New Book of the Week

The Humble Little Condom: a History
by Aine Collier.
Prometheus Books, 2007

Everything you ever wanted to know about the condom, and many things you never thought of. You probably never knew that condoms have been found among the artifacts in ancient Egyptian tombs, that London suffered through condom wars, or when condom vending machines reached the United States.

Here is one review that sums it up well:

“This book has it all—sex, money, infidelity, war, poetry, the famous and the infamous, politics, hypocrisy. What a read!...Although there are plenty of laughs, this is a serious history and one that was hard to put down. I had no idea the condom had such a long and complex story.”

--Frederick Gottlieb, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor in International Public Health, University of Utah

You can check out The Humble Little Condom: a History (Call Number RC888 C65 2007) and our other new book titles on the New Book Shelf in the library.

Top Shelf

by Ron Vess and Patty Gianulis, SWC Librarians

Top Shelf is a weekly column of some of our favorite (and sometimes unusual) resources.

Book Selection
San Diego County Bird Atlas, by Philip Unitt
Call Number: Ref QL684.C2 U57 2004

“The San Diego County Bird Atlas addresses all the county's birds--wintering birds, migrants, and exotics as well as breeding birds. Each species account covers breeding distribution, nesting habits and schedule, migration, winter distribution, conservation outlook, and taxonomy, if relevant. The accounts include a chart showing the seasonal distribution of the nesting activity of each nesting species; they have at least one map for every regular breeding and wintering species.” –Amazon … I selected this one because I was viewing an episode of Planet Earth about birds from the jungles migrating into the Andes on the Discovery Channel this past weekend. Thought it was a grand program and then this book popped-up on the cataloging cart. So…enjoy.
-Ron

Website Selection
Science is fun in the lab of Dr. Shakhashiri
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/scifun.html

The master of chemical demonstrations, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, shares the fun of science through home science activities, demonstration shows, videos, and books Science is Fun is one part of a larger “Initiative for Science Literacy” that has two goals: to promote literacy in science, mathematics, and technology among the general public and to attract future generations to careers as the researchers, entrepreneurs, and teachers on whom the nation's continuing economic health and national security will depend. Check out the interesting articles on the “Chemistry of Autumn Colors” or the “Colors of Gemstones” in the section on Chemical of the Week. The site also includes a Periodic Table of the Elements (with an article on each element), recommended websites, and experiments you can do at home.
-Patty

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Facts.com Issues and Controversies

The FACTS.com online database provides a balanced look at the newsworthy topic, Children's Health Insurance .

This week also includes an updated article on Wildfire Prevention and the Southern California wildfire evacuations that occurred in October.

Online access is provide through the Southwestern College Library's website. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to use this resource from off campus locations.

This week in CQ Researcher

U.S. Policy on Iran by Peter Katel, November 16, 2007

Would a nuclear-armed Iran endanger the United States?

In October President Bush said Iran’s nuclear program raised the specter of World War III. Then Vice President Cheney warned of “serious consequences” if Iran stayed on course as a “terror-supporting state.” The heated rhetoric is widely seen as calculated to raise the specter of military action against Iran.

Other Iran-watchers say military action could further endanger U.S. forces fighting next door in Iraq. They urge the administration to aid dissidents rather than counter Iran by military force.

* Would a nuclear-armed Iran endanger the United States?
* Does U.S. support help pro-democracy dissidents influence Iran’s policies?
* Is Iran fomenting instability in Iraq?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

New Book of the Week

Sick Girl by Amy Silverstein
Grove/Atlantic Press, 2007

Call Number 3072

Review by Katie Dunn, SWC Librarian

This is a true account written by Amy Silverstein, the longest-surviving heart transplant patient ever. At 23, she was a bright young woman with a bright future: in law school, with a boyfriend and a jam-packed schedule. She really didn’t have time to be sick so she ignored her violently pounding heart, occasional blackouts and even temporary blindness. How could she guess her heart was about to give out? Only a few months later she received a heart transplant.

Nineteen years have passed since then. What has Amy’s life been like? While we might expect Amy to be filled daily with meek gratitude for her life-saving transplant, the reality of her life has been much more mixed. She gives a very outspoken insight into the pain and depression that accompany her struggle to stay alive. Her book is not without love and humor, though. This is one courageous and gritty woman.

You can check out Sick Girl and our other new book titles on the New Book Shelf in the library.

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