Veterans History Project Observes Memorial Day 2008

 

Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

From the Library of Congress:

The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center plans several activities and events for Memorial Day 2008, including the Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. in support of the White House Commission on Remembrance. Visit the Library of Congress blog at www.loc.gov/blog/ or the VHP Web site at www.loc.gov/vets/ to “count down” to the Moment of Remembrance.

Other VHP Memorial Day programs, which are dedicated to the memory of our nation’s veterans, include:

• • A lecture on the global war on terrorism on Tuesday, May 20, at noon, in the National Digital Library Learning Center, first floor of the Library’s James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave., SE. Larry Minear, former director of the Humanitarianism and War Project at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, will deliver the findings of the Tufts study on “The U.S. Citizen-Soldier and the Global War on Terror: The National Guard Experience.”
• • The lecture’s companion Web feature, “The Global War on Terror,” debuts today at www.loc.gov/vets/ and highlights 16 VHP collections included in Minear’s study.
• • The VHP collection of Frank Buckles, the last known surviving World War I veteran, is featured in the Memorial Day observance at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
• • The video-recorded story of James Nappier becomes the 5,000th digitized interview on Memorial Day. Bob Patrick, VHP director, said, “Mr. Nappier’s story is a reminder to our nation that VHP is eager to receive the stories of veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
• • Members of the Library’s Integrated Library System (ILS) will join VHP staff during the month of May to enhance the VHP searchable database, which allows researchers and others who use the VHP collections to navigate the database more quickly and efficiently.

Learn more about the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance at www.remember.gov.

The Veterans History Project was created in 2000 by Congress to record the first-hand accounts of American service personnel in major conflicts beginning with World War I, and it actively collects veterans’ personal accounts of the Global War on Terror. Currently there are more than 55,000 individual stories in its collections.

Volunteer are always being sought to record the first-hand recollections of war veterans for the growing archive. Those interested can download a VHP Field Kit from the Veterans History Project Web site at www.loc.gov/vets/, request a kit via email at vohp@loc.gov or call the toll-free message line at 888-371-5848.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame: Library of Congress Celebrates Baseball!

“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.”
Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

As we approach the eve of opening day of Major League Baseball, we want to point you to a fabulous resource from the Library of Congress about the history of baseball:  America’s Pastime.   A treasure trove of information awaits you, including:

• Photos and information on vintage baseball cards
• Spotlights on the game’s most notable players
• The history of the beloved song, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
• The history of the game
• Audio/Video Clips
• Historic images

Be sure to visit the fascinating resources about America’s national pastime, baseball!

 

Historic Baseball Resources (Library of Congress) via kwout

Podcast from Iraq

Here is a podcast from the BBC that chronicles the life of a taxi driver from Iraq and how the war has impacted his life.

All The News That’s Fit to Print: Coverage of Atlanta and North Georgia Tornadoes

Atlanta EF2 tornadoOriginally uploaded by PerryW

We have compiled a pathfinder via del.ici.ous for those who may want to read more about the devastating storms that ripped through Atlanta and the north Georgia region this past weekend:

http://del.icio.us/creekview_hs_library/tornado 

If you want more interesting facts about tornadoes, try this search we have saved from our GALE Virtual Reference Library!  You may also want to browse the great articles about tornadoes available through the Encyclopedia Britannica via
GALILEO, too!

Tornado Strikes Atlanta; More Severe Weather Predicted Today

The Unquiet Library would like to alert our patrons to the fact that severe weather is predicted for our area today, Saturday, March 15.  It now appears a tornado struck downtown Atlanta and the Cabbagetown area last evening.  You can visit www.ajc.com or WXIA for complete coverage of last night’s horrible storm.

We urge our patrons to be weather wise and to stay tuned to local media, including the National Weather Service page out of Peachtree City, so that you can be aware of developing severe weather later today.

What should you do in the event of a severe thunderstorm or tornado?  Here is sound advice from the Tornado Safety Page from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City:

Before the Storm

• Develop a plan for you and your family for home, work, school, and when outdoors.
• Know your county and the surrounding counties in order to follow the movement of the storms.
• Have a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and battery backup to receive warnings.
• Listen to local radio and television for information.
• If planning outdoor activities…monitor latest forecasts and take necessary actions if threatening weather is possible.

If a warning is issued or threatening weather approaches

• In a home or building move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement.
• If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room on the lowest floor. Remember to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
• Stay away from windows.
• Get out of automobiles.
• Do NOT try to outrun a tornado in an automobile.
• Mobile homes, even tied down, offer little protection and should be abandoned.

Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that advance warning is not possible. Remain alert for signs of approaching storms and take the necessary precautions.

March is National Women’s History Month!

Did you know that March is National Women’s History Month?  What is the purpose of this celebration?

In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared.

–National Women’s History Project–

Learn more about women who have made and who are making a difference by visiting our fabulous resources at http://del.icio.us/creekview_hs_library/women%27s.history.month .

Celebrate Black History Month with Readergirlz

In honor of Black History Month, the readergirlz are featuring award-winning novel Bronx Masquerade by author Nikki Grimes. This Coretta Scott King Author Award-winning book is also perfect for Valentine’s Day, because it’s all about heart. Author Grimes moves beyond the masquerade to break down the barriers that separate us and makes her readers realize we are more alike than different. Here’s a quote: “I dare you to peep beyond these eyes, discover the poet in tough guy disguise.” How cool is that? Join the readergirlz for a live chat on Thursday, February 21 at 9 PM for a chance to win a free book! The tenth poster will win a copy of Bronx Masquerade and the 20th poster will win a signed copy of My Sisters’ Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out by Iris Jacob. And here’s a quote from the readergirlz by Mrs. Fleet’s gal pal Maya Angelou (remember when I heard her speak in Rome last fall!): “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

from Mrs. Ruth Fleet

Severe Weather Awareness Week, Day 2: NOAA Radio

NOAA weather radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office. NOAA weather radio broadcasts National Weather Service watches, warnings, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day.

Some weather radios are equipped with a special tone feature, which can sound an alert and give you immediate information about a life threatening situation. During an emergency, the National Weather Service will interrupt routine weather radio programming and send out a special tone that activates weather radios in the warning area. Recently, a radio that can handle the Emergency Alert Signal was introduced. The Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) tone alert can be set up to only sound for your county. This cuts down on the number of unwanted tones you receive, and alerts you only when a life threatening situation is in your county.

In Georgia, there are 23 transmitters broadcasting throughout the state. Seven frequencies are reserved for NOAA weather radio on the public service band. These frequencies range between 162.400 megahertz and 162.550 megahertz. Broadcast range is approximately 40 miles, but the effective range depends on terrain, quality of the receiver, and indoor/outdoor antennas. Before buying a receiver, make sure your area is covered by a transmitter.

Coming up tomorrow:  a timely topic….thunderstorm safety!  

Severe Weather Awareness Week, February 3-9: Day 1, Family Preparedness

Those of us who have lived in Cherokee County have many memories of severe weather events here.  Some of our worst storms have occurred in February and March in recent years.

This week marks National Severe Weather Awareness Week.  What is the purpose of this week?  According to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, “Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to provide information about the types of sever weather that affect Georgia and what to do in the event that severe weather occurs.”  To explore interesting statistics and historical data about severe weather in North Georgia, be sure to check out the Severe Storm Climatology Page. 

A statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.  This week would be a great opportunity to review tornado drill procedures with your teachers so that you know what to do in the event of a tornado in our area while you are at school.

Today’s severe weather theme for Sunday, February 3, 2008 is Family Preparedness.  Here is advice from the National Weather Service on how to make sure you and your family are prepared for severe weather:

Families should be prepared for any type of hazard that could affect their area. The best way to do this is to develop a family disaster plan. Here are a few steps your family should consider when developing a family disaster plan:

1. Gather information about hazards.
Contact the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, the local emergency management office, or an American Red Cross chapter in your area. Find out what type of disasters could occur and how to respond. Also, it is a good idea to learn your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans. 

2. Meet with your family to create a plan.

• Discuss the information gathered.
• Pick two places to meet: a spot outside of your home for an emergency such as a fire, and a place outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.
• Choose an out-of-state friend or relative as a check-in contact for everyone to call if the family gets separated.
• Finally, discuss what to do if the family is evacuated. 

3. Implement your plan.

• Post emergency numbers by phones.
• Install safety features in your home (smoke detectors and fire extinguishers).
• Inspect your home for potential hazards (look for items that can fall or catch fire) and correct them.
• Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as how to use a fire extinguisher, and how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity in your home.
• Teach children how & when to call 911 or another emergency services number.
• Keep supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least three days.
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit with items you may need during an evacuation and store the supplies in sturdy containers. This kit should include water, food that won’t spoil, one day of clothing a blanket for each person, a first aid kit, prescription drugs, tools, batteries, a flashlight, and some extra money.
• Protect any important documents in water proof containers.

 4. Practice and maintain your plan. Quiz your family to make sure they remember meeting places, phone numbers, and safety rules. Conduct practice drills.  

The Go Overboard Challenge Grant

We just found out about this exciting opportunity for our students and clubs at Readergirlz.com.  This would be a WONDERFUL class project, club project, or individual project for Creekview students!

Community Challenge: Go Overboard Challenge Grant

This month we’re challenging readergirlz to Go Overboard with an idea to make a difference — and win a Go Overboard Challenge Grant to put your plan into action.

Burton Snowboards and award-winning author / readergirlz co-founder Justina Chen Headley are co-sponsoring the Go Overboard Challenge Grant with Youth Venture to fund the best youth-led ideas to change the world.

Commit to a cause you’re already passionate about - whether it’s saving the environment, ending world hunger, or protecting endangered species. With the help of local Vermont maple syrup makers (Green Mountain Sugar House), Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Teter bottles Hannah’s Gold to earn money for AIDS orphans in Africa. Justina co-founded readergirlz - our online book community - to promote literacy in teen girls. Syrah in Justina’s novel Girl Overboard spearheaded a huge snowboarding event to raise awareness for cancer. So think about a problem and figure out a solution!

Then tell us how you, your club, your team, or your entire school will Go Overboard by:
* forming a team (two or more persons) and filling out an action plan
* proposing a new sustainable organization (venture) to address a problem you have identified in your school, neighborhood, community, the world!

The best ideas will win one of 12 grants, each worth $1000, to help them realize their vision.

To learn more about the Go Overboard Challenge Grant, click here.

The rest of the divas want to thank Justina for making Syrah such an inspirational character in Girl Overboard and for working so hard on this grant opportunity with Burton Snowboards, Youth Venture, and Hannah Teter. You’re always right out there in front with a giving spirit.

Our challenge to all you readergirlz: Go Overboard with an idea now. May the best reach-out readergirl win a Go Overboard Grant!