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Photo by Christian Sinibaldi via The Guardian: One of Battle library's 'nooks' – handmade dioramas depicting scenes from classic novels.

'If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come'. Wordshore posted the Guardian's fascinating long read on how libraries step in to fill the gaps left by a state that has reneged on its responsibilities, with a look at the daily lives of two librarians in particular.

Anger (cc by)

If you're looking for objective data on incivility in public spaces, the FAA's Unruly Passenger Statistics provide a surprisingly detailed view ... I EAT TAPAS offers some crunchable numbers in dubious_dude's question about the seeming trend of people behaving badly in public.

Enlightenment by marceloquinan (cc by)

beccyjoe wants to know "What is an article or essay that you have read that caused a dramatic change in your thinking / perspective / life? ... I would love to hear what you've read that has blown your mind"

#81 Signal by Trevor King 66 (cc by)

Great comment from pemberkins about what botanists mean when they talk about "invasive" species (and social concerns about the terms) in the Giant Hogweed discussion.

Hanging Around by hellosputnik (cc by)

MetaFilter member Eyebrows McGee sits on a school expulsion board and has to face difficult decisions each day:

But fully half of the expulsions I processed in this batch read, "No one appeared on behalf of the student." Not ONE ADULT in the ENTIRE WORLD was willing to show up for an 11-year-old's expulsion hearing. No parents, no grandparent, no relative, no guardian, no pastor, no social worker, no employer or neighbor or coach. Not one adult for a 15-year-old on track to graduate who was in the first trouble of his career (the principal expelling him (properly, under the rules) asked us to give him a suspended sentence, which lets him stay at school as long as he doesn't screw up again, because he's a good kid).