Warning: Political Ranting

ObDisclaimer: My rants! No one else's! Nyaah!

* 1st Presidential Debate: Rude much, McCain? I have to admit: for a long time I liked McCain, and not because he's one of my state senators. But ever since this whole race started, he just keeps dropping in my estimation. Watching the debate - just the rudeness he displayed to Obama - floored me. Shame! (But, hey, at least there was a debate, and the grandstanding from earlier in the week came to nothing.)

* Bailout Whining: If Pelosi's speech didn't actually change the bill (and, erm, it didn't), then why should what she said affect how folks were going to vote? Regardless of how I feel about the bailout bill itself (which I promise not to get into here), this whining and finger-pointing about "Those almost-votes didn't vote because of what she said, waah, waah" reminds me much too much of my 3-year-old son's schoolroom. Grow up, people!

* "Gotcha" journalism: If you don't want what you said quoted back to you and it shows you up badly, oh, I don't know, check your facts first. Or, gee, don't say it at all. (I laughed and laughed when McCain told Obama "That's not something you say out loud" and then Palin pretty much said exactly what Obama had the next day. Priceless.)

* The upcoming VP debate: Can. Not. Wait. I don't think it's going to change much race-wise, but boy, is it going to be entertaining (one way or the other).

Save Net Radio

Today is net radio's Day of Silence, and boy, is it loud. Royalty rates for webcasters have been tripled; not only that, but tripled and made retroactive for 18 months, effective July 15th! What does this mean for you? It means the best music online will effectively be stopped - Pandora, Shoutcast, EpiphanyRadio, basically any streaming radio station not backed by the big bucks of the RIAA. I don't know about you, but I love my net radio stations - considering the dearth of decent non-mainstream radio where I live - and life would be a whole lot blander without those choices.

Contact your Congressperson (I did) and ask them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act (S. 1353 and H.R. 2060, already introduced). Please. We as librarians are supposed to stand for freedom of speech, and freedom of choice - that should extend to music as well as to books and web sites.

Random Thoughts du Jour

Today is my Friday, as tomorrow is a work holiday (Rodeo Day... only in Tucson do businesses and schools close for the rodeo). Some of the things bouncing around in my head:

* Drupal ain't so bad after all! I found my Rosetta stone; more coming next week after I've had a chance to implement some of what I learned. (check out The Cherry Hill Company)

* These are just too funny. (found via Caveat Lector)

* LibraryThing users contributed some really cool images for the "10 million books / valentines / presidents book pile contest". Check out the winners! Then go check out the Flickr group for all the participants. (found via the LT Blog)

* Since when did the proper name for something become so offensive? (found via lots of blogs; Jessamyn summed it all up best. Sheesh.)

* This situation is just abhorrent. If you've read this for any length of time, you've probably picked up on the fact that I'm a military brat. My dad was in the Air Force; both my grandfathers were in the Army Air Corps. I went to school on an AFROTC scholarship, and if I hadn't blown my knee out in basic I'd most likely be continuing the tradition. I still feel very strongly about the military, especially how veterans are treated. This is... horrific and disgusting and intolerable.

OK. *deep breath* back to your regularly scheduled library-related postings...

Another beautiful 79° day in sunny Tucson.

If you aren't scared, you should be.

(Warning, it's another political posting!)

The "I don't want to, you can't make me" situation continues. It seems that Dick Cheney is refusing to submit required staff information to the government-published "Plum Book" because he claims "The Vice Presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive branch nor a part of the legislative branch", so therefore is exempt. Guess we have a fourth branch of government! Did you know about this? I sure didn't. Read more at the Carpetbagger Report: Part I and Part II.

ARRGH.

found via Library Juice