ASK!

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

A centipede can have 15 to as many as 200 pairs of legs! You can tell from its name “centipede”, which means “hundred feet or legs”, that a centipede has numerous legs. Most of the common centipedes – the house centipedes, have 15 pairs of legs only.

Source: Hutchins, R. E. (2008). Centipedes and Millipedes. The New Book of Knowledge®. Retrieved September 27, 2008, from Grolier Online http://nbk.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=a2004930-h

Read more about the centipede:

Centipede by Karen Hartley, Chris Macro and Philip Taylor
Call Number: J P 595.6 HAR

Centipede by Karen Povey
Call Number: J 595.6 POV

Millipedeology by Michael Elsohn Ross
Call Number: J 595.6 ROS

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue. 

All websites were last accessed on 27 September 2008. All images were extracted from www.bn.com.

Posted by Adeline Tan, Librarian, Children’s Services.

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Fiction

Here are some series on spies and espionage:

Spy High series by A.J.Butcher (Book No. 1: The Frankenstein Factory or Mission One)

Call no.: Y BUT

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson ( Book No. 1: The Angel Experiment)

Call no.: Y PAT

Young Bond series by Charles Higson ( Book No. 1: Silverfin)

Call no.: Y HIG

Here are some other titles that you may wish to check out:

Map of Bones by James Rollins

Call no.: ROL-[TH]

More than Courage by Harold Coyle

Call no.: COY

Soar: a Black Ops Mission by John Weisman

Call no.: WEI -[TH]

To check the availability and locations of the above titles, use our online catalogue.

  Answered by Ms Jillian Lim, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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ASK! about Singapore 

At around 10pm on 18 September, a 300-strong crowd cheered and welcomed Singapore Paralympics team home, at Changi Airport Terminal 3. Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was present to congratulate them. In total, Singapore won four medals, and ranked 46th in the medal tally.

More good news was shared last night as Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced that Yip Pin Xiu will be conferred the Meritorious Service Medal, and Laurentia Tan the Public Service Medal.

We were there in the crowd too, with red balloons and flower toys to give our athletes. Take a look at the shots we got of last night’s rousing welcome.

Medal Tally
In swimming, Yip Pin Xiu won gold in the Women’s 50m Backstroke and silver in the Women’s 50m Freestyle. She also set new World Records at both events.

Laurentia Tan made history by giving Singapore her first medal in Paralympics. She won two bronzes in the Equestrian events.

The Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) certainly spared no efforts in celebrating the athletes’ return. They engaged reporters to film the event and interview the crowd, and coming Saturday 20 September 08, a party has also been organised at Orchard Cineleisure for the team.

We were one of those approached for the interview, and one of the questions was, what words of encouragement we had for the athletes.

Roy: Their success has heightened the causes of persons with disabilities and he wishes them a bright future ahead!

Mei Jun: Their success and achievements are simply inspiring! She hopes that their stories will live on in people’s hearts and motivate Singaporeans. Mei Jun doesn’t know what words of encouragement she has for them, but she sure knows that they have encouraged us instead to believe in life.

Interested to find out about athletes like with disabilities?

Download our book list here on Sports and Disabilities.

References:
Sim Chi Yin, “ Paralympians’ feats inspire entire country”, Straits Times, 18 Sept 08, News Bank database.
Wang, Jeanette, “More medals for heroines”, Straits Times, 19 Sept 08, B29

What words of encouragement have you for the athletes? Leave your comments here.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun, Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

ASK! about Singapore 

Singapore won her first Paralympics medal on 9 Sept 2008. The bronze was clinched by Laurentia Tan Yen Yi at the equestrian games. This is also the first Paralympics equestrian medal in Asia. Her horse, named Nothing To Lose, or Harvey, was rewarded with a hug and carrots.

Tan was born with cerebal palsy and profound deafness. When she was young, she had difficulties walking and sitting, but horse riding improved her movements and control tremendously. Today, she can walk and even drive.

For more information about the Paralympics, check out ASK! and the International Parlympic Commitee website.

 Reference:

Image: Channel News Asia, “Laurentia Tan”, URL: www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/
singaporelocalnews/view/374777/1/.html
“Paralympics First Medal for Singapore”, Straits Times, 10 Sept 08, B11

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Science & Technology

Since water is a good conductor of electricity, wouldn’t the entire ocean gets electrically charged?

According to Don MacGorman, a physicist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma, lightning that hits the sea stays more on the surface of the water rather than penetrating it. As water is a good conductor, it keeps most of the current on the surface. Therefore, if the fish is underwater, it is generally safe. If it is close to the surface, it can also be killed.

Also, according to NASA, lightning avoids oceans.

Sources:
Zapping Fish
Where Lightning Strikes

Want to know more about lightning? Here are some recommended resources:

Books:

Thunder and lightning by Elizabeth Miles
Publisher : Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2005.
Call No. : J 551.5 MIL

Lightning : it’s electrifying by Jennifer Dussling
Publisher : New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2002.
Call No. : J 551.56 DUS

Thunder and lightning by Casey Mayer
Publisher : Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2007
Call No. : JP 551.5 MAY

Thunderstorms and lightning by Dean Galiano
Publisher : New York : Rosen Pub. Group’s Rosen Central, 2003
Call No. : J 551.55 GAL

Thunderstorms by Patricia D. Netzley
Publisher : San Diego, Calif. : KidHaven Press, c2003
Call No. : J 551.55 NET

Website:
National Electrical Code Internet Connection

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

All websites were last accessed on 9 September 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use. All images were extracted from www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

Answered by Lian Mei Wan
Librarian
Children’s Services

Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services

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If you have a different question, please email it to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Do you believe that somewhere in the Pacific North-West lies a certain species of octopus that lives in trees, as quoted in this website?

If you believed it, then you’ve been hoodwinked by that bogus website.

And you might not be alone.

On the 1st of September 2008, The Straits Times published the results of their media literacy test for 35 local teenagers aged from 13 to 19 (article titled “Teen Surfers prey to Web of Deception”)*.

These students were asked to access the “Tree Octopus” website and rate the information within for its credibility.

There was cause for worry.

Out of 35 students, 34 of them rated the website’s information as credible, factual, and well-supported. They believed that such a creature actually existed!

The spoof site was set up as an online hoax back in 1998 but has since now been used by various institutions to test Internet Literacy.

As reported by Straits Times, “the website yielded similar results among youngsters in Connecticut, in the United States, when it was used by University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education to test levels of online literacy. There, all the 25 seventh-graders – 12 to 13 years old – tested in one study rated the website as very credible”

In this digital age where the Internet reigns, how does one sift through the sea of Information in the online world to find what he/she is looking for? More importantly, to sift through the sea of information for CREDIBLE and AUTHORITATIVE information?

This is where librarians could help.

The librarians in the public libraries regularly conducts Information Literacy workshops for students and adults. 

Those workshops can be customised for schools and are offered free (for hands-on courses, check out the NLBA website). We share with participants tips on evaluating print and online resources, sources for authoritative information, basic seearch techniques.

Alternatively, you can always ASK! a librarian to help verify the information that you’ve found.

Image was extracted from http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/sightings.html  on 2 Sep 2008.

*To retrieve the newspaper article, you can access the electronic database Factiva at terminals in NLB Library branches or also remotely from home. (Select the header “eResources” and the option “eDatabases”)

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult and Young People’s Services

   A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally-heated groundwater from the zearth’s crust. There are hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas. The Sembawang Hot Spring lies off Gambas Avenue near the junction of Sembawang Road and Gambas Avenue, along Jalan Ulu Sembawang. It is the mainland’s only natural hot spring and is popular for its apparent curative properties. The waters had been used for F&N’s bottled water, Seletaris.

Description
Its exact source remains unknown. It is believed that the spring’s origin may be north-west of its actual location, possibly at Bukit Timah. Hot springs are formed when groundwater comes into contact with solid igneous rocks. Upon entering the earth’s crust a good 3 km underground, the water is heated up to high temperatures by the hot rock masses. The temperature ranges between 100 and 150 deg C. Consequently, the high pressure causes the water to seep upwards through cracks, thereby forcing itself out of ground into a 6 m spring. At this point, the temperature of the water drops to 70 deg C.Tested by PSB Corporation and SGS Testing & Control Services, the spring water was found to contain 420 mg of chloride per litre, an amount which is evidently higher than the 35 mg to 100 mg in the water from Choa Chu Kang and Bedok waterworks. The samples of the spring water also prove that the sulphide content is three times more than tap water. It is the presence of these minerals that has enticed thousands to the hot spring, in a search for cures for ailments like rheumatism and arthritis, as well as skin conditions like acne and psoriasis. However, medical authorities remain sceptical about the healing powers of the spring water.

(Source:  http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_580_2005-01-24.html)

    Contributed by Hwee Chen, Librarian, Adults and Young People’s Services

 Posted by Kweh Soon Huat, Librarian, Adults and Young People’s Services.

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

According to scientists, a bird that weighs more than 18kg will not be able to fly since it could not have enough muscles to carry it off the ground. Since ostriches are very heavy, weighing up to 150kg, they can only stay on the ground.

Do not worry though, because an ostrich can still get away from its enemies. With its two-toed leg, it can run up to 72km/hr – even faster than lions. It can also defend itself with its sharp and heavy claws.
Source: Miller, S. S. (2001). Bizarre Birds. New York: F. Watts.

For more information, here are some recommended library books on bizarre birds and birds in general:

Bizarre birds by Sara Swan Miller
Publisher: New York: F. Watts, c2001
Summary: Discusses several species of birds that have unusual appearances, habitats, or behavior, such as the ostrich, jacana, and toucan.
Call No.: J 598 MIL

The bird class by Rebecca Stefoff.
Publisher: Tarrytown, N.Y. : Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, c2008
Summary: Explores the habitats, life cycles, and other characteristics of organisms in the bird class.
Call No.: J 598 STE

Ostrich : the world’s biggest bird by Natalie Lunis
Publisher: New York : Bearport Pub., c2007.
Summary: Examines the life of an ostrich, including how it escapes from danger, what it eats, where it lives, and how it raises its young.
Call No.: J P 598.5 LUN

Ostriches by William John Ripple
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2005
Call No.: J P 598.5 RIP

The Usborne little book of birds by Sarah Khan
Publisher: London : Usborne, 2008
Call No.: J 598 KHA

All websites were last accessed on 1 September 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use. All book summaries were taken from the book descriptions. All images were extracted from www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered by Mr Lim Sieu Pin
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Posted by Ms Elizabeth Lee
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Myths & Facts

Back in my school days, whenever a kid turned up for school wearing sunglasses, we knew immediately to avoid that person. Whispers and rumours were spread that we should not look at that kid’s eyes for any reason and avoid all contact as well. Even one quick glance into his or her eyes would assure anyone of being in the same boat with the poor kid.

So, is this medical condition, conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, really spread from human to human, with just one rapid look into the infected eye?

“A child can get pinkeye by touching an infected person or something an infected person has touched, such as a used tissue. In the summertime, pinkeye can spread when kids swim in contaminated water or share contaminated towels. It also can be spread through coughing and sneezing. Doctors usually recommend keeping kids diagnosed with contagious conjunctivitis out of school, day care, or summer camp for a short time.

Someone who has pinkeye in one eye can also inadvertently spread it to the other eye by touching the infected eye, then touching the other one.”
Source: (2007, January). Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis). Retrieved September 1, 2008, from KidsHealth Web site: http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/
bacterial_viral/conjunctivitis.html

So, as long as there’s no direct contact with the infected eye, water droplets or nasal fluids, spreading of the pinkeye condition will not occur.

For more information, here are some recommended library books on eyes:

Sight by Mandy Suhr
Publisher: London : Wayland, 2007
Call No.: J P 612.8 SUH

Eyes : injury, illness and health by Carol Ballard
Publisher: Oxford : Heinemann Library, c2003
Call No.: Y 612.84 BAL

Why do my eyes itch? and other questions about allergies by Angela Royston.
Publisher: Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2002
Call No.: J 612.8 ROY

Eyes and ears by Seymour Simon
Publisher: New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2003
Summary: Describes the anatomy of the eye and ear, how those organs function and some ways in which they may malfunction, and how the brain is also involved in our seeing and hearing.
Call No.: J 612.8 SIM

All websites were last accessed on 1 September 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use. All book summaries were taken from the book descriptions. All images were extracted from www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered and posted by Ms Elizabeth Lee
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

One week break from school, and you are trying to figure out what to do during the break? Fret not!

NLB’s annual Teen Signature Program is back, and it’s inviting all teens between the ages of 13-17 to participate.

For more information about the program, go to Y.O! blog

 Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment