From See to Shining See

Today I had the pleasure of visiting with my cousin, one of my last goals on a long list that I have accomplished during my holiday break. We spent some time lamenting the death of all of the libraries in our hometown. Every one of them, even the one where I held my first job, has closed, except one. She says there has been a plan to tear that one down as well. She added that they never have anything new, and that if you want something new, you have to order it and they will buy it. I was reminded of volunteering at the library in a town in Pennsylvania during a proposed funding cut. We covered half of the books with black cloth to represent the books that wouldn't be there if the cut happened. There is no Borders anymore. There is no Barnes and Noble nearby - you would have to drive at least 45 minutes to the nearest new book, what gives? We decided that online ordering is about the only option we have left.

Blogosphere, remind me: I can't forget to ship one of the books I have listed on amazon.com once I get home. It sold while I have been here.

Then, this evening my Granny was going through a catalog from See's Candies. Apparently there is a See's Candies in Downer's Grove, IL. I thought it was a western thing. It seems to still be western. The list of See's Candies branches in the back of the catalog (is wrong, first of all - we have many stores in Vegas, not just the ONE listed in the catalog, so therefore what I'm about to say is moot...)only listed one store in the Midwestern region, the one in Downer's Grove.

I propose that the fact that so many businesses exist both here in Chicagoland and in Las Vegas has something to do with the Mob. I'd like to say, "More about that in a future post," but honestly, these two weeks every year are the only ones I have between August and June during which I am able to read books with reckless abandon and blog on schedule. Therefore, I may never mention the Mob ever again.

It is likely that the duplication of our favorite businesses is more about homogenization. I decided to google it, and in the process I believe I did find a new blog to follow. It's right up my alley and is called "Ecological Sociology." Y'all know me, I love maps, so I'll leave you to contemplate the homogenization of our society (and the destruction of our literacy? Or is it only the development of alternative modes of literacy?) by pasting this one from the aforementioned blog. The dots on this map represent McDonald's restaurants. Food for thought.