Steampunk Gypsy

Officially on my Asshats List: Rand Paul. Rand Paul's bill would overturn US net neutrality rules Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Public libraries to offer digital early literacy tools   How UK Journalism Explains Baltimore Riots Better Than American Media   eBook Sales Down 10.2% in January 2015  Book sales overall, though, were up.  The Plan To Give E-Books To Poor Kids  "If there's a fly in the ointment, it's one little letter: e.  Publishers aren't giving kids a quarter-of-a-billion dollars worth of free books. They're free e-books. Which require two things:  A good Internet connection — at least at school if not at home — and some sort of device to read them." It'd be better to give them print books, honestly, or - hey, here's an idea - increase funding to libraries and encourage updated neighborhood bookmobile programs, especially for low-income urban communities.  Sexism in science: Peer editor tells female rese...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Graphic Novel About Holocaust 'Maus' Banned In Russia For Its Cover   Net & Tech Google launches portal to buy patents   Health & Science A 7-Year-Old Girl Got A New 3D-Printed Left Hand For The Wonderful Price Of $50   Study Finds Gamers Have Greater Cognitive Function And More Grey Matter   First Malaria Vaccine Trial Results Are In   New Drugs Could Reverse Multiple Sclerosis Nerve Damage   Russian Spaceship Hurtles Towards Earth After Losing Contact   Bumblebees Use Nicotine To Self-Medicate   Education Marin County School Nixes Sedentary Education With Standing Desks For Students   International Nigeria army rescues nearly 300 females from Boko Haram   $58,000 Finnish speeding ticket based on millionaire’s income  "...[I]n Finland the fines for more serious speeding infractions are calculated according to income. The thinking is that if it sting...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Do We Need Libraries?   Watchdog group claims Alameda Co. libraries discarded nearly 400,000 books  This is so stupid... Libraries have to weed damaged and non-circulating books to make way for the new books everyone's interested in now or newer, updated, or just not damaged copies. Weeding is a good thing - let them get on with it. There's no point in keeping an old Harlequin novel no one's checked out in ten years that is missing pages - let it go .  Libraries Are Paving The Way For Cultural Unity   Phil Campbell High School library gets generous contributions during recovery efforts   Anonymous Donor Makes $1.5 Million Contribution to ELPL for Capital Improvements   Theft of rare books investigated at New York Public Library   Diverse Coalition Launches to Promote Balanced Copyright Law, Creativity and Free Speech   Baltimore Libraries Stay Open Through Riots, Because ‘The Community Ne...

We had a really bad storm here today. The library lost power for three hours, and about a dozen rail cars fell off a bridge . No one was hurt in either case, although a couple patrons tried my patience pretty badly. The storm did blow in my in-laws! Hooray! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Fighting Over Rare Books   World Book Day: Libraries Thrive With E-Books  " This final report represents the very beginning of a reading revolution in Africa’s libraries, and we think the future looks bright." April 27, 1667:  John Milton sells the copyright to Paradise Lost Health & Science Depression Can Physically Alter Your DNA   Melanoma Tumor 'Dissolves' After 1 Dose of New Drug Combo   Alternative therapies: what’s the harm?    Koch-backed group sending ‘real scientists’ to school Pope Francis about ‘Biblical duty’ to pollute  Just...no. Audi just created diesel fuel from air and water   Education Youn...

Honestly, it's probably going to be mostly links for the next week, since we have family coming in to visit. :) Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Poet, 10, from the slums of Nairobi enthralls crowd in New York City with tearful words   Net & Tech Google executive killed in Nepal earthquake while hiking Everest   Education Corinthian Colleges to close its remaining schools, effective Monday   International Nepal earthquake: rescue continues as death toll exceeds 2,500 – the day's updates  Related:  Nepal earthquake: Tent cities spring up for displaced   Other (Serious Stuff) Why So Many Americans Feel So Powerless   Other (Fun Stuff) 5 Historical Attempts to Ban Coffee  

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike New Orleans library has a detailed plan for new tax money: A letter to the editor   Denying New York Libraries the Fuel They Need   CBC to Build Children’s Libraries for Incarcerated Mothers & Babies   Death in the bookmobile   Health & Science Gorilla Cracks Glass Window At Zoo After Little Girl Beats Chest   Enormous Magma Chamber Discovered Deep Below Yellowstone   Education 20 cash-starved public colleges drafting bankruptcy plans thanks to Bobby Jindal’s budget   Nathan Hale High School juniors boycott state test   Authority Issues An inmate's final struggle caught on video; some raising questions about death at West Baton Rouge jail Michael Brown's parents file lawsuit against Ferguson Cop Shoots Cell Phone-Wielding Black Man 4 Times In The Back Because He Feels Threatened   Other (Serious Stuff) Republicans Pass Bill To LOWER Minimum Wage For Servers a...

Today is St. George's Day! Google has an awesome Doodle for today: Sadly, it's only available in the U.K. Why? I like St. George, too! Completely unrelated * to St. George: You can't read this  "If the American people would be opposed to a trade agreement if they saw it, then that agreement should not become the law of the United States." Warren ain't wrong!  Let Congress know - this is a government of and for the people, and we don't want laws enacted without the people's input!  Related:  The White House’s 10 Big Lies To Congress About The TPP   *   Except that TPP is terrible and has the potential to wreck the citizenry, and maybe we could use a St. George or three to defend us. Be a St. George - fight the TPP !  Links! (Wow - there's a lot of them today...) Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Happy  World Book Night ! I plan to celebrate by...well, reading a lot, but I do that every night, so... Falls Church Library ...

Yesterday was  Earth Day ! (I actually wrote this whole post yesterday, and then forgot to publish it - oops!) The Google Doodle was pretty cool: Google also set up a " Which animal are you? ?" quiz - I'm a giant squid! Um...ok. Apparently, several librarians are . Here are some other links for your Earth Day reading: Green Reads   April 22, 1970: The first Earth Day Earth Day: Facts & History   7 things we've learned about Earth since the last Earth Day   Op-ed: Earth Day is a reminder of what we can do collectively   Earth Day 2015: It’s our turn to lead   What Meaningful Things Are Actually Happening On Earth Day This Year   What Happens To The Plastic You Throw Away?   What Would The Earth Look Like If All The Ice Melted?   Louisiana ranks worst in eco-friendliness, report says   Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Los Angeles Public Library wins top award for cultural institutions  ...

81 years ago, Colonel Robert Wilson took a picture of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Maybe. Or maybe it was a hoax. Hello, Nessie! Whatever - today's Google Doodle marks the date, although the artist obviously believes it to be a hoax. Aliens. It's always aliens. Anyway, if you're interested, you can join the search for Nessie using Google Street View ! Honestly, I don't actually think I'll see Nessie - but the Scottish Highlands are certainly gorgeous. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike New York Public Libraries Warn of a ‘Staggering’ Crisis April 21, 1816:  Charlotte Bronte born How a Pulitzer-winning series forced South Carolina to face its domestic violence problem   Archivist James Fox says UO Interim President Scott Coltrane's team betrayed, scapegoated him   Minneapolis ranked most literate city  New Orleans came in at 27th. C'mon, NOLA, we can do better than that! Thai Librarians Visit ALA Washington Office  ...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Library of Congress Launches New Online Poetry Archive, Featuring 75 Years of Classic Poetry Readings   T.H. Tsien, 105, Dies; Scholar of Chinese Books Rescued 30,000 of Them  "Professor Tsien...was a young librarian [in China] during the Japanese occupation, which lasted from 1931 until the end of World War II. Working in secret, he was charged with keeping a trove of precious volumes, some dating to the first millennium B.C., from falling into the occupiers' hands....In interviews, Professor Tsien was sometimes asked why he assumed so grave a risk to smuggle books out of China. His reply was simple.  'It was my duty,' he said."  ALSC's 2015 Summer Reading List!  If you have a kid, grades K-8th, these might be very handy! Or if you work with kids in that age group!  Poetry Is Actually Kinda Cool: Great Poetry Books for Reluctant Poetry Readers   10 Reasons Why Kids Need to Read Non-Disney Fairy...

No one wants to hear me talk about doing laundry all afternoon, or spending fifteen minutes trying to pick out a flea collar. Ranga is not amused. I don't think he likes flea collars. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike,  A New ‘Wrinkle in Time’  "Ms. Voiklis said she wanted readers to know the book wasn't a simple allegory of communism. Instead, it's about the risk of any country—including a democracy—placing too much value on security. The tension between safety and personal freedom is an idea that resonates in today's politics." See Priya Cook: Gender Bias Pervades Textbooks Worldwide   April 19, 1824:  Lord Byron dies in Greece   The story behind Jar’Edo Wens, the longest-running hoax in Wikipedia history   Health & Science Solar Power Battle Puts Hawaii at Forefront of Worldwide Changes   How we got duped into believing milk is necessary for healthy bones   Education 10 Exciting Lessons For Your Kindergart...

I admit it - I'm snarky. I always have been snarky. Even when I was little, I would very clearly state my disagreements with authority figures, letting them know exactly how and why I thought they were wrong. It covered everything from my reading abilities (most people doubted how well I could read, or that I could handle certain subjects or genres - they were wrong) to theological differences (I had no speechless awe for pastors or visiting evangelists). Sometimes - and this might be hard to believe - but, sometimes, I'd get a pinch of sarcasm mixed in with my logic. In high school, I stayed snarky, but only in close circles. Mostly, I was quiet, and did a lot of reading, although snarky thoughts played through my mind pretty constantly. In college, I let more of it out. Some professors liked me, some didn't, and some warned others that I could be trouble.  I know - shocking. I'm afraid I have to admit, too, that I'm only getting snarkier as I get old...

Bruno Mars Uptown Funk Parody: Unread Book   Didn't like that one? Try these:  9 Great Songs About Libraries, Librarians, and Books  I'm sure there's  something  there you'll like! (Personally, I like "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967" best!) Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike How To Make The Most Of Your Modern Public Library During National Library Week   Connecticut libraries protest funding cuts   BuzzFeed’s censorship problem   Net & Tech Dozens of US government online whistleblower sites not secured by HTTPS   Shoes That Grow: Guy Invents Sandals That’ll Grow 5 Sizes In 5 Years To Help Millions Of Poor Children   Health & Science Strange disease ravages Ondo community; 28 dead    Promising Antibody That Neutralises HIV Shows Why We Shouldn’t Give Up On A Vaccine   What Exactly Is Happening When Your Knuckles Crack?   Health Check: why do some p...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike St. Louis County Library prepares to plant the seeds of learning in new reading garden   11 Reasons Librarians Are Better Superheroes Than The Avengers   What Not to Say to Emerging Readers   Here’s What You Can Do If Your School Wants To Ban Your Favorite Book   James Patterson increases donations to UK bookshops   Investigation launched at £33,000-a-year boarding school after AS-level pupils told to study wrong book  Oops... The Trouble With Unpublishing the News   Net & Tech Republicans seek fast-track repeal of net neutrality   The most concerning element of Facebook’s potential new power   Direct Video Communication: Access for People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Speech Disabled in an IP World Anti-municipal broadband group tries to silence a critic  "ALEC sent cease-and-desist to wireless carrier, which refuses to comply."   When it Comes to Broadb...

Happy National Library Workers Day ! Make sure you thank your librarians and other library staff members for all their help in getting you the information you want and need! Have a favorite library worker? Perhaps one who has gone out of his or her way to help a child struggling to read, or track down some elusive bit of genealogical information? Taught you about ILL or arranged an order for your favorite show? Submit a Star! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Library of Congress: the Unexpected Diplomat   State of America's Libraries Report 2015    How Libraries Engage Local Advocates   Iowa Teachers Fight Ban of Absolutely True Diary Creative Courage for Young Hearts: 14 Emboldening Picture Books Celebrating the Lives of Great Artists, Writers, and Scientists   Fox Sports' Katie Nolan destroys her own network's sexist article   April 14, 1818:  Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language is printed   N...