[HN Gopher] About Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
___________________________________________________________________
About Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Author : thunderbong
Score : 187 points
Date : 2023-05-28 03:58 UTC (19 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (imaginationlibrary.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (imaginationlibrary.com)
| pyrelight wrote:
| She's able to do all this and still live comfortably and live her
| dreams. I wonder why more wealthy don't do things like this. It
| seems most just write a check to Charity X for the tax break and
| the ego boost.
|
| The things Dolly does seem to lend themselves to legacy, and what
| could a rich man/woman want more than their name immortalized in
| a social program that helps people.
| selimnairb wrote:
| She grew up very poor. I suspect many wealthy people didn't.
| Also, she made her money working for a living, not through
| financial BS.
| [deleted]
| 082349872349872 wrote:
| see _Coat of Many Colors_
| harimau777 wrote:
| Good point. Even from a purely selfish perspective, I would
| think that being universally loved would have more utility than
| a few more millions in the bank.
| LocalH wrote:
| Dolly Parton embodies everything _good_ about the Southern US,
| in an age where there 's not really much in this area that gets
| the public eye for being a good, wholesome thing. I have a lot
| of respect for her, quite honestly in my mind she's up there
| with people like Fred Rogers and Bob Ross.
| celticninja wrote:
| Dolly Parton embodies everything good about people.
| glass_of_water wrote:
| If you find the right organization that uses the funds
| effectively, what's with donating your wealth as opposed to
| creating your own charitable organization? Also, I'm sure the
| tax deduction for donations is exploited when the receiving
| organization is non-profit in name only, but if the receiving
| organization really is an effective charity, what's wrong with
| the donor getting a tax break?
|
| Or is the claim not that one approach is more effective than
| other in terms of positive impact, but that the wealthy, for
| their own sake, would be better off founding their own
| organizations?
| massysett wrote:
| This is Warren Buffet's approach. He figured Bill Gates is
| better at giving away money than he ever would be, so he
| simply gives his money to the Bill and Melinda Gates
| Foundation.
| [deleted]
| mc32 wrote:
| Are there no profit charity organization where everyone is a
| volunteer and no one draws a salary?
|
| Lots of these orgs often seem like they exist to maintain the
| organization than benefit their cause.
| prroyston wrote:
| I am a nonprofit CEO who's worked in community, sport,
| educational and health charities.
|
| Organizations and causes require people who work full time
| to help organize the charitable work. It is very difficult
| to find people to volunteer at this level and typically if
| you do, they are independently wealthy. Retired people can
| do more but typically they do not want to give that much
| time and have other things they want to do.
|
| 4 hrs a week which is a typical volunteer shift at our
| hospital does not lend itself to pulling all the details
| together.
|
| Good people deserve to get paid to do good work. Just like
| in tech, you get what you pay for. And typically a
| nonprofit worker puts extra hours and time in as does their
| family members in support of the cause.
| marniewebb wrote:
| This.
| mc32 wrote:
| I understand the need for professionals, but what grates
| me is seeing the leaders of these organizations renting
| expensive venues to conduct some of their activities,
| sometimes display expensive art and so on. As if they
| need to impress their donors. No, donors already believe
| in the cause, they don't have to be plied, taken to
| expensive restaurants, served luxurious food, etc. in
| order to get their commitments. They should believe in
| the mission, run frugally and most of all divert the
| majority of the money to the cause.
|
| I often hear, well, if you don't pay them top salary you
| are not going to attract people from private enterprise.
| I don't think you want people whose main motivation to
| contribute is money.
| [deleted]
| pmorici wrote:
| Not to detract anything from her contribution but she isn't
| funding the whole thing. The way it works is a local nonprofit
| for a geographic area partners with the Imagination library and
| funds them to offer the program in that area.
|
| Their website explains how you can become a partner for your
| area and the costs involved.
|
| In some places it is government funded. The program in
| Baltimore City for example appears to be largely funded by
| Maryland State government via a yearly grant to a nonprofit.
|
| https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/
|
| https://goccp.maryland.gov/the-governors-young-readers-progr...
| pbj1968 wrote:
| $2.20 per child, per month. That's the partnership
| contribution. Please reconsider where you place your time and
| outrage.
| radec wrote:
| outrage?
| artificialLimbs wrote:
| Stating facts != outrage.
| pmorici wrote:
| Zero outrage on my part. Just pointing out that the op's
| view of how this works doesn't jive with reality. There are
| a lot of people and governments putting money into this to
| make it work at the scale and scope that it does.
| melling wrote:
| "I wonder why more wealthy don't do things..."
|
| I wonder why so many people want the wealthy to do more things
| to make the world a better place when the United States has a
| GDP of $23 trillion dollars.
|
| Everyone wants to pay little taxes, have a cheap gallon of gas,
| and tax the rich to solve our problems, while kicking the can
| as far down the road as possible.
|
| How many problems could have been solved with $32 trillion
|
| https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2023/04/25/the-natio...
| anonymouskimmer wrote:
| The comment you're responding too was wondering why more
| wealthy people aren't building well-regarded social legacies.
| Not why rich people weren't solving society's issues.
|
| > How many problems could have been solved with $32 trillion
|
| How many problems _were_ solved with that $32 trillion?
|
| To nitpick, the current US GDP estimate is $26.49 trillion.
| https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/gross-domestic-product-
| second-...
|
| In general, I agree with your gist. Hagiographies turn me
| off, particularly in a republic of citizens (not Great Men).
| croes wrote:
| What do you think why the rich are so rich? How much of the
| tax money lands in their pockets because they don't pay their
| employees good enough?
| harimau777 wrote:
| Can you explain what you are advocating?
|
| It's not clear to me what connection you are making between
| America's GDP and wanting the wealthy to do more. The wealthy
| capture the largest portion of the GDP, so America's high GDP
| would seem to support the idea that the wealthy can do more.
|
| It seems like you are criticizing tax rates but then you talk
| about how much can be done with the money that makes up the
| national debt. Are you advocating more or less government
| spending? Are you advocating more or less taxes?
| melling wrote:
| No, if you can't figure it out then you deserve the world
| that you get. Saying rich people should solve the problems
| is the lazy answer.
|
| US consumer spending is 70% of GDP.
| IntelMiner wrote:
| Saying "you're stupid and don't deserve an answer" is
| childish and trite. Be better
| blep_ wrote:
| You are not obligated to explain yourself, but you also
| don't get to complain when nobody knows what you're
| talking about.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| peterleiser wrote:
| A big motivation was that her father was illiterate. We live in
| Tennessee and this program is amazing. Dolly Parton is great to
| Tennessee and her reputation here is stellar.
| aaron695 wrote:
| [dead]
| hylaride wrote:
| I hate, hate, hate country music, but I have an enormous amount
| of respect for Dolly Parton. She's just a plain old good person,
| and also extremely savvy from a business and money point of view
| (while having to plough through patriarchal barriers both
| emotionally and financially): https://www.joshuakennon.com/dolly-
| parton/
| iancmceachern wrote:
| I love, love, love country music. I like most types of music,
| reggae hip hop/r&b, rock, just not death metal really.
|
| I think your post is a real underhanded compliment. It's like
| saying I really hate football and it's players, but John Elway
| is an OK dude.
| williamcotton wrote:
| There's a twist on black metal that you might like that's
| been coming out of Norway lately, exemplified by the bands
| _The Good, The Bad and the Zugly_ and _Kvelertak_!
| z3c0 wrote:
| Black'n'roll is the term. Kvelertak are a contentious one
| amongst the black metal crowd (they aren't even on metal
| archives), but they're an excellent bridge into Norway's
| more "kvlt" sound.
| samstave wrote:
| Dolly Parton is the most wholesome and sexiest person alive.
| There was an interview with her just after she turned 70, and
| the question was something along the lines of "Do you argue
| with your husband (shes been married to the same man for 50+
| years)" and her response was "no, if I need to win an argument,
| I just have sex with him to get my way"
| williamcotton wrote:
| Here's how you open up the door, in order: The
| Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo John Prine - John Prine
| The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin
| Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings - Wanted! The Outlaws
| Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings - Waylon & Willie Buck
| Owens - 21 #1 Hits
|
| Don't forget to listen to the lyrics! You'll be two-stepping in
| no time!
| Jun8 wrote:
| I find your comment interesting and would like to understand
| why you hate a large genre of music. Is it the message in the
| songs, the people, Nashville?
|
| My taste in music is questionable (I still listen to Yaz and
| even Modern Talking occasionally, mixed with 80s disco, which I
| believe was the epitome of popular music) but I do like many
| Country songs: putting aside Dolly's favorites like 9 to 5
| (great lyrics and music if you haven't listened to it), I also
| like many Kenny Rogers songs (guilty pleasure here is Scarlet
| Fever). Expanding, Folk and Bluegrass are also great.
| MoSattler wrote:
| Are people familiar with Modern Talking outside of Germany?
| virgulino wrote:
| Absolutely YES! They were Big here in Brazil. Alphaville
| too.
| Jun8 wrote:
| Are you kidding? I grew up in Turkey and they were big
| there, as well as in Europe (another now forgotten blast
| from the past is C C Catch). I bought their In the Middle
| of Nowhere album, that was the year I graduated from HS. We
| followed them _closely_ , eg Thomas's Nora necklace, the
| weird guitar/synth thing or that Dieter played, the fact
| that Nora's jealousy came in between them, etc.
|
| Looking at Spotify their top songs have robust play
| numbers.
|
| On a related note, in case the younger crowd here is
| interested: Animotion is also an interesting group,
| watching their Obsession clip on YouTube tells you what
| those times were about.
|
| Sadly none of these groups were/are known in the US. One of
| my "if I were a rich man" projects is to open a nightclub
| that only plays 80s, including these synth gems.
| elondaits wrote:
| \o Yes. I'm from Argentina.
| m463 wrote:
| I think questionable taste in music is a sign you're
| cultivating a good beginner's mind. :)
|
| I also find sometimes that music in a genre is so
| bad/annoying that it wraps around to being listenable.
|
| Maybe it's easier to see in movies where bad movies become
| enjoyable. (like "shoot-em up" where Clive Owen delivers a
| baby in the middle of a gunfight)
| anonymouskimmer wrote:
| I'm not GP. Pop country tends to be fine, but standard
| country often has the stories revolving around children being
| exactly like their parents or people getting drunk. There's
| also something about the rhythm and the melody (and possibly
| the instruments - such as acoustic versus electric). This
| could be a chicken and egg problem though, where the messages
| made the characteristic rhythm and melody turnoffs. I'm not
| positive though, because some of the older Elvis songs just
| aren't interesting.
|
| The big issue may just be that I didn't grow up listening to
| Country.
|
| The revenge message in Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"
| is definitely a saving grace, though. I don't change the
| station when that song comes on.
|
| Unless it's something like Swing, I hate Jazz more than
| Country. Which is definitely an instrument and rhythm/melody
| issue.
| xattt wrote:
| > There's also something about the rhythm and the melody
| (and possibly the instruments - such as acoustic versus
| electric).
|
| "New" country music follows formulaic measures and beats,
| and doesn't tend to experiment. If there is an ear worm
| section to a song, it's made very obvious, and almost seem
| to invite people to "stim".
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| I don't _hate_ country, but it isn 't one of my regulars. I
| have liked folks like Steve Young and Willie Nelson, and
| grew up with a lot of mullet rock, like Lynyrd Skynyrd and
| Molly Hatchet.
| NeuroCoder wrote:
| Its the one genre of music that I just don't like. I don't
| like smooth jazz but I've heard songs I can get into. But
| country music is different. I even spent a couple years
| putting a dedicated effort into trying to be tolerant of
| country music. It didn't grow on me.
| brookst wrote:
| Not the person you're replying to, but I think it's
| reasonable to dislike a genre when one dislikes the things
| that define the genre.
|
| I don't like death metal because I find the vocal affectation
| silly and the range of instrumentation too narrow. I dislike
| country for exactly the same reasons.
|
| There are genre-defying artists who transcend the category;
| Patsy Cline comes to mind.
|
| But if someone's going to sit down and write a song that
| conforms to all of a genre's conventions, people who dislike
| those conventions probably won't like it.
| oxide wrote:
| For me, death metal is like...black coffee.
|
| Bitter at first, but eventually you learn to appreciate the
| unique experience for what it is, and then you start
| drinking it all the time.
|
| You start trying to tell others about your experience, but
| only other black coffee drinkers seem to understand, and
| you sound insane to people who have tried black coffee and
| hated the bitter taste.
| brookst wrote:
| I used to enjoy some, but found the genre to be a dead
| end, with new bands just sounding like old bands. I'd
| love to hear it if there's innovation going on!
| deafpolygon wrote:
| Very apt. I'm a black coffee drinker myself, and I love
| death metal. Maybe there's a correlation.
| scottLobster wrote:
| As another person who dislikes 90% of country music I've
| heard, I guess I just find it mostly... trite and conceited.
| Lyrically and musically. The relationships described are
| typically shallow, the events described are typically
| shallow, the musical style is typically simplistic, but
| unlike other genres that are generally more self-aware, the
| average country song expects to be taken lot more seriously.
| Like a "profound" instagram quote in song form.
|
| It reminds me of that general small-town mentality where said
| small town is treated like the center of the universe by its
| denizens. I guess that's country music's core demographic, so
| perhaps it's just giving the people what they want, but I
| find said mentality obnoxious so I find music extolling it in
| a "serious" manner obnoxious.
|
| Obviously this is more of an issue with modern country,
| Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and others historically brought
| more artistry to the genre. I generally won't seek them out
| because that isn't what I find most enjoyable, but I can at
| least respect it and I'm not repulsed by it. I'd rather
| listen to WAP on a loop than most modern country music, at
| least it knows exactly what it is.
| jimmygrapes wrote:
| Although I tend to agree with you, I am also curious what
| sort of music you would prefer that is less trite lyrically
| and musically? I know of quite a bit, but generally don't
| find that anyone wants to listen to it with me.
| dcdc123 wrote:
| She's about to release a rock album, maybe now is your chance
| :D
| flanbiscuit wrote:
| I used to say things like "I like all music, but country",
| especially when I was younger. But then I started dating
| someone who grew up in the south (Georgia and Texas) and I've
| been exposed to many country songs, spanning many decades and
| I've found myself enjoying some of them. It's still pretty low
| on my list of favorite music genres but I can have a good time
| listening to it.
|
| Not all country music is the same. I lean towards country from
| the 90s and before. Dolly is definitely my favorite. I enjoy
| the 90s pop country of Shania Twain and others around that
| time. Garth Brooks "Friends in Low places" is a fun song for
| Karaoke, so is Kenny Rogers's "The Gambler". There's a song by
| Jo Dee Messina called "Heads Carolina, Tails California" from
| the 90s that has been stuck in my head recently.
|
| All this is to say, it's a big genre with many styles and
| artists, you might find a song or 2 you'll enjoy.
| mattpallissard wrote:
| > But then I started dating someone who grew up in the south
| (Georgia and Texas) and I've been exposed to many country
| songs, spanning many decades
|
| It's a big, big genre. And the lines between it, blues, and
| rock are often blurred.
| mixmastamyk wrote:
| Yup, also liked early country when a child. Also "Cal
| country" like the Eagles. And recently learned there is/was a
| thing called "outlaw country" that's less hokey and trite.
|
| Check out the Shaver talk and performance on the Norm
| Macdonald Show on Netflix for example.
| [deleted]
| NoZebra120vClip wrote:
| Classic country music is alive and well, in Ireland of all
| places. There is a talent show called Glor Tire, it's in the
| Irish language but many of the songs are in English, and
| covers of classic American tunes. There is a thriving scene
| with young artists who are influenced by Irish folk music and
| classic Country & Western as well.
| atan2 wrote:
| I was surprised to see Dolly Parton's initiative here in the UK.
| I just had my first newborn and the health visitors told me about
| Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in one of our visits. Great
| stuff!
| nickpeterson wrote:
| It is a wonderful program. I wish more billionaires were trying
| to leave a legacy where their name stands for something more
| admirable. Will anyone know who Zuckerberg is in 100 years?
| Probably not.
| toochietoo wrote:
| Will anyone know who one of the most influential founders in
| technology in history is in 100 years? I think yes...
| [deleted]
| harimau777 wrote:
| This isn't necessarily an exact comparison, but looking at
| the list of 1934 robber barons on Wikipedia:
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)
|
| I only recognized a three of them: J. P. Morgan, John D.
| Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie. Three more I recognized
| universities named after them: James Duke (Duke University),
| Andrew Mellon (Carnegie Mellon University), Cornelius
| Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt University).
|
| To the degree that I have a positive opinion of Rockefeller
| and Carnegie, it's because of their philanthropy rather than
| their industrialism or politics.
| sillystuff wrote:
| > To the degree that I have a positive opinion of
| Rockefeller and Carnegie, it's because of their
| philanthropy rather than their industrialism or politics.
|
| I've a friend who's grandparents, in Vietnam, were quite
| ruthless and accumulated sizable wealth. Now, they sponsor
| Buddhist monks in an effort to avoid being reincarnated as
| cockroaches. I suspect analogous motivations for people
| like Rockefeller, Carnegie, or modern equivalents like
| Gates and Zuckerberg (even if simply a secular motivation
| to rehabilitate their poor reputations).
|
| Parton just seems to be a genuinely kind human being.
| quesera wrote:
| I wouldn't assume that at all. One hundred years is a long
| time.
|
| If people in 2123 are still talking about early social media
| companies, I'll be shocked. Actually I'll be dead, but I
| would be shocked.
|
| Zuckerberg and Facebook are relevant in the here and now, but
| they are not obviously Edison/Bell/Ford-level relevant in the
| long term.
|
| Unless either he, or his company, does something of lasting
| significance. Maybe Meta will have a next act. Maybe through
| his charitable foundation. Very much TBD.
| juujian wrote:
| The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has apparently given out $2
| billion in grants. I haven't really heard anything about any of
| its projects, while Parton's library project sounds very
| effective. It did say on Wikipedia though that the Zucc's
| initiative issued a grant to matplotlib, so that's nice.
| johnnylambada wrote:
| I just looked up the cost to sponsor a smallish zip code in the
| US and it's surprisingly inexpensive even if you're not a
| millionaire or billionaire.
| germinalphrase wrote:
| https://www.imaginationlibrarywashington.org/become_an_affil...
|
| Relevant link (I think)
| Guidii wrote:
| How much is "surprisingly inexpensive"?
| adventured wrote:
| A few dollars per child per year.
| Rebelgecko wrote:
| I think it's closer to $40-$50/year. The way it works in CA
| is that every book costs around $4 and the cost is equally
| split by the state, local gov, and the Imagination Library
| ksherlock wrote:
| This FAQ (via the neighboring comment) says the average rate
| is $2.10 per kid/month, so $25.20 per kid/year.
|
| https://assets.nationbuilder.com/uwpnw/pages/2189/attachment.
| ..
| johnnylambada wrote:
| Zip code 90740 has <800 under 5 yo kids. Total cost year 5
| was something like $11k for the year.
| Wiki39366 wrote:
| [flagged]
| nickweb wrote:
| It's comments like this where I wish I wasn't so much of a
| lurker to get the karma required to downvote you.
|
| These are age appropriate books being sent to families of all
| incomes to promote good education. Let people have nice things.
| jjgreen wrote:
| ...I wish I wasn't so much of a lurker to get the karma
| required to downvote you.
|
| I did that for you.
| mixmastamyk wrote:
| This is another new troll account, noticed them in the
| snowden thread.
| AlecSchueler wrote:
| It's actually so much that I can only imagine it's someone
| trying to make the right look bad with a false flag.
| mixmastamyk wrote:
| The comments are plausible sounding on the surface but
| obviously ridiculous if you know a bit about the subject.
|
| I didn't know that they are exclusively right-wing
| oriented, but will keep an eye out.
| Wiki39366 wrote:
| [flagged]
| polytely wrote:
| you can just look this up instead of making up an imaginary
| situation in your head to get outraged about.
| Wiki39366 wrote:
| [flagged]
| mberning wrote:
| It's a great program. My son loves the books and I have to admit
| I look forward to taking him to the mailbox to check and see if
| one came. Many of the books are printed in a lower cost format
| specifically for the program. These editions have a back inside
| leaf that contains a blurb about the program and a picture of
| Dolly holding a book. My son knows her by sight and says "Thanks
| Dolly" when he sees her on that leaf.
| diego898 wrote:
| I really underestimated the program when the hospital asked if
| we wanted to sign up for a free book program. But my son is now
| three with a little library made up mostly of these books. He
| also loves checking the mailbox for a new book!
|
| This is such a wonderful program and I am so grateful for it. I
| wish/hope it becomes global.
| aperrien wrote:
| Is there a way to find the list of books available in the
| Imagination Library?
| jffry wrote:
| Yes.
| https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=dolly+parton+imagination+li...
| aperrien wrote:
| Found it at: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/book-list/.
| Really nice, there's even a pdf of the contents.
| Tempest1981 wrote:
| Glad she included a book om LLMs for the kiddos:
|
| > Group 2 (Children born in 2022)
|
| > Llama Llama Red Pajama
| syngrog66 wrote:
| I like that its blind to anything else other than if the
| household has kids under 5 in it. Doesn't matter their
| ethnicity/color, gender, income, doc status, etc.
|
| imo more government aid programs and charities should be like
| that. give to anyone in need or who would otherwise benefit from
| the given thing
|
| unfortunately I've seen way too many special carve-outs and
| "allowed" discrimination to happen. which just further fuels
| political grievances.
| vivegi wrote:
| This I learnt today about Dolly Parton! Very impressed with this
| work.
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(page generated 2023-05-28 23:02 UTC)