h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of our local booksellers has been fantasising about moving to Alaska, where they can cope with winters, (unlike us). He's writing in the Olney Postbox about Sarah Palin no longer being involved in Alaskan politics (probably never seen in the State since her election defeat except while moving out - if then - she has bigger fish, as they say, to fry - or to shoot with automatic rifles).

He claims to be moving there principally because Palin has moved out with her egregious family, (Track, Trig and the rest). This can only mean the standard of reading improving dramatically. Good news for booksellers!

Parts North of the Arctic Circle have a six-month night/Winter to contend with. The literate ones among them would have a lot of time for reading (as opposed, say, to going to the beach or freezing their off by venturing out into the cold. Alas, alcohol is the remedy that they most often resort to, with some north coast villages having astonishingly high alcoholism rates.

Britain does not have winters *that* severe. Heck, even the much balmier Massachusetts coast was too much for half the Pilgrims who landed there in the early 1620s.

The point I'm trying to make is that your bookseller friend may be underestimating the severity of Alaska's winters, Jab.

Now as much as I'm fascinated with Alaska from the safety of my home, I don't think I'd like to move there. to your bookseller.

Paul, the point is that without the cerebrally - challenged palins, sarah, Track, Trig et al, the reading standard in Alaska would go up dramatically amyway. All it would take would be their absence.

This would help booksellers in the area (it's a joke advert abyway).

Sorry about including Trig, I didn't realise he had learning difficulties over and above his hockey mom's. I wouldn't have included him if I'd known.

Did you know that Alaska's right near Siberia? -- bit of good luck for International Relations, that.

Errrr yes Jabs. I knew that......

And with Continental drift being what it is, Alaska and Siberia will join up again for the first time since Russia sold it to America....

In about 500,000 years!!!



GT

You don't seem to recognise irony.

Is that related to magnetism????



GT

That's not irony. Perhaps you should look the word up in one of the many reference books yu seem so proud of.

Sp. 'you' - I don't want to put you to extra trouble looking it up.

Here as well, you annoying person you!


GT

Jabs, here's a link that you might want to try. It explains how bad the educational situation in America is becoming:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/207182-U-S-School-Districts-Warn-of-Even-Deeper-Teacher-Cuts

Obviously there are self-motivated students who become educated despite the lack of schooling. And obviously, more parents than ever are home-schooling their own children. To some extent, they may be able to pick up some of the slack. But *most* students benefit from contact with highly trained teachers who *want* to reach them and help them. Plus, we have entered a period in our history when reading as we have come to know it is morphing into something that may not be very good.

Teaching a young child to read rewires his/her brain.

Teaching a young child to read rewires his/her brain

Truce here too??

Got you mixed up with another, sorry!


GT

Another way of saying it: our brains have worked differently since reading was invented.

Truce is OK by me, GT.





JBS

GT

When I read *too* much, I'm not sure my brain can work at all . Or maybe it's my eyes.....

With me, it is writigg too much, paulh!


GT

Reading, writhing, and 'rithmatic.

Twist and Shout?????



GT