Just in time for all you Middle Earth travellers wishing to visit each of the teams in the SGCBL comes this handy walking map to Mordor.
[ via Bill ]
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Hot or Not?
How many of you are dumb enough to click on a link provided by someone whom you know to be insane? Even if it is a link for HOT CHICKS? (For the love of God, poke your eyes out before clicking on that link. You have been warned.)
Of course, I am. And I immediately thought of one of my favorite Daffy Duck lines:
Posted in Strangeness
8 Comments
SciFi Classics Challenged
From the Rio Grande Valley of Texas comes word of challenges to Huxley and Heinlein. Apparently, Huxley’s Brave New World and Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land are “pornographic”.
One of the misconceptions about Banned Books Week, I think, is that it is an alarmist overreaction to a nonexistant threat…that somehow books are being burned under our noses and no one is doing anything about it. However, I don’t see it that way at all. I see it as an opportunity to celebrate the fact that we don’t have wide-scale book-banning or rampant government censorship in the United States. It celebrates the present, where school boards and librarians (despite my snarky Twain quote) are holding back a growing tide of paranoia about freedom of thought and expression. It remembers the past, because we have not always enjoyed those freedoms in this country. And it cautions against the future, when those freedoms could be quickly taken away by simply ignoring them and giving in to the comfort of “safe” thought and easy acquiescence to the majority. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, would you rather fight for your freedom now–when it’s easily won–or later, when you are surrounded and have no chance of winning?
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” – Bertrand Russell
[ As seen at the Banned Books Project ]
Posted in Banned Books, Blogcritics
1 Comment
She turned me into a newt!
I could play with this thing all day.
| The Potion Maker |
|---|
| solonor rasrethium is a translucent, coarse mauve powder extracted from the heart of a Snark. |
| Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern |
[ Leeched from mordant carnivalium: a translucent, fine aquamarine powder leeched from the saliva of a Jabberwocky. ]
I’ve brewed up some concoctions already…
Posted in Wouldya Lookit That!
11 Comments
Waiting for Frodo: Rosie’s Impatience
click on image to go to site
Posted in Wouldya Lookit That!
Comments Off on Waiting for Frodo: Rosie’s Impatience
Free Banned Books!
Unfortunately, I did not get off the ground fast enough to tell you about the September 21 BookCrossing event for Banned Books Week. Bookcrossing.com, in case you’re not familiar with it, is an organization that encourages you to leave a free book in a public place. The finder reads it, logs a journal entry, and passes it along in the same method. On Sunday, they planned the following special book release event:
RELEASE ZONE: On the steps of your local city hall (city government office)
RELEASE METHOD: A well-labeled book, ideally from the 100 Most-Challenged list, left on or near the steps, and protected from the elements as needed. You might get creative by “hanging” the book from a tree limb, or “jailing” it inside a small cage, etc. Use your imagination, and try to take pictures!
RELEASE TIME: Sunday, September 21st, at sunset wherever you live.
But just because you didn’t do it on Sunday, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it any time during the week. Free a banned book!
[ As seen at the Banned Books Project ]
Posted in Banned Books
3 Comments
100 Challenged Books
I just finished putting all 100 entries from the frequently challenged books list into the new Banned Books Project. It took a little longer than I expected, because I wanted to verify all the links. I had to come up with a few new ones. But now there’s a nice, searchable spot to find out all you ever wanted to know about the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.
So, that’s it. I’m done (ha ha). It’s your turn. Find me some links. Dig up some news stories. Write me an essay. I’ll be waiting at the bar. Reading a banned book, of course.
Posted in Banned Books
4 Comments
Where does the time go?
It seems like just yesterday I was ranting and raving about some crap. Oh… wait… that was yesterday. Never mind.
Well, on today’s rave-o-rama calendar is the start of Banned Books Week. Last year, as part of my contribution to Michele’s Banned Books Project, I listed all the books on the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, along with a plot summary, reasons it was found objectionable, and snarky reasons I’d have it banned.
That last part generated a lot of hate mail from people who tend to jump into a fracas without reading the fine print (I wouldn’t know anything about that, myself). But all-in-all, it was a fun exercise.
So, what to do this year? Well, for starters, Michele’s been too busy to put together her own Banned Books Project, so I’m hosting it as the Third Annual Banned Books Project. Part of that honor is putting together a collection of links, essays, news stories, etc., from reader contributions. So, what I’d like to get from you then, dear reader, is a contribution. Send me your essays and links, and I’ll post ’em. It should have something to do with book challenges, but there are a lot of challenges to intellectual freedom floating about these days, so even a good story on the EFF Blue Ribbon Campaign wouldn’t be out of the question.
For my part, I have had complaints that the original Solonor’s 100 Banned Books is a bit lengthy for a single web page. If you’re on dial-up, forget about loading it in your lifetime. Plus, it’s not easily searchable. So, this year I’ve made a new banned books project blog! I’m going to give each book its own entry, add a picture (assuming I don’t get into copyright trouble), and open it to comments.
So, start sending me your stuff, peeps. And I’ll stop calling you “peeps”.
Mail all submissions to solonor AT solonor DOT com (you know the anti-spam drill by now, I hope).
[Grooving to: I Fought the Law by The Clash]
Posted in Banned Books, Carnival of the Vanities
5 Comments
Who’s the pirate’s favorite Greek author?
ARRRRistophenes, of course. LysistrataRRRR is a classic.
There be more over-me-head humor at McSweeney’s Pirate Riddles for Sophisticates.
[ via Bill ]
Posted in Strangeness
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He’s A Right Fine Lad
Even though he left it up to a member of his scurvy crew to tell ye about the pirate talkin’, we’ll be making The Gamer’s Nook our Aortal site o’ the week. Arrr.
Posted in Aortal
4 Comments