The University Library Blog

on July 1, 2008

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Gusher of Lies

Gusher of Lies:
The Dangerous Delusions of “Energy Independence”
by Robert Bryce
TJ163.25 .U6 B79 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

With oil prices nearing $143 a barrel, one has to wonder about this energy independence that has been buzzing around Washington and the rest of the world. This week’s new book has some beef with this notion of a self-sustaining United States.

“All of them are full of methane,” states the book description, in reference to Bush, Obama, Greenpeace and everyone that supports weaning the country off of foreign oil. Bryce, fellow at the Institute for Energy Research and managing editor of the Energy Tribune, takes issue with the idea of energy independence, saying that it’s neither possible nor advantageous. Furthermore, he holds nothing back against its proponents, which are not limited to just the crazy liberals or the staunch conservatives. He examines both the past, current and future alternative energy sources and their viability (or lack thereof). The book includes references and a bibliography for further reading.

The Library also has another book by Bryce, Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron, available in the Main Collection (HD9502.U54 E573 2002).

New Stuff Tuesday - March 18

Published

on March 18, 2008

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Generation Digital

Generation Digital:
Politics, Commerce & Childhood in the Age of the Internet
by Kathryn Montgomery
HQ784 .M3 M66 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

The cover of this book, as you may notice, has a picture of a young girl on a cell phone. The photo represents the theme of the book - how technology has changed growing up in the world and its effect on childhood. Montgomery, professor at American University and co-founder of the Center for Media Education, brings an interesting point of view to the table, as a media analyst/scholar, advocate and parent of a millenial. In Generation Digital, she explores how the media landscape has transformed childhood, resulting in techno-savvy youth that balance multitasking with a variety electronic devices look easy. The author also looks at the parallel policy debates that seek to protect these children from the dangers of the Internet. All of this comes into play when examining digital marketing and how it has evolved into what it is today. Packed with a historical perspective and tons of references, this is a great place to begin when researching the digital generation.

New Stuff Tuesday - February 19

Published

on February 19, 2008

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Transformation of American Politics: Activist Government and the Rise of Conservatism

The Transformation of American Politics:
Activist Government and the Rise of Conservatism
edited by Paul Pierson & Theda Skocpol
JK421 .T82 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

With the presidential primary today, I thought that a book on politics would something nice to feature. And, as a friendly reminder, if you haven’t voted already, you might want to get on that, especially with the convenient campus polling location.

The editors of this volume, faculty at UC-Berkeley and Harvard respectively, have gathered essays from some of the best and brightest political scientists to examine the role of the government in our society and the rise of conservatism. The editors and authors contend that the increasingly activist government and powerful conservative movement go hand in hand when looking at the political landscape of the country since 1960. Christopher Howard, author of The Welfare State Nobody Knows, says that “the volume effectively shows how historical perspectives can shed light not just on eras long ago but on contemporary debates - it’s a winner.”

VOTE! Tues. Feb. 19 Primary

Published

on February 18, 2008

in around the world, campus connection and info.gov

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I Voted

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 is Wisconsin Primary Election Day. For the first time, some UWW students may be voting at the new polling place on campus. Others will vote at the Armory. Where do you vote? See the City’s elections information. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.

What the heck is a primary, and why is it important?

A primary is part of the process used by the parties (Democratic and Republican) to figure out who will be their single candidate for the national Presidential election later. The primary voting determines how many delegates each candidate gets. These delegates are pledged to vote for that candidate at the party conventions in August and September. Wisconsin has an open primary, meaning you don’t have to be a registered or declared democrat or republican to vote in a party’s primary, but you can only vote in the primary for one or the other.

For more information about the primary and candidates, see:

Wisconsin Vote, a service of Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio. There are Wisconsin news headlines and blogs here. The “Primary 08” link leads to info on issues for Wisconsinites and what the candidates say.
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. They have their own 2008 Presidential Primary Voters’ Guide with information about the candidates.
Project Vote Smart Information on the candidates and results of completed state primaries are available here.

Of course, the candidates have their own web sites too:

Senior Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. @UWW Jan. 23

Published

on January 17, 2008

in campus connection

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Senior Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. will speak in the Irvin L. Young Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. on January 23rd. This is the 22nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Event on the UWW campus, and you’re all invited!

The Honorable Sterling Johnson, Jr., has been United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York since 1991, where he presides over a heavy workload of cases on criminal and civil matters. His previous experiences include a stint as a marine and service as a police officer, Judge Advocate General (United States Naval Reserve), and Special Narcotics Prosecutor for New York City. More of his background is available online at the web site of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Perhaps his most widely publicized case is his 1993 finding that the detention of Haitian asylum seekers due to their HIV status at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, without access to legal counsel, visitors, telephones, etc. was unconstitutional. To learn more about this case and the issues involved, you could use some of the Library’s databases:

CQ Electronic Library - Search for “sterling johnson” to find brief articles.
Campus Research (Westlaw) - Search “all federal cases” for ju(johnson) and haitians to read the court cases.
Proquest Newspapers - Search for sterling johnson and haitians to read newspaper articles.
Articles on this case could also be found in magazines and journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine (search for annas and haitians).

An additional brief summary, with a note about the subsequent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Federal government’s actions and links to related resources is provided online by the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Also in honor of MLK, you may want to check out the tall display case in the Library’s lobby.

New Stuff Tuesday - January 1

Published

on January 1, 2008

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How to Organize for Power in Your Community

Tools for Radical Democracy:
How to Organize for Power in Your Community
by Joan Minieri & Paul Getsos
HM766 .M56 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

It’s now 2008, and I’m sure that we also have resolutions for the year that we would like to see happen. Sometimes, resolutions aren’t always about yourself, but about change in the world. You can’t effect change, you say? Well, this week’s New Stuff Tuesday book is just what you need. It’s essential for anyone that wants to make a positive impact.

Grassroots organizations have long been drumming up community support for various causes, some being more successful than others. Minieri and Getsos just so happen to know a thing or two about this sort of thing, as they co-founded the Community Voices Heard. CVH focuses on social justice, mainly dealing with poverty, in New York City and the United States. Their manual for organizing for reform outlines everything you could need to know - where to begin with finding partners to form a leadership team to conducting campaigns for public support. It also contains a resources section dealing with topics like raising money for the organization and creating a legal entity. This book will motivate you to start getting ready to take on the world’s problems.

Keep Up With Congress: CQ Weekly

Published

on December 5, 2007

in online @ the library

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CQ Weekly is a weekly magazine devoted to all things related to the activities of the U.S. Congress (its subtitle is “Congressional Quarterly’s Magazine on Government, Commerce, and Politics”). Get a recap of major actions of the past week, an analysis of major issues currently under consideration or coming up soon, roll-call votes, news about the latest political skirmishes, etc. It’s addicting! Keep up with Congress by reading a new issue every Monday.

How to use it:
The home page features the contents of the latest issue (click on the titles that you want to read). Use the options on the left side to browse other issues (click the “Read Recent Issues” drop-down and select a date), or search for articles or floor votes by keyword(s), topic or date. The advanced search allows a number of options including specifying committees, searching by bill numbers, and changing the way results are ordered. You can set up an account and save searches or create automatic email alerts (start by setting up your profile–another option on the left-side margin).

How far back does it go?
UWW students and faculty/staff have access to articles from this respected publication online starting with October 1983. In the University Library’s Reference Collection is the annual summary volume, Congressional Quarterly Almanac, going back to 1959.

In addition, the Weekly is actually part of a suite of CQ databases available to the UWW community for political research. Go to CQ Electronic Library and search any or all of these components: CQ Weekly, CQ Researcher, CQ Congress Collection, CQ Public Affairs Collection, and CQ Voting and Elections Collection.

Elections 2008 Information

Published

on November 29, 2007

in around the world and info.gov

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The Documents Center of the University of Michigan Library has compiled a web site with links to all sorts of information about Elections 2008.

Use the links at the top of the page to navigate to Presidential candidates, political advertising, Congressional candidates, campaign finances, public opinion polls, election calendars, and historic Presidential votes by Congressional District.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

New Stuff Tuesday - October 16

Published

on October 16, 2007

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Public Aesthetics and Mass Politics

Latin American Posters:
Public Aesthetics and Mass Politics
Edited by Russ Davidson
Oversize F1414.2 .L32983 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

This is one of those books where I’m like, “OH! SHINY!” and I can’t resist picking it up off the shelf. I’m sure that some of you out there have a Che Guevara poster on your wall, as it is a staple in every college revolutionary’s room. But there is a whole world of Latin American posters out there that do not involve immortalizing the Argentine socialist. Latin American Posters does just that, displaying a select number of over ten thousand advertisements and propaganda from the twenty-two Latina American countries and Spain housed at the University of New Mexico Libraries. The Sam L. Slick Collection of Latin American and Iberian Posters is composed of ephemera gathered by Slick, a retired professor of Spanish. As Ilan Stavans, well-known scholar, writes in his essay, the people of El Salvador were not getting their news from traditional outlets, but with the posters throughout the streets. If you only got your news from flyers and posters, how would that change your perception of the world?

New Stuff Tuesday - August 14

Published

on August 14, 2007