GT4985

That's LCC for MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Japanese music video sampler

I've been amusing myself recently with looking up Japanese music videos on YouTube, to see if I can find the songs and artists that were popular when I was in Japan three years ago.

This may be due to some hidden masochism on my part, because as much as I like Japanese history and culture and the Japanese people themselves, I hate their pop music. You can judge for yourselves, but personally this was the one thing that always made me proud to be an American.

Still, I decided to share the following clips because they do provide a window into real, mainstream Japanese pop culture (it isn't all scary porn cartoons over there), and some of them are pretty entertaining in their own right.

1. Mr. Children, "Karumi" -- If you watch just one of these videos, choose this one. The song is nothing special, but I think it's a great video. It depicts the rise of fictional pop group "Mr. Adults". Only the young guy at the end is an actual member of Mr. Children. (Is it just me, or is "Mr. Children" the most subtly unsettling band name ever?)

2. EXILE, "Choo Choo TRAIN" -- this was a BIG hit in 2003, and it turns out it was actually a remake of a song that had been a hit in 1991. That explains why my slightly older coworkers liked it so much. My boss was particularly good at the dance that went with this song. Notable for both scenes of a real Japanese nightclub and the inclusion of a team of breakdancing, dreadlocked youngsters.

3. GLAY, "Yuuwaku" - GLAY is still popular today, but this looks to be an older video, maybe late '90s. I think the scrawny white woman is supposed to resemble Mila Jovovich. I chose this video because the obligatory random English lyrics are actually intelligible and coherent. Also, the (male) guitar player seems to be wearing a miniskirt.

4. Ayumi Hamasaki, "Startin" --Ms. Hamasaki is the Queen of Japanese Pop Music, sort of like Britney Spears a few years ago, or Mariah Carey a few years before that. This is a funny video that's also a nice example of the Japanese perception of American pop culture.

these effers lie about effing everything!

I'm sorry that First Lady Laura "Book Banner" Bush has skin cancer. I wouldn't wish that on anyone except maybe Dick Cheney. I understand the privacy concerns, blah blah blah, but I think this is just one more example of the First Family's pathological problem:

Mrs. Bush was noticed wearing a bandage on her leg on Oct. 23 when she and her husband posed for pictures with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Questioned at the time, Whitson [the First Lady's press secretary] told The Associated Press it was simply a sore.

Paparazzi

Yay Prom! Here are two of my favorite pics:



The Bitches



The Bitches' Bitches

Thank you!

Thank you so much to everyone who put together last night's shindig. The place was fantastic. We all looked fantastic. The food was fantastic. Well played, everyone!

We're a damn classy group of librarians.

*smooches*

My advertisement for myself

If any of you feel that this holiday season might be the time to purchase a little piece of jewelry, say a necklace or pair of earrings, for yourself or a loved one, well...you know where to find me.

All pieces handcrafted by local artists (me, myself, and I). All pieces come with their own special origami gift box, also handcrafted by local artists (also me).

Several pairs of earrings come with an exciting backstory, too. They were in my bag when it was stolen! But I got them back, and now I think they must be practically theft-proof from a statistical standpoint. I mean, what are the odds that the same pair of earrings would be stolen twice?

Anyway, let me know if you are interested and I can show you the pieces I have available, either in person or by e-mailing you some photos. I'll be in town for most/all of break.

A Very Purple Authority Record

Wherefore art thou Prince? The question came up over Bud Lites last night. Deborah, this one's for you:

LC Control Number: n 84079379
HEADING: Prince
000 01295cz a2200229n 450
001 1509249
005 20060201091252.0
008 840808n| acannaab |a aaa
010 __ |a n 84079379
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca01170893
035 __ |a (DLC)n 84079379
040 __ |a DLC |c DLC |d DLC |d MnHi |d DLC
100 0_ |a Prince
400 1_ |a Nelson, Prince Rogers
400 0_ |a Artist Formerly Known as Prince
400 0_ |a TAFKAP
670 __ |a Ivory, S. Prince, c1985: |b CIP t.p. (Prince) pub. info. (musician and recording star; Prince Rogers Nelson; son of jazz musician, John Nelson, who performed under moniker Prince Rogers)
670 __ |a Mabery, D.L. Prince, c1985: |b CIP galley (b. June 7, 1958)
670 __ |a MnHi files |b (changed name to a symbol; was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince or TAFKAP; at marriage in Feb. 1996 resumed his former name)
670 __ |a Rock who’s who, 2nd ed., c1996 |b (Prince; b. Prince Roger [sic] Nelson, June 7, 1958, Minneapolis; on his 35th birthday, changed his name to the combined male-female symbol used on his 1992 album)
670 __ |a Purple reign, 1998: |b CIP t.p. (The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) galley (Prince; in an interview given Oct. 24, 1996, he said that he did not know what sound the symbol should represent)
953 __ |a ea17 |b ta30

does santa trade in stealth beverage systems?

Oh boy, this entry in the latest NY Times Magazine's Annual Year in Ideas cracked me up! Read it and weep with joy. And then go to the actual Beerbelly website (yes, it's real). Freedom to the beverage!

The newest in stalker technology

Forget googleing crushes, now you can track their location in real time.

ish.

If you haven't looked at Britney Spear's website in a while, it's worth a click. I'm not quite sure if she is genuinely issuing a mea culpa or if her antics last week were just a (non) product placement opportunity. In any case, girlfriend grosses me out and a dumb note on her website isn't going to explain it away.

Elsewhere on the internets is this hi-LAR-ious SNL news item about the pop star I love to hate.

Hey Mickey!

I was happy to finally find this video on YouTube -- I actually own it on DVD myself, but since I have a slow home connection this is the only way I can share it with you all.

This cover of Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey!" was the #1 hit of the summer the year I was in Japan. I remember I'd be walking around and I'd hear "Hey Mickey!" playing, and it would take me a second to realize there was something...different...about it. Like...it's in Japanese.

Of course, if you're watching the video the major difference is immediately apparent. But I'll let you discover that for yourselves.

'Tis the season

Here's a link to a collection of photos of kids getting their picture taken with Santa... and the kids are in various states of horror. That Santa is one scary mofo!

Scary Santas

Gallery of the Absurd

I've been looking for a way to feel more cultured while I slyly look at gossip rags and trashy celebrity websites, which most rational people will agree is an almost impossible thing to do. Well, I've finally found the answer to my conundrum. Here it is in all its shining glory: Gallery of the Absurd. I'm sure most of you already know about it (especially if you've been looking at gossip websites any time recently). Truly the best image thus far is the newest one: "The Three Disgraces." But all the images are fabulous (and of great likeness to their subjects).

Feast, my fellow librarian gossip-addicts, for you will be sated.

THE LIBRARIAN? More Like THE ARCHIVIST!

Well our dear HERO returned to the small screen last night, and all I can say is WHAT?

1. The librarian is clearly more of an archivist, with his display of intense passion, intelligence, and game.

2. King Solomon's Mines is a worthless story...saving the world from time traveling Ninja's now that is a story worth telling!

3. A librarian destroy a book? Not bloody likely...but an Archivist...Burn Baby Burn!!

Just in time for Xmas

Check out like.com, a search engine that searches for things by shape. It may have uses beyond shopping; I don't know yet, as I haven't played with this much, but like.com now seems essential to my continued happiness.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

I'm sure you all remember Bonnie Tyler's 1983 worldwide hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", or at least the 1994 Nicki French remake. What you may not remember is the original music video. Actually, I should say "what you may not have seen", because this is the sort of thing that sticks in your mind.

Not quite as good as "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", but definitely memorable -- if only for the chillingly literal interpretation of the line "turn around bright eyes".

Oh yes, and the video also appears to be set at the Neverland School for the Sexual Exploitation of Boys.

And there's a brief scene with ninjas (!) about 1:15 minutes in.

A psychic website?

My wacky new age sister-in-law sent this, and its accuracy is unnerving. How does it read minds?

Names through history

I found this a while back but forgot about it until Deb's recent name post. This is a little online Java program that shows you how popular different names have been in the US since the 1880s. Just start typing a name and it will make a graph for you based on how common that name was.

For instance, type in "Kaylee" and it'll show you that this name didn't exist before the 1970s, but is now the 41th most popular name for American girls. For boys, "Edgar" was pretty popular in the late-19th century, but began declining and reached a low point in the 1960s. But it's rising in popularity again, and is now about as common as it was in the 1930s.

Although the program is called the Baby Name Wizard, I found it through a writing blog. It would be a great tool for someone writing a period piece novel -- it would tell you not to call your Victorian heroine "Tiffany", or that you shouldn't have a contemporary American adult named "Maddox" because this name was basically unheard of until Angelina Jolie used it for her son in 2002.

internets to deborah: you don't exist!

This is fun! Unless you have a weirdass last name. Howmanyofme.com computes the popularity of your first and last names, then tells you how many other people in the U.S. share your name. Deborah is pretty popular, so I share that with 700,000 or so other women (or maybe men?). But according to the algorithm, ZERO people with my last name live in this country. Does that mean I don't have to pay taxes?

I'm here for the graduate student - holiday edition

Well here I am again, shamelessly self-promoting mostly because I don't want to be known by my undergraduate choir-mates as "that quiet crossword-doing girl that never has anyone at the concerts." So, if you really enjoyed our last concert (or if you feel extra-guilty for not coming) come check out our Holiday Choral Concert on Sunday (that's December 3rd) at 2:00 or 4:00. It's at Luther Memorial Church (on University between Brooks and Mills). If you're one of those people that just can't kick off the holiday season without a rousing rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, this one's for you!

everyone looked better twenty years ago

Um, so I'm really excited to go to Jonathan Franzen's reading/lecture tonight. And I'll probably read his new book. And The Corrections will probably remain one of my favorite postmodern novels. And I still think it's funny and awesome that he refused Oprah's book club invitation. But--cripes! For the holy love of Mary and Joseph, could the man take a new author photograph and stop his publicist from sending out this headshot from 1987? Yes, Mr. Franzen, you took a good picture that one time that made you appear to be pretty darn attractive. But now it's time to let go...

Top of My Wish List:

Temporary Librarian Tattoos. Need I say more?

Shushin' Freak

Ms. Dewey has inspired me to write a song about real librarians, the kind we know and love. The kind who read lots of books, are patient with patrons, and wear sensible shoes.

After a few failed attempts at "Don't Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Knew LCC?", I took a slightly different tack. The result: "Shushin' Freak", in the style of Rick James.

I hope, in the spirit of the holiday, that this makes you feel thankful. Thankful that you don't actually have to hear me sing this song out loud.

(Ahem. Do re mi fa so la te SHHHHH!)

She's a very mousy girl,
The kind who dresses like your mother.
She will never turn your questions down,
Once she's workin' at the desk.
Oh girl!
She likes the books that are banned,
She says that Twain's her all-time favorite.
When I make my move to the stack's it's the right time,
She always wants to read.

{Refrain}
That girl is pretty quiet now,
The girl's a shushin' freak.
The kind of girl you read about,
In Booklist Magazine.
That girl is pretty mousy,
The girl's a shushin' freak.
She's always got a new book,
Every time we meet.
She's all right, she's all right,
That girl's all right with me,
Yeah!

She's a shushin' freak, shushin' freak,
She's shushin' people, yow!
(Everybody read.)
Shushin' freak, shushin' freak.

She's a very special girl,
(The kind of girl you want to know)
From her bun down to her Oxfords.
(Down to her feet, yeah.)
And she'll wait for me at Borders with her girlfriends,
In a cardigan.
(Going back to New Fiction.)
Three's not a crowd to her, she says.
"College Library, we'll be waiting."
When I get there, she's got coffee, books, and journals,
It's a whole book club scene.

{Refrain}

{Bridge}

She's a shushin' freak, shushin' freak,
She's shushin' people, yow!

Archivists sing!
(Shhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush!)
Shushin' freak, shushin' freak,
That girl's a shushin' freak.
(Shhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush!)

She's a very mousy girl,
The kind who dresses like your mother.
And she will never turn your questions down,
Once she's workin' at the desk.

Go, Dewey!

{horn solo}

Ms. Dewey

Great posts, Bitches! And so much more fun to read than texts on constructing lesson plans for info lit.

Ms. Dewey, apparently, is the face of the new Microsoft search engine. Her appearance does much to eliminate the frumpy librarian stereotype, but she is as bitchy and impatient as those mean little bun-wearing old ladies ever were. She just has found new ways to express her frustration, one might say. I gather that she too would benefit from one of Annie's little gadgets.

In other news, an article in Sunday's New York Times revealed that the director of the NY Public Library system earns over $800,000/year to fund-raise for the supposedly destitute organization! Linking to the NYT can be tricky because of that free registration thing, but go on over and check it out.

Two of my favorite things

Stevie Wonder + Sesame Street = AWESOME!

Take note children's librarians: this is high quality programming!

Global Orgasm Day!

I just want to post this now, so we can all prepare for this momentous day. Do what you need to, but this is a serious effort. If we are ever going to fight this war we have to have more sex.

Check out the website: www.globalorgasm.com


Make love not war, man.

No more flamingos...and a social network for nerds

So in the NYT today, there's a sad story that mentions our illustrious institution:

ON Nov. 1, just two months shy of its 50th birthday, the plastic pink flamingo went extinct. Or more accurately, it stopped reproducing, when its manufacturer, Union Products, shut down the factory in Leominster, Mass.... In the 1970s, my rebel generation of middle-class baby boomers adopted the plastic bird to challenge the boundaries of high art and good taste. The gay male subculture made it a mascot, and in 1979 the student government at University of Wisconsin planted a thousand flamingos on the lawn outside the dean’s office.

Also, Katie K caught me being a huge nerd, and here's the proof. And I quote, "LibraryThing is also an amazing social space, often described as 'MySpace for books' or 'Facebook for books.'"

Book It, Bitches

This is fun: Book It, the fabulous library/Pizza Hut collaboration from our youth is looking for fond memories. I used to LOVE those personal pan pizzas!

And yes, I am on Pizza Hut's emailing list. Not quite sure why or how...

Love notes

This is a scan of the note we found on the floor of the concert hall after Katie's choir concert. It tells a touching story of young love, porn, and handjobs between "Annie" (presumably not our Annie) and "Rick" (a young man so horny he cannot spell the word "ridiculous").

Sorry it's not a better quality image -- I tried to clean it up as best I could, but when a note is this DIRTY there's only so much you can do!

(Click on the images to see a bigger, more readable version.)

If I seem (more) insane in the near future....

Here's a big ol' list of things to do to "connect with your inner child," or rather "convince people you are completely and totally in need of imediate psychiatric help."

nextgen

I kind of think that the Bush twins' antics are looking less like a quarter-life crisis and more like preparation for library school.

Our HERO is BACK!

As discussed at last weeks happy hour... The Librarian returns this fall with, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines. This fine movie airs Dec. 3! Be sure to pre-order your DVD copy.

You know it'll be good with Jonathan "Number One" Frakes directing.

Anyone willing to host a viewing party?

Ceiling cat

I know this will not amuse all of you, but I have a soft spot for cats doing wierd stuff. Look at the bottom of the page, ceiling cat knows all!!

caption contest results: doug earns one beer, must share with anne.

"Kids, I've got bad news. I've lost my job and the flow of corrupt money that came with it. We're destitute. I have no choice but to sell you all for medical experiments. Don't cry! I'll never let them get your stem cells!"
[I'm afraid this new photo and my reaction to it proves that I'm emotionally stunted. Or I've been reading too much fug. My first thought: what kind of loser coordinates the plaid in their jumper, headband and DOLL CLOTHES?!]

If I Was Your Mother

I have no link for this post, and to be honest I don't really have a point either. I just have to share.

As some of you heard last night, I was recently stunned to learn that Bon Jovi had a song called "If I Was Your Mother". Someone at work has the entire Keep the Faith album (best known for "Bed of Roses") in their iTunes library, and this particular title caught my eye. I figured it had to be a mislabeled file, but no. There actually is a Bon Jovi song in which ol' Jon Boy wails away about his fantasy of being some chick's mother so he'll be able to tuck her in at night, hear all her secrets, and be closer to her than anyone else.

I remember the popular music of 1992 pretty well (the Billboard Hot 100 for the year includes "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "November Rain", and of course the classic "Baby Got Back"), but I have no memory of hearing "If I Was Your Mother" at that time. And believe me, this is the kind of song that sticks in your mind. And your craw.

Sample lyrics:

Tell me there's no other,
To who you're telling your secrets.
And would you tell me,
'Bout all the boys you been
Bringing home to meet me.

Tell me what I got to do,
To make my life mean more to you.
I could get so close it's true,
If I was your...
Mother! (Mother!)
If I was your...
Mother! (Mother!)

It may be the single most disturbing song I've ever heard. I didn't know whether to laugh or hurl. (Okay, I eventually decided on laughing, and spent the next four minutes giggling like a maniac.) The questionable grammar and standard hair metal guitar solo didn't help.

Mutual Respect and Admiration

Santorum Will Rise Again, Bitches

It looks like the Village Voice has taken advice from the SLIS blog about titling articles.

Happy Birthday, Katie K!

How's THIS for a birthday present? Woo-hoo!

but the rest of america is pretty effing awesome

Dude, we won the House! And we at least tied but probably won the Senate! And more governorships (except in stupid Minnesota, where Ass-hat Pawlenty won by about 2.5 votes)!

Let's lift our spirits! I propose a caption contest. For this picture of Ass-hat Santorum and his fifty bawling children (via Wonkette, via Flickr):

I'll buy the winner a beer a Karaoke Kid.

Why Wisconsin sucks.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page if you don't know what I'm talking about.

PopoZao OUT!?

Looks like Brittney has come to her beautiful senses. I saw her on Letterman last night--back in good form I must say! Now that K-Fed is out...I'd be willing to be "Mr. Spears." Love is Love afterall!

cheney's got a gun

Is this some kind of last ditch GOP scare tactic for election day? Like, if you vote DFL, not only do the terrorists win, you'll also get a face full of buckshot?

Vote Bitches!

Not registered yet? In Wisconsin, you can do it at the polls! Here is what you need to bring.

Don't know where to vote? Check here.

If you are voting in Dane County, remember to turn your ballot over! Some of the most important measures appear on the BACK of the ballot.

OED in the NYT

Excellent article on everyone's fave ginormous reference work. (Think ginormous in in there somewhere?)

Here's a little preview:

"Cyber-Neologoliferation"

Air kiss is defined with careful anatomical instructions plus a note: “sometimes with the connotation that such a gesture implies insincerity or affectation.”

Builder’s bum is reportedly Brit. and colloq., “with allusion to the perceived propensity of builders to expose inadvertently this part of the body.”

No one is particularly proud of the new entry as of December 2003 for nucular, a word not associated with high standards of diction. “Bizarrely, I was amazed to find that the spelling n-u-c-u-l-a-r has decades of history,” Gilliver says. “And that is not to be confused with the quite different word, nucular, meaning ‘of or relating to a nucule.’ ” There is even a new entry for miniscule; it has citations going back more than 100 years. Yet the very notion of correct and incorrect spelling seems under attack. In Shakespeare’s day, there was no such thing: no right and wrong in spelling, no dictionaries to consult. The word debt could be spelled det, dete, dett, dette or dept, and no one would complain.

karaoke?

I've heard the rumors...when is this happening???!!!

To whomever schedules this night of excitement: can you be sure to accomodate Kelly's schedule? Girlfriend has told some stories and I want to see her in action!

Pucker Up

I know that most of you are recovering from a suger hangover, but I am bringing you more candy! This clip is priceless--particularly the little kiddies and the guy in the plaid shirt (is he overacting or is he just that animated?!)

Yum-O.

Oh no

Good news for those of you who worried that your skinny jeans weren't revealing enough. Now we're allowed to wander around with our tushes exposed to the world. Hooray!

The Wanderer er er er er er!!!

(The title is supposed to be an echo, in case you're wondering)

This video was on the Isthmus website. Apparently people in Madison had way too much time on their hands in the 80s.

The music is the best part.

Clap Hands!

Anyone else catch this? It's freaking awesome:

DUELING PIANOS!!!!

When? Thursday 11/2 (after class)
Where? Madison's on King
Why? Because I've been dying for some dueling pianos since I moved to this city. Plus, we can request "Paradise by the dashboard lights."
Who's down?

Volunteer for Fair Wisconsin

Does anyone want to volunteer for Fair Wisconsin with me on Saturday morning? I am canvassing from 10am to 2:30pm. If you are interested please email me or sign up here.

If you need any inspiration to get out and help, watch this awful add put together by the opposition.

Hot Library Smut

Check out this bibliophile "porn" and just try to keep yourself from drooling!

I just wonder if the Conway and Witt libraries only have one color of books each...? My fave from this blog: definitely the shot of Trinity College Library in Dublin! Now that's hot!

Trick-or-Treat to SAVE your SOUL

While reading today's Christian Science Monitor I came across an article about people passing out religious pamphlets with candy. I say get the gouls before they get you!

My favorite titles from the SLIS children's collection

Teeny Gay, by Charlie May Simon (1936).

Sugar Bush, by Dorathea Dana (1947).

Halloweenies

My brother-in-law's band- Houses in Motion, they play Talking Heads covers- is playing at Cafe Montmartre on Saturday night. Justin & I will be there, hopefully a safe distance from any hooligans and/or rioters.

The second set is going to be a faithful reproduction of the movie "Stop Making Sense". How could you say no to that?!

W does Google

Yup, more "news" courtesy of Leah's obsession with The Best Week Ever Blog.

The Google

The Pin-Up Librarian

There have been many depictions of librarians in various media over the years, but I think artist Gil Elvgren is the only one to really capture the essense of our work and that certain special je ne sais qua of librarianess.

I mean, how many times has this happened to you: you're all dressed for work in your eyeglasses, bun, button-down dress, and bright red high heels, you get up on the ladder to shelve some books, and the next thing you know your skirt is pinned under a bookend and you're dropping MacKinlay Kantor novels on the floor and flashing your black thigh-high stockings to all of creation!

I tell you, it's days like that when I wonder why I didn't stick to teaching. Or maybe I should have given nursing a shot, especially since nurses and librarians seem to wear exactly the same dress and hose.

Inmate uses laxatives to flee jail

Look girls, your portable pharmacy may come in handy some day.

Only interesting to those currently in Cataloging

And potentially not even that interesting to them. Remember assignmant two:
Of grammatology / by Jacques Derrida ; translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak?

Well, today in doing a completely unrelated assignment for the advanced reference class, guess what I just happened to run across? That's right, Ms. Spivak's biographical information, including this: "Among her publications are Of Grammatology (translation with critical introduction of Jacques Derrida's De la grammmatologie)."

So not the most interesting thing in the world, but my little mind was boggled at the coincidence and I had to share.

Photoshop workshop tomorrow

In case anyone is interested, I'm doing a workshop on Adobe Photoshop for the Web tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 pm in the SLIS comp lab. I'll be covering basic photo editing as well as optimizing images for the Web. It was designed for the Information Architecture class, but anyone can come. Just e-mail Awa so she'll have enough copies of the handout.

Awa told me that no one from outside the Information Architecture class has signed up for the workshop yet, so there should be plenty of room for anyone else who wants to learn about Photoshop.

Ten Things I Hate About Commandments

This is my favorite new movie trailer remix.

things that cost forty thousand dollars

A set of Marilyn Monroe's old bustiers at auction.
A Lexus Hybrid.
A horse trailer.
74 acres in South Dakota.
An Ingersoll Rand Compressor.
A newly minted librarian.

Revelations!

This is likely old news to more experienced librarians than I, but I learned something today which I found amusing. I was at the ref desk at Memorial when a student asked where he could find a Bible. He wasn't interested in the edition. MadCat revealed Bibles could be found under "BS." Could there have been an atheist at the library of congress with a sense of humor???

Spoooky Library Event Reminder

Wisconsin Ghost Lore at the Middleton Public Library, Thursday Oct. 26 at 7pm. Anyone who wants to hitch a ride let me know! I can fit 3 plus moi, and my mummy helped me clean my car so it's spic'n'span. (She's a nice mummy like that.)

Also, don't forget to register so there are plenty of vittles for everyone: call 608-827-7403, email mid@scls.lib.wi.us or stop by at the library's Reference Desk.

Your name in Japanese

Here's a site I found today that will transliterate common English first names into Japanese katakana. Set the style to "Calligraphy", "Sans Serif", or "Manga" for the most easily readable results.

I checked out several names and it seems to work well. Apparently the programmer took the trouble of actually making a dictionary of common names and their transliterations instead of the easier (and far less accurate) method of transliterating each combination of letters separately.

The downside of this is that if you have an unusual name or one not in the database, it won't be able to transliterate your name. But for the names it does have (and there are a lot), it does a pretty good job.

I'm here for the graduate student

If any of y'all want to come hear me sing this weekend with a crowd of undergrads, we're having a concert on Sunday night (7:30) at Mills (in Humanities). All of the university choirs (there are six) will be singing a few songs. So if you'd like, come cheer me on!

thanks for the tip, Reuters!

It confirms my love for our favorite drink, The Librarian.

I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper

This is possibly the best video I've ever seen in my life.

I hesitate to say more lest I spoil it, so I'll only say that it's a sci-fi themed pop song by Sarah "Ex-Mrs. Lloyd-Webber" Brightman and it really shows why the 1970s were such a great decade.

Proof reading is hard

I get my news from Jon Stewart and/or VH1:

Foley, D-FL

we can't wear this for halloween because this is what we look like in real life.

Via librarian.net.

Target's "Adult's Naughty Librarian Costume" described on Target's online store as:

"You should check out his naughty librarian costume. Includes a navy blue dress with screen-printed skirt, attached tulle petticoat, shawl, rhinestone glasses and removable "Naughty Librarian" badge. Pearl necklace not included. 100% polyester."

I can't believe that Target's Design department thinks that librarians wear mini shoulder shawls. We are a CLASSY professional group, people! And, YES, you DO need a master's degree to wear a book-spine skirt.

Two for One

How much do I love you guys? Lots! So much so that I have two gifts for you today:

1) Baby Toupee--Small Wigs for Small People
For the excellent price of $25, your baby can look like Donald Trump or Lil' Kim. Then you can send your pictures capturing the traumatic moment to their online gallery.

But wait, there's more!

2) The Betty Glover Library Workout Tape
Featuring some classic 80s music, frumpy 80s librarians, a woman carrying a riding crop and doing some creepy voiceovers, and lots of old school library equipment being used for exercise.

See? True love!

If Librarianing doesn't work out

Jessica Simpson may be looking for a new UW grad.

Fun with romance novels

This site features real romance novel cover art...with new titles added in Photoshop.

Ghosties and Ghoulies!

The Middleton Public Library's having author Dennis Boyer do storytelling from his book Driftless Spirits: Ghosts of Southwestern Wisconsin on Oct. 26 at 7pm.

There will also be refreshments. If you're interested, they'd like you to pre-register (827-7403) and I'd be happy to drive a few peeps over in my dilapidated car.

I'll also re-post this a little closer to the event.

Best headline ever

Jesus image found in dog's butt

A Little Sunday Morning Bollywood

This little dude has moves!

Too Good Not to Be True

I just saw this link on one of my favorite kiddie lit blogs, A Fuse #8 Production. It's an OLD film about librarianship as a profession. Someone observed that it is important to distinguish for you young things the difference between a filmstrip (like a story told on PowerPoint) and films (more like a video.)

If I still didn't manage the technology, go to http://fusenumber8.blogspot.com/ and see for yourself.

For all you drinking cat lovers out there...

this is for you. Katie K and I recommend "Lord of the Pounce" and "Wild Kitty". Enjoy a pint of guinness in a kilt with your favorite cat by your side.

If Zach Braff is the voice of my generation, can't someone please crush his larynx?

Compliments of Slate Magazine.

Particularly funny are the YouTube shorts that rescore the pivotal "The Shins will change your life" scene from Garden State with wildly different music. And yet, Natalie still looks so earnest...

Check out:

Garden State Tip Drill

and

Garden State Meow Mix

memories...

Old school Flat Stanley. I don't dig the illustrations on the new editions.

Flat Daddy

Image from Boston Globe

The newest weapon in the War on Terror(TM) is the Flat Daddy! I only wish some of my ex-girlfriends had one...then they wouldn't have needed...

Who am I kidding, I wish I had a Flat Daddy...then maybe there wouldn't be such a huge void in my heart.

As Solidad O'Brien said this morning, "At least it's half a solution."

DIY Subtitles

Here's a little gem that comes to us by way of Librarian Girl:

Bombay TV

The joint is jumpin'

I know that I mentioned this (drunkenly) to some of you last week, but is anyone interested in doing some swing dancing at the Union on Saturday night? There is supposed to be a live band and free lessons (at 9:30, I think). I know, to some of you it might be an aged fad that went out in the late nineties, but I'm dying to get my hep cat on!

Any takers?

le brumisateur

I just read this nytimes article about the new, ever-so-slightly relaxed liquid ban on U.S. domestic and international flights. And I saw something a little funny. Okay, first of all, why the hell is Homeland Security advertising big brand names like Crest and Johnson & Johnson? And second of all, WHAT IN THE SAM HILL is that Evian Aerosol Spray, "le brumisateur" if you will, doing in the new Homeland Security-allowed quart-sized "zip-top" bag? AND WTF, ZipLock? Can't you pony up for some government-sponsored product placement? Most importantly, of course, while I contemplated how the French got to participate in this TSA photo-op (seriously, what does that say about quality control at DHS?!), that ultimately made me wonder why nobody ever thought to come up with a FREEDOM SPRAY that they could make for probably 56 cents and sell for fifteen dollars. A whole marketing opportunity that was never exploited! See the photo, folks. Connect the dots. We are clearly losing the war on terror.

Hug-a-bear

A cautionary tale?

Our Procrastination Heritage

For Digital Libraries, we are digitizing some pictures from the old year logs in the commons. Tucked inside a sleeve of my assigned log, on beautifully yellowed paper, I found this little note to us from the library school class of 1924:

School Librarians and our Fearless Leader!

Our beloved Madge Klais was on WPR today talking about the importance of school librarians. The program is repeated tonight at 10pm if anyone wants to catch it.

It'll make you feel proud and important.

More fun with Meyer-Briggs

Learn the TRUE (that is to say, evil) meaning of your Meyer-Briggs personality type. Are you an Evil Overlord, Mad Scientist, Control Freak, or the Thought Police?

I'm INTJ, "The Outside Contractor", which still isn't very exciting. But I do border on both "Evil Overlord" and "Conspiracy Theorist".

If you missed taking the mini Meyer-Briggs assessment in Management class last week, or if you want a second opinion, you can take a 72-question online version here.

The things I get in e-mail these days

Flocabulary

In case you need to study for the SATs. Or you just need some better flow.

The one use of cheese curds Wisconsinites haven't considered?

Have you guys ever heard of Poutine? Part of me is repulsed, but another part of me oddly, disgustingly intrigued.

how the world really sees us

So I'm here at the College Library reference desk, making the world a better place one question at a time, when a young man walks up to me with a question about student emoployment at the library. He asked "How can I get a job like yours, you know, as a receptionist at a library?" I'll leave you with that.

It's Hard Out Here For a Temp

Since my last little ditty went over so well, I've decided to share a number I wrote shortly after the Oscars this past year. This was inspired by my own experiences in the gritty and brutal world of non-permanent office staffing services.

Check it out, now...check it out...check it, check it out like a library book...

It's Hard Out Here For a Temp

CHORUS:
You know it's hard out here for a temp (you ain't knowin'),
When she's tryin' to get her money for the rent (you ain't knowin'),
For the groceries and gas money spent (you ain't knowin'),
Because a whole lot of temps they jumpin' ship (you ain't knowin').

At my job I done seen some crazy things in spreadsheets,
Gotta number check 'em all to earn some changes for me.
So I gotta keep accounts tight, like H&R on tax night,
Like takin' from a temp who don't know no better, I know that ain't right.
Done seen people fired, done seen people deal,
Done worked a full shift with no break for a meal.
No insurance where I work, but that's just how it is.
It might be new to you, but it's been like this for years.
It's blood, sweat, and tears when it comes down to this job.
I'm tryin' to get cash for to move out from my mom's.
I'm tryin' to have things, but it's hard for a temp.
But I'm prayin' and I'm hopin' to God I don't slip, yeah.

CHORUS

Man, it seems like I'm duckin', dodgin' staples everyday.
Temps hatin' on me cause I got shoes from Tar-jay.
But I gotta stay paid, gotta stay above water,
Couldn't keep up with my loans, that's when it got harder.
Manpower's where I'm from, I'm QTI bound,
Where temps all the time end up lost and never found.
Man, these girls think we do things, earn a big wage,
They practice Word every night, and then they do some FrontPage.
Now I can do Access, and Excel too,
You pay the right price, I'll do both for you.
That's the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly tempin',
Gotta have my hustle tight, makin' change off my typin', yeah.

CHORUS

we should invite This Fish to happy hour!

Girlfriend shares the skinny hate.

Was somebody humpin' around??

So the Sun Times, Fox News, and the Hindustan Times are all reporting that Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are calling it quits; and those being my most trusted news sources, I can only wonder if it was another man?

PS: I also just discovered that Frank Zappa wrote a song called Bobby Brown. It's messed up (go figure).

Too good to be hidden in the comments

This lovely ditty by our fellow librarianette, Kelly, was too good to be hidden away in the comments. [In reference to this post.]

I like big butts, and I cannot lie.

You other 'brarians can't deny,

That when a girl walks in with a real high waist,

And a white bra in your face,

You feel STUNNED, wanna post on your blogs,

'Cause you know that look went out with pogs.

Oh, those slim jeans she's wearin'!

I'm hooked and I can't stop starin'!

Oh, SLIS blog, I wish I could quit'cha,

But I love these wack celeb pict'chas.

The world's first ban on overly thin models

I've had a remarkably crummy day, but this news story cheered me up.

Madrid's regional government has instituted standards barring models who are medically underweight from appearing in the city's big annual fashion show. (Thirty percent of last years models were rejected this year thanks to the new regulations.) Milan may soon follow suit.

Incidentally, the photo accompanying the story is NOT of one of the non-underweight Madrid models. It's a file photo of a model in New York.

Why I Heart the Military

Perhaps Mayor Dave can look into this idea for crowd-control at Halloween. I think microwaving U.S. citizens is perfectly reasonable. Right?

In case you've ever thought "Man, my family is crazy"

This should cure you.

Re: bad fashion

Is it wrong that I'm watching 200 Cigarettes and coveting Kate Hudson's jacket? Erm, it's set in 1981...

Library Fashion Week (Night)

Fellow proto-librarians,

The following expression of superior academic fashion is what has been wandering the halls of our great university's largest library tonight. Of course I have not been able to take photos of the many instances of such mode, as the ALA professional ethics are sure to preclude one from taking photos and laughing at patrons but I have found a suitible example to share.

Forget skinny jeans, white bras with black tank tops and sky-high waist lines. This is truely the future of fashion

I AM NOT SHOPPING EVER AGAIN

DUDES! WTF? Why has the fashion industry forsaken us? Have you been reading the Fuggers on Fashion Week via the New Magazine website? First of all, it wasn't just a rumor, skinny jeans have taken over the Gap AND CAMPUS (I'm not even going to MENTION leggings--leggings with nothing over the top!--because they make me nauseous). And now fashion designers are serving up high waists come spring. Check out the UGLY photos via the link and the UGLY photo of ScarJo below. SERIOUSLY why do designers want everyone to wear MOM JEANS? Why do they have to be such HATERS? This may sound kind of bizarre, but I think they want every woman to look like a stereotype of a middle-aged librarian! Nooooooooooo!

Redwoods are scary

Seriously.

New furry roommate?

Does anyone want a friendly, 3 year old, adorable kitty kat!? A lady from work is trying to find a home for a lovely little meow who used to live with her neighbor, but the neighbor had to move into a nursing home. Kitty will have to go to the humane society if they can't find a place for her to live.

If you're interested let me know and I'll give you Edie's (the human from work) email address...

Meow!

Rocktober at last is almost upon us

Hey is anyone interested in seeing any of the following shows?:

Built to Spill: Sept 14
Starlight Mints: Sept 22
Okkervil River: Oct 6
Regina Spektor: Oct 17

Paris Hilton under Guerrilla Attack!!

To all those who may perhaps download certain songs onto certain cellphones....beware!! Your tongue-in-cheek joke may be the catalyst for an even greater revolution.

I'm still waiting for a suggestively posed statue of the woman.

Don't you sometimes long for the days when our country's leaders had four testicles?

A little gem about everyone's favorite founding father that is too funny to just put on a mix cd. Maybe you shouldn't check it out at work. This president named George ate opponents brains and invented cocaine and doesn't that just make every George since seem, well, lazy? Apologies if you've already seen this. Theshortkatie's been slow with the blog checking.

a virtual manbrarian!

There's almost nothing to this blog because it was started in August but the author goes by the Blogger pseudonym "library guy." Manbrarian in cyberspaaaaace!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I can't remember if anyone's posted this here yet. It's a clip of Bush edited so that he's singing U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday".

Betrayed by the Department of Ed

So the NY Times is reporting the release of financial aid database info from the Dept of Ed to the FBI. But the FBI swears they didn't actually use the information for anything, and it was just an identity theft issue:

Under the program, called Project Strikeback, the Education Department received names from the F.B.I. and checked them against its student aid database, forwarding information. Each year, the Education Department collects information from 14 million applications for federal student aid.
Neither agency would say whether any investigations resulted. The agencies said the program had been closed. The effort was reported yesterday by a graduate student, Laura McGann, at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, as part of a reporting project that focused on national security and civil liberties.
In a statement, Mary Mitchelson, counsel to the inspector general of the Education Department, said, “Using names provided by the bureau, we examined the Department of Education’s student financial aid databases to determine if the individuals received or applied for federal student financial assistance.”
Information collected on federal financial aid applications includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, incomes and, for some students, information on parents’ incomes and educational backgrounds.
Generally, only United States citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for federal student financial aid.
An assistant director of the F.B.I., John Miller, said in a statement: “During the 9/11 investigation and continually since, much of the intelligence has indicated terrorists have exploited programs involving student visas and financial aid. In some student loan frauds, identity theft has been a factor.’’
Mr. Miller said the Education Department was asked to “run names of subjects already material to counterterrorism investigations” to look for evidence of student loan fraud or identity theft.
“No records of people other than those already under investigation were called for,” he said. “This was not a sweeping program, in that it involved only a few hundred names. This is part of our mission, which is to take the leads we have and investigate them.”
Mr. Miller said that the effort was not concealed and that it was referred to publicly in briefings to Congress and the Government Accountability Office.
A spokeswoman for the bureau, Cathy Milhoan, said the Education Department had provided financial aid information on fewer than 1,000 names in connection with terrorism investigations.
The information sharing was disclosed as the Education Department examines a proposal by the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, established last year by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, to create a national student database that would follow individual students’ progress as a way of holding colleges accountable for students’ success.
“This operation Strikeback confirms our worst fears about the uses to which these databases can be put,” said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents 900 institutions. “The concentration of all this data absolutely invites use by other agencies of data that had been gathered for very specific and narrow purposes, namely the granting of student aid to needy kids.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation would not discuss the specific criteria it used in seeking information on students but said the program was narrowly focused.
“People are trying to turn this into something that it wasn’t,” Ms. Milhoan said. “We are not out there arbitrarily running student records for the sake of running them.”
Ms. Mitchelson of the Education Department said a review of the files of the people named by the F.B.I. had not led to any cases that charged student loan fraud.
Ms. Mitchelson said the information sharing was possible under a law that permits a federal agency to release personal information to another agency “for a civil or criminal law enforcement activity.”
She said the department had spent fewer than 600 hours on the program, including 50 hours over the last four years.
Ms. McGann, the journalism student who reported on the program, said she saw data sharing mentioned, but not described, in a report by the Government Accountability Office that she reviewed in the spring as part of a research project after a seminar on investigative reporting.
“I thought that was pretty unexpected for the Department of Education,” said Ms. McGann, 24, who graduated this year from Medill. “So I decided I would try to look into that a little more.”
She said she found another mention of the program in a report from the inspector general’s office in the department.
In June, Ms. McGann went directly to the Education Department.
“Eventually, I did an on-camera interview with a deputy inspector general there who did comment on the program,” she said.
She said his name was Michael Deshields.
“After that,’’ Ms. McGann added, “I decided I should file a Freedom of Information Act request.”
Last month, she received documents in response to her request that were heavily redacted, she said. Among them were Education Department memorandums describing F.B.I. requests for information on specific people whose names were blocked out and an internal memorandum dated June 16, 10 days after her interview, stating that the data sharing program had terminated. The name of the author of that memorandum was also redacted, she added.

I remain skeptical....

book report due next tuesday

This is such crazy bullsh*t. This, like, exemplifies the way in which the so-called liberal media panders to our esteemed commander in chief. Click to see the YouTube copy of Brian Williams' interview with Dubs, who brags that he not only plowed through Camus but several presidential biographies and "three Shakespeares" this summer. Williams gives him a total pass. Or covered up the fact that Dubya confused his Netflix subscription with his library card and the "three Shakespeares" refers to the Leonardo DiCaprio version of "Romeo and Juliet," Julia Stiles' "O" and "Ten Things I Hate About You."

c'mon team!

Gabriel has a plan for future library functions that require teamwork, coordination, landmarks, organization, etc., and the plan involves a certain product from the library world's favorite supplier of library kitsch: Demco! You may view the object of Gabe's desire below.

Unfortunately, Gabe lives on a paltry graduate student budget, much like the rest of us. He would go ahead and purchase the Demco "Welcome Library Logo Banner" himself but $49.99 for the whole kit and caboodle is just too much for someone with a work-study allottment of $7.25 an hour. The banner is like a week's worth of part-time work in the archives! Damn!

[Gabe quoted the price as $70.00 but he was working from a catalog made out of paper; I am more likely to trust the internets which say that $49.99 will buy us both the banner AND a wooden dowel set.]

But if 10 to 15 graduate students worked for an hour and gave half their wages to Gabe's cause (which is really a cause that will better serve the group and work to further our goal of organization, coordination and, thus, worldwide domination), we could own the book-loving, hunch-backed stick figure without anyone's grocery budget being reduced to Ramen noodles and PBR. I hate MSG in the morning.

If you are inclined to support a budding archivist's dream, contact Gabe. You know where to find him (he won't be in the computer lab).

How I love Fug

Celebrity gossip and a reference to Moon Over My Hammy all in one post. The internets don't get better than this.

I love the Back Dorm Boys

Deb, I have to thank you for your earlier "Public Affair" post. Somehow I'd missed hearing about the Chinese Back Dorm Boys before, but their videos have been aiding my procrostination efforts all week.

The link is to a page I found where you can download most of their videos in WMV format.

For other new BDB fans, I highly recommend the "Don't Lie" video, in which the boys sport homemade paperclip bling, and "Bu De Bu Ai", a Chinese love duet in which the little guy gets in touch with his feminine side. In that same video, you can see that their third roommate is a popular guy -- he has two friends over to play "Counterstrike".

In "Da Da Da" (their 2006 World Cup tribute), the roommate actually STANDS UP!

New Student Orientation Dinner

Hey, are any of you going to the New Student Orientation Dinner? I haven't rsvped yet because I thought I'd check with you all first. Also, is there going be a SLIS drinking night this week? Last one before school starts! Please.

Crash at Westgate

Sunday is the final day of the Westgate Oscar Series, and the movie will be Best Picture winner Crash.

Armor of God PJs

The perfect gift for your next baby shower!

Happy hurl

If you like rainbows and/or puke, you'll love this!

K-Fed Debut

Hope this link works. It's K-Fed at his finest moment.

hip hop hooray for globalization

Because it brings us treasures like this. I love those wacky Dormitory Boys from China!!! This is their best video yet.

Osama + Whitney = Love

Yet another example of how British tabloids are far superior to our sad American crap.

Come out and meet an avid reader

Hey bitches,
A friend of mine is in town from CT and would like to meet all of the libririanettes on Tuesday night. He habitually reads our blog and would like to put faces with names. I propose going to Genna's and sitting outside around 8 on Tuesday but am open to other locals as well. So come out! If not for yourself, do it for the blog.

Brokeback Mountain

This Sunday's Westgate Oscar Series movie is the one we've all been waiting for, Brokeback Mountain!

As usual, showtime is 4:30, tickets are $2.50. Present your ticket stub at the concession counter to get your FREE bag of popcorn!

Linguistics studies for $$$

I saw a couple of flyers posted on the Mem Library bulletin board today that might be of interest. There are two linguistics studies going on that need people from the Upper Midwest. (That excludes me, but some of you should be eligable.) At least one and maybe both will pay participants.

One of the studies wanted people from SE Wisconsin, and one people from the Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Eau Claire areas. So if you are from any of those places, you might want to check out the flyers and see if you want to participate.

Thursday Drinking?

Peeps, what are we doing for drinking this week? I know many of you were at Annie's last night but I was not and so need to fill my weekly quota. Are any of you up for Vintage today? 6:00 as ususal? Please! Please! Please! I need your help here. Anybody?!

My Cat Takes a Trip Down Library Lane.

Dumpster diving was lucrative this year for Matt and Lia. Just look at what they found!

What kind of cute animal are you?

Find out here!

Capote at Westgate

Tomorrow's Westgate Oscar series movie is Capote. Showtime is 4:30 pm, and tickets are $2.50.

Oh, for anyone who's never been to Westgate before, you just take the Beltline to Whitney Way and go right on Whitney. Westgate mall isn't far from the Beltline exit.

Blog Worthy Photos

Nate tells Justin like it is

Librarian Snuggle

Katrina thinks her tractor's sexy!

Bastille Day Celebration

The Manolo, he loves the librarians!

Though...I'm not sure $111 is the best bargain ever....

Speaking of house sitting...

Next week I will be house sitting out on the far west side and will have access to the neighborhood pool. Would you librarianettes (and our token manbrarian) be interested in coming over for a pool party and some grilling out on either Wednesday or Thursday evening?

Don't worry Michelle, I am the only irresponsible librarian who is going to throw a party while housesitting!

P.S. Can You Tell I'm New at This?

SLIS Procrastination Blog
How embarrassing! And the Short Katie feels dumb about forgetting her cell phone. I will email the photo to anyone who is interested.

SLIS Procrastination Blog

SLIS Procrastination Blog
Is there a dog lover in the blog?

/Users/michelle/Pictures/iPhoto Library/2006/08/07/IMG_0410.JPG

Hi girls and guy,

I have enjoyed the blog immensely all summer long. I've been a voyeur, always reading but never chiming in! Well, that's changing now. Although I do not have anything as scintillating to contribute as the Hoff updates, I do have an urgent question:

Does anyone love dogs and like to housesit? Want a change of scenery with air conditioning (and use of a sexy Toyota minivan) for about ten days? We own two adorable Australian shepherds and we are going on vacation next Tuesday. We thought we had everything set up for them while we are gone, but the situation has changed a bit and I am investigating other options.

We'll be gone until August 26. We have a fenced yard so walks are not required but would be gratefully accepted. We are willing to pay, of course.

I will stand by.

I want to be a rebel...like everyone else

This is a pretty cool photo project: a couple of Dutch artists visited several major cities around the world, and photographed members of various subcultures. They had their volunteer models for each group all pose in the same way, but the clothes and hairstyles are all what those people were already wearing that day.

They've got everyone from Goths to Grandpas!

Unfortunately for us American visitors, some of the names given to the different groups are Dutch slang and hard to figure out. Gabberbitches are apparently members of the Rotterdam hardcore/skinhead scene. I thought the Juffen looked like young librarians, but it seems they're all members of a conservative Christian denomination that requires all women to wear skirts.

Oh, the site is a little difficult to navigate. You can click anywhere on the main tile page to see a page for one photo set. If you click on the photos on that page, it will take you to the next group. Warning for those of you Web surfing at work, some of the models aren't wearing much.

My name is TheShortKatie, but you can call me THE LIBRARIAN

Today I had to fetch a step stool from the stacks so I could reach the top drawer of the card catalog. Just thought you should all savor that image. (That's right, I said card catalog.)

I just can't get enough

The Hoff seeks a mate.

mo' money mo' environmental problems

Normally John Tierney's Op-Ed pieces infuriate me and make me want to rip my hair out, but his column in the nytimes today makes a whole lot of sense. Tierney is King of Snarky-land so I don't enjoy his Al Gore-bashing, but I agree with him on principle. Take a look (it's Times Select so I've cut and pasted the text below). I don't know about you all, but I feel superiorly green for living in a studio apartment and walking to school. If everyone lived like a graduate student maybe we wouldn't need 5 earths worth of natural resources!

Sinful Second Homes

By John Tierney

Come August, there are two kinds of people in the world: those with country homes, and those without country homes. If you, unlike me, are in the first group, we need to have an inconvenient talk.
We need to talk about your “carbon footprint,” a concept you may have learned from Al Gore. If you’ve seen “An Inconvenient Truth” or read the best-selling book, you know how strongly he feels about everyone’s duty to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. He advises you to change your light bulbs, insulate your home, and cut back on driving and air travel. If you must make a trip, he notes helpfully, “buses provide the cheapest and most energy-efficient transportation for long distances.”

Fine advice, and it would be even better if he journeyed to his lectures exclusively on Greyhound. But he seems to prefer cars and planes. When you tally up his international travel to inspect melting glaciers and the domestic trips between his homes — one in Washington and another in Nashville, not to mention the family farm in rural Tennessee featured in the movie — you’re looking at a Godzilla-sized carbon footprint.
No matter how many fluorescent light bulbs you install in your second home’s basement, you could save a lot more energy by eliminating the whole place. Even if you dutifully shut down each home when you leave it — turning off the electricity, draining the pipes and turning off the heat, etc. — you’re still expending extra energy commuting between your homes. A trip to a weekend house can easily burn more gasoline than a commuter uses all week.

Yet somehow, in all the years I’ve been reading lists of energy-saving tips, I’ve never noticed, “Sell second home.” A cynic might attribute this oversight to a high correlation between fervent environmentalism and second-home ownership — Robert Redford and his place at Sundance, the Kennedys and their compound on the Cape, Laurie David and her home on Martha’s Vineyard, John Kerry’s seaside and mountainside manses.
Granted, some environmentalists deal publicly with their carbon footprints. Gore and David say they offset their energy usage by sponsoring reductions in greenhouse gases through alternative forms of power and energy conservation (like building wind farms and paying farmers to turn methane into electricity). But are “carbon offsets” sufficient compensation? Not to activists like Charles Komanoff, an economic consultant to environmental groups.

He argues in Grist, an environmental magazine, that paying a penny or so per mile to offset the carbon from driving your car isn’t the moral equivalent of riding your bike instead. It’s more like the Catholic Church’s old system of selling indulgences so the rich could avoid something scarier than global warming: purgatory. Quoting Gandhi — “Be the change you want to see in the world” — Komanoff says his fellow environmentalists should stop offering “get out of purgatory free” cards to the rich and instead insist that everyone personally reduce energy use.

I’m not such a purist myself — I’d let the average person salve his conscience with a carbon indulgence. But I’d hold environmentalist preachers like Gore to higher standards, especially when they’re engaging in unnecessary energy use. And since I cannot afford a second home, I can objectively determine it to be unnecessary.

If you’re going to own a second home while ordering everyone else to carpool, you must atone for your excesses, and it’s not enough just to offset the carbon. Gaseous emissions aren’t the only externalities of your home. By owning it, you’re also inducing envy in your neighbors. You’re contributing to the competitive urge that the economist Robert Frank calls “luxury fever.” When you go off for the weekend, those of us left sweltering in the city start lusting for our own second homes. We start dreaming of cutting down carbon-dioxide-absorbing forests to make room for neo-Adirondack cabins with central air and heated pools.
The best way to tamp our enthusiasm — or, I as prefer to put it, to reward our virtue — would be with money. Besides paying farmers not to waste methane, you should be paying us not to build second homes. You could make the payment directly to your neighbors. Or, if you prefer, mail it to me, and I’ll distribute it among the worthiest of my fellow single-home owners.

If you’re short on cash, you could still atone with an in-kind payment: let me stay in your country home while you perform your energy-saving penance back in the city. It wouldn’t have to be a long penance. By my calculations, the month of August would just about wipe out your sins.

A hypothetical question from your friend the dumbass

Do you think it's possible for a techno-savvy citizen of the information age to live without phone contact for a week?

Let's say for a moment that you knew someone who had taken a little jaunt up to her parents' house this past weekend to celebrate a certain baby sister's 21st birthday. Upon returning home she was too busy researching her cataloging paper (or something) that she didn't even think to check her phone until 3pm (ish) only to discover its absence! Now, keep in mind that this friend has already driven back and forth to her parents' house twice this weekend (bizarre circumstances), and the thought of doing so again tonight is absolutely repugnant to her. She knows she has to return to her parents' house on Sunday and she's contemplating just waiting until then to fetch the phone.

In the meantime, she can refamiliarize herself with the following forms of communication:
GoogleChat
AIM
Email
Face-to-face conversation
Smoke Signals
Morse code
The United States Postal Service
...it's too bad Western Union doesn't send telegrams anymore

What do you think? Is this a ridiculous notion? Should she just get in the car right now and drive until she can drive no more? If she is, in fact, phoneless for a week, will her friends choose a new happy hour destination just to freak her out?

He's at it again...

So forgive me if this has been posted already, but I'm just trying to keep everyone abreast of our favorite celebrity, The Hoff. He's got another video out -- some may say better than "Hooked on a Feeling", some may say worse. Either way, it's still a treat since KITT, the car from Knight Rider, has a starring role in this new video. Enjoy!

Munich at Westgate

Just wanted to remind everyone that Munich is showing tomorrow (Sunday) at Westgate at 4:30. Tickets are $2.50.

I'm not sure if I'll be there or not; it depends on if I can get the other stuff I need to take care of tomorrow done early enough.

Next Sunday's Oscar series movie will be Capote, same time and price.

What were they thinking?

So, I know I've already discussed Lucious Pusey with some of you. Occasionally, in the heat of labor perhaps, new parents lose their minds and name their children ridiculous things. Boof Bonser, for instance. But people who start businesses or create new products should really have the time and forethought to name them something, I don't know, respectable. Alas, they do not. They range from juvenile (Do! Do! The motivation firm), to creepy (Touching Moments; the child care center), to disgusting (The Runs; the sports bar), to downright offensive (White Only; the laundry bleach).

Invasion of the country music fans

Sister (and Brother) Librarians --

Scene is grim this evening. Traffic backed up all along Park St. Trip downtown took half hour. Walking would have been faster, but too hot. Reached rendezvous point at Vintage. Waiter passed on information that comrades had pulled back until 1930 hours. Downtown area overtaken with bleached-blondes in denim skirts and cheap straw cowboy hats. The horror, the horror. Brief encounter with Lt. Juba, who retreated on skateboard. Have taken refuge in MemCompLab. No supplies. No sign of reinforcements. Will attempt second rendezvous at designated time. If mission fails, must admit defeat. May Dewey have mercy on our souls.

MMMMMM

I am perhaps overly amused by the picture titled "Man with wrapped turkeys." I don't know if this link will actually get you there, but if it doesn't, just do a search for that title.

For my friends with a habit

It's a little long...fast forward to about 2:30. Bless you Stephen Colbert.

eighty-six freedom!

French fries are back on the menu at the House of Representatives cafeteria.

My Bush-mocking post of the day

In this photo-op gone awry, Bush makes a German infant cry.

I would love to see the recent German news with regard to our Commander-in-Chief. First he gets a little too friendly with their Chancellor, now he's scaring their babies. They must be wondering how we ended up with this putz in office.

Stairs are hard

Heh heh, he almost fell:

Slippery Steps

deleting huh?

This is stupid! Stupid! This is the kind of stuff Congress pulls when it's hot out and there is a new war and Americans don't pay attention to domestic news. The House of Reps just passed The Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) which is a crazy paranoid out-of-touch boo-stupid taking-advantage-of-fear pandering-to-the-religious-right piece of legislation.

From the Register:
The Act forbids publicly funded organisations, such as schools and libraries, from allowing young people to access sites that have chat rooms or "social networking" elements...Opponents argue that the definitions in the law are so vague that they could take in a vast array of existing commercial websites and damage the business potential of those sites and the research capabilities of schools and libraries.

This blog would be banned under DOPA, just to give you an idea how the bill defines sites to ban. And our little procrastination project is pretty innocuous, save for Shawn's recent contributions. I know it's about protecting the kids, but why not let libraries come up with their own policies LIKE THEY DO NOW. Why punish libraries for having the internets? Why not write a real bill that actually punishes the middle-aged creeps who lurk on MySpace looking for under-age prey?

I propose that we all call Russ (or whoever your senator is) and tell him not to vote for DOPA when it gets to the Senate. Delete DOPA.

Colbert Analyzes Wikipedia

Colbert is the master of information--I'm gonna wiki that!

Cool it now

Any thoughts or feelings RE: happy hour location this week? I think the heat wave is scheduled to cease tomorrow, so we can drink outside in comfort once again.

Here. Take it.

This is funny. That's all. I'm too hot to say something clever or humorous. *sweat sweat sweat*

Westgate Summer Oscar Series

Only upon my second reading of the Isthmus today did I notice the ad for Westgate Theater's Summer Oscar Series.

Every Sunday at 4:30 for the next month they're showing a different 2005-2006 Oscar-winning film. Tickets are only $2.50, and you get a free little bag of popcorn with admission.

This sounds like a great deal to me, and I think we should all take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy fine cinema at bargain prices. Let's make Sundays the Official Librarian Movie Day!

Here's the schedule for all the movies in August:

8/6 - Munich

8/13 - Capote

8/20 - Brokeback Mountain

8/27 - Crash

It's 8:45 in the morning and I already need a drink.

I'm assuming we're still all on for happy hour tonight but since we had a location change last week, where will the comradery (and more importantly the drinking) be taking place? Do we want to revert back to the Flatiron or someplace in the capitol vacinity? Or are we going back to Mickey's? Or should we go for something closer to campus, as Lia suggested. Thoughts? Opinions? Rants?

If my cat looked like a certain despised dictator, I don't know if I'd announce it to the world

Everytime my sweet little kitty cat lunges at my ankles with fangs bared, I think to myself "Is she trying to take over the world one bare heel at a time?" Then I reassure myself that I haven't seen the telltale signs...

Watch Your PSAs!

**WARNING!! Mature Content Which Might Offend Sensitive Viewers! If you are sensitive plese find your information else where...like PBS!**

Just because you perform PSAs for the people doesn't mean PBS won't fire your A**! I warn you to be careful! Even promoting good moral values gets you in trouble these days. I ask you, "Is PBS wrong?" In the words of MTV, "We report you decide."

DIY Weapons

At the next arts & crafts night we're all going to make one of these!

(Has this been posted to Le Blog already? I'm having a bit of tampon deja vu, but I figured it was fantastic enough for round 2.)

Let's Get Us Some Good Radio

This message is from Matt, who requested that I send this to the hot and happening library crowd. I decided that posting this to the blog would be more efficient than email (its original format). Cheers, Lia

Greetings Fellow Dairylanders,

I'm writing to encourage you to take action--not for some political cause or human-rights campaign, but for much more selfish reasons. I would like each and every one of you to have a look at what our good friends in Minnesota have done with their public radio. 89.3 FM, The Current, is perhaps the finest radio station I've ever heard anywhere (except maybe Triple J in Australia...). It is public, commerical free, and plays an amazing array of eclectic music that puts standard formatted commercial radio to absolute shame.

I encourage you to do three things--

a) First, go to this link and click the "Listen" link found on the far right hand column under the heading "The Current." The Windows 64K link will play on Windows Media Player.

b) Now that you have undoubtedly a good tune rockin' and your toes are tapping, sample the playlist. I encourage you to check other days and see what a wide variety of music these people play. It is nothing short of ridiculous. If the song you are listening to isn't to your liking, wait for the next one--it will be totally different.

c) TAKE ACTION!! I already wrote an email to Wisconsin Public Radio telling them to get their act together and give us our version of "The Current" or something like it. The final link is to the feedback page of WPR. It only takes a second to let them know what you think, and since it really is our radio station (being public, and all) I think we should at least give them an earful. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and write a quick comment in the boxes provided.

d) Forward this to anyone in Wisco who digs on good tunes. No bad karma if you don't--this ain't no chain letter...

Thank you, dear friend, for reading my email. Wouldn't it be something if radio was actually used as a medium to bring new and exciting ideas and music to people rather than 'good times and great oldies' in every city of this nation? If nothing else, maybe you just gained a new radio station to stream when you are online.

Ain't to proud to beg,

Matt

HOFF: The Musical

Hasselhoff To Star In Musical Based On His Life

i'm not a fly, not yet a woman

Little Fly,
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

-William Blake

In some ways, people are a lot like insects. We all hunger for the same things. Food, shelter, companionship, a place to lay eggs that will turn into maggots. Like people, insects all have their own rhythm to life. I'm mesmerized by flies. Their tiny wings, their green eyes, their constant quest for survival. They almost have a sense of desperation about them. They fly around you and make it difficult to ignore them. They make you wonder what is behind their incessant buzzing. A sense of annoyance comes over you in their presence. The pain that horseflies give you is stunning. Behold the beauty of the fly.

Tigerz!

Old news by now, but here's a link to Britney's musings on Tigers that we discussed in the woods on Friday night. She's so deep, man.

There's Shampoo For That

Since the issue came up last night while discussing appropriate pick-up techinques and problems associated with strangers--stranger danger--I thought these sites might provide some more information. If you experience any symptoms please consult your doctor.

Keith's Canadian Search for Shampoo
http://www.ece.mcgill.ca/~bleuant/kith/crab.html

University of Iowa
http://obgyn.uihc.uiowa.edu/Patinfo/STD/crabs.htm

Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2094.html

The Crab Master
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/01-09/behold-the-crab-master-broome-western-australia-australia.html

The Really Jealous Jimmy Crab
http://www.authorsden.com/categories/story_top.asp?catid=51&id=11623

2 + 2 = drunk!

I figured it out, kids!

The conundrum: our esteemed president (the leader of the free world, if you will) has exhibited some bizarre behavior as of late. His antics include cursing, inappropriate touching, threatening guys who are shorter than him, ignoring current events and, perhaps most suspiciously, flying a port-a-pottie to Europe so foreign agents can't examine his bodily waste. Weird, no?

The process: I've been thinking about our commander-in-chief clowning around The Continent; I've watched the videos on YouTube; I thought back to all of the field research we did at The City last winter. And I employed some of my mad librarying, critical thinking skillz.

The conclusion: I got it! Dubya is back on the sauce! He's drunk as a monkey! The POTUS Kool-aid is spiked! It's just like watching undergrads drink too many MGDs and then act like jerks. The only (majorly major) difference is that G.W. has nuclear weapons.

Beautiful...elegant...modest

Inspired by Deb's post on swimwear, I decided to see if there were any sites offering formalwear for decent, God-fearing women.

Want to walk down the aisle without looking like a skank? Go to the prom without making your parents ashamed? Just check out any of the sites devoted to "modest" formalwear!

Here's a small sampling:

Modest By Design, bringing you "Modesty in Motion"

Totally Modest, for prom gowns that are, like, TOTALLY modest!

Beautifully Modest, for the lady who is "Modest by Choice"

Some of the gowns are actually pretty nice, although others...are not. However, it seems to be a universal truth that all modest gown websites are poorly designed. Sheesh people, hire a real web designer!

Bush gropes German Chancellor

Our president just can't keep his hands to himself. Even at the G8 summit.

Chancellor Merkel does not look happy.

Say what you will about Clinton and his behavior towards women, but at least he managed to get through his term without ever, say, slapping Sheikh Hasina on the ass.

Segway polo... need I say more?

Check out this crazy video of Steve Wozniak playing Segway polo. It's listed as one of the "worst technologies of 2006" in an MSN article. Check out the others as well (I like the commentary about #6)!

Zidane inspires the world

I think it could be a good therapy within the SLIS program. Visualize doing so next time you are in class and someone makes you angry.

Deborah, You're the Inspiration

As a follow-up to Deborah's fashion-forward post about the proper swim attire, I bring you The Duggar Family. You may have heard of them: they have 16 children (maybe 17... I've lost track), they hail from Arkansas and the father, Jim Bob (I kid you not) wants to be a Republican senator (just what we need.)


How does this relate to the flattering fashion of WholesomeWear? It's listed as one of their "favorite websites"--can't you just see a whole big troop of Duggars racing to the beach in their culotte swimwear?

I hope you all enjoy exploring the creepy website as much as I did. "From Michelle to Moms" really touched me--maybe if I pray really hard I'll be able to find a piano teacher to help me with my laundry....

"highlight the face, not the body"

Finally, a full coverage swimming suit from WholesomeWear! Now I have something to wear when I'm trying to beat the heat on the beach. That's right, it may look like an ugly dress, but it's really a swimming suit! Check out the online catalog for other "flattering" styles.

Advance Notice

I hereby declare that next week's (July 20) Thursday happy hour will take place at Mickey's Tavern- 1524 Williamson St, on the delightful backyard patio, around 8PM. This is a hooch only type of establishment, so unless you want to have a bag of potato chips for dinner you should consume food in advance. You have a week to figure out the bus route and/or polish up your bicycle and practice drunkenly riding home. Don't forget your helmets.

Camping alternative

Hey, I don't know if people are still thinking of getting together the weekend of the 22nd but I will be house sitting my parents place which has a very rustic (no running water) cabin on the land that we could "camp" in. There's a bonfire pit, 6 beds, plenty of space for tents, and there's all the normal amenities just down the hill. I thought we could rent some scary movies too if we wanted to. There are no camp rangers to come sush us since the neighbors are a mile away and it's FREE!!! All we need is food and booze. Any takers?

The Very Model of a Modern-Day Librarian

How many times has this Gilbert & Sullivan song been parodied? But this version's about librarians, so it's different.

He's baaaaaack!

It's been a while since we've heard from our main man...

The Hoff

everybody poops

From the Wayne Madsen Report:

[July 4, 2006 -- Even Bush's crap is classified top secret. According to our Austrian sources, Austrian newspapers are currently abuzz with special security details of George W. Bush's recent trip to Vienna. Although the heavy-handed Gestapo-like security measures meted out to Viennese home owners, business proprietors, and pedestrians by US Secret Service agents and local police before and during Bush's visit received widespread Austrian media attention, it was White House "toilet security" ("TOILSEC"), which has Austrians talking the most. The White House flew in a special portable toilet to Vienna for Bush's personal use during his visit. The Bush White House is so concerned about Bush's security, the veil of secrecy extends over the president's bodily excretions. The special port-a-john captured Bush's feces and urine and flew the waste material back to the United States in the event some enterprising foreign intelligence agency conducted a sewage pipe operation designed to trap and examine Bush's waste material. One can only wonder why the White House is taking such extraordinary security measures for the presidential poop.

In the past, similar operations were conducted against foreign leaders to determine their medical condition. However, these intelligence operations were directed against dictators in countries where even the medical conditions of the top political leaders were considered "state secrets." The Israeli Mossad conducted one such operation against Syrian President Hafez Assad when he visited Amman, Jordan in Feb. 1999 for the funeral of King Hussein. The Mossad and its Jordanian counterpart installed a special toilet in Assad's hotel room that led not to a pipe but to a specimen canister. Assad suffered from diabetes and cancer and the operation was designed to discover the actual medical condition of the ailing leader. During Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Washington in 1987, the CIA reportedly placed a special trap under a sewage tank to collect the Soviet leader's bodily waste for analysis. More recently, the CIA was reported to have collected waste samples from Ugandan President-dictator Yoweri Museveni's toilet when he visited Washington.

Even Bush's toilet paper was flown in from the U.S. Air Base at Ramstein, Germany. In addition, Bush's food was flown in from the United States and tested with special chemicals before he ate it. Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was shot by a firing squad in 1989, was the last major European leader to constantly use a food tester. The last frequent state visitor to Vienna, who always relied on a food tester, was Adolf Hitler.]