Books, books and more books

Posted by Pariahjane

I found this list while surfing along the good ol' world wide web. Even though the title of the article claims that these books are a 'must have' for a man's library I think that both genders would benefit from reading these. Well, perhaps not ALL of them but certainly most.

I will be the first to admit that I don't read nearly as much as I should and I definitely plan on bookmarking this article the next time I head over to the local library or bookstore. The guys over at The Art of Manliness did a really good job compiling this list, which ranges from the classics to, well, The Boy Scouts Handbook. Plus, they give a nod to Tom Robbins' Another Roadside Attraction as well as Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged so I trust their taste in books.

Another point of interest for me was their blurb about reading the Bible:

Despite being one of the most religious Industrialized nations,
America’s religious literacy is horrible. If asked to name one of the Ten
Commandments or one of Jesus’ apostles, many Americans wouldn’t be able to do
it. The problem is half the books on these lists make Biblical references that
must be known by the reader for them to understand the message of that book. If
a Western man desires to understand the culture that surrounds him, he needs to
have a thorough understanding of the Book that has shaped that culture.
In addition, the Bible is full of ancient counsel and advice that is applicable to
today’s man, whether you’re a believer in God or not.

They are absolutely correct. It doesn't matter whether you believe the Bible is the word of God or a bunch of bunk it's writings have certainly influenced our culture and, consequently, our literature. Frankly, I have a hunch that if there were more people who actually read the Bible there would be more atheists out there.

I was thinking about making myself a summer reading list and will certainly include some of the books recommended. There is something about a good book that beats any TV program, movie or video game any day. One of the last books I read, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova had me so enthralled I couldn't put it down while driving across Washington state on vacation. (I wasn't the one driving, obviously) I was told I missed some really beautiful views but I just couldn't take my eyes off the page.

There is something about the written word that evokes more emotion in me than watching a storyline unfold on the screen. Perhaps it's because more of my imagination is required when reading - I become part of the book, in a sense.

I miss reading and I know I don't have an excuse not to read; I tend to get my information and entertainment online. I'm not necessarily saying there is a problem with. There are times that I feel I'm not retaining the information. After all; if I need it again I can just look it up with a few keystrokes. Retrieving information from a book is different. At times I find it harder to concentrate on a novel or non-fiction piece and I suspect that it may be because of my heavy Internet usage. The constant surfing and distractions have brought out my inner ADD. That, I suppose, is for an entirely different post.

If anyone has other 'must reads', please let me know. It would be great to pass along that information. Especially if the novels are from lesser known (or unknown) authors. I'm sure there are more than a few gems that have fallen through the cracks.

The Idiocy of Banning Books

Posted by Pariahjane

Books have probably been banned since the first one was written - and it's something that is still done today in some countries. According to this article, Tango Makes Three has once again been awarded the top slot for objectionable books. The story is about a penguin who has two fathers and some parents feel this book might give kids the idea that a homosexual lifestyle is acceptable. Forget about promoting the idea of understanding with children that what makes up a family may be different from what they know. Just ban it because the content conflicts with their beliefs or they are too scared to face their own homophobia, not to mention complete ignorance. On a side note, having two fathers does not necessarily mean the parents are homosexual…but, again, understanding is not at the top of the agenda for these people.

Other books on the ALA's top 10 list include Maya Angelou's memoir "I Know
Why the Caged Bird Sings," in which the author writes of being raped as a young
girl; Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," long attacked for
alleged racism; and Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass," an anti-religious
work in which a former nun says: "The Christian religion is a very powerful and
convincing mistake."

I don't see anything wrong with parents objecting to books but I do think some people go too far when they call for a book to be banned. If you don't feel a book is acceptable to your children that's your opinion and you have a right not to allow your child to read the book. Calling for a ban of the book so no one can read it goes beyond that.

There is nothing wrong with parents monitoring what their OWN children read, in fact, I think it is the responsibility of a parent to be educated and aware of what their child is up to, including which books they are reading. Objecting to books because their content is violent, such as 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' is just plain ridiculous in my opinion. I understand that parents want their children to be protected from darker aspects of life; unfortunately that isn't going to change the fact that violence, such as rape, happens. Use novels like these to teach your children about life. Let them learn from it.

Same goes for 'Huckleberry Finn'. This novel is set in an American era where racism was still rampant. Rather than try to bury a dark part of American history, use this book to explain to your children that at one time racism was acceptable and then show them why that kind of thinking is wrong and leads to ignorance and hatred.

The literature that is chosen for schools is chosen because it provides a learning experience for your kid. Books are a safe way to introduce children to ideas, different cultures, different lifestyles... even different worlds. Schools have more pressing issues to deal with than whether or not the context of a novel is deemed violent of offensive.

Bible is the favorite book in the US?

Posted by Pariahjane

No wonder this country is going to hell in a hand basket. According to this article even though Americans couldn't seem to agree on the number 2 book it was pretty clear that the Bible was number 1.

If the majority of these people read the Bible as fiction I wouldn't have a problem with the book. After all, it is deserving of its number 1 place. The stories are both amazing and captivating works of fiction. A little scary, too. It's really got everything, sex, violence, retribution...

The problem I have is that most people don't read the Bible as fiction; they think that all those impossible stories are actually true. Are we a country full of the deluded?

Of course, I'm not saying that people shouldn't read the Bible. I just wish they would read it with a critical mind.

Book Suggestions For The George W. Bush Presidential Library

Posted by BGH

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Well, in honor of George W. Bush's Presidential Library announcement, here are a few book suggestions that could be placed within the stacks, maybe he will read them and learn where he might have erred.

[These are actual books, you can click on the covers to find out more]

I am sure he has this one already.


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When political correctness goes too far

Posted by Pariahjane

Original article

The version of the Three Little Pigs has been rejected from an awards panel because it 'might offend Muslims'. Give me a break!!!!

A story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale has been turned by a
government agency's awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims.
The digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who
warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

Enough already. If we continue along this route we won't have anything left to read, watch, listen etc. And to the Muslims - stop demanding that everyone cater to your religion!!! Actually, that goes for every religion. Just because you find it offensive doesn't mean that the rest of us do. If you don't like it - too bad. Get over it. No one is trying to insult your religion with a children's book.

The judges also attacked Three Little Cowboy Builders for offending
builders.


The book's creative director, Anne Curtis, said the idea that including
pigs in a story could be interpreted as racism was "like a slap in the face".

I'm pretty sure that adults in the 'building' field can understand that it's a fictional story and that it is not the author's intention to undermine their career by equating them to pigs.

The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate
pigs: "Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown
down, and builders are like pigs?"

Have we really become so overly sensitive? It's a fictional children's tale. That's like saying The Color Purple is offensive to African Americans.

It is a fact of life that people will have differing opinions and ideas of what is offensive and what is not. Every time something innocuous like this comes under scrutiny it gives way for more harmless subjects to be questioned as 'offensive'.

Should we no longer air any cartoons of Porky Pig? Where does it end?

People do not have a right not to be offended. Get a thicker skin.

"Life After People" On The History Channel

Posted by BGH

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What looks like a rather interesting idea for a television production will be aired on The History Channel tomorrow, January 21, 2008. Click image to visit the History Channel site.


I listened to a Scientific American podcast regarding this topic a while back with author, Alan Weisman, who wrote a book called, The World Without Us.

Basically, the premise is, what would happen to Earth, our buildings, our infrastructure, the animals and everything we know about our environment as it is today, if mankind were to completely vanish in the blink of an eye. I am interested to see how in depth the topic is covered, such as the decay of man-made materials, namely plastic and rubber, how animals would adapt to their new free reign, and how soon overgrowth would take place.

I found this factoid about light pollution, in the absence of people.

"Pretty quickly - 24, maybe 48 hours - you'd start to see blackouts because of the lack of fuel added to power stations," says Gordon Masterton, president of the UK's Institution of Civil Engineers in London.

I find this topic fascinating and Alan Weisman did an excellent job of presenting it on the podcast, I hope the program is just as intriguing.

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Looks Like They Are Trying To Exploit A Target Audience (Photos)

Posted by BGH

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I don't think Christians should necessarily take this as an insult, but what are they saying to their flock?

Get them all, and more, at Amazon.com.

(Edit - These are ACTUAL books titles on Amazon, nothing has been changed for the sake of humor)

Book recommendation: Truth, Lies, and Public Health

Posted by JCE

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The full title of the book - "Truth, Lies, and Public Health: How We Are Affected When Science and Politics Collide" - accurately describes the content of the book. The author, Dr. Madelon Finkel, professor of clinical public health, director of the Office of Global Health Education and director of Cornell Analytics Consulting Services (CACS) at Weill Cornell Medical College sums up the problem:

"While political activists and the government can bring much-needed attention and money to a public health problem, politics can also poison science," says Dr. Finkel. "Over the last two decades, politics and ideology have increasingly hijacked and distorted science to serve its own purposes -- often ignoring incontrovertible evidence and preventing much-needed policies to improve public health."

Here is the description from Amazon.com:

The "politicalization" of research findings has become prevalent over the past two decades. Politics often prevents the implementation of policy supported by irrefutable science. Most of us understand something about how this is happening with stem cell research, but Cornell's Madelon Finkel delves deep into the subject to make the issues clear, also revealing how ideology and politics are distorting, diminishing, and destroying scientific research results regarding topics from needle exchange to medical marijuana use and HIV/AIDS prevention. When ideology--whether it is the ideology of scientists and clinicians or of politicians--distorts scientific findings and public health judgment, public welfare is endangered, potentially affecting every person in our nation. Finkel also discusses how research is funded and how ideology has influenced that process. Numerous examples are given to illustrate the consequences of co-opting the scientific integrity of a program in this way. Public health policies traced back and discussed in this book include those focused on: BLContraception BLThe Global AIDS epidemic BLStem Cell research BLMarijuana as medicine BLNeedle exchange programs BLTuberculosis control BLDietary supplements BLSilicone breast implants BLObesity BLVaccination and disease prevention.

It is a bit pricey (for my budget anyway) but it may well be worth every penny. Science has alternated between being a political godchild to being a politically unwanted stepchild depending on who is in office and the public deserves to know how they are being manipulated. Science benefits all of us - from advances in medicine to better home construction - and it is time politicians stop using it for their own personal agenda advancement.

I am not entirely sure when it happened, but at some point we stopped taking national pride in our scientific community. We expect them to attract the brightest and the best students while their funding is based more on whim than need. We demand the very best at the very lowest cost or inconvenience to ourselves and yet we do not consistently provide the necessary tools to make this happen.

Quite simply, we as the public need to guard science from the political abuse to which is has been subjected.
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Banned Books Week

Posted by Pariahjane

I came across this interesting page while perusing the American Library Association. It has information regarding banned and challenged books, mostly through the 90's and 2000's. There are lots of links and a ton of information regarding banning books. For example, here is the list of challenged books for 2006:

The "10 Most Challenged Books of 2006" reflect a range of themes, and
consist of the following titles:
"And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson
and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age
group;
"Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual
content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
"Alice" series
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
"The
Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual
content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
"The
Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and
unsuited to age group;
"Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for
occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and
insensitivity;
"Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and
offensive language.
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for
homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age
group
"Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and
unsuited to age group;
"The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual
content, offensive language, and violence.

I am against all forms of censorship. If you don't like something then don't read it, or listen to it, or watch it, etc. I haven't read many of the books on this list and I gather that many of them are directed toward pre-teen and teens but that is no excuse for these books to be banned.

I have read Beloved and The Bluest Eye. They are both wonderfully written and very heartfelt. And yes, they contain sexual content and 'bad' language. The Bluest Eye was absolutely wrenching to read and I see no reason why a person should be sheltered from writing such as that. It's called life and it is not always pleasant.

It's a shame that people don't read books very much anymore. It's also a shame that parents feel the need to lobby and protest various books because they dislike the content or it goes against their beliefs. The more books that are not making it onto the shelves, the more information we are losing. This includes fiction. Fiction expands our minds, introduces us to new ideas, new cultures and new ways of thinking. Without this knowledge we cannot grow and educate ourselves.

Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and
receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for
free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a
question, cause or movement may be explored.

Intellectual freedom is the basis for our democratic system. We expect
our people to be self-governors. But to do so responsibly, our citizenry must be
well-informed. Libraries provide the ideas and information, in a variety of
formats, to allow people to inform themselves.
Intellectual freedom
encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas.

I understand that some parents are concerned about the content because they want to protect their children. However, I think it is intellectually stunting not to allow your child to read something because you feel the content is anti-family or homosexual. Granted, I know it depends on the age of the child but by high school I think most kids have enough maturity to be able to handle reading books that might contain uncomfortable content or foul language. Reading a book that has homosexual themes is not going to make your kid gay.

The primary responsibility for rearing children rests with parents. If
parents want to keep certain ideas or forms of expression away from their
children, they must assume the responsibility for shielding those children.
Governmental institutions cannot be expected to usurp or interfere with parental
obligations and responsibilities when it comes to deciding what a child may read
or view.

We cannot allow these books to be banned because someone doesn't like the themes. They can be challenged to the ends of the earth as any person has the right to do so but they absolutely should not be banned anywhere. No one has the right to choose what we should read.

This page provides some more information on intellectual freedom and censorship

Phillip Pullman - The Dark Materials

Posted by Pariahjane

Thanks to all the hullabaloo about the movie The Golden Compass I have discovered a trilogy that I cannot put down. Phillip Pullman is an utter genius and a wonderful story teller.

Another interesting aspect of these novels is it's anti-church themes. Thus the controversy about this film. In the books, the Magisterium is the Catholic Church and it wishes to control not just it's own world but the many worlds that are outside of it.

Seriously, I cannot recommend these books enough. I urge everyone out there to grab a copy. His characters have depth, the plots twist and turn and are never boring. His description is intense.

I had a chance recently to see the movie and it was pretty good. The graphics were outstanding. Didn't quite do the book justice but then again, when do they ever?

The Dark Materials Website

Phillip Pullman's Website

The Golden Compass Movie