This story from the German news Spiegel asks the question of whether the health officials around the world overreacted. I am not saying people should not get vaccinated. Far from it. If you are able, go get a shot. However, the swine flu is probably not as much a big deal as the American press is making it out to be. So, don't be hysterical. Calm down. Get some general information to learn about it (the CDC has some good information here).

http://www.cnn.com/video/?JSONLINK=/video/us/2009/...

A strip club in Florida offers free flu shots and gourmet lunch to senior citizens. WESH's Gail Paschall reports.

I just want to know how come we do not have such a thoughtful member of the community here in Tyler to do this sort of thing: lunch AND a flu shot for free, with beautiful ladies prancing around too. Can you ask for more? Folks, please get your flu shot. For the H1N1, you may have to wait a bit. I already got the regular shot.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/09/03/usne... Shared via AddThis

http://www.life.com/image/71948810/in-gallery/2793...

When they say intense, they do mean it. This is a very interesting collection of propaganda posters from World War II. My favorite one is the one about ideas being weapons, and weapons win wars.

I was going to put this over at The Itinerant Librarian, but as I type this Blogger is having another of its annoying down times. Who knows when they will get it fixed. Anyhow, this particular quiz actually catches my views fairly accurate. Overall, I tend to be very libertarian for some things and very liberal for others, which I think the quiz catches well. For many out there, it may be worth trying it out.


My Political Views
I am a left social libertarian
Left: 6.73, Libertarian: 4.62

Political Spectrum Quiz
My Foreign Policy Views
Score: -5.48

Political Spectrum Quiz
My Culture War Stance
Score: -6.56

Political Spectrum Quiz



A hat tip to Liz's Tavern.

News story of how ranchers are using Twitter in Texas (wink wink). Via the Texas Cockroach.

See link from CNN for the story:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/religion.torture/...

The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.

* * *

Let's just say this does not make the religious folk look well. And notice that the National Association of Evangelicals has yet to comment. What? Is it something they actually have to think about? Or they are just going to try to spin the survey so they do not come out as the barbarians and bigots that they are? I am not afraid to call a spade a spade; I have no sympathy for people who use Jesus or their religion as an excuse to be ignorant bigots who favor torture. I was watching Jon Stewart last night (I think it was last night), and he had some highlights of his interview of some torture expert, someone who basically favors torture, and Stewart made the point I always make when it comes to this: the U.S. is the nation that the rest of the world looks up to. They should be better than their enemies. When they torture, even because of fear, it lowers them to the level of the terrorists. It allows other nations to say, "you see. The U.S. is not that great. Look how they ignore international laws, Geneva Conventions, and torture just like some other Third World Nation." And I have to agree. What makes U.S. torture any different than something like Argentina's Dirty War? Or the desaparecidos in Chile? When the U.S. engages in torture, it lowers itself to the level of the terrorists it is trying to fight. We are better than that and should behave accordingly.

The link below does have some interesting points that few have thought about. This comes from TruthDig:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090429_the_e...

The best point for me was:

"Republicans took the view that anyone can make it if only he tries and ignored the tsunami of global economic change that drowned old assumptions and became a riptide pulling down the wages and job prospects of average workers. Democrats, particularly liberals, denied the reality that some students aren’t equipped for or interested in college, and came to view vocational education as a form of unacceptable “tracking” with racial implications."

At the end of the day, both major political parties are to blame for the economic mess that the nation is in right now. And as someone who has worked in eduction, public schools and higher education, it does irk me that anything less than college is poo-pooed by so-called experts. Indeed, a lot of good kids could become plumbers, electricians, etc., but they may end up in a life of crime and jail because they did not make it in college (whether due to lack of interest or the skill to be in college).

The article is certainly worth a look.

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2009/03/27/ph...

This article is a very good look at things they never tell you if you want to have an academic career as a professor. I think this is a must-read for my friends and any student thinking of a career in higher education involving a faculty position. In this terrible economy, tenure can be a very big gamble.  For me, this is a big reason why I do not favor tenure lines for librarians (or other hybrid rankings). It is like gambling, and the house is setting rules and odds; I like to keep my options open.This has nothing to do with being evaluated; that is a separate issue, and I do welcome the evaluative process as a learning experience. However, tenure is often a very arbitrary and subjective process. No matter how the rules are written, it is, as the article describes, like joining a fraternity or sorority. If they don't like you, it does not matter how good or outstanding you are, you pretty much lost those years of work and have to start over. This is a big reason I personally do not believe or buy into the idea of academic librarians pursuing tenure lines. That and the fact that often those requirements intervene with the actual job of being a librarian. But that is my take. I am sure a lot of happily tenured librarians (who likely have forgotten by now the hell they went through in their tenure-tracked "hazing" days) will be happy to tell you differently. The bottom line: it is not a career decision to be taken lightly.