The Librarian: Accomplice to Fraud

Kenyan track student comes to the ref desk and asks for whiteout. He paints over some lines on what looks to be an unofficial transcript. Then he asks if we have a scanner. I take him to the media room. "Can you show me how to use this?" I help him make a scan of the document; the whiteout smudge is less evident. "How can I send this by email?" I show him how to attach the file to a Yahoo email message. The "to" address seems to be the track department at a major state university.

So my hypothesis: the kid had a bad semester and is trying to transfer. Oh well, I don't feel too bad since the scheme is half-baked. The state u. will undoubtedly request an official transcript to be sent directly from our registrar's office, so he won't get away with anything.

Has anyone sold books through amazon.com? I'd like to convert some of my review copies into cash.

Read: Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic; Charles McDaniel, God and Money: The Moral Challenge of Capitalism.

Saw: Read or Die, anime about a cute bookworm with telekinetic powers over paper who saves the world from a Bond-style villain. Pretty run-of-the-mill aside from the bibliophilic motif.

The NYT likes Lynch's latest.

Been going to the mainline Presby church lately. It's a bit too touchy-feely for my tastes--both literally (holding hands at the benediction--yuck) as well as figuratively (sermons designed to stir emotions rather than teach doctrine, delivered by the pastor with artificial fervor). However, they have a semblance of the traditional liturgy, they say the Creed, most of the hymns are standards (did Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence today), and Communion is offered once a month.

The Japanese company my coworker used to teach English for has an opening, and he said he'd write me a letter of introduction (which is how he got the job back when). It's tempting.

Cultural gluttony: The World (B-), Foxbase Alpha (C+), Azumanga Daioh: The Manga (A-).