Just a Pretty Picture and Some Links Today!

Here's the pretty picture:

I like bright colors.

Also:

Links!

Freedom to Read: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In "We avid readers know the value of access to books and information. It’s essential not just as a form of entertainment but also for a way of understanding the world. Libraries are a vital way of making reading available to everyone in the community. But libraries haven’t always been open and welcoming spaces. It’s something I’m reminded of whenever I visit my local library, the site of one of the first sit-ins of the early Civil Rights movement in the U.S."
Philip Pullman unveils epic fantasy trilogy The Book of Dust "The as-yet-untitled first volume of The Book of Dust, due out on 19 October, will be set in London and Oxford, with the action running parallel to the His Dark Materials trilogy....In a description that will resonate with the current political climate, he added that 'at the centre of The Book of Dust is the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organisation, which wants to stifle speculation and inquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free.'" Sounds really good.
Society needs humanities majors "The importance of a good education, especially one heavy in the humanities, is about being able to survey, understand and either strengthen or dismantle the apparatus that underlies our civilization, culture and society."

Donald Trump Just Broadcast a Dangerous Misconception About Autism Rates "Trump is broadcasting a very inaccurate and misleading claim about autism — one that you often hear from the Kennedys and Wakefields of the world, but which experts flatly disagree with. Purveyors of this claim often point out that autism rates have increased significantly since the early 1990s, but as Steve Silberman, an autism expert and the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, told Science of Us, that has to do with diagnostic criteria and awareness, not the prevalence of the condition itself."

My friend Jop has started a Thai cooking blog. This is awesomeness, and makes me ridiculously happy. She lives in the U.S., so all the recipes are adjusted for living in the U.S., where we can't get quite the same ingredients, which is awesome because I miss Thai food and now I can make something close enough! Hurrah!

Russia Deploys Missile, Violating Treaty and Challenging Trump I think they're upset about something. The real question is: What are we going to do about it? Related: Russia tests the waters: Military jets buzz a US destroyer in the Black Sea, Moscow tests a new cruise missile in violation of arms treaty and deploys a spy ship off the coast of Delaware as Trump's NSA is in disarray Yep, nothing to worry about at all.
North Korean Dictator Ordered Brother Killed, South Korean Spy Chief Says "North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un issued an assassination order to kill his half-brother after seizing power in 2011 and agents tried to execute it at least once before succeeding this week, South Korea’s top spy chief said."
Mass sexual assaults by refugees in Frankfurt ‘completely made up’ "Prosecutors in Frankfurt are investigating two people for making up a crime, after they claimed in a national newspaper that dozens of Arab men rioted and sexually assaulted women at New Year." Fake news is not a uniquely American thing, sadly.

Video shows Ohio officers pepper-spraying a person in a restraint chair — again I'm sure they felt their lives were in danger or something, though.
Tennessee man who plotted New York mosque attack won’t face terrorism charges Apparently because you can't be a terrorist if you aren't a foreigner, even if the plan involves AR-15s and burning down a place of worship.
Conservative cartoonist portrays Education Secretary DeVos as civil rights icon Ruby Bridges — and Twitter reacts It's false equivalence and, frankly, disgusting.
The Republican Party Begins to Fracture over Obamacare "Fearing that their more moderate peers are getting jittery in the face of deteriorating public sentiment, conservative Republicans are now gearing up for a major push to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement program, intent on forcing cooperation across the aisle. But not everyone in the party is ready to move forward without an adequate plan to bring home to their constituents."
Andrew Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary When you know you're going to lose, it just makes sense to exit quietly.
While Trump scandals mount, Chaffetz decides to investigate... a cartoon character It's Sid the Science Kid, a preschool character that teaches basic science concepts to toddlers. Obviously a far greater threat than whatever is going on with Trump's people and Russia.

Steampunk Gypsy