#ComicsWednesday: PREZ Volume 1: Corndog-In-Chief by Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, & Mark Morales

I don't really read a lot of DC comics. I'm more of a Marvel or BOOM! girl, myself, but sometimes a comic just calls to me. PREZ: Corndog-In-Chief was one such comic. The USA's first teenage president, elected by twitter vote in an effort from hacker group Anonymous to overthrow the status quo?

COUNT ME IN.

Beth Ross, a.k.a. the star of viral internet video Corndog Girl, is elected as the next President of the United States in 2036. This United States is a not-so-distant dystopian future, full of automated sentry drones, a wealth gap larger than any before, and an epidemic of the deadly cat flu. Corporations call the shots, and congress is full of mega-rich idiots. Poor citizens will literally shoot themselves in the leg on national television for the chance to win some money. Enter: Corndog Girl. Beth navigates the intense job of being the leader of a country everyone hates, and trying to make right the wrongs that have plagued the nation. Beth is smart and she surrounds herself with smart people, and also a sentient killer robot named Tina.

There is so much going on in this comic, that I can't even begin to describe it all. Writer Mark Russell is a newer voice in comics, and he hit this one out of the park. Ben Caldwell (Justice League Beyond) and Mark Morales (X-Force, Secret Invasion) have a unique and interesting style, perfect for the tone of the comic. PREZ: Corndog-In-Chief is a reboot of 1973 comic PREZ. 

 If you liked the dystopian aspect of The Hunger Games, but wanted a little more humor, this is for you. If you like the idea of a teenager being POTUS, this is for you. If you're sick of the news and want to laugh about politics for a change, this is for you. Basically, just read it. I promise you won't regret it.

-Libby, Youth Services

Dubuque County Elected Officials 2014

From the office of the Dubuque County Commissioner of Elections, Denise M. Dolan:

Dubuque County Elected Officials 2014

This 48-page pamphlet includes contact information for federal, state, county, township, city, and school officials. It also has an election calendar for 2014.

See also The Dubuque League of Women Voters 2014 Political Directory.

Dubuque League of Women Voters Political Directory

The Dubuque League of Women Voters 2014 Political Directory includes the contact information for many city, county, state, and national elected officials, including:

• U.S. and Iowa Elected Officials
• Dubuque County Board of Supervisors
• Dubuque County Officials
• City of Dubuque Staff
• Dubuque Mayor and City Council
• Western Dubuque County Community Schools Board
• Dubuque Community Schools Board
• Political Parties
• Voter Registration
• Election Schedule for 2014
• And more!

DLWV 2014 Political Directory

See also Dubuque County Elected Officials 2014.

Vote for Books! 2012 Results

The polls have closed and the results are in! By a small margin, Heather Gudenkauf's One Breath Away edged out Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James to be the 2012 Book of the Year!

Here's how the votes broke down:

Book of the Year 2012

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf -  24%
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James - 18%
Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen - 6%
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult - 6%
A Wanted Man by Lee Child - 3%
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - 3%
Guilty Wives by James Patterson- 3%
Defending Jacob by William Landay- 0%
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich- 0%

There were also a number of votes cast for write-in candidates:

A Grown-up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity  by Katherine Boo
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength and What Makes a Family by Zach Wahls
The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon
Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Would it Kill You to Stop Doing That?: A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford

Click on any of the titles to find out more about the books, or view all the candidates and write-ins on our Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/cspl/vote-for-books-2012/

Thanks to everyone that voted and made books count!

Vote today!

After so many months (years?) Election Day has finally arrived!

If you haven't already voted, as about 30% of Dubuque County has, the Iowa Secretary of State's website can help you find out if you're registered to vote and where your polling place is. Absentee voters can track their ballot here and military voters can also find information about how to cast their ballots here.

The Dubuque County Auditor's website also has helpful information for voters, including sample ballots, precinct maps, past election results, and contact information and the locations of election offices in Dubuque County.

Wisconsin voters can get information from the State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board's website here. Illinois voters should visit the Illinois Board of Election's website here for assistance.

If you'd like to do some last minute research on the candidates, the TH has a great collection of election information here (remember, you can read the THonline for free at the library). For information about the Judicial Ballot, The Iowa Bar Association has published their yearly Judaical Performance Review here . If you're puzzled about some of the claims made by candidates, FactCheck.org is a good place to start.

Curious about the Electoral College? The National Archives hosts a website that describes the College's purpose and function here (it's a process, not a place!) You can also view past results and make your own map to predict and track election results. Or, you can watch School House Rock's musical explanation here!

And once you've performed your civic duty, reward yourself with this video of Internet sensation Maru attempting to fit into a series of small boxes. Because you've earned it!

Vote for Books! 2012

What was your favorite book of 2012 so far? Choose from the most popular books at Carnegie-Stout*, or write in your own candidate. Pickup a ballot at the Recommendations Desk or vote online at http://tinyurl.com/vote4books or leave your choice in the comments below. Winners will be announced November 7th.

Meet the Candidates:

The Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James - Set in Portland and Seattle, this erotic trilogy was conceived as Twilight fan-fiction and traces the turbulent relationship between an inexperienced, and romantic young woman and a sexually experienced but emotionally stunted man. What they lack in outright compatibility is compensated for by their mutual attraction and the willingness to repeatedly indulge one another.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - When a woman goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in her marriage, while her husband, desperate to clear himself of suspicion, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have occurred.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - The early death of a small town councilman reveals deep-rooted conflicts in the seemingly idyllic community of Pagford, which rapidly deteriorates in the face of cultural disputes, generation clashes, and a volatile election.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum finds herself in trouble when her seatmate on her Hawaii to Newark flight winds up dead and a motley collection of thugs, as well as the FBI, search for a photo the man was reportedly carrying - a photo that only Stephanie has seen.

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf - As an unknown gunman walks into an elementary school in Broken Branch, the townspeople race to discover the identity of the man holding their children hostage. The author is a Dubuque native.

Guilty Wives by James Patterson - The vacation of a lifetime in Monte Carlo turns into a hellish nightmare when best friends Abbie, Winnie, Serena and Bryah are arrested aboard an unfamiliar yacht and accused of an unthinkable crime.

Defending Jacob by William Landay - Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult - When his father and sister are injured in an accident that has rendered his father comatose, estranged son Edward decides to stop his father's life support so that his organs can be donated, a choice his sister urges him to reconsider.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child -Hitching a ride to Virginia in a car with three strangers, Jack Reacher finds himself unwittingly involved in a massive conspiracy that makes him a threat. The seventeenth installment in the Jack reacher series.

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen - Visiting sixteen-year-old "Rat" Perkins at isolated Evensong boarding school, Maura Isles is astonished to learn that all of his classmates are survivors of violence and are being instructed in scientific detective skills, a discovery that coincides with Jane Rizzoli's investigation into the murder of a boy's foster family.


Make reading count, and Vote for Books!

* Based on combined number of checkouts and hold requests beginning January 1st, 2012.