I don’t often post about baseball, but it is one of my biggest interests. This is a great article about the science of pitching, something you may want to share with kids at the library.
http://media.signonsandiego.com/pdf/100412quest_baseball.pdf
A while back I was asked to present on graphic novels in libraries. At the time it was a relatively new thing, and many professionals weren’t that comfortable with “comic books” on the shelves. I won a few people over with my own personal story. Comics not only got me to read, but helped me develop a rich vocabulary and world view at a very early age.
I was a reluctant reader. I was only interested in G.I. Joe comics, and those would be read to me by my grandmother. One fateful day while I was in first grade she put her foot down. ”Scotty”, she said in her proper, but stern voice, “you need to start reading them yourself. So I’m not going to read you your army comics anymore” This was in first grade, and there was a concern something was wrong with me. While later on it was discovered I did have learning disability, it did not effect my ability to read (writing continues to be a challenge). In two years I was reading three grades ahead of what I was suppose to. I also mastered the art of social studies; my interest was sparked by the subject matter in comics.
A few years later I would start attending comic book club at the Riverhead Free Library. We can all guess that was a major influence on my career choice.
Today on NPR there was a great piece about comics, reading and vocabulary. You can read it here.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/04/it_pays_to_enrich_your_nerd_po_1.html
This was a great show at such an odd venue. Trapped Under Ice’s 2nd or 3rd show in Albany and kids just went off. Probably my favorite show that year.
I do have a fiscally conservative streak that runs through my liberal ideology. Personally I think this is a great move by the federal government. I also think states should look at a similar model, government agencies really need to look into consolidation as a way of saving money. The article also has some interesting commentary about the LC.
Washington, DC. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate passed the controversial Federal Library Agency Act (FLAA) on a nearly unanimous voice vote, sending it to President Obama for his expected signature. The House had passed it in February with a two-thirds majority.
The FLAA creates a new mandate by combining federal library functions scattered throughout the government into a single unique agency. Using existing funding from departmental budgets, it forms a new domestic federal library attack dog, the Federal Library Agency (FLA) and its overseas arm, the Institute for International Study of Societies (IISS). Although initially south of revenue neutral, the act will purportedly save millions of dollars over the next decade and improve the services offered.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6723671.html?rssid=191
I have used duct tape to fix everything, it is something I learned during my high school job at a landscaping yard. It was perfected while being a active musician, we used it for broken straps and broken tour vechicles. I’ve noticed a lot of YA librarians doing DIY type programs, the use of duct tape being a popular theme. So I hope this article serves as a resource and a challenge.
http://weburbanist.com/2010/03/23/duct-tape-or-duck-tape-11-intricate-tape-designs/
I did my final paper in grad school on the digital divide and how public libraries could be a gateway for the poor to access the growing resource on the internet. Here is a new article about how a growing number of poor use the library for their internet access.
PORTLAND, Ore.—Nearly one-third of Americans age 14 or older – roughly 77 million people – used a public library computer or wireless network to access the Internet in the past year, according to a national report released today. In 2009, as the nation struggled through a recession, people relied on library technology to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, learn about critical medical treatments, and connect with their communities.
I have been a pessimist my entire life, but I am seeing a lot of positives to this terrible-awful-no-good economic downturn. People are beginning to appreciate the simple life, something so very American. In our quest to save money we are learning to garden, sew, and save again. This has even led people back to that “archaic” institution… the public library. Now a new Pew study has pointed out a new societal backshift, the entire tribe in one house.
The multi-generational American family household is staging a comeback — driven in part by the job losses and home foreclosures of recent years but more so by demographic changes that have been gathering steam for decades.
I am a very big fan of multigenerational households. I currently live in one and I believe it enriches my entire families life. Some of the best behaved and grounded children I have worked with were from these types of households. How this impacts libraries I am not sure, but I have noticed a lot more kids coming in with grandparents.
Thanks to Bill Drew for Twittering another great article.
The Full Article:
http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/752/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household
It was 1996, 4 older guys started assembling beat up equipment on the floor of a VFW in Huntington. They were the 2nd band to go on, and I had a feeling they were not going to sound like any of the other bands on the bill. At the time LIHC was full of novice Slayer riffs and open E chugs. As the band ripped through a dozen songs that sounded like a cross between early AF and Negative Approach the crowd slowly filtered outside.
That night they did not recieve the warmest reception, but within a few short years Kill Your Idols would go on to win the hearts of the Long Island scene, along with the rest of the world. Becoming one of the most respected hardcore bands to come off the sandbar.
I interviewed Andy for Bystander in 2003. We talk about Long Island, edge breaking, booking agents, and age. Rereading this interview I find it slightly prophetic, after a few more releases the band would call it quits, but KYI is one of those bands who will never be gone or forgotten.
Read the rest of this entry »
Lately I have been really reminiscent about my old bands. As I have gotten older I realize I sweated really small stuff when I should have just enjoyed everything that was going on. Some people would like to go back in time and change things, I would like to just go back and relive them.
About 8 years ago my friend Lou gave me a VHS tape of all the Some Part Sorrow era Tripface sets he had gotten on video. It was the only copy, and from what I can figure out the only videos of us. So a year after him sending it to me (I was suppose to copy it and send it back) Abe decided to eat it.
Judd, Dan & I had just started Wake Up Punk and were looking for venues. Concrete was a new organization on the SUNY campus and they had access to this giant room for shows. So we booked a KYI show with Concrete only to find out they never got the room. So after some begging and pleading we ended up in a rather large lecture hall. We set the show up at the top of the room and luckily no one fell down the steps. I wish the video was better quality.