My Book House

Ebooks and Nook Crooks: The Thrill is Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:21:00 +0000

Over the last month I have had a rude awakening about the Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions on ebooks posed by Big Publishers and Book Sellers (i.e. Knopf and Barnes and Noble) and the way that ebooks that are sold with the implied understanding that purchasers will have access in perpetuity can be made unavailable for download by publishers and sellers at will. It all started with a download of a previously purchased Nook Book on a new device (Apple). I discovered the book that downloaded was not the book I purchased.

My initial response was to think that it was an electronic error so I called BN ebook customer service to see about getting it corrected. I also began looking at the title on the Nook Book website and discovered the text I purchased previously relisted at a higher price with a different ISBN. The three customer service folks I spoke with at BN absolutely would not do anything to make it possible for me to access the text I paid for saying that I was downloading the book with the ISBN that I paid for even though it was a different text. I was ultimately told that I could get a refund and repurchase the book at the higher price of $15.99 with the different ISBN. I took the refund and repurchased the ebook for $9.99, the original BN purchase price, from a different, less restrictive vendor. I also bought a second hand Kobo ereader.

My disgust with BN's rudeness and shady business practices and my desire to cut ties to them has led to feelings of frustration about not being able to read my previously purchased BN Nook Books on anything but a Nook or an Apple device. I really feel like this should be illegal because it means that if I want to use an eink reader (which is easier on the eyes), at some point I will have to buy another Nook in order to continue to access the ebooks I have already purchased. These restrictions also discourage consumers from purchasing other types of ereaders and ebooks from other vendors which I think must be some kind of illegal business practice.

I am planning to file a complaint with the ISO (International Organization for Standards), which oversees ISBNs because I feel sure that BN and Knopf's ISBN manipulations of the ebook versions of the text I purchased must be a violation of ISO guidelines. While researching this online I found the "Librarians Against DRM" on the Readers' Bill of Rights website ( http://readersbillofrights.info/ ). Finding this site was awesome and I felt like I was home because I am now one of the "Librarians Against DRM", too, after my terrible experience with Barnes and Noble.

I had always thought of Barnes and Noble as a friendly sort of business and Amazon as the giant trying to crush them but now I see that BN is just as unscrupulous and ruthless as Walmart when it comes to ebooks. I find that the Kobo bookstore (http://www.kobobooks.com/ )and Powell's (my first choice) ( http://www.powells.com/ ) are more the kind of businesses I want to buy from and support. Powell's offers several file options for ebooks they sell. Added benefits: my Powell's and Kobo ebooks are even readable on my Nook. Hah! So long Barnes and Noble.

Another good website covering this issue is Defective by Design (http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ ). They have designated May 4th as the day to take action against DRM (Digital Rights Management), the ebook software that restricts Nook and Kindle books from being read on other manufacturers' ereaders.

Happy New Year (!) of the Water Dragon Book List

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:56:00 +0000

2011 was a year of professional renewal for me. The biggest change was a lateral promotion to a smaller library in an urban, economically-challenged community where I have had a chance to pull out my old social worker skills and put them to use again. I have had the opportunity to connect with and be inspired by lots of folks working on the front lines of the struggle to improve all aspects of community literacy; reading, information, health, financial, workplace, etc. I am looking forward to 2012, the Year of the Water Dragon, the end of the Mayan calendar, and any other thing this next 12 month period is labeled as because I have plenty of work to do, places to go, and people to meet. (QUEUE sparklers and fireworks)

My Reading Resolutions are to read (or finish reading) the following books:

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - I am savoring it like fine wine (or a cask of Amontillado...)

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - Won the 2011 Booker Prize

The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter

War and Peace - Pevear / Volokhonsky translation

Cheers!

picture from http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=23799236

POV: Dewey Meditations

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:57:00 +0000

If in fact we are, as the Flaming Lips say, "floating in space", are we residents of the North Hemisphere, in the words of The Carpenters, really "on top of the world"? The Dewey is based on this assumption. The Dewey comes from a Eurocentric perspective and sequences the continents in order that they were "discovered" by Europeans (940 Europe; 950 Asia; 960 Africa; 970 North American; 980 South American; 990 Australia, Antartica, and everything else).

So why does this matter? Basically it can influence users in the way they perceive the importance of the value of one culture versus another. Perhaps the Dewey 940-990s could be revised to reflect the timeline of human cultural development with Africa, the cradle of human origin listed as 940, followed by Asia, Europe, etc, reflecting the spread of human culture across the Earth.

To take this a step further, Norman Davies' massive tome, Europe, which covers the history of the alleged continent in exquisite detail, starts out by pointing out that Europe is in fact a peninsula attached to the much larger Asia. This brings up the idea that the separation of Europe and Asia is cultural not geological. Just as Pluto lost it's planetary ranking, why not drop Europe as a continent and just meld it with Asia and call it Eurasia or something like that? It would make total sense geologically and make it easier for students coloring maps to just color it one uniform shade.

Hanami: Flower Viewing

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:36:00 +0000

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"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." - Japanese Proverb

Black History Month

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Chris Rock's Nat X character is right; February is too short for Black History. I have lived in the Charleston, South Carolina, area for most of my life and in the last 20 years, I have found more and more opportunities to study local history from an African-American perspective. My awareness of African-Americans as key players in local and national history really started when I saw an exhibit at the Charleston Museum in the 1990's highlighting the significance of African-American labor in historical South Carolina. It showcased the multitude of skilled labor jobs held by African-Americans in antebellum Charleston; wood carving, carpentry, bricklaying, fishing and oystering, etc. I came to realize that all or almost all of the beautiful buildings and furnishings that make Charleston so appealing as a tourist destination were in large part produced by slaves. Sounds like a big "Duh", but I grew up in the "60s and early '70s going to plantation tours and candlelight house tours where slave labor was barely mentioned.

After seeing this exhibit, I could clearly envision black hands building the entire city and all the outlying plantation homes, chapels of ease, etc. It was like turning on a light. My previous concept had been that enslaved people were just forced to farm rice, indigo, and cotton and to cook and take care of homes and children. I became aware of these black pioneers and colonists as key foundations of the society and I began to see their cultural legacy more clearly.

Edward Ball's book, Slaves in the Family, provided another clue to this hidden past that really intrigued me; the historical fact that enslaved people engaged in day-to-day travel around the community on their owners' business, the men going up and down the local rivers on boats. I had never before pictured African-Americans moving around the community on a regular basis prior to emancipation. I always thought of them as confined to their owners' homes and property. An account that I recently read of Harriet Tubman hiding in plain sight from a former owner while on one of her "undercover missions" also underscored this fact. She hid behind a newspaper knowing that the former owner had no idea she could read. Reading, by the way, was one of the most supremely subversive acts a slave could commit in many pre-war Southern states including South Carolina.

Ball also talked about the place in Charleston where slaves were sent for "correction", which meant being beaten, tortured, and possibly maimed by having toes cut off among other things.The Sugar House, also known as the Charleston Workhouse, was where these corrections probably took place. The Sugar House has no historical markers. I recently visited the site where it stood. I found the location in the book, Charleston, Charleston by Walter J. Fraser. It was next to the old City Jail on what was then called Mazyck Street, now Magazine Street. Knowledge of the treatment of captured runaway slaves while incarcerated in the Sugar House was a prime factor in Sarah Grimke's decision to leave behind a life of wealth and privilege for a more spiritually fulfilling life as a Quaker abolitionist activist in the North.

This February while planning a Black History Month event at my library celebrating the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry , I learned that Harriet Tubman was with the 54th Massachusetts at the Union assault on Battery Wagner in 1863. She also led a Union raid into "enemy territory" in the Lowcountry in that same year (around Hampton County) and is the first American woman to lead an armed assault. Before last month, I had no idea that Harriet Tubman had even been in South Carolina, much less made military history here. I always have room to learn something new. Other things on my Black History "to do" list are visiting the recently renovated Old Slave Mart Museum on Chalmers Street and learning more about the Reconstruction-era Cainhoy Riot and other significant post Civil War events in local African-American history.

The Charleston Museum exhibit that sparked my interest 20 years ago also included Denmark Vesey's drum. I found it to be a powerful symbolic object, even if Vesey was just a scapegoat, as some believe, and not the freedom fighter of popular history. For me, the drum symbolizes the call to action to examine historical facts as closely as possible and not try to sanitize or pretty them up. There is nothing warm or fuzzy about most of Black History, just accounts of individuals struggling alone or in groups, trying to make headway against injustice and human rights abuse, real stories that are more inspiring than any fiction. It is important to make sure those stories get told.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:43:00 +0000

I am in my second year of messing with Twitter and I just can't seem to get comfortable with it. I tweet so infrequently that I linked my Twitter to my Four Square account. Unfortunately, the only thing I really use Four Square for is noting when I go to the gym, which is at best two or three times a week.

I feel pretty comfortable posting on Facebook where I actually know the people I am "friends" with or have some kind of connection with them through mutual friends or a legitimate organization that we both belong to. Strange, random people and businesses make up most of my few Twitter followers so I am hesitant about tweeting any personal stuff. It also seems kind of redundant since I already do that on FB.

For some reason, I still want to try to use Twitter so I decided I would try something else. I am going to try tweeting "Booktweets", mini-reviews of books I like and include links to Library Thing and World Cat. I have my Twitter account linked with FB so the Booktweets will show up there as well. My goal is to tweet a book review daily and see how it goes.

The Mortal Instruments and a Murakami Murder Mystery in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:40:00 +0000

While on a Hunger Games hiatus (I am currently number 62 on the waiting list for Mockingjay), I have been convinced by the high praise of fellow lovers of YA fiction to start the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Claire. I am just a bit past the 2/3 point on Book 1, City of Bones. Pretty engaging stuff, nicely done with assorted magical beings with a goth-y touch and ... angels. Interested to see if I have reached the "sticking point" and persevere.

What gets me really amped right now, bookwise, is the upcoming release of the English translation of Haruki Murakami's lastest work, 1Q84. I have to wait until September of next year to get my hot little hands on that. It has been out in Japan for a while and was super popular when it was released.

Also listening to the audio of David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I bet this book will be fabulous, when translated into Japanese. Not that it is not awesome in English. Loved the galley and have a copy of the published book to read but I'm glad I chose the audio. I thought "Zoet" was pronounced "Zoh-et" instead of "Zweet". I looked up the meaning of the word in Dutch and it actually means "sweet" so that makes sense.

The Mortal Instruments also has a little Japanese anime sensibility to it. I can easily see the characters in a manga-style action/adventure fighting demons, a stock plot line of anime/manga, and there are several references to anime and manga in the book. Nice to have good things to entertain me while I wait for Murakami's book to be released. I even have William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine to read, too. I don't think I'll be bored.

Oh Susanna: I Am Loving the Hunger Games

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:59:00 +0000

Just finished book two of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Game series, Catching Fire and it had such a great cliff-hanger ending that I can not wait to get my hands on book three, Mockingjay. I am 101 on the waiting list at the library so I will just keep reading through Cory Doctorow's fantastic sci-fi. I am currently reading his latest YA novel, For the Win, as well as Terry Pratchett's last book in the Tiffany Aching quartet, I Shall Wear Midnight. I am also waiting to get my hands on Sapphique, Catherine Fisher's second book in the Incarceron series. I am number one on the list for that one so it is only a matter of time.

On the downside, I gave up on China Mieville's Kraken about half-way through a couple of weeks ago. Had a lot of fantasy elements that I love; London, magic, adventure, etc, but was just not my cup of tea. It was a bit dark and winding without going anywhere quickly enough for my liking. I am interested in the Lovecraft meme but this book just didn't hit the right notes for me so I set it down in favor of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, a nice ray of sunshine.

I really would love to find another book that could make me feel as literarily (a word of my own invention) satisfied. as Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. If I could say that I loved one book best of all, it is very likely that that would be the one. Still, there are so many books that I haven't read yet or finished that I know I can't decide just now. I'll have to keep on reading.

Ugly Betty: Flat Finish

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:47:00 +0000

I finally watched the end of Ugly Betty, IMHO one of the best TV series ever made. I was a little disenchanted with the ending, where Betty meets up with Daniel, her old boss, in London where she is starting her new life. There seemed to be an implication that they could embark on a romantic relationship. This just didn't ring true to me. Betty is way too smart and fresh to end up with such an emotionally needy, flawed character as Daniel. Besides, Daniel just took a break from his on and off relationship with Amanda, Betty's former nemesis now friend. Betty is not the type of girl to hook up with a friend's ex.
Daniel and Amanda ending up together; okay that would make sense. Daniel and Betty... no way! They never had any romantic chemistry during the whole series so why on earth would they suddenly click at the very end. You need sustained Mr. Darcy-like romantic tension in a story to make that kind of ending feel exciting and plausible.
I think it would have been better if Betty had run into Matt Hartley, her last steady beau, at the end of the story rather than Daniel. The idea of Betty Suarez ending up with Daniel Meade is kind of like... Harry ending up with Herminone.

Rapunzel's Salad Mix: Letting It All Hang Out

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:55:00 +0000

I am currently doing what I consider one of my better programs for kids using several books about Rapunzel. I serendipitously happened on this theme, completely oblivious that Disney was in the process of releasing a Rapunzel of its own, Tangled, which I hope to see later today. I actually picked this story because of my library's abundance of copies of Paul Zindel's beautiful, Renaissance-style, Caldecott-winning take on this Grimm (grim) classic which contains lots of horrible stuff; baby selling/abduction, the weird co-dependent relationship between the old witch and Rapunzel, child neglect, attempted murder, separated families, etc. I am pairing the Zindel with Rachel Isadora's Eric Carle-inspired African version and doing a split reading of a bit from one and then a bit from the other till the tale is told to it's happily-ever-after-a-lot-of weird-and-disturbing-stuff finish. I conclude my program with the more light-hearted parody version, Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, where the prince ends up riding off into the sunset with Rapunzel's maid, leaving Rapunzel free to style her hair without interruption.

I finally watched some of the popular MTV show, 16 and Pregnant, and something about it reminds me of the darkness of the Rapunzel story. Maybe there is a link between our cultural fascination with Rapunzel's tragedy and the stories of the teen-aged moms and their boyfriends/husbands/dads-to-be on 16 and Pregnant. IMHO Rapunzel's story would make a pretty good episode.

Think about it. Rapunzel's guardian/abductor, the evil sorceress, does not recognize or respect the vows of two teenage lovers and kicks Rapunzel out of the house/tower once she finds out that Rapunzel is pregnant and then tries to do in the prince when he shows up to visit his wifey. At least the Prince doesn't cheat on Rapunzel like the dad in one episode of the show that I watched. But then the Prince was blind because he cried so much or got thorns in his eyes depending on which version you read. A person now-a-days that cried that much would probably be treated for depression.

Lots of the Grimm stories are fairly unpleasant, cautionary tales directed principally at young women. According to Valerie Paradiz's book, Clever Maids, this is because Jacob and Wilhelm's principle sources for their stories were their sister, Lotte, and her friends, who told these stories as they sat together sewing, the classic work of women (check out Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years by Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber for more on that). Lotte ended up stuck at home caring for her brothers (a total of 5 guys) after their parents died. Lotte is the real Cinderella because taking care of a houseful of guys was a lot of work for a woman in those days and supposedly Lotte was less than thrilled to be stuck doing it. Maybe she really did hope that one day a prince would show up and take her away for real. At least the girls of 16 and Pregnant have more opportunities open to them than Lotte did, even if their lives would probably be easier if they had waited to become parents when they were older. Hopefully, like Rapunzel, they will have happy endings, too. Bringing those babies to Story Time at their local library would be a great start.

Revamp: Barcamp

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 21:46:00 +0000

I attended the second Barcamp Charleston yesterday. Had a full day, consuming about a week's worth of fully caffeinated coffee and 7 diverse, educational, entertaining, and inspirational workshop/sessions. Session #6, A Button By Any Other Name: Symbolic Imagery in Interface Design inspired me to redo my blog; new template, change of layout, clutter reduction, etc. The presenter, Giovanni DiFeterici, a web designer and artist, gave a wonderful talk about use of symbols and art, layout arrangement, and other graphic elements of web design. My blog is not as stripped as some of the ones he used as examples, but I am satisfied that it feels a bit fresher.

Session #5, the Google Q and A session also gave me some ideas about my blog. Bottom line: post more frequently. Mostly the Google session was about what goes on at Google's Berkeley County data center. Apparently knowledge of Linux and data management are key skills for potential employees. Not in my skill set so I don't see a job at Google in my future.

Session #3, was an introduction to a great tool for learning foreign languages or vocabulary; MemorizEasy, that lets you make reference cards for your vocabulary words. These cards are structured to help you easily learn new words while retaining knowledge of previously learned words, especially synonyms. MemorizEasy also has features to help you test your knowledge to help prepare you for quizzes. Plan to try it with Spanish.

I also learned about geocaching, the basics of coding, the history of hacking, and zombies. Apparently I need a zombie plan. Good to know since there is a lot of interest in zombies in my house. I can't wait to go back to Barcamp next year!

The Brillig Career of Tim Burton's Alice: Lucy Honeychurch Meets Drop Dead Fred

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Tim Burton likes tweaking old stories and sending them off on a different trajectory than the unaltered original versions. Like his version of Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow, Burton's take on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is par for the course. Burton's tale is of a teen-aged Alice, who returns to a Wonderland that she visited previously as a tween but has forgotten. This Alice is on the verge of marriage, the societally preferred fate of all respectable, upper class Victorian ladies. Wonderland intervenes and empowers Alice to break off her engagement to a young man that she obviously has no chemistry with. Alice sails away, escaping the clutches of her clingy family, free to explore the world as a liberated, single lady (shades of Kate Winslet's character, Rose, in Titanic, sans diamond as big as the Ritz).

In Burton's tale, Johnny Depp, as the Mad Hatter, acts as a sort of impish animus, spurring Alice on and encouraging her. They are deeply connected and Alice must save him to save herself. Burton's Hatter is highly reminiscent of Drop Dead Fred, played by the wonderful, Rik Mayall, of the Young Ones, in the eponymous 1991 film which also starred Phoebe Cates as Lizzie. Lizzie, who has lost her sense of self in a bad marriage, is very like Burton's Alice and also has an overbearing mother who pushes her to remain in the marriage. Fred, Lizzie's imaginary childhood friend, returns to save her by pushing Lizzie to stand up for herself and break free from her abusive, cheating husband and her controlling mother.

This Alice is also a love letter from Burton to Lady Helena Bonham-Carter, who plays the Red Queen. In real life, Bonham-Carter is Burton's companion and the mother of his children, who famously has her own London home side-by-side with his. Burton's Alice character is very like Lucy Honeychurch, Bonham-Carter's 1985 breakout role in the lovely, oh-so-British, Merchant-Ivory film of E.M. Forster's novel, Room With a View. In the story, Lucy breaks off her loveless engagement to the wealthy, supremely superficial, close-minded Cecil Vise (played pitch perfect by Daniel Day-Lewis) because she has fallen in love with her "room with a view" guy, the free-thinking, office worker, George Emerson (Julian Sands). Room With a View ends with Lucy married to George. Burton's Alice goes further by simply breaking the engagement. Alice at the close of the film is free to live her own life rather than going from an involvement with one man to an involvement with another.

Tim Burton's choice of a "modern" ending for Alice also brings to mind another wonderful Victorian period-piece from Australia; Gillian Armstrong's 1979 film, My Brilliant Career. The main character, Sybylla, another well-brought up girl whose family has money issues, in this film based on the novel by Miles Franklin, chooses to be a writer over becoming the wife of a rich man who truly loves her. Perhaps Burton agrees with Virginia Woolf as well as E.M. Forster, that women not only need a "room with a view" but also a room of one's own in order to reach their full creative potential.

ALA 2010 Revelations: Steamy Summer City, New Murakami Book, Urban/Street Lit Fiction Nebulousness, Stolen Dreams, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:03:00 +0000

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I returned to my day-to-day life from the 2010 American Library Association Convention a week ago and am still processing all the heady stuff that I was immersed in for 5 fabulous days. First off, DC is just as hot and sweaty as Charleston. Next year the convention will be in NOLA and maybe it will be hotter but probably not much.

I picked up a lot of good info and ideas. I was very excited to learn that a new Haruki Murakami book has been released and will be coming out in English in September of next year (approx). I was disappointed that someone stole the two copies of the new David Mitchell book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet from the Random House table. I was hoping to buy one before I left DC but sadly they disappeared sometime on Sunday, apparently.

One of the more interesting workshops I attended was on "hip hop" or urban literature. This workshop had a panel of librarians, authors, and professors and one of the main things I came away with is that this genre is still undefined and a bit too fluid for my liking. The authors on the panel appeared to all be writers of YA fiction about African-American teens in urban settings. To me this kind of writing is more YA than "urban" if "urban" includes writers like Kwan. Kwan is more like Mickey Spillane to me, a kind of urban noir that is about folks with issues and criminal lifestyles and how they got that way, sexy crime thrillers. The YA urban books are more "Up the Down Staircase" with African-American kids instead of inner city white kids. Then there is Zane. Zane is a completely different genre; soft-core erotica/chick lit. Zane reminds me of Fear of Flying by Erica Jong, which was just as hot when it was published. Zane has been more successful than Jong in following up on the popularity of her initial books, IMHO. Zane's characters may be AA and they may live in a city but her fiction is a completely different thing from the Kwan-style thug life action dramas. The only thing these types of books have in common is AA characters and a liberal dose of sex. The settings and life-styles of the characters are so different that I think it is way too much over-generalizing to stuff them into an "urban" fiction box. You might as well just put them in an African-American fiction box because that is the biggest thing they have in common.

I really wish that there had been some writers like Zane and Kwan on the panel. It would have been interesting to hear them speak. I got the impression that some of the YA authors were a little irritated to be stuffed into the urban pigeonhole because some of their writing is focused on showing alternatives to the choice of thug-lifestyle that is glamorized in the adult novels of writers like Kwan.

All in all, it was really interesting because it showed how diverse current AA lit trends are despite the limits of the urban label. Genre naming is supposed to be helpful to the reader. Here's hoping that some more succinct labels become popular that better identify these strains of AA fiction. Cheers!

SC Libraries Are In Danger: CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR NOW! (yes I am shouting)

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:04:00 +0000

Below is the call to action from Cynthia Bledsoe, the acting director of the library where I work, written as a response to two budget vetoes by Governor Mark Sanford; Budget Vetoes 31 and 92. If these vetoes are not overturned, we are going to lose the SC State Library and shut down small branches across our state in rural areas where library service is desperately needed. My library system and other metropolitan and suburban systems will be severely crippled. This is as bad for our state as Governor Sanford's refusal to take the federal stimulus money.

Please let your legislators know where you stand on this issue. SC folks are using libraries now more than ever. Cutting out a public service that does so much good, so efficiently, for so many is a terrible mistake in these difficult financial times, IMHO.

Link to SC State Legislator's "find your legislator" search - http://www.scstatehouse.gov/cgi-bin/zipcodesearch.exe

Post and Courier article on Budget Vetoes 31 and 92 - http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/jun/12/library-officials-fear-vetoes/

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO HELP SAVE FUNDING FOR CHARLESTON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Gov. Sanford’s vetoes Wednesday include two line items that cut $6.5 million in State funds for libraries and jeopardize the receipt of an additional $2.7 million in Federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology) funds. Effectively, if these vetoes stand, public libraries in South Carolina will receive ZERO dollars from the state.

It’s imperative residents contact their legislators immediately to let them know how vital libraries are to their community and ask that the Budget Vetoes 31 and 92 be overturned. The State House is expected to vote on this issue Tuesday, June 15.

To find contact information for your Charleston County legislator, visit http://www.scstatehouse.gov/countydelegationinfo/cnty10.htm.

South Carolina libraries are already being forced to cut hours, cut staff, cut purchases for materials and shut buildings to deal with the existing financial crisis. These further cuts could be devastating and, ultimately, hurt the state’s most desperate residents – those who are turning to libraries for educational and employment help because they’ve been laid off, displaced, furloughed or in need of assistance. Since the economic crisis began, South Carolina’s libraries have faced record-breaking, double-digit increases in the demand for services. In many communities, libraries are often the only resource for residents needing help with job searches, resume writing, skills training, career assessments, etc. Libraries also are often the only place where people can get free access to computers to search and apply for jobs. Many employers now require applications be filled out online.

In Charleston County, the loss of state funds will drastically impact the library’s ability to keep its’ collection current and buy needed materials, such as books, DVDs, CDs, etc.

Sanford’s logic and comments show a lack of knowledge about the real crisis facing individuals in South Carolina and about the importance of public libraries.

· Libraries in South Carolina lost millions in State Aid over the past two years, a result of a 41 percent cut in funding from the General Assembly.

· Sanford misrepresents the funding now being received by libraries, saying libraries receive Lottery funding. Two years ago, libraries were cut as a funding recipient of the S.C. Education Lottery, despite libraries specifically being listed in the lottery’s enabling legislation.

· Sanford said counties should step up to fund libraries, but counties statewide have slashed budgets in recent years, including funds for libraries.

· Sanford inaccurately minimizes the importance of libraries in South Carolina, saying they don’t “rise to the level of many of our other core services such as law enforcement and heath care.”

o Sanford rallies around the importance of education, yet libraries are a core component of the educational system in every community. What could be more of a core service than helping people find employment or helping them get the training or retraining needed to find a new job or keep the job they presently have?

o Studies also repeatedly show that libraries play a key role in business and economic development, and libraries are referenced as a key service measured by businesses wanting to invest in an area.

o Getting people employed or re-employed will help lead to economic recovery and could help prevent increases for other state-funded services, such as unemployment and potentially impact law enforcement and health care.

Gaga Librarians: Don't Forget the Databases

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sun, 30 May 2010 11:48:00 +0000

So awesome... Thanks Boing Boing.

Moving On: One Blog(ger) to Rule Them

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:22:00 +0000

I am going to post all future Library 2.0, techie, and blog related stuff on my main blog, http://www.mybookhouse.com. Thanks for stopping by!

My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster: Can't Wait For This!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 18:37:00 +0000

This is the book video for My Fair Lazy, Jen Lancaster's upcoming book. This book chronicles her quest for cultural enrichment. Jen Lancaster is a great writer, funny, acerbic, and a diet inspiration (Such a Pretty Fat rules). My Fair Lazy comes out in May and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Jen Lancaster's excellent blog, Jennsylvania, is found at http://www.jennsylvania.com

The Picture I Didn't Take

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:20:00 +0000

(Captain Rattan on right)

This morning I read about US Army Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, the first Sikh allowed to complete basic officer training while wearing a full beard and turban since the Army first allowed Sikh enlistees to keep this traditional attire in 1984. Captain Rattan's promotion reminded me of a trip to Disney World about 3 years ago where I saw a large Sikh family enjoying themselves. The men in this family group were wearing their customary beards and turbans. The oldest man, who I imagined was the patriarch, possessed a magnificent, silver handlebar mustache and sported a turban with a US flag pattern. This fashion choice touched me deeply because I was unsure whether the patriarch's patriotic display meant that he was showing pride in our country or letting the world know that he was patriotic or perhaps both at once.

A large part of the reason I found this encounter so moving was because I had seen another eastern family, while on a previous trip to Orlando, whose traditional dress had also triggered an unexpected strong reaction. On that trip, in 2004, I was visiting Universal Studios when I passed an Arab family. As they walked toward me, I was suddenly gripped with a sense of fear. I immediately felt an equally great sorrow because on a rational level I was, and am, opposed to racial profiling and had been deeply disturbed by the way darker-skinned eastern people were being indiscriminately mistreated and subjected to civil rights abuses after September 11th, 2001. I believed then as now that fear can never justify the erosion and violation of civil rights and that no one should be judged based on appearances.

Yet anxiety arose uncontrollably like a malevolent cloud from my subconscious at the sight of this Middle-Eastern family; two men in thawbs and bishts wearing keffiyehs on their heads, two abaya-clad women, two young children, and a baby in a stroller. I made a conscious effort to smile at them because I thought that perhaps they didn't always get a friendly response from others and might appreciate it, especially if other Americans were having the kind of inadvertent reaction to them that I had. This group was most likely a couple with their adult child and son or daughter-in-law and their grandchildren and just like the Sikh family in Disney World and so many other families visiting Orlando that day and every day before or since, having a once-in-a-lifetime vacation that centered around the children. I felt shame at my reaction and it brought tears to my eyes because I felt like I had been somehow corrupted by the culture of fear that arose after 9/11. September 11th had damaged me, too, and I hadn't even known it until that moment.

Seeing that red, white, and blue turban three years later was somehow redemptive and I wanted very much to take a picture but I was shy about asking permission and I thought it would be rude to sneak a photo. I carry the picture in my mind and think about it often whenever I think about prejudice and fear and their emotional consequences. Captain Rattan's promotion is especially inspiring because it seems to me to be an action taken against that subconscious cloud of fear of the "other" that dwells in the human mind, which I now recognize within myself. Dr. King's concept of judging based on the content of a person's character is always a sure fire way to keep that dark cloud in check. I am glad that we allow citizens the freedom to wear traditional dress and still serve our nation. Increasing our national acceptance of diversity can only make our nation stronger.

Picture from http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-coalition/28503-second-us-army-victory-captain-tejdeep.html. Accessed 3/24/10.

Gadgets - Labels: Lost In a Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Blogger labels now have a setting for "cloud". Don't know how long this feature has been available but I really like it. I like the way tag clouds look. I find this to be one of the most attractive features of Delicious widgets, as well.

June 29, 2010: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Finally, the release date for David Mitchell's next book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, has been announced.

I found a description on an English website, http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails-Deshima+-9780340921579.html ,:

'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet' Description

In 1799, Jacob de Zoet disembarks on the tiny island of Dejima, the Dutch East India Company's remotest trading post in a Japan otherwise closed to the outside world. A junior clerk, his task is to uncover evidence of the previous Chief Resident's corruption. Cold-shouldered by his compatriots, Jacob earns the trust of a local interpreter and, more dangerously, becomes intrigued by a rare woman -- a midwife permitted to study on Dejima under the company physician. He cannot foresee how disastrously each will be betrayed by someone they trust, nor how intertwined and far-reaching the consequences. Duplicity and integrity, love and lust, guilt and faith, cold murder and strange immortality stalk the stage in this enthralling novel, which brings to vivid life the ordinary -- and extraordinary -- people caught up in a tectonic shift between East and West.

I just noticed that the UK release date is April15th, 2010. Amazon.uk... so tempting...

Update Your Facebook Status Using FB Notes With Blogger and FB's Twitter App

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Facebook's Notes application makes posting your Blogger posts (or any type of blogging platform posts) super easy. You just add the Notes app to your FB account using your blog address and everytime you post on your blog, your FB status updates a few minutes later. Simple.

The weird thing is that Blogger links are now completely blocked by MySpace. That is a complete mystery to me. The answer I was given when I inquired was that MySpace feels that Blogger is full of spammers or something like that.

Facebook also has a Twitter app that posts your tweets as an FB status update as well. Also very nice and easy. I tried a Twitter widget on one of my MySpace pages and it works occasionally. Personally I feel that MySpace's failure to integrate other 2.0 social networking apps is going to be it's undoing. Facebook is mastering this really, really well, IMHO.

Update 10/7/09: Just discovered that Twitter now syncs with MySpace. Will have to investigate further. Now if only MySpace would sync with Blogger.

Lolchair Is My Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:19:00 +0000

I am fascinated by anthropomorphism and simulacra, and the mysteriously whimsical workings of the human brain that engenders them. Lolchair is the perfect example of the way the mind "humanizes" the nonhuman. For more "object-oriented" fun, visit the Lolchair website at http://www.lolchair.com.

I am still dipping my toes in Stewart Elliott Guthrie's deep tome, Faces In the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion, which covers this subject as it relates to religion. This book puts forth the theory that early humans with anthropomorphic tendencies had a better chance of surviving. Simple example of this theory: If you see a shape and you think it looks like a bear or some other threatening creature, then your survival chances are better than if you think it is just a rock. If it is indeed a rock and not a bear, no harm done. However, if it is indeed a bear and you don't interpret it as a potential threat, then your chances of survival go down.

I have also been sampling a variety of other thought-provoking books on evolving scientific perceptions of human mind and consciousness.

When They Severed Earth From Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth by Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Paul T. Barber - Dr. Barber, one of my favorite authors, who co-authored this book with her husband, also a professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, explores the way myths preserve historical truths.

Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett - Computers, brains, and more! Older book, with lots of geeky, mathematical goodness.

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf - Questions the notion that humans are really "born to read".

Outliers and other books by Malcolm Gladwell - Gladwell makes interesting assumptions and turns common perceptions of reality inside out in an interesting way.

Quirky Roadtrips for Armchair Travelers

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Here are a few of my favorite nonfiction travel books with a focus on the humorous and/or meditative by some great writers.

Travels With Charley: In Search of America - John Steinbeck
The classic of this genre, which debuted in 1962, Steinbeck and Charley, Steinbecks's standard poodle, lead the way.

Blue Highways: A Journey Into America - William Least Heat-Moon
Another classic published in 1982, chronicles the author's atmospheric travels down two-lane, back roads in an old van.

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War - Tony Horwitz
Horwitz explores the physical and cultural landscape of the Civil War with lots of weirdly funny sidetrips, which include the consumption of raw bacon and an interlude with a master Scarlett O'Hara impersonator. Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is also the author several other literary travelogues including Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before.

Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryson
Bryson, a master raconteur, recounts his humorously poignant, final tour of Britain, mostly by foot and by rail, just prior to returning Stateside after living in England for a number of years. Bryson is a prolific writer with great comic wit whose booklist includes the wonderful A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.

Candy Freak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America - Steve Almond
A slightly edgy, humorous memoir-travelogue of the author's quest for elusive sweeties.
Click to visit Steve Almond's website.

Assassination Vacation - Sarah Vowell
Vowell, an NPR This American Life contributor's, comic/noir take on pilgrimages to the sites of presidental assassinations.

Keep on Tech Trekkin': Yammer On

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:39:00 +0000

In the year since I participated in Tech Trek, Web 2.0 technologies have exploded. Barack Obama's amazing electorial success was due in part to the use of a MySpace-clone website, which helped build an extremely dynamic ground campaign. This landmark use of technology in American politics underscores the way that web applications have become customizable conduits between individuals and/or organizations that allow for rapid communication and response.

The latest app that I'm playing with is Yammer. Yammer is basically a microblogging service (like Twitter) with a business app. I heard about Yammer on NPR's tech segment, signed up, and coaxed a couple of co-workers into signing up, who coaxed some other coworkers into signing up. It is fun and easy to use (IMHO) and useful, according to the NPR segment, because it cuts down on email by letting people in the business or organization that uses it know what other folks within the org are doing in real time (like Twitter does with friends).

You sign onto Yammer with your work email and it connects everyone whose work emails have the same ending. Unlike Facebook and other public social-networking web apps, only your co-workers can see your Yammer posts. This cuts down on exposure to distracting, non-work related posts and keeps everyone focused on company business while staying connected. Very cool.

Santa's Little Helpers

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Kathy) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Happy St. Nicholas Day (December 6th)!

Here he is in la belle France avec Pere Fouettard, a mad butcher/priest dude who will get you if you are naughty. (Click link to see the French website where I found this cool picture.)

In Switzerland, St. Nick hangs with Schmutzli, a sooty, nasty dude who will carry you off in his sack if you don't watch out. (Click link to see Flickr with this great pic).

The devilish Krampus is part of Austrian (and other eastern European nations') winter holiday traditions that have merged with St. Nicholas Day and Christmas. Krampus, which means "claw", is another bogeyman to make sure that the kiddies don't get out of line. Click here for more about Krampus.

In the Netherlands, Santa, known as Sinter Klaas, is accompanied by Schwartz Piet, an African helper in Renaissance style clothes. Schwartz Piet is more of a friendly helper than a threat to kids. (Click here for more on Sinter Klaas).

Have these kids been naughty? Only Krampus knows.

Have a cool Yule!