The Itinerant Librarian

Signs that the economy is bad, January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T14:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to another Friday here at The Itinerant Librarian and another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad." This is the semi-regular segment (as in when there are news worthy of the segment, and I have time to pull this together) in the blog where I scour the world (ok, mostly catch items from my feed reader and look over some news site) to bring my four readers those oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is bad. Not too many this week, but here we go.

This item is a small leftover from the just finished holiday season. More people are returning more items they purchased. This past holiday season, things were so bad that a lot of people bought presents, and even before wrapping them, were already returning them to get cash back. Hey, those bills don't pay themselves, and if things are tight, it seems you need to find cash someplace. Those gifts that are not so essential after all represent that cash the people can use now. For retailers, this is not good neither. Via MSNBC.
Supermarkets are now more interested in those people on food stamps. Yes, things are hard. More people are getting food stamps and food assistance from the government. For the grocery stores and discount stores that means one thing: cha-ching. Sure, right wingers, Republicans and tea baggers may bitch and moan about those poor people on food stamps, but hey, for the supermarkets and grocery stores, those poor people bring in money, and may even help create jobs. I know somewhere in there you can find some irony. Via Bizmology.
Public college and universities are outsourcing the building, and often the maintenance, of their college dorms to save a few bucks. However, according to the article, the savings may be short term, if at all. Via The New York Times.

Reading about the reading life, January 20, 2011

2012-01-20T10:24:00.000-06:00

Just another small round-up of stories on things about reading and readers that I have found interesting. I read some of these a while back, but I did not get around to sharing them until now. As the saying goes, life (really) does trump blogging.

Aside from my native fluency in Spanish, and a very small barely working knowledge of French, I can't read in foreign languages. Thus, I am a reader who has to rely on translations if I want to read works from around the world. If I had unlimited time and wealth, going back to school to learn a few more languages, plus maybe spending some time abroad to immerse, would be my dream. In the meantime as I said, I have to look for translations for stuff I can't read in the original. I found this small piece about Indian publisher Seagull of interest. What they do is buy the English world rights for works and then translate them. From there, they then work to sell them in and out of India; University of Chicago distributes them in the U.S. Anyhow, the article also has some interesting tidbits about how the translation process works. Via Publishing Perspectives.
Here is a piece about the bestsellers in South America, specifically Chile and Argentina. The piece gives a small annotated list of titles and it briefly discusses a bit about the reading habits of both countries. From Chile, El escritor de epitafios by Hernán Rivera Letelier (The writer of epitaphs) sounds interesting to me. Unfortunately, according the WorldCat, which I used to get the book record, there are not too many places nearby that have the book for me to borrow. It may be a while before I get to it. Story via Publishing Perspectives.
The Icelandic book market has some interesting quirks and issues. Well, they seem a bit quirky to me, but in reality a lot of it is a reflection of Iceland being a small nation with a small population, and a small, very educated population at that. This item on the article's list caught my eye" Intellectualism is not a dirty word." Clearly very unlike the United States where more often than not Americans from the United States often take pride on their lack of erudition or just not being informed at the very least. If you are an intellectual in the United States, you are often seen as some academic egghead or a snob. Icelanders, while they may have other defects as the author mentions, do not have a problem with intellectuals. In fact, "erudition isn't considered to be a sign of elitism and snobbery but of education and intelligence." It sounds like it might be a good place to be a librarian. Via The Bookseller.
Holy shit! Apparently there is a problem in Pakistan with students and other lower class people wanting to read "unethical, obscene and immoral literature." Gosh, they make it sound like it's such a bad thing that people may want to read some books. In other words, they are going through one of those "let's blame books and magazines for any social ills-real or perceived" stage. Favorite line from the article, in referring to these books, "give rise to many gender related issues in our society." Translation: folks may get ideas that sex and such could be fun, and lo and behold, heaven forbid if women read these, they may get uppity and kick our collective patriarchal asses. If nothing else, the books are competitively priced, so if you are in Pakistan, make a bee line for the bus stops. Via Daily Times (Pakistan). A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.
Joshua Kim at Inside Higher Ed has "8 Techie Ideas to Read More Books." The article does focus on reading more books, thus he does suggest going a bit lighter on magazines and newspapers, which are also forms of reading as far as I am concerned. The suggestions on online social media use and sharing what you are reading more are good. I certainly try to share what I read and comment on it, which I mostly do via my GoodReads page. These days, I will review or comment on a book more extensively in the blog if I took notes out of it or think it really is something I want to get my two readers to read. Otherwise, my GoodReads profile works out fine.

Booknote: Glazed America

2012-01-12T12:37:00.000-06:00

I am going to try a bit more to share reviews of books I think may be of interest to my four readers, or just books that I think are worth sharing with others a bit more. So, here is my short review of Glazed America as I posted it on GoodReads. I am sharing this one because I did find it interesting overall. Also, it seemed like something good to read given that East Texas pretty much as a doughnut shop in every corner, and no, that may not be a good thing. In addition, I was finishing up the book just as I heard stories reported on Dunkin Donuts expanding (link here to Huffington Post, but it has been reported in other places). It was kind of neat to be reading something related to a news story.

Glazed America: A Social History of the Doughnut by Paul R. Mullins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book, but it did have some repetitive moments. It was the repetition at times that made me give it three stars instead of four. In some ways, this read like an extended series of magazine articles. Now, leaving that out of the way, it is a pretty interesting book. The book does a few things. It gives a history of doughnuts and especially of doughnut shops in the U.S. Though there is a bit focus on the chains (Dunkin', Tim Hortons, and Krispy Kreme), there is discussion of independents and their role in that history. The book also gives a look at the social role that doughnuts play in American society from being served in church functions and in office settings to the shops being one of the few hangouts teens have given they are too young to drink. Third, it looks at the morality and ambivalence of feelings that doughnuts generate. Are they comfort food? Are they the devil incarnate when it comes to diet and food discipline? Something else? Why are they so appealing and yet so reviled depending on who you ask? The author does a pretty good job of conveying this conflict. And finally, there are also bits and pieces of the economic dynamics involved in the doughnut business from marketing to image. When you think about it, the book does cover an awful lot in a little volume, thus if you like microhistories, you will probably find this one interesting. And if nothing else, well, it is a pretty short read.

View all my reviews

My Reading List for 2011 is up

2012-01-08T16:27:00.000-06:00

Feel free to visit The Gypsy Librarian to see my summary and reading list for 2011.

Holiday Post: What the heck happened in 2011? Or, a last look before we go on with 2012

2012-01-01T19:55:00.001-06:00

Starting a new year seems to invite all sorts of looking back, reflections, and remembering the past year. I would like to think we do that, in part, in order to learn to avoid the mistakes of the past. That may be a bit too optimistic on my part. People being people, they do repeat mistakes left and right in a fairly consistent fashion. Still, it can be fun to have a look back and get a laugh or two now and then. So, here is my roundup of links about things from the past year. I will try to steer clear of the usual as much as possible, looking for the more quirky things. As I often do, these are offered with some of my thoughts and snark.

The News: How Much Do You Remember?

Whether you paid attention or not 2011 did have a lot of stuff in the news going on. There were big events and there were some not so big ones. How many do you actually remember? Try your hand at one of these quizzes and see how aware and informed or not you were this past year? So, if you think you are mostly over your hangover, take a crack at these.

Spiegel looks at "News You May Have Missed in 2011."
The Daily Beast has "10 Questions on the Newsmakers of 2011."They also have a more general quiz on 2011 News.

The News: Summaries

OK, so maybe you did not do so well in the quizzes. Maybe you did your best to forget 2011, and who can blame you. It was a messed up year in many ways. So, to help you remember, here are some news summaries.

Mark Fiore summarizes for us "The Year in Crazy." With his animation, I think you won't be needing CNN or the usual folks to remember what happened last year.
Now, you can go to one of those big networks or websites and get a summary of the usual news. Miss Cellania over at Mental Floss, on the other hand, will give you a list of "Top 20 Weird News Stories of 2011." Let's be honest, these stories are more fun to read. I think the horse herpes one is my favorite from this list.
Via The New Yorker, "The Most Overhyped Political Stories of 2011." If you have to look at politics, here ya go.
Via Scientific American, here are "The Top 10 Science Stories of 2011."
The ACLU posts on their blog a small summary of the year in terms of civil liberties. This is worth a look given it is the kind of thing that often slips under the radar.
For something different, The Guardian has a photo set of news events, in Legos.
Not all news are serious and depressing. Here are "The 50 Funniest Headlines of 2011." Via BuzzFeed.
Via Treehugger, here are weird animal stories of the year.
2011 was a big year of protests from the Arab Spring to the Occupy Movement. Here are then "The 40 Best Protest Signs of 2011." There are some very good ones here. Via BuzzFeed.
Pundit Kitchen points to a pretty good summary of the news. The video does have some language, so there is your warning.
As we know, a lot of people get their information from Google. So here is a roundup video of top searches in the search engine for last year. Via Free Technology for Teachers.
And finally for news, since I am a librarian, I have to include an obligatory list of stuff with specific appeal to librarians, lest I lose my cred as a librarian "who keeps up." My three readers would not believe how the "keeping up" thing is such a big deal in librarianship (even if a lot of librarians actually fail miserably at it, including probably one or two in hiring committees who, ironically, ask candidates how they keep up. Yes, I have seen that happen). At any rate, via LISNews, "Ten Stories that Shaped 2011."

Deaths

It is always obligatory to look at those we lost in the past year. So, here are some lists of those we lost this year.

Bizmology summarizes the 2011 losses in the retail industry. What? Corporations are people now according to the U.S. Supreme Court (in one of their less than brilliant decisions), so this list belongs here. The only loss I would mourn here is Borders. They always had a much better selection than Barnes & Noble (at least the local one), especially in things like manga as they brought in titles the whimpy local B&N would never dream of stocking (probably due to certain local pressures). Granted, I had to go out of town to visit Borders, but it was usually worth it.
This one is certainly open to argument and comment, but Xfinity has a list of jobs that died in 2011. Some may be moribund, but the writing is in the wall. Hat tip to mikeroweworks.
Most of the death lists focus on the famous people. You can go find those lists someplace else. Here are "10 Not-so-famous People We Lost in 2011." Personally, I find these lists more interesting. Via Mental Floss.

Pop Culture

A lot happened in pop culture as well. Some of it was good, and some of it was not so much.

Via AlterNet, we get "10 Pop Monstrosities That Almost Destroyed Our Culture in 2011." In the case of one or two of the list items, I think our culture has already been destroyed, razed to the ground, and then lit on fire so nothing can grow afterward. Case in point is the TLC atrocity known as "Toddlers and Tiaras." Why the hell child services agencies have not raided them, taken all the children away, and put their breeders in prison for child abuse is something I do not understand. Why people insist on watching it is even more puzzling as they are just enabling child abuse. Let's be honest, if no one watched it, there would be no advertisers, and the show would be off the air. So yes, those who keep it on the air help the problem.
Not all is bad. There is nothing that cute cats cannot fix. So, here are "The 30 Most Important Cats of 2011." Via BuzzFeed.
And just because I think animal photos are neat, here are 50 more. I like the one of the workers in panda suits working the panda cub. Via BuzzFeed.

Pop Culture: Film

As my three readers know, I do not go to movie theaters any more. I watch my movies on DVD at home when I feel like it. It's not that I dislike cinema. I am very picky about what I do like to watch, plus I do not care much for the modern theater going experience. Anyhow, here are some things on film.

The Daily Beast brings together a couple of critics to banter and chat about their best and worst movies. To be honest, I think most of their "best" kind of suck, but their interaction was amusing to watch. The guy who likes the Twilight flick needs to not just turn in his "man card," he may need a lobotomy if he wants to keep his cred as a movie critic.
The AV Club offers their list of the "Worst Films of 2011." Lists like these just reaffirm my desire to stay far away from a movie theater.
John Scalzi gives a nice overview of science fiction films in 2011 over at Filmcritic.com.

Pop Culture: Television

Television stuff. I am not a big television watcher aside from a few shows and things I like. I don't really watch many dramas with any regularity, and I am getting to the point that for series, I prefer to wait for the DVD to come out, then rent or buy, and watch it on a sitting or two. I am not one of those snobs who say they don't have a TV. I do watch it, but it is mostly light things. Anything that requires a lot of attention I tend to like getting the package as stated. My other issue tends to be things like seasons ending at odd times (that bullshit of a mid-season finale The Walking Dead pulled is an example. The stunt was b.s.; the episode was fine, albeit a bit predictable), reschedules (say because some sports season starts, and they move a show), and the incessant commercials. But I do keep enough awareness to know what shows are on and if they are good or not so I can find them later. I do like TV shows (some); I just don't always like having to watch them on TV. Anyhow, a few things on television.

From The Daily Beast, their opinion on best and worse TV shows of 2011. There are a few things here I have watched now and then and liked. A few others I have not seen, but they seem interesting enough to get the DVD later. And some others that I honestly do not give a shit no matter how much my friends gush over them. From the list I have watched and liked Sons of Anarchy (though have not kept up with it recently). They mentioned Hell on Wheels, which I started watching, but it is not really growing on me. Not sure I may keep up with it. From the list, Boardwalk Empire may be the only one I would look up sometime later. I did try watching The Killing, but I hated it. I overall hate slow, slogging shows, and The Killing was slower than dripping molasses (and not in a good way).
Now for the most part, commercials tend to suck. But once in a blue moon, something creative comes along which is amusing (at least til television stations drive it to the ground by showing it every five minutes). Via Stash Magazine, their videos on best ads for TV and cinema for the year. A hat tip to Adweek.
Adweek also presents the 30 Freakiest Ads of the year.

Pop Culture: Music

This is an area I do not follow as much. I follow just enough to be aware. Take a stroll of what the year offered in terms of music, maybe find a suggestion or two of something new to listen to as well.

Nerve offers their "15 Best Albums of 2011."
Here is Blogcritics list of the best albums of 2011.
Dangerous Minds presents "a highly subjective mix of some of the best music of 2011." Go ahead and listen.

Reading and books

This would not the blog of a librarian if I did not offer things about books and reading. There was a good amount of neat things happening in the world of books and reading. Plus, this may give you some ideas of things to read in the upcoming year.

IO9 presents their list of "The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Comics of 2011."
GOOD offers their list of GOOD Books 2011. These are not necessarily books that came out in 2011, but it is a list of what they see as good. From their list, I've read Among the Thugs, and I was fortunate enough to see it staged in Chicago back when I was in graduate school. The stage version of it is worth seeing if you get the chance. I have also read The Walking Dead series, which I do recommend if you like the zombie genre.
Via Longreads, the editors of Mental Floss pick out some favorite long articles to read that may be of interest.
Katherine Dacey, the Manga Critic, picks out the best manga of 2011.She also provides a helpful 2011 Manga Hall of Shame, which has the stuff to avoid.
From the blog Arabic Literature (in English), here is a best of Arabic Lit in English list. Want to find something different to read, here are some ideas then.

Asshattery and stupidity

Yep, 2011 was a fine year for asshats and stupid people overall. Here are some fine examples.

The Texas Freedom Network always puts together their list of quotes by various stupid people and asshats. A lot of it is focused on Texas, but there are a few national ones too. Here is the Islamophobia list, and here is the bashing gays list. You can visit their blog for other lists.
Via AlterNet, here are "The 10 Most Ridiculous Right-Wing Outrages of 2011." I am sure that I notice this kind of nonsense more because I live in East Texas, where asshats like Leo Berman (our local state representative) and Louie Gohmert (our Congressman) thrive as they keep getting elected by the locals who take great pride in their right winger fundie way of life. Plus there is that thing called the GOP primaries going on that amplifies it. So, there is the War on Christmas (TM) and nine other stupid non-stories the Right Wing wanted to peddle.
And speaking of the GOP primary, the GOP hopefuls and not-so-hopefuls did say some very stupid things this year. Why anyone votes for these people is beyond me, though I am guessing most of them are just as dumb as the politicians they favor. And by the way, the Democrats have their dumbasses as well. Here is the Democrats' compilation of stupidity. Via BuzzFeed.
Asshats for some reason tend to like Fox News as a source. Of course, calling Fox News a "source" when it comes to news is an insult to the concept of news source. I guess right wingers and asshats need to get "news" that reaffirm their warped and ignorant worldview, so Fox News stays in business. If you missed it, here are "The 45 Worst Fox News Moments of 2011." I am sure the list could be bigger. Via BuzzFeed. C'mon, can you really take seriously a broadcaster that rails over Spongebob Squarepants, makes a fuss because President Obama was not wearing a tie in one instance, and accuses Sesame Street of being a danger to the nation? I will be blunt: if Fox News is your go to news "source," I will not have a good opinion of you unless you are a fact checker for a legitimate news organization or you work for The Daily Show.
Then there are the pathetic and just funny asshats. These are the ones often seen in the First World Problems meme. The site White Whine collects these, and here are their most viewed white whines for the year.
This needs little explanation Via Jezebel, "The Year in Dicks." Basically guys who did their best to be jerks and lower my faith in humanity. As they point out, Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant coach, deserves to be on the list, but so do the mofo students who rioted when Paterno was fired for helping cover Sandusky's crimes. I sincerely hope that those students, when potential employers find out their actions, decline to employ them because rooting for a guy who enabled child abuse is the trait employers should embrace. See what other jerks shined this past year.
Jezebel also looks at "The Year in Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and General Fuckery."

A Few Neat Things Mostly for Adults (may be NSFW)

And to wrap, a thing or two that may not be for the kiddies. Yes, I do enjoy adult entertainment in various forms, as does the Better Half. And I am sure some out there do as well, so this one is for you perverts out there. If you are easily offended, repressed, your sky fairy tells you not to read this, etc., you can stop reading here now. If you like taking a walk on the naughty side, please proceed.

Let us have a look at some "Pervy World Records Broken in 2011." These may not be hard NSFW, but some sensitive people may want to avoid anyhow. Via BuzzFeed.
IO9 gives us "The Year in NSFW." Who knew there was such a thing as Sasquatch Porn? Also some links to nice pin ups and other risque things I find cool.
Fleshbot has their "This Year in Flesh: 2011 Review." A roundup of all sorts of things in porn and adult amusements. (This is definitely NSFW in case you did not read the warning above). I've got to check out that Star Trek TNG parody. Their "Year in Review" tag has other items of interest.
Violet Blue, writing for ZDNet, gives us "2011's Top Ten Sex and Tech Headlines."
In her blog, Violet Blue gives us a list of "The Top 12 Sex Books of 2011." There is a little bit of everything here.
Em & Lo list the top ten sex scandals of the year.

May the new year bring you peace, happiness, and many other good things.

Signs the economy is bad, December 30, 2011

2011-12-31T11:48:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the last post in the semi-regular (as in I do it when I feel like it and/or find the time) feature "Signs the economy is bad" for 2011. Things have not gotten better, and from the looks of it, they may not get better anytime soon. This means that I may be doing this feature in 2012 as well keeping my three readers informed of the oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is bad. Any pundit can point at some chart and say the recession is over (as if), say unemployment numbers are better (but he probably does not count the underemployed or those who just gave up on looking or just ran out of unemployment benefits), but it takes someone with some time to kill once in a while to go out and find the not so obvious things that tell the real story. So, here we go.

Apparently more women, especially mothers, are taking more phone sex operator jobs to make ends meet. We are not talking "MILFs" so to speak, but your average soccer mom that you would never imagine as working a phone sex line. Now personally, I have no problem with the line of work. If someone wants to pay a woman to have some sexy talk, and she agrees to provide it for a mutually agreed upon fee, that's a market. But the point is that more women who would rather work more "mainstream" work feel this is their only option to get a little extra money for their families. And that does make a comment on the bad economy. Via Jezebel.
I have seen this story in a couple of places, including this one at Bizmology. Dollar Stores and Pawn Shops are doing very well in the bad economy. It makes perfect sense. Salaries have been stagnant, and in some cases, shrinking, which means less buying power for people. And that is assuming people still have a job to earn a paycheck. People may have had reservations about pawn shops, but it looks like they are overcoming them, plus the shops are working to improve their image and be more welcoming.
And speaking of pawn shops, this is just a sad story. Personally, I do not think this kind of thing should be happening in the U.S., especially with how supposedly patriotic Americans are and all about "supporting the troops." More often than not, those Americans are a lot like pro-lifers. They are all about caring for the fetus or whatever it is before it is born. But once born, they are very happy to deny the actual baby any form of health care or safety and care. Same thing with soldiers. While enlisted and wearing the uniform, it is all "rah rah" and "support the troops" and "thank you for your service." When they become veterans, Americans mostly forget about their former soldiers, especially if they are wounded (physically, or more often, mentally, which is harder to see). Thus we get stories like this. In this story, a soldier in need has to pawn his Purple Heart medal to pay for Christmas. Story via The Huffington Post. Actually, this story is even worse since it was a soldier on leave. So, bad enough the nation barely takes care of its vets, they can't even pay them decently enough to meet their needs while enlisted. Of course, I would recommend not bothering with reading the comments. There are a lot of the usual judgmental, non-charitable asshats judging the poor guy. As if they knew. Hat tip to mikeroweWORKS.(On updates, it seems he did manage to pay off the pawn loan).
Just in time for Christmas, there is a shortage of Frankincense. Apparently, it is made from the sap of a rare tree that growers are choosing to grow less because it may be more lucrative to use the land for something else. At least, that is one of the reasons. Via Jezebel.
Movie studios are not doing well, according to this article from Bizmology. The article gives a lot of the usual excuses: competition from other technologies, glut in some film genres, star power not what it used to be, reliance on sequels. However, in the end, I don't think we need pundits and geniuses. Allow me to tell you what I think are reasons movie studios are not doing well: 1) Movies that people do not want to see because, let's be blunt, they suck. It does not matter how many strong or famous stars you put in your movie. Harrison Ford or anyone else can only do so much to save a crappy movie, even a movie with what may seem a good premise (Cowboys and Aliens does make a good premise, but hey if the movie sucks, no one will want to see it). 2) Simple economics. Going to a movie theater is an expensive proposition. Tickets ranging to ten bucks or so per person. Add the overpriced concessions, and this can rival going out for a five star meal at any swanky restaurant. I do feel pity for families who feel a need to take their whiny kids to see the latest crappy animated sequel in the theater. At the end of the day, money only goes so far, and as we have mentioned before, with stagnant salaries, job losses, a night at the movies is not a priority. This should be a no-brainer. 3) Going to a movie theater is often an unpleasant experience full of selfish assholes who have to talk during the movie, yak on their cellphones, or otherwise ruin it for everyone else. When you have that combined with the big sticker price, you pretty much skip the theater. 4) This I am guessing, but nowadays you can get any movie on DVD/Blue Ray fairly quick. Even with any restrictions studios put into getting the movies out, it is still relatively quick, and unless you are one of those freaks who just can't wait, you can get anything on Netflix/your preferred online service or rent it shortly after. So, why not stay home, rent the movie, make your own popcorn, and relax in that big screen TV and set-up you have at home? Just a thought.
However, not all is bad in the economy. There is one sector in the economy that may be doing well if this story is any indication, and that is the weapons production sector. Hey, war is always going on someplace, and there's money to be made in it. And of course, if you happen to be a big superpower (or former superpower depending who you ask) with interests (*cough* oil *cough) in a very dry part of the world, you want to make sure your allies have the weapons they need. Thus, "US finalizes sale of $30 billion fighter jets to Saudi Arabia." As my father says, "not to take the beans out of anybody's mouth," but give that some thought: the U.S. does keep the Saudis (who are as repressive and regressive as they come when it comes to regimes) pretty well armed. Why? Well, besides those interests (*cough* oil *cough*), "Production of the aircrafts, which will be manufactured by Boeing, will support 50,000 jobs and have a $3.5bn annual economic impact in the US, the White House said." It's economics. The folks at Boeing do have to eat like the rest of us. So, on the one hand, would be nice if the U.S. was not such a big weapons seller, but hey, what are you going to do with all the weapon makers if they lose their jobs? Serious food for thought there. Story via Common Dreams.

Holiday Post 2011: Traditions and basics

2011-12-23T12:42:00.001-06:00

I continue my semi-serious series of holiday posts for 2011. Today I am looking at some of the traditions and basics related to Christmas and the holiday season in general. These are mostly links to things I find amusing or a little thought provoking that relate to the season and its traditions.

Some thoughts on the so-called War on Christmas

This has become a theme in recent years, thanks in large part to loudmouthed right wing conservatives who like to wear their religion on their sleeves and play the victim card during the holidays. The fact that Fox News keeps enabling this nonsense does not help neither.

John Scalzi offers some interesting and thought provoking commentary in his post "Reminder: Tis the Season Not to be an Ass." I do agree with most of what he says, but I still think he may be a bit too passive. Let's be honest, given how some of those religious conservatives behave to those who may choose a different tradition, or none at all, once in a while, saying “take the symbols you cherish and shove them right up your ass" may be in order. They sure as hell do it to us, so I say turnaround is only fair. Personally, I would wish everyone would be civilized, but there are few moments when one has to stand up and fight fire with fire. These fake War on Christmas Christians (TM) behave like bullies, and bullies only learn when you toss it right back at them. At any rate, the post is worth reading because at the end of the day the season is more than just both sides behaving, well, like asses. In the end, I live by a very simple philosophy, live and let live.
Via the Texas Freedom Network, a look at "The Right's 'Plastic Indignation' over Christmas." The whole thing is worth reading, but here is a choice quote: "To say that Christians, particularly the conservative, evangelical, Republican kind, are oppressed is to insinuate that the Dallas Cowboys play in a cardboard shack."
This year, unfortunately, we are headed into an election year, and the campaigning has started early. Not even Santa is safe. The War on Christmas means that new candidates are rising to replace the jolly incumbent of the North Pole. Found at AdWeek, the video pokes good fun at both the War on Christmas and those pesky election ads.

The Christmas Tree and the Ornaments

Via Christmas Tree Market, here is a very nice infographic with a visual history of the Christmas tree.
Christmas lights are an important part of the season. Not only do we decorate the tree with lights, a lot of people often put a lot of work to put up lights on their houses. You have to buy them someplace. Via Retail Hell Underground, here is a vintage ad for Gay Christmas Lights.
You have to put ornaments on the Christmas tree. Most people go with those cute balls, or maybe they buy something fancy from Hallmark. But why do with the usual when you can put one of these "Monstrous Christmas Tree Ornaments"? Via Dangerous Minds.
Want more offbeat ornaments? Topless Robot presents "10 More Nerdy, Shameless Christmas Ornaments."
And even more tree ornaments. Now, these are "21 Upsetting Christmas Tree Ornaments." From really tacky to a little risque to just plain wrong, odds are good there is something here that will piss someone off. And what better way to have a holiday gathering than these conversation starters that have the potential to stir even more drama? Actually, there are one or two I would not mind putting on our tree. Via BuzzFeed.
How about decorating your cubicle or office? The Shoplet blog has some ideas for "a Cubicle Christmas." All you need are some supplies and a little imagination.
Duck tape (or duct tape) is pretty much something that works for just about anything. It is a versatile staple. You can even use it to make a tape wreath and a Christmas tree. Via Shoplet blog.
You know that somebody will burn down a Christmas tree, by accident or ignorance or neglect. There will likely be at least one news story related to someone who overloaded the electrical outlets or put a flame near a tree, resulting in some home burning down. Don't be that dumbass. Make sure things are safe. It is why we get to see some of those PSA's (public service announcements) about Christmas tree safety. Here is a sampling of those ads. Yes, they can be funny, but there is a serious point to be made. Via The Daily Beast.
More tree safety advice, this time from Reader's Digest.

The Big Man, a.k.a. Santa Claus

An item or two about the jolly fellow in the red suit.

Via Smithsonian, they had a vote on which Santa depiction is most scary. This has a pretty interesting image collection worth a look.
Kids always (if they celebrate Christmas) write letters to Santa. Have a look at a child's letter from 1911 versus a letter from 2011. Things have really changed. And here is a gallery with a few more sample children's letters to Santa. Both via BuzzFeed.

The Music

Yes, music is an important part of the holiday season.

Dangerous Minds shares an alternative music mix suggestion. The actual music list, by dj, writer and Voodoo practitioner Stephen Grasso, can be found here: "A Voodoo Christmas in South Northwood." Hey, a list that features Celia Cruz and La Sonora Matancera can't be bad.
Now if you prefer more traditional music, here are "the 19 Best Secular Christmas Songs." We are talking Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Eartha Kitt. Via BuzzFeed.
Getting a little chilly? The Calgary Philharmonic Chorus offers some tips on staying warm. Via BuzzFeed.
Via Nerve.com, here are "Five Christmas Songs That Don't Suck." They also include a nice Spotify song list. Besides, I am sure some folks out there have had the same thought the folks at Nerve.com have had: "Christmas music is absurd. What if every holiday was celebrated with music dedicated to it that began a month in advance, played in all major stores and public places?" Yes, we get the bombardment nice and early, and it keeps getting worse. So, listen to something different for a change.

Greeting Cards

I hope everyone got their holiday greeting cards out by now.

Ad agencies, like many businesses, make holiday greetings that serve not just as a wish of goodwill for the holidays but as promotional tools. Some are good, others not so much. Here are the "Best and Worst Agency Holiday Cards of 2011." Via AdWeek.
Via Mashable, here are "12 Fun Holiday Cards for Geeky Season's Greetings." I think the geek in your life will appreciate these.

The Parties and gatherings

For many people, getting invited to Christmas parties is a big deal or at least a common occurrence. I would not know as I am not that popular, haha. Now, you may get invited to an event that you do not really share. By this I mean, you could get invited to a Christmas party with a lot of religious Christian elements, and you don't believe in nor celebrate Christmas (you celebrate something else, celebrate Christmas in a more secular way, or nothing at all). Yet, you feel the polite need to attend. I don't think this gets considered very often, so I found this advice on "How to Attend a Holiday Party When the Holiday's Not Yours" helpful. Via Jezebel.
Are you going to an office or workplace party? Via Grub Street, "how drunk can you get at your office Christmas party?" This is applicable to place where the workplace may be cool enough to actually have some alcohol on premises. In other words, not applicable to my workplace.
This is not really a Christmas piece, but I think it is worth a look. Whether you are eating out or at home, table manners are important. Here are some reminders on "How to Be Polite at the Table" from Reader's Digest.

Food and drinks

Whether you go to a party, host one yourself, or are just going to spend some quiet time at home, odds are good there will be some good food and drinks. Here are some ideas and things of interest related to eating and drinking. Remember that if you choose to drink alcohol, please do so in moderation.

The Intoxicated Zodiac blog has some offerings of cocktail recipes for the 12 days of Christmas based on your zodiac sign. I have to admit this is an interesting and different take on the usual holiday cocktails. The Capricorn cocktail (my sign) does seem a bit heavy on the sweetness (it uses molasses), but hey, I am willing to try anything once. The Better Half is a Libra, and her cocktail does look perfect.
Liquor.com offers some cocktail suggestions and some links for various cookie and treat recipes. Hey, you need to have something to go with those drinks. They also offer some helpful tips for making eggnog.
Drinkhacker offers some rum recipes, including a recipe for Coquito, which they label as the "Puerto Rican eggnog." I suppose that is a close description. If you have never tried coquito, find a Puerto Rican friend to make you some, or try the recipe provided. You probably want to be a bit more generous with the rum than the recipe calls for, especially if you are serving it to Puerto Rican friends. We like our coquito very loaded.
Here is a recipe if you wish to make prime rib for the holiday dinner. However, it does come from Holy Taco, so naturally, it also goes over how the dinner scene itself might go. You know this is not the usual recipe when one of the ingredients includes "an almost inhuman level of tolerance for your family’s inane bullshit." Sounds like Christmas gathering at some folks' homes I know.

Reflection and thought(fulness)

The holiday season is one that invites reflection. Whether you are religious or secular, this time of year is often one that invites people to take stock of the past year and reflect on what may come ahead. Also, this is a time of year to be thoughtful of others.

Via the Anecdote blog, "May your Festive Season Be Filled With Stories." Here are some small questions and prompts to help you out a bit as your reflect. There is some stuff here for Christmas and some for the New Year's celebration.
This I found interesting, and I hope it may be useful to some folks if they face this situation. From Salon, "How to talk to someone with cancer." I think much of the advice is very good when dealing with any terminal or grave disease or health condition situation.
The holidays can be a time of stress, and there can be unique sitations. Reader's Digest has some "Commonsense Advice for the Holidays." Some very curious situations here with suggestions on how to be thoughtful and considerate.

Other Traditions and Items of Interest

Yes, Virginia, there are other celebrations going on during this time of year besides the predominant Christmas as envisioned by the Christians (who to be honest, stole it from the pagans anyhow). In addition, I am putting here anything else that does not fit in the categories above.

As of this writing, our Jewish friends are in the midst of celebrating Hanukkah, sometimes also spelled out as Chanukah. Here is a "Gentile's Guide to Chanukah" so you can get a basic idea of what that holiday means and its significance. It's a bit serious and a bit light in the tone, but it does get the basic information across. Via Addicting Info.
A bit more on Hanukkah. Mental Floss blog answers the question "Why do Jews Eat Potato Pancakes During Hanukkah?" Recipe is also included.
Even more on Hanukkah, some gentle reminders for everyone else, from Reader's Digest. For example, please do not call it "the Jewish Christmas."
USA.gov has a feature with various holiday tips from flying and going through airport security to healthy eating to dealing with your holiday lights. A hat tip to Lori's blog.
Most if not all college students are gone by now for the holiday break. Hopefully, they remembered to winterize their lives before they left. This article offers some reminders and tips of things to do before leaving campus. Very useful advice. Via Inside Higher Ed.
And this is from last year, but it is still cute. What if Mary, Joseph, and the Three Wise Men all had online social media? Video from YouTube.
I thought this was interesting and worth a look. A radical homemaker reclaims Christmas. So, is her family and her a pain in the ass (using her own words) or is this kind of more aware observance something viable others may consider? I will let my three readers decide. Via Yes Magazine.
Many of our African American friends will be celebrating Kwanzaa during this time. Learn a bit more with this primer. Via BeliefNet.
Our Pagan friends may be celebrating Yule, a.k.a. the Winter Solstice. I have to admit that finding some information on this to share with my readers was not easy. Search engines, particularly Google, show a slight (ok, more than slight) prejudice and tend to present more negative pieces about Pagans (the "expose," why Paganism is bad, Christianity is good variety of nonsense). But I have a few things to help folks learn a bit more about what our Pagan friends are up to this time of year. In addition to looking in BeliefNet, learn a bit about Winter Solstice here at Circle Sanctuary. And here is another article from Wicca.com. By the way, please keep in mind Paganism does take various forms, Wicca practice being one of those forms (though depending who you ask, Wiccans may say they are different from pagans. Pagans overall are a very diverse group). Now, being a pagan at this time of year, especially in the U.S., where Christmas (the Christian version or the secular version) are so predominant can be hard on our Pagan friends. To help them out, here is a small guide from WikiHow on "How to Celebrate Holidays as a Pagan Around Non Pagans." The article has some useful, practical advice.
Here we have "109 Cats Celebrating Christmas." Why? Hey, anything gets cuter if you put cats in it, regardless of where you stand on people dressing up their pets. Via BuzzFeed. The photo I used for this post comes from this gallery.

Regardless of what form your celebration takes, I would like to take this moment to wish friends and family, near and far, a happy and safe holiday. Whether it is Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Festivus (which is today), or just mellowing out with some eggnog and Christmas music, may you have some peace and rest.

Holiday Post 2011: The Shopping Extravanganza, or "What do you mean you are not done shopping yet?"

2011-12-22T11:50:00.003-06:00

Here we go with the next post in my small holiday series. Shopping is a big part of the holiday season. Whether you are in favor or against it, shopping and gifts are a big part of the holiday season. In this post, I would like to share with my three readers a few of the more amusing or unique gift ideas I have seen. Plus, since I am a nice guy, I will also throw in a few extras.

Commentary and advice on holiday shopping

People have all sorts of advice and suggestions on how to shop or how to make shopping easier. Some suggestions may be more helpful than others. Some even suggest maybe you should go easy on the shopping. After all, the season should be more than flashy presents.

Via USA.gov blog, "How to Avoid Online Shopping Fraud." Online shopping is extremely popular this year. So it is important to be savvy, informed, and protect yourself.
Sometimes you get a gift that is less than idea for you, but it may be perfect for somebody else. It may also be the case you are just on a tight budget, and you have some extra item laying about. Whatever the reason, you have decided to regift. Nothing wrong with regifting; many people do it. At least have the decency to put some thought into it. For the love of the deity of your choice, do not keep regifting that 20-year old fruitcake that was passed down from Nana. Barbara Pachter offers some very good advice and "7 Regifting Guidelines for the Holidays." As Ms. Pachter says, "you always want the receiver of the gift to feel valued."
OK, so you have bought your gifts. Now you need to wrap them up. Unless you pay someone to do it, you have to do it yourself. Need some advice on how to wrap gifts? Via The Next Web, here is a small video on "how to wrap your holiday gifts, perfectly." Now, if they had a video as well for how to wrap oddly-shaped gifts, that would be perfect indeed.
Perhaps you would like to give money to charity during this season. Boing Boing offers a pretty good "Charitable Giving Guide, 2011." It features some good, solid organizations that are deserving of your money, if you are so moved. You won't be seeing the "usual" suspects here. If you have a more progressive tendency, this is a very good list.
Maybe you want to go a different route and avoid the consumerism of the holidays. Leo Babauta, at Zen Habits, proposes the "no new gifts holiday challenge." This may not work for everyone, but it will certainly provoke some thought. And if you must do gifts, there are some alternatives suggested.
The Radical Vixen (warning: this is an adult content blog, but the post itself is not) writes about resisting the Christmas consumption, but if you must, consider a handmade gift, maybe made locally. I am finding interesting the wave of reaction against the consumerism, yet at the same time people do have the urge to shop. Personally, I lean to the middle. We do exchange some gifts, but we certainly do not go out of our budgets.
Whether you exchange gifts or choose some other alternative, the fact is that the Christmas season can be a time where greed and consumerism are at their worst. Bill Maher has a nice message on on just that point (link to YouTube video). It is not new, but it is certainly relevant. A hat tip to Addicting Info.
Odds are good you may meet one the "12 Shoppers of Christmas" when you are out and about. Maybe you are one yourself, or you recognize one of them in a gift giver. Via Work Fails.

Gifts for guys

This is mostly either gifts for men, which more often than not are usual fare for men (at least according to some folks. Really? Tools? No, I do not need nor desire a big set of Craftsman tools. However, a small, sturdy basic set of screwdrivers would be appreciated. See the difference?). Also can include gift lists focused on men (i.e. you are too dumb to figure out what to give your significant other? Let us help you)

Maxim magazine has their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide out. Joking aside, this list does feature some interesting choices, a lot of which I probably could not afford on a librarian's salary. So they have some $1 and under gifts too? I would skip those if I were you. There is such a thing as going too cheap.
And speaking of "guys needing help" (because you know your lady will be judging you on the basis of the gift you get), the Free4Him website has a small video on "Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Your Girlfriend." The only somewhat cute idea was the coupon idea, which is not terribly new. And I am guessing if you need an inexpensive idea for your boyfriend (because you are a guy who happens to like boys), you have to go someplace else. Overall, just another little video promoting the typical dating stereotypes. And by the way, I don't consider a Kindle to be particularly inexpensive.
COED Magazine has a "Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide 2011." C'mon, you know there are going to be some guys who leave things to the very last minute. One of the items on the list are Star Trek Starfleet Robes. Though they are suggesting it for guys (at least a guy is pictured wearing one in the article), I can tell you that if the Better Half got one of these, she would be in heaven. (Light warning: it is COED Magazine, so some site content could be risque for some folks. The post itself is pretty safe).
The Rifle (Paper Company) blog has a nice simple guide of gifts for men. The parking cards are an intriguing idea, but for me, I would want them with a bit more text than what they offer.

Gifts for gals

As the title says, these are gifts for women or list more focused on ladies.

It is a sad reality that women often need protection when going out. It is a harsh world out there, so whether they choose to carry a firearm or some spray like Mace, it does not mean they have to look drab doing it. Give the lady in your life a thoughtful gift that says you care for her safety as well as you care that she looks elegant while being safe with a pepper spray Swarovski crystals. Because nothing says personal protection like pepper spray with bling. Find the story at Jezebel. You can purchase the actual item at Guardian Girls. On a serious note, the Guardian Girls company does donate a portion of their proceeds to the Guardian Girls Foundation which is dedicated to helping end the cycle of violence against women. So, help your lady look good, feel safe, and help stamp out violence against women.
The Rifle (Paper Company) blog has a nice little post with "fail-proof gifts" for ladies.

Gifts for those who want to spice things up

This section is also known as the adult section. If you are prude, a bit more conservative, and/or offend easily, you can skip this section. If on the other hand, you enjoy sex and see it as a beautiful part of life, do read on.

My Sex Professor gives some advice for buying sex toys as Christmas presents. From learning about what materials a toy is made of (yes, that makes a difference) to what to buy for a man or a woman to suggestions of reputable stores, this is a very informative post.
Fleshbot offers their "Naughty and Non-Denominational Holiday Gift Guide." This is a selection of various adult items from books to toys to plates (yes plates. You will have to click on the link to find out more, if you are still reading this section).

Alcohol and Other Spirits

Want to imbibe this holiday season? Here are some ideas.

Want to give booze as a gift? A nice bottle of an alcoholic spirit is a pretty common gift. For the person in your life who enjoys a drink now and then, a good, well chosen bottle is certainly a good gift. Here are some ideas of gifts for booze lovers. This list from Jezebel has some interesting suggestions; some are certainly things I am not likely to see at the local liquor store one county over (did I mention I live in the "wettest" dry county in East Texas?). The one thing that really caught my eye, besides the Hudson Manhattan Rye, are the whiskey stones. What a brilliant little idea. You can chill your whiskey, or another other spirit for that matter I suppose, and not dilute it.
Liquor.com has a holiday gift guide for rum. Not perfect, since it makes no mention of any Puerto Rican rum, but it seems to have some interesting choices. At the risk of being heretical, I would be willing to try out one or two of their choices.They also have a holiday guide for scotch, and another one for tequila. I am not much of a scotch drinker, mostly due to lack of exposure and the fact I prefer wine as my drink of choice, but I would not turn a good bottle away of it if offered. As for tequila, which I do like, I tend to prefer mine at least reposado; añejo would be nicer. They also have a bourbon guide. From the bourbon list, I have tried and liked Woodford Reserve, but a little sip at a time. It is one to enjoy and take your time.
Drinkhacker has their "2011 Holiday Gift Guide." I do have to say a couple of the items are a bit on the pricey side, but it is interesting to see what they suggest.

Stuff for writers

This is basically stationery and other cool things that writers might like.

The Millions offers a list of "12 Holiday Holiday Gifts That Writers Will Actually Use." There are some nice ideas here besides the usual things like a nice blank journal book or a pen. Not that there is anything wrong with those, but once in a while, a little variety is nice. The only item I disagree with is the suggestion of getting the writer a pet. The 7th item on the list I think is very good--booze, coffee, and other stimulants. As they write, "find out what your friend likes to drink and buy a really nice version of that thing."
The Pen Addict provides his list of 2011 holiday favorites.
Stationery Review has its "Christmas Gift Guide 2011." From this list, the Star Wars limited edition moleskines would make me happy. They are definitely not something I would buy for myself. While I do buy nice journal books for my personal journaling, anything in the $20 dollar range is out of the question. But a guy can still dream. Now, some people would likely put these in some drawer and never open them. Not me. They would not be collector items; they would be put to work, even if for my banal meanderings that never make it to the blog.
The Well-Appointed Desk also presents a holiday gift guide.
Here is a gift guide from Pens, Paper, Ink...Whatever. Some very nice pens here.
No Pen Intended also has a nice gift guide with some nice pens, conveniently sorted out by price so you can find something in your price range. That glass dip pen looks great, but I would be afraid to break it if I had one. I probably should settle for a more solid pen.
Here is the guide from Pocket Blonde. From this list, I like the Lost Crates subscription idea.

Expensive stuff

The section of stuff I could not afford on a librarian's salary. Also for stuff that just makes you go, "holy shit, that costs how much?" You can also consider this section as a gift guide for the 1% folks.

Stolichnaya Vodka is coming out with a $3,000 bottle of vodka. If you happen to have some extra money laying around, this may be a good idea. Via Drinkhacker.
For the nerd or geek in your life, here are "10 Insanely Expensive Nerdy Holiday Gifts." Via Topless Robot.
You do not want to displease the god of the lavatory with an inferior toilet. Apparently, in Japan, some people do believe there is a toilet deity. So what better way to go to the bathroom in comfort and luxury while appeasing the gods than with a $130,000 toilet? Via The Next Web.
Some of these may be very pricey or not, but if you have one of those persnickety people on your list, maybe this selection of "Gifts for your 'Design Snob' Best Friend" might help. Via Jezebel.
Like stationery and office supplies? Willing to pay top dollar for them, say $300 dollars for a stapler? Barney's is your store then. Clearly, these are not office supplies for the hoi polloi. They are very nice though. Hat tip to the Shoplet blog.
This could go with the items on liquor, but I think it belongs here better. Liquor.com has a holiday gift guide for the high roller. It features a $3200 port. Wow!

Seriously weird and/or miscellaneous stuff

This is where I am putting stuff I just can't really put anywhere else.

Gifts for Old Folks. Yep, you have an older relative or friend (older here seems to be defined as at least qualified to join AARP), and you need some gift ideas. This list has some interesting selections ranging from neat to predictable to just tongue-in-cheek. By the way, if you are going with their suggestion of a case of wine, please get them something better than Kendall-Jackson. Not saying the old K-J is bad, just that there are better options. Story via Jezebel.
And here are some gifts for the kids. These are certainly not the usual things. Some neat things here actually. Via Jezebel.
This I thought was a nice, thoughtful article that should be shared. Via The New York Times, Mark Bittman offers some ideas on "gifts for non-cooks." I think even folks who can do a little cooking can gain benefit from this.
For the Star Wars geek in your life, these robes are brilliant. Via Failblog, who rates them a "win." Here is one place you can buy them. If somebody got me one of these, I'd be very happy.
Maybe you wish to give a present to a coworker (or you go stuck having to get something for one of those semi-obligatory exchange rituals). Here are some gift ideas for coworkers. Via Office Supply Geek.
For some people, the budget may be bad in terms of buying gifts. Your kid may have asked for a brand new X-Box or Playstation, but Santa can't afford it, and neither can you. So maybe you want to consider instead one of these "25 Knock Off Video Consoles for This Holiday Season." Via humor site Holy Taco. Small warning, the site does contain some links to some risque content (tame, but in other words, if a woman in a bikini or lingerie offends you, skip it).
Take a trip down memory lane with this list of 90's kid's Christmas presents.Via BuzzFeed.
A calendar is always a nice, stable, and safe gift. Just find out what themes, topics, art, etc. a person likes and get them a calendar that features that favorite thing they like. Now, if you want to go a bit off the beaten path, Mental Floss offers a list of "10 Strange and Wonderful 2012 Calendars." From the list, I favor the Ryanair calendar, but that's me.
Are you a conspiracy theorist? Do you wish your children would begin learning "the truth" earlier? Or you just have a healthy (somewhat twisted) sense of humor. Then Truther Toys may be for you. A hat tip to Buzz Feed.
Is your mom a modern woman who smokes? Give her a Zippo lighter. This is a look at a vintage ad for Zippos targeting mothers. An interesting artifact from the past. Via Boing Boing. Joking aside, Zippo does make some pretty good lighters. If you do want to buy one, you can go here to their official website. By the way, it seems they make more than just their famous lighters. This may also be good for those who collect the lighters (even if they themselves do not smoke).
White Whine also has its own holiday gift guide.
Here is a list of practical things for college students and recent graduates. Yes, there are some graduations in December. Via The Washington Post. There are some very good ideas here.
That California cop who pepper sprayed the peaceful student protesters at UC Davis went on to become a meme. Inspired by that meme, here is a sweater of the cop pepper spraying the Baby Jesus. Buy it for that "ugly sweater" Christmas party, or get it just because. Via Jezebel.
Now some folks may be aware that Mattel released a Barbie doll with tattoos. Well, the fine fellows at Donco have come up with some other famous toys updated for our times. Have a look at The Problem With Young People Today Is. . . .
Want something creative? Here is a list of "14 Creative and Clever Soaps." These are practical (everyone needs soap at some point), and they are fun. Via Mental Floss.
I am not quite sure what to make of this. I know getting children little cars they can ride in can be popular, but a fork lift? Anyhow, you can get a fork lift for your kid here. Story via Incredible Things.
Maybe you are into firearms. Do you want to buy a gun as a gift, or maybe receive a firearm this Christmas season under your tree? C'mon, "Open Your Heart at Christmas and Help a Gun Find a Good Home." Via International Library blog.
Not weird per se, but interesting. Your local comic book stores have some interesting gift ideas. Hey, when possible, do consider supporting your local comic book shop.

Photo credit: "Christmas Shopping--A Present for Everyone." From Flickr user johnmuk. Used by Creative Commons license terms.

Holiday Post 2011: On books and reading

2011-12-20T16:56:00.005-06:00

It is a small tradition for me to do a small series of holiday posts at this time of the year. It is the time when I wish my three readers a happy and safe holiday season, whatever holiday or holidays they may celebrate (or not). Also, it is my small gift to those three readers and the Internet folks at large to entertain a while. This year I am starting with the post related to books mostly because it was the topic I wanted to work with first. It was what I felt like, so there is no other rhyme or reason.

As I've said before, I could not call myself a librarian if I did not have at least one post related to books and reading as part of my holiday posting series. Whether you read in an e-reader or you prefer print books, it's all good in the end. Let's have a look at some good books and lists. Maybe you will find a last minute gift idea, or maybe you will find something to add to your reading lists.

Book Lists

These are mostly items by mainstream media, or the usual stuff. It may be something I am noticing this year, but the gag of "asking a bunch of folks what they read and put it on the list" seems to be the theme.Whether it is a publication's own writers or asking a bunch of famous (by varying degrees) people, they basically let others make the lists for them.

The New York Times presents their 100 Notable Books of 2011.
So does The Telegraph over here.
Via The Wall Street Journal, "Twelve Months of Reading," where the newspaper asked a bunch of famous folks what they have been reading.
Via The New Yorker, their list of their reviewers' favorite books.
Amazon also gets in the list bandwagon with their list of 100 Best-selling books.
Here is the list from the folks at Newsweek and The Daily Beast. It is not so much a books of the year; it's really a favorites they read during the past year or that they recommend.
Here are the picks of authors that Salon gathered.
Via The Economist, their books of the year. Some serious and deep stuff here, but that is consistent with a serious publication known for its depth in reporting.
Here is The New York Times Book Review's list of best 10 books in 2011 without the extra NYT baggage. Via the blog 1001 Books To Read Before You Die. I tend to like when people take some famous list, remove all the extra verbiage the oh so famous publication puts in and just copies out the actual list so I can get to the point.
The Financial Times has another serious and grave list of nonfiction for the year. The list is divided into categories such as business and history. There is even a book on testicles; that may be the one I am adding to my reading list.
Here is The Guardian's Books of the Year list for 2011.
Via Brain Pickings, here are their 11 Best History Books. The site is also doing a best of series for books, so you may want to go back to the site and browse as well.
NPR offers their list of "The Best Comics of 2011." There are some interesting items in here. I've read the Locke & Key series, which did start pretty good, but the last installment I read was dragging a bit. So I wonder if the series may be about to jump the shark. Missing from this list is something I definitely regard as one of the best this year: American Vampire. If you are sick and tired of those shitty sparkly vampires or other poor substitutes, you owe it to yourself to pick this series up.
The Daily Beast has a list of Best Coffee-Table Books.

Some More Book Lists

These are not quite the usual stuff. These items are mostly quirky things I found that I wanted to share with readers. These include science fiction, graphic novels, and other things that I know a few people out there find of interest and enjoy, but the big mainstream folks pretty much fail to cover.

Billie Bloebaum, writing for the Powell's blog, has a list of her favorite scifi and fantasy novels for the year. Personally, John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation is the one that would interest me.
Eileen Battersby, writing for The Irish Times, lists her books of the year.
Joshua Kim, of Inside Higher Ed, gives his list of 15 best nonfiction books.
Via the Shelf Talk blog, here are some book ideas for teens.These folks "know how it is: you want to give those teens on your list something to read this Holiday Season, but don’t want your gift to be tossed aside amongst the socks and sweaters." By the way, don't be that lazy, unoriginal asshat who gives their kids socks and sweaters for Christmas. You do that, and you will be remembered alright: as that lame relative who gives sweaters and socks. Give your teen a good book and encourage his reading habit.
Shelf Talk blog also has a nice list of picture books ideas for children. You may want to check it out to start encouraging the reading habit early on.
Katherine Dacey, The Manga Critic, offers her 2011 Gift Guide. Hey, get your kids of all ages some good manga to read. We will all thank you for it.
Strategy+Business presents a retrospective list of significant business books for the 2001-2010 decade. A hat tip to Bob Sutton, who comments on the list.
IO9 offers a list of "Awesome Graphic Novels That Even Non-comics Readers Will Love." They even do a bit of reader's advisory by telling you who may like what. There are one or two here I would not mind getting myself.
Adding a bit of LGBT reading to our post. Via Lambda Literary, here is a list of books for gay men, or just readers who enjoy gay romances. Here is "Book Lovers: The 12 Days of Christmas." (Warning: some content on the may be risque for some people, though the post itself is not too risque)
Nice to read, if you can get your hands on some of these. Definitely worth a look. Via Holy Taco, a gallery of "25 Awkward Holiday-Themed Comic Books."

Stuff to avoid

Anybody can do a "best of" list. When I see a "worst of," I pay attention. So maybe these will be a warning to you of what to avoid so you can focus on the good stuff. Folks may agree or disagree with some of the choices. After all, someone's overrated piece of tripe may well be someone else's treasure. As that wise man said, "every book its reader, and every reader its book." Anyhow, here is the worst stuff others picked out.

Steve Donoghue, of Stevereads,offers his lists for the worst nonfiction and the worst fiction for 2011.
The New York Daily News picks out "The Most Overrated Books of 2011." My favorite review in the bunch is the one about John Hodgman's writing. The faux pretension does get thin. It's the same reason Stephen Colbert can wear thin on me at times. I can only take so much faux pretension, but at least Colbert tends to do it better.

And this little item does not quite belong in the categories above, but I figured it was an important one and one that would be of interest. Many people read magazines, and these days they may want to read those magazines using a tablet or an e-reader. So, for those people, here is a little something too:

Via Media Shift blog, "Getting a Table is Easy; Getting Digital Magazines is a Pain." If you are planning on buying any kind of e-reader or tablet, whether for yourself or for someone else, you need to read this.

Another item that does not quite belong is this series of gift guide for readers. No, they are not books (mostly). They are gift ideas for readers based on what they read, which I think is a very neat idea. So, if you have a reader in your life, and you want to get them something other than a book (no idea why you would do such a thing, but variety is the spice of life, and readers are known to do other things once in a while), then this may be helpful. Via the RT Daily Blog:

For the romance reader. By the way, did you know that romance novels are gaining more popularity as e-books? Turns out readers do not have to worry as much about being judged by the covers of their books. So, that lady on the commuter bus sitting next to you may well be reading a nice bodice ripper. Thought the NYT story I linked does not say, I bet that erotica may be gaining ground as well under the same idea for e-books.
For the paranormal and/or urban fantasy readers.
For the erotica reader. I will give the usual warning that some of the content may be a bit risque.
For the mystery readers.
For the science fiction and fantasy readers.

On a final note, if anyone wants to see previous years of the holiday series, feel free to click on the "Celebrations and Events" tag. Additionally, if there is some reading topic you did not find here, feel free to comment and add your own suggestions. I am always looking for new things to read. Or if you want reading suggestions from the Itinerant Librarian, you can comment as well. Happy reading. By the way, I will be posting my end of year reading summary and book list over at The Gypsy Librarian sometime during the first week of January 2012, so if you are interested, I hope folks will come back.

Update note (12/21/11): Another neat addition I just had to share. Via Flavorwire, "Stereotyping you by your favorite book of 2011." Yes, now you can be judgmental (in a lighthearted way) of people based on these books choices. Then again, don't we always do that anyhow with anyone who has pretty much any book on hand? It may well be another reason why e-readers are becoming popular; you can't judge someone's reading tests if you can't tell what they are reading. And sorry to disappoint some folks, but I have not read (and possibly do not intend to read) any books on the linked list. However, if you just feel a need to see and try to figure out what kind of whacked out reader I am , my GoodReads link is on the right hand column of this blog.

Picture credit: Page from the book "A Christmas Carol."By Flickr user Diamond Meadows, used by terms of Creative Commons License.

A few interesting things I've read, December 9, 2011

2011-12-09T15:57:00.000-06:00

For this week, the theme seems to be writing "the old fashioned way." Whether it be with a typewriter or just pen and paper, articles on those topics caught my eye for this week. For me, writing by hand is a very personal thing as it allows me to reflect and think in a way that a keyboard and a computer do not allow. There are less distractions when writing by hand. And who knew there were still typewriter repairmen out there? Read about that and more this week.

An article from Wired with some neat photos on what may be the last generation of typewriter repairmen.One place where typewriters are still used? Prisons, where they use clear plastic models for the inmates, and one company still remains that makes them. And then there are some nostalgia enthusiasts, but are they enough to keep typewriters alive? A hat tip to The Well-Appointed Desk.
A guy in India collects pens as a hobby. Sounds pretty nice, right? Well, the guy has over 18,000 pens in his collection. And he gently reminds people who want to see them that "his is my personal collection, in my house, and not for public display!"Via The Hindu (India).
Here is an article about some people who still keep journals and the reasons why they do so. The article comes from the Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, IN). As for myself, I have been keeping a journal somewhat consistently since 1992 or so, the year I went to do my student teaching. I like blogging, but as I believe I have stated before elsewhere, there are things that are private, so I keep them in my journals. Articles about writing and journaling always catch my eye. Back in the day when I did the National Writing Project, use of journals in teaching writing, both for the teacher and the student, was an important element. These days much of that has given way to things like blogging. And yet, there are certain things you can only really express when you put pen or pencil to paper. There is more of a reflective process going on. A hat tip to Notebook Stories.
Lee Rourke at The Guardian argues "why creative writing is better with a pen." Like some of the famous writers mentioned in the article, I usually compose stuff on paper first, often in my journals, before I polish it to put it on the blog. I think that is applicable to things I wish to reflect upon. For quick things, I do go directly to the blog. A neat line from the article: "For me, writing longhand is an utterly personal task where the outer world is closed off, just my thoughts and the movement of my hand across the page to keep me company. The whole process keeps me in touch with the craft of writing." A hat tip to Notebook Stories.

Reading: One to Ten (yes, this is a reading meme)

2011-12-02T16:38:00.002-06:00

As seen in Ruminations, who saw it someplace else, and so on. I am doing this because I always fall for memes when they are related to reading and books. Any snark or comments are mine. You can find details for most of these books in my GoodReads profile, which is linked on the right side column of the blog.

The book I am currently reading. My three readers likely know that I usually have more than one book going. I am currently reading the following: Pat Willard, America Eats! On the Road With the WPA; Kevin Smith, Kevin Smith's Green Hornet, Vol. 2; Sandy Mitchell, Cain's Last Stand (Warhammer 40,000, Ciaphas Cain series #6); José Martí, La Edad de Oro.
The last book I finished. Kozue Kaiko and Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger.
The next book I want to read. Gosh, there are all sorts of books I want to read next. I have various lists, in print and online (in my GoodReads and on the scratch pad blog, where I have a series of posts on "Items about books I want to read") of books I want to read next or in the near future. So, I am going to pick one. Penn Jillette's God No!Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales. I tried getting it via ILL, but apparently it is too new, and the libraries out there either had it checked out or were not willing to lend it outside just yet. Yes, I will be putting another request for it in the future. I also have on deck Lisa Abend's The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's El Bulli. The ILL request on this came through, so I should be starting it soon after I finish Willard's WPA book.
The last book I bought. Actually, I had a recent pleasant trip out of town to visit Half Price Books, so I did buy a few things including Mark Millar's Wolverine: Enemy of the State and Frank Tieri's Punisher Noir. I already read Tieri's book.
The last book I was given. Simon Beecroft and Jeremy Becket, Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary. My daughter gave it to me. I have to get around to reading it (I have been looking through it here and there) and putting it in my GoodReads lists.
The last book I borrowed from the library. I currently have two books on loan from the local public library. One is Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip. . .With Recipes. The other is Paul Collins' Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books. In addition, I have two books out via my library's ILL, which are the Willard and the Abend already mentioned.
The first book I read this year. I had to look back a bit for this one. According to the records, that would be Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Book One (Hardcover Compilation).
The last translated book you read. If mangas count (since I can't read them in Japanese), then the Lone Wolf and Cub volume previously mentioned. If you want an "actual" book, then Caligula: A Biography by Aloys Winterling, which is translated from German. By the way, finding out that little tidbit after the fact (I borrowed the book from the public library, so not in my hands as I write this) is not as easy as it looks. WorldCat finally told me that. I did add the translator information into GoodReads so others will have it.
The book at the top of my Christmas list. Hmm, tricky here. I rarely if ever have a specific book I have to have. When it comes to this, just give me a good loaded gift card to a bookstore, and I will pick something out. But if I have to pin something down, I would say the second Ciaphas Cain omnibus, Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium, or the newest (as of this writing) Ciaphas Cain novel, Emperor's Finest.
The so-far unpublished book I am most looking forward to reading. This I am going to leave blank. As I mentioned above, I rarely if ever have a specific book I have to have. I am not susceptible to hype books or bestsellers or hot/popular authors. I read what I like when I feel like it. I have no problem waiting for a book to go on paperback or to make its way to the used books market. So, I will leave this category open.

What about my three readers? What are you folks reading? Feel free to share in the comments, or if you reply in your blog or other platform, share the link.

Signs that the economy is bad, December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T15:32:00.002-06:00

Just a few bad signs this week. I would say the one story that really caught my eye this time is the one about the mall Santas. It's always hard when dealing with children and having to break things gently to them. And on a side note, while some pundits out there are saying that Black Friday may mean the economy may be getting back on track, in reality it may just be another sign that the economy is bad (story via The Washington Post), and people are just desperate for any deal they can get. Desperation is certainly a sign the economy is bad. Anyhow, the stories for this week.

Former college student grows and sells pot in order to pay off student loans. I have a feeling we may come to see more stories like this as the burden of paying for a college education becomes more unbearable and continues to be like entering indentured servitude or slavery to a lender. Via The Oregonian.
It's the end of the free gravy train for the children of LSU alumni. Apparently, those kids used to get a a scholarship just for being born to the "right" parents. It seems that has gotten too pricey for LSU, so they are discontinuing the program. Via Inside Higher Ed.
Early Christmas item. It seems mall Santas now have to be a bit more tactful with the kids that visit them. It is a tough job even if it does have its rewards. According to the article, "prospective St. Nicks are now being taught how to quickly assess a family’s financial situation before responding to children’s requests in such a manner that leaves them feeling cheerful, but not overly expectant." Via Time.

A few Thanksgiving 2011 links

2011-11-23T10:07:00.001-06:00


Photo used by Creative Commons License. From Flickr user riptheskull

Ah, the start of the holiday season is upon us. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Like many folks, I have the day off, and I am planning on spending it with family. As a little treat for my two readers, here are some links to entertain and maybe help them learn a thing or two. I wish everyone out there celebrating a safe and happy holiday.

As tradition dictates, President Obama has pardoned a turkey for Thanksgiving. (link to C-SPAN).
A big fuss this time around is the fact that stores are wanting to start the Black Friday deals much earlier, as in cutting into the Thanksgiving holiday itself. I think this is just excessive on the part of the greedy merchants who honestly need to have a little respect for their workers. Then again, if people are willing to enable this greed by shopping when they should be with their families, then I better not hear them whining later about having to work long hours or some other family values nonsense. The nice folks at Next Media Animation have a nice summary of Black Friday 2011. (link to video)
Spending time with family is always an issue over the holidays. Whether a positive or negative experience, holidays can be somewhat stressful. The Gentlemen share their rant on family and the holidays (link to video-warning for some strong language).I may also share this when I get to the Christmas posts later given it is applicable.
The U.S. Census Bureau has their feature with facts and figures for Thanksgiving 2011. For example, did you know that 2.01 billion bushels is The total volume of wheat — the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pie crust — produced in the United States in 2011? Go over and learn more.
For parents, teachers, and kids, here are some "Resources for teaching and learning about American Thanksgiving." Via Free Technology for Teachers blog.
Liquor.com has some ideas on Thanksgiving cocktails as well as links to other meal suggestions. It may be worth a look if you are looking to make things a bit more interesting for the meal.
Are you going someplace for Thanksgiving? Did you promise to bring something? This handy guide may help you decide what to bring. Via Chow.
So, you've eaten, and you want to go shopping. However, the prospect of getting up at the crack of dawn, or staying up all night, to stand in a line is not appealing. Well, hire Dotty to stand in line for you. Here is her advertisement. Via Retail Hell Underground. I think this also qualifies as a sign that the economy is bad.
And what kind of librarian would I be if I did not offer some reading suggestions? Via NPR, here are "still more tryptophan-tastic tomes to see you through your turkey coma." Note also the links they include to additional selections.

The Mandarin Quiz

2011-11-18T09:49:00.001-06:00

I have not done one of these online quizzes once in a while, so since it is Friday, I figured it is time to amuse myself once again. My two readers pretty much know the drill that I take it easy on Fridays. In this particular case, the quiz, for what little it may be worth, is surprisingly accurate in describing me. For instance:

I do think much of the world would be better if people were better informed. Add to it that skills in critical thinking and information literacy would help. Watching Fox News, reading The Drudge Report, or depending on other "sources" of dubious reputation does not count as being informed.
I do hate when ignorant or dishonest people climb to power, which is why overall I find politics (especially in the U.S.) and politicians to be among the most despicable people on the face of the Earth. This is followed by the asshat enablers who keep voting them in. Some of those asshats may be uninformed, but a lot are just willfully ignorant sheep, and those are the really dangerous ones.
The only thing it may not have gotten as accurate is the belief in people making a difference. I honestly struggle with that, especially these days. Maybe when I was younger and more idealistic, but these days, even as an educator and librarian, I honestly struggle with the idea. I want to believe it, but I do not see much evidence it is possible in the current corporate oligarchic environment. And yet, I continue to work as a librarian in the hope, infinitesimal as it may be, that working to promote use of good information sources will somehow make a difference.

At any rate, see below and then feel free to take the quiz yourself to see how you do:

I'm a Mandarin!

You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 46%
Lifer: 36%
Mandarin: 59%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Reading about the reading life, November 18, 2011

2011-11-18T09:34:00.000-06:00

Here we go again with a few items of interest I've recently read related to books and reading. Basically, these are articles or blog posts I have read that I think those of you out there who are readers and/or love books may appreciate as well. Some of these pieces give me idea for books I may want to read, which means my list of books to be read just keeps growing. Not that it is a bad thing. For this week, I think the one on the funeral books was my favorite, or at least the one I found most fascinating. If you read any of these, let me know if you found them interesting as well and any other comments. Tips for articles on the reading life you think I should read are also welcomed.

An essay on the friendship between Jorge Luis Borges and Macedonio Fernández. Macedonio is often seen as "a wizened hermit, devoted to chess and esoteric speculation, a genius in the raw, who does not even bother to capture his creativity in writing or publish it." Some say he had a lot of influence on Borges. Others say it was more, but there certainly was a friendship and, to use another term from the article, an intellectual infatuation. Interesting piece on Argentine literature and two of its great writers. What united them? Many things, such as "their proclivity for metaphysics, their unflagging interest in examining the nature of reality, the mystery of being, the fabric of time and space." I have read much of Borges, and now I am curious to seek out a bit of Macedonio's works. Via Quarterly Conversation.
Laura Miller, writing for Salon, describes "Reading Retreats: Paradise for Book Lovers." The idea sounds pretty simple: take a vacation devoted to reading. This is an idea I would not mind trying out. For me, I would prefer reading books, but magazines would be ok. The materials would be in print, as I am not a fan of e-book readers nor reading on a screen for long. So, this vacation would mean minimal Internet or none at all and definitely no phone. I also loved the idea of bibliotherapists mentioned in the article, folks who, if you need a reading list, will do a consultation with you and create a customized reading list for you. Sounds like good old reader's advisory. It also sounds like a job I would love to have.
Scott Esposito reviews a new translation by Anne McLean of Julio Cortázar's work, a prose poem, From the Observatory. The review gives a pretty good overview of the work. I may look for the translation, but I will certainly try to find the original in Spanish. Via The National (United Arab Emirates).
Sarah, at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, asks about organizing your reading lists. Do you keep track of your books online, say with GoodReads? Do you make lists? I will admit that, even though I am a librarian, I could probably work on organizing my reading lists a bit better. For one, I do not have all of them on GoodReads. I have some in handwritten notes or in my journals. However, for me, a bit of that semi-controlled chaos is part of what makes the serendipity of finding something new to read fun So, folks out there, if you feel moved to satisfy my curiosity a bit, how do you organize your reading lists? Do you even organize or make reading lists?
This is something new I learned about from this article: Thai funeral books. These are books that not only serve to provide a memorial to a dead person, but they also serve as valuable cultural artifacts. From the article: "The text and photographs are not always grim, mournful or poignant. The publications can also include eulogies or cheerful tales by relatives and friends, plus Buddhist prayers, descriptions of the deceased's favorite recipes and other intriguing data." The books are usually given away for free at cremations, and they range from very opulent for the wealthy to simple stapled pamphlets for the poor. Via CNNGo.
Via The Reporter (Ethiopia), an article looking at Ethiopian writers of the 60s as well as a bit on Ethiopian reading and literary society. The article is "Generation of Literary Firebrands." A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.
Via the Kyiv Post (Ukraine), a story about local book collectors who have done work preserving local history. Now their concern is that they may not have anyone to pass on their collections when they are gone. One of the collectors says something that resonates with me. From the article: “'I believe we are the last generation of people who read books,' Bilokin said. 'Young people think they can find an answer to any question on the Internet. But that’s not true.'” A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.

Signs that the economy is bad, November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

And here we go with another week of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. As I have stated before, this feature started out as a lighthearted thing, but it seems events are just getting more and more serious. Still, I scour the Internet and other sources to find those oh-so-subtle signs that things are bad because any pundit can spin numbers, but in the end, it's the little details. I often try to find things like the story I am highlighting this week about the poor and the need for cars, stories about things we often take for granted. As a wise man once told me, and I slightly paraphrase, "there but for (the deity of choice), go I." It is a saying that a lot of people, including a vast majority of the locals here, conveniently tend to forget. Anyhow, here are your signs for this week:

I think this story pretty much speaks for itself. A man robs a bank, then he turns himself in. Why? He was homeless, and he needed a place to stay. And hey, in prison they do put a roof over your head and feed you three meals a day (unless it is Texas, in which case they feed you one meal less on the weekends). Story via Fox News 6.
A college that used to be free is looking into charging tuition. Read the story about Cooper Union, "the New York City college founded in 1859 to provide free education for the working class." Via The New York Times.
This is just wrong. A grocery store refused to let a woman pay a grocery bill in quarters (via KATU). She was basically in hard straits, and this was the change she had. I think the comment at Jezebel, where I first saw the story, says it all: "It's legal for stores to refuse to accept certain types of payment, but hassling impoverished customers still makes you a jerk." Exactly. The woman did her best to wait until the register was empty, and she gave the cashier the heads up of what she would be doing to pay. Just count the darn quarters and don't make a big deal out of it. Doing so just makes you look, well, like a jerk. And this tough economy, we are probably going to see a lot more people scraping change from under the couches, coffee cans, change jars, etc. who may or not be able to turn it into bills. Anyhow, I don't get the fuss. The Better Half, who works in a restaurant (fast food) says they are always glad when someone brings in change; they can always use change. Sure, they may prefer you don't hold up a line paying, but they will take it. As always in a case when they screw up, the store's higher ups issued the non-apology of "sorry for the inconvenience." No, that is just an inconvenience. You basically chose to humiliate and harass a poor woman for no other reason than some petty policy your peon should have been able to make an exception on for the sake of human decency.
Many folks take for granted the ability to have a car to get to and from work. I am fortunate that, even being in the low 1%, I have a car to get me to work. Many people do not have that, and if you are poor trying to get a job, and you lack a car, the odds are even more against you. According to the article from the Los Angeles Times, "About 1 in 4 needy U.S. families do not have a car, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. That's a serious handicap for the millions of Americans who don't have access to robust mass transit." Maybe if we want to help alleviate poverty, helping those folks get a reliable car to make it to work and back home might be a good way to use some stimulus money. Of course, that would imply having politicians and folks who care about the poor, something seriously lacking these days.
And hey, in Cuba, you will now be able to have private home sales. Details here from the BBC. However, I first saw the story in El Universal over here (Spanish). Feel free to read the source that works best for you.
Want some Wild West memorabilia and artifacts? It turns out Harrisburg, PA, one of the first places you think of when you think "Western," is trying to sell off a pretty sizable collection it acquired over the years for a Western museum that never happened. Via Yahoo! News.

Photo credit: Photo used by terms of Creative Commons license,via Flickr user Anders Vindegg, http://www.flickr.com/photos/anders-vindegg/3388597525/

A few interesting things I've read, October 28, 2011

2011-10-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

This is just a list of articles and postings I have read and found interesting. I could not really put them in a specific category, so I am just listing them here to share and highlight. I will probably do this type of post every once in a while since I am always finding interesting (to me) things out there. Whether my three readers find them interesting is another question. As always, feel free to comment.

From The Washington Monthly, while civic organizations are pretty much losing members in the U.S., clubs like the Kiwanis and the Rotarians are growing and thriving around the world. Personally, as an adult, I could not care less about clubs and civic organizations. A good number of them always seemed a bit on the elitist side for me. Still, I find interesting how parts of the world embrace these uniquely American organizations whether as status symbols or because they fit well with their social and economic development.
Via AfricaFeed, an article on the Sapeurs of Congo. I found this extremely fascinating: men who, in the midst of the most extreme poverty, save pennies here and there (by means ethical and otherwise at times) in order to dress up in the finest clothes that money can buy. The culture does have ties to anti-war sentiments.
Via Dangerous Minds, a short video of an old (circa 50s or so I think) documentary about Frederick's of Hollywood. The narrator tone blends a bit of the serious straight laced with just a tad of judgmental to add a bit of the sleazy. I find it interesting how back then they do want couples to be sexy so on, and yet it has to be all hidden, what would the neighbors say sort of thing. Personally, I found amusing that there was such a thing as an inflatable bra. Overall, between Victoria's Secret and Frederick's, the latter would have been the choice for the Better Half and me. The article includes a scan of one of their old catalogs. How things have changed.
Via The NYR Blog, on "The Lost Art of Postcard Writing." This seems to be another art that is dying off, people sending postcards in a time when it is easier to just send an e-mail with a photo attached. The article looks at the old tradition of sending postcards when traveling. I don't send postcards much, but when I am traveling on my own, I do try to send my daughter a postcard of the place I may be visiting for her collection. A hat tip to 3 Quarks Daily.
Via Mother Jones, Andrew Marantz spends a summer working at an Indian call center. The whole process, which when you look at it can be quite exploitative, is also fascinating in its scale. These jobs are seen as well paying opportunities (about $2 an hour, $5K a year, assuming workers last that long) in a land where per capita income is about $900 a year. However, the job does come with a lot of costs not only financially for the workers (who have to pay fees for training so on), but also having to become someone else given how they have to learn to lose their native accents. And then the overall picture, which is as U.S. companies lay off people here in droves, they are creating those jobs in India.
Via the BBC, The Joy of Sex was a revolutionary book in its time during the early 1970s. It turns out it faced some challenges in terms of illustrating it. I found the article interesting in light of our times now when we pretty much take for granted that a sex manual or similar book will have photos in it. Read about "How the Joy of Sex was Illustrated." Keep in mind that the book has been updated since then, and yes, it does feature photographs now. Also, the book has opened the way to newer versions and topics.
Here is one in time for Halloween. Via the Fine Books Blog, a piece on the grimoire of H.P. Lovecraft. This is basically about fictitious books that Lovecraft created for his stories. A fascinating look at some occult volumes. To be honest, some of these books sound more interesting than stuff I come across with regularly.
Tracy Clark Flory interviews sex writer and activist Susie Bright for Salon. This is one that has been sitting in my feed reader's cue for a while, and I finally got to read through it. Learn a bit about her views on the feminist movement and where it went wrong (something that I do agree with), her work, and why she hates the term "casual sex" as well. An interesting piece not just because of her life, which is interesting in itself, but also because it looks at how times have changed and how much more there is to go. The article also mentions her memoir, which I have listed on one of my "books I want to read" lists.

Signs that the economy is bad, October 21, 2011 edition.

2011-10-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here are the signs that the economy is bad for this week. We are mostly looking at college issues, but I will note a few items that came out specifically out of Texas.

The Marines may be looking for a few good men, but they are not willing to pay for their education. According to this story out The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Marine Corps is seriously slashing the education assistance benefit for Marines.To make matters worse, the Marines are not the only ones doing this. According to the article, other branches are moving in that direction.
And the indentured servitude continues for college graduates. The outstanding balance on student loans has reached the one trillion dollars mark. Not that society as a whole gives a hoot since they keep electing people hell bent on slashing funding for education overall. Because at the end of the day, people love to give lip service to the importance of a college degree. They just refuse to help pay for it nor invest in the future by educating our young people. Via USA Today.
People now post signs in front of their homes telling would be thieves there is no loot in their homes. That is just what this man in Austin, TX did after having been robbed twice. At the rate things are going, a few of us may take this idea and apply it. I may as well tell would be thieves not to bother since I don't have much of value in the house as it is now. Not like I can afford it. Via KYTX CBS 19.
Another one via CBS 19: Texas has decided not to feed lunch to prison inmates on weekends. According to the short pieces, they are doing it to save some money, and the prisoners will still get their nutrition and needed caloric intake. I am not sure if I should really see this as a sign the economy is bad, or just Texas being cruel to prison inmates yet again.
And finally for this week, this one hits close to home. Houston Baptist University's campus paper, The Collegian, reports their library is "likely to lose 80 percent of database funds." This is not just HBU. This pretty much affects any library in Texas that gets database funding via TexShare, and this includes us here. We are already talking about some massive cuts to resources. I will not comment further in relation to my workplace in the interest of self-preservation, but this story does hit close to home. By the way, this story apparently did not make our student newspaper's radar.

Signs that the economy is bad, October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

I wish I could say that I am finding some good light pieces like I used to when I started this semi-regular feature, but the economy is not getting better. If anything, given the oligarchs who insist on pretty much squeezing everyone else for yet a dollar more, and the rest of us, signs are becoming serious. However, I will continue to search for the subtle, and at times not so subtle signs, that the economy is bad. Someone has to do it because we cannot just stay silent about this. Something has to happen. Maybe presenting the signs and evidence is a small start.

Colleges are moving to sell off their campus radio stations. Another case of colleges strapped for cash looking to make a quick buck at the expense of something that does benefit students and often gives them a unique voice. Basically, these campuses are selling learning opportunities and silencing student voices to get a few bucks. (via USA Today).
The 99 Cents Only Chain was recently sold. I am sure a lot of people may say, "so what?" Well, look at who is making profits in the deal, and how they are making said profits. This is basically a chain that caters to the poor, though they are increasingly catering to middle class struggling to find a cheaper deal. That the chain, and others like it, are making more sales in things like groceries is certainly a sign that things are going from bad to worse. FTA: "The majority of the country is suffering in a bleak economic climate with high unemployment and scraping by as they hunt for the cheapest possible way to get food on the table, and the discount retailers and Wall Street are all too ready to capitalize on the desperation." Via Current TV.
A new report states that "nearly one in four U.S. households with children struggled to afford enough food for themselves and their families in 2010." In a way, this is not really news. It is pretty common knowledge by now that feeding a household is getting more difficult. This is just more evidence. Via the Food Research and Action Center, and a hat tip to Full Text Reports. This is one of those things that always gets me: in a nation that is so wealthy as the U.S., they allow children to go hungry on a regular basis.

Reading about the reading life, October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Here we go with another post featuring a few things about the reading life I have recently read. I hope my two readers may find one or two interesting as well. This week there are a couple of items on writing and keeping a journal which made me reflect a bit given that I keep a journal myself. I have been blogging less, especially over at the professional blog. This has been in part due to work being very busy, but it is also due because of some self-censoring. Whether to avoid drama, overkill on a topic, some degrees of retribution (librarianship, for all its claims to tolerance, diversity, freedom of thought, so on, can be extremely intolerant of anyone asking questions outside of the establishment), or just because for some topics in my profession, I just could not care less, my professional blogging has slowed down a bit. That's not a bad thing as I am still writing in my journal, in fact, doing so a bit more these days. Anyhow, it is what it is.

Here are the links for this week:

Article on an Analog Renaissance as people seek out things like typewriters and book binding tools to make zines. Via New York Magazine.
Via the Paris Review, on why we need good bookstores. Then again, a lot of their description just sounds like what a good librarian does. So, do they not have libraries in New York (the place the authors discuss)? Then again, a good independent bookstore with people who clearly love books and know what they are doing is a good thing.
Out of the Deustche Welle, a piece on public bookshelves in Germany. What I found neat and interesting about the piece was the care and dedication the local community to maintain the shelves. The shelves are built of quality materials, and they even get sponsors to pay for them. But one part of the article caught my attention: "'It works here because mainly countries in the northern part of Europe have the tradition of common property,' he [ Michael Aubermann from the Cologne civic association] explained. 'People mostly take care of public goods.'" I hate to say this, but sadly, I am not too sure something like this would work in the U.S. Sure, there are places that put simple paperback trading bins or such, but the level of neatness, care and dedication the German communities display I highly doubt would be seen here. That, and given the lack of a common property attitude (here, we get more of the "I've got mine, Jack"), well, you get the idea. Anyhow, I found the idea very neat.
Via The New York Times, a story about McNally Jackson books in Manhattan, which seems to be making a stand against Amazon and the pestilence of e-books (description from the article). What I found neat about this story is that it shows how a good independent bookstore can survive. You have a good, eclectic, well curated selection with good service and knowledgeable staff. The owner knows she cannot have everything, so she knows her market and acts accordingly. This store offers a lot that you simply cannot get online.
Also via The New York Times, Ok, this is about the reading and writing life. A writer chooses to burn her diaries. This caught my eye because I do keep a journal (yes, as in the notebook and pen or pencil device). I have been doing it fairly consistently since I went to do my student teaching back in 1992. I do not keep a diary given that I do not write on a daily basis, but I do write on my journal anywhere from once a week to about once a month depending on how busy life may be. I have told the Better Half that I do want my journals burned in the event of my death. In fact, since I want to be cremated (after they take out whatever useful organs there may be), they can use my journals as kindling. Would I reconsider such a decision? Probably not. For one, I have not written anything extraordinary that anyone would want to preserve, and let's be honest, some things are better left buried. It does bring up a point, which is my online writings. I have not decided if I want to exercise the nuclear option on them in the event of my death, but that is a separate topic for another time. A hat tip to Notebook Stories.
On the other hand, this article from The New York Review of Books tells about taking care of your notebooks. The article summarizes reasons people want or do keep journals, some of which are my reasons as well. Also, a good, classic notebook has a few advantages over using some notetaker on your smartphone. From the article, some food for thought, "Just think, if you preserve them, your grandchildren will be able to read your jewels of wisdom fifty years from now, which may prove exceedingly difficult, should you decide to confine them solely to a smart phone you purchased yesterday." I would not classify my scribblings as jewels of wisdom my grandkids (or anyone for that matter) would want to read in the future. Then again, I do get a lot of use out of my journal notebooks. Hopefully, I still have some time to decide permanently to burn them or change my mind. . . maybe.
And if you need some inspiration to get reading, Leo Babauta, of the blog Zen Habits, has a nice manifesto on "How to Read More: A Lover's Guide." Some excellent tips here. One of my favorites from the list: "Find books about exciting stories, about people who fascinate you, about new worlds that you’d love to visit. Forget the classics, unless they fit this prescription." Exactly.

Reading about the reading life

2011-10-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

I am a pretty avid reader, and one of the topics I enjoy reading about is reading. I like reading about books. I enjoy reading about reading habits. I also like reading about what others read around the world. So, I am going to try out using my blog now to jot down some links on items I have found interesting that may not get too much coverage overall.

One of the things that catches my eye in the stories related to reading around the world is that, while over here in the U.S we get (or seem to get) all the drama about how e-books will drive print to extinction, in other parts of the world there is concern over getting any kind of book. You find appeals to get people to read more, to write more, to educate themselves. The whole e-book drama has a strong class undercurrent that I find particularly distasteful: the notion that only certain people, if they can afford it, should be able to read and/or have access to books. Here are a couple of examples:

Via The Vanguard (Nigeria), "Let's educate the nation by writing." This is not just an appeal to make books available. It is an appeal for writers to write. An appeal for publishers to publish the writers' work. For the government to help the publishers. In other words, for a national reading and writing endeavor for a better educated society. Plus, it makes an interesting argument: "It is from thoughts we build nations, the brain exercise in play writing, fiction writing, poetry and story writing can keep thousand of would be criminals out of mischief. . . . " A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.
Via the Manila Standard Today (Philippines), Jenny Ortuoste writes about the plight of Filipino creative writers in her column "Books now and ever after." Some of what she writes is stuff that any creative writer can relate to such as having to keep a day job because you can't live off your writing. Then there is the issue of literary writing versus other kinds of writing, such as column writing or journalism. She also asks a key question: "Why are local readers not reading —and buying—the works of Filipino writers?" The author then goes on to present some reasons. This is a well-written and organized piece. A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.

Another thing that catches my eye is pieces about nostalgia. In a time when everyone rushes to proclaim the death of books, or the death of handwriting, or the death of something else not electronic, there are items that persist.

The Farmer's Almanac still survives. You'd think this publication would have gone extinct by now, but it still perseveres much as it was in its early years. In fact, very little has changed. How do they do it? "The secret of the Almanac writers is poise. They know their worth and take a quiet pride in their heritage. They believe in their knowledge and believe in spreading it, just like Robert Thomas." (via National Post).
Michael Dirda on Arthur Conan Doyle and memories of those book clubs many of us had in elementary school. I discovered a few good books via book orders from the book club in elementary school. And Conan Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes, is one of my favorite literary characters. (via The Paris Review).

Signs that the economy is bad, October 7, 2011 edition

2011-10-07T09:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another week of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. I wish I had more light pieces, but let's be honest. The economy is in the crapper, and there are no signs things will get better anytime soon. Even with the latest announcement that jobs were added in September, the unemployment rate remains a bad 9/1% (via The Los Angeles Times). For that kind of announcement, I do always wonder just what kind of jobs were added because if it was mostly McJobs and part-time work, then that certainly is no real reason to celebrate. However, while the pundits go over big stories, I go out and keep looking for the things not many seem to cover or care about. Here are this week's signs:

More Americans cannot make it on their own and have to move back in with their parents or other relatives. According to the Pew Research Center, "this helped fuel the largest increase in modern history in the number of Americans living in multi-generational households. From 2007 to 2009, the total spiked from 46.5 million to 51.4 million." If you follow the link for the press release, you can find links to the full report and other related materials.
Here is one that I have not heard much about in the news. According to NACCHO (Nattional Association of County and City Health Officials), "more than half of local health departments cut services in first half of 2011." Things are not looking good for local health services given that, for instance, " services for mothers and children among the hardest hit."
Even the college educated and high income earners are filing more bankruptcies. Then again, according to the press release from the Institute for Financial Literacy, the "high income" is at $60,000 or more, which in some places, given cost of living, may not be "that high." Having said that, it is certainly higher than what a librarian often makes, so my sympathy only goes so far. You can download the full report at the first link, which breaks things down also by ethnicity and other factors.
And then, there is health care. In a nation that pretty much chooses to not cover everyone and make it health care and access a for profit endeavor instead of the universal human right it should be, well, shit happens. According to the fellows at Rand Corporation, health care costs are pretty much wiping out any gains people may have in income. So, if by some miracle you get a small raise at work, the health plan will likely swallow it as the premiums go up. According to the press release, "While the median-income American family experienced a 30 percent gain in income from 1999 to 2009 (from $76,000 to $99,000 annually), health spending grew much faster. The family's monthly health insurance premium grew by 128 percent (from $490 to $1,115), and out-of-pocket spending rose 78 percent over the period (from $135 to $240)." So Americans pretty much embrace the GOP plan: don't get sick (link to YouTube video) and deity of choice help you if you develop some catastrophic medical condition. And before anyone says "not all Americans embrace that," I will point out, "why do you keep electing them then?"
As for economic mobility, that is pretty much down the drain as well if you happen to cling to the idea of being middle class. Pew's Economic Mobility Project has a report out on "Downward Mobility from the Middle Class." You may want to take a look. "Defining middle class as those between the 30th and 70th percentiles of the income distribution, this report find that a third of Americans raised in the middle class fall down the income ladder as adults." And there is more. You can get the full report at the link.

On a bit of a serious note, I do not think too many "average" people take the time to read reports be they from the government, for instance the GAO (Government Accountability Office) or think tanks (like Rand) or other organizations. You can find a lot of good analysis and information, but you do have to do some work. While there are organizations like the GAO or the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) that are truly nonpartisan, other organizations is a bit trickier given biases. For instance, there are conservative and liberal think tanks and everything in between in the political spectrum. So skill at evaluating sources is certainly needed and valuable, the kind of skills called information literacy that (most) librarians are good at (and we are happy to teach). At any rate, many of these documents get mined by reporters, and you often hear mentions of them in the news, albeit small mentions. Not many people, if any, actually go out and seek out the reports. I do. When I hear a survey or a study or a report cited in a news article, I will try to find it when possible and at least give it a scan to see if the journalist was accurate or not. This takes effort, but it is the effort needed to be an informed citizen who can vote responsibly. Want to be a more informed citizen? A good place to start is your local library. Librarians, who are skilled and knowledgeable in cutting through the bovine excrement, will be happy to help you find what you need and decide if it is good, reliable information or not.

And that's my two cents for this post.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 30, 2011 edition

2011-09-30T10:31:00.001-05:00

Just one story this week. It has been a bit of a rough week, so the Itinerant Librarian has not had much time to scour the web in search of the subtle hints that the economy is bad. However, this is quite a sign we are highlighting this week.

You know things are bad when Hallmark makes a card for it. Yes, the greeting card company is now making sympathy cards for the unemployed. Your husband or other relative lose their job? Cheer them up a little with a store-bought greeting card. You are a ruthless employer and want to lay off some workers so you can outsource their jobs to some Third World country? Send them a Hallmark greeting to show you are not a completely heartless bastard. Hey, for those robber baron wannabes, this may be better than suggesting that people go dumpster diving to cut costs (I don't think it went that well for Northwest Airlines). Via CBS. By the way, if you want to see some "samples" of these new cards, you can have a sneak peek here (via Holy Taco). You can also see a card selection here (via WorkFails).

75 Books every man should read, according to Esquire. I don't think so.

2011-09-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here we go with one of those pretentious lists that tell you what you have to read. This is another one of those telling men what they should read in order to be more manly or sophisticated or whatever. As I quoted when I blogged about another list, which I labeled "The 'Muy Macho' Reading List" back in 2008, "Real Men read whatever they want to and don't give a fat crap about some list or what other people think." I still agree with that. I read whatever I want, and I care little for what others think. I especially care little for lists that emphasize dead white males and/or "classics" that in some cases are better off forgotten. Anyhow, here is Esquire's list "The 75 Books Every Man Should Read." They claim it is "an unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published." Since they ask how many people have read, and I am a sucker for replying to that kind of question, here is the list. Any items in bold are items I have read. I will add an asterisk (*) next to ones I would consider reading in some not so near future. For most, odds are good I probably do not give a hoot. As I have said in other posts, for a lot of classics I may not have read, I already know the basic plot points, so I see no point in bothering to spend the time to read a book I already know what it's about and know the major references. I've usually learned this information from helping students researching such works, or from my time spent studying tools like Masterplots. As usual for me, my snarky comments are included.

The list:

Raymond Carver, What we talk about when we talk about love.
John Cheever, Collected Stories of John Cheever.
James Dickey, Deliverance. (Seen the movie. Often, I feel curious about reading a book that a movie was based on, but this I think I will skip. Humans turning into animals--as in behavior, not transformation-- just is not appealing to me. Same reason I pretty much do not care for Lord of the Flies).
John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath. (I know I read some Steinbeck when I was in graduate school, but goes to show what little impression he left since I can't quite recall. I feel no major urgency to read this, but who knows. Maybe some day).
Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian.* (I feel I should read at least one book by this guy. May be this one, or something else).
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.* (My mother always said I should read this at one point. I may have to take her up on the suggestion sometime).
Edward P. Jones, The Known World.
Studs Terkel, The Good War.
Philip Roth, American Pastoral. (I honestly do not give a rodent's derriere about Roth).
Flannery O'Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. (I have not read this particular anthology, but I have read her work. What I have read is enough to make me hate her).
Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried. (I did enjoy this one).
James Salter, A Sport and a Pastime.
Jack London, The Call of the Wild. (Read it sometime in middle school).
Martin Amis, Time's Arrow. (Him and Kingsley are two more writers I do not give a hoot about. I had to read Martin Amis' Money in graduate school. Another book I hated).
John McPhee, A Sense of Where You Are.
Hunter S. Thompson, Hell's Angels.* (I may pick this one up or a different Hunter S. Thompson up. We'll see).
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man.
James Joyce, Dubliners. (This bloated, overrated tripe, and his other works, can go in the bin of forgetfulness as far as I am concerned. Why so-called snobs and scholars swoon over this unreadable guy is beyond me).
John Updike, Rabbit, Run.(Another white American I could not care less about).
James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Robert Stone, Dog Soldiers.
Daniel Woodrell, Winter's Bone.
Jim Harrison, Legends of the Fall. (Did see the movie they made of this, and even though the genre not my usual cup of tea, I did like. I may or not give the book a chance someday).
Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano.
Norman Mailer, The Naked and the Dead.
W.C. Heinz, The Professional.
Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bells Toll.*
Michael Herr, Dispatches.
Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer. (I am told I have to read Henry Miller at least once. We'll see. Seems a bit too literary for what I tend to like. Don't get me wrong, I do like some literary fiction, but it is rare and far between).
Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road.
William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying. (The fact that I had this inflicted on me in graduate school assured that I will never, ever read Faulkner again).
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels. (This is actually one book on this list I have enjoyed enough to count as one of my favorites).
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five.
Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men.
Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
William Styron, Sophie's Choice.
Frederick Exley, A Fan's Notes.
Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim. (See my note above for Martin Amis).
Haruki Murakami, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
Patrick O'Brien, Master and Commander.* (This maritime adventure genre is one I have to try out sometime).
Kent Haruf, Plainsong.
John Kennedy Tool, A Confederacy of Dunces.
Russell Banks, Affliction.
Tobias Wolff, This Boy's Life.
Mark Helprin, Winter's Tale.
Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March.
Charles Bukowski, Women.
Stephen Wright, Going Native.
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
John Le Carre, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-up. (Having read The Great Gatsby pretty much assures I won't be reading Fitzgerald ever again).
George Saunders, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline.
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace.* (Hey, it's a big classic. I may or not get to it in this lifetime, but I at least want it as a life goal to read it someday).
Stephen King, The Shining. (Have not read this one, but I have read a few other King novels).
Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio.
Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children.
Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths. (As far as I am concerned, Borges can do no wrong. One should read in Spanish).
Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff.
Richard Ford, The Sportswriter.
James Ellroy, American Tabloid.
Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X.*
Richard Ben Cramer, What It Takes.
Dashiell Hammett, The Continental Op. (I have read some Hammett, but I have not read this yet. I've got to get to it).
Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory. (I read some Greene in grad school. Same as other graduate school inflictions, reading one of his works assures I am not touching another).
William Maxwell, So Long, See You Tomorrow.
Richard Wright, Native Son.
James Agee and Walker Evans, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.
Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose.
David McCullough, The Great Bridge. (I do want to read some McCullough sometime).
Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums. (What the appeal of On the Road is clearly is lost on me. I hated that book, so I am certainly skipping this one).
Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove. (Well, that was one depressing mini-series, even with the relatively good cast it had. It did have some good pathos, but not enough to make me pick up the book).
Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita.
Don DeLillo, Underworld.
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (Read it in 6th grade. Who thought inflicting this on a sixth-grader was a good idea?).

I've only read 8 out of the whole sorry bunch. Not surprisingly, I don't feel like I have missed much. There are one or two books I would not mind reading, but nothing I feel urgency about. Anyhow, there they are. If you've read any of these and want to try to convince me they deserve a chance, feel free to comment. If you want to tell me to stay away from any of these, that is fine too.

Now I am getting back to some actually fun reading. So, what I am currently reading? As of this post, I am reading the following:

C.S. Goto, Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000).
Will Eisner, The Best of The Spirit.
Hardy Green, The Company Town.
Don Vorhees, The Perfectly Useless Book of Useless Information.

Be honest. Doesn't the stuff I am reading sound a lot more fun than the stuffy books on the list? And I have a nice balance of fiction (science fiction), nonfiction, graphic novel, and trivia. Anyhow, as the old saying goes, "every reader his/her book, and every book its reader." Finally, if you want to see what I am reading at any given time, there is a GoodReads widget on the right hand column of this blog.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 19, 2011 edition

2011-09-19T09:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. I ran a bit late this week, but better late than never. Overall, as of late, I am seeing that it is not a good time to be a college student (last time we had some posts related to college students as well). To be honest, I do find a bit hard to advise young people to go to college with a straight face given the cost and the very high possibility they could end up unemployed anyhow. At any rate, here are this week's signs:

Libraries turn to advertising to make up for tax payer funding. Via Snellville Patch.
Via The Washington Post, the bad news continues for the college crowd. It turns out that college graduates are the fastest growing group in bankruptcy filings. That would not have anything to do with society's overall commitment to keep cutting down college funding, would it? Or the fact that college students are pretty much forced to get more oppressive loans if they want an education?
As the middle class continues to vanish (and we could do a whole big commentary on that), advertising and marketing folks find they have to adjust in order to entice the increasing numbers of poor people with less income. That, or try to catch the dollars of the few remaining rich. Via The Wall Street Journal.
Even religious bigots are having a hard time keeping workers. Focus on the Family is laying off more workers. Donations seem to be down. Maybe people are finally figuring out their behavior and actions spouting hate, bigotry, and ignorance are not acceptable in civilized society. Via The Advocate.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 2, 2011 edition

2011-09-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. Not a whole lot going on this holiday weekend. Well, holiday for some people. Some of us actually have to work this weekend. I will be working this Sunday (deity of choice knows why, but so have the powers that be decided). Anyhow, here are your cues that the economy is bad for this week.

You know things are bad when the owner of a building wants to demolish it before even opening it. That is the situation with this Las Vegas hotel (via Yahoo! Real Estate). For some reason, this story reminds me of one of the last scenes in the film Casino, the one where all the casinos are demolished. Here is part of the quote from the scene: "The town will never be the same. After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior's college money on the poker slots." (read the rest of the quote here).
Freshmen are opting to live at home rather than on campus (via The Daily Camera), even when the campus requires dorm living.Tuition can take a big chunk of money already, so if you can avoid living on campus and not paying for the dorm, I am all for it. The alleged benefits of campus living (social dynamics, so on) are probably not enough justification for those who can live at home just fine and just commute. In fact, we have told our daughter that, assuming I am still employed here in Tyler, that she is more than welcome to stay at home while she goes to school in town (if she chooses to go school in town), and save that money for something else. I think over time, if the economy stays bad, campuses will find requiring freshmen to live in dorms to be an unsustainable requirement, at least for their locals.
Librarians have to moonlight. According to this story, this librarian and taxi driver was caught with £129K in his bank account (via Cambridge News). According to the story, he was selling cannabis. Now, we can certainly insert all sorts of jokes here, but it is a known fact that librarians overall are not exactly well-paid (for the most part. Try not to go by the ALA's salary survey, which can be a bit rosy-eyed at times, to put it mildly). On a serious note, given the atrocious employment market for librarians, the only surprising thing is that more of them, given the many skills they have, do not decide on a life of crime.

Signs that the economy is bad, Aug. 19 edition

2011-08-19T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it to the end of another week. Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian, the semi-regular feature where I do extensive research (ok, pick out interesting things out of my feeds) to bring the oh-so-subtle hints that the economy is in the crapper. Any pundit can point to the stock market going down or the bad unemployment numbers. But you have to dig a little deeper to see the little hints that tell the real story. So, here we go:

Porn is not selling as much as it used to on TV (via The Wall Street Journal; Hat tip to Jezebel). Cable companies are now having to admit that they are just not making as much money overall because people are buying less pay-per-view porn. Granted, those folks for one are buying less regular pay-per-view items overall, or they are cutting the cable altogether for DVD's and/or digital streaming. In the case of porn, you do have to factor in that Internet porn has just eaten into any profits the cable companies may make as well as into the profits of the established adult film houses. Still, a sign the economy is bad.
And another hit on the education front. The good old days of your fancy employer paying for your executive MBA may be over, or almost over. However, "enrollment and interest in MBA programs still appears strong." Go figure. (via Hartford Courant).
College students continue to suffer under the bad economy. Students are now choosing not to buy their college textbooks. It is a known fact that college textbooks are extremely expensive. It is also fairly common knowledge that the savvy student will wait to buy textbooks until after the first day or two of class to assess how necessary that book may or not be. I know I used to do that. (via Huffington Post).
When I saw this headline, I thought it was a piece out of The Onion. Sadly, it is a serious piece featured in The Houston Chronicle. It seems more Texans are looking to the lottery as a good economic bet. At least someone is not doing poorly in the bad economy, and that someone is the lottery agency and its retailers. I think this is a pretty sad commentary on the way things stand now. The article is worth a look for numbers highlights and some analysis.
Even the folks in the military are getting a bum deal. The Department of Defense is moving to "make students responsible for up to 25 percent of tuition costs." No more "free ride." Personally, I think if anyone deserves a free education in this nation that would be military personnel, especially the active duty folks. You serve, you get your education. Pure and simple. It should be a no-brainer. Then again, apparently, for all the rhetoric of "support the troops," more often than not they get their benefits cut under the excuse of a bad economy. (via Inside Higher Ed.)
And we could put this as a sign that the economy is bad, though it is more likely just part of the GOP anti-education campaign they have running. Anyhow, as part of the hideous debt ceiling compromise, it seems the days of subsidized college loans are over. This is specially significant for anyone considering graduate school. So, not only do college students have to go into hock and serfdom to pay off college loans to get an education, now they can't even catch a small break on the interest. But hey, who needs educated workers anyhow when most the job creation, if any, is going to McJobs? (via Inside Higher Ed.).
However, while college students and potential college students get the economic squeeze, at least one company is making a killing in the economy. The not-for-profit College Board racket is making great profits. (via Businessweek)How are they doing it? By charging more fees for their exams, not to mention doing other things like selling test takers' names to colleges. Oh, and they also get states to foot the bill for certain test fees as well: "By 2008, 10 states agreed to pay fees to the College Board for 10th-graders to take the PSAT, according to a College Board newsletter. Texas appropriated money a year later." There are a few colleges out there that are choosing not to use the SAT, nor its rival ACT, in admissions decisions. An interesting development to watch and see if over time this racket can be dethroned.
Cancer patients have to hold yard sales to help pay for their treatment. I always remember that old bumper sticker, the one that said about what a great day it will be when schools have all the funding they need, and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber. Well, it will be a wonderful day when people get the health coverage and services they need without having to go bankrupt because this nation chooses not to treat universal health care as the human right that it is. To make matters worse in this story, the poor patient had to stop her yard sales (via UPI) after some busybody neighbor decided to complain. Yes, not only is the economy bad. Not only do people needing serious medical care have to struggle. Said patients also have to deal with busybodies lacking any sense of decency or compassion. Really? The woman makes good faith efforts to make the sales as non-disruptive as possible, trying to pay for her treatment, and Mr.or Mrs. Neighbor just could not abide it? Apparently compassion is also in short supply in this country. And to her city, change the stupid law already, or cut the woman a break. If nothing else, her cancer is terminal, so what can it cost to give her a break for a while? Stuff like this honestly makes me question faith in humanity.

Signs that the economy is bad, August 5, 2011 edition

2011-08-05T08:36:00.000-05:00

Here we go with another week of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (when I have time and/or feel like it) feature where I scour the news in search of the oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is bad. Because any fancy pants pundit can tell you that the economy is bad, but I look for what the big boys usually miss. This week, for the most part, seems to be a college student edition. College students are just getting hit pretty hard by the bad economy, especially at a time when the U.S. as a nation probably should be investing in better educating its youth. But hey, since the nation as a whole figures it is better to keep shipping jobs overseas and buying cheap stuff from China at Wal-Mart, I guess an educated workforce may not be as necessary, as these stories seem to reveal. And at the end I threw in something a bit lighthearted to balance out.

Public colleges have to beg for money from millionaires and other private sources. Another sign that we as a society simply choose not to fund our schools, showing that, in the end, education is not that big of a priority. According to the article, "legislatures are shifting the cost of college to students: public university tuition has nearly doubled nationwide in the past decade."(via The Washington Post).
And speaking of education, if you went to college, odds are good you remember all those tables out in the plazas and squares with student peons hawking credit cards to other students. It was quite the racket for credit card companies: get students to sign up for their credit cards with some little trinket thrown in as "incentive,' then hook them in with the high interest rates, so on. Well, I am not sure if this is totally a sign that the economy is bad, or that some credit fairness laws have gotten better, but it appears that less students are signing up for credit cards on campuses these days. (via The Chicago Tribune).
And it is not getting better for college students. According to Moody's, "delinquency rates on student loans have not improved as have the rates for other kinds of consumer loans, raising the prospect that significant numbers of student loan borrowers will be unable to repay their loans in the coming years." In plain English kids, if you choose to go to college, make sure you go into a major that actually makes money and has demand (here is a hint: librarianship and education are not such majors) so you can make money to pay any college loans you take. Otherwise, it will serfdom after you graduate. In some cases, it may be better to simply join the workforce, do an apprenticeship, vocational program, so on. Research your options. (via Inside Higher Ed).
If you are thinking you are just going to graduate school to weather the storm, things are not better there. Even getting a T.A. (teaching assistant) position to do the grunt work of teaching undergraduates is getting harder. (via The New York Times).
The bad news for college students continue. Things are so bad that female students are doing sex work and even looking for sugar daddies (some males try to find a sugar mama, but this seems to be a rarer trend; via AlterNet). Now, personally, I have nothing against sex workers or, for that matter, any sexual business between consenting adults. Having said that, it is a sad commentary, once again, on the fact that society does not place a priority on investing in our youth's education when women feel that they need to do this in order to make ends meet. Now, you know it is getting to be a big deal when even CNN gets in on the story. Granted, they are doing it more from the sensationalist angle, "ooh, sugar daddies: is it prostitution? Must be bad" approach, but the fact they are even doing it is the point here.
Finally for now, the news is bad even for little kids. The economy is so bad that even the tooth fairy has had to cut back. Now apparently, the tooth fairy in this story was on the wealthy side because in my day, the going rate was a dollar a tooth, if you were lucky. When the hell did it go up to three bucks? And thus now the forty cents decline causes a furor. Go figure. (via CNN). Even The Colbert Report covered the story. He is suggesting you diversify into tusks, haha.

A five books meme

2011-07-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

My three readers know that I cannot resist a book meme. I saw this a while back over at Ruminations. However, with my busy schedule as of late, I did not have time to do it back in June. So, I wrote down a draft in my journal, and I am finally able to post it to my blog. So, here goes (applicable as of July 11, 2011).

The book I am currently reading:

I am always reading more than one book. In my reading cue at the moment I have the following:

For fiction, C.S. Goto, Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000); Anthony Boucher, The Compleat Boucher: The Complete Short Science Fiction and Fantasy of Anthony Boucher (this one is part of my 12 Months, 12 Books challenge, on which I am falling behind).
Nonfiction: David Boaz, ed., The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Writings from Lao-Tzu to Milton Friedman.
Graphic novel or manga: Akihisha Ikeda, Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1; Rei Hiroe, Black Lagoon, Vol. 3.

The last book I finished:

Fiction: Graham McNeill, The Ultramarines Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000).
Nonfiction: Gregory Dicum, The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry from Crop to the Last Drop.
Graphic novel or manga: Geoff Johns, Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2.

The next book I want to read:

There are a few, or a lot, of books I want to read next. However, there are some I feel I should get to next:

Fiction: Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Another option is Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World and Other Stories. (These are both listed for my 12 Months, 12 Books challenge).
Nonfiction: Maureen Stanton, Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-market America. (I won this from one of the GoodReads giveaways, so I feel a need to read it. Plus, it's about flea markets in the U.S., so it is a bit of Americana, which is a topic I like to read about once in a while).
Graphic novel or manga: This can go anywhere as I have a lot on deck. Choices include, but are not limited to the following: Tsuchiya and Minegishi, Old Boy, Vol. 1, or Will Eisner, The Best of The Spirit.

The last book I bought:

Chip Kidd, et.al., Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan (something unique and different. Also, it was on sale when I found it).
Brusha and Tedesco, Grimm Fairy Tales, Vol. 5.

Last book I was given:

This is easy because it's a special one: Simon Beecroft, Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary. It's special because, besides the fact that I like Legos and Star Wards, it was a Father's Day gift from my daughter.

Why keeping the library open is a matter of public safety.

2011-07-05T10:13:00.000-05:00

When it comes to libraries and their funding, a lot of people go for the usual, "we can close the library. But make sure we keep the cops." While I think that we do need our police, closing the local library should not be the default option for funding cuts. As Diane Cherry puts it in her editorial for the Marietta Daily Journal, "Closing Cobb's libraries a threat to public safety." This should be applicable to all libraries. A couple of good statements from the article; do go and read the rest.

"Public safety begins with our teens who we can either educate and give opportunities to or deal with out on the streets. The same is true for the unemployed and homeless friends, neighbors and former co-workers who have touched every one of us. They need the libraries now more than they ever did."
"If we close libraries, we are shutting the doors on the people who need us most - a very real threat to public safety - as economic desperation often leads to crime and public unrest." This sounds a bit like a statement of the obvious, but then again, the asshats who want to cut public services and public goods (after they had 8 years or so of spending like drunken sailors with nothing really to show for it) do not particularly care.

Signs the economy is bad, June 3, 2011 edition

2011-06-03T17:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular feature where I do all the heavy lifting of scouring the net to find those oh so subtle signs that the economy is bad. Sure, the pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? More often than not, those pundits were cheering as the miscreants in the financial sectors were driving the economy down the crapper. So, here are your signs for this week:

Maybe not all so bad. Some gynecologists are cashing in on women wanting their, to use the pop culture term, "vajayjays" to be refurbished. (via The Atlantic).
And the situation remains bad for our college graduates. In fact, it is so bad that some of the are just taking to the street and begging for jobs (via The Huffington Post).
This is beyond the economy is bad. This is just wrong. A Chinese boy sells a kidney for an iPad 2. As a friend of mine pointed out, what does this say about the excessive consumer culture where an iPad means risking your life to get one? (Via BBC News).

Signs that the economy is bad, May 13, 2011 edition

2011-05-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time again, and this is a Friday the 13th edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular segment (as in I do it when I have time and feel like it) where I scour the webs to find those oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. The problem these days is that the hints are not so subtle any more. The economy is in the crapper, no matter what some pundit with some chart says. All you have to do is ask the average working Joe or Jane on the street. So, here are this week's signs:

Even your pets are bummed by the recession. Money is tight, and just like people put off going to the doctor for preventive care when the choice is paying the rent or car payment or going to the doctor, pet owners make the same choice, and Fido or Fluffy get the short end of the stick. (Via Live Science)
The best college graduates can hope for, in many cases, is a "survival job." And the news do get worse: "And the longer college graduates go without working in their field, the harder it is to land interviews for jobs where they would use their degree."(Via Michigan MLive)
And speaking of college graduates, news keep getting worse for them. It turns out the graduating class of 2011 may well be the most indebted one in history. (Via WSJ). So given the poor job market and poor salaries to start out, they will be pretty much condemned to live like serfs to their lenders, assuming they are even able to get a job. Just another fine example how society has chosen not to invest in students and its own future, instead abandoning higher education and leaving students on their own.The Wall Street Journal tries to sound upbeat, saying that the debt may not be so bad, that it may be a good investment. But in an economy where more often than not, the best job awaiting many college graduates is a McJob (see story above about survival jobs), WSJ is pretty much being irresponsible to say the least. It certainly is very fair now to honestly question whether college is really a good investment or not. For some people, it may still be. For others, some other kind of short study course (say a two-year degree) or just vocational training may be a path to good paying, steady work.
And you can pretty much forget about going to grad school. Advice from professors these days is more along the lines of "don't do it," and some even refuse to speak to their students about it, describing graduate school as a "suicide mission." (Via The Nation).

So, Osama Bin Laden sleeps with the fishes

2011-05-02T13:55:00.000-05:00

I jotted down some brief thoughts as well as listed a few links I found interesting about the whole affair over on the scratch pad blog. Feel free to have a look if so moved. Or feel free to move on. Like most stories these days, the Bin Laden story will likely saturate the media for a few weeks. From the mandatory "asking the asshats to chime in on Facebook or Twitter" that news organizations seem to think is news to those who will disparage the achievement and use it to yet again attack the President (because apparently those people do not get the idea of "respecting the Office of the President" even if you disagree with the guy in office, not to mention the whole bunch of morons who use things like birther rants as code for their racism), I honestly would rather not hear about it more than I absolutely have to. That means that, for me, I will be watching a lot of things like Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, so on. I already get plenty of news via my RSS feeds and Twitter, so to be honest, by the time I get home, I pretty much want to be distracted. And if watching those other channels does not work, I do have a few good books I am currently reading that I know will do the job just fine.

Signs that the economy is bad, April 29 edition

2011-04-29T09:53:00.000-05:00

So we make it to another Friday here at The Itinerant Librarian. Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad," the blog segment where I scour the Internet to find the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure there may be little upticks here and there, but just ask the Average Joe out there; he'll tell you things are bad. So, without further ado, here are the signs for this week:

College graduates are not only more likely to move back home with their parents; they are also staying with their parents after graduation. (via Huffington Post). Sure, USA Today may report that the job market for 2011 college grads is getting better, but there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of that claim. I am sure that Ashley Moore, highlighted in the HuffPo piece has a thing or two to say regarding that USA Today report and the fact she is having a hard time finding any full-time job and is thus stuck underemployed in part-time work.
Last week, the Philadelphia Orchestra declared bankruptcy (via Bizmology). This is not a good sign when the arts are fast losing support. Sure, some orchestras are still hanging on, but according the post, "groups in Honolulu and Syracuse have shuttered in recent months."
You know the shit is starting to hit the fan when Wal-Mart is worried. From CNN Money, "Wal-Mart's core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday." Mr. Duke is not saying anything that anyone with some common sense would not say. Gas prices are high. People still have to drive, so therefore, they have to cut back on other things. Shopping would be one of those things to cut back. Now, when your business pretty much caters to those living paycheck to paycheck (that is the term used in the article), and you worry that your customers are running out of money, that could be a big problem. Now, how is Wal-Mart dealing with this situation? Well, for one, they are bringing guns back. Because nothing lifts sagging sales in your business than offering a better and more available selection of firearms. Now, sympathy for Wal-Mart does not come easy. After all, they did help create the shitstorm we are in now. You know, that whole "low prices" strategy where they squeezed competitors and small stores out of existence and outsourced everything else to China.
Now here is an interesting one. It turns out that the high gas prices are driving a spike in fryer grease thefts (via Reuters). Read on to learn more.
And you can forget about searching for aliens anytime soon. It seems the SETI project is shutting down one of its major research tools due to, you guessed it, lack of funds. More information from SETI here.

Article Note: On Starship Troopers, the war on terror and censorship

2011-04-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

Citation for the article:

Williams, Paul. "Starship Troopers, the War on Terror, and the Spectacle of Censorship." Science Fiction Film and Television 2.1 (2009): 25-44.

Read via Interlibrary Loan.

As my three readers know, once in a while I read academic articles outside of library science and pedagogy. In part, this is to keep up my academic fields of interest outside of library science, and science fiction happens to be one of those areas. Since the article is not related to library science or education, I am posting about it here. At any rate, I came across the article listed above, and it caught my eye.

The article looks at the Verhoeven film Starship Troopers in the context of censorship and war propaganda. It also makes some interesting connections to the War on Terror, especially to the incidents at Abu Ghraib prison. From the conclusion, "the discussion of Starship Troopers sheds light on America's military use of spectacle and information during the Bush Administration's War on Terror" (42). Williams goes about demonstrating this by looking at various scenes in the film. He pays particular attention to the FedNet broadcasts in the film, which are tools of propaganda and information. Notice also that the broadcasts in the film serve to reinforce the idea of a continuing, some may say eternal, war much like the current War on Terror which has no end in sight; notice how the rhetoric around the War on Terror deals with this being a long war. In essence, we are looking at a state of permanent war, which by the way, is something authors like George Orwell have described.

The article also looks at the issue of prisoner torture and how totalitarian societies, and some societies that claim not to be totalitarian, find ways to make that torture permissible. In the film, the captured brainbug is tortured, but the act itself is censored (even though everyone knows what will happen). This is compared to the concealment of Guantanamo prisoners where the legal protections of prisoners were erased.

Overall, the article uses the film as a way to look at the United States and its practices when it comes to the War on Terror. It looks at the mechanisms the government uses to censor and to create spectacle as needed to get people to go along with the war. The article is certainly worth a look. And personally, it also made me think of works like Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. I am thinking there may be similar possibilities for study in that novel as well.

Things that I do that are "old fashioned"

2011-04-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

The Soul Pancake website, an online community with various questions and reflection prompts where I have a profile, had the following question:

"List 3 things you do that are 'old fashioned'?"

Here are my three things as I posted them on the site, with some minor comments I am adding here:

I carry and use a pocket watch. I got tired of wearing a wristwatch after the belt kept getting caught in places and breaking. The pocket watch looks nice, works well, and at times, it gives me something to fiddle with if I need to keep my hands busy, say during some slow times.
I recently acquired a fountain pen, and it is becoming my favorite writing instrument [I use it more at work and as a signature pen]. I do love the way it writes so smoothly. Plus, it is a nice pen, which makes for a nice conversation piece at times.
I would not have thought it old fashioned at first, but I concur with some other people here. I do read actual books, not e-books. I am a librarian, and while I am familiar with e-books, I still prefer good old fashioned paper books. For one, I own them. An e-book is something you lease (you don't really own them. If you think you own them, and you have a Kindle, for instance, you should know they can certainly just make your book vanish on a whim as recent Amazon fracas have done). Plus, I do like books on my shelves. As someone once said, a house without books is like a body without a soul.

So I went to read some other other replies, and I saw other things I could have easily added to the list if the prompt allowed for more than 3 things. Anyhow, here are some more "old fashioned" things I do (or agree with) in no particular order:

Good manners
Home cooked meals when possible
The art of conversation
Politeness
Correct grammar and proper vocabulary
Being a gentleman
Write in notebooks (like my personal journal)
Use libraries (not just working in one, but using them to find reading material)
Still write drafts on paper rather than typing
Iron my clothes
Write with non-mechanical pencils
Brew my own coffee
Not as much these days, but when I can I play and enjoy tabletop and board games
Hold doors open for strangers
Handwrite as much as possible
Still listen to cassette tapes in the car (hey, I have an old fashioned car)
Send handwritten thank you notes
Say "please" and "thank you"
Listen to classical music, some "oldies"
Love wandering, browsing, and shopping in used bookstores
I know how to use a paper map
I know how to use a compass too
I know how to waltz. Not something I've much use for now, but I know how
I still use a bank teller as much as I can

I do find it interesting that some of these things are considered "old fashioned." Yet, as I look at the way a lot of people behave today, including some in my profession, I cannot help but wonder if indeed some of these things are indeed old fashioned.

Oh well, that is my list now. What are things you do that may be seen as old fashioned? Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Signs that the economy is bad, April 15, 2011 edition

2011-04-15T15:19:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. And how appropriate that I can bring you another edition on Tax Day. Yes, the Fed may say you still have until Monday, but if you have to do state income taxes, they are most likely due today. I hope my three readers out there have their taxes done already. Anyhow, for any stragglers that somehow managed to find this blog, this semi-regular feature (as in when I find enough links and feel like posting it) is where I scour the Internet, so you don't have to, in order to find the oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is still bad. Because no matter what the pundits and hotshots say in terms of the economy improving, things are pretty bad out there. You can't always tell given a lot of the spin, and that is where I come in. So, let us see what I have recently found. By the way, when I started these posts, I mostly meant it as a joke, and yes, some of the posts have been humorous. However, I am noticing the tone, and stories, getting a bit more serious. I can only say that just reflects what is out there. It is not just the wealthy whining they can't fly their private jets anymore. Things are really hitting everyone now, including yours truly.

Americans are outsourcing their execution materials. Yes, these days Americans will outsource just about anything, and of course, while jobs are lost here, it is someone else's gain. In this case, we are talking the drugs used in lethal injections for executions. According to The Atlantic, "the scramble for foreign-suppliers of lethal injection drugs, and the surrounding controversy, has arisen because the American company that manufactured sodium thiopental, Hospira, ceased production at its plant in North Carolina last year." So, it was already outsourced to Italy, because apparently they can't make the stuff in the U.S., but the Italians stopped supplying it, so it means more business for someone else to make some money on it.
Guess what is becoming the number one beverage ordered in American restaurants? Is it wine? Beer? Soda? None of the above. According to this article out of Dow Jones, "Cocktails might be trendy, but water is increasingly the beverage of choice for consumers dining out." This refers to tap water, by the way. So, apparently people are not totally ready to give up on eating out just yet, but they are certainly ordering less and keeping things as cheap as possible. With the uptick in gas prices, I am sure this trend will continue.
By the way, that catfish platter that southerners like so much? The price may well be going up. Or, odds are increasing the catfish may come from Asia. Yes, it seems American catfish farmers are struggling with the bad economy. For one, people are eating out less. Two, imported catfish is cheaper, and some restaurants are basically outsourcing their catfish suppliers. See the story out of The Wall Street Journal entitled "South Sings Catfish Blues" for details. This one I just found interesting, in part, because in some parts of East Texas, fish fries and eating out where you can get catfish is quite popular.
Usually, we think of lawyers as people who do make some pretty good money. Granted, it does depend on what area of law they practice (a public defender probably makes a hell less than a corporate attorney working for a big banking conglomerate). Now, you know a lawyer may be up the creek when he is actually peddling papers, as in academic papers. Yes, in this story out of Worcester Telegram & Gazette, that is precisely the case. The lawyer in question was suspended "after running an advertisement on Craigslist offering to write and edit papers and essays for students." Of course, being less than smart by doing things like bragging you work for the Massachusetts Appeals Court certainly does not help.
And it seems even rich sorority girls are feeling the pinch of the economy as well as business for designer dress rentals for social functions is going up. On the one hand, I guess daddy is not able to pay for all of the princess's expenses. On the other hand, this may not be such a bad sign: the dress rental place is certainly doing business. Found via Campus Overload blog.

Booknote: Aftershock

2011-03-28T14:11:00.000-05:00

Actually, I finished this book about a week ago, but between work and life, I did not get around to writing up a review about it until now. I am sharing what I wrote on my GoodReads page here in the blog because I think this is a book that more people should read. I jotted down some brief passages as well that made me think, which readers can see under the updates if they visit the linked review. As is often the case, what I worry about is that people who should actually be reading this book will probably not read it.

Aftershock by Robert B. Reich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Readers can tell that Robert Reich is a college teacher; it shows in this book. He is very good at explaining exactly what happened to the economy in this current climate and why it happened. More importantly, he outlines very well what will happen unless this nation and its people decide on some serious, substantial, meaningful changes. And yet, this is a short book, which makes it pretty easy to read. What I found fascinating is that what is happening is not really new for one. We faced a lot of this during the Great Depression. In some ways, the situation is the same, but the names and players have changed, so to speak.

The problem is not one of Americans simply having spent past their means, which they did. This is not to be denied. The real problem is their wages have not kept up with the times, and employers and the wealthy have broken the social contract where we all pay fairly and gain benefit from shared prosperity. When you have billionaires like Warren Buffet actually saying that he should be taxed a lot more, that is a hint of Professor Reich's argument. I found myself making a lot of little notes, which you can see in my reading updates for this book for the book offers some good points and a lot to think about. The potential scenario of an "Independence Party" candidate winning the White House along with Congress should scare the daylights out of people not matter what side of the political spectrum you are in. And yet, we get a very good explanation of how it will happen if things keep going at the same pace as well as how to avoid, which is the option that will take work. Many passages in this book caught my eye, but I think the one I want to share with readers right away is this one:

On page 145: "If nothing is done to counter present trends, the major fault line in American politics will no longer be between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives. It will be between the 'establishment'--political insiders, power brokers, the heads of American business, Wall Street, and the mainstream media--and an increasingly mad-as-hell populace determined to 'take back America' from them."

Now, take a guess who is going to "win" if the current crop of greedy, hate-and-fear mongering powers manage to keep on manipulating the angry and willfully ignorant. It does not look good, and maybe that is why I did not give this book five stars. I don't necessarily share Dr. Reich's optimism at the end of the book. However, overall, this is one book worth reading.

View all my reviews

Rolling Stone on Army's Use of Psy-Ops. Why am I reading about it in the music magazine?

2011-03-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

Once again I get to ask why am I reading about this in Rolling Stone. I am not saying there is anything wrong with Rolling Stone. On the contrary, as of late, they are picking up some very interesting and important stories that the rest of the mainstream media seem to be ignoring.For example on the tea party and the BP oil spill.

Back in January (I know, I am a bit late writing about it, but I had to take time to read it), they had a piece on the Army using their psy-ops units (they call them MISO's now, which stands for "Military Information Support Operations) in Afghanistan to influence American senators, representatives, and other VIPs to hold favorable views of the operation in Afghanistan. Basically, they were using their psy-ops to influence American citizens, which is something forbidden by law.

"According to experts on intelligence policy, asking a psy-ops team to direct its expertise against visiting dignitaries would be like the president asking the CIA to put together background dossiers on congressional opponents."

If you have not read it, it is worth a look. Now that I found the time to read it, I did find it timely as we think on Sunshine Week and things like open government and our right to know what it is our government does in order to hold it accountable. This does include holding the military accountable as well.

A hat tip to Americablog.

Are the best days of the USA gone? Maybe

2011-03-03T15:53:00.000-06:00

This article out of Time, "Are America's Best Days Behind Us?," caught my eye because it made some pretty good points that I think people often fail to think about. They either fail to think about such points, or more likely they simply refuse to think about such things because in their eyes the good old US of A will be #1 no matter what. Those are the people who simply refuse to learn from the past because heaven forbid they learn from some other source that is not whatever jingoistic misinformation they prefer to consume.

Some of the points that made me think a bit:

"Yes, the U.S. remains the world's largest economy, and we have the largest military by far, the most dynamic technology companies and a highly entrepreneurial climate. But these are snapshots of where we are right now. The decisions that created today's growth — decisions about education, infrastructure and the like — were made decades ago. What we see today is an American economy that has boomed because of policies and developments of the 1950s and '60s: the interstate-highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public-education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies."

Notice that the good things we have now are due to long term decisions that were made decades ago. Basically, the U.S. is not making those kind of decisions now. It is easy to see why. Such decisions take work, take vision, and often require sacrifice for something that will pay off down the road. Those things are not politically expedient; they will not yield votes for the politicians now. And heaven forbid we ask the current generation to make a sacrifice here and there for the sake of our children. Funny, since many folks in this generation do like to pander with the phrase "think of the children." Just as long as there is no cost involved it seems.

"But reducing funds for things like education, scientific research, air-traffic control, NASA, infrastructure and alternative energy will not produce much in savings, and it will hurt the economy's long-term growth. It would happen at the very moment that countries from Germany to South Korea to China are making large investments in education, science, technology and infrastructure."

The things we should be investing on, the things that will truly help our economy in the future, not to mention our long term viability as a nation, are the very things the U.S. is failing to invest on. These things do require funding and commitment, and deity forbid, maybe even some tax increases. But since the right wing in this country has pretty much demonized any tax increase, even when such an increase would actually be good for the nation, there will not be any serious investments in basics like education and infrastructure while the rest of the world basically moves forward and passes by the U.S.

Hell, even the Corleones, well some of them, knew the importance of looking ahead and planning accordingly. As Tom Hagen said, "If we don't get a piece of that action we risk everything we have. Not now, but ten years from now." Why can't our politicians think in similar terms? I suggest my two readers go read the rest of the article to find out why. Some of the reasons are very much related to what I mentioned already: political expediency, but you will also find selfishness, a refusal to learn from others, a lack of reflection and honest assessment, and overall complacency.

Signs that the economy is bad, February 11, 2010 Edition

2011-02-11T10:12:00.000-06:00

Ah, it is the New Year. OK, it has been the new year for a while now, but this is our first "Signs that the economy is bad" segment for 2011 here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where your friendly librarian scours a variety of news sources to find those oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Just because we have a new year, it does not mean the economy has gotten better. Sure, those pundits may say that stocks are up or things are better for those on Wall Street. That's nice. For the rest of us in the trenches, things are still pretty grim in one way or another. But pundits just look at things like financial analysis and "expert" opinions. How do I know the economy is bad? I find the subtle signs, which I am now sharing with my three readers. So, here we go.

It's that most wonderful time of the year, when Girl Scouts go out to take orders for their annual cookie sale. You have to be dead, on a very restricted diet, or just cold and inhuman not to order at least one box when that cute brownie girl comes by with the form. Well, the economy is tight for the Girl Scouts as well. It seems that some of their cookie brands are going to be discontinued (link to WSJ). At least thin mints are safe. Bad news? If you liked those chocolate chip cookies that were diabetic friendly, those are gone. Too bad. (a hat tip to Jezebel).
Even getting a hit is getting difficult on the old checkbook. We often hear stories of women trying to hire a hitman to get rid of their pesky husband. Usually the tale ends when it turns out the wife was talking to an undercover cop posing as the hitman. Apparently telling apart the fakes from the real hitmen is not easy. And by the way, men get caught too, but for some reason stories of women doing it seem more sensational. Now, I do not know what the going rate for a hitman to take out your spouse is these days. I don't get too many phone calls at the reference desk asking, "do you know how much I should pay for a hit on my spouse or ex?" Apparently it seems that it is getting too expensive. Thus, one woman decided to try to get a cheaper option. Since she could not afford to kill the husband, she figured she would pay for just crippling the guy. The guy in question being an ex-boyfriend. She also wanted to make a down payment and put the rest of the hit on a payment plan. (a hat tip to Obscure Store and Reading Room).
Guitar Hero bites the dust. Yep, the makers of the video game are going to stop making it, citing, well, economic reasons.

Now, in case you might say I am a pessimist, I do find stories where a small part of the economy is getting better. If you are super rich, things are certainly good for you. How do I know? Well, for one, the yacht building business in Germany is facing increased demand. According to the article from Der Spiegel, it seems Germany has become a leader in building high-end yachts. And what do customers want on their boats?

"The demands from customers are getting more and more eccentric: A helipad is already de rigueur. Some customers even want two -- after all, berths for floating palaces are in short supply, even in super-yacht marinas in places like Monaco, Nice, Portofino and Palma de Majorca. Some clients want freezer rooms so that they can have snowball fights off the Bahamas. While others order complete operating rooms or recording studios"

There is more, but I will let you read the rest. See? I am not all about the bad signs. Once in a while, you find a sign the economy is doing ok for some people.

TX Governor wants 10K Degrees (translation: wants el cheapo degrees)

2011-02-11T08:44:00.000-06:00

This story is making the rounds to go along with the budget crisis that we now have in Texas. Oh, you did not know we have some budget issues in Texas? Well, apparently Governor Goodhair has been fudging the numbers a bit so things do not sound as bad as they really are (via Los Angeles Times. By the way, notice we get a bit better reporting from out of state on this? Ironic given how Gov. Goodhair loves to lecture about how much better than California Texas is. Really?). And now the governor is calling for universities to create a $10,000 degree (via KXAN). Impossible you say? Not according to his party's and his rosy vision. Let's have a look at the article, shall we?

"[Sen. Dan] Patrick [R-Houston] believes tuition at four-year universities is too high, budgets are too big and said they have lost sight of the main mission to teach and prepare students for a career."

Translation: College is too dadburn expensive. We doesn't be hankerin' t'pay fo' it even (even though we desperately need ejoocayted varmints in this hyar state). Them dadburn college professo's is paid too much t'do too li'l, spendin' time doin' research, whutevah thet means. Oh, we doesn't need kids studyin' hoominities o' literature o' ennythin' fluffy.

Perry goes on to say:

"It is a goal Perry said could be reached with online courses and 'innovative teaching techniques.'"

Translation: Agin, we does not be hankerin' t'pay fo' classrooms on account o' kids kin jest hoof it to class in their pajamas fum their house. Professo's kin be hired on th' cheap, probably temps, an' they kin larn hundreds an' hundreds of kids online instead of in a classroom, dawgone it.

By the way, notice that "innovative teaching techniques" are never defined. I am betting that in Gov. Goodhair's La-la land it probably means something online, with some bells and whistles (not too many, he wants to be cheap). How this would work is not defined either, but apparently he does not realize that creating and running online classes do have costs as well.

So basically it seems his solution is to, eventually, just close down those fancy colleges. Keep some people and buildings somewhere with computers so they can teach all the classes online. And this does not even consider cost of textbooks (another cost I am sure the governor has not considered). Send the rest to community colleges (nothing wrong with CC's, but if you want something more than just a vocational or training certificate, like a full degree, you need a four year school). Because in the end, heaven forbid people invest in their future by making sure they have a well educated workforce and society. And I mean educated to do more than work as waitresses, fast food workers, and day laborers. Yes, you do have to hold those who voted for those politicians accountable as well, who whine "I don't want my taxes to go up" but love to benefit from public services and brag how their kid went to one of the fine universities in Texas, which won't remain fine for long if plans like these come to fruition.

Note: translations done via the Dialectizer and with some close reading of what the politicians actually say.

Local math, or shopping around Tyler

2011-01-21T12:27:00.000-06:00

So, last week, the Better Half and I are out in the town. Our daughter is at her Pokemon League for a couple of hours, so we have some time to burn. We decide to visit one of the fine book retail establishments, specifically one that sells used books and media. Last weekend, they had a big used book sale, which is like catnip to a feline. We decide to stock up. I find a few nice graphic novel selections, and the Better Half finds some things for herself. After a while, we decide to go pay. This is where things get interesting.

The Better Half is getting rung up first by the nice young female cashier. She appears to be either a senior in high school or a freshman in college. Make note of this detail for it may be important in the narrative. I should mention that the sale is as follows: Get five (5) used books for twenty (20) dollars.

Young lady begins ringing up the purchase. The Better Half notices that the price per book is a bit high, not to mention the total will be a bit more (ok, a lot more) than twenty bucks. We proceed to point that out. The cashier then starts changing the prices manually. OK, we understand that programming a cash register may not be easy; the machine was not set to scan and figure out the sale. Cool, I can go with that.

However, we worry when she starts changing the price to five dollars per book. Again, we gently point out that the sale as stated in "get five books for 20 dollars." It is at this point that the young lady gets a bit distressed. What does she do?

She calls out to the cashier two stalls down, "hey Bob (the name Bob is used to protect the not so innocent), how much are books if they are 5 for 20 bucks?"

We had to gently do the math for her and explain that if you buy 5 books at 20 dollars, it means each book would cost four dollars each. Apparently basic math is not a requirement to be a cashier anymore. In fact, we even told our daughter about it, asking her, "hun, if books are 5 for 20 bucks, how much is it per book?" Daughter right away said, "dad, that's easy. They are 4 bucks each."

I don't know about the rest of you, but if that girl is the future of America, I am worried.

Can you learn something about someone from just their reading list?

2011-01-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

The big event in the news this week was the shooting of Ms. Giffords, the Arizona Congresswoman, by Jared Lee Loughner. When a tragedy like this happens, people need to find something to hang on to. One thing they often want to know is motivation. What motivated the guy to shoot this lady who was doing nothing more at the time than meeting her constituents at a local grocery store? The media is full of pundits and sensationalist reporters speculating on all sorts of reasons; certain politicians are definitely not helping matters with their rhetoric.

The type of speculation that caught my eye enough to want to blog about it is the one about the books the shooter listed as his favorites. Apparently, we can tell a lot about a person by the books he has read, or at least claims to have read (or anyhow just lists on a YouTube profile as "favorites"). 3 Quarks Daily links to an article from The Christian Science Monitor that just does this: ask what can we learn about the shooter from the books on his (virtual) bookshelf? I found the idea a bit ridiculous, but speculating is something the U.S. media does very well. By the way, you can find other relevant links at the CSM story.

So, I wondered, what if someone looked over some of the books I have read recently, what would they think about me? Keep in mind that, like the article, we are mostly going by the books listed. Would someone be calling the FBI? Would folks think I am a nutjob? Or something worse? In the interest of a little amusement, let's pick out some recent selections from my "Books Read" shelf over on GoodReads, throw in some snark, and see just what can we learn about this librarian. Oh, and before we go on, I had another question. Did the people doing the judging and speculating actually read any of the books listed on the shooter's list? Or did they simply speculate on the basis of titles or "common knowledge." For example, for Mein Kampf, which the shooter lists, did the critics just go, "holy shit! He lists Hitler's book. I have not read it, but damn, that means the guy is a sicko"?

So here is my book sampling and my speculation exercise. Just pretend some reporter got a hold of my booklist and went wild with it. You can find my reviews of the books in my GoodReads shelf if interested.

The two hardcover compilations of The Walking Dead:

"This guy must be obsessed with doomsday scenarios and the breakdown of society. It's got zombies in it, so he probably has an interest in the occult, making him antisocial and possibly anti-Christian (because we all know the only religion to be taken seriously in the U.S. is Protestant Christianity. If you like zombies, you like the occult, so therefore you are not Christian, which must mean you are bad).

Armando Choy et.al., Nuestra historia aún se esta escribiendo. (this is the history of the Chinese-Cuban generals I recently read).

"The guy is a fucking commie who glorifies Fidel and his generals. Why does he hate America?" (by the way, notice the automatic assumption, typical in the U.S., that America is just the United States. Last I looked, Cuba, along with the rest of Latin America as well as Canada, is part of America. You get extra points if you say something about the book being in Spanish, namely a foreign language, and wondering if it says something bad about Americans in general).

Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.

"The man is a socialist and a troublemaker. Somebody should keep an eye on him because he's probably plotting something."

Kelly Huegel's GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens.

"The guy is a fag sympathizer; hell, he is probably a closeted pervert looking to indoctrinate young people into the 'gay agenda' to destroy 'traditional' family values."

Ted Nugent's Ted, White & Blue.

"This guy is a right wing nutjob (hey, if Obama can be a fascist AND a socialist, this is not that much of a stretch).

Eric Garcia's The Repossession Mambo.

"The guy clearly hates banks, Wall Street, and financial institutions. His house is probably on foreclosure or already repossessed by the bank."

Jack Huberman's The Quotable Atheist.

"See, we told you. He is a pervert, communist, fascist who hates Christians. The guy is an effing atheist. Do you really need more proof?"

James Morrow's Bible Stories for Adults.

"Not only is he an atheist pervert, but he is also a porn fiend who enjoys twisted porn that desecrates the Bible."

Hiroshi Sakurazaka's All You Need is Kill.

"Holy Shit! This guy is a serial killer just waiting to go on a shooting spree. He is probably suicidal too. Call the authorities now."

Honestly, do we really think we can probe someone's mind by a few book titles on a profile? In the case of the shooter, do we even know if he actually read the books? Or did he just list the books that were force-fed to him in school, which does not necessarily mean he really read them? Overall, I don't think we can put much stock in that kind of speculation. Sure, you can look at someone's book list and get a bit of a sense of what kind of reader they are, what kind of books they favor, so on. But to make an actual psychological profile out of thin air, which seems to be what some of the pundits are doing, I don't think so. Besides, such speculation can get out of hand.

My Reading List for 2010 is up

2011-01-04T10:39:00.000-06:00

I have finally published my reading list and summary for 2010. Please visit my professional blog, The Gypsy Librarian, to view it if interested.

Sending 2010 Off: What the heck happened last year?

2010-12-31T19:18:00.000-06:00

Welcome to The Itinerant Librarian where we are sending away 2010. Now news summaries and highlights are mandatory this time of the year. Therefore, going with the tradition, this is my version of the end-of-year summary, or in plain English: "what the heck happened last year?"

Let's start with a little challenge. How much do you remember of 2010? Take this small quiz from Mental Floss to see what you recall.

Before we go on to the list, let me cater to those people who just need to have a news summary. Molly, of Rocketboom, gives us "The Top Ten Worst Moments of 2010." She can be a bit of a ditz at times (I liked their previous hostess better), but this is a pretty good summary of all that happened in 2010.

Now let's get to the links:

Well, for openers, people died. Now I could go out and find one of those "who the hell died last year?" compilations, but I am sure my three readers know how to find them on CNN or any other of the usual news sources. Here, we try to find things that are a bit more unique, such as a list of people who died that you may not have heard of. From Mental Floss blog, where they are "remembering 10 people we lost in 2010." For example, did you know that the last of Ziegfeld Follies girls died in 2010?
Apparently, there were a bunch of movies premiering in 2010. If you did not have the time or the inclination to watch all of them, here is a 6-minute video that edits all 270 of those movies in one clip. Watch it and see how many you recognize. A hat tip to BuzzFeed.
John Scalzi gives us a look at "The Most Notable Science-Fiction Films of 2010."
Another way to summarize 2010 is by protest signs. From asshats to the bizarre, here is a collection of "The 75 Best Protest Signs of 2010." Also via BuzzFeed.
2010 was a year where the recession pretty much continued (yes, I know, those economists said it ended sometime around 2009, but you just have to see the average person out there and take a look around to see things are still bad). A lot of the economic problems have to do with greedy people, pure and simple. And boy did we have some greedy asshats in 2010. Via AlterNet, here is a list of "The 10 Greediest People of 2010."
AlterNet also provides a list of their 10 Most Popular Economic Stories of 2010.
Bankers and CEOs are not the only asshats out there. Politicians certainly misbehaved in 2010. All this misbehavior added new words to our language, and you may need a little help keeping track. Here, provided by The Daily Beast, then is a 2010 Political Dictionary. No, Aqua-Buddha is not a new superhero.
Want more vocabulary? Mental Floss lists "Merriam-Webster's Top Ten Words of 2010."
Sometimes the most entertaining stuff comes from advertisements. AdFreak has put together its list of "30 Freakiest Ads of 2010." Links and clips are included. There may be some risque content (as in say, lingerie or humor that may be a bit dark.. This is my way of telling the squeamish, repressed, easily offended, or just more conservative to use their discretion).
News also happened in terms of sex and love. Via SUNfiltered, here we have "The Best Sex and Love News of 2010" and "The Worst Sex and Love News of 2010." A hat tip to Em & Lo.(If you visit Em & Lo, do keep in mind some content may be risque. It is a sex advice site after all, along with other interesting things).
Overall, 2010 may have been a pretty bad and hard year, but I do not want to leave it all in the negative. So, from Common Dreams, here are the "10 Most Hopeful Stories of 2010." Put together, there may be a kernel of hope in here.
I have to include at least something about librarians. It seems some librarians apparently found some news that interested them as well. As a librarian myself, I see some of these as things of interest and importance, and I see some as things I could not care less about. I will let my three readers guess which stories are which. Anyhow, from LISNews, here are "Ten Stories That Shaped 2010."
Via Nerve.com, we get the Top 20 Internet Lists. From lesbians who look like Justin Bieber to cats in sweaters, you will find something amusing here.
2010 was full of asshats who said stupid things. Bigots and religious hypocrites had a field day saying stupid stuff as well as politicians. The folks at the Texas Freedom Network have compiled lists of quotes for 2010 from the Texas SBOE (who are pretty much an embarrassment to the state), science, religious freedom (no, not defending religious freedom, but conveniently forgetting there is such a thing as religious freedom, or thinking it only applies to their Christian deity. For instance, did you know there is a danger that there will not be any Protestants in government? The horror. Find out which dumbass politico said just that), Muslim bashing (again, religion is OK as long as it is not Islam or anything other than Protestatism), and some miscellaneous stupidity (for example, did you know yoga is demonic? Find out which asshat said just that).
Have a look at some neat, freaky, or just weird ads when AdFreak puts together their "25 Most Popular AdFreak Posts of 2010." My personal favorite is the exploding crocodile. They also have a list of "10 Uncool Ads and Products featuring Jesus." This last one is not for the faint of heart or the uptight religious people with no sense of humor. You have been warned.

This will likely be my last post for 2010. I would like to take this moment to thank my three readers, and to wish everyone out there a Happy New Year. Here's to hoping 2011 is much better. If you celebrate, and you drink, please do so in moderation. And if need be, get a designated driver or call a cab (if you plan ahead, program a cab company's phone number into your cellphone so you have it if you need it). Don't be one of those tragedies we seem to get every end of year from drinking and driving. Also, if you use fireworks, be careful. Have fun, be safe, and see you next year.

And do come back next year. Over at The Gypsy Librarian, I will be posting my end of year reading list and commentary. I read some interesting books last year, so if you are a reader, you want to come back for that.

Holiday Post 2010: Stuff and things

2010-12-24T19:41:00.001-06:00

Another popular thing to see this time of year are shopping guides and gift suggestions. Now, anyone can point to some big corporate site to get the usual. I am thinking a few more interesting things. By the way, if you have not done all your shopping, what are you waiting for? You should be done by now. You should definitely be done by now if you bought stuff online. However, if you need some real last minute ideas, or you just want some holiday amusement, stay a while and check some of these out.

Spirits: Mostly alcoholic

Liquor Snob has put together their "Holiday Shopping Guide 2010."
So does Drinkhacker over here.
Intoxicated Zodiac points to some interesting items you could have put on the grown-ups stockings: whisky dram samples. You can get them some from Master of Malt. If I had a wish list, I would not mind getting those on my stocking.

Stuff for the geek in your life

Blag Hag points to these nice Plush Microbe Holiday Ornaments.
Topless Robot has "20 Delightfully Offbeat Nerd Gifts Under $20."
Mashable listed "10 Customizable Holiday Gifts for Your Tech Savvy Office."
Now do you have a geek in your life? Are they very particular, say Star Wars fan or Doctor Who? Not to worry for here is a list of "Gift Ideas for Ten Major Species of Science Fiction Fan." Via Io9.

A few naughty things (some may be a bit NSFW).

The only reason I am putting this under the naughty column is because of the Boink guided journal. As the company describes it, "Commit to having sex for 30 days in a row? And write about each experience in its glorious detail? That’s what Boink is about." I thought it was a nice and unique item. The company is Flytrap. Hat tip to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
Em & Lo have some suggestions for "Sensual Holiday Gifts for That Special Someone." The sex manual parody on the list sounds amusing, just the type of thing I would like to read.
If you have an H.P. Lovecraft fan in your life, and they like walking on the wild side, these toys by Necronomicox may be for them.
COED Magazine has put together an "XXX-Mas Gift Guide: For Adults Only."

Now if none of the above catch your fancy, you can always go with something a bit more basic like a calendar. You can't really go wrong with a new calendar. However, if you do not want to go with the same old cute kittens, or hot babes, or hot guys, or some other cuddly calendar, here are "Ten Odd and Awesome 2011 Calendars" and "Ten More Odd 2011 Calendars." Hey, you can't go wrong with outhouses, roadkill, or coffins, can you? Via Mental Floss blog.

Now next, we have a series of lists for gifts or about gifts. These are not so much things to buy, but more things to help you remember times past or just wonder what were some people thinking when they gave this or that gift.

Now we all know that every year has a "must have gift," the one thing people are willing to be trampled for at the crack of dawn if need be. Esquire has a "A Timeline of Top Christmas Gifts. . . Ever." It starts with this year's iPad and then goes back in memory lane to things like the Furby and Cabbage Patch Kids. How many do you remember?
Food Network Humor has a list of "10 Awful Gifts for Food Lovers and Food Network Fans." Food Network has pretty much fallen in quality over the years, and FNH does its best to document the decay in a fun way. Honestly, I do NOT want Paula Deen's Butt Massage; I do not know anyone who does either.
Reader's Digest has "21 of the Worst Holiday Presents You've Ever Gotten." A toilet seat? But some of these are just thoughtless, like getting a fifth of whiskey to an alcoholic.
And does anyone remember the good old days, you know when you could give a child a firearm, and no one made a fuss? Well, let us remember with "5 Old Christmas ads in which guns are great." Via AdFreak. Because nothing said Merry Christmas sonny like a fully loaded shotgun or rifle.
But maybe guns are not your thing. Ok, that is cool. Maybe instead you want a cute puppy. I mean, how can you not like a puppy, especially a toy puppy? How about a toy puppy that poops? Via AdFreak.
Then again, there is always the gift of music. Christmas music is a very important tradition, so it could make a good gift to give a holiday album as a present. Unless it was one of these "10 Totally WTF Christmas Albums." Because nothing expresses the musical spirit of the holidays quite like A Rubber Band Christmas.Via Topless Robot.
And for kids of all ages, here we have "The 12 Greatest Holiday Action Figures." Some of these look pretty cool actually. Also via Topless Robot.
Now, in the interest of generosity and for our atheist friends, some may be interested not in gifts but in giving a little to charity. Here is a list of atheist/secular charities. After I heard about what the Salvation Army was doing with certain toy donations they did not like (and apparently since the media exposure they backpedaled a bit), I do feel my money could go someplace else. Via Effort Sisyphus.
And finally, you can't have Christmas without a nativity set. The Rude Pundit shares his favorite sets and some additional comments on the season.

Holiday Post 2010: The Reader's Edition

2010-12-24T18:12:00.000-06:00

We continue our series of posts for the holiday season here at The Itinerant Librarian. As a librarian and avid reader, I feel it is essential to make an end-of-year post about reading and books. I will be posting my end-of-year reading list and commentary right after the end of 2010. I am trying to squeeze in one or two books more to the tally before the year ends. So, here we go:

Book lists: The Usual Suspects

The New Yorker's Book Department has a "Holiday Gift Guide 2010." It also includes reading paraphernalia and accessories, but there are some interesting books too.
The New York Times Book Review has its "100 Notable Books of 2010."
The Guardian has its "Best Books of 2010" list.
The Economist also has a 2010 Best Books list. You can find fiction and nonfiction here.
The Financial Times has its "Fiction Round-up."
Bob Sutton's Good Boss, Bad Boss book was featured in various business book lists. I am linking to the post because it includes links to various business book lists.
Largehearted Boy has a large aggregation of book lists from the usual suspects (Amazon, NYT, etc.) as well as some less known lists. This is basically "one-stop shopping" for book lists.

More Book Lists: Things not as easy to find but just as cool

For manga readers, and I happen to be one of them, here is The Manga Critic's 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. The author also rounded up "The Best Manga of 2010." Via The Manga Critic.
Lambda Literary has book lists for LGBT readers (and by this I mean not only LGBT folks, but those of us who enjoy LGBT literature as well). Their 2010 guide features "75+ Books for every LGBTQA Person in Your Life." They even have a list for comics and graphic novel readers. There is a lot of stuff in here that I want to read at some point.
The folks at Guys Lit Wire discuss "Graphic Novels-- notes from a Top 10 List."

Miscellaneous

This is not really a holiday list, but if you are into books-- you like reading about books; you collect books, etc.-- there this list of "50 Books About Books" may be of interest. Via Fine Books and Collections magazine.
Britannica has its "Top 10 Most Read Articles for 2010."
ABE Books lists its "Most Expensive Sales in 2010." Check out what some rare books sold for last year.
And a bit of book humor. Awful Library Books has its list of favorite books for 2010.

Holiday Post 2010: The Basics

2010-12-23T09:46:00.002-06:00

We have almost made it to the end of 2010, and we have made it to the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, Festivus, or some other holiday (or you just enjoy having time off at this time of year), may you have a peaceful and safe time. As I have done in previous years (here is the one from last year if interested), here is my small gift to my three readers where I go around and collect interesting, amusing, or just miscellaneous things that may be of interest this holiday season.

Once again, I have enough for a series of posts. So, we will start today with The Basics. I will also make a post for readers and another one for humor and lists. So, stay tuned this week.

The Basics

One of my favorite links this season is NORAD's Santa Tracker. For years now, we enjoy keeping track of Santa as he makes his way around the world. This never fails to make me smile. Apparently, they now even offer options to track Santa on your mobile phone (please, just don't do it while you are driving).
I can always count on the U.S. Census Bureau to put together a set of facts and figures about the holiday season. Here is their 2010 Holiday Season fact sheet.
And wow, PNC Financial Services is still doing their annual calculation of the Christmas Price Index. This year marks their 27th year doing it, and I always find it very entertaining. Here is the 2010 edition. Small note: the site does have an auto-play this year, so you may want to adjust volume accordingly. It does have a very interactive element I think kids will enjoy (as well as kids at heart).
You want to be safe this holiday season. From GovGab, here are some fire safety tips for your home.
GovGab also offers some tips and advice on "Drinking and Driving During the Holidays." The idea here is to be safe and responsible when you drink during the holidays. A drink here and there is a very traditional thing to do (if you choose to consume alcohol. If you do not, that is cool too, and you should not feel pressured to do so), but please, as the ads say, "enjoy responsibly." Do simple things like planning ahead before you go out and having a designated driver. If a designated driver is not an option, programming the number of a taxi cab company or two into your cellphone before you go party may be a good idea as well.
Did you send out Christmas greeting cards? Do you need or would like some last minute e-cards to send to friends? Of all places, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a set of winter holiday cards you can send that feature small health tips and some light humor. It never ceases to amaze me the little things that the federal government comes up with to educate people.
Now some folks may want more traditional or classic Christmas cards. From Forgotten Bookmarks, a small online display of antique Christmas cards.
The National Park Service has a page where you can learn more about the National Christmas Tree, the big one they put up every year in Washington, D.C.
I hope you got your Christmas lights up. If not, odds are good you may take a drive around your neighborhood and see what your neighbors did. Or you can just sit back, relax, and watch these clips of "World's Most Outrageous Christmas-Light Displays" according to The Daily Beast.
The Daily Beast also has a list of "Holiday Songs You Haven't Heard." A part of me is thinking, after listening to a few of these, that there may be a reason they haven't been heard.
Now the holidays can be stressful. One of the stress factors can be money. You want to buy gifts, or you splurge a bit more than you should have, and then stress follows. Here are some ways to "have less holiday financial stress." Maybe you can also consider doing other things like giving the gift of time, or be creative with something homemade. Via AlterNet.
Now, do you know your holiday traditions? From Reader's Digest, here are "13 Things You Didn't Know about Christmas Traditions." The list is not comprehensive (I mean, where are things like Winter Solstice? Or even Hanukkah?), but it is nice.
Now, when you go out, or stay home, for the holiday dinner, you need to mind your manners. Also from Reader's Digest, her are "5 Holiday Dining Etiquette Tips." The most important tip? Put the smartphone/Blackberry/iPhone away.

If you are traveling, may you have a safe and peaceful trip. If you are staying home, and people are coming over, I hope you have a peaceful time with little stress. However, if you have cats in the house, this may happen (Click to see video on YouTube).

Online Gallery: Art of the American Soldier

2010-12-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

This looks really neat. This is a collection of paintings and drawings created by American soldiers, many of them unseen until now. You can view an online gallery now, and visit D.C. to see the exhibit, which will later go on tour. From the site:

More than 15,000 paintings and sketches created by over 1,300 American soldiers in the line of duty have been in curatorial storage in Washington, D.C. for decades, seldom made available for public viewing. Art of the American Soldier will bring these powerful works of art into the spotlight at the National Constitution Center from September 24, 2010 through March 31, 2011. The exhibition, featuring a never-before-seen collection, was created by the Center in partnership with the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the National Museum of the United States Army. Following its world debut at the Center, the exhibition will begin a national tour.

Video trailer below:

My final thoughts on Saul Alinsky's book

2010-12-17T09:25:00.000-06:00

This is the third installment of notes and small comments on my reading of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals (see my previous notes here and here). Most of this stuff are selections from my notes in my personal journal that I felt could be shared with my three readers.

I found the next passage a bit depressing when thinking about it. However, it is an important concept in organizing and getting allies to your cause. Alinsky writes:

"With very rare exceptions, the right things are done for the wrong reasons. It is futile to demand that men do the right thing for the right reason-- this is a fight with a windmill" (76).

Nice allusion to Don Quijote, but when you read the passage, it is clearly very Machiavellian. The basic message is who cares why your allies join you, just as long as they do join your cause and you make progress to a better world.

A bit more on the organizer:

"He should be able, with skill and calculation, to use irrationality in his attempts to progress toward a rational world" (76).

Basically, you make deals with people who have different values and agendas, but we all share a common goal, this in order to get said program or goal going.

On leadership versus organizing, though I wonder if leadership here means more management (and I don't mean that as a positive). Alinsky writes,

"This is the basic difference between the leader and the organizer. The leader goes on to build power to fulfill his desires, to hold and wield the power for purposes both social and personal. He wants power himself. The organizer finds his goal in creation of power for others to use" (80).

By that definition, a lot of librarians should strive to be organizers. It certainly is something I aspire to, not to mention that, by that definition, I care not for leadership (or management rather, which I think is really what we are looking at here, and yes, this would include most if not all politicians).

On getting your "credentials" as an organizer:

"The job of the organizer is to maneuver and bait the establishment so that it will publicly attack him as a 'dangerous enemy'" (100).

This may be something to aspire for, but it may be more difficult in librarianship where image is everything. A new or less experienced librarian (or we can add one on the tenure line but not tenured yet if in academia) trying this would be pretty much shunned and beaten down by the establishment. However a librarian with nothing to lose and a strong sense of what is right could certainly go for it. I know I do, or try to but there is still work to do. Librarians like the Connecticut Four or the Radical Reference volunteers make a good model for being a dangerous enemy to the establishment. Maybe there is some hope; after all, way I see it, a good librarian is a dangerous librarian.

Booknote: The Five-Year Party

2010-12-13T11:14:00.000-06:00

My review as I posted it on my GoodReads page.

The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given Up on Educating Your Child and What You Can Do About It by Craig Brandon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Initially, this book started interesting, but after a while Brandon's strong biases, including his desire for more in loco parentis and treating 18-year-olds like minors, basically overwhelmed the book. That there is a slight hysterical and/or alarmist tone to the book probably does not help. And the thing is that a lot of what he writes about is true, and that something needs to be done about it. However, after a while, the messages seem to get lost in the alarmist writing.

So, what are the basic messages of the book? Allow me to summarize, and for many, this may save you from reading the whole thing:

*Kids are coming to college less prepared than ever. OK, this is not really new, and we could go on a new rant just discussing how public schools have basically become holding pens rather than actual educational institutions. Thus, they are less ready for college.

*However, that they are unprepared for college does not seem to matter given that colleges are pretty much giving kids a not-quite-free pass. The big deal is that colleges have gone from educational institutions to business ventures. In the spirit of being business ventures, keeping the customers (i.e. the college students) who pay the tuition (and thus the revenue the college needs) happy at all costs becomes the main concern. Course too hard? Dumb it down? Professor grades too hard and makes you work? Get him or her to make class more fun, grade less, give less homework, and curve the grades. And if he does not comply, well, the customer (student) can get even at the end of year evaluation. You can rest assured that guy won't be getting tenure when review time comes around. This is another thing I could go on another rant about because working in higher education I have seen and lived it. As an adjunct many moons ago, I had students throw tantrums because they thought the classwork was too hard and interfered with their partying. And that is just one example.

*College is not safe. We are dealing with kids who just became adults; legal adulthood in most places is 18 years of age whether Mr. Brandon and other paternalistic people like it or not. Sadly, for many of these new adults, it means extreme freedom, and they will do stupid and even deadly things. The problems really surface when the administration just wants to hide it using things like FERPA and just cooking the books in relation to the Clery Act. This is where the author and I disagree. Author advocates basically treating the college students like children again. I say, if they are adults, treat them as such. Let the local police handle them (after all, they are adults living in the college town) and let the students take their consequences. Expel them if need be too. This would make sense, but see the previous point about school being a business; you can't expel your source of revenue.

*The college loans racket that basically turns students into oppressed indentured servants. And this is just going to keep getting worse as states and society give up on their social contract of investing in the future generations and the families have to turn more to loans to pay for their students' educations. Loan money that the colleges are glad to take (again, see school as a business pattern. Do you get the idea now?) without regard to whether the kids succeed or not. However, the longer the kids stay in school, the more money they get.

The book makes some very important points. I do think a lot of parents should be reading it, especially the section at the end with the key questions and red flags about what makes a party school. By the way, I don't think a lot of what he says applies to only "party" schools. However, as I said, much of the good message gets lost in the demonizing of colleges; see the chapters on college safety. While there are dangers, Brandon makes it sound like most colleges in America are teeming with rapists, murderers, and drug dealers waiting for your kids to come out from their nightly Greek house drunken bacchanalias. Yes, there are dangers. Yes, in many instances, a lot of kids party way too much. No, not all campuses are like that, but the ones that are need to be exposed. And students certainly need to have better work ethic, but society needs to demand it too.

So, overall, there is some food for thought here, but as a reading, it is not too great. Once you get the basic points, the rest seems a bit redundant.

View all my reviews

Some more notes and thoughts prompted by Alinsky's book

2010-12-10T11:12:00.000-06:00

I continue writing down some notes I took from Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, which I recently read.Again, as I stated before, I am selecting segments from my notes in my personal journal.

Alinsky provides a list of ideal elements for an organizer. He does admit it is idealized. He writes, "I doubt that such qualities, in such intensity, ever come together in one man or woman; yet the best organizers should have them all, to a strong extent, and any organizer needs at least a degree of each" (72). Alinsky does expand on each list item, and I jotted down some additional things as I was reading, but now I want to just jot down the list itself. I do think the list has traits that any librarian, especially one that does outreach and/or instruction should possess as well.

The list of elements for an organizer, according to Alinsky:

Curiosity
Irreverence
Imagination
A sense of humor
A bit of blurred vision of a better world
An organized personality
A well-integrated political schizoid
Ego
A free and open mind, and political relativity

I will admit now that there were a couple of list items that did not seem clear right away. As I read, I hoped that Alinsky would clarify (he did).

Alinsky on the irreverence of organizers. This was a part of the book that really resonated with me, in large measure because it is stuff I believe in. He writes:

"To the questioner nothing is sacred. He detests dogma, defies any finite definition of morality, rebels against any repression of a free, open search for ideas no matter where they may lead.He is challenging, insulting, agitating, discrediting. He stirs unrest. As with all life, this is a paradox, for his irreverence is rooted in a deep reverence for the enigma of life, and an incessant search for its meaning" (73).

This pretty much embodies what a good librarian should be, and what seems to be missing so often in our profession. Sure, a lot of librarians give lip service to the idea, but in reality they get very upset if anyone dares to question the world as they see it. The rest of the paragraph from Alinsky's writing is where I think he tempers things, offers some balance. He writes some more on irreverence:

"It could be argued that reverence for others, for their freedom from injustice, poverty, ignorance, exploitation, discrimination, disease, war, hate, and fear, is not a necessary quality in a successful organizer. All I can say is that such irreverence is a quality I would have to see in anyone I would undertake to teach" (73).

And we'll wrap this up next time.

Booknote: Rules for Radicals

2010-12-03T11:16:00.000-06:00

I am starting this post by posting the review as I wrote it on my GoodReads profile. After that, I am going to add some additional thoughts and notes from the book that I want to expand upon here on the blog.

The review:

Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did not rate this higher because there were moments when I found myself struggling with some of Alinsky's ideas. A part of me wondered what Alinsky would have made of the current political climate. Would he still recommend some of the ideas and rules he promoted? Would he have become more radical? Lost hope given that it is extremely difficult to keep hope in this current political environment in the U.S.? I guess as a reader I struggled because sometimes I thought he was too optimistic.

And yet, if you read this book, you will find that Alinsky can be very Machiavellian. You will also find that a lot of what he writes about is very relevant today. To be honest, I found the last chapter to be very prophetic. So you see why I struggled a bit with it; there seem to be two sides.

I picked the book up out of curiosity. I read somewhere that Barrack Obama had read it, and the book was an influence for his community organizing work. I can see why. This book is a primer for community organizing. If you want to learn what it takes to be an effective community organizer, this is a book you should be reading. Now, do keep in mind this book was written in 1971, so there are a lot of references to events prior to that year, a lot of things related to the struggle for civil rights, so on. Having some small grasp of American history at the time will probably be helpful because he uses a lot of examples to illustrate his principles and rules. However, the principles and rules are basically universal; they can be applicable today just as they were at the time the book was written. In addition, this is a book that will make you think. You may agree with some things, disagree with others, but overall, this is a useful book if you want to learn how to be a radical and a community organizer, and I don't mean radical in the negative sense certain people use it today. I think it is a book more people should be reading to educate themselves and others. Overall, I did like it.

View all my reviews

* * * *

Additional notes and thoughts: If you just needed or wanted a quick review to convince you whether to read it or not, you can stop reading here. If you want to read more about what I got out of the book, notes I made from the book, and some further thoughts, read on.

As I mentioned in my brief review, I struggled with some of Alinsky's ideas at times, even as I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he wrote. I will mention too now that I was reading this at the time that I was also writing out my statements for my application to ACRL's Immersion Program Track, and some of his ideas were on my mind (I may blog on that later over in the professional blog). In addition to my curiosity about the book after reading somewhere that President Obama read it and the book had influence on his community organizing work, I picked up the book because I wondered if there was anything the book might say to me as an outreach librarian. Now that I have a bit of time to think about it, a good amount of work that an outreach librarian does is community and group organizing. I found that the book does say a lot to librarians; well, it said a lot to this librarian, and it made me once more think about the issue about our neutrality illusion, whether as librarians we should remain perfectly neutral or engage in some degree of education and advocacy. The only reason I am posting about the book in my personal blog rather than on the professional blog is that the book, ostensibly, is political, and politics is something I try to limit to the unruly cousin here (we don't discuss politics in polite company, and The Gypsy Librarian is my polite company blog. Here, almost anything goes, which I suppose could prompt another discussion of where we draw our lines as librarians). This may well be a book that we may want librarians to read.

Some notes I jotted down from the book, basically some things I wanted to remember. I am making a selection from what I jotted down in my personal journal. Since this could get long, I am will make another post with more notes:

A fundamental idea: ". . .one communicates within the experience of his audience--and gives full respect to the other's values. . . " (Prologue, xviii).
"On another level of communication, humor is essential, for through humor much is accepted that would have been rejected if presented seriously" (xviii).
On freedom: "People cannot be free unless they are willing to sacrifice some of their interests to guarantee the freedom of others. The price of democracy is the ongoing pursuit of the common good by all of the people" (xxv, emphasis in original).

On organizers:

"The organizer, in his constant hunt for patterns, universalities, and meaning is always building up a body of experience.

Through his imagination he is constantly moving in on the happenings of others, identifying with them and extracting their happenings into his own mental digestive system and thereby accumulating more experience. It is essential for communication that we know of their experiences. Since one can communicate only through the experiences of the other, it becomes clear that the organizer begins to develop an abnormally large body of experience.

He learns the local legends, anecdotes, values, idioms. He listens to small talk. He refrains from rhetoric foreign to the local culture. . . .

And yet the organizer must not try to fake it. He must be himself" (70).

Good lessons for outreach here.

And we'll continue next time.

Signs that the economy is bad, December 2, 2010 edition

2010-12-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where I go find those oh so subtle signs that the economy bad. Because big shot pundits can tell you about the usual unemployment rates, mortgage issues, people losing their houses, so on. I use my impressive and powerful research skills (ok, just surf the web and have some well selected RSS feeds) to find those oh so subtle hints. I usually try to keep this semi-regular feature (as in I do it when I feel like or have time) fairly light, but given the current climate, it is getting harder to keep the light tone. So this week I may be a bit more serious. Anyhow, here are the highlights for the week.

Well, it seems like less people are using credit cards these days (story from CNBC). I know that I am not using them, and this may be a very small silver lining in the gray cloud of the bad economy. Considering the predatory practices of the credit card companies and banks, in many cases exploitative, I am not too sympathetic to the card issuers. And contrary to the article spin, I don't think it is all non-voluntary (i.e. someone who got bad credit rating over some missed payment or two and the bank just wrote off the debt, namely sold it to some vulture collector and shut down the account). This may also be that "a significant portion of the decrease in card usage reflects decisions by cardholders to stop using credit." Don't get too excited though: credit cards are not going away yet. A hat tip to Americablog.
And you know things can't be that much better when students in the U.S. are looking for U.K. schools as a bargain in terms of tuition (story from The Wall Street Journal). According to the article, "as tuition at U.S. colleges increasingly becomes less affordable for many—and as spots at the most competitive institutions more and more resemble gold dust—some American high schoolers are looking to the United Kingdom to meet their educational needs." I get the impression we are still looking at kids from fairly wealthy homes; I just don't think kids that are mostly headed to the local community college or maybe their state's 4-year college are looking across the pond as an option to save on the tuition.
For Spain, gum being too sticky is a problem. So to lower the costs of cleaning up after people who spit their gum on the ground, they want to make gum less sticky (story from The Guardian). According to the article, "Barcelona's city hall estimates it scrapes up 1,800 bits of gum a day from its streets - at a cost of more than €100,000 (£85,000) a year." By the way, most gum in the world is made by two companies, according to the article, Cadbury and Wrigley, which are American (or American-owned now. Cadbury is owned by Kraft, and Wrigley by Mars). Take that for what it's worth.
Food banks are bracing themselves for more people with need for food as unemployment benefits may lapse. I used the link from Crooks and Liars because I want people to also see the Dickensian image they use about the poor and workhouses given that, at the rate things are going and given the lack of compassion and common decency in this nation overall, going back to things like debtor's prisons and workhouses may be the next option. Oh wait, in some parts of the U.S., it seems prison for debtors are making a comeback.

Signs that the economy is bad, November 19, 2010 edition

2010-11-19T10:36:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular feature (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) where I scour the web for those oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is bad. Any pundit can tell you the usual news, but it takes a bit more effort and a keen eye to find the real signs that things are bad. Someone has to do it, and I am happy to do it for my three readers. I do try to keep this series nice and light, but once in a while a bit of seriousness creeps in. Things are going from bad to worse in this nation (and around various parts of the world), in large measure due to selfish mofos who have no concept of the common good. But let us put the ranting aside and have a look at the signs for this week:

Top bankers just can't make bonuses like they used to anymore. In a case of "I wish I had his problem," the big honcho of Goldman Sachs actually complained that he was only getting a measly $9 million dollar bonus.According to this article presented in AlterNet, "Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs' boss, was paid a mere $9 million last year, so now he wants that 'sacrifice' made up to him." Yes, the poor crybaby's greed knows no bounds. Everyone has to tighten their belts, but gosh darned it, he wants his money. If you feel a need to shed a tear for the greedy man, he will do ok: "Lest you worry that poor Lloyd's family had to resort to food stamps to make ends meet with that tough $9 million year, note that he had a bit of a cushion, having pocketed a record Wall Street payday of $68 million in 2007 -- even as his the financial condition of his bank was crumbling." Must be nice.
For a long time, the ALA (that's the American Library Association to my non-librarian reader) has been trumpeting on and on the myth that there is, or will be coming soon, a shortage of librarians. That malarkey has pretty much been discredited, and librarians in the know like me do find it annoying when ALA tries to push it yet again. However, there are other fields facing a shortage. It turns out that if you are willing to become a Catholic priest, you may have a career as an exorcist. According to this report from Reuters, apparently there has been an increase in demand for exorcisms.
And once again, we have another story on the trend of schools to turn to advertising as a way to make ends meet. According to this story in Time, kids are getting exposed to ads on school grounds more often, and as a captive audience, they can't do much about it. This is not new. I have pointed to stories about advertising by the teachers (a college professor advertising in his classes for a burrito or the high school teacher for a pizza restaurant for instance).And here is another one story where a beauty school partners with a beauty products maker. What do these stories have in common? Communities that refuse to pay up for the education of their children, then often gripe because the schools have to find ways to make ends meet. I will put this in simple terms: either put your money where your mouth is, pay your taxes, and support your schools so the kids get the best they need, or the schools may have to employ some entrepreneurial spirit, and you may not like how they do it. But guess what? If you choose not to support your local schools, you should get no say when they have to turn to advertising to make ends meet. You anti-tax whiner abdicated that option of complaining when you chose to cut back funding, not vote for that particular school district proposition, or opposed a (probably) modest raise in your property taxes to fund the schools. And let's be honest, do you really want to send your kids to Coca-Cola High School or the Clairol Beauty College? Because that is where things are headed. (Mention of Coke and Clairol in no way implies endorsement. I just picked two brands in the spur of the moment).And in case you are saying, "but hey, that is just getting businesses to partner with schools and help out," here is an example of the real agenda businesspeople have when it comes to placing ads in your schools. From the article, "a Los Angeles—based firm at one point distributed marketing materials touting a 'unique form of advertising' in elementary schools, one that 'caters to a captive audience where the viewer can't 'change the channel' or 'turn the page.'" In other words, your kids are being exploited as a captive audience; they really don't give a crap about your kids or their education.
Now you can't even share getting laid. It turns out that swingers parties and clubs are feeling the economic pinch as well. According to this article from the New York Daily News, "a couple lingering near the bar explained that the sluggish economy has thinned out local swinging parties, saying, 'If you want to save money, you can stay home and get laid for free.'" Well, you can if you have someone to share the moment. Then again, as Alvy Singer said in Annie Hall, "Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love"

Signs that the economy is bad, November 12 edition

2010-11-12T10:44:00.000-06:00

Just a few small items this week. Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where I do extensive research (ok, I look at a lot of news sources) to find those oh-so-subtle hints that the economy is bad. Any major pundit can tell you that the housing market stinks, that the unemployment rates are horrible, etc. These days the one sign I worry about is libraries being closed left and right because people think they are unessential. I try to avoid posting those stories because I can only handle so many depressing news stories, and writing reasonable arguments about why a library needs to stay open takes more effort than I want to put in (ok, let me be honest, for every decent argument you get 20 or so asshat anti-tax teabaggers whining about how the library is some socialist institution and/or tool of the devil, and after a while, I just refuse trying to reason with the unreasonable, but I digress). So, here are some small signs that the economy is bad for this week. I found the Madoff piece particularly amusing:

Thanksgiving celebration is toned down. Sorry, no freeloading second and third cousins anymore. Via our local CSB station.
Rich people who give to higher education are giving less (ok, this is kind of "duh"). Via Inside Higher Ed, which links to a study by BOA/Merrill Lynch.
When you have sold everything, and all you have left to sell to settle your debts are your underpants. That is exactly what is happening to Bernie Madoff, and it could not happen to a nicer guy.Via UPI.

Previous life: I was a librarian too.

2010-11-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

We made it to another Friday, and here at The Itinerant Librarian, that often means time to go light. In other words, silly internet quiz time. Though this is more of a generator than anything else (you just input your birth date, and it does the rest), it was still amusing. It seems that, even in past lives, I was still a librarian, or at least some keeper of the lore, relics, etc. Hey, I happen to think witchdoctor is a pretty cool job if you can get it. And yes, I say that as someone who self-identifies, for the most part, as heathen. Then again, heathens often did have witchdoctors, shamans, etc., and what are those, in some way, other than the local librarian (yes, combined with doctor, but still). Anyhow, here are the results then.

Your past life diagnosis:

I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Borneo around the year 575. Your profession was that of a librarian, priest or keeper of tribal relics.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Seeker of truth and wisdom. You could have seen your future lives. Others perceived you as an idealist illuminating path to future.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your lesson is to develop a kind attitude towards people, and to acquire the gift of understanding and compassion.

Do you remember now?

Here is the Past Life Analysis.

Sure, vote for the Teabbagers, and take the country back to the Stone Age

2010-10-29T10:45:00.001-05:00

If you have not seen Keith Olbermann's recent special comment on the Tea Party, it is a must-watch. He goes over the lunacies and retrograde ideas that teabagging party members are pushing to basically drive this nation back instead of forward. I don't particularly like the current administration either, but electing these asshats would be a step backwards. Then again, it seems most people in this nation have left their critical thinking and reason at the door (assuming they had any to start). And don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of many teabaggers who rail against government and try to make it the enemy even as they themselves feed off the government via benefits, subsidies, etc. We are basically looking at madness, pure and simple. Anyhow, watch and discuss.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Making my stand

2010-10-28T15:35:00.001-05:00

(This is cross-posted from The Gypsy Librarian)

"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no farther!" --Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, from the film Star Trek: First Contact.

I have been attentive to what has been going on with the recent suicides of gay youths due to bullying up to and including the incident of the bigoted school board member in Arkansas. I have written some things in response, but so far, I kept them in my personal journal. The more I listen and watch and ponder, the more difficult I find it to stay silent, to not stand up, to not say anything. So my three readers can consider this post the one where I draw the line because bullies and bigots come and think they can get away with their crimes and uncivilized behavior. Well, no more. Not if this librarian has anything to say about it, and I do have a thing or two to say. What follows are two small items I wrote earlier that I am ready to share.

* * * *

From my personal journal, October 6, 2010:

I've been wanting to blog about the recent bullying and suicide stories, but I am not sure what approach to take. Jeff Jarvis, in discussing the tragedy at Rutgers University, summarized it well: "It is a story of human tragedy." What we have here is not just an individual failure. We have a community failure from the parents of those bullies who very likely failed to instill good values like common decency to a society that pretty much is willing to accept bullying. That we had more than one suicide due to bullies in less than a month was probably enough for the media to cover it. But if it had been just one suicide in some small town, no one else would have heard about it, and people in that small town, with the exception of the victim's relatives, would have likely chalked it up to "boys will be boys" or some similar line. A line such as "kids in school will always be kids" should never be an acceptable cover or excuse for bullying, hazing, harassment, or other kind of anti-social behavior. That adults consistently use that excuse reflects a serious lack of character and compassion.

But there is another reason I find it difficult to blog about it. It means making my views more public in a fairly hostile environment. But if I don't stand up and speak, then who will? For me, this is the right thing to do, and yet I have my fears. As a librarian, I struggle with the illusion many in the profession hold of neutrality against the belief that we should help educate, that we should not only provide information but use our best professional judgment in providing good, accurate, and reliable information. Taking a stand breaks that illusion. It raises a flag stating that this is what I stand for and what I will defend or oppose. Yet, if I remain silent, it would not be right. I don't think anyone said this profession would be without some risk. Then again, every time I blog, or even post a shared link online, there is the risk of offending somebody, somewhere, maybe even a future potential employer. A lot of librarianship is about image, and it is a pretty small profession where the wrong blog post can get you shunned. I try not to let it bother me. I try not to self-censor more than is necessary. But I am finding it harder and harder to stay silent. The truth needs to be spoken. We have to take a stand for what is right. In my case, writing and blogging are my ways to do so.

* * * *

From my personal journal, October 11, 2010 (National Coming Out Day):

Today is National Coming Out Day. I think it has a special significance this year given the series of LGBT youth suicides due to bullying. As Jeff Jarvis said in a post I read a few days back, those deaths are a human tragedy.

What I am thinking about today is the bravery of those LGBT folks who do choose to come out, whether today or any other day. Maybe that is just what moves me to be an ally. Maybe it's that I think everybody should be able to love whomever they like and not be discriminated against on that basis. That civil rights should be rights for all, not just for some. That if you choose to live in a committed relationship of marriage, the gender of those involved should not be an issue for receiving the rights and responsibilities of marriage.

But what does it have to do with me? I am a straight male (at least I was last time I looked, haha!), so one would think I have nothing to gain or lose. In fact, I may have more to lose--from folks suddenly thinking I may be gay to workplace concerns; East Texas is not a particularly friendly place if you do not fall within its norms and parameters. I do it because it is the right thing to do. I do it because I look forward to the day where coming out won't matter because it will not be an issue. Just like I hope for a day when no one is judged by race, handicap, so on, I look to the day no one is judged by their sexual orientation. I don't think I will live to see that day given how much work and education this nation needs before it truly embraces diversity. But I hope that some day, maybe in the days of my daughter's grandchildren, they will look back at our society and say things like "what the fuck were they thinking?" or "discriminating because someone is gay? How quaint." Maybe some day, and I hope that day arrives sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, coming out (as an ally) is the small part I can do to bring about better days. It is my small way of saying to those in the LGBT community and the rest of the allies that they are not alone. It is my way of saying that as a librarian my skills and knowledge are at the community's disposal, and if I can't find a resource, I know someone who does know. I am here for those who may need a supportive person.

Do I want to be "that" librarian? I sure do. It's the decent thing to do, and I cannot do anything less. And if certain coworkers don't like it, then let them stew in their bigotry. They will either see the error of their ways and do the right thing, or history will simply pass them over.

I thought I could remain silent, but I can't. Not anymore. I am coming out, and I am letting others know.

* * * *

Other readings I had in mind at the time I was writing:

Emily Lloyd, on "Being Visibly Queer-Friendly: Please Consider It."
Jen McCreight introducing and commenting on the "It Gets Better Project."
And because I am a librarian, I feel that I should provide some books to help out. So here is a list of "10 LGBT Books for Teens That Tackle Suicide and Bullying." Via Lambda Literary. We probably should acquire one or all for our library, but between the tight budget and, well, the usual barriers, I am not sure it will be possible (at the moment).

Update Note: (11/1/10): Wayne Bivens-Tatum, the Academic Librarian, picked up on this post, and he wrote a very detailed, thoughtful, and reasoned response on librarians and our neutral (or not) stances. It is worth reading it in its entirety.

Wired comes up with 7 skills you should have

2010-10-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

I started this post merely as a small note about the article for my commonplace blog, Alchemical Thoughts. What started as a small note turned into a short post, so I decided to crosspost it here to share it with my three readers.

* * * *

I thought this was a pretty neat list. I don’t agree with all of it, but there are some very good items. The two items I would emphasize right away are:
The first one on statistical literacy. This is a must. We need as a society to do a much better job in teaching people about statistics, how to figure basic ones out, and how they are used and misused. I liked the suggested assignment of comparing a liberal blog versus a conservative blog. This assignment is very good, and it should be something an average, well-informed citizen, “well-informed” being the key concept, should be able to do:

Daily Kos Versus BigGovernment.com
Find three examples of the same set of numbers presented in entirely different ways on the liberal blog Daily Kos and Andrew Breitbart’s conservative Big Government site. In each case, show which source is using the more aggressive spin and determine which side—if either—is being more honest in its presentation of the facts.

How often are you watching the news, and you get pundits debating back and forth about the latest numbers of such and such from the CBO (that’s the Congressional Budget Office). You think to yourself, “well, the CBO is nonpartisan, so the numbers must be good.” Sure, the numbers are probably fine, but you have to pay attention to how they are actually being used. And then you have figures and polls from all sorts of agencies, think tanks, nonprofit organizations, so on, which often have a bias or a particular agenda. I am not saying that some of those agendas are bad (personally, I think working towards things like social justice are important), but you still have to keep those things in mind. Expanding on that, this is where I would add a good course on information literacy, where you learn to evaluate information, more than just the statistics. So, if it was me, I would do more than just statistical literacy. We need broad ranging information literacy.
Second, I definitely like the Post-state Diplomacy course. Folks in the U.S. need some serious education on international affairs and how the world works right now. The folks at Wired write:

“Power has always depended on who can provide justice, commerce, and stability. Successful insurgents aren’t just thugs; they offer their members tangible benefits—community, money, education, and a sense of order (even if the rebels are the ones creating disorder in the first place). We must learn how they gain loyalty, even if our goal is to undercut it.”

Again, I don’t think the folks at Wired go far enough. It is not only about diplomacy, although that is extremely important. The statement above is not really a new idea; it is an idea that not many people understand or may be aware of. But we also need coursework on global awareness and citizenship, and I would also add geography.

The rest of the article is worth reading as well. Each skill description does include a “reading list” (I put it in quotes because some of the suggestions may be links to videos or other non-print material) and some questions you may want to consider. Whether you do some of the assignments or not, thinking about them may help you expand your horizons a bit more.

Signs that economy is bad, October 15, 2010 edition

2010-10-15T08:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome to yet another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. Just a couple of items this week from my never-ending quest to find those oh-so-subtle signs that the economy is in the crapper. Sure, any pundit can tell you that unemployment is high, that business and employers are pocketing the bailout and stimulus money rather than using it to hire people (so, still believe giving them tax breaks gives incentives to hire?), foreclosures are still going on, so on. It takes a bit more effort to find the little hints. This week we seem to have a focus on higher education, where the pinch is also being felt. It seems society overall is not too keen on the notion of investing in students now to get some fruits later. The cost cuts are often short term measures, and college keeps getting more unaffordable. But hey, we can always import workers from Asia to work for Microsoft and let our young people join the service economy; they don't need degrees for that, do they?

The signs for this week:

Colleges begin to outsource their operations to private companies. Arizona State U. has decided to outsource a lot of their distance education to some for-profit education company. Sure, the administrators say it is cheaper to do so, but one always has to ask at what price for the quality. And the question I would really have to ask: how long before a corporation, this one or some other, just takes over a whole university?
This university in New York is just flat out giving up on foreign language programs. According to the Washington Post article, "the State University of New York at Albany has generated a stir in the higher education industry with its announcement this month that nearly all of its foreign language offerings will be discontinued, along with the theater department, because of budget cuts." You read that right: no more foreign language education in that school. Oh wait, Chinese instruction got spared. However, there is a reason for that: the Chinese government gives the school a subsidy for instruction in Chinese. I am thinking this may be a line of fundraising for schools wanting to keep their foreign language programs: just get governments of nations to fund teaching of their languages in American schools. Why the hell should Americans have to pay for teachers and resources to learn something other than English? Those governments want Americans to travel there for tourism, business, etc., let them pony up for the language teaching. (And yes, I am saying that with a sarcastic tone, in case someone wanders in and thinks I am pulling a "poe.")

If I had to get a literary tattoo

2010-10-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

This story out of WBUR's On Point program about people who have tattoos with literary themes caught my attention. I have a sort of love-hate relationship to tattoos. I think that a well-made tattoo by a good artist on the right person can be a beautiful work of art. The problem, and here is where the hate comes, is that a lot of people get cheap ink jobs that look horrible; instead of enhancing their body image, it makes things a lot worse. But since I am a live and let live sort of guy, I say to each their own. But I wondered for a moment what would I get if I had the option to get a tattoo with a literary theme. I am declaring what I would get inked on me if I ever got the guts to actually do it (let alone the money to pay for it).

First, I want a tattoo of the old World War II-era propaganda about "books are weapons in the war of ideas." See the two illustrations below. I think I would prefer the one with the eagle diving and the motto on the ribbon, but the other one is cool too. You see, any librarian can just go and get a favorite book passage inked on their body. Me? I am not just a librarian, but I am an information warrior, an agent who fights disinformation and ignorance, and books are indeed my weapons. You try to come at me with your ignorance, you better come armed. I know I will.
Two, I want a simple scroll or ribbon with the phrase "Sapere aude." This is latin for "Dare to know," although some translate it as "dare to discern" or "dare to be wise." Again, what is more appropriate for a librarian, especially one who believes in our educational mission, in our mission to help others find good, reliable, accurate information and thus help dispel ignorance and misinformation? In order to do so, the librarian has to become knowledgeable and wise. He or she has to dare to know whatever is necessary in order to wage war against ignorance, misinformation, fear mongering, so on. I probably would want the phrase written out in a nice cursive script.

Anyhow, not that I am likely to get inked. For one, I am not sure I could stay still long enough for an artist to put the ink on me. Two, well, there is the matter that I am a bit on the hairy side; if I was a bit shorter, I could have played Gimli in that Lord of the Rings flick. That probably was a bit more information than my two readers wanted to know. Anyhow, just some idle thoughts.

A hat tip to LISNews.

Tea Party is pretty much a GOP instrument

2010-10-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

This is another one of those posts where I say that to find good journalism you have to go outside the usual news sources. I ask, as I asked before, why am I reading this in the music magazine of all places? Rolling Stone has a very good article by Matt Taibbi on the tea party. The author is certainly more brave than I am. He actually went out and spent a good chunk of time with tea partiers to learn what makes them tick. It turns out that there is not a whole lot of substance making them angry. It's mostly angry with some resentment over the fact that the country is changing. One of those changes is the fact that other ethnic groups, like African-Americans and Latinos, are becoming majorities. So the White folks are suddenly feeling persecuted. That, and a few other things that Mr. Taibbi explains a lot better. The article is worth a look, but sadly it is the type of good, solid writing that a lot of people will miss. Why is this kind of stuff not being covered in the main news channels? Why is it those channels pretty much give a free pass to whatever the tea baggers preach even when it is utter nonsense?

There are some passages from the article I want to note and comment on.

This takes place at a rally in Kentucky.

"A hall full of elderly white people in Medicare-paid scooters, railing against government spending and imagining themselves revolutionaries as they cheer on the vice-presidential puppet hand-picked by the GOP establishment. If there exists a better snapshot of everything the Tea Party represents, I can't imagine it."

The irony of this practically writes itself. Of course, these hypocrites fail to see the irony for, as Mr. Taibbi points out, it's ok to cut programs as long as it is not their programs. These tea baggers are the only ones deserving of government largesse. Everyone else is a free loading slacker.

Taibbi goes on to say,

"But after lengthy study of the phenomenon, I've concluded that the whole miserable narrative boils down to one stark fact: They're full of shit. All of them. At the voter level, the Tea Party is a movement that purports to be furious about government spending — only the reality is that the vast majority of its members are former Bush supporters who yawned through two terms of record deficits and spent the past two electoral cycles frothing not about spending but about John Kerry's medals and Barack Obama's Sixties associations. The average Tea Partier is sincerely against government spending — with the exception of the money spent on them."

The hypocrisy is pretty much appaling, especially if you have half a brain. I ask not only why does the "regular" press not pick up on this, but why does anyone actually listen to these people? A lot of them are rejects from the past administration who pretty much fell asleep at the wheel when said administration was basically spending the nation into bankruptcy, and now suddenly they feel outraged. And they do it while collecting on the dole. These are people who, sure they may have a right to expression, but they should be laughed right out of the public square with other crackpots.

Taibbi then goes on to suggest that the rest of us who know how the American system of government actually works may end up getting the last laugh. Sadly, this is not good news. It is pretty tragic when you think about it, but it is something that people in this country have allowed to happen, again by falling asleep at the wheel. What the tea baggers fail to see is:

"But what they don't realize is, there's a catch: This is America, and we have an entrenched oligarchical system in place that insulates us all from any meaningful political change. The Tea Party today is being pitched in the media as this great threat to the GOP; in reality, the Tea Party is the GOP."

George Carlin said it so well (link to YouTube for the routine):

"I'm talking about the real owners now... the real owners. The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying. Lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else. . . . "

Exactly. The two party system in this country, combined with a mostly selfish population that would rather vote on the results of American Idol or worry about Snooki's latest skank stunt, pretty much assures that nothing will really change in this nation no matter who you vote for. The tea party, when you really think about it, is pretty much the latest iteration of people being easily manipulated and then co-opted by the big interests, by the real owners. It's kind of depressing when you think about it. Certainly does make you wonder if voting is even worth it at this point given that both parties are pretty much bought and paid for. I cannot help but wonder if the United States will ever get to the point where it is basically one big corporation, and the only way to "vote" is by owning stock in the corporation. This is certainly not a new idea. See the novel Snow Crash for instance, where the U.S. government pretty much has given the nation away to businesses and corporations. Or you can see the concept taking root in the film Robocop 2, where the OCP CEO says that every citizen, once OCP took over Detroit, would have a a "living unit" clean, quiet and safe, and as for voting, well, citizens could buy OCP stock. We are not that far from such a future, and it is inane, selfish fools like the tea baggers who will enable it all the while cheering the big interests on.

And back to the article, talk about a con job:

"So how does a group of billionaire businessmen and corporations get a bunch of broke Middle American white people to lobby for lower taxes for the rich and deregulation of Wall Street?"

It turns out it is pretty easy to do. It is easy when you have those high interests making sure that the common folks (even though in some cases, if we look at the tea baggers, they are not that "common," but the label will work for our purposes) stay misinformed and pretty much mostly illiterate. We are talking about people who are pretty much incapable of critical thinking. Heck, the real tragedy is that they are not even aware of their own incompetence. By the way, here is a bit I wrote a while back that includes something on competence theory.

By the way, the article is worth reading just to get the list of five things you will hear from every tea bagger ever interviewed. Go on and read the article. Taibbi goes on to say that the tea baggers are not so much racist as they are narcissists. I think he is being charitable. These people are racists, and just because they are mostly clueless, does not make them any less racist. Remember these are the folks that, though they rail against bailouts, are happy to vote for rich people getting tax breaks while they blame poor Black homeowners for the economic crisis. Funny how that works.

I am going to jump to the end of the article, not because the rest of it is not interesting. Far from that. This is a must read. I am jumping because Taibbi's conclusion is something that definitely pisses me off as well. In large measure, it ticks me off because I make an effort to stay well informed. Sure, part of it is because I am a librarian, but it is also because I think that being well informed, thinking critically, and then speaking out are elements of the democracy, a democracy that is pretty much on its last legs unless some serious stuff happens (some serious education reforms may be a good start). I hate being a pessimist; I really do, but I am getting to the point where I just have to say certain things. Taibbi writes:

"Of course, the fact that we're even sitting here two years after Bush talking about a GOP comeback is a profound testament to two things: One, the American voter's unmatched ability to forget what happened to him 10 seconds ago, and two, the Republican Party's incredible recuperative skill and bureaucratic ingenuity. This is a party that in 2008 was not just beaten but obliterated, with nearly every one of its recognizable leaders reduced to historical-footnote status and pinned with blame for some ghastly political catastrophe. There were literally no healthy bodies left on the bench, but the Republicans managed to get back in the game anyway by plucking an assortment of nativist freaks, village idiots and Internet Hitlers out of thin air and training them into a giant ball of incoherent resentment just in time for the 2010 midterms."

That is what really gets me. That people's attention spans are so short that they are willing to throw it all away just because change does not come in fast enough. And I am not defending the current administration. Deity of choice knows they have not delivered on a lot of what they promised, they have been wusses pretty much when they should have been aggressive and enacted true reform, and they pretty much turned out to be the same corporate whores as the other guys. But that people are even willing to consider going back to the politicians and party that wrecked this nation for eight years is the epitome of stupidity. It's more than just masochism. It is plain selfishness and misdirected anger born of misinformation and willful ignorance. The evidence is there for anyone who wants to see it. Of course, for those like the tea baggers, it is easier to go to rallies on a Medicare paid scooter (paid by my taxes by the way) and rail against "big government and big government spending," than it is to think about the common good. And that I really find disgusting, disturbing, and offensive. And so should you.

A hat tip to Pharyngula.

The (in)famous First Line Shuffle Meme

2010-10-01T07:23:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, and the two readers who stop by know that it is often quiz/meme day here. Anyhow, I have not done one of these things in a while, so here it goes. Happy Friday to everybody out there.

As seen in Liz's Tavern, the instructions:Step 1: Put your MP3 or other music player on random. Step 2: Post the first line (or two) from the first 25 songs that play. Step 3: Let everyone guess what artist and song the lines come from. Step 4: Bold when someone gets them right. Of course, you're not supposed to search anything but your memory to find the songs based on the lyrics I post.

The songs then:

Song 1: Never win first place, I don't support the team.
Song 2: Broken,/Yeah, you've been living on the edge of a broken dream.
Song 3: Step right up and don't be shy.
Song 4: I don't look good in no Armani Suits.
Song 5: Well you can just believe.
Song 6: Haven't we met?
Song 7: It's funny how I find myself in love with you.
Song 8: Lights go out, and I can't be saved.
Song 9: Rat-tailed Jimmy is a second hand hood.
Song 10: Summer. . .it turns me upside down.
Song 11: When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone.
Song 12: I was born an original sinner.
Song 13: How can you see into my eyes like open doors.
Song 14: I had to escape.
Song 15: If you need a little lovin'.
Song 16: I hold on so nervously.
Song 17: Tell me doctor, where are we going this time.
Song 18: My baby don't mess around.
Song 19: Call you up in the middle of the night.
Song 20: I am the Candyman - Coming from Bountyland.
Song 21: On the first part of the journey.
Song 22: Please allow me to introduce myself.
Song 23: You could never know what it's like.
Song 24: Hey driver/where're we going? I swear my nerves are showing.
Song 25: A nice breeze blows in.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 24, 2010 edition

2010-09-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome once more to another edition of the semi-popular (to my three readers), semi-regular (when I feel like doing it or have the time to do it) series "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where I scour the world in search for those oh so subtle signs that the economy is bad. Sure, the government and economists can tell you the big signs. But what do they know? A bunch of economists just recently decided that the recession ended. Apparently someone forgot to tell the rest of us who are still broke and trying to make ends meet. And they certainly did not tell the people in our stories for this week:

In Mexico, senior citizens who had professional careers have to drive taxis to make ends meet. According to the article from The Christian Science Monitor, " in Mexico City, taxis can be a last grasp at economic life for experienced professionals who have fallen victim to rampant age discrimination and recent economic crises." By the way, this is not just seniors however. The article further states that "workers as young as 35 are shut out of interviews by employers seeking younger, cheaper labor, says Ricardo Bucio, president of Mexico’s National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred)." Ageism is alive and well in Mexico. Actually, it is alive and well here in the U.S, but it tends to be more subtle, along the lines of "we found a candidate whose experience matches the job description better" or some other generic line.
Children's allowances are just not the same anymore. According to Reuters, "British children's weekly pocket money has fallen to a seven-year low, in a sign parents are still cutting back on non-essential spending. . . ." That's right, giving little Susie some pocket money is not considered essential. I wonder if there is a similar situation here in the U.S. for children's allowances. Stay tuned, I will keep an eye out for any reports.
Community college partners with a beauty products company to open a cosmetology program. See story details at Inside Higher Ed. here. I have made jokes before and pointed to other, more commercial ways for colleges and educators to raise revenue such as advertising for burrito joints, selling advertising space in classes, and other ways. So, is opening a beauty school and getting a beauty products company to pony up for supplies and equipment really that far fetched? I am thinking that the future of higher education may well get more commercialized. Whether that is good or not is a matter of debate.
And if you want to work for the government, whether in government or as a contractor, things may get tougher. It turns out that if you have a foreclosure or debt in your personal history, you may be denied a security clearance. ProPublica cites a study, which says, "Since the collapse of the housing market in 2008, debt resulting from job losses and home foreclosures have had a devastating effect on people holding national security clearances. That, more than any other factor today, is causing the revocation or denial of security clearances, resulting in the loss of good paying jobs, and putting skilled workers further and further behind in their effort to dig out of debt." So it is a classic Catch-22: you may lose a good job because you are in debt, but without that good job you can't get out of debt or make your mortgage.
Many places have in place assistance for low income people who may need help paying their utilities. Here is the link for information in Texas. These programs are usually designed to help people maintain things like heat in winter or A/C in the summer (especially crucial here in Texas). You know that things are going down shit's creek when the Queen of England not only asks for assistance with her utilities, but she wants the money to come from the same fund used for the poor. Apparently a 15 million pounds stipend to upkeep the palaces is not enough. (Via AFP).

That's it for this week's edition of "Signs that the economy is bad." Tune in soon for our next installment, because it does matter what some fancy economists say. The economy is still bad and getting worse. The problem is people can't always tell, and that is where I come in. To help educate and show my three readers the real clues that the economy is bad.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 17 edition

2010-09-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Ah, here we go again. Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where we scour the net for those oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, there is rampant unemployment, and the government is fighting itself on giving tax breaks to the rich people who don't need it. But we look for the signs no one else looks for.

I was honestly wondering when this was going to happen. I knew that sooner or later Americans would start leaving Starbucks and its overpriced coffee ilk to start brewing at home. However, the truth is not as easy as that. It seems that what is winning, according to Newsweek, is those single cup coffees (the ones you buy packages to brew a single serving). So in a way, Americans still have not learned that you get more coffee for your buck if you buy in bulk rather than individual servings. I guess the snobbery will be around a bit longer, but I am willing to bet if things keep getting worse, even the single serving folk will capitulate. Any thoughts out there?
You know things are bad when there is no money to maintain roads and highways. However, you know things have to be bad when the government just says they are not putting any rest stops or service centers along the way. That is exactly what the Irish are doing, according to Reuters. According to the article, "the government body in charge of roads has begun erecting signs warning drivers not to expect any rest stops along a network that stretches from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic." So, just don't get thirsty, and please, if you have to pee, you have to hold it in.
We all know that the airlines are on the skids and looking for any scheme to bleed more money out of the customers they abuse. However, you know things have to be bad when some think that a seat resembling a saddle is a good idea. The story comes from The Los Angeles Times. And here I thought that the seats they have now resembled medieval torture devices.

Booknote: The Big Squeeze

2010-09-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of those books that I feel a need to share with people. It needs to be read by more people. I am first including the review as I posted it on my GoodReads profile, then some additional notes.

The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker by Steven Greenhouse

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I only rated this two stars, but it is not because it is a "bad" book. The rating is because this is an extremely depressing book. If you are a worker, you already know how bad you have it (unless you are one of those jingoistic workers who vote for right wingers even when it is against your interests). Greenhouse does two main things in this book. One, he has put together an extensive collection of stories from workers who have been exploited and screwed by their companies. And I do not mean just being stingy in terms of salaries. From spying on workers to not paying for medical claims for injuries sustained at work to outright sexual harassment, workers have faced it all. Two, Greenhouse gives a pretty good history lesson on how the United States got to the point where employers pretty much can get away with exploiting their workers.

The book is very prophetic if nothing else. This book was written just as Obama was elected, and a lot of what the author predicts or envisions in the book has come to pass. In some cases, things have in fact gotten worse since the book's publication. I found it particularly foreboding when he asks what would happen if a presidential candidate proposed something like universal health care, which certainly would go a long way to solve many of our issues. Well, we already know what happened: the new president proposed it, then he watered it down to almost nothing in order to appease an opposition party bent on obstruction and which just favors the wealthy. In other words, the guy folded like a cheap suit, to borrow the cliche.

If you are somewhat informed, you probably have heard many of the stories in this book, like some of the lawsuits Wal-Mart has faced. Greenhouse does not just pick on Wal-Mart (even though the company does get one whole chapter), but he looks at a lot of other miscreants from Big Box companies to small convenience stores and predatory Rent-to-own scheme stores, call centers, so on. The book does include extensive end notes for those who want to verify some of what they are reading.

This is a book that more people should be reading. It should specially serve as an eye-opener to workers. Sadly, those workers are probably too worried trying to barely make a living to read it. We know employers pretty much won't read it, and if they do, they will probably not give a hoot. Now don't get me wrong. Greenhouse does highlight a few decent employers, but it is clear that those are few and far in between. And to those who may say that I have it for employers, think about this for a moment. Look at the current economic mess that bankers and Wall Street got us into combined with the fact that wages have been not only stagnant but decreasing (a lot of it due also to Wall Street pressures). Now, the economy relies on people spending. They can't spend if they do not have the money, and they won't have the money if you do not pay them for their work. There was an interesting quote in the book (I think I put it in one of the GR updates here) from Wal-Mart's current CEO, who apparently is a big GOP PAC donor, actually complaining that the Republican tax cuts under Bush went to the rich. Just think about that for a moment.

Overall, this is a necessary expose that needs to be read, even if it is painful and depressing at times.

Similar books: Off the top of my head, I would recommend Big Box Swindle, which I have read and reviewed here. It may be a bit more easy to read, and it looks at another side of the issues Greenhouse discusses. Another one may be Deer Hunting with Jesus which may help explain why is workers often vote against their interests for people more interested in giving tax breaks to the rich (nothing against the rich. You make your money legally and honestly, cool. You want tax breaks you do not need at the expense of the rest of society, that is wrong).

View all my reviews

Additional notes: This is a direct link to the status updates from GoodReads as I was reading. I made some notes and jotted down some quotes that interested me.

Signs that the economy is bad, August 27th edition

2010-08-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another edition of "Signs that the economy is bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. Sure, anyone can look at the usual indicators such as unemployment, housing markets, etc. The Itinerant Librarian goes out, uses his information systems mastery and his knowledge of information resources to seek out and find those oh-so-subtle clues that the economy is bad. So, sit back and let's have a look at this week's signs that the economy is bad:

You know things are bad when you can't even afford your prescriptions, have to cut pills, or do other stunts just to stay afloat. According to Consumer Reports blog, "Overall, 27 percent failed to take a drug as prescribed, for example, by not getting a prescription filled (16 percent), taking an expired medication (12 percent), or sharing a prescription with someone else to save money (4 percent)." Oh, and consumers also think that doctors are way too cozy with Big Pharma, but I think that's pretty much a given. (A hat tip to Americablog).
Things are so bad that call centers are now returning to the U.S. Remember the days when companies outsourced their call centers to someplace in India? Remember when you could not get someone on the phone who could speak clearly? OK, that may still be happening even with the locals here, but you get the idea. Things are down the crapper when it is cheaper to have your call center here in the U.S. after years of following the mantra of the labor is cheaper overseas. Here is the deal according to the NPR story, "High inflation and double-digit annual raises in some sectors are pushing up the cost of labor in India. At the same time wages in the U.S. are falling and companies are rethinking the trade-offs associated with outsourcing." So do not get too excited. It's not that companies here are suddenly feeling like they have to employ Americans out of some patriotic duty or sense of loyalty to their nation. It's that the Indians and Filipinos are actually asking for higher salaries while the salaries here are dropping. It's once again company greed dictating that it pay the lowest possible wage, as close to slave wage as possible. Let's be honest, there is no altruism here.
Another sign: Jezebel says that "Stripping Pays Off Better Than a Liberal Arts Degree." Unfortunately, I do not have the "bella figura," so please refrain from the obvious joke at the expense of the librarian. The Jezebel piece draws on an article out of The Independent (UK) that says "One in four lap dancers has a degree, study finds." Apparently the cliche of a woman stripping to pay for her college degree is not just a cliche. What the study the article reports on finds is that "rather than being uneducated young women who have been coerced into the industry, one in four dancers has a degree and has been attracted by the money." Take the study as it comes.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, the elderly are losing their subsidized cigarettes. They are not actually losing cigarettes,just the very reduced price they get by virtue of being elderly. According to the BBC, "All Cubans 55 or older are allocated four packs of cigarettes a month for about 25% the normal price, but this privilege is being ended in September."
What's another sign that the economy is bad? When you have to get creative with your political campaign funding. If you think Americans are the experts in political fundraising shenanigans, they have nothing on Venezuelans. According to Reuters, here is a politician who is raffling breast implants to raise money.
And speaking of getting creative, Mexico is working to attract more tourists with new "alternative tours." Again, according to Reuters, "innovative tourist agencies offer trips to remote mountain areas home to leftist Zapatista rebels and to the most crime-ridden neighborhoods of Mexico City."

The Itinerant Librarian

Signs that the economy is bad, January 27, 2012

Reading about the reading life, January 20, 2011

Booknote: Glazed America

My Reading List for 2011 is up

Holiday Post: What the heck happened in 2011? Or, a last look before we go on with 2012

Signs the economy is bad, December 30, 2011

Holiday Post 2011: Traditions and basics

Holiday Post 2011: The Shopping Extravanganza, or "What do you mean you are not done shopping yet?"

Holiday Post 2011: On books and reading

A few interesting things I've read, December 9, 2011

Reading: One to Ten (yes, this is a reading meme)

Signs that the economy is bad, December 2, 2011

A few Thanksgiving 2011 links

The Mandarin Quiz

I'm a Mandarin!

Talent: 46%Lifer: 36%Mandarin: 59%

Reading about the reading life, November 18, 2011

Signs that the economy is bad, November 4, 2011

A few interesting things I've read, October 28, 2011

Signs that the economy is bad, October 21, 2011 edition.

Signs that the economy is bad, October 14, 2011

Reading about the reading life, October 14, 2011

Reading about the reading life

Signs that the economy is bad, October 7, 2011 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, September 30, 2011 edition

75 Books every man should read, according to Esquire. I don't think so.

Signs that the economy is bad, September 19, 2011 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, September 2, 2011 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, Aug. 19 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, August 5, 2011 edition

A five books meme

Why keeping the library open is a matter of public safety.

Signs the economy is bad, June 3, 2011 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, May 13, 2011 edition

So, Osama Bin Laden sleeps with the fishes

Signs that the economy is bad, April 29 edition

Article Note: On Starship Troopers, the war on terror and censorship

Things that I do that are "old fashioned"

Signs that the economy is bad, April 15, 2011 edition

Booknote: Aftershock

Rolling Stone on Army's Use of Psy-Ops. Why am I reading about it in the music magazine?

Are the best days of the USA gone? Maybe

Signs that the economy is bad, February 11, 2010 Edition

TX Governor wants 10K Degrees (translation: wants el cheapo degrees)

Local math, or shopping around Tyler

Can you learn something about someone from just their reading list?

My Reading List for 2010 is up

Sending 2010 Off: What the heck happened last year?

Holiday Post 2010: Stuff and things

Holiday Post 2010: The Reader's Edition

Holiday Post 2010: The Basics

Online Gallery: Art of the American Soldier

My final thoughts on Saul Alinsky's book

Booknote: The Five-Year Party

Some more notes and thoughts prompted by Alinsky's book

Booknote: Rules for Radicals

Signs that the economy is bad, December 2, 2010 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, November 19, 2010 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, November 12 edition

Previous life: I was a librarian too.

Sure, vote for the Teabbagers, and take the country back to the Stone Age

Making my stand

Wired comes up with 7 skills you should have

Signs that economy is bad, October 15, 2010 edition

If I had to get a literary tattoo

Tea Party is pretty much a GOP instrument

The (in)famous First Line Shuffle Meme

Signs that the economy is bad, September 24, 2010 edition

Signs that the economy is bad, September 17 edition

Booknote: The Big Squeeze

Signs that the economy is bad, August 27th edition

Talent: 46%
Lifer: 36%
Mandarin: 59%