Free Comics are Awesome....

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

I was going to go get some free comics today, but I had to stay an hour past closing because some parent left their kid at the library alone. I ended up having to call the police. At which point, I didn't want free comics, I wanted to go home.

Then we went out for pho, and all was good.

Links!

• Your own personal librarian: Multnomah County Library allows patrons to pick professional book advisors online: This is a great idea! I don't know how the librarians all find time for it, but it's a great idea! I want in.
• The Color Purple and The Bluest Eye Challenged in North Carolina AP Class: In a case of "even crazier" - the parent challenging these books...doesn't have a kid in the class. She's worried, though, because the "sexual assault and violence in both books 'are not topics for 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds to be reading about or discussing.'" Well...no, that's pretty much a good age to be discussing such issues. You think they aren't aware rape and other violence exist? Hiding it doesn't make it go away - discussion is vital for leading kids to understanding and fighting atrocity.  
• An illustrated guide to the biggest dragons in fantasy: There may be bigger dragons, but there are no dragons more cunning and, well, dragon-like than Tolkien's Smaug. (If you haven't read The Hobbit, what is wrong with you? Go. Now. Read.) The Dragon from Gardner's Grendel is pretty close, though. (You should read that book, too.)
• Facebook Is Throttling Nonprofits and Activists: I hate not being able to see posts from pages and friends I like. Don't you? Of course you do. Everyone does. And, not surprisingly, it's impact is most devastating for nonprofits, activists, independent artists, etc. This is going to be the Internet in general if we lose net neutrality. Why are we losing net neutrality when so many of us believe in it and maintaining it was one of Obama's campaign promises? Don’t Let Net Neutrality Become Another Broken Promise!
• Why America's Essentials Are Getting More Expensive While Its Toys Are Getting Cheap: Basically, frills are getting cheap enough that poor people can easily afford TVs, smartphones, etc. - but the tools necessary to actually escape poverty altogether are prohibitively expensive.