Tweens Understanding Ads

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun a campaign to aid tweens with understanding the motive behind ad campaigns. Tweens need to be informed consumers and the FTC is giving them the tools to learn how to analyze and interpret ads. The FTC campaign includes Admongo.gov. From the About Us page of the website:

The multi-media campaign involves tweens, their parents, and their educators. It is based on Admongo.gov, which teaches core ad literacy concepts through game play. Other elements of the campaign include in-school curricula that are tied to state standards of learning; sample ads that can be used at home and in the classroom; and teacher training videos. What's more, although this campaign focuses on helping tweens analyze commercial messages, the critical thinking skills it teaches can help tweens evaluate non-commercial messages, including editorial content and literature. 

This campaign complements the many efforts undertaken by the FTC to protect children in the marketplace. These efforts include enforcing truth-in-advertising laws as they pertain to ads targeted to kids; enforcing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and related regulations; and promoting better advertising practices by marketers of food, violent entertainment, and alcohol.

Oil Leak from Damaged Well

NASA's Earth Observatory has images of the oil leak along with information about the incident. As well, the oil slick is NASA's Image of the Day. For today, see the image on the right of this blog. After today, visit the image gallery.

Would you like to do more research on the environmental impact from the oil leak? Visit our Environmental Science subject guide for suggested sources.

Adults Managing Weight, Childhood Obesity & Too Fat To Fight

I'm always hungry. Are you? It makes it difficult to shop wisely for groceries and to make smart menu decisions for those rare occasions I get to see the inside of a restaurant. Food is such a large part of our lives. We all need to make smart decisions. Here are 2 reports from the CDC's Preventing Chronic Disease journal that discuss eating at restaurants and childhood obesity: 

• Strategies for and Barriers to Managing Weight When Eating at Restaurants 
• Family Structure and Childhood Obesity, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study — Kindergarten Cohort

Did you ever think that Americans would be too fat to join the armed forces? Too Fat to Fight is a report by Mission: Readiness. The subtitle says it all: Retired military leaders want junk food out of America's schools.  

Didn't Return the Census Form? What to Expect During the Visit

Any day now, you'll have a Census worker knocking at your door. Here's what you should expect to happen and how you can prepare.

StopFraud.gov

We have all received emails asking for our personal information. Some of us have had our identity stolen. Others have fallen for a scam either from a telephone call, the mail or the Internet. How can we stop the fraud? StopFraud.gov is a new site devoted to educating us on how to not be a victim and gives everyone the opportunity to report fraud.

More About Twitter, The Library of Congress & Google Replay

I recommend reading the Resource Shelf's blog post Resource of the Week: The Twitter Archives from the Library of Congress & Google: The Facts As We Know Them for more information about how Twitter's digital archives will be acquired and made available to the public from The Library of Congress. It's also interesting to learn how this will differ from Google Replay.

I also recommend the post from the Archivist of The United States, Tweets: What We Might Learn From Mundane Details. Yes, it's mentioned near the end of the post from the Resource Shelf but I think it's definitely worth noting.

Alabama Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program

Need a new appliance? Why not apply for the Alabama Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program? Check the site for all of the rules but you must replace an existing appliance with a new Energy Star qualified appliance. The purchase date must be after April 19, 2010 and the rebate only lasts until the funds are depleted. As a matter of fact, the funds are from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Note - this program is only for the state of Alabama residents.

Earthquake in China & Volcano Eruption in Iceland

Details about the earthquake in China from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program are available.

NASA is providing an image of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption in Iceland.

Library of Congress & Twitter Archive

Announced April 14, 2010, the Library of Congress will digitally archive every tweet from Twitter since March 2006.

• How Tweet It Is!: Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive
• The Library of Congress Facebook page

Next, Google will offer a searchable timeline of Twitter tweets. The service will be called Google Replay. I'll try to include more when available but until then, you can see tweets on a search by selecting the + Show Options, then select Updates from the list of options. Of course, you have to search a subject first. Have fun!

New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START)

The Department of State has pulled together a site that includes a link to the treaty text & protocol along with photos & remarks from the event and factsheets.

IRS Tax Map

Search the Tax Map by topic or browse tax map products. The products to browse include FAQs, forms & publications and tax topics. The tax topics are comprised of the Tele-Tax Topics from the IRS telephone response system.

Safety and Preparedness

NTSB RELEASES 2009 AVIATION ACCIDENT STATISTICS; ON-DEMAND ACCIDENTS AT LOWEST LEVEL IN LAST 20 YEARS

Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities in the Coal Mining Industry Coal Mining Fact Sheet April 2010

Are You Ready? Tornadoes

Earth Day is April 22, 2010

We are celebrating Earth Day in Government Documents this month. Our display has the following documents:

• Energy Star for Homes Sales Toolkit
• After the Storm (DVD, VHS & pamphlet)
• What Can I Teach My Young Child About the Environment?
• Islands of Green in a Sea of People
• Small Business? Save Money! Do your business a world of good and do the earth a favor too!
• The Road from Global Warming to a Cleaner Future
• Today's Special: Energy Savings ...
• Green Lights: An Enlightened Approach to Energy Efficiency and Pollution Prevention
• Earth Day Everyday
• Living on a Restless Planet
• Earth Notes
• The happy earth day activities book
• Environmental Curricula Handbook: Tools in Your Schools
• Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands: A Toolkit for Teachers and Interpreters

For more information about Earth Day, see Learn Teach Share from the EPA.

How else are we celebrating Earth Day in the library? With a University-wide Earth Day Art Exhibition 2010. What else is happening on campus?

Need more resources about Earth Day for a research topic? Visit the Earth Day section of the Environmental  Science subject guide. Most of the Earth Day resources are available to all.

Mail Back the Form Alabama!

Come on residents of Alabama! Mail back the Census 2010 form. If we can produce top football teams, including a national championship, then surely we can spend a few minutes on a form that will have a greater impact on our state. Lost your form? Have a question about the questions? ASK!

Free Credit Reports Rule Amended

Beginning April 1, 2010, there really will be FREE credit reports available. The Federal Trade Commission has a new rule that will help consumers avoid ads that promise free credit reports but actually charge a fee.

AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228

More about FREE Annual Credit Reports.

International Scams

I thought I knew about all of the ways I could be scammed. Until I read this blog post about international scams from the Department of State. Evidently, and this is an estimate, $50 million per year ends up in Lagos, Nigeria.

National Census Day is Today!f

April 1, 2010 is the perfect day to return your Census 2010 form. If you don't return your form, then you can expect a Census worker to knock on your door. Questions?