20 March …
Purim starts tonight. No time this year to make Hamentaschen. Off this morning to help pack the food sharing snack bags for the children going on Spring break next week. Then taiko this afternoon and radio club this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
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Last week we had a change in the weather. For several days the temperatures were nice and we were able to let the fire go out and open the solarium doors. Today it is raining, but a warm rain … 50º. The melt continues.
There had been another avalanche on the Mountain, but not quite so dramatic this time. The interesting thing about this one was that the fracture lines were clearly visible.
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I have been reading an interesting book …
At first glance I thought “Oh sure … interesting.” But I like our library and our friday librarian, so decided “Why not?”
What a surprise.
I remember the old Carnegie Library in Hemet when I was growing up, and the BIG library in the high school. I still love the weekly (when possible) trips to the library and Paul is learning to love them as well.
But back to the book …
Were you aware that a group of four librarians (known collectively as “John Doe”) defied the FBI back in 2005 when the FBI wanted ALL information about library users? They wanted to know who read which books, who used the computers, when, and what sites were accessed, and a whole lot more citing the Patriot Act as their warrant. But the librarians said “No”, user information was private.
The case went to the Supreme Court and the librarians won. Big Brother (reference “1984”) lost. Although not allowed (via a “gag” order) to tell their readers the FBI had been to their facility, librarians started posting notices saying
“THE FBI HAS NOT BEEN HERE.
(watch closely for the removal of this sign)”.
Or that librarians organized a reference force outside the RNC convention in 2008 carrying signs saying “Street Librarian” to provide information to both sides, i.e. to anyone who asked, about laws and rights in re protests.
Or that there are international schools teaching civil rights folks from around the world how to use computers and the internet for research.
I could go on, but with chapters like “Information Sickness” and “Big Brother and the Holdout Company” and “Follow That Tatooed Librarian” and “Wizards of Odd” I was captured.
In addition, the book is well-written and in spots very funny.
I hope to read her other book soon.
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On the subject of books, as you know, I have been reading the Poirot canon. I had been unaware there had been so many novels, and completely unaware of the short story collections. No wonder Christie got tired of him.
In a massive volume titled “Hercule Poirot’s Casebook”, there is a short story called “The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest” in which a murder is committed, the body placed in a large chest, and a party held in the room with the chest. Of course Poirot solves the mystery, but the really interesting thing was the basic premise, i.e. a murder with the body in a chest while a party goes on around it.
In 1948, Hitchcock directed a film titled “Rope” in which the same thing happened. It starred James Stewart and the scenes were shot ongoing as if it were on stage. I thought … oh oh, they must have copied Christie since her story was published in 1939.
Then, in doing a check on “Rope” I discovered it was based on a 1929 stage play written by someone named Patrick Hamilton.
Makes me wonder when and how it will appear next … television?
Oh well …
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I was recently reminded of Mort Sahl.
Wow …
Here he is teaching about politics. It was when Reagan was Governor of California.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5yd3Nqp19s
And here he is in general with his regular prop … a newspaper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8-9XYdncRw
George and I were big fans. I miss Sahl’s insights. He was funny without being profane, and his closing line is with me to this day … “Is there anyone I haven’t offended?”
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One day last week, Mark spent the entire day on the Mountain learning how to use a snowmobile for search and rescue.
Here’s the slope they used for learning.
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And that’s it for now …
Know that on some level all human beings are a bit crazy.
So … ‘til next week …