Steampunk Gypsy

That's right, it's Harry Potter's birthday ! Also J.K. Rowling's birthday! Happy birthday, J.K.! It's also D.H.'s birthday, so happy birthday to him, too, I guess. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors 24 Books That Forecast The Future Duke Professors Looking To Make Legal Texts Affordable; Kicking Off With Intellectual Property Law   Net & Tech Utah man fired after boss complains blog post about homophones made school sound gay  I don't know what's worse - the fact that this guy was fired because the word 'homophone' sounds 'gay' or that the guy running the school doesn't know what a 'homophone' is and doesn't want that sort of 'advanced stuff' taught to students. It all hurts so bad... 4 Ways You Can Join the #FreeZone9Bloggers Campaign  "Since 2012, the Zone 9 blogging collective has worked to foster civic engagement and critical commentary about social and political issues in E...

First - Net Neutrality News:  Reid Vows to Defend Net Neutrality From Republican Attacks  "Reid's letter could reassure FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler that he has the political support he needs to ignore the Republican outcry and enact strong net-neutrality regulations." Next - Happy National Paperback Day ! On July 30, 1935, the first Penguin paperback was printed. I have to tell you, I read a lot of ebooks now, and I try to check out hardcover when I get books from the library, but when I buy a book, I almost always opt for paperback.  I'm one of those crazy people who read paperbacks carefully, though, carefully preparing the book and never bending it too much, so that the spine doesn't break. To celebrate, go get a paperback and read it (carefully), and/or check out  The Most Iconic, Important Penguin Paperback Covers of All Time . Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors ALA calls for immediate passage of USA Freedom Act of 2014   What I Said When ...

Wow! Check out the absolutely gorgeous  Asbury Discovery Center ! Because We Can  designed the  Asbury Discovery Center  for the  Hattiesburg Zoo . It is full of steampunky goodness ! And full of education animals! I want to visit! Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors LIS students, pay attention:  FTRF to award two scholarships for "Intellectual Freedom and Censorship" LIS course   The Latest News on Book Adaptations  Wow!  Macmillan Publishers Broadens Public Library E-lending Pilot Program   Stephen Colbert, Lena Dunham — Yes, Even James Franco — and the Era of Celebrity as Bookseller   To Kill a Mockingbird tops vote for 'most life-changing' books by women   How E-Reading Threatens Learning in the Humanities   SMITHSONIAN SUMMER SHOWDOWN  Okay, it's a museum rather than a library, but librarians love museums almost as much as libraries. GO VOTE! How one man's lies almost destroyed the comics in...

Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Have a reluctant reader that likes space adventures? Enter the giveaway for one of  10 copies of Galaxy's Most Wanted by John Kloepfer ! Graphic novels are a great way to hook reluctant readers.  Librarians love infographics . It's true. Which Famous Librarian Are You?  I'm Lewis Carroll, apparently.   Check out the Department of Labor's  Books That Shaped Work in America  list! It's really neat. Listen to 15 Literary Icons Reading Their Own Work   If Literary Classics Were Episodes of Jerry Springer: A Quiz  I think this would be a great way to get YA readers interested in the classics. I mean, there's a lot more drama than you expect.  Three Previously Out-of-Print J.D. Salinger Stories Published   Jul 28, 1814: Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin elope to France   10 Things to Do in College (Probably) More Important Than Going to Class  "1. Learn to use the l...

Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Want to own  Elvis's library card ? How much do you think they'll get for it? Science Resistant “Nightmare Bacteria” Increase Five-Fold in Southeastern U.S.   Grocery Store Powered By Food Waste   Other Losing Our Religion: The Death of Christian Mosul   Refusing sanctuary to children in need   Religion On Wikipedia Is A Recipe For Controversy As 'Edit Wars' Rage On   Pastor finds spiritual truths, God through British sci-fi’s ‘Doctor Who’  I need to find his paper! Forest Nursery School In London Lets Kids Explore  

As you are no doubt aware, tens of thousands of children are fleeing their homes in Central America and seeking refuge in the U.S. These children are not crossing the border hoping to find the American Dream, exactly - they're just hoping to survive . They are running from violence - many of them have been targeted, with threats of violence and death for them or their families. If you'd like to help them, there are several ways to do so. The Texas Young Democrats have set up a “Wish List” on Amazon . You can purchase basic necessities off the list and, when you check out, you’ll have the option to send your items directly to the Texas Young Democrats. You could also donate to  Catholic Charities  and help to provide food, shelter, and medical attention to child refugees. Another option is to donate to KIND (Kids In Need of Defense) , which offers legal services to children facing the immigration legal system alone. After all, we've got to come up with something ...

Sorry I've been absent, guys. Stupid migraine... First of all -  Hey FCC, Let's Talk About Net Neutrality!  "FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wants to allow discrimination online — even though millions of people have told the FCC to protect real Net Neutrality.  The agency will vote on the chairman's plan by the end of the year, and we need to be sure the FCC is listening to the people it's supposed to represent.  It's been more than five years since all five FCC commissioners have left Washington in an official capacity to hear from real people. We need them to visit our communities for public hearings on Wheeler’s proposal.  Help Us Break the FCC Out of the Washington Bubble. Invite the FCC to Your Community!" Next, I apparently missed some stuff while I was mostly unconscious. I'll try not to overload you with links. No promises, though. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors A Long Overdue Nod to SciFi and Fantasy’s Best Librarians  I can't ...

Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Fla principal broke rules by cancelling summer read of Little Brother   'Cloud Atlas' Author Releases New Short Story Entirely On Twitter   DRM-free indie ebooks outsell DRM-locked ones 2:1   How Reading Out Loud Almost Saved My Marriage   Science New Method Actually Cuts HIV Out Of Human DNA   Why so many domesticated mammals have floppy ears   Why Do Honey Bees Make Hexagonal Honeycomb?   Seals Go Fishing in Offshore Wind Farms   Single Tree Grows 40 Kinds Of Fruit  I...I need this... Other Koch High: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School Students   George Harrison Memorial Tree Killed by Actual Beetles   Members of Congress Plan to Live on Minimum Wage for a Week   Thailand:  Fall into line, youngsters  Scary stuff... Related:  Teaching our children how to kowtow  

Quick: Some links to update you on the net neutrality front - More than 1M comments on net neutrality debate so far  The fight's far from over, but it's obvious U.S. citizens don't like the idea of ending net neutrality!  Net Neutrality Kabuki Theater: How Cable Companies Dominate the Debate   American Library Association urges FCC to adopt enforceable network neutrality rules    Free Press Builds Definitive Case for Net Neutrality   Net neutrality a key battleground in growing fight over encryption, activists say   NAACP on Net Neutrality: FCC Should Use Sec. 706   Now, on to another bee in my bonnet: Amazon recently unveiled  Kindle Unlimited , "a Netflix-style, all-you-can-read approach to more than 600,000 e-books" for $9.99/mo. It seems a ridiculous price to pay, given that you can get pretty much the same deal at any public library for free, given that it's a tax-supported, public service. But, no doubt, some people will p...

The FCC received more than a million comments (and that doesn't include the millions of signatures on various petitions) regarding protecting net neutrality. We'll see what happens with it. In case you're wondering how we got in this mess in the first place, there's an infographic showing the slightly incestuous relationship between the FCC and cable companies, telecom lobbyists, and other parties that would like to dismantle the Open Internet. If it seems a bit like putting the CEO of BP in charge of the EPA, well...yeah, I agree. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors In Defense Of Killing Off Main Characters   How to Be a Better Online Reader   When Is a Novel Not a Novel?   Florida Barbershop Promotes Literacy by Giving Books to Its Young Customers   Science One Injection Reverses Diabetes Symptoms Without Side Effects Canada And Nasa Partner To Intercept A Potentially Hazardous Asteroid  The plan is to ask it nicely to swing wide of ...

I'm not. I'm not a Republican, either. I don't like either party completely, although there are points of both I agree with. And points I vehemently disagree with, as well. But, seriously, the Republican party has been acting really, really weird lately: House Republicans successfully ban funding for canceled White House renovation, so take that, Obama  I'm confused. There were plans to renovate the bowling alley, and Obama nixed those plans - so House Republicans then banned funding for... the plans that Obama had already cancelled ...and are wanting to spin it that they saved us taxpayers the unnecessary expense? How much money did they waste doing that?? Couldn't they have been doing something, I don't know,  productive  during that time??  There was also this:  Arizona Politician Mistakes Y Campers for Migrant Children  He said he could see the "fear" on the kids' faces - kids, that is, who were actually, in real life, excited little scamp...

If you haven't done it already - if you've been putting it off until you have the free time or whatever - go submit your net neutrality comments to the FCC now! The FCC is accepting comments until noon on Friday. It's your Internet - go save it! Here's a great article for you to read today about net neutrality -  Deep Dive: In Defense of A Neutral Net . It provides "an overview of how network discrimination hurts free expression and innovation, how we can safeguard against it, and what EFF—with your help—is doing about it." Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Debunk The Myths  "Americans are using their public library more than ever before, but in many cases, overall funding is down. And some libraries have been forced to cut hours, programs and staff, and even close their doors. You can help . Familiarize yourself with some common myths."  A Defense of the NYPL’s Summer Reading List For Kids   Boys Will Be Boys, and Girls Will Be...

Sorry, Ms. Jackson: Net Neutrality Is Biggest Thing Ever at the FCC URGENT: Tell the FCC: Don’t kill the Internet Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Music and Literature: Books That Inspired Indie   Jul 16, 1951: Catcher in the Rye is published   10 Famous Poems Recited by Famous Actors   Science Huge Crater Mysteriously Appears In Siberia   Other Thailand:  Appeal court reverses verdict, sentences Chiang Mai businessman to 5 years for lèse majesté  Craziness... Parts of Yellowstone National Park closed after massive supervolcano beneath it melts roads   All the pain and success of parenthood summed up in a surprisingly poignant comic strip   Gun deaths outnumbered motor-vehicle deaths in Oregon in 2011, study shows  And 13 other states, including Louisiana.  GOP Congresswoman: Men Must Talk 'Down To A Woman’s Level' If They Want To Be Understood  Related:  The Republican plan to change the '...

Two very  exciting pieces of news today! One : Ben Hatke is offering a  Jolly Raffle Giveaway Contest for Julia's House for Lost Creatures! "When Julia and her walking house come to town, she likes everything about her new neighborhood except how quiet it is! So Julia puts a sign up: “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures.” Soon she’s hosting goblins, mermaids, fairies, and even a dragon. Quiet isn’t a problem anymore for Julia…but getting her housemates to behave themselves is!" ( Source ) I can't wait to read this book! I'm guessing it'll be a favorite for library storytimes, too - the pictures are gorgeous, and what child wouldn't  love a house full of friendly fairyland creatures?! If you aren't familiar with Ben Hatke's work , go read some. Now. I recommend starting with the Zita the Spacegirl series. (Although Julia's House might overtake Zita as my favorite; I'll let you know!) Two :  The FCC was forced to extend the deadlin...

First, a warning:  We're in the battle for the net ! You only have until midnight on Tuesday to send comments to the FCC. Take action now ! I keep talking about net neutrality, because it's extraordinarily important. You really ought to go  check out what higher education and library groups have said about net neutrality principles . Now, for fun - today, July 14, is National Nude Day ! You're Welcome Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors How your local library can help you resist the surveillance state   The French Do Buy Books. Real Books.  "The French government classifies books as an 'essential good,' along with electricity, bread and water. (A French friend of mine runs a charity, Libraries Without Borders, which brings books to survivors of natural disasters.)....'We don’t sell potatoes,' says Mr. Moni. 'There are also ideas in books. That’s what’s dangerous. Because the day that you have a large seller that sells 80 percent o...

Safeguarding Free Speech in the Digital Age "So an issue drawing broad support across the country is being held hostage by a political climate that’s controlled by special interests and spin." Yep, we're talking net neutrality again ! Here are some more links to check out: Comic: Net Neutrality: What It Is, And Why You Should Care   Time running out to speak up about Internet 'toll lanes'   Higher education, library groups release net neutrality principles   Kickstarter, Etsy And Dwolla All Speak Out On Net Neutrality And Why The FCC's Plan Is Dangerous To Innovation Communications Policy in Transition: Mergers, Net Neutrality, and the Digital Divide   YouTube is Calling Out ISPs That Are Throttling Traffic   The FCC has received over 647,000 net neutrality comments as deadline approaches . Have you told the FCC how important net neutrality is to you? If not, do so quickly !   Links! Special link! Happy birthday, Malala !! Librar...