Many parents are concerned about the safety of vaccines these days, especially the influenza and the MMR vaccines. So it seemed like a good time to offer some solid sources of information on this timely topic.
Before examining the vaccines themselves, it's worth taking a look at the illnesses these vaccines target. Vaccine safety has become an issue because this country has not experienced any outbreak of life-threatening childhood disease since the eradication of polio. The last few polio survivors are now so elderly and the disease is so unknown that almost all physicians in this country are unfamiliar with its treatment. NPR told the story of one 73-year-old physician and polio survivor who has specialized in the disease and feels unable to retire because there is simply no one to replace him. Few people can remember the terror produced by the annual return of polio when parents would fear for their children's lives. Each year new children would add to numbers in wards those encased in iron lungs or left paraplegic by the disease. Even fewer can remember the Great Influenza Outbreak of 1918, which devastated whole families in many areas of the country. We even tend to forget that measles is not "just some childhood disease" but remains a leading cause of death in young children in areas of the world where significant populations are not immunized. We live, whether we acknowledge it or not, in a very healthy time and place. For an even greater sense of this, check out the 10 Worst Epidemics on HowStuffWorks.
Our overall health has allowed us to focus on the potential risks of vaccines rather than the diseases for which they were developed. This is the focus of Amy Wallace's article in Wired, for which she has received a lot of villification as well as support. As she discusses in the article, much of the difficulty for science in the discussion is the difficulty scientists have talking in absolutes. It operates in a world of probabilities and numbers, worlds in which people are often uncomfortable -- but which continue to support the value of vaccination. For example recent studies underscore the importance of pregnant women receiving the flu vaccine. While the World Health Organization, which tracks measles deaths around the world, which many in the U.S. might be surprised to know numbered around three quarters of a million in 2000 dropped by 74% by 2007 strictly as a result of vaccination programs. The percentages of people choosing to take vaccines in the U.S. remain low, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. Here is the 2008 data. The reasons people give for not vaccinating vary, as do the people who make the choice, as highlighted in this NY Times article.
Autism spectrum disorders and any potential relationship they may have to vaccines have been a chief point of concern for many parents. The CDC addresses these concerns explicitly on their site. Autism Speaks, one of the foremost autism research organizations also addresses these issues, explicitly pointing out that it fully supports immunization programs as "one of our nation's most effective programs for preventing serious infectious diseases", an issue of no less concern to parents of autistic children. At the same time, it takes parents concerns about possible links between autism and vaccines seriously and continues to support research exploring possible links between specific genetic and environmental links (such as vaccines).
Another concern expressed by parents references the number of vaccines administered to infants and young children. Again, the CDC addresses this concern. The American Academy of Pediatricians provides even more detailed information regarding the vaccine schedule and the importance of immunizing children. PKIDs, Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases provides information garnered from the CDC about what would happen if too many people start opting out of immunization programs. This organization consists of parents who deal with the reality of the effects of infectious disease on a daily basis. But perhaps the best overall information for parents or anyone concerned with vaccine safety can be found on the site of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Vaccine Education Center. This site explains how vaccines are evaluated for safety, explains why children would benefit from vaccinations from something like hepatitis B that seems like an adults' disease and answers every other question raised in this blog as well. Now, in the name of openness, I should point out that the demon of the anti-vaccine movement, Paul Offit works at CHOP and signed off on the site's answers.
This leads to the final point. The anti-vaccine movement is largely led by a group of highly vocal advocates. The most famous is GenerationRescue and its "research arm" FourteenStudies. But these sites do not meet the standards of quality met by the others referenced earlier, despite their efforts to appear to do so. For a good analysis of FourteenStudies failure to do so, read Mark Crislip's analysis of the study evaluations on FourteenStudies on the blog Science-Based Medicine. Similarly Medical Veritas, a peer-reviewed medical journal frequently cited by vaccine opponents as a source of "good" studies, must be regarded as a fringe journal, so much so that its contents are not included in PubMed, the standard tool for medical research. (An interesting discussion of the reliability of the journal can be read on this Wikipedia editorial page.) For a look at DACC's standards of web site evaluation, see this list.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Fright Night
With Halloween almost upon us, it seems appropriate to look into all things spooky and creepy in the spirit of the holiday. The library currently has a display of books and videos ranging from the popular Twilight series to Ghostbusters and Zodiac to get you in the mood for Saturday night's little doorbell ringers. In addition, the library's Pop Culture Universe database (DACC user i.d. and password required off campus) offers lots of opportunities to investigate everything from vampires and zombies to Halloween).
Celebrating the Holiday
And the internet offers a whole world of opportunities for the intrepid investigator of Halloween-themed interests. For a general background of the History of Halloween, check out this site from the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. Still scrambling for the perfect costume idea? The Costume Page offers a wide selection of useful resource links to motivate you specifically for Halloween. It also includes a link to the National Retail Federation's list of the Top Costumes for 2009. Odd, librarian didn't make the list... and yes there is one. Or if your looking for something different to do with that pumpkin, check out ExtremePumpkins.com, which includes lots of excellent carving information as well as the single most outrageous (and outrageously fun) collection of jack-o-lanterns you're likely to run across. Tom Nardone, the site's creator, even gives out lots of free carving stencils you can try. And although it's a bit late to produce these now, here's a little project to plan for next year's Halloween, courtesy of the Bunless Librarian: The Cure for the Common Jack-O-Lantern, a pumpkin shaped like a human face.
Monsters
Interested in monsters? Then you'll love Monstropedia, a wiki-based encyclopedia of monsters, parascience and the paranormal. with more than 1800 articles, you should have plenty to browse. The site does not hold itself to the citation and documentation standards of wikipedia, but it's a lot of fun and does offer a lot of useful links and stories. A bit more well referenced, and just as potentially useful depending upon your monstrous interest (basilisks, anyone?), is Encyclopedia Mythica. This site does provide references for individual entries and seeks out people with background in the subject area to write particular entries.
Witches
After the assorted types of monsters, one thing closely associated with Halloween in the popular mind is the figure of the witch. Witches, of course, have a complex and real history, as the witchcraft trials in Salem demonstrated so vividly. The Famous Trials website provides one of the best points of reference to not only the 1692 events, but also to the long history of persecution that preceded it. Visitors can also consider their options had they been among the accused and even try their hand at Salem Witchcraft Jeopardy. Another intriguing exploration of the Trials is National Geographic's interactive experience in which visitors take on the persona of one of the accused. Modern day witches also have an active presence on the internet, as do followers of other religions. If you are interested in learning more about them, you can go to The Witches' Voice and read more about and by present day pagans and witches, some of whom take the Halloween traditions with good humor and others of whom regard it with distaste.
Hauntings
Many of you are probably familiar with various stories about Illinois' assorted haunted houses, theaters and other locations. Even if you are, you may find some that aren't familiar at the Haunted Illinois web site. You can also check out Haunted Indiana if that terrain is closer to home. And finally, a haunted house that is one of the most architecturally extraordinary creations in the United States, Winchester House in California. Here is an online tour of the various rooms' highlights.
Happy Halloween everybody!
Celebrating the Holiday
And the internet offers a whole world of opportunities for the intrepid investigator of Halloween-themed interests. For a general background of the History of Halloween, check out this site from the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. Still scrambling for the perfect costume idea? The Costume Page offers a wide selection of useful resource links to motivate you specifically for Halloween. It also includes a link to the National Retail Federation's list of the Top Costumes for 2009. Odd, librarian didn't make the list... and yes there is one. Or if your looking for something different to do with that pumpkin, check out ExtremePumpkins.com, which includes lots of excellent carving information as well as the single most outrageous (and outrageously fun) collection of jack-o-lanterns you're likely to run across. Tom Nardone, the site's creator, even gives out lots of free carving stencils you can try. And although it's a bit late to produce these now, here's a little project to plan for next year's Halloween, courtesy of the Bunless Librarian: The Cure for the Common Jack-O-Lantern, a pumpkin shaped like a human face.
Monsters
Interested in monsters? Then you'll love Monstropedia, a wiki-based encyclopedia of monsters, parascience and the paranormal. with more than 1800 articles, you should have plenty to browse. The site does not hold itself to the citation and documentation standards of wikipedia, but it's a lot of fun and does offer a lot of useful links and stories. A bit more well referenced, and just as potentially useful depending upon your monstrous interest (basilisks, anyone?), is Encyclopedia Mythica. This site does provide references for individual entries and seeks out people with background in the subject area to write particular entries.
Witches
After the assorted types of monsters, one thing closely associated with Halloween in the popular mind is the figure of the witch. Witches, of course, have a complex and real history, as the witchcraft trials in Salem demonstrated so vividly. The Famous Trials website provides one of the best points of reference to not only the 1692 events, but also to the long history of persecution that preceded it. Visitors can also consider their options had they been among the accused and even try their hand at Salem Witchcraft Jeopardy. Another intriguing exploration of the Trials is National Geographic's interactive experience in which visitors take on the persona of one of the accused. Modern day witches also have an active presence on the internet, as do followers of other religions. If you are interested in learning more about them, you can go to The Witches' Voice and read more about and by present day pagans and witches, some of whom take the Halloween traditions with good humor and others of whom regard it with distaste.
Hauntings
Many of you are probably familiar with various stories about Illinois' assorted haunted houses, theaters and other locations. Even if you are, you may find some that aren't familiar at the Haunted Illinois web site. You can also check out Haunted Indiana if that terrain is closer to home. And finally, a haunted house that is one of the most architecturally extraordinary creations in the United States, Winchester House in California. Here is an online tour of the various rooms' highlights.
Happy Halloween everybody!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Are You Coming Out Tonite?
October is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, and the official web site presents a video featuring 31 important icons from GLBT history, including Suze Orman, Zora Neale Hurston, and John Cage. The site also retains the archives of icons since 2006. These include figures as diverse as Florence Nightingale, Michelangelo and Rachel Carson.
One critical event in GLBT history was the publication of the Kinsey Report, more properly known as Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (and the corresponding report on the Human Female published later). The American Journal of Public Health reproduces key portions of that report online. With his data regarding the numbers of American men who had had at least one homosexual experience, Kinsey literally changed the public perception of the human sexual landscape.
Another source of interesting online information is OutHistory, a continuously developing site that includes an eclectic selection of exhibits that range from Colonial American gay experience to gay elected officials to cross-dressing lesbians around the turn of the nineteenth century. Explore the gays of Bronzeville in Chicago or what it is like to be gay and Native American in mid-twentieth century. Follow the efforts to get New York's transgender law passed.
Fear of the Unknown
While GLBT History month frequently highlights web sites and resources focusing on the history of those groups, less common is for attention to be drawn to the history of homophobia, the cultural attitudes that lead people to oppress homosexuals. Rictor Norton, a noted researcher into gay history and culture offers readers a detailed look at the early period of Western homophobia on his web site. Rictor's web site on Gay History and Literature offers interested readers a lot more to explore, everything from collections of gay love letters to explorations of particular literary traditions to lesbian pirates and 18th century cruising in London.
Sexuality Research
For people interested in sexuality research or study, an important site of information available online is the Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. On the site users can find entire books, research reports, reviews, surveys and data sets to review. One of the most useful tools on the site is the Critical Dictionary of Sexology and Glossary of Inappropriate Terms (which refers to terms that contain either explicit or hidden value judgments).
One critical event in GLBT history was the publication of the Kinsey Report, more properly known as Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (and the corresponding report on the Human Female published later). The American Journal of Public Health reproduces key portions of that report online. With his data regarding the numbers of American men who had had at least one homosexual experience, Kinsey literally changed the public perception of the human sexual landscape.
Another source of interesting online information is OutHistory, a continuously developing site that includes an eclectic selection of exhibits that range from Colonial American gay experience to gay elected officials to cross-dressing lesbians around the turn of the nineteenth century. Explore the gays of Bronzeville in Chicago or what it is like to be gay and Native American in mid-twentieth century. Follow the efforts to get New York's transgender law passed.
Fear of the Unknown
While GLBT History month frequently highlights web sites and resources focusing on the history of those groups, less common is for attention to be drawn to the history of homophobia, the cultural attitudes that lead people to oppress homosexuals. Rictor Norton, a noted researcher into gay history and culture offers readers a detailed look at the early period of Western homophobia on his web site. Rictor's web site on Gay History and Literature offers interested readers a lot more to explore, everything from collections of gay love letters to explorations of particular literary traditions to lesbian pirates and 18th century cruising in London.
Sexuality Research
For people interested in sexuality research or study, an important site of information available online is the Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. On the site users can find entire books, research reports, reviews, surveys and data sets to review. One of the most useful tools on the site is the Critical Dictionary of Sexology and Glossary of Inappropriate Terms (which refers to terms that contain either explicit or hidden value judgments).
Thursday, September 10, 2009
9/11 How Will You Serve?
Eight years have passed since those four planes changed the lives of so many Americans on September 11, 2001. Survivors continue to cope, their children grow, rescuers struggle with the physical aftereffects of so many hours spent combing through the wreckage, and the new WTC is finally under construction. But for those not immediately effected by the attacks, enough time has passed that they becoming historical events, albeit mile markers in our lifetimes. So it is perhaps especially fitting that this year legislation has been enacted declaring September 11 A National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Service
The home page for 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance provides information about the purpose of the day, ways individuals can become involved, ways organizations or individuals can get service projects going or seek out additional volunteers, and links to other informational sites. Visitors are encouraged to post their own activities as a way to inspire others and stimulate others' thinking. If you are interested in volunteering, however, don't feel limited to the options offered by the 9/11 web site. VolunteerMatch offers additional opportunities to bring together volunteers and organizations online. Currently Danville's volunteer organizations are not well represented on the site, so if you are active in one you might want to suggest the site to the volunteer coordinator. Government volunteering opportunities have their own online site, Volunteer.gov, where users can identify possibilities by state. To locate opportunities locally, the United Way has assembled this list of Danville organizations and contact information, while Champaign-Urbana has cuvolunteer.org.
Want some ideas for simple acts of kindness and service? Check out HelpOthers.org, which offers lots of suggestions. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation also offers ideas to promote kindness and service to others and even provides tools for teachers and individuals to use to get started in their own communities.
Remembrance
While the new designation for September 11 is intended to draw good from bad, it is also designed as an opportunity to remember and learn. To that end, the National September 11 Museum and Memorial at the World Trade Center is being planned. With the WTC complex still tangled in ongoing construction and funding issues, it remains in a virtual stage, but that leaves a lot available for exploration, including an extensive registry of artists and their works, oral histories recorded through the Library of Congress' StoryCorps project, and pictures and stories of the some of the artifacts that have been donated to the Museum. September 11 Bearing Witness to History, the Smithsonian's collection of artifacts related to the attacks, is an especially moving site, with an extensive set of artifacts and stories, while the September 11 Digital Archive offers one of the most comprehensive collections of information. And finally, the National Park Service is creating a memorial in Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 was brought down through the brave efforts of its passengers to defeat the hijackers. See the plans for the memorial here.
Service
The home page for 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance provides information about the purpose of the day, ways individuals can become involved, ways organizations or individuals can get service projects going or seek out additional volunteers, and links to other informational sites. Visitors are encouraged to post their own activities as a way to inspire others and stimulate others' thinking. If you are interested in volunteering, however, don't feel limited to the options offered by the 9/11 web site. VolunteerMatch offers additional opportunities to bring together volunteers and organizations online. Currently Danville's volunteer organizations are not well represented on the site, so if you are active in one you might want to suggest the site to the volunteer coordinator. Government volunteering opportunities have their own online site, Volunteer.gov, where users can identify possibilities by state. To locate opportunities locally, the United Way has assembled this list of Danville organizations and contact information, while Champaign-Urbana has cuvolunteer.org.
Want some ideas for simple acts of kindness and service? Check out HelpOthers.org, which offers lots of suggestions. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation also offers ideas to promote kindness and service to others and even provides tools for teachers and individuals to use to get started in their own communities.
Remembrance
While the new designation for September 11 is intended to draw good from bad, it is also designed as an opportunity to remember and learn. To that end, the National September 11 Museum and Memorial at the World Trade Center is being planned. With the WTC complex still tangled in ongoing construction and funding issues, it remains in a virtual stage, but that leaves a lot available for exploration, including an extensive registry of artists and their works, oral histories recorded through the Library of Congress' StoryCorps project, and pictures and stories of the some of the artifacts that have been donated to the Museum. September 11 Bearing Witness to History, the Smithsonian's collection of artifacts related to the attacks, is an especially moving site, with an extensive set of artifacts and stories, while the September 11 Digital Archive offers one of the most comprehensive collections of information. And finally, the National Park Service is creating a memorial in Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 was brought down through the brave efforts of its passengers to defeat the hijackers. See the plans for the memorial here.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Health Care Reform?
Everyone is talking about health care reform, but a lot of people have several misconceptions about various aspects of the conversation. How well do you understand this very complicated issue? You can test your knowledge with either CNN's quick quiz or that compiled by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, or both. (They touch on different points.)
Finding Good Facts
If your email has been brimming with scary emails about what the Congressional health plan might mean for you, you should check out FactCheck.org's evaluation of the most notorious of these fearmongering missives in which they found 26 outright lies and only 4 genuine truths among 48 claims. Another excellent source of information on the issue is CQ Researcher, a weekly publication that examines current issues in depth. (You'll need your DACC user ID and password for off-campus access.) They covered health care reform in last week's issue (8-28-09), which offers extensive reporting, background, pros and cons of particular aspects and references to find further information. Somewhat similar to CQ Researcher is Issues and Controversies, a Facts on File database that provides detailed, balanced coverage of current topics. (You'll also need your DACC user ID and password for off-campus access for this.) It too includes recent material covering the health care debate, especially issues related to the proposed public option.
Been watching coverage of all of those raucous town hall meetings? You might be surprised to find that they aren't quite what they appear on news programs on FOX or MSNBC or other media outlets. You can see the entire meetings, not just edited clips, on C-Span, the Congressional news channel. In fact, if you are interested in unbiased coverage of the entire issue, you can't do better than C-Span, which provides full coverage of meetings, hearings, and public statements, and also has an area for viewers to submit material. Feeling brave? Here's the actual text of the legislation H.R. 3200 , which is available through Thomas, the Library of Congress legislation search engine. Actually, it's not too bad. The bill has an index of terms you can use to search through it and a summary of contents.
Two excellent sources of online information on the state of the U.S. health care system are The Commonwealth Fund, which includes on its web site a report that compares the United States health care system to those in other countries. (The conclusion: ours comes off very poorly on several crucial counts.) The other is The Alliance for Health Reform's Covering Health Issues, 5th ed.
And finally, a moment of health care debate humor from The Onion.
H1N1 Flu Update
And little bit of additional information on the flu formerly known as swine. Here is a very useful flyer from the Illinois Department of Public Health that itemizes the symptoms and emergency warning signs to determine if you or a family member needs to go and see a doctor. They also provide a preparedness checklist to help you get ready for the flu hitting home. Here is the IDPH's general web page about the pandemic and seasonal flu, which has links to lots of good information. And on a final note, a new concern about this flu involves whether or not to vaccinate pigs to prevent them catching the flu from people and mutating it into yet another and potentially more dangerous variant. Yes, the swine are now at risk from the people flu...
Finding Good Facts
If your email has been brimming with scary emails about what the Congressional health plan might mean for you, you should check out FactCheck.org's evaluation of the most notorious of these fearmongering missives in which they found 26 outright lies and only 4 genuine truths among 48 claims. Another excellent source of information on the issue is CQ Researcher, a weekly publication that examines current issues in depth. (You'll need your DACC user ID and password for off-campus access.) They covered health care reform in last week's issue (8-28-09), which offers extensive reporting, background, pros and cons of particular aspects and references to find further information. Somewhat similar to CQ Researcher is Issues and Controversies, a Facts on File database that provides detailed, balanced coverage of current topics. (You'll also need your DACC user ID and password for off-campus access for this.) It too includes recent material covering the health care debate, especially issues related to the proposed public option.
Been watching coverage of all of those raucous town hall meetings? You might be surprised to find that they aren't quite what they appear on news programs on FOX or MSNBC or other media outlets. You can see the entire meetings, not just edited clips, on C-Span, the Congressional news channel. In fact, if you are interested in unbiased coverage of the entire issue, you can't do better than C-Span, which provides full coverage of meetings, hearings, and public statements, and also has an area for viewers to submit material. Feeling brave? Here's the actual text of the legislation H.R. 3200 , which is available through Thomas, the Library of Congress legislation search engine. Actually, it's not too bad. The bill has an index of terms you can use to search through it and a summary of contents.
Two excellent sources of online information on the state of the U.S. health care system are The Commonwealth Fund, which includes on its web site a report that compares the United States health care system to those in other countries. (The conclusion: ours comes off very poorly on several crucial counts.) The other is The Alliance for Health Reform's Covering Health Issues, 5th ed.
And finally, a moment of health care debate humor from The Onion.
H1N1 Flu Update
And little bit of additional information on the flu formerly known as swine. Here is a very useful flyer from the Illinois Department of Public Health that itemizes the symptoms and emergency warning signs to determine if you or a family member needs to go and see a doctor. They also provide a preparedness checklist to help you get ready for the flu hitting home. Here is the IDPH's general web page about the pandemic and seasonal flu, which has links to lots of good information. And on a final note, a new concern about this flu involves whether or not to vaccinate pigs to prevent them catching the flu from people and mutating it into yet another and potentially more dangerous variant. Yes, the swine are now at risk from the people flu...
Friday, August 28, 2009
Royal Generation
They were America's version of a royal family; equal parts spectacle and service, scandal and sorrow. And always, always glamor. Love them or hate them, the Kennedys captured the national imagination and held it in a way no other family has. The Bush family may have put comparable numbers of family members in public office, but they will never similar assume place in American culture. And now with passing of Ted Kennedy, and prior to that his sister Eunice, the hold the Kennedys had on the American collective imagination is loosened, irrevocably converted to nostalgia.
Weekend Events
If you missed any of the memorial events this weekend and would like to catch up on them, you can see them in C-Span's video library. If you'd like to get a sense of the continuing power the Kennedy family has on historical imagination, check out the web site for American Experience's The Kennedys, which offers details about the different family members as well as assessments of their cultural significance.
The Power of Camelot
The spell of the Kennedy Camelot can be seen through the continuing fascination with JFK's assassination. The industry of documentaries, web sites, books and tourism surrounding the event, not to mention the 70% of Americans (according to a 2003 ABC news poll) who believe there to be a conspiracy surrounding the event, demonstrates our national pre-occupation. Just a few of the more comprehensive web sites include The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by John Simkin, the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records at the National Archives, and the John F. Kennedy Assassination Homepage by Ralph Schuster (caution: gruesome photographs).
But there was more to the Camelot myth. An introduction to it can be garnered from the virtual tour of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library's web site, especially the virtual tour, which includes extensive recordings of JFK speaking. You can also check the president's biography, or those of anyone else mentioned in this entry in the library's comprehensive, full-text Biography Reference Bank Select database. (Campus user ID and password required for off-campus use.) Part of the mystique certainly came from Jacqueline Kennedy, a first lady who personified glamor and who, with her husband brought youth and sparkle to the White House, even as she set fashion trends for the nation.
The New Hope
Another critical aspect of the Kennedy story is the romantic rise and tragic fall of Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign 1968 following his roles as attorney general, first for his brother and then for Lyndon Johnson, and then as Senator for New York. Robert's presidential bid drew its support from those he identified as "the disaffected", minorities, the young, the powerless. His star was rising in those turbulent times following Martin Luther King's assassination when, on the night of his success in the California primary, he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. All of the official documents regarding his assassination can be viewed online courtesy of the Mary Ferrell Foundation. The Foundation also has online archives of the JFK assassination as well as assassination attempts on Castro, Martin Luther King and others and covert government and military activities that have been declassified. A fascinating online resource.
Less well known is Robert Kennedy's early participation with Joseph McCarthy in that Senator's notorious communist hunting efforts within the federal government and his part in the sending the CIA to assassinate Fidel Castro in Cuba, or even his initial efforts as Attorney General to restrict the actions of Freedom Riders in Alabama. American Experience captures the essence of Robert Kennedy's complexity in their web site for the documentary RFK, of which the library owns a copy.
Championing the Disabled
Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away a little over two weeks ago, and although she did not share the spotlight in the same way her brothers did, her impact was equally profound for millions of people. For Eunice took up the cause of those with mental disabilities, something close to her heart because of her sister Rosemary. Eunice publicly revealed the story of her sister's lobotomy, one of Dr. Walter Freeman's earliest, and most notorious procedures. The procedure, done to "calm" Rosemary, who was regarded by the family as mentally retarded but whose actual mental condition is unclear left infantilized. (For information on Freeman's lobotomy process, see The Lobotomist web site on American Experience.) The most obvious result of Eunice's efforts was the creation of the Special Olympics, which work to change public perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities. Today more than 3 million people benefit from an organization which began as in Shriver's backyard.
Master of the Senate
More visible than his sister and more controversial than his brothers, in part because of his long and successful career despite personal tragedy and scandal, Edward Kennedy may ultimately be judged the most significant of the three brothers. His detractors will always believe he got off too easily in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a young campaign worker who drowned when Ted Kennedy's car went off an unlit, unrailed bridge at Chappaquiddick Island, MA. The history of incident can be found here, along with pictures of the locations and individuals involved. Similarly, his entanglement in the rape trial of William Kennedy Smith in 1991 fueled criticism of his behavior and undermined his ability participate actively as Clarence Thomas' supreme court nomination became a national debate on sexual harassment.
But despite his at times dubious personal behavior, Ted Kennedy became over the years one of the most successful leaders the Senate has ever seen. As recent tributes from political allies and foes, who were nevertheless personal friends, demonstrate, he learned how to get things done in Congress, and is personally associated with more than 100 pieces of major legislation. No mean feat, of which those who refer to a do-Nothing Congress should take note. That he did so was a testament to his political skill and his personal charisma, as numerous commentators have noted.
Will Camelot release its hold on the American imagination? The Washington Post offers some speculations.
Weekend Events
If you missed any of the memorial events this weekend and would like to catch up on them, you can see them in C-Span's video library. If you'd like to get a sense of the continuing power the Kennedy family has on historical imagination, check out the web site for American Experience's The Kennedys, which offers details about the different family members as well as assessments of their cultural significance.
The Power of Camelot
The spell of the Kennedy Camelot can be seen through the continuing fascination with JFK's assassination. The industry of documentaries, web sites, books and tourism surrounding the event, not to mention the 70% of Americans (according to a 2003 ABC news poll) who believe there to be a conspiracy surrounding the event, demonstrates our national pre-occupation. Just a few of the more comprehensive web sites include The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by John Simkin, the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records at the National Archives, and the John F. Kennedy Assassination Homepage by Ralph Schuster (caution: gruesome photographs).
But there was more to the Camelot myth. An introduction to it can be garnered from the virtual tour of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library's web site, especially the virtual tour, which includes extensive recordings of JFK speaking. You can also check the president's biography, or those of anyone else mentioned in this entry in the library's comprehensive, full-text Biography Reference Bank Select database. (Campus user ID and password required for off-campus use.) Part of the mystique certainly came from Jacqueline Kennedy, a first lady who personified glamor and who, with her husband brought youth and sparkle to the White House, even as she set fashion trends for the nation.
The New Hope
Another critical aspect of the Kennedy story is the romantic rise and tragic fall of Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign 1968 following his roles as attorney general, first for his brother and then for Lyndon Johnson, and then as Senator for New York. Robert's presidential bid drew its support from those he identified as "the disaffected", minorities, the young, the powerless. His star was rising in those turbulent times following Martin Luther King's assassination when, on the night of his success in the California primary, he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. All of the official documents regarding his assassination can be viewed online courtesy of the Mary Ferrell Foundation. The Foundation also has online archives of the JFK assassination as well as assassination attempts on Castro, Martin Luther King and others and covert government and military activities that have been declassified. A fascinating online resource.
Less well known is Robert Kennedy's early participation with Joseph McCarthy in that Senator's notorious communist hunting efforts within the federal government and his part in the sending the CIA to assassinate Fidel Castro in Cuba, or even his initial efforts as Attorney General to restrict the actions of Freedom Riders in Alabama. American Experience captures the essence of Robert Kennedy's complexity in their web site for the documentary RFK, of which the library owns a copy.
Championing the Disabled
Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away a little over two weeks ago, and although she did not share the spotlight in the same way her brothers did, her impact was equally profound for millions of people. For Eunice took up the cause of those with mental disabilities, something close to her heart because of her sister Rosemary. Eunice publicly revealed the story of her sister's lobotomy, one of Dr. Walter Freeman's earliest, and most notorious procedures. The procedure, done to "calm" Rosemary, who was regarded by the family as mentally retarded but whose actual mental condition is unclear left infantilized. (For information on Freeman's lobotomy process, see The Lobotomist web site on American Experience.) The most obvious result of Eunice's efforts was the creation of the Special Olympics, which work to change public perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities. Today more than 3 million people benefit from an organization which began as in Shriver's backyard.
Master of the Senate
More visible than his sister and more controversial than his brothers, in part because of his long and successful career despite personal tragedy and scandal, Edward Kennedy may ultimately be judged the most significant of the three brothers. His detractors will always believe he got off too easily in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a young campaign worker who drowned when Ted Kennedy's car went off an unlit, unrailed bridge at Chappaquiddick Island, MA. The history of incident can be found here, along with pictures of the locations and individuals involved. Similarly, his entanglement in the rape trial of William Kennedy Smith in 1991 fueled criticism of his behavior and undermined his ability participate actively as Clarence Thomas' supreme court nomination became a national debate on sexual harassment.
But despite his at times dubious personal behavior, Ted Kennedy became over the years one of the most successful leaders the Senate has ever seen. As recent tributes from political allies and foes, who were nevertheless personal friends, demonstrate, he learned how to get things done in Congress, and is personally associated with more than 100 pieces of major legislation. No mean feat, of which those who refer to a do-Nothing Congress should take note. That he did so was a testament to his political skill and his personal charisma, as numerous commentators have noted.
Will Camelot release its hold on the American imagination? The Washington Post offers some speculations.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
To Infinity and Beyond!
Buzz Lightyear, whose motto heads this blog entry, is the direct descendant of the Apollo astronauts who 40 years ago made history by truly going where no one had gone before. Apollo 11 launched July 16, 1969 and touched down on the moon on July 20th. If you were alive at that time, chances are you were watching the event on television. Now you can see the event even better than you could then. NASA has restored the original video using HD technology. While not all of the filmed footage has been revitalized yet, the space agency has several clips on its site of key moments from the event. But that's not all. NASA has also prepared an interactive experience (requiring Flash) that lets users trace the astronauts steps on the moon, allowing them to see where iconic images were taken and hear about events, and enabling them to see inside the lunar lander. The site also includes video, photos, and an animated comic telling the story of the mission. NASA is also doing a real-time digital re-creation of events that you can follow online, called We Chose the Moon. If you want real detail, check out the actual journal transcript of the lunar landing, recording the astronauts' transmissions and conversations. This web page also provides links to photos of the Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's gear, debriefings, flight plans, press kits and just about anything else a true space nerd might get a kick out of.
Take Me to the Moon
Most of you are probably familiar with Google Maps, the digital mapping site created by the folks at Google that lets you see the surface of the Earth from above. But in honor of the moonwalk, these same folks have put together Google Moon, a lunar surface view that lets you explore the moon's surface and trace the route of any of the six manned lunar missions. Popular Mechanics provides a detailed selection of stories discussing the moonshot, breaking it down into a series of steps that focus on how precisely each had to be performed to prevent disaster.
The Controversies: Cost
Even after 40 years, certain issues related to the Apollo missions remain controversial. From the very beginning, questions of cost versus value have plagued the space program. Despite its technical successes, some still regard the moon missions and other NASA projects as financially irresponsible. In fact this topic is the subject of a featured entry in Issues and Controversies in American History, a new database available through the library's web site. (Off-campus users will need to provide campus user i.d. and password.)
The Controversies: Conspiracies
Some people will tell you that no one has ever been to the moon at all, that the entire "mission" is an elaborate hoax perpetrated upon gullible public for any possible number of reasons. To test these assertions, the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters put Lunar Conspiracy Theories to test. Based on their conclusions, going to the moon would be a lot simpler than faking going to the moon. Phil Plait offers a very detailed analysis of the Bad Astronomy behind Fake Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories on his web site (scroll down past the ads). If you find in looking it over you discover you like his writing, we have his Bad Astronomy book in the collection. If you'd like to find out more about the moon landing conspiracy or role of conspiracy theories in American history, check out the Credo Reference database. You can either search by subject or select find a book and choose Conspiracy Theories in American History from the title list to browse the entire subject contents.
Moon Food
As a child I remember eating space food sticks (check out the vintage commercials, especially the lunar lander with realistic smoke effect and the children being launched directly into the air after eating SFS...) and Tang, just like the astronauts did... But as a grown-up now I get to eat things that astronauts wish they could have, so I'm including a link to a different kind of moon food -- moon pies, a Southern over-the-top cookie guaranteed to send you right into the stratosphere.
Take Me to the Moon
Most of you are probably familiar with Google Maps, the digital mapping site created by the folks at Google that lets you see the surface of the Earth from above. But in honor of the moonwalk, these same folks have put together Google Moon, a lunar surface view that lets you explore the moon's surface and trace the route of any of the six manned lunar missions. Popular Mechanics provides a detailed selection of stories discussing the moonshot, breaking it down into a series of steps that focus on how precisely each had to be performed to prevent disaster.
The Controversies: Cost
Even after 40 years, certain issues related to the Apollo missions remain controversial. From the very beginning, questions of cost versus value have plagued the space program. Despite its technical successes, some still regard the moon missions and other NASA projects as financially irresponsible. In fact this topic is the subject of a featured entry in Issues and Controversies in American History, a new database available through the library's web site. (Off-campus users will need to provide campus user i.d. and password.)
The Controversies: Conspiracies
Some people will tell you that no one has ever been to the moon at all, that the entire "mission" is an elaborate hoax perpetrated upon gullible public for any possible number of reasons. To test these assertions, the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters put Lunar Conspiracy Theories to test. Based on their conclusions, going to the moon would be a lot simpler than faking going to the moon. Phil Plait offers a very detailed analysis of the Bad Astronomy behind Fake Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories on his web site (scroll down past the ads). If you find in looking it over you discover you like his writing, we have his Bad Astronomy book in the collection. If you'd like to find out more about the moon landing conspiracy or role of conspiracy theories in American history, check out the Credo Reference database. You can either search by subject or select find a book and choose Conspiracy Theories in American History from the title list to browse the entire subject contents.
Moon Food
As a child I remember eating space food sticks (check out the vintage commercials, especially the lunar lander with realistic smoke effect and the children being launched directly into the air after eating SFS...) and Tang, just like the astronauts did... But as a grown-up now I get to eat things that astronauts wish they could have, so I'm including a link to a different kind of moon food -- moon pies, a Southern over-the-top cookie guaranteed to send you right into the stratosphere.
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