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many paperback books with creased spines and torn covers and dog-eared pages, and smudged print just cannot be donated to a library. And when in good condition, the library does not need 500 copies.

Look how many copies of popular books are on secondary market sites for $0.35 cents or less. The book is often being sold for the small profit the seller makes on the standard shipping charge.

So lets not ask "what am I reading" like there is some problem with my taste - lets just use common sense and stick to the point. - Mass market paperback books are somewhat akin to the overflow of tomatos in home gardens - you sometimes have to try really hard to get rid of them before they spoil.

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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Right now I get an accumulation of books, especially paperback, that I can't always give away after I read them. Some go into recycle.

I also like the idea of having multiple books in the device, and of being able to "look up" things or any other hyperlink that might be available.

Currently I read technical/reference books almost only onscreen on a typical PC. I enjoy the ability to highlight, search, and even add my comments. I can print this out - comments and all.

It is not clear to me how much of this annotation ability is in the readers being discussed here.

Most textbooks do have extensive page formatting, sidebars, links to further reading, graphics .... etc. No reader will make headway with textbooks until these formats, and the ability to take notes on the book, are provided.

A few of my books are not books, but rather bound art. These will reamin hardback and on my bookshelf.

I also print text and drawings and scanned pictures into PDF and make family albums, local histories, or organize information on a special topic. Any device that cannot support home-made content is missing an important part of the current trend in publishing.

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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It is not the point to dance around the exact meaning of "natural" and what can be done with the lake if it is any degree less than natural.

The point is that we know very little about how damaged environments recover. The processes. The timetables. THe pendulum swings of ecosystems seeking a new stable point. We know very little, and this opportunity for study is precious. The topic is crucial for a planet where man's footprint teeters on the brink of making the ecosystem collapse.

There are other places to fish. Ther may be no other places with such an opportunity to learn. The anglers are being shortsighted and selfish.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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punish at the polls is not the same as "punish". How can you say that an appeal to vote you values is arrogant?

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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I was sad to hear you begin with "Joe the plumber." A guy on the rope line who hears that his taxes might, MIGHT, increase slightly, is soon on the questionable Fox news channel calling Obamma a socialist, and taking 3-word phrases out of context.

If the business makes 250k, I understand no increase in tax. If the business makes 270k, a figure mentioned by Joe, then the last 20k gets taxed at 39% the usual 39% instead of the sunsetting temporary tax-relief discount rate of 36%. So, maybe - maybe - $3000 more in tax.

But, the business should also benefit for a credit to the extent they provide healthcare, and I understand if the business increases in value, there will be no capital gains tax. Sounds to me like a net tax decrease.

Why is this analysis not more widely in the media. I found 1 MSNBC analyst making these points. The issue is reduced to a soundbite, an incorrect one at that, and your show puts it in the intro.

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As for housing bailouts, why is nobody talking about how to divide struggling homeowners form speculators and grossly irresponsible borrowers? If someone paid an inflated price solely on the belief that it would net a profit in the short term, then no bailout. If someone refinanced and took equity out of their house, and spent that money on things that I don;t have, then no bailout.

... any what about when a good portion of the value in these houses return? If a house is bought for 500K, and is now worth 300k, and is renegotiated with fixed rates based on 300k, then what about when it is sold 10 years form now for 600k? Shouldn't the treasury, that ate the 200k loss have a share of that capital gain?

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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I don't think you can draw the line between traditional media and blogs and succeed in drawing the line between opinion-pushers and journalists. There are individuals and organizations that have an investigative slant, dig for facts, and blog them. There are papers that let editorial policy taint the newsroom and tv channels that are glorified spin doctors and infomercials. We have special "tabloid" category for papers that anre not newspapers. Some news shows have tried to merge news & opinion, but the line is intentionally blurry. (I can't even watch Lou Dobbs anymore because of the way they slide back and forth across the line.)

TO promote a free press, we want to tread very very lightly on regulation of journalism. At the same time the internet allows misinformation to travel amplified and at the speed of light, and when does it become similar to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.

I think we could have an "accreditation" for journalists. And we could have terms like "blogger", "satirist", "commentator" or "observer" for most other folks who choose to exercise free speech in amplified form.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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I have a lot to learn about the benefits of ESL, English-only, and structured-English ... etc. I will take a look at the Collier and Thomas research mentioned, and google the topic.

BUT - I have a few reactions to the show.

1) Rick Hickey was so boorish that I suspect his opinions and facts.

Instead of waiting for his turn to speak and then stating any counter argument, qualification, clarification, ... he rudely interjected NO, NOPE, NOT TRUE, ... and you had to struggle to hear what the other guy was saying.

He frequently resorted to sarcasm, or mocking tone of voice, instead of sticking to rational argument. When he said "its not hard folks" in reference to gaining fluency in a 2nd language in freshman year, he not only generalizes from his experience (alleged) to everyone's ability, he mocks anyone who finds it difficult. Shame.

He rambled off into antidote, like some point about buying football helmets at some school that did not use all their ESL funds. We don't need this kind of red herring confusion in good policy debates.

2) I was astounded to hear that "research that begins with theory is suspect". The process of science is that theory generates hypotheses that get tested and then theory is revised if necessary. Researchers do need to be objective, and there is plenty of room to examine the objectivity of any particular researcher (as well as any denouncer of a research report) - BUT, BIG BUT, you do not do research with theory 1st. Mr. Hickey's research methods vocabulary and insight may be quite lacking.

3) We need to distinguish between what is best for society, what is best for the student-citizen, and what is best for the student-scholar. It is good for society to be united by language and kids that learn to speak English better will be able to participate more fully in the civil process - but this may come at not achieving all that can be achieved in some academic subjects. In other words, "speaking good enough", which has civil benefits, may not be the same as reading, writing, and comprehending as well. For a child learning math, or science, or any abstract concept, getting instruction in a primary language may increase scholastic results. So there is a tension between the civil benefit and the academic benefit. (... and someone else has raised the interesting issue of not every primary language can be served. But, if we have a lot of Spanish and Mandarin, do we deny them because we do not have a lot of Croatian?)

Surely, some limit to primary-language instruction is needed, but something other than 1 or 2 years fits all, is likely the best answer. I just doubt Mr. Hickey's motives and flexibility to work out the best solution instead of ramming through what seems to be his limited, and suspect, viewpoint.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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