The World Around You

A good piece on the impact of Harry Potter on children’s book sales has just been posted on Forbes’s website,

Said Doug Whiteman, president of Penguin Young Readers Group, “Harry Potter has flung the door open to sales of children’s fantasy books.”

Fantasy series and serials are the rage, and there is no shortage of publications.

The wide variety of titles includes the “Artemis Fowl” series by Eoin Colfer about a brilliant, criminally minded youth; Daniel Handler’s humorously gloomy Lemony Snicket books of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and Philip Pullman’s sophisticated “His Dark Materials” series.

“I think without a doubt you have to say that Ms Rowling did a service for readership and the book industry in general,” says Richard Klonfas, children’s books buyer for Coliseum Books in New York. “She has gotten kids very excited to read.”

I can’t emphasize this point enough to the anti-Potter crowd. It’s hard enough to get kids interested in reading, don’t make it harder by restricting their options. Read the books with them. Talk about the things you find objectionable. Take it as a teachable moment. Be a PARENT for goodness sakes.

An opposition group has posted an online poll on the tax package. Please copy and paste the link below to vote YES!

http://nonewtaxesforalabama.netlinkwireless.com/

(Thanks to Michael at A Minority of One)

Big news in the hockey world: Dominik Hasek to Return to the Red Wings.

Check out the latest Outside the Beltway Caption Contest.

A front-page article in this morning’s Mobile Register brings us back to the discussion that James Joyner and I initiated and went further on his website. Alabama teachers are below the national average, at $37,206.

While Alabama ranked 22nd in the nation for first-year teachers’ salaries, at $29,938, it ranked 39th with regard to the average that all teachers are paid.

In addition, this well-written article (kudos to Rena Havner), reveals,

A report by the American Federation of Teachers last year ranked Alabama 31st in the country, but when the state’s cost-of-living index was included in the totals, Alabama inched up to the 23rd position. The information released by the organization Monday did not include a cost-of-living adjustment.

Just thought the timing was interesting.

The Alabama Partnership for Progress is a historic coming together of significant interests in our state to help pass the Governor’s package. AEA and BCA are getting top-billing in most news accounts, but this is the complete list of all the members of this impressive organization:
A+ Education Foundation
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law Justice
Alabama Arise
Alabama Child Caring Foundation
Alabama Association of Elementary School Administrators
Alabama Association of Licensed Early Care Educators
Alabama Association of Middle Level Administrators
Alabama Association of School Administrators
Alabama Association of School Boards
Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals
Alabama Association for Supervision Curriculum Development
Alabama Civil Justice Foundation
Alabama Conference of Social Work
Alabama Department of Education
Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education
Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program
Alabama Education Association
Alabama Education Retirees Association
Alabama PTA
Alabama Watch
Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
Business Council of Alabama
Campaign for Alabama
CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging) of Marshall County
Children’s Aids Society
Children First Foundation
Community Action Association of Alabama
Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools
Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
Federation of Child Care Centers of Alabama (FOCAL)
Greater Birmingham Ministries
Higher Education Partnership
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce
Junior League of Lee County
Kid One Transport
League of Women Voters of Alabama
League of Women Voters of Auburn
League of Women Voters of Baldwin County
League of Women Voters of Gadsden
League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham
League of Women Voters of Mobile
League of Women Voters of Montgomery
League of Women Voters of Tuscaloosa
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
National Association of Social Workers
Save Kids of Incarcerated Parents Inc. (SKIP)
VOICES for Alabama’s Children

Having had dealings with the leadership of many of these organizations, I know they are sincere in their belief that this package is the key to finally moving this state forward. It would be absolutely shameful to let this opportunity pass us by.

UPDATE: A lot of people are finding this post through Google. You can visit the Partnership for Alabama at http://www.abetteralabama.org

I’m thrilled to see that the public good has overcome partisan politics, as Redding Pitt, Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, has come out in support of Governor Riley’s tax and accountability package.

“I don’t believe today it would be in the interest of a nonpartisan success for the Democratic Party as an institution to get out there ahead of everybody else,” Pitt said. “If you make this into a Democratic issue, how many Republicans do you lose?”

Sadly, he is correct, strong support from the Democratic party could be the proverbial nail in the coffin. Pitt also seems to be able to see the forest or the trees.

Pitt was asked if passage of the Riley plan would hurt Democratic chances to regain the governor’s office in 2006.

“We will have moved on to other concerns by then,” Pitt said. “What good does it do to be concerned about that? Life is too hard not to do the right thing sometimes.”

Mr. Pitt has not always taken the high road, but I’m glad to see it happen on this issue. Thank you.