Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Time to remember a man who reminded us that--
A PERSON'S A PERSON, NO MATTER HOW SMALL.



On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing …enjoying the jungle’s great joys…
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise.

So Horton stopped splashing. He looked towards the sound.
“That’s funny,” thought Horton. “There’s no one around.”
Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
As if some tiny person were calling for help.
“I’ll help you,” said Horton. “But who are you? Where?”
He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
But a small speck of dust blowing past though the air.

“I say!” murmured Horton. “I’ve never heard tell
Of a small speck of dust that is able to yell.
So you know what I think?…Why, I think that there must
Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!
Some sort of a creature of very small size,
too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…

“…some poor little person who’s shaking with fear
That he’ll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer!
I’ll just have to save him. Because, after all,
A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

So, gently, and using the greatest of care,
The elephant stretched his great trunk through the air,
And he lifted the dust speck and carried it over
And placed it down, safe, on a very soft clover.

“Humpf!” humpfed a voice. Twas a sour Kangaroo.
And the young kangaroo in he pouch said “Humpf!” too
“Why, that speck is as small as the head of a pin.
A person on that?…why, there never has been!”

“Believe me,” said Horton. “I tell you sincerely,
My ears are quite keen and I heard him quite clearly.
I know there’s a person down there. And, what’s more,
Quite likely there’s two. Even three. Even four.
Quite likely…

“…a family, for all that we know!
A family with children just starting to grow.
So, please,” Horton said, “as a favour to me,
Try not to disturb them. Just let them be.”

“I think you’re a fool!” laughed the sour kangaroo
And the young kangaroo in her pouch said, “Me, too!
You’re the biggest blame fool in the jungle of Nool!”
And the kangaroos plunged in the cool of the pool.
“What terrible splashing!” the elephant frowned.
“I can’t let my very small persons get drowned!
I’ve got to protect them. I’m bigger than they.”
So he plucked up the clover and hustled away.



Go over to a bookshelf and read the rest. No, no-- READ it first. THEN if you want to, watch the movie.

University presses serve a definite purpose

This is a shame.

Chancellor Michael Martin doesn't question the prestige the Louisiana State University Press brings to his school, with Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction and poetry, tomes on Southern history and culture and other noted works to its credit.
What it doesn't bring in is revenue, and like cash-strapped colleges across the country, LSU is getting tired of propping up its press.

The school has said the 74-year-old original publisher of "A Confederacy of Dunces" doesn't generate enough money to independently function. LSU officials are considering downsizing it or closing it as they face state budget cuts that could surpass $40 million at the Baton Rouge campus alone.

"We allocated $500,000 of university money to the press in the last fiscal year. They spent $1.4 million," Martin said last week. That type of subsidy cannot continue, Martin said. Other schools have reached the same conclusion.

Utah State University Press narrowly escaped the chopping block this year. Eastern Washington University Press is being phased out as that school copes with budget cuts. Even the most prestigious presses are feeling the pinch: Yale University Press reported in March that revenue was down nearly 8 percent, and the State University of New York Press announced five layoffs in December.

"They're all getting hammered," said Peter Givler, director of the American Association of University Presses, which announced earlier this month that it would work with the heads of LSU's business, communication and history departments to help develop a new business model that could keep the institution alive.

Al Greco, vice president of the Institute for Publishing Research in Bergenfield, N.J., said university presses face many of the same problems as commercial publishers, primarily that adults spend fewer hours reading and more time with television and the Internet. Complicating the problem for university presses, he said, are higher costs and a shrinking customer base. For instance, public and school libraries are buying fewer copies of university press publications because of declining readership and tax revenue.

Givler refused to speculate on what a new business model for LSU might entail but said any ideas will require a tighter budget. He said they also could involve new technologies, including e-books. However, Greco, cautioned that building a broad archive of digital titles is difficult and expensive.

Greco said some struggling university presses have explored forming regional consortiums for publishing or distribution. Other possible strategies could include trimming the number of new publications each year, seeking grants for publishing books in specific fields of research and charging nonrefundable fees for reading works submitted for publication. He also said university presses may need to recruit personnel from the world of profit-making commercial publishing.

One way or another, university press operations are having to prove their worth to their institutions, said Kate Wittenberg, a former editor-in-chief of Columbia University Press who is now a project director with Ithaka, a nonprofit group that assists in academic research and archiving.

"I don't know whether university presses are being used as 'bargaining chips' in budget cut battles," Wittenberg wrote in an e-mail. "However, I will say that it is probably easier for a state legislator to accept cutting a press's budget than, say, cutting funding for the school's English department."

LSU Press director Mary Katherine Callaway said she believes the press' value to the university is evident in its four Pulitzer-winning works, 240 other awards and in the 75 to 85 new titles it publishes each year.

"It's really easy, I think, to point at the numbers and get really wrapped up in those, and I'm not saying that numbers are not important," Callaway said. When it comes to status symbols like having an in-house press, however, sometimes the question isn't cost but value, she said.

News of LSU Press' possible demise sparked letters to Martin and Gov. Bobby Jindal from the American Historical Association and the Modern Languages Association. And it has fueled long-standing debates over the relative importance universities place on athletics. Ted Genoways, editor of the University of Virginia's literary journal, the Virginia Quarterly Review, calls the LSU Press one of the best university publishers in the nation. Losing the press and its literary publication, the Southern Review, would tarnish LSU's image, he said.

"Do you want to be known as some place that supports the history and culture of your region or some place that has fantastic outside linebackers?" Genoways said.

Martin countered that LSU's moneymaking athletic program subsidizes some academics. "In some respects," Martin said, "the press has been saved by the outside linebackers — up to this point."

I think I know the answer to that question, at least to most LSU fans. It would be "Save the linebackers!" And I'm NOT just kidding.

But seriously, I remember reading A Confederacy of Dunces for the first time about twenty years ago. It was provocative, and it was easy to see why it would have trouble finding a home among mass-market publishers. Many if not most of my favorite non-fiction books have been the products of university presses: Oklahoma, LSU, and Oxford in particular. They definitely serve a purpose in the publishing world.

Thursday Thirteen Number 8: After a long hiatus, thirteen authors for whom I am thankful

Okay, so I started doing this thing a while back, and then they cancelled it for a while, so I was afraid I was the Kiss of Death to it. But here goes again......

Thirteen AUTHORS I LOVE 1. P.G. Wodehouse. He maketh my heart laugh as a hart pants for cooling streams. I want my own Jeeves to keep me from my own stupidity. This stuff is laugh-out-loud hilarious! Can lift the vilest mood. 2. Robert A. Heinlein. Even if he was sometimes a tad misogynistic, I still loved him. I think I have read everything he ever wrote. Of course, I'm like that. 3. J. K. Rowling. Please. I don't have to explain, do I? 4. Barbara Brown Taylor. Her sermons have helped me immensely. She is an Episcopal priest who is now a college professor. I wouldn't have made it through preaching class without her. 5. J. R. R. Tolkien. Unbelievable! Although the Silmarillion was not always so thrilling, I loved The Hobbit when I first read it at the age of nine. 6. C. S. Lewis. I am currently trying to get through all of his works. A Grief Observed helped me so much when my Dad died. 7. Eudora Welty. Another one who can make me laugh at any time. "Why I Live at the P.O." is just like my family, sadly. 8. John Steinbeck. Sweet Thursday and Cannery Row are enough. Then there's The Grapes of Wrath. 9. Harper Lee. Who cares if it's only one book? WHAT a book it was! 10. Angie Debo. She taught me so much about history and influenced me so much in my studies. 11. Thomas Merton. Not so fond of the Seven Storey Mountain-- he was a bit too strident there-- but his work in Contemplative Prayer and Life and Holiness were really useful. He died all too soon-- he was just getting to the really good stuff before his untimely end. 12. Jane Kenyon. Incredibly true poetry. It could have been otherwise. 13. Howard Nemerov. I once got to hear him speak at my husband's commencement. He was funny and erudite and joyful. Another great American poet. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter Ohboyohboyohboy!

Okay, now, I've been having this discussion for a few days now with some of my friends, since I am SUCH a complete dork that when I think of the second I get the 7th Harry Potter book in my hands I start getting all twitchy and breathing heavily and wonder how I can tell my darling and adorable children that there are cans of Spaghetti-Os in the pantry and please no one bleed or break anything until Mommy finishes her book-- yes, that's how geeky I am. So here's my question for you:

Would you consider turning to the last page first and finding out the ending before you actually read the book?

And by the way, I'm not going to say right now what I'd do, but let me just make clear that there will be no spoilers divulged on this blog or in the comments by anyone, hear?

Compulsive? ME? No, no, no....

Now, HERE we go-- a book meme! Picked this up over at Mister Teacher's place. How would YOU do? 'Cause I'm throwin' DOWN!

*Look at the list of books below.
*Bold the ones you’ve read.
*Italicize the ones you want to read.
*Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) -- it was entertaining, but-- it's FICTION, people! Jeez!
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) I LOVED it! And the recent film was great, too.
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)-- This is probably one of my favorite books ever. It is poetry and a call to action, all at once. Also a great film.
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) A bit overwrought, I thought.
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) OHMYGOSH, YES!
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) How could you not be completely...
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)... swept away by this world?
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) Once again, I want to be Professor McGonagall.
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) Ehh.
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) I loved this, but Goblet was my favorite.
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) I went through a real John Irving phase in college. Can't say I've ever read his stuff since.
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) Interesting.
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) The original one that got us all addicted!
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) Not so much on the Stephen King, I'm afraid.
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) Genius!
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) What can I say? I was an English major.
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) In college, I had a little brown Triumph Spitfire. It was named Frodo. Need I say more?
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) I am not a fan of this book. If I was near Holden Caulfield, I'd kick his behind. Hard.
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)-- I cannot make myself read a book about a little girl being murdered. I'm sure it's a great book, but no.
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) Read it last summer!
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) -- Always bring a towel! Oh no, not again! Words of wisdom for every situation. I used to be able to quote whiole chunks of this. I'm sure you're surprised by that. The film was a tremendous disappointment.
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) -- One of the few books-- along with the Ox-Bow Incident-- that my daddy specifically asked me to read. Great song by Kate Bush covered by Pat Benatar, too.
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) Lewis was a genius. I also love his more overtly religious works.
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) A great novel, although I especially love Steinbeck's humorous works.
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) Great message here.
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) I read all the Dune books in Jr. High. I am really a fan of scifi and fantasy.
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)-- Ummmmm, no.
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) It was okay. I liked Anthem better.
34. 1984 (Orwell) Must be read alongside Brave New World.
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) I took an entire course in college on Arthurian Lit. It was wonderful!
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) Oprah may like dis guy, but I mourn the hours I spent reading this and She's Come Undone. Pbbbbth.
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) Not so fascinated with this one.
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) I have not finished this one yet....
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) He does have a thing about dying, but this was good too.
45. Bible-- Yes, I have read the whole thing. Including Apocrypha.
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) That Comparative Lit class I took in college? This was fine, but Sir Walter Scott? Shudder....
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) A fantastic story.
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) What? I AM an Okie, after all, and SMILE when you say that!
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) This is absolute dreck. I hated it. See comment to #38 above.
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) I read half of it, then lost the book on vacation.
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) I love the wordplay in these books. She deserves every penny she'd earned from these.
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) Ay yi yi. What an idiot Father Ralph was.
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) This one was great.
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) I have some sort of block with the Russians....
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) Boy, her politics were interesting.
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) I worked in a bookstore when this was all trendy. No thanks.
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) Didn't care for this one.
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) I actually taught this one while student teaching.
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) One of the first books I remember my mom reading to me.
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) Funny and pathetic, but mostly funny. Bridget was harder on herself than I am on myself.
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell) In Jr. High we went to visit Japan, and I loved all things Japanese. I even watched the miniseries.
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) Another book my mom read to me.
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) Read it in 7th grade English class.
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) Part of my Irving kick in college. I hated the car wreck in the driveway.
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) I have read every bit of Steinbeck. One of my favorites.
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) Loved it.
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams) High School, my junior Year English teacher gave me this one.
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) Playstation and American Idol is Soma. Must be read alongside 1984.
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) Disturbing.
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) There is NO WAY you could go to junior high in Tulsa and not read this, Rumble Fish, and That Was Then, This is Now. Susan Hinton is from Tulsa. A lot of my friends were extras in the movies.
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) Sad to say, I'll never get those ten minutes back. That must have been some powerful dope.
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)-- How did I actually manage to get out of TU's English Dept. without reading this? It was HARD WORK, let me tell you, but I did it. And it was worth it. I read the first fifty pages and my eyes hurt from rolling them so many times. Petentious, painfully self-important scheisse.
101. Jurassic Park
102. Learn Me Good

Whoa! Sixty! It's amazing I have any other hobbies, but I promise I did other things besides read.