We're nearing a holiday that's a very important celebration in the United States; it's El Día de la Batalla de Puebla, or as Americans call it, Cinco de Mayo. The Battle of Puebla's not a big holiday in Mexico; it's a government holiday only in the states of Puebla and Veracruz-- it's not a Federal holiday in Mexico.

In the United States, however, Cinco de Mayo is a BIG holiday. Huge. !Una gran fiesta! It's a great reason to hang papel picado, play conjunto norteño and eat Mexican-style food. Mexican American communities in the United States have been celebrating Cinco de Mayo since the 1860s, when Zaragoza and the Mexican Army beat Maximilian's French soldiers back to retreat. The holiday has become a great day to celebrate our rich Mexican heritage in this country. In fact, on June 7, 2005, Congress asked the President to issue a proclamation "...recognizing that struggle and calling upon the people of the United States to observe Cinco de Mayo with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

So to commemorate this great holiday and the great contributions of Mexican culture to our culture, GPO would like to highlight a few of the many Spanish language publications it sells and distributes to Federal Depository libraries. 

Being a police officer is a dangerous job. The officer's family members worry every day that she or he will be safe while on duty. A police officer's retirement party is a happier occasion than any other professional retirement: not only has the officer concluded a successful career, but the officer has also survived--it is a lucky day, since police officers do put their lives on the line every day. We celebrate National Law Enforcement Week every May to honor the work of law enforcement officers and to honor the sacrifices of officers who have fallen in the line of duty in the previous year. GPO would like to honor the day as well, by discussing two recent titles that deal with the dangerous careers of law enforcement officials.

To learn more about the dangerous careers of law enforcement officers, read Police Leadership Challenges in a Changing World  and 2011: The FBI Story. The former title discusses the difficult issues relating to integrating a new generation of recruits into the force of established officers. Traditionally, police organizations foster a "paramilitary culture and industrial-type bureaucracy". Younger officers come from a generation used to a more dynamic environment, in part due to their experiences of growing up in the Web generation. Police management staff will need to learn to adjust to these different experiences of the younger recruits and learn how to exploit their skill set and strengths for the organization. Communication and a tight-knit team are key requirements for successful police work. Police leaders will have considerable issues that they can turn into significant resources with some thoughtful adaptation of older and younger officers' working styles.

As Asian American and Pacific Islander American month kicks off, and the anniversary of WWII's VE-Day approaches (May 8), it's a good time to talk about a major contribution of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. The book Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During WWII is an excellent starting point to examine that history. When the United States entered WWII in 1941, the War Department knew that their intelligence efforts would not be successful without understanding of Japanese language and culture. However, few Americans other than the 300,000 or so Japanese Americans living mainly on the West Coast and Hawai'i had such knowledge. The War Department tapped the talents and skills of the Nisei (second generation) Japanese Americans. The Western Defense Command chose sixty Nisei soldiers for Japanese language training at the Fourth Army Intelligence School at the Presidio in San Francisco. The school moved to the Midwest after Pearl Harbor, first locating it in Camp Savage and later in Fort Snelling. The program, renamed the Military Intelligence Service Language School, ran until 1946. Nearly six thousand military linguists graduated from the school to enter the Military Intelligence Service (MIS).

Earth Day was yesterday, April 22 and Arbor Day is Friday, April 26; this week is the perfect time to do something to help a tree grow or plant something new and celebrate the miracle of spring. If there are little ones in your life--children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews of friends of kids that you love-- it's a good time to teach them to love trees, plants, and flowers more too. 

The best way to get children to appreciate nature is to take them outdoors-- and "according to the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan children in the U.S. spend 50% less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago." To counter the initial cries of "I want TV", however, it helps to give kids directed activities when they go outside.

Sadly, most adults in this country can remember some disaster or tragedy that's happened to them or one of their loved ones in recent history. Most people in my office have their own exit strategy story from 9/11. We all recall how we tried to cope, and we feel deep sympathy for fellow citizens in similar situations.

After the horrific events at the Boston Marathon this past Monday, many Americans are again in the unfortunate position of needing assistance in the face of life-changing events. Your Federal Government is here to help. The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH), is, in the words of their own staff, 

"...the first 24/7, year-round national crisis hotline exclusively dedicated to providing free, immediate and confidential crisis counseling and support to people in distress related to any natural or man-made disaster, such as the explosions in Boston. We offer this counseling 24/7/365 through phone (1-800-985-5990) and through SMS/text messaging (text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746) -- and DDH is for those affected, family members and loved ones, as well as for responders."