on the drive with kenny jones – we, like everyone else around the globe has been tracking the h1n1 virus (aka the dreaded swine flu).  odds are it’s coming soon to school, playground or library near you.

and the latest victims of the “sometimes deadly” virus…

hand puppets

hennepin county libraries in minnesota say that lovable, cuddly plush toys and fuzzy hand puppets will no longer be available for checkout or play, partly because of swine flu concerns.

ali turner, the library system’s senior youth services librarian, says,

“the public has been asking about the plush toys, so the library is respecting those concerns.”

the fear is that children’s hands are in direct contact with areas that other children’s hands have been.  and puppets & stuffed toys are not the easiest things to disinfect.  hand puppets don’t exactly promote…

social distancing

puppets have been available at less than half of the 41 libraries in the suburbs and in minneapolis….but those days are gone.

however, there are some groups that are working to save the fuzzy creatures from extinction.  have a listen to this public service announcement…

i’m not certain this campaign is actually going to work…actually, i know it doesn’t have a prayer.

if you think about the reason for removing the stuffed toys from the libraries – it makes one wonder what’s next?  perhaps removing the books from library shelves.  after all, children hands come in direct contact with areas other children’s hands have been, right?

i know, i know – after reading this many of you are wondering…

what the hell is a library?

catch the drive with kenny jones – weekdays from 4-7pm exclusively on beat-fm 102.5 and online at mybeat.fm.