Finding Our Place in the Cosmos: From Galileo to Sagan and Beyond

Finding Our Place in the Cosmos: From Galileo to Sagan and Beyond 

About this Collection

A thematic collection exploring changing models of the universe through time, ideas of life on other words and Carl Sagan’s place in the tradition of science. It features manuscripts, rare books, celestial atlases, newspaper articles, sheet music and movie posters.

Like our ancestors, we look up at the heavens and wonder. What is the structure of the universe? How significant are we? Are we alone? In Carl Sagan's words, "we are a way for the cosmos to know itself." To commemorate the acquisition of The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive, the Library of Congress presents an exploration of these questions across the breadth of its collections and offers a first glimpse into Carl Sagan's papers.

This online collection includes three primary sections. 
•The Cosmos: Its Structure and Historical Models 
•Life on Other Worlds: History of the Possibility
•Carl Sagan and the Tradition of Science
View more

Collection Objectives 

The goal of this collection is to explore connections between some of Carl Sagan's work, communicating about the cosmos and the possibilities of life on other worlds and the extensive diversity of collections of the Library of Congress. It is a thematic showcase of digitized items from many corners of the collections, brought together with the hope of prompting visitors to expand their knowledge and come to their own understanding by engaging with a range of digitized primary sources. Unlike a physical exhibition, this online presentation is not limited by what can be framed and hung on a wall. Whenever possible, books, manuscripts, radiobroadcast and other materials have been digitized in full. The result is a wealth of material, much of it full-text searchable for visitors to explore. 

Nothing about this online collection and presentation is intended to be comprehensive. This is true of both the historical narrative in the thematic essay presentations and the selections of featured items from across the Library's collections. Instead, this collection and its essays, are intended to glance off the various topics discussed and serve as a point of entry to a wide array of primary source treasures related to the history of astronomy and ideas about life in the universe in the Library of Congress collections. It's a hypertext, a linked juxtaposition of interpretation – explication and primary sources intended to be explored in whatever path a visitor wants to take. 


Given the massive scale of the Seth Macfarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive the few hundred items digitized from that collection and presented here in this online collection are a microscopic sliver of this archive's contents. Our hope is that this thematic collection showcases some of the kinds of treasures contained within. For those interested, a finding aid for the collection is located online here.

Recommended in the October 2014 issue of Choice.

Nestle, Hershey help fight Ebola, as virus threatens chocolate supply

Some of the world’s largest chocolate companies are joining the fight against Ebola, as the virus threatens the world's chocolate supply.

Men grade cocoa beans in a warehouse
 in Gonate, western Ivory Coast. (Reuters)

Published October 14, 2014 FoxNews.com 

Nestle, Mars and Hershey are among the companies pledging support to combat the disease wrecking havoc on nations that border Ivory Coast --the world’s biggest exporter cacao --the raw ingredient in chocolate.

Ivory Coast has shut down its borders with Liberia and Guinea, two nations hardest hit by the Ebola virus, shutting out migrant workers needed to pick the beans that go into M&M, Snickers Bars and Hershey's Kisses, reports Politico. Though Ivory Coast has yet to report a single case of the deadly virus, residents are fearful that the disease may quickly cross borders.

The World Cocoa Foundation, a non-profit that aids small cocoa farmers, has enlisted the help of many of its 113 members, including Godiva, Ghiradelli, Mars, to raise money for those affected. The organization has not released figures on how much has been raised, and more details are likely to emerge at the group’s annual meeting this Wednesday in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“As a member of the WCF and a supporter of the CocoaAction strategy, Mars is pleased to see the industry coming together to help organizations on the ground in the prevention and eradication of the Ebola virus,” Mars told Politico in a statement.

Prices for cocoa beans have risen in recent weeks due to Ebola concerns, but it's unclear if Americans stocking up on Halloween candy will feel the pinch.  If prices continue to rise, chocolate producers could replace some of the cocoa with fillers, or could just pass the cost onto consumers. This follows a spike in chocolate prices this summer, when cocoa prices jumped by about 8 percent.
Donations from the chocolate companies will be distributed to the International Federation of Red Cross, the Red Crescent Societies, and Caritas, a charity affiliated with the Catholic Church, according to CNN.

According to the World Health Organization, over 4,000 people have died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Chocolate magnate Nestle is said to be “deeply concerned” about the devastating potential spread of the virus through West Africa which is home to many of its 6,300 African employees.

from : www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/10/14/nestle-hershey-and-other-chocolate-companies-raising-money-to-combat-ebola/

Three Actors that Contribute to Student Success in Online Courses

What contributes to student success in a course delivered online?
To consider the question from a different perspective one can pose the question this way—who is ultimately responsible when students are not successful—when they fail the course for instance? Is it the student for not having the discipline for online learning? The instructor for not providing support, or the institution for not providing services to support the online student? These are questions worthy of examining at a philosophical level, though in this post I examine select behaviours and strategies associated with the three actors involved in the process of students learning online, 1) the institution, 2) instructor and 3) the learner. . . . .
read the complete article and view the videos
Conclusion . . . . Yet to maximize the value of the support offered by the institution and instructor, the learner needs to own the learning, and know the responsibility for success ultimately rests with him or her.

College News at Huffington Post

HuffPostCollege.
Get breaking news from U.S. colleges and universities and share your thoughts on campus life, college costs, collegiate sports and university scandals
The latest stories for and about college students are found here. From College Rankings to Hazing, Student Activism to Greek Life - HuffingtonPost College has the reports students want to know.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/college/

Zuckerberg Gives $25M to Fight Ebola

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife Priscilla Chan, shared on Tuesday that they are donating $25 million to the CDC Foundation to help fight the currently rising Ebola epidemic.

In a Facebook post, the 30-year old CEO described things as being “at a critical turning point.”
www.peekyou.com/blog/zuckerberg-donates-25m-to-fight-ebola/ 
Oct 14, 2014

www.cdcfoundation.org/ebola-outbreak 

Why College Students Are at High Risk of Identity Theft

Why College Students Are at High Risk of Identity Theft
By Steve Weisman, Financial Times Press, Oct 3, 2013.

College students are five times more likely to be a victim of identity theft than the general public. Identify theft expert Steve Weisman discusses why students are vulnerable and what they can do to protect themselves.

College students studying Shakespeare can most likely tell you that the following quote comes from Othello:  “Who steals my purse steals trash; ‘tis something, nothing; but he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and make me poor indeed.” But Shakespeare only had it half right. Identity theft can make you poor indeed, but it also can enrich the identity thief.

And college students are identity theft’s most common victims.  They are five times more likely to be a victim of identity theft than the general public.

The reason for their vulnerability is twofold.  They live in close quarters and they do not take enough precautions.

Identity theft can result in your bank accounts and brokerage accounts being looted; being hounded by a debt collector for a debt that you did not incur; becoming unable to access your own credit cards, bank or brokerage accounts; being arrested for crimes committed by people who have stolen your identity; or even receiving improper medical care because your medical records have been corrupted by an identity thief who stole access to your medical insurance.  It can also ruin your credit rating which can, in turn, affect your ability to rent an apartment or get a loan, a job, and insurance.

So where are  college students vulnerable? Read rest of the article:  http://www.ftpress.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2141481


Identity Theft Statistics: Why You Should Be Alarmed
By Naomi Mannino July 31, 2014

Fraudsters are getting wiser and have more tools at their disposal to steal personal identities. Someone could be using your private data right now – your Social Security number and tidbits about you from social media sites – to sign up for a credit card under your name. Worse, they could be using this information to hack into your bank accounts.

Unfortunately, identity theft has become more common in recent years and may not abate if consumers don’t take steps to protect themselves. Through various surveys, CreditDonkey.com has found consumers continue to make mistakes, such as openly sharing critical passwords with outsiders, which put them at undue risk for identity theft.

We've gathered the most current statistics, news, and resources about all too frequent Internet scams and stolen security codes..... Read more about Identity Theft Protection