Are we speaking the same language?

Super Size Me

I have to have a little fun at both my Aussie friend and the American public’s expense for a moment. My friend had never been to the US before and after the grueling journey from Brisbane via LA (a journey which involves approximately 17 ½ hours of flight time and a few hours layover in the "lovely" LAX airport) and having gotten up at the crack of dawn to make the journey to Brisbane for said flight, not slept for the entire journey and arrived in time to go to an awards function at ALA, famished did not begin to describe him by the night’s end.

Unfortunately, being a weeknight many places were not open at 10:30 pm. What I originally thought was a place of ill repute, however, actually did turn out to be an eating establishment and we sauntered in for some kibble. I mean really folks, the name of the place and its proximity to Bourbon Street was quite misleading…Daisy Dukes? Seriously? Anyway, I played it safe and ordered a salad.  The whole gluten-free thing makes me wary and the staff at Daisy Dukes didn’t seem to speak Celiac.

My friend stared at the menu for a long time. Finally he looked up and asked me what an entrée was. All I could do was laugh. I thought we were both speaking English… Now my passport is very well traveled. It’s stamped by 21 countries. Usually I look at where things are placed on a menu, not the actual words because I’ve pretty much learned by now that there is a cultural difference in how we use words. And really entrée is French, not English. But I explained the menu to my friend so he’d know the difference between appetizers and main courses. He decided he was really hungry so he ordered chili cheese fries and some other monster of a dish. I quietly thought to myself that he was really ordering a LOT of food…

When it all arrived at the table, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. All he could think of was the movie Super Size Me. I really started laughing at this point as he sat there surrounded by masses of food with a Coke the size of a bucket. All I could say to him was “Welcome to America!”

To watch the movie Super Size Me on the Internet click here:

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3473867545/

Andreas and his first American monster meal at Daisy Dukes in the French Quarter, New Orleans

The Sequel to "Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side"

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

By Beth Fantaskey

2/2009

Jessica's Guide to Ruling the Dark Side

Due to be released in early 2012

Having taken a month off to travel with my Australian friend after ALA, I am finally digging into my vast pile of blog fodder from the conference.  Never one to resist a good vampire story, I decided to start off my review reading with the follow-up to the fun teen vamp story Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.   In Beth Fantaskey’s (what a great last name for a fantasy author!) tale about a young vampire princess who is raised by adoptive vegan parents on a farm completely unaware of her heritage until the tall, dark, and incredibly handsome Prince Lucius Vladescu arrives on their doorstep from Romania to claim his betrothed.   Where Twilight is dramatic and often sappy, Jessica’s Guide is humorous and witty as young Jessica grows into her emerging vampiredom.  Vampires don’t glimmer in Fantaskey’s world nor do they wilt in sunlight.  At the end of Jessica’s Guide, Jessica, whose real name is Antanasia, and Lucius have finally resolved their relationship and gone off to Romania to face their vampire families.

Often second books in a series are disappointing, but Jessica’s Guide to Ruling the Dark Side, due out in early 2012 will not disappoint fans of the first book.  The book begins with the wedding of Antanasia and Lucius which is revealed by an invitation in the book leading readers to a website for full details of the wedding.  The book then continues with the story introducing many new characters as well as retaining several familiar characters.   The characters of Lucius and Antanasia grow tremendously in this second novel and although it is somewhat more somber and dark in tone, it does still have the sense of humor that Beth Fantaskey maintains in her first volume.

If you haven’t yet read Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and are a fan of fun vampire romps, I highly recommend picking a copy up and reading it now before the second volume comes out.  If you have read it, you won’t be disappointed with the sequel – be sure to put it on your to read list for 2012!

http://www.bethfantaskey.com/

Interview With Author Jeff Kinney at ALA!

It's been a fun-filled day at ALA beginning with an early morning interview with superstar children's author Jeff Kinney!  Jeff graciously agreed to let me do a video interview with him despite his jam packed schedule during the conference.  My son Luke is a huge Jeff Kinney fan and has read all of the Wimpy Kid books over and over again.  Luke was originally supposed to come with me to New Orleans and had hoped to meet Jeff, so I thought up the idea of doing author interviews and contacted Jeff's agent.  Lo and behold they came through and we have a happy ten-year-old!  Jeff is not only incredibly funny and talented, but a super nice author who is joint-minded in the mission librarians march forward with to place books in children's hands and raise literacy rates.  Humor and graphics go a long way in aiding the cause for literacy.  Many children who wouldn't otherwise pick up a book are doing so because of authors like Jeff and we owe him a great deal of gratitude.  Thanks again Jeff and we can't wait for Wimpy Kid 6 to come out!

Jeff Kinney Interview



http://www.wimpykid.com/

http://www.gregheffley.blogspot.com

Get Ready For Some Upcoming Fun New Posts!!!

Here I am in hot, muggy New Orleans birthplace of my father and generations of my ancestors for the 2011 American Librarian Association (ALA) Annual Conference getting ready to embark upon a marathon of learning about the latest and greatest in librarianship, listening to some of the best authors and speakers in the world, grabbing some coveted signed books, and trying a new thing for my blog -- video author interviews!  I have been lucky enough to get a few wonderful authors to agree to let me do video interviews with them and will be posting the interviews after the conference on the Suburban Barnyard!  My kids were originally supposed to come down to the Big Easy with me to the conference, but got vetoed from the trip.  As a concession, I let them help me pick out a few authors to interview.  Some of them said yes!  I am so excited about this project and know that I'll be able to bring some excellent content back to fans.  Without giving too much away, one of the books is about a baby mouse, one is about a wimpy kid, and one is about a dog and a cat named "Bobby"...  More to come soon!

  

Why Can’t I Cite Wikipedia?

One of the biggest questions I get as a librarian is “why can’t I use Wikipedia as a cited resource?” I don’t disagree that Wikipedia is a useful tool for quick answers and I agree that it is an impressive use of technology to coral our collective knowledge on the Internet. That being said, there are many reasons why it is still not a citable academic resource. Let me explain why.

First and foremost, the format of Wikipedia is a wiki which means that it can be changed by anyone at anytime. This means that it has credibility issues. Wikipedia itself has a disclaimer page within its pages stating that it is not a citable source because it is a tertiary source (encyclopedia) and a wiki that can change at a moments notice. Wikipedia recommends using it as a starting point and then doing further research using the cited resources within its pages.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use )

Wikipedia espouses itself as the “free encyclopedia anyone can edit.” There are good things and bad things about being editable by anyone. For the most part, Wikipedia seems to end up self-correcting, but in the short-term, there is potential for misinformation. As a result, it is critical that he user double check resources when using Wikipedia. The best advice is using it as a starting point for further research using its cited resources.

Encyclopedias of any kind are used for general knowledge of a subject. They are more in depth than a dictionary, but they are not for true research. Younger students do use encyclopedias to do reports on subjects, but once students reach the level of high school, they are expected to start doing research that is more in depth. By the time a student leaves high school, he or she should understand what is or isn’t a citable resource and why. That is my goal as a librarian.

There are so many rich primary resources available for students, many of them on the Internet and many of them for free. If you are having trouble and need a research librarian’s help, the Internet Public Library is available 24/7 at www.ipl.org and will be happy to help with your questions. Librarians from around the country volunteer with the IPL which is housed at Drexel’s School of Library Science.

So remember, Wikipedia is not evil, it just isn't a citable resource. It's a great general reference for getting you started. Use it as a jumping off place to find some solid research. It's also not a bad resource if you need to cheat at Trivial Pursuit because you can always sneak a peak at your iPhone. But don't tell anyone I told you to cheat, because I never cheat at Trivial Pursuit. I take my chances on winning or losing the old fashioned way by relying on my vast stores of useless knowledge.

Got a Hankerin to Learn Some Biology? Check Out BIO 230!

(Is this scary creature the killer rabbit from Monty Python lurking in your backyard, or one of those mutant rabbits from Australia?)

Who says scientists have no funny bone? Professor Singleton’s Blog, BIO 230, dishes out science with a dose of humor. The blog includes weekly reviews of the show House analyzing the plausibility of the science. I’m particularly fond of the section entitled Topics Singleton Likes To Rant. I’m even considering a gift of a gold-leafed soap box for Christmas. One of my favorite postings from the archives is called Kill the Wabbitt. (The things that Bugs Bunny left imprinted upon our brains!) Ah that Dr. Singleton is a master of wit! If only he could use some of that creativity to improve his blog title… I’ve known Professor Singleton since the day mom brought me home and he asked if she couldn’t return me for a dog. He has serious potential for knee slappin' jokes. He's the inventor of the Yeasty Boys Brewing Company. He can do better than the boring academic BIO 230 title that does not begin to describe the contents of this terrific blog. One final rant, and this for the students; please, please, please don’t use Wikipedia as a cited resource! You have a myriad of rich quality scientific resources at your fingertips -- just ask a librarian!

(See my blog listing below to link to BIO 230.)

Become Ruler of Your Own Private Ocean Realm

One of my favorite apps for my iPhone is an app called Fantastic Fish. It’s an app that appeals to a wide age range from my elementary –aged children to adults. It allows you to build oceans and populate them with fish. It’s on the Plus+ network, so you can join up with friends to view their oceans and breed fish. As a teacher, there are several things that I like about this app. It inspires creativity as individuals create their own little oceans. On the surface, you’d think it would be somewhat limited, but I am amazed at how different everyone’s oceans look given the few items there are to work with in the palette of backdrops, floorings, decorations, and fish. Add to that the ability to name fish anything you wish and you end up with quite a wide range of creative oceans from fairly realistic seas to completely fantastical ones.

My oceans are fairly realistic because I am a diver and am inspired by the real deal, but the names of my fish are mostly names of authors or literary characters reflecting my gamer name, mrslibrarian. I also like the way that the app introduces various marine life like sharks, rays, clownfish, sea otters, manatees, sea horses, and lion fish – even if many of them are fantastical in the colors they morph into when bred with friends’ fish. Like many other apps, there is an element of business acumen to be learned from playing with Fantastic Fish as well. If you buy and sell fish well, you’ll be successful and build up prosperous oceans quickly.

One final thing that I am finding very interesting is the social behavior that follows as your oceans grow and become more prosperous. I’m finding that I’ve gained more and more followers and am able to breed more fish. Each week I continue to gain popularity. I looked at the leaderboards and added two or three of the top names to my friends list to see if the social behavior followed for them as well and indeed, their oceans are packed with followers seeking to breed with their fish. So if you like fish and want to have some fun playing Neptune, check out Fantastic Fish. It’s good clean fun that you can enjoy with your friends, your children, and your children's friends at the same time!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fantastic-fish/id407337846?mt=8

The Birds & The Bees

Spring has sprung and the song of mating is in the air. There are babies everywhere we turn it seems. It’s only natural I suppose that his is often the time of year that children often bring up those questions that many parents often dread facing … “Mommy and Daddy, where did I come from?” My friend and I were just having this very conversation over the weekend. She was troubled over how much and what kind of information to give her children, aged 10 and 8.

I have always followed my own parents’ advice in respect to discussing sexuality with children. I was a child of the 70’s and my parents were always factual, honest, and direct. They used a book called Where Did I Come From written by Peter Mayle and illustrated by Arthur Robins that came out in the early 70’s. We read it together when I was a Kindergartener and my brothers were in Pre-school and 1st or 2nd grade. I don’t know of any book written since that is nearly as good. It is the perfect mix of humor and fact that captures the attention of kids and gives them the information they need to understand their bodies as well as the basics of sexuality. It places intimacy, love, and emotions into the context of sexual relations too, a message that parents often are concerned their teens aren’t grasping. It is actually more effective if the message about intimacy, love, emotions, responsibility, as well as communication about sexuality with you, begins long before children are teens.

So if you are challenged with questions about the birds & bees this spring by a young one who is under the age of 10, go on the Internet and track down a copy of Mayle’s classic – or check a copy out from your local library. You won’t be sorry!

An Apple For The Teacher

I have been an Apple fanatic since the fall of Eve. Only unlike Eve, my temptation has moved well beyond those sweet dangly fruits hanging from trees, much as I do love a good trip to the orchard for some Stayman Winesaps, and on toward Apples of the high falutin’ techy type. I do believe my Dad still has one of the very first generation Apple computers still sitting in the old computer graveyard of his basement, an Apple IIe from the early 80’s. Ah the days of floppy disks! I’m pretty sure I still have a circa 1995 PowerMac Classic in my own computer graveyard, housed in my barn. When the iPad first came out, I saw a great picture of the Classic used as a trendy retro desk stand for the iPad – recycling at its best. http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/06/09/excellent-mac-classic-converted-to-ipad-stand/

Needless to say, when I left the corporate world in 2001 to stay home for a while, I decided to migrate away from the PC world and over to my true favorite, the world of Apple. I started with an iMac, added peripheral hardrives, bought a MacBook when I started grad school, added an AirPad, and finally when Verizon was able to provide service for iPhone bought my coveted iPhone. I am completely embarrassed by admit the number of apps I have on my iPhone…but they are well organized!

One of the things that I am going to start talking about on The Suburban Barnyard is use of technology. Some of the apps really have my wheels spinning with ideas. I REALLY want that iPad now! As far as I am concerned, forget the Kindles, Nooks, etc. and invest in an iPad. You will get so much more bang for your buck. Why buy one platform when you can buy a multiplatform library you can carry in your hand? And the iPad goes even further by serving as a travelling desktop and remote presentation tool. I could go on and on, but I’ll save that for another day. There is good reason for the love affair we all seem to have with iPads and the new surge of copycats. They are here to stay. Apps will continue to develop at an even faster rate and I am excited to see what lies ahead.

Excellent Foreign Film

The Colors of the Mountain

Directed by Carlos Cesar Arbelaez

I don’t often review films on my blog, but this film is one of special merit. It’s also a foreign film and foreign films are not often picked up by the general public. I belong to a special film club and receive DVD’s every month from award winning foreign and independent films. This particular film I think has terrific messages for all audiences and is a wonderful film for young people. It depicts the struggle of war in Columbia through the eyes of children. It is wonderfully filmed and shows the contrast between the innocence of childhood and the horror of adult warfare.

The story revolves around a group of boys who love to play soccer in a small farming village. They are right on the edge of a mountain dividing a group of war-faring guerilla groups. Political groups are organizing to bring the farmers into the war against the guerilla groups and yet all they really want to do is live their quiet lives. Tensions are mounting and the children are just trying to go about their days learning, drawing, and playing soccer in the nearby field.

The scenery shifts with the conflict and war is depicted primarily through sounds and changing weather rather than gore and actual images of warfare. Instead the images are through the reactions of the children. It is a beautiful and emotional film with humor and insight into war from an incredibly creative perspective. This is a film that will not soon be forgotten and will lead to wonderful discussions.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi402823705/