• General Information
• July-August 2006
• Issue: 204

What's Up on the Web?

What follows is an eclectic sampling of web sites that relate in some way to summertime pursuits and offer light intellectual fare for the more relaxed pace of the season. These resources were selected from recent “New This Week” compilations (June 22 and June 29) offered by Librarians’ Internet Index http://www.lii.org/.

Seashells by the Seashore

If you're heading to the ocean and plan on collecting some shells during leisurely walks on the beach, the Conchologists of America (http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/ ) web site could help you understand what you find. The Conchologists of America (COA) is a volunteer-run organization begun in 1972 that serves the interests of hobbyists and scientists alike. Its web site includes basic yet detailed information about mollusks (the animals that produce the shells); articles from past issues of the organization's quarterly journal, American Conchologist; and a list of shell clubs. Interestingly, Conchologists of America also sponsors research grants and information is available about that at the COA web site.

Summer Food

Summer travel and picnics can offer guilty pleasures in the food area. Many of those items are apt to contain trans fat (or trans fatty acids) that raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol. If you have some sense of what trans fat is, but feel you should know more, the American Heart Association offers a “Trans Fat Overview” at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4776 . Another source of information is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration web site http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html which addresses the new FDA requirement that took effect January 1, 2006, regarding the inclusion of trans fat content in nutrition labels on food products. A helpful companion piece to this information is the FDA’s web page on reading nutrition labels http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html.

On a perhaps more positive and less serious note: A healthy “signature” food of summer is watermelon and the National Watermelon Promotion Board will entice you to enjoy this refreshing fruit via its web site at http://www.watermelon.org/. In the “Watermelon Lovers” section, you will find watermelon history, nutrition information and other interesting facts; how to select, store and handle watermelons; instructions for making decorative watermelon carvings; and over 100 watermelon recipes.

The Party's Over

Returning home from vacation means resuming the everyday chores of life, one of which may be bringing your finer garments that you wore on vacation to the dry cleaner. If you've ever wondered just how dry cleaning is done, the well-known site HowStuffWorks includes information on the history of dry cleaning and the steps involved in the process in “How Dry Cleaning Works” http://science.howstuffworks.com/dry-cleaning.htm. This article mentions the potentially toxic dry-cleaning solvent perchloroethylene (“perc”) which has raised concerns regarding its effects on human health and the environment around us. Alternative dry-cleaning methods have been developed, and this is addressed in a ConsumerReports.org article entitled “Dry-cleaning alternatives” http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/cooking-cleaning/drycleaning-alternatives-203/index.htm. Silicone-based, liquid carbon dioxide-based, “wet cleaning” methods, and the traditional “perc”- based method are compared for their effectiveness.

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer!

[Ann Gunning, Member Services Librarian, Nylink]