Tudor Sedans Popular in England in 1500s?

Ever take an exam and get similar words confused? Some words which seem kind of the same have totally different meanings: Gaza, Ginza, and Giza. You could even throw in the word Ginzu if you wanted to.

Gaza is the strip of Palestinian land between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. Ginza is the rich shopping district in Japan. Giza is the location of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Ginzu is the brand of knives shown on shopping channels late at night, which can be purchased for only 3 easy payments of $29.95. And now you know the rest of the story.

Click on title above to see dictionary definition of Tudor.

Job Outlook

For the undergraduate who can't decide what field to enter... Take a look at the 2006-07 Occupational Handbook located at the reference desk in the Al Harris Library . You might be surprised at the number of job openings predicted between 2004 and 2014 for certain professions. Click on title above to see labor force projections up to 2014 from additional source (Monthly Labor Force Review.)

Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles

The 2005 version of "A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles" (by Greg and Lynnette Sievert) is now at the Al Harris Library in Government Documents
(W 2800.5 F453a 2005.) This is a very interesting book - even for people who hate snakes! Think that you know a lot about Oklahoma reptiles? Take this 6 question True or False quiz:

1. There are more than 4 types of rattlesnakes in Oklahoma.
2. Some Oklahoma snakes kill their prey by constricting.
3. The Texas horned toad is in decline and is a protected species.
4. The Texas horned toad can squirt blood from their eyes when disturbed.
5. There are 17 types of turtles in Oklahoma!
6. The American Alligator is native to parts of Oklahoma.

5/6 correct = you're an expert. 4 correct = very good. 3 correct = average. 2 correct = fair. 1 correct = time to move to Rodeo Drive. Answers: all T.

Click on the Title above to link to the Oklahoma Snakes website.

2004 National Youth Gang Survey

The U.S. Department of Justice Programs distributes a monthly government documents publication entitled the "OJJDP Fact Sheet" (J 32.21:) which is short for Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The latest issue (2004/01) has good news about gang activity - it's becoming less prevalent in the United States.

In rural counties the average percentage of respondents reporting gang problems went from 24.3 in 1996-1998 down to 12.3 for the time period 2002-2004. Smaller cites had numbers which went from 36.5 down to 28.4 for the same time period.

Although smaller cities and larger cities had a reduction in gang problems in general, two cities (Los Angeles and Chicago) reported that more than half of the combined nearly 1,000 homicides were considered to be gang related. In the next 171 cities with smaller populations, about one fourth of the homicides were considered to be gang related. More than 80 percent of agencies with gang problems in both smaller cities and rural counties reported zero homicides.

Click on title above to visit a website about street gangs.

Yellowstone National Park

America's first National Park was created in 1872 with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park by Congress. This one single park has over 2 million acres of land and was a favorite camping area for Teddy Roosevelt. President Roosevelt dedicated the park entrance arch above in 1903.

Several of the books on Yellowstone available from the Al Harris Library are located in Government Documents (most have maps included):
"Yellowstone River Floater's Guide" (I 53.7/2: 3/4).
"American Indians and Yellowstone National Park: a documentary overview" (I 29.2: IN 2/20).
"Yellowstone in the afterglow: lessons from the fires" (I 29.2: Y 3/16).
"Enchanted enclosure: the Army Engineers and Yellowstone National Park: a documentary History" (D 103.2: En 1).

One book is: "Tracking Changes in Yellowstone's Restless Volcanic System" (I 19.127: 100-03). It details Yellowstone's creation by a large volcanic blowout about 640,000 years ago. 240 cubic miles of magma were blown into the atmosphere, creating a 53 mile long caldara under the current park. This explosion moved 1,000 times the amount of material as Mount St. Helens did in 1980. Much later, lava flows covered the caldera floor up to 400 feet thick, making a solid cap over a magma reservoir.

Recent studies have shown that the floor of yellowstone is moving continuously. This movement and the occurance of earthquakes in the area is related to the slight rupturing of a impermeable layer of rock on top of the caldera by the hot magma below. It will take years before scientists understand exactly how the two interact.

Click on the title above to link to the Wyoming/Yellowstone National Park website.