In the News: Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009)

Week of August 31, 2009

News Item: Nicknamed the “Lion of the Senate,” Edward “Ted” Kennedy, the youngest son of the famed Kennedy family, died at the age of 77 after a fifteen month battle with brain cancer. (This comes a few weeks after the death of one of his sisters, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.) He is known by many for his work on immigration, civil rights, and public services legislation, health care reform, and in getting President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act passed by Congress. Some of the darker moments of his life include the assassinations of his two brothers, his near-death plane crash in 1964, and the Chappaquiddick Island incident. Listed here are titles on the Kennedy family.

The Bridge at Chappaquiddick
By Jack Olsen. Little, Brown, 1970
Call Number: E840.8 .K35 O4

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Kennedys
By Steven D. Strauss. Marie Butler-Knight, 2000
Call Number: Available online via NetLibrary

Death at Chappaquiddick
By Thomas L. Tedrow and Richard L. Tedrow. Green Hill Publishers, 1976
Call Number: E840.8 .K35 T43

In the News: Hawaii Celebrates 50 Years of Statehood

Week of August 24, 2009

News Item: August 21, 1959: Hawai`i becomes the fiftieth state of the union.
In 1893 Queen Lili`uokalani served as the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai`i before it was overthrown by a group of American and European businessmen and eventually annexed by the United States. Today, the Islands are home to an ethnically diverse population, black and white sandy beaches, the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival (named after the “Merrie Monarch,” King David Kalākaua), and a number of U.S. military bases. Famous Island natives include President Barack Obama, singer Don Ho, golfer Michelle Wie, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, and U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. Visit the official Hawai`i Statehood site at http://hawaii.gov/statehood.

American Aloha: Cultural Tourism and the Negotiation of Tradition
By Heather A. Diamond. University of Hawai`i Press, 2008
Call Number: GR110 .H38 D53 2008

Americanization, Acculturation, and Ethnic Identity: The Nisei Generation in Hawaii
By Eileen H. Tamura. University of Illinois Press, 1994
Call Number: DU624.7 .J3 T36 1994

The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific
By Gananath Obeyesekere. Princeton University Press, Bishop Museum Press, 1997
Call Number: DU626 .O28 1997 (Also available online via NetLibrary and at Treasure Coast Campus)

In the News: Woodstock, 1969

Week of August 17, 2009

News Item: Forty years ago more than 300,000 people swarmed to a farm in Bethel, New York to attend the Woodstock Music and Art Fair which featured performers such as Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Joan Baez. Rain, mud, traffic jams, food shortages, psychedelic drugs, and marijuana were other festival highlights. Concert promoters had initially approached the towns of Woodstock and Wallkill to host the event, but suitable venues were not available. Instead, the event was held on a dairy farm belonging to Max Yasgur.

America in White, Black, and Gray: The Stormy 1960s
By Klaus P. Fischer. Continuum International Pub. Group, 2006
Call Number: E841 .F49 2006 (At Jupiter)

And a Voice to Sing With: A Memoir
By Joan Baez. Summit Books, 1987
Call Number: ML420 .B114 A3 1987

Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969
By Robert Stephen Spitz. Viking Press, 1979
Call Number: ML38 .W66 S6

In the News: Reforming Our Health Care System

Week of August 3, 2009 – Note: “In the News” returns with a new post on August 17, 2009

News Item: One of the main topics discussed daily on blogs, in magazines and newspapers, and on television and radio news programs is health care reform. What is it? Who will benefit? Why should we care? How will it all come together? Some key terms that come to mind regarding this important issue:

managed care • Medicare • small businesses • big government • health plan • choice • costs • HMO • taxes • universal coverage • health insurance • single-payer • doctors • lobbyists • insurance corporations • pharmaceutical companies • uninsured • workers • consumers • policy • PPO • prescription drugs • physicians • patients • sickness • wellness…

At the Front Lines of Medicine: How the Health Care System Alienates Doctors and Mistreats Patients…and What We Can Do About It
By Howard Waitzkin. Rowman & Littlefield, 2001
Call Number: RA418.3 .U6 W35 2001

Bleeding the Patient: The Consequences of Corporate Healthcare
By David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler. Common Courage Press, 2001
Call Number: RA413 .H54 2001

Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management
Edited by Ronald M. Andersen, Thomas H. Rice, and Gerald F. Kominski. Jossey-Bass, 2007
Call Number: RA395 .A3 C478 2007 (Also available online via NetLibrary)

In the News: Racism in America?

See “In the News” posts from 2007 to present at:
http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/cd/newsprev.htm

Week of July 27, 2009

News Item: The recent arrest of African American scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and comments from President Barack Obama regarding the incident have prompted discussions about the current state of race in America. Have racial tensions eased since the U.S. elected its first Black president? Does racism exist in 2009? Here are some titles that discuss racial inequality, institutional racism, reverse discrimination, and more.

African Americans and the Culture of Pain
By Debra Walker King. University of Virginia Press, 2008
Call Number: E185.625 .K56 2008

America Beyond the Color Line (DVD)
Directed by Daniel Percival and Mary Crisp. PBS Home Video, 2005
Call Number: E185.86 .A414 2005 (Boca Raton Media Center)

The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama
By Gwen Ifill. Doubleday, 2009
Call Number: E185.615 .I34 2009

In the News: Apollo 11, NASA, and a Walk on the Moon – 1969

See “In the News” posts from 2007 to present at:
http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/cd/newsprev.htm

Week of July 20, 2009

News Item: Humans took their first steps on the moon forty years ago when U.S. astronauts Edwin E. Aldrin, Neil A. Armstrong, and Michael Collins blasted off into space during the Apollo 11 mission.

Pick up one of these titles to learn more about the Apollo Program, the ” space race,” and the history behind the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

*** See the end of this post for In the News items related to Frank McCourt and Walter Cronkite. ***

Apollo
By Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox. South Mountain Books, 2004
Call Number: TL789.8 .U6 A558 2004

Apollo in Perspective: Spaceflight Then and Now
By Jonathan Allday. Institute of Physics Pub., 2000
Call Number: Available online via NetLibrary

“Before This Decade is Out–“: Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program
Edited by Glen E. Swanson. University Press of Florida, 2002
Call Number: TL789.8 .U6 A5187 2002

In the News: Michael Jackson and Celebrity Culture

Week of July 13, 2009

News Item: The recent death of music entertainer and humanitarian Michael Jackson has received extensive media coverage these past few weeks. Tabloid magazines and cable news channels are speculating how he died while also searching for new ways to profit from his passing. Nielsen ratings revealed that over 31 million viewers tuned in to Jackson’s $1.4 million memorial service last week. Why is so much attention being paid to his passing, and why are celebrities, in general, considered major news stories?

Afterlife as Afterimage: Understanding Posthumous Fame
Edited by Steve Jones and Joli Jensen. Peter Lang, 2005
Call Number: ML3470 .A36 2005

Celebrity
By Chris Rojek. Reaktion Books, 2001
Call Number: BJ1470.5 .R65 2001 (At Jupiter)

Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture
By P. David Marshall. University of Minnesota Press, 1997
Call Number: E169.04 .M366 1997

In the News – Coup d’etat in Honduras

Week of July 6, 2009

News Item: Honduran president Manual Zelaya was forcibly removed from office on June 28 in what is seen as the first Central American coup d’etat in a quarter of a century. Armed soldiers entered Zelaya’s home in the early morning hours and flew him to Costa Rica. There have been reports that Zelaya’s removal was a result of his attempt to carry out a non-binding referendum and extend his term as president. At a press conference, Zelaya described his ordeal as a kidnapping and vowed to return to Honduras, but Roberto Micheletti, a former Parliamentary speaker who was sworn in as his replacement, insists that the entire process was legal. On Sunday, July 5, riot police and soldiers blocked the airport runway in Tegucigalpa, Honduras as Zelaya’s plane circled above in search for a place to land. The plane turned away and eventually headed to El Salvador.

Afro Central Americans in New York City: Garifuna Tales of Transnational Movements in Racialized Space
By Sarah England. University Press of Florida, 2006
Call Number: F1505.2 .C3 E54 2006

Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States
By John Soluri. University of Texas Press, 2005
Call Number: HD9259 .B3 H678 2005 (At Jupiter)

Changing Forests: Collective Action, Common Property, and Coffee in Honduras
By Catherine M. Tucker. Springer, 2008
Call Number: HD9199. H6 T93 2008

In the News – Post-Election Protests in Iran

Week of June 29, 2009

News Item: Mass protests have taken place in Iran since the June 12th presidential election in which incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quickly determined the winner of over 62 percent of the vote by the Interior Ministry. This came as a shock to many who believed that one of the opposition candidates, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, would become the new president given his strong lead in the polls running up to election day. Supporters of Mousavi have since questioned the results and voiced concern over the possibility of vote-tampering.

10 (DVD)
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Zeitgeist Video, 2004
Call Number: PN1997.2 .A122 2004 (Boca Raton Media Center)

Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran’s Radical Leader
By Kasra Naji. University of California Press, 2008
Call Number: DS318.84 .A36 N35 2008

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran
By Hooman Majd. Doubleday, 2008
Call Number: DS318.9 .M35 2008

In the News – Stonewall Riots of 1969

Week of June 22, 2009

News Item: Forty years ago on June 28, 1969, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement was born after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York. A riot ensued and, according to the New York Times, thirteen people were arrested among the crowd of almost 400 people that had formed near the area to protest the harassment. The following evening, more rioting took place as hundreds of people continued to revolt against the Stonewall raid. Stonewall is commemorated each year in June during Gay Pride celebrations throughout the world. This year, a U.S. Presidential Proclamation was issued declaring June as LGBT Month.

American Gay
By Stephen O. Murray. University of Chicago Press, 1996
Call Number: HQ76.3 .N67 M87 1996

AsiaPacifiQueer: Rethinking Genders and Sexualities
Edited by Fran Martin et al. University of Illinois Press, 2008
Call Number: HQ76.3 .A78 A86 2008

Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (VHS)
Produced by Robert Rosenberg et al. OutSpoken Productions, 1994
Call Number: VH 330 (At Boca Raton Media Center)