Turtles of Virginia

Today is my husband's birthday, so in his honor I am posting this web page about turtles.

Enjoy!

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Do you find your current religion lacking? Are you seeking a new spiritual outlet? Then go check out the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

According to this cutting edge philosophy, the Universe and everything in it was created by a pasta deity who touched humans with his "noodly appendage" and gave us life. After all, we are all His creatures.

They list some pretty compelling reasons for converting to their religion -


WHY YOU SHOULD CONVERT TO FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTERISM

* Flimsy moral standards.
* Every friday is a relgious holiday. If your work/school objects to that, demand your religious beliefs are respected and threaten to call the ACLU.
* Our heaven is WAY better. We've got a Stripper Factory AND a Beer Volcano.

They had me at flimsy moral standards!

Also on the FSM web page you will find forums, images of the Deity in all his saucy glory, and games with which to worship him. What more could a Pastafarian desire?

The only thing lacking is recipes!

Hot News from LexisNexis

LexisNexis offers a free hot news page to everyone. You don't have to subscribe to any of their for-fee databases to access this. It has a lot of good current events type information on it. Right now the page features lots of good news information about Hurricane Katrina from local and national news sources.

Unlike most LexisNexis web pages, this one is easy to read and navigate. The sections and topics are well organized and intuitive. See? They can do it right!

Shortpacked!

Shortpacked! is a web comic about people working in a toy store. It is actually pretty darned funny and insightful.

In addition to the daily strip the web page includes character bios, a web forum, and a blog.

Thanks to my dear darlin' for sending me the link!

American Library Association vs. Hurricane Katrina

Each segment of society is responding differently to the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina in its own way. The libraries of America are no different.

In response to Katrina, the American Library Association has put up this web page of resources to help affected libraries recover from the inevitable water and mold damage. There is information on a free SOLINET workshop that is coming up, which will teach librarians how to salvage valuable collections that have been damaged.

Also included are links to disaster relief programs and links with general information on how libraries can help survivors cope with what has happened. Of particular interest is a list of Young Adult (YA) books for teens on surviving disaster.

ALA Rocks!!!!!

I Heart The Weather Channel

Seriously, I do. I could watch it for hours at a time when nothing else is on and I get fed up with the news. This reminds me of a supervisor I had a long time ago when I worked at the old M.I. King Library at the University of Kentucky. Bob always knew what the weather forecast was, current weather trends, and was a veritible weather encyclopedia. I really liked working with Bob, so I started watching the Weather Channel so we would have something to talk about when we went bowling. But that's another story for another time.

Anyhoo, this is their blog, which contains weather observations, history, commentary, and links. What more could a weather junkie ask for?

Foamy The Squirrel Reports From New Orleans

Hysterically funny and painfully poignant at the same time, this live (via payphone) report by Foamy the Squirrel live from New Orleans details his anger and frustration at the way the mainstream media is reacting to the Hurricane Katrina crisis. I agree with Foamy. Instead of sitting around and wringing their hands in feigned concern while plumping this tragedy for a few more ratings points, the media could use their combined power to really help people. Instead of playing the blame game and making this a partisan issue, the government and the citizens of this country should get off their butts and save some people. What could be simpler than that?

I can't help but wonder at the apathy surrounding the rescue of the people lost and stranded in the New Orleans area. Could it be because those stranded in the SuperDome were considered to be a disposable population? I know there are a lot of cities that wouldn't be upset if a huge number of their poor/homeless citiziens just disappeared Hmmmmm....

And another thing that twists my knickers about this whole mess is that people are actually criticizing survivors relocated to Shreveport for relaxing and enjoying a cookout provided to them by local grocers. Seriously, if I'd been trapped in the SuperDome for days with no food, little water, no A/C, watching children raped and murdered, finding dead babies left in the bathroom etc; I would be so shitfaced drunk right now. If I didn't kill myself first.

Warning - Foamy has a foul mouth, which may be offensive to some. Also, turn your speakers down if you're at work.

Goodbye, Little Buddy!

Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show "Gilligan's Island" made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70.

I grew up watching Gilligan's Island and wishing I were one of the castaways. It all seemed so romantic and ideal to me, like Shakespeare's green world in Twelveth Night. Gilligan was my favorite character and I always thought he was the brains of the outfit and would have saved them all if the Skipper had quit bopping him in the head!

mgno.com

This journal has become the Survival of New Orleans blog. In less perilous times it was simply a blog for me to talk smack and chat with friends. Now this journal exists to share firsthand experience of the disaster and its aftermath with anyone interested.


I found this incredible blog today. Blogged by someone who calls himself The Interdictor, this is a first-person view of what is going on in New Orleans right now including observations, stories, and images. Lots of images. It is beautifully written and makes this horrific tragedy so much more personal.

I Helped A Hurricane Survivor Friday

As you know, I'm a reference librarian at a the Northwestern State University library in Natchitoches Louisiana. As you can imagine, our little (pop. 17,000) town is bursting at the seams with refugees from New Orleans and the surrounding areas. We are doing everything to accomodate them, and at the library we have opened up our small computer lab for evacuees to use to look at the news, check email, fill out FEMA forms, etc.

I was on the reference desk Friday and helped 100+ people. One of them was an older gentleman, probably in his mid 80's who had a list of about 7-8 names with partial addresses and phone numbers. He was trying to get in touch with some friends around the country, but didn't have his address book so he had recreated what he could from memory and asked me to help him with the rest. So, using Anywhoo and switchboard.com I found the full addresses and phone numbers for him in just a couple of minutes.

When I went around the desk to hand him his printouts, he just about cried with relief. He bent down and gave me a big kiss on the cheek and said, "Thank you, baby" and walked away all choked up.

Now, I didn't do anything for him (from my point of view) that I haven't done for many others during my career as a reference librarian, but it made me feel good that I could do something so big for him just when he needed it the most.

Giving this level of assistance to people who need it so desperately is what makes public service worth it.

Online Journal + Progressive Press

You want liberal media? I've got your liberal media right here. Anybody that thinks CNN is liberal has got to be nuts!

Constitution in Context

Here is a free Constitution Day resource from CQ Press. As a government information librarian, I am a big fan of CQ Press and their publications. They really provide the only truly nonpartistan view of the three branches government and all the goings on in Washington DC.

This website offers free content from many of CQ's books as well as online resources. The current issue discusses the future of the Supreme Court, which is very much on everyone's mind right now.

Here is a link to CQ's Constitution Day resources including background on the Constitution, Lesson Plans, lots of good links, and talking points. I particularly like the section on Evolving Constitution, which portrays the Constitution as a vital document reflecting our nation's past as well as the future.

FEMA Links

Here are some links to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) resources that hurricane survivors can use to request aid.

• FEMA Home
• FEMA Individual Assistance Center
• FEMA Disaster Assistance Process for Individuals

Most forms can be filled out online. Make sure to print out the form or record the confirmation number.