A new twist on a library closure

Squatters reopen Friern Barnet library after council closes service: Eight-strong group become 'community librarians' with locals' support after law change forces them out of residential property

A few dog-eared copies of novels by Joanna Trollope and Wilbur Smith sit on the otherwise bare shelves of Friern Barnet library alongside banners urging "peace", "occupy" and "revolution". The library closed down by Barnet council in April is under new management.

Eight squatters entered the north London library last week through an open window. Since a law change on 1 September made it a criminal offence to squat residential properties, they have turned to commercial properties to find a bed for the night. The occupation has the blessing of many residents who are delighted to see the locked doors of the library flung open once again. It's the first time that squatters have morphed into "community librarians" by occupying and reopening a public lending resource in this way. Book loans will be manually recorded and stamped.

This was posted on Facebook

by Graham Murkett (Some Grey Bloke). It's not one of his videos, but it is a 'A film held in reserve for times of crisis', so he thought it would be a good time to link to it.

Ah, those college memories

Maybe because I loved Mr Moose on Captain Kangaroo (although my absolute favourite part was Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, as apparently I was fascinated with the British even then), I really enjoyed a tradition at the University of Kentucky that happens a bit before the Kentucky Derby called, not surprisingly, the Little Kentucky Derby. One of the features of the celebration is to drop thousands of ping pong balls in the area of the Patterson Office Tower from a helicopter, where students (and probably a few faculty as well) scramble for them in the hopes of winning a prize.

The tradition faltered but was revived a few years ago, and this year's ball drop made it into the campus newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. It brought back fun memories. I always felt sorry for the physical plant people, who were probably finding the things for months, and of course it's probably not the most environmentally sound thing to drop three thousand plastic balls to the ground, but I have to admit, I always had fun.

End of an era and the beginning of a new one--hopefully of peace on both sides

British troops leave after 38 years