The Battle of Ole Miss
Civil Rights v. States’ Rights
by Frank Lambert
LD3413 .L36 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor
As we all know, the middle years of the twentieth century were a very tumultuous time for the civil rights struggle for African Americans. All aspects of life were affected by the color line, including education. This week’s featured title focuses on higher education – one with which we all can relate.
Lambert, history professor at Purdue University, brings us the story of James Meredith, an African American student that enrolled for classes at University of Mississippi in 1962. The riot that took place after his matriculation earned a spot in the record books as one of the deadliest clashes of the era. The author provides a first-hand account of many of these events, as he was a student at Ole Miss at the time. While Lambert highlights the local situation, he also explores the historical context of Mississippi and the South – the sociocultural factors that contributed to the blow-up.
James Fallows will talk about Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China on Monday, March 15th, at 7pm in the Irvin L. Young Auditorium, as part of the Contemporary Issues Lecture Series.
Fallows has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic for over 25 years, based in Washington DC, Seattle, Berkeley, Austin, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, and now Beijing. You can read his “Voices” blog entries on the Atlantic site. In 2003 he won a National Magazine Award for his article “The Fifty-First State?” (The Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 2002, vol. 290:no.4, pp. 53-64), which talked about “the effects of military victory of the United States in the Iraq War.”
His work has appeared in many other publications as well. Search the article databases such as Academic Search Complete and MasterFILE Premier (Ebsco) to find some of his articles (try the search au fallows james).
His book, Postcards from Tomorrow Square, is available in Andersen Library’s 3rd-floor Main Collection (DS706 .F3 2009), or UWW students and staff may request it from other UW libraries by using the free Universal Borrowing service. Requested materials arrive in 2-4 weekdays.
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
“How a star is born: Making the gas and dust soup in molecular clouds from which stars are born” will be presented on Fri., Mar. 12 @8pm in Upham Hall 140, followed by public viewing at the UWW Observatory @9:15pm (weather permitting). It’s the Physics Dept’s first spring Whitewater Observatory Lecture.
Like to learn more? Andersen Library can help! Search the HALCat online catalog for books such as The origin of stars (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB806 .S6 2004). Search article databases to find articles including “On the timescale for star formation in galaxies” (The Astrophysical Journal, Nov. 1, 2009, vol.705, pp. 650-658) and “Cloudy with a chance of stars” (Scientific American, Feb. 2010, vol.302:no.2, pp. 34-41).
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
Mark your calendars for the rest of the observatory lectures:
- April 9: From Dust to Majority (taking a star from initial collapse in a molecular cloud to the onset of nuclear fusion)
- April 16: The Making of a Supernova (the evolution of stars more massive than eight solar masses to their demise in titanic explosions)
- April 30: The Making of a Celestial Flower (the evolution of stars less massive than eight solar masses to their demise as planetary nebulae)
- May 7: When Fusion Stops, What Follows (the long retirement of stars as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes)
Did you know? There’s a monthly Global Café Series @Jitters (1st floor Wells). Today, March 9th, at 7pm the topic is Ireland.
Andersen Library has resources on cross-cultural communication and travel. Search HALCat, the online catalog, for books or videos, such as Culture shock! Ireland (3rd-floor Main Collection, DA925 .L48 2001) and Ireland: History, culture, people (3rd-floor Main OVERSIZE Collection, DA906 .I73 2001). Google Books says the latter book is “the next best thing to a trip to Ireland.” Hmmm. I’d say, take a trip if you can!
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
Beginning Google Maps Mashups
with Mapplets, KML and GeoRSS:
From Novice to Professional
by Sterling Udell
G70.212 .U34 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor
Last week as I worked with a class on a research project, the question came up – “How do you calculate the distance between Chennai (India) and Long Beach, CA… in nautical miles?” While I totally knew the answer in my head, I searched for a solution that would allow the students to find out this for themselves. Enter the Google Maps Distance Calculator from Daft Logic. You plot your two points wherever you’d like and it automagically figures out the distance, in miles, kilometers, nautical miles, meters and FEET. All of this is possible because of a what’s affectionately known as a mashup. (In case you’re wondering, the distance between Chennai and Long Beach measures out to approximately 7800 nautical miles.)
I tell this story because this week’s featured title details just how to make your very own mashup. Udell, having developed with Google Maps since before its release to the public, shares his expertise with the Internet giant’s geographic code and its applications in web design. He provides this information in an accessible volume, stating upfront that the reader need not have programming experience (just not an aversion to it) to utilize this book. The author starts off easy with walking you through the Geoweb and setting up a maps page, and guides you as you explore the possibilities with mapplets. If you’ve ever wanted to put together a mashup but didn’t know how, this book will get you on the right track.
Israeli storyteller Noa Baum will present a one-woman performance of Israeli and Palestinian women’s stories called “A Land Twice Promised” at 7:30 pm on Wed., Mar. 10, in the Hamilton Center (James R. Connor University Center). Free and open to the public!
You can see an excerpt on YouTube:
Andersen Library has materials on women in Palestine and Israel. Search the HALCat online catalog to find books such as Women in Israel: A state of their own (3rd-floor Main Collection, HQ1728.5 .H35 2004) and Women and the politics of military confrontation: Palestinian and Israeli gendered narratives of dislocation (3rd-floor Main Collection, HQ1728.7 .W65 2002).
Search article databases to find articles such as “Challenging injustice: A decision every human can make” (Cross Currents, Summer 2008, vol.58:no.2, pp. 282-301), which discusses using life story to develop understanding between Israeli Jews and Arabs, and “What is your story? The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in recent women’s documentaries” (Third Text, May 2006, vol.20:no.3/4, pp. 475-486).
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
“What happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook,” a talk by social media strategists Katie Felten & Emily Lenard on Tues., Mar. 9, 6:30-8 pm (Winther Hall 2001), will provide insight on how to leverage social media for employment while preserving a professional reputation.
This should be very interesting! As one of those TV judges recently said to someone, “Say it and forget it, write it and regret it.” The same could be said for online posting. Every so often people get caught for their misdeeds because they helpfully posted information–sometimes incriminating photos too–on Facebook, etc. See, for example, a newspaper article in Greensburg, PA’s Tribune-Review (March 8, 2009), “Online social sites good tool for police.” And police aren’t the only unexpected audience for online postings. Potential employers are online too.
Interested in more information? You can search UW library catalogs for books, such as “Delete: The virtue of forgetting in the digital age,” which is available to UWW students and staff from other UW libraries by making a free Universal Borrowing request. Search article databases to find articles such as “The newest way to screen job applicants: A social networker’s nightmare” (Federal Communications Law Journal, June 2008, vol. 60:no.3, pp. 597-626), which warns that “Students and graduates today are getting more than they bargain for as they attempt to enter the workforce and realize their blogging and social networking ways can come back to bite them.”
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
Playbooks and Checkbooks:
An Introduction to the Economics of Modern Sports
by Stefan Szymanski
GV717 .S993 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor
With the Olympics closing this past weekend, the NBA and NHL in the middle of their seasons and baseball preseason starting up in the next few weeks, sports on many people’s minds. This week’s featured title makes us think about all of the finances that go into the sports industry.
Szymanski, professor of economics at the City University London, explores the fascinating (and sickening to some) world of professional sports and the business models used to generate the necessary income to support themselves. He examines the economics behind this industry and how it functions and doesn’t function like other profit-grossing industries. The author bases much of his book on scholarly literature and provides a ‘beginner’s guide’ to said literature for those interested in further investigation.
Shoptimism:
Why the American Consumer Will
Keep On Buying No Matter What
by Lee Eisenberg
HF5415.33 .U6 E47 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor
In these pressing economic times, common sense would tell us that we should save every penny possible, to become more frugal and to evaluate each expenditure with increased scrutiny. On the other hand, can one easily resist the urge to purchase ‘must needed’ items? For example, I couldn’t help myself when I went to the outlet mall last week and dropped more money than I care to admit (the deals were amazing!). Fortunately, this week’s featured title might just have an explanation.
Eisenberg, accomplished editor and visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, explores the wonderful world of shopping, both from the selling angle – the marketers, advertisers and retailers – and the buying angle – the consumers. He explains the business forces that work for or against us (depending on your perspective) to buy and buy again. The author also delves into the debate about how and why we, as consumers, hand over the dollar bills or credit cards to willing cashiers – is it the act of buying, or what the new found purchases represent? If you have any interest in retail therapy (or need help with understanding it), this book is for you.
Makeover TV:
Selfhood, Citizenship and Celebrity
by Brenda Weber
PN1992.8 .R43 W43 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor
Reality television, once thought of as a passing fad, has turned out to take over to profile every aspect of daily life. If it can be filmed, then it will be made (think fist pumpers of Jersey Shore – really, MTV?). The trend extends to makeovers as well, everything from home renovations to body transformations. I admit that I have lost many hours of my life glued to the TV, stuck on House Hunters or What Not to Wear marathons. But what does that say about us, our way of life, our society?
Weber, professor of gender studies at Indiana University, takes on the phenomenon of televised makeovers and analyzes how these shows represent much larger cultural ideas. She watched over 2,500 hours of the genre (I want her job!) to come up with these narratives about the ‘rebirth’ of individuals to a national audience. The author contends that the makeover experts exert their influence on participants, emphasizing the distinct differences between males and females. This hyper-’genderization’ speaks volumes about our current society and what makeovers do to a person’s self-identity.
