Thanks to Steve Cimbala for bringing to our attention this 1991, but timely, publication Every War Must End by Fred Charles Ikle. In Colin Powell's autobiography, Powell says his reading of this book influenced is plans for the first Gulf War. Ikle's thinking should be informing our current crisis in Iraq. According to Cimbala, Ikle is one of the top thinkers in the field of conflict termination. It takes one to know one, Cimbala has six books in our collection on ending war.
(Vairo Library U21.2.I36 1991 for Ikle)
(Vairo Library U21.2.C65 1987 for one of the Cimbala books)
Students and Teachers
Men and Women
Democrats and Republicans
What groups do you identify with and why does it matter? David Berreby, who has written articles for the New York Times, Discover and other publications, ambitiously tackles the concept of group identity in Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind. Berreby discusses how the labels used to define groups, or "human kinds", affect our lives and opportunities (p.15). He explains how our membership in these groups can change our thoughts, alter our health and affect society as a whole.
(Vairo Library HM753.B47 2005)
For more about Berreby's human kinds, check out his website at www.davidberreby.com.
David Levy, founder of the Computer Olympiad, and expert on chess and computer games has written an informative history of artificial intelligence in Robots Unlimited: Life in a Virtual Age. He looks at the past of robotics and offers speculation about future applications of "thinking computers." There are interesting chapters on computers and religion, computers and emotions, computers and dreams, computers and sex, computers and ethics. There is a lot to think about in this book for both you and your computer.
(Vairo Library TJ211.L456 2006)
"Everyone has a story.
Everyone has known
happiness and hope,
fear and sadness.
Everyone in America
is a citizen of the world." (p. 74)
Award-winning children's author Maria Testa questions what it truly means to be an American in Something About America. This unique juvenile novel written in poetry is narrated by a thirteen-year-old girl who fled Kosova, Yugoslavia with her family as a child. When immigrants from a nearby town are persecuted, the family and community tries to make sense of it all. This quick read provides a fresh outlook at a refugee family's experience for those students interested in immigration or American Studies.
(Vairo Library Curr Coll PS3570.E847S66 2005)
If you read the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning, you know that Penn State was graded with an F in the Education Trust's report entitled Engines of Inequality. The focus of the report is on the financial aid practices of public universities and the shift of resources to attract better prepared upper income students. It gives detailed statistics on access for low income students, access for minority students, and the gaps in graduation rates of low income and higher income students. You can read the full report at:
http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Press+Room/Engines+of+Inequality.htm
Kudos to Pennsylvania for publishing statistics on hospital infections which occurred in PA hospitals during 2005. The figures are alarming and have merited nationwide attention. However, we can't solve a problem we haven't identified, and this study goes a long way toward identifying the dimensions of the problem and generating discussion about its solution. If you want to check out the hospitals you deal with, the full report which was issued this month is on the web at: http://www.phc4.org/reports/hai/05/docs/hai2005report.pdf
The December issue of Discover magazine has a list, "here in one place, the 25 greatest science books ever written." There are also eight honorable mentions. I won't reveal the secret of the #1 book, but it was a tie, with both books written by the same author. With the long Thanksgiving break, you might want to review the list and catch up with the one or two you have not yet read.
(Vairo Library has a paper copy, the online version is at:
http://www.discover.com/issues/dec-06/features/25-greatest-science-books//)
Vairo Library's growing collection of DVDs now includes Barbie's Midlife Crisis: Mighty Mattel Fights Back. This film is a part of the BBC's Case Studies from the Multinational Marketplace series. Students and faculty interested in business, marketing, or popular culture will want to view this short British program.
At 44, Barbie had been the queen of fashion dolls for generations of children. But her sales and profits began to slip as she was forced to fend off attacks from enemies both new and old: the fashion-conscious Bratz pack and Sindy, a former rival that may yet prove to be her nemesis. After providing Barbie’s history and some background on competitors, this program focuses on Mattel’s strategy, which includes giving traditional Barbie a makeover, dumping Ken, and unleashing My Scene Barbie on the Bratz—all to capture the potent new KGOY (kids growing older younger) market. Original BBCW broadcast title: Barbie’s Midlife Crisis. (30 minutes)
Check out a preview video clip at http://www.films.com/id/12050/Barbies_Midlife_Crisis_Mighty_Mattel_Fights_Back.htm
(Vairo Library HF5415.127.B37 2005 DVD)
With more than 300 pictures, The Samurai Film provides a fascinating look at the role of the samurai in Japanese cinema. Film analyst Alain Silver discusses the history and significance of the genre and even provides a glossary for many Japanese terms. This book is a page-turner for any person who appreciates film or Japanese culture.
(Vairo Library PN1995.9.S24S5 2005)
Sandra Winn Tutwiler of Washburn University explores family, school, and community relations in Teachers As Collaborative Partners: Working With Diverse Families and Communities. Aftering discussing the diversity of family life and structures across time and cultures, Winn Tutwiler addresses how teachers communicate and collaborate with families and communities to support learning. Students in Education and Human Development could greatly benefit from the book's case studies and exercises by applying the author's theories to coursework or student-teaching opportunities.
(Vairo Library LC227.T88 2005)
Robots possessing consciousness and emotions is not just the plot of sci-fi flicks, but a potential reality. Robots Unlimited: Life in a Virtual Age by David Levy explores Artifical Intelligence (AI) from its conception to the challenging questions that accompany future advancements. Levy engagingly presents the history of AI and the current uses of robots, such as domestic and medical robots. Future technologies will bring about provocative questions of rights and ethics. "Should robots have civil and legal rights?" (pg. 393) "Who is responsible when robots do good or evil?" (pg. 412) "Should we create self-reproducing intelligent robots?" (pg. 421) For more sources on this topic, check out the author's extensive bibliography on the web at http://www.akpeters.com/RobotsUnlimited/.
(Vairo Library TJ211.L456 2006)
Last month, Cambridge University mounted online the Complete Works of Charles Darwin, inclulding many of his handwritten manuscripts. The site also includes the most comprehensive bibliography ever published of works about Darwin, mp3 files of his works, and excellent biographical information. Any student or scholar of Darwin will delight in having readily available 50,000 searchable text pages and over 40,000 images. It's here, all the information fit to survive at:
http://darwin-online.org.uk/
Award-winning marketing executive Howard J. Bumenthal knows branding. His new book, Branded for Life: How Americans Are Brainwashed by the Brands We Love, is surprisingly a wake up call for Americans to protect their children and fight back against manipulation by advertising. From an insider's perspective, we learn how marketing has impacted not only what we eat and drink, but what we think, believe, learn and so much more. Blumenthal concludes his book with a list of suggestions for ways in which individuals can fight against the branding bulldozer.
(Vairo Library HD69.B7B58 2005)
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press came out with a timely report on Who Votes, Who Doesn't and Why? Regular, intermittent, rare and non-voters have fascinating characteristics. Do you know which category the following fall into: the married, the angry, the trusting. Karl Rove knows. Check out your answers in the report posted at: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=292
From national politics to local newspaper editorials, immigration is a hot button issue today. In a New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration offers readers a larger picture of immigration. Nacny Foner ambitiously covers much ground in this work "making comparisons across time periods, cities and regions, and nations, and focusing on issues pertaining to race, gender, and transnationalism." (p. 7) Why compare immigration on such a large basis? Foner says "it enables us to see what is unique to a specific situation and what is more general to the migration experience." (p. 3) In a New Land is an engaging read for students of Sociology, Anthropology, American Studies, and History.
(Vairo Library JV6465.F66 2005)
Sick of all those political advertisements on TV? With a week until the election, almost every commercial is trying to win your vote. Ted Brader's Campaigning for Hearts and Minds: How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work is the perfect book to help dissect how candidates and parties use emotional cues, such as music and imagery, to gain support or stir up opposition. Brader presents findings from advertising studies that links emotions and voter preferences. After reading this book, you'll look at political ads in a different light.