The Constitution Project: Safeguarding Liberty, Justice and the Rule of Law

The Constitution Project (TCP) brings together unlikely allies—experts and practitioners from across the political spectrum—in order to promote and safeguard America’s founding charter.  TCP is working to reform the nation’s broken criminal justice system and to strengthen the rule of law through scholarship, consensus policy reforms, advocacy, and public education.

CORE ISSUES

The work of The Constitution Project (TCP) is centered on two major program areas: criminal justice and the rule of law. The challenges and threats to the integrity of our founding charter are the common thread woven throughout these two programs.

Many of the issues we examine–our inability to provide competent counsel to criminal defendants unable to afford lawyers; a death penalty system that too often risks convicting the wrong people, including those who are innocent; erosion of privacy rights and civil liberties in a post-9/11 world; and the indefinite detention without charge of terrorism suspects–are front-page news. But many more of the issues we examine don’t receive the public attention they deserve–protecting the rights of aid organizations whose lawful work has been criminalized; seeking reform of sentencing laws that fail to provide due process and are racially disproportionate; advocating that our laws be updated to ensure that modern communications technologies are still covered by constitutional safeguards; and scrutinizing the fallout of “tough on crime and terrorism” policies.

On these and so many other constitutional issues, TCP and its staff are compelled to act, whether the issue directly affects the rights of all citizens or involves the rights of individuals on the margins of our society. We accomplish our mission with the help of renowned experts and practitioners from across the political and ideological spectrum who provide us with invaluable guidance as members of TCP’s committees of experts, its diverse and authoritative Boards of Directors and Policy Advisors, and the many law firms and legal scholars who advise and support our work.

Reviewed in Association for College and Research Libraries Choice, September 2012

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The Archive, from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

The aim is to give viewers a starting point from which to view online materials from the collection of the King Library and Archives, located in Atlanta. The Archives consists of Martin Luther King's papers and those of the organization he cofounded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It also holds "the records of 8 major civil rights organizations and the records of several individuals active in the civil rights movement."

Sample topics include Notable Sermons, Vietnam, Telegrams, and Public Opinions. Included are specific types of materials as well, such as articles, pictures, speeches, correspondence, and brochures. The Archive's documents are well presented, e.g., featuring transcriptions of the note cards that King used when preparing his sermons; King's handwriting can be difficult to decipher (despite King's admiration of Gandhi, who was vocal in support of good handwriting).

The King Library and Archives includes "more than 200 oral history interviews with Dr. King's teachers, friends, family and civil rights associates." These, along with a number of photos, are not yet available. However, given the quality of the work done thus far, a future addition is an exciting possibility. The tagging of records is excellent, with in-depth cross-references to subjects and objects. Under the Learn section, users will find a Glossary of Nonviolence, and Books and Bibliography. Reviewed in Association of College & Research Libraries, CHOICE, August 2012. 

Hurricane ! E-mail from Florida Senator Bill Nelson:

E-mail from Senator Bill Nelson:

Dear Friends,

Tropical Storm Isaac is marching up the Caribbean with its eye on Florida. It’s likely to become Hurricane Isaac on Friday—the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.

If you were in Florida during Andrew, you know how important it is to be informed and prepared.

The National Weather Service is a helpful source if you’re looking for forecast information. And the Florida Division of Emergency Management has information specific to the Sunshine State.

Online you might consider keeping up with the National Weather Service on Twitter and Facebook, or following the National Hurricane Center on Twitter.

In addition to keeping up with the forecast, there are sites like Ready.gov (Listo.gov para español) that have good tips on preparing and staying safe in case storms do make landfall in our state.

We’re in the peak of hurricane season, so now’s a good opportunity to take a look at these resources if you haven’t had a chance yet. And my office is also here to help. My website has some good information, and of course always feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

TCC Alert will keep you posted on any announcements concerning weather conditions or closures for the Campus. 

You can also get the latest TCC messages
on TCC's Facebook	and Twitter accounts

Genetics Home Reference

"Genetics Home Reference (GHR) provides free access to consumer-friendly information on medical genetics to patients and their family members, health care professionals, and the public. The site offers summaries for a broad range of inherited conditions or disorders caused by gene alterations." . . . . . . . from the About Genetics Home Reference site:

Who sponsors Genetics Home Reference?

Genetics Home Reference is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.
There is no advertising on this site, nor does Genetics Home Reference endorse any company or product.

Who develops and reviews the content on Genetics Home Reference?

Genetics Home Reference is developed by a Staff that includes genetic counselors, biologists, and computer and information scientists. Expert Reviewers perform a comprehensive review of each condition, gene, gene family, and chromosome summary before it is posted to Genetics Home Reference, and with each substantial revision thereafter. Experts for Genetics Home Reference do not review gene information that was extracted automatically from online scientific databases. The date of the last comprehensive review is noted in each summary.

Genetics Home Reference Fact Sheet. 

and check our TCC library resources

comprehensive search for genetics = 1000+ resources ! 
search for books on human genetics = 69, ebooks = 24, videos = 196

EarthSky: A clear voice for science

EarthSky advocates science as a vital tool for the 21st century.  

Based in Austin, Texas, EarthSky began producing its award-winning science content in 1991. Today, EarthSky science interviews and other audio and video content are seen, heard, or read millions of times every day on multiple platforms via both broadcast and Internet outlets.

EarthSky enjoys the support and partnership of thousands of scientists and scientific institutions, including Fast Company, Discovery News, the National Science Foundation, Google, NASA, the NASA Night Sky Network, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Research Corporation, Shell, the Edwards Foundation, Advanced MicroDevices, Dow, the Whole Planet Foundation, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Geological Society of America, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sustainable Brands, the National Space Grant Foundation, The Economist, and many others.

EarthSky has 1,000+ Global Science Advisors – experts in every field of study – who suggest topics, review content, and provide ongoing help.
The EarthSky broadcast network consists of 1,200+ outlets across the United States and the world. Our daily audio programs are heard approximately 4 million times each day in the U.S. alone.
We know science is not perfect. It’s a process, not a body of facts. History tells us that some of today’s scientific truths will inevitably turn out to be wrong, or only partly true. Still, science leads to profound insights about the natural world that are as true as anything can be here at the beginning of the 21st century.
The EarthSky promise: “To bring the ideas, strategies, and research results of scientists to people around the world, with the goal of illuminating pathways to a sustainable future.”