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Greetings, Quotaholics:
Just after the New Year
I offered a brief 15 Minutes piece which showed Egyptian Muslims protecting
Christian Christmas Eve services from attack by radical elements of
their faith. Then, during the uprising in Egypt I offered the
reciprocal in another 15 Minutes piece which showed a photograph of
Christians protecting Muslims during their Friday prayers at Tahrir
Square in Cairo. I mused about the possibilities for such actions
here at the time.
Fox
is highlighting a story which seems to fit that description. Heartsong
Church in Cordova, Tennessee and Aldersgate United Methodist Church
in Alexandria, Virginia have both done something unusual. They
have offered their facilities to Muslims in the area who have no mosque
in order that they have a place to pray.
Diane Bechtol of Aldersgate
says this is something Christians are called to do: Be neighborly and
develop relationships - even those who don’t share your beliefs.
"I think it’s a tenet
of our Christian faith, and that is that we extend hospitality to the
stranger," said Bechtol. "We are a congregation that wants
to be helpful to people and if we are asked to help a neighbor in need,
that’s what we do."
But Dr. Alex McFarland,
a Christian theologian and radio talk show host, charged these churches
"have crossed the line from respect and tolerance, to…affirmation
and endorsement.
"We as the church are
called to show love, we’re called to help. But to let a building
simultaneously be used for the activities of a mosque and also the activities
of Jesus Christ, it’s just incompatible. And I think it’s one
more example of political correctness and hyper-tolerance gone awry."
Mohamed Elsanousi, National
Community Outreach Director of the Islamic Society of North America,
adamantly disagrees, saying it’s good for the country to know churches
like these are extending a hand to Muslims. He says there are
many churches and even synagogues in America where Muslims share space
with Christians. "We feel good about it," he says.
Dr. Jason Hood, an Evangelical
theologian, says there are other ways Christians can share the love
of Christ without building a bridge too far. "Caring for Muslim
refugees is particularly important," he says, along with "sharing
meals and recreational opportunities."
Heartsong’s relationship
with its Muslim neighbors has developed into an annual Thanksgiving
meal between the two faiths, and the use of a joint 15-acre community
park.
Steve Stone, Heartsong’s
senior pastor, wrote in Christianity
Today that "No thought at all was given to the political
ramifications … The decision was firmly based only on our understanding
of the mission and nature of the church." He also pointed out that
"there was no trading of theologies. They are Muslims; we are Jesus
followers; both of us are clear about that."
But McFarland says it’s
good to remember the "political ramifications" of Muslim-Christian
interaction.
"What if we went to
Muslims and said ‘Hey, can we use your mosque for the worship of Jesus,
the incarnate son of God, the one that said ‘no one comes to the Father
but through him.’ I doubt there would be a lot of reciprocity’."
McFarland says the groups
run the risk of creating something he called "Chrislam" -
a combination of the two faiths that essentially ignores the big white
elephant in the room: the exclusive claims of both Christianity and
Islam.
What do you think?
Is there something wrong with this kind of interaction? Should
Christian churches allow Muslims to use their facilities, given that
the Muslim holy day is Friday and does not interfere with Christian
services on Sunday? Would you feel differently if it were a Jewish
congregation that were allowed use on Saturday? Is this going
too far? Should the interaction be limited, as Dr. Hood suggests,
to only "caring for Muslim refugees…and sharing meals and recreational
opportunities"? Is this "political correctness and hyper-tolerance"
or simply an expression through actions of what Christians are supposed
to be about?
Disbelievingly,
Comment
on this article |
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| Today’s
Quotes |
“Pay no attention to what the critics say; there has never been set
up a statue in honor of a critic.” - Jean Sibelius
“You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
- Mark Twain
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| Today’s
Chuckle |
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The Potty
[Thanks Noella]
A little three year
old boy is sitting on the toilet. His mother thinks he has been in there
too long, so she goes in to see what’s up. The little boy is sitting
on the toilet reading a book. But about every 10 seconds or so he puts
the book down, grips onto to the toilet seat with his left hand and
hits himself on top of the head with his right hand.
His mother says: “Billy, are you all right? You’ve been in here for
a while..”
Billy says: “I’m fine, mommy.. I just haven’t gone ‘doody’ yet.”
Mother says: “Ok, you can stay here a few more minutes. But, Billy,
why are you hitting yourself on the head?”
Billy says: “Works for ketchup.”
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| Life
Sentences |
“Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly.”
“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness
in life.”
“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” - All
by American chemist, activist, and Nobel laureate Linus Pauling born
on this day in 1901
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| Image’n
That! |
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| My
Most Embarrassing Moment
My Scariest Moment |
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Speak right up!
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| Cliff’s
Notes
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Insulation
Winter brings on a need to protect oneself from the elements in my area.
With an annual temperature range from 100F to -10F, Autumn brings on
a need to alter one’s wardrobe selections. In parts of spring,
through summer, and parts of fall, clothing is often what is legally
allowed as a minimum. Needless to say, it is my favorite time
of year for "girl watching". It begins to change in
the fall.
As daily average temperatures drop, people begin to add layers as needed
to keep warm. An old joke about Canadian temperatures and comparisons
goes like this:
50 Fahrenheit (10 C)
New Yorkers try to turn on the heat.
Canadians plant gardens.
40 Fahrenheit (4.4 C)
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
Canadians Sunbathe.
35 Fahrenheit (1.6 C)
Italian Cars won’t start.
Canadians drive with the windows down.
32 Fahrenheit (0 C)
Distilled water freezes.
Canadian water gets thicker.
0 Fahrenheit (-17.9 C)
New York City landlords finally turn on the heat.
Canadians have the last cookout of the season.
-40 Fahrenheit (-40 C)
Hollywood disintegrates.
Canadians rent some videos.
-60 Fahrenheit (-51 C)
Mt. St. Helen’s freezes.
Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door.
-100 Fahrenheit (-73 C)
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Canadians pull down their earflaps.
-173 Fahrenheit (-114 C)
Ethyl alcohol freezes.
Canadians get frustrated when they can’t thaw the keg.
-459.4 Fahrenheit (-273 C)
Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops.
Canadians start saying “cold, eh? ”
-500 Fahrenheit (-295 C)
Hell freezes over.
The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup!
It
isn’t quite that bad. But, we do have to take precautions to protect
ourselves in cold weather. Heavier clothing is the first reaction.
Later, it becomes a layering technique.
As we all have different sensitivities to cold, the diversity of how
people dress, even in the same location, has quite a wide range.
I’ve seen people in heavy overcoats, a scarf around their neck, a knit
cap, insulated gloves, snow boots, and thick slacks standing beside
someone in line at the store who is wearing a short-sleeve shirt and
basketball style shorts.
We all have to prepare every day, but those of us planning on spending
any appreciable amount of time outdoors have to go to extra effort.
It is one thing to need just enough to prevent your skin from being
damaged on your quick jaunt from your car to your workplace. It
is a whole different thing if you are out in the cold all day.
The slow loss of core body temperature can be a quick recovery once
you are back in the comfortable realm of your home or workplace.
Not so much if you are out in the elements.
I go geocaching all year. Cold temperatures are not a reason to
delay or cancel plans. Others don’t feel the same way, so they
stay indoors and comfy. I have to prepare for the cold.
As such I layer my clothing with an array of types and thicknesses.
Not counting standard underwear, I will often have on thermal underwear,
top and bottom. Over my lower half, I’ll have heavy denim type
slacks. My feet will be protected by thick socks and insulated
boots.
My upper body has the thermal underwear, a log sleeve heavy cotton shirt,
a "hoodie", and a heavy winter coat. My hands are protected
by either thermal gloves, or heavy insulated gloves, which I may change
as the day progresses. Once I am prepared and ready to head out
the door, there’s no returning to the bathroom. There won’t be
time to undress and redress, so it all has to be taken care of before
all the layers go on.
Of course, as temperature vary, so do the number and types of layers
I wear. In a particular day, it may go from 15F to 40F by the
end of the day, or vice versa. Because of this layers are removed,
or added, as the day goes on. Spare clothing is also kept with
me in case my escapades cause me to get wet or situations change.
In summer, I’ll be in a tank top, shorts and "crocs".
So will the women. Come on summer!
Here’s your quiz:
How do you dress for your typical winter?
Do you spend time outdoors in winter?
Do you keep extra clothes in your car in case it breaks down and you
have to be outside longer than expected?
Insulation - Some Have It Built In
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
Comment
on this article |
| Ranina’s
Ruminations |
The Book of Xhadow (From ADD to ODD to Paranoid Schizophrenia)
This is a story about living with and trying to cope with a child
who has a serious mental disorder. I wanted to wait until I completed
at least one writing class before writing this, but I need to write
it now. So, this story will not be filled with artful prose. It will
be a depiction of exactly what happened and at times, it will be painful
for me, but I need to do this. I can pretty it up later.
This will be a series of pieces and I may not write them all back-to-back.
I might need some spaces to breathe. I will use my son’s first initial,
rather than his name, to avoid recognition.
And the story begins:
1. Angry Baby
My water broke. It broke with such little fanfare that I barely noticed.
There was just a little spotting and no pain. I called the hospital
and was told to get there right away. I felt no urgency. I called
my Mom, then hopped (actually, waddle-flopped) into my car, and off
I went, driving myself to the hospital. On the way, I saw the store
where I normally bought my nursing shoes and I just had to stop in
for a new, comfy pair. (No, I am not a nurse. I just like comfortable
shoes.) The clerk asked, "When are you due?" "I’m in
labor right now," I said. She turned a bit pale, hurriedly fumbled
my purchase into a bag, and then marched me to the door. Upon seeing
no one waiting for me outside, she offered to call an ambulance.
"No thanks," I said. I got back into the car and continued
on my way. I calmly waddled into the emergency room with my little
overnight case, and was immediately wheeled to obstetrics.
Upon learning that I was in labor, my father came to the hospital
and stayed with me during the entire experience. I was given Pitocin
because I was in labor without contractions and I did not dilate much.
That stuff produces contractions that feel like the hand of God reaching
into your abdomen to pull out all of your organs. My dad told me early
on that I would have to have a C Section. When I asked him why, he
said that my labor was just like my Mom’s. After 32 hours, I finally
had a C Section. I didn’t see my son for three days, as he was in
NICU due to the long delivery, and I was in no shape to even hold
him. The nurses would not let me go see my son. Everyone had seen
him but me. When I was finally able to sneakily limp over to the elevator
and make my way to my son’s floor, a nurse took pity on me and let
me in to see him. He was such a beautiful boy and I marveled at the
tiny, perfect little person that I had delivered. The first time I
accompanied my father to the nursery, I saw his eyes light up as he
viewed my son. I had never seen his eyes light up about anything before.
He never expressed much emotion and he was not a very demonstrative
person. The joy on his face and in his eyes delighted me to no end.
My son didn’t even have a name yet, because I thought he would be
a girl. I called him, "Little man."
My father came to see us every day. My Mom only stopped by for a few
minutes one day, possibly because she knew that my father was basically
camped out there. They were divorced. I never asked her why she stayed
away. We had been close friends and I didn’t want to approach anything
that might have been hurtful at the time.
I was so depleted that I was in the hospital for a week-and-a half.
After my son was moved to the nursery on my floor, the nurses started
mildly complaining that he cried so vehemently that he woke all of
the other babies up at erratic times and they all started to cry.
No halcyon days for him. I told the nurses to bring him to me when
he started to howl.
There is no sound on Earth more grating and annoying than the strident,
ear-splitting screams of an angry baby with giant lungs. It inspires
panic. I think God made that sound for babies to alert everyone in
any town or encampment, or even those in the far-flung vast wilderness
of the planet, that baby is either hungry or unhappy about something
and someone had better hurry up and fix it immediately.
The nurses started bringing him to me at all kinds of erratic times,
howling like a banshee being tortured to death with fat, fiery-hot
needles. I tried breast feeding, but the flow wasn’t quick enough,
compared to the bottle he was used to. More howling ensued until I
just gave him a bottle. The only time he was awake and quiet was when
he was feeding. After several of those attempts over a two-day period,
I told the nurses not to bring him anymore, except at regular feeding
times with the rest of the babies. I felt that I was ruining the peaceful,
happy time all of the other mothers were having with their babies.
I went out to view him in the nursery as many times as I could, observing
him in peaceful moments (asleep) - looking like an angel.
Comment
On This Article
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Today
In History |
February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There
are 306 days remaining until the end of the year.
Holidays and observances
- Kalevala Day,
the day of Finnish Culture. (Finland)
- National Science
Day (India)
- Peace Memorial
Day (Taiwan)
- Teacher’s Day
(Arab countries)
- The third day
of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith)
Events on this date
- 202 BC –
coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place,
initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty’s rule over China
- 870 – The
Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
- 1638 –
The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
- 1710 –
In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen
Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force
under Magnus Stenbock.
- 1838 –
Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence
of Lower Canada (today Quebec)
- 1885 –
The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New
York State as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone.
- 1900 –
The Second Boer War: The 118-day "Siege of Ladysmith" is
lifted.
- 1922 –
The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral
Declaration of Independence.
- 1935 –
DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents Nylon.
- 1942 –
The heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) is sunk in the Battle of Sunda
Strait with 693 crew members killed, along with HMAS Perth (D29) which
lost 375 men.
- 1954 –
The first-ever color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered
for sale to the general public.
- 1975 –
A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London kills 43 people.
- 1986 –
Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
Born on this date
- 1155 –
Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England
- 1261 –
Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway
- 1533 –
Michel de Montaigne, French writer
- 1675 –
Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer
- 1724 –
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, British field marshal
- 1823 –
Ernest Renan, French philosopher
- 1878 –
Pierre Fatou, French mathematician
- 1901 –
Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel laureate
- 1915 –
Zero Mostel, American actor
- 1926 –
Svetlana Alliluyeva, Soviet defector, daughter of Joseph Stalin
- 1930 –
Leon Neil Cooper, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1942 –
Brian Jones, English musician (The Rolling Stones)
- 1957 –
Cindy Wilson, American singer (The B-52’s)
- 1964 –
Lotta Lotass, Swedish writer
- 1974 –
Moana Mackey, New Zealand politician
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| Lucille’s
Lunacy |
My first dog, Mickey was a character. He had a police record in two cities.
He was a thief, but that isn’t what earned him a doggy criminal record.
I got Mickey my second year of law school. He was a black and tan collie
shepherd mix. He was smart, dignified, and I admit not the most honest
pooch in the state.
He stole doughnuts off the desk of the law school’s dean. He swiped a
5 pound ham from one of our neighbors. I could not make restitution, because
he never identified his victim.
His other less then citizenly activities included killing 2 cats. One
was a sickly kitten we came across while we were walking. The other one,
unfortunately was a 20 year old pet that happened to live across the street.
He had probably put the kitten out of its misery. He may have done the
same for the older feline, but understandably, our neighbor didn’t thank
him for his service.
This murder spree isn’t what gave him his police record. It was his skill
at escape that nearly turned my hair gray, and gave him rides in the squad
cars of some of our state’s finest.
When I was in college, one of my hobbies was helping Milwaukey keep its
residents employed. I frequented several different student drinking establishments,
which was a fact I assumed was known only to me and my drinking buddies.
One evening, my sister, Lady Baltimore, and I wandered downtown for a
couple brewskys. While we talked, Mickey gnawed on his harness. So, when
we started home, he wiggled his way to freedom before either of us realized
what happened.
I am totally blind. Lady Baltimore is too, but at that time, she still
had some vision. Unfortunately, her limited sight wasn’t very useful to
us at midnight, as she couldn’t see anything except street lights. Still,
we made it back to my apartment. It took about an hour to go three blocks,
but we got there in one piece, for which we were grateful. Now, all I
had to do was find my errant mutt.
I called our local police in tears. I explained that my dog guide had
escaped, and that I hoped they would look out for him. To my embarrassment,
the dispatcher responded with a hearty laugh.
Dispatcher: "What did you do, take a cab from the bar?"
Lucille "Ah, uh, no, I couldn’t find a phone." I might have
added that I didn’t see humor in the situation, but I didn’t want to annoy
my only hope of locating my hairy friend.
Dispatcher to someone in the background: "Yeah, its her, you can
take him home."
Lucille: "You found him?"
Dispatcher: "Oh yeah, he’s been here for at least an hour. We fed
him a few doughnuts, and he seems happy. We looked in all your usual bars,
but we couldn’t find you. We figured you’d turn up to claim him eventually."
To be continued
Comment
On This Article
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| Poet-Tree |
That’s more like it! Thanks everyone.
Next opening line…
The plane was now flying quite low…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
I
drove to the pump for some gas
but saw the price, and was aghast
was almost 4 dollars
so hot in the collar
was I that I just drove away. - Cassandra in New York |
I
drove to the pump for some gas
I planned to go cruising for … (that’s crass)
I said. "fill up the tank"
he said, "that’ll break the bank"
OK then, Dude, I’ll smoke me some good grass. - MO in Vancouver |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
I wanted to go fishing for bass
I said, "Up to the top"
He said, " Fifty bucks, Pop"
Seems like a fish costs a lot, alas.- MO in Vancouver |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
And the price nearly made me "pass"
It made me feel "rank"
To see the cost of the "tank"
I’ve bought cars for less in the past. - Skeeter |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
So I could go fish for some Bass
But later that day
While well on my way
I got "waylayed" by a "prettyumous" lass.
- Skeeter |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
I had plenty of time to pass
So to make this rhyme
I just took my time
And had a nap in the grass. - Skeeter |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
I needed it to mow my grass
I’m thinking of going organic
For I’m just a poor mechanic
And can’t continue paying out my ass. - Bonnie |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
my buddy went in to pay the lass.
He was glad to pay
as it was my birthday.
And all I wanted was a piece of… cake!
(sorry, couldn’t resist) - ldo |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
as I had a big date with a lass.
Her name was Peggy Sue;
and she was feeling blue.
But man, did she have a nice ass. - ldo |
I drove
to the pump for some gas
but drove through the windowed glass.
The owner was mad;
And I was so sad,
I had meant to park on the grass. - ldo |
The doctor
then looked down at me
after telling him that I couldn’t pee.
He then shook his head,
said that thing looks dead!
Have you been getting it for free? - ldo |
The doctor
then looked down at me
said, "Want to come sit on my knee?"
No thanks, I said,
I’ll end up in bed.
And then I can’t watch my T-V. - ldo |
The doctor
then looked down at me
said, "This visit for you will be free."
I lit up a smile,
as it had been awhile,
my member had grown like a tree. - ldo |
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Reader Comments
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Re: AWOL Firefighter
First I will say that I
am a retired firefighter. I spent 21 years fighting and trying to
prevent fires that destroy people’s lives and property.
In
those 21 years, I nor anyone in my crew ever conceived of not doing
our duty because of political or any other personal dislike of an
individual in need of our help. To us, they were the reason we were
there on the job, to save them, if we could.
If one of my men refused to go when the alarm is sounded, he might
as well not be at the station when we returned. I would do my best
to see that he never worked as a firefighter or in the emergency services
in any way.
When we chose to be a civil servant in the emergency services, we
do not pick and chose who we help or not help. There is no color,
race, religion or political preference on the job.
What would it be like if doctors, nurses or emergency technicians
decide they will not help any one segment of the population?
I have nothing good to say about Ekstrum, no matter how long he did
a good job. He should have done what a lot of us have to do at times,
just swallow our feelings and do our job.
I guess next we will have military personnel deciding which battle
they would prefer to fight or not. - Larry
If he
did not respond for the reason he stated, which sounded like it was
political in nature than he should have been fired no matter how good
his past record was and he had no right to speak for his crew. - Brian
Remember the old saying??? One "Aw crap" will wipe out a
thousand "At-a-boys". - Skeeter
Re:
Lucille’s TJ
Hi, I
just wanted to let you know that I love your stories about TJ. I am
getting ready to go to the Seeing Eye and get my very first guide
dog. Where did you get yours from? Is he your first, or have you had
others? What was it like the first time you walked with him? I have
been a cane traveler sense I was 12 years old, and I am 43 now. I
have had many dogs, and have always been a good dog handler, but I
know things will be somewhat different with a guide dog verses a pet.
If you like you can email me privately to answer my questions, and
to give any advice you think might help. I am excited, but a little
scared too. My class date is April 2ND. I will be gone for 4 weeks.
My only worry is leaving my kitty for that long. She’ll be in good
hands, but she’s never been away from me that long. Tell TJ to keep
his snout out of the trash, and I’ll look forward to your reply. I’m
not putting my email in here, but I’m sure you can get it from someone
at RGQ. - Tazz
Re:
Kindle
I love, love books
and in my lifetime, I’ve had thousands of them. But I don’t have a
library room and have had to get rid of hundreds and hundreds over
the years.
When my dad died, he left lots and lots of westerns, which I’ve never
been interested in, so I sold them on eBay. Did pretty good too. Then
I discovered that girls’ series books were sold on eBay and I thought
why not turn his westerns into the series books I wanted. As I began
selling and buying, I started hanging out at flea markets and garage
sales just to look for books to sell. Sometimes I didn’t do so well,
and other times I did great. But the bottom line is I loved having
all those books around. I loved the stacks and piles of books. I loved
looking for the books. I can go through a very large flea market and
tell in 10-15 minutes if they have the book I want.
So I’ve collected 31 of the 38 books of the series I’m collecting
- the Judy Bolton series by Margaret Sutton. They were written from
1930s to 1960s. I remember when I was young wishing I had the whole
set, never dreaming that some day I could have so many Judy Bolton
books of my own.
The funny thing is when I was selling the books, there were many times
when I was researching a book to list, I’d have to set it aside to
read before I sold it. And where I used to have shelves full of books
I’ve read, they are now pared down to a few of my very favorites,
the rest of the books on the shelves are waiting to be read - and
the shelves are full plus I have stacks and stacks sitting around
to be read.
I love having a book in my hand. I have Kindle for PC with one or
two books on it, but I haven’t read them yet. I suppose if I had one
that was portable, I might use it. But like a previous poster stated,
you can’t have the author sign your Kindle or Nook. While I was selling
my books, I’d have to list markings and tears. I would see the names
or initials and wonder who was that person - you can’t do that electronically.
Also, you can’t do this with a Kindle or Nook: http://www.wimp.com/organizingbookcase/
- Noella
Wow! What
a great response to Cliff’s book/ Kindle questions! But there’s one
thing you should know, Cliff - Libraries are on line, too, as are
audiobooks in a couple different downloadable formats. We have a rather
small, struggling county library system here (funding cuts), but they
are linked state wide and can get you just about anything published.
And no need to return the books, either.
I must chide those who simply write off libraries, too. Your love
of books did not begin in grade school, I’d bet. I’ve had a library
card since I was six years old ( a Really Long Time Ago). Today one
card lets me use eight different libraries, depending on where I need
to shop, I can pick up, drop off, browse, at any of them. And if/when
some electromagnetic pulse wipes out the electronic books, those wonderful
buildings full of Real Books will still be there. I hope!! What Andrew
Carnegie started and many industries used to support in the form of
personal property taxes is long gone in many states - maybe all of
them. Today our libraries have to depend on state budgets, donations,
and local levies to just keep the doors open. Yet what they provide
to every kid in need of research in any format known is awesome. Just
BUYING computers, plus tech services and upgrading programs costs
a bundle. Buying BOOKS costs a bundle, too. Maintaining magazine subscriptions
is another cost. Our libraries stay open five days a week and one
evening by combining a few full time, many part-time and a few volunteer
people to man them.
Another book source was not mentioned in anybody’s letters, but I
know these stores are in more than our area - Half Price Books! About
once a year we gather a few of what we know we won’t read again and
go to Half Price Books. They BUY them. They also have new books -
mostly things publishers have in warehouses after the initial popularity
dies down. Ah, what treasures I’ve found on those shelves!! Last time
I was there I picked up a few brand new audiobooks, brought them home,
listened to them, and then donated them to our library. I have gardening
books I could never have afforded from a place like Borders or Barnes
& Noble. Most of my art books are from their shelves, too. They
have books, records (real LPs), tapes, CDs, DVDs, you name it, they
have a shelf of that. For children’s books - as in gifts for grandkids
- plan to spend an hour looking over their selections. It’s about
the ONLY place I’ve ever seen good old classic books and more modern
stuff for every age from birth up. Some are new, some are used. We
took a neighbor’s kid there once and she just sat crosslegged on the
floor in front of an area loaded with her favorite young teen books,
pulling one, selecting, filling a basket, and walked out of the store
with about 15 books for $20.
I think it’s the smell of books that grabs and keeps us. Smell memory
is something not mentioned much, but think about things you love most,
and I would guess part of the reason is it brings back a sense of
pleasure related to some smell. Otherwise, why do so many cookbooks
cause us to stop and look at them? - Nancy L in Ohio
I love books and
resisted the Kindle for as long as I could. I have a bookcase in my
old office, one in the living room, and three upstairs in the bonus
room. That is five book cases, filled with books. There are overflow
books on shelves of my computer desk.
I had gift cards for Barnes and Nobles and so was recently in there
buying books. I had $75 in gift cards and spent $75.14. I have read
three of the books I got from there (so far) and in the middle of
the fourth. I was at the library yesterday (Thursday) but I was not
getting books. I was getting a couple more of the Great Courses by
The Learning Company.
The last novel I "read" was a book on CD and was called
The Help. I loved it. But the book that always comes to mind when
speaking of favorite books is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
which I read when I was about ten. It was this book that introduced
me to science fiction – a lifelong love. My favorite author
is Isaac Asimov, first for his fiction and then for the rest of his
work.
My other favorite book is Station Shorts. This is an anthology put
out via My Writers Circle at Lulu.com and it is the place where my
work was first printed. I had been writing here for quite a time before
Station Shorts came out, so it wasn’t like no one else was reading
my writing, but having your stories in ink is simply a thrill unparalleled
in the online world.
I have books on my MP3 player, but I don’t like that as much. I have
books on CD. I have books on paper, both hardcover and paperback.
And I have books on the Kindle. I love them all. I’m glad so many
of the RGQ readers do as well. - Patti
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