December 4, 2004

Rep. Gerald Allen, an Alabama lawmaker, has proposed a bill that will ban books from public libraries that include homosexual characters or suggest homosexuality is natural. The new law would also prohibit the use of public funds for "the purchase of textbooks or library materials that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."

Although Allen doesn't suggest burning the offending books, he does encourage the creation of a literary landfill.

"I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them," Allen said. (The Blue Fairy)

In preparation for the holidays, and my upcoming move, I've cleaned off a couple of bookshelves. If you enjoy reading romance, mystery, nonfiction and fantasy, check out these titles:

* Tempted by Your Touch (Brides of the Bloodstone) by Holling, Jen
* Autumn Flame: The Clan Maclean by Hayworth, Lynne
* Poor Richard's Creating E-Books by Van Buren, Chris
* Frostbite [Hardcover] by Graziano, Nathan
* The Nightingale's Song by Eschenburg, Kathleen
* So I Am Glad : A Novel by Kennedy, A.L.
* The Seventh Moon by Gabriel, Marius
* Tell Me Your Dreams by Sheldon, Sidney
* Flint by Hess, Norah
* Blackmantle: A Triumph by Kennealy-Morrison, Patricia
* Innocents Club by Smith, Taylor
* The Beauty: The Bride Quest #4 by Delacroix, Claire
* White Lion's Lady by St. John, Tina
* Margin of Error by Buchanan, Edna
* A Civil Action by Harr, Jonathan
* Legend of the Sorcerer by Kauffman, Donna
* The Murder Channel by Philpin, John
* The Spiral Path by Putney, Mary Jo
* Bed of Roses by Stone, Katherine
* Night Of The Black Bird by Graham, Heather
* Before I Say Good-Bye by Clark, Mary Higgins
* The Seeker by Nance, Kathleen
* The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Advisor to Queen. by Woolley, Benjamin
* The Dragon's Bride by Beverley, Jo
* Wild Flower by Porter, Cheryl Anne
* Butcher of the Noble by Slusher, William S.
* Equivocal Death: A Novel by Gutman, Amy
* Bliss by Sands, Lynsay
* False Memory by Koontz, Dean
* Single White Vampire by Sands, Lynsay
* A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash by Nasar, Sylvia
* The First Time: The Mounties by Fox, Kathryn
* The Last Days of the New Yorker by Mahon, Gigi
* An Improper Bride by Blayne, Sara
* My True Love by Holt, Cheryl
* Some Survive by Girard, James Preston
* Jackal of Nar (Tyrants & Kings #1) by Marco, John
* Once a Rebel: Jewels of the Sea (Jewels of the Sea) by Hilz, Tammy
* Every Move She Makes by Burcell, Robin
* The Stargazer : Progenitor by Jaffe, Michele
* Among the Dead by Tolkin, Michael
* Bed of Nails by Slade, Michael
* Someone's Watching by Kelman, Judith
* Night Visitor by Jackson, Melanie
* Fire and Ice: A Liam Campbell Mystery by Stabenow, Dana

Each title is listed on Amazon and priced to go! To purchase a book, click here.

December 2, 2004

U.S. military officials announced yesterday that American forces in Iraq will be expanded by about 12,000 troops to provide better security during the upcoming elections.

That's not 12,000 new troops, mind you. Instead, the government plans to send 1,500 fresh troops to Iraq and extend the combat tours of 10,400 soldiers already fighting there.

Books for Soldiers is a Website that ships books, DVDs and supplies to deployed soldiers and members of the military recuperating in VA hospitals.

If you want your package to reach Iraq before Christmas, the post office says you must mail it before Dec. 6.

Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury is under constant assault. Newspaper editors unhappy with his biting commentary or language, or fearful of public reprisals, have developed a nasty habit of editing the strip or deleting it entirely. If you want to read this controversial strip every day, however, look to the Web.
 

December 1, 2004

A new Jaded Writings column has been posted. This week I ruminate about World AIDS Day.

* Brian Lumley - 12/2/37
* Elizabeth Berg - 12/2/48
* T. Coraghessan Boyle - 12/2/48
* Ann Patchett - 12/2/63
* Hasmita Chander Percy - 12/2/72
* Joseph Conrad - 12/3/1857
* Ranier Maria Rilke - 12/4/1875
* Joan Didion - 12/5/34
* Calvin Trillin - 12/5/35
* Willa Cather - 12/7/1876
* Noam Chomsky - 12/7/28
* Horace - 12/8/65 BC
* James Thurber - 12/8/1894

November 30, 2004

Natalia Dmytruk, the sign language interpreter at Ukraine's state TV channel, did a rebellious thing on Nov. 25. She told the truth.

Dmytruk, 47, tied an orange ribbon to the inside her sleeve. Orange is the color of Viktor A. Yushchenko's campaign. If you've been following the news, you know that Yushchenko and legions of Ukrainians believe the presidential election results were fraudulently counted by the government.

After interpreting that night's news broadcast for the deaf, Dmytruk bared her ribbon and signed: "Everything you have heard so far on the news was a total lie. Yushchenko is our true president. Goodbye, you will probably never see me here again."

How righteous is that?

Simi Linton, the author of "Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity," published a wonderful column in The New York Times City section this week about the pleasures of public transportation. A wheelchair-bound writer, Linton annually nominates her favorite drivers, the most helpful ones, for a service award.

November 29, 2004

The life of a female sportswriter used to be hell. Today, the "boys only" world of sports journalism has become more diversified, but the glass ceiling still exists.

"If your baseline is where female reporters were in the Phyllis George era, we are light-years ahead of that," said sports sociologist Mary Jo Kane. "But if the baseline is where women are in the 21st century compared to their male counterparts, we are still literally and figuratively limited to the sidelines in men's major sporting events. It's a tougher nut to crack."

(Phyllis George, a former Miss America, was the first woman sportscaster in America.)

On Nov. 19, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) introduced a federal shield law that would provide "absolute protection" for confidential sources. Known as the "Free Speech Protection Act of 2004," the proposed legislation would protect against "compelled disclosure for sources, regardless of whether or not the source was promised confidentiality." Currently, only 31 states and Washington D.C. have shield laws.

Past Afterthoughts