The Madness Begins...

Lent Madness is gearing up! I enjoyed it last year, and I'll be doing it again this year. The bracket looks really cool! I don't even know who to root for this year!


Links!

• Libraries, Books, & Writers
• Never trust a corporation to do a library's job. 
• Libraries After Charlie Hebdo : The Threat of Violence, The Fear of Self-Censorship "Peter Hart, communications director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), suggested that one possible reaction among the library community is that 'people will just make the assumption: "remember what happened in Paris, we have to be extra careful to not do anything that could provoke that kind of vicious and despicable attack." And that’s a dangerous moment to be in, because you have to look at those things as remarkable outliers and tragedies. If lightning hits a forest and a tree falls down, that doesn't mean you go out and chop down all the trees because you’re worried about the next lightning strike.'"
• Huge library containing historic texts and 14 million books goes up in flames Moscow 
• The Definition of a Dictionary "Merriam-Webster is revising its most authoritative tome for the digital age. But in an era of twerking and trolling, what should a dictionary look like? (And do we even need one?)" Yes, we need one. If Facebook has taught me anything, it's taught me we need dictionaries. 
• Feb 2, 1882: James Joyce is born 
• How books can defeat Isis: Patrick Cockburn was able to update his agenda-setting 'The Rise of Islamic State' while under attack in Baghdad 
• Confessions Of A 5th Grade Sneak-Reader I don't remember how old I was when I started reading Stephen King; I'm glad, though, that my mother was one of the crazy ladies who let their kids read whatever they wanted. 
• Education
• Texas boy suspended for saying he could make classmate ‘disappear’ with ‘Lord of the Rings’ sorcery "Tolkien lore led a Texas boy to suspension after he brought his 'one ring' to school.  Kermit Elementary School officials called it a threat when the 9-year-old boy, Aiden Steward, in a playful act of make-believe, told a classmate he could make him disappear with a ring forged in fictional Middle Earth's Mount Doom....The family moved to the Kermit Independent School District only six months ago, but it's been nothing but headaches for Aiden. He's already been suspended three times this school year.Two of the disciplinary actions this year were in-school suspensions for referring to a classmate as black and bringing his favorite book to school: 'The Big Book of Knowledge.'[...] [T]he teacher learned the popular children’s encyclopedia had a section on pregnancy, depicting a pregnant woman in an illustration, he explained." Texas, you have a problem. 
• For gifted children, being intelligent can have dark implications 
• Net & Tech
• Net neutrality battle pitches activists and FCC against Big Cable and GOP "'This is about big-picture stuff....It’s about freedom of expression, freedom of ideas. People will fight for that.'"
• The Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger May Not Happen Fingers crossed! "This week brought some good news for internet lovers nationwide. Remember how that Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger seemed inevitable a year ago? Suddenly, it's not so inevitable, as leaders are apparently realizing that giving one giant conglomerate so much power might not be a good idea."
• Minecraft players build working hard drives Neat! 
• Science & Health
• U.Va. issues alert to students after mumps case confirmed First measles, now mumps...are we bringing back rubella, too? Time to invest in kid-sized bubbles, I think. 
• Herd immunity and measles: why we should aim for 100% vaccination coverage 
• Other
• Secretary Jewell Announces Nomination of 10 Buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright to the World Heritage List Love these buildings! Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania is my favorite, although the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, California is a close runner-up!
• A Black Girl Was Asked Why She ‘Talks White’. I Didn’t Expect Her Answer to Be So Real. Well, the title is odd, perhaps - but the poetry is awesome and powerful and I love it.
• In Program to Spur Affordable Housing, $100 Million Penthouse Gets 95% Tax Cut I'm sorry -  WHAT?