Ten books you should have read in high school
The today show recently published (in no particular order) a list of TEN books you should have read in high school. At the show they acknowledged that high school students would much rather hang with friends, watch TV or do just about anything other than read a classic. Many others might feel the same way. But why not spend just a little of your leisure time reading about the human condition and the world we live (and lived) in in astonishing, thought-provoking, and life-changing ways? (Nancy Pearl).
 Frankenstein |
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
This best selling classic is about a young Swiss student who uncovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts, creates a monster that vows revenge on his creator after being rejected from society. (Amazon) |
 The scarlet letter |
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Set in the Puritanical society of 17th-century Boston, this novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, a married woman who has an affair and gives birth to a daughter. Hester refuses to name her lover, but when her estranged husband appears unexpectedly, he determines to discover the man’s identity. (Amazon) |
 The catcher in the rye |
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. (Amazon) |
 The great gatsby |
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. (Amazon) |
 Pride and prejudice |
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. (Sirsi) |
 Siddhartha |
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again. Near despair, Siddhartha comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This sound signals the true beginning of his life — the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace, and, finally, wisdom. (Amazon) |
 Lord of the flies |
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. (Amazon) |
 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
He has no mother, his father is a drunkard, and he sleeps in a barrel. He’s Huck Finn-liar, sometime thief, and rebel against respectability. But when Huck meets a runaway slave named Jim, his life changes forever. And on a raft floating down the Mississippi, the boy nobody wanted matures into a young man of courage and conviction. (Amazon) |
 To kill a mockingbird |
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much. (Amazon) |
 The fountainhead |
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
A phenomenal bestseller since its publication in 1943, The Fountainhead brought Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism to a worldwide audience. As original today as when it was written, this novel reinvents the modern-day hero. (Amazon) |
Visit the SCC Library website to check the availability of these and other books.
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~RG
Salt River Indian Community
Salt River Indian Community (photo by J. Schallan)
If you take any exit off the 101 freeway between McKellips Road and Shea Boulevard, you may encounter one of these monuments.
What do they mean, and why are they along the freeway here?
The monument tells you that you have entered the Salt River Indian Community, home to 8,700 Native Americans who also happen to be SCC’s landlords, since our campus occupies 160 acres they have leased to the Maricopa County Community College District for 99 years, beginning in 1970.
Who are the residents of this community? How long have they lived here? What does the symbol on the monument mean?
The residents of the community comprise two distinct groups — people we call Pima and people we call Maricopa, or, in their own languauges, Akimel O’odham (or Akimel Au-Authm) and Xalychidom Piipaash, respectively.
“Akimel O’odham” means “river people.” (A related group in Southern Arizona is the Tohono O’odham, or “desert people.”) The Akimel O’odham were traditionally farmers along the Gila River south of present-day Phoenix. The first Europeans to visit the Gila River, in the 17th century, remarked on the extensive irrigated farms of the Akimel O’odham, where they grew corn, beans, and squash, as well as utilizing wild food of the desert such as mesquite pods. The Akimel were instrumental in providing provisions and a resting point for Spanish explorers and adventurers in the Southwest.
“Xalychidom Piipaash” means “people who live toward the water.” They once inhabited the area along the lower Gila and Colorado Rivers, but were pushed eastward by their enemies. In the 19th century, the Maricopa asked for, and received, both a welcome and a refuge among the Akimel O’odham.
European Americans began farming in the Gila Valley in the 1870s, and diverted the flow of the Gila River upstream of the Akimel O’odham for their own irrigation canals, compromising the farms of the Akimel downstream.
A group of Akimel O’odham and Maricopa therefore sought new lands on which to practice their farming and settled along the Salt River near the Mormon settlement of Lehi (now a part of the City of Mesa). Since the Akimel O’odham had a long history of alliance with European Americans in fighting common enemies, the European American settlers in the Salt River Valley viewed the Akimel and Maricopa who had occupied the farmlands northwest of Mesa as a group able to assist in mutual defense. It was proposed that the Akimel O’odham and Maricopa’s claims along the Salt River be formally recognized by the United States, and so by Executive Order of President Rutherford B. Hayes, on June 14, 1879, the Salt River Indian Reservation was established.
Today the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community encompasses 52,600 acres between Tempe and Mesa on the south, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills on the west and north, and the Tonto National Forest on the east. Of this, 12,000 acres are under cultivation, and 19,000 acres have been set aside as a natural preserve. Other acreage has been leased to the state of Arizona to accommodate the 101 freeway, fittingly named the Pima Freeway, and to various business concerns, including Akimel/Maricopa operations such as the Casino Arizona on McKellips Road and the Talking Stick Resort and Casino on Indian Bend Road.
The newest development on reservation land, the spring training facilities shared by Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies
– Salt River Fields at Talking Stick — opened in March of 2011.
Man in maze (photo by J. Schallan)
And, finally, what does that symbol on the monuments along the freeway mean?
It is often called “he man in the maze,” and it figures into the culture of both the Akimel O’odham and Tohono O’odham peoples, appearing often in their beautifully crafted baskets and other artworks.
The figure is Elder Brother, sometimes seen as the first, or as the creator, of the O’odham peoples. The maze may represent a cave in which we are born, out of which we must find our way to Elder Brother, who stands at the entrance.
In other stories, the figure represents each of us, standing before the maze that represents life’s many unknown twists and turns. The symbol generally stands for the course each man and woman must take, and the choices each must make along the way, to attain his or her final goal.
The Scottsdale Community College Library carries 30 titles in its extensive Southwest Indian Collection on the history and culture of the Akimel O’odham and Maricopa. Start by searching the library catalog using the term “Pima Indians.”
Also be sure to visit the website of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, at http://www.srpmic-nsn.gov/
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~JS
Business: Global Rankings
Global Rankings (morguefile)
What a difference one decade can make…
Each year The Financial Times newspaper in London puts together a list of the world’s 500 largest publicly-traded companies (the FT 500) as measured by their market capitalization. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the share price by the number of shares of that company’s stock that have been issued. During the last ten years, there has been a dramatic shift in the country of origin where the largest companies in the world are based.
| Global Rank | 2001 | 2011 (end of Q1) |
| 1 | General Electric (USA) | Exxon Mobil (USA) |
| 2 | Cisco Systems (USA) | PetroChina (China) |
| 3 | Exxon Mobil (USA) | Apple Inc. (USA) |
| 4 | Pfizer (USA) | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (China) |
| 5 | Microsoft (USA) | Petrobas (Brazil) |
| 6 | Wal-Mart (USA) | BHP Billiton (Australia) |
| 7 | Citicorp (USA) | China Construction Bank (China) |
| 8 | Vodafone (UK) | Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands/UK) |
| 9 | Intel (USA) | Chevron Corp. (USA) |
| 10 | Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands/UK) | Microsoft (USA) |
Visit the SCC Library website for more information on Business and the Global Economy.
If you would like to read The Financial Times, simply search for that title using the SCC Library Periodical List.
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~RG
The wonders of baking soda
The wonders of baking soda
Baking soda is handy, versatile and inexpensive that is easily substitutes for any number of household products. It can be used:
- As a refrigerator deodorizer. Keep a half-open box in the back.
- As a fabric stain remover, particularly in treating perspiration stains. Moisten and brush a little right into the stain before putting the garment into the wash.
- As a paste, made by mixing with water, to take the bite out of bee stings, bug bites and burns.
- As a toothpaste and gum freshener. Make a light paste with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, and gently brush all areas of your gums. Your mouth will be cleaner than ever.
- To clean carpeting that has been stained with wine or grease stains. Put a little on a damp cloth, then blot the stain. be careful not to rub too hard.
- To snuff out grease and electrical fires. Quickly sprinkle it on the flames.
- To clean enamelware. If food sticks to the bottom of a pan, add three tablespoons of baking soda to enough boiling water to cover the bottom of the pan. Let it soak for an hour.
- To keep your car spiffy. Make a light paste with water. Using a rag, apply the paste to bug stains and bird droppings. Let it set for about five minutes, then wipe clean. Also use it on bumpers, hubcaps and chrome trim.
Visit the databases page of the SCC Library website for more information on Sodium bicarbonate.
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~RG
Halloween
31 October ~ Halloween is one of the world’s oldest holidays. It is celebrated in many countries around the world and is a blend of Catholic religious rituals, Celtic practices, and European folk traditions. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead, honors deceased loved ones and ancestors.
Halloween has long been considered a day when the dead can return to the earth. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween.
In the 19th century, Halloween became a more secular community-based children’s holiday. In countries such as Ireland, Canada and the United States, adults and children alike revel in the popular Halloween holiday. Traditions include costume parties, trick-or-treating, pranks and games. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.
Did you know?
The first Jack-o-Lanterns were made in Ireland out of hollowed-out turnips. A piece of coal was inserted into the hollow and the “lantern” was meant to guide “old Jack” who wasn’t welcome in Heaven but was barred from Hell for tricking the devil. When the Irish brought this tradition to America, they decided pumpkins were much easier to carve than turnips, and the modern-day Jack-o-Lantern was born!
Q: What is the fear of Halloween called?
A: Samhainophobia
Taken from http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
~CS
Study Skills
The semester is well underway and the reality of completing papers and studying for exams is hitting you. Don’t panic! Here are some library resources to help you improve your study skills, manage your time and be successful in your college career.
College rules! How to study, survive, and succeed in college 2nd ed.
Call Number: LB2343.32 .N57 2007
Focus on community college success 2nd ed.
Call Number: LB1060 .S73 2012
The ultimate study skills handbook
Call Number: LB2395 .M66 2010
A student’s guide to presentations : making your presentation count
Call Number: PN4192.S78 C48 2007
Painless study techniques
Call Number: LB1049 .G733 2009
The complete idiot’s guide to study skills
Call Number: LB1049 .H367 2008
Panicked student’s guide to choosing a college major: how to confidently pick your ideal path
Call Number: LB2361.5 .S529 2011
Community college companion: everything you wanted to know about succeeding in a two-year school
Call Number: LB2343.32 .R684 2011
And don’t forget, SCC has several excellent services to help you with your college career. Check them out!
~CS
The Sacred Weed
The Sacred Weed (morgue file)
For longer than anyone knows, Indians throughout the Americas have smoked tobacco and other plants for pleasure and for praying. The smoke was the Great Spirit’s breath taking the prayers up to the Ones Above.
With a pipe in his hands, a man could speak nothing but the truth. Sir Walter Raleigh learned the use of tobacco from the Indians. When he first had a smoke in a London inn, the bartender, thinking that he was on fire, emptied a tankard of ale over him. To the white man, smoking became an addiction; but to the native American, pipe and tobacco were sacred and smoking was a holy ritual.
A man who killed a member of his own tribe could not smoke ritually with the others. He had to smoke a mean little pipe all by himself – hard punishment.
Find many resources about American Indian/Native American history, myths and legends in the SCC Library.
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~RG
Labor Day 2011
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
The Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday.” The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
For more information on the history of Labor Day, check out this site from the Library of Congress.
Taken from http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
~CS
Pain Relief
Pain Relief (morguefile)
If you have a headache, or have twisted your ankle even a slight fever you might in need of a little relief. Each ailment may require a different treatment. Choosing the right painkiller from a shelf full of different products, is an activity that can create its own headache.
Basically, there are three primary products designed for the prevention and treatment of pain: aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen. They may be similar, but choosing the wrong one can delay your recovery or create other problems.
Aspirin: This is an anti-inflammatory drug as well as a painkiller, aspirin reduces swelling so that the pain is less likely to recur when the analgesic properties wear off. Aspirin is also an anticoagulant, which helps to keep the blood thin to avoid clots. People who have a history of heart attack or stroke or those that may be at risk are often advised by their doctor to take small daily doses as a preventative measure.
Acetaminophen: This is also used for the relief of fever as well as aches and pains associated with many conditions, while being less likely to cause an upset stomach than aspirin. Also relieves pain in mild arthritis but, unlike aspirin, has no effect on the underlying inflammation, redness and swelling of the joint. Began as a children’s medication.
Ibuprofen: Is twice as potent as aspirin as an anti-inflammatory. Ibuprofen is an effective and well-tolerated analgesic for general use. Can provide relief from headaches, migraine, backache, dental pain, muscular pain, menstrual pain, cold and flu symptoms and fever. Ibuprofen can cause an upset stomach.
There are many resources in the SCC Library that can help you learn more about basic health issues. A couple of those resources are:
The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook (Ref RC 81.M535 2009)
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book (Ref RC 81.M473 2009)
Another resource to explore is our 24-7 Ask-a-Librarian service. This instant messaging chat service connects you directly with a Librarian who is standing by to assist.
~RG
Parents’ Day ~ July 24
In the United States, Parent’s Day was born out of a united effort of several religious, civic and elected leaders who felt the need for an occasion to promote responsible parenting in the society and to uphold the ideal parental role models for the benefit of the new generation.
Parent’s Day was officially established in 1994 with the efforts President Bill Clinton. During his term in the White House, Clinton felt despite having a Father’s Day and a Mother’s Day, there existed a void. Raising children in a proper way requires the presence and combined endeavor of both parents and hence there needed to be an occasion that appreciated parents collectively. The President strived to establish Parents’ Day and this was realized when he signed into law a resolution for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” It would establish the American celebration of Parent’s Day on the fourth Sunday in July. It is also celebrated in many other countries such as the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and India.
Parents’ Day provides an opportunity to recognize and promote parenting as a central vocation for our families and communities. More than just a time to celebrate, it is an occasion to make a statement about what is important in our society. It is a chance to create a positive tradition based on a core axiom – that the role of parents is crucial in the nurturing and development of children, and thus requires investment, focus, and commitment.
Taken from www.theholidayspot.com/parents_day
~CS
