Einstein's Other Gift To Us

Einstein is reported to have created this puzzle and also said that only 2% of the world's population could solve it. Can you?

Question: Who owns the fish?

1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the left of the white house.
5. The green house owner drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Malls keeps birds.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill cigarettes.
8. The man living in the house in the middle drinks milk.
9. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
10. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the one who smokes Dunhills.
12. The one who smokes Bluemasters drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Princes.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.
Only pure logic will solve this puzzle. Give it a try over the holiday break. Don't read the last sentence unless you want to know the solution. To read the solution, assign a number to each letter of the alphabet (A=1). The fish was owned by: 20-8-5-7-5-18-13-1-14.

A Profile of Fire in the US: 1995-2004

A 2008 Government document (HS 5.219: 1995-2004) provides some interesting statistics about fires in the United States from 1995-2004. Click on the blue title above to read article. One of the more interesting facts is that the highest number of fire deaths occur in a line of southern states: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississppi, Tennessee, and West Virginia (see map above.) Another interesting fact is that the number of men who perish in fires is double that of women. Cooking fires are also the main cause of fires in the United States. So be careful while cooking during this holiday season - and make sure you have fresh batteries in your smoke detectors.

Afternoon Power Outage

The city of Weatherford experienced a major power outage around 2:15pm today. Power has been restored to the library and campus but accessibility to the library's catalog, databases, website and the university's website is spotty at best. Please be patient as these systems return to normal functionality.

Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program

An Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP) will be held on campus. The focus of this program is global water issues: “Water Matters: The Competition for Fresh Water.” The presenter for this program is Ms. Sandra Postel, Director of the Global Water Policy Project (http://www.globalwaterpolicy.org/). Ms. Postel is an internationally known author and speaker on global water issues.

Students earn three hours of upper level credit in just five days and there are no course prerequisites. Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and have sophomore or higher academic standing.

The SWOSU OSLEP program is scheduled for 25 February – 1 March 2009. Further information and application guidelines are online at http://www.ou.edu/oslep/seminars/index.htm. Dr. Roger Bromert (SCI 101A, roger.bromert@swosu.edu) is the SWOSU OSLEP Coordinator and can assist with general questions and applications.

Evidence of World's First Temple?

Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt has discovered massive stone carvings in Turkey which are believed to be 11,000 years old. This makes the temple he found (Gobekli Tepe) 6,000 years older than Englands' Stonehenge. Click on the title above to check out the Smithsonian website; you will be amazed.

Winning Ways

The state of Oklahoma prints a monthly publication about our lottery (L 1900.6 W776 in Oklahoma Documents.) Although there is still some debate about its’ value, the lottery has provided $232 million to education in Oklahoma. 45% of the money goes to kindergarten through 12th grade (includes some compensation for teachers and support employees.) 45% goes to tuition grants, loans and scholarships for colleges and universities. This includes construction of facilities, capital outlays and technology. 5% goes to teachers’ retirement. 5% goes to the school consolidation and assistance fund. Click on the blue title above to access Winning Ways.

The FDIC Has New Plan.

An additional 24 billion dollars will be spent to try to prevent 1.5 million home foreclosures. Click on the blue title above for article and video.

Credit Conditions in the United States

For interactive maps showing the current credit conditions in the United States click the title above. Find the percentage of credit card and mortgage foreclosures for every county within the country. The maps were made by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Transition of Presidential Administrations

To follow news about the transition of Presidential administrations go to the government website change.gov. Or you can click the title above.

The FBI A Centennial History, 1908-2008.

The title says it all. This is one of the most interesting books found in Government Documents (J 1.14/2:C 33/3). Although James Bond is missing, you can find just about anything the FBI has been involved with. Cases range from Al Capone to the Duquesne Spy Ring. An Oklahoma case was called Murder and Mayhem in the Osage Hills, which involved the murder of 24 people to get to a half million dollars of oil money in 1921. You won't be disappointed with the variety of cases and the wealth of photographs and information.

Influenza Prevention Guidelines

Check out this website for government guidelines to prevent getting the flu this year. Click on the blue title above to access website.

GO VOTE TODAY!

Exercise your right to vote!

Vote411.org: Election Info You Need

Vote411.org provides a lot of election information for those individuals new to Western Oklahoma or Oklahoma in general. This website provides information about what you can see on tomorrow's ballot, including candidates and state questions. It also provides a polling place finder that directs voters to the appropriate voting location with a map and contact information.

Get out and vote tomorrow!!!!

Weatherford Area Health Services Directory

If you need a name or telephone number for help with just about any type of medical problem, check out this website. It also lists emergency numbers and a plethera of local and county officials. It even lists veterinarians to call should your pet become inured or sick. Click on the blue title above to access.

Top 46 events in Oklahoma Political History.

Want to guess the top political history events in Oklahoma? Photo shows Kate Barnard addressing a crowd of women in downtown Oklahoma City in 1907. Kate was the first woman in the U.S. to hold a statewide elected office. (Too bad she wasn't elgible to vote!) Click on the blue title above to check out this facinating website via Oklahoma Crossroads.

Can Technology Be Used to Slow Down Cheating?

Teachers, long behind in the cheating arms race, may finally be catching up. They are using new technologies, including text-matching software, webcams, and biometric equipment, as well as cunning stratagems such as Web "honey pots," virtual students, and cheat-proof tests. Read more about plagiarism and cheating in an article from U.S. News & World Report.

Reference Desk Phone Unavailable 10/23/2008

The Reference Desk phone will be unavailable Thursday, October 23rd due to remodeling. For at-home reference assistance, please feel free to contact the library using Instant Messaging or email. In-person reference is still available, so feel free to stop in at the Reference Desk. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Oklahoma During the Current Financial Crisis

Click on the blue title above to read what Governor Brad Henry has to say about how our state is faring in the current financial crisis.

Teachers Can Help Abused/Neglected Kids

Click on the blue title above to peruse "School's Role in the Intervention of Child Abuse and Neglect: a Resource Manual for School Personnel" by Dr. Bart Trentham and provided by Oklahoma Crossroads.

Route 66 in Oklahoma : A Historic Context in Review

Click on the blue title above for a little history about Route 66. Did you know that much of the original route 66 was built with horse or mule drawn implements? Photo was taken west of Clinton, Oklahoma about 1927. If nothing else, you need to explore all of the links at the end of the article. They contain everything from personal photos of Route 66 to a John Steinbeck website.

Is the earth actually getting warmer or is it getting cooler?

Check out ICECAP (International Climate and Environmental Assessment Project) to find out more about the earth's temperature changes.

ICECAP "is the portal to all things climate for elected officials and staffers, journalists, scientists, educators and the public. It provides access to a new and growing global society of respected scientists and journalists that are not deniers that our climate is dynamic (the only constant in nature is change) and that man plays a role in climate change through urbanization, land use changes and the introduction of greenhouse gases and aerosols, but who also believe that natural cycles such as those in the sun and oceans are also important contributors to the global changes in our climate and weather. We worry the sole focus on greenhouse gases and the unwise reliance on imperfect climate models while ignoring real data may leave civilization unprepared for a sudden climate shift that history tells us will occur again, very possibly soon."

So, if you want to know more about global warming (and cooling), ICECAP is a great starting place!

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Biofuels Industry in Oklahoma During the 21st Century

Click on the blue title above to read a recent article from Oklahoma Crossroads about climate change and global warming. See what the projected temperature and precipitation changes could be for the latter part of this century. Cycles of wet or dry time periods are becoming much longer. Also dry areas of the world are forcast to become drier and wet areas wetter. Extreme temperatures will become more so. On August 12, 1936 (during a drought) an area in southwestern Oklahoma recorded a high temperature of 120 degrees F. Could it happen again?

2nd Presidential Debate Watch Party

Still undecided for this year's presidential election? Senators Obama and McCain will be having their second presidential debate on Tuesday, October 7th. Please drop by the library to watch Presidential Debate at 8:oopm in the Library's News Room.

VP Debate Watch Party

Still undecided for this year's presidential election? Interested in what Sarah Palin has to say? Curious about Joe Biden's views? Well, please drop by the library tonight at 8:00pm for a Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party in the Library's News Room.

Free Resume Creator!

OptimalResume is a free service provided by the SWOSU Career Services in partnership with OptimalResume.com.

You can use this website to:

-Design high-impact resumes based on your major and career goals

-Easily create resumes in several formats, including Word® Compatible, Plain Text, PDF, and HTML

-Manage an unlimited number of resumes

-Include your resume in your own professional website, which you can update, deactivate, and reactivate as your career progresses

For more information visit OptimalResume or Career Services in the Burton House (580) 774-3233.

10 Emerging Technologies 2008

The MIT Technology Review presents 10 technologies that are likely to change the way we live:

Modeling Surprise
Combining massive quantities of data, insights into human psychology, and machine learning can help manage surprising events, says Eric Horvitz.

Probabilistic Chips
Krishna Palem thinks a little uncertainty in chips could extend battery life in mobile devices--and maybe the duration of Moore's Law, too.

NanoRadio

Alex Zettl's tiny radios, built from nanotubes, could improve everything from cell phones to medical diagnostics.

Wireless Power
Physicist Marin Soljacic is working toward a world of wireless electricity.

Atomic Magnetometers
John Kitching's tiny magnetic-field sensors will take MRI where it's never gone before.
Offline Web Applications

Offline Web Applications
Adobe's Kevin Lynch believes that computing applications will become more powerful when they take advantage of the browser and the desktop.

Graphene Transistors
A new form of carbon being pioneered by Walter de Heer of Georgia Tech could lead to speedy, compact computer processors.

Connectomics
Jeff Lichtman hopes to elucidate brain development and disease with new technologies that illuminate the web of neural circuits.

Reality Mining
Sandy Pentland is using data gathered by cell phones to learn about human behavior.
Cellulolytic Enzymes Frances Arnold is designing better enzymes for making biofuels from cellulose

Need Your Electric Line Buried?

Although the temperature outside is still hot, winter is not too far off. The ice storms of 2000 and 2007 can still evoke memories of dark city streets, candlelit homes, and food cooked on a gas grill. Click on the blue title above to read "The Oklahoma Corporation Commission's Inquiry into Undergrounding Electrical Facilities in the State of Oklahoma." One of best reasons to bury electrical lines is that Oklahoma ice storms seem to be occuring more frequently than they used to. (Acquired online from Oklahoma Crossroads.)

China Completes 3rd Space Mission

China successfully completed it's third manned space mission after the return of the spacecraft Shenzhou-7 landed Sunday. It was also marked the first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut, 42 year old "Zhai Zhigang". Click on the blue title above to read additional news articles.

Love Your School? Hate It? Unigo wants to Know

This month a new Web site, called Unigo.com came online. Unigo is a free, gigantic, student-generated guide to North American colleges for prospective applicants and their families. The site was recently profiled in the College Issue of the New York Times.

Unigo is the brainchild of 23 year old Jordan Goldman and all the content on the site is student generated. To date no one has profiled SWOSU, so be the first and check out Unigo.com

2007 American Community Survey Released.

Today the Census Bureau released new data from the 2007 American Community Survey for our nations' social, economic, and housing characteristics, including state rankings. Click on the blue title above to peruse.

Among the findings:

* the number of foreign-born Americans is at a all-time high of 38.1 million
* 12 million of them were born in Mexico
* homeowners with mortgages in California and New Jersey have the highest mortage payments in our nation of $2,314 per month in California and $2,278 per month in New Jersey!
* the second lowest monthly mortgage payment in our nation is that of Arkansas, with $921 per month

Free Movies, Free TV

IMDB now offers movies, TV shows, for free

The (IMDB) has begun offering over 6000 movie and TV shows on the site for free today, offering the streaming films with "minimal advertising interruption."

Col Needham, founder and managing director of IMDb.com, added, "We're excited to offer our users a simple online experience to watch full-length movies and TV episodes for free...our goal is to show our users every movie and TV show on the Internet for free on IMDb.com."

The new move will however also provide a new revenue opportunity for the giant e-tailer Amazon, which owns IMDB.

"On title pages where IMDb does not have the content available for free, users can click on the Amazon Video On Demand button to rent or purchase the video from Amazon," an Amazon spokesperson said. "It's great to offer customers choice. They can decide whether to watch an ad-supported movie or show on IMDb for free or rent or purchase a movie and show immediately from AVOD without commercials. So it's really the best of both worlds for TV and movie fans."

The content is coming from CBS, Hulu.com, Sony Pictures Television, and more than 500 independent filmmakers but it is unclear how the advertising revenue will be split.

You can check out the new IMDB video section here: IMDB featured videos

Don't Read This Garbage!

Did you know that the ancient Romans actually had scheduled garbage pickup in some cities? Click on the blue title above for some interesting tidbits about the history of garbage. Most of the article (from Oklahoma Crossroads) details the history of garbage in the United States and Oklahoma.

Parent's Day Activities

Saturday, September 13, is Parent's Day at SWOSU. Many activities are planned for the day.

Pancake Breakfast: 7-10:30 a.m. in the University Grill. This is a fundraiser for the men's basketball team. Cost is $5.00 for an all-you-can-eat breakfast.

USTA Adult Tennis Tournament: The event will be held at Rader Park and the SWOSU courts on both Saturday and Sunday. The tournament is sponsored by the Weatherford Tennis Association. For details, call Bruce Belanger (580) 819-1504.

35th annual Southwest Festival of the Arts: This is a great opportunity to shop for handcrafted items. The festival is held at Means Park from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Watercolor Art Show: The show is in the Art Building here at SWOSU from 3-5 p.m. Admission is free.

Tailgate Party/BBQ Dinner: The dinner will take place inside the Wellness Center from 5-6 p.m. It is sponsored by the SWOSU Alumni Association. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

Football Game: SWOSU plays Angelo State University at 6 p.m. at Milam Stadium. Admission is free with a SWOSU I.D. card.

There will be a giveaway of five $500 tuition scholarships during Parent's Day. Students or family members can register for the scholarhip drawings throughout the day at participating business in Weatherford. The winners will be announced at halftime of the football game.

Winners of the Dawg Days Video Game Tournament & Organizational Fair

The Al Harris Library would like to congratulate Dustin Thompson (pictured above), the Xbox Champion, and Brandt Arganbright (pictured below), Wii Champion, for winning their respective tournaments. Erin Ingraham, Circulation Supervisor and Tournament Co-Sponsor, presented each winner with prizes. The Library appreciates all of the students who participated in this year's Dawg Days video game tournament.


The Library would also like to congratulate these winners whose names were selected from our library t-shirt drawing at the Organizational Fair: Chelsey Scheffler, McKenzie Smith, Crystal Mars, & Johnny Moore.

Technology, Entertainment, Design

The TED conference, invites leading thinkers to deliver mind-blowing lectures about technology and society. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

Their website makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week.

Check out TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Copyright Slider

Need an easy way to see if something is still protected by copyright laws? Click on the blue title above to check out the Copyright Slider. Then simply move the red arrow until it matches the original published date or years since the author died. It's a quick and dirty way to let us know if a work has been released into the Public Domain.

Cinematic Maps : Voting America

Borrowing a technique from Hollywood, historians at the University of Richmond have created animated maps that chart voting patterns in U.S. presidential elections since 1840.

Check Out : Voting America

Know Your History: Vote!

Viewzi — What are you looking for?

Viewzi is a new and highly visual way; to search that brings all your favorite stuff: video, music, belles lettres.

Viewzi's search menu offers several options for viewing results and mp3 View shows results of mp3 files related to your search. You can even listen to the files in your browser instead of opening additional applications which can use up valuable memory on your computer.

Tobacco Stops With Me.

Oklahoma Crossroads has just added the 2007 Annual Report / Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust document to their web site. Tobacco use costs every Oklahoman $750 every year whether they use tobacco or not. Click on the blue title above to see how much money Oklahoma received and how that money was spent.

2006 Oklahoma Baby Names

Oklahoma Crossroads has just published an online listing of the most popular baby names from Oklahoma in 2006. The top five girl names: Emma, Madison, Emily, Abigail, and Hannah. The top five boy names: Jacob, Ethan, Joshua, William, and Michael. Some of the more unusual names listed were: Adventure, Balance, Brave, Chaos, Mesiah, Sphinx, Tattoo, and Tequila. Check them all out. You can read the entire publication by typing in "2006 Oklahoma Baby Names" in the Al Harris library catalog; then hit "Click here for online access". You can also just search Google with the words "Oklahoma Crossroads"; then search for "2006 Oklahoma Baby Names". Or just for fun, browse the hundreds of other titles found there which pertain to Oklahoma.

Library Closed Tuesday, August 5th: No Air Conditioning

All faculty, staff and students should be aware that the Al Harris Library is closing at noon today. Without air conditioning and excessive heat predicted for the Weatherford area today, the Library will close for the afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience and our resources via our website will remain accessible for your research needs.

Library Closing at Noon: No Air Conditioning in Library

All faculty, staff and students should be aware that the Al Harris Library is closing at noon today. Without air conditioning and excessive heat predicted for the Weatherford area today, the Library will close for the afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience and our resources via our website will remain accessible for your research needs.

Vacation in Oklahoma!

Don't want to spend the gas money to go to Disney World this summer? Oklahoma has some great vacations ranging from agritourism and park trails to golfing and film festivals. Click on the blue title above to link to the Official Oklahoma Tourism Information Site. You can sign up for free brochures or emails and also find coupons and tickets to state attractions.
You can also check out "Oklahoma Route 66 The Ultimate Road Trip" in the Oklahoma Documents section of Government Documents (T800.5 R869u). This little book lists 83 museums or attractions along the Oklahoman section of Route 66. Spectacular photos and maps show neat places to visit from Miami to Erick.

Fans stay up all 'Knight' for Batman movie

As "The Dark Knight's" crusading District Attorney Harvey Dent vigorously tries to combat Gotham City's crime spree, he quotes the old saying: "The night is always darkest before the dawn." But the dawn may have been the brightest time for "The Dark Knight," which was scheduled to have around 3,000 late-night showings, including almost 100 showings at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday, July 18, according to Fandango.com spokesman Harry Medved. Learn more about the film at The Dark Knight, the official site for the film.

Oklahoma Oil and Gas Industry

With all of the current discussion regarding gas prices, it's time to look at Milestones in the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Industry. This data is provided by the Oklahoma Geological Survey, and it lists some interesting information regarding how the industry has affected our state.

Top 10 Hottest Music Sites

Check out Wired.com Listening Post's top 10 hottest digital music websites: "Sites were chosen based not only on what they currently do for music fans, but also on their potential to impact the future development of the music industry. Based on how things go with the first iteration, this list could be updated periodically and opened for voting."

Photo by Jon Reid

New Airline Fees

Airfarewatchdog.com has compiled a list of new charges from major domestic arilines. Would you be willing to pay $10 extra for an aisle seat or up to $250 for extra luggage? Some airlines now charge up to $250 to change your ticket if you miss your flight. Click on the blue title above to see the chart.

Verizon Wireless gets Rhapsody music subscriptions

Cell phones are becoming more useful devices for listening to music. Verizon Wireless is introducing Rhapsody's subscription music service Monday, allowing its customers to download as much music as they want to their phones for $15 per month.

Route 66 Festival

The Clinton Route 66 Festival - Hot Dogs and Hot Rods on 66, brings together two great events into one mega 2-day celebration on June 27 and 28, 2008.

Center for History & New Media

CHNM brings history to audiences worldwide by collecting born-digital records of the present, archiving documents of the past, and presenting historical exhibits.

Bureau of Indian Affairs Website

The BIA’s website was closed down after losing a law suit (Cobell v. Norton) in 2001 because personal information had been hacked from their computers. Their information technology security has now been given the green light by the District Court of Columbia. Click on the blue title above to check out their website.

Daylife: Organizing the world's news

A new way to explore the world's news. Millions of high-quality photos, stories, blog posts, major quotes and more, covering every topic. One of the newest news aggregators is also one of the easiest to use. Personalize the news that's important to you: Daylife

New Web site connects voters and candidates

ElectOK connects you with the local candidates so you can make an informed decision on Election Day. Browse our candidate directory to find out who's running and what they stand for. You can view briefs, backgrounds, platforms, issues, photos, clippings, related articles, videos, blogs and more. You can even bookmark your favorite candidates and follow their progress throughout the campaign. Get the facts you need to make your decision in one place, right here on ElectOK

Roman Art from the Louvre

The Louvre museum (Paris) has an extensive collection of art from just about every part of the ancient world. A selection of their Roman art collection has been loaned to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (June 19 to October 12, 2008.) According to the museum literature: "there are a variety of monumental sculptures, sarcophagi, marble busts and reliefs, bronze and terracotta statuettes and implements, jewelry, glass and metal cups and vessels, mosaics, fresco paintings and a cache of more than one hundred major silver pieces from Pompeii."

This is the final U.S. venue before it all goes back to France. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and admission is free for ages 5 and under. The Oklahoma City Art Museum is located at 415 Couch Drive in downtown. (405-236-3100, ext 237). Hours are: Tues-Sat 10-5, Thurs 10-9 pm, Sun Noon-5, Monday closed.

Click the blue title above to see photos of the exhibit, or go to www.okcmoa.com to find out about a group tour, etc. The exhibition should be rewarding.

Writing Center: Summer Hours

The Writing Center is open this summer: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays;
10:00-12:00 a.m. Thursdays.
When the tutor is available, we may be open some Tuesday evenings as well.

Students may call 774-7083 to check the availability of the tutor.
Papers and queries may be e-mailed to writingcenter@swosu.edu.
Our hours are available each semester on the Writing Center web page.
The Writing Center link can be found under "Current Students," "Faculty and Staff,"
and on the Library page.

New database at Al Harris library

New: North American Indian Thought and Culture
North American Indian Thought and Culture is now available on the Social Sciences page and the Databases A-Z list.NAITC integrates writings, images, and oral histories to cover the entire history of North America; from 17th century accounts of the first encounters involving Indians and European colonists to the stories of aboriginals living in a 21st century world. The database is dedicated to telling the life stories of both the well-known historical figures such as Pocahontas and Sitting Bull, and also the lesser-known men and women whose day-to-day experiences give an equally valuable portrayal of Indian culture.Detailed information about NAITC is available on the publisher's web site.

Red Earth Festival This Weekend in OKC

Cox Convention Center (Oklahoma City)
For Information: (405) 427-5228
Tickets: Ford Center Box Office, Cox Convention Center Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Parking: Cox Convention Center Underground Parking Lot or call (405) 235-PARK or visit www.parkingokc.com

Festival Schedule: Friday, June 6

10:00am to 11:00am - Parade (Downtown OKC)
11:00am to 8:00pm - Art Market (Exhibit Halls 2 & 3); Vendor Market (Exhibit Hall 1); Red Earth Merchandise & Survey (Exhibit Hall C); Youth Art (Exhibit Hall D); Cultural Activities (Exhibit Hall B); Red Earth Headquarters (Exhibit Hall E); 5K Run/2K Fun Walk Pre-Registration
12:00pm - Grand Entry of Dancers (Arena); Ambassador of the Year Presentation
1:00pm to 5:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
3:00pm - Special Dance Competition (Arena)
5:00pm to 7:00pm - Gourd Dance (Arena)
7:00pm - Grand Entry (Arena)
8:00pm to 11:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
8:00pm - Special Dance Competition (Arena)

Festival Schedule: Saturday, June 7

7:00am to 8:00am - Registration for 5K Run & 2K Fun Walk (Regatta Park)
8:00am - Start 5K Run & 2K Fun Walk (Regatta Park)
10:00am to 8:00pm - Art Market (Exhibit Halls 2 & 3); Vendor Market (Exhibit Hall 1); Red Earth Merchandise & Survey (Exhibit Hall C); Youth Art (Exhibit Hall D); Cultural Activities (Exhibit Hall A); Cultural Performance Stage (Exhibit Hall A); Red Earth Headquarters (Exhibit Hall E)
12:00pm - Grand Entry (Arena); Honored One Presentation
1:00pm to 5:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
1:00pm to 5:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
3:00pm - Special Dance Competition (Arena)
5:00pm to 7:00pm - Gourd Dance (Arena)
7:00pm - Grand Entry (Arena)
8:00pm to 11:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
8:00pm - Special Dance Competition (Arena)

Festival Schedule: Sunday, June 8

11:00am to 5:00pm - Art Market (Exhibit Halls 2 & 3); Vendor Market (Exhibit Hall 1); Red Earth Merchandise & Survey (Exhibit Hall C); Youth Art (Exhibit Hall D); Cultural Activities (Exhibit Hall B); Cultural Performance Stage (Exhibit Hall A); Red Earth Headquarters (Exhibit Hall E)
12:00pm - Grand Entry (Arena)
1:00pm to 4:00pm - Dance Competition (Arena)
2:00pm - Youth Art Awards Ceremony (Exhibit Hall A)
3:00pm - Special Dance Competition (Arena)
4:30pm to 5:30pm - Dance Competition Awards (Arena)

Library Closing at 4:30pm on Thurs., 6/5

Due to approaching storms that could possibly contain hail and very high winds, SWOSU is closing offices on Thursday, June 5 at 4:30pm. To comply with the university mandate, the Al Harris Library will close at 4:30pm instead of our regular time of 9:00pm.

Our library catalog and article databases remain accessible this evening via our website for your research needs. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Ask a Librarian, Limited service until Mon., 6/2/08

The Ask a Librarian reference service will only be available by phone (580-774-7082) and in person during the May Intersession. The library will be open Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, please check the library hours here. Ask a Librarian via IM will be closed until Tuesday, June 3, 2008. We'll respond to questions received through the Ask a Librarian web form during the break. Thank you, and have a great break!

Oklahoma Facts

Did you know that Oklahomans searched the statewide information databases a whopping 14 million times last year?

During a typical year, students, faculty and information seekers made 7.5 million visits to Oklahoma's college and university libraries - seven times the combined annual attendance figure for OU and OSU home football games.

Academic libraries in Oklahoma receive less than 2 cents of every higher education dollar.

College students and faculty borrow an average of 1.8 million items from Oklahoma's academic libraries each year - or ten items for every student enrolled in Oklahoma colleges.

Oklahoma public libraries answer almost 42,000 reference questions every week. That's more than one question for every man, woman and child living in Muskogee.

More than 1.8 million Oklahomans have a library card - more people than the combined populations of North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

Oklahoma's school librarians are leaders. The state ranks fifth nationally in the number of National Board Certified school library media specialists.

These interesting facts were obtained from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (405-521-2502.)

Beating the Odds: Tomichen, Winner of "21" Display

Congratulations to Ted Tomichen! He won the 21 movie poster giveaway.

Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts

Need a break from classes and studying this weekend?

The Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts offers visual, performing and culinary experiences for all ages. The festival ends this weekend, so go have some fun!

National Turn Off TV Week

Some alternatives:

Read a book, graphic novel, whatever form of literature you're in to.

Play games (the non-computer/console kind) - puzzles, board games, Sudoku, cards, volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc.

Write (not a paper) - journal/diary about your college experiences, letter to a friend, letter of appreciation to a soldier serving overseas, etc.

Share your hobby, find someone who hasn't had the opportunity or time to learn a new hobby-we can all benefit from each other's expertise.

Cook meals instead of getting take-out, save some money and refrigerate the leftovers or entertain friends/guests with a dinner. (we all have to eat, right?)

Exercise, everyone needs to be more active and healther - go for a walk, a run, ride a bike, schedule time to visit the Wellness center.

For the studious individuals, begin studying for finals.

Earth Day 2008

Put the needs of Earth before your own. Find new ways to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle today.

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture

The Oklahoma Historical Society has helped to create an online Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Click on the blue title above to select items from the table of contents. You can also browse by subject for the followiing entries: African American, American Indians, Arts & Humanities, Education, Environment, Farming, Folklife, Government and Politics, Immigration and Ethnicity, Industry, Military, Natural Resources, Petroleum, Ranching, Recreation and Entertainment, Religion and Philosophy, Settlement Patterns, Transportation, Urban Development, and Women.

Ozzie Smith on Libraries

Julie Andrews' PSA for National Library Week

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Libraries

National Library Week: College Reference Desk

National Library Week: Monkey Wars

National Library Week: People Magazine

National Library Week: Go Fish

National Library Week: Vending Machine

National Library Week: Super Sized

National Library Week: Game On

Find. Apply. Succeed.

Applying for a United States Government grant has never been easier. Click on the blue title above to go to GRANTS.GOV. New opportunies are listed each week. You can also learn about how to avoid scams and fraud when applying for a grant. Email alerts can also be sent directly to you when new grants are made available.

National Library Week: Reference Desk

National Library Week: Introduction

21 Movie Poster Giveaway

Learn about the true story of the MIT card counting team!

To celebrate the popularity of Ben Mezrich's New York Times Bestseller, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, and the movie by Sony Pictures, 21, the Al Harris Library is displaying materials that highlight the book, the movie, the history of Las Vegas and the phenomenon of gambling in American and popular culture.

For the duration of this library display, faculty, staff and students can submit contest forms for a chance to win a "21" movie poster. There are no restrictions on how many chances you submit. Contest chances will be available at the library display only. The winner will be announced during National Library Week, April 14-18.

Win a new iPod!

We need your help! Take part in our E-book survey at SWOSU SURVEY and you will be entered into a drawing for a free iPod. Also, every 25^th participant will receive a free T-shirt.

To find out more about how Ebrary can help you on papers and other course assignments, check out their training tools, including Flash videos and live web sessions, at http://www.ebrary.com/corp/training.jsp.

Computer Keyboards and Germs: What’s the Risk?

Four senior nursing students are conducting a change project this semester. The goal is the reduction of the spread of infectious disease through computer usage by multiple users at the Al Harris Library. There are a number of posters throughout the library highlighting their project. Antibacterial hand sanitizer is available to all students using these computers.

1,300 SWOSU students use the computers in the library per day, meaning 39,000 students use the computers a month. Multiply this number by 2, and 78,000 hands touch the keyboards, desk space, and mice in one month.

So...wash your hands and a big thanks to our Nursing Students!

Disaster Information Management Research Center

The National Library of Medicine has announced a new web resource for its Disaster Information Managment Research Center. Click on the blue title above to check it out. The website mission is to provide access to quality disaster health information to the nation at all stages of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery. The information is intended for public health officials, healthcare providers, special populations, and the public.

IRS Posts Top 12 Tax Scams for 2008

The Internal Revenue Service has listed the top 12 scams tax payers should be aware of this year. Most of these are ways to avoid paying taxes (which will probably get you into trouble with the IRS.) Click on the blue title above to check them out. (Podcast is available also.)

Facebook Becomes a University's 'Lost and Found'

The University of North Texas is calling it a “crime-prevention program,” but the new Facebook application they are touting is more focused on what happens after a crime. The Trace-Facebook program, endorsed by the university’s police department, allows students to send lists of stolen or lost goods out to all Facebook members.

The hope is that someone will check Facebook before buying that used laptop or bicycle, see that it belonged to someone else, and call the police or the person who’s missing the goods.
The application also allows Facebook users to store descriptions of their valuables before they go missing. That’s going to either save time when reporting a loss or theft — or give some thief able to hack the Trace program a really good list of what a student has in his or her dorm room. —

From: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Get Your Bike Ready for Spring!

OK, I'll admit it - I bought a new bike last summer and have actually taken it out of the garage twice. (My excuse was that I was doing homework during the week and spending time with my Grandkids during the weekends.)

Since the weather is starting to warm up, my plan is to actually air the tires back up and see if the bike (and myself) still work. If you need advice on any aspect of bicycles, click on the blue title above. Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Information has answers to pretty much any type of question you could have about a bicycle. Don't be put off by the Sheldon's photograph on the website, this site is really good.

What is the U.S. Population Today?

Which of the following is the closest to the U.S. population right now?
179 million, 217 million, 304 million, or 426 million?

To find the answer, click on the blue title above. You'll gain access to the U.S. Census Bureau's Fact Finder website (which shows the U.S. and World Population Clocks.) While you're there, remember that you can find data on: People, Housing, Business and Government, Facts Sheets, Maps, and Tools. The Fact Sheets are available by city, town, county, state, or zip code. Check it out today. The clock is ticking.

World Health Organization Report on Cancer Prevention

Does an improved diet and increased physical activity help prevent cancer? Find out by clicking on the blue title above. This is a new report entitled: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective by the world health organization. This is a long report but it has an index in the back to help guide you to the precise pages you're looking for.

New "Ask a Depository Librarian" Service Introduced

GPO and Depository Libraries Partner To Offer Online Reference Assistance
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) joins the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Federal Depository Libraries around the country to provide an online reference service to the American public. This unique free web based “Ask a Librarian” service will give the public an opportunity to ask librarians questions about any government resource. Click on "Depository Librarian" above to access 8-6 Monday through Thursday, and 8-5 on Friday.

Getting ready to fly somewhere on spring break?

Do you know the latest rules for air travelers? Are nail clippers legal? Will they take away your shaving cream? Will you have to remove your shoes and expose your feet to the world? Click on the blue title above to see the latest government rules.