In light of the recent East Coast earthquake and the upcoming U.S. landfall of Hurricane Irene, today’s Tuesday Tidbit is focusing on natural disasters.  Natural disasters frequently occur without warning and can cost billions of dollars in damage and significant loss of life.  Check out some of the following links for more information on natural disasters, including tips for disaster preparedness:

National Geographic – National Geographic’s contains excellent information on a variety of natural disasters, including videos and photos, as well as explaining the science behind many natural disasters.

FEMA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is a division of the United States government responsible for managing both man-made and natural disasters.  Their website has a number of safety tips for surviving various disasters, links to local and state emergency management agencies and current information on any ongoing emergency situations.

CDC – The Centers for Disease Control devotes a very informative portion of their site to disasters.  Information found here includes how to prepare for certain disasters, what to do in the aftermath of disasters and evacuation information.

Ready NC – Ready NC, a site maintained by the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, provides a wealth of information of how to deal with a number of different disaster, both natural and otherwise.  It contains tips about what to do before and after certain types of events, as well as information about preparing emergency kits, dealing with insurance in an emergency situation and volunteering.

Welcome to another school year at CPCC!  Starting the school year out right is important for both students and instructors.  Check out some of these resources to help improve your success in college.

The library provides access to Learning Express Library.  This database is an excellent resource for anyone who needs practice tests, exercises, or skill-building courses. Practice tests include immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of your results.

Standardized tests covered in Learning Express Library include CLEP, GED, SAT, ACT, US Citizenship and licensing tests for various careers. It also contains basic skills assessments in math and English.

Time management is an important skill to master, not only in college, but for work as well.  Dartmouth University has an excellent site on this subject that includes planners, schedule making and overcoming procrastination.

Finally, Study Guides and Strategies is a site that has a wealth of information on a variety of student success topics, including how to study, doing research and writing.

Good luck with your classes this semester!

Thirty-seven years ago today, Gerald Ford became the 38^thpresident of the United States.  Ford’s ascendancy to the presidency made him the first president in United States history to have never been elected to either the presidency or the vice-presidency.  In late 1973, Ford had been picked to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew, who had resigned his office in the face of tax evasion charges.  At the time of his appointment to the vice-presidency, the Watergate scandal was brewing and many in Congress realized that it would most likely only be a matter of time before Ford became president.  President Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency on August 9, 1974 put Ford into a place that he never expected to be: the Office of the President of the United States of America.

For more information on the Watergate scandal that led to Ford becoming President, the Washington Post (the paper that initially broke news of the scandal) has an excellent timeline of events.

For more information on Gerald Ford and his presidency, check out these resources:

Credo Reference has a topic page on President Ford with biographical information.

C-Span’s American Presidents website contains a profile of Ford, including a number of video clips of events from his presidency and the 1976 presidential election campaign.

The Miller Center at the University of Virginia has a very thorough profile of Ford, including videos of many of his speeches and information on his life before and after the presidency.

Finally, the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum website contains a wealth of information about President Ford and his wife, Betty.

Interesting Tidbit about Gerald Ford: To date, Ford is the only United States President who suffered two failed assassination attempts in one month…both by women.  On September 5, 1975, Lynette Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to shoot Ford.  17 days later, in an unrelated incident, Sara Jane Moore also unsuccessfully tried to kill the president.