Developers are Crabgrass : ANOKA COUNTY - Shortened library hours as a sign of hard times; plus public-spirited people who deserve mention.

Friday, May 22, 2009

ANOKA COUNTY - Shortened library hours as a sign of hard times; plus public-spirited people who deserve mention.

From the library's "What's Happening" webpage:

Open hours of service at all Anoka County Library branches will change beginning Sunday, May 3. The change represents a 13-percent decrease in hours for the library system and is in relation to reductions in funding to county governments.

The new schedule will be:

Monday Noon - 8:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday Noon - 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Though the number of open hours is being reduced system-wide, the hours are consistent across all Anoka County Library buildings and are designed to be easy-to-remember and convenient for the majority of library users. Anoka County Library Board President Cathy Montain said, "At a time when residents use libraries even more, cutting hours was an extremely difficult decision. The Anoka County Library Board based the new hours on extensive data gathered about customer use, best practices for energy conservation, and the most efficient use of staff." Montain expects the change in open hours will last at least through the summer. Other adjustments may be made at the beginning of the school year to respond to additional budget challenges.

24-hour access to the Library’s website and catalog, online resources, and request and renewal services will continue as usual. These resources are available to anyone with a current Anoka County Library card and personal identification number (PIN). Residents who do not have a card are urged to join nearly 300,000 other card holders by stopping at their local Anoka County Library to sign up for a card. Identification, such as a driver’s license, is required. For more information about the library’s hours or services or to access online resources, please visit the website at www.anoka.lib.mn.us.

Additional "What's Happening" page news - Friends of the Library donate; and, "The Consul of Mexico in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ana Luisa Fajer, recently presented a gift of Spanish language books for children to Anoka County Library. The Library was one of more than 100 libraries, schools, clinics and community centers to receive a gift of books. The Consul's book project is intended to helps area library users learn and practice Spanish." This is very good. I recall not taking advantage of high school Spanish language classes, a mistake, and now I can only muddle through in one language, English.

Web access for the Library is very helpful, including renewal opportunity, and while those reading this probably do not need help navigating the Internet they might know others who could use guidance and a boost to give it a try; and passing on this "What's Happening" info might be helpful - the library provides beginner's tutoring:

Adults can learn to use the Internet at several branches of the Anoka County library. Taught by librarians, the one-hour private classes give participants a basic introduction to the Internet. There is no charge for the classes, but pre-registration is required.

Call the individual branch libraries listed below for specific class times or for more information.

Centennial 763-717-3294
Crooked Lake 763-576-5972
Mississippi 763-571-1934
Rum River 763-576-4695

PEOPLE TO MENTION - THE LIBRARY BOARD -&- FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY

The board:

Cathy Montain, President
Ellen Ward, Vice President
Jane Daniels
Robert Hayden
Norma Jean Falink
Diane Letendre
Adrienne Yeager

Board agendas and minutes of past meetings are online, here.

###

Friends of the Library, 2008 Board members:

Len Powell
Doug Zbikowski
Diane Racette
Karla Gedell
Kari Lohse
Chris Wysocki
Betsy O'Berry
Nancee Halling
Bob Overturf
Dennis Shanley
Kim Halberg

NEXT, there is the library staff - bright lights in the County's service to residents --- in the past I have used the library's "contact us" access to suggest items for the collection, there's a page for that but you have to give your user ID, and now with hard times upon us I have one item on interlibrary loan, a service that substitutes for adding to the collection when the County is cash-strapped. Beyond that, older books might be less appealing as collection additions, and the library has a helpful contact-and-usage notes page, here, indicating:

Purchase Suggestions
For newer titles (published in the current or previous year) please fill out the Anoka County Library Purchase Form located in the Catalog under "Contact Us." (Use Interlibrary Loan for titles older than one year.) Feature films may be requested only after they are made available to the general public in DVD or VHS formats. Note: You will need to enter your library barcode number and PIN to access the form.

Finally, while I have criticized Dan Erhart in the past, he has been steadfast over time in his support of the library, and he deserves positive recognition and praise for that.

From Women's March - 10-2-2021 - imagery speaks

Image is cropped from one of a series of Buzzfeed images. Click the image to access the Buzzfeed coverage of that march. This was a major event in Washington, D.C., and it happened mid-way after Trump had been fired by voters in the 2020 election, and before the one approaching. To assert as MN GOP politicians have that abortion is not an issue is an insensitive fiction concocted in some smoke filled GOP backroom. Do not let a GOP intent to deceive misleed your vote. The issue IS ON THE BALLOT. Women deserve dominion over their bodies, we all deserve privacy in our lifetime decision making.

Cracker fear and loathing toward Critical Race Theory has its precedent.

The precedent - Integration dodging intent behind segregated "non-profit" private schools, after the Brown decision was issued. Leading a twisted mind, Paul Weyrich, to issue-monger.

Politico in 2014 posted the true history of the ginned up propagandized opposition to abortion among the nation's hordes of Evangelicals as the "Weyrich solution" to energize the base. Leading to grave mischief. Evangel-Jesus-jockeys, with fellow travelers, (many of whom are surveyed as not as worked up about Roe as Alito would want you to falsely believe). Some, "foaming-at-the-mouth" rabid, however -

This is for you, Gipper and crowd.

Click that Wikipedia image, get THE STORY (and a link to the enlarged image, copyright info and all). GET: Online info leading into a new year via some pre-1947 new "old thoughts." New to many first time voters - this cycle. Not the thoughts, but the history. A history not to be found in Gipper speech transcripts, nor the Gipper's presidential library papers. Hello, Joe, Dem Party history, so pay attention. Pre-Clinton, Pre-Obama, but Dem party new-old nostalgia. Good old ways. Show the guts to walk that talk.

War Crime - Crime Against Humanity - Today, Now.

Let's go Brandon?

Yes, it relates to a NASCAR event, NASCAR attendees making a statement. But given how fifteen bucks got disappeared, and now Build Back Inconsequentially is pending, shouldn't we all chant? Trust whoever you care to, but wouldn't you like to see trust earned? Actions speak louder than words, while inaction when action is needed speaks loudest? Truthfully so? Pharma prices if anything have gone upward since Trump left while Manchin's daughter's a part of it via her grotesque EpiPen market manipulation and price gouging (a/k/a contract, combination, conspiracy in restraint of trade to gain market segment monopolization). Who might they want to fool? Biden's Justice Department appearing to not be looking at EpiPen under antitrust criminal law? Student debt relief is an aim of many, yet Biden has made no move to be helpful. Never mind Medicare for All sidetracked - Not even cosmetic change is being made to Obama's Romneycare? Taking progressives for a buggy ride? DC redux? Money talks? A Congress of old owned lackeys? Let's go Brandon?

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MYOGA - Make Yacht Owners Gain Again

A RIGHT - not a privilege - EVERYBODY'S RIGHT - no limits

JOE BIDEN DOES NOT SUPPORT MEDICARE FOR ALL. That is because Biden's billionaires want to keep every last one of the people beholden, manageable that way, willing to compromise and to worry about the next paycheck and the mortgage, rather than worrying abstractly over the grossly unfair distribution of wealth and power in our nation. Reform of that situation is needed. HOWEVER, with the Biden White House team, we must wait for HOPE and CHANGE. He owes, as a career politician now a millionaire himself, after NOT ever biting a feeding hand. We need Bernie.

Bernie ran for President. Who cares?

Bernie Sanders early 2019 crowds from before the Democratic Party oligarchs did him in, Clyburn, Bloomberg, Biden - the usual suspects. What resonated with those crowds - a candidate for justice and fairness, finally and for us all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7DRwz0cAt0 Joe Biden could have a Lincolnian legacy, if he cuts and runs from the big donor class he has so far courted, makes his platform the heart of that speech and delivers on the promises. If there is the will, there is the way.

More meddlesome in U.S. of A. politics. More money spent over Russians? Does that compute?

click here for image source plus NYTimes coverage.

Will there be blowback? There seems to be a disproportionate sense to DC's media-mania focus. Russians seem to make better theater, while Israelis generate movement on a scale Putin could only dream of? Essays and books could be written . . . However, in 2012 Romney and Bibi preceded Donald and Vlad mischief, in attempted outsider bias of U.S. national elections. Donald never visited Vlad in Russia. Romney did visit and schmooze Bibi, in Israel. "Double standard?" Go figure.

Doug Wardlow's police pal, Bob Kroll.

POLICE ENDORSED has to have a meaning, a context, and a discernible personality. G.R.Anderson writing over a decade ago, in a CityPages item, puts in a context, Bob Kroll, further fleshed out, here. It behooves the public to know who the supporters of a politician are, (photo above), since that reflects on the politician. "Rule of Law" must have a meaning to Kroll, one which few would share. Why is Mainstream Media not asking about POLICE ENDORSED, a Wardlow tout point?

IN ADDITION: In this image, isn't it Bob Kroll standing to the right hand of friend Wardlow? Looks like him. Paired Ellison haters? Anti-Muslim cohorts? How far back does the pairing go? And how has the pairing grown over time or evolved, from what start? Is there some Dobson joinder? The press should inquire.

Douglas Gary Wardlow did not merely throw the first stone . . .

He unleashed an ADF salvo, earning his ADF paycheck. Read about it, here, here and here. Outlawyered on appeal, Wardlow now apparently has no ADF paycheck. Others for ADF are pressing on. ADF appears to be a win-or-go-home team. James Dobson's team, so walk the line. Whatever you think you want, trust me, you do not want James Dobson anywhere near our attorney general office. A Berniecrat is the other choice, and is a good choice because Bernie's policies are the only future the Democratic Party has whether they accept that or not. Aimee Stephens is as human as I am, as human as Wardlow and Dobson and Hillstrom and Pelikan, the latter two seeming to have gone silent. Ms. Stevens should not be bedeviled in this Twenty-first Century. She merely wanted to be herself, do her job, and get her share. That is what each of us wants for ourselves. Evolution of politics is overdue. Ellison got piled on; is getting piled on. Click the above image.

Sell 'em Prosperity Gospel and feed 'em beans. Some never catch on.

What is Prosperity Gospel? It is: Channeling the mind of a brick into GOP and related dogma. Read this Minnesota story. Click the image to read its fine print. (image source: Bluestem Prairie) The image shows a part of the "mind" of a 30 yr. and still-going Prosperity Gospel faithful attendee. A Dev Crabgrass post fleshes things out. Islamaphobia is but one dimension of a larger "GOP base" stupidity. Stupidity you can bank on. HINT: Follow links in items linked here. Questions will get answered. And --- There's more -

DINO NEWS: Democrats in Name Only; they exist as a problem.

a DINO with an up-top money slot

This link. Al Franken in the linked WashTimes item is quoted:
“There are a lot of Minnesotans who are Franken-Trump voters. You have to go and talk to them, and you have to listen. That’s what we need to do. We need to listen.”
Al knows the score better. Al knows Sanders-Franken voter numbers dwarf that Trump-Franken segment, as to where Al needs to pay most attention, "to listen."

Al, in no uncertain terms, should be telling Tom Perez and the beltway money-bunnies of a new fresh smell in the air. Recognizing (in kind wording) one DINO foundation-family's drift, now, into irrelevancy is far from admitting what's relevant and moving full speed to the Bernie side of the force.

Dinosaurs, DINO ways and means, must and will be extinct (can you say "Primary Joe Manchin and Clair McCaskill"). As Al in the item says; listen. Hear Bernie sounding like a giant asteroid strike upon a DINO status quo. Indeed, primary the poster DINO-bunny of artful misdirection and status quo actions, Cory Booker. Gain attention from that, successful or not. Ideally, send Cory to work with Eric Cantor on Wall Street, where his heart is.