Supreme Court Takes Stand for Gun Owners

Gun owners hailed the Supreme Court's latest decision to overturn a Washington, D.C. prohibition on handguns as reported in a June 26, 2008 Dallas Morning News story ("Supreme Court strikes down D.C. handgun ban"). This latest decision about an individual's right to carry guns has some limitations that are noted in the article. Still this broader interpretation of the Constitution's Second Amendment is historic for gun rights advocates.

Review selected library titles related to the firearms laws and the Second Amendment available now 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• 2nd Amendment
• firearms laws
• United States militia
• gun control

Out of Range: Why the Constitution Can't End the Battle over Guns by Mark V. Tushnet - Oxford University Press, 2007
call number: 344.73 Tus

A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America by Saul Cornell - Oxford University Press, 2006
call number: 344.73 Cor

The Second Amendment in Law and History: Historians and Constitutional Scholars on the Right to Bear Arms edited by Carl T. Bogus - New Press, 2001
call number 344.73 Sec

The Right to Bear Arms: Rights and Liberties under the Law by Robert J. Spitzer - ABC-CLIO, 2001
call number: 344.73 Spi

Bush Calls for Halt to Iran's Nuclear Development

Although Iran states that its uranium enrichment program is for "purely civil purposes," President Bush warns that further sanctions are forthcoming if Iran fails to stop its development of nuclear weapons according to a Guardian (UK) article ("Bush Warns Iran Again over Nuclear Plans" posted June 11, 2008).

Review selected library titles related to nuclear weapons development and Iran available now 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• foreign relations Iran
• military policy Iran
• nuclear weapons Iran
• politics Iran
  

America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers by Chuck Hagel with Peter Kaminsky - Ecco, 2008
(NOTE: Chapter 5 - Ayatollahs, Blue Jeans, and Nukes: The Question of Iran)
call number: 973.93 Hag
The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis by Alireza Jafarzadeh - Palgrave, 2007
call number: 355.021 Jaf

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States by Trita Parsi. - Yale University Press, 2007
call number: 327.569 Par

The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran by Yossi Melman and Meir Javedanfar - Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2007
call number: 955.054 Mel

Iran [videorecording]: The Next Iraq? produced by A&E Television Networks
call number: DVD nonfiction 955.054 Ira

Salmonella Outbreak - Why Is Food Contaminated?

Salmonella contamination hit an estimated 145-150 people in 16 states including Texas and the culprit appears to be uncooked tomatoes according to a June 8, 2008 USA Today story. Other news this year related to listeria, E. Coli, and mercury caused widespread alarm about the safety of the food supply. Food irradiation or submitting food to "high-energy gamma or electron beams to disrupt the DNA of pathogens" is seen as a way to increase the safety of the food supply, but concerns still exist about potential drawbacks to the practice. Take a look at some library titles related to food safety available now 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• food safety
• food law
• food poisoning
• food contamination
• food-borne diseases
• food adulteration
• food irradiation

Salmonella by Danielle A. Brands - Chelsea House Publishers, 2006
call number: 615.952 Bra

Food Safety by Victoria Sherrow - Chelsea House, 2008
call number: 363.192 She

Threats to Food Safety by Fred C. Pampel - Facts On File, 2006
call number: 363.192 Pam

Death in the Pot: The Impact of Food Poisoning on History by Morton Satin - Prometheus Books, 2007
call number: 614.5 Sat

Food edited by Jan Grover - Greenhaven Press, 2008
(NOTE: Several chapters in the book cover food safety or irradiation.)
call number: 363.862 Foo

Largest Biodiesel Plant Opens in Houston

The Houston Chronicle reports in a June 3, 2008 story that the Houston Ship Channel area welcomed the opening of the biggest biodiesel plant in the United States owned by GreenHunter Energy. The company touted its ability to create fuel from chicken and beef fat and rapeseed, canola and palm oils plus in two years, they hope to power the new facilities with jatropha, a plant from India. An agricultural economist interviewed for the article projects that the increased use of U.S. biodiesel "will displace 242 million barrels of crude oil between 2006 and 2015." Take a look at some library titles related to biodiesel available now or on order 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it. Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• biodiesel fuels
• renewable energy sources
• vegetable oils as fuel

Do-It-Yourself Guide to Biodiesel: Your Alternative Fuel Solution for Saving Money, Reducing Oil Dependency, and Helping the Planet by Guy Purcella - Ulysses Press, 2007
call number: on order

Biodiesel: Basics and Beyond: A Comprehensive Guide to Production and Use for the Home and Farm by William H. Kemp - Aztext Press: Distributed by New Society Pub., 2006
call number: 662.669 Kem

Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy by Greg Pahl - Chelsea Green Pub., 2005
call number: 662.669 Pah

Running a Presidential Campaign

Discover why so much is at stake in the political primaries and how our next president is really chosen with these items available 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it.

Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• presidents election
  
• presidents nomination


• political campaigns


• presidential candidates


• political parties

The Presidential Election Process edited by Tom Lansford - Greenhaven Press, 2008
call number 324.609 Pre

: Exploding Myths, Exploring Misconceptions by Jody C. Baumgartner and Peter L. Francia - Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008
call number 324.709 Bau

Choosing the President 2008: A Citizen's Guide to the Electoral Process by The League of Women Voters and edited by Bob Guldin - Lyons Press, 2008
call number 324.6 Cho

Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (and What We Can Do about It) by William Poundstone - Hill and Wang, 2008
call number 324.973 Pou

Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections by Larry J. Sabato, Howard R. Ernst - Checkmark Books, 2007
call number 324.273 Sab

American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction by L. Sandy Maisel - Oxford University Press, 2007
call number 324.973 Mai

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the Rise

An Associated Press story discusses a report from the Army surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker on 40,000 diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in members of the military, most significantly affecting the Army and Marines (Wartime PTSD cases jumped roughly 50 pct. in 2007 - May 27, 2008). The story mentions that there are likely many more unidentified cases of this condition in the armed forces. Find more about the devasting effects of combat and suggested treatment options for PTSD at the 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 281-290-3218 to check your PIN if you do not remember it.

Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• post-traumatic stress disorder


• veterans mental health


• veterans family relationships


• war neuroses

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families by Laurie B. Slone and Matthew J. Friedman - Da Capo Lifelong, 2008
call number 616.852 Slo

Back from the Front: Combat Trauma, Love, and the Family by Aphrodite Matsakis - Sidran Institute Press, 2007
call number 616.852 Mat

Soldier's Heart: Close-Up Today with PTSD in Vietnam Veterans by William Schroder and Ronald Dawe - Praeger Security International, 2007
call number 616.852 Sch

Courage after Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Families by Keith Armstrong, Suzanne Best, and Paula Domenici - Ulysses: distributed by Publishers Group West, 2006
call number 616.89 Arm

Politics & the Price of Oil

Are we expecting a gallon of gasoline to keep rising in price indefinitely? What factors affect the increasing prices at the pump? Use these subject words to find more in the library catalog:

• petroleum industry


• energy policy


• gasoline


• petroleum products


• petroleum reserves

All titles are in the adult non-fiction section of the LSC-CyFair Library (unless otherwise noted):

Leading by Example: How We Can Inspire an Energy and Security Revolution by Bill Richardson - Wiley, 2008
call number 333.79 Ric

Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence" by Robert Bryce - PublicAffairs, 2008
call number 333.79 Bry

Oil and the Future of Energy: Climate Repair, Hydrogen, Nuclear Fuel, Renewable and Green sources, Energy Efficiency compiled by the editors of Scientific American Magazine - Lyons, 2007
call number 333.79 Oil

Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline by Lisa Margonelli - Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2007
call number 338.272 Mar

The Oil and The Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea by Steve LeVine - Random House, 2007
call number 338.272 Lev

American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century by Kevin Phillips - Penguin Books, 2007
call number 973.931 Phi

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (DVD) written, produced and directed by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack - New Video Group, 2007
call number 622.338 Cru (on the non-fiction DVD shelves near the 1st floor customer service desk)

Explore Myanmar

As the world community struggles to respond to the devastation in Myanmar, discover more about the country formerly known as Burma by checking out a sample of library titles on this mysterious country. Use these words in a keywords anywhere search to find more in the library catalog:

• Myanmar


• Burma

All titles are in the adult non-fiction section of the LSC-CyFair Library (unless otherwise noted):

Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia by Dougald J.W. O'Reilly - AltaMira Press, 2007
call number 959.01 Ore

Worst of the Worst: Dealing with Repressive and Rogue Nations - Brookings Institution Press, 2007
call number 323.49 Wor (NOTE: p. 135 begins a chapter on Burma: Poster Child for Entrenched Repression)

Sounds of the Silk Road: Musical Instruments of Asia by Mitchell Clark - MFA Publications, 2005
call number 784.195 Cla (NOTE: p. 84 begins a chapter on Burma)

The Trouser People: A Story of Burma -- in the Shadow of the Empire by Andrew Marshall - Counterpoint, 2002
call number 959.103 Mar

The Traditional Ceramics of Southeast Asia by Mick Shippen - University of Hawai'i Press, 2005
call number 738.095 Shi

Journey into Buddhism (DVD) - WGBH Boston Video, 2007
call number 294.3 Jou on the non-fiction DVD shelves near the 1st floor customer service desk

The Bridge on the River Kwai (DVD or Videocassette) - Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2000
call number "B" (DVD) on the feature film DVD shelves near the 1st floor customer service desk