Librarian's Rant

Jenna Freedman, of LU and the Radical Reference group, sent the link to this great new bag at CafePress.

Rock on.

Garry Trudeau has been censored again. Seems some folks didn't like a nickname given to Karl Rove...by the President.

Other papers, such as The Kansas City Star, removed the strip entirely, replacing it with an older one.

"We thought it was in bad taste and probably unclear to a lot of people why we would be using the term," said Steve Shirk, the Star's managing editor/news.

Um, you're not 'using' the term, genius. An artist/commentator is. You're just publishing his strip. And anyone who's been paying attention (all 10 of us or whatever) has heard the monicker before.

...is violence. Seems the Brits gunned a guy down the other day cuz he might have been a terrorist. Sound familiar? Seems we've managed to make the Brits ridiculously paranoid and trigger-happy, too. Well done us. I mean, mistakes happen, but there are ways to keep this crap to a minimum.

Of the fast-unfolding developments, the most overwhelming for many Londoners, was the police admission that an apparently innocent man had been gunned down in full public view - a killing that left the city even more rattled after a wave of attacks, alarms, scares and shootings that, in a brief three weeks has propelled London from the euphoria of the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park to a sense of embattled siege.

Peter tells me that Jen at The Devil's Panties finally did it: Monkey Pirate Ninja!

Betsy H. brought my attention to Freaky Flickers, a new toy marketing series. This article about them asks if they're the next big fad, but I have to wonder--is it a great toy series, or just a great marketing campaign?

I also wonder--when will my nephews be asking me for them?

Today's bombings in London have me rattled. I have friends there (so far, no word), and this map posted on Boing Boing shows, among other things, the areas I haunted (and some friends still do) when I was last there.

I despair for the human race some days.

In another context, we were discussing amusing bumper stickers today. Someone mentioned one I thought very relevant: "Yee-haw is not a foreign policy."

Peace, everybody.

Cuz I kinda want one From ThinkGeek:

We have a new master now.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, three films captured the imagination and obsession of an entire generation. But the holy trilogy has fallen like the old republic and George Lucas no longer holds power over us. But there is a new hope. A new world and set of characters as real and alive as those we remember from our childhood. We have a new target for our obsession. We have a new master now...

Joss Whedon is My Master Now

Thanks, Katie (and the Unshelved guys).

My buddies over at Library Underground have gone capitalist and started a CafePress store. Watch for more goodies to come!

As you already know, I'm sure, Sandra Day O'Connor announced her forthcoming retirement.

And my snarky title above aside, the last thing we need to do is move to Canada. We need, instead, to move our country back to a balance point. And to fight for the basics.

Planned Parenthood has some innovative ideas, for a start.

Anyone taking book on how long it will take for the Dems to cave on judicial nominations for the SC? ::sigh::