Last week, Denis and I visited the Desert Botanical Garden. You'll be able to see photographic proof next Wednesday. Little does she know it, but this week we're going to celebrate our niece Suzanne's birthday by going to the Phoenix Zoo. We just wish she could be here with us for a little holiday instead of being so many miles away in the UK.
Yes, we're taking advantage of the weather before those triple-digit temperatures get here.
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| Did someone say Cathy and Denis are here? |
I'd better check my camera batteries to make sure they're fully charged. Enjoy the links!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- Why do authors use pen names?
- On the role of children's books within the realm of social evolution.
- Why you get a book hangover-- and five ways to get over it.
- Oprah's Book Club by the numbers.
- How writers have been honored all over the world.
- Dummy boards-- the fun figures of the 1600s.
- Can a fingerprint of your brain help predict disorders?
- The Lost King dramatizes the search for Richard III's remains. The monarch's life was even more sensational.
►Book Banning & Censorship◄
- The Missouri House gives an initial OK to a $45.6 billion state budget-- and one of the ways they want to save money is by defunding public libraries.
- One hundred students walked out of class to protest Indiana's "Don't Say Gay" bill.
- Central York (Pennsylvania) students wore red in silent protest of a book ban and rating system.
- A West Michigan school librarian says the district pulled a book against its own rules.
- Documents show that more than $30,000 of taxpayers' money and 220 staff hours were used for a single book ban in the Spring Branch (Texas) Independent School District.
- Illinois and Iowa propose book ban legislation with opposing goals. (Illinois good, Iowa bad.)
- Missouri librarians are risking jail time-- for doing their jobs.
- How five Florida teens feel about the bill to ban period talk. (Is anyone in Florida going to be able to open their mouths to talk about anything in the future?)
- "Dead kids can't read": a Florida Democrat slams the Republicans on school shootings and book bans.
- "It's so much worse": Children's author Judy Blume condemns book censorship in the U.S.
- A federal judge has declared a Llano County (Texas) library board's book bans unconstitutional and has ordered the books to be returned to the shelves.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- Europe's oldest map shows a tiny Bronze Age kingdom.
- The mystery of this petroglyph-covered Alaskan beach.
- Archaeologists have found the Persian Gulf's first known pearling town.
- You could win $1 million by deciphering these ancient Roman scrolls.
- 400-year-old murals were discovered during a kitchen renovation.
- The controversy over an incredible archaeological discovery.
- A man with a metal detector found a ring that belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.
- Was Stonehenge an ancient calendar?
►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄
- Why do dogs tilt their heads?
- Animal personalities can trip up science.
- A man set up a tiny treehouse for a baby squirrel that he rescued.
- Watch a neighbor's cat join two local dogs on their daily walk.
- Watch a curious pair of giraffes poke their heads into the breakfast room at the Giraffe Manor Hotel in Nairobi.
- Black widow spiders are being killed off by non-native brown widows. (This is sad. I've had two companionable experiences with black widow spiders.)
- See how history's great artists painted their dogs.
- There are whales alive today that were born before Moby Dick was written.
►The Wanderer◄
- Here's why the U.S. leads the world in weather catastrophes.
- Thanks to Dorothy of The Nature of Things, I was treated to this article about one of my favorite places in the world: Southeastern Arizona and its birding.
- Ancient DNA has confirmed the origin story of the Swahili people.
- When Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for speeding.
- The evolution and art of the Big Con.
►Fascinating Folk◄
- History forgot Minerva Parker Nichols, the country's first solo woman architect.
- Who was Lynn Riggs, the gay Cherokee playwright behind Oklahoma!?
- Dorothy Height: the "Godmother" and unsung leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
- Judy Blume doesn't miss writing-- and she's not afraid of dying either.
- The forgotten history of Tsianina Redfeather, the beloved American Indian opera singer.
- Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, not just the "female Indiana Jones"-- meet the unsung queen of Egyptology.
►I ♥ Lists◄
- Five strange and sinister cases of crime and mass hysteria.
- Seven books the critics were wrong about.
- Bookish scarves.
- Setting as character: travel the world with these atmospheric books.
- The eighteen scruffiest detectives in crime film and TV.
- These cozies series feature tea as part of the equation.
- Must-Read alternate history thrillers.
- Eight books by Indian authors set in India.
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.
No matter how busy you are, don't forget to curl up with a good book!
I'm so happy, Cath, that you and Denis are able to get out and about these days! I can't wait to see those 'photos, and I know you'll have a great time next week, too. As for the links, I keep getting so stunned at the number of attempts to stop young people from reading, when all the evidence shows that a lot o varied reading is so helpful to the development of young people's thinking. It is so....infuriating! I've been in education for a lot of years, and I've never seen so many attempts to squelch children's curiosity!! I'm heading out to that pearling town, but I'll be back!
ReplyDeleteOne of the (many) things that chaps my hide about the whole book banning/censorship fiasco is that people with no children at all are showing up at school board meetings insisting that books be taken off the shelves-- and they're being listened to. They should have absolutely no say in the matter!
DeleteDon't. Get. Me. Started. Please.
DeleteConsider my lip zipped. *hug*
DeleteAgree totally. It is an outrage in a country that calls itself democratic that there are book bans, As you saiy, parents can decide what their children read (although try telling a teenager what not to read), but cannot demand books be denied other children. Hats off to librarians and teachers who refuse to ban books,
DeleteBut how long will it be before some maniac kills a librarian?
DeleteSo many interesting links in your round-up today! I've always found Richard III to be a fascinating historical character so I was interested to see that bit. And to think there are whales alive who are older than "Moby Dick," which, by the way, is one of my all-time favorite books. (I know I'm a rebel.) Thanks so much for the shout-out for my blog.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Dorothy. (And isn't it fun to be a book rebel from time to time? I'm a rebel on the subject of Wuthering Heights.)
DeleteEnjoy your trip to the zoo! I look forward to your pictures from the Botanical Garden and the zoo. Our weather went from highs in the low 40's to highs in the upper 80's. It's been crazy, but we are going to cool off for a few days before we get back to our regularly scheduled program of upper 50's. I always enjoy cozies that have tea as part of the equation - that's a fun list.
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been temperamental, too. For a week, I thought we'd skipped spring and headed straight into summer.
DeleteSo glad you and Denis are finding a new rhythm of getting out and about - long may the trend continue.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of whales living so long; I'd forgotten about that until I saw that link. And any mention of Richard III always reminds me of Tey's Daughter of Time, which is such a good book.
Richard III always reminds me of that book, too, Kate. I've always been his supporter and have pointed the finger at Henry (VII) Tudor for a long, long time.
DeleteThere is little more disturbing than banning books. It is a cowardly act by cowardly people, ill conceived and in the long term ineffective. If there is a more significant marker of incipient fascism I don't know what it is. What's next, public book burning? There are some excellent videos from Nazi Germany to serve as a guide.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I've read more than one article recently in which these people did mention wanting to burn books! This is the most frightening blend of ignorance and madness.
DeleteOh, no, I had not thought of that
ReplyDeleteHaving dealt directly with the public for 95% of my working life, I did think of that... and I'm not the only one.
Delete