Monday, April 4, 2016

Information on its own is nothing . . . the patterns created by information are everything . . . .    The First Order, #5 in the Sam Capra series, a novel by Jeff Abbott

You Say Aggregate, I Say Curate . . . b    If aggregation = getting it all together, then curation = presentation in new and exciting, useful ways.  Think infographics or dashboards.  Show people only the information they NEED to make a decision or move a project along.  Remember the power of framing, and find a way to order the chaos of information into manageable chunks.  That's curation!  Stir it up!  Good curated content borrows from a variety of media and sources, don't stick to one kind of information, mix it up and create something new and interesting.  http://www.llrx.com/features/you-say-aggregate-i-say-curate.htm

If you walk around Barcelona, don’t forget to look down from time to time: you may be standing on a marvel of designThe City of Marvels is how writer Eduardo Mendoza called the coolest city of the Mediterranean in one of his novels.  The book is set at the turn of the 20th century, a time in which Barcelona boomed and became what it is today.  A time in which factories’ chimneys grew side by side with the Sagrada Familia’s towers.  That tumultuous era left its signature on thousands of floors in the city--one of its marvels.  Pavements laid in churches, palaces and avenues form an amazing mosaic.  “These floors are addictive”, says José Jóvena, creator with Elisabet Martínez of Tile Addiction.  The two have uploaded hundreds of pictures of Barcelona’s floors on Instagram.   http://www.bespacific.com/47821-2/

plutocracy  noun  1.  government by the wealthy  2.  a controlling class of the wealthy  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plutocracy

oligarchy  noun  A   form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few. A state or organization so ruled.  The persons or class so ruling.

National Library Week will be observed April 10-16, 2016 with the theme, "Libraries Transform."  First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.  It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support.  All types of libraries--school, public, academic and special--participate.  Celebrations during National Library Week include:  National Library Workers Day, celebrated the Tuesday of National Library Week (April 12, 2016), a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers; and National Bookmobile Day, celebrated the Wednesday of National Library Week (April 13, 2016), a day to recognize the contributions of our nation's bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities. 

In the Pledge of Allegiance we all pledge allegiance to our Republic, not to a democracy.  "Republic" is the proper description of our government, not "democracy."  A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one.  In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person.  In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.  Republic. That form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people and are exercised by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen by the people, to whom those powers are specially delegated.  [NOTE:  The word "people" may be either plural or singular.  In a republic the group only has advisory powers; the sovereign individual is free to reject the majority group-think. USA/exception:  if 100% of a jury convicts, then the individual loses sovereignty and is subject to group-think as in a democracy.]  Democracy. That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from a monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy.  [NOTE:  In a pure democracy, 51% beats 49%.  In other words, the minority has no rights.  The minority only has those privileges granted by the dictatorship of the majority.]  https://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm

The Pledge of Allegiance, as it exists in its current form, was originally composed in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), who was a Baptist minister, a Christian socialist, and the cousin of socialist utopian novelist Edward Bellamy (1850–1898).  However, there existed a previous version created by Colonel George Balch, a veteran of the Civil War who went on to become auditor of the New York Board of Education.  Balch's pledge, which existed parallel to the Bellamy version until the 1923 National Flag Conference, read:  We give our heads and hearts to God and our country; one country, one language, one flag!  Bellamy's original Pledge read:  I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  In 1923, the National Flag Conference called for the words "my Flag" to be changed to "the Flag of the United States", so that new immigrants would not confuse loyalties between their birth countries and the United States.  The words "of America" were added a year later.  The United States Congress officially recognized the Pledge for the first time, in the following form, on June 22, 1942:  I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  The United States Flag Code states:  The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag:  “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.  When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.  Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.  Members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and veterans may render the military salute in the manner provided for persons in uniform.  A number of states, including Ohio and Texas, have adopted state flag pledges of allegiance to be recited after this.  Read much more and see graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance

Nearly 350 libraries in Britain have shut their doors over the past six years, with many more facing the threat of closure.  From university rooms in Oxford that have housed literary works for centuries, to vast modern buildings costing £55million featuring criss-cross Hogwarts-style staircases, MailOnline Travel presents the libraries worth writing home about.  Becky Pemberton  See breathtaking pictures at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3513811/Worth-writing-home-Inside-incredible-libraries-Britain-Oxford-s-historic-reading-rooms-futuristic-wonder-Liverpool.html


http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1451  April 4, 2016  On this date in 1818, Congress adopted the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).  On this date in 1964, the Beatles occupied the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.  Quote of the Day  We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. - Maya Angelou, poet (born 4 April 1928)

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