Filed under: banned books week, books, censorship, democracy, free speech, freedom, reader
Banned Books Week is September 26 – October 3. The kick-off ceremony, Banned Books Week Readout will be held in Chicago’s historic Bughouse Square. Chris Crutcher will host the event. His novel, Running Loose is on the list of the 100 Most Challenged Books of 1990-1999.
Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008
Out of 513 challenges as reported to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom
1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
2. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence
3. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (Internet Girls series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence
5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group
9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group
Six of the authors from this list will read from their work and discuss censorship: Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Lauren Myracle, Sarah S. Brannen, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Stephen Chbosky.
The following books were banned in Colorado during the last 2 years:
2008 – Sarah Brannen’s Uncle Bobby’s Wedding was challenged at the Douglas County Libraries in Castle Rock, citing that because the book features two gay guinea pigs, it contained material inappropriate for young children.
2008 – Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things was challenged at a Colorado Springs middle school library. A teacher reported that this book was ultimately removed.
2007 – Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass was pulled from shelves at Ortega Middle School library in Alamosa, for what critics regard as the book’s anti-religious views. District officials later returned the book to circulation.
There is some good news from the censorship battlefront. The Russian Education Ministry announced this month that excerpts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago will be required reading for students. Published in 1973, the book was immediately banned in the Soviet Union and Solzhenitsyn was exiled from his native country.
Censorship rears its ugly head in many ways. In Silt we laugh about all the fuss over a statue, but that is censorship. Commemorating Banned Books Week is an opportunity to pause and pay closer attention to all forms of censorship around us. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are all affected by censorship. I can’t imagine anything worse than a world where everyone agrees on everything. Contrast and diversity make life much more interesting. Although we could do with heaps more tolerance and acceptance.
The best way to support Banned Books Week is to read a banned book. Challenge yourself. Choose a book that you assume you won’t like, or one that you’ve heard rumors about and decided not to read. Open your mind. For lists of banned books go to the ALA’s Frequently Challenged Books.
For more ideas to support Banned Books Week go to What You Can Do.
Filed under: Silt, ass crack, bobby hays, dave moore, heidi rice, nicky leigh, roundabout, statue, town board, trustee
It all started back on August 24 at the SiltBOTs meeting. Forest Gump – er – Jacobs complained about the ass crack on the naked climber. Bobby Hayes suggested painting some pants on the figure. I wrote about it in my blog and said this is why we can’t have nice things in Silt.
Heidi Rice at The Paper picked up the story and ran with it:
Silt resident would prefer sculpture if there were no butts about it
In her article, we learned that Forest is a plumber. Yes, that’s right. He’s a plumber. And he’s complaining about an ass crack. Actually now that I’ve seen him on the TV, I understand how the irony might be lost on him. What is it with the plumbers these days anyway?
Then the MSM picked up on the story and Silt made national news over the Labor Day weekend because there’s nothing else going on in the world – and it was a story about an ass crack.
The day after Labor Day some wily prankster stuck a pair of board shorts over the climber’s ass crack. Somewhere Beavis and Butthead were cracking up.
Forest made a return appearance as the ass hat during the comedy portion of Monday’s (9/14) SiltBOTs meeting – otherwise known as Public Comments. The result was reality TV at its finest. Way better than an episode of say, There Goes the Neighborhood
Forest cracked a smile and told the SiltBOTs he was there to talk about the crack in the statue and how the kids are cracking jokes about it and whenever he talks to the folks about it they crack up. So I thought, okay this guy’s a crack pot. He’s just milking his 30 seconds of fame.
I wondered if he was the one who put the shorts on the climber last week. But he quickly disavowed any connection with the “bikini” incident as he referred to it. I guess anyone who is that upset about the ass crack on a concrete human figure and calls knee-length board shorts a “bikini” is probably dealing with a serious skin exposure phobia. Come to think of it, he was wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt on a fairly warm evening. Anyway he said he didn’t think putting a “bikini” on the climber was an appropriate way to solve “the problem” – of the ass crack.
And why is the ass crack a “problem”?
In the world according to Forest “something like that belongs in a museum and not in the middle of town on a state highway for the whole world to see”. He said it’s “embarrassing” and he wants the statue taken down. He said he asked them to do something about it at the last meeting and they didn’t. So if they won’t do what he wants he’s going to get a petition going. “I’ll take it to the county and I’ll even take it all the way to the state,” he said.
Mayor Dave explained how the statue came to be in the roundabout. There was a committee of community members. The whole thing was widely publicized and open to the public. The committee selected the statue based on the artist’s model, which the Board approved. The naked climber wasn’t evident on the model. It had apparently slipped through the crack.
But that was the crack in their story that Forest was looking for and he jumped right on it. He claimed that showed the SiltBOTs didn’t know what they were getting into and they should admit their mistake and do the right thing. “Take down the statue and start over,” he said. Not “I think” or “in my opinion”. He issued an order. And he doesn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks. Too bad he didn’t apply for the open trustee position. He’d fit right in.
Then he started whining about the children. Won’t somebody please think of the children? He made a half-assed attempt to lump together “our responsibility as parents and grandparents for our children’s future” with the statue. Is our kids in danger of falling through the ass crack?
Bobby Hayes was the only SiltBOT with his head up the ass crack. He called it “pornography” and he said he wanted the statue covered up until they figure out what to do about it. Which begs the question – what did Bobby know about the board shorts and when did he know it?
Mayor Dave cracked down and said there would be no action taken at the meeting and he and Bobby ended up bickering at each other.
If that wasn’t enough to crack me up, next up was Jennifer-I-can’t-remember-her-last-name. Her issue was RFTA and why doesn’t Silt support them because we are in danger of losing bus service and that’s how she gets to work. Betsy said the SiltBOTs and the staff do support RFTA but the voters have voted down a tiny tax increase – $10/registered vehicle – twice. A heated discussion ensued among the SiltBOTs and Jennifer asked, “Are you guys always this dysfunctional?”
“Yes,” said Nicky Leigh.
“This is televised,” Jennifer reminded them. “People are watching. And you especially.” She pointed to Bobby. “You really need to tone it down.” As she stood up she said, “I guess I’ll have to go to the county.” Then she left, sucking the last breath of fresh air out of the room with her.
Jennifer-I-can’t-remember-your-last-name so I’ll just call you Jennifer the bus rider, you are hero of the month for cracking open a can of whup-ass.
Butt — but we can’t be bothered with a silly little thing like bus service for working people when OUR ASS CRACK IS SHOWING.
In this wacky upside down world along with the birthers and the tenthers, in dysfunctional Silt we have the ass-crackers.
So the burning question is – which side of the ass crack are you on?
Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Colorado, alaskan malamute, canine compulsive disorder, clomipramine, crazy bitch, dog behavior, dog story, dogs, obsession, peggy tibbetts, training, trappers lake
Do dogs love each other?
Some experts believe all animals form bonds with other animals but that bonding has more to do with companionship rather than love. Other experts believe animals do love. Whether that love is based on need, devotion, or companionship, it is certainly love.
I’ve loved and raised enough animals in my life to have witnessed real love between them. My Himalayan, Rosie was devoted to her beloved mate Fred and lasted only a year after he died. She slept in his bed and missed him terribly. My Golden Retriever Marley and his mate Jesse were inseparable and he was never the same after she died. I could go on forever with examples of real love between two animals.
Do Venus and Zeus love each other? There’s no doubt Venus loves Zeus. It is certainly a crazed, obsessive kind of love. But it is love. So the one true question has always been: Does Zeus love Venus?
The day he met her he was definitely smitten. He pranced around and flirted like a teenager. They played like puppies. We never tried to force their relationship. We hoped it would develop naturally. After a few months he grew impatient with her. She challenged his dominance. She didn’t play fair, grabbing his collar or biting his ears. She barked and threw toys and bones at him. We thought she was just squirrelly and she’d grow out of it. He made his own rules and set his own boundaries. She has often viciously disagreed. There’s no doubt in my mind that dogs have powerful energy sensors. I think way back then Zeus knew she was mad as a hatter.
They were getting along okay after her summer solstice meltdown. But it was just that – okay. Venus has gradually mellowed out, right on schedule. We have experience now, we know what to expect from Clomipramine. When she does become anxious she calms down easily. She’s only allowed to pay attention to Zeus with his permission. Every now and then she sneaks over and gives him a little lick on his nose or ear. Except we’ve learned the hard way that a lick can quickly turn into a chomp. One little lick is all she’s allowed.
Venus still demonstrably loves the big guy. It’s Zeus I’m not so sure about. He figured out the training game. He knows it’s up to him whether she can be near him. After her big meltdown last November, he was more involved in her training. This time around he has responded by tolerating her or ignoring her. They have played tag at Dogland a couple times but Zeus stopped it as quickly as it began. Was she too anxious? Did she get snippy? Or was he testing her? Knowing these dogs as well as I do, I suspect he was testing her.
Who can blame him? Life with the mentally ill has been described as walking on eggshells. Life with Venus often feels that way. If Tod and I feel it then Zeus feels it, too. But a) Venus didn’t attack me; and b) I’m not a dog. So I don’t know what Zeus is going through. I don’t know what he’s thinking. His behavior seemed to say, “I’m just not that into you.”
Caring people have asked me whether it’s fair to make Zeus live like this. We have wondered the same thing. So we treat Venus with Clomipramine and keep training her which makes life easier for Zeus – and us.
Last month in our continuing quest for new places to run wild, I said to Tod, “Let’s go somewhere we’ve never been before. I’ve always wanted to go to Trappers Lake.”
So on August 14 we packed up the camper, piled the dogs in the backseat of the pickup and headed north. We’ve never been there. My only excuse is that it’s easier to take two big dogs to places they’ve been before – especially Venus. They settle in faster and enjoy familiar surroundings. They know what to expect. After Venus flipped out during our Wisconsin trip last year, we haven’t exactly been eager to test her limits for new adventure.
We pulled a fast one on the dogs. We didn’t tell them where we were going. Then we waited for their reaction. Big fun. By the time we got to Meeker, they knew we weren’t taking an alternate route to Meadow Lake. They couldn’t sleep. They sat up and looked out the window. Nothing looked familiar. After we passed Buford, the road turned to gravel for the long ascent up to 9,900 feet. Venus pressed her nose and forehead into the glass as though willing something familiar to appear. Zeus paced back and forth. I turned around and gave him the eye. He plopped down next to my left shoulder and glared at me. He rolled his eyes toward the window and looked back at me with alarm.
“I got the message loud and clear,” I said to Tod. “Where the hell are we?”
We laughed but Zeus was not amused. He paced some more, which got Venus’s attention. He was visibly upset. Whenever his mood changes we have to distract her so she doesn’t fixate and snap at him. She stood up. I pulled rank and banished them to their corners like two unruly children.
“Enough already,” I barked. “Just chill. Everything’s okay. You’ll see.”
Seven years ago, July 19, 2002, a lightning strike ignited a wildfire near Big Fish Lake. The fire burned 41,000 acres between Big Fish and Trappers Lake. Thousands upon thousands of acres of charred dead trees stretch for more than ten miles like pillars of the devastation. Yet the mountainscape is no less spectacular. Chinese Wall, Flander, and Trappers Peak shine as pinnacles of nature’s powerful energy.
There were only a few campers so we had our choice of four campgrounds above the lake. As we drove through them the dogs drooled on the windows as they gobbled up the scenery. We wanted a view of the lake but the campsites are burrowed into a conifer forest. We had to get out and walk through them to find the right one. We ended up with a lake view, mountains view, and quick trail access to a quiet lagoon.
Heavenly view from our campsite
While we set up camp, Zeus was impatient and Venus was anxious. When we finally headed out for a hike we found a small lagoon right away. The dogs were thrilled. They ran down the trail and plunged into the water. Venus bounded into the marsh grass and rolled upside down. Zeus splashed around in the shallow water.
Lovely lagoon
We continued on another quarter mile to Trappers Lake where the dogs practically swooned. So did we.
Pristine Trappers Lake
Watching their freak flags unfurl was ecstatic. Tod and I shared a lot of laughs at how we’d fooled them. At the shoreline they seemed to get the joke because they each wiggled over and pressed against our legs. Big dog hugs. We hiked up the Carhart trail for about an hour until we reached the intersection of the Wall Lake trail. Talk about running wild. Zeus pranced from one pond to the next. Venus headed for the woods and shadowed us.
On that first hike on the first day we noticed a change in them.
“Happiness,” I said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them this happy,” Tod said.
Throughout the weekend it felt as though we were watching a peace negotiation a la dog world. Zeus and Venus healed old wounds and forged a new bond right before our eyes. The Protestants and Catholics. The Capulets and Montagues. Though Zeus and Venus are hardly Romeo and Juliet. A tragic love story indeed, but more modern, like Mr.and Mrs. Smith. We documented their reconciliation in photos. We didn’t put them together or pose them deliberately. They are photos of spontaneous dog behavior.
Zeus and Venus spent both nights sharing the table bed
Early Saturday morning I rousted the lazy mooks and headed down to the lagoon. Venus figured out immediately where we were going and beat us there. When Zeus saw her standing in the water he raced downhill and plowed into her, which was totally uncharacteristic behavior for Mr. Smooth. Looking as startled as I was, Venus jumped backward. But she shrugged it off and engaged him in a chase through the tall grass.
Zeus plopped down next to Venus as they waited for BBQ chicken
The wilderness around Trappers Lake is a maze of dozens of trailheads and intersections. No motorized vehicles or bikes allowed. Only hikers, horses, and dogs. Hikers paradise. But also many more interconnecting trails than the dogs are used to.
Ready for the wilderness
Venus got a little carried away with the whole running wild thing. On our Saturday hike, Tod and I had a brief discussion whether we would take the Carhart trail again or hike along Trappers Lake. He was thinking Carhart trail and I was thinking Trappers Lake. I won. About 5 minutes later we realized Venus was nowhere around. We stopped. We whistled and called but she didn’t appear. Tod headed back the way we came, wondering if she took off up the Carhart trail on her own. Sure enough another 5 minutes passed and she came trotting down that trail.
I don’t know if dogs can read people’s minds. All I know is that Tod was thinking about taking the Carhart trail when Venus took off, and that’s where he found her.
High level talks along the trail
On Sunday morning we hiked the same trail around the north end of the lake because the dogs loved it. When we reached a trail intersection Tod said, “This is the trail back to our campsite.”
“Let’s hike out to the bridge and back,” I said.
So we did. But after 10 minutes we noticed Venus was missing again. We thought maybe she’d gone ahead of us through the woods and would meet us at the bridge. No Venus at the bridge. On the way back to the trail intersection, I asked Zeus, “Where’s Venus?” He ignored me. Though a half hour had passed and still no Venus. We figured if she had gotten in any trouble she’d bark or howl.
“I bet she got her signals crossed like she did yesterday and took off on the trail back to our campsite,” Tod said.
As we headed that way I considered the alternatives if she wasn’t there. Tod could start packing up and I could hike the trail in reverse and look for her. Our phone number is printed on her collar. The lodge nearby has food in case we had to stay another day to look for her.
At our campsite I glanced around nervously but I didn’t see her. I opened my mouth to describe my plan to Tod.
“There she is,” he said.
She crawled out from underneath the picnic table and grinned sheepishly. Tail thumping, she was relieved to see us. I stroked her and praised her for being such a smart dog. I noticed she was trembling which indicates fearfulness or anxiety. We didn’t have to tie her while we packed up. She stayed put. Perhaps she learned a lesson. Never can tell with her.
I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t track us on the trail. Tod thought the swirling wind combined with the maze of trails confused her. But I wasn’t so convinced. Tracking dogs use the wind to pick up scent. I suspected that the Clomipramine affected her sense of smell. I googled it when I got home and sure enough, in a 2007 University of France study the results “showed a significant decrease in olfactory sensitivity” in mice that were given Clomipramine. It’s such a bummer. I hate the whole side effects aspect of prescription drugs. But Venus is doing so well, especially with the increased dosage. I guess as side effects go, it’s not that bad. We can tell from her behavior she still has her sense of smell, evidently it’s just not as powerful as it would be without the drug. Now that we know we’ll pay more attention on hikes. Maybe she will, too.
Since the Trappers Lake weekend things have definitely changed at home between Zeus and Venus. The biggest and most noticeable change is the happiness. Zeus is happier. There’s a spring in his step as though a weight has been lifted off his back. He is less cautious around her. Venus smiles more. She is less fixated on Zeus, where he is and what he’s doing. If he’s in her way she woofs and he either moves or I step in and make him move. She doesn’t stare at him while he’s eating. They spend more time together. Zeus will actually walk over and choose to lie down near Venus. They rub up against each other when they’re walking. They act more comfortable with each other – and more playful.
Is this a lasting peace? Who can say? We’ve come this far before then watched it all unravel. I still don’t know if Zeus loves Venus. He definitely likes her. Seeing both of them so relaxed and happy is like a gift.
Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.
