Books That Were Once Banned

I just read an article about books that were once banned and for what reasons. It really intrigued me, so I decided to look up other books that had once been banned, and it’s pretty shocking. Here are my top 5:

1. Brave New World. Aldous Huxley.

Banned in Ireland (1932). Removed from classroom in Miller, Mo. (1980). Challenged at the Yukon, Okla. High School (1988); challenged as required reading in the Corona-Norco, Calif. Unified School District (1993) because the book “centered around negative activity.”

2. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne Frank.

Challenged in Wise County, Va. (1982) due to “sexually offensive” passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this book because it is a “real downer.

3. James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl.

Challenged at the Deep Creek Elementary School in Charlotte Harbor, Fla. (1991) because it is “not appropriate reading material for young children.” Challenged at the Pederson Elementary School in Altoona, Wis. (1991) and at the Morton Elementary School library in Brooksville, Fla. (1992) because the book contains the word “ass” and “promotes” the use of drugs (tobacco, snuff) and whiskey. Removed from classrooms in Stafford County, Va. Schools (1995) and placed in restricted access in the library because the story contains crude language and encourages children to disobey their parents and other adults.

4. A Light in the Attic. Shel Silverstein.

Challenged at the Cunningham Elementary School in Beloit, Wis. (1985) because the book “enourages children to break dishes so they won’t have to dry them.” Removed from Minot, N.Dak. Public School libraries when the superintendent found “suggestive illustrations.” Challenged at the Big Bend Elementary School library in Mukwonago, Wis. (1986) because some of Silverstein’s poems “glorified Satan, suicide and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient.

5. The Lorax. Dr. Seuss.

Random. Challenged in the Laytonville, Calif. Unified School District (1989) because it “criminalizes the foresting industry.”

info via http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/

The Pumpkin Patch

Geek Squad

Geek Hierarchy

27 Things To Do In My 27th Year

1. Run/walk in a 5k for charity

2. Take a photography class

3. Fix my friendships with L and B

4. Reduce my carbon footprint from 9co^2 tons/yr to 7co^2 tons/yr

5. Plant a tree

6. Do Kareoke at a real place, not just at a house- should be VERY funny

7. Stop being afraid of letting everyone down again and have a little faith in me

8. Convert my my old VHS collection to DVD

9. Archive all my photographs

10. Exercise

11. Go with Baby to Mommy and Me, or something like it

12. Send out Holiday cards

13. Use the coupons that I diligently cut out every week instead of letting them sit organized in my filofax for 6 months

14. Start graduate school application process- either for nursing or teaching or both

15. Pay at least $100 on the principal of my charge cards - I only have two

16. Create a "Rainy Day" fund for emergencies

17. Make side by side hand prints in cement with Baby

18. Learn how to make one meal, that's not breakfast, really well

19. Save up for a Spa Day with Sara- B can watch the young folk

20. Go to a museum

21. Prevent wrinkles

22. Start Baby's quilt of her baby clothes

23. Attempt to figure out what it is that I actually believe in- faith wise- so that I can teach it to Baby

24. Read at least two books of substance

25. Go to a psychic or a fortune teller or a qi reader or an aura person

26. Drink some Carolina Blond out of my Green Leafe Mug, at the Green Leafe, on Mug Night

27. Don't take one minute of my time with Baby for granted- or the rest of my family

LOVE, originally uploaded by Little Nora.

Life Questions

You meet a magician. He can do 5 simple tricks--pull a rabbit out of a hat, make a coin disappear, turn an ace to a joker, and two similar others. These are his only tricks, and he cannot learn any more. HOWEVER he is doing these tricks with REAL MAGIC. No illusions, he can actually conjure a bunny, and move a coin through space. He is legitimately magical, but limited in scope.

Is this person more impressive then Albert Einstein?

Yes. Theoretically, everything that Einstein accomplished could be replicated by another genius. Not to take anything away from him, but all he was, was smart. We understand smart and we can study smart. That cannot be said for magic. There are no known ways or tools to be magical, to acquire magical abilities, or to understand it in terms of theoretical physics.

Even if the magician can only do a few random, silly tricks- the fact that it is actually magic means that it is something Einstein, or any other genius, can/couldn’t do. The possibility to learn about real magic and maybe even being able to replicate it- that would be so cool!

All You Need Is Love

Cabbage Patch Turns 25

I went to the worst store in the world yesterday, and while I was shopping, I saw 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Dolls. I shook my head, like, “huh?” It must be a misprint, cabbage patch dolls haven’t been arol! My grandmother waited in line for 6 hours when they first came out to make suund 25 years, I remember my 3rd birthday being CPD theme, even the cake. I loved my dolre I got one for Christmas that year. Really? That was 25 years ago?

Then I remembered, I’m 4 days away from 27. It’s been 25 freakin’ years. OLD.

Here’s to the 80’s CP Dolls!

McCain Palin

Today was the first time I saw a positive tv ad done by the McCain/Palin campaign. McCain did the speaking, and I thought he looked really sincere. Ugh! If only he hadn’t picked Palin as his running mate- then this would not be a hard decision for me.

If someone had asked me two months ago if there was anything McCain could do that would make me not vote for him, short of murder and racial epithets, I would have said an emphatic NO. That was before. I had no idea, I had no inkling that he would pick a right wing fanatic as his running mate. I guess I assumed that his advisers were smart. He would have been better off picking Hillary Clinton as his running mate. I would even like a McCain Biden ticket.

But no, the fates are conspiring against me, forcing me to evaluate everything I think I know or knew about our government. The very fact that I am even considering voting for a Democrat is astounding, shocking. I am a Republican, damnit! Well, that’s not entirely true, I am a strict constructionist, but that doesn’t mean to much these days, unless you are a judge.

I always held the belief that even if you didn’t like the person your party nominated, you still voted the Party. The elected official is always going to be controlled by those who put him into power, so even if you hated him, it didn’t matter. My slogan was “Vote the Party, Not the Man!” Obviously I am rethinking that notion- which is really what this whole election is about. Am I still a Republican? If so, no matter what crazy lady is VP, I should vote for the Republicans. Did I all of a sudden become a Democrat? I don’t think I did, but I also don’t think I’m still part of the GOP.

I’m in the worst place, the place all government majors hate, THE MIDDLE. I am now a Joe Lieberman, no party to call my own. Too bad we can’t fast forward to the day after the election.

Side Note— McCain Palin, as a name for someone, sounds kinda cool. Back in my GOP heyday, I definitely would have names my dog that!

Election Signs

The above sign is my own President Endorsement!

I live in a neighborhood that is very conservative. I also live in a county that is either the first or second most conservative county in the state. Each November the election signs come out full swing, about 95% Republican and 5% Democrat, with my neighborhood about 98% to 2%.

However, things are different this year. The splits are still the same, but the volume has decreased. In 2000, I would say that of the 300 homes, 75% of my neighborhood had some sort of political sign up in the front yard. Today I drove around trying to find the signs and I only saw three!! And these three signs weren't endorsing a President, but our local Congressman, Eric Cantor-R. Not one President sign in a neighborhood that used to be teeming with them, sometimes 2-3 to a house.


As I was driving Baby to the doctor, I noticed that this phenomenon wasn't limited to my neighborhood, it was the whole county. There were a few Obama/Biden signs, but more McCain/Palin and even more Eric Cantor signs. In an election that is this contentious and critically important to our country's future, I had expected a full on onslaught of McCain propaganda.


I can only assume that people in this county are feeling much like I do; they know they have to make a decision, but because it's such a close call, they don't want to publicly endorse or announce it. Or maybe it's because they realize that because people feel so strongly about these candidates, they don't want to offend anyone. I doubt that's the case, as they didn't have any problem offending anyone eight and four years ago, but it's still a option. If I hadn't lived here my whole life, I would likely assume that this area is politically apathetic, but I know that's NOT the case. This area is very politically active and the exact opposite of apathetic.


So I've concluded that the lack of signage is actually a good thing, a politically conscious choice rather than a forgotten afterthought. Personally, I am having such a difficult time making my decision and no sign in a front yard or business is going to sway my opinion. The pressure I feel regarding my ballot is like nothing I've ever experienced, because VA hasn't gone Democrat since 1964. My vote was largely symbolic- beyond my civic duty, it wasn't really needed. Now that it seems Obama is ahead in the VA polls, for the first time in my voting history, who I vote for might actually determine who is going to be the next President. This might sound a bit drama queeny, but it's how I feel. No one in my family wants to vote this year because they can't make up their mind and knowing how important each vote is, they don't want to make the wrong choice.


While I'm still undecided, it gives me comfort that a lot of other people are feeling the same way. I hope that they don't decide not to vote, because that's worse than making a wrong choice. I get really annoyed by people who like to be critical of the government but then say that they didn't vote. So my new political slogan is Vote! Or Get Off the Pot!

21st Birthday

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Since Baby, I haven’t been to the movies even once! This may not seem like a big deal, but I use to go to the movies a few times a month. All this really means is that I’m behind on pop culture references for a few months, or at least until in comes out on On Demand or I buy the DVD.

I’m watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall right now, so I’m finally understanding the whole Russel Brand thing. Although, I would take Jason Segal over Brand, any day of the week.

John McCain or Barack Obama

I love voting! I registered to vote 2 months before my 18th birthday, just so all the paperwork would go through in time for my first election. The first election in which I voted in was 1999, and it was on a day that I had to cheer in a boys varsity basketball game. So I wore my cheerleading outfit to the poll, voted, got my sticker, and left. I proceeded to wear this sticker throughout the game- I was SO proud! It was my civic duty to vote and I was damn proud of exercising this right, which had it been 80 years earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to do.

Since then, I have never missed any election, primary, ect. Whenever I can vote, I vote, proudly. Each time, the anticipation never abates. In college I even went home to vote, 1 hour away, because I did NOT want to vote absentee, my vote was going to count.

Things have changed this election- I don’t want to vote. I am dreading having to make this decision. I don’t have the option not to vote, it’s not in my DNA, so I have to do it. Each day, as new things come out in the press, I am more and more wishing I wasn’t registered, then it wouldn’t be a problem. But I know one day my kid is going to ask me who I voted for, and not voting is going to sound much worse than voting for (insert candidate). I feel pressure this election, I live in a swing state for the first time in 50 years, my vote might actually mean something.

Now I’m trying to look past the rhetoric, so I can make the right choice. It’s stressful and I’m so conflicted.

Pig Tailed Princess

27

I turn 27 one week from today. I am trying to look at this positively, while letting my numbers OCD help me out. 27 is full of threes, as well as three years away from 30. It’s 3x9 or 3 to the third. Since three is the “Holy Trinity” of numbers, I figure maybe this will be a good year. 26 was doomed for failure, since it was 13x2.

I’m not crazy, I promise, I’m just looking for a positive spin on turning 27, on being closer to 30, on getting older.

Little Little Flower

Johnson City, Tennessee

Went to Johnson City today. It’s the biggest city closest to Middle of Nowhere, North Carolina. It has a population of about 90,000 people- Cfield has 306,000 people.

Palin and Biden Fact Checking

Check out the "facts" that Sarah Palin and Joe Biden got wrong.

Palin vs. Biden

I hate it when debaters get snippy with each other. I don't like to watch debates that have me nervously anticipating the next barbed comeback.

Making Raspberry Jelly

Today I made raspberry jelly! I am quite proud of myself.

The Daily Show on Sarah Palin

I watched this last night and I got the hiccups, that's how hard I was laughing!

Jon Stewart on Sarah Palin

Thoughts on Live Television

Since there is no TiVo or FauxVo here in The Middle Of Nowhere, North Carolina, I am forced to watch tv live. That means I have to choose which show I want to watch the most, since I can't tape two shows at once. Tonight, alone, I missed three season premieres! I'm used to reminders that let me know when something I like is going to be on tv. Because there is no Guide, I completely forgot that Lipstick Jungle was now coming on Wednesdays. Ugh, my level of live tv frustration has never been more high.

One of my favorite aspects of FauxVo is the library. When faced with stinky late night tv, I just watch a tried and true favorite episode that I saved. Here, I'm forced to watch the actual programming- the Horror! Fast-forwarding through commercials is a luxury I have taken for granted, never again. I feel a little pathetic that I am so dependent on my DVR when there are some people here who don't even have running water, or indoor plumbing, or dishwashers. But they don't have a one year old who bit them so hard on the neck that it looks like the mother of all hickeys, then threw up in the stroller, followed by pooping in the bathtub - at the end of the bath. My DVR is an essential escape mechanism that makes all that crap, literally, bearable.

The View

The View is my guilty pleasure, I’m not afraid to admit it. However, today’s discussion was so tense I almost had to turn it off. Here it is, watch it, feel uneasy.
On a personal note, I really wish Elisabeth could be a tad more bipartisan. I feel bad for her, but at the same time I think she brings it on herself by refusing to acknowledge the very valid points made by the other co-hosts.

The Fall

Some people get depressed during fall, because it means summer is over, winter is here. Not me. I love the fall, and everything that goes along with it. State fairs, leaves changing, kissing weather, opening windows and turning off air conditioners, my birthday, pumpkins, jackets, and Halloween. The fall has always seemed filled with possibilities and even though I am no longer in school, I still get the feeling of anticipation each year.

Wisteria, As In Wisteria Lane

My Pretty Angel