If you're a Halloween fanatic, you will want to check out Halloween Online. It has music, comics, jokes, pictures, and links to everything you always wanted to know about Halloween.
LAS major Jake Gambino submits:
I recommend that you check out one of the year's best movies in limited release. Capote contains a great performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as the late writer, Truman Capote. The film takes place during the period of 1959-65 when Capote was writing his masterpiece, In Cold Blood.
Dr. Wayne McMullen recommends:
George Clooney's new film, 'Good Night and Good Luck,' is a labor of love--by Clooney's own admission--and a tribute to one of his personal heroes, Edward R. Murrow (beautifully played by David Straithairn). Murrow is a towering figure in broadcast journalism, considered by many to have set the gold standard for investigative journalism. Murrow's famous confrontation with Senator Joe McCarthy is the centerpiece of the film. Murrow's courage, in the climate of fear and political reprisal in the 1950s, is portrayed as a source of real inspiration; at times, Murrow's on-air speeches are moving indeed. This is a film well worth seeking out.
If you would like to remember Rosa Parks by learning more about her, Douglas Brinkley's 2000 biography, Rosa Parks, would be a good starting point. (Vairo Library F334.M753P373 2000)
If you have children, Faith Ringgold has produced a wonderful book about Ms. Parks for them; it is entitled If a Bus Could Talk. (Vairo Library F334.M753R56 1999)
Ben Bernanke was just named to replace Alan Greenspan as chair of the Federal Reserve. News articles are citing his January 2000 Wall Street Journal article entitled "What Happens when Greenspan is Gone?" If you would like to read it, you can get it thru Factiva on the E-Resource List at http://www.lias.psu.edu/alallpsu.html. When Factiva opens, click on the Search Tab, and enter the above article title in the Search Box. Change the default from the last 3 months, to All Dates.
Joe Biscontini suggests:
"Mad Hot Ballroom," last summer's theatrical documentary on ballroom dancing competiions among 4th and 5th graders in NYC schools, is now on DVD. Take a break; I guarantee you'll enjoy this from start to finish. For kids, probably should be 10 or older to enjoy it (PG rating).
What many people call the Bible for women's health issues, Our Bodies, Ouselves is out in a new 2005 edition. The Boston Women's Health Book Collective has made a bigger and better than ever volume that should be of interest to all women and most men. The sections on nutrition, exercise, environment, and sexually transmitted disease have information of cross-gender value. The sections of special interest to women on childbearing, reproductive choices, and aging have all been updated reflecting medical advances in these areas. (Vairo Library RA778.N49 2005)
If you want to follow closely the arguments in the Lancaster County intelligent design case, Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District, you can get the transcripts at http://www.aclupa.org/legal/legaldocket/intelligentdesigncase/dovertrialtranscripts.htm
The horrible earthquake in Pakistan reminds us of its predecessors and their consequences. De Boer and Sanders, two geologists, have written an excellent history of earthquakes and their far reaching effects on the economy and society. They cover quakes in the Holy Land, Ancient Sparta, England, Spain, Japan, Chile, Managua, Missouri, and San Francisco. Their explanation of the science underlying earthquakes is easy to follow, and their coverage of the social, economic, even religious consequences is fascinating. (Vairo Library QE521.Z45 2005)
Two new arrivals in the Vairo Library will have special appeal to lovers of classic rock. The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock (Ref. ML102.R6B55 2003) covers 1700 artists with great photographs and discographies. Inside Out: a personal history of Pink Floyd is authored by Nick Mason, the only member to be with the band throughout its history. Pink Floyd fans will love this insider's lavishly illustrated memoir (ML421.P6 M38 2005).
Dr. Wayne McMullen spotted this item of interest:
An article in Friday's (October 14) Wall St. Journal will be of
interest to some readers of this blog. The piece details the unintended
consequences of bringing laptops and wireless Internet access into classrooms:
"[It] was supposed to enrich classroom discussions by, for example, allowing
students to import information from the Internet and share it with the rest of
the class. But instead some students are using their laptops to message
friends, shop online, peruse Web sites and pursue part-time jobs. The result:
There is a rising backlash against classroom computer use from professors and
schools." Some colleagues of mine at other universities describe in-class
experiences that are similar to those described in the article.
I got to this article by going to the Factiva database, set the date for October
14, and clicked on "Marketplace" from the pulldown menu.
Those of you who attended Phyllis Cole's Faculty Forum know the question arose, "Why were western states the leaders in giving women the right to vote?" That question is addressed in the following two books:
How the vote was won : woman suffrage in the western United States, 1868-1914 by Rebecca J. Mead. (Pattee/Paterno JK1896.M4 2004)
Women vote in the West : the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1869-1896 by Beverly Beeton (Pattee/Paterno JK1896.B44 1986.)
There is also an interesting website devoted to the western suffrage movement at http://www.autry-museum.org/explore/exhibits/suffrage/index.html
You will be shocked to learn the answer to the question does not involve a lot of idealism.
With the continued interest in avian flu and pandemics, the PBS website on the 1918 influenza outbreak that killed over 600,000 Americans is a great starting point for research. It includes the tv program transcript, a timeline of events, an excellent bibliography of additional sources, and a map showing the spread of the flu. You can find it at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/
The book titled The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America caught my eye as I browsed our new arrivals. Not being a history buff in any way, this book still appealed to me because of its chronological layout (each chapter covers a period of years), and because it seemed to be written for the "layperson".
The most notable feature of this book is that it is researched/written from the perspective of the "disinherited of colonial America" (instead of talking about the "Founding Fathers"), and the book discusses how they "seized the turmoil that accompanied the birth the American Revolution to remake society in ways that befit their... aspirations" (quotes from Back Cover).
"In the rows of august marble busts that commemorate the American Revolution, we have lost sight of the true radical spirit of the longest and most disruptive upheaval in our history" (Amazon Book Description). This book promises to go deep into the heart of the true American Revolution.
call # E208.N33 2005
Jazz lovers will welcome the arrival of Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie, by Donald L. Maggin. Bebop, big band, Arfro-Cuban sounds are all covered in this wide-ranging biography of one of the fathers of improvisation. There are rich details of Dizzy's work with Charlie Parker, Kenny Clarke, Theolonious Monk and CharlieChristian. From threadbare clothing growing up in Cheraw, South Carolina to world wide traveller representing the U. S. State Department, Dizzy saw it all and translated it into great music! (Vairo Library ML419.G54M34 2005)
Freedom House, a non-profit, non-partisan organization annually publishes surveys on freedom around the world including on freedom of the press. The 2005 study reports the U.S. has dropped from 15th to 27th in the last year. The decline reflects court cases involving reporters' sources and notes, government payment of reporters, etc. The country with the freest press is Finland. The most alarming statistic is 45% of the world's population live in countries where the press is not free. For the complete report see:
http://freedomhouse.org/research/pressurvey.htm
With scientists recently confirming that the pandemic of 1918 was likely caused by bird flu that migrated to human to human transmission, you may want to look at this timely book, The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? It is a collection of papers delivered at a workshop sponsored by the the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Forum on Microbial Threats. There is a chapter specifically devoted to avian influenza. If you don't have time for the entire book, you may at least want to read the 56 page Summary and Assessment Chapter. This book is available full text online, just look up the title in the CAT, http://cat.libraries.psu.edu/. and the entry will link you to the National Academcy Press website.
The subtitle of The New Brain Sciences: Perils and Prospects is key to the value of this collection of essays. Each chapter examines an area of research in the neurosciences and explains where the science is heading, the problems it is encountering, and the potential it may unleash for good or ill. The chapters dealing with stem cell research are particularly helpful because they examine not only the ethical issues, but the biological challenges as well. I found the explanation of stem cells the clearest I have read, and the successes and difficulties encountered in the research very helpful in assessing their future possibilities for treatment of disease. (Vairo Library RC341.N53 2004)
While the future of electric cars is uncertain, their prospects are getting brighter as the price of gasoline rises. Whatever their future, their past is known and now well documented in David Kirsch's The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History. He examines the decade of the 1890s when steam, gas and electric cars were in competition to win the auto wars, and offers his views on why gasoline won. Students of engineering, marketing and consumer behavior, as well as Prius owners, will find this a fun read. (Vairo Library TL220.K57 2000)
When Affirmative Action Was White: an untold history of racial inequality in twentieth-century America was written by Ira Katznelson, professor of political science and history at Columbia University. It examines how social welfare programs as far back as FDR's New Deal were implemented in such a way to exclude minorities. Under the influence of Southern Democrats, labor laws excluded farm workers and domestic workers. In the administration of the GI Bill, roadblocks prevented all eligible black veterans from getting the benefits they had earned. Katznelson does a wonderful job of debunking myths surrounding affirmative action, and clarifying just who benefits from the so-called welfare state. (Vairo Library E185.61.K354 2005)