The website of the venerable Spanish-language daily La Opinion, published in Los Angeles for 75 years now, offers a good selection of brief Hints from Heloise-type articles that deal with the basics of computers. You might find some of these handy for introducing your users and students to various aspects of data wrangling:

I was looking for assistance in finding out the proper Spanish word/s for "homeschooling" (the practice of parents who teach their children at home, in contrast to sending them to a public or private school). Any assistance would be helpful.

Occasionally people ask about bestseller lists of Spanish-language books, and we've pointed you toward a few. One of the best we've seen is maintained by Spanish Book Distributors, who say their top-10 lists of fiction & nonfiction "represent more than 6,500 Libraries and Stores: Public, Universities, Colleges, Schools, Prisons, etc." You can see the titles at http://www.sbdbooks.com/lists/top10.htm

For librarians interested in Spanish-language services, the annual Cross-Border Library Forum (the FORO) has for a dozen years now been one of the most important, exciting, and rewarding gatherings going. Why, your buddy Flaco found it a genuinely life-changing experience.

The FORO straddles the line, alternating from one year to the next between host cities in the U.S. and Mexico. Last year's anfitrión was Hermosillo, capital city of Sonora, and the 2002 conference was scheduled for the border city of Laredo, Texas.

Bibliotecarios from all over North America were supposed to be walking the streets of Laredo this week. But it never happened. The FORO was canceled.

Poor scheduling (conflicts with the Public Library Association meeting and a major Mexican librarians' conference) coupled with slack promotion resulted in a paltry number of registrants. All of which made life difficult for organizer Janice Weber of the Laredo Public Library, whose hard work was negated when she had to cancel. What's more, Janice told Flaco, her health took a temporary but serious dive as she struggled in vain to salvage the conference

Word has it that FORO XII might be rescheduled for later this year if enough folks express an interest in this worthwhile event.

You can reach Janice Weber via email at janice@laredolibrary.org or by phone at (956) 795-2400, x2257.

Lots of SOListas are Tarheels. Makes sense--guess which U.S. state had the greatest expansion, between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, of respondents describing themselves as Hispanic? Read "The Hispanic Boom in North Carolina" at HISPANIC Magazine's website.

The dynamic Ana Álvarez of Seattle Public Library allowed Flaco to be a fly on the wall earlier this month at one of her splendid introductory computer classes for Spanish-speakers. The lab was filled to capacity, and Ana worked overtime to ensure that everyone came away satisfied.

The Ensenada, BC native is in her third year of teaching these classes--the other introduces the Internet--and has refined her presentation over the course of many hours of attentive teaching and listening. Those of you who made the 2nd REFORMA national conference in Tucson might recall hearing Ana discuss her work.

She passed along outlines of the two-hour classes; watch for those to appear soon at this site along with other gems from her innovative library mind.

Several sharp SOListas identified the great Sherman Alexie as the answer to the puzzler in SOL 71; his new film The Business of Fancydancing wowed audiences at Sundance and should inspire movie lovers everywhere to dance to their local video shops and libraries demanding copies of Smoke Signals, a flick as delightful as a slab of warm frybread.

The first correct answer came from good ol' Henry Georget, who took the book and made history by becoming the first two-time SOL contest winner.

This time, we're giving away a fabulous calendar from Mexico City. This big, beautiful Calendario Libertario 2002 is packed with graphics and with historical anniversaries important in the realms of civil rights, social justice, and Latin American history, brought to you by the same good people who publish the magazine Autonomía. (And if you're not the lucky winner, Roberto Barrón Suller will be happy to sell you any number of them for a good price.)

For the first time ever, we're floating a subjective sort of question. Decision of the judges is final. It's a tall order, too: send me a recipe for sugar-free capirotada. Best one wins the calendar.

To the ever-growing list of institutions that are waking up to the importance of energetic and effective Spanish-language promotion, add the feisty American Association of Retired Persons. Diversityinc.com explains what AARP is up to in "AARP Aims for More Latino Members" at http://www.diversityinc.com/public/2350.cfm, and you can have a look at the organization's Spanish-language website, too: http://www.aarp.org/espanol/

There's nothing quite like Radio Bilingüe. From its origins broadcasting to farm labor camps in California's Central Valley to its current presence as the only national distributor of Spanish-language programming in public radio, this humane radio voice has a long history of telling the truth about farm labor struggles, ag workplace safety, immigration issues, and the richness of Spanish-speaking cultures in the big dusty diaspora.

RB tells stories you might not hear reported in the major media. Such as, for example, that of a guy right here in Santa Ana, a paleta-cart pusher who was put on ice for pointing a camera in the wrong direction (see below, from RB's daily news digest site).

The once-regional Radio Bilingüe network has grown, now stretching from Washington State down to Puerto Rico. And now it covers the planet thanks to, you guessed it, the mighty Web. Encourage your users to listen live to this outstanding, informative broadcaster at http://emmy.csusm.edu/radiob

Forget about March Madness. It's very nearly time once again for the World Cup, the hottest sports ticket on the planet. Readers of Spanish who want to follow the latest happenings in the wide world of soccer/fútbol need go no farther than a Web-wired computer for some terrific online magazines. Among the best are the electronic version of that old favorite Don Balón, from Spain, at http://www.donbalon.es/front/ and another one from Barcelona called Contrapie: http://www.contrapie.com

You can't talk about recent world soccer history without mentioning the amazing Diego Maradona. His book is wildly popular and really ought to be in your library. He showed up last month at the Havana book fair to introduce the Cuban edition of Yo soy el Diego, and made quite a generous gesture. Read all about it at http://www.granma.cu/ingles/febrero02-3/8diego-i.html; here are some excerpts from the article:

GRANMA / February 21, 2002
Maradona donates royalties from Cuban edition of his book

The former captain of Argentina's soccer team attends Cuban launching of 'Yo soy el Diego de la gente' (Just Plain Diego), at the International Book Fair

TAKING part in the Book Fair at Havana's San Carlos de la Cabaña fortress, Diego Armando Maradona donated the royalties from the Cuban edition of his book Yo soy el Diego de la gente (Just Plain Diego) to "the Cuban people and Fidel." The book is published on the island by the Cuban Book Institute.

"I won't talk much. I know how to play soccer, but it's Fidel who knows how to talk," he said, adding, "Soccer has let me speak to the world through this book..."

Afterward, he was obviously moved when referring to the situation in Argentina. "My country exploded. In my country there is no education, no health care, no future, no nothing," he said. "That's why I've always said that Cuba is an example. Today, more than ever, I repeat that Cuba continues being a example that must be protected."

In this book, the Argentine star recounts his life from his start in soccer, living in the poor Buenos Aires neighborhood of Cebollito, until he reached the heights...

Grammy awards went to Ramón Ayala y los Bravos del Norte and to T-Bone Burnett, both huge favorites around these parts, but it was especially heartwarming to hear that our ol' compinche Elijah Wald took home a statuette for his important work documenting the Mexican narcocorrido. We plugged his book and website in SOL 68.

Hey there,
Nice to hear from you. And yeah, it´s been quite a week...... The gravy was that I tied for the award with Walter Moseley, and got to spend an hour with him backstage, hustling from press conference to press conference......... I still haven´t caught my breath......and that´s not to mention the 150 messages in my mailbox........
All the best,
Elijah

From: Ocean Press       Ocean_Press@msn.com.au
Subject: FIGHTING WORDS FROM CHE GUEVARA FOR ANTI-CORPORATE ACTIVISTS

GLOBAL JUSTICE: Liberation and socialism

By Ernesto Che Guevara

Fighting words from Che Guevara for today's anti-corporate activists

"The powerful of the earth should take heed: deep inside that T-shirt where we have tried to trap him, the eyes of Che Guevara are still burning with impatience." - Ariel Dorfman

Is there an alternative to the corporate globalization and militarism that is ravaging our planet?

These classic works by Ernesto Che Guevara present a revolutionary view of a different world in which human solidarity and understanding replace imperialist aggression and exploitation.

Features:
· Che's famous essay "Socialism and Man in Cuba"
· His controversial speech in Algiers in 1965
· Che's final Message to the Tricontinental, in which he calls for the creation of "Two, Three, Many Vietnams."

"Let the flag under which we fight be the sacred cause of the liberation of humanity."   --- Che Guevara

Published in association with the Che Guevara Studies Center, Havana.

72 pages, 8pp photos
ISBN    1-876175-45-1 (paper)
US $9.95
PUBLICATION DATE: May 1, 2002
SUBJECT: POLITICS

This book is also published by Ocean Press IN SPANISH ...

JUSTICIA GLOBAL by Che Guevara   ISBN 1-876175-46-X
US $9.95

OCEAN PRESS
USA: PO Box 1186 Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-1186
Tel: 718-246 4160

E-mail: info@oceanbooks.com.au
Website: www.oceanbooks.com.au
CHECK OUR WEBSITE TODAY! NEW FEATURES, INCLUDING SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMENTARIES, CHE ARCHIVE, etc

TRADE DISTRIBUTORS
USA & CANADA: LPC Group, 22 Broad St, Milford CT 06460
Tel: 203-878 6147 Orders: 1-800-343 4499

BRITAIN & EUROPE: Global Book Marketing, 38 King St., London WC2E 8JT, UK
Tel: 44-207836 3020

Latino/a Thought: Politics, Culture, and Society
By Francisco H. Vázquez and Rodolfo D. Torres

Latino/a Thought brings together the most important writings that shape Latino consciousness, culture, and activism today.

This historical anthology is unique in its presentation of cross cultural writings--especially from Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban writers and political documents--that shape the ideology and experience of U.S. Latinos.

Click here to see a full description and table of contents for Latino/a Thought . To request an examination copy, simply click on the "exam copy" button on the description page for the book.

16. New Bilindex brings high-tech focus

From: Floricanto Press rcabello@floricantopress.com
Subject: Spanish-English bilingual thesaurus of high-tech terms [Tesauro bilingüe en español e inglés de términos de alta tecnología]

Have you ever found yourself grappling with high-tech terms in Spanish with your users or colleagues?

Bilindex 2002

A Spanish-English Subject Heading List in the fields of computer, information, communication sciences

ISBN: 0-915745-35-6

Bilindex has been continuously published for the last two decades. Bilindex 2002 is now available. Although it does not include the updates brought up by Bilindex 2001, this newest edition of Bilindex 2002 focuses on expanding the new high-tech concepts and lexicological developments in the computer industry, communications and information science. Bilindex operations, which are located in Mountain View and Los Altos, California, USA, are uniquely situated at the heart of the Silicon Valley to keep abreast with new terms and headings being coined as the technology develops in these hot-beds of technology.

Bilindex 2002 is published in CD-ROM as a PDF file fully searchable using the ubiquitous, free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 Price US $795.00

Bilindex 2002 is also available in hardcopy in loose-leaves for three-punch-hole binders.

Bilindex 2002 está a la venta. Aún cuando esta nueva edición de Bilindex 2002 no incluye los cambios y actualizaciones incluidos en Bilindex 2001, se concentra ésta, sin embargo, en expandir la terminología y encabezamientos de materia creados por la industria de computación, comunicación, y, por su puesto, aquel nuevo léxico de la ciencia de la información y bibliotecología y documentación. Las operaciones centrales de Bilindex se encuentran ubicadas en Mountain View y Los Altos, California, USA, en el corazón del Silicon Valley, del Valle del Silicio, el cual pone a Bilindex en una ventaja comparada para actualizar e integrar los nuevos términos y encabezamientos de materia que son acuñados en estos viveros de nuevas tecnologías. Bilindex 2002 ha sido publicado en CD-ROM como un archivo en PDF (Portable Data File), cuyo texto puede ser escudriñable y objeto de búsqueda a través del ubicuo y gratuito Acrobat Reader 4.0 Precio US $795.00

Hardcopy version in six loose-leaf binder sets US$795.00

For More Information Contact:

Floricanto Press
650 Castro Street, Suite 120-331
Mountain View, California 94041-2055
(415) 552 1879 Fax (702) 995 1410
info@floricantopress.com
www.floricantopress.com

Hello,
I am excited to distribute this press release to all of you and give you my support of this Library Spanish acquisition course. The Teton County Library was one of the pilot sites for the program, and it has been a huge success here! My sister Elizabeth and I will be promoting the program at PLA March 13-15 booth #2405-- hope to see you all there! Stop by the booth to see the program first-hand and get more information.

Margaret Thompson
Latino Outreach Coordinator
Teton County Library
Jackson, Wyoming

PRESS RELEASE
March 1, 2002
Contact: Elizabeth Thompson Almann, 1-866-391-8901, info@thelearninglight.com

THE LEARNING LIGHT LAUNCHES LIBRARY SPANISH COMMUNICATION COURSE AT PLA

Spanish that Works...in the Library, a 16-hour live-instruction course in basic conversational Spanish developed specifically for librarians and library staff will be officially launched to the public at the PLA conference in Phoenix, Arizona March 13-15, 2002, booth #2405. The course has been successfully implemented at the Mesa Public Library in Mesa, AZ, and the Teton County Library in Jackson, WY.

The course is based around a core vocabulary of library things (for example, books in Spanish, videos for children, music CD's), library places (circulation desk, computer area, bathroom), and library actions (check-out, return, sign-in). Participants learn functional language such as how to ask for a library card, guide patrons to the Spanish language materials, or determine if a situation requires a translator. There are no written tests or workbook assignments, and participants will not conjugate verbs or read and answer questions. Instead, emphasis is placed on active participation in group and pair work, which includes practice with flashcards and dialogue role-play. The only course requirement is to practice vocabulary and dialogues between lessons.

Teaching materials are provided and information is spelled out in simple language, so it is easy to find a qualified instructor. Spanish-speaking staff members with group facilitation experience and a basic knowledge of Spanish grammar can also be trained to lead the class. Spanish that Works...in the Library is sold as a master copy, with a license to make up to 30 student copies for use at one library location for one calendar year. License to make additional copies is available at a low per-student cost. Course kit includes student text and supplemental section, pull-out phrase sheets, flashcard templates, course facilitator's guide, and 2 hours free consulting with the author via e-mail or phone.

For more information visit: http://www.thelearninglight.com
E-mail: info@thelearninglight.com
Or call toll-free: 1-866-391-8901

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