Library events

Library events
The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County has two contests for teens. Feel like playing? Here's the list:
UName That Tune: Test your musical knowledge and win a cool prize. For pupils in grades 7-12, at the Boardman branch, Tuesday at 7 p.m.
UName That Library: Identify 10 of Mahoning County's libraries from close-up photos and win a chance for a Chapters coffee shop gift card. For grades 7-12, at the Poland branch during regular hours, beginning Sunday and running through Nov. 20. Three winners will be chosen each week.
Free blackout skate
BOARDMAN -- A free blackout skate will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at Skate Connection, 7080 Tiffany Blvd. Skate rental is extra. Bring your flashlights or buy a glow stick at the Skate Connection. For information, call (330) SK8-6903 or visit www.skateconnection.com.
Muffin cartoons
What would you do if a strange talking muffin approached you and demanded that you eat it?
Such out-of-this-world muffin encounters are what give the Muffin Films of www.muffinfilms.com their perennial appeal. Anyone with Macromedia Flash and a couple minutes to spare can have a chuckle at a muffin-tin full of animated cartoons extolling the virtues of this often-unappreciated baked good.
The animation is basic, the colors are crayon-box bright, and the ideas are just plain wacky. In this muffin-filled universe, muffins can talk and grow on trees. The 12 shorts, most less than a minute long, spoof a variety of genres, including camp-esque ghost stories, artsy French films and Broadway-style musicals.
The films are the product of graduate student Amy Winfrey, who made the Muffin Films project her Master of Fine Arts thesis at the University of California, Los Angeles animation workshop. Now her school project has become a cult favorite, quoted in instant messenger profiles across the land.
Muffinfilms.com lets muffin devotees buy Muffin Films T-shirts or prints. Fans can also sign the guest book, which has more than 1,500 pages of entries.
Quote/Unquote
"I have a new philosophy on clothes. Now I always wear whatever I'm wearing -- the same outfit -- for four days. And then I never wear it again." -- Actress Cameron Diaz ("Shrek 2"), in J-14 magazine.
h"I think it's funny people think it's shocking that my mom would have good music taste. What does music have to do with politics? I mean, she can have cool music tastes. She's a normal woman." -- Jenna Bush, talking about the first lady, in People.
"I love to sail. It's something that's calmed me down." -- Actor Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama"), in People.
Calling all youth leaders
TeenFusion Ministries will host a free fully catered Youth Pastor Breakfast for all church youth leaders at New Life Assembly of God, 2250 E. Western Reserve Road, Poland, on Saturday at 9 a.m.
Speakers will offer tips on keeping teens coming back. Youth leaders will also be able to order half-price wristbands for their groups for the Jan. 15 TeenFusion Impact event. Call (330) 518-5503 for reservations.
Indian Spider-Man
What if an Indian lad named Pavitr Prabhakar had the ability to climb walls and sling webs, instead of Peter Parker? It's a strange question, but it's answered in "Spider-Man: India" No. 1 ($2.99), reprinted from an actual series in India.
There are a few differences. For example, Prabhakar gets his crime-fighting powers from a Hindu holy man, instead of a radioactive spider.
The Marvel comic book is due in stores this month.