February is American Heart Month, and unfortunately, most of us know someone who has had heart disease or stroke. According the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. These conditions are also leading causes of disability preventing people from working and enjoying family activities. Cardiovascular disease is also very expensive—together heart disease and stroke hospitalizations in 2010 cost the nation more than $444 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity.

Take a step towards a healthier life by taking the Great American Smokeout challenge. Thursday, November 17th is the 36th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout. Strive to quit smoking for at least 24 hours, or better yet, for the rest of your life.

The Great American Smokeout has helped to spotlight the dangers of tobacco use and the challenges of quitting, but more importantly, it has set the stage for the cultural revolution in tobacco control that has occurred over this period.

According to the American Diabetes Association:

• Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
• Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

Now is the time to act.

Factoring in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes brings the total cost of diabetes in the United States in 2007 to $218 billion.

• $18 billion for people with undiagnosed diabetes
• $25 billion for American adults with prediabetes
• $623 million for gestational diabetes

If you're looking for information about the general election on November 8, 2011, look no further. The League of Woman voters has once again compiled information on many of the candidates and issues you'll be voting on come November. If you're curious about the League of Women Voters, please check out their official website. For more information about the Michigan chapter of the League of Women Voters, please check out their website. Below you will find a series of links to voter guides in Southeast Oakland County. If your city isn't listed, please check out the complete list at the SE Oakland County LWV site. For other Michigan LWV leagues, please go here.

In honor of Steve Jobs' passing, the library has put up a display of materials related to him and his life. Though he was in poor health for some time and had resigned from Apple a month before, Jobs' death sent a shock wave through the Internet on October 5th. The world of technology has forever been changed due to his contributions, and libraries and their users owe him a debt of gratitude. His innovations made information far easier to access, and introduced countless people to personal computing. In addition to creating Apple Computer, he was also a founder of Pixar studios, leaving a legacy that will delight children and adults for generations to come.

Known across the world for his advocacy of physician-assisted suicide, Royal Oak patrons and staff knew Jack Kevorkian as a kind, elderly man. He’d often stop in the library to do research and use our computers. His patience with people who recognized him knew no bounds. In honor of his death, and as our way of remembering Dr. Kevorkian, the library has put up a small display of books and media about him. Among the titles is the recent HBO film entitled You Don’t Know Jack. And don't forget to visit our Local History Room for newspaper clippings/articles about Dr. Kevorkian.

A collection of links on the Civil War, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary. These links including general information about the war, government and media websites, as well as collections of photographs, correspondence and diaries. We've also collected numerous links about Michigan's involvement in the civil -- including grave site locations, lists of events over the coming years and service records.

Over the next few years, be sure to visit the library for books and media, as well as displays, on the Civil War. If you have any suggestions for sites to add to this list, please leave us a comment on this post or on our Facebook.

April is National Autism Awareness Month and April 2 is Autism Awareness Day. This is an excellent time to learn about the impact of autism on citizens and to promote treatment methods and research developments. According to the CDC, 1 in every 110 children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In 2003, Governor Granholm declared April as Autism Awareness Month and April 27 as Autism Awareness Day in Michigan. Michigan has experienced a 100 percent increase in autism in the last 5 years, occurring in approximately one of every 250 individuals, including one of every 63 children in Special Education in Michigan.

On Friday, March 11, the north-eastern part of Japan was hit by a 9.0 earthquake, which subsequently produced a tsunami that, in some places, reached up to 33 feet. The resulting devastation from this tsunami took thousands of lives, destroyed whole villages and caused a potential nuclear disaster. Japan has a long history of recovering from disasters, but they also have a history full of color and stories.

Born 100 years ago on March 26th, 1911, Tennessee Williams is best known for the movie adaptation of his play, A Streetcar Named Desire. And high school students might be familiar with his play, The Glass Menagerie. But no matter who you are, you’ve most likely heard of Williams, watched one the many movies his works inspired or checked out a play he wrote.