Californians, Go Tell Your Teacher's and Bosses You Won't "Friend" Them

Californian governor Not-Schwarzenegger signed two bills on Thursday that prevents companies and universities from asking individuals to release their social media login information.  The state marks the first to pass such laws.

Is it sad that we have to tell companies this?  I know in this day and age you do not want your employees bad mouthing your brand to the whole world, but it was the same back in the day when the "whole world" was just Main Street.  If a person is that much of an embarrassment, odds are they will do something that warrants firing or kicking out sooner or later.  Hell, you let them in, dumb ass.  And honestly, this is not that hard to police and most cool companies will be okay with it.  Check this out: Fuck the Banned Library.  Yep, still here.

Update: The Banned Library does not endorse any opinion or commentary section contained in this post.

California schools, employers banned from social media snooping - Reuters

Library Assistant Arrested After Bringing Books Back to Library

After bringing library books back late, a full-time library assistant at the Easton Public Library in Easton, Conn. has been arrested.  The director of the library, Judy Baldino, says the assistant, Nancy Harris, has a history of checking out books on hers and her children's library cards and not returning them despite her children not being eligible to have library cards in the area.  Harris has since brought back most of the materials and been granted early retirement.

So when does drama in the workplace extend into legal matters?  I cannot and will not speculate on what kind of soap opera bull-hockey that has happened behind the scenes that lead to the cops being called in, but I can bet something akin to a family feud has been brewing for a while to get this to go down.

Arresting library assistants for abusing their power?  That's what they do!  I get that it is hard to let go of a pain in the butt employee in a public library environment, but getting criminal charges to do so?  I think these folks need Dr. Phil to sit them all down for some good old fashion communication.

Trumbull woman arrested for returning books late to library - Ct Post:

Darwin Fungus Found in Cambridge University Library

The Cambridge University Library found a sample of seaweed collected by Charles Darwin from his famous "pick up random stuff" expedition on the Beagle.  As the article states:

"'I was going through a box labelled in 1950 ‘to be sorted,' said Chief Technician Christine Bartram.
'Inside it, wrapped in a newspaper from 1828, I found fungi and seaweed collected by Charles Darwin on the Beagle Voyage in South America during 1832 and 1833."

What is more exciting, finding 190 year old plant bits or a 190 year old coupon for three farthings off a head-hole drilling?  I find this story fascinating in that when a archivist normally finds fungus in a collection, the solution is a healthy dose of Lysol, but not when it is famous person fungus.  Oh, no.  That's the good fungus.  That's the stuff we keep, yeah buddy. 

And yeah, I know that the guy kinda made a big deal in the world of fungus and evolutionary science.  Big whoop.  This is almost equivalent to finding Hemingway's pencil shavings or Madam Curie's radon sample.  An oddity and kinda cool in context, but the kind of materials that they throw out at the end of Storage Wars.

Cambridge librarian finds forgotten fungus Charles Darwin brought back on the ... - Daily Mail

Adult Entertainment Actress to Write Erotic Novel

Adult entertainment actress Sasha Grey is working on a new erotic novel called "The Juliette Society."  That's the whole story.

Well, that's honestly the logical conclusion to the current trend.  I am surprised this has not happened sooner, what with "write what you know" being a major tennant of the writing craft.  Ian Fleming wrote about spies and sentient cars, Stephen King writes about killer shit in Maine, why not have a porn star write about the beast with eight backs, four fronts and something called "The Zamboni Surprise"?  I hope this starts a trend with Mary Carey writing a political erotic theory about running for the governor of California.  Shit, Arnold Schwarzenegger already did that.

Sasha Grey Joins Erotic Novel Brigade with Juliette Society

Columbia University Gathers Intelligence on X-Men

Columbia University has gathered the notes of writer Chris Claremont that were hidden in a closet in his apartment.  The items include notes on characters , including the hero Wolverine and the villain Magneto.

Despite clicking on the link below, the Banned Library could find no rhyme or reason why Columbia University would wish to gather information from such a prestigious crime fighting team.  One can only reason that the university is hoping to use this information to help the team in their strategies rather than for ill means.  We can only hope they do not make this information available to the Brotherhood of Evil.

Columbia University Gets "X-Men" author Chris Claremont's Notes

Tig Notaro Writes Stuff Because Cancer Is a Wussy

Tig Notaro, notable comic and writer, has reportedly signed a book deal with Ecco to be released in 2015.  The book, if it is anything like her stand up, will be a collection of dry, witty essays about her life.

I would like to take the time to come up with a few titles for Ms. Notaro's consideration:

Tig, starring Tom Hanks
The Taylor Dayne Story: The Life of Tig Notaro
Poems and Shit
Mysteries of the Undergrowth: Breast Cancer Edition
Stop the Winnie the Pooh Jokes
Tig-Life
Tig Notaro: Cancer Slayer

Thank you, Tig, for all the great comedy you have given us, and I hope you live a long and healthy life.

Comic Tig Notaro, post-cancer, gets book deal - Los Angeles Times:

The Atlantic Wire

Comic Tig Notaro, post-cancer, gets book deal Los Angeles Times Comic Tig Notaro will publish a collection of humorous, autobiographical essays with Ecco in 2015, the publisher announced Tuesday. Notaro, who has had her own 30-minute special on Comedy Central, has written for TV, has been heard on "This American ... People Still Want to Ban Books in High Schools; Tig Notaro Has a Book DealThe Atlantic Wire Interview with JK Rowling, Tig Notaro bookUSA TODAY all 7 news articles »

Swedish Library Bans Tintin, Then Does Not

The Swedish library of SomethingIcantpronounce banned the books of Tintin for issues of "Afro-phobic" and other race issues.  During Banned Books Week.  Needless to say, a media poopstorm from around the world zoomed in and they redacted the decision.  Librarian Steve Clickthelinkforhisrealname said that while the issues were relevant, banning the book was a bad decision.

Sooooo.... Yeah.  You really can not do that anymore.  Banning books, I mean.  You can disagree with them, you can not read them, you can even put them so far back in the library that it takes a road map, GPS and a Sherpa to find them, but you cannot ban books.  As much as I dislike the Twilight and 50 Shade books, I still check them out to any and everyone that asks for them because that is what a library is for.  Intellectual freedom, even if it is stupid, should be a library's goal.  Taking materials away from your patrons, researchers, students, and crazy teenage girls is wrong.  I hope that's the last time I have to say that, but probably not.

Tintin OUT, then IN at Swedish Library