Here in Rhode Island ( and southeastern Massachusetts and Connecticut ), there is a closeout chain called Ocean State Job Lot. I guess it's RI's version of Pricebusters, only not nearly as nice. It's a chain that deals with manufacturers' close-outs and odd lots.
Unlike Pricebusters, which seems to be on an inventory system, i.e., when something is out of stock, it will eventfully be restocked, Ocean State Job Lot ( locally known as "Job Lot") never guarantees anything will be in stock. There tacit motto is "If you see it in our store now, you better buy it now, cause it probably won't be here later".
I happened to be in Job Lot today, exploring the aisles of the Warren, RI store. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to see if there might be one of the famous Job Lot bargains one happens upon fortuitously. One of their many displays today was a table full of reference books, manuals, gazetteers, etc. I've always been a guy who likes to study minutiae and other trivial facts, so I was naturally attracted to this display.
One of the paperback books that caught my attention was titled Notebook Atlas and Fact Guide. It was a reference manual which detailed facts concerning the United States, as well deeper detail about the fifty individual states and the territories. It appears that the guide was intended for use by middle grade to perhaps first-year high school students. It was punched with the standard three-hole configuration allowing it to be secured in a three-ring binder. I decided to pick it up and see what it has to offer in terms of American facts.
Out of habit, like I do with any reference manual dealing with facts and figures about the states, is to first go to the section about Hawaii. I always like to see what a given publisher has to say about Hawaii, or what facts they feel are important enough to print about Hawaii, and of course, to verify if the facts presented about it are accurate.
I would like to say to publishers of this reference guide: I got 'ya! There is an error in the profile about Hawaii that practically most citizens of Hawaii know by heart, and probably more mainlanders than we are willing to give credit to. The obvious error states that Iolani Palace is the only royal palace on American soil and it can be found "on the Big Island of Hawaii".
I'm debating whether I should take the time to notify the publishers of this reference guide of their big-time error. The guide has a copyright date of 2003, so I'm guessing it has been in print and on the market for close to two years. Surely someone else has seen this error and notified them of the error. Then again, maybe not.
The name of the publisher is School Speciality Children's Publishing of Columbus, Ohio. Their web-site is www.childrenspecialty.com
I don't want the young students of American facts and history, using this manual, to be steered wrong about this. They do need to know on what island Iolani Palace really is. So maybe it does weigh upon me to bring this error up to the printers of this guide, let them know that they need to get their facts about Hawaii correct, and see to it future editions of this book contains the fact that is on Oahu...not the Big Island.
Auwe...that's a darned near inexcusable error!
Unlike Pricebusters, which seems to be on an inventory system, i.e., when something is out of stock, it will eventfully be restocked, Ocean State Job Lot ( locally known as "Job Lot") never guarantees anything will be in stock. There tacit motto is "If you see it in our store now, you better buy it now, cause it probably won't be here later".
I happened to be in Job Lot today, exploring the aisles of the Warren, RI store. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to see if there might be one of the famous Job Lot bargains one happens upon fortuitously. One of their many displays today was a table full of reference books, manuals, gazetteers, etc. I've always been a guy who likes to study minutiae and other trivial facts, so I was naturally attracted to this display.
One of the paperback books that caught my attention was titled Notebook Atlas and Fact Guide. It was a reference manual which detailed facts concerning the United States, as well deeper detail about the fifty individual states and the territories. It appears that the guide was intended for use by middle grade to perhaps first-year high school students. It was punched with the standard three-hole configuration allowing it to be secured in a three-ring binder. I decided to pick it up and see what it has to offer in terms of American facts.
Out of habit, like I do with any reference manual dealing with facts and figures about the states, is to first go to the section about Hawaii. I always like to see what a given publisher has to say about Hawaii, or what facts they feel are important enough to print about Hawaii, and of course, to verify if the facts presented about it are accurate.
I would like to say to publishers of this reference guide: I got 'ya! There is an error in the profile about Hawaii that practically most citizens of Hawaii know by heart, and probably more mainlanders than we are willing to give credit to. The obvious error states that Iolani Palace is the only royal palace on American soil and it can be found "on the Big Island of Hawaii".
I'm debating whether I should take the time to notify the publishers of this reference guide of their big-time error. The guide has a copyright date of 2003, so I'm guessing it has been in print and on the market for close to two years. Surely someone else has seen this error and notified them of the error. Then again, maybe not.
The name of the publisher is School Speciality Children's Publishing of Columbus, Ohio. Their web-site is www.childrenspecialty.com
I don't want the young students of American facts and history, using this manual, to be steered wrong about this. They do need to know on what island Iolani Palace really is. So maybe it does weigh upon me to bring this error up to the printers of this guide, let them know that they need to get their facts about Hawaii correct, and see to it future editions of this book contains the fact that is on Oahu...not the Big Island.
Auwe...that's a darned near inexcusable error!
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