Night Sky Atlas

If you are interested in astronomy, then you need to take a look at Night Sky Atlas: The Moon, Planets, Stars, and Deep Sky Objects ( Call #: 520 S278n). This colorful and practical atlas for binocular and small telescope observing was published by Firefly Press in 2005. Because it is a comprehensive atlas that is also simple to use, it is useful for the person just beginning to observe the night sky or for the more experienced observer. The constellation maps attempt to match as much as possible what a person actually sees in the sky. The maps, illustrations and accompanying text make this a worthwhile and enjoyable resource. Check it out at the Al Harris Library!

"Preventing Medication Errors"

"... on average a hospital patient is subject to at least one medication error per day ... " (p. 1) Medication errors harm 1.5 million people and kill several thousand each year in the United States, costing the nation at least $3.5 billion annually, the Institute of Medicine concluded in a report released July 20th. The IOM's report, "Preventing Medication Errors", details the costs of these errors and recommends strategies for preventing them. Read the report.

Old Ships

Government Documents just received a copy of Comet: submerged Cultural Resources Site Report, Channel Islands National Park. (I 29.143/2:17) It's an amazing story of how an old lumber schooner (named the Comet) came to be shipwrecked on a beach in Simonton Cove, San Miguel Island, Channel Islands National Park in 1911. This is an island off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. Click on the title above to access the United States Parks Service website of submerged cultural resources (shipwrecks).

Tuberculosis

TB is not something most Americans worry about, but it probably should be.
According to the Worldwide Health Sourcebook (R 362.1 W893), nearly 2 billion people have tuberculosis, or are carriers. This is one-third of all the people on earth. This number includes the 10 to 15 million people who have the disease in the United States.

According to the above source, TB is the world's leading cause of death from a single organism, killing more adults than AIDS and malaria combined. The bad news is that the disease is becoming more resistant to drugs. The good news is NIAID scientists are trying to isolate the complete sequence of the TB bacterium's genome.

Click on the title above to visit the World Health Organization website on TB.