From the archives of xkcd. Substance in previous entry.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Celebrate Freedom--Read a Banned Book *Editx2
Well, it's that time again: The American Library Association's Banned Books Week. This year's event runs from September 27 through October 4. I try to keep both my personal life and my politics out of this blog for the most part, but come on--I work in book publishing. The idea of banning books, of limiting people's access to information and entertainment and beauty and discomfort and thought, chills me to the bone. To me, it says that the person banning the books doesn't trust readers to think critically about the things they read. And if that's the case, then in my humble opinion those book banners should spend their time teaching critical thinking skills rather than removing books from libraries and classrooms. Books are not dangerous. Books are glorious. I hope everyone takes the time to celebrate Banned Books Week by supporting freedom of speech and free access to the full range of available literature however they choose to do so.
I kicked off my celebrations on Sunday by going to the opening of the Lexington Children's Theatre's production of The Giver, adapted from the book (#14 on the list of most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000) by Lois Lowry, who is number 7 on the list of Most Frequently Challenged Authors of 2007. Lexingtonians should check out the show; it runs through this weekend.
I'm continuing my celebration by reading To Kill a Mockingbird (#41, 1990-2000), by Harper Lee. I can't imagine anyone wanting to ban this book--it's so moving, so heartwarming. It gives me such joy to read this book. (I've got a huge crush on Atticus, for one thing.) Anyway, I will continue to read dangerous literature such as this, and encourage any children I might have to read dangerous literature and think critically about it. Gems such as To Kill a Mockingbird should always be available, to anyone who might be interested.
Here's the really political bit:
I was appalled to discover yesterday that Sarah Palin tried to take steps to ban books from the public library in Wasilla, AK, when she was mayor. I double-checked, because my source wasn't terribly reliable, and it was confirmed by this Time Magazine article. The relevant paragraph is slightly more than halfway through the article; I've copied and pasted it here.
"Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. 'She asked the library how she could go about banning books,' he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. 'The librarian was aghast.' That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving 'full support' to the mayor."
Even if she was caving to pressure from her constituents, that's just not acceptable to me. I just... No. Seriously, now. No.
*EDIT: After some further checking, it looks like the issue has been somewhat exaggerated. This ABCNews story contains a few quotes from the librarian in question, and the conversation never progressed beyond "what if...." However, "Palin has acknowledged she twice raised the issue in 1996 of how books could be removed from the shelves." To me, that's still damning. Why would you inquire about how (twice!) unless you were thinking of following up with action?
*EDIT, again: It occurs to me that I was inclined to doubt my sources and double-check my facts because I was taught to think critically about what I read, not to just take something at face value because it's in print. Book banners, take note: if I had simply believed the first source I saw, I would have unfairly accused Palin of actually attempting to remove specific books from the library, and not bothered to see if the evidence backed it up. That would be wrong. This sort of skepticism and critical thinking is exactly what is damaged by book-banning.
I kicked off my celebrations on Sunday by going to the opening of the Lexington Children's Theatre's production of The Giver, adapted from the book (#14 on the list of most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000) by Lois Lowry, who is number 7 on the list of Most Frequently Challenged Authors of 2007. Lexingtonians should check out the show; it runs through this weekend.
I'm continuing my celebration by reading To Kill a Mockingbird (#41, 1990-2000), by Harper Lee. I can't imagine anyone wanting to ban this book--it's so moving, so heartwarming. It gives me such joy to read this book. (I've got a huge crush on Atticus, for one thing.) Anyway, I will continue to read dangerous literature such as this, and encourage any children I might have to read dangerous literature and think critically about it. Gems such as To Kill a Mockingbird should always be available, to anyone who might be interested.
Here's the really political bit:
I was appalled to discover yesterday that Sarah Palin tried to take steps to ban books from the public library in Wasilla, AK, when she was mayor. I double-checked, because my source wasn't terribly reliable, and it was confirmed by this Time Magazine article. The relevant paragraph is slightly more than halfway through the article; I've copied and pasted it here.
"Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. 'She asked the library how she could go about banning books,' he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. 'The librarian was aghast.' That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving 'full support' to the mayor."
Even if she was caving to pressure from her constituents, that's just not acceptable to me. I just... No. Seriously, now. No.
*EDIT: After some further checking, it looks like the issue has been somewhat exaggerated. This ABCNews story contains a few quotes from the librarian in question, and the conversation never progressed beyond "what if...." However, "Palin has acknowledged she twice raised the issue in 1996 of how books could be removed from the shelves." To me, that's still damning. Why would you inquire about how (twice!) unless you were thinking of following up with action?
*EDIT, again: It occurs to me that I was inclined to doubt my sources and double-check my facts because I was taught to think critically about what I read, not to just take something at face value because it's in print. Book banners, take note: if I had simply believed the first source I saw, I would have unfairly accused Palin of actually attempting to remove specific books from the library, and not bothered to see if the evidence backed it up. That would be wrong. This sort of skepticism and critical thinking is exactly what is damaged by book-banning.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Caturday!
I don't have much to say today, but here are some lovely cat photos.
This is a slightly difficult-to-discern Eve, who climbed up onto my keyboard one day when I wasn't paying enough attention to her. What you can't see is that she stepped on the keyboard, bringing up the QuickFind bar in Firefox, and--no lie--managed to type "666." Accidentally, I'm sure. No significance whatsoever.
Here is a very comfy George, who was somewhat annoyed that I interrupted her nap with a bright flashy light.
And here's everyone's favorite fuzzyman, the Blog Prince himself, Pippin.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
This is a slightly difficult-to-discern Eve, who climbed up onto my keyboard one day when I wasn't paying enough attention to her. What you can't see is that she stepped on the keyboard, bringing up the QuickFind bar in Firefox, and--no lie--managed to type "666." Accidentally, I'm sure. No significance whatsoever.
Here is a very comfy George, who was somewhat annoyed that I interrupted her nap with a bright flashy light.
And here's everyone's favorite fuzzyman, the Blog Prince himself, Pippin.I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Caturday Eve
I woke up this morning, thought about the projects I want to be working on and the ones I am working on, and then thought, "Crap! Tomorrow is Caturday, and I haven't blogged since last Caturday!" So here I am, blogging.
Everyone should follow this link to yesterday's Natalie Dee comic, unless they saw it already on Samara's solo blog. I think we can all relate to it.
I had a lovely time on Tuesday at SnB. There was good cyser and good company, and I left Jane's place with this:
A sleeve! A finished sleeve! One more to go and I can block and seam this sucker. Then I will officially be a Sweater Knitter, with a real live sweater to prove it.
I've had a hankering to crochet edging onto hankies again lately. I found my crochet thread and my handkerchief blanks this morning--but there's no sign of the case with my crochet hooks in it. I'm pretty sure it's in my house somewhere, but currently there's no proof of that. It seems extremely likely that I'll make a trip to Michael's this evening and get a new tiny crochet hook. I really need to do some unpacking and organizing this weekend.
Of course, I also have a Crazy Scheme in mind for this weekend. Okay, not that crazy, but still a scheme. Apparently I didn't blog about the time I turned a really ugly Easter basket into a yarn basket, but you can see the basket in question in this entry. That basket is currently in a closet, hiding from cats. What I want to do this weekend is make a lid for it. This plan involves a trip to Home Despot for thin plywood, a hinge and screws, and a handsaw. I'll trace the outline of the top of the basket on the plywood, cut it out with the handsaw, paint it red (if I can figure out what I did with my red paint) to match the basket, then attach it with the hinge. Voila! A lidded knitting basket I can safely keep near the sofa for easy TV knitting. At least, that's the plan.
Everyone should follow this link to yesterday's Natalie Dee comic, unless they saw it already on Samara's solo blog. I think we can all relate to it.
I had a lovely time on Tuesday at SnB. There was good cyser and good company, and I left Jane's place with this:
A sleeve! A finished sleeve! One more to go and I can block and seam this sucker. Then I will officially be a Sweater Knitter, with a real live sweater to prove it.I've had a hankering to crochet edging onto hankies again lately. I found my crochet thread and my handkerchief blanks this morning--but there's no sign of the case with my crochet hooks in it. I'm pretty sure it's in my house somewhere, but currently there's no proof of that. It seems extremely likely that I'll make a trip to Michael's this evening and get a new tiny crochet hook. I really need to do some unpacking and organizing this weekend.
Of course, I also have a Crazy Scheme in mind for this weekend. Okay, not that crazy, but still a scheme. Apparently I didn't blog about the time I turned a really ugly Easter basket into a yarn basket, but you can see the basket in question in this entry. That basket is currently in a closet, hiding from cats. What I want to do this weekend is make a lid for it. This plan involves a trip to Home Despot for thin plywood, a hinge and screws, and a handsaw. I'll trace the outline of the top of the basket on the plywood, cut it out with the handsaw, paint it red (if I can figure out what I did with my red paint) to match the basket, then attach it with the hinge. Voila! A lidded knitting basket I can safely keep near the sofa for easy TV knitting. At least, that's the plan.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Caturday: Summer Olympic Edition
"But Ann!" you're saying. "The summer Olympics ended weeks ago!"
"Not in this house, they didn't!" I answer you. "I think it has something to do with the time difference between here and Beijing."
There are currently three events underway.
First up is the Stare-athon.
Eve takes an early lead in this event, in part due to her creative use of a closet door in her routine. But this one's not over yet!
Next, we'll head over to the Competitive Eating ring.
This is a real blow for the Persian team, as their athlete, Pippin, is distracted by the media attention and loses focus. Bad luck, Persia.
And our final event is the High Jump.
It looked as though George would take the gold for her daring jump from the back of a chair (lower left) to the top of a door, but the judges were not lenient when it came to scoring--there were deductions for her shaky take-off and all the noise involved with her landing. It looks like the silver is the best she can hope for.
That wraps it up for today's coverage of the Summer Kittylympics. Tune in next week for a crowd favorite: Greco-Roman wrestling. The fur will be flying--literally--when these competitors get going!
"Not in this house, they didn't!" I answer you. "I think it has something to do with the time difference between here and Beijing."
There are currently three events underway.
First up is the Stare-athon.
Eve takes an early lead in this event, in part due to her creative use of a closet door in her routine. But this one's not over yet!Next, we'll head over to the Competitive Eating ring.
This is a real blow for the Persian team, as their athlete, Pippin, is distracted by the media attention and loses focus. Bad luck, Persia.And our final event is the High Jump.
It looked as though George would take the gold for her daring jump from the back of a chair (lower left) to the top of a door, but the judges were not lenient when it came to scoring--there were deductions for her shaky take-off and all the noise involved with her landing. It looks like the silver is the best she can hope for.That wraps it up for today's coverage of the Summer Kittylympics. Tune in next week for a crowd favorite: Greco-Roman wrestling. The fur will be flying--literally--when these competitors get going!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Avast!
Ahoy, me hearties! Today be International Talk like a Swashbuckler Tide. I be celebratin' by wearin' me Jack Sparrow t-shirt an' me hand-knit gentleman o' fortune socks.
(Fer th' English-t'-Swashbuckler translator, go here.)
On Wensdee, I did somethin' I've been wantin' t' do since th' first time I sailed' t' Sue Ann's Bagels in Ashwaubenon. I made bagels! Here`s an action shot o' three stages o' bagel-hood: on th' port, formed an' risen bagels. In th' pot, boilin' bagels. An' on th' starboard, boiled an' topped bagels waitin' fer bakin'.
An' here we be havin' 12 lovely, finished bagels. They's nay th' best bagels I've e'er eaten, but they be th' best bagels I've e'er made.
Th' other tide I noticed that me socks had picked up some Pippin fur. Identical wee sprays o' fur be stuck t' me socks in th' exact same place on each sock. I felt like Hermes, so I had t' take a picture. Me wings be more visible-like if ye click t' enlarge.
An' I've been knittin' a sock.
That's all I've got fer now. Enjoy yer plunderin' today!
(Fer th' English-t'-Swashbuckler translator, go here.)
On Wensdee, I did somethin' I've been wantin' t' do since th' first time I sailed' t' Sue Ann's Bagels in Ashwaubenon. I made bagels! Here`s an action shot o' three stages o' bagel-hood: on th' port, formed an' risen bagels. In th' pot, boilin' bagels. An' on th' starboard, boiled an' topped bagels waitin' fer bakin'.
An' here we be havin' 12 lovely, finished bagels. They's nay th' best bagels I've e'er eaten, but they be th' best bagels I've e'er made.
Th' other tide I noticed that me socks had picked up some Pippin fur. Identical wee sprays o' fur be stuck t' me socks in th' exact same place on each sock. I felt like Hermes, so I had t' take a picture. Me wings be more visible-like if ye click t' enlarge.
An' I've been knittin' a sock.
That's all I've got fer now. Enjoy yer plunderin' today!
Monday, September 15, 2008
I Am So Smart! S-M-R-T!
I've been putting a lot of thought into Super Secret Knitting Project #2. I spent hours charting and recharting, I did a gauge swatch, I did math. I wound my yarn into balls, and I cast on. On the fourth round, I noticed that I seemed to be off--by about 30 stitches. I counted the stitches on my chart, then I counted the stitches on my needles.
Lo and behold, I had far too many stitches on my needles. I was supposed to have 65. I had 98.
Before I cast on, I took 65, added one for a k2tog at the join, and got 66. I divided 66 by 3 (three needles)... and got 33.
The highly intelligent among you may realize that 3 times 33 is not 66. It's 99.
Lo and behold, I had far too many stitches on my needles. I was supposed to have 65. I had 98.Before I cast on, I took 65, added one for a k2tog at the join, and got 66. I divided 66 by 3 (three needles)... and got 33.
The highly intelligent among you may realize that 3 times 33 is not 66. It's 99.
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