Short For Bob

Did you know that the cats we keep as pets became domesticated due to human cultural requirements in ancient Egypt? Like other domesticated species, cats had the potential for domestication before this human need, however other small cats we find in the wild have this potential for domestication also. Perhaps it was our furry companion’s cuteness which caused it to be chosen above other species of small cat…

The cubist revolution, now in its eighth year, is thriving.

That’s Minecraft cubes, of course.

The game where you build virtual Lego-like worlds and populate them with people, animals and just about everything in between is one of the most popular games ever made; it’s second only to Tetris as the best-selling video game of all time. There’s gold in them thar cubes: More than 120 million copies have sold since Minecraft launched in 2009.*

So what’s behind the game’s enduring appeal?

For Isiah Hammonds, 9, it’s all about the creative potential every time you fire up your computer.

“You can build anything – anything that you put your mind to! You can work with other people. It’s social. It’s just super fun!” he says while focusing intensely on finishing his virtual ice arena with his multi-player team of fellow Minecraft campers in Richmond, Calif. “It’s for our ice boat racing.”

The Cubist Revolution: Minecraft For All

The Colorado Family Planning Initiative spent comparatively small sums making IUDs and other long-term birth control methods (such as implants and injections) available to women, through a “no wrong door” approach that let women start their journey through a variety of agencies, and included after-school and other counseling services, and also provided birth control to women on maternity wards before they went home with their babies.

The results were amazing: teen births and abortions dropped by nearly 50%, and the birth-rate among teens who were already mothers fell by 58%; there were also dramatic reductions in high-risk births.

For ever dollar spent on the initiative, the state saved $5.85 over the next three years in reduced family benefits and assistance payments.

The program is so successful that many states are copying it, including Oregon, Washington and Delaware.

Francesca Coppa, “Introduction to The Dwarf’s Tale,” The Fanfiction Reader (via rembrandtswife)

*bangs fist on the table* YES GOOD.

Public libraries are often an undervalued, yet invaluable, resource. We take it for granted that down the street, we can enter a portal to worlds near and far. Libraries are a resource for learners, a sanctuary for the weary, and a gateway for young adventurers.

With library funding increasingly under fire, it is more important than ever that the public starts taking an active role in supporting their local library. Supporting doesn’t have to mean donating money or supplies – it can be as simple as requesting a book or attending an event hosted by the library.

Earlier this year, author and librarian Rebecca Donnelly (@_becca_donnelly) shared seventeen ways the general public can support their local libraries. Ranging from simply getting a library card to joining the Board, there is something on this list for everyone.

Four years after Harry’s left Hogwarts he visits McGonagall’s home to talk her out of retirement, and the door is opened by a woman he doesn’t recognise. Confused, he introduces himself and asks to see McGonagall. The woman recognises the name and invites him in, saying Minerva will be home soon. She then talks a mile a minute, but not about the war - about the stories she’s heard about the golden trio from their head of house. About how Harry stood up to Umbridge, and how clever Hermione was, and how Ron had been able to beat her chess game, and how PROUD Minerva was of them all.

By the time McGonagall does arrive, Harry and her wife are chatting like old friends. Minvera’s wife calls her things like “Darling” and “Pumpkin.” Harry cannot believe his ears.