Head Tale

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #5 – He Makes Politics Fun

One of Ryan’s volunteers has worked on numerous campaigns at all levels of government over the past twenty-five years. And one day, she happily told a few of us that she’s never had so much fun working on a campaign in her life!

I’ve only worked on a few but I had to agree – like that old saying goes, “It’s not work if it feels like fun” and that’s one of the things that’s made this campaign such a pleasure to be involved with.

Now, in many ways, “fun” isn’t a word you associate with politics. Politics is serious business. Anything done with humour risks offending someone. So politicians quickly learn to avoid taking any risks where humour is involved – jokes are bland, photo ops are staged, the political personality becomes a soft-focus version of the real person underneath.

But Ryan’s personality is a naturally fun one and it can’t help but shine through – whether he’s spontaneously “skiing” down a huge snow bank during a team meeting in Craik, choosing to break-dance during a leadership dance-off, turning a pirouette outside a supporter’s home or picking up a guitar and joining in for a song or two with whichever local band is providing the entertainment in fundraisers across the province. (And speaking of fun, his fundraisers truly are FUNdraisers – whether they feature a single high-energy Chilean band or a mix of music, comedy, slam poetry. Indeed, these events have been some of the most enjoyable political fundraisers I’ve attended in my life!)

There are numerous examples of how Ryan makes politics fun for others as well.

It started early with his tongue-in-(bearded)-cheek response to the “controversy” over his decision to keep his beard and has continued through the dozen or so debates where Ryan is regularly making jokes, humourous observations and ad-libbed quips (I remember his response about wind energy being a “wind-win situation” for the province in the first Regina debate.)

The other candidates make jokes too but I see a clear division between the two MLA’s and the two non-MLA’s in even how willing they are to make a joke – which is a shame as humour is a great vehicle for getting people to warm to you and listen to what more serious message you have to share. I think of the start of his TEDxRegina talk where before he begins his presentation, Ryan jokes about being a former politician so it’s gratifying to see an X by his name, even if it’s just the logo for the TEDx conference!

Ryan’s beard has become an unlikely symbol of his fun spirit since that first early blog post. For example, both Trent and later, Cam, had Twibbon badges that their supporters could add to their Twitter and Facebook profiles to show their support. But Ryan’s team took the idea one step further with a Twibbon which allowed supporters to not only add a Ryan badge to their profile pics but also an adjustable beard that was soon displayed by dozens of supporters – not just men but women, children and even a few celebrities!

On a related note, the sense of fun is also shown by Ryan’s online team’s willingness to use humourous memes to share his message – from using an image of RuPaul to promote a message that “It’s raining memberships!” as the deadline approached to the use of the popular “FTW!” meme supporters are encouraged to use after voting for Ryan. (For the plugged-in online crowd, this means “For the Win” although this is also a bit of a risque choice given the more traditional offline definition for those letters!) 😉

If Ryan wins, he won’t lose any of the characteristics that got him that victory – his intelligence, his experience, his compassion. But more than anything, I hope he keeps the one characteristic a successful politician often *does* lose – his sense of humour – as that’s so much a part of who he is and what makes him an appealing Leader.

No kidding.

Next – #4 – He Turns It Up To 10!

¶ Posted 11 February 2013 § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

Conception to Birth Visualized

Other than the fact that the scientist presenting this TED talk should know better than to hint that the complexity of human evolution as being so amazing that it evokes divinity, this is a pretty cool video…

(A bit more on the idea that just because something is complex, that means it must be divinely created – think of it this way: if human beings can create something as complex as a jumbo jet in just over a hundred years of “evolution” of this technology – or to quote, Louis CK: “You’re in a seat. In the sky!” – it actually shouldn’t be that hard to imagine that Science/Mother Nature/Evolution could create something as complex as a human being over millenia.)

¶ Posted 10 February 2013 § Baby § Family § Shea § Wisdom ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: cool, health, science

Saturday Snap – Free Sno-Kones at RPL

Going to take a break for the weekend from my “10 Reasons I’m Supporting Ryan Meili” series then resume on Monday and finish up #5 to #1 next week.

In the meantime, back to our regularly scheduled Saturday Snap – this one, highlighting one of the great advantages of working in one of the few public libraries in Canada with a fully-funded, fully-staffed and fully-operational art gallery, the Dunlop Art Gallery.

This means staff get previews of all the exhibitions where gallery staff walk us through the show and explain a bit about the artist, the background of the show and occasionally, what the art is about too! 😉

The latest show, “Good Intentions” by Jon Sasaki uses props from carnivals and sports events – things like mascots, confetti, fireworks, etc. – to comment on the disappointment that’s often inherent in these communal celebrations.

Below is an example of one element of this traveling show that’s only available when the exhibit is mounted during winter months. I’m not sure this is disappointing though – Winnipeg which is a frozen wasteland about eight months of the year apparently has the highest per capita consumption of 7-11 slurpees in North America!

¶ Posted 09 February 2013 § Photo § PopCulture § SaturdaySnap § Work ‡ Comments (0) °

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #6 – He Dropped Out of Sutherland (But Kept His Beard)

I was recently reminded by a long-time NDP member that, in the interests of unity, it’s important not to ascribe negative motives to candidate’s actions, especially during a Leadership race.

I don’t think I was particularly judging anyone negatively in the circumstance. But it was a timely reminder given that I was planning to write about Ryan Meili’s experience in Saskatoon-Sutherland and why, rather than seeing that as a reason not to support Ryan, it’s actually another reason that I do.

In fact, I think there are a few people in the Sask NDP would do well to take a similar approach and not judge Ryan for what happened in Saskatoon-Sutherland. Instead, they should try to understand that what happened might not be as straight-forward as it appears from the outside.

I should take a step back here for anyone who doesn’t know the story (and many readers won’t since this is pretty inside ball for all except the biggest political junkies.)

After coming in second in the 2009 Sask NDP Leadership race, Ryan committed to running for a nomination to be a candidate in the next election. Out of a few different options (and I may have some thoughts around that in future as well!), he chose to run in Saskatoon-Sutherland. Sutherland was a Sask Party held seat, not a “safe” NDP seat like many other candidates ran in during the most recent election. Ryan began the nomination race but at some point, decided to drop out.

And this is where the judging began…

Because for some in the party, this was (is?) a huge affront and proof that Ryan is not worthy to be Leader. The charges from some quarters came quickly: He expected to be handed a nomination on a silver platter. He quit when he knew he couldn’t win. He just wanted the top job but wasn’t willing to put in time doing anything else.

Personally, I had the opposite reaction. I was disappointed of course but also impressed with Ryan’s willingness to make, what must have been a very difficult decision he knew would probably blow back on him. For me, it was a testament to Ryan’s judgment and values, his willingness to make tough decisions and (depending on how the current Leadership race plays out), possibly also his long-term vision – all extremely important qualities in a leader.

So how does the story change if we’re trying not to judge? What if we try to understand what happened from Ryan’s point of view (although I’ll stress again, these are only *my* observations as I try to put myself in his shoes.)

Here’s what I saw…

Less than a year earlier, Ryan had been through a gruelling Leadership race. There was enormous pressure for him to seek a nomination. The new Leader, known for his hard-nosed, aggressive style seemed resentful that this unknown kid had come out of nowhere to nearly defeat him. That resentment appeared to linger even after the Leadership race was over. (One person I talked to observed that after a Leadership contest, usually the victor has to extend an olive branch to the loser. This was the only time he’d seen the defeated team offering olive branches to the victorious team to salve their wounds.)

As the second-place finisher and a clear rising star of the party, Ryan may not have expected anything to be handed to him. But he might have rightly expected the party to at least offer a similar path to a nomination that was given to the new Leader (who didn’t have a contested nomination as far as I can remember.) Instead, Ryan entered a multi-way race against a number of other candidates. And it may not have been a fair contest either as there were rumours that his campaign was actively being subverted by others within the party. Finally, Ryan likely foresaw the disaster that awaited the NDP in the next election. Even if he’d run for a nomination and won, it’s a strong possibility he might not have won against the Sask Party in that riding as a number of NDP candidates in “safe” seats (again, including the new Leader) also lost.

Considering all of that, I think Ryan realised that what he actually needed was a *break* from politics. This would give him the opportunity to re-centre himself, re-connect with his own values and remember why he gotten involved with politics in the first place. And then he’d be able to focus on exactly what he wanted his future to be.

He had more than enough options. He was newly married, beginning to plan for a new family, likely already tossing around the idea for his book plus all his various other commitments he already had – from his medical practice in Saskatoon to teaching at the University to practicing medicine in Saskatchewan’s north and overseas while also being involved with a variety of organizations from Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the U of S’s Social Accountability Roundtable. And contrary to the charge that he expected the top job without putting in time doing anything else, he continued to be an active member of the NDP, both locally and federally on top of everything else. (Ability to multi-task = another desirable leadership quality!)

Now Ryan’s running for Leader once again and in a month, we’ll know if his decision to drop out of Sutherland was a truly crippling blow to his political aspirations or is a big bag of nothing that only matters to political junkies who like to make politics into their own personal soap opera. 😉

That’s my take on Sutherland. So what’s the connection to his beard?

If Sutherland is seen as the biggest strike against Ryan by some in the party, I think the decision to keep his beard is probably the smallest strike against him.

And yet I see great similarities in how both cases show that Ryan is someone who makes his own decisions (even if there’s a political risk to himself or great pressure to do otherwise) and is willing to do things that many traditional politicians wouldn’t or won’t.

And speaking of beards, I can’t wait for tomorrow’s post…

Next – #5 – He Makes Politics Fun

¶ Posted 08 February 2013 § Politics § PopCulture § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #7 – He Grew Up On A Farm

Since the 2009 race, Ryan’s gone from being the youngest candidate to the oldest.

There’s also been another less obvious but equally drastic shift in the dynamic this time around…

In the last race, my memory is that ~~three of~~ all of the four candidates had strong rural connections – Ryan grew up on a farm, Dwain Lingenfelter still ran a family farm and (I think) Yens grew up on a farm too. Deb Higgins ~~was (maybe?) the only candidate without any farm background~~ and her husband had a ranch.

This time around, the pendulum has swung the other way – three of the four candidates have mostly urban roots leaving Ryan the only one with a farm upbringing as well as an immediate family member (his brother) who still farms. Erin was born in Saskatoon and grew up in Regina, Trent was born and raised in Regina and Cam lived in Regina and the far north (though, to be fair, I believe his in-laws still farm.)

With the province becoming increasingly urban, why is it important to have a Leader who not only understands but truly connects with rural issues? You only have to look at the current Saskatchewan electoral map to see where the party most needs renewal. We still control the north and have strong pockets in the cities. Turning the newly green parts of the cities orange again should be the easiest part of our renewal.

But for too long, we’ve ceded a large swath (er, pun fully intended. I’m on Team Meili after all) of the province to the Sask Party. Every time we visit Shea’s parents in Weyburn, it makes me extremely sad that the home turf of Tommy Douglas is now represented by a Sask Party MLA (who is, you’ll notice, from a rural background.)

(Slight tangent: Shea was a classmate of The Honourable Mr. Dustin Duncan so if you ever want to hear some stories about him in high school or what his nickname was back then, be sure to ask her!)

Anyhow, if the NDP is going to succeed again in rural areas, we need someone who has authenticity in that world. It’s a bit of a stereotype but there’s also some truth to the fact that rural people are naturally suspicious of “city folk”. Having a Leader who can “tell the hay from the straw”, as they say, will go a long way to creating that initial trust.

Rural people are also pragmatic and if presented with a vision like Ryan’s – not just of agriculture but the entire package – I know many of them will listen. Add in the fact that rural people are increasingly starting to feel mistreated or taken for granted by the Sask Party and there’s huge potential for a breakthrough.

This post is mostly about the advantages that Ryan’s rural roots would bring to the NDP if he were elected Leader. But there’s a related aspect in that, again like no other candidate, Ryan has direct, long-term experience living in almost every type of community that Saskatchewan offers. Raised on a farm near a small hamlet. Went to elementary school in a small town and high school in a mid-sized city. Has lived in Saskatoon for University and since finishing medical school with extended stints in northern Saskatchewan as well.

To me, there’s a huge difference between living somewhere and just visiting in how you get to know a place. (For me, it’s the difference I experienced between living in England for a semester versus if I’d gone for a three week long holiday.) Because Ryan has experienced pretty much every size and variation of community in the province in, I believe he’s gained a unique insight into the mindset and concerns of people in all types of communities across the province that would serve him well as Leader.

The other thing that can’t be under-rated is that, as a doctor, Ryan chose to *stay* in Saskatchewan, working in the inner city and far north of the province rather than seeking his fortune in Alberta or BC. Of particular appeal to rural people is the fact that he even worked as a rural relief locum, giving doctors in small communities around the province, badly needed time off.

I don’t care what their political leanings are – I’ve seen first-hand how that fact impresses people in small towns who often have struggled to receive adequate medical care locally.

His knowledge and connection to rural communities, his existing connection to a family farm, his work as a rural relief locum – Ryan is the perfect candidate to lead a revival of the NDP’s fortunes in rural Saskatchewan.

Next – #6 – He Dropped Out of Sutherland (But Kept His Beard)

¶ Posted 07 February 2013 § Politics § PopCulture § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (5) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #8 – His Book

This reason strikes particularly close to home for me.

When I convocated from the U of R with a BA – English way back in 1996, I lived in great fear that I would only find work in the “French Fried Arts” as was the stereotype for Arts grads then (and probably now too…if there are any Arts grads left!)

Instead, through a combination of good luck and fortuitous timing, I ended up working for an industry association representing book publishers across the province in what turned out to be as close to a dream job as a book-loving, new-English degree-having kid could want.

It was while I worked for the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and especially later, when I worked for the Writers Guild of Alberta, that I realised how easy people thought it was to write a book.

At the WGA, not a week would go by without my getting a call from some would-be author asking how to get their book published or protect their copyright or sell the movie rights. Those are all very legitimate questions for first-time authors except that in the vast majority of the cases, these people hadn’t actually written the book yet!

Maybe they had an idea for a book. Or had joined a writing group and done some exercises. Or they’d even written a few pages before losing steam. In many cases, I got the impression that the most creative activity they had done was laying in bed dreaming night after night of the riches that would arrive when they did write the book, who would star in the movie version, the questions Oprah would ask them.

That’s a big part of what impresses me about Ryan having actually written a book – I’ve seen first hand how hard it is.

Writing a book requires a special kind of dedication and perseverance that is rarely seen. It means that you have to have a plan for how to write and then the follow-through to actually do so, over days and weeks and months (and occasionally years) until the project is completed. You have to be a self-starter and you have to be able to work through writer’s block. For a non-fiction book like Ryan wrote, you need to be able to synthesize enormous amounts of external information into a cogent whole.

And finishing a manuscript is just the beginning. Then you have to go out and find a publisher – a disheartening experience at the best of times. (One small regional literary press I worked with received more manuscripts than there are days in the year, all for the dozen or so spots they have for the books they publish each year.)

Of course, beyond writing it and finding a publisher, the other thing that impresses me is that Ryan’s book is so well-written. It accomplishes something that may seem simple but is extremely difficult – combining story-like anecdotes along with academic facts, evidence and research as well as an analysis of the current political landscape into a very readable work.

There are many reasons I like Ryan (as this series of posts will attest) but on a personal level, perhaps one of the things I like best about him is that he’s a fellow word-person. He lives for puns, playing with language, word games.

Look at his work during this campaign – from an early blog post about his decision to keep his beard entitled “Whisker Campaign, or, What’s In A Mane?” to a proposal for SaskPharm – his love of language shines through.

It shines through in other ways too – Ryan speaks what, 18 languages or something? (Okay, I think he’s up to fluency in four or five and passable knowledge in a handful of others. But that’s another clear sign of a language lover.)

Why is his love of language and his fluency in different languages important? Well, besides being a testament to his formidable intelligence, when you think about it, one of the most fundamental aspects of politics is the ability to communicate – in blog posts and speeches and policy documents. Ryan has an outstanding ability to use words to make you excited or angry or perhaps even a bit wistful.

It’s amazing to watch Ryan communicate his ideas to people – he does it indirectly through his book of course but it’s also impressive to watch how he communicates, whether to a crowd in the hundreds at a debate, to a roomful of people during a coffee party or how he connects with people one-on-one.

*That* is what this party needs to renew itself and that’s another reason why I believe Ryan is the best choice for Sask NDP Leader.

Next – #7 – He Grew Up On A Farm

¶ Posted 06 February 2013 § Politics § PopCulture § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: book, saskatchewan

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #9 – His Team

I’m sure each of the candidates has a strong team of experienced hands guiding their team’s strategies and other activities. But, as with my post yesterday, I want to highlight a couple things that I think set Ryan’s team apart from the rest of the field.

Of course all the teams have lots of people who’ve been around for a long time (or were “born in orange diapers” as one person put it.) But, simply as a reflection of the number of new members he’s brought in, I suspect Ryan’s team similarly contains more party outsiders (or recent newcomers) than any other campaign. These outside experts bring new eyes which encourages new ideas and new approaches. That in turn is, I think, a big part of the reason Ryan’s team has been so successful in so many important areas – from fundraising to social media to innovative policy proposals.

I don’t want to sound elitist (which means this next statement is guaranteed to sound incredibly elitist!) 😉 but Ryan’s also attracted what is probably the most highly educated team . I joked to someone recently that I hadn’t seen so many Masters degrees and Doctoral degrees (including the candidate himself of course) since I was in grad school! 😉 But this does translate to tangible benefits – it means a big part of your social media efforts are guided by someone who has a PhD in Computer Science, you get statistical analysis by someone who has a PhD in that area and so on and so forth.

This isn’t just about playing “count the letters after the names” though – Ryan has people on his team who have amazing backgrounds and experience in graphic design, communications, event planning, translation and more – much of it gained outside of traditional politics.

The final element of what makes Ryan’s team special is its size, both in terms of sheer numbers and geography. My colleague, Aaron Genest, has already discussed the size of Ryan’s social media team – 60+ people who are interested in helping with all manner of digital initiatives from tweeting & re-tweeting to help amplify our key messages to creating original viral content to building & testing smartphone applications. In terms of geography, Ryan isn’t just relying on support from people here in Saskatchewan but from supporters across Canada and beyond. High-profile endorsements from Federal MP’s like Libby Davies and Niki Ashton are part of this but personally, I’ve found it amazing to sit in on online conference calls featuring everything from a team member in a cafe in Mexico City to a volunteer riding on a train between Montreal and Toronto to seeing regular input from a volunteer in Norway!

That’s all well and good (and, as part of Ryan’s team, I feel a bit self-serving to cite his team as a reason I’m supporting him!) But that’s just his current team.

What’s even more exciting to me is the team that I think Ryan will be best-positioned to lead should he emerge as the victor in this race!

Whereas Erin Weir and his team have decided to take a fairly aggressive approach to other campaigns (let’s just say no volunteers from any other campaign have challenged me to a charity boxing match!) and Cam Broten had personal attacks made by his volunteers questioned by Ryan at a recent debate, Ryan and his team haven’t done anything during this race (at least as far as I can see) that would leave hard feelings with members of other teams. (To be fair, neither has Trent Wotherspoon or his team. In all truth, Trent has probably been the most statesman-like of any of the candidates throughout from what I’ve seen. And I won’t even worry about that quote being used out of context!) 😉

But I do think Ryan’s relentlessly positive approach will serve him well, not just as he convinces the membership he is the best choice but, should he emerge victorious, especially as he works to unify the camps into a single-purpose, focused team after the leadership race is over (a huge failing of the last leader IMHO).

Next – #8 – His Book

¶ Posted 05 February 2013 § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

10 Reasons I’m Supporting @ryanMeili for #skndpldr – #10 – I Voted For Him Last Time

In 2009, I did a series of posts listing 10 reasons I was supporting Ryan Meili for Sask NDP Leader.

I thought it might be fun to re-visit the idea to see if I could list 10 completely different reasons I’m supporting him this time around.

(Come to think of it, that in itself is a reason to support Ryan. Do any of the other candidates come close to matching Ryan’s broad combination of education, experience, personality and so on in a way that makes Ryan such a potentially singular political figure?)

Okay, here we go…

#10 – I Voted For Him Last Time

This probably doesn’t seem like a very surprising reason to support someone. But there are two aspects of the fact that I voted for Ryan last time and that I intend to vote for him again that I think are important to acknowledge.

The first is that there are a few – not many but a few – people who supported him last time but for whatever reason, have chosen not to support Ryan this time around. Maybe they’re still disappointed that he dropped out of the nomination race in Saskatoon-Sutherland, maybe they don’t like that he’s wearing a beard this time around, maybe they simply like one of the other three choices this time around compared to the three other options last time.

But for me, the fact that I haven’t seen anything in the past three years (or in the other three candidates running this time) which has made me want to change my mind about what it is that I’m looking for in a leader and who I think is the best fit is significant.

The other reason is the flip side of the first one – just as I haven’t seen anything that’s changed my mind about Ryan being the best choice in the past three years, knowing that Ryan is also three years more seasoned makes me want him to win even more.

Everything from the fact that in the time since the last leadership race, he’s written a book, had three more years of active involvement with the party on both the provincial and national level, to the fact that he’s shown that he was able to not only re-create his 2009 organization but make it stronger and more effective makes me think he’s the best person for the job.

Next – #9 – His Team

¶ Posted 04 February 2013 § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

We’re With Weir? #skndpldr

Erin Weir’s campaign sent out an e-mail blast today entitled “Why We’re With Weir” which lists excerpts from various supporters and endorsers.

Pretty standard stuff that we’ve seen from all campaigns except that this e-mail included a quote from somebody who I’m pretty sure isn’t “With Weir”…ME!

I’m in good company as they also included quotes from Greg at Accidental Jurist, Scott at Canadian Political Viewpoints and Jim at Buckdog – none of whom, as far as I know, have formally announced support for Erin Weir’s campaign.

[Edit: Just to be clear, the positive quotes from bloggers comes under a section with some positive quotes from journalists and I think the intention was that these two sections be seen as separate from the initial section with endorsers since, at least in the case of the media, it’s fairly clear that these are positive comments rather than full-on endorsements. But given the title of the blast, I can also see why it could cause confusion. And there’s also some other carelessness which could reinforce the idea that this misdirection is purposeful – all the former elected politicians who are supporting Erin are listed simply as “MLA for Melville” or “MP for Palliser” or whatever. These do come under a heading of “Former Elected Officials Support Weir” but again, there is potential for confusion for any readers not paying close attention or who don’t realise the NDP hasn’t had an MP for Palliser for at least a couple election cycles!]

Ryan Meili’s positive approach to politics has obviously had a good influence on me as I’m not going to ascribe nefarious motives to this seeming mis-representation. (It happens – I remember a similar incident in the 2009 campaign when someone made a big stink after being shown in a Facebook album on Dwain Lingenfelter’s campaign page in a way that implied that they’d endorsed him rather than just attended an event and been photographed with him.)

So how did I end up appearing in an e-mail blast as an apparent Erin Weir supporter?

As I’ve been clear, I see this blog as a place more for my own personal opinions where I can call things as I see them. I’ve been complimentary and critical of all candidates at various points during the course of this leadership campaign.

Of course it would be easy for me to just avoid saying anything nice about anyone other than my chosen candidate so my words can’t be mis-used in this way but that wouldn’t be honest, either to myself or my readers. (On the flip side, it would also be really easy for me to be a LOT more opinionated with my thoughts about the various other candidates than I have been – and which I probably would be if I wasn’t so closely associated with Ryan’s campaign.)

So instead, I’ll just point out that Trent Wotherspoon’s campaign hasn’t mis-represented my words this way and since I’m still undecided as to how I’m going to rank my ballot, I will say that little things like this make me more inclined to rank Trent ahead of Erin.

And you can quote me on that! 😉

¶ Posted 03 February 2013 § Humour § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (3) ° Tagged: language, saskatchewan

Saturday Snap – Manitoba Children’s Museum

During our trip to Winnipeg last weekend, we visited the Manitoba Children’s Museum. One of the highlights for me was seeing that every single exhibit area had picture books scattered around that tied into the theme of that exhibit – the train that you could climb on had transportation books, the exhibit that let you climb through a bunch of “pasta” tubes had food books and, as pictured below, the “clock” exhibit had books on time.

It made me wonder why a museum can promote literacy in this way but libraries do such a poor job of doing the opposite – we have the books and the knowledge of literacy but do we have interactive, hands-on libraries that are simply *fun* and which parents want to bring their children to again and again?