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

Cheney Defends Terrorism Interrogation Methods

In a recent televised interview, Former Vice-President Dick Cheney said that C.I.A. "enhanced interrogation techniques" including waterboarding were essential to defending the nation against terrorism ("Cheney Offers Sharp Defense of C.I.A. Interrogation Tactics" - New York Times, August 30, 2009). Cheney also stated that Attorney General Eric Holder's investigation into C.I.A. tactics would be detrimental to national security, noting that the inquiry must be politically motivated. Republican Senator John McCain disagreed with Cheney's assessment on the value of "extreme interrogation methods" and said that use of them went against provisions of the Geneva Conventions against torture and "produced unreliable intelligence."

Review selected library titles related to the terrorism investigations and torture 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:

• military interrogation
  
• torture
• war and emergency powers
  

Torture edited by Debra A. Miller - Greenhaven Press, 2009.
call number: 364.67 Tor
Includes several pro/con essays on such topics as "Is torture morally wrong?" and "Torture has a place in the war on terror." - publisher's table of contents excerpt

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer - Doubleday, 2008.
call number: 973.931 May
"This hard-hitting expose examines both the controversial excesses of the war on terror and the home-front struggle to circumvent legal obstacles to its prosecution . . . the author looks at the use of techniques like waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation against prisoners by the American military and CIA; her chilling account compellingly argues that this 'enhanced interrogation' regimen constitutes torture." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

Administration of Torture: A Documentary Record from Washington to Abu Ghraib and Beyond by Jameel Jaffer and Amrit Singh - Columbia University Press, 2007.
call number: 341.65 Jaf
". . . The most detailed account thus far of what took place in America's overseas detention centers, including a narrative essay in which Jameel Jaffer and Amrit Singh (American Civil Liberties Union litigators) draw the connection between the policies adopted by senior civilian and military officials and the torture and abuse that took place on the ground." - publisher's summary excerpt

The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration by Jack Goldsmith - W.W. Norton, 2007.
call number: 342.73 Gol
"The author served as the head of George W. Bush's Office of Legal Counsel from October 2003 to July 2004, where he spent his short tenure challenging his colleagues' over-broad legal reasoning on such issues as the Terrorist Surveillance Program, the Geneva Conventions, military commissions, interrogation techniques, and Guantanamo Bay." - publisher's summary excerpt

Alternative Medicine Expenses on the Increase

A new report from the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (affiliated with the National Institutes of Health) notes that alternative medical care "accounts for 1.5 percent of all health-care costs in the United States, but 11.2 percent of all out-of-pocket costs" mostly spent with "self-care therapies" that don't require consultation with a practitioner ("Americans Spend Billions on Alternative Medicine" - U.S. News and World Report, July 30, 2009). Purchase of "non-vitamin, non-mineral natural products" such as fish oil and echinacea accounted for some $14.8 billion of the total spent on alternative medicine.

Review selected library titles related to alternative medicine 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:

• alternative medicine
  
• homeopathy
  
• holistic medicine
  
• herbs therapeutic use
  

Alternative Therapies edited by Debra A. Miller - Greenhaven Press, 2009.
call number: 615.5 Alt
Includes information on alternative therapy regulation, safety, benefits/drawbacks, and use with children. - publisher's table of contents excerpt

Mosby's Complementary & Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach by Lyn Freeman - Mosby Elsevier, 2009.
call number: 615.522 Fre
"This text includes practical, clinically relevant coverage of complementary and alternative medicine, with commentary by well-known experts, descriptions of recent medical advances, case studies, and the history and philosophy of each discipline, along with indications, contraindications, practical application, and clinical trials for each topic." - publisher's summary excerpt

Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine by Simon Singh & Edzard Ernst - W.W. Norton & Co., 2008.
call number: 610 Sin
"Noted science writer Singh and British professor of complementary medicine Ernst offer a reasoned examination of the research on acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine and other alternative treatments. . . a stimulating and informative account that will be indispensable to anyone considering an alternative treatment, though it may not dissuade true believers." - Publisher's Weekly review excerpt

Prescription for Drug Alternatives: All-Natural Options for Better Health without the Side Effects by James F. Balch, Mark Stengler, and Robin Young-Balch - John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
call number: 615.535 Bal
"Verdict: The evidence supporting the efficacy of some suggested supplements is weak, and there are no caveats to readers that supplements themselves act as drugs. The bulk of the book consists of a listing of disease conditions with causes; prescription drug treatments with associated benefits, side effects, and risks; and natural alternatives." - Library Journal review excerpt

Alternative Medicine: An Introduction to Holistic and Integrative Therapies [videorecording] produced by Revodition LLC, 2008.
call number: DVD Nonfiction 615.88 Alt
"The program features 7 practitioners who have become successful in their respective forms of complementary and inclusionary medicine. They provide powerful insight on their experiences and methods of healing individuals who had nowhere else to turn for help." - publisher's summary excerpt

Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Baseball

Add two more Major League Baseball players, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, to the 2003 performance-enhancing drugs positive test list based on word from attorneys who disclosed the information anonymously ("Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List" - New York Times, July 30, 2009). The latest report chronicles baseball's first steroid test in 2003, where the results eventually became part of a federal investigation against the wishes of the baseball players union. Ramirez recently concluded a "50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy." Other players including Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez have been mentioned as testing positive in 2003 as well.

Review selected library titles related to performance-enhancing drugs and baseball 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:

• baseball players drug use
• steroids
  
• doping in sports
• athletes drug use

American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids America's Pastime by the New York Daily News Sports Investigative Team - Knopf, 2009.
call number: 796.357 Ame
"Relying on hundreds of on- and off-the-record interviews and access to public and private documents, this is an intricate and compelling case in which there are no heroes, but a notable villain-the League itself-whose lax approach to the issue ensures baseball's steroids era isn't over." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

Bases Loaded: The Inside Story of the Steroid Era in Baseball by the Central Figure in the Mitchell Report by Kirk Radomski - Hudson Street Press, 2009.
call number: 796.357 Rad
"Radomski, a former New York Mets employee, pleaded guilty to distributing anabolic steroids to dozens of major league players between 1995 and 2005." - publisher's summary excerpt

Performance Enhancing Drugs edited by Louise Gerdes - Greenhaven Press, 2008.
call number: 362.29 Per
Includes chapters on antidoping policies, drug testing programs, and teen athlete use of performance enhancing drugs - publisher's table of contents excerpt

Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball by Jose Canseco - Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008.
call number: B Cansec
"He talks candidly about what the Mitchell Report did -- and didn't -- get right, why steroid use became so rampant, and how his life has changed since he tore the lid off Pandora's box." - publisher's summary excerpt

Can Processed Food Actually Curb Hunger?

Processed food can be altered with an additive to slow the rate that food leaves the stomach, keeping eaters feeling satisfied longer ("Foods May Soon Be Modified 'To Make You Feel Full for Twice as Long'" - Daily Telegraph (UK), June 3, 2009). The Institute of Food Research and Nottingham University discovered that this satiation of hunger can be achieved with an existing stabilizer, Tween 60. Research subjects said the addition of Tween 60 made them "feel fuller, less hungry and have less appetite" in contrast to another stabilizer that separated water and oil in their stomachs.

Review selected library titles related to food processing and obesity 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:

• food habits
• food industry and trade
  
• food marketing
  
• obesity

Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat by Hank Cardello - Ecco Press, 2009
call number: 616.398 Car
"The obesity epidemic in particular, he argues, is connected to food businesses that control 'almost everything the average American eats.' Although the tone ranges from finger-wagging polemic to reformist optimism, the author does sketch out several solutions." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler - Rodale: distributed to the trade by Macmillan, 2009
call number: 613.2 Kes
"Although not everyone succumbs, more people of all ages are being set up for a lifetime of food obsession due to the ever-present availability of foods laden with salt, fat and sugar. A gentle though urgent plea for reform, Kessler's book provides a simple "food rehab" program to fight back against the industry's relentless quest for profits while an entire country of people gain weight and get sick." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

The Fattening of America: How the Economy Makes Us Fat, If It Matters, and What to Do about It by Eric Finkelstein and Laurie Zuckerman - Wiley, 2008
call number: 362.196 Fin
"Along with health-care writer Zuckerman, researcher Finkelstein delves into how modern technology reduces the cost of producing higher-calorie processed goods, decreases our activity level and puts our health in danger." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

North Korea's Missile Tests Escalate War of Words

Diplomacy with allies failed to produce a resolution of North Korea's nuclear build up, so the U.S. is looking at defensive tactics against missile testing sanctioned by Pyongyang ("U.S., Allies Prepare for Tougher Response to N. Korea" - Reuters, May 31, 2009). While Japan, China, Russia and South Korea continue to work with the United States for a peaceful agreement with North Korea, the U.N. Security Council called for "strict enforcement of sanctions imposed after the North's first atomic test in October 2006." Meanwhile, North Korea said that they nullified the truce after the Korean War and retaliation against South Korea is possible.

Review selected library titles related to North Korean nuclear power and foreign relations 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:

• North Korea foreign relations
  
• North Korea nuclear weapons
• North Korea nuclear nonproliferation

Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis by Mike Chinoy - St. Martin's Press, 2008.
call number: 327.73 Chi
"Fine, insightful diplomatic history of a dire confrontation and a hard-hitting critique of the Bush administration's foreign policy." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

North & South Korea edited by Louise I. Gerdes - Greenhaven, 2007.
call number: 327.73 Nor
"Explores both sides of issues related to Korea and its relationship with the United States, including the military threat from North Korea." - publisher's summary excerpt

Worst of the Worst: Dealing with Repressive and Rogue Nations - Brookings Institution Press, 2007.
call number: 323.49 Wor (NOTE: p. 89 begins a chapter on North Korea: The Tyranny of Deprivation)
"Identifies and characterizes the most repressive states and singles out which are aggressive" - publisher's summary excerpt

Inside North Korea [videorecording] produced by Pangloss Films for National Geographic Television & Film (distributed by Warner Home Video), 2007.
call number: DVD Nonfiction 951.93 Ins
"A comprehensive look at . . . the tense world of the Demilitarized Zone to the surreal life of the Dear Leader Kim Jong II." - publishers summary excerpt

Swine Flu Researchers Review Historical Pandemics

CNN reports that researchers are reviewing past pandemics to predict the future developments of the H1N1-swine flu virus ("Scientists Dig for Lessons from Past Pandemics" - CNN, April 30, 2009). The primary discovery is that a "more deadly second wave" hits several months after the first onset of a communicable disease outbreak (as seen in 1889, 1918, 1957, and 1968). This situation buys time for development of an H1N1 vaccine. Looking back in time, non-medical interventions such as closing places where people congregate and quarantining affected individuals still definitely slows the spread of disease.

Review selected library titles related to the epidemics 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:

• epidemics
• communicable diseases
• emerging infection diseases
• world health
  

Do Infectious Diseases Pose a Threat? edited by Beverly Engel - Greenhaven Press, 2009.
call number: 362.196 Doi
"Includes essays such as 'The United States is prepared for an influenza pandemic' and 'Computers can predict and prevent epidemics'" - table of contents excerpt

Infectious Disease: A Scientific American Reader - University of Chicago Press, 2008.
call number: 362.196 Doi
"With sections devoted to viral infections, infectious disease, the immune system, and global management and treatment issues, Infectious Disease provides general readers and students with an excellent overview of recent research in the field." - publisher's summary excerpt

Pandemics and Global Health by Barry Youngerman - Facts On File, 2008.
call number: 614.49 You
"This indispensable book--which rivals even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's web site in accessibility and breadth--is a practical guide to understanding communicable diseases and their transmission modes." - Library Journal review excerpt

Understanding New, Resurgent, and Resistant Diseases: How Man and Globalization Create and Spread Illness by Kurt Link - Praeger Publishers, 2007.
call number: 362.196 Lin
"Aimed at a general audience, this volume by Link (a retired medical internist) provides a broad overview of the variety of disease threats that threaten the health and lives of people around the world." - publisher's summary excerpt

The Little Book of Pandemics: 50 of the World's Most Virulent Plagues and Infectious Diseases by Dr. Peter Moore - Collins, 2007.
call number: 614.4 Moo
"Includes headline grabbers such as SARS, avian flu, and anthrax, as well as conditions considered relatively mild in Western countries, such as measles and chicken pox. Basic information is provided in two to four pages and illustrated with a map of where the disease is active, . . . and bar graphs indicating how infectious and severe the disease is, its fatality rate, and how dangerous it would be as a bioweapon." - School Library Journal review excerpt

Domestic Abuse Discussions Rise Due to Chris Brown Case

The fact that 1.3 million women experience violence annually from a partner came to light after the celebrity Rihanna/Chris Brown case of alleged domestic abuse ("The Front Lines Against Domestic Violence" - CBS News, 3/11/09). When Rihanna reconciled with Brown, her action resembled other abuse cases. Some 80% of women victimized in this way resume their association with the abuser. The story concludes with the need for the victim to realize that a crime has occurred, to seek help, and not take blame for someone else's destructive behavior.

Review selected library titles related to the domestic violence 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:

• domestic violence
• abused women
• abusive men
• dating violence
• violence against women
• psychological abuse

The Nice Girl Syndrome: Stop Being Manipulated and Abused--and Start Standing up for Yourself by Beverly Engel - John Wiley & Sons, 2008
call number: 155.633 Eng
"Engel (Healing Your Emotional Self), a psychotherapist and domestic violence expert, has sharp words for the nice girls of the world who care more about being perceived as sweet and pleasant than strong and self-protective." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

Violence Against Women edited by Kate Burns - Greenhaven, 2008.
call number: 362.88 Vio
"Includes essays on such topics as violence against immigrant women and changing male attitudes to prevent violence against women." - publisher summary excerpt

If I Am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus - Simon & Schuster, 2007
call number: B Latus
"Chronicles the murder of her sister by an abusive lover and her own narrow escape from the same fate." - Library Journal review excerpt

You Don't Have to Take It Anymore: Turn Your Resentful, Angry, or Emotionally Abusive Relationship into a Compassionate, Loving One by Steven Stosny - Free Press, 2006
call number: 306.872 Sto
"Complete with checklists, case studies, and well-researched information, his program not only shows the damage that verbally and emotionally abusive relationships do to spouses and children but also demonstrates how to change them, with guidance for both parties." - Library Journal review excerpt

Octuplet Births Renew Debate on Infertility Treatment

The octuplet controversy in California focused a spotlight on the unregulated world of infertility treatments that was featured in a February 9, 2009 San Francisco Chronicle article (Octuplet Mom Was Treated at Beverly Hills Clinic). In an interview with NBC, Nadya Suleman revealed the name of the clinic who treated her, West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills. Further investigation showed that Suleman was filmed at that clinic for a 2006 Los Angeles television station story with her doctor, Michael Kamrava. That doctor is now being scrutinized by the Medical Board of California for a possible "violation of the standard of care" because six embryos were reportedly transferred to Suleman, twice the standard number of embryos for someone her age. Two of Suleman's embryos actually split, forming twins.

Review selected library titles related to the ethics of infertility treatment and human reproductive technologies 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:

• infertility
• human in vitro fertilization
• human reproductive technology

Reproductive Technologies edited by Clay Farris Naff - Greenhaven Press, 2007
call number: 176 Rep
"Every technology has its pros and cons but reproductive technologies seem to present especially agonizing choices. For people suffering from infertility, the technologies offer . . . a chance to have a child. For critics of the technologies, they variously present a threat to the well-being of children, to motherhood, to God's will, and to the future of humanity itself . . . The authors contribute various opinions and predictions regarding this fascinating debate." - book introduction excerpt

Embryo Culture: Making Babies in the Twenty-First Century by Beth Kohl - Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007
call number: 618.178 Koh
"Freelance writer Kohl here offers a part memoir, part essaylike account of her experience with IVF and its effects on culture, legal issues, and more . . . From her paranoia over her IVF-conceived daughter to her reflections on what constitutes life, Kohl eloquently shares her innermost reflections while raising important issues in a thought-provoking way. Readers in her position may find hope in her story." - Library Journal review excerpt

Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Men, Women, and the World by Liza Mundy - Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
call number: 362.196 Mun
"Mundy, a feature writer for the Washington Post, combines a science reporter's objectivity with a mother's understanding, and she delivers her emotionally charged and often scientifically complex material in clear, bright and eminently readable prose . . . she interviews mothers, fathers, infertility doctors, surrogate mothers, egg donors, sperm donors and adult children conceived through surrogacy and in vitro fertilization. The picture that emerges is one of a social experiment so new and untested-legally, medically, ethically and socially-that it behooves us all to be as informed as possible. - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

Test Tube Babies [videorecording] produced and directed by Chana Gazit & Hilary Klotz Steinman - PBS Home Video, 2006
call number: DVD Nonfiction 618.178 Tes
"This tells the story of doctors, researchers, and hopeful couples who pushed the limits of science and triggered a technological revolution in human reproduction. In so doing, they landed at the center of a controversy whose reverberations continue to this day." - Publisher summary

Electric and Hybrid Cars Popular at Auto Show

The post-bailout North American International Auto Show in Detroit displayed an affinity for alternative energy vehicles such as Toyota's all-electric concept car, FT-EV and Volkswagen AG's clean diesel, BlueSport based on a story in the January 11, 2009 Detroit News ("It's a Small -- Green -- World after All"). Ford even touted its "new electrification strategy" in response to customer demand. Automakers think small cars will be their salvation, but for those buyers still wanting larger vehicles, they might need to settle for hybrid V-8 engines.

Review selected library titles related to alternative energy vehicles 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:

• electric automobiles
• alternative fuel vehicles
• hybrid electric cars
• hydrogen cars
• renewable energy sources
  

Energy for Sustainability: Technology, Planning, Policy by John Randolph and Gilbert M. Masters - Island Press, 2008
call number: 333.79 Ran (NOTE: see chapters 13 & 14 for transportation issues)
"Randolph (environmental planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U.) and Masters (environmental engineering emeritus, Stanford U.) offer an interdisciplinary and encyclopedic approach seeking to inform policy makers and technologists. . . . They describe energy patterns and trends, including . . . sustainable transportation and land use." - Book News summary excerpt

Future Cars: Bio Fuel, Hybrid, Electric, Hydrogen, Fuel Economy in All Sizes and Shapes by Ulrich Bethscheider-Kieser - AvEdition, 2008
call number: 629.229 Bet
"Introduces a unique selection of about 50 unusual and forward-looking car designs that will change the world: Hybrid cars that are already in mass production, automobiles soon to be produced, powered with natural gas, bio fuel or electricity, and concepts of fuel-cell vehicles." - Publisher summary excerpt

Zoom: The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the Future by Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran - Twelve, 2007
call number: 338.476 Car
"It includes excellent descriptions of fuel cells, hydrogen, plug-in technology, energy storage devices, etc., their domestic developers, and how US energy politics is changing from the bottom up, rather than the top down." - Choice review excerpt

Who Killed the Electric Car? [videorecording] produced by Jessie Deeter, written and directed by Chris Paine - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006
call number: DVD Nonfiction 629.229 Who
"Investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future." - summary from the library catalog

United Nations Condemns Actions in Gaza

The Voice of America (VOA) News reports January 9, 2009 that an official of the United Nations (UN) condemns the violence inflicted upon civilians by Hamas and Israeli forces and is pushing for a war crimes investigation ("UN Emergency Session Deals With Gaza Crisis"). The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay mentioned that attacks on relief workers in Gaza forced the shutdown of U.N. aid in Gaza. Israel defended its air strikes as necessary to protect Israeli civilians, but Hamas criticized the intensity of Israel's fire power that has caused civilian deaths.

Review selected library titles related to the Arab-Israeli conflict 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:

• Israel politics 1993
  
• West Bank
• Arab-Israeli conflict
• Palestinian Arabs

Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine by Jonathan Schanzer - Palgrave Macmillan, 2008
call number: 956.953 Sch
"Neophytes to the tangled world of Palestine's internal conflict will be treated to a serious, no-frills account; those readers more familiar with the issues will enjoy how Schanzer weaves a web of connectivity between the Palestinian conflict with Israel" - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Kirsten E. Schulze - Pearson Longman, 2008
call number: 956.04 Sch
"General audiences and students of international history will appreciate the straightforward style of this book, which describes why this historic conflict has become the focus of Muslim politics throughout the world." - Book News, Inc. summary excerpt

The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace by Aaron David Miller - Bantam Books, 2008
call number: 956.05 Mil
"Career diplomat Miller provides an impressively candid appraisal of Middle East peace efforts. Drawing from his extensive experience and 160 interviews with presidents, advisers and negotiators, he apportions censure and praise with an even hand, sparing not even his failures or those of his colleagues." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

Victory for Us Is To See You Suffer: In the West Bank with the Palestinians and the Israelis by Philip C. Winslow - Beacon Press, 2007
call number: 956.953 Win
"Winslow balances the Palestinian struggle to maneuver through an ever-growing web of walls, checkpoints and Israeli military operations in the West Bank, with close attention to Israel's legitimate defense needs and the fear created by Palestinian terrorism." - Publishers Weekly review excerpt