Libraries -- Who needs em?

Like every other city, county and state across the United States, Florida governments are fighting to balance budgets. And every time some legislators get together they see dollar signs whenever they look at the monies being allocated to support libraries. Some states have intelligently set aside money for libraries and ensured it can't be touched, our state has no such reverence nor concern for the public knowledge entrusted to libraries.

A few weeks ago the legislators agreed to delete all funding for public libraries from the state budget. That's $21 million in their pockets and their budget looks more balanced.

What they didn't expect was the outcry that went up as soon as word got out. Granted, many of our elected officials may not be 'readers.' Such is the statement made recently by the assistant county director of Seminole County. And maybe they receive a salary and income that allows them to purchase whatever books they want. Or maybe taxpayers buy their books for them. But most of us on the other side of the desk who happen to like to read and have no other access to information, depend on the library.

Some children would never see a book in their house, if they couldn't bring them home from the library. Nor would they get a chance for valuable social interaction nor understand the delights that books can bring into their lives without story time.

• Without public libraries where would elderly people on fixed incomes go for reading entertainment, and other media experiences?
  
• Where would they go for tax information or assistance?
  
• Who would they ask if not a librarian for contact information for tax specialists?
• Where would young parents go for child raising information?
  
• Where would graduates go for job search information -- including how to write a resume and cover letter to what profession to chose and how to study for their tests -- police, civil service, post office, CPA, LSAT, SAT....
• Where could you get the latest in the Twilight series?
• Where would young adults go to read?
  
• Where would teens volunteer or gather together to put on skits and demonstrations and activities for younger kids under the guidance of a child librarian who not only loves books, but teenagers as well.
  
• Where would small businesses access free marketing materials and who would the Small Business Association turn for such information?
• Where does the widow go to find how to cope with grief?
• Where do people go to read about the illness afflicting them or someone they love?
  
• What better atmosphere than a library for young love?
  
• Where else can boys find out about sex and it isn't illegal or smutty?
  
• Where else will young artists find the drawing books they need or the craft books or fabric art books they need to express themselves?
• Where's the home builder, do it yourselfer, inventor, going to find out how to fix a leak, install a water heater, add a deck, redo a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or landscape a yard -- all in one place without spending a dime?
  
• Where else can people donate their books and see them sell for 50 cents or $1 and know that the library benefits from the sales and thus costs taxpayers a tiny bit less for the services the Friends of the Library donate?
• Where are repositories of history maintained?
  
• Where do people go when times get tough? The library.
• Where else can you find Patience and Fortitude?
  

Andrew Carnegie might have been a greedy bastard when it came to business deals, but his idea for libraries redeemed him. "From Fiji to Florida to Fresno, Calif., Andrew Carnegie built 2,509 libraries between 1881 and 1917, mostly in America, the British Isles and Canada. To this day, Carnegie's free-to-the-people libraries remain Pittsburgh's most significant cultural export, a gift that has shaped the minds and lives of millions."

Herb Elish, library director of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh takes his library job seriously. He thinks "libraries can 'raise up people's consciousness,' leading to 'greater literacy, better jobs and rich, useful lives.' He wants each library, old or new, to be a place 'people want to come to, think is enjoyable, get a lot out of and have fun at, because at the end of the day, it'll just make their lives better.'

I'm with Herb. Teach a third world mother to read and the quality of life improves for the whole family. Give the family library cards and watch them grow!

Yet, our legislators see libraries as liabilities, drains on the budget, a service not needed. Of course they say the same thing about our public schools when addressing art, music, and sports -- well unless they happen to LOVE sports, which most of the male members of our government do.

But here in Florida people spoke up. They visited their legislators' offices, wrote emails, made phone calls, and literally hounded the governor until he threw up his hands and asked the legislation to take another look at that proposal. Library directors across the state had hung their heads and were seeing a bleak future because the library issue as far as they knew had been decided and $21 million dollars had just evaporated from their own budgets.

But the people had spoken and the governor wanted his life back and the legislators must have realized that most of the people who vote also possess library cards. Because they did a miraculous thing. They, even though the discussion was NOT on the agenda, revisited the library decision and -- changed their minds.

They CHANGED THEIR MINDS!

"Yesterday afternoon, during the Joint Budget Conference Chairs process, the House proposed funding State Aid at $21,253,978 and last night the Senate just came back and accepted, but the Senate was not willing to accept the funding source proposed by the House so state aid funding was left in limbo overnight.

This morning they came back and met through the day. The decision was reached shortly after 7 p.m.

As FLA Lobbyist Chris Lyon explained it, you did what cannot be done. State Aid was not a conference issue. The Joint Budget Conference Chairs weren't even supposed to be talking about this.

So last night Chris was is sitting in bar before going back to the 8 o'clock meeting, and a guy walks up, sees he is working on appropriations spreadsheets. Chris tells him he's working for libraries (and did he ever!). The guy works in the Governor's office and wants to know if they've restored the funding yet. He says everybody in the governor's office knows about it because the phone hasn't stopped ringing on the issue and they've had citizens coming in person on the issue since Thursday."

The people spoke and for once, our representatives listened. Freedom of speech -- they teach you that in the libraries. You can read alot about it in the 973 section devoted to American history. So, it looks like our public libraries in Florida will be allowed to limp along for awhile longer. Of course, there is no set aside funds to run the library, we are dependent on the county legislation for our bread and butter here in Seminole County. We understand there will be lay offs just as soon as the county commissioners approve them, on or around May 21.

But for now we savor a small victory and hold dear our freedom to information that otherwise would be closed to all of us.

May I suggest that you visit your public library today? Walk in and taste freedom. There is nowhere else in this United States quite so free. And, librarians across the country protect your privacy. Do you remember back when the government wanted to check on readers to see what they were borrowing from the library? Well, they couldn't. Because libraries already thought about their patrons' privacy and DO NOT KEEP SUCH RECORDS. If you want to know what books you've read, you better keep your own list because libraries do not do it.

Democracy lives in libraries and when they shut their doors, we need to worry about what comes next.

Taking a Walk; Saving a Life

This past Saturday Derrol and I headed out into the sunshine to join with hundreds of other people from Central Florida who are determined to find a cure for ALS.

The ALS Association fundraiser Walk to Defeat ALS couldn't have been more fun, although bittersweet. Derrol and I hadn't made a fundraising effort. We saw others who had. One group presented a huge check for $20,000.

T-shirts with photos of ALS victims past and present glowed in the sunshine. One photo we saw quite often was of Kevin Bailey. "Kevin's Warriors" was the inscription under a photo of Kevin in his power chair. Kevin lost his battle after five years this past January. His son and family and friends were all walking and had raised money to support research even though research will no longer help Kevin. Adele's Allies; Walter's Warriors, The Sensational Sorgis, and the simple yet poignant sign on several shirts: "We're Walking for Mike." Adults of all ages, some in wheelchairs, some using walkers, some pushing strollers or leading dogs who also wore t-shirts, all came together at Blue Jacket Park near Winter Park, Florida -- a lovely place to take a walk and defeat a disease.

Derrol and I felt like we were the lucky ones there. Derrol is alive. He still has hope that the research will come in time to save him. He's also fortunate that his form of ALS is slow progressing. Where most people die within six years of diagnosis, his has taken twice that long to weaken him to the point that he just now is beginning to use assistive devices like a bi-pap machine at night to aid breathing and a cane or wheelchair during the day.

There was talk of findings, an Italian study shows particular promise of stopping the disease's progression. Another mentioned stem cells. And then I looked at the face of Kevin Bailey's son and knew how hard he was struggling to be happy over these findings. But instantly it became clear that no matter what happened this day, Kevin was still dead after battling that despicable disease for five years.

In the Goldsmith family we have reason to take heart. Even if the research doesn't help Derrol, it will help other family members. Because ours is a rare form of ALS called Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- the inherited form. So we didn't just walk for Derrol on Saturday. We took our first steps toward fighting for our sons, grandson, cousins, brothers, and sisters, nieces and nephews.... The family has already lost more than a dozen loved ones to this disease, we don't want to lose any more. The Goldsmith clan also serve as great guinea pigs since we can be studied for clues to why some members develop the disease and others do not. We have all come together to participate in a study conducted by the ALS Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Together maybe we can give researchers the clues they need to find a treatment, a cure or hey, maybe even a cause.

As I write this Ken Patterson, a former NASA engineer, now full-time ALS victim, is tooling along the highways in his little power chair headed from Orlando to Washington D.C. Once he completes the 21 day journey and arrives in our country's capital, he and a group of dedicated people will speak before Congress, meet with their congressmen, and advocate for funding and legislature to help defeat ALS. Because you see, there is an even greater threat from this disease. It is targeting our military. I'm seeing statistics that site our soldiers returning from Iraq are contracting the disease at a 75 percent higher rate than the general population. We must find a cure.

It Isn't Easy Being Green

Green seems to be the color of choice this week.

Green stands for growing and green for environmentally responsible residents of Earth. Like Kermit T. Frog, the feeling of wannabe greenies is, "It isn't easy being green." But perhaps with discussion and exchange of ideas, a bit of determination and imagination, green may grow on us -- and I don't mean moss.

Some areas where I encountered green seemed to all meet at the Internet Writing Workshop.

The Creative Nonfiction Discussion Group are discussing the essay by Deborah Halter: The Joys of Walking vs. the Need for Speed that appeared in the June 22nd issue of National Catholic Reporter. Sadly the essay availability only extends to subscribers of NCR, but the gist of it involves her efforts to walk more and drive less. Like many of us, the author enjoys the driving, the quick results of driving to a destination as opposed to time-eating walks. And like many of us, a walk can not just be a walk, it must involve a destination, be useful, be work, or utilitarian.

I particularly liked this statement:

The first thing I learned was that when we drive, we miss many of the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of being human in the world -- a rabbit under a bush, 5-year-olds playing hopscotch on the driveway, the pungency of wet pavement, the poking of grass and gravel underfoot.

When we roll up the windows and turn on the air, we're twice removed. When we play the radio or a CD, we're thrice removed.When we listen to the radio or a CD and talk on a cell phone, we're removed a notch further. And when we're doing all that plus eating a burger or yelling at the kids in the back seat, our alienation from the environment becomes exponential.

I read Halter's words and can hear my husband's voice. His biggest pet peeve on his long drives to and from work involved people (women) in big SUVs as they multi-tasked (cell phones, mascara/make up application, coffee drinking, hair combing, and even reading while driving erratically and often coming within a hare's breath of running him off of the road.

Another touch with being green also originated at IWW with an article by a member, Wendee Holtcamp. Her article Thirty Days of Consumer Celibacy appears on OnEarth's website and not only follows her experiment into recycling and not buying new items for thirty days. It also imparts information about the biggest polluters and the project San Francisco Compact, started in 2006 by several concerned women.

Holtcamp wrote,

The average American generates about 4.5 pounds of trash a day -- a figure that,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency, includes paper, food, yard
trimmings, furniture, and everything else you toss out at home and on the job.

The leaders in pollution can be listed in a relatively short list: "cars and trucks; meat and poultry farming; crop production; home heating, hot water, and air conditioning; household appliances; home construction; and household water use and sewage treatment."

Moving on with the green synchronicity that came together this week, let me introduce a former IWW member Sandra Friend. She inspires me with her immersion into environment and Florida and her writings. She has written several books and articles about hiking, especially about hiking in Florida.

When I'm concerned that its time for the pest control guy to spray for bugs, she's slogging through some swamp locating mystery orchids and leading tours. She and Wendee leave me in the dust when it comes to environmentally responsible.

But with everyone coming together in a Greenpeace kind of week, maybe I'll finally step up and do my part -- after the bug guy gets done spraying for roaches and spiders and....

Tuesday Travel: Hidden Secrets in Central Florida

Since coming to Florida almost three years ago, each day uncovers a new surprise.

The first day we arrived here to house hunt, the day after Hurricane Charley visited, the anoles -- little lizards with detachable tails -- taught me about surviving disasters and going about business as usual.

Mention Central Florida and people think: Orlando. And that leads to Disney World. But Florida is so much more than theme parks. This past February, my husband and I discovered a well kept secret: Polk County.

We felt the breeze freshen and smelled orange blossoms as soon as we crossed the county line. Located next door to Orange County with Disney and theme parks galore, Polk County seems like the country cousin. With 626,634 acres devoted to agriculture, including citrus groves and 554 lakes, much of the land remains under-developed or reserved for pasture. But don't let that country facade fool you. Some of the sweetest treats lurk near those citrus groves.

Lang's Sun Country Groves run a quaint little cafe and gift shop: Taste of Florida which is located halfway between Haines City and Lake Alfred at 5900 U.S. Hwy 17& 92. There they serve the freshest produce, including their own blend of fresh-squeezed orange juice from fruit grown in the family's groves. They ship produce all over the U.S. and we were told that Oprah, and Martha Stewart prefer Langs products. When visiting their cafe, order the grapefruit pie, a recipe perfected by the original owner, Mary Lang, who continues to do the pie baking. She hasn't given the rolling pin over to the next generation, yet.

Sadly the cafe closes in May when the citrus harvest ends, but opens again in October or November.

Davidsons of Dundee, located on U.S. Hwy 27, in Dundee, specializes in unique citrus candy that they make right on the premises. Visitors to their gift shop can watch the candy making process through large glass windows. You may have seen them featured on the Food Channel.

For a special dining experience, make reservations at Chalet Suzanne: 3800 Chalet Suzanne Drive in Lake Wales. The chalet and adjacent motel look like it was built by some architect gnome on hallucinogens. But that's part of the charm. Inside nothing matches -- chairs, tables, place settings -- all mix and match in a romantic setting that has drawn celebrities and plain folk alike. If you get the owner to reminisce, you're in for a treat. Chalet Suzanne also comes with an airfield where guests can fly in for dinner and fly back out again. Expect to spend some serious money at this stop.

And there is more to Polk County than food, although I've barely begun to mention all of the delightful little diners and cafes and country breakfasts....

But when you aren't eating, visit some of their entertain venues: Historic Bok Sanctuary, Cypress Gardens, Fantasy of Flight Museum....

For more indepth information about Polk County and what it has to offer -- at prices much nicer to your pocketbook than the theme parks, check out http://www.visitcentralflorida.org/

Indian Trash

Since moving to Central Florida a couple of years ago, we have avoided the usual entertainment outlets. Instead my husband and I have tried to find the old Florida, what was here before Disney, before housing developments transformed the landscape into miles of cement.

My first trip to Florida, like many Americans with new automobiles looking for a place to go, was in the late 1950s, early '60s. I, a bookish eight-year-old, traveled with my parents and older brother to visit an Aunt and Uncle in Pompano Beach. It was a summer of firsts -- first view of the ocean, first encounter with sand burrs, first kumquat picked fresh from the tree, and first breath of fresh salt air. For my brother it was his first encounter with beach parties and bikini clad beauties and other firsts he would never tell me about.

For decades I proclaimed that I didn't like Florida -- too humid, too buggy, the usual complaints. But now that my husband's job dragged us to the region, we can barely remember living anywhere else. Yesterday we found one of those spots that remind us that Florida has a history beyond theme parks and Spring Break.

Traveling Scenic Highway 1, we stopped at a little park near a small farming community named Oak Hill. The park, protected by the National Parks Service, is named Seminole Rest. Not one piece of trash marred the surface of this little gem. An unblemished cement walkway meandered through this spit of land that fronted onto saltwater: Mosquito Lagoon, making it handicap accessible. The first thing I noticed were the little Fiddler Crabs sidestepping along the waterline.

Plaques told us that the Timucuan Indians visited this place, harvested clams from the water and discarded the shells in what became an 18-foot high mound. The Wesley Snyder family bought the land, protected the mound from pillaging by the highway department. Many similar mounds were used as road bed for the burgeoning highway network back in the 1920s-30s.

The Snyder's also maintained the caretaker's cottage, built shortly after the Civil War and the main house, built at the turn of the 20th century. The atmosphere is one of peace, calm which seems in contrast with the harshly wind-sculpted oak and pine trees growing on the mound.

We will return to this spot -- a land fill of ancient times. The Timucuan Indians visited this spot about 1400 BC, and resided there even earlier as evidenced by shards of pottery mixed in with the shells.

Here's information about Seminole Rest: http://www.nbbd.com/godo/cns/Brochures/SeminoleRest/index.html