Steampunk Gypsy

Today is  International Museum Day ! Who doesn't love museums? There are museums for every possible interest, and for every age group, too! In the U.S., at least, there are plenty of them, as well - over 15,000! I used to work with the  Louisiana Children's Museum  in New Orleans, and it was great! For one thing, they let you play with most of the exhibits. I prefer those sorts of museums, frankly. No one will let me touch the Mona Lisa... No one let me ride "Garrett Horse," either - but there's other stuff to play with, so it's okay. Here are some special links for you: International Museum Day: Spectacular new museums to look forward to 5 Must-Visit Museums for Literature Lovers Find a Museum New Orleans Museums  (New Orleans is chock-full of museums! If you ever come to visit, make sure you check out at least one of them!)  Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Is this the world's loneliest library? Chinese architect cr...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany   May 17, 1873:  Dorothy Richardson, pioneer of stream of consciousness, is born  I'm personally not a big fan of stream of consciousness writing, but some people love it.  TPP TPP: Obama's Folly  "Barack Obama's petulant criticism last Friday of Democrats who do not support his proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership reminds me of the old tongue-in-cheek advice to young lawyers: 'If the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If the law is on your side, pound the law. If neither is on your side, pound the other lawyer.'" Since neither the facts nor the law are on his side, he's "desperately pounding the opposition....One thing is certain: If his shameful pounding of dissenters to the TPP is successful, the result will be to further pulverize the living standards of American workers." Net & Tech Why Dial-Up Internet Isn’t Dead Yet  ...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Little Free Library announces kids' book drive   Little Free Libraries are more than books — they’re therapy    Feds investigating Library Foundation payments  "Federal subpoenas have been served related to the use of public library donations for Irvin Mayfield's New Orleans Jazz Orchestra....[M]oney donated to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation had been routed to the jazz orchestra..."  Life Is "Triggering." The Best Literature Should Be, Too.   Happy birthday, L. Frank Baum!   TPP Why Is President Obama Having So Much Trouble Selling TPP?  "So what's wrong with TPP?" A heck of a whole lot, actually.  Canada Just Threw A Grenade Into Elizabeth Warren's Trade Fight With Obama  "Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver gave a speech in New York arguing that the Volcker Rule -- a key tenet of the 2010 banking law -- violates the North American Free Trade Agreement. The move...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Police groups object to 'Don't Shoot' art piece at Wisconsin library   Nude Fairy Painting Returns to San Bernardino Library   Big-Hearted Book Lovers Across Brazil Donate 5,000 Books To Fulfill Girl's Library Dream  "At just seven years old, [Mell] dreams of opening a public library in her city of Mata Grande, a small municipality in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, with a population of just over 25,000." Wow! Go, Mell!  Ok, these  poems from the Doctor  make me ridiculously happy. (The first Doctor's is my favorite!) The Kite Runner Challenged in North Carolina High School   Using Graphic Novels in Education: Beanworld   Iraqi Cartoonist’s Work a Labor of Love   Malaysian Court Allows Government to Appeal Lifting of Zunar Ban   Franz Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, dies at 62  "Wright's books of poetry include 'F' (2013), 'Kindertotenwald' (2011), 'Wheeling Motel...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike David McCullough Explains Why Librarians Are the Best   Liberty Counsel, a Christian group, sues Wake County Public Library   112 Artists Donate Works to 21st Children’s Book Art Auction & Reception  "Among the pieces up for bidding will be special works created in tribute to bestselling author Judy Blume, who is this year’s honoree for her groundbreaking books, which opened children’s literature to the discussion of problems that kids and teens grapple with every day." Spanish-language literary festival back in L.A. after year's hiatus   May 14, 1842:  Alfred, Lord Tennyson, publishes his popular volume Poems   TPP Senate Reverses Course and Advances TPP Fast Track Bill  That's extremely disappointing, but the fight's not over yet: "There is a better chance that Fast Track can be stopped in the House, where proportionally more lawmakers have expressed their opposition to the bill than in...

What Google's doodle about Inge Lehmann is all about Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Study: Good School Libraries Affect Test Scores   Lost for words? How reading can teach children empathy   May 13, 1907:  Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca, is born   Net & Tech Worker fired for disabling GPS app that tracked her 24 hours a day   Privacy group yanks support of Patriot Act fix Software detects fake mobile, Wi-Fi networks Verizon Wireless, Sprint announce $158 million settlement for bogus charges   Health & Science Does A Mum’s Diet During Pregnancy Influence Her Baby’s Food Preferences?   Education Classical Mythology Too Triggering for Columbia Students   Authority Issues Utah has a serious drug problem - at least, law enforcement does:  “I’ll never ask for another pain pill again”: ℞ database damage in Utah  Related:  The big drug database in the sky: One firefighter’s ye...

USA Freedom is a *fake* privacy bill. Contact Congress now — tell them to block the USA Freedom Act! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Chicago chosen as future home of Obama Presidential Center Prince Charles's black spider memos to be published on Wednesday    Bangladesh blogger Ananta Bijoy Das hacked to death   Oh, the Iron Gall of That King John   Why kids lose interest in reading as they get older   May 12, 1828:  Poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti is born   TPP Awesome news!!   Fast-Track Trade Measure Fails Key Test Vote In Senate  It's far from over for TPP, or fast-tracking, but it's a good first step!  Sen. Warren On The 'Tilted Process' Of Asia Trade Bill  "I have been able to go to a special, secured room. I can't take any electronic devices, no computer, no iPhone. I can't even walk out with paper notes. I can go and read about the agreement but I cannot come out in ...