Most Minnesotan libraries decide to end having cafes.

No more latte or small raspberry scone with a lovely sugar drizzle that keep attaching themselves to your thighs. Not in most of Minnesota at least.

Initially, the coffee shop movement for Minnesota started in the 1990s--so picture that very special episode of Friends where Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox sipped cappuccino and debated the merits of War and Peace (if they ever made it).

Back then was a different time. People actually attended libraries. Today, some Minnesotan libraries are reporting visits dropping by 15%-20% from 1990 totals. Likewise, various issues popped up--like libraries typically opening up later than the morning rush demand, a wealth of boutique coffee shops today, and vendor costs.

So get ready, North Dakota! Time to prep for the hoards left of coffee-less Minnesotans.



I could've said Most Minneotan libraries decide to shut the book on cafes. But too easy.
Source: Star-Tribune

Vermont Public Radio is trying to kill its listeners apparently.

A lab in New Hampshire began testing the mugs Vermont Public Radio sent to listeners after an alarm was raised to their safety.

Of the 34 mugs VPR sent out to listeners during the previous decade, 11 contained lead--one of which was found to have unacceptable levels.

When they say their fundraising was "killer," they weren't kidding.






34 mugs in a decade? Good God, they need to be careful. At any given moment they might have three or four people listening at the same time--and who knows what kind of chaos might ensue.

Guilt over Reading

The one thing I particularly looked forward to after graduation was the luxury of curling up with at least one big fat book or perhaps a pile of them. I planned to hit the local library on June 2 and wander through the stacks idly leafing through anything in print that struck my fancy. My plan was to grab about eight of those little suckers and spend many luxurious hours lost in the printed page.

I have yet to get there. Financial straits are such that I find myself snarfing up any hours my job tosses my way. Since what I do involves a lot of driving and computer work besides seeing patients, much of the time I get home long after the library closes and so tired that I fall asleep in front of reruns of CSI. I have taken a quick spin through Barnes & Noble. Alas and alack! It is currently overrun with the summer fare of just way too many paperback romance novels!

Today is my day off. However, I worked a fourteen hour shift yesterday and Quelle Surprise! I fell asleep in front of reruns of CSI. Today, I woke up irritable and out of coffee which necessitated an early morning trip to Market Basket for a brick of Bustelo. Thus armed, I planned to clean the kitchen, paint the trim that has been beckoning all week, and perhaps sit down with a couple of chapters of the book I had unearthed from the nether reaches behind my computer.

Coffee in hand, I think 'Maybe I'll read a few pages while I drink this.' Three hours later, tears running down my cheeks, I close In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. So much for cleaning and painting trim. Three weeks after graduation, I finally succumb to my guiltiest pleasure--reading.