Librarian's Rant

Thanks to Jessie on the Chatty list. She's right, this site defies description. I like In the Park.

I've had to remove the Referrers list off my blog, as it looks like the porn site asshats have found another way to up their page count. More info on my brother's page (he's my host).

UPDATE: Okay, big brother (as opposed to Big Brother) has cleaned up the Referrers problem for the time being. We'll give it a try.

It seems I'm only 28% Evil. Well, that's no fun!

From the site: "The Gematriculator is a service that uses the infallible methods of Gematria developed by Mr. Ivan Panin to determine how good or evil a web site or a text passage is.

Experts consider the mathematical patterns in the text of the Holy Bible as God's watermark of authenticity. Thus, the Gematriculator provides only results that are absolutely correct."

Link from Random Emporium of Pretty Daisies via L.A.C.K..

Another update to my previous post about TNT's The Librarian. Thanks, Chris (on LU).

As an update to my last post, I've just found Cecily's blog (so, I'm slow...it's been a busy month).

"I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved." ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Thanks to Cecily (my evil twin) on the Chatty list (like a month late--so sue me!).

Great review of the latest Harry Potter film from Slate's David Edelstein. Thanks to Clinton on the Chatty list for the heads up.

More important, [Cuaron's] approach to constructing a world on film is the opposite of Columbus'. Where the latter works from the top down, dollying into his lavish sets from on high, Cuarón builds his scenes from below, from deep inside his storybook universe. It helps that the characters' emotions are so vivid. The tactile power of Cuarón's filmmaking is clear from the first scene, in which Harry (once more Daniel Radcliffe) is discovered under his covers in the middle of the night in that awful Dursley house, doing something naughty. No, it's not what you're thinking: He's playing with his wand. I mean, he's testing out his new potency. I mean ...

Brian at The Laughing Librarian found a Thursday Next-esque bike trail sign. Mammoth crossing, anyone?

Further proof that teenagers are from Mars. Thanks to Tracey on the Chatty list!

I take this Geek Test about once/year to make sure my geek creds are not slipping. My brother usually does better than I.

40.43393% - Major Geek

Dear heavens. I think the 1% boost for females and my (lost) years in SCA sort of put me over the top...

As a follow-up to my previous post on May 27th, MoveOn.org has its own petition on the electronic voting issue: sign it here.

I'm not against technology. It's a tool. I'm against becoming dependant on technology and using it poorly to the detriment of our democratic process...and also against corporate secrecy in that same process.

Tracey on the Chatty list gave me the heads up on this (I'm so behind on my RSS reads, I should just start over). From The Shifted Librarian (Hi, Christine!), this wonderful error message.

Don't Vote Ralph.net. Gives some data and opinion on this idea: that despite Ralph Nader's self-delusional (dare I say egomaniacal) assertion that his candidacy will help defeat George W. Bush, in fact the opposite is true. In key states, he's swinging the vote toward Bush, not away.

I'm all for him bringing up issues and making BOTH candidates accountable for answering the tough questions (which Nader has traditionally been good at posing). I respect Dennis Kucinich for the same reasons. And Howard Dean for that matter. And John McCain in 2000. I'm also generally skeptical of statistics, especially polls. However, I feel that Nader coming in so late in the game, and setting himself up as a third option, is only muddying the waters and smacks of egotism. And you can't guarantee that votes Nader is garnering now will somehow miraculously become active anti-Bush votes in November. They may just end up abstaining out of frustration and confusion, which was a problem in 2000, too.

I'd rather see Ralph Nader do what he's best at--rabble-rousing against the corporate greed-monsters and their political lackeys (of any party). And come January, I'd like to see him give whomever gets inaugurated a damn hard time. He's a very effective nudge.

Side note: as I was looking for a link for my last post, I came across this amusing (and frankly a bit scary) Psychoanalysis of John Ashcroft by Nathan Callahan.

Of all the decisions George W. Bush made during his first month in office, none was more twisted than the appointment of John Ashcroft to head the Department of Justice.

As the Federal Government's chief law enforcement officer, Ashcroft counsels the President and represents the United States in legal matters. As son of a Assemblies of God Pentecostal minister, Ashcroft represents a religion that believes, among other things, that "it is risky for Christians to build deep friendships with those who do not share a spiritual bond in Christ" and "that the spread of oriental religions and the occult in America has brought with it an increase in demon possession."

The above essay was also published in Friction Magazine which is where I also found this interesting interview from last year with the lovely and talented Jessamyn West.

Seems that BushCo. is 'Cooling on Ashcroft' (Time magazine 6/7/04).

In Buffalo, Bush extolled [former Deputy Attorney General Larry] Thompson's credentials before a crowd and implied that Justice needs him back. "Larry, we miss you over there," Bush said. "Don't get too comfortable." Bush partisans interpreted those remarks — and Thompson's rising profile — as a sign the President is giving up on a long-term future for his truculent Attorney General. Said one: "Ashcroft will not be the A.G. by Christmas if Bush wins."

Well, we KNOW he won't be in that office if Bush doesn't win...

Nonetheless, this seems a bit feckless on the part of the President. I mean, the guy loses a political race to a DEAD man (MO Governor Mel Carnahan, who died during the race), then you make him Atty General. He blows his wad for three years, while creating a police state, and now you're a bit touchy 'cuz he ambushed a Democrat (former Clinton Deputy AG Jamie Gorelick) on the 9/11 commission? I mean, what exactly did you expect? You train a pit bull, don't expect him to be a lapdog!

[Thanks to Chris for the Time mag article.]