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29 Jul 15:31

Prison Literature

by Melissa Morrone

What would have happened, do you suppose, if Malcolm Little, instead of serving six years for petty crimes, had been imprisoned for a much longer time, locked in the conditions of long-term isolation common in what’s euphemistically called “special housing” (as, for instance, the prisoners at Pelican Bay in California are)? He would not have been allowed to receive political books, would not have been able to converse with anyone. The mind that developed through reading and talking in prison during the 1950s would probably have been crushed, and there might have been no Malcolm X.
Laura Whitehorn

In recent decades, the landscape of U.S. criminal “justice” has changed dramatically (some visualizations at The Society Pages; bibliography at LLRX.com), not that imprisonment hasn’t always been dehumanizing, racist, and generally problematic. For many years, I worked with books-to-prisoners groups, mostly NYC Books Through Bars. These are grassroots, all-volunteer projects that receive letters from individuals in prison requesting reading material of all sorts (sometimes by topic, sometimes by specific title) and then mail them donated books that—ideally—approximate what they’re looking for.

Some years ago, there was an uproar after the federal Bureau of Prisons made a decision (quickly reversed) to get rid of religious books that weren’t on approved lists for prison chapel libraries. Unfortunately, what many don’t realize is that the vast majority of incarcerated people are in state prisons, where they are subjected to the arbitrary policies of the state department of corrections, including with regard to reading materials.

When a book arrives at a Texas prison mailroom, an employee first checks the database to see if the book is already prohibited. If not, said [Texas Department of Criminal Justice staffer Tammy] Shelby, “he’ll flip it over and read the back.” If that provides insufficient information to make a decision, “they scan through it looking for key words” or pictures that would disqualify the publication. “You can pretty much tell by reading the first few pages,” she said. “We rely on them to use their judgment.” (source)

Once we got a form denying a Texas prisoner Invented Lives: Narratives of Black Women 1860-1960 by Mary Helen Washington because “page 29 contains racial material.” Books and magazines have been rejected because they apparently present “a threat to the security, good order, or discipline of the correctional system or the safety of any person” or because information in it might be “designed to achieve the breakdown of prisons through offender disruption such as strikes or riots,” without further explanation. (Some prison mailroom rejections and letters from prisoners are below.)

Why bring up all this now? As you may have heard, one of the largest prisoner resistance movements is underway. Thousands of prisoners in California have been on a hunger strike as part of a fight for human and labor rights (there was a hunger strike in 2011 with the same demands; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said they would make improvements but have not, hence the renewed action).

Solitary confinement—considered a form of torture, especially long-term—is a common punishment within the prison system. Among the things that can get someone in trouble in a California prison is having particular literature. “‘[E]vidence’ of gang affiliation has included possession of prisoner-rights literature or books like Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ or Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince.’ It has included journal writings on African American history,” Shane Bauer points out. (Incidentally, The Art of War and The Prince, I have observed over the years, are on the unofficial top ten list of requested titles by people in prison around the country.) There is a lot that can be said about philosophies of reading material as proof of (bad) character or predictor of action, or, conversely, as a therapeutic tool, and as librarians we’ve spent more time than most thinking about this. Here I’ll say only that using literature as a criterion of judgment in this way, amid the general violence and toxicity of prison, does nothing to address the wrongness that the prisoners may have done to others, the wrongness that has been done to them, and the systemic wrongnesses that have brought us to this moment of mass incarceration, a “new Jim Crow,” and a correctional officer putting into administrative segregation someone who had a donated copy of Machiavelli in his cell.

Maybe you’ve done library service in a jail or are interested in prison librarianship. Maybe you’ve visited a loved one in prison. Maybe you’ve been locked up yourself. Maybe you grew up with people who got channeled into the detention system in one way or another. Maybe you live in a town where a prison is the largest and most stable employer around. Maybe imprisonment is nothing that you or your community seems to have experienced directly. I think that regardless of which category (or categories) you’re in, we should keep in mind that at least 95% of all state prisoners will be released at some point, and how we approach crime and punishment says a lot about our collective humanity. Former and possibly future prisoners are likely users of your library. Rather than being some separate element of society, they are patrons and would-be patrons.

You can keep up with the hunger strike and support the California prisoners in a number of ways. More generally, there are alternatives to incarceration, organizations for prison abolition and projects of decarceration. And in the meantime, you can always send someone behind bars a good book.

letter from a California SHU

2006 letter from a man in a “special housing unit” (SHU) in a California prison.

Texas ad seg letter

2005 letter from a man in “administrative segregation” in a Texas prison.

James Baldwin rejection form

2008 rejection (“non-appealable”) by a Texas prison mailroom employee of “Nobody Knows My Name” by James Baldwin because “page 100 contains racial material.”

grievance of rejection of Baldwin book

2009 grievance form by the prisoner who was denied the Baldwin book.

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27 Jul 18:21

Tuesday Tech Tip: Use Google as a Proxy Server to Bypass Filters & Paywalls

by Michael Sauers

If you have trouble accessing a web page either because the website is blocked at your workplace, or because that page happens to be behind a paywall, there are a couple of undocumented Google proxy servers that may help you read that page.

When you access any page via one of these Google proxies, the content of that page gets downloaded on Google servers and then served to you. The lesser-known gmodules.com proxy, discussed later, will even allow you to download documents, videos and other web files that are otherwise blocked.

Google Proxy Demo

Read the full post and get the handy bookmarklets @ labnol.com.

27 Jul 18:15

Hoopla wants to be a free Netflix for library users

by Blake

Hoopla wants to be a free Netflix for library users:
Hoopla, a new streaming service for libraries, lets patrons borrow digital movies, TV shows, audiobooks and music. The selection isn’t comparable to Netflix, but it is free if you have a card at participating library. Hoopla is based in Holland, Ohio, and is owned by library distributor Midwest Tape.
https://www.hoopladigital.com/

27 Jul 18:10

Retro Library Posters

by Michael Sauers
22 Jul 16:34

Suspicious Object Found Outside Library

by birdie

In an effort to avoid a major calamity, police temporarily closed a library in Bend, OR yesterday.

Police report that a woman found an item that looked like a hand grenade in bushes near the Deschutes Public Library Thursday morning, put it in a garbage can and called police.

Turns out it was a bicycle lock, fashioned to look like a grenade.

KTVZ-TV reports that Sgt. Dan Ritchie says the building was evacuated as a precaution.

An explosives expert was called and determined the object was not dangerous.

18 Jul 18:39

What are you worth to Facebook & Google

by Michael Sauers
lynetteruby

i wonder what i'm worth...

According to PrivacyFix I’m practically worthless to Facebook but worth a hunk of change to Google. The screenshot of my results (below) are what I got on the first run. I am actively considering updating some of those settings.

Privacyfix

16 Jul 18:15

Library fliers, Web comments prompt dialogue on free-speech rights

by Steven M. Cohen

Posted in News

“An anonymous “Suzy Citizen” leaves fliers criticizing management in a public area of the St. Cloud Public Library, and the Great River Regional Library board of trustees hires an investigator to find out if an employee is the culprit. A library aide is fired for repeatedly complaining about her supervisors on Facebook and refusing to sign an agreement to refrain from making disparaging public comments about Great River Regional Library staff. Do employees have free-speech rights to publicly criticize their bosses or workplaces, especially in the social media age when venting on Facebook or Twitter have replaced traditional complaining around the water cooler?” (via St. Cloud TIMES)

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13 Jul 16:23

Shine-O-Matic

by Michael Sauers

Head on over to the Shine-O-Matic and go a little bit mad at the typewriter.

Shine-O-Matic

10 Jul 18:18

The real Iron Throne and Hodor’s POV

by Michael Sauers
lynetteruby

Hodor.

Two Game of Thrones images came across my steam today. The first is a G.R.R.M.-approved illustration of the Iron Throne. (Click the image for more details.)

real-iron-throne

The second is a previously unreleased page of a chapter from Hodor’s point-of-view.

sneak_chapter__hodor_by_rachelmustofende-d47eux1

 

05 Jul 18:24

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

by Natalie Perry

stuffed squash blossoms

I think my food choices freak out the rest of my family sometimes.

I found these gorgeous squash blossoms at the farmer’s market and posted them on Instagram mentioning how I was excited to eat them.

My mom must have seen it because after I asked what we should eat when they come visit this weekend she texted back saying, “Whatever you feel like. Except please leave the flowers as decoration. [big smiley face]“

Whatever I feel like? Usually I feel like eating things like this. Or sushi. Or a gigantic salad. So “whatever I feel like” really means “whatever your Dad will eat.” And that does not include any of those things.

I think they’d like stuffed squash blossoms. Heck, my kids (sorta) liked them. The way I made them (with the ricotta filling) makes them taste like cheese ravioli. Honest.

stuffed squash blossoms

They’re a tad tricky to work with, just because the blossoms are so delicate. I used a simple filling of ricotta, goat cheese, and some lemon and spooned it into the main cavity of the flower. Don’t over fill these or the filling will end up all over the pan. I know this from experience. :)

stuffed squash blossoms

I filled these an hour or so before I fried them. I wouldn’t fill them too far ahead or the filling might cause the blossom to break down.

 

stuffed squash blossoms

I put about 1/4-inch of coconut oil in my cast iron skillet (which wasn’t all that much since my skillet is only 8-inches).

A few tips…

1. Don’t expect the whole thing to get crispy. They might if you batter the whole flower, but I chose not to. The very tips will get crispy, but the rest will remain soft.

2. When you flip them and take them out of the pan, grab them by the end of the blossom, not the stem. They’ll flip up side down and you might lose some filling.

3. Make sure the oil is hot enough or they’ll just be a soggy, greasy mess.

Stuffed squash blossoms

They’re still a tad greasy and soft, but really good. The texture reminds me of ravioli with crisp edges. The flowers don’t have much of a taste, so it serves as a creative vehicle for the filling.

I hope you’re having a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Happy 4th of July! (And Canada Day!)

PrintSave

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Yield: 8 blossoms

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: About 35 minutes

Ingredients:

12 squash blossoms
2 ounces goat cheese
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
generous pinch of black pepper
coconut oil, for frying

Directions:

Wash and trim excess stem length from blossoms (I left about two inches). Dry thoroughly.

Combine goat cheese, ricotta cheese, egg white, zest, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon about a tablespoon into each blossom cavity. Don't fill them past where the petals separate or the filling will run out when you fry them.

Heat enough coconut oil in a skillet to cover the bottom in 1/4 inch of oil. Oil is ready when you get a loud splattering sound as you flick water into the pan. Fry stuffed blossoms in batches. Because flowers have a high water content, these will splatter A LOT. Be careful. Wear an apron and use long tongs. (Maybe gloves? Haha.) Turn them when you see the edges begin to brown. Brown both sides and then transfer to a stack of paper towels to drain the oil.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt before serving. These are best served warm.

Note: When you move them around in the pan, grab them by the end of the petals and not the stems.

From Perry's Plate

(One more because they’re so pretty. *swoon*)
stuffed squash blossoms

 

05 Jul 16:18

The Foundation of All Knowledge

by birdie
lynetteruby

this is how i'm going to fix up my house

This public library in Samara, Russia needed to have a wall repaired and the powers that be decided to save a little money and use material they already had plenty of…

via Factura

05 Jul 15:50

sophia bush in los angeles

by Frugal Fashionista
lynetteruby

this is soooo a hailey look.

sophia bush style, sophia bush hair, sophia bush jeans

Steal Sophia Bush’s crisp white shirt and tangerine slippers without busting your budget – shopping details below.

05 Jul 15:48

Vodka & Rum Soaked Gummy Bears!

by elsiecake
lynetteruby

let's make these and bring them into work!

Boozy Gummy Bears- so fun & easy to make! Click for instructionsI've always wanted to try vodka soaked gummy bears ever since seeing them on Pinterest. To be honest, I was a little scared that it was too good to be true. Would the gummies get all sticky or giant and weird? Plus all of the instructions on Pinterest are different. Reading through the search you'll see people recommending they soak for an hour, a day, and a week. That's crazy different, right? Well, we tried it and here's what we learned... 

Making boozy gummy bears! It's so easy! Making Vodka soaked gummy bears!The method we chose to try was soaking the gummy bears (and worms) for about 24 hours. We tried three different types of alcohol- apple vodka, coconut rum and watermelon vodka. We poured the alcohol over the gummy candy until it was completely immersed. Then we covered it in plastic wrap and popped it in the fridge for 24 hours. The next day the gummies had soaked up most the alcohol, there was only a little bit to strain out. If we had left them in for 48 hours they probably would have soaked it all in. 

Apple vodka soaked gummy bearsThe bears tasted amazing. They weren't sticky or gross at all, but we did use a spoon to put them on our plates. Our favorite flavors were the apple vodka and coconut rum. I noticed that the gummy worms weren't as soft. I have seen that you can try this method with nearly any liquor and any gummy candy, so the possibilities are pretty cool! 

Have you ever tried alcohol soaked gummy candy? What do you think, delicious or weird? They were a HUGE hit at Emma's bachelorette party! 

Bachelorette party photos coming soon! xoxo. elsie 

05 Jul 15:47

Reading Erotica in Prison

by birdie
lynetteruby

at least if you ever go to prison, you can have all the erotica you want.

A San Francisco appeals court ruled that a werewolf erotica novel must be returned to Andres Martinez, an inmate of Pelican Bay State Prison, after prison guards took it away from him on the grounds that it was pornography. Although the court grants that novel in question, The Silver Crown, by Mathilde Madden, is "less than Shakespearean," it argues that the book nevertheless has literary merit and shouldn't be banned under prison obscenity laws.

Story from NPR's The Two-Way.

05 Jul 15:45

Edit your PDFs for free online with CutePDF Editor

by Michael Sauers
lynetteruby

oooh! a PDF editor!

CutePDF Editor rocks! Now I can do basic things like rotate, crop, and reorder pages (among many other things,) with this free online tool. Finding this made my week.

CutePDF Editor

 

 

05 Jul 15:44

Free with Your Books at the Chappaqua Library

by birdie

From CBS News:

You may want to avoid curling up in bed with any books that you bought at Chappaqua Library’s used book sale.

A single bed bug was found hanging on a stage curtain in the auditorium that hosted the sale. During the event, the room was crawling with buyers and fears persist that a bug may have hitched a ride on one of the $17,000 worth of used books that were sold.

“We don’t want to sweep it under the rug,” assistant library director Martha Alcott told CBS 2?s Dave Carlin on Thursday night.  Other areas of the library were given the all-clear, but some families said they weren’t taking any chances.  “We put all the books that we got into this big bag,” said 7-year-old Niamh Lee.

Most Chappaqua Library patrons consider themselves bookworms, but they said they aren’t willing to scratch and suffer for their reading habits.

27 Jun 21:28

Glove & Boots & Fred von Lohmann explain copyright & YouTube

by Michael Sauers

27 Jun 21:24

Credible Hulk t-shrit

by Michael Sauers

Just $16 from Reasonist Products.

hulk7-exp

27 Jun 19:32

Stanford Libraries preserves historical software collection with Federal Agency

by Steven M. Cohen

Posted in News

“Stanford University Libraries has partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to preserve one of the world’s largest collections of software. Funded by the National Software Reference Laboratory (NSRL), Stanford and NIST will spend two years digitally preserving the 15,000 software titles in the Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection in the History of Microcomputing held by Stanford University Libraries (SUL).” (via Stanford University Libraries)

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27 Jun 19:13

Bridging the gap between academia and Wikipedia

by Steven M. Cohen

Posted in News

“Jisc and Wikimedia UK are collaborating on a project to bring the academic world and Wikipedia closer together. This will create opportunities for researchers, educators, and the general public to contribute to the world’s freely available knowledge. (via Jisc)

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27 Jun 19:10

Kindle Worlds opens for business

by Michael Sauers

Get your licensed fan fic here. (Should I feel concerned that I’ve only ever heard of two of the 12 “worlds” that they’re starting with?)

Kindle Worlds

26 Jun 20:49

DIY Floral Crown

by Amy Azzarito


In the late ’90s, while still in high school, I was a bridesmaid in my first wedding. The wedding was in a garden in Southern California and all the bridesmaid wore long straight ivory dresses with floral crowns. That was the last time I wore a floral crown until just a few months ago, we had a little party in the design*sponge offices and Nicolette Camille brought floral crowns for us to play with. I had so much fun that I decided it wouldn’t be wedding month, if we didn’t post a floral crown DIY. I asked Jennie Love of  Love ‘n Fresh Flowers, a small, organically-managed, urban flower farm and design studio located in Philadelphia, to show us how.  Jennie just taught a floral crown workshop at her farm in Philadelphia and she said that floral crowns can be simply sweet or dramatically romantic, depending on the blooms and other elements used. And while they take time and need to be done just before the wedding, they really are not that difficult to make.  -Amy

All flowers used in this tutorial were grown by Love ‘n Fresh Flowers.  Photography by Brooke Courtney.


Materials Needed

  • Heavy “grapevine” wire (available at most craft stores)

  • Sharp scissors

  • Floral tape

  • Floral wire (22 gauge or similar)

  • Floral glue (optional)

  • Lots of flowers (used in this tutorial were feverfew, poppy  and nigella pods, eryngium, lavender, viburnum berries, and garden roses)

  • Ribbon

  • A small bottle or vase of water to hold snipped blooms while you work

 

Sam_Floral_018 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_019 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_018 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_015 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_013 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_012 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_009 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_008 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_008 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_007 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_006 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_005 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_004 FlowerCrownDIY_BCP_001 1floralcrown

See the full how-to after the jump!
(more…)

    


24 Jun 19:09

Libraries get steamy between the covers

by Steven M. Cohen
lynetteruby

sexy libraries!

Posted in News

“Auckland libraries are spicing things up with erotic readings and burlesque dancing in an attempt to lure more members and stay relevant. Last night the libraries launched a week-long series of R18 events and panel discussions on the subject of sex, dubbed Dark Night. It’s the brainchild of Dr Matt Finch, a consultant seconded from the UK by Auckland Libraries to help cook up new ways of getting Aucklanders through the doors of their local branch.” (via NZ Herald News)

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21 Jun 19:51

Ninja Turtles, Nature & More — Kids' Parties from Apartment Therapy

by Dabney Frake

Kids know how to party! Check out the latest festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy's Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.

More
    


20 Jun 21:52

HBO & Ommegang Reveal Their Next Game of Thrones Inspired Beer – Take the Black

by Jill Pantozzi

Don’t forget, you can’t have a girlfriend when you dedicate yourself to the Night’s Watch, but you can sure as hell drink. Hit the jump to check out the cool label for HBO and Brewery Ommegang’s second Game of Thrones beer. 

We had the pleasure of tasting the first entry in the Game of Thrones beer collection, the Iron Throne blonde ale, and were eagerly anticipating the follow-ups from Ommegang. Today, HBO revealed the label art for “Take the Black,” a stout. It features a Weirwood tree, much like the one Jon Snow took his Night’s Watch oath in front of. The one critique I had of the first beer was they didn’t go far enough with the theme (I thought it should have been called Lannister Blonde Ale) so I’m glad to see this one makes more sense from the show’s standpoint.

Interesting fact from HBO, “It’s an original design created specifically for the bottle by a52, the studio that created the title design for the show’s opening credits.”

You’ll be able to get your hands on it this fall.

Previously in Game of Thrones

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17 Jun 16:28

Just Don’t Hoot and Holler too Loud

by Michael Sauers

GGGGL

via Fail Blog.

17 Jun 16:24

Santa Monica College library workers' 'diversion' saved lives

by Bibliofuture
lynetteruby

Baller!

When a gunman entered the campus library, the aides moved into a closet and blocked the doors, drawing his attention away from dozens of students cramming for finals.

Full article

13 Jun 21:14

Roast Beef Sandwich with Melted Cheese and Caramelized Onions

by Skinnytaste Gina
lynetteruby

make me this sandwich!


I wish this photo could capture how delicious this sandwich is. I made a few attempts at photographing this, but the photo can't capture how sweet these caramelized onions are and how perfect they taste with yesterday's leftover garlic infused roast beef and melted Swiss cheese.


Father's Day is coming up and I'm trying to think of dishes that would make Dad happy. For those of you who are Pinterest obsessed, I made a Skinny Father's Day board and pinned recipes I think Dads would love. My husband loves caramelized onions, I can't say I blame him. I never knew just how good they were until I met him; he makes them all the time. The onions shrink to about half their size when the slowly cook down, and as they turn golden in color they turn sweet and delicious. They are great over burgers too, I make them with a lot less oil than he does with great results.


I don't east sandwiches often, maybe once a week. But when I do eat a sandwich, my bread of choice is a fresh baked whole wheat French or Italian bread from the bakery because it's generally made with no fat and I love a crispy fresh baked loaf.


Click Here For The Recipe...
12 Jun 20:29

{table for two | recipe : avocado, tuna & tomato salad}

by {this is glamorous}
lynetteruby

i want this for lunch.

by roséline

{table for two | recipe : avocado, tuna & tomato salad}

. . . on the menu for lunch lately -- simple, and delicious.


avocado, tuna & tomato salad | serves 2

1 avocado, cut into quarters
2 x 125g cans tuna slices, drained
2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 cup flatleaf parsley leaves
sea salt and cracked black pepper
olive oil, for drizzling
1 teaspoon ground sumac
lemon wedges, to serve

Arrange avocado, tuna, tomato and parsly on serving plates.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with sumac and serve with lemon wedges.




[photo (edited by {this is glamorous}) & recipe from donna hay's no time to cook]
12 Jun 19:10

Can Booklikes be the next Goodreads?

by Steven M. Cohen

Posted in News

“After a long development period, Booklikes launched in May. Its interface is part Tumblr, particularly in two aspects: each user has a blog within the site, and the main dashboard page includes a Tumblr-like feed from other blogs. And it’s also part Goodreads, with a visual bookshelf that users can fill with books they’ve read and add reviews.” (via latimes.com)

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