Mystery deepens around cryptic coded messages found at Western University

I love a good mystery! Can't wait to find out what it is all about!


By Matthew Coutts | Daily Brew – Yahoo - March 24

There is nothing more exciting than a good mystery. Whether they are full-blown conspiracies or simple puzzles to exercise the mind, we love being stumped, and we love the moment when the code is eventually cracked.

It is why we play Sudoku. It is why people are outraged when daily crosswords are removed from our favourite newspapers. It is why the Hollywood hit National Treasure earned itself a sequel, regardless the acting talents of Nicolas Cage.
There is a doozy of a mystery playing out on the Western University campus in London, Ont., where more than a dozen notes containing apparent secret messages have been found slipping into the pages of library books.
The messages, all printed on computer paper, are primarily a series of odd characters – similar but not identical to Microsoft Word’s wingding font – but the notes also include images of mundane household items, and paint-spattered objects are included with the notes.
The mystery has been investigated by code breakers, professors, and is now being debated on the social media site Reddit.
Mike Moffatt, an assistant professor in the Business, Economics and Public Policy department, has been detailing his puzzling adventures on a personal blog for weeks. He most recently obtained a cache of 11 notes discovered by one student who had scoured the Weldon library, bringing the total number of known messages to 16.
"I was in the D.B. Weldon library at Western University on Sunday and discovered some form of cryptogram in one of the books in the 3rd floor stacks. This puzzle is really bothering me – I will pay $100 to anyone that can solve it," he wrote on March 10.
The mystery began gaining public attention after the London Free Press wrote about it earlier this month. The Toronto Star more recently published a story about the puzzle.
While it remains unclear what the messages mean, the added scrutiny has managed to confirm that people have been finding the odd notes for more than a year. The earliest-known note was discovered in January 2013, while Moffatt says he has heard anecdotal stories about messages dating back beyond that.
Here is what we know about the messages that have been found, via Moffatt's blog:

• The messages were all found in envelopes slipped into the pages of books found in the economics/political science section of Western's Weldon library.
• At least 12 were discovered on shelves about five feet off the ground; 10 notes were definitely found between pages 16 and 17 of the book.
• Each note was found in an envelope that also contained a small bauble, usually a gem or feather, but in one case it was a small leaf. Each item has been speckled slightly by two colours of paint.
• Characters seemingly matching the bauble, usually the same colour, are included in the note.
• Each note also includes an image of a generic household item, such as a glass or a table.
• Some, but not all, of the notes contain the same series of characters, with images that match the baubles the only difference.
• There are about 50 different characters, which Moffatt says makes a straight symbol-letter substitution unlikely.
• The back of each note includes a reference to this empty blog page.

As with most mysteries, the longer this one remains unsolved, the larger its notoriety grows. And the more people grow skeptical that there is a solution at all. Recently, some have speculated that the messages are not part of a puzzle, but actually an elaborate piece of performance art.
Moffat doesn't appear dissuaded by his lack of progress. In a post from Monday, he stated, "I keep hearing things like 'sorry to disappoint, the notes don't mean anything, it's an art thing.' That is certainly a strong possibility. I'm not sure why that should disappoint at all! I find the idea that these are a form of art really interesting. That still doesn't solve the mystery, though. Who put them there? When were they put there? What was the artist thinking? How did they create the font? I have all kinds of questions, so if it is art, I'd be delighted if the artist stepped forward."
Lots of questions, few answers and plenty of clues, leads and speculation. The perfect puzzle.

Play Like Girls - Part 2

I found another story about a little girl who hadn't realized that girls play hockey.  It is sweet to see how her confidence grows when she realizes she has a role model to look up to.

For our new younger library staff, it is important to development their confidence through a mentorship.  We can achieve great things when we have someone to support us.  Like a great hockey team which relies on its goalie, the library team needs mentors for support and guidance.

Shannon Szabados plays for men's team, inspires future female goalies

By Yahoo! Sports Staff | Puck Daddy – Sun, 16 Mar, 2014 8:18 AM EDT

• 
  Yahoo - @Lance_Bradley 

By Lance Bradley

Like most good Canadian kids, my three-and-a-half year old daughter Elizabeth loves hockey. She’s been to somewhere close to 175 hockey games in her young life, beginning when she was just three months old. With credentials like that she’s about ready to adopt a pseudonym and start her very own NHL trade rumors blog.
All joking aside, about two weeks before the Sochi Olympics began, Elizabeth asked my wife Kristi and I, “Do just boys play hockey?” Shocked, we quickly explained that in just a few short weeks she’d be able to see, to use her words, “girls” play hockey on TV.
When the Olympics began we made sure that she got to see as much of the women’s hockey tournament as possible. Making it clear for her that those were women playing. She watched the gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada and cheered hard for Canada. She was pretty happy when they won.
The Games were a great opportunity to reinforce with our daughter that girls can do anything boys can. There’s still some disconnection with reality though. Even to a three-and-a-half year old, the games are just more real when you see them live. She’s also watching the hockey players on the same TV where Doc McStuffins or Dora the Explorer entertain her daily.
We moved from Vancouver to Atlanta about ten months ago. Saturday night we made the 2.5 hour drive from the Atlanta suburb we live in to Columbus, Georgia to see two-time gold medal winning Canadian goaltender Shannon Szabados suit up for the Columbus Cottonmouths in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Elizabeth was excited when the puck dropped and after Szabados made the first few stops Saturday night against the Knoxville Ice Bears, we heard our young daughter say “good job Shannon”. Like most kids her age Elizabeth’s attention wavered throughout the game. The Cottonmouths started the third period down 4-2 and Elizabeth was really into it from that point on.
“Go Shannon Go! Go Shannon Go!” Elizabeth was cheering on her hero without any coaching from Mom or Dad, or any of the other 4,294 fans in attendance. For the first time ever, Elizabeth had her very own hockey hero. The Cottonmouths added another goal to get within one, but never scored again and left with a 4-3 loss.
Szabados made 27 saves and skated off to a great ovation. After the game the team held an impromptu meet and greet in a hallway leading to Elizabeth coming face-to-face with her new idol.
While standing in line we rehearsed what Elizabeth would say to Shannon because she can be a little shy in situations like this. Before Elizabeth even got the chance to speak, Szabados took control, asking her name, how old she was, all the questions you ask a little one when you’re a big one. Elizabeth answered each question and, suddenly feeling super comfortable, looked Szabados in the eye and said, “Good game Shannon.”
We don’t have any grand delusions that Elizabeth will grow up to be an Olympian but seeing Szabados play “on the boys team” is more about letting her know she can do anything she wants to in life. Walking back to the car though, Elizabeth had a moment of regret. “I didn’t tell Shannon I wanted to be a goalie – or a soccer player.” We buckled Elizabeth in for the drive home and a few minutes after we left the arena parking lot she was fast asleep.
A girl’s gotta dream, right?
Lance Bradley is a future hockey dad living in the hockey hotbed of Atlanta, GA where he works as the Editor in Chief of BLUFF Magazine.

Library wedding proposal: one for the books

Public libraries are every community's meeting place, so a marriage proposal is the ultimate success.  All great things start at the public library!

 

Chicago ad exec Jason Methner wrote a marriage proposal into a children’s book — and tricked his girlfriend into finding it.

Photography by Aparna

A hidden camera in catches Jason Methner kissing Molly Lipsitz in a Chicago library after proposing to her. He worked the proposal into a children's book wrote and placed in the library where Molly could find it.

By: Curtis Rush News reporter, Published on Tue Apr 02 2013

A 31-year-old Chicago advertising executive has written a marriage proposal that is one for the books, portraying himself as a tortoise and his girlfriend as the hare (or, in this case, bunny).

Jason Methner is the creative mind behind the illustrated account of his relationship with his girlfriend, Molly Lipsitz.

He had the book, titled A Hare-y Tale, illustrated by friend Yoni Limor and placed the bound volume among the “new arrivals” in a Chicago library for his 27-year-old girlfriend to find.

The book refers to some of the activities they have done as a couple in their 4½-year relationship.

In it, Methner is portrayed as the tortoise and Lipsitz as “Bunny” — because she has slept with a stuffed rabbit named Bunny since childhood.

In one sketch, Bunny is shown marching off to university with a bag of her belongings tied to a stick. The book even includes a sketch of their one-year-old dog Hammer.

 

Like the classic tortoise and hare story, Methner and Lipsitz each take life at a different pace. Methner is laid back, while Lipsitz is an A-type personality, very organized and constantly producing lists. She enjoys healthy food. He loves cheeseburgers.

However, they have plenty in common, including a love of adventure, food and jogging.

They also enjoy good books and libraries. So it was only natural that the marriage proposal should take place in a library.

For this special moment, Methner chose the Harold Washington Library Centre, the main branch of the Chicago public library system.

On March 23, he used “a lie” to trick Lipsitz into finding the 20-page book on a shelf in the branch’s Thomas Hughes Children’s Library.

As Lipsitz began flipping through it, she came to an abrupt stop on page 3: the narrative mentioned Sandy Springs, her home town near Atlanta. Lipsitz grew suspicious. Methner encouraged her to read on.

On the next to last page, the story read: “Although we don’t often run at same pace, do you want to slow down and spend the rest of your life with me?”

And on the last page: “And Bunny said …” This was followed by an empty space for her to say “yes.”

At that point, Methner got down on one knee, popped the question and pulled out a diamond engagement ring.

As in all good fairytales, this book had a happy ending.

She exclaimed, “Yes,” and a professional photographer concealed behind the book shelves emerged to snap the delightful moment.

“I didn’t cry. That’s not really my style,” Lipsitz told the Star from Chicago. “I was just totally surprised and shocked in a good way. It was an amazingly thoughtful and creative proposal and in an unexpected place.”

The Chicago Public Library posted the photos on Facebook, which helped turn their proposal into a viral event.

Portrait and wedding photographer Aparna Paul Jain also posted photos on her website.

“I have known Molly for a few years now, and when Jason thought about this idea he asked me if I could photograph it. There was no way I was going to miss it,” she told the Star in an email. “I think it played out really well.”

Library staff helped her rearrange books so that she could have a clear view of Methner’s picture book.

“This is the first time I photographed a surprise proposal,” she said.

Lipsitz appreciated that Methner had arranged for her to go with a friend to have a manicure that morning, not knowing it was so she would look good in photos showing the ring on her finger.

No wedding date has been announced.

Methner made five more copies of the book so relatives would have the book as a memento.

“Most women have been very flattering to me with compliments about my creativity,” he said. “But a lot of men, especially in my friends’ group, have given me the eye roll … like, thanks for setting the bar so high.”

P.E.I. library vies to be world's smallest

CBC News

 Posted: Jul 23, 2013 11:18 AM AT
      

Housed in this tiny building, Canada's Smallest Library has about 1,800 books. (CBC)

            

A man in eastern P.E.I. who is running what he calls Canada's Smallest Library is trying to get Guinness to declare it the smallest in the world.
The library in Cardigan, operated by John A. MacDonald, sits in a building that measures 3.5 x 3.5 metres, and holds about 1,800 books. A lifetime membership costs $5, and it runs on an honour system. If you sign out a book, you're expected to bring it back.
Alexandrea MacDonald, who helps her father in the library, says they get a lot of traffic from both locals and tourists. (CBC)MacDonald's 12-year-old daughter, Alexandrea, helps out at the library, and she sees a lot of drive-by traffic from both locals and tourists.
"I think that when they see that, when they're driving by, they're thinking, oh, maybe they're just heading on the way to Montague Library, but then they think, 'Oh, Canada's Smallest Library. That's pretty cool. I'm going to go check that out,'" she said.
"I would say that there's a very good selection of books here."
MacDonald has contacted Guinness World Records, but officials said there isn't a category for the world's smallest library. MacDonald is hoping the organization will consider creating one, and that his library will win the title.