From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Unnecessary Censorship
As long as there have been books, there have been meddlers trying to ban them. That's as true as ever in 2016, which is why an important group has designated this Banned Books Week:
The Banned Books Week Coalition is a national alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read.
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association.
The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship. The 2016 celebration will be held September 25-October 1.
This year's theme is "celebrating diversity," and here are the top five "most challenged" books in that category: A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines, A Hero Ain't Nothin But a Sandwich by Alice Childress, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds.
The closest I ever came to banning a book from our house was the time I almost tossed an Ann Coulter screed in the trash. How it got here in the first place is still a mystery, but we held on to it. It fits perfectly under the one leg of my work desk that's shorter than the others.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, September 26, 2016
Note: I'll believe that when the Chicago Cubs clinch the home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. Ha ha ha ha…. What??? They did? Really? Oh. Never mind.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the VP debate at Longwood University in Virginia: 8
Days 'til the Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Idaho: 9
Percent of Americans who "fear" a Donald Trump presidency, according to a new AP-GfK poll: 56%
Percent who find Trump "even somewhat civil or compassionate": 24%
Estimated amount Donald Trump's tax plan could add to the deficit over ten years, according to the Tax Foundation: $5.9 trillion
Minimum number of VW-related lawsuits currently in German courts seeking $9.2 billion in emissions fraud-related damages: 1,400
Number of states that allow the open carrying of assault rifles without a permit, according to Harper's Index: 40
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Well, where would you expect a lost Dalmatian to go?
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CHEERS to today’s big event. No, not the debate, silly. This:
Oh, sure. They say it's not aliens, but you know it's gonna be aliens. And if it's not aliens, you know it's gotta be massive NASA alien coverup. Either way: aliens!!!
CHEERS to a grand grand opening. With fresh stories of a presidential candidate who has a racial-profiling fetish and black men murdered by police looming ominously in the background like a “Whites Only” sign above a drinking fountain, black America finally got the unveiling of a national museum that they've deserved for so long. The weather was perfect Saturday as luminaries like Rep. John Lewis and President Obama dedicated the African American Museum of History and Culture (as Spike Lee would call it: a Smithsonian joint). As usual, the Obama Diary has a terrific photo/video post you can see here and you can take a roller coaster ride through the building itself here. Congressman Lewis, who as a kid practiced his oration skills by preaching to his family's chickens before going off to put his life on the line for the cause of civil rights, brought the gravitas:
That we are giving birth today to this museum is a testament to the dignity of the dispossessed in every corner of the globe who yearn for freedom. It is a song to the scholars and scribes; scientists and teachers; to the revolutionaries, and the voices of protest; to the ministers in the office of peace. It is a story of life, the story of our lives, wrapped up in a beautiful golden crown of grace.
I can hear the distant voice of ancestors whispering by the night fire: ‘Steal away, steal away home, ain’t got long to stay here.’ A big bold choir shouting, ‘I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom.’ All of the voices roaming, for centuries, have finally found a home here in this great monument to our pain, our suffering, and our victory. […]
As these doors open, it is my hope that each and every person who visits this beautiful museum will walk away deeply inspired, filled with a greater respect for the dignity and the worth of every human being and a stronger commitment to the ideals of justice, equality and true democracy.
Not to be outdone, David Duke took part in the ceremonial grand opening of his National Museum of Deplorables. Or as it’s also known: slapping a confederate-flag bumper sticker on his new pickup truck.
CHEERS to the thrilling conclusion!!! Only one more day until the Netroots Nation Fall Online Auction ends. Tomorrow night the bidding will stop, the auction paddles will fall silent, the winners will weep tears of joy as the losers weep tears of loss. (Makes sense, right?) Items include:
» Congressman John Lewis’s “March” trilogy of graphic novels
» Official 2016 White House Easter eggs
» Suites, dinners and front-row tables at Netroots Nation 2017 in Atlanta
» Artwork, collectibles and autographed books
» Beer, wine and snacks
» A stay at a condo in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
» A Lady Parts Justice purple uterus fedora
Lots more. So before you get too deep in the weeds of your Monday, you might want to head over and take another spin around the site to check on your bids or place some new ones. Proceeds go to help fund the Netroots Nation convention (Atlanta next August) and its regional events. Oh, and I should probably mention that the coupon good for dumping six bags of "whatever" in Yucca Mountain and "Barbie's Dream Meth Lab" have been removed. I assume because they want to save some good stuff to seed the next year's auction. Smart thinking!
CHEERS to the new kid on America's block. On September 26, 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s first Secretary of State. The most important instruction President Washington gave him: Don’t park in Adams' spot or he'll have your horse towed.
CHEERS to great moments in stinkola. A rare "corpse flower" named "Morphy" bloomed over the weekend at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. (You can see what's left of it here.) There's a method to its malodorousness:
The titan arum can grow to over 10 feet tall and is known for its impressive height and striking color, which is deep green on the outside and dark burgundy on the inside.
It is known as the corpse flower due to its pungent odor, which has been compared to the smell of a decaying animal. The smell attracts carrion beetles and flesh flies that serve as natural pollinators, which typically feed on and lay their eggs in decaying material. […]
Each year, a titan arum sends up either a leaf or a flower; each leaf lives for almost a year, whereas, a flower lives less than a week. Morphy bloomed once before in July 2011. Since then, it has grown a leaf on two separate occasions during which the leaves were photosynthesizing and storing energy before it sent up the current flower. The flowers must have enough stored energy to send up a flower. This past July, the Life Sciences Greenhouse repotted Morphy's tuber, which had an estimated weight of 37 to 39 pounds.
Coincidentally, there's something in the human world that weighs 37 to 39 pounds and smells as rotten as a corpse flower: Donald Trump's ego.
JEERS to close calls. On Monday, September 26, 1955, stocks dropped like a rock…the fastest rate since 1929. The numbers sound positively quaint today:
The Dow Jones dropped 6.5%, 32 points, to 455, with a total paper loss of $14 billion, the largest ever.
Reason: Eisenhower's heart attack two days earlier (after which, we would add, the country wished him a speedy recovery and no one belittled him or his ability to serve in order to score cheap political points). Stocks quickly recovered, though, when the country realized he was still the president. Or, to be perfectly accurate, when the country realized that Richard Nixon wasn't.
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Ten years ago in C&J: September 26, 2006
JEERS to the paranoid delusions of a lunatic mind. Despite the fact that no one can be found to confirm it, Bill O'Reilly says he's on al Qaeda's hit list. Actually, we believe he's on al Qaeda's "preserve at all costs" list---he's their favorite infidel comedian.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to the wisdom of our young'uns. Here's an antidote for a sucky Monday. In the midst of all the refugee hysteria generated on the right, one six-year-old kid is reminding us about the importance of that whole "melting pot thing." After seeing the now-iconic photo of that dazed 5-year-old Syrian boy injured in an airstrike, a New Yorker named Alex wrote a letter to President Obama offering to open his home to him. The White House caught up with Alex and produced this nice little share-worthy video of him---and Obama---reading it:
Still, it's hard not being a bit resentful of the little whippersnapper. His handwriting is neater than mine.
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
After delivery on Thursday afternoon, the world's largest rubber duck was inflated overnight in the Cheers and Jeers kiddie pool. When inflated, the duck towers 61 feet above the water and weighs 11 tons.
---WFAA 8
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