Never Been a Pastel Fan

Or a fan of pastel, for that matter.

Today was a crazy day. Don't talk to me about pens. Especially pastel blue pens. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch bad t.v. until I fall asleep. Maybe I'll sleep till Monday. We'll see.

But, here, have a pretty picture:

Ranganathan also judges you by your pen choices

And some Links!

• Library Land
• Neil Gaiman announces Neverwhere sequel, The Seven Sisters "Author says the new fantasy novel has been inspired by his work with UN refugee agency and ‘the shape London is in now’" Do you have any idea how excited I am?? I mean...I just wrote about how much I'm looking forward to reading his new book and waiting for his soon-to-come-out book and now he's writing a sequel to my favorite of his books and EEEEEEE!
• Museums and libraries fight ‘alternative facts’ with a #DayofFacts "Using the hashtag #DayofFacts, more than 280 scientific and cultural institutions are devoting Friday to dropping 140-character truths on Twitter." You should go check them out!
• Ukrainian librarian under Russian house arrest takes case to court of human rights "In a move roundly condemned by human rights groups, Sharina went on trial in November 2016 for incitement by stocking books banned in Russia and labelled extremist and 'anti-Russian propaganda'. Three weeks after the trial began, embezzlement was added to the list of charges. If found guilty, she faces up to 10 years in prison."
• OK, this seems like a great book for Episcopal kids - The Book of Comic Prayer The real question is how I'm going to get my hands on a copy, because I can't seem to get it through interlibrary loan. Oh, no!
• Health, Science, & Technology
• Stop saying Donald Trump is mentally ill when what you mean is that he's a bad person  "Every time we willingly blur the line between raging arsehole and mentally ill person, we do two very dangerous things: we increase stigma surrounding real psychiatric conditions, and we excuse people for their terrible behaviour on the basis that they had to have been 'out of their minds' to think or act that way." Trump may or may not be mentally ill - but it is very important to remember that 'mentally ill' and 'bad' or 'dangerous' are not the same thing. We do not know Trump's mental health; we do know he is a liar and a terrible human being (as well as a bad president).
• A Declaw Law? Veterinarians Divided Over N.J. Cat Claw Bill "Veterinarians are sharply divided over a New Jersey bill that would make it a crime to declaw cats. New Jersey would be the first state to ban a practice that critics call painful and barbaric." 
• I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again. Neither should you.  "A few months ago I wrote about how you can encrypt your entire life in less than an hour. Well, all the security in the world can’t save you if someone has physical possession of your phone or laptop, and can intimidate you into giving up your password."



Image Credit: XKCD

• Randomnesses
• What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success "The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence."   
• International
• Suspect in North Korea killing 'thought she was taking part in TV prank' That explains the LOL shirt...
• U.S. News
• S.C. Man Is Accused Of Trying To Emulate Attack On Charleston Church  "McDowell allegedly said he wanted to act 'in the spirit of Dylann Roof,' the gunman in the 2015 attack on a church in Charleston, S.C."
• North Carolina needed 6,500 farm workers. Only 7 Americans stuck it out. Food is about to get a heck of a lot more expensive...
• Chaffetz seeks charge of ex-Clinton aide in email inquiry This again?? "The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who has refused Democratic requests to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving President Donald Trump, is seeking criminal charges against a former State Department employee who helped set up Hillary Clinton’s private email server....'Apparently, Chairman Chaffetz and President Trump are the only two people in Washington today who think we should still be investigating Secretary Clinton,' Cumming said in a statement. He added: 'The Oversight Committee can’t afford to be distracted by political vendettas against Hillary Clinton while our constituents are begging us to conduct responsible oversight of President Trump.'"
• U.S. House sanctions killing hibernating bears, wolf pups in their dens on federal refuges in Alaska The House "voted to overturn a federal rule – years in the works, and crafted by professional wildlife managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – to stop some of the most appalling practices ever imagined in the contemporary era of wildlife management. Denning of wolf pups, killing hibernating bears, spotting grizzly bears from aircraft and then shooting them after landing, and trapping grizzly bears and black bears with steel-jawed leghold traps and snares.... And not just on any land. On our country’s national wildlife refuges."
• Senate Confirms Scott Pruitt as E.P.A. Head "Democrats, environmental groups and even current E.P.A. employees have harshly criticized Mr. Pruitt’s record of fighting the mission of the agency he will now lead, as well as his close ties with the fossil fuel industry he will now regulate. Both opponents and supporters of Mr. Pruitt’s say he is well positioned to carry out Mr. Trump’s campaign trail promises to dismantle the agency and slash its ranks of employees. Mr. Trump vowed to 'get rid' of the agency 'in almost every form.'" Because who cares about clean air and water or safe food and healthy ecosystems when there's profit to be made, I guess?
• 10 Resign from President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders "Citing the administration's 'rhetoric of hate,' Pancholy, who has been active with anti-bullying initiatives as a member of the commission, said he felt his ability to do his job had been taken away. 'It's become impossible to say, as a member of the federal government, "I encourage you to report hate crimes and bullying to the government because we're here to help you,'"when in fact this administration does not seem to have made that a priority,' he said, adding that he felt better positioned to serve the community by organizing outside of the White House appointment." 
• Harward chose to quit before he'd even started... Trump notes new national security list ‘in play’ after first choice turns down offer Related: Trump’s Public Humiliation "By rejecting the national security adviser job, Robert Harward gave cover to every professional who wants to turn the president down." 
• 9 things it’s hard to believe the president of the United States actually just said Related: Cummings: ‘No idea why President Trump would make up a story about me like he did today’
• Also related: Trump Calls the News Media the ‘Enemy of the People’