Stuff that amused me this morning

What if Marvin were a web fileserver?

From Library Juice: Libraries, the Princeton campus's unknown repository of sexiness.

... For people who are really interested in finding out about things and engaging ideas, the excitement of libraries is sensual and visceral as well as cerebral. Emerson, the greatest of all oped writers, and the most quotable of all the Victorian sages, says that "A man's library is a kind of harem". And if he dared to say it, I dare to quote it, even without the sort of prudent gender modification that might spare me a few emails. (Somehow "A person's library is a kind of singles' bar" just doesn't cut it.) Emerson is not what you would call a lubricious writer, but he knew what excitement was and where to find the action....

Of tolerance and diversity, part II

Well, this story's been bounced all over the blogosphere, so it might as well get kicked around here as well. It seems that the brave Dr. James Dobson, head of well-known True Christian® organization Focus on the Family, has discovered and denounced yet another insidious agent of the dreaded Gay Agenda.

Who is it this time? Well, he lives in a pineapple under the sea. And, worse, he holds hands with a starfish. A pink starfish.

That's right. SpongeBob Squarepants is gay, says the newly-appointed Gayfinder General. And a children's video in which he appears, and which is scheduled to be distributed to schools, is nothing less than an insidious plot to promote toleration. It even encourages children to take a tolerance pledge!

Oh, the horror.

Strangely, the folks over at the United Church of Christ seem not to recognize the threat posed by the Yellow Peril. In fact, they go out of their way to extend him an "extravagant welcome", and shamelessly display photographs of him attending their church. Must be because they're a bunch of liberals who just don't understand the True Christian® message of condemnation, exclusion, and death.

Fortunately, the UCC represents only a minority viewpoint, and we have brave men like Dr. Dobson and brave women like President Bush's newly appointed Education Secretary to root out the true sources of evil in our great Christian® Nation.

Of tolerance and diversity

From the Ann Arbor News, Thursday, Jan. 20:

Fliers denouncing King found at Ypsilanti Library

Fliers denouncing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday were found inside the Ypsilanti District Library on Monday, but did not disrupt the celebration. Library officials destroyed the fliers and continued with the programs.

Full story here; discussion at LISNews.

From the front page of the Sunday, January 23 Livingston County Daily Press & Argus:

Group wants to buy, burn KKK robe

...[T]he Livingston 2001 Diversity Council and community leaders are seeking donations from Livingston County residents and business owners to help buy a Klu Klux Klan [sic] robe that will be auctioned off at 7 p.m. Saturday, at the Old Gray Nash Auction in downtown Howell. If they are successful, they plan to burn the robe immediately after purchasing it.

'We need to make this point for our city,' said Mayor Pro-Tem Steve Manor, who also serves as treasurer of the Diversity Council's governing board. 'It is time for the residents of Howell to make a very public statement that we are a tolerant community and that we welcome diversity in all its forms."

From the Tuesday Press & Argus:

Group backing off plans to burn garb

Mayor Pro-Tem and Diversity Council member Steve Manor said Monday it's likely there won't be a public burning of the robe.

'We are concerned with what the burning would represent,' he said.

On the narrowing of horizons

Hm, pretty quiet so far. Perhaps I should toss out some bait to see if anyone bites.

This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education caught my eye this morning. People entering the job market frequently assume that increasing levels of experience will increase their options; however, this writer suggests that he actually has fewer options after a few years of experience than he had as an entry-level academic. I've felt somewhat the same way in my own job search. (Particularly frustrating are the position postings that say, in effect, "only new graduates need apply.") Has anyone else had similar thoughts or experiences? Relevant information, either general or anecdotal in nature? Do one's employment prospects really get more restricted with experience?

A modest proposal

This is an experiment. The purpose of the experiment is to see whether a group of people, some of them acquainted and some of them unacquainted with each other, might enjoy having a forum to write, comment, and discuss amongst themselves, with no one person having to take on sole responsibility for updating the blog on a daily basis. Perhaps even those who have not previously felt inclined to publish on the web will be sufficiently interested to fire up their keyboards.

Read an interesting news story? Heard a strange story? Furious about the outrage-du-jour, or do you feel pretty darn good and want to spread the joy? Write about it here. Share the wealth, or the poverty.

I suppose the first topic of discussion might be what people want to talk about, and who feels like participating. The field is open, and the fieldmarshal cries, "Lay on!"