Here is a webcast on the past, present, and future of food from the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey. He then discusses these issues with Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma." Whole Foods Market is the largest organic and natural retailer in the world.
View the Webcast (Real Player. The program runs 124 minutes. )
Source: Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley
Monday, March 05, 2007
Health Science: Management of Chronic Disease
“Our study showed that participating in a collaborative improved the processes of care related to prevention and screening and disease monitoring and treatment for diabetes and asthma, but participating in a collaborative did not improve these processes for hypertension. The study did not show improvements in intermediate outcomes of care. Whether these differences in diseases and outcomes are related to the nature of each targeted condition, aspects of the participating organizations, ease of patient adherence, or the specific collaborative under study is not known. Finally, improvements over time were seen in both intervention and control centers for almost every individual measure. Whether this broad improvement reflects general secular trends or the general quality-improvement environment at community health centers is not known.”
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Early Child Education: Language Skills
Very Early Processing Skills as Predictors of Later Language Disorders
“First concerns that a child is not developing language as expected typically arise when a child is 2-3 years old, and children up to 4 constitute a substantial proportion of first referrals to speech and language therapy services. Long-term outcome for these children is a critical issue for all concerned: are they simply ‘late bloomers’, or will they have persisting problems with language and communication? This project aimed to identify predictors of outcome in 2- to 3-year-olds referred with concerns about language.”
+ Full Report (PDF; 2.1 MB)
Source: Economic & Social Research Council
“First concerns that a child is not developing language as expected typically arise when a child is 2-3 years old, and children up to 4 constitute a substantial proportion of first referrals to speech and language therapy services. Long-term outcome for these children is a critical issue for all concerned: are they simply ‘late bloomers’, or will they have persisting problems with language and communication? This project aimed to identify predictors of outcome in 2- to 3-year-olds referred with concerns about language.”
+ Full Report (PDF; 2.1 MB)
Source: Economic & Social Research Council
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Search Mash
"This is an unbranded Google site, where Google is trying out a new search engine interface. For starters, it sorts the results by web pages, images, blogs, videos, and Wikipedia entries, all on one screen. The first 20 web pages are displayed in a somewhat abbreviated format, but with a new way to drill down into any of the retrieved web sites. And Google finally has something close to MSN Live's "infinite scroll." When you click SearchMash's link for "More web results", the next 20 results are added at the end of the search results list; you can now scroll through 40 results at a time. Click "More web results" and another 20 are added at the end of the list, and so on." (Mary Ellen Bates)
http://www.searchmash.com
http://www.searchmash.com
Featured Podcast This Week
Civil Liberties in War Time (MP3)Two of our nation's constitutional law experts, Judge Richard Posner and Professor Geoffrey Stone, debate the tension between civil liberties and national security when America is at war. You can listen to it online or download to an MP3 device.
Source: National Constitution Center
Source: National Constitution Center
Research & Authority in an Online World
The English Journal article "Research and Authority in an Online World: Who Knows? Who Decides?" (G) is a must-read on the evolving role of Internet-based research (and the research paper) for teachers at all levels. Though the specific activities mentioned take place in a secondary classroom, the general discussion of Wikipedia and online research is significant for any classroom.
Source: English Journal
Source: English Journal
Critical Literacy: Teacher Learning
As we think about the Nation's Report Card (NAEP Results), we should worry that the scores of many high school students did not demonstrate the high critical literacy skills essential to their future success. What part do teachers play? We know teachers greatly impact student learning, so teachers' own learning is vital as well. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Principles of Adolescent Literacy Reform and Principles of Professional Development describe how teacher learning can take place in schools to build the capacity to support students' 21st century learning.
Sources: NCTE
Sources: NCTE
Overhaul No Child Left Behind
Critics of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) ask Congress to overhaul it. The Forum for Educational Accountability has called on Congress to scrap the accountability system under the current No Child Left Behind Act in favor of an accountability system that holds schools responsible for teacher training and parental involvement.
Source: Education Week, February 23, 2007
Source: Education Week, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Political Interference in Science
A-Z Guide to Political Interference in Science
The Union of Concerned Scientists produced this guide to the ways in which the work of scientists at federal agencies has been suppressed or distorted for political purposes. Browse alphabetically, by agency, or by topic, or view the timeline. See also Scientists and Engineers for America <http://www.sefora.org/index.php>, an organization devoted to explaining to the public the importance of scientific integrity. It includes a "scientific bill of rights.”
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/a-to-z-guide-to-political.html.
Source: Marylaine
The Union of Concerned Scientists produced this guide to the ways in which the work of scientists at federal agencies has been suppressed or distorted for political purposes. Browse alphabetically, by agency, or by topic, or view the timeline. See also Scientists and Engineers for America <http://www.sefora.org/index.php>, an organization devoted to explaining to the public the importance of scientific integrity. It includes a "scientific bill of rights.”
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/a-to-z-guide-to-political.html.
Source: Marylaine
The Big Read
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.
The Big Read answers a big need. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young.
The Big Read in the Hartford area is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, an African American classic. Read it or read it again.
The Big Read answers a big need. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young.
The Big Read in the Hartford area is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, an African American classic. Read it or read it again.
One Word Sets Off Uproar and Talk of Book Banning
You must have heard that The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron is this year's winner of the Newbery Medal.and that one word on the first page of the book is causing some school librarians to say they will pull the book from the shelves. This New York Times article explores the controversy. For advice, rationales and other help with challenges to literary works, films and videos, drama productions, or teaching methods, visit the NCTE Anti-Censorship Center.
The New York Times, February 18, 2007
The New York Times, February 18, 2007
More Students in Online Classrooms
According to the North American Council for Online Learning, one million students from kindergarten through 12th grade have enrolled in online classes. Nearly half of the states offer online learning for students. However, some educators are urging caution, saying teacher-student interaction in person is crucial in the learning process.
Source: The Boston Globe, February 18, 2007
Source: The Boston Globe, February 18, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Faculty Issues and the Law in Higher Education
Thursday, February 15, at 12 noon
Join Chronicle editors every Thursday at noon for the Brown Bag, a new online discussion. Each week you will be joined by an expert from the world of college finance, technology, management, or other fields for a free and freewheeling discussion on higher education's hot topics. Today's discussion is on faculty issues and the law in higher education.
One of the most vexing problems facing college administrators is hiring and managing faculty members and other college personnel. A leading expert on the law and faculty issues, Barbara A. Lee, will talk about negotiating some of the most common problems, such as how colleges can manage successfully through cutbacks and financial strains without disregarding anyone's rights. She will also talk about ever-evolving issues that colleges must watch, such as the increasing use of adjunct professors, threats to tenure, and rising legal risks for colleges prompted by blogging, file sharing, and other new technologies.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Major Changes in Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security will merge three of its existing academic research centers and create four new centers, to study natural disasters, border security, explosives detection, and maritime security, Congressional Quarterly reported last week.
The merger, scheduled for 2010, is part of the department’s effort to eliminate overlap in its Centers of Excellence program, which finances homeland-security research by university consortia. The three centers that will be merged — the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, and the National Center for Food Protection and Defense — all conduct research on chemical and biological terrorism.
Major Changes Planned for Academic-Research Centers in Homeland Security
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
The merger, scheduled for 2010, is part of the department’s effort to eliminate overlap in its Centers of Excellence program, which finances homeland-security research by university consortia. The three centers that will be merged — the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, and the National Center for Food Protection and Defense — all conduct research on chemical and biological terrorism.
Major Changes Planned for Academic-Research Centers in Homeland Security
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
YouNiversity
Imagine what would happen if academic departments operated more like YouTube or Wikipedia, allowing for the rapid deployment of scattered expertise and the dynamic reconfiguration of fields. MIT instructor Henry Jenkins calls this new form of academic unit a "YouNiversity."
Jenkins ask that we "Consider these developments: At the end of last year, Time named "You" its Person of the Year "for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game." Earlier in the year, Newsweek described such sites as Flickr, MySpace, Craigslist, Digg, and YouTube as "putting the 'We' in the Web." The business "thought leader" Tim O'Reilly has termed these new social-network sites "Web 2.0," suggesting that they represent the next phase in the digital revolution — no longer about the technologies per se but about the communities that have grown up around them. Some are even describing immersive online game worlds such as Second Life as the beginnings of Web 3.0. All of this talk reflects changes that cut across culture and commerce, technology and social organization."
His article about dramatic changes in higher education is in the latest Chronicle of Higher education-very interesting.
Jenkins ask that we "Consider these developments: At the end of last year, Time named "You" its Person of the Year "for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game." Earlier in the year, Newsweek described such sites as Flickr, MySpace, Craigslist, Digg, and YouTube as "putting the 'We' in the Web." The business "thought leader" Tim O'Reilly has termed these new social-network sites "Web 2.0," suggesting that they represent the next phase in the digital revolution — no longer about the technologies per se but about the communities that have grown up around them. Some are even describing immersive online game worlds such as Second Life as the beginnings of Web 3.0. All of this talk reflects changes that cut across culture and commerce, technology and social organization."
His article about dramatic changes in higher education is in the latest Chronicle of Higher education-very interesting.
Demonstration Today of Xreferplus
The free trial to the Online Reference Library, Xreferplus, is now set-up for Goodwin College. For trial access, go to http://www.xreferplus.com/ . This trial will be available until March 15th, 2007. The reference library will be demonstrated in the conference room at 11:30 today.
The Xreferplus trial guide - an introduction to Xreferplus with links to sample Xreferplus images, dynamic tables, voice pronunciations, our interactive atlas, and concept maps can also be accessed at www.xrefer.com/trialguide
Xreferplus is the world's largest online reference service featuring over 200 full-text reference titles with over 2 million entries from 50 highly-respected publishers integrated in a robust search engine with many unique interactive features.
Xrefer has also recently launched a new Specialist Reference (SR) service with subject-specific expertise and added many new unique interactive features such as dynamic table functionality for world state, and county statistics, an interactive world atlas, and our concept map. Xrefer also features over 66,000 images, over 180,000 audio pronunciations, and a citation formatter in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats.
Source: James Slattery, Account Executive for Xrefer
The Xreferplus trial guide - an introduction to Xreferplus with links to sample Xreferplus images, dynamic tables, voice pronunciations, our interactive atlas, and concept maps can also be accessed at www.xrefer.com/trialguide
Xreferplus is the world's largest online reference service featuring over 200 full-text reference titles with over 2 million entries from 50 highly-respected publishers integrated in a robust search engine with many unique interactive features.
Xrefer has also recently launched a new Specialist Reference (SR) service with subject-specific expertise and added many new unique interactive features such as dynamic table functionality for world state, and county statistics, an interactive world atlas, and our concept map. Xrefer also features over 66,000 images, over 180,000 audio pronunciations, and a citation formatter in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats.
Source: James Slattery, Account Executive for Xrefer
Journal of Nursing Education
February issue of the Journal of Nursing Education is here with major articles focusing on content and competency for the 21st century:
Curriculum Revisited
Statistics Used in Current Nursing Research
Emancipatory Teaching-Learning Philosophy and Practice Education in Acute Care
Rescuing Nursing Education from Content Saturation: The Case for a concept-Based Curriculum
Cultural Competence Revisited: Nursing Students with Disabiities
Patient Safety: Where is Nursing Education
A Survey of Physical Assessment Techniques: Lessons for Nusing Education
Curriculum Revisited
Statistics Used in Current Nursing Research
Emancipatory Teaching-Learning Philosophy and Practice Education in Acute Care
Rescuing Nursing Education from Content Saturation: The Case for a concept-Based Curriculum
Cultural Competence Revisited: Nursing Students with Disabiities
Patient Safety: Where is Nursing Education
A Survey of Physical Assessment Techniques: Lessons for Nusing Education
New Directions for Youth Development
The winter issue of New Directions for Youth Development has arrived! The whole issue is devoted to rethinking programs for youth in middle years. The everyday life of a nine to fifteen year old is in the middle. This in-between-ness challenges our ideas about the purpose and design of youth programs and the roles and responsibilities of young people in these activities. This issue explores young people's journey into community during their nonschool hours.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Table of Visualization Methods
Visual-literacy.org is an "online introductory tutorial about how data, abstract thoughts, and concepts can be graphically represented to more easily gain useful insights. One of their knowledge map examples is this excellent Periodic Table of Visualization Methods. Rolling your mouse over each form of visualization brings up an example of the technique. It looks like it would very useful if you think a visualization is in order but you're not sure which specific kind to try." Very cool!
Link to Periodic Table
Link to PDF paper "Towards a Periodic Table of Visualization Methods for Management"
Source: boingboing and Mike Love
Link to Periodic Table
Link to PDF paper "Towards a Periodic Table of Visualization Methods for Management"
Source: boingboing and Mike Love
Science Times on Tuesdays
This is just a reminder that every Tuesday The New York Times publishes a science section. This week it included articles about the nuisance of orbiting junk, climate change, how we see red, the brain region linked to smoking, the debate on the wolf's comeback, the danger of teenagers with cars, and the ecosystem of the skin, treatment of sleep apnea, --and more. The New York Times is available to you from the library page.
Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian's Journal
When the Saddam regime was toppled in 2003, the Iraq National Library and Archive in Baghdad was set alight and looted. Much damage was done, in particular to the library’s archive collections. For several months, the diary entries ofDr. Saad Eskander, the director of Iraq's National Library and Archives, have apeared on the Web site of the British Library and they detail the daily hurdles of keeping Iraq's central library open, preserving the surviving archives and books and just staying alive. An article about Eskander and the library appears in the Arts section of the New York Times today available on the library page. You can read the diary entries at http://www.bl.uk/iraqdiary.html.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
New England Watershed: Best New Publication
Place is an important part of how we construct our identities and now we have a new regional magazine. Utne magazine nominatedd New England Watershed as the best new publication of 2006. You will find the Winter 2006-2007 issue in the library.
According to Utne editors, "New England Watershed casts an exceptionally wide lens on a variety of questions pertaining to regional identity. Each issue of the magazine focuses on one them--food and farming, mental health, interstate 91, and examines it through a variety of cultural and historical perspectives." Don't miss out!
According to Utne editors, "New England Watershed casts an exceptionally wide lens on a variety of questions pertaining to regional identity. Each issue of the magazine focuses on one them--food and farming, mental health, interstate 91, and examines it through a variety of cultural and historical perspectives." Don't miss out!
New Book: What's Toxic, What's Not
What's Toxic, What's Not by Gary Ginsberg and Brian Toal (published Dec., 2006)
The authors are toxicologists for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. This is a comprehensible bible of hazardous substances that impact every individual in the United States. While explaining the major toxins of lead, radon, mold, and asbestos, they also delve into pesticides and chemicals in consumer products, food, water, air, and soil. Chapters describe each toxin, address the myths and realities surrounding it, and discuss how people come into contact with the substance and how to avoid it. Charts illustrate the toxicity, exposure, and risk index for each contaminant. Suggestions for testing one’s own environment through local health department, water service, and so forth are concrete and achievable. Important points are boxed for emphasis. Tips are provided for diverse subjects such as how to microwave foods in plastic safely and how to make a homemade “green bubble” bath. This is a fascinating but frightening account that is well worth considering for class bibliographies.
Source: Library Journal December 2006
The authors are toxicologists for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. This is a comprehensible bible of hazardous substances that impact every individual in the United States. While explaining the major toxins of lead, radon, mold, and asbestos, they also delve into pesticides and chemicals in consumer products, food, water, air, and soil. Chapters describe each toxin, address the myths and realities surrounding it, and discuss how people come into contact with the substance and how to avoid it. Charts illustrate the toxicity, exposure, and risk index for each contaminant. Suggestions for testing one’s own environment through local health department, water service, and so forth are concrete and achievable. Important points are boxed for emphasis. Tips are provided for diverse subjects such as how to microwave foods in plastic safely and how to make a homemade “green bubble” bath. This is a fascinating but frightening account that is well worth considering for class bibliographies.
Source: Library Journal December 2006
What They are Reading on College Campuses
- Iraq Study Group Report
- Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
- For One More Day by Mitch Alborn
- America (The Book) by writers of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- Next by Michael Crichton
- Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwrds
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- Bad President by Rosen, Friedman, Prichett, and Battles
- Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner
- The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by JohnGreisham
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Monday, February 05, 2007
Annual Report on Nation's Health
The American College of Physicians, or ACP, has released its annual overview, which highlights problems in the U.S. health care system and calls for sweeping payment reforms designed to shift the nation’s focus back to patient-centered primary care and prevention. ACP’s report, “State of the Nation’s Health Care” contains a laundry list of red flags, including 47 million Americans without health insurance; astronomical per capita spending for health care; underuse of preventive care; overuse of invasive procedures; and a lack of patient-centered, coordinated care. And the situation is only getting worse, according to the ACP.
Source: American College of Physicians (via American Academy of Family Physicians)
+ Full Report
Source: American College of Physicians (via American Academy of Family Physicians)
+ Full Report
New Database: Academic OneFile
Academic OneFile is a comprehensive, subscription-based database of more than 8,000 journals covering everything from STM to the humanities. It was created in response to the academic community’s need for a sophisticated, up-to-date, easy-to-use database for serious research. All of the things you’ve come to love about InfoTrac® remain the same. The powerful search engine, Thomson Gale PowerSearch,™ continues to simplify navigation with a “breadcrumb trail” that shows the path a search has taken. An exciting, innovative added value is the inclusion of hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC, as well as full-text New York Times content to 1995.
Find it at www.iconn.org!
Find it at www.iconn.org!
LegalTrac is here
Iconn.org now provides us with the LegalTrac database. Drawing on a wide variety of the most highly regarded legal publications, LegalTrac provides indexing for approximately 1,300 titles: major law reviews, legal newspapers, law specialty publications, bar association journals and international legal journals. Each title included in LegalTrac is selected by a special advisory committee of the American Association of Law Libraries. LegalTrac also contains law-related articles from more than 1,000 additional business and general interest titles. It is easily accessible at www.iconn.org.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Spelling's Summit on Higher Education
The “summit” that Education Secretary Margaret Spellings promised (or threatened?) to hold as part of her plan to carry out the recommendations of her Commission on the Future of Higher Education will take place in Washington March 21-22, the Education Department said in invitations sent out just before Christmas. The summit was designed to “focus on galvanizing action and distributing leadership and accountability across all sectors.” Its work will emphasize five key priorities: “aligning K-12 and higher education expectations; increasing need-based aid; using accreditation to support and emphasize student learning outcomes; serving adults and other non-traditional students; expanding affordability through increased transparency of costs.”
The report, "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education", was commissioned by Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling and completed last year. the work of the panel, which engaged in a year of study and debate, challenges college leaders, policy makers and the public to help improve an American higher education system that Spelling describes as slipping.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
The report, "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education", was commissioned by Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling and completed last year. the work of the panel, which engaged in a year of study and debate, challenges college leaders, policy makers and the public to help improve an American higher education system that Spelling describes as slipping.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Campus Pandemic Flu Planning
All Connecticut colleges and universities are encourage to send a campus team to a one-day conference on planning for pandemic influenza, capitalizing on the approach utilized by Yale University The Conference is at the Michael J. Adanti Student Center, SCSU on February 22 from 8:30 to 2:30.
In late 2005, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began in earnest to alert the world’s countries to the possibilities of a pandemic flu outbreak on a scale similar to that of the Spanish Flu of 1918. Higher Education will be among the industries most severely impacted. The impact on college or university operations may include unprecedented demands on student health services, the establishment of quarantine sites, debilitating sickness among staff and faculty causing severe reductions in the work force, essential services hampered and perhaps unavailable, and significant loss of tuition revenues from closure of the institution, and non-returning students.Further information on the February conference is available at greimanj@theccic.org
In late 2005, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began in earnest to alert the world’s countries to the possibilities of a pandemic flu outbreak on a scale similar to that of the Spanish Flu of 1918. Higher Education will be among the industries most severely impacted. The impact on college or university operations may include unprecedented demands on student health services, the establishment of quarantine sites, debilitating sickness among staff and faculty causing severe reductions in the work force, essential services hampered and perhaps unavailable, and significant loss of tuition revenues from closure of the institution, and non-returning students.Further information on the February conference is available at greimanj@theccic.org
New Book: A Hand To Guide Me
In A Hand to Guide Me, Denzel Washington shares his personal story of the mentors who helped guide his life--more than 70 of America's leading personalities in theater, sports, business, and politics who in turn tell their life-changing stories of mentorship. The library has four copies.
The book "showcases how the kindness of mentors has shaped the lives of people you know and respect. In their own words, legendary personalities tell how people stepped up to guide them. From Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali to Bob Woodard and James Worth, the voices in this book may be household names now, but they credit their success to the guidance of others long ago." (book jacket)
The book "showcases how the kindness of mentors has shaped the lives of people you know and respect. In their own words, legendary personalities tell how people stepped up to guide them. From Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali to Bob Woodard and James Worth, the voices in this book may be household names now, but they credit their success to the guidance of others long ago." (book jacket)
Bookfinder.com
BookFinder.com is an one-stop ecommerce search engine that searches over 100 million books for sale—new, used, rare, out-of-print, and textbooks. They save time and money by searching which booksellers are offering the best prices and selection.
The BookFinder.com website is part of the BookFinder.com/JustBooks network, produced by a team of high-tech librarians and programmers based in Berkeley, California, and Düsseldorf, Germany.
Source: Free Pint
The BookFinder.com website is part of the BookFinder.com/JustBooks network, produced by a team of high-tech librarians and programmers based in Berkeley, California, and Düsseldorf, Germany.
Source: Free Pint
21st Century Literacies.
During this week's 21st Century Literacies Impact Conference, more than 170 attendees invited from all sectors of education, business, and policy leadership will explore how teacher education, ongoing professional development, and assessment practices need to change to support the core 21st century skills framework.
Source: The Council Chronicle Online, January 25, 2007
Source: The Council Chronicle Online, January 25, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Facts on File: Free Trial
We have a free trial to Facts on File until February 9, 2007. Facts On File is one of America’s leading publishers of print and online reference materials since 1941. The list has grown to more than 1,300 titles and spans a multitude of subject areas such as:
American History
American Women's History
African-American History
American Indian History
Modern World History
Ancient and Medieval History
World Atlas
Science
Health Reference Center
Curriculum Resource Center
Bloom's Literary Reference
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center
Personal and Business Forms
The URL to access our site via username/password is:
http://www.fofweb.com/demo
*. Enter your Username: Goodwin
*. Enter your Password: Trial
American History
American Women's History
African-American History
American Indian History
Modern World History
Ancient and Medieval History
World Atlas
Science
Health Reference Center
Curriculum Resource Center
Bloom's Literary Reference
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center
Personal and Business Forms
The URL to access our site via username/password is:
http://www.fofweb.com/demo
*. Enter your Username: Goodwin
*. Enter your Password: Trial
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Put Another President in Your Pocket
Put Another President in Your Pocket
"Third time’s a charm? The U.S. Mint is set to give the $1 coin another go, but this time they’re using the power of dead presidents. Starting with Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison in 2007, the Mint will release four presidents each year, in the order in which they served—much like the state quarters, which were released in the order in which states joined the union."
Source: the World Almanac blog
"Third time’s a charm? The U.S. Mint is set to give the $1 coin another go, but this time they’re using the power of dead presidents. Starting with Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison in 2007, the Mint will release four presidents each year, in the order in which they served—much like the state quarters, which were released in the order in which states joined the union."
Source: the World Almanac blog
People Places Plants, Oh My
This blog is way too serious. So here is a change of pace. The early spring issue of People Places Plants is now in the library. Find out about all the glorious flower shows of the Northeast. The Connecticut Flower and Garden Show moves this year to the Convention Center and runs from February 22-25. Visit the web page www.ctflowershow.com for more information.
The New England Spring Flower show at Boston's Bayside Exposition & Executive Conference Center features its larget garden in a decade showcasing the principles of xeriscaping--the cover article in the magazine. If you are headed for Logan Airport with a ticket for out of state between March 17-25, you will miss it! The theme of the show this year? "Yes You Can!" The web page is www.masshort.org.
The New England Spring Flower show at Boston's Bayside Exposition & Executive Conference Center features its larget garden in a decade showcasing the principles of xeriscaping--the cover article in the magazine. If you are headed for Logan Airport with a ticket for out of state between March 17-25, you will miss it! The theme of the show this year? "Yes You Can!" The web page is www.masshort.org.
Health Care Tax Deductions
A new analysis released by the Tax Foundation suggests that tax deductions for purchasing healthcare insurance would help less than half of the uninsured. Fifty-three percent of Americans without health insurance pay nothing in federal taxes and would therefore be unable to take the deduction, according to the study by staff economist Gerald Prante.
Health Care Tax Deductions Would Reach Less than Half of Uninsured
Source: Tax Foundation“
Health Care Tax Deductions Would Reach Less than Half of Uninsured
Source: Tax Foundation“
Homeland Security Information
Rethinking Research, Development, and Acquisition for Homeland Security
In 2004, a joint research project by The Heritage Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) offered extensive recommendations on how to improve the organization and operations of the newly established Department of Homeland Security (DHS)[1]. After appointment as Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff undertook a “Second Stage Review” that adopted many of the recommendations in The Heritage Foundation/CSIS report.
However, both efforts at rethinking the department gave scant attention to the Directorate for Science and Technology (S&T Directorate). At the time, the directorate was still establishing its organization and research priorities. Now, five years after its creation, its track record is clear enough, and it is not good. Reorganization of the S&T Directorate is unfinished business that the department can no longer ignore.
Source: The Heritage Foundation
In 2004, a joint research project by The Heritage Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) offered extensive recommendations on how to improve the organization and operations of the newly established Department of Homeland Security (DHS)[1]. After appointment as Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff undertook a “Second Stage Review” that adopted many of the recommendations in The Heritage Foundation/CSIS report.
However, both efforts at rethinking the department gave scant attention to the Directorate for Science and Technology (S&T Directorate). At the time, the directorate was still establishing its organization and research priorities. Now, five years after its creation, its track record is clear enough, and it is not good. Reorganization of the S&T Directorate is unfinished business that the department can no longer ignore.
Source: The Heritage Foundation
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Preventing Plagiarism Tips
New out this week, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques offers secondary and college teachers effective strategies for heading off plagiarism at its sources. Read chapter one of the book, "The Rewards of Original Thinking," online now!
Source: NCTE
Source: NCTE
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Video Lecture: Introduction to Chemistry
Introduction to Chemistry
Video Lectures: Course Chem 1A (Berkeley)
Course Website
Course covers:Atoms, Molecules, Stoichiometry, Atomic Structure, Molecular Formulae, Reactions in Solution, Light waves, Absorption, Emission, Light, Particles, Photons, Matter: Particles/Waves, Quantum Particles in 1-Dimension, Quantum Mechanics: H Atom, QM Orbitals, Radiation and Matter, Many Electron Atoms, Spin, Pauli Principle, Electronic Configuration, Periodic Properties, Trends, Chemical Bonds, Lewis Structures, Covalent Bonding, Resonance, Oxidation Numbers, Formal Charge, Molecular Structure, VSEPR, Isomers, Colavent Bonding, Molecular Orbitals, Hybridization, Molecular Orbitals, Resonance, Ideal Gases, Kinetic Theory, Absolute Temperature, Real Gases, Phase Transitions, Thermodynamics: First Law, Thermochemistry, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Human Thermochemsitry, Bond Energies, Entropy, Second Law, Free Energy, Direction of Change, Equilibrium, Mass Action, Equilibrium, Temperature, Le Chatelier, Free Energy, Equilibrium Constant, Heterogeneous Equilibrium, Strong Acids and Bases, Weak Acids and Bases, Titration of Weak Acids, Buffers, Indicators, Acid Strength, Amino Acids, Polyprotic Acids, Reduction Potentials, Galvanic Cells, Chemistry vs. Biochemistry, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Nuclear Applications, UC Berkeley and the Actinides
Source: Free Science and Video Lectures Online
Video Lectures: Course Chem 1A (Berkeley)
Course Website
Course covers:Atoms, Molecules, Stoichiometry, Atomic Structure, Molecular Formulae, Reactions in Solution, Light waves, Absorption, Emission, Light, Particles, Photons, Matter: Particles/Waves, Quantum Particles in 1-Dimension, Quantum Mechanics: H Atom, QM Orbitals, Radiation and Matter, Many Electron Atoms, Spin, Pauli Principle, Electronic Configuration, Periodic Properties, Trends, Chemical Bonds, Lewis Structures, Covalent Bonding, Resonance, Oxidation Numbers, Formal Charge, Molecular Structure, VSEPR, Isomers, Colavent Bonding, Molecular Orbitals, Hybridization, Molecular Orbitals, Resonance, Ideal Gases, Kinetic Theory, Absolute Temperature, Real Gases, Phase Transitions, Thermodynamics: First Law, Thermochemistry, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Human Thermochemsitry, Bond Energies, Entropy, Second Law, Free Energy, Direction of Change, Equilibrium, Mass Action, Equilibrium, Temperature, Le Chatelier, Free Energy, Equilibrium Constant, Heterogeneous Equilibrium, Strong Acids and Bases, Weak Acids and Bases, Titration of Weak Acids, Buffers, Indicators, Acid Strength, Amino Acids, Polyprotic Acids, Reduction Potentials, Galvanic Cells, Chemistry vs. Biochemistry, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Nuclear Applications, UC Berkeley and the Actinides
Source: Free Science and Video Lectures Online
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Recommended Sociology Internet Resources
Dictionary of Social Sciences
http://socialsciencedictionary.nelson.com/ssd/default.html
This dictionary is designed for undergraduate students and the entries cover basic concepts and events relevant to the study of anthropology, sociology, criminology, political science, and women’ studies.
American Sociological Association
http://www.asanet.org/index.ww
There is a student section that gives you access to the Student Sociologist, A semi-annual newsletter for students and their departments from the American Sociological Association. The December 2005 issue has an article “Teach for America: Using Sociology in Education” that includes a fascinating list of websites designed to enhance the learning of sociology.
Internet Resources for Sociology (University of Delaware Library)
http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/soc/internet.htm
This helpful site has organized internet sites into general resources, social theory resources, social research resources, associations and organizations, discussion groups, electronic journals & newsletters, and resource centers.
Sociology Timeline
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/%7Estephan/timeline.html
A “quirky" list from Western Washington University
Sociology Tour through Cyberspace
http://www.trinity.edu/%7Emkearl/index.html#re
This is a must--a stimulating site from Trinity University in Texas.
It includes general sociological resources, sociological theory, data resources and other useful websites, methods and statistics, guide to writing a research paper, exercising the imagination (subject based inquiries) I like the section on stimulating the sociological imagination. This is just a super site!
Statistical Resources on Sociology
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stsoc.html
University of Michigan Library
Top Twenty Sociology Sites
.http://www.top20sociology.com/
This is a commercial site, but has useful information
WWW Virtual Library of Sociology
http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/w3virtsoclib/ (McMaster University)
United States National Library of Medicine
http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov
Gateway is "One-stop shopping" for an increasing number of the information resources of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). It is targeted to the user who comes to NLM not knowing examly what is there or how to search for it. But many students find that one resource, such as PubMed or MedlinePlus, has information they would like to know more about. they may then choose to go straight to that resource for a more focused search.
http://socialsciencedictionary.nelson.com/ssd/default.html
This dictionary is designed for undergraduate students and the entries cover basic concepts and events relevant to the study of anthropology, sociology, criminology, political science, and women’ studies.
American Sociological Association
http://www.asanet.org/index.ww
There is a student section that gives you access to the Student Sociologist, A semi-annual newsletter for students and their departments from the American Sociological Association. The December 2005 issue has an article “Teach for America: Using Sociology in Education” that includes a fascinating list of websites designed to enhance the learning of sociology.
Internet Resources for Sociology (University of Delaware Library)
http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/soc/internet.htm
This helpful site has organized internet sites into general resources, social theory resources, social research resources, associations and organizations, discussion groups, electronic journals & newsletters, and resource centers.
Sociology Timeline
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/%7Estephan/timeline.html
A “quirky" list from Western Washington University
Sociology Tour through Cyberspace
http://www.trinity.edu/%7Emkearl/index.html#re
This is a must--a stimulating site from Trinity University in Texas.
It includes general sociological resources, sociological theory, data resources and other useful websites, methods and statistics, guide to writing a research paper, exercising the imagination (subject based inquiries) I like the section on stimulating the sociological imagination. This is just a super site!
Statistical Resources on Sociology
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stsoc.html
University of Michigan Library
Top Twenty Sociology Sites
.http://www.top20sociology.com/
This is a commercial site, but has useful information
WWW Virtual Library of Sociology
http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/w3virtsoclib/ (McMaster University)
United States National Library of Medicine
http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov
Gateway is "One-stop shopping" for an increasing number of the information resources of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). It is targeted to the user who comes to NLM not knowing examly what is there or how to search for it. But many students find that one resource, such as PubMed or MedlinePlus, has information they would like to know more about. they may then choose to go straight to that resource for a more focused search.
President Bush Opposes Student Loan Change
President Bush opposes a bill that would halve the interest rate on federally subsidized student loans, the White House announced on Tuesday.
The announcement, which came the evening before the U.S. House of Representatives was scheduled to take up the legislation, stopped short of saying the president would veto the bill, HR 5. But it strongly hinted at that possibility.
"The administration opposes HR 5," the White House statement reads in part. "Reducing student-loan interest rates would direct federal subsidies to college graduates, not to students and their families who are struggling to meet current and future educational expenses."
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
The announcement, which came the evening before the U.S. House of Representatives was scheduled to take up the legislation, stopped short of saying the president would veto the bill, HR 5. But it strongly hinted at that possibility.
"The administration opposes HR 5," the White House statement reads in part. "Reducing student-loan interest rates would direct federal subsidies to college graduates, not to students and their families who are struggling to meet current and future educational expenses."
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Open WorldCat Availa le
Open WorldCat will be added soon to allow you to search for materials in libraries not currently part of reQuest, the statewide catalog. WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information.
Source: WorldCat
Another New Database: LegalTrac
Later this month LegalTrac will be available to the Goodwin community. LegalTrac provides indexing for 1,300 titles: major law reviews, legal newspapers, law specialty publications, bar association journals and international legal journals. The database also contains law-related articles from more than 2000 additional business and general interest titles. This will give the students instant access to a comprehensive range of major legal publications. Watch for it on the library web page.
Source: Thomson-Gale
Source: Thomson-Gale
New Database Available: Academic OneFile
WOW! Academic OneFile is a comprehensive, subscription-based database of more than 8,000 journals covering everything from STM to the humanities. It provides the academic community with a sophisticated, up-to-date, easy to use database for serious research. The majority of the journals are in full text, available in HTML andPDF formats. This database also includes hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and CBC, as well as the full text New York Times content to 1995. This database will be available later this month. InfoTrac OneFile will still be there!
Source: Thomson-Gale
Source: Thomson-Gale
American Fact Finder
The library staff recommends this government resource. It provides access to thematic maps, community fact sheets, housing reports, and census data. Most notable is the includes of the new American Community Survey what will provide annual rather than decennial demographic, socioeconomic, and housing information.
Access: http://factfinder.census.gov
Source: American FactFinder
Access: http://factfinder.census.gov
Source: American FactFinder
Open Access to Research
Open access to research is one of the most important issues for academic libraries and strongly supported by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Increased access to federally funded research accelerates the pace of discovery and innovation.It is critical that this new research be readily available to researchers and all taxpayers.
In May last year, Senator Lieberman and Senator Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the "Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006." (FRPAA) The bill, S.2695, would have required federal agencies that fund more than $100 million in annual external research to make electronic manuscripts of peer-reviewed journal articles stemming from their research publicly available via the Internet within six months of publication. It is anticipated that FRPAA will be reintroduced early by the 110th Congress in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
For further information, please go to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access (www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/), a coalition that supports reforms that will make publicly funded research accessible to the public. You might also send a message to Senator Lieberman.
In May last year, Senator Lieberman and Senator Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the "Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006." (FRPAA) The bill, S.2695, would have required federal agencies that fund more than $100 million in annual external research to make electronic manuscripts of peer-reviewed journal articles stemming from their research publicly available via the Internet within six months of publication. It is anticipated that FRPAA will be reintroduced early by the 110th Congress in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
For further information, please go to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access (www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/), a coalition that supports reforms that will make publicly funded research accessible to the public. You might also send a message to Senator Lieberman.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Teenage Brains
Now we know why surly teenagers storms off in a huff after being told to tidy their bedrooms. The medical name for the part of the brain associated with teenage sulking is "superior temporal sulcus." Adolescents do not put the part of the brain that considers others' feelings to full use, scientists have found.
It seems our neural decision-making processes mature quite slowly, and researchers think this might help to explain typical teenage behaviour. The adolescent brain undergoes massive changes and does not reach maturity until 20 or 30 years old. Oh my!
Source: Seeing the Teenager in the Brain
Finding Government Information
This month, FirstGov.gov changed its name to USA.gov because last year more than 600,000 people typed "usa.gov" into their web browser when searching for government information. USA.gov is more intuitive. It describes what the site is--the official information and services from the U.S. government. New features include:
Visitors to the United States Gateway
GobiernoUSA.gov (Spanish version)
Web chat
Visitors to the United States Gateway
GobiernoUSA.gov (Spanish version)
Web chat
The Next Pandemic?
The Deutsche Press today reported that bird flu claimed its 59th Indonesian. The press reported the second human death from bird flu in as many days, and Japan said it suspected it had discovered its first cases in two years of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease in poultry as avian influenza makes a resurgence in Asia.
Why worry about 150 or so deaths from bird flu (H5N1)? According to the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, "go back to 1916, to Etaples in northern France, where a form of flu causing heliotrope cyanosis with a case fatalify of 60% was beginning to spread. There were only 143 cases, but at some point in the next two years it became more infectious. Then it killed 50 million people. Doesn't this ring a nasty bell?" He goes on to say that in 1916 they were also too preoccupied with war and too busy to read the warnings in The Lancet that a new disease was lurking. Greger says they could have prepared themselves.
Michale Greger's book is reviewed in December 27/28 issue of Nature and has been ordered for the library. Thanks to Kim Reese, we are acquiring a special collection on infectious diseases and pandemics.
Why worry about 150 or so deaths from bird flu (H5N1)? According to the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, "go back to 1916, to Etaples in northern France, where a form of flu causing heliotrope cyanosis with a case fatalify of 60% was beginning to spread. There were only 143 cases, but at some point in the next two years it became more infectious. Then it killed 50 million people. Doesn't this ring a nasty bell?" He goes on to say that in 1916 they were also too preoccupied with war and too busy to read the warnings in The Lancet that a new disease was lurking. Greger says they could have prepared themselves.
Michale Greger's book is reviewed in December 27/28 issue of Nature and has been ordered for the library. Thanks to Kim Reese, we are acquiring a special collection on infectious diseases and pandemics.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Learning Resources
Monday, January 15, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Here are some excellent resources for all of us to remember.
We Shall Overcome, Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement shows 41 churches, houses, and other properties related largely to the post-World War II civil rights movement. The links to these properties consist of photographs and texts, and the exhibit offers a bibliography and links to websites relating to civil rights. (National Park Service)
History and Politics Out Loud lets us hear key speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and others. Listen to King's "I have a dream" speech, President Roosevelt's speech to Congress declaring war on Japan, Churchill's "iron curtain" speech, and more. (Michigan State University, National Endowment for the Humanities)
Voices of Civil Rights documents the civil rights movement in the U.S. Nearly 50 photos, posters, and descriptions depict important events and individuals: school integration in Little Rock (1957), the lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro (1960), the memorial service for Medgar Evers (1963), the March on Washington (1963), the Selma-to-Montgomery March (1965), the Voting Rights Act (1965), and others. (Library of Congress)
Source: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
We Shall Overcome, Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement shows 41 churches, houses, and other properties related largely to the post-World War II civil rights movement. The links to these properties consist of photographs and texts, and the exhibit offers a bibliography and links to websites relating to civil rights. (National Park Service)
History and Politics Out Loud lets us hear key speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and others. Listen to King's "I have a dream" speech, President Roosevelt's speech to Congress declaring war on Japan, Churchill's "iron curtain" speech, and more. (Michigan State University, National Endowment for the Humanities)
Voices of Civil Rights documents the civil rights movement in the U.S. Nearly 50 photos, posters, and descriptions depict important events and individuals: school integration in Little Rock (1957), the lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro (1960), the memorial service for Medgar Evers (1963), the March on Washington (1963), the Selma-to-Montgomery March (1965), the Voting Rights Act (1965), and others. (Library of Congress)
Source: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Testing Technology Literacy
Professors, librarians, and other college officials are increasingly coming to grips with the somewhat confounding reality that despite students’ affinity for IPods and their complete comfort with Google, many of them lack the technological literacy they need to navigate today’s information landscape. The California University System is creating a test to measure students' technology literacy. University officials are contemplating making this test mandatory for students to pass before moving on to higher level courses.
Source: Inside Higher Ed, January 4, 2007
Source: Inside Higher Ed, January 4, 2007
Martin Luther King's Word Choice
For details on the ways that King's word choice shapes his message, consider the Teaching English in the Two-Year College "Using 'I Have a Dream' to Teach Strong Repetition (What Works for Me)" (S-C).
Source: National Council of Teachers of English
Source: National Council of Teachers of English
Go to M.I.T. for Free
By the end of 2007, Massachusetts Institute of Technology will offer all of its 1,800 courses online for free. Students do not have to register for classes and all will be accepted. It's part of the OpenCourseWare Movement, and it has spread to 120 universities worldwide.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor, January 4, 2007
Source: The Christian Science Monitor, January 4, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
High Schools: Relics of the Past
Will High Schools Be a Relic of the Past? North Carolina is combating its large school drop-out rate with a program called "early college." It combines high school and college courses, allowing students to start earning a college degree while still in high school.
CBS News, December 28, 2006
CBS News, December 28, 2006
ESL Resource Guide
Useful guide to books, audio-visual materials, web sites, and databases for ESL instructors and students.
http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/esl_research_guide.htm
Source: Mary Laine, Librarian
http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/esl_research_guide.htm
Source: Mary Laine, Librarian
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Transcultural Nursing Sensitivity
By the year 2050, less than one half of the American population will be of European ancestry. The 2000 census revealed that 29.4% of the United States population already represents a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Because the nursing profession predominately consists of European Americans, a major challenge in nursing education is to educate and prepare future nurses with skills in transcultural nursing. A recent article in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing describes one school's multicultural curriculum for nursing students and a tool to measure changes in behaviors and attitudes. The article presents the psychometric properties of the Cross-Culutral Evaluation Tool that yields a cross-cultural interaction score. Successful teaching strategies are presented as well. Issues of of this journal are available in the Goodwin Library. This issue also devotes an entire supplementary volume to integrating culutural competence into nursing education and practice.
Source: Journal of Transcultural Nursing Vol. 18 No.1, January 2007 56-62.
Source: Journal of Transcultural Nursing Vol. 18 No.1, January 2007 56-62.
Participant-Centered Learning for Educators
Participant-Centered Learning and the Case Method
This popular program has previously been available only on CD. In order to reach a wider range of case teachers, Harvard Business Review Educator section has made this resource available online at no cost. Participant-Centered Learning and the Case Method is designed to help instructors develop skills and confidence in leading case discussions. It features eight Harvard Business School professors discussing fundamental issues of participant-centered learning, such as:
What are the qualities of effective discussion teachers?
Adopting and supporting participant-centered learning
Specific teaching techniques
Evaluation
Timing and feedback
The program also uses actual HBS classroom examples to demonstrate case teaching in action. For access, contact the Goodwin Library.
Source: Harvard Business Review
This popular program has previously been available only on CD. In order to reach a wider range of case teachers, Harvard Business Review Educator section has made this resource available online at no cost. Participant-Centered Learning and the Case Method is designed to help instructors develop skills and confidence in leading case discussions. It features eight Harvard Business School professors discussing fundamental issues of participant-centered learning, such as:
What are the qualities of effective discussion teachers?
Adopting and supporting participant-centered learning
Specific teaching techniques
Evaluation
Timing and feedback
The program also uses actual HBS classroom examples to demonstrate case teaching in action. For access, contact the Goodwin Library.
Source: Harvard Business Review
Answers.com 2006 From A to Z
As we usher in the new year, here's a look at what was on the news, the web and our minds in 2006. I couldn't resist making this available.
Answers.com Year-in-Review
The site is titled: 2006 From A to Z
Source: Answers.com
Answers.com Year-in-Review
The site is titled: 2006 From A to Z
Source: Answers.com
Colleges & Social Software
From the article:
MOVE OVER, MYSPACE. STEP ASIDE, FACEBOOK. These two technologies may have been pioneers in the world of social software, but nowadays, colleges and universities across the country are embracing better and more targeted forms of technology, to enable their campus users to interact. Today, the world of social software includes traditional venues and formats: blogs, wikis, and podcasts.
Social Software >> Social Revolution
Source: Campus Technology
MOVE OVER, MYSPACE. STEP ASIDE, FACEBOOK. These two technologies may have been pioneers in the world of social software, but nowadays, colleges and universities across the country are embracing better and more targeted forms of technology, to enable their campus users to interact. Today, the world of social software includes traditional venues and formats: blogs, wikis, and podcasts.
Social Software >> Social Revolution
Source: Campus Technology
Homeland Security & Immigration Updates
Roundup of Recent/Updated CRS Reports: Immmigration and Homeland SecuritySource:
+ 9/11 Commission Recommendations: Implementation Status
+ Border Security: Barriers Along the U.S. International Border
+ Federal Emergency Management Policy Changes After Hurricane Katrina: A Summary of Statutory Provisions
+ FY2007 Appropriations for State and Local Homeland Security
+ Homeland Security: Establishment and Implementation of Northern Command+ Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity
+ U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US-VISIT)+ Visa Waiver Program
Source: Congressional Research Service
+ 9/11 Commission Recommendations: Implementation Status
+ Border Security: Barriers Along the U.S. International Border
+ Federal Emergency Management Policy Changes After Hurricane Katrina: A Summary of Statutory Provisions
+ FY2007 Appropriations for State and Local Homeland Security
+ Homeland Security: Establishment and Implementation of Northern Command+ Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity
+ U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US-VISIT)+ Visa Waiver Program
Source: Congressional Research Service
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Library & The Patriot Act
This is just a reminder. It is the policy of the Goodwin College Library, as well as Connecticut state law, that all records of an individual’s use of the library are confidential. However, library patrons should be aware that Section 215 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act gives federal agents the ability to seek a secret search warrant to obtain access to library records. For more information see USA Patriot Act and Intellectual Freedom.
Experienced Nurse to the Rescue
A 50-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with complaints of severe weakness and difficulty breathing. She had been quite healthy until the afternoon of the admission, with no history of serious illnesses. The doctors at the university hospital where she became a patient are known for using their brains. They also use their stethoscopes wisely, and observe closely how a patient looks. For this woman, the diagnosis remained obscure for the next hours as her breathing got more labored and she became comatose.
A tube was placed in her windpipe and she was attached to a breathing machine. Then an experienced nurse, with good sense and a good sense of smell, came to the rescue. The nurse noted that the patient had a peculiar odor, resembling garlic, most prominently from her hair. The unusual odor raised the suspicion of insecticide poisoning with organophosphates.
Find out how this saved her life by reading about this bizarre case in "Is There a Barber in the House,"
Source: The New York Times, December 19, 2006
Homeland Security Career Guide
The Homeland Security and Federal Law Enforcement Career Guide provides help students need to
- determine which elements of the emerging job market are right for them
- prepare resumes and application materials
- find a job in the federal government
All the information they need about qualifications, vacancy announcements, and testing procedures are in this book. Plus, the included CD-ROM contains all the information in the book and easy access to online resources, agencies and websites. It's in the reference section of the library and has Ron Lee's seal of approval!
Nationmaster
Have some fun playing around with NationMaster, "a cool site developed by Luke Metcalfe, an Australian and stat-geek who was frustrated at his inability to mine the data within the CIA World Factbook. NationMaster now includes data from the World Bank, various United Nations entities, OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), World Trade Organization, and so on.
Here's how it works. Head over to NationMaster.com, and select a category from the pull-down menu -- anything from Crime to Industry to Sports. Once you have chosen a category, a subject-specific subcategory menu appears, from which you pick a specific topic. For example, subcategories for Health include percentage of infants immunized against measles, number of acute care beds." From there, you're on our own. I see this working for business, homeland security, and health sciences at the very least.
Source: Mary Ellen Bates
Here's how it works. Head over to NationMaster.com, and select a category from the pull-down menu -- anything from Crime to Industry to Sports. Once you have chosen a category, a subject-specific subcategory menu appears, from which you pick a specific topic. For example, subcategories for Health include percentage of infants immunized against measles, number of acute care beds." From there, you're on our own. I see this working for business, homeland security, and health sciences at the very least.
Source: Mary Ellen Bates
Christmas Songs and Christmas Lyrics
You don't remember the second verse of O Come All Ye Faithful? Here's a place to find all the songs and lyrics you need for the season. So, don't hum along-sing!
http://www.alpinewreaths.com/ChristmasSongs/christmassongs.html
http://www.alpinewreaths.com/ChristmasSongs/christmassongs.html
Charitable Giving Guide for 2006
There is still time this year to support a charity dear to your heart. Here is a list of charities that support preservation, open access, the first amendment, and other causes dear to librarians' hearts. You can even support the Internet Archive. Boing Boing!
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/11/charitable_gu.html
Source: Marylaine Block
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/11/charitable_gu.html
Source: Marylaine Block
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Guide to Clinical Preventive Services
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is pleased to present The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2006, which will give you the information you need to provide evidence-based clinical preventive services to patients.
Research has clearly demonstrated that providing high quality, evidence-based preventive care is a critical factor in helping people live healthier lives. We also know from research that the best way to ensure that preventive services are delivered appropriately is to make evidence-based information readily available at the point of care.
To that end, The Guide puts the “gold standard” of preventive care at the fingertips of health care staff to provide effective preventive service to patients every day. The 2006 Guide offers recommendations on 53 clinical preventive services made by the Task Force from 2001 to 2005.
Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2006: Recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Source: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
Research has clearly demonstrated that providing high quality, evidence-based preventive care is a critical factor in helping people live healthier lives. We also know from research that the best way to ensure that preventive services are delivered appropriately is to make evidence-based information readily available at the point of care.
To that end, The Guide puts the “gold standard” of preventive care at the fingertips of health care staff to provide effective preventive service to patients every day. The 2006 Guide offers recommendations on 53 clinical preventive services made by the Task Force from 2001 to 2005.
Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2006: Recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Source: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
What is the Largest cash crop in the U.S.?
Not, it is not corn, soybeans, or wheat. Marijuana is the largest cash crop in the United States, more valuable than corn and wheat combined. Using conservative price estimates domestic marijuana production has a value of $35.8 billion. The domestic marijuana crop consists of 56.4 million marijuana plants cultivated outdoors worth $31.7 billion and 11.7 million plants cultivated indoors worth $4.1 billion. The domestic marijuana crop is larger than Cotton in Alabama, larger than Grapes, Vegetables and Hay combined in California, larger than Peanuts in Georgia, and larger than Tobacco in both South Carolina and North Carolina.
Source: The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform
Source: The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform
Act on Fact: Improve Student Success
Act On Fact: Using Data to Improve Student Success
“Research shows that the more actively engaged students are — with college faculty and staff, with other students and with the subject matter they study — the more likely they are to learn, to stick with their studies, and to attain their academic goals. Student engagement, therefore, is a valuable yardstick for assessing the quality of colleges’ educational practices and identifying ways they can produce more successful results — more students across all subgroups learning at higher levels and attaining their academic goals.”
Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement
“Research shows that the more actively engaged students are — with college faculty and staff, with other students and with the subject matter they study — the more likely they are to learn, to stick with their studies, and to attain their academic goals. Student engagement, therefore, is a valuable yardstick for assessing the quality of colleges’ educational practices and identifying ways they can produce more successful results — more students across all subgroups learning at higher levels and attaining their academic goals.”
Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement
U.S. Military Counterinsurgency Manual
U.S. Military Counterinsurgency Manual (December 2006) (PDF; 14.3 MB)Source:
This manual takes a general approach to counterinsurgency operations. The Army and Marine Corps recognize that every insurgency is contextual and presents its own set of challenges. You cannot fight former Saddamists and Islamic extremists the same way you would have fought the Viet Cong, Moros, or Tupamaros; the application of principles and fundamentals to deal with each varies considerably. Nonetheless, all insurgencies, even today’s highly adaptable strains, remain wars amongst the people. They use variations of standard themes and adhere to elements of a recognizable revolutionary campaign plan. This manual therefore addresses the common characteristics of insurgencies. It strives to provide those conducting counterinsurgency campaigns with a solid foundation for understanding and addressing specific insurgencies.
Source: Headquaters, Department of the Army
This manual takes a general approach to counterinsurgency operations. The Army and Marine Corps recognize that every insurgency is contextual and presents its own set of challenges. You cannot fight former Saddamists and Islamic extremists the same way you would have fought the Viet Cong, Moros, or Tupamaros; the application of principles and fundamentals to deal with each varies considerably. Nonetheless, all insurgencies, even today’s highly adaptable strains, remain wars amongst the people. They use variations of standard themes and adhere to elements of a recognizable revolutionary campaign plan. This manual therefore addresses the common characteristics of insurgencies. It strives to provide those conducting counterinsurgency campaigns with a solid foundation for understanding and addressing specific insurgencies.
Source: Headquaters, Department of the Army
Greater Hartford Literacy
Approximately 300,000 Greater Hartford adults, or roughly 41% of the adult population, ages 16 and above, are functioning within the lowest two of five literacy levels. This is the same as the state's average, and slightly lower than the national average of 49%. These individuals would have problems filling out a job application or following an ATM screen (National Adult Literacy Survey).
Population of adults performing at the lowest literacy level:
Hartford 41%
New Britain 26%
Bloomfield 25%
East Hartford 18%
Wethersfield 18%
Windsor 18%
Throughout the Greater Hartford region, nearly half (48%) of tenth grade students performed below the state goal on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test in reading. For example, in Hartford 91% were below state goal, in Bloomfield 70%, in New Britain 73%, and in Windsor 64%. Likewise, just under half (46%) of the state's fourth graders did not meet proficiency goals in language arts (CT Department of Education 2003/2004).
Source: Greater Hartford Literacy Council
Population of adults performing at the lowest literacy level:
Hartford 41%
New Britain 26%
Bloomfield 25%
East Hartford 18%
Wethersfield 18%
Windsor 18%
Throughout the Greater Hartford region, nearly half (48%) of tenth grade students performed below the state goal on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test in reading. For example, in Hartford 91% were below state goal, in Bloomfield 70%, in New Britain 73%, and in Windsor 64%. Likewise, just under half (46%) of the state's fourth graders did not meet proficiency goals in language arts (CT Department of Education 2003/2004).
Source: Greater Hartford Literacy Council
Useful Sites
Here are some free sites to find useful and interesting information:
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <http://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htm> lists international statistical agencies on the Web.
Kidon Media-Link <http://www.kidon.com/media-link/index.php> offers links to all forms of media worldwide: newspapers, magazines, television, radio and news agencies. You can search by country or by language.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) <http://www.gemconsortium.org/> measures entrepreneurial activity in a global context. Handy if you need to understand the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and national economic growth.
Asknumbers.com <http://www.asknumbers.com/> is an online conversion site. Convert weights, distance, currency, computer storage, temperature, cooking, clothing and much more.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <http://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htm> lists international statistical agencies on the Web.
Kidon Media-Link <http://www.kidon.com/media-link/index.php> offers links to all forms of media worldwide: newspapers, magazines, television, radio and news agencies. You can search by country or by language.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) <http://www.gemconsortium.org/> measures entrepreneurial activity in a global context. Handy if you need to understand the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and national economic growth.
Asknumbers.com <http://www.asknumbers.com/> is an online conversion site. Convert weights, distance, currency, computer storage, temperature, cooking, clothing and much more.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
International Students in the U.S.
in 2005-2006, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions remained steady at 564,766, within a fraction of a percent of the previous year's totals, according to Open Doors 2006,the annual report on international academic mobility published by the Institute of International Education. India remains the largest country of origin, with 76,503 students, followed by China with 62,582. The overall international student numbers have stabilized, following a two-year decline.
Source: Institute of International Education
Source: Institute of International Education
Bibliography Tools in Word 2007
Good news for students! The upcoming version of Microsoft Office will include citation and bibliography tools built into the program. These features will help you create citations and bibliographies via a fill-in template. Sources can be easily shared with others via e-mail or shared lists. While not yet as sophisticated as other bibliographic management software such as EndNote or RefWorks, it will perform many of the same functions.
Source: Jennifer Michelstein, Microsoft Office blog
Source: Jennifer Michelstein, Microsoft Office blog
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Could You Become an American Citizen?
On November 30, 2006, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Emilio Gonzalez announced the release of 144 questions and answers for the pilot test of a new naturalization exam. USCIS will administer the pilot exam to about 5,000 volunteer citizenship applicants in 10 cities beginning in early 2007. The questions and answers are here. How many could you have answered?
Recommended Reading
Mary Henderson, academic office manager, highly recommends this book with a long title, Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America--and What We Can Do About it. Enough has been added to the Goodwin Library collection.
"Inspired by Bill Cosby's now famous speech at the NAACP gala celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision integrating schools, Williams makes the case that while there is still racism, it is way past time for black Americans to open their eyes to the "culture of failure" that exists within their community. He raises the banner of proud black traditional values--self-help, strong families, and belief in God--that sustained black people through generations of oppression and flowered in the exhilarating promis of the modern civil rights movement. Williams asks what happened to keeping our eyes on the prize by proving the case for equality with black excellence and achievement. Certain to be widley discussed and vehemently debated, Enough is a bold, perceptive, solution-based look at African American life, culture, and politics today." (comments from the book cover) Juan Williams is a senior correspondent for NPR and has written other books, including Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary and Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965.
Tracking the Invisible Faculty
The sweeping shift toward non-tenure track academic labor has been one of the most worried-over and undocumented trends in American higher education. For instance, 50% ofYale's faculty are outside the tenure system. Drawing on data collected by the Department of Education, the AAUP has compiled the numbers of tenured, tenure-track, part-time, and full-time non-tenure track faculty members employed at 2,617 American colleges and universities. Read the report.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Build a Student for the 21st Century
The world has changed, bu the American classroom, for the most part, hasn't. Now educators are starting to look at what must be done to make sure our kids make the grade in the new global economy.
How can U.S. schools prepare the next generation to compete in the more challening global economy of the 21st century? It will take more than No Child Left Behind, according to Time magazine's cover article this week. This is required reading!
How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century gives you access to only the beginning of the article. We have the issue in the library and the article is also available online in the InfoTrac OneFile. Anywhere on campus where you have an Internet connection you can go to InfoTrac OneFile from www.iconn.org by clicking on [Link to Individual Resources].
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Google Remembers Munch's Birthday
If you visited Google today, you saw a miniature version of Edward Munch's painting, The Scream, because Munch was born on December 12, 1863. He was a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intense, evocative treatment of psychological and emotional themes was a major influence on the development of German expressionism in the early 20th century. His painting The Cry or The Scream (1893) is regarded as an icon of existential anguish.
Career Preparation tops for College Freshmen
Students entering their first year of college consider career preparation the most crucial factor in determining the value of their postsecondary education, according to a new report from Eduventures, an education consulting firm. Of 6,200 traditional-age college freshmen surveyed, 72 percent said "professional preparation" was very important to them.
Students in the survey said they viewed programs and services that would assist them in career-development efforts as the most likely indicators of a college's commitment to professional preparation. The three most significant factors that convey that commitment to students are the opportunities a college provides for internships, the quality of its career office, and job-placement records of its graduates.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Students in the survey said they viewed programs and services that would assist them in career-development efforts as the most likely indicators of a college's commitment to professional preparation. The three most significant factors that convey that commitment to students are the opportunities a college provides for internships, the quality of its career office, and job-placement records of its graduates.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Patient Elopment
Patient elopement is the patient’s departure without permission beyond the facility, which places the patient at risk of injury or death. Those at risk for elopement include patients with dementia, young patients with persistent mental illness, individuals with a family history of abuse, those exhibiting or having a history of violent behavior, and those who have been involuntarily hospitalized.
A comprehensive initial assessment by qualified professionals can identify problems that could lead to elopement due to an individual’s behavioral disorder, cognitive impairment, fear, poor judgment, or lack of insight. Because of these problems, the individual is at greater risk of harm if he or she leaves the facility’s protective environment.
Reassessments also give health care providers the opportunity to observe and note any changes in conditions that might increase the risk of elopement. Changes in mental status can be a predictor of dangerous behavior, such as elopement.
The VA National Center for Patient Safety uses the following questions to identify patients at risk for elopement:
Does the patient have a court-appointed legal guardian?
Is the patient considered a danger to him or herself or others?
Has the patient been legally committed?
Does the patient lack the cognitive ability to make relevant decisions?
Does the patient have a history of escape or elopement?
Does the patient have physical or mental impairment that increases his or her risk of harm to him or herself or to others?
Source: Joint Commission Resources (Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
A comprehensive initial assessment by qualified professionals can identify problems that could lead to elopement due to an individual’s behavioral disorder, cognitive impairment, fear, poor judgment, or lack of insight. Because of these problems, the individual is at greater risk of harm if he or she leaves the facility’s protective environment.
Reassessments also give health care providers the opportunity to observe and note any changes in conditions that might increase the risk of elopement. Changes in mental status can be a predictor of dangerous behavior, such as elopement.
The VA National Center for Patient Safety uses the following questions to identify patients at risk for elopement:
Does the patient have a court-appointed legal guardian?
Is the patient considered a danger to him or herself or others?
Has the patient been legally committed?
Does the patient lack the cognitive ability to make relevant decisions?
Does the patient have a history of escape or elopement?
Does the patient have physical or mental impairment that increases his or her risk of harm to him or herself or to others?
Source: Joint Commission Resources (Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
Friday, December 08, 2006
How Does Social Bookmarking Work?
Social bookmarking is an increasingly popular way to locate, classify, rank and share Internet resources. It derives from an idea similar to that which prompts you to utilize your browser’s Favorites or Bookmarks function: you have a resource of interest or value to you, and you want to save it for easy access in the future. However, instead of saving the resources just to your browser, in social bookmarking you save them to a centrally-hosted service that you can access at anytime, from anywhere. You can classify resources (or “tag” them) in any way you want, and your saved resources (or “bookmarks”) are added to both your personal list and an overall library, where others can access them. That’s the social part. Users then can utilize either your classifications or those created by other users. They also can access information about the resources, such as who saved them, how many people saved them, etc., to evaluate them and more easily locate further sources of information.
Source: SCSU Workshop on Social Bookmarking
Source: SCSU Workshop on Social Bookmarking
2007 National Patient Safety Goals
On June 2, 2006, the Joint Commission’s Board of Commissioners approved the 2007 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs). As of January 1, 2007, all Joint Commission accredited health care organizations and the Disease-Specific Care certified programs will be surveyed for implementation of applicable 2007 goals and requirements—or acceptable alternatives (see below)—as appropriate to the services the organization or program provides. Compliance with applicable requirements (or an acceptable alternative) will be scored at the associated implementation expectation(s) for that requirement in the NPSGs chapter of each standards manual.
Photo of the Day
Earth Shots is a Photo of the Day contest celebrating the beauty and diversity of our planet. Everyday they feature the best photograph submitted by visitors to the site. Earth Shots is looking for photographs that exhibit the beauty and diversity of our planet. Any subject matter goes. The most important requirement is that the image is interesting and striking. Take a look at this week's winners.
Recent Research and the Male Brain
Men are not from Mars nor women from Venus, but it is obvious their brains work somewhat differently, not only in how they think but also in how the male or female brain is affected in such conditions as mental illness, addiction, and degenerative neurological diseases.
While scientists do not know the reasons for many of these, recent research has revealed genetic, anatomical, and functional differences in the brain that could have implications for better diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions. [Full Text of this Article]
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
While scientists do not know the reasons for many of these, recent research has revealed genetic, anatomical, and functional differences in the brain that could have implications for better diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions. [Full Text of this Article]
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Thursday, December 07, 2006
New York Times: 10 Best Books for 2006
The New York Times has released their list of 10 best books for 2006. All comments are from the NYT article:
- Abursdistan by Gary Shetyngart--exuberant second novel that is smart, funny, and extraordinarily moving
- Collected Stories of Amy Hempel--urbane, pointillistic and wickedly funny short stories
- Emperor's Children by Claire Messud--unsparing and sympathetic novel set amid the cultural Manhattan in 2001
- Lay of the Land by Richard Ford--the third installment in the serial epic of Frank Bascombe set in Florida 2000 (The Sportswriter and Independence Day were the first two in the series.)
- Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl--buoyantly literate first novel, a murder mystery narrated by a precocious teenager
- Falling Through the Earth: A Memoir by Danielle Trussoni--searing memoir of the author's girlhood in Wisconsin with her war-damaged father
- Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright--fullest account yet of the events that led to the fateful day
- Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War by Nathaniel Philbrick--absorbing history of the Plymouth Colony
- Ominivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan--traces the origins of four measl from a fast food dinner to a hunter-gatherer feast--uncommonly good American food writing
- Places in Between by Rory Stewart--splendid travel journal of the author's walk across Afghanistan in January 2002
Best of 2006: Black Issues Book Review
The November/December issue of Black Issues Book Review lists the books, authors, and trends that they think are the best, the first, the biggest, the most unusual or the most significant among those we have seen in 2006. The issue is available in the library.
Among the most talked about, written about and honored authors of the year were the British writers Zadie Smith , author of On Beauty, and Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation. Both are available in the library.
Among the most talked about, written about and honored authors of the year were the British writers Zadie Smith , author of On Beauty, and Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation. Both are available in the library.
Connecticut the 5th Healthiest State
Minnesota was deemed the healthiest U.S. state for the fourth year in a row, while Louisiana slumped into last place as the least healthy in annual state-by-state rankings released by on Tuesday. Vermont placed second as it did in 2005 with New Hampshire, Hawaii and Connecticut rounding out the five healthiest states in the report by the United Health Foundation, a nonprofit group formed by health care company UnitedHealth Group.
The report weighed a series of factors in determining rankings, such as prevalence of obesity, smoking, infectious disease, cardiovascular deaths, infant mortality, child poverty, immunization rates, workplace deaths and auto deaths. Southern states performed particularly poorly while those in New England and some in the Upper Midwest fared well.
The United States as a whole experienced a slight rise in health over last year, the report stated, but lags behind many other nations in key measures such as infant mortality. "Since 1990, America is a healthier place. The bad news: since the year 2000, we've made very little progress. The health of the nation has become stagnant," Tuckson said. Tuckson cited a dramatic increase in obesity, a rising number of Americans - 46.6 million in a country of 300 million - without health insurance, and smoking by 21 percent of U.S. adults, lower than many countries but still problematic. The American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention also contributed to the report, posted on the Web at http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2006.html .
The report weighed a series of factors in determining rankings, such as prevalence of obesity, smoking, infectious disease, cardiovascular deaths, infant mortality, child poverty, immunization rates, workplace deaths and auto deaths. Southern states performed particularly poorly while those in New England and some in the Upper Midwest fared well.
The United States as a whole experienced a slight rise in health over last year, the report stated, but lags behind many other nations in key measures such as infant mortality. "Since 1990, America is a healthier place. The bad news: since the year 2000, we've made very little progress. The health of the nation has become stagnant," Tuckson said. Tuckson cited a dramatic increase in obesity, a rising number of Americans - 46.6 million in a country of 300 million - without health insurance, and smoking by 21 percent of U.S. adults, lower than many countries but still problematic. The American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention also contributed to the report, posted on the Web at http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2006.html .
Autism Effects and Treatment
Two studies shed light on the possible effects of autism on the brain and point to potential treatments, researchers said on Monday. One reports that oxytocin, which studies have found is important in human bonding, may help reduce debilitating symptoms in autistic adults. And a second found that fear-detecting areas of the brain are shrunken in people with autism.
The term autism describes a range of symptoms that can include very severe mental and behavioral effects, an inability to interact socially, and milder symptoms such as those seen in Asperger's syndrome. Severely autistic patients may bang their heads, repeat words or movements, or become obsessed with certain actions.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a survey in May indicating that up to 1 in every 175 children born in the United States develops an autism spectrum disorder of some kind. The cause is unknown and treatments are limited.
Source: Reuters Health Information, December 5
The term autism describes a range of symptoms that can include very severe mental and behavioral effects, an inability to interact socially, and milder symptoms such as those seen in Asperger's syndrome. Severely autistic patients may bang their heads, repeat words or movements, or become obsessed with certain actions.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a survey in May indicating that up to 1 in every 175 children born in the United States develops an autism spectrum disorder of some kind. The cause is unknown and treatments are limited.
Source: Reuters Health Information, December 5
Guide to Clinical Preventive Services
The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services (released earlier this year) is a compilation of abridged U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations released from 2001 through 2005 and can be used as an evidence-based tool at the point of patient care.
Features include:
Recommendations for Adults
Cancer
Heart and Vascular Diseases
Infectious Diseases
Injury and Violence
Mental Health Conditions and Substance Abuse
Metabolic, Nutritional, and Endocrine Conditions
Musculoskeletal Conditions
Obstetric and Gynecologic Conditions
Vision Disorders
Recommendations for Children"
Source: Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2006
Features include:
Recommendations for Adults
Cancer
Heart and Vascular Diseases
Infectious Diseases
Injury and Violence
Mental Health Conditions and Substance Abuse
Metabolic, Nutritional, and Endocrine Conditions
Musculoskeletal Conditions
Obstetric and Gynecologic Conditions
Vision Disorders
Recommendations for Children"
Source: Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Remembering Robert Altman
While MASH was not Robert Altman's first film, it catapulted him into the pantheon of major figures in American cinema. Five years later, Altman solidified his reputation with Nashville, a crowded spectacle of a film that featured a cast of memorable characters and improvised, overlapping dialogue — a hallmark of Altman's filmmaking style. Last month Altman died of complications from cancer at the age of 81. For a list of his films, go to imdb.com.
Colleges: Rethink Electronic Records!
New federal rules that took effect on Friday allow evidence stored in PDA's, printers, home computers, and even cellphones to be used routinely in lawsuits involving individuals and organizations, including colleges. And experts say the rules could prompt changes not only in how college lawyers approach cases but also in how long colleges store electronic information.
The new rules require that parties involved in litigation in federal courts make available to their opponents a wide array of electronically stored information, lawyers familiar with the rules said last week.
The new rules require that parties involved in litigation in federal courts make available to their opponents a wide array of electronically stored information, lawyers familiar with the rules said last week.
Tuition Tax Credits
Members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee showed strong interest during a hearing on Tuesday in a witness's proposal to combine tuition tax credits, an expired income-tax deduction, and the Pell Grant into a refundable "super credit" that would simplify higher-education tax incentives and assist students from middle- and lower-income families
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Holiday Booklists are here!
Connecticut Library Consortium's annual booklist project, "Best Books for Children & Teens: Lists for Holiday Gift Giving" is ready and waiting for you. Enjoy!
Babies & Toddlers (ages 0-3) (PDF, 496 KB)
Young Readers & Listeners (ages 3-8) (PDF, 904 KB)
Middle Readers (ages 8-12) (PDF, 416 KB)
Teens (ages 12+) (PDF, 460 KB)
Babies & Toddlers (ages 0-3) (PDF, 496 KB)
Young Readers & Listeners (ages 3-8) (PDF, 904 KB)
Middle Readers (ages 8-12) (PDF, 416 KB)
Teens (ages 12+) (PDF, 460 KB)
High School Reform
High school reform has moved to the top of the education policy agenda, commanding the attention of the federal government, governors, urban school superintendents, philanthropists, and the general public. All are alarmed by stubbornly high dropout rates and by the low academic achievement of many high school students. These problems disproportionately affect disadvantaged young people, especially those who are African-American and Hispanic and who attend urban schools and certain rural schools in the South and Southwest.
This is the first in a series of reports for policymakers, practitioners, and others who must make hard choices about how to change high schools. It discusses three comprehensive initiatives evaluated by MDRC — Career Academies, First Things First, and Talent Development — that have grappled with the challenges of improving low-performing urban and rural schools. Together, these three interventions are being implemented in more than 2,500 high schools across the country, and various components of these models are being used in thousands more schools.
+ Executive Summary+ Full Report (PDF; 1.65 MB)
Source: MDRC
This is the first in a series of reports for policymakers, practitioners, and others who must make hard choices about how to change high schools. It discusses three comprehensive initiatives evaluated by MDRC — Career Academies, First Things First, and Talent Development — that have grappled with the challenges of improving low-performing urban and rural schools. Together, these three interventions are being implemented in more than 2,500 high schools across the country, and various components of these models are being used in thousands more schools.
+ Executive Summary+ Full Report (PDF; 1.65 MB)
Source: MDRC
Welcome to NationMaster
This is a dream site for statistical information. Welcome to NationMaster, a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. You can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease. NationMaster wants to be the web's one-stop resource for country statistics on everything from soldiers to wall plug voltages. You can also view profiles of individual countries including their maps and flags, use correlation reports and scatterplots to find relationships between variables, and refer to fully integrated encyclopedia with over one million articles.
But, wait--there's more! NationMaster also recently rolled out StateMaster.com, a sister site that offers similar data mining on US state statistics, using sources such as the US Census Bureau, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a variety of non-profit organizations such as the March of Dimes.
Source: Mary Ellen Bates
But, wait--there's more! NationMaster also recently rolled out StateMaster.com, a sister site that offers similar data mining on US state statistics, using sources such as the US Census Bureau, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a variety of non-profit organizations such as the March of Dimes.
Source: Mary Ellen Bates
homeland Security Career Guide
The library has ordered Homeland Security and Federal Law Enforcement Career Guide with CD-Rom. This guide provides a comprehensive introduction to the hiring process, career profiles, a complete directory of agencies to contact, and other useful tips and material for acquiring a position with Homeland Seucrity or federal law enforcement. The CD affords quick and easy access to this information, along with direct links to the agency websites. Delivery is expected next week.
New Markets Data Center
On January 2, the Wall Street Journal will launch a state-of-the-art online Markets Data Center, combining news, data and tools from across Dow Jones. Beyond contributions from the Journal’s markets-data group, this new Web site and associated services such as email roundups and alerts will include coverage from Dow Jones Newswires, authoritative data from Dow Jones Indexes, investment tools from the MarketWatch unit and personal-finance tips from the SmartMoney joint venture.
The Markets Data Center will be available free on the Web.
Source: WSJ.com
The Markets Data Center will be available free on the Web.
Source: WSJ.com
Robert Gates Bibliography
New, Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense Nominee: A Bibliography
On November 8, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Mr. Gates to be Secretary of Defense. Confirmation hearings for that position begin today.
Mr. Gates previously served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Senate held two confirmation proceedings for that position. The Georgetown Law Library has created this bibliography of documents authored by and related to Mr. Gates.
Source: Georgetown University Law Center Library
“
On November 8, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Mr. Gates to be Secretary of Defense. Confirmation hearings for that position begin today.
Mr. Gates previously served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Senate held two confirmation proceedings for that position. The Georgetown Law Library has created this bibliography of documents authored by and related to Mr. Gates.
Source: Georgetown University Law Center Library
“
Agroterrorism: Why We are not Ready
An agroterrorism attack could dramatically impact many aspects of American life, including law enforcement, which—especially in rural areas—is financially and strategically unprepared to respond. This Research for Policy looks at the impact the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease would have on the United States, including the slaughter of millions of animals and an impact of up to $60 billion tax dollars. The publication outlines why law enforcement is not currently ready for such a terrorist attack and gives procedures for preparing for and responding to agroterrorism.
Source: National Institute of Justice
Summary Full Text (8 pages; PDF)
Source: National Institute of Justice
Summary Full Text (8 pages; PDF)
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