Hi Flaco --
I need you!  Actually, I need the title of a good consumer drug guide in Spanish that lists both the English and Spanish names for pharmaceuticals and gives clear, concise information about those in Spanish.  Any help out there?
 
 Thanks,
 librarywillie
 
 Willie Braudaway
 Val Verde County Library
 300 Spring Street
 Del Rio TX 78840
 (830)774-7595

A lot of US and Canadian libraries (and other agencies, and banks, too) have taken to honoring a Mexican ID card called the matrícula consular.  Now, sure enough, a fierce backlash is being wound up by anti-immigrant groups.  You can read about the controversy in a zillion newspapers and magazines this week, or listen to an NPR report about it.

Few journalists rake th' muck as diligently and as expertly as Greg Palast.  He grew up a San Fernando Valley lad, studied under Milton Friedman as one of his "Chicago Boys," and has since investigated, as a hired consultant, graft and corruption at the highest levels.  Not only did he uncover aspects of the 2000 Florida election scandal that US newspapers wouldn't touch (Palast's bosses at the BBC weren't as shy, and the US Civil Rights Commission confirmed his findings, a bit too late), but he has also looked into some of our lethal meddling in Latin America.  His website has a substantial and eye-opening Spanish-language component.

6. Mexican screen idol distracts my wife

So, last week we saw the splendid Mexican movie El crimen del Padre Amaro (double featured with a subtitled Catch Me If You Can...it cost four dollars...ticket prices in your neighborhood may vary)  and once again Missus Flaco was all agog over Gael García Bernal, that talented tapatío whose fine face is practically emblematic of Mexico's cinema renaissance following his star turns in Amores perros and Y tu mamá también, as well as a Levi's commercial which speaks volumes about the value of a good bilingual dictionary.  García was profiled in a newspaper story last week, and if you're a real hardcore fan of his you just might turn your knowledge into books in this issue's contest, below.

1) In which film do both George and Gael García Bernal appear, and what happens to G-Lo's character in that one?

or

2) What's the song that plays over the opening credits of The George Lopez Show, and who's the band that recorded it? (Hint: their name seems to be on everyone's mind lately.)

Best of luck.  But even if you don't win this time you can still get one complimentary Raven Tree Press book just for being a paid-up member of  REFORMA; here's how.

Speaking of bilingual books, a couple of Flaco's favorite people have great ones out in paperback.  The divine ms. tatiana de la tierra's For the Hard Ones / Para las duras is a collection of poems and prose by a lovestruck lesbian librarian.  How good is this one?  In a full-blown, out-of-his-head rrrrave review, Librusa kingpin José Carvajal said the book made a lesbian out of him.  The author hopes her work will "journey under the skin, into the bloodstream, of those who need it most."   Available for $14 from Calaca Press or from tatiana herself.

And that now-famous folktale from the jungles of Chiapas, The Story of Colors / La historia de los colores, by Subcomandante Marcos with illustrations by Domitila Domínguez, now has a low-priced paperback edition: $8.95 from Cinco Puntos Press (publishers also, while we're thinking of it, of the must-have ¡Sí, se puede! / Yes, We Can!).

The newspaper War Times gets a nod from Utne librarian Chris Dodge in the current issue.  This tabloid, too, is bilingual, and timely; it's one of the periodicals that Sandy Berman and others have been encouraging their local libraries to acquire.

And Martha Enciso Durán, she's another True Believer.  If you read Spanish you might be inspired by a recent profile of this University of Guadalajara 2002 Librarian of the Year; a portion of the piece is translated here for your delight:

"The world of libraries hadn't been part of my life, but the moment I stepped into it I fell in love.  It's fascinating, it's dynamic, it's life itself.  Here there's always activity, always work to be done.  The life of the library is constantly on the move."

It's a pleasure to spend time at truly brilliant literary sites.  El poder de la palabra opens access to more than 2,000 texts—biographies and excerpts—of 823 writers, 332 composers, 189 painters, 196 film directors, and 120 architects.  Librarians might appreciate the Premios section of this handsome site, which lists dozens of important literary awards in Spanish and English and tells you who won each year.

Cyberallyu, in its 7th year, is a wordy wonderland full of essays, discussion forums, and literary news.  Here you can read about such matters as Eduardo González Viaña's historic, heroic agitprop reading that clogged up the bridge between El Paso and Juárez.

At Flakozitas you can find everything from serious short biographies of famous contemporary writers, to the words of national anthems of most Latin American countries, to handy amorous phrases suitable for inclusion in love letters.

Finally, the lavish online journal Biblios deals, in Spanish, with librarianship, archival science, and musicology.  The current issue has a piece on Japanese libraries.

14. Cuba conference to explore how libraries foster social change

[Maribel Duarte, who handles public relations for the National Library of Cuba, sends this announcement about the upcoming Third World Libraries conference in Havana.  Her message follows in English and Spanish]

Third World Libraries
July 9 - 12, 2003
Havana Convention Center (Palacio de las Convenciones)

Topics to be discussed:

1 – Libraries and cultural identity among Third World peoples
2 – Libraries and sustainable development
3 – Role of the library in strategies fostering realization of human potential
4 – National libraries in the defense and preservation of their countries' historical record and bibliographic heritage
5 – How libraries can contribute to the struggle for solidarity and social justice in a climate of neoliberal globalization

Registration: $150 US.  For more information, contact:

 Las Bibliotecas del Tercer Mundo
 
 9 al 12 de junio de 2003
 Palacio de las Convenciones, La Habana
 
 Temas a debatir
 1 - Las bibliotecas y la identidad cultural de los pueblos del Tercer Mundo 
 2 - Las bibliotecas y los programas de desarrollo sostenible.
 3 - Papel de las Bibliotecas en las estrategias de formación de potencial Humano. 
 4 - Las Bibliotecas Nacionales y la defensa y conservación de la memoria histórica y el
 patrimonio bibliográfico de las naciones. 
 5 - Aporte de las bibliotecas a la lucha por la solidaridad y la justicia social en un mundo de
 globalización neoliberal.
 
 Cuota de inscripción: 150.00 USD
  
 Para más información diríjase a:

Name: Mary Alice McCarthy  maryalice@worldlibraries.org
Subject: Volunteer opportunity

I think the volunteer opportunity described below might be of interest to people who visit your website.  I would appreciate it very much if you could make it available.  Thanks!

Mary Alice McCarthy, Ph.D.
Training Director
World Library Partnership
Durham, NC 27701

Volunteer at a Library in Africa or Central America 
Spend the summer of 2003 helping communities gain access to the information they need to build a better future as part of the Inform the World Library Skills Exchange (ITW). ITW volunteers provide hands-on assistance and training to rural librarians in South Africa, Honduras and Guatemala. The program is a unique opportunity to share your skills while experiencing another culture.  If you love libraries and have a sense of adventure, join us for this exciting service project!  

Who: The World Library Partnership (WLP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building global understanding by promoting literacy, learning and access to information.  Visit our website at www.worldlibraries.org for more information.

What: The ITW volunteers will conduct practical service projects in libraries in rural South Africa and Central America.   

When:
Central America
Honduras - June 25-July 23, 2003
Guatemala - July 2-July 30, 2003
South Africa
Limpopo Province - July 15-August 15
Kwa Zulu Natal Province - July 22-August 22, 2003

Eligibility:  WLP invites librarians, library school students, teachers, IT professionals and others who love libraries to apply.  Conversational Spanish is a requirement for the Central America program.  Fluency in English is required for the South Africa program. 

How to Apply: The application for the various ITW 2003 programs can be found at our website - www.worldlibraries.org  - along with more detailed information about each program. The Application Deadline is January 31, 2003. We welcome early applications. 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.  For the South Africa programs contact Maggie Hite at maggie@worldlibraries.org. For the Central America programs contact Mary Alice McCarthy at maryalice@worldlibraries.org or give us a call at (919) 479-0163.

Bruce Jensen  bibliotecas.geo@yahoo.com