The thing is, he was also responding to a point about libraries in general being closed. And he responds to it simply with an 'I don't use one'.



It does not appear to have entered his head that the point was not about whether he (or any other individual poster here) uses their local library, but about libraries in general.



He seem incapable of thinking outside of his own personal life and experience (which ties in the constant 'read world' guff): it doesn't seem to have actually occurred to him that anyone else might use a library: the elderly, for instance, children (I know of specific stories about children whose parents are utterly uninterested in books, but where a child has broken out of that, and for whom the library becomes a vital resource: librarians tend to say that such children come from 'Argos homes', because that's the only 'book' in the house). He either completely forgets or ignores or simply has no clue as to why anyone else would use a library and, therefore, why libraries are such valuable resources.



And perhaps that's the most telling thing of all.

It does make you wonder what Sal may think of those individuals who, for whatever reason, have no internet connection at home or work and have to take advantage of that resource in their local library. Maybe they could use their library's internet to order some books from Play.com or Amazon?

Or perhaps that's where they can apply for jobs, since so many vacancies now demand online applications only?



The more cynical answer would be that they should aspire themselves into better jobs (because those are all widely available) and therefore be able to buy a computer, be online and purchase all their own books and anything else.



I did a piece on a specific library last year: perhaps some really don't realise how libraries are such vital community resources, doing far more than lending books (as if that were not important enough). Elderly people who spend time in their library, reading the paper, being able to talk to people – their only break from being at home alone. The child whose parents have no books at home. The young mother who is (possibly) suffering post-natal depression and finds that being able to bring her baby to a playgroup at the library is a really useful break.



El Barbudo mentioned people knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing: it really is quite depressing.

Our local, new, modern library is everything that such a community resource should be, its quick and easy to use, has automated checkouts, loans audio books and maps for £2 per three week period (which you pay for at the automated checkout) has around a dozen PC's which are always occupied (this is a fairly affluent suburb so obviously not all residents have PC's), and at this time of year has stuff going on all through the day for kids on holiday - on top of all that we have the excellent online eBook loan service and an online audio book service - I can't fault them and they went through a radical re-organisation two years ago when the budgets were cut which resulted in some of the local "shop unit" type libraries being closed, of all of the council provided services in Leeds I'd put the libraries at the top of the list for value for money - and theres certainly not a private provider in the land that could do as well.

North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.

North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.

Quote Dally="Dally"North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.'" Yes we know: Quote Dally="cod'ead"If you're watching the Lympics, make sure you smile: '" Mind you, it's come to summat when the Dally Wail start blagging their stories from the pages of Private Eye

Quote Dally="Dally"North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.'" Yes we know: Quote Dally="cod'ead"If you're watching the Lympics, make sure you smile: '" Mind you, it's come to summat when the Dally Wail start blagging their stories from the pages of Private Eye

At one of the RL Grand Finals we parked in the Lowry Centre car park and needed to buy anythign in there to get free parking - I needed some acrylic paint and so bought a tube and a paintbrush, got the receipt stamped, got the free parking and walked off to Old Trafford.



It was only when I was in the queue for the turnstiles and saw people being searched for alcohol that I wondered what the hell sort of excuse someone would have to give to be allowed into a football stadium with a tube of paint and a paintbrush in their pocket.



Fortunately the ManU stewards aren't quite so vigilant as Surrey Police and I slipped through the security cordon - I could have played merry hell in there that night with my paint and brush

The Mail see to get most of their stories direct from local newspapers.

Quote Dally="Dally"North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.'" I heard the woooshing sound up here...

Quote Dally="Dally"North Korea has nothing on this country. You can be banned for carrying the tools of your trade if you are an artist and, it seems, arrested for not smiling and looking like you are enjoying an event: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -race.html It's no wonder the Olympic Park is so joyful.'" I heard the woooshing sound up here...

They're usually OK at Old Trafford, even for football. They've let me take in drinks.

Methadone?

And so it continues:



[url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/28/us-g4s-brief-idUSBRE87R06720120828?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=255506G4S to axe 1100 jobs as it looks to cover £50m loss on Olympics[/url



So the ones to pay for a management balls-up will once more be the poor sods at the bottom of the pile. Don't forget, these buggers are still to be involved in the operational activities of three police forces and are actively recruiting [url=http://www.policingsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?s=1&sortdir=desc&pagesize=10&site=249&sortby=mostrecent&pagesize=10&page=1civilian investigators[/url



[url=http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2012/08/camden-nj-is-losing-its-police-department-due-to-budget-cutsTHIS[/url could be the future of policing in the UK, if these buggers get any more involved