Same-Sex Marriage Approved in D.C.

Although the bill goes to Congress for a 30-day review now, the mayor of Washington, D.C. put his signature on a bill to approve same-sex marriage in the district after it passed the local council ("D.C. Mayor Signs Same-Sex Marriage Bill" - CNN, December 18, 2009). Supporters believe that Congress will not prevent final passage of the law even though they have the power to block measures approved by the District of Columbia council. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Iowa already allow such marriages and New Hampshire's law becomes effective January 1, 2010. Opponents of the D.C. measure say they will push for a citizen's vote on the issue.

Review selected library titles related to same-sex marriage at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Request" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to reserve for pick up at the library. Call the library at 281-290-3219 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words and phrases to find more in the library catalog:

• same-sex marriage
  
• civil unions
  
• gay couples
  
• lesbian couples
• domestic partner benefits
  

The Age of Independence: Interracial Unions, Same-Sex Unions, and the Changing American Family by Michael J. Rosenfeld - Harvard University Press, 2009.
call number: 306.85 Ros
Rosenfeld, Associate Professor of Sociology at Stanford University "offers a new theory of family dynamics to account for the interesting and startling changes in marriage and family composition in the United States in recent years . . . reduced parental control over the dating practices and mate selection of their children that has resulted in a sharp rise in interracial and same-sex unions." - publisher's summary excerpt

Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families under the Law by Nancy D. Polikoff - Beacon Press, 2008.
call number: 346.73 Pol
"Polikoff says, we need to look at ways the law can change to value all families beyond those created by marriage, including same and different-sexed, married and unmarried couples. Polikoff draws on legal history and contemporary (often eye-opening) court cases to make her argument." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage edited by Craig A. Rimmerman and Clyde Wilcox - University of Chicago Press, 2007
call number: 306.848 Pol
The book "brings together an esteemed list of scholars to explore all facets of this heated issue, including the ideologies and strategies on both sides of the argument . . .With comprehensive coverage from a variety of different approaches, this volume will be a vital sourcebook for activists, politicians, and scholars alike." - publisher's summary excerpt

Courting Equality: A Documentary History of America's First Legal Same-Sex text by Patricia A. Gozemba and Karen Kahn - Beacon Press, 2007.
call number: 306.848 Goz
"This book takes readers through the volatile public debate following the decision (on November 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples) and introduces some of the many lesbian and gay families who have taken advantage of equal marriage laws." - publisher's summary excerpt

World Hunger Relief Hit by Economic Downturn

As a result of the world economic crisis, prices for "staple foods" in developing countries have increased 19% over 2007 costs causing 100 million more people this year to be classified as "undernourished" (More Than One Billion Go Hungry in World Recession" - Daily Telegraph (UK), October 14, 2009). The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) study cited the need for greater production of agricultural goods to spur price decreases, but food aid from wealthy nations continues to be cut. The only promising aspect of this report was the fact that "four decades ago one in three people in poor countries was undernourished – today that figure is one in five."

Review selected library titles related to the world food supply and malnutrition at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Request" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to reserve for pick up at the library. Call the library at 281-290-3219 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words and phrases to find more in the library catalog:

• food relief
  
• food supply
  
• malnutrition
  
• sustainable agriculture
  

Malnutrition edited by Margaret Haerens - Greenhaven Press, 2009.
call number: 362.196 Mal
Includes topics such as "Global Malnutrition Is a Severe Problem" and "Increasing Local Food Production Will Help Alleviate Malnutrition" - publisher's table of contents excerpt

The Global Food Crisis edited by Uma Kukathas - Greenhaven Press, 2009.
call number: 363.8 Glo
Includes topics such as "Raising Agricultural Productivity Will Solve the Food Crisis" and "Modern Technologies Can Foster Success in Poor Farming Communities" - publisher's table of contents excerpt

We Feed the World [videorecording] supported by FVSterreichisches Film Institut Filmfonds Wien: Distributed by Kino International, 2009
call number: DVD Nonfiction 630 Wef
"Reveals the distressing problems of the industrialized world food system and what world hunger has to do with us. Nearly 1 billion of the 7 billion people on Earth are starving, but the food produced could feed 12 billion people." - video producer summary

Texas Pays Men for Being Wrongly Incarcerated

The Innocence Project, a New York organization that works to free prisoners who are mistakenly convicted, announced that 38 men will receive payments from the State of Texas after DNA evidence prompted their release from prison ("Texas DNA Exonerees Find Prosperity after Prison" - Associated Press, September 4, 2009). For each year of prison time served, the exonerees will receive $80,000 in addition to "job training, tuition credits, and access to medical and dental treatment." Earlier payments to the wrongly convicted in Texas stood at $50,000 until several of the 38 men were "advised to drop their federal civil rights lawsuits" by their attorney who then pushed for passage of a new law that granted the larger sum.

Review selected library titles related to the DNA evidence and judicial error at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a book, select the "Request" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to reserve for pick up at the library. Call the library at 281-290-3219 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words and phrases to find more in the library catalog:

• DNA fingerprinting
• false imprisonment
  
• forensic genetics
  
• judicial error

DNA Evidence and Forensic Science by David E. Newton - Facts On File, 2008.
call number: 363.25 New
". . . Provides an overview of DNA evidence and forensic science, covering forensic tools and DNA typing and their history, and legal issues and specific cases in the U.S." - publisher's summary excerpt

The Innocence Commission: Preventing Wrongful Convictions and Restoring the Criminal Justice System by Jon B. Gould - New York University Press, 2008.
call number: 347.755 Gou
"After describing the history of innocence investigations, Gould calmly dissects 11 cases from the ICVA files to illustrate some tragic errors in the criminal justice system. The book benefits from the use of trial testimony and detailed case descriptions, and the section on federal and state procedures for requesting post-conviction relief, model police identification procedures, and recommendations for prosecutors is especially useful." - Library Journal review excerpt

Justice and Science: Trials and Triumphs of DNA Evidence by George "Woody" Clarke - Rutgers University Press, 2007.
call number: on order
". . .Nonfiction page turner that should appeal just as much to true crime buffs as those concerned with the workings of the criminal justice system. . . (the author is) a leading world expert on the use of DNA in establishing probable guilt or innocence." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

After Innocence [videorecording] American Film Foundation & Showtime Independent Films - New Yorker Video, 2007.
call number: DVD Nonfiction 614.1 Aft
"Tells the dramatic and compelling story of seven men that were exonerated after being imprisoned for decades and released after DNA evidence proved their innocence." - video producer summary