Dust July 5, 2006
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat causes my furniture to get so dusty? I constantly wipe it down and vacuum, but I feel like it is to no avail. Is there a better defense?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Here are a few ideas …
Keep powerful fans going all the time to keep it from settling.
Hermetically seal your house and use a super-fine air filter in your heating/air system.
If you prefer open windows, be sure you’re in a very, very humid climate, like Vietnam or Cuba (little static electricity and little dust, but you might have a mold and mildew problem).
Get rid of pets (they say that pet dander is a leading component of dust).
For that matter, get rid of people. They have dander, too. Set up a webcam in your house to enjoy it, but don’t ever go into it.
Who protects Supreme Court justices? July 5, 2006
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentAt the Supreme Court, there are armed guards in suits with ear pieces that clearly are the protective force for the Supreme Court. What service are they from?
My friend says the Secret Service, but I think that might violate the principle of separation of powers. I thought maybe the US Marshall service, but does that suffer from the same pitfall (if it even is a pitfall)? Thanks!
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: There’s a “Supreme Court of the United States Police” that reports to the
“Supreme Court Marshal.” (one “l”)
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_Police
Also see: http://www.slate.com/id/2099853/
And: http://www.supremecourthistory.org/03_how/subs_how/03_a04.html
One of these stories mentions that on trips they’ll sometimes get protection from US Marshals, particularly if there is an executive branch hot-shot also involved. Long ago the Court was in the Capitol building, and relied on the services of the Capitol Police.
Carrels July 5, 2006
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentI need a carrel, but there aren’t any left! Can you give me one? I’ll bake you cookies.
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: I hope you’ve gotten on the waiting list at the Circulation Desk (they’re the ones who manage these things). They won’t even give me the keys to the carrels (except for the one where I change into my Answer Person superhero uniform), so although I’d like some cookies, you might want to concentrate your efforts on those folks.
I think a problem is that during building renovations, carrels in certain areas will temporarily be out of service. This shortage should eventually be rectified.
Modernity July 5, 2006
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentHow many years do you think it will take for the new Bostock layout/furniture/carpet/lighting to look outdated and retro? Five years? Ten years? Twenty?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Hmmm … I don’t think I’m allowed to say. We’ve waited nearly 40 years on the Perkins building, but it was ready to change long before that, probably after 10-15 years.
The secret in these matters is to put off renovations so long that the design and furnishings look hiply retro (although the restoration” costs after 50 years will be higher than “renovation” costs after 10-15 years, which mostly involve simply trashing the furniture and altering the original design). Even ranch houses and split levels are starting to look cool again, but it costs a lot to restore an avacado green refrigerator.
MPA degree programs July 5, 2006
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat universities in London, UK offer Masters of Public Administration degrees?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Here are a few:
London School of Economics and Political Science:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/government/MPA/ (there are other variations on Public Policy degrees, so poke around their website)
London South Bank University: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcim/progs/management/
University of Westminster (MA in Public Communications and Public Relations): http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-392
