What is this RSS stuff I sometimes read about?

RSS is an abbreviation that stands for, well, a variety1 of different things, depending upon whom you ask, but which translates for the user into a subscription to a particular website that notifies you not only that the site has updated its content but what that new content is. What does that do for you? Imagine that there are six websites that you check on a regular basis to see if there are interesting new things posted. Depending upon how important you think seeing that new content at its freshest is to you, you might need to check all six of those sites every day, or even more often. That's a lot of remembering and clicking, and for sites that perhaps update only every week or so, there may not be a lot of reward for so many clicks other than knowing that you're not missing something new. Now contrast this to the idea of opening one webpage every day to check on all six sites. Or checking in a special folder of your browser (the program you use to see the Internet, like Firefox or Internet Explorer). Or starting up a special program that lives on your own computer that checks on those six sites for you. Or getting that page content emailed to you. And, obviously, for every new subscription that you add, the savings in time and effort grows. Not all websites offer RSS feeds, specially coded files that provide the information the user receives in response to their subscription. Many government entities and blogs, however, do offer feeds and the number of sites offering this service is growing every day. The information that can now come to you, instead of you going to it, just keeps getting richer. How do you take advantage of these riches even if you're not a geek? It turns out to be surprisingly simple and, even better, mostly free. Here are some of the tools you can use, covering the various categories of RSS feed readers (also called RSS aggregators because they aggregate, or group, all of your feed subscriptions). Web-based readers These include services such as Bloglines, Google Reader, NewsGator, and many more. To use these services, you typically sign up for a free account, generating a login and password that are validated by clicking on an emailed link. You then are given a member page address that you can bookmark, like this one for a Bloglines account: http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs. Using one of these services, you can read your feeds from any internet-enabled computer anywhere, so long as you remember your login and password. Once you have this account established, there are several methods for subscribing to website feeds; these directions are spelled out in each service's help files online. Going back to the Bloglines example, for instance, you can copy and paste the address of a site you want to subscribe to into a formfield on your Bloglines page and click a "subscribe" button to add it to your subscriptions list. Some sites, like this one, make it even easier by including a "subscribe with bloglines" button on their page (look at the bottom of the lefthand column). However you subscribe, once you've got a subscription you'll find that whenever you return to your account page, bold text tells you that a particular site has been updated. Click on that site name, and you can read the full updated information right there in the Bloglines window. Each service is a little different in the details, but they all work roughly the same way. Desktop-based readers These are programs that you download and install on your computer to manage and read your RSS subscriptions. Some work on most any kind of computer, some are for Macs, and some are for Windows. As with any programs, some are easier to set up and use than others and some will suit your own way of organzing your work better than others. If you subscribe to feeds using a desktop reader, you can read your feeds only on computers that you have installed the program and your reading list on. As with most online readers, many of the desktop programs are free. Browser-based subscriptions Several programs you may already have will also function as RSS feed aggregators. The internet browser program Firefox detects sites offering feeds and puts a special orange icon like this at the end of the address bar to indicate an available feed; clicking on that icon produces a subscription window that allows you to file a "livemark" that shows up in your bookmarks and indicates updated content. The next version of Internet Explorer, 7, is reported to be adding that functionality as well. There are also toolbars and extensions you can add to whatever browser you use that subscribe and display your subscriptions. Emailed feeds There are even services you can subscribe to that email you site updates or update summaries, although some of them may be limited to only some special sites and information. I'm ready--now where are those RSS-feeding sites? Why not begin right here? The Seldovia Public Library blog, like most blogspot sites, offers a feed of all its updates, using the url http://seldovialibrary.blogspot.com/atom.xml. Subscribe to this feed and every time we update the site, you'll get things like lists of all of the new books we've added to the collection with links to broader descriptions and reviews. You can also subscribe to public notices from the City of Seldovia at http://seldovia.blogspot.com/atom.xml. Want more? Almost anything from comics (but try checking the pages for individual strips as well, since many of them have feeds these days) to news (like NPR) to higher levels of government and government services (check here or here for leads to finding helpful rss feeds). You can often determine whether the sites you regularly read offer feeds by the RSS icon or the XML icon (this is an earlier version, gradually being replaced by the RSS-specific icon) or something similar. Unfortunately, neither the Kenai Peninsula Borough nor the State of Alaska have current plans to offer RSS feeds for things like public notices or ferry schedule changes, but it doesn't hurt to contact the state webmaster (webmaster@state.ak.us) or borough clerk (sbiggs@borough.kenai.ak.us;sessert@borough.kenai.ak.us) to add to public demand for them. Still sound pretty confusing? Stop by the library on a Saturday and we can give you a demo and help you get something set up. 1 Like Rich Site Summary, RDF Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication

Genealogy help hours

Members of the Seldovia Family Tree Searchers have now established a schedule of when they will be on hand in the library to help with family history research. Jan Wyland will be in the library on Saturdays from 1-4 pm beginning March 25. Mary and John Sanger will be in the library on Wednesdays from 1-4 pm beginning March 1 (note: the library is only open for genealogy researchers on Wednesdays; there are no regular library services available on that day).

2/25: New at the library this week

DVDs:

• Windtalkers

Books:

• The year of magical thinking / Joan Didion — Didion's journalistic skills are displayed as never before in this story of a year in her life that began with her daughter in a medically induced coma and her husband unexpectedly dead due to a heart attack. This powerful and moving work is Didion's "attempt to make sense of the weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself." Winner of the 2005 National Book Award for Nonfiction
• Symptoms of withdrawal : a memoir of snapshots and redemption / Christopher Kennedy Lawford — Born into enormous privilege as well as burdened by gut-wrenching family tragedy, Christopher Kennedy Lawford now shares his life story, offering a rare glimpse into the private worlds of the rich and famous of both Washington politics and the Hollywood elite.
• Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything / Steven D. Levitt — Steven D. Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives - how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of...well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan. (home website; further discussion)
• Teacher man : a memoir / Frank McCourt — In Teacher Man Frank turns his attention to the subject that he most often talks about in his lectures-teaching: why it's so important, why it's so undervalued. He describes his own coming of age-as a teacher, a storyteller, and, ultimately, a writer.
• Heart of war / Lucian K. Truscott — The brutal murder of Lieutenant Sheila Worthy has sent shock waves of fear throughout Fort Benning, Georgia, and the task of finding her killer has fallen to Major Kara Guidry. As the top lawyer in the judge advocate general's office, Kara has to tread lightly, for news of the death of Lieutenant Sheila Worthy has spread from the base to the most powerful corridors in Washington.
• Killer market : a Deborah Knott mystery / Margaret Maron — A chilling misadventure begins when Deborah, hunting high and lowboy for lodging, is befriended by an eccentric old lady calling herself Mrs. Jernigan. Deborah follows the chiffon-clad Good Samaritan through rooms of French provincial and high-tech modern when the lady suddenly vanishes, leaving a sexy hunk of manhood dead and motionless on a pricey piece of "motion" furniture.
• Patty Jane's House of Curl / Lorna Landvik — Patty Jane's House of Curl is an easy-to-read, joyous and funny story of a family of women, the tragedies in their lives, the strengths they find within themselves, and their ultimate victories. It follows the lives of two wacky Minnesota sisters, Patty Jane and Harriet, in a female Lake Wobegon where humor and hope overcome life's trials.
• Your Oasis on Flame Lake / Lorna Landvik — Best friends fast approaching forty, Devera and BiDi were recently voted "Least Changed" at their twentieth high school reunion. Once overjoyed, Devera now finds the label insulting. Then there's Devera's husband, Dick Lindstrom, an ace car and appliance salesman with cabaret in his heart. He dreams of opening a night club in his basement. A violent, unexpected crisis will throw both families into chaos - and force them to take stock of their lives.
• Unlucky in law / Perri O'Shaughnessy — With her client's blood DNA found in the dead woman's apartment, Nina faces an uphill battle. Suspecting that her hapless client has been set up, Nina brings in a brilliant forensic pathologist who comes up with a startling theory about the case that could rewrite a crucial page of European history.
• Outlaw mountain : a Joanna Brady mystery / J.A. Jance — Alice Rogers, an elderly widow, is dead, found murdered in the Arizona desert. It's easy enough to pin the killing on the teens caught driving her car across the Mexican border, but Sheriff Brady isn't about to let it go at that.
• The fortunate pilgrim / Mario Puzo — Puzo's classic story about the loves, crimes and struggles confronted by one family of New York City immigrants living in Hell's Kitchen.
• The last don / Mario Puzo — The last don is Domenico Clericuzio, a ferocious old man who is determined to secure his family's future in an era of legalized gambling, motion picture investments, and the threat of government informers. The Don is close to achieving his vision when secrets buried in his family's past threaten to undermine his plan and spark a war between two blood cousins.
• The voyage of the Narwhal / Andrea Barrett — Part adventure narrative, part love story, this extraordinary chronicle captures a crucial moment in the history of exploration, the mid-19th-century romance with the mystery of the Arctic. Combining fact and fiction, Andrea Barrett focuses on Erasmus Darwin Wells, a scholar-naturalist accompanying the expedition of the Narwhal.
• Murder at the quilt show / Aliske Webb —
• The savage country / Lewis B. Patten (large print edition) —

2/18: New at the library this week

DVDs:

• War of the worlds
• The hotel Rwanda
• Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• The lord of the rings: The return of the king
• Gentlemen prefer blondes
• Million dollar baby
• Blade runner
• The chorus
• Birth

Books:

• Cook right 4 your type : the practical kitchen companion to eat right 4 your type / Peter D'Adamo—Eat Right 4 Your Type convinced more than half a million readers that eating right for one's blood type can help one live a longer, healthier life. With the help of a team of chefs, Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo now presents a book chock-full of mouthwatering and easy-to-prepare meals specifically designed for each of the four blood types.
• Emily of the new moon ; Emily climbs ; Emily's quest / L.M. Montgomery—In the celebrated Emily trilogye, Montgomery draws a more realistic portrait of a young girl’s life on Prince Edward Island. The twin threads of bright and dark, love and cruelty, hope and despair intertwine in a pattern as significant as it is enduring .Age Range: Young Adult
• D-day: 24 hours that saved the world / [edited by] Kelly Knauer—Here are fascinating portraits of the men who designed the invasion - and the men who fought it: Eisenhower and Churchill, Montgomery and Rommel. Here are the landing crafts, the medics, the radio operators, the nurses. Here are the memorable photographs, historic reunions, majestic cemeteries, the unforgettable memories of June 6, 1944.
• Ptolemy's gate / Jonathan Stroud—In this thrilling conclusion of the Bartimaeus trilogy, the destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel, and Kitty are thrown together once more. For the first time, we will learn the secrets of Bartimaeus’s past, and get a glimpse into the Other Place -- the world of demons -- as together, the threesome must face treacherous magicians, unravel a masterfully complex conspiracy, and defeat a formidable faction of demons. (The library also has volumes 1 & 2 of the trilogy.)
• Death is forever / Elizabeth Lowell—A reworking of The Diamond Tiger which came out in 1993 under the name Ann Maxwell
• When wallflowers die / Sandra West Prowell—She's feisty, independent and aggressive, and in her third appearance (after By Evil Means) Phoebe Siegel, a Billings, Mont., PI, is the driving force in a mystery that never lets up.
• The wonderful flight to the Mushroom Planet / Cameron, Eleanor—A mystery man inspires two boys to build a space ship which takes them to the planet of Basidium to help the Mushroom people. Age Range: 12 and up (Available in book and CD audiobook formats.)
• It's a fair day, Amber Brown / Paula Danziger—Amber Brown and her classmates celebrate Halloween, while Amber wonders if her parents' arguing will ruin the holiday for her. Age Range: 6 to 8
• Get ready for second grade, Amber Brown / Paula Danziger—Amber is nervous about starting second grade with a new teacher, but despite being in the same class as mean Hannah Burton, things turn out just fine. Age Range: 5 to 7
• Belly of the beast: A POW's Inspiring True Story of Faith, Courage, and Survival Aboard the Infamous WWII Japanese Hellship, the Oryoku Maru / Judith L. Pearson—The stirring true story of how Naval Corpsman and POW Estel Myers survived on the brutal Japanese hell ships during the waning months of WWII, Belly of the Beast is a personal history of his horrendous journey to freedom-and a shocking chronicle of a relatively unknown chapter of WWII.
• Webster's new English language dictionary
• Webster's new English language thesaurus
• Space station seventh grade / Jerry Spinelli—Seventh-grader Jason narrates the events of his year, from school, hair, and pimples, to mothers, little brothers, and a girl. Age Range: 9 to 12
• Angels in the gloom / Anne Perry—Angels in the Gloom is a saga of love, hate, obsession, and murder that features an honorable English family - brothers Joseph and Matthew Reavley and their sisters, Judith and Hannah in March 1916.
• Tempest above the Tenfeather / Stephen Gese—If you enjoyed book one, Healing On The Tenfeather, you are invited to accompany Andy and Lynn on a journey to the brink. Walk with them as they discover how Spirit Guides brought them together, and how they finally understand another important reason why. (Seldovian author)
• Time annual 2004—Year in review issue of Time magazine
• Time annual 2005—Year in review issue of Time magazine
• Life 2004 album: The year in pictures—Year in review issue of Life magazine
• Man in space: An illustrated history from Sputnik to Columbia—from Life magazine
• Last lessons of summer / Margaret Maron—In the suffocating heat of a Southern August, Amy Steadman, heir to a merchandising and publishing empire, has come to clean out the house of her murdered grandmother - and perhaps find some answers.
• The drowning tree / Carol Goodman—The Drowning Tree is a look at the way our own lives are reflected in the faces of others...and how shattered pieces of the past never truly remain buried.
• The company : a novel of the CIA / Robert Littell—Littell's 13th novel, The Company, is clearly his magnum opus: a huge, multigenerational saga that encompasses the complete 40-year history of the bitterly contested Cold War.
• Faceless killers : a mystery / Henning Mankell—In his first appearance in English, Swedish bestselling author Mankell combines thriller-quality entertainment with a depiction of anti-foreigner prejudice in Sweden, painted here as a very chilly place indeed.
• Vital lies / Ellen Hart—An old friend invites Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless to her Victorian inn to celebrate the winter solstice--and investigate a murder from years before. Soon after Jane and her theatrical pal Cordelia arrive, they face malicious pranks that eventually lead to another murder.
• The Saturday morning murder : a psychoanalytic case / Batya Gur—Batya Gur lives in Jerusalem, where she is a literary critic for Ha'aretz, Israel's most prestigious paper. She is the author of three other Michael Ohayon mysteries
• Horse & pony breeds / Sandy Ransford—This book will help the young horse enthusiast recognize and identify accurately the different breeds. Each horse or pony is beautifully photographed and accompanied by detailed descriptions of the history of the breed, as well as the particular characteristics, colors, and marking that distinguish that breed from any other. Age Range: 12 and up
• A break in the clouds / Cynthia A. Stevens—Thousands of poems by hundreds of authors as well as biographies
• Diabetes for dummies / Alan Rubin—From causes, symptoms, and side effects to medications, diet, and exercise, this friendly guide delivers sound advice on managing diabetes, staying fit, and feeling great. You get up-to-date coverage of the latest treatments and glucose meters, as well as diabetic exchanges and delicious recipes from top chefs.

2/15: New at the library in the past month

Books:

• Mama always comes home / Karma Wilson—Mama Bird and Mama Cat and even teensy-weensy Mama Mole must leave their little ones from time to time; but in the end, mamas always come home. Age Range: 5 to 6
• One bullet away : the making of a Marine officer / Nathaniel Fick—A former captain in the Marines’ First Recon Battalion, who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, reveals how the Corps trains its elite and offers a point-blank account of twenty-first-century battle.
• On the run / Iris Johansen—Bestselling author Iris Johansen is back with an electrifying new thriller that pits a mother and daughter against a relentless killer who takes no prisoners, accepts no surrender, and leaves his intended victims with no choice but one: to run for their lives.
• Murder at the Washington Tribune / Margaret Truman—At the big, aggressive newspaper The Washington Tribune, a young woman has been murdered. And the hunt for her killer is making sensational and lethal headlines.
• Saratoga : a novel of the American Revolution / David Garland—Set against the backdrop of the unthinkable turmoil that accompanied the formation of America, Saratoga is the thrilling first installment in a series that will chronicle the birth of a nation and the stories of the men and women hopelessly caught in its wake.
• The Country kitchen : country style for the most inviting room of the home / Time-Life Books—Offers advice on decorating a kitchen, discusses layout, storage, wallpaper, flooring, and cabinets, and looks at antique silverware, utensils, and dinnerware.
• Deadly detail / Don Porter—It's Fairbanks, Alaska, during the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Alex Price, a Bethel bush pilot, is looking forward to a pleasant evening visiting his old friend and prospecting partner Stan and Stan's lovely Athabaskan Indian wife, Angie. But his world is shattered when Stan is killed and assassins begin to stalk both Alex and Angie.
• Friends, lovers, chocolate / Alexander McCall Smith—The ever-inquisitive ethicist Isabel Dalhousie is back, in Alexander McCall Smith's second installment of his wildly popular Sunday Philosophy Club saga -- this time struggling with two very different moral dilemmas of the heart.
• Catch-22 / Joseph Heller—As revealing today as when it was first published, this brilliant novel by the author of Picture This expresses the concerns of an entire generation in its black comedy. World War II flier John Yossarian decides that his only mission each time he goes up is to return—alive!
• Mary, Mary / James Patterson—This time, FBI agent Alex Cross is relaxing with his family at Disneyland when he gets a call from the director. An A-list actress has been murdered outside her Beverly Hills home. At first, the killing appears to be an isolated incident, but Cross quickly deduces that a star-obsessed serial killer known as Mary Smith is on the loose. Before long, every Hollywood celebrity is running scared, hoping not to become next week's deadly attraction.
• Death dance / Linda Fairstein—Teaming up with longtime friends - NYPD's Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace - Assistant DA Alex Cooper investigates the disappearance of world-famous dancer Natalya Galinova, who has suddenly vanished backstage at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House - during a performance.
• Blindfold game / Dana Stabenow—In Thailand two men hire a pair of international pirates to smuggle them, a small team of mercenaries, and some equipment aboard a freighter at a Russian port. It's frighteningly easy, and the ship sails east, toward the western coast of North America.
• The secret trial of Robert E. Lee / Thomas J. Fleming—1865. The Civil War is over and the South lies in ruins. But for some, the former slaveholders have not been punished enough. A cabal of powerful men, led by Charles A. Dana, the Assistant Secretary of War, plot to break the spirit of the South once and for all--by convicting General Robert E. Lee of treason and hanging him like a common criminal.
• The shadow of the wind / Carlos Ruiz Zafón—Barcelona, 1945 - Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes one day to find that he can no longer remember his mother's face. To console his only child, Daniel's widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona's guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again.
• Every breath you take / Judith McNaught—Returning to the lavish Chicago setting of her popular novel Paradise, and revisiting some of that book's characters as well, this story will captivate in inimitable Judith McNaught style.
• The ultimate decorating book : over 1,000 decorating ideas for all the rooms in your home / Judy Spours—Would you like to redecorate your home--or a room--but are unsure of how to achieve a look you'll love long after the last paint brush or fabric swatch is put away? With over 1,000 decorating ideas, this illustrated guide makes the process both fun and satisfying.
• The hostage / W.E.B. Griffin—Major Charley Castillo, hero of By Order of the President, is asked to quietly investigate the kidnapping of a diplomat's wife in Argentina. Shortly thereafter, her husband is murdered, her brother is found to be deeply embroiled in the burgeoning UN/Iraq oil-for-food scandal...and all hell breaks loose.
• Menopause : manage its symptoms with the blood type diet / Peter D'Adamo—Dr. D'Adamo offers new information (not included in any of the other Eat Right books) individualized for the four blood types. This time he zeros in on aging, addressing the issues of brain decline, hormonal deficiency and loss of vitality, and menopause, focusing on treating hot flashes, loss of libido, osteoporosis, and mood changes.
• Saving fish from drowning / Amy Tan—On an ill-fated art expedition into the southern Shan state of Burma, eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a Christmas-morning tour-and disappear. Through twists of fate, curses, and just plain human error, they find themselves deep in the jungle, where they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of the leader and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the ravages and destruction of the Myanmar military regime.
• Phenomenon : everything you need to know about the paranormal / Sylvia Browne—In Phenomenon, an A-to-Z compendium of everything on The Other Side that influence our life here on Earth, Browne provides evocative stories and useful explanations to help make life on The Other Side real for readers.
• Imagine a day / Sarah L. Thomson—On each double page, with illustration facing text, we are encouraged to imagine a different day, a day when the most mystical, amazing, incredible things are possible—like "dive down through branches or swim up to the sun. Age Range: 4 to 8
• Snowmen at Christmas / Caralyn Buehner—Snowmen at Night shared with us the magical, slip-sliding adventures of snowmen after dark . . . but have you ever wondered what snowmen do for Christmas? Well, now's your chance to find out! The snowmen are back, and this time they're celebrating Christmas — the snowman way! Age Range: 4 to 8
• National Geographic almanac of American history / James Miller—Timely, Intriguing, and Lavishly Illustrated in the National Geographic Tradition, this authoritative resource provides the ultimate guide to understanding America and its evolving role in our world's past, present, and future.
• Christmas in Camelot / Mary Pope Osborne—Celebrate the wonder of the Middle Ages with this enchanting addition to the Magic Tree House series! When Jack and Annie receive a Royal Invitation to spend Christmas in Camelot, they expect feasting and fun with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. But instead, they find themselves on a quest to recapture the kingdom's joy and save Camelot from being forgotten forever. Age Range: 6 to 9
• A wedding in December / Anita Shreve—Writing with the fluent narrative artistry and the acute grasp of human motivation that distinguish all of her bestselling novels, Anita Shreve tells the compelling story of seven former schoolmates who gather at an inn in the Berkshires to celebrate a wedding.
• An unfinished life / Mark Spragg—Jean Gilkyson, pregnant when her husband was killed, is raising their daughter, Griff, in an Iowa trailer house with yet another brutal boyfriend when she realizes this can't go on. But the only refuge available is a town in Wyoming where her loved ones are dead and her father-in-law wishes she was too.
• HarperCollins treasury of picture book classics : a child's first collection / Katherine Brown Tegen—From early, beloved classics such as Goodnight Moon and Harold and the Purple Crayon to such recent treasures as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Pete's a Pizza, this collection assembles twelve of the greatest picture books ever published. For infants or children in preschool.
• On Sand Island / Jacqueline Briggs Martin—In the deep blue waters of Lake Superior lies a small island of hummingbirds, rabbits, and hardy Norwegian fishing folk. On that island lives a boy named Carl who wants nothing more than to be out on the water in a boat of his own making. Age Range: 5 to 8
• Millions to measure / David M. Schwartz—Your favorite wizard is back — and ready to explore the invention of length, weight, and volume measurements. Age Range: 5 to 12
• A little house treasury / Laura Ingalls Wilder—Beloved by generations of children, these stories tell of a plucky girl and her unforgettable experiences. Now, Little House In The Big Woods, Little House on The Prairie, and On The Banks of Plum Creek have been gathered together in one glorious hardcover volume.
• 44 Scotland Street / Alexander McCall Smith—44 Scotland Street recounts the intersecting lives of inhabitants of a multiple-occupancy building in Edinburgh. At the center of the entertaining entanglement is Pat, a 20-year-old gallery employee who makes a startling discovery about a lost masterpiece.
• 1 is one / Tasha Tudor—Tasha Tudor's 1 Is One will reach ages 4-6 with a fine counting book which goes up to 20 and uses bright, old-fashioned Tudor illustrations.
• Caribou crossing / Kim Heacox—Caribou Crossing is a story of intrigue, landscape, and love that blends elements of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf with the pacing of John Grisham's The Pelican Brief. At its nexus is a real issue: attempts by the petroleum industry-and most of Alaska's political and business leaders-to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel / Virginia Lee Burton—Although steam shovels are being replaced by more modern machines, Mike Mulligan refuses to consign his beloved Mary Anne to the junk heap. First published in 1939, this classic is full of informative illustrations, including a diagram of a steam shovel. Age Range: 5 to 8
• The fish princess / Irene N. Watts—In this poetic tale, the parents and grandmother of a baby girl disappear at sea, and she is found drifting in a boat. The people of her village believe her to be cursed and shun her, leaving only her widowed grandfather to care for her. Age Range: 6 to 8
• Chocolate for a woman's soul II / Kay Allenbaugh—These 77 true tales show women discovering the best life has to offer while negotiating the twists and turns of love, listening for the divine, or finding peace even while overcoming life's biggest challenges.
• Mark Twain A to Z : the essential reference to his life and writings /R. Kent. Rasmussen—Until now, tracking down information on Mark Twain's complex life and numerous works was a time-consuming and arduous process. No longer, now that R. Kent Rasmussen has undertaken the herculean task of writing and compiling Mark Twin A to Z— a comprehensive, single-volume reference to this great American writer's life and times.
• Quilt National : contemporary designs in fabric / Ohio Quilt National—The 82 examples depicted from the latest Quilt National traveling exhibition find their inspirations in the works of impressionist painters, in nature, in political ideology, and, of course, in sheer color.
• In my hands : memories of a Holocaust rescuer / Irene Gut Opdyke—Recounts the experiences of the author who, as a young Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the Holocaust.
• A reporter's life / Walter Cronkite—At the age of eighty, Cronkite has written his life story - the personal and professional odyssey of the original "anchorman", for whom that very word was coined.

All book descriptions are from the webpages linked to.

Oil Spills: resources to follow breaking news online

When events like today's tanker grounding in Cook Inlet happen, you can learn more about what's going on than just waiting for the popular media to get there and you can gain important background that might be left out of media reports by doing some direct research online. Oil spills fall under the purview of a number of agencies. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is the state agency responsible for enforcement actions in the case of spills. On their website, they post regular assessments and updates of ongoing spill responses. They also host the geographic response strategies that are plans specific to Alaskan coastal areas for dealing with active spills. There are specific response plans in place for Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, the areas from which spills are most likely to affect the Seldovia area, and those GRS can be downloaded from those linked sites. When spills due to shipping occur in Cook Inlet, they are monitored by the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council; when spills due to shipping occur in Prince William Sound or areas affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, such as Kodiak or lower Cook Inlet, they are monitored by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council. Seldovia is represented on the CIRCAC board of directors by June Reuling; on the PWS RCAC board the Seldovia representative is Steve Lewis. Both representatives are charged with communicating to the city and community any situations in which oil spills might affect our local area. The Seldovia City Office or City Council and Mayor should receive updates from these individuals during active spills, but reports may also be available on the respective organizations' websites as events are followed. Other special interest groups may also post news of ongoing spill situations. Local environmental activists like Cook Inlet Keeper are often involved monitoring oil-related events. If events threaten Kachemak Bay, the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve may also provide news related to reserve concerns. By visiting the sites of interest groups, a more nuanced picture of the impact of events can sometimes be derived. Lastly, photo repository sites such as flickr often contain images uploaded by participants and spectators as news breaks. Monitoring tags identifying obvious topics, such as oilspill or cookinlet, will give you an early and candid look at unfolding events. Finally, local media sources such as the Homer News, Homer Tribune, Peninsula Clarion and Anchorage Daily News all have online editions that may contain more detailed coverage than national media.