Election 2010

Election Day (Nov. 2) is less than a week away and absentee voting is already underway. Here are some resources for information on the numerous races and propositions on our ballots.

Build Your Ballot Summaries and analysis of State-wide races and propositions from the Los Angeles Times.

Capital Public Radio has aired a series of reports exploring the different State-wide propositions 
League of Women Voters of California offers non-partisan analysis of the State-wide propositions

The California Channel provides interviews of the candidates for the California Supreme Court.

Finally, Follow The Money provides local campaign finance information

How Wikipedia Works

A comprehensive guide to the who, what, when, where, how and why of the Internet's largest (and arguably most controversial) encyclopedia.

How Wikipedia Works: And How You Can Be a Part of It
by Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews, and Ben Yates
Find it in the Library at call number AE1.5 .A98 2008

Oral History Series

Listen to interviews of Mother Lode residents about life in the region over the last 130 years. Some interviews include transcripts and supporting documents that are also available online.

Columbia College Library Oral History Series
Visit the Oral History Series search engine via the Library's homepage or directly through this link: http://gocolumbia.edu/library/ohs/

Planet Money

A blog and podcast about the global economy produced by National Public Radio.

Planet Money
Available online at npr.org/blogs/money and via our Business and Economics Subject Guide.

Special Election

Californians go to the polls again on May 19th to vote on six propositions aimed at helping to resolve the State's budget crisis. Here are two sources to help you make an informed decision when you vote.

First, KQED's California Report (heard on NPR) is broadcasting special coverage of each proposition on the ballot. Second, The League of Women Voters of California has put together its traditional nonpartisan guide to each measure.

These resources are freely available on the Internet.

Newspaper Headlines

Geoff Menegay has put together an impressive collection of newspaper headlines from around the world depicting Barack Obama's victory.

http://obama2008.s3.amazonaws.com/headlines.html
Compiled by Geoff Menegay
Available for free on the Internet

Election Education II

California's 12 propositions involve wide-ranging issues, from high speed trains and farm animals to abortion and gay marriage. Want to learn more?

Check out Capital Public Radio's special reports on each proposition (see list, below). Other useful resources include The League of Women Voters non-partisan Easy Voters Guide and the California Secretary of State's Quick Reference Guide, which includes pro and con arguments for each initiative. Ballotpedia.org is a wiki (meaning anyone can add and edit content) focusing on ballot initiatives, including California's 2008 propositions.

Capital Public Radio's Special Reports on the 12 California Propositions:

Prop. 1A: High Speed Rail

Prop. 2: Treatment of Farm Animals

Prop. 3: Children's Hospital Bonds

Prop. 4: Parental Notification for Teenage Abortion

Prop. 5: Nonviolent Drug Offenses (Note: this report also discusses Prop 6.)

Prop. 6: Police and Law Enforcement Funding (Note: this report also discusses Prop 5.)

Prop 7: Renewable Energy Generation (Note: this report also discusses Prop 10.)

Prop 8: Same Sex Marriage

Prop 9: Victims' Rights

Prop. 10: Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy (Note: this report also discusses Prop. 7.)

Prop 11: Redistricting

Prop 12: Veterans' Bond Act of 2008

Constitution Day

September 17 is Constitution Day, a day intended to promote good citizenship and reflection on the importance of our Constitution. Print copies of the US Constitution are available for checkout from the Library, while Archives.gov provides online access to many of our nation's historical documents.

The Constitution
Find it in the Library at call number KF4550 .C66C67 2008

September 11

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Our collection contains such diverse materials on the subject as: Middletown, America, the story of the New Jersey town that lost more people in the attacks than anywhere apart from New York City; September 11, a collection of eleven 11 minute long films made by eleven directors; and the 9/11 Commision's Final Report, which is the government's official findings on the attacks.

Many more 9/11 related items are in the HV6432.7 section of call numbers.

Middletown, America
by Gail Sheehy
Find it in the Library at call number HV6432 .S52 2003

September 11
directed by eleven directors
Find it in our Video Collection at call number HV6432.7 .E44 2002

The 9/11 Commission Report
9/11 Commision
Find it in the Library at call number HV6432.7 .N39 2004

www.archives.gov

Before fireworks and hot dogs came some heady documents on pieces of parchment. Curious? The Declaration of Independence, along with other famous historical documents are available to view and explore online via the National Archives' website: http://www.archives.gov.

PS I know the Chinese invented fireworks long before TJ penned the Declaration.

Oyez

A project to release podcasts of all US Supreme Court hearings dating back to the 1950s

http://www.oyez.org/

Find Oyez and other political science and law related websites on our Political Science & Law subject links page.

Tuolumne County Library's Blog

Has Library Highlights whetted your appetite for library blogs? If so, be sure to check out the Tuolumne County Library Blog. Other good blogs related to reading include: Bookdwarf, The Millions and Reading Copy, from the folks at AbeBooks.

Speaking of blogs, the Academic Achievement Center has a new blog featuring Teaching and Learning Resources.

Election 2008

Californians cast their primary votes on Tuesday, February 5, 2008. Try some of these websites for different perspectives on the election.

The New York Times always has fascinating interactive graphics, including this one on endorsements for president.

Listen to Brian Unger bemoan California's propositions in his piece Overcoming Voting Anxiety, which aired on NPR today.

OpenSecrets.org is a website run by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit, non-partisan organization shedding light on the money side of politics. Be sure to check out the Money Web and their list of top donors, both individuals and companies.

Rock the Vote is a non-partisan group dedicated to getting young people involved in the political process.

Annual Credit Report

Everyone should regularly check their credit report for inaccuracies and suspicious activities. By law you are allowed one free report from each of the three major credit bureaus per year. Note that while the report is free, obtaining your score costs money (but if your report is correct there’s not much you can do about your score).

annualcreditreport.com is the website established as a result of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 to obtain free reports and is available on the Internet at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

WARNING: There are lots of websites that misleadingly claim to provide free credit reports (such as www.FreeCreditReport.com). There is almost always a catch. In the case of FreeCreditReport.com, you get your "free report" by signing up for a trial membership, which automatically charges you $12.95 per month if you don't cancel it.

What Should I Read Next?

Type in a favorite title or author to find suggestions on what other books might appeal to you.

What Should I Read Next? A free website available online at: http://whatshouldireadnext.com/

Skin Deep

Locate detailed safety and ingredient information for cosmetics and personal care products.

Skin Deep
A free Internet resource available at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

www.snopes.com

Quickly investigate the legitimacy of urban legends. Plug in a couple keywords from a questionable email to find thoroughly documented timelines on thousands of topics. Ample references give readers an avenue for more information. Test it out by searching for "Ashley Flores".

A free Internet resource available at: http://www.snopes.com/

Feeding America

A free digital collection of influential cookbooks hosted by Michigan State University Libraries. Browse or search for recipes at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/

Feeding America
Michigan State University Libraries
Find it online at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/