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Show Banned book week Freedom to read is celebrated by students, businesses in county Each year libraries and bookstores book-stores across the United States hold "Banned Book Week" to draw attention to the fact that attempts are still being made to restrict res-trict or ban access to certain books. Sam Weller's Bookstore in Five Points takes time each year to highlight high-light the week with a special window win-dow display featuring books that have been banned. This year's window win-dow is even more interesting because be-cause comments on why certain books have been banned are included. in-cluded. A special resource book is put out by the American Library Association. Asso-ciation. The book compiled by Robert Doyle for Banned Book , Week '87 is fascinating reading. In-eluded In-eluded with the report is a list of books challenged or banned, both in the past "and during the last several sev-eral years. Each entry also in cludes a summary of the objections to the book. So, it's possible to spend several hours leafing through the booklet, finding out what is objectional about your favorite books. For example, Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Wonder-land" was banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that "Animals should not use human languages, and that it was disasterous to put animals and humans on the same level." "The Bible" has also had its share of bad press. Martin Luther's translation of 1534 was burned by Papal authority in Germany in 1624. In 1926, Soviet officials stated that, "The section in libraries librar-ies on religion must contain solely anti-religious books."' "The Bible" Bi-ble" was not published again in the USSR until 1956. "Arabian Nights" has also been viewed with suspicion. U.S. Cus- torn officials held up 500 sets of the translation by the French scholar Mardrus which were being imported im-ported from England to the United States in 1927 for four years before the books were released. Copies were also confiscated in Cairo, Egypt, in 1985 on the grounds that the books contained obscene passages pas-sages which posed a threat to the country's moral fabric. The public prosecutor demanded deman-ded the book, which contained stories such as "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and "Aladdin and his Magic Lamp," be burned in a public pub-lic place. He also claimed that the book was responsible for a "wave of incidents of rape" in that country. While it has been documented that books have been banned since at least 387 B.C., the banning of books still goes on in the United States today. For example, in 1986, COKTNUS) ON PAGE 2 Centerville seeks buyer CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE questioning, the proposal, expressed ex-pressed concerns that baseball and . soccer programs might have to be suspended for at least one season during the development of a new park, and asked the council to guarantee that current facilities could be replaced at minimum on an equal basis at the new complex. Karen Carmack, past recreational recrea-tional director for the city and president pres-ident of the Little League, brought what she called "an element of emotion" into the hearing. "The average age of residents in" this city, according to the 1980 cen- sus, is 23. We have over 1 ,000 kids playing baseball, and if we lose a season of ball, that's a lot in the lives of these kids or parents." She also expressed concern that a future shopping center development develop-ment on the site, the likely option if the property was sold, could house a lot of empty store fronts similar to problems at the Parrish Square center. Mayor Argyle stated that the city would add the stipulation to any sale that current facilities could not be torn down until new facilities were in place. Horton Hess, president of Centerville Cen-terville Pony League baseball, said that two portable backstops being used at the current park, in addition addi-tion to the two permanent ball diamonds, di-amonds, actually provide four areas for baseball, from T-ball through Little League. He said the current facility is "maxed out," adding the 10-acre city property where a new park would be built probably couldn't house necessary ball diamonds. Another resident, Phil Sessions, said he felt the proposed construction construc-tion of a fire station on Main Street wasn't in the best interest of the city. He said the station could be built next to the current city complex, com-plex, which he favored remaining where it is. Mayor Argyle pointed out that the city is building the fire station on Main Street due in part to stipulations attached to the federal fed-eral money it received for development. develop-ment. - Gary Perkins, who owns a dry cleaning business in Centerville, stated that a shopping center developed de-veloped on the complex property could very well bring in competi tion for his own business. Still, he said, "We need to look ahead. I think the issue here is an issue of planning. It may be too premature to talk about specifics. I think the city is trying to look ahead to our needs by considering this project." City Parks and Recreation committee com-mittee chairman Neil Johnson stated that his committee's support "is proportional to the commitment commit-ment of the council to replace current cur-rent facilities." He said that 70 percent per-cent of the money derived from the proposed sale would come from re-creational re-creational property, while under '. the new proposal, only about 20 ''percent would go towards a new recreation complex. 'Timing is important," he added. "We must replace before we take. I still feel we need a Master Mas-ter Plan for the city's recreation needs. We need vision at this point, something a Master Plan can provide." , Those thoughts were echoed by Anne Ziegler, chairman of the city's ci-ty's Planning and Zoning Commission, Commis-sion, who also has fought for a recreation re-creation Master Plan. "Where are the city's values if we put more money into a new city complex than into recreation? Recreation Re-creation helps develop our children," chil-dren," she said. " Other input came from Carsden Hansen, who, as a landscape architect, has helped Sandy City develop several recreation complexes. com-plexes. He told council the 10 acres the city owns on the Frontage Road "won't cut it for four diamonds. Sandy just opened a 16-acre, four diamond complex, and it's very crowded." Many suggested the city try to obtain land adjacent to the 10 acres as soon as possible. Mayor Argyle pointed out that the city can't even begin to do that until it has money to purchase land i.e., from the sale of city property. Other concerns were also voiced, including that of Judy Roberts, who owns a home behind the city complex. She expressed concern that a shopping center developed de-veloped on the site would cause her neighbors to stare "at a high brick wall with delivery trucks coming and going all day." She asked what buffer zone the city planned around the complex property if it is sold. |