One way to change things

Want to get the government to change things?  One direct way to be heard is through We the People - a web site maintained by the White House where you can  petition the government.   You can create your own petition or sign on to an existing one.  Current open petitions include requiring all genetically modified foods to be labeled and requiring free access to articles reporting on taxpayer funded scientific research.  Once a petition gets 25,000 online signatures, the White House will respond.

For more information on creating a petition, see the Step-by-Step guide .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

A Compendium of Lost Words

 Modern linguistics tells us that language constantly evolves. Usually, though, that statement refers to contemporary trends in language. By contrast, perhaps the evolution of language may also apply to words that are not merely archaic, but essentially extinct.

With that thought in mind, take a look at the compendium of lost words, and see whether you find any that are worth reviving.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New York Civil Liberties Union "Stop and Frisk" App

There is a new app on the way to assist with arrest documentation.  It is modeled after the Occupy Wall Street app "I'm Getting Arrested," developed last year by Brooklyn-based Jason Van Anden.

"The New York Civil Liberties Union is arming city residents and visitors with an app called Stop and Frisk Watch that records video, audio and GPS data. The civil rights defender group urges citizens to chronicle illegal stops, racial profiling and inappropriate searches by police officers.
The Stop and Frisk Watch is available for free on Google Play. The iOS app will be available by the end of July, says the NYCLU."

Read more about this app at Mashable.com here: http://on.mash.to/Lo5Cfs
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Is there a Doctor in the house?

Researchers find report from first doctor to treat Lincoln after gunshot wound.  There was a physician attending the play at Ford's Theater the night President Lincoln was shot.  He sat but 40 feet from Lincoln and saw Booth jump into the President's box brandishing a dagger.  It is an interesting story and the first draft of these Doctor's report of Lincoln's wounds has been stored in the archives unseen for 147 years.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat