If That Don't Suit Ya

… that's a drag:

  • Our local paper reports on thousands of "anti-school" bookmarks found in books at the Dover and Portsmouth Public Libraries, and also the library of the University Near Here. (SeacoastOnline had the story a few weeks ago.) The bookmarks advertised the School Sucks Project and Freedomain Radio, both hardcore libertarian organizations. One bookmark features an apocryphal Mark Twain quote: "Never let your schooling interfere with your education." To her credit, Dover librarian Cathy Beaudoin claims she would have also removed bookmarks that said "Stop the oil spill in the Gulf".

    My observations are pretty much commonplace: (1) The articles underplay the irony of piggybacking on government-supported institutions to get free advertising for one's libertarian cause. (2) It's amazing that the perpetrators of this bit of guerilla promotion managed to slip thousands of bookmarks into shelved items without any librarians noticing it was happening. (3) For the record: it wasn't me.

  • In semi-related news, our Sunday paper contained the first glossy notices of retailers' back-to-school sales. This brought forth an audible moan from the educator who lives with me. Too soon!

  • Now that the World Cup is over, have you stopped beating your wife?

  • Calvin and Jobs rates an offical Pun Salad "Heh!"