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.

Congress Contemplates Facebook & MySpace Ban for Minors

"MySpace and other social-networking sites like LiveJournal.com and Facebook are the potential targets for a proposed federal law that would effectively require most schools and libraries to render those Web sites inaccessible to minors, an age group that includes some of the category's most ardent users." (C|Net News) Read more ...

Library Intersession Hours Begin Thursday, May 11

Library intersession hours begin on Thursday, May 11. The Al Harris Library will be open from 8am - 5pm Monday through Friday and closed on weekends. For the complete intersession schedule see the library hours page.

Kerr vs. Schulz Election Results

The unofficial results of the May 9th special general election for Oklahoma State Senate District 38 are posted on the Oklahoma State Election Board's web site. The results show Schulz with 56.8% to Kerr's 43.2% with all precincts reporting.

Spring Forward, Pass Finals, Proceed Directly to Summer

Don't leave your A to chance--study at the library!

During finals week, the Al Harris Library is monopolizing your time with fun activities in the library. Select a Chance card from the Circulation Desk and see what awaits you! In the basement, fill out a card for the Community Chest bulletinboard and tell us where you plan to spend your summer vacation.

From 8:00 to 11:00pm on May 3, 4, 7, and 8, the Library Basement will offer a fun atmosphere that will include free food and drinks, board games and space for students to socialize and relax from studying.

Good luck to everyone taking finals and enjoy your summer break!

Cinco de Mayo

Many Americans believe that Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Independence Day. However, Mexico declared it's independence from Spain on midnight, September 15, 1810.

Some Americans might also be surprised to learn that during America's Civil War, France claimed Mexico under the pretext of unpaid loans by Benito Juarez. After the French army invaded Mexico, Napoleon III set up an Austrian prince named Maximilian to rule Mexico. You can still find Mexican coins with Maximilian's portrait. The one above (cast in solid gold) was found on ebay.

The French foreign legion left the port city of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west. The French assumed that Mexico would surrender once their capital was seized. The Mexican militia totaled 4,000 and the French were estimated to be from 6,500 to 8,000. The date was May 5, 1862 and this battle was fought in Puebla, Mexico which is located 100 miles east of Mexico City.

Colonel Diaz lead the Mexican calvalry out to the flanks of the French. The French sent their calvary off to chase Diaz and his men through stampeding cattle in thick mud. The result was that the French were defeated in a great victory for Mexico. Napoleon III brought in more reinforements and the war lasted longer, but this battle victory brought unity to Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of that battle in Puebla 144 years ago and is also a yearly celebration of Liberty in Mexico. It is celebrated both in Mexico and the United States wherever Mexican-Americans reside. Festivities consisist of parades, music, folklore, dancing, and food. See our Cinco de Mayo book display at the Al Harris Library this week!

Hispanic-Latino Heritage Week at SWOSU is also from May 1-5.