If you’re in the mood for something completely and extraordinarily different, go see Wee Snuff this weekend when it presents “Urban Noise Camp” from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday at the Lyric Opera’s rehearsal space at 18th and Charlotte streets.

The show is a joint production by the Young Friends of the Library and the KC Bohemians, a group of young professionals supporting the Lyric Opera Guild. Wee Snuff calls its music “out-jazz on tiny instruments.”

The band is Mark Southerland on a horn he calls a “stritch,” Josh Adams on “junior drums,” Johnny Hammil on “one-eighth bass” and Ashley Miller on the “piicolophone” and microphone.

A cross-format collaboration in the Crossroads – featuring Wee Snuff and The Red Shirt Theory – on Friday, September 5, from 7 p.m. till midnight at the Lyric Opera Warehouse, located at 18th and Charlotte.

Led by improvisational jazz guru Mark Southerland, Wee Snuff presents an urban noise camping experience that blurs the line between live music and performance art with DJ collaborator The Red Shirt Theory.

This event is organized by the Young Friends of the Library, an association whose efforts complement the mission of the Kansas City Public Library, as well as the KC Bohemians, a group of young professionals supporting the Lyric Opera Guild.

by chris barnickel 

The title says it all--power to the people.  That’s the advice that Yvon Chouinard gives in his book let my people go surfing: the education of a reluctant businessman.  Maybe you’ve heard of his little company, Patagonia, Inc.  Maybe you haven’t, as it hasn’t received (thankfully) the same play with the SUV-driving suburban-set donning their north farce (sic) jackets screaming, ‘look at how outdoorsy I am!’   

It’s not nearly as cynical as I lay it out; however, the introduction speaks to me.  “I’ve been a businessman for almost fifty years.  It’s difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit being an alcoholic or a lawyer.  I’ve never respected the profession.  It’s business that has to take the majority of the blame for being the enemy of nature, for destroying native cultures, for taking from the poor and giving to the rich, and for poisoning the earth with the effluent from its factories.” 

The Kansas City Public Library hosts the national launch of Tom Bloch's new book, Stand for the Best, on Thursday, August 28, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Stand for the Best: What I Learned after Leaving My Job as CEO of H&R Block to Become a Teacher and Founder of an Inner-City Charter School tells the story of how Bloch transitioned from successful businessman to teacher to co-founder of a respected Kansas City charter school, University Academy.

More than a memoir, Stand for the Best includes lessons Bloch has learned and winning strategies from teachers he has known. The book also offers valuable advice for educating students no matter what the circumstances.

by kaite stover

You say you live in Kansas City and love jazz, but how well do you know your Kansas City jazz?

Local history buffs and jazz aficionados have likely flipped through the pages of Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop — A History, the definitive book on our city's great musical history. Now it's time for the rest of you to bone up.

by angela kille

As I watched my preschool-age daughter flit from book to book in the library this week, I wondered what made her pick one book over the other. She's going through a "fairy princess" phase, so many of the books followed through on that theme.

Others had interesting illustrations or featured some of her favorite TV characters or depicted her favorite animals.

In partnership with Harvesters: the Community Food Network, the Kansas City Public Library offers its annual Food for Fines Week from August 18 through August 24.

During this period, Library patrons are encouraged to bring undamaged and unexpired boxed or canned non-perishable food items to any Library location in exchange for a one dollar reduction per item in existing overdue fines or lost material fees. Each donated item may also be exchanged for a free video or DVD check-out.

All food will be donated to Harvesters, Kansas City's only food bank—established in 1979 and currently helping a 13-county service area that includes assistance for emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children's homes, homes for the mentally disabled, and shelters for battered persons.

by nikki powell

Many people register to vote at their local library or the DMV, but did you know you can register to vote at concerts and shows? Rock the Vote provides voter registration at your favorite concert venues, events and local bars. Got tickets to the hottest concert of the summer, or catching some tunes from your favorite local band? Look for the Rock the Vote table to register to vote or update your address.

I have secrets. We all have secrets. Even in a comfortable and open relationship, deep down there is usually something we try to keep hidden. Those secrets make us who we are and keep us safe from ridicule and scrutiny.

However, buried secrets can fester.

In 2004, Frank Warren asked people to write their secrets anonymously on blank postcards. He posted those confessions on PostSecret.com. Eventually, his small project grew into a worldwide phenomenon. Hundreds of people mailed in their secrets on homemade postcards ranging from traffic tickets to dry-cleaning receipts.

On the first Sunday of every month at 9:30 a.m. at the City Market, 400 Grand St. Kansas City, MO 64106--North Walkway next to the Steamboat Arabia, the Friends of the Library will hold a series of book sales.  Book sales will continue through October.

Next Book Sale: Sunday, August 3, 2008, at 9:30 a.m.

Subject matters cover many genres and range in price from $0.50 to $5.00.