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Meandering thoughts from the news
May. 27th, 2003 11:20 amToday's Globe has an article about the lost art of writing papers; apparently lots of high school students are not learning how to write papers at all. Some of that is due to large class size, and teaching to the standardized tests (which require 5-paragraph essays, if they ask for any writing at all, apparently). I can't imagine graduating high school having written only one 3-page paper. No wonder there are complaints about college students being unable to write.
From the NYT (free registration required for link) comes news of a free outdoor library reopening in a park in the city. Somehow the idea of it seems much more a Seattle or Portland sort of thing, not NYC. But there it will be, a library in the park, where people can borrow books with just an ID for some of them, and are even allowed to return other "gently read" books instead of the borrowed ones (for certain books; art books, coffee-table books have to be read where the librarians can keep an eye on them). The organizers admit it's all based on trust that people won't steal the books. I hope it works.
Another article from the NYT, on the curmudgeon shortage was interesting, too. Not everything should be rosy all the time. An interesting read about the uses and abuses of negativity (complaints leading to change and improvement, for instance). "pessimists and curmudgeons should get in touch with their inner negativity and embrace it"...
Why do some train stations have the platform in the middle, while others are on either side? Is it different periods of train station design, or determined by the restrictions of the site, or something else entirely? For the T, especially, it seems to make more sense to have the platform in the middle, since it not only makes it easy to change direction, but there's likely to be more space available at any given time, too.
Side thought: the South Station T stop is pretty horrible looking, all rough concrete and unfinished walls. I hope there's some plan to fix it up; it's the first station some people coming to the city see, and it's pretty complicated right now, too.
License plate of the weekend: Mass plate NCDREW
Current mood: ready for the clouds to be gone for an hour or two, and glad LJ is finally up, even if slow
From the NYT (free registration required for link) comes news of a free outdoor library reopening in a park in the city. Somehow the idea of it seems much more a Seattle or Portland sort of thing, not NYC. But there it will be, a library in the park, where people can borrow books with just an ID for some of them, and are even allowed to return other "gently read" books instead of the borrowed ones (for certain books; art books, coffee-table books have to be read where the librarians can keep an eye on them). The organizers admit it's all based on trust that people won't steal the books. I hope it works.
Another article from the NYT, on the curmudgeon shortage was interesting, too. Not everything should be rosy all the time. An interesting read about the uses and abuses of negativity (complaints leading to change and improvement, for instance). "pessimists and curmudgeons should get in touch with their inner negativity and embrace it"...
Why do some train stations have the platform in the middle, while others are on either side? Is it different periods of train station design, or determined by the restrictions of the site, or something else entirely? For the T, especially, it seems to make more sense to have the platform in the middle, since it not only makes it easy to change direction, but there's likely to be more space available at any given time, too.
Side thought: the South Station T stop is pretty horrible looking, all rough concrete and unfinished walls. I hope there's some plan to fix it up; it's the first station some people coming to the city see, and it's pretty complicated right now, too.
License plate of the weekend: Mass plate NCDREW
Current mood: ready for the clouds to be gone for an hour or two, and glad LJ is finally up, even if slow