ancient ruins ~just remember to bring your camera! Get to know local ways of life by exploring markets, trying exotic foods and meeting local people.

    Wildlife holidays

    We organize small - group tours to gel closer to nature in Africa, Asia or South America. Go on safari in Africa and watch lions and giraffes. Meet the famous turtles off the Galapagos Islands. Look for tigers in India, or take an elephant safari in Sri Lanka. We use local guides and stay in a range of accommodation, from tents to trees houses.

    It's time for those who are about to graduate to look for jobs since graduation season is drawing near. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.

    A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos (文身), nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can't judge a book by its cover, yet people do "cover" themselves in order to convey (传递) certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.

    Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.

    As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can't expect all our customers are.

    There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.

    How far would you go for your kids education? That's a question many parents are asking in the wake of the college cheating scandal(丑闻)involving 38 wealthy parents around the country, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Here's how far I went. In the fall of 2017 my husband and I lost our jobs. We had to tell our daughter, Casey, that we couldn't afford to send her back to school for her junior year at Fordham University. We decided the best choice for our family would be for Casey to sit out a year. We promised that we would get her back the following year. Casey decided to spend the year volunteering in South Africa On Sept 30, 2017, we put our oldest child on a plane halfway around the world. Casey worked as a tutor teaching kids math, English and music in Johannesburg. We did get Casey back in school in time. When she returned to the campus, she studied harder. She isn't what she used to be. Each day is marked by gratitude because she knows what it is like not to be able to get an education.

    I wonder why the college cheating scandal happened and I think it boils down to this: Parents want to create a comfort zone for their kids. Of course, we want the best for our kids but sometimes we forget that real growth doesn't happen in times of comfort; those valuable lessons come when we are forced to think in ways we otherwise wouldn't have.

    While I did less for my child than these wealthy parents did in terms of means, in other ways I did more. I taught her that disappointment is a part of life and we should face it bravely rather than avoid it. My husband and I showed Casey that her strength is in her struggle. That's how far I went for my kid s education. And I dare say she is wiser and better off for it.