Federal Way schools restrict Gore film

Yet another morning when I find myself gaping at my computer screen at something I've just read. This article on seattlepi.com showcases two parents who are about as dumb as they can possibly be. Their complaint over showing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" revolves around two things: Al Gore doesn't present creationism, and the fact that "everything will burn up" in the "end times", anyway, and the film takes a "bad America, bad America" approach.

Ugnnnh. Snnnaerf. Gaaaah. I can't even respond to this kind of stupidity. I hate people. Hate them. What's even more disgusting? The Federal Way School district has actually acquiesced, and placed a moratorium on showing the film. They propose that teachers who want to show it should also showcase the opposing view, i.e. the Not Freaking Science view.

Federal Way schools restrict Gore film

New blogs, new blogs, new blogs!!

Well, one new blog so far, anyway--The Kitchen Illiterate (that's me). The library blog isn't set up and running yet, but it will be, I promise! I still can't think of a name...Mr. X suggested Drink Like a Librarian, but I'm not sure my life as a lush needs to be advertised that blatantly. Instead, I set up a food blog.

The Kitchen Illiterate is far from complete, and I might end up switching it over to Blogger eventually, if I find it's easier to edit CSS in Blogger. Yes, that's right, I'm teaching myself CSS. Well, that's the plan anyway. I tend to start these kinds of projects and then forget all about them. Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted on the haps. In the meantime, you can find out what I ate last night. Exciting, I know.

So, it has been a long, long while since I last posted here. See, politics started to sicken and frustrate me. I couldn't read newspapers without breaking into fits of apoplexy. I gagged when I saw pictures of politicians. Suddenly it seemed clear that a blog that had been largely about politics was no longer going to see much action. What to do, what to do.

Well, I decided to start a new one. I'm applying to Library School, and I thought it might be entertaining to document the larnin' process, and the library-ing, and how I turn myself nerdier about books and organization than I already am. It will be a cornucopia of information about libraries and library school and dorkiness (because anything I'm involved in is going to be dorky).

Only trouble is I can't think of a name. Any suggestions? (Who am I kidding? No one actually READS this blog...)

I'll still post here, from time to time, about non-library related things, and as soon as I get the Library Lady blog up and running, I'll let you know.

Ok, the man just creeps me out. And what's up with holding a press conference that's only open to conservative journalists?

Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening' - washingtonpost.com

I do think it's interesting to ponder the seemingly large Christian revival happening in the US in light of history. But it's only interesting in the context of disinterested scholarship. It's smacks of zealotry coming from this man. And that's just scary.

I love the way, whenever anyone tries to do anything good, Republican leaders start shoutin' "It's bad for business!!!" As though that were the sole and only important thing, trumping all other considerations in this world.

Too bad so many legislators listen to them.

Calif. Unveils Anti-Global Warming Plan

Some heartening research:

"The committee also reviewed information about patterns of doctorates awarded to women and to individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups relative to the 'scholarly quality of program faculty.' Overall, the committee found essentially no relationship between 'quality' and patterns of enrollment and degree attainment for women. Although top-rated programs in most fields enroll and graduate many more students on average than lower-rated programs, women tend to be represented in the same percentages across quality groupings within a field. An exception appears to be certain subfields of Engineering in which top-rated programs are slightly more likely than lower-rated programs to enroll and graduate women. However, the total fraction of women remains quite low in those fields in comparison to other fields included in this study. "

Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change (1995)

Oh gross! I thought we already figured out that plunking kids in front of televisions was, ermn, less preferable than perhaps just teaching them to behave in public.

Publix Testing TV Karts for Kids

Hey, Democrats! Here's an Iraq strategy for you: Get our military out of there, as that's obviously inciting some anger. Take some of that money we're currently spending on troops and weapons, and use it to help them re-build their infrastructure. And then let them run their own country, instead of implicitly assuming that they're children, and need our help. Just a thought. But then, what do I know?

House Incumbents at Risk, Poll Finds

Sketch, sketch, sketch! Republicans are dastardly, man. They give me nightmares. Literally. The kind that make me wake up in a panic.

An Estate Tax Twist Reverses Party Roles On Minimum Wage

I'm having a hard time why understanding quite how lunch delivery keeps the economy going. Why can't these guys just carry their lunch to work everyday, like I do? It seems a bit inefficient to have two train rides involved for one lunch, rather than one. Other countries are weird.

BBC NEWS Business India's tiffinwalas fuel economy

There are a ton of classes out there in universities across the country about Women in Literature, and Women in Politics, and Women in History, and Women in the Automative Industry and what have you. As though the sheer phenomenon of Women Doing Things is so mind-boggling that we have to have whole separate special classes just about that (er, and to continue to academically ghetto-ize women's cultural accomplishments). I want to start teaching classes on Men in Literature, and Men in Politics, and Men in History. To turn the tables and make it really strikingly clear how bizarre it is to think this way, and teach this way. Maybe it would be an interesting endeavor in its own right, to look at men in the world of Literature or History, not as the standard bearer, but AS men. Hmmm....

Whatever, stop teaching classes on Women in Literature. It's weird.

This is one of the most endearing comics I've read in awhile. Sweet, but still caustic, and a little bit weird.

What a useless, waste of time resolution. Congress basically spent 11 hours debating a non-resolution, a measure that effectively resolves nothing, says nothing, does nothing. Can we just can the whole lot of them and start over?

House Approves Iraq War Resolution

Oh no. This is terribly addictive. And I've got work to do. Sigh.

Grant Robinson : Guess-the-google

I love that for football players, the main criteria for being allowed to play somewhere is that you haven't killed anyone yet. Ahh, football.

Players N.F.L. Banished Find Refuge in Canada - New York Times

Ask a Hill Staffer: Speaker ?Sergeant? Slaughter - Wonkette:

"Think about Clinton's Presidency vs. Bush's Presidency: Clinton got laid all the time, the economy boomed, and we didn't go to war for 8 years. Bush goes to bed at 10, and even Laura has said she's not getting satisfied in the private quarters of the White House. Economy in the shitter, fighting two wars... the correlation is obvious."

Ahh yes. My kind of political analysis.

This apalls me. So little forsight.

Poll: Most Americans Support NSA's Efforts

Well, chicks do like fine, fine theories.

qwantz.com - dinosaur comics - May 11th 2006

I'd like to see the assfuck who said this when his wife says "Sorry sweetie, we're never having sex again, I don't want anymore babies.":

"Many social conservatives say, however, that contraceptives have limitations and that the only way a woman can ensure she will not have an unintended pregnancy is to refrain from sexual intercourse until she is ready to have a child."

Unwanted Pregnancies Rise for Poor Women

Politicians never paid attention to science before. Why would they start now?

Study Reconciles Data in Measuring Climate Change