From the Daily Journal of San Mateo, the city/town I am currently blogging from; in a letter to the editor, concerned citizen Joseph Vause had this to say:
City needs to properly manage its funds
Editor,
San Mateo City Librarian Ben Ocon and his staff need to rethink their plan to implement budget reductions in response to expected budget shortfalls. Topping their list of recommendations is to reduce library hours by 28 percent system wide over the next year, and in particular a 46 percent reduction in hours for the Hillsdale and Marina branches. Keeping our library doors open must be a top priority.
Mr. Ocon and his staff (57 full-time positions) don’t seem to agree. It is interesting to note that staff savings is less than 3 percent of the current total operating budget. How can they suggest reducing library hours so drastically without a corresponding reduction in staff expense? What will library staff be doing while library doors are shut?
In a meeting held on a recent Saturday at the library, Mr. Ocon expressed that avoiding staff reductions was of great importance to the city of San Mateo — apparently more important than keeping library doors open.
If this is how the city library manages our tax dollars, I will not vote for any new proposed tax increases to avoid further budget reductions — since they are proving they can’t properly manage the funding they already have.
Well, its a bit more complicated than all that. As a volunteer for the library, I have seen the inner workings of the place. I can personally attest to the back up of unshelved books, the mountain of work needing to be done to make sure lost books and holds are found, the asinine things that get sent through the book drop, and all those wonderful little inanities that bog up the works. Many of these problems are only made worse by the fact that there is so much to do and few enough people to do it. So, in answer to one of Mr. Vause's questions, library staff will be shelving books while the doors are closed, as they always do. That is why Mr. Ocon wants to avoid staff reductions.
Of course, one may always allow for the motivating factor of greed. Many of those 57 full-time positions who don't want to cut staff merely don't want to be the ones who are cut. We may also allow for those insipid employees who simply want to keep doing nothing and getting paid. But I think having a little faith in humanity might be a good thing here. For whatever selfish reasons people may have, they still want their library to work and it cannot work without employees.
One solution may be for concerned people like Mr. Vause to volunteer at the library. Volunteers do much valuable work throughout the day. School aged kids over the age of sixteen can gain community service hours as well as a valuable glimpse at the inner workings and job conditions of their library. As a high schooler interested in library science, I can personally attest to the quality of my hours spent volunteering at the library. Adults can facilitate the life of their library. If they want to keep it open, they can help run it. Older adults, especially those of retirement age, are invaluable to the library. They are part of the backbone that keeps libraries working. One cannot praise them enough for their service, not only to the library itself, but to humanity in general.
Libraries are a great part of cultured life in any society. The availability of books to the masses is key to education, lifestyle, and culture. Books are what hold our history, our past, much of our present and nearly all of future. Furthermore, libraries offer literacy programs that help children and adults. These are so important that it cannot be overstated. Reducing the number of staff in a library will only hamper these public services. Reducing hours will ensure that they do not suffer as much and that the libraries will still be salvageable machines after this budget crisis has ended. In fact, the case can be made that reducing hours and not staff will be a good thing in the long run. Staff will be able to get a lot of behind the scenes work done. Maybe, just perhaps, the back up of unshelved books can be eliminated.
While Mr. Vause's concern is well-meaning and well-voiced, the fact that perhaps not very many people are as concerned as he is about the issue is worth looking at. From the same Daily Journal: "Less than 10 people visited the San Mateo Main Library Saturday morning to hear exactly how budget cuts will reduce library assistants, hours and some services." This shows no great interest and it certainly doesn't indicate any great outcry over the issue.
But what can be done about it? Certainly not very much if all we’re doing is complaining. One letter to the editor and one itty-bitty blog post aren’t enough to affect a radical change in this arena. Maybe Mr. Vause communication talents would be better used if he wrote to his government representative instead of whining to the Daily Journal. As for me, well, I have a lot of shelving to do.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Well... don't I feel silly. As a matter of course, life stinks. My life especially has had its ups and downs. The program set below for the progression of this blog will continue on, never fear, but with one difference: no new piece. Why? That is a funny story. Or, not funny, but ironic. I can't remember what the new piece was that I was going to put up. I have also deleted some files and so that I do not have most of my new pieces. Sorry.
Also (dun dun da da!!!!), there is an update on the whole, real life thing. I think I'm going to college in Nebraska. Creighton University in Omaha to be precise. I don't have an official confirmation just yet, but an inside source says, yeah, your pretty much in. Heh heh. Oh, I feel so good about this.
Alrighty, then. More of 2057 sometime soon. Maybe... probably... hopefully... God willing... hell don't freeze and the creek don't rise... barring the interference of fallen angels... through a miracle of St. Michael... etc. etc.
Also (dun dun da da!!!!), there is an update on the whole, real life thing. I think I'm going to college in Nebraska. Creighton University in Omaha to be precise. I don't have an official confirmation just yet, but an inside source says, yeah, your pretty much in. Heh heh. Oh, I feel so good about this.
Alrighty, then. More of 2057 sometime soon. Maybe... probably... hopefully... God willing... hell don't freeze and the creek don't rise... barring the interference of fallen angels... through a miracle of St. Michael... etc. etc.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Little Update from the Writer at "The Failed Attempt"
Another day, another dollar I am not making running this hoblog (Get it? Its hobo+blog=hoblog?). Now, I don't have an actual post this time because I haven't written anything yet. The weekend was very long and very not conducive to writing anything. But, I do have a few things lined up for you and this sneak peek is to make you salivate for more of our gourmet Failed Attempts.
1) GRADES FOR THE ENGLISH HOMEWORK ARE IN!!!!! Understand now, that all three posts count as one essay to these people. It is a three part essay. So, the official grade for the three part essay is- B (range of 87-89% on the honors grading system). This is the best grade I have ever gotten from the people who grade my papers. Isn't that sad? Kudos to my little big brother for helping me with that assignment.
2) We have more from "2057" coming out in three days. I promise...
3) There will be a brand new piece coming out sometime next week and I promise there will be more of it than usual. However, I cannot promise any endings. There is this one thing that happens when writing fiction for a blog, you don't get any endings. Writers take a long time to round things out, so in another year, 2057 might actually be finished, but I am going to make you suffer from uncertainty for it.
4) We will have a true story told by a "Guest from Beyond the Grave." I'll give you a hint, he was from Tennessee and served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Okay, so salivate away! Must dash...
"Who was that masked writer?"
-Bradbury
1) GRADES FOR THE ENGLISH HOMEWORK ARE IN!!!!! Understand now, that all three posts count as one essay to these people. It is a three part essay. So, the official grade for the three part essay is- B (range of 87-89% on the honors grading system). This is the best grade I have ever gotten from the people who grade my papers. Isn't that sad? Kudos to my little big brother for helping me with that assignment.
2) We have more from "2057" coming out in three days. I promise...
3) There will be a brand new piece coming out sometime next week and I promise there will be more of it than usual. However, I cannot promise any endings. There is this one thing that happens when writing fiction for a blog, you don't get any endings. Writers take a long time to round things out, so in another year, 2057 might actually be finished, but I am going to make you suffer from uncertainty for it.
4) We will have a true story told by a "Guest from Beyond the Grave." I'll give you a hint, he was from Tennessee and served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Okay, so salivate away! Must dash...
"Who was that masked writer?"
-Bradbury
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Etc, etc, #4
Hehe. So, even on my road trips I can still make posts that no one ever reads. I am a genius. Admit it...
Emile Michael Vagrans was a Canadian scientist, born in 2000. He had started his career with the notable publication of his doctor’s thesis, titled Technology and Humanity: The Symbiotic Relationship. In this landmark publication, he set forth the basis for much of the research that came after it. He was the first to postulate that technology could someday be used in correlation with brain matter as it had already been used with the ears and other such organs. His own research, however, only went as far as to produce an artificial kidney replacement to be implanted in the body. This helped cement his reputation, but it had nowhere near the revolutionary impact that his next publication would have.
In 2060, three years after the first successful intra-oxygenary-cortex microchip had been implanted, Vagrans noticed subtle changes in the patients with these chips. At the time, he couldn’t explain what he saw, but he knew that he had seen it. The next years of his life were dedicated almost tirelessly to the exploration of what he had seen. Mountains of data was collected. People waited eagerly to discover what he would say about it. The end of his researches came after the first ISM had been successfully implanted. He arranged to observe the patient for three months to study behavior and interactions. What he saw then gave him all the confirmation he needed.
“Everyone knows that when we toy with the human brain, there is a reaction to each of our actions. Stimulating one part of the brain may cause the patient to kick or speak in a foreign language. Cases like this have been recorded numerous times and the truth of their occurrence and implication is not disputed. That is why when the scientific and medical community undertook the production first of the intra-oxygen-ary-cortex, then of the Impulse Stimulating Microchip, they very carefully studies how such a procedure would affect the brain and the patient. The study is very well known now, having been hotly disputed, intensely analyzed, and summarily accepted by professionals and the public. Simply, its conclusion was that by doing the procedure in the way it is done now and by using the products carefully, no harm would come to brain or patient. In fact, the patient’s brain function is improved by the increased strength of the impulses from the chip and, subsequently, overall quality of life improved as well. These were the medical and scientific findings of the published study.
“It is here that we find the greatest breakdown of relations between the sciences and philosophy that has occurred in the history of either. If the study had been approached from the standpoint of the moralist, the philosopher, or even someone as simple as a good man, the findings of the study would have been very different. I have observed changes as simple as disregard for the common courtesies to some as radical as reckless disregard for the sanctity of human life. The cause of this, as shall be shown, is not in the procedure or in the interaction of brain matter with the materials of the chip. It is, in fact, the actions of the chip directed against the brain. This isn’t a malfunction of the apparatus, either, but simply the effect of the chip on the brain. In short, the ISM, while improving brain function and causing no “harm” to the patient, seems to strip the subject of the common morality of man even to the degree of murderousness.”
This was met with scorn by everyone. Vagrans, for all his brilliance in science, was little more than an overreacting Christian, an Organic Scientist, a traitor to his profession. He was laughed out of his own classrooms by his students; the president of the college where he taught had to fire him because of omplaints that he was preaching religion during class; his reputation was ruined by reports of insanity, religious fanaticism, and a rumor of falsified data. With his reputation destroyed by a Technocratic media and the integrity of his research called into question, there was nothing left for him to do but retire in shame. The man lived the rest of his life in quiet solitude with his wife at their home in Washington state, watching as Vagrans disease was laughed into the category of Organicist scare attempts and never given a second serious thought.
Emile Michael Vagrans was a Canadian scientist, born in 2000. He had started his career with the notable publication of his doctor’s thesis, titled Technology and Humanity: The Symbiotic Relationship. In this landmark publication, he set forth the basis for much of the research that came after it. He was the first to postulate that technology could someday be used in correlation with brain matter as it had already been used with the ears and other such organs. His own research, however, only went as far as to produce an artificial kidney replacement to be implanted in the body. This helped cement his reputation, but it had nowhere near the revolutionary impact that his next publication would have.
In 2060, three years after the first successful intra-oxygenary-cortex microchip had been implanted, Vagrans noticed subtle changes in the patients with these chips. At the time, he couldn’t explain what he saw, but he knew that he had seen it. The next years of his life were dedicated almost tirelessly to the exploration of what he had seen. Mountains of data was collected. People waited eagerly to discover what he would say about it. The end of his researches came after the first ISM had been successfully implanted. He arranged to observe the patient for three months to study behavior and interactions. What he saw then gave him all the confirmation he needed.
“Everyone knows that when we toy with the human brain, there is a reaction to each of our actions. Stimulating one part of the brain may cause the patient to kick or speak in a foreign language. Cases like this have been recorded numerous times and the truth of their occurrence and implication is not disputed. That is why when the scientific and medical community undertook the production first of the intra-oxygen-ary-cortex, then of the Impulse Stimulating Microchip, they very carefully studies how such a procedure would affect the brain and the patient. The study is very well known now, having been hotly disputed, intensely analyzed, and summarily accepted by professionals and the public. Simply, its conclusion was that by doing the procedure in the way it is done now and by using the products carefully, no harm would come to brain or patient. In fact, the patient’s brain function is improved by the increased strength of the impulses from the chip and, subsequently, overall quality of life improved as well. These were the medical and scientific findings of the published study.
“It is here that we find the greatest breakdown of relations between the sciences and philosophy that has occurred in the history of either. If the study had been approached from the standpoint of the moralist, the philosopher, or even someone as simple as a good man, the findings of the study would have been very different. I have observed changes as simple as disregard for the common courtesies to some as radical as reckless disregard for the sanctity of human life. The cause of this, as shall be shown, is not in the procedure or in the interaction of brain matter with the materials of the chip. It is, in fact, the actions of the chip directed against the brain. This isn’t a malfunction of the apparatus, either, but simply the effect of the chip on the brain. In short, the ISM, while improving brain function and causing no “harm” to the patient, seems to strip the subject of the common morality of man even to the degree of murderousness.”
This was met with scorn by everyone. Vagrans, for all his brilliance in science, was little more than an overreacting Christian, an Organic Scientist, a traitor to his profession. He was laughed out of his own classrooms by his students; the president of the college where he taught had to fire him because of omplaints that he was preaching religion during class; his reputation was ruined by reports of insanity, religious fanaticism, and a rumor of falsified data. With his reputation destroyed by a Technocratic media and the integrity of his research called into question, there was nothing left for him to do but retire in shame. The man lived the rest of his life in quiet solitude with his wife at their home in Washington state, watching as Vagrans disease was laughed into the category of Organicist scare attempts and never given a second serious thought.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Look! I can count to "Sci-Fi Failed Attempt #3"
Bugger! So, I have reached the point here where I have no idea how to end this. Writers block is my kryptonite. Any suggestions are welcome! (In other words, save me from myself)
Lily and her entourage spent the night in a collection of cabins further north, just below the border with Oregon. It had been a long day and they were all pretty tired, so they trouped into the bar next door for a few drinks. The bus driver would drive in the morning, so it didn’t even matter how many they had. This was a happy thought.
Lily sat at the bar while the students crowded around a pool table. She ordered a half-pint of beer and relaxed in a secluded corner, watching her students. They were all exceptionally intelligent people, good humored and funny to boot. All together, they were an enjoyable lot, but Lily didn’t feel like socializing tonight. She had been reviewing the diagnostics from Miss Edner’s scan and the results were not good. That meant that on this road trip, her students would get the most instructive lesson of all, giving a death sentence. As she looked at those happy people, really just kids despite what their ages were, she felt old and tired. In her career, she had handed out only four of these sentences; this would be her fifth and it probably wouldn’t be her last. So she let them have their fun, remaining alone to consider the wisdom of her career choice.
A young man walked in and ordered a drink at the bar. Lily noticed him because the bartender laughed as he gave him his drink. It wasn’t a friendly laugh either, it was “you didn’t seriously just order this here, did you?” laugh. Incredulous. The young man laughed back and said something; Lily thought she heard the word driving but couldn’t be sure, because the noise from the jukebox was deafening now. The young man took his drink good naturedly and turned to face the room, obviously looking for someone. Lily ignored him now, thinking that it would not be polite to stare if he was meeting a friend or a woman. She returned instead to her observations of her students.
Soon enough, however, the young man joined their group and set up a game of pool with on of the girls. He was a good player, but luck seemed to be on the girl’s side and he spent most of the game on the sidelines, speaking alternately with whomever happened to be standing nearest. He had an easy air about him, one that seemed to promote talking, but Lily thought it was somewhat studied. She could easily imagine that such converse with other people had been learned and that he was more comfortable somewhere else, though where that could be she had not a guess. After a little while, perhaps after the third or fourth game of pool, she saw herself pointed out to him. He walked over to her then, something which, uncharacteristically, made her a bit nervous.
“Hi,” he said, over the sound of the jukebox. “My name’s Liam.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she said.
He smirked, noting that she didn’t offer him her name, or even a seat. “May I?” He sat as she inclined her head. He motioned over to the group of students, “They tell me you’re their teacher. I told them you look too young for that.”
“Maybe I’m older than you think, just well preserved.”
“You’re in your early thirties,” he said.
Lily was taken aback at the surety of his answer. “Do you go around bars guessing the general ages of women?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know that?”
“Why don’t we call it a lucky guess?” he suggested. “I really don’t think your age is important, do you?”
“No,” she said cautiously. From the look of things, he was just looking for a one night stand. “But I depends on what you want, Mister… Well, I guess I didn’t catch your last name.”
“No, you didn’t. I want to talk to you about Vagrans Disease in patients with the ISM implant. And my last name is DeGuin, if you want to know. Can I get you a drink, Miss Tossi?”
Lily stared at him for a moment with ill-concealed astonishment, then with even less concealed anger. “Who the hell do you think you are?” she said. “This is a bar for Christ’s sake.”
“You’ve been out of your office for the past two weeks,” he said. “I had to find you somewhere. Its not my fault you like to frequent bars more than your place of work. Now, will you talk to me?”
“No, I will not. This is highly inappropriate. Besides, Vagrans Disease is little more than a myth.”
“I can show that its not,” he said calmly. “I have more evidence that supports its existence as a legitimate syndrome than you do for the effectiveness of the ISM. And we all know that it is effective. What’s more important is that I’ve discovered that the higher the effectiveness of the ISM, the worse Vagrans gets. There are proportions here that we have only begun to discover.”
“That’s a load of rubbish.”
Liam shook his head. “I know what you think. I used to think the same thing. Just give me ten minutes to try and change your mind and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
She looked at him for a moment. Here was a prime example of a kook Organicist. She knew the story behind Vagrans Disease and as far as she was concerned, it was bullshit. Just another attempt by the opposition to scare people out of helping themselves and improving their lives. It was a shame he had fallen for it. He looked like such an intelligent type of person.
“I think not, Mr. DeGuin,” she said coldly. “Now of you will excuse me, I’m tired and I would like to get some rest. And I would thank you not to follow me any more or I will have a restraining order put in place.”
He stood with her and gave a slight bow. “I’m sorry, Miss Tossi. I can understand how you feel. I won’t bother you again, but should you wish to contact me, here’s my information.” He gave her a business card. “The website on the back is where you can view all my research on Vagrans. Just give it the last four digits of my phone number when prompted.”
She laughed sarcastically. “I’ll be sure and do that.” Lily walked to her cabin, stopping only to remind her students that they were leaving early the next morning. She went through her nightly routine, relieving herself of the last vestiges of irritation her short conversation with Mr. DeGuin, or whatever his name really was, had caused. Once she had relaxed a bit, she lay down in bed and went immediately to sleep.
Lily and her entourage spent the night in a collection of cabins further north, just below the border with Oregon. It had been a long day and they were all pretty tired, so they trouped into the bar next door for a few drinks. The bus driver would drive in the morning, so it didn’t even matter how many they had. This was a happy thought.
Lily sat at the bar while the students crowded around a pool table. She ordered a half-pint of beer and relaxed in a secluded corner, watching her students. They were all exceptionally intelligent people, good humored and funny to boot. All together, they were an enjoyable lot, but Lily didn’t feel like socializing tonight. She had been reviewing the diagnostics from Miss Edner’s scan and the results were not good. That meant that on this road trip, her students would get the most instructive lesson of all, giving a death sentence. As she looked at those happy people, really just kids despite what their ages were, she felt old and tired. In her career, she had handed out only four of these sentences; this would be her fifth and it probably wouldn’t be her last. So she let them have their fun, remaining alone to consider the wisdom of her career choice.
A young man walked in and ordered a drink at the bar. Lily noticed him because the bartender laughed as he gave him his drink. It wasn’t a friendly laugh either, it was “you didn’t seriously just order this here, did you?” laugh. Incredulous. The young man laughed back and said something; Lily thought she heard the word driving but couldn’t be sure, because the noise from the jukebox was deafening now. The young man took his drink good naturedly and turned to face the room, obviously looking for someone. Lily ignored him now, thinking that it would not be polite to stare if he was meeting a friend or a woman. She returned instead to her observations of her students.
Soon enough, however, the young man joined their group and set up a game of pool with on of the girls. He was a good player, but luck seemed to be on the girl’s side and he spent most of the game on the sidelines, speaking alternately with whomever happened to be standing nearest. He had an easy air about him, one that seemed to promote talking, but Lily thought it was somewhat studied. She could easily imagine that such converse with other people had been learned and that he was more comfortable somewhere else, though where that could be she had not a guess. After a little while, perhaps after the third or fourth game of pool, she saw herself pointed out to him. He walked over to her then, something which, uncharacteristically, made her a bit nervous.
“Hi,” he said, over the sound of the jukebox. “My name’s Liam.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she said.
He smirked, noting that she didn’t offer him her name, or even a seat. “May I?” He sat as she inclined her head. He motioned over to the group of students, “They tell me you’re their teacher. I told them you look too young for that.”
“Maybe I’m older than you think, just well preserved.”
“You’re in your early thirties,” he said.
Lily was taken aback at the surety of his answer. “Do you go around bars guessing the general ages of women?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know that?”
“Why don’t we call it a lucky guess?” he suggested. “I really don’t think your age is important, do you?”
“No,” she said cautiously. From the look of things, he was just looking for a one night stand. “But I depends on what you want, Mister… Well, I guess I didn’t catch your last name.”
“No, you didn’t. I want to talk to you about Vagrans Disease in patients with the ISM implant. And my last name is DeGuin, if you want to know. Can I get you a drink, Miss Tossi?”
Lily stared at him for a moment with ill-concealed astonishment, then with even less concealed anger. “Who the hell do you think you are?” she said. “This is a bar for Christ’s sake.”
“You’ve been out of your office for the past two weeks,” he said. “I had to find you somewhere. Its not my fault you like to frequent bars more than your place of work. Now, will you talk to me?”
“No, I will not. This is highly inappropriate. Besides, Vagrans Disease is little more than a myth.”
“I can show that its not,” he said calmly. “I have more evidence that supports its existence as a legitimate syndrome than you do for the effectiveness of the ISM. And we all know that it is effective. What’s more important is that I’ve discovered that the higher the effectiveness of the ISM, the worse Vagrans gets. There are proportions here that we have only begun to discover.”
“That’s a load of rubbish.”
Liam shook his head. “I know what you think. I used to think the same thing. Just give me ten minutes to try and change your mind and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
She looked at him for a moment. Here was a prime example of a kook Organicist. She knew the story behind Vagrans Disease and as far as she was concerned, it was bullshit. Just another attempt by the opposition to scare people out of helping themselves and improving their lives. It was a shame he had fallen for it. He looked like such an intelligent type of person.
“I think not, Mr. DeGuin,” she said coldly. “Now of you will excuse me, I’m tired and I would like to get some rest. And I would thank you not to follow me any more or I will have a restraining order put in place.”
He stood with her and gave a slight bow. “I’m sorry, Miss Tossi. I can understand how you feel. I won’t bother you again, but should you wish to contact me, here’s my information.” He gave her a business card. “The website on the back is where you can view all my research on Vagrans. Just give it the last four digits of my phone number when prompted.”
She laughed sarcastically. “I’ll be sure and do that.” Lily walked to her cabin, stopping only to remind her students that they were leaving early the next morning. She went through her nightly routine, relieving herself of the last vestiges of irritation her short conversation with Mr. DeGuin, or whatever his name really was, had caused. Once she had relaxed a bit, she lay down in bed and went immediately to sleep.
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