Patch of Silver

Exploring the question on how to choose an Accessible CMS

2009-08-30T09:05:00.008-05:00

So, a classmate recently posed some questions about Drupal vs. Sharepoint, so I did some searching.

Here is my very roughly put together group of links to clarify the decision making process in choosing a Content Management System in light of accessibility considerations:

From a few searches on how Drupal and Sharepoint differ/are similar, I did find:
http://drupal.org/node/22645

Other open-source content managers, besides Drupal, include:

Plone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plone_(software)
- Plone v Drupal: https://weblion.psu.edu/trac/weblion/wiki/PloneVersusDrupal
- Plone v Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal: http://cmsreport.com/blog/2009/excellent-guide-comparing-wordpress-joomla-drupal-and-plone
Alfresco http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfresco_(software)
- Alfresco v Sharepoint http://www.wareprise.com/2009/02/20/a-simple-comparison-between-alfresco-and-sharepoint/
And these: http://www.siteground.com/best_cms_tools.htm
Much much more! http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/top-10-most-usable-content-management-systems/
- There are plenty of options when it comes to picking a content management system for a development project. Depending on how advanced you need the CMS to be, what language it's built in, and who is going to be using it, it can be a nightmare trying to find the "perfect" CMS for a project.

However, some CMSs have a slight edge over the rest of the competition because of the usability of the software. Some are just easier to install, use and extend, thanks to some thoughtful planning by the lead developers. Here are 10 of the most usable CMSs on the web to use in your next project.

Drupal, and other "open source" Content Management Systems (CMS) are really free (as are all "open source" / "open access" applications in general), however, "For many webmasters, the choice between open source or commercial hinges largely on cost but you should know that whereas open source is invariably free to procure and to install, you may come up against costs on the backend should you run into problems. Top quality support is not always available right when you need it."(http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2009/08/26/which-web-content-management-system-is-right-for-you/)

But with so many choices, how do you choose? Consider:

http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/choosing-an-open-source-web-content-management-system.aspx
http://ostatic.com/blog/choosing-an-open-source-cms-planning-playing-and-page-views
This is very nice for side to side comparisons on the techy stuff involved: http://www.cmsmatrix.org/
A pretty new, real live paper BOOK that gives advice: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/reviewed-new-book-on-selecting-an-open-source-cms-004795.php
http://www.noupe.com/php/choosing-cms-tips.html
http://www.contenthere.net/2009/08/dimensions-of-success-or-ways-to-fail.html
http://www.craig-edmonds.com/why-its-important-to-have-a-search-engine-friendly-cms/
If you have taken Irwin's Resources for People with Disabilities course, and even if you have not, this is something else to consider when using CMS for commerical purposes,especially in libraries that receive government monies, as it will need to be cognizant of accessibility per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Wow, that was fun! I learned a lot.

Have you received/read something like this: "Stop HR875/S425 US Congress' attempt to Illegalize Organic Farming!" ?

2009-04-12T12:20:00.003-05:00

The Message

Stop HR875/S425 US Congress' attempt to Illegalize Organic Farming!
Stop Congress from taking away our rights to grow organic food!

Positions:
Right to nutrition and health
Right to freedom
Right to privacy
Category:
Environment - Service and Other
Description:
HR 875 and S 425 are the pieces of legislation that would criminalize organic farming, even having a garden in your back yard!

PLEASE contact your representitives and Senators about this!

We can NOT allow this to happen to food!

There will no longer be ORGANIC food... they will be required to spray pesticides and insectisides on the "organic" food... hence, making it no longer organic

S.425
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s425/text

H.R.875
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h875/text

I Love to Play Researcher!

I'm a blog junkie, and I've been pondering this one for a couple of weeks now since I've been reading about it via a lot of blog posts. (There are even some FB groups addressing this issue, naturally... see http://www.facebook.com/s.php?init=q&q=HR875&ref=ts&sid=b798156ac07435b67c26450e8f1ce1f9)

My first instinct is to check to see what hype might be involved, since the language of posts related to HR 875 & S 425 seem somewhat alarmist.

Also, the language seems to fly in the face of what I presume would be the values of President Obama (http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2009/04/01/big-ag-white-house-organic-garden-makes-us-shudder.htm & http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/3/29/714315/-Big-Ag-Writes-Michelle-Opposing-WH-Organic-Garden & http://my.kitchengardeners.org/forum/topics/hr-875-and-white-house-gardens), as well as policies and programs that have been historically promoted by the USDA via the NRCS and FSA (I have recently been working as an Admin Asst for the St Joe Cty Soil & Water Conservation District. We are a partner with/share an office with the NRCS, and we kind of share an office with the FSA: http://stjoseph.iaswcd.org/). The majority of the work that NRCS and FSA do seems to revolve around the latest Farm Bill, which is actually quite supportive or organic farming (I'm sure I can dig up some anti-Farm Bill points of view...I'll save this for a later date! I love me some research!) (RE: Farm Bill and Organic Ag, see for instance: http://www.mosesorganic.org/attachments/broadcaster/other16.6costshare.html ; http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20081120/nf4 ; http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/eqiphomepage.html)

Back to the Possible Hype in Posts Like "Stop HR875/S425 US Congress' attempt to Illegalize Organic Farming!"

Snopes.com is one tool for peeling back the fact from the hype, and while there are legitimate concerns as far as always keeping the legislators in check by making your voice heard, there seems to be a viral alarmism at play, as well . Still, some say Snopes can be a bit biased (for instance, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039929/posts), so another good source is TruthorFiction.com. I also sifted thru Google results to find discussions where similar fact-checking measures seemed to be occuring:

Some Links that Appear to "Check the Facts"

Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp

TruthorFiction.com http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/h/hr875organicban.htm which links you to http://delauro.house.gov/files/HR875_Myths_Facts1.pdf

Grist.org: http://www.grist.org/article/Food-scare

TheDailyGreen.com: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/blogs/healthy-food/organic-farming-440320604

But the Language of HR 875 & S 425 is Very Vague... In the Wrong Hands... Well You Know...

Besides, you can keep digging, and draw further conclusions from the checking of the facts and read in between the lines and come to conclusions like: http://blog.puppetgov.com/2009/03/14/a-solemn-walk-through-hr-875/

So, writing your legislators to keep them in check is always a good idea!

(You could probably find something to write to a legislator about every day, but would that end up in your FBI file? ... http://www.getmyfbifile.com/)

Oh, and What About H 759 H 814?

According to http://smallfarm.about.com/b/

Fact Check: What Might HR 875 Mean for Small Farms?

Wednesday April 1, 2009

There's still a lot of confusion swirling around HR 875, the food safety bill that was introduced in the House of Representatives. First of all, note that: the bill was introduced. It hasn't even hit the floor yet, and it's unclear when or if it will actually hit the floor for consideration. It's in committee. Secondly, the rumor that it will "outlaw organic farming" just isn't supported by anything that's actually in the bill currently.

But, FactCheck.org highlights one serious concern for any small-scale farmer considering selling food for public consumption. Specifically, "there's always a worry that government regulation of food production will adversely affect small farms, which can't absorb the possible costs of abiding by regulation as easily as big food producers can." That's the big-deal part of HR 875 for small farms. It would create a Food Safety Administration and establish rules and regulations for producing food for public sale, and small- and micro-scale farming operations -- not a hobby farm or homestead, but a small farmer trying to sell at the farmer's market or local food co-op or even "bigger" small farms -- might not survive the financial impact of those requirements.

Food and Water Watch points out that HR 759 is actually a much scarier bill than HR 875, and urges folks to focus on all the related bills currently introduced that could potentially affect small-scale agriculture. Their take on the situation is this:

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture – the largest industrialized operations. That’s why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness. And the work doesn’t stop there – if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can’t afford to ignore. But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

So, what's a small farmer to do? Exactly what Food And Water Watch suggests. Contact your local representative in Congress and make your views known now! We need food safety legislation, but we need good legislation that will protect our local food supply and our small farmers.

Also regarding HR 759 (and touching on HR875 or S425), http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/foodsafety/background-on-h-r-875 states:

Background on H.R. 875
The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn’t wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved. And as almost constant food safety problems reveals the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed, and distributed, it’s a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason – a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It’s no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814). These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act. And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies –one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.
It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced – but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.
It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.
It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb, catfish.)
It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.
It does not regulate backyard gardens.
It does not regulate seed.
It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.
It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).
It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper).

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills – like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA. H.R. 759 is more likely to move through Congress than H.R. 875. And H.R. 759 contains several provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants – and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.

It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.

It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency’s inspection efforts.

It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture – the largest industrialized operations. That’s why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness. And the work doesn’t stop there – if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can’t afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

The Value of Public Discourse and an Impassioned and Informed Citizenry

As is likely the case a lot of the time, the language in all 4 of these bills is VAGUE, which leads to understandable alarmism and speculation.

Most notably, it leads to:

DISCOURSE!!!!!
Civic conversations!!!!
Involved citizens!!!!!

For instance:

So, Who are My Legislators Anyhow?

Find out at http://www.votesmart.org/

HR 814, S. 425, HR 759 and HR 875

Intensive Gardening...

2009-02-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

Spring has been teasing us lately with a bit more sunshine and some pleasant days. I really want to grow something this year, and guess I will begin planning by beginning my research at http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-335/426-335.html ...

I'm especially intrigued with the idea of vertical gardening.

Hmmm.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day...I'm thinking of you Jacqueline Smith

2009-01-19T15:41:00.007-05:00

Have you ever been to Memphis?

Have you visited the National Civil Rights Museum while you were there?

If not, did you know that the National Civil Rights Museum is located at the motel

where Dr. King was murdered on April 4, 1968 while he

was in Memphis to help organize a strike by sanitation workers?

The name of the motel was the Lorraine...

When Dr. King was assassinated, one of the tenants of the Lorraine,

Jacqueline Smith,

was so deeply affected by that day's events that

every

single

day

the

rest

her

life

has reflected that impact.

When the Lorraine was converted into the National Civil Rights Museum,

all of the tenants that were living there were evicted.

According to Wikipedia,

"The Lorraine Motel remained open following King's assassination

until it was foreclosed in 1982.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation purchased the property

at auction in December of that year. In 1987 construction of the museum started,

opening its doors to visitors on September 28, 1991.

The exhibits of the museum tell the story of the struggle for

African American civil rights from the arrival of the first Africans

in the British colonies in 1619 to the assassination of King in 1968."

It was on March 3, 1988 that Jacqueline Smith was pulled

from her home, as the last remaining tenant of the Lorraine,

by four Memphis Sheriff's Deputies.

Ms. Smith and any other remaining tenants were served with an eviction order

on Jan. 11, 1988 when the Lorraine was closed by Tennessee state officials

directing the museum project.

Ms. Smith ignored a February 8th deadline to move out.

On March 3, 1988, the day Ms. Smith was removed from her home,

the AP reported that, "Before the deputies arrived,

Miss Smith talked to reporters and other spectators through an

eight-foot chain link fence that was put up around the site Jan. 11.

'My family is here [in Memphis] and I have a home, but that's not what I want,' she said.

'If I can't live at The Lorraine, I'll camp out on the sidewalk out front.'"

Photo Source: Flickr User beastandbean

Camped out across from the museum, Ms. Smith calls the it the “Civil Wrong Museum”

and urges tourists not to enter. Ms. Smith's main claim is that MLK would not want a museum like this and

that the motel should have been converted into low-income housing rather than made into a museum for middle-class tourists.

And so she did. And so she has.

Visit this dedicated woman's website at: http://www.fulfillthedream.net/

For more information, and a variety of opinions on Jacqueline Smith, visit:

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine10

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine9

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine8

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine7

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine6

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine5

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine4

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine3

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine2

http://tinyurl.com/jsmith-lorraine1

Nos. 10, 9, and 8 are especially powerful.

A few years ago I was in Memphis

visiting a friend, coincidentally on Martin Luther King Day.

I can't really put it into words but

there is a palpable feeling or mood or something

that was over the city that day.

The next year when I visited my friend in

Memphis, we did go to the

National Civil Rights Museum, but on that day

Ms. Smith was not camped across the street

(she does take a few days off here and there)

I get the real need for places like this to exist,

but I get the argument that there could have been

an alternative location versus evicting

people from their homes.

As is every issue that goes with the issue of

civil rights, there is so much

grey to consider...

I got new FLEECE SOCKS!

2009-01-04T18:30:00.006-05:00

A big thank you to Ellie and her mommy and daddy for sending me NOT ONE, but THREE pairs of handmade fleece socks that were made by her mommy's friend. They are so warm and very comfortable.

The pictures I posted here are from two different sellers on Etsy that you can visit to buy yourself a pair, or two, or three, or...

Take a peek for yourself...

Foxy Fleece

and

kustomdesigns2

Here are even more shop from Etsy where you can buy fleece socks.

1984 at the Notre Dame DeBartolo

2008-12-20T15:46:00.004-05:00

Every war when it comes, or before it
comes, is represented not as a war but as
an act of self-defense against a homicidal
maniac.
~ George Orwell

I'm so there for the opening night performance on January 22nd... This version of Orwell's 1984 is directed by Mr. Susan Sarandon... that is, Tim Robbins... Apparently, the play will be updated to relate more with current day events, as if Orwell's version was not timeless enough.

Playwright, Michael Gene Sullivan, who adapted 1984 writes that:

About seventy years ago, with America in the grip of poverty and starvation, threatened with belligerent militarism from overseas, and a growing right - left animosity at home, a new American President stepped up to the mic and told the nation "There is nothing to fear but Fear itself."

Given the situation being afraid seemed like a reasonable response, but that President knew fear could paralyze a country, and the only ones who benefitted from ongoing, blinding fear were those who spread that fear.

And that is still true today. In the new millennium, with a crumbling infrastructure, a startling and growing gap between the rich and everyone else, governmental cronyism, corporate looting, and privatization of public wealth, there is a need to distract the citizens from corruption at the top. Our country has been attacked before, but never have we been so blinded by fear. Now we are led to believe we all under constant threat from terrorists, foreigners, strangers, the different, the guy at the Seven Eleven, the black kid on the corner! Every suicide bombing, Osama Bin Gangsta, Radical abusive nanny Environmentalist is out to get you, so please don't notice that the Nation your parents built is being stolen in front of your eyes, and the rights won with a hundred years of blood are being taken. Doubt is treason, and Fear will distract you, so the message has become "Be afraid - be very afraid."

And at the center of this tornado of fearful despair sits a calm, assured - who?

"Citizens of Oceania! Together we will crush our enemies, and our long road to victory will be over!" But until then do not ask questions - the less you know the better. And in a nation at war certain rights must be curtailed to preserve Liberty. Oh, and keep shopping.

Or, as Big Brother says, Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace.

Egads. I've been a bit sentimental lately, but, wow, I get a heart flutter and a bit near-teary reading these words. In a goodish way. Before Election Day 2008, this would have been much more bittersweet!

Dream Vacation -- Palau, Micronesia

2008-12-15T23:07:00.006-05:00

This photo by Eric H. Cheng is a beautiful shot of one of about 70 lakes in the Pacific Island of Palau. The jellyfish in the photo are decendents of spotted jellyfish. The lake in this photo is commonly referred to as Jellyfish Lake... The other similar lakes in Palau are protected from people interfering with their natural ecosystems.

Since the jellyfish have no predators and they dine on algae, very small crustaceans and plankton, the stinging cells are so small that people can very comfortably and painlessly swim and dive with them. Jellyfish Lake is composed of 12 acres of seawater that is supplied through fissures in Palau's porous limestone foundation. Other than the fissures, Jellyfish Lake is isolated from the ocean. Within these mere 12-acres lives 20 MILLION jellies!

According to the National Wildlife Foundation website, "Palau’s first marine lake formed just 12,000 to 15,000 years ago after the last ice age ended and sea levels rose. Palau’s rock islands were limestone peaks riddled with erosion-carved channels, fissures and depressions. Seawater seeping through the limestone transformed the largest depressions into marine lakes and swept in the larvae of spotted jellyfish and other sea creatures. In a mere moment of evolutionary time, the landlocked jellyfish radiated into five different subspecies, each attuned to its own isolated “island” of seawater. The jellies in the deepest lakes, which filled first and are therefore the oldest, diverged the most from their lagoon-living ancestor."

I am very fascinated with the idea of one day swimming with the jellyfish of Jellyfish Lake. I've seen video footage of others doing so, and it is so surreal on a television screen--I imagine that doing it in person would be beyond words.

Check out the YouTube video below to get a better idea of the otherworldliness that is Jellyfish Lake... and BONUS... jam to a little Tears for Fears ala "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."

And then there were 5..

2008-12-12T19:56:00.005-05:00

(Chart Source: "The Great Media Monopoly"... Click on the chart to make it large enough to read.)

One of the reasons the idea of independent news sources appeals to me is the fact that in 1983, when I was a mere 9 years old, there were 50 corporations that controlled the majority of the media in the United States. 10 years down the road, this number dwindled down to fewer than a dozen corporations. Flash forward to 2004, and there are only 5 corporations that control the majority of American media: Viacom, AOL/Time Warner, News Corp, Clear Channel, and Disney.

Today, these same 5 corporations are holding onto the media with strong hands.

For more information on this...well outrageous...issue, begin with:

ePluribus Media's blog entry, "Media Consolidation -- a Historical Perspective"

Truth in Our Time's blog entry, "The Great Media Monopoly"

The Media Channel.org's website

A Database of Independent News Websites?

2008-12-11T12:42:00.006-05:00

David Westphal, the Washington editor of McClatchy Newspapers (the 2nd-largest newspaper company in the U.S.) and the Executive in Residence for USC's Annenberg School for Communication blogged today about building a database that features independent news websites.

Actually, he's been regularly blogging about the emergence and viability of independent news websites (both for-profit and non-profit) since October of this year.

For his series on independent news sites, check out this link.

I'm going to spend some more time reading up on his posts some more, but just to point out some of the independent news websites that he's featured so far, maybe you'd like to take a look at:

Quincy News (Quincy, IL): 8 month old site run by Bob Gough, who also has been blogging since the inception of Quincy News about the process of running the news site and other topics of interest.
Ann Arbor Chronicle (Ann Arbor, MI): 3 month old site run by a wife and husband team, Mary Morgan and David Askins
Voice of San Diego (San Diego, CA): 4 years old, created by Buzz Woolley, a San Diego businessman
MinnPost (Minneapolis, MN): Founded in 2007, many of writers and managerial staff are highly respected members of the journalism community--Wikipedia covers the MinnPost quite thoroughly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MinnPost
St. Louis Beacon (St. Louis, MO): Appears to be about 6 months old (become a Facebook Fan of the St. Louis Beacon at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-St-Louis-Beacon/14091702194)
C hiTown Daily News (Chicago, IL): 3 years old (actually, on Facebook, you can RSVP for the 3 year birthday party that is taking place today)...Features both professional and citizen journalists (Join the ChiTown Daily News Facebook Group at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=47692979807#/group.php?gid=5926931697 or follow it's Twitter Feed at http://twitter.com/ChiTownDaily)
The Batavian (Batavia County and Genesee County, NY): 7 months old, launched by Gatehouse Media in May of 2008, "a fascinating example of what can happen when a newspaper company throws the old rules out the window... [that] lets any registered reader contribute posts, and it treats all registered readers as equals...This isn't "traditional" journalism -- it's better..." (Source: Fighting 29th.com)
Pasadena Now (Pasadena, CA): 3 years old, for a close look at the genesis and evolution of Pasadena Now, check out the blog posts by Eye Level Pasadena.
Pegasus News (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX): 2 years old, for press releases that feature Pegasus News, check out: http://www.pegasusnews.com/pressroom/
NewcastleNOW.org (New Castle, NY): 1 year old, the staff includes the editor, managing editor (and photographer), publisher (and Webmaster), advertising executive, 2 freelancers and 100 citizen journalists.
The Forum (Deerfield, NH): 3 years old, an all volunteer staff: "We are volunteers of all ages. We are long-term residents and newcomers, employed and retired, politically active and apolitical, churchgoers and atheists. What unites us is our dedication to creating a means for open communication with and about our community."
YubaNet.com (Nevada City, CA): 9 years old, "YubaNet was born at the outbreak of the September 1999 Pendola wildfire in the foothills of Yuba County," (Source: Iconocast.com)
Texas Watchdog (Houston, TX): 4 months old, "Texas Watchdog is a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas...Texas Watchdog will serve as a government watchdog and training center where reporters, bloggers and activists of any stripe will learn how to uncover waste, fraud and corruption in state and local governments. "
The Dagger (Baltimore, MD) 1 year old, "What began as an experiment, a test case for what might happen when we distill years of conversation into published material, has turned into something real. We have become a living, breathing, kicking, screaming community of readers and writers no longer content to simply watch as the world turns."
OurVarsity.com (Gwinnett County, GA): 4 months old, formed by Josh Kendall and Carter Strickland, OurVarsity.com is "an online community for high school athletes/students/parents in Gwinnett County, Georgia (18 high schools, one million overall population)...Our idea has been to reach into the high school market by building an online community that not only provides news but allows the students to be involved. A visitor to our site can look through the more than 10,000 photos, videos and stories we have posted. The visitor can also register, set up a personal page and have every piece of media (video, photo or story) involving him or her and published on the site sent directly to that page."

Don't Call Me a Towelhead, Baby

2008-06-24T09:24:00.006-05:00

Reading Towelhead by Alicia Erian (2005) was a totally unexpected journey for me. In 2005, Jeff Giles of The New York Times wrote a lengthy review of this book, including the remark that "The violence that ensues would be considered rape by absolutely anyone, with the possible exception of a 13-year-old girl who confuses any form of contact with affection and even the most terrible knowledge with liberation."

Although the plot is very involved (Young Girl, forced to live with father because mom is jealous of the attention her current beau gives to said Young Girl, father inept at raising Young Girl, puberty ensues, sexual awareness explodes, men and boys go wild, oh, and racism is rampant--the main character is born of a Lebanese immigrant father and a Caucasian American mother, and the setting is 1991 American at the start of the Persian Gulf War (voila: the name Towelhead is one of the nicer things said young girl is called).

Young Girl's name is Jasira (her mother chose the name--her father would have preferred a more Americanized name btw). Jasira is, simply put, confused. The reasons for this confusion go beyond the "normal" teenager experience, yet, as the author's tender writing style sets forth Jasira's story, Jasira is very much the everyday "normal" teenager of the 90's.

While I am sure this book would have ended up in my hands at some point, it was recently recommended to me by a friend who had heard that (1) it was coming out as a movie this summer--the movie is named "Towelhead", but it is also referred to as "Nothing is Private" (see the RottenTomatoes movie review here and a movie trailer via YouTube here); and (2) the screenwriter for American Beauty was directing the movie--his name is Alan Ball, and he also created HBO's Six Feet Under which I ADORE.

The book is very "in your face". The sub-title of the movie, "Nothing is Private" is quite appropriate, and had the setting not been during the Gulf War, perhaps the author would have named this book something like that. Towelhead is about growing up. It's about modern life middle-class suburban America and the hypocrisies of this "dream". It's about racism. It's about sexism. It questions the issue of patriotism. It's about holding onto your sanity in an insane world. It's about love. It's about family. It's about the "village" that raises the children and the individuals that make up that village--and the fact the village can be dangerous or it can be a safe haven.

Towelhead could be a total downer. However, the author's sense of satire and dark humor is "my cup of tea." What took me most by surprise is not just that I could have been Jasira and in many ways I was Jasira, and in many ways I still am Jasira. Towelhead has been highly praised since it was published in 2005. What jarred me the most is the fact that, apparently, this book has moved people just as deeply as it moved me. Other people must feel they are Jasira, or were Jasira, or know a Jasira.

What moved me the most is the reminder is that I AM NOT ALONE (and neither was Jasira!).

(And for anyone who has the luxury of calling the story unbelievable or unconvincing or flat or improbable or over-hyped, I'd like to extend my opinion that you are quite fortunate to have the ability to hold that view. Other people in this world were not lucky enough to live in the world where this story does not hold some very profound truths. However, I can understand where the inability to relate comes from. The brain chemistry changes when a person is traumatized, especially at a young age, likely making the "reality" of life very much tainted by these past experiences.)

For excerpts of Towelhead, check out the Google Book entry located here.

Zombies!

2007-10-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

For my High Tech Learning class, I've created a blog called "When Zombies Attack". I plan on adding to it pretty regularly with zombie-related topics that could be integrated into a classroom unit on zombies.

Any doubts about integrating horror into the classroom or library?

Let me quote myself (and myself quoting Darren Shan) on the "About Silver Lisa and Her Love of Zombies"* of the When Zombies Attack blog:

Horror author, Darren Shan, in his article entitled, Giving Rein to Horror, describes himself as a young boy who loved to write gory stories and once decided to show his story to a teacher who he trusted. This brave move resulted in Shan being expelled from school and scarred for a very long time. Shan was able to eventually overcome his distrust of sharing his stories with others, and has become a very successful author.

In Giving Rein to Horror, Shan provides his observations on the value of the horror genre when it comes to encouraging young adults to learn:

We don’t live in an ideal world. I know teaching’s a hard job, that it’s easier to mark essays on conventional subjects than give a free rein to surly teenagers who want to write about zombies chowing down on fresh brains. But creativity isn’t a smooth ride. Sometimes it demands detours down grimy alleys of the mind, places no adult might want to visit, but which developing teens feel drawn to. As a teacher, you can choose to block such trends in your classroom and demand your students tread the straight and narrow line, forcing them to give up on writing or labour on by themselves, alone in the dark.

Or you can encourage imagination wherever you find it, explore the quirkier corners of writing with those who truly do ‘think outside the box’, and try to help even the most creatively wayward students find their true direction. If you do, you might help the next Poe, Mary Shelley or Stephen King to blossom.

Of course, you might inadvertently create the next Charles Manson too — but, hey, them’s the breaks!

*Silver Lisa is my pseudonym. I have a pseudonym. WOW!

mmmmmm Ice Cream

2007-09-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

I'm taking an online SLIS class called High Tech Learning. For my latest assignment, I was to create a video project where I was to learn something new. Check out my wiki on making pumpkin spice ice cream and be prepared to crave something sweet.

Deep Caverns Can Fill Empty Children

2007-08-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

The following essay was written as part of an assignment for the SLIS course I am taking as an IUPUI distances student (S603 High Tech Learning, Instructed by Annette Lamb, PhD):

Deep Caverns Can

Fill Empty Children

"Modern scientific stupidity masquerades as intellectual knowledge - which it is not. Real knowledge has to be earned by hard and painful thinking; it can't be generated in group discussions or group therapies but only in lonely sessions with yourself. Real knowledge is earned only by ceaseless questioning of yourself and others, and by the labor of independent verification; you can't buy it from a government agent, a social worker, a psychologist, a licensed specialist, or a schoolteacher. There isn't a public school in this country set up to allow the discovery of real knowledge - not even the best ones - although here and there individual teachers, like guerrilla fighters, sabotage the system and work toward this ideal. But since schools are set up to classify people rather than to see them as unique, even the best schoolteachers are strictly limited in the amount of questioning they can tolerate."

--John Taylor Gatto, "Confederacy of Dunces: The Tyranny Of Compulsory Schooling"

John Taylor Gatto, retired teacher and well-known critic of compulsory schooling, in his book, The Underground History of American Education, gives his "recipe for empty children," which essentially outlines fifteen commonly accepted and celebrated practices of institutionally-based schools that Gatto contends results in children who are void of meaningful learning experiences. Underground History aims to expose the genesis, history, and scope of the "new mass schooling which came about slowly but continuously after 1890," (Gatto, "American Education History Tour"). Gatto asserts that traditional institutional instruction in American has four specific purposes. The first three, "To make good people...To make good citizens...And to make each student find some particular talents to develop to the maximum," were existent even before the American Revolution. However, the fourth "new purpose" of institutional schooling, "to serve business and government," (which has been evolving slowly but surely since 1890), could only be implemented under the right conditions (id.):

[The fourth purpose] could only be achieved efficiently by isolating children from the real world, with adults who themselves were isolated from the real world, and everyone in the confinement isolated from one another.

Only then could the necessary training in boredom and bewilderment begin. Such training is necessary to produce dependable consumers and dependent citizens who would always look for a teacher to tell them what to do in later life, even if that teacher was an ad man or television anchor.] (id.)

I suspect that everyone who has experienced compulsory schooling can recall countless classroom situations where the instructor taught in a manner that Gatto would recognize the students as "empty children". In fact, Gatto would argue that this is unavoidable by the very nature of institutionalized schooling. Even the most aggressive school reform cannot hope to address this condition, as the production of empty children is a necessary component of the fourth purpose. In other words, turning out graduating classes of empty children is the ultimate goal within the context of mass schooling. Along this line, Gatto asserts:

School is a place where a comprehensive social vision is learned. Without a contrary vision to offer, the term "school reform" is only a misnomer describing trivial changes. Any large alteration of forced schooling, which might jeopardize the continuity of workers and customers that the corporate economy depends upon, is unthinkable without some radical change in popular perception preceding it. Business/School partnerships and School-to-Work legislation aren’t positive developments, but they represent the end of any pretense that ordinary children should be educated.

(Underground History)

Dr. Annette Lamb, IUPUI professor and leader in the field of Educational Technology, reflects on the relationship between the purposes of formal education, the potential use of technology in education, and the philosophies of John Taylor Gatto as follows:

As we explore ways to use new technologies, it's important that we reflect on the purpose of formal education. From mandates like No Child Left Behind to the constant barrage of new educational theories and methods, learners and their teachers are bombarded with conflicting messages about the role of formal education. The skyrocketing technology resources and tools for teaching and learning add to this information overload. With all these opportunities, does the American system of education promote eager thinkers or empty children? How? Why?

Watch the short video titled Empty Children. Some people would argue that formal education systems aren't meeting the needs of today's children. Do you agree or disagree? How can technology help fill the void of empty children or contribute to the problem? Do books like The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto promote misinformation or advocate real alternatives?

(Lamb, "High Tech Learning: Issues.")

After having read much of Gatto's Underground History, I realize that I cannot exhaustively answer Dr. Lamb's questions within the confines of this particular essay. According to Gatto, the issues surrounding Dr. Lamb's questions are amazingly complex and deeply intertwined within America's histories of politics, government, psychology, healthcare, education, economics, consumerism, religion, and beyond. However, just as I asserted above that any person who is a product of the American school system would be able to recognize clear instances of being taught as an "empty child", hopefully each of us has had moments of genuine and insightful learning that arose out of the assistance of a teacher who strove to promote the "whole child"[1], and, whether conscious of the existence of the four purposes of mass schooling or not, committed small acts of sabotage (Gatto,"Confederacy of Dunces") Unfortunately, these moments are all-to-rare and usually happen haphazardly, and cannot possibly counter the power of the fourth purpose of compulsory schooling.

Still, based upon Gatto's "recipe for empty children" (where the recipe for the "whole child" is to do the complete opposite of the empty child recipe), individuals charged with teaching America's children can take measures to try to counter the agenda of the fourth purpose and do so most effectively when they become aware of the genesis of institutionalized schooling as described by Gatto. Some of the major components of nurturing a "whole child" include developing the ability to self-teach, exhibiting self-sufficiency (including working for one's self as an adult rather than under the management of others), meaningfully engaging in private ritual ("such as the rituals of food preparation and family dining"), the learning of useful knowledge ("such as how to build a house, repair a car, make a dress"), the development of the instinct to question authority, and learning for the sake of learning itself.

In her article "Energize Your Program: Collaborating Across the Curriculum," Dr. Annette Lamb presents many specific examples of practical ways in which individuals teachers can do their best to battle the fourth purpose. Along this line, Dr. Lamb explains that:

While reading, writing, and mathematics are tools for expressing and understanding ideas and information, curricular areas such as art, music, health, and physical education inspire students to be active and creative. From books and blogs to GPS and video projects, this...stresses practical strategies for collaborating with teachers across the curriculum to address standards, as well as promote a passion for learning.

* * *
Energizing your program means creating synergy. This can be accomplished by combining resources and designing exciting, inquiry-rich environments.

In this article, and on a complementary webpage entitled "Keeping it Real: Active Learning," Dr. Lamb focuses on ways to incorporate multisensory activities that enhance the learning experience for students, especially those that are technologically-based. Technology-based activities are often more self-paced and are designed for students to work independent of direct instruction from the teacher. For example, Dr. Lamb provides links to virtual fieldtrips to such places as The Great Barrier Reef, Japan and Field Trip Earth, and online activities such as Be an Architect, Create a Sculpture, Symmetry Webquest, and Human Body Atlas.

However, the paradox remains that the distribution of grades will still be a part of even the most hands-on or independent activity (technologically-based or otherwise) that occurs within the formal classroom , which happens to be the 11th "ingredient" of Gatto's recipe for an empty child ("Grade, evaluate, and assess children constantly and publicly. Begin early. Make sure everyone knows his or her rank,") (Underground History). In addition, Gatto warns against the propensity for addition to technology in the 7th ingredient for an empty child ("Addict the young to machinery and electronic displays. Teach that these are desirable to recreation and learning both,") (id. )

Gatto sees the solution to "empty children" as lying outside of the confines of the walls of the institutionalized school:

At every school where I taught, I told kids that as long as they would do 90% of the work, and as long as the idea was there, and as long as they'd sit still for my lectures about the nuances of the idea, then I was willing to be their assistant. The major access road to self-development is raw experience, but schools often deny that to students. Memorizing notes off the board is not real work. Overthrowing a political dynasty that doesn't want a horrible monument to the horrible Lennon in Central Park is real work.

* * *

Let's shift to the world of business and work for a moment. Grades and gold stars in school prepare people for pay raises and promotions on the job, don't they?
They're BS. I'm against those things. But don't make me look like one of those romantic people who are against them because I don't want to see kids compete with one another. Grades don't measure anything other than your relevant obedience to a manager.

(Pink, "I'm a Saboteur.")

Further, in his presentation "A Map, a Mirror, and a Wristwatch," Gatto states:

[C]ertain basic tools of self-knowledge like mirrors, maps, clocks, and so on are kept away from children - at least in any classroom you would care to visit in New York City. Other basic tools aren't around either, like hammers, chisels, saws, glue, telephones, calendars, typewriters, paper, pens, scissors, rulers. They just aren't there, at least not in accessible places. Schools are stripped bare of effective tools, not because of lack of money but because the autonomy that tools confer works against the collective socialization logic schools are about.

Tools constitute a curriculum of power. This seems something too fundamental to belabor. It is hard to make tool-competent people into a proletariat. Did you ever wonder why kids don't do the cooking and serving in a school, or the glazing, wiring, plumbing, roofing, and furniture repair? I've wondered about that often. At any rate a malaise follows the withdrawal of tools from common life. Of 62 functioning classrooms in my intermediate school there is a clock in exactly one of them. And it's been years since I saw a student wear a wristwatch. What could be going on? Something spooky I can tell you.

A few months ago, as I was driving to work, I was listening to the Diane Rehm Show on NPR. Diana was interviewing Marietta McCarty, the author of a book called Little Big Minds: Sharing Philosophy with Kids . McCarty's book stems from the central premise that children are natural philosophers and includes 15 chapters, each one dealing with a specific philosophic concept and each concept being connected to two philosophers (for example, the concept of Nature is explored through the philosophies of Lau Tzu and Baruch Spinoza.) Little Big Minds is meant to act as a guide for sharing philosophy with children, whether you are a teacher, a parent, a relative, a mentor--basically the sky's the limit as to your role in the child's life. The "program" can be followed step-by-step, or simply whenever a teachable moment arises.

McCarty sets out a list of teaching techniques, including starting each structured session with quiet time: "Children gradually experience the benefits of becoming still, realizing that being calm makes clear thinking possible. Simply sitting in silence reduces mental clutter in any life, and kids find it curiously powerful to settle themselves," (xviii.) I can't help but think of the fact that the types of self-directed activities that technology makes possible are generally quiet ones, requiring calm inner reflection.

McCarty also points out the importance of using various mediums for investigating the various philosophical concepts, including art, music, poetry, and literature. I think that many of the activities suggested throughout Little Big Minds, therefore, would be well complemented from the wealth or resources available on the internet or other electronic materials.

Rather than by grading, McCarty suggests that a sense of completion in the form of a philosophy journal gives children a sense of satisfaction. Gatto would appreciate this aspect of Little Big Minds. Like Gatto, McCarty stresses the importance of the practicality of knowledge:

The best way to give philosophy staying power in the minds and hearts of students is to be sure that they can directly apply the philosopher's theories to their everyday lives. I frequently remind little big minds that the point of studying philosophy is to use it as a means to improve the quality of their lives. With clear thinking, young philosophers can discover how to become an important part of the world.
(xxiv.)

Admittedly, I decided to explore the work of John Taylor Gatto because I do tend to agree with much of his criticisms of compulsory schooling. During the brief time that I taught in a public school system, the same barriers that he described clashed with what I felt to be authentic learning. Moreover, I felt that being a teacher within the public school system stunted my own ability to feel passion for learning. With the technology available now, perhaps I would be able to use these tools to more effectively teach in the spirit of what Gatto and McCarty are advocating. However, formal grades and standardized testing are two of the biggest issues I struggle with most, and there simply is no getting around these things within the institutionalized school.

Additionally, I am an inquisitive person, however, I was not taught how to be a lover of learning by having completed my education within the public school system. It is self-directed learning and exploration that motivates me. By self-directed, I mean that in order for me to be motivated, I find some component of whatever it is that I set out to learn and seek to find some aspect that will improve me as a person. For instance, I realize that I've gone a bit overboard with this particular essay in both the length and depth of my exploration of John Taylor Gatto's philosophies. I tend to do this with most things, granted I have the time to do so (and sometimes even when I really don't!) I simply do not enjoy "going through the motions" to merely complete an assignment and achieve a decent grade. In fact, it's hard for me to get motivated when I'm presented with tasks that don't allow me to be challenged me in some way. I'd go so far to say that in many instances, I resent "busy work".

I think this arises out my day-to-day life experiences growing up, and to a large extent it is influenced by the challenges I faced as a child raised in a family that was dysfunctional to the extreme. I had a handful of mentors, some of which were guerrilla teachers, that inspired me (Gatto, "Confederacy of Dunces.") However, it was not the content or subject matter that these adults shared with me; rather it was the manner in which they showed respect towards their fellow human beings in a consistent, caring, and authentic manner. Additionally, I turned to books to take me away from the harsh realities I was often forced to endure. While I am fond of saying that books saved me life, I honestly don't believe I am exaggerating. In any event, the influence that books and the experience of reading had on me as a young girl cannot be overstated. Gatto verbalizes the value of books nicely as follows:

Real books are deeply subversive of collectivization. They are the best known way to escape herd behavior, because they are vehicles transporting their reader into deep caverns of absolute solitude where nobody else can visit: No two people ever read the same great book. Real books disgust the totalitarian mind because they generate uncontrollable mental growth - and it cannot be monitored!

Television has entered the classroom because it is a collective mechanism and, as such, much superior to textbooks; similarly, slides, audio tapes, group games, and so on meet the need to collectivize, which is a central purpose of mass schooling. This is the famous "socialization" that schools do so well. Schoolbooks, on the other hand, are paper tools that reinforce school routines of close-order drill, public mythology, endless surveillance, global ranking, and constant intimidation.

(id.)

The deep caverns of absolute solitude were exactly what I needed as a child, and since I desperately needed an escape, I was lucky to have found them. Working in a downtown urban public library, I see children everyday who are not so lucky. Gatto has given me some additional insights on how to do my part in helping these future adults.

Footnotes:

[1] Gatto uses the term "whole child" as the polar opposite of the "empty child," (Underground History).

Sources Consulted:

"Be an Architect." Sanford-artedventures.com. Sanford, a Newell Rubbermaid Company. 19 Aug 2007 <http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/arch2/index.html>.

Boyle, Deron R. "Sophistry, Dialectic, and Teacher Education: A Reinterpretation of Plato's Meno." Philospohy of Education 1996 102-109. 19 Aug 2007 <http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/EPS/PES-Yearbook/96_docs/boyles.html>.

Bruce, Adrian. "Symmetry Webquest." Adrian Bruce.com. 19 Aug 2007 <http://www.adrianbruce.com/Symmetry/>.

"Create a Sculpture." Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: Education: Art Interactive. Smithsonian Institute. 19 Aug 2007 <http://hirshhorn.si.edu/education/interactive/flash.html>.

"Diane Rehm Show: Marietta McCarty: "Little Big Minds" (Rebroadcast)." Wamu.org. 28 May 2007. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/07/05/28.php>.

"Diane Rehm Show: Marietta McCarty: "'Little Big Minds'" (Web Stream)." Wamu.org. 15 February 2007. 19 Aug 2007 <http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/07/02/r2070215-12659.ram>.

"Downloads: Search Results: John Taylor Gatto." Altruists.org. Altruists International. 19 Aug 2007 <http://www.altruists.org/downloads/search/?restype=0&rescategory=0&resauthors=John+Taylor+Gatto&restitle=Enter+Keyword>.

"Field Trip Earth." Field Trip Earth.org. North Carolina Zoological Society. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.fieldtripearth.org/>.

Gatto, John Taylor. "A Map, a Mirror, and a Wristwatch." SKOLE: The Journal of Alternative Education 11.22 (summer 1994): 48-69. 18 August 2007 <http://www.altruists.org/f871>.

----. "American Education History Tour: The Business of Schooling." The Odysseus Group: Challenging the Myths of Modern Schooling. 2003. The Odysseus Group. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history4.htm>.

----. "Confederacy of Dunces: The Tyranny Of Compulsory Schooling ." Speech presented at the University in Austin, Austin, TX. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.spinninglobe.net/condunces.htm>.

----. The Underground History of American Education: An Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling. New York: Oxford Village Press & The Odysseus Group, 2001. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm>.

Lamb, PhD., Annette. "Energize Your Program: Collaborating Across the Curriculum." Activate: The Journal of Technology-Rich Learning 6.1 (winter 2006) 18 August 2007 <http://eduscapes.com/sessions/energize/index.htm>.

----. "High Tech Learning: Issues." Eduscapes.com: High Tech Learning. 2006. Eduscapes.com. 18 Aug 2007 <http://eduscapes.com/hightech/overview/legal/index.htm#0>.

----. "Keeping it real: Active learning." 2006. Eduscapes.com. 18 Aug 2007 <http://eduscapes.com/sessions/real/real1.htm>.

"Human Body Atlas." Discovery Health.com. Discovery Communications. 19 Aug 2007 <http://health.discovery.com/tools/blausen/blausen.html>.

"Kids Web Japan." Web-Japan.org. Web Japan. 18 Aug 2007 <http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/>.

"Little Big Minds." Little Big Minds.com. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.littlebigminds.com/index.php>.

McCarty, Marietta. Little Big Minds: Sharing Philosophy with Kids. New York: Penguin Group (USA), 2006.

Pink, Daniel H.. "I'm a Saboteur." Fast Company 40 (October 2000): 242. 18 August 2007 <http://www.fastcompany.com/online/40/wf_gatto.html>.

"Virtual World: Great Barrier Reef." National Geographic.com. National Geographic. 18 Aug 2007 <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/reef/reef1_flash.html>.

Spread the word! Save a baby bird!

2007-08-16T22:19:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, I was watching Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. The host of Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe, was visiting Ohio's West Sister Island to help with the annual task of banding and counting newly hatched herons. West Sister Island is an 82 acre island located within Lake Erie and is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is managed and designated as a wilderness area and is home to a very large number of birds that are notable for their habit of vomiting and defecating from high in the trees the island. Due to this fact, West Sister Island has been nicknamed "Vomit Island."

The episode was quite entertaining (as is usual the case with Mike Rowe's adventures on Dirty Jobs). One particular scene struck me due to the fact that it brought to light the fact that something many of us were told as children is an Old Wives Tale. Namely, when a baby bird falls from its nest, I (and many kids) was told that you should leave it alone so that the mother bird does not detect the human scent on the young bird and, therefore, reject it. The truth of the matter is that you CAN handle to little chick. In fact, leaving it on the ground may very well mean that it will end up dead!

So, if you find a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, here are two good links to give you advice on what to do: http://www.raptorrehab.org/new/babyfind.htm and http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/default.aspx?c=a&id=514.

Spread the word! Save a baby bird!

The Cadaver Calculator

2007-06-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

$3275.00

What's your body worth??? Find out.

The Never-Ending "To Read" List

2007-04-23T21:41:00.000-05:00

In the last month, I've added at least 20 books to my "to read" list.
Three that I'm looking especially forward to are “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard, “The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann”, and “Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, from World War I to Iraq” by Olara A. Otunnu.

A co-worker and friend recommended her favorite book of all time, Annie Dillard's “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”.

The title doesn't appeal from me--it sounds very wholesome and
“Little House on the Prairie”-ish. However, my co-worker assures me that Pilgrim is quite beautiful and doesn't conform to any type of label that she can describe. That's enough for me to be intrigued. However, in looking a little further, I came across
Sandra Stahlman's webpage on “The Mysticism of Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”. In her essay, Ms. Stahlman concludes that:

Annie Dillard grapples with age-old questions with the knowledge and energy of a 20th century thinker. She is not limited to one religious point-of-view, and has at her disposal information from numerous fields of study. Sometimes it's as if she is burdened with the facts; knowing so much, she cannot take anything at face value, but looks from every angle, fitting the pieces to together to form a coherent picture. The nature of God, and of the human condition, does not escape her scrutiny. Annie takes the information she has acquired from her schooling and through reading many books, and mixes that together with the images she finds in nature. The result is Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - a poignant look at the mystical relationship between God and nature, and an attempt to synthesize the duality between suffering and beauty.

(My emphasis.)

I'm interested to see how far Dillard takes the “coherent picture“ and whether she sacrifices some of the mysticism in favor of establishing a sense of order.

Another day while I was circing (rhymes with working), Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, from World War I to Iraq compelled me to take a second look. R. Krithika of The Hindu eloquently states that:

Given the number of conflict-ridden areas in the world today, war has become a fact of life. Iraq, Sri Lanka, Somalia are perhaps the major war zones today. Countries like India, Pakistan and Indonesia also have areas that are prone to violent conflagrations. What is forgotten often is the impact of war on the common man. How do people live in the middle of war zones? More importantly how do children cope with the violence in their lives? Adolescents and young adults already face a tough time; what does war do to their crucial growing up years?

Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries from World War I to Iraq is a collection of extracts from the diaries of youngsters — teenagers to those in their early 20s. Youngsters whose lives changed suddenly through no fault of their own. This is a book that takes us right into the heart of what it means to live in the middle of violence - the fear of losing loved ones, even parents; no access to essentials like food and water; the gut-wrenching fear as you live through shelling and bombing...

I can't imagine living in this type of world as an adult. As a child, however, I find this beyond comprehension.

The cover of “The Man Who Melted” by Jack Dann caught my eye while checking in books in my capacity as a Circulation Associate. Thomas M. Wagner of SF Reviews.net writes:

The Man Who Melted is all about the secrets that hide beneath surfaces. It's about the way people deal with the collapse of everything that has defined their lives, and more specifically, the lies they tell themselves to avoid confronting terrible truths. Its future is one that has not fully recovered from the Great Scream, a global outbreak of collective
madness that saw millions of rioting lunatics — normal people who, as one character puts it, could not adjust to a "dysfunctional society" — come within a hair's breadth of destroying all society. But how can society be dysfunctional unless its people are dysfunctional first? The novel paints a future in which the inability of the individual to reconcile himself with society has resulted in an epidemic of schizophrenia that taps into the collective unconscious; the ironic result is that emotionally isolated individuals finally come together through
insanity and mob violence.

(My emphasis.)

OK, Mr. Wagner, you've hooked me. Bring it on.

Google and Belgian Newspaper Copyright Case: Headed for an Appeal

2007-02-13T18:18:00.000-05:00

On February 13, 2007, Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land reported that:

“[On re-hearing, a]… Belgium court has found that Google did violate copyright when including material from several Belgian newspapers in its search index. Google may have to pay a fine, but the ruling is far more positive for the company. Google can continue to index content without explicit permission...

Google loses copyright case launched by Belgian newspapers from the Associated Press and Google Breached Newspapers' Copyright, Court Rules from Reuters…explains that Google will have to pay a retroactively daily fine of €25,000 (about $32,000) for the it failed to remove content after Belgian newspaper group Copierpresse asked for removal of its members' material.”

Sullivan continued:

“I've just talked with Google's public relations department in Europe. Some more points on the story.

First, they are appealing the ruling. Didn't they already appeal it? No, it was a rehearing of the original case, granted because Google wasn't present to defend itself the first time. Now that the case has been reheard, an actual appeal to a higher court can happen.

* * *

I've now talked with Yoram Elkaim, legal counsel for Google who oversees Google News legal issues in Europe. First I asked more about the ruling is not seen by Google to set a precedent:

‘[Google replied], [b]ecause of the legal system in most European countries, there is no rule of precedence. That means the court here was really asked to apply the law on the specific situation and on the plaintiffs in this situation…’”

The Associated Press breaks this story down further:

“Copiepresse said the ruling was based on EU law and could trigger similar cases against Google in other nations, mentioning talks with copyright groups in Norway, Austria and Italy.

But Google said the judgment — which confirms an initial ruling in September — would not necessarily carry influence in other areas.

‘This ruling does not mean that everywhere else or every other judge in any other country would rule in the same, even in Belgium," said Yoram Elkaim, legal counsel for Google News. "There are conflicting rulings on those issues which are fairly new and complicated.’

U.S.-based technology lawyer Jonathan Band said the ruling was neither final — as it can be appealed to higher courts in Belgium — nor did it bear much weight since legal precedent is not as important in Continental European law.

‘I'm sure other newspaper publishers are probably going to read the decision carefully but the most important factor is that it's not the ultimate ruling,’ he said.

In the U.S., Internet search engines have been able to call on "fair use" to defend the republication of text excerpts and a similar system exists in British law.

‘On the Continent, they don't have that,’ he said.

Google said the court still had not settled the debate on what the ruling covered, claiming it only applied to Google News Belgium and google.be.

‘In our view we have complied with the ruling fully since September,’ Elkaim said.

If the court agrees, Google would not have to pay retroactive daily fines of €25,000 (more than US$32,000) for each day Google did not comply — far lower than an earlier judgment that threatened €1 million (US$1.3 million) a day.

But Copiepresse lawyer Bernard Magrez claimed Google was still not complying fully with the ruling — saying it covered google.com and other versions — meaning fines could run up to around €3 million (US$3.9 million) or €3.3 million (US$4.3 million).

Copiepresse is still negotiating similar copyright issues with Yahoo and MSN.”

For a look at the September 5, 2006 Order from Belgian Court, check out this link. Among other things, the Order states that:

“…[T]he defendant [is ordered] to withdraw the articles, photographs and graphic representations of Belgian publishers of the French - and German-speaking daily press, represented by the plaintiff, from all their sites (Google News and "cache" Google or any other name within 10 days of the notification of the intervening order, under penalty of a daily fine of
1,000,000.- € per day of delay”

The best warm fuzzies come in unexpected packages

2007-02-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

I work as a Circulation Associate at the Main/downtown library in my city. Admittedly, I am actively seeking a Para position within my library system, but right now I am savoring the uniqueness of working the frontlines of the library. When patrons enter the building, my co-workers and I are the first or second group of people they see (the other prominent figures are the security guards). My department deals with a lot of people, and it often seems that many of these interactions arise out of frustrations and problems that the patrons have.

For a few months now, I’ve been making an extra-conscious effort to really be present when interacting with each patron that I am interacting with. Not that I did not do this before, but I wanted to take things to the next level. It’s easier some days than others. On a very basic level, one of the things that I try to do is to picture (with my mind’s eye) my heart opening to each person and to look into the eyes of the other, if even just for a moment.

But, again, sometimes it takes a lot of effort when your mind or heart is elsewhere. A couple of days ago, while my body was at work, my mind was on Maggie Gyllenhaal’s latest movie to be released on dvd, SherryBaby (which I had watched just before leaving for work that day). Even more, I was thinking about a family matter that had recently come up...one of those things that you can’t really do anything about, but which bothers you nonetheless.

With about 3 hours left of work, I had one gentleman approach me with the problem, which explanation lasted about five minutes. Bottom line: there was a movie on his library card which he claimed HAD been returned. Although this is an estimate, of the times when patrons claim to have returned movies that are still on their records, it seems that about 80% of the movies are not on the shelves and have seemed to have disappeared into thin air. In other words, I did not expect to find the movie on the shelf, and was a bit too tired to really put a lot of effort into this quest.

However, the movie was there all along! My spirits immediately lifted and as I exited the Audiovisual department to head back to my post at the Return Desk, I announced to a co-worker that my faith in man had been restored for the evening. He laughed at me and shook his head. As I walked away, I think I could feel him smile warmly at my optimism, though.

Moments later, a young girl who I recognized as a after-school regular saw me heading down the stairs and asked if worked at the library. I let her know that I did and asked her what I could do to help her out. Suddenly, she was close to crying as she explained to me that her grandmother had let her borrow her library card to use as a computer pass and to check out some books. Somehow, she had lost the card. I brought her down to the return desk with me and had her sit down for a moment. I knelt down beside her and quietly explained that I’d make a note in grandma’s record that the card was misplaced.

To take her mind off the situation a bit, I asked the girl to write her name down for me in her very best handwriting. I then let Shae (yes, a pseudonym) that I’d write in grandma’s record that Shae could still check out some books that evening. I made a computer pass up for her, and made sure she knew that I believed losing the card was an accident. I let her know that I’d be up in the same area that she was using the computers in shortly, and that we’d keep an eye out for the card for the rest of the evening.

Shae checked back with me a few more times to see if the card had been turned in. She still seemed very worried, as she thought that grandma would need to pay for a replacement card, although I let her know that it would be free. She told me she was scared of getting in trouble and wanted me to speak to her grandma. Suddenly, it occurred to her that maybe she lost the card down the elevator shaft. I suspected this was her grasping at straws to make up any story that sounded like a plausible accident, as I had done this same things many times when I was a child. The fear of getting a spanking or even just being yelled at for being irresponsible (yet again) was enough to make me become a master storyteller. I recognized this in Shae, but followed her to the elevator shaft to check out how we might retrieve grandma’s lost card.

I assured Shae once again that accidents happen, and joked with her that next time maybe she should wear pants with pockets. I stressed that I believed she had learned an important lesson. Still, she was close to crying again. I told her that I’d write her a note to give to grandma if she gave me a few minutes to do so. I knew the note would probably do more for Shae than for grandma, but hoped that maybe Shae’s grandma would go easier on her if I stressed the fact that getting a replacement card would be easy and free. I gave the note to Shae and told her that, although I could not keep her from getting in trouble, I believed that it was an accident.

Maybe ten minutes later, Shae returned, skipping up to me with the biggest smile. The card had been found. She gave me back the note, and gave me a huge thank you.

By then, I think I was just has happy as Shae that she had found grandma’s card.

So, what does David Bowie read?

2007-02-03T19:03:00.001-05:00

On 17 January, 2007, BiblioTech Web drew attention to the fact that Art Garfunkel has an ongoing list of books he's read over the last 3 decades. Scott Pfitzinger (the author of BiblioTech Web) attributes the discovery of this gem to “Steven Cohen at Library Stuff who got it from Jessa Crispin at Bookslut who got it from David at Largehearted Boy.”

Check Mr. Garfunkel's Library out for yourself! Of note is the fact that his top 5 favorite books are:

1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Confessions, 1781, 606 pp. (read in Jun. 1968)

2. Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving, 1956, 146 pp. (read in Jun. 1968)

3. P.D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, 1949, 389 pp. (read in Oct. 1968)

4. L.N. Tolstoy, War and Peace, 1869, 1444 pp. (read in Feb. 1969)

5. Philip Roth, Portnoy's Complaint, 1969, 274 pp. (read in May 1969)

Along this line, retired librarian, Glenna Nowell, is the editor of the “Who Reads What?” reading list, which began in 1988. This list features books that famous and influential people have read. In 2004, Today Show celebs Al Roker and Anne Curry were reading “Devil in a Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley and “The Once and Future King” by T.H.White, respectively. In 1994, Lamb Chop's mom, Shari Lewis, commented that, “Generally, the book I'm reading at the moment is my favorite--however, my all time fave is Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. Great tragic strong female character, bucking the social mores.”

So, my original question was, “What does David Bowie read?” His lovely letter to Glenna Nowell says it best:

“Dear Miss Nowell:

I was so delighted to have been asked to contribute to your list as I am an obsessive reader, and, it seems to me, I spend half my life recommending books to friends--and to complete strangers at times!

However, actually putting my short list together nearly paralyzed me with indecision. I read something like three books a week, so trimming down became an exceptionally daunting prospect.

These few are works that really stayed with me and I can assure the reader of a jolly good time with any of the following. Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders by Robertson Davies. These books form a trilogy so read them in order. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. Wonderfully surreal. Money by Martin Amis. Funny, bitter, extremely British. Brazzaville Beach, by William Boyd. Caring, poignant and terribly romantic. The Viveroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin. One of the greatest writers of this last twenty years. Libra by Don Delillo. Alarming and American.

I should also note that if you like any of these books please don't hesitate to read the rest of the works by any of these authors. Their entire output is just great. I'd love to hear your opinion.

Please ask me for another list next year as I keep remembering works that cast their spell on my sponge-like mind.

Kind regards,

David Bowie”

Although I've only recently started, my own reading list contains books I've read, books on my “to read list”, and books I think my husband would enjoy. The service I use is called Bibliophil. I like the feature of looking for readers with similar tastes to my own where I can get even more ideas on books to add to my wishlist.

Taking RSS into your own hands

2007-02-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

BiblioTech Web has recently featured a cool new service called Page2RSS. While most sites now provide RSS feeds, there are inevitably some out there that do not, making this tool especially useful.

Even better, it's so simple to use. You may either go right to their website and enter the webpage you want to monitor in a box that will convert the web address to RSS, or you can add a button or bookmark to your browser toolbar. Once Page2RSS has converted the web address to RSS, simply copy and paste the link into your favorite aggregator.

Being a fellow RSS Bigot , I began wandering around the web a bit to find some interesting mashups that incorporate RSS.

Something that immediately caught my eye is an RSS mashup site called BaeBo. The RSS Weblog give a great description of Baebo:

“[BaeBo]acts as a meta search engine reaching into Amazon, Google, eBay, Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube, and Technorati. You cannot mash all the search results into one feed, but you can merge Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo! Shopping into a single product feed, which is damn convenient. The site is weak on design, but it works. Used to be called Longtail, but (according to a posted explanation) that term has been trademarked by its popularizer, Chris Anderson. The mashup site is now called BaeBo, and is operated by Fancis Shanahan. (BaeBo is the language spoken in the Solomon islands ... perhaps it has other meanings, too.)”

Apparently, BaeBo's results may also be viewed through WML on your Blackberry you feel so compelled to go that route.

RSS Alley, created by Adam Green, uses Google Maps APIy to display the locations of some companies and bloggers actively working with RSS in the Boston area. Green writes that,
“Boston has become a center for innovation based on the RSS standard, so it is fitting that it be known as RSS Alley.This map displays the locations of some of the companies, blogs, and people actively working with RSS and OPML in the Boston area.” Submissions to RSS Alley are made by sending an email to Green.

PackageMapping.com allows you to track your UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL packages with Google Maps and RSS feeds. You simply enter your tracking number and up pops a detailed manifest of your package's details as well as a map showing your package's route. Too cool.

Finally, SixDegrees mashes RSS feeds with the ClearForest Content Analysis Services API, finding the connection or six-degrees of separation between topics. The real value of this mashup is detailed by the author of SixDegrees, Francis Shanahan, who notes that “should you so desire, I have exposed the capabilities of the service through SOAP and REST interfaces so that developers can build on top of the data collected.” Admittedly, much of what Shanahan says about SixDegrees is over my head, but the concept sounds pretty intriguing to me.

2007-02-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

On 26 January 2007, LibrarianActivist.org featured a game “Homelessness: It’s No Game”. It was created by a student for a graduate-level course on game design at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University.

The game's creator states that, “The intent of the game is to raise awareness of the situation faced by the homeless, as well as to aid in my research into the effectiveness of serious videogames.”

The "Librarian Activist" went on to explain that “Although the concept has lots of potential, the execution (at least in the current version) is lacking. This Flash-based game asks you to simulate life on the streets by taking on the role of a homeless person. You wander a small area of a city picking up bottles and other items to sell, panhandling, dealing with hunger pangs and a heavy bladder, visiting parks, diners and churches while avoiding trouble and trying to earn “esteem” points by your actions. You have a 24-hour window (accelerated obviously) to earn 24 esteem points. If you do, you “win” the game. If not…well, I don’t know what happens if not since I’ve played the game four times and never “lost” once (I think my record was raising my esteem enough was before 10 hours were up out of the 24.)”

The idea of games as a catalyst for change in the real world has been taken on by the Serious Games Initiate, whose goal is:

“...to help usher in a new series of policy education, exploration, and management tools utilizing state of the art computer game designs, technologies, and development skills.

As part of that goal the Serious Games Initiative also plays a greater role in helping to organize and accelerate the adoption of computer games for a variety of challenges facing the world today.”

The Serious Games Initiative emerged in 2002 and has been evolving ever since. In 2004, a subgroup was formed called “Games for Change” (G4C) “which acts as a national hub to help organizations network and develop videogame projects beyond their traditional expertise.
Our members represent hundreds of organizations and include partners in the games industry, academia, nonprofits, local and state governments, foundations, the UN and artists.”

The 3rd annual Games for Change conference was hosted in New York City by
Parsons The New School for Design on June 27th through 28th, 2006. Apparently, this is the only conference that is strictly dedicated to the Digital Games for Social Change movement. Speakers and exhibiters at the conference included activists, non-profits, and academics, as well as game designers.

For anyone interested, on “Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6 at the Moscone Convention Center North in San Francisco during GDC 2007, the Summit provides a forum for game developers and industry professionals to examine the future course of serious games development in areas such as education, government, health, military, science, corporate training, first responders, and social change.”