bookshelves of doom

Is that so wrong?

I almost--almost--just charged a girl extra fines for wearing a Yankees hat into the library.

I'm not sure if I should feel bad for wanting to charge her or if I should feel bad for not charging her.

Dead Celebrity Soulmate Search.

Do it.  It rules. 

My soulmate is Pancho Villa.  Tom Russell would be so proud.

2004 Carnegie and Greenaway Medal shortlists announced.

I've only read two of the six books nominated for the Carnegie this year.  They happen to be the only two that our library has, so I guess that I'm not doing too badly.  I would like to read the others, though.

Yes, I totally believe you, Pentagon-people--it was all about protecting the privacy of the families. Because you're SO concerned about protecting our privacy.

From the Guardian:

The US government has lost its fight to prevent the public from seeing photographs of the bodies of US soldiers killed in action returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in flag-draped coffins.

After battling for a year against a Freedom of Information Act request, the Pentagon released 360 photos of flag-draped coffins yesterday, many of them with the faces and identity badges of soldiers blacked out - a measure officials said was necessary on privacy grounds.

2005 Edgar Awards.

It's official.  Everyone loves Chasing Vermeer except me.

Gerald Allen is still at it.

From CBS:

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

So what actually counts as censorship, Rep. Allen?  Sheesh.

Happily, the Editor's Note at the end of the article reads:

When the time for the vote in the legislature came there were not enough state legislators present for the vote, so the measure died automatically.

I doubt that we've heard the last of him, unfortunately.

Phew. All is still well with the world.

My middle school book group scared the crap out of me at our last meeting--Napoleon Dynamite came up in conversation, and one of the kids said, "Oh, he just died in a motorcyle accident."

WHAT?

So I just Googled "jon heder accident" and got this.

While I looked for that, I came across info about Napoleon Dynamite festivals (yes, plural):

The movie has been embraced by the city of Preston, Idaho, which is staging its own "Napoleon Dynamite" festival in June. Earlier this month, the Idaho Legislature adopted a resolution praising "Napoleon Dynamite" and director Jared Hess, a native of Preston, for promoting tourism in the state. The resolution warned that legislators who cast "nay" votes would be branded "freakin' idiots!" It was adopted unanimously.

Alright Katie, let's try to match your actions up with your words.

Okay, Katie Couric.  What is the deal?

Actions: 

Now, in a format made famous by Walters, ABC's doyenne of get-'em-to-cry celeb chatfests, NBC's morning darling Katie Couric offers her first all-celebrity interview hour, Katie at Night, which airs tonight on NBC at 10 ET/PT. She'll do three heart-to-hearts: with Sharon Stone, singer Shania Twain and Olivia Harrison, widow of former Beatle George Harrison.

Words:

What Today needs is to "get back to its hard-news roots. I think we were slipping into a tabloid mode," Couric says. "The fellow who shot a nail through his head and didn't know it? There's a place for stories like that, because they're kind of 'wow.' But we had too much of that and not enough substance.

And people still don't understand why I think she's lame.

See? See how cool Maine is?

From MaineToday.com:

On Thursday, the eve of the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, Gov. John Baldacci took part in a ceremony marking the marking the installation of a single solar array on the State House lawn.

The panels will generate roughly 720 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, about enough to meet the governor´s personal needs.

Solar power is so kickass.  We're going to have a million panels at The Land.  And no, that does not make me a hippie.

I'm a movie worrywart.

I can't help it.  The film version of Running with Scissors is in production right now, it's only due out next year, and I'm terrified.  What if it's bad?

Get Pam's take on life.

Yep.  Pamela Anderson has a blog.   Read and enjoy.

While you're at it, be my Friendster.

Bliss.

Josh showed up a while ago with my lunch, a large steak & cheese (with mayo).  He handed it to me and as I took it, I noticed that attached to the foil wrapper was the enamel-rhinestone owl pin that I'd been coveting since seeing it at an antique store.  It's exactly the same as the one in the picture, but with blue enamel flowers.

And they said that romance is dead.

My secret love affair with Vin Diesel.

My sister is the one that started this--she mentioned Vin Diesel on her blog a few days ago and I've been thinking about him ever since.

I don't know what it is.  He's so not my type at all.  I mean, really--Pitch Black?  The Chronicles of Riddick??  xXx??? 

But he's also the voice of The Iron Giant and the guy who wrote the introduction to the D&D 30-year anniversary book.  He's just so COOL.

MapQuest panders to the brain-dead.

So I printed out directions to the library in Shrewsbury, MA--I'm getting ready for my joint Chrissy and Brent Hartinger visit tomorrow--and out of a list of twelve directions, HALF of them are there to tell you how to get on I-95 from Kennebunk. 

C'mon.  If I got to Kennebunk in the first place, don't you think I'd be able to find my way out again?  It's not like we have the Big Dig here.

Yep. Librarians = Spawn of Satan, according to this guy.

As usual, the only news worth knowing can be found at Bookslut.  That's where I found this charming opinion piece about libraries and the Patriot Act:

These dangerously naïve or clandestinely seditious librarians are beyond foolish. They potentially jeopardize the lives of American citizens.