Years ago when I was a college student we actually had three competing book stores on campus including the university-0wned book store, one owned by a fraternity alum of mine, and a smaller one near the campus town area so overall we students probably received a good deal on text book prices. Today's $7.7 billion college text book industry is built on the fact that students spend an average of $807.00 (see "History" section in the website below) annually on textbooks more book store competition is always helpful so I am promoting this start up company I recently read about:
http://www.beatthebookstore.com/
This book store operation -- founded at Utah Valley State by Mike Winward and David Monk- uses a franchise model to expand onto campuses around the country. It is encouraging to see these entrepreneurs take on what are usually government-owned (at the state universities) book stores.
Go to class,
Todd
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Book Burning
Last week the National Socialist Movement (NSM) , which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, announced on their website that they were going to host a book burning party on January 27th, which would include the "Talmud and other anti-white books". NSM's web-hate site can be found at:
http://www.nsm88.com/rally/book_burning.html
NSM is a threat to free expression -- "anti-white books" today but what do they plan to burn tomorrow? -- and book burning is a threat to society in general so let me call on the immortal words of Pastor Martin Niemoller for all of us to consider:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
Off to read in bed now before my book on Gandhi's non-violence is burned,
Todd
http://www.nsm88.com/rally/book_burning.html
NSM is a threat to free expression -- "anti-white books" today but what do they plan to burn tomorrow? -- and book burning is a threat to society in general so let me call on the immortal words of Pastor Martin Niemoller for all of us to consider:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
Off to read in bed now before my book on Gandhi's non-violence is burned,
Todd
Monday, January 29, 2007
Minnesota Book Awards
This weekend the finalists for the 19th annual Minnesota Book Awards (MBAs) were announced. The MBAs are sponsored by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, the St. Paul Public Library, and the Mayor of St. Paul's Office working in concert.
The 2007 ceremony is set for 8 pm on May 5th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. At only $40.00 per person this is a great opportunity to support today's authors. For tickets please contact:
http://www.thefriends.org/ or 651.222.3242
Historically I have missed this event in the past due to travel which is likely again this year so I want to do what I can to promote it to others.
Check out these awards :)
Todd
Friday, January 26, 2007
Kansas Center for the Book
While working in the state capitol in Topeka, Kansas I stopped by the State Library of Kansas which had a display table promoting the "Kansas Center for the Book", www.kcfb.info, (KCFB) which is affiliated with the Library of Congress' National Center for the Book program.
The KCFB's purpose is stated below:
"The goal of the Kansas Center for the Book is to foster more literary activity throughout the state and to increase the awareness of books and reading with a Kansas flare. Projects of the Center are planned and implemented to promote Kansas authors, Kansas books, Kansas publishers, publishing and booksellers, and reading throughout the state."
The current book being promoted by the KCFB's "Kansas Reads" program is, "The Learning Tree" by Gordon Parks, http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/learningtree.htm, which is focused on "How it feels to be black in the white man's world".
Overall the KCFB looks to be a very worthwhile project although I would prefer to have a private sector entity such as a foundation assume management of this program so it is no longer a government project. Finally, I would like to see the KCFB add one more category to their list of people who can become "Fellows" to include "bloggers" like myself but perhaps that is too self-serving.
Read to a child, Todd
The KCFB's purpose is stated below:
"The goal of the Kansas Center for the Book is to foster more literary activity throughout the state and to increase the awareness of books and reading with a Kansas flare. Projects of the Center are planned and implemented to promote Kansas authors, Kansas books, Kansas publishers, publishing and booksellers, and reading throughout the state."
The current book being promoted by the KCFB's "Kansas Reads" program is, "The Learning Tree" by Gordon Parks, http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/learningtree.htm, which is focused on "How it feels to be black in the white man's world".
Overall the KCFB looks to be a very worthwhile project although I would prefer to have a private sector entity such as a foundation assume management of this program so it is no longer a government project. Finally, I would like to see the KCFB add one more category to their list of people who can become "Fellows" to include "bloggers" like myself but perhaps that is too self-serving.
Read to a child, Todd
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Book Store Closing
After 40 years in the book store business, Ethna McKiernan, announced this week that she is closing "Irish Books and Media Inc." in Minneapolis, Minnesota -- http://www.irishbook.com/
Irish Books was founded by Ethna's father, Eoin McKiernan, as a spin off project of his Irish American Cultural Institute, in the early 1960's. Irish Books' January newsletter quoted Ms. McKiernan as saying this about the decision to close, "There are too many contributing factors, including pressures from corporate giants swallowing up smaller publishers or raising order minimums to 100 copies." (Source: Mary Ann Grossman of the Pioneer Press newspaper)
Perhaps Ms. McKiernan explored several options before she decided to close her store but one idea I would promote would be for my alma mater, the University of St. Thomas (UST), to reach an agreement with her to re-locate the book store in its St. Paul or Minneapolis campuses perhaps simply merging it into the current campus book stores. Such a move would be good for at least two reasons:
1.) Having Irish Books integrated into UST would supplement the university's Irish Studies academic program, and
2.) The book store could be set up as a separate entity run by UST's Opus School of Business to provide current UST students with a hands on business experience.
Personally I love small book shops so it is sad to see such an entity as Irish Books close its doors.
Todd
Irish Books was founded by Ethna's father, Eoin McKiernan, as a spin off project of his Irish American Cultural Institute, in the early 1960's. Irish Books' January newsletter quoted Ms. McKiernan as saying this about the decision to close, "There are too many contributing factors, including pressures from corporate giants swallowing up smaller publishers or raising order minimums to 100 copies." (Source: Mary Ann Grossman of the Pioneer Press newspaper)
Perhaps Ms. McKiernan explored several options before she decided to close her store but one idea I would promote would be for my alma mater, the University of St. Thomas (UST), to reach an agreement with her to re-locate the book store in its St. Paul or Minneapolis campuses perhaps simply merging it into the current campus book stores. Such a move would be good for at least two reasons:
1.) Having Irish Books integrated into UST would supplement the university's Irish Studies academic program, and
2.) The book store could be set up as a separate entity run by UST's Opus School of Business to provide current UST students with a hands on business experience.
Personally I love small book shops so it is sad to see such an entity as Irish Books close its doors.
Todd
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Completely Wrong Observations
My friends at Regnery Publishing have just published what appears to be a very interesting book entitled, "The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World" by John O'Sullivan. This book is focused on how the Soviet Union was essentially put out of business in the marketplace of ideas via the leadership of President Reagan, Lady Thatcher, and Il Papa John Paul II -- heroes that I plan to discuss with my godchildren/children as they grow up.
In the book review by Michael Knox Beran that I read he quotes two VERY mis-guided academics who had this to say about the Evil Empire/Soviet Union:
"That the Soviet system has made great material progress in recent years is evident both from the statistics and from the general urban scene" -- economist John Kenneth Galbraith said in 1984.
and
"....those in the USA who think the Soviet Union is on the verge of economic and social collapse are kidding themselves" -- historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said in 1982
I can barely type a response to these fuzzy-headed quotes from these academics who were either COMPLETELY IGNORANT or perhaps ever hopeful the workers' utopia was actually working.
Did these men ever travel to the Soviet Union?
I traveled to the Evil Empire in 1986 where I discovered that "boxer shorts" (underwear) were valued on the black market because the citizens could not buy such products in the stores. Amazing -- you would think the Soviets' five year plans would have included underwear at some point!!
On a lighter note let me close with a joke - "two Soviets are standing in line when the the one Soviet asked the other one, 'comrade, what are you standing in line for?' to which the other Soviet replies, ' I don't know but I am going to buy it when I get to the front of the line........." :)
Be happy the USSR is now a subject for historians not politicians,
Todd
In the book review by Michael Knox Beran that I read he quotes two VERY mis-guided academics who had this to say about the Evil Empire/Soviet Union:
"That the Soviet system has made great material progress in recent years is evident both from the statistics and from the general urban scene" -- economist John Kenneth Galbraith said in 1984.
and
"....those in the USA who think the Soviet Union is on the verge of economic and social collapse are kidding themselves" -- historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said in 1982
I can barely type a response to these fuzzy-headed quotes from these academics who were either COMPLETELY IGNORANT or perhaps ever hopeful the workers' utopia was actually working.
Did these men ever travel to the Soviet Union?
I traveled to the Evil Empire in 1986 where I discovered that "boxer shorts" (underwear) were valued on the black market because the citizens could not buy such products in the stores. Amazing -- you would think the Soviets' five year plans would have included underwear at some point!!
On a lighter note let me close with a joke - "two Soviets are standing in line when the the one Soviet asked the other one, 'comrade, what are you standing in line for?' to which the other Soviet replies, ' I don't know but I am going to buy it when I get to the front of the line........." :)
Be happy the USSR is now a subject for historians not politicians,
Todd
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Books Returned
Two stories of books being returned to libraries in Michigan and Iowa caught my attention over the last week:
Michigan -- Robert Nuranen of Hancock, Michigan returned a book, "The Prince of Egypt", to his local library that he checked out 47 years earlier with a late fee check of $171.32. Apparently he had checked the book out for a high school project but recently found the book in a box in his mother's attic. I admire Mr. Nuranen's honesty - especially the check he wrote - but was disappointed that he admitted he never finished reading the book even after 47 years. Clearly a slow reader :)
Iowa -- Erlene Pattee of Urbandale, Iowa wrote a thank you letter to the Des Moines Register newspaper praising an anonymous Good Samaritan who returned Ms. Pattee's book to the Johnston, Iowa library. Ms. Pattee had left a library book on a flight from Phoenix to Des Moines so she was pleasantly surprised to discover the book had been returned when she called the library to ask for an extension. An impressive display of civility which shows a love for books.
Avoid late fees,
Todd
Michigan -- Robert Nuranen of Hancock, Michigan returned a book, "The Prince of Egypt", to his local library that he checked out 47 years earlier with a late fee check of $171.32. Apparently he had checked the book out for a high school project but recently found the book in a box in his mother's attic. I admire Mr. Nuranen's honesty - especially the check he wrote - but was disappointed that he admitted he never finished reading the book even after 47 years. Clearly a slow reader :)
Iowa -- Erlene Pattee of Urbandale, Iowa wrote a thank you letter to the Des Moines Register newspaper praising an anonymous Good Samaritan who returned Ms. Pattee's book to the Johnston, Iowa library. Ms. Pattee had left a library book on a flight from Phoenix to Des Moines so she was pleasantly surprised to discover the book had been returned when she called the library to ask for an extension. An impressive display of civility which shows a love for books.
Avoid late fees,
Todd
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