Columnist HL Mencken wrote, “Every complex problem has a clear, simple, but wrong answer.” These days, it seems like that result is accepted by too many people, but as Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural says, “That's the way it's always been.”
Cut funding for school libraries while mandating improved reading comprehension. Numerous studies have shown that investing more money in virtually every aspect of a school library, from staff to books to improved equipment, improves student reading outcomes. Simply repainting old library walls can help, but like many other districts in Alaska and across the country, our district has seen a significant decline in the number of librarians, library assistants, and library staff. . But governors have vetoed school funding and fought to keep teachers on decent pensions while mandating K-12 reading activities without funding. Faculty will have to cut back on other programs.
People other than the governor and his legislators are as confused as the submissives in a factory. As explained in the Guardian article “Pots of gold: the world's most expensive houseplants” by Stuart McGuirk, “'Plantflex' is the use of status symbols to theatrically display one's wealth. It's the horticultural version of showing off, in which case the status symbol might be something like a variegated monstera… This is the houseplant bubble, and it's the most human form of plant speculation, plant fraud, and outright plant crime. You're growing an offshoot.'' Many houseplant investors choose to take “nodes'' (just 1-inch stems with growing points) rather than whole cuttings to maximize profits. I am purchasing. These 'wet sticks'…now sell from £50 to hundreds of pounds. However, the probability that plants will grow from them is significantly reduced compared to full cuttings. ”
As the gardening season warms up, McGuirk's article is worth reading, but misconceptions are rife in the kitchen, as buckwheat and wild rice are neither wheat nor rice. According to Harvard.edu's Grain of the Month for last April, “Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat. Officially, it is not even a grain, but rather comes from a flowering plant related to rhubarb. Buckwheat “contains high levels of rutin, a compound also found in apples and citrus fruits, which may make blood vessels stronger and more flexible.” Meanwhile, Healthline's ” The Wild Rice Nutrition Review states that so-called wild rice is “the seeds of a rice-like aquatic plant and is not directly related to rice.'' There are four different species of wild rice. One is native to Asia and is harvested as a vegetable. The remaining three are native to North America, particularly the Great Lakes region, where they are harvested as a grain. It is only called rice because it looks and is cooked the same as other types of rice. However, they tend to be more flavorful and more expensive. ”
Back in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, Witch Hazel Ointment has nothing to do with witchcraft. The U.S. Forest Service's “Plant of the Week” notes that the thin, forked branches of hazel trees were used for dowsing to fetch water. “'Wicke' means 'active' in Middle English, and 'witch' means 'bending' in Anglo-Saxon. The American witch hazel splits into two when groundwater is detected by a dowser. It was probably called wicke hazel by early white settlers because of the curved dowsing ends of the branches.'' That was news to me, and like Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, I thought, “I'm wrong.'' I love it because it means I learned something new for the day in that moment.”
There are examples of people doing things right, especially in libraries. For example, the “Panizzi pin'' was invented by its Victorian namesake, Antonio Panizzi (chief librarian or director of the British Museum Library). Panizzi made many major improvements to the National Library, as well as some smaller ones, such as his “pins” called “pegs”. He measured holes drilled inside wooden bookshelves and inserted pegs into them to secure the shelves at different heights to better accommodate books of certain sizes. Adjustable shelving can be found in most modern libraries outside of Russia, where the fixed shelving of the former Soviet Union remains the norm. Panizzi was dedicated to making his library more accessible, had friends in high places, and was not bothered by fools like the Scottish historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle was a regular visitor to Panizzi's library and became known in library circles as the “problematic patron.” Carlisle said that the library seats (which were too small and uncomfortable), that he had to leave books in the library instead of checking them out, and that the “forced close quarters with his reading companions gave him a 'museum headache.' They complained about almost everything, even “giving people a lot of money.” Wikipedia reports that Carlyle “fell against” Panizzi. “Despite the fact that Panizzi granted him many privileges not afforded to other readers, and criticized Carlyle that the 'worthy assistant librarian' was not of much use…” Panizzi never forgot that disdain. When Carlyle, who was currently writing a biography of Cromwell, requested the use of a private room in the library for his research, his request was refused. Despite the high level of complaints, Carlisle lost the argument. He and his supporters then opened their own independent subscription library, the Library of London. ”
Carlyle's London Library still exists and is a subscription-based library. Anyone with £565 can participate for one year. There are many subscription libraries in the UK. In fact, only the United States and Australia have truly national public library systems. Nevertheless, the London Library is much better than China's Tianjin Binhai New District Library. It is his five-story structure, large and spacious, with windows in the walls, and in the front is his three-story eye-shaped window, from which a huge white pupil-shaped auditorium opens. I can see it. This earned the library its local nickname, “Evil Eye,” reflecting how impressive it is, yet at the same time wasteful and a waste of space. Inside he has three floors, curved fake bookshelves that stretch to the ceiling, except for his three floor-level shelves below that require bending down, photos of the backs of books instead of real books. are lined up. Its vast outdoor atmosphere is stark, the seats uncomfortable, and most of the visitors are tourists staring at a structure that is a monument to its function. TripAdvisor says: “If you're looking for an interesting building like a library, go there. If you're looking for a really high-quality library, don't go there. A well-stocked high school library might be better.” yeah.”
Along these lines, the Florida Department of Education has revealed in court how misguided the book of bans imposed by the governor and legislature is. As reported last week in the Tampa Bay Times article, “Florida settles lawsuit over parental rights law, clarifies ambiguous language,” the department announced that all school districts, some of which are closing libraries for fear of legal retaliation, (Some school districts have left their bookshelves completely bare). “This law does not apply to library books that are not used in class.”
Sadly, our state attorneys general, ever the political opportunists, are deliberately cruel to school boards, teachers, public libraries and school librarians when books they don't like are on their shelves. He keeps making vague threats. As former Alaska Attorney General Jahan Lindemuth wrote last November, AG Taylor “goes far beyond the scope of the executive branch to reinterpret and significantly expand parental notification laws.” '…far exceeds any law enacted by Congress…I urge school districts to seek their own legal advice on this matter and not follow Mr. Taylor's misguided guidance.' Please don't. ” He should heed Eleanor Roosevelt's point. “Learn from other people's mistakes. You won't live long enough to make everything yourself.”
Greg Hill is the former director of the Fairbanks Northstar Borough Library. He can be reached at hillofbooks@gmail.com.