1. Solina debuts resource bank for Latino YA services

Juan Ponce de León's quest for the legendary Fountain of Youth came to an ironic end—what he found instead was Florida.  If Juan's search party had had an Internet connection and five centuries of free time, they could've at last discovered La Fuente de Juventud: A Resource Place for Youth Librarians Serving Latino Communities, the latest major creation of the forever young Solina Marquis.  Their find would've been worth the wait.  (Some 16th-century browsers won't load the page, so if you're stymied check back in a few days after Solina irons out the compatibility quirks.  And keep in mind that the Fuente pages will be shifting to the Plano, TX public library's site pretty soon.)

Hello librarian friends, 

A few of you are already aware of a new Web resource, Fuente de Juventud (Fountain of Youth), that I have been putting together for youth librarians serving Spanish-speaking / Latino populations.  Here is the URL for the homepage of this new site:

http://venus.twu.edu/~g_2marquis/fuenindex.html

This URL will change when I am able to place the site in a permanent Web home, probably sometime late this Spring.

I hope the resources help you in your work. Right now there are 3 pages on the site: Programming resources, Collection Building resources, and Emergent Literacy resources. Please let me know of any errors you find, or if you have other resources that you think should be included. I hope in the future to have a "databank" of Spanish / bilingual storytime programs. If you are interested in contributing to this, please let me know, and I'll let you know when I have this set up.

Best wishes,

Solina Marquis
Texas Woman's University
SLIS graduate student
972-396-0752
solina-marquis@attbi.com

2. Get Caught Reading posters

Name = Carmen Lau
Reply email = clau@tulsalibrary.org
Comments = Hi, I hope you can help me with this: a few weeks ago I read in a library magazine about posters promoting literacy, and there was one with Jorge Ramos.  I can't find the info on how to get them or the name of the program sponsoring this, any ideas?
Thanks

Jorge Ramos and his fellow Spanish-language broadcast journalists have brought perspectives to their invasion coverage that differ from mainstream US television, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a piece this week exploring the why and how: "Spanish networks compete to cover Iraq: Latino links to the war emphasized," by Yolanda Rodriguez (April 9, 2003).

On Telemundo, which is owned by NBC, Martha Martinez of Duarte, Calif., mother of Marine Pfc. Francisco Martinez Flores, tearfully called for an end to the war. Her son had been killed in combat March 25...

Along with its ownership of Telemundo, another aspect of NBC's outreach to Latinos is, of course,  Michael Savage.  The atavistic host's March 8 debut on MSNBC had an interesting moment when a caller was suddenly disconnected after a few moments of friendly banter.  His call was terminated by the MSNBC screener the moment he said to Savage, "OK, OK. I want to ask you. My girlfriend is from Mexico, one of the places you call a 'Turd World Nation.' Who—"  Click.  My!  Wasn't that awkward.

The caller was the estimable merry media prankster Scott Pellegrino who has helped more than one fatuous celebrity embarrass himself in front of a large audience.  Savage does indeed include Latin America in his infamous Turd World, as noted here previously.  Despite the desertion of a few sponsors, MSNBC has gone on record that it's "very comfortable" with the Latino-loathing Savage's program.  Did we mention that MSNBC is a sister network of Telemundo?  We did?  All righty, then...

5. Dial 1-866-SU FAMILIA for health info

From a Department of Health & Human Services  press release:

HHS Launches Spanish-Language Hotline To Assist Hispanics with Health Issues
     
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on March 12 announced the creation of a Spanish- and English-language health helpline for Hispanics called "Su Familia." The toll-free helpline, 866-SU-FAMILIA, was developed and is operated by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. It is designed to give Hispanic families basic health information to help prevent and manage chronic conditions and to refer them to local health providers and federally supported programs, including CHIP. Callers can request health information, referrals to 16,000 information sources, or bilingual fact sheets on health topics such as asthma, cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, immunizations, diabetes, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. Thompson said, "Hispanics continue to face health disparities. This is unacceptable. That's why we are committed to getting information and resources to those communities where the health gap exists"...

6. Alternatives to multa

From: Anne Mello  amello@ci.pasadena.ca.us
Subject: Spanish for "fines" [Re: SOL 84]

7. "Español is on a roll"

It was bound to happen eventually: good ol' Library Willie, herself, walked off with the grand prize in our latest contest, a copy of La reina del sur by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.  Thanks to all the folks who wrote in with the correct answer, but the early-rising Willie got the drop on y'all this time around.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: librarywillie@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 6:28 AM
Subject: I've got the answer, dude! (SOL 84)  

Google says it's Los Tigres del Norte!  Is Google right?  If so, do not (repeat) do not send that great book to Google!  Send it to librarywillie for the benefit of the Val Verde County Library in Del Río TX!

Also, thanks to everyone that has responded to my English-Spanish medication request.  Looks like there is a hole out there that needs filling -- a resource that lists both the English and Spanish names for medications.

Willie Braudaway

[If you want to snatch a library promotin' newspaper column about the book, and the song, check this out.]

9. And Sunday, thousands will march again on Hollywood Boulevard

Your Tinseltown correspondent wants you to know that Michael Moore wasn't the only Oscar winner a couple weeks ago who denounced his nation's, uh, leader.  Brilliant Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who copped the Best Original Screenplay statuette for Hable con ella (Talk to Her), dedicated his award "to all the people that are raising their voices in favor of peace, respect of human rights, democracy and international legality."  Later, in the backstage press conference, he spoke out passionately in Spanish and in English against the unpopular war policy of Prime Minister Aznar; you can see that on video if you want.

10. World's only Basque newspaper shut down by force

Librarians and information workers worldwide were shocked recently when the Spanish government of José María Aznar raided and shut down the only Basque-language newspaper, Euskaldunon Egunkaria, and arrested 10 people—intellectuals, journalists, a priest, the Usual Suspects—under hazy anti-terrorist measures.  You can read what Amnesty International and others have to say about this, or you can simply take pride that Pepe Aznar is on Our Side in the almighty freedom-loving "coalition of the willing."

11. Poetas Contra la Guerra

A White House poetry slam that turned sour prompted Sam Hamill in January to organize Poets Against the War.  He invited fellow pro-peace poets to submit their work, and more than 12,000 of them did.  The  Spanish-language portion of the group's website presents some well-known poets who write in that language.  By the way, many of the best of the 13,000 PATW poems will be published this month in an inexpensive anthology from Nation Books.

12. Meet the heir to the vast SOL publishing empire (Not shown: Photograph of Ryujin Magón Jensen Yukawa, born March 4, 2003)

As much as Flaco feels moved to uphold the tradition of the papá cuervo, it would be unseemly to gloat over our good fortune—the birth of a beautiful baby—at a moment when people's kids have been sent to kill other people's kids, when children's hospitals and schools are targeted for attack, when Baghdad women on the eve of the invasion were rushing for premature C-sections so they could avoid going into labor in a city under siege.  We all saw Saddam's statue being toppled, but countless mutilated Iraqi toddlers who don't make such good television ended up on the Cutting Room Floor of History.

We hope this little character grows up into a better world, one that has smarter and more humane leaders, than ours.  His dad's of the opinion that when it comes to shaping better, smarter, more humane worlds, nobody has a more important role than library workers.  So let's make a deal.  Mr. & Ms. Flaco will take care of the diapers and the food and all that stuff, but we're counting on you to keep the Library Flame burning bright and warm.  These are some dark and stormy times.  You know how to keep it glowing despite all that.  We're depending on you.

13.  Weapons of Mass Instruction

Thanks to Marie Kaneko and Flor Romero (yes, that Flor Romero; that Marie Kaneko, too), the Spanish-language section of our list, at www.sol-plus.net/peace.htm, of children's books about peace has a bunch of titles.  We're still looking for more, so don't be shy with your suggestions—particularly if you know something about graphic novels and comics in any language. 

Flaco's partner on that project was quoted in USA Today the week.  As you know, it's The Nation's Newspaper.  The article is called "Gentle titles teach kids to give peace a chance: Themes are safety,
courage, human spirit" (April 8, 2003).

14. Freedomadillas

The recent measures taken to remove French fries and French toast from The Nation's Menu—surely, the USA's finest hour—got an underfed librarian to worrying about could happen if Mexico ever decides to cross us.  That country holds the gavel at the UN Security Council this month.  We might pay tribute to staunch ally Pepe Aznar by reviving the label "New Spain" for our southern neighbor, but what will become of all our Mexican restaurants?  If preemptive tortilla reform does take hold, you'll read about it here.

15. In the news: Arkansas libraries refine Spanish-language services

The library in Waltham, Massachusetts made news this week, at least locally, by creating an outreach position for a longtime employee who speaks Spanish.  "Library hires full-time Spanish speaker" is the odd headline of a story in the April 10 Daily News Tribune that's worth a read.