(09:49 pm) re: ALA President

     I emailed some questions to the two ALA candidates for ALA President about a week ago. I got my reply today:

Thank you for taking the time to contact each of us about our positions on several issues of concern to the library community. As ALA presidential candidates, we are working hard to respond to the many requests we have received from ALA units for both oral and written statements. We will address many of the important issues you raised over the course of the campaign. Please be assured that we will keep your questions in mind as the campaign progresses.

     It was signed by both Leslie Burger and Christine Lind Hage. Good response time I'll give them that. I'm pretty sure though that there's not a single question from the list I sent being asked by anyone else. I'm also pretty sure that this is big cop out. I have serious doubts they will address any of those issues in any substantial way.

     I accused the Massachusetts Library President of the same thing back in the summer. I'm not interested making a habit of that charge but it seems like the various leaders of our organizations don't mind standing by while certain rabid elements go on political tirades but when they are asked direct questions about the behavior they run for cover. Am I off base? If you think I'm wrong you can email me or even call or snail mail (scroll way down). If you think they should answer the questions you can email them here: Leslie Burger / Christine Lind Hage. If you do, be nice, and maybe wait til after Christmas.

  (09:40 pm) A Real Page Turner

     Google is the talk of the town this week. An emailer sent me this lighter look at the new project via Scrappleface.

Sunday December 12, 2004

  (05:25 pm) Perspective

     Karen Schneider is blogging about blog ethics. She's speaking to all bloggers but also specifically to the ones who will be posting at ALA in Boston for PLA (Public Libraries Association). Since the PLA ones will be there on an official capacity that's certainly a reasonable goal. Her attempts to reign everyone else in is a bit funny:

"This kind of blogging is not only unethical, but counterproductive. The decision to be an ethical blogger does not condemn you to a bland, unopinionated world. Just the opposite: your willingness to fact-check, reveal sources, limit bias, and emphasize fairness will help make your commentary readable, and your conclusions credible. You can present opinions, even very strong opinions, in a manner that is fair and ethical. Frank Rich does this every Saturday in the Arts section of the New York Times. It's the difference between truly good commentary and the trash-talk in far too many media venues. It's the difference, in essence, between opinion and bias."

     Mr. Rich shows his lack of bias in his piece today dealing with the new Kinsey movie and the 'war over sex'. He dismisses Billy Graham (yes, that Billy Graham) as being predictable when the original Kinsey report came out and Mr. Graham warned that it would help in continuing the moral decline of the country. Take a look around you Mr. Rich, has it improved?

     Mr. Rich's fact-checking is equally impressive:

"A recent Columbia University study found that teens who make "virginity pledges" to delay sex until marriage still have premarital sex at a high rate (88 percent) rivaling those that don't, but are less likely to use contraception once they do. It's California, a huge blue state that refuses to accept federal funding for abstinence-only curriculums, that has a 40 percent falloff in teenage pregnancy over the past decade, second only to Alaska."

     According to Ceci Connelly of the Washington Post, via The Corner, "Columbia University researchers found that although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" may wait longer to initiate sexual activity, 88 percent eventually have premarital sex." The fact that they are willing to wait longer was lost on Ms. Connelly but ignored by Mr. Rich. The idea that pregnancy might not be the only reason to prevent or delay sexual activity seems to have flown over Mr. Rich's head completely. A previous study done by the same school showed that those who took the pledge were more "school-oriented."

     As to Ms. Schneider's own lack of bias and high ethical standards I'll simply point you to a previous post of hers during Ronald Reagan's passing along with my reply.

     Let's face it, I'm biased, your biased. If you really want to get anywhere start by being honest.

     Oh, and if anyone would like to read a conservative review of the Kinsey movie, go here. Its good reading, brings in the big picture.