Reference@TBML

LAS CRUCES BANS CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING

Today marks the beginning of the City’s ban on cell phone use while driving. Las Cruces isn’t the only city in New Mexico to enact such a ban. Both Albuquerque and Santa Fe have made it illegal. Outside New Mexico, other cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit also ban cell phone use while driving. But such bans don’t stop at the municipal level.

 

Currently, six states: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington ban hand-held cell phones while driving, as does the District of Columbia. Other states, such as Illinois, Idaho and Texas have laws that either ban cell phone use while driving in certain areas, such as school zones, or have bans on distracted driving that include cell phone use. And if you’re caught texting while driving in Rhode Island, Tennessee, Oregon or sixteen other states and the District of Columbia, you’re going to get a ticket or worse.

 

Lawmakers are clearly concerned about the effect of cell phone use and texting while driving. The United States Department of Transportation even has a website devoted to information about distracted driving, which has some interesting facts about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Some of the highlights:

* Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of zero eight percent. (Source: University of Utah)

* Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by thirty-seven percent. (Source: Carnegie Mellon)

* The worst offenders are the youngest and least-experienced drivers: men and women under twenty years of age. (NHTSA)

* Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

As for Las Cruces, the new ordinance bans talking on the cell phone and driving while the vehicle in is motion on any road or highway. The ordinance, which also bans texting while driving, goes into effect February 5, 2010.

 

City of Las Cruces Ordinance 2548 prohibits:

* Sending or receiving calls

* Sending or reading a text message

* Reading, selecting or entering a number or name

* Sending or receiving e-mails

Exceptions include:

* Communication with certain offices or departments in an emergency

* Use by law enforcement and emergency personnel while performing their duties during an emergency

* Hands-free use

Fines for talking or texting on a cell phone while driving can be up to $500 and/or ninety days in jail.

-Margaret Neill

 

Sources:

 

Las Cruces Cell Phone Ban

http://www.lccellphoneban.com

 

Governors Highway Safety Association

http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html#1

 

United States Department of Transportation: Driving Distracted

http://www.distraction.gov/

 

City of Las Cruces

http://www.las-cruces.org/NEWS/news_item.asp?NewsID=2195

 

Driving Laws

http://www.drivinglaws.org/states.php

Mad as Hell: Prostate Cancer

Yes, I am; I’m mad as hell and getting more so by the minute! A week ago I found out I have prostate cancer, and anger doesn’t even begin to express my reaction! I mean, it’s as if part of my body has pulled a Bret Favre on me and “gone over to the enemy!” Just great! Now there’s a treasonous assassin lurking inside of me! Oh, yes, we can and will excise it, but that means massive schedule disruption, financial ramifications, job-related paperwork, possible pain, or worse, not to mention the potential destruction of my sex life and if all that isn’t bad enough, I think about it all the time! 

But, I find reasons for optimism.

I have received words of encouragement and support from people that I both know quite well and almost not at all. One such sent me the name, meeting location, dates and time for a Las Cruces prostate cancer support group. It’s the UsToo! Southern New Mexico Chapter and they meet at 6:30 pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month in Memorial Medical Center Conference Room B. Ed Fernandez is the contact person and he can be reached at 575.621.1262 or efernan1@aol.com. This saved me the time and effort of looking up the information for myself. Thanks, Richard!

Another reason for optimism is the advances in surgery techniques and recovery procedures over the past and one half decades or so. When my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer longer ago than that, whether the cure was preferable to the disease was a matter for open and heated debate. Now prostatectomy does not inherently mean continuous bleeding and/or incontinence, pain and the abrupt end of a sex life.

How do I know that? Because of another source of optimism—information! My physician and my urologist told me of two websites with a superabundance of helpful, timely and accurate information. My physician told me that Medline plus is a great source of information about prostate cancer.  My urologist told me that Johns Hopkins is the center of the universe when it comes to research plus all the latest and best on prostate cancer treatment, prevention and cure. To tap into this wealth of information, go to the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Between these two web sites, there is more information than one person can assimilate in quite a while. Thanks amazing doctor guys!

Another source of information is books at Branigan Library.  Do a subject or keyword search for prostate cancer and find all manner of books from ones with a Q&A about prostate cancer format to ones about the latest (2006) research trends, to those about a post-prostatectomy love life to much, much more. In fact, I am going down right now to check some out.
MAP

   

Get the facts about H1N1 Flu-redux

H1N1, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control

Back in April, this blog featured an entry on the H1N1 flu. Check it out here. The featured links are still excellent sources for information and should help dispel fears regarding the flu, immunization and local response.

The Centers for Disease Control have embraced web 2.0 to provide up-to-the-minute information on the flu outbreak, including adding widget applications to their website. To help spread the word, this blog will now feature a CDC widget with information, tips and news all about H1N1. Stay informed and stay healthy!

MMN

Electronic Health Information Training Opportunity

TBML is proud to host a training opportunity provided by the UNM Center for Development and Disability.  This training is intended for those who work or live with those dealing with developmental and/or physical disabilities.   This training will help participants locate and utilize free web-based health information databases and specialized materials.

Download the flyer for more information:  Download UNM-CDD flyer

The training will be held in the TBML Computer Lab on August 14 from 9-11 AM.

Registration is required and space is limited.

Please call or email for more information or to register :

Stormy Davis Costanza  505/272-4631  sdavis-costanza@salud.unm.edu

Jeanne Favret  505/272-0281  jfavret@salud.unm.edu

Brita Sauer  575/528-4026  bsauer@las-cruces.org

BES

The Wide World of Maps and Data

Data and the mapping of data can reveal new insights and patterns in the way we view and understand the world.  Some people really enjoy manipulating and transforming the way we view data--some might call it an art.  Now, you too can explore your world through data and maps thanks to a number of new online resources.

The federal government has introduced a new site, data.gov, which allows us to search and view datasets related to various governmental agencies.  You can search on the left-hand side or browse one of the featured datasets on the right-hand side.  And in case you find yourself boggled by this resource, the site offers a handy FAQ.

Scorecard is a fascinating site that allows you to examine your surroundings through air and water quality and your proximity to polluters.  Simply type in your zip code and you are off.  Compare your county against the rest of the county and face some hard facts or count your blessings.  A project of the Environmental Defense Fund, this site is sure to provoke discussion at the very least.

One of the tried and true sources of American data is the United States Census Bureau.   A vast wealth of data, this site allows you to specify data by state, county, city, ethnic group, sex and the list goes on.  Be sure to check out the American Fact Finder for fact sheets and surveys.  And don't forget to view the nation and world population clocks in the upper right-hand corner...amazing!

Given the recent health scares, Health Mapis a "global disease alert map."  A collaborative project among, most notably, Google and the National Library of Medicine, Health Map pulls data from newswires, departmental press releases and memos to create a map of our diseased world.  Where has Hantavirus sprung up recently?  How about the plague?  Your answers can be viewed at Health Map. 

And finally, the federal government has also launched a mapping site called the National Atlas.  Browse by type of map (agricultural, biological, boundary, environmental, geological, etc.) or create your own.  This is a fun resource for either creating maps for print or for saving as a file. 

Happy searching and mapping!

BES

Get the Facts on Swine Flu

The newly announced Swine Flu is filling the airwaves and putting the world on edge.  Things are changing quickly and there are a few sites out there where you can get detailed and reliable information on this outbreak of Influenza. 

Visit the Centers for Disease Control's page on Swine Flu for information on the number of current cases, the facts on transmission, and how you can protect yourself.  Check the site often as information may change.

The excellent MedlinePlus, a project of the National Institutes for Health has a Swine Flu page as well.  This is a highly recommended resource as it pools information from reputable and reliable health websites into one convenient place.

The federal government has also created a one-stop sitefor all things related to swine, avian, and pandemic flu.  Pandemicflu.gov is an excellent place to find out how your state is prepared to deal with pandemic flu.

The New York Times has an excellent blog with updates about Swine Flu in the United States.  The NYTimes blog included an excellent post from which some of the sites in this post were culled.

Many people are understandably thinking back to the 1918 Pandemic Flu and now may be the time to revisit this topic for a better understanding of epidemiology and disease.  The library owns several books on the 1918 Influenza worth checking out.  Additionally, the book Viruses, Plagues, and Historymay set the current outbreak within a global and historical timeline.

And finally, the National Archives has a wonderfully informative and absorbing pagefull of documents and pictures covering the 1918 Influenza.  This is well worth a look for cultural and contextual information surrounding that devastating pandemic. 

BES

Know Your Community. Improve Your Community.

In these troubled economic times, more and more people are turning to non-profits for assistance and guidance.  Meanwhile, non-profits and foundations are feeling the financial pinch as well.  This makes knowing your community and knowing how to find resources for your community all the more important.

The library has endeavored to improve its resources for grant-seeking individuals and non-profits.  Check out our Grant and Non-Profit Collection for some resources and inspiration for the state of New Mexico.

While Las Cruces itself is not rural, much of our county is, so you may want to consider looking at the Rural Assistance Center.  The Rural Assistance Center is an online portal providing references to state-specific health and social services organizations and resources.  Put together by librarians in North Dakota, this expansive site is a wealth of both local and national information. 

BES

Nostalgic fun with Google Life Images

        A Couple Riding on Bicycles to Save Gas, Ohio 1942

Photographed by John Phillips

For those who have not yet seen this, Google has again offered us an amusing and informative way to explore our world and history.  Google's latest offering comes after teaming up with and archiving Life Magazine.  Browse the 100 + years available in this archive or use the powerful search option to find an interesting visual artifact.  Many of the photos were never published, a fact which makes the archive even more unique and endlessly fascinating.  The archive also claims to hold photos in the "millions," an additionally intriguing fact.  It is well worth the look, so pay it a visit today.  BES         

Beware of Online Pharmacy Scams!

Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the news about online pharmacies and drug scams. Here is some useful information if you are considering buying your prescription medications online.

Internet Pharmacy Information
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
(click on the 'Internet Pharmacy' link on the left-hand side menu)

Buying Prescription Drugs Online: Do's and Don'ts
From the Mayo Clinic

Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Achoo!

It's that time of year again, when it seems that everyone is under the weather. If you're lucky enough to have avoided whatever is going around so far, here are some great tips to keep it up...

http://www.rd.com/content/tips-for-preventing-colds-and-the-flu/

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/