And as well, there's the provision that allows the FBI to go into any library and demand to see the book checkout records of any patron. Because, you know, the government needs to know exactly what you're reading. Which is precisely why many libraries delete and scrub records once the book is returned - immediately. If it's not there, they can ask for it, but they can't get it. They can also ask about Internet search history on public terminals - oh wait, that's right, many libraries now reboot between every user and delete the histories and scrub everything. They infiltrated the Muslim Student Club of my former academic institution - and got to listen to a lot of arguing about who to invite as a guest speaker that year, and bickering about the crappy print system on campus.

All I can think about reading this is a job I had as a grad student, working in an urban planning research institute. The research director was the first woman in Canada to get a doctorate in her field; her husband had been short-listed for a Nobel prize in his (different) field. Yet on a near-daily basis, she ran to me yelling that the postage meter wasn't working again - and every time, I'd go into the mail room, look at the wall, and say "You kicked the plug out again." Her husband would call her for instructions on how to write a check. Also, one day she came to work in a lovely pink blouse that had been white weeks before; apparently, they attempted to do their own laundry, and threw a new red item in with the whites. I'm sure their IQs were off the charts, but they were astonishingly dim about how to function in daily life.

I went to do a Masters in Library Science after several years in IT and teaching. The IT skills and experience got me my first job out of grad school (granted, I was one of 2 students at the time who knew anything about computers beyond how to turn the darn machine on), and every one since. Now I manage a large academic library and an academic technology shop (supporting faculty who want to teach online or digitize materials or incorporate more interactivity in their courses, etc.) for the same college. Having the IT background has been exceptionally helpful in managing relationships with campus IT and other IT shops. I tell prospective librarians to get all the tech skills they can - they're in high demand for things like building digital collections, digitizing archival materials, building library systems, etc.

No, it's not the same as just packing up and relocating elsewhere for a job. Your spouse literally cannot legally work while you are on an H1-B. And while H1-B visas may be heavily held by tech workers, they're not the only job group for which the visas are applicable. There are no caps at all on H1-B visas for professors and for doctors. I am a Canadian professor, who was recruited by a US university. Though my husband also has a PhD, he was not able to work for a year and a half while we waited for my institution's sponsorship of our green cards to go through, which they eventually did. That interruption happened to coincide with the crash in the world economy, and it killed his career; he hasn't worked in teaching since, though he had done so regularly for over a decade before. But a break in teaching in academe these days can end your career, especially if you're over 45 or 50. If he'd been allowed to work, he would still be teaching.

I had access to neither loans nor parental support in college. For a while I was in a co-op program, which was good & allowed me to support myself during school terms, but I had to leave it. After that, I worked multiple part-time jobs on & off campus while going to school full-time, & was always worried about paying the rent, eating, etc. I worked pretty much full-time, went to school full-time, no other life, which was fine, as I was living with my boyfriend. Things I learned: 1) Combine time & effort as much as possible. I worked in the main campus library, & did most of the research for papers (mostly for electives) right after work, before heading home. I also lived in a very inexpensive co-op housing complex, where tenants had to do 1 hour/week of labor, and in return rents were about half the cost of other apartments, and I worked one Saturday afternoon a month for a food co-op in exchange for a staff discount on food purchased there, which wasn't a lot, but helped with bulk goods. 2) Take jobs that offer more than just the pay. I waited tables in a beer-and-pizza/pasta joint, right next to the Engineering school, which at the time had about 800 students - about 3 of them female. Drinking age was 19 (Canada). I'm a decent-looking female, & I did well on tips. I was also permitted to eat 1 meal at work after a shift, and to take home leftovers from the pizza & pasta lunch buffet or any delivery orders with mistakes. My boyfriend & I ate a lot of cold/leftover pizza, leftover pasta, etc. A lot of students took jobs in restaurants because of meals & tips. Between that & the co-op apartment, living near campus (which cut down transportation costs), & picking up things like serving as a subject in psychology experiments with lots of quizzes for $25 a pop, I managed most of the time. The rent was late with some regularity, life was stressful, & meals were not always the most nutritious - but I survived.

Baloney. Atheism is non-religion. Don't insult me by calling me religious.

Not only are they not bad, they're damn good. Also rich by now, with many, many fans. It's just that they're loud and abrasive, kind of as thrash is to metal. My husband & I are seeing them in NYC on Valentine's Day, and they're sold out. I've been going to their shows since 1988. Since they've been able to make a very nice living for all those years, guess it's the government that needs to check its taste.

Hey, it's not torture - these guys are one of my favorite bands! They could play this at top volume all day long, and I'd be fine with it. My DH & I are going to see them on Valentine's Day - how's that for romance?