Banned Books Week 2025

 We are now in the midst of Banned Books Week 2025, which runs from October 5 to Let Freedom Read Day on October 11.  The annual celebration of Free Speech and Freedom of the Press long predates the short history of this blog; indeed, it has been needed from the earliest days of our nation.  Sadly, it is needed now more than ever.  Hopefully our current thuggish, tyrannical administration will eventually recede into the dark corners of history, yet we must be ever mindful that the freedom to read any and all literature is perpetually under threat.  Censorship is today no less a problem that it has been in recent memory.  Efforts to restrict libraries in schools, universities and municipalities is a corrosive force that poses a persistent threat to society.  This year author, actor, and activist George Takei has been named honorary chairman of Banned Books Week.  Mr. Takei is no stranger to harassment and censorship, and he reminds us that a free and open society depends on the abolishment of censorship in all its forms.  So this week, I will remember that living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave" requires unrelenting effort from all of us to root out censorship wherever it is found.  Read on!

Happy Anniversary

 

Happy Postcrossing-versary to me!  It was on this day, 13 years ago that I joined the worldwide postcard exchange project known as Postcrossing.  On that day, I mentioned on Facebook that I'd joined, little knowing what I'd be getting myself into.  Since then, it has grown into a hobby that I devote much of my time to, not to mention significant expense.  Over the years, I have sent over 11,600 postcards and have so far received about the same number.  From 116 countries around the world, postcard have come and gone, sometimes in days, sometimes in months.  But I value each one I send and receive, as a small symbol of a fellow resident on planet Earth; no matter how similar or different we may be, we share our humanity and our passion for postcards.  I've managed to persuade a few friends and family to join Postcrossing with me, but even more participate in other ways.  My wife and some other family members are now always on the lookout for new and interesting postcards for me to send around the world, and I deeply appreciate their contributions.  So far, I see no prospect of relenting in my efforts to dispatch postal souvenirs from central Alabama to the wider world.  It's a hobby I hope to continue to enjoy for many years to come.  Write on!

World Postcard Day

 Once again, it's World Postcard Day when we celebrate the date of the first postcard, sent in 1869.  Long before email or text messages, the postcard represented a quick and inexpensive way to send a short message.  More recently, picture postcards were a popular through the mid 20th century as a way to send souvenir photos from vacations back to family and friends.  Today, enthusiasts like myself preserve the tradition by sending postcards around the world in an exchange program facilitated by Postcrossing.  Of course, that's not enough anachronistic messaging for me, so I also send personal postcards to family and friends during vacations and on other holidays and special events.  This year I will be sending a commemorative postcard that was published a few weeks ago to specially mark this day.  And by sending a few cards on this day, I will earn a profile badge at Postcrossing, as I have every year since 2020.  As I write my postcards today, I'll be remembering the long history of the humble paper rectangle- the world's first short message system.