Mike Washburn

I know it’s been forever since I blogged, sorry, I just rarely have things I want to throw out there in this format.

Anyway, back in the 2006 election the Republicans were running scared and daily I received in the mail 2-3 “The Sky is Falling!!!” or “Don’t let ‘Those People’ ruin our Country!!” flyers. Now regardless of politics, getting repeatedly hit over the head with these just really pissed me off. Even if I was on the fence on these issues they were exposing their ham-handed mail blitz annoyed me to the point that I was going to vote against them just because of this deluge of flyers I was getting.

This time it’s a different party, and a different medium (so far). For the last 2 weeks I’ve been getting recorded phone messages from Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jack frigging Nicholson(!) all telling me how important it is for me to vote for Hillary (for a transcript of one of these calls see: http://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-clinton-call-2/ ).

Well folks, these calls had the same effect on me as the 2006 flyer blitz. (the following is addressed to Hillary, but it goes to all you politicians) Lady, this ain’t the way to get my vote. One call would be fine (As much as I hate telemarketers that are saying a lot), one flyer would be fine.  TWO AUTOMATED PHONECALLS A DAY FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS IS TOO FRIGGING MUCH! The only way I’d vote for you/your issue after a campaign like that is if I knew you/the issue was too important to vote against. Hell even then I may just abstain from voting – depending on how pissed off I am.

So Mrs. Clinton, I freely tell you now that you lost my vote today. After researching you and your opponents, you were a strong contender for my vote, but this phone call campaign…. Any candidate who does that is not worthy of my respect or vote.

There was a superbly written letter to the editor in the Jefferson City News Tribune about Religion and the Government by gentleman named Larry Johnson. It was clear, well written, and obviously well thought out. (Here’s the link, but I’m not sure how long the News Tribune keeps an archive of their paper on line.)

It was about the most coherent letter I’ve read in quite a while – but I must respectfully disagree with the conclusion he’s drawing. I see the laws and court judgments that are doing the opposite of what he’s talking about. I’m sure I could Google and find half a dozen easy cases where people are trying to impose their religious beliefs on the public – first thing that comes to mind is the bloody Kansas board of education and the Intelligent design.

My problem is that I’ve studies history. I know that it’s easy for fundamentalism to lead to fanaticism. Fanaticism leads to persecution. Is it so hard to see the line? In the Thirty Years War people were forced to covert from Catholicism to Lutheranism, and then back – depending on which army was marching through at a time.  More wars in history have been fought because of religious differences than any other reason. Freedom of Religion and separation of church and state mean something very important to me. It means that I have the right to practice what ever religion I choose to. I don’t want to see the marble carving of Ten Commandants in front of the courthouse. I also don’t want to see a carving of quotes from the Koran there. Or the saying of Buddha, or the Dalai Lama, or any other thing from any other religion you care to mention. The State should be …. not necessarily above religion, but not beholden to it either.

I have my personal religious beliefs. I belong to a church. I’m not interested in discussing them, and I’ll fight to the end to keep anyone from infringing on them.

Blah. Ok sorry, getting off the soap box now. 

Ok my “homework” for the Library 2.0 entry is on Myspace and Libraries. A few months/”some measurement of time” ago I went ahead and signed up for a Myspace account, and like my blog, I’m afraid it goes largely ignored by me. Right now my internet presence is 4 email accounts that I check daily, 5 forums, 4 blogs that I read, and then my blog and my Myspace. I’m afraid that I have trouble managing my time well enough to pay attention to all of these as much as I should.

Anyway, I’m suppose to be writing about what I think about libraries using Myspace. Actually I think it’s a good use of internet technology. But it’s like me and my various internet obligations – it’s only good if the library has staff who has the time to keep up with it. It’s a great way to reach out to teens and others who use these social networks, but the time commitment is there. Also the staff needs to understand the dynamic of these social network and know how to use them to get the word out to these people about the library and its events and programs.

An example of a good use of Myspace (that’s being done by someone other than a library) is several TV shows. Both Heros and Veronica Mars have characters who have Myspace accounts (http://www.myspace.com/clairebennet   http://www.myspace.com/veronicamarscw ) They’ve in the past had contest, comments about current episodes, spoilers, previews, etc. These are good examples, in my humble opinion, of using Myspace well.
 

(Just for the record, I title my post - strictly for my own amusement - with whatever phrase bubbles to the surface when I’m thinking about my current post. Sometimes it’s some random gobbly-gook, sometimes it’ll be an accurate title, and sometimes it’ll be some subtle or witty description of my topic. You’re just going to have to take your chances.) 

The second group of lessons for the Web 2.0 course (the first group was about blogging) is about Wiki’s. They give a list of several library related wiki’s and we’re suspost to comment on what we find and our thoughts on them.

SJCPL Subject Guide – very nice. I like the way it defines and then breaks down the various subject areas and then has links that lead into the catalog.

Book Lovers Wiki – This is wonderful. I would love to see our library setup something like this. Initially we could “stock” it with reviews by staff members, and then allow patrons a chance to log in and review, or give counterpoints to reviews already posted.

Library Success: A best practices wiki – it’s a good idea, but I’d like to see more content – not just a bunch of sorted links.

ALA 2006 New Orleans wiki – Well organized. I’d have liked to seen links to program materials / PowerPoint’s for each program instead of just the brief description.

Bull Run Library Wiki – interesting, but it was more like a library’s home page instead of what I think of as a wiki. Still had some good links.

iRead wiki – again a good site, something that I think can be merged with something like the Book Lovers Wiki to create a wonderful web site.

My library has started this Web 2.0 course for all staff members to advance their knowledge of the ever changing Web. One of the requirements is to start blogging. Since I’ve been meaning to get back in the habit of posting more here, I decided to use this blog to talk about my escapades with this learning course and maybe intersperse it with some of my witty insights and thoughts.

A lot of the stuff that’s being covered in this program isn’t all that new to me. I like to think that I’m fairly savvy in the ways of the computer and the GlobalNet… Errr make that Internet but some of the lessons cover things that I have a passing familiarity with, but no in-depth knowledge. So in the words of T-Bone Stankus (from his song Existential Blues) “Alright, tighten your shorts pilgrim, and sing like the Duke” – in other words here we go!

Well, as with a few of my friends (Doug and Bobbi just to name some that blogged about it) I was stuck smack dab in the middle of the massive snow storm that hit Missouri this last weekend. It was kinda hard to tell how much I got at my house since I’m on top of a ridge and it drifted a lot, but I’m guessing that it was about 14 inches. Just as an example of drifting, I have a flowerbed next to my driveway that’s about 2-2.5 feet above the driveway. Looking out, I couldn’t tell where flowerbed ended and the driveway began.

On another note, this storm just reconfirmed my beliefs as a Darwinist. What I mean by that is survival of the fittest - or in this case the smartest. Seeing the dumb, stupid, and idiotic ways people drive (and park!!!) when there’s snow and ice just irritates me to no end. After seeing some of the stellar examples of peoples driving I’m thinking that we need to repeal the mandatory seatbelt law and just let nature take it’s course. (My appologies to Dennis Miller for borrowing his catch phrase) But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.

About 10-12 years ago some friends were over at my house and we were all joking around and having fun. They then started critiquing my CD collection. They both have/had vastly different music taste than I, so needless to say their comments were not all that flattering. Well, in one of my rare moments of lost temper, I proceeded to go through and destroy a good portion of my CD collection - all the while quoting and expanding on their commentary (quite sarcasticlly I might add). It was an impulsive, and stupid thing to do (naturally   ) but at the time I was more easily…. shall we say, rattled than I am today.

Why bring this up? It’s just been on my mind recently. There were quite a few “hair band” CD’s in the destroyed selection, and lately I find myself thinking back on some of those songs and wanting to listen to them again. Of course now I have more options than then. If I’d decided to replace any of them at the time, I’d have to go and buy the CD. Now I can just go to Itunes or some similar service and just download the particular songs I want, and ignore the ones that I didn’t like or have bad memories of.

Speaking of old CD’s and bands and such, I did pick up Bat Out of Hell III last week. Meatloaf always has been and always will be one of my favorite singers. The power and emotion he can get into his voice just surpasses description. His collaborations with writer Jim Steinman have produced several memorable and moving pieces. BOH and BOH II will always have a good and strong place in my memory and in my collection. I’ve just started listening to BOH III, and I’m hoping I can add it in with the others.

This is bad timing I guess for getting back into blogging. I had a few ideas on stuff to write about but it just didn’t seem important when my appendix ruptured and I ended up going in for emergency surgery on the 12th. A week in the hospital and now a few days at home recouping and I’m up to about 72% efficiency and getting better every day. Getting back to work today is good, it’s amazing how much being around friends and co-workers makes me feel better than if I was just at home laying on the couch.

 Anyway, not much else to say now, I’ll be getting back into the swing of posting and having relevant posts soon.

I just read an article in the JC News Tribune stating that they expected a “heavy turnout” at the polls today. The article went on to state that they expected “Between 45 and 50 percent of eligible Cole County voters”.

When ever I read or hear something like that it just pisses me off to no end. I’m sorry, but 45-50% of eligible voters should be considered an poor turnout if not down right abysmal! I believe that it’s the DUTY of every eligible voter to participate, else we don’t have a democracy, we have a oligarchy - which I guess some could make an argument that we already do have an oligarchy.

But I guess, to be fair, I don’t blame some people, if they don’t vote because they don’t understand what they’re voting on. The politicians, lawyers, and others who specialize in ossification, make these laws and amendments so complex and confusing that by the time they reach the “blurb” on the ballot can not actually tell people what the law means. That and the continuing attempt to use the constitution to restrict people… arrrgggg, sorry, getting me irritated.

Anyway, let me just end it with a quote:

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” - Patrick Henry

Yes, it’s been a long time (a little over a year) since I last posted. There have been a lot of things going on in my personal life, and to be honest, there wasn’t that much I wanted to say.

But now I’m back. I may not be as prolific or as interesting as some of my blogging friends, but I’ll try to make semi-regular post.

Since I just watched V for Vendetta last night, and since it was the 5^th of November I think I’ll just post this poem.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot ;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
‘Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God’s providence he was catch’d,
With a dark lantern and burning match

Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!

Hip hip Hoorah !
Hip hip Hoorah !

A penny loaf to feed ol’Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,’
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we’ll say: ol’Pope is dead.