Don't Let Jimmy Eat that Book!

Hey folks - this is rather odd, and entirely true. So read on . . . take the press release seriously. . . and if you are a library fan, an activist, or someone with common sense, call and get this ruling reversed.


ALA: Consumer Product Safety Commission Still Dragging Its Feet On Book Ruling
January 22nd, 2009 | Category: Government Information

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Library Association (ALA) today expressed dissatisfaction with a public meeting held by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to discuss the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and whether the law, which requires children’s products to undergo stringent testing for lead, should apply to ordinary, paper-based children’s books.

Under the current opinion issued by the General Counsel of the CPSC, the law would apply to books for children under the age of 12; therefore, public, school, academic and museum libraries would be required to either remove all their children’s books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities as of February 10.

During the meeting, members of a panel including representatives of the American Association of Publishers (AAP) as well as major book publishers and ink manufacturers, addressed questions raised by the CPSC rulemaking committee regarding the testing procedures and methodologies currently exercised in the production of an ordinary book.

The panel presented a collection of data reinforcing their position that ordinary books pose no inherent threat. This information can be viewed here. Though the CPSC acknowledged that the current deadlines are unrealistic and potentially damaging, the General Counsel gave no clear indication as to when an official ruling would be made and could offer no definite direction to libraries at this point.

“It is completely irresponsible and unacceptable for the CPSC to continue to leave this matter unresolved with the February 10th deadline drawing closer each day,” ALA President Jim Rettig said.

“It is apparent that the CPSC does not fully understand the ramifications this law will have for libraries - and for children - if libraries are not granted an exemption. At this point, we are advising libraries not to take drastic action, such as removing or destroying books, as we continue to hope this matter will be rectified and that the attention will be paid to the products that pose a true threat to children. However, we find it disappointing and shameful that a government agency would continue to leave this matter unsettled when clearly the outcome would virtually shut down our nation’s school and public libraries.”

Action Alert
Please Call the Consumer Product Safety Commission

A public meeting was held January 22, and Cheryl Falvey, General Counsel for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), stated that a decision should be made by the first week of February regarding libraries. She advised libraries not to take any action at this time, and we are hopeful that the Commission’s decision will exempt libraries.

Even with her assurances, we must let the CPSC know how important an issue this is to libraries. Please call the Acting Commissioner, Nancy Nord, at (301) 504-7901. When you call this number, wait for the automated directory to give you directions to reach Nancy Nord’s office. Explain to the Commission that it is simply impossible for libraries to remove all children’s books from the shelves and/or ban children under 12 from the library and still provide the level of service that is needed.

As always, thank you for all that you do. The only way we will be successful in ensuring that children will have access to safe books is with a strong grassroots effort. Your comments to the CPSC need to be submitted as soon as possible, so please tell all your friends and family - we need as many people as possible to communicate that this oversight could have lasting ramifications on our children and our communities.


* The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 has been interpreted to include books as a product that must be tested for lead. While it is understandable that the CPSC must protect children from toxic materials, publishers have already tested the book components and found that the lead levels are lower than the regulations require three years from now. Additionally, all book recalls in the last two decades have been because of toys attached to the books that posed a choking hazard, not the books themselves.

* Making these testing regulations retroactive would require both school and public libraries to take drastic steps to come into compliance. They either would have to ban children from their libraries or pull every book intended for children under the age of 12 from their bookshelves at the time children are fostering a lifelong love of learning and reading.

* In order to allow children and families to continue accessing critical library materials, please either exempt books from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, accept the component tests that have already been done, or exempt all books currently in school and public libraries. This will ensure that our children continue to have access to safe and educational library materials.

525,600 minutes

There are probably those of you who read the title and are humming a catchy tune from "Rent" and others hoping that this entry doesn't take that long to read.

I was going to post my year in a nutshell:

1 less parent - that means both gone - definitely some transition involved there

1 additional heartbreak (what do you suppose that looks like physically? Is the lining of my heart a bit thicker? Do I have little tally marks that look like white scars on my heart? I'm sure it's written on me somewhere or another)

Great times with family and friends. Celebrating meeting some new ones and mourning the loss of some others.

Expanding my world - literally - by going to Europe and cooking for missionaries, purchasing a car on my own and other new tasks

Watching a wonderful kid go through a rough heart surgery and come out at the other end still making the world brighter and his mother's world wonderful and frustrating

Transforming from being a person who wants to run to morphing (not so easily at times!) into being "a runner"

Celebrating, being filled with hope for the future, and living life to the fullest in the moment

and looking forward to to new adventures

(ok - I guess you got the year in an nutshell anyways)

but. . . .instead of expanding on that. . . I think it's worth reading the lyrics of the song "Seasons of Love" from the Rent musical, so here they are. Read, ponder the future, and have a full and blessed New Year!

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life?

How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love

Seasons of Love.
Seasons of Love.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Journeys To Plan

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man

In Truth That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Measure In Love

Oh you got to you got to remember the love,
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.
Measure your life, measure your life in love

Non profit of the week - Children UP

I recently read "God Grew Tired of Us" by Jon Bul Dau. If you don't have time to read the book, check out the movie by the same name. Dau tells the story of his life from Dinka childhood in a small Sudanese village, through his experience of being a refugee and one of the Lost Boys, to his relocation to the United States and his transition into life here.

I have historically given money to local organizations with the thought that there are many people here, in the United States, who need food and shelter. This is true. I was astounded, however, at the level of poverty experienced by refugees in war-torn countries in Africa. I've never read, or seen, anything like it.

A co-worker of mine is involved with a new program aimed at educating children from Uganda. Please read the information about Children UP and learn more, read more, and give as you are able.

Children UP
Dedicated to supporting northern Uganda from the Children UP.

Children Up is an organization founded in 2007 of mostly former teachers from Elmhurst, Illinois interested in the health, welfare and education of the youth of Uganda. An under-reported war has been raging in northern Uganda for over 20 years. In that time over 30,000 children have been abducted and used as child soldiers and sex slaves. These children have seen unimaginable horrors. As an organization, we have been supporting individual children as well as supporting reading programs. Supporting one child in primary school costs $300 a year. This includes the cost of education, school supplies, food, two uniforms, a pair of shoes and a mentor overseeing the child’s welfare. A similar arrangement at the high school level costs $900 a year.

Tax-exempt contributions may be sent to:

Children UP
% Charles Laliberte
481 Alma
Elmhurst, IL 60126
630-832-9010

apple-peeler-corer-victory

It really works! As well as it's supposed to!
See images below.

what's so scary about poetry

A friend asked me to find the text of a poem today. Finding, reading, absorbing and liking the poem has brought me to a place of re-thinking my earlier post proclaiming my distaste for poetry.

The poem, The Avowal, comes from 'selected poems' by Denise Levertov. Levertov lived to 74, and died in 1997 (same as my mother). She was initially from England, an anti-war activist, an environmentalist, and most definitely a spiritual person.

Here it is:

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

So, what's so scary about poetry? That poem is nice. Pleasant. I can place myself in it, envision the moment, grasp it, and let go of it. So, what brings me to prefer journalism and well-outlined academic text, over a good poem?

Emotion.

It's that simple.

Poets seem to quickly zap into the emotion surrounding an event, a moment, even the description of a tree can pull up emotion. Quickly, seemlessly.

I can read an article from the daily news about a vice-presidential candidate wanting to prevent me from marrying the person I love. I can read a report about the large number of military servicemen and women losing limbs, senses (literally) and minds in a war that's gone on for five years. I can read these and not be forced to feel. Willingly reading a poem is another story entirely. God only knows how the topics above could be brought to life, and emotion, in a poem! Imagine the anger, fear, tears, joy, laughter, you name it. . . .

Perhaps I'll check the poetry book out and experiment with reading it in the comfort of my own home. See if I can live through - or even enjoy - some poems.

My Dad liked poetry. He used to read it aloud and become rather emotional about it. I would dodge these impromptu sessions at all cost. I remember one night the year before he died when we sat next to each other on his couch flipping through a National Geographic. I didn't realize it, but I was in for a pseudo poetry reading. He couldn't really follow the sentences and read at that point, so I started reading an article on penguins with him. It was heart wrenching! We started going through the cut lines below the photos, learning how they keep each other warm in bitter cold temps. . . who knew that National Geographic authors could be so dramatic and creative in describing penguin life. Before I knew it, my father and I were reading, looking at the adorable pictures, and crying. We may have been crying because I was reading to him (it had always been the other way around), we may have been crying because we wouldn't have many chances to sit together again, we may have been crying because the penguin pictures were more adorable than any we'd seen. Regardless, we were moved.

That was one session I'm grateful for having and I'm glad I didn't dodge it. Maybe having some of those emotional, poetic, poetry moments is worth it.

~

What if the Candidates Were Reversed

A friend of mine forwarded this to a batch of folks yesterday. She's not one to send many emails of that sort, and I'm not either. I am, however, happy that this one is floating around in cyber space. It's worth the read and some reflection.

What if the candidates lives were reversed?

What if John McCain were a former president of
the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the
bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first
woman he said 'I do' to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his
first wife after she no longer measured up to
his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not
only became addicted to pain killers, but
acquired them illegally through her charitable
organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Princeton
and Harvard Law?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent
speaker?

If the above questions reflected reality, do
you really believe the election polls would
be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up,
rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities
in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities
in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars,
stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time
high prison population, mortgage crises, bank
foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:

Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science
with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in
History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law -
Juris Doctor (J.D.)

versus

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class
rank: 894 of 899

Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College- 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire?

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed,
pregnant teenage daughter...

Poet Laureate 2008 ~ Kay Ryan

I'm not a big fan of poetry. Actually I don't read poetry, write poetry, or enjoy listening to poetry. So. . . how did our 16th Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan catch my eye? Take a look at her photo below.

It's encouraging to read that our newest poet laureate is an out, gay woman. And, she credits her partner of 30 years for convincing her to take the job. Can you really say "no" to an honor of this sort? Note to self: If I get a call from someone at the Library of Congress, I may want to say "yes."

So . . . for those of you who are "into" poetry, read the article below, check out some of her books, and keep your eyes (and ears) open for a chance to here our national poet laureate at an event near you.


Photo credit: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Kay Ryan, 62, will become the country’s 16th poet laureate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/books/17poet.html