The Ill Wind Weekly Link Round-Up

 

 

I'll begin this post with what I saw when I opened the curtains Thursday morning.

 

 

 

Once again, a winter storm blew through. Once again, it took out something on the property. The day this posts, the new carport should be in place. We haven't heard back yet from the Cactus Doctor, but I'm afraid this big old senita cactus is a goner because it's not covered by insurance and we simply don't have the money to hire a crane to hoist it back into place. It will be like losing a piece of our history.

How could something like this happen? Saturated soil from repeated rains. A very large plant with a very shallow root system. A very strong wind from just the right direction. I know we need every drop of rain we can get, but enough is enough with the wind!

oOo

Now I'm moving on to a subject that chaps my hide. In mid-February when Sam of Book Chase blogged about a 16-year-old book review someone told Google was offensive (the post now has a warning banner that must be clicked through before you can read it), little did I know that I would soon be going one better.

Someone turned in a 15-year-old book review of mine as being offensive, and Google deleted it completely. What is all the fuss about? A review of a non-fiction book about prostitution in the early West. Did the author glorify prostitution? No. Did I say in my review that prostitution is a wonderful line of work? No. But... my review is offensive and harms the delicate sensibilities of others.

Why are we letting the inmates run the asylum?

Let's move on to the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• This ancient Hebrew Bible may fetch $50 million, making it the priciest book ever sold.
• The School Library Journal's survey provides insight into librarians' job satisfaction.
• How the Armed Services Editions created a nation of readers.
• The unsettling history of serial killers in Colorado.
• What artists like Monet, Renoir, and other masters teach mystery writers about crafting villains.
• Scribd vs Audible: Which is the best audiobook service?
• The joys of having lifelong reading goals.
• Roald Dahl's publisher has announced a 16-book unaltered "classics collection" due to backlash.
• Why winter is the best season for reading.
  

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• EveryLibrary is monitoring state legislation during the 2023-2024 session that would limit Americans' freedom to read and think for themselves. 
• 41 books will come off Pender County (North Carolina) Schools shelves while they undergo review. 
• As seen on this Youtube video, state legislation in Idaho could bring in insurance companies and liability insurance to dictate what books can be kept in libraries. When did we let the inmates take over the asylum?
• Meridian, Idaho voters will have the opportunity to dissolve its libraries.
• This Florida teacher was fired after DeSantis calls his video of empty school bookshelves "fake".
• Safety measure or book banning tool? A K-12 obscene materials bill sparked a heated debate in New Hampshire.
• Lafayette (Louisiana) library changes may keep classic novels from teens' hands.
• Cumberland County (North Carolina) schools are reviewing books for explicit content. Some are condemning this as censorship.
• The Crawford County (Arkansas) Quorum Court has to meet to consider paying $40,000-plus severance package to the library director.
• Livingston Parish (Louisiana) leaders are seeking to further restrict access to library content for minors.
• An op-ed piece from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Parents know best.
• A Louisiana GOP gubernatorial candidate believes Satan is sitting in libraries. 
• Booksellers respond to book challenges and bans. 
• Book bans and restrictions are [had better be] a losing issue for Republicans.
  
• Florida op-ed: "We must curb the scourge of reading that plagues this nation's children." 
• (Words cannot adequately convey how disturbing it is for me to put this section of the round-up together each week.)

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A major archaeological discovery was made on the Miami River. Was it kept "under wraps"?
• Egypt is opening a 4,000-year-old tomb on Luxor's West Bank, the oldest open to the public. 
• This trove of Mayan ceramics could provide insight into life under an "iconic" ruler 1,400 years ago. 
• A volunteer found a shiny object in the dirt and unearthed a 1,600-year-old artifact in Jerusalem. 
• At Mexico's Chichen Itza site, researchers have discovered ancient "elite" residences. Later, it was revealed that this particular area had been uncovered over a century ago. Oops.
  
• Lasers have revealed the ruins of a 5th-century Roman fortress in a Spanish forest. 
• Revealing the risqué art of Pompeii's House of the Vettii. 
• Ancient golden glass was unearthed during Roman subway construction. 

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Mexico has banned great white shark-related tourism on Guadalupe Island.
• Eating table scraps and raw food may help protect dogs against stomach issues.
• Kaya, the service dog who inspired the PAWS Act, takes one last flight in this video.
• People on the internet found snow for a Bernese Mountain dog with days to live.
• The otherworldly "Lord of the Rings" frog was discovered in the mountains of Ecuador.
• The world's oldest European hedgehog was found by citizen scientists.
• Why are purple martins declining in the United States?
• William Osman, worried about the type of parent he would be, borrowed a raccoon to see if he was ready for fatherhood.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• The most interesting buildings that are now libraries and bookstores.
• The most beautiful libraries in the world. 
• The Parisian opera house that inspired Phantom of the Opera is now an Airbnb. 
• Is this elementary school near Pittsburgh the future of education? 
• This tiny Welsh island is Europe's first Dark Sky Sanctuary. 
• You can travel in a vintage 1940s train along the Hudson River. 

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How a 26-year-old Steven Spielberg made Jaws-- and nearly lost his career in the process.
• How did acclaimed Australian author John Hughes become one of the most prolific literary plagiarists in history?
• Suzanne Lipschutz spent her life hunting for lost wallpaper.
• The African diplomats who protested segregation in the U.S.
• The Black woman's forgotten fight against the laws that banned her hair.
• Famous authors you didn't know wrote franchise novels.
• The real warriors behind The Woman King.
• The forgotten Kenyans who excavated ancient monuments.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Audiobook merchandise for passionate listeners.
• Ten neglected books about the Spanish Civil War. 
• The top ten cads in fiction. 
• These are the finalists for the Best Audiobooks of the Year. 
• Sixteen historical fiction novels with unique settings. 
• Six mysteries and thrillers about music. 
• Seven Italian mysteries and thrillers. 
• Sixteen great international books for U.S. readers. 

 

 

That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

 

And don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!