We have a stereotype of the spinsterish librarian and of the austere domain she (for it’s always a she) rules. Yet libraries are hubs of activities as the new Frederick Wiseman’s film “Ex-Libris: The New York Public Library” illustrates. Even more recently a NYT article by sociologist Eric Klineberg “To restore Civil Society, Start with the Library,” reminds us how much we owe libraries and how much they contribute. He says that libraries are valued and necessary but often influential (more…)
Values
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Guns, Ammo and 3D
Beginning next year in California, gun shops will be required to keep logs of ammunition sales. Gun rights groups have long fought laws on ammunition saying it is a way around the second amendment. But as Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan reminded some 25 years ago, “guns don’t kill people, bullets do.” California already has more anti-gun laws than most states and now it is going after ammunition. For people like me who do believe guns need to be restricted in order to save lives and life altering injuries, such laws are welcomed. But what is even more welcome is the (more…)
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The Burn Unit
Someone close to me, an 8 year old girl ended up hospitalized in the burn unit of a large hospital after a serious injury to her arm and chest. We were all so concerned and upset because anyone who knows anything about burns knows how painful they are. The treatment in the hospital at first consisted of pulling off the bandage and scrapping the wound clean. Repressed tears were a constant, since we tried not to cry (more…)