Syrians Hit by Yet Another Chemical Weapons Attack

Syrian President President Bashar al-Assad continues to use chemical weapons in his country's seven-year civil war ("Burning Eyes, Foaming Mouths: Years of Suspected Chemical Attacks in Syria," The New York Times, April 8, 2018). The latest attack this month in a Douma suburb, almost fifty died and over 500 experienced symptoms attributed to a "suspected chemical attack."

Review selected hard copy/online library books related to Syria or chemical weapons at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Place Hold" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to request for pick up at the library.

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

• Syria atrocities
• Syria civil war 2011
• Syria human rights

No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid

Norton, 2018
call number: 956.91 Abo

"Extending back to the first demonstrations of 2011, No Turning Back dissects the tangle of ideologies and allegiances that make up the Syrian conflict . . . Rania Abouzeid brings readers deep inside Assad's prisons, to covert meetings where foreign states and organizations manipulated the rebels, and to the highest levels of Islamic militancy and the formation of ISIS." - publisher's summary excerpt

City of Ghosts produced and directed by Matthew Heineman

Broad Green, 2017
call number: 323.156 Cit (DVD Collection)

"A documentary that follows the efforts of "Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently," a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With deeply personal access, this is the story of a brave group of citizen journalists as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile, risking their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today." - publisher's summary excerpt

We Are Syrians: Three Generations, Three Dissidents edited by Adam Braver and Abby DeVeuve

University of New Orleans Press, 2017
call number: 956.91 Wea

"Three generations of Syrian citizens who became dissidents under the Assad family's rule, forced to flee Syria by a government that wanted to silence them. In We Are Syrians First, Naila Al-Atrash, Radwan Ziadeh, and Sana Mustafa tell how they confronted each of those questions in their commitment to protect freedom of expression under an authoritarian government. While these are individual stories of courage and defiance, together they tell the larger story of the Syrian conflict and the conditions that brought about the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history." - publisher's summary excerpt

Why Misinformation and Fake News Can Persist

The ability of your mind to clear "discredited" news stories from your "working memory" is affected by education and also age ("Cognitive Ability and Vulnerability to Fake News," Scientific American, February 6, 2018). In addition, individuals displayed a tendency to believe false statements more if they were repeated over time. Links to the research studies that discuss these results are in the above article so you can see the details and judge their conclusions for yourself.

Review selected hard copy/online library books related to fake news and misinformation at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Place Hold" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to request for pick up at the library.

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

• attribution of news
• communication in politics
• fake news
• internet research handbooks
• journalism corrupt practices
• mass media political
• mass media public opinion
• politics and culture
• research handbooks

The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote by Sharyl Attkisson

Harper, 2017
call number: 070.4 Att

"Behind most major political stories in the modern era, there is an agenda; an effort by opposition researchers, spin doctors, and outside interests to destroy an idea or a person. The tactic they use is the Smear. Every day, Americans are influenced by the Smear without knowing it. Paid forces cleverly shape virtually every image you cross. . . The trick of the Smear is that it is often based on some shred of truth, but these media-driven "hit pieces" are designed to obscure the truth. Success hinges on the Smear artist's ability to remain invisible; to make it seem as if their work is neither calculated nor scripted. It must appear to be precisely what it is not." - publisher's summary excerpt

The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking by Brooke Borel

University of Chicago Press, 2016
call number: 001.42 Bor

"An accessible, one-stop guide to the why, what, and how of contemporary fact-checking, Borel, an experienced fact-checker, draws on the expertise of more than 200 writers, editors, and fellow checkers." - publisher's summary excerpt

The Truth Matters: A Citizen's Guide to Separating Facts from Lies and Stopping Fake News in Its Tracks by Bruce Bartlett

Ten Speed Press, 2017
call number: in processing

"Today's media and political landscapes are littered with untrustworthy sources and the dangerous concept of  'fake news.' This accessible guide helps you fight this deeply troubling trend and ensure that truth is not a permanent casualty. Written by Bruce Bartlett, a former Senior Policy Analyst in the Reagan administration and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department in the Bush 41 White House, this book presents actionable tips and tricks for reading critically, judging sources, using fact-checking sites, avoiding confirmation bias, identifying trustworthy experts, and more." - publisher's summary excerpt

News Literacy: Helping Students and Teachers Decode Fake News by Robert W. Janke and Bruce S. Cooper
Rowman and Littlefield, 2017
call number: in processing

"Our society faces international challenges from cyber attacks and dissemination of fake news with a goal to destabilize our society. Fake news can be used as a weapon with destructive effects as powerful as any military attack. Fake news can spread as fast as a wildfire carried on the winds of social media. Students and all citizens need to be prepared and informed of ways to quickly understand and distinguish real and fake news." - publisher's summary excerpt

Drug-Related Crime Surges in Mexico

Drug cartel violence plagues several areas in Mexico causing an unprecedented homicide rate. Visitors are warned to avoid these parts of the country due to warring gangs ("Why the State Department Said These 5 Mexican States Were Unsafe for Travel," Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2018).

Review selected hard copy/online library books related to drug wars in Mexico at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Place Hold" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to request for pick up at the library.

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

• assassins Mexico
• cartels Mexico
• drug dealers Mexico
• drug traffic Mexico
• drugs Mexico
• fugitives from justice Mexico
• narco-terrorism Mexico
• organized crime Mexico

Confessions of a Cartel Hit Man by Martin Corona with Tony Rafael

Dutton, 2017
call number: 364.152 Cor

"The true confession of an assassin, a sicario, who rose through the ranks of the southern California gang world to become the leader of an elite, cruelly efficient crew of hit men for Mexico's 'most vicious drug cartel,' and eventually found a way out." - publisher's summary excerpt

Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel by Dan Slater
Simon and Schuster, 2016
call number: 364.106 Sla

"The story of two American teens recruited as killers for a Mexican cartel, and their pursuit by a Mexican-American detective who realizes the War on Drugs is unwinnable." - publisher's summary excerpt

Cartel Land by Matthew Heineman

Paramount Home Video, 2016
call number: 363.45 Car (nonfiction DVD)

"In the Mexican state of Michoacán Dr. José Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley, Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico's drug wars from seeping across our border." - studio summary