A Close Look at CCBCs 2016 Data on Books By About American Indians First Nations

A Close Look at CCBCs 2016 Data on Books By About American Indians First Nations

Eds. note: See AICLs list for 2016. 

On February 15, 2017, Cooperative Childrens Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin released its statistics on the numbers of childrens books by/about American Indians/First Nations and People of Color during the year 2016. 

This is vitally important work that CCBC has been doing for many years. Two important things to know about these statistics (I am not critical of CCBC at all in noting these two things; doing some of this work myself, I know how very hard it is to do, to get books, and then to categorize/analyze them).

The data is based on books that are sent to them. Small publishers generally cannot afford to send books out to review journals, bloggers, or centers like CCBC. That means books by small publishers who do great books by/about Native peoples may not be included in the data. It also means, however, that books by small publishers (or self published books) who do stereotypical books by Native people may not be included.

The data is statistical. It is a count. It is not about the quality of the books on the list. To see what they recommend, see CCBC Choices. 

CCBC sent me the log of Native books for their 2016 counts. For the last few years I have been taking a close look at their log, focusing on fiction (as tagged by CCBC; books tagged as picture books are not included in this list) published by US publishers. Heres what I see. 

Note! 
Books in blue font are ones I recommend. 
Books in red font are ones I do not recommend.
Books in bold are from "Big Five" publishers.
Book in plain, black font are ones I have not read, with one exception (I have mixed feelings about Alexies book.)

Fiction, US Publishers (books in bold are by one of the Big Five publishers)

Heres the list of fiction written by Native people (N = 4):

• Bruchac, Joseph. The Long Run. 7th Generation
• Bruchac, Joseph. Talking Leaves. Dial/Penguin
• Erdrich, Louise. Makoons. HarperCollins
• Smelcer, John. Stealing Indians. Leapfrog Press (Note: Smelcers claim to Native identity is contested)

Now heres the books on the CCBC list, by writers who are not Native (N = 17):

• Abbott, E. F. Mary Jemison: Native American Captive. Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan
• Carson, Rae. Like a River Glorious. Greenwillow/HarperCollins
• Flanagan, John. Brotherband: The Ghostface. Penguin
• Flood, Nancy Bo. Soldier Sister Fly Home. Charlesbridge
• Heacox, Kim. Jimmy Bluefeather. Alaska Northwest Books
• Hitchcock, Bonnie Sue. The Smell of Other Peoples Houses. Wendy Lamb/Penguin
• Inglis, Lucy. Crow Mountain. Scholastic
• Harrison, Margot. The Killer in Me. Hyperion/Hachette Book Group
• Lewis, Ali. Timber Creek Station. Carolrhoda Lab
• MacColl, Michaela. The Lost Ones. Calkins/Highlights
• Mann, J. Albert. Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale. Calkins/Highlights
• Massena, Ed. Wandmaker. Scholastic
• Oppel, Kenneth. Every Hidden Thing. Simon and Schuster
• Patel, Sonia. Rani Patel in Full Effect. Cinco Puntos Press
• Reeve, Kirk. Sun Father Corn Mother. Sun Stone Press  
• Stokes, Jonathan. Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas. Philomel/Penguin
• Velasquez, Crystal. Circle of Lies (Hunters of Chaos, Bk 2). Aladdin/Simon and Schuster

Who publishes what?
In 2016, the Big Five published two Native writers (Bruchac and Erdrich). Of those two, Ive read and recommend Makoons. Bruchacs book is out for review.

In 2016, the Big Five published eight non-Native writers (Abbott, Carson, Flanagan, Hitchcock, Harrison, Oppel, Stokes, and Velasquez). Of those eight, Ive read and do not recommend Carson, Hitchcock, and Harrison (not all reviews are online yet). I also do not recommend some of the non-Native books from small publishers: Flood, MacColl, Mann, Massena (not all reviews are online yet).


A comparison between 2015 and 2016

---------------------------------------------------2015--------------2016-------
Books by Native writers............................3......................4............              
Books by Non-Native writers....................7.....................17...........


From US publishers, there were 10 in 2015. For 2016, it is 21. That is a huge change, but it is due to non-Native writers. Of the 17, Ive read eight and found all of them lacking in some way. What will I find if I read the other nine? Based on experience, Im not optimistic. Ernie Cox, at Reading While White, reviewed Abbotts book about Mary Jemison. I trust his review. I think it would end up on my not recommended list.

Theres more to do, in terms of analyzing CCBCs data. Thats what Ive got, for now.

___________________________________

Update, Feb 23 2017, 10:20 AM -- back to list titles in fiction/Canada, and picture books in US and Canada. 

Fiction, Canadian Publishers. (Note: none in either category are by Big Five publishers.)

Native Writers (N = 2):

• Currie, Susan. The Mask That Sang. Second Story Press
• McLay, R. K. The Rahtrum Chronicles. Fifth House

Non-Native Writers (N = 4)

• Bass, Karen. The Hill. Pajama Press
• Koner, Miriam. Yellow Dog. Red Deer Press
• Ouriou, Susan. Nathan. Red Deer Press
• Richardson, Eve. Saving Stevie. Red Deer Press

It is interesting that there are not any books from the Big Five. The Big Five are in Canada, too, with "Canada" tagged on.

For example, Robbie Robertsons Testimony is published by Knopf Canada, which is part of Penguin Random House Canada. It is non-fiction, by the way, and it isnt meant for children. It came out in 2016. My guess is that it wasnt sent to CCBC. Robertson is Native. Another example is Joseph Boydens Three Day Road. It is published by Penguin Canada. It came out in 2008, in the adult market, but is assigned to high school students. Boyden is not Native.

___________________________________

Picture books, US Publishers:

Native writers (N = 2):

• Alexie, Sherman; illustrated by Yuji Morales. Thunder Boy Jr. Little Brown
• Connally, Judy Shi, and Lawana Tomlinson Dansby; illustrated by Norma Howard. My Choctaw Roots. Choctaw Print Services.

Non-Native writers (N = 3)

• Burton, Jeffrey; illustrated by Sanja Rescek. The Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim. Little Simon
• Lai, Trevor. Tomo Explores the World. 
• Marshall, Linda Elovitz; illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. Rainbow Weaver = Tejedora del acoiris. Childrens Book Press/Lee & Low.

___________________________________

Picture books, Canadian Publishers (none in either category are by Big Five publishers)

Native writers (N = 9)

• Avingaq, Susan and Maren Vsetula; illustated by Charlene Chua. Fishing with Grandma. Inhabit Media
• Baker, Darryl; illustrated by Qin Leng. Kamik Joins the Pack. Inhabit Media
• Dupuis, Jenny Kay (and Kathy Kacer); illustrated by Gillian Newland. I Am Not A Number. Second Story Press
• Highway, Tomson; illustrated by Julie Flett. Dragonfly Kites/Pimithaagansa. Fifth House
• Kalluk, Celina; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis. Sweetest Kulu. Inhabit Media
• Mike, Nadia; illustrated by Charlene Chua. Leahs Mustache Party. Inhabit Media.
• Robertson, David Alexander; illustrated by Julie Flett. When We Were Alone. Highwater Press
• Smith, Monique Gray; illustrated by Julie Flett. My Heart Fills With Happiness. Orca
• Van Camp, Richard; illustrated by Julie Flett. We Sang You Home. Orca.

Non-Native writers (N = 1)

• Currie, Robin; illustrated by Phyllis Saroff. Tuktuk: Tundra Tale. Arbordale

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A few words about Louise Erdrichs MAKOONS

A few words about Louise Erdrichs MAKOONS

Louise Erdrichs Makoons came out a few days ago. On August 13th, I took a look at Amazon, and saw that it was their #1 New Release in their Childrens Native American Books category.

Erdrich is Ojibwe. The characters in her story are, too, which makes Makoons and the other books in the Birchbark House series an #ownvoices book (the #ownvoices hashtag was created by Corinne Dyuvis).

I love the series. I read the first one, Birchbark House, when it came out in 1999.

Birchbark House began in 1866 when we met Omakayas, a baby girl whose "first step was a hop" (page 5 of Birchbark House). Omakayas is an Ojibwe word that means Little Frog. Makoons is the 5th book in the Birckbark House series. In the 4th one, Chickadee, we met Omakayas as an adult with twin sons, Chickadee, and Makoons. Ive got Makoons open and started reading it, but after reading the prologue, Im pausing to remember the other books and characters.  The books and the characters in them live in my head and heart for many reasons.

When my daughter was in third grade, her reading group started out with Caddie Woodlawn but abandoned it because of its problematic depictions of Native people. The book they read instead? Birchbark House. One of their favorite scenes from the book is when Omakayas has gone to visit Old Tallow to get a pair of scissors and has her encounter with a mama bear and her bear cubs. Indeed, they wrote a script and performed that chapter for their class (and of course, parents!). My daughter played the part of Omakayas. The prop she made for their performance is the scissors in their red beaded pouch. Ive got them stored away for safekeeping. They represent my little girl speaking up about problematic depictions.

~~~~~

Chickadee is captured in Chickadee. The story of his capture and his return is what Chickadee is about. Makoons was devastated by that capture. The worry over his brother makes him sick. That sickness is where Makoons opens. In the prologue, Makoons is recovering as he listens to Chickadee sing to him. They spend hours together. Makoons remembers, and tells Chickadee about, a vision he had while sick. Their family will not return to their homeland. Theyre going to be strong and learn to live on the Plains but they will, Makoons tells Chickadee tearfully, be tested. The two boys are going to have to save their family... but wont be able to save them all.

A gripping and heartbreaking moment, for me, as I start reading Makoons. 

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5 JRPGs TGS 2016 Got Me Excited About

5 JRPGs TGS 2016 Got Me Excited About

Tokyo Game Show last year left me with the biggest grin on my face and so much video game hype that I could burst. While I feel TGS 2016 left less of an impression on me due to the discussion of games that have been shown excessively (Im sorry Final Fantasy XV, but Im looking at you), there were a few games that did catch my eye and got me excited for their release. Ultimately, TGS 2016 showed quite a few games and these are some of my favourites of the JRPGs announced and given trailers this year.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Being honest, my hype level for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 had really gone down since made it my top game for TGS 2015. This had nothing to do with the game itself, rather that I havent finished 1.5 Remix so I assumed I wasnt going to play 2.8 until long after Id finished the 2.5 Remix. This year�s TGS Kingdom Hearts 2.8 trailer may have changed that. The new trailer backed by a nostalgic, fun remix of Utada Hikaru�s Simple and Clean from the first Kingdom Hearts had some gorgeous footage, bringing in some familiar Kingdom Hearts motifs including the star fruit, falling from the sky and of course, keyblades. Adding to the pretty trailer was the game footage from Kingdom Hearts 2.8, particularly from Back Cover and Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage being newer additions to the series so getting an extended peak of those is always welcomed. I was particularly excited since it showed gameplay from the latter which will likely be a peek at Kingdom Hearts 3�s (one of the main reasons I bought my PS4) visuals and most importantly, the gameplay. The whole trailer was a great tribute to the three games featured in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and I hope it keeps me hyped up for its January release.

You can pre-order Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue from Play-Asia.com!

NieR: Automata

Where Kingdom Hearts 2.8�s trailer got me interested with what it showed, NieR: Automata was dynamic thanks to what it didnt show. NieR: Automata�s trailer shows glimpses of footage backed by lots of screaming and yelling, a very mysterious and dynamic way to introduce NieR Automata. Ive never played a NieR game but Ive been curious about the series for awhile. After seeing how interesting the trailer looked, Ill be paying attention to this game more.

You can pre-order NieR: Automata from Play-Asia.com!

Granblue Fantasy Project Re:Link

Granblue Fantasy has had a lot of magazine coverage in Japan recently, so when it was announced in the PS VR portion of Sony�s conference I was quite surprised to see it was coming to VR as I was under the impression it was a smartphone game. The idea of a JRPG (VRPG?) being available on VR without any gimmicks such as gunplay is kind of refreshing since JRPG gameplay is good enough on its own. I�ve never played Granblue Fantasy and there isn�t a lot of information to elaborate on I wouldn�t specifically buy a VR headset for it, but I would definitely play this if I got the chance as itd be a cool new way to experience JRPGs.

Digimon World: Next Order

If you enjoyed Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth as much as I did, you may want to try Digimon World: Next Order now that it�s been announced for PS4 next year. Although the trailer was too short to show Next Order�s main gameplay, since Im currently playing Next Order on my Vita, I can say a few hours in Im liking it and is had all the raise-your-own-Digimon nostalgia from the original Digimon World games. If you like the idea of raising two Digimon to fight together, feeding them meat daily, taking them to the bathroom after training and filling a city with Digital friends, this is the Digimon game to play.

You can pre-order the localised version of Digimon World: Next Order at Play-Asia.com!

World of Final Fantasy

As the potential final trailer before World of Final Fantasy�s late October release, the TGS 2016 trailer gave a cute extended look into the story and more of the characters well get to play with in the fun spin-off game. My favourite part of this trailer was seeing all the summons and enemies of Final Fantasy in the unique art style which somehow even makes Malboros look endearing and cuddly. Cuteness aside, its nice to see World of Final Fantasy will have its own plot full of emotional ups and downs while still paying homage to the Final Fantasys before it. Im looking forward to it more than I expected and Im sure itll be a nice game to play before Final Fantasy XVs release.

You can pre-order World of Final Fantasy from Play-Asia.com!

_______________________________________________________________________________

What were your favourite games from TGS 2016? Was there anything you thought was missing?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and lets talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. Youre awesome! <3

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5 things to know about new IU coach Archie Miller

5 things to know about new IU coach Archie Miller

March Madness 360: Archie Miller hired as Indiana head coach

IndyStar IU Insider Zach Osterman discusses the Hoosiers" choice of Archie Miller as the program"s new men"s basketball coach. Matthew Glenesk / IndyStar

Archie Miller is the new head man in charge of IU"s basketball program.(Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Indiana University has hired Archie Miller as its men"s basketball coach. Here are five things to know about Miller:

1. Coaching family

Miller"s brother, Sean, is the coach at Arizona and both played for their father, John Miller, at Blackhawk High School in Beaver Falls, Pa. John Miller was 657-280 in a 35-year coaching career he retired in 2005 including 104-29 in the postseason. He won eight Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships, the second most in history, and four Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association titles.

Car rides home after practice, driving from camp to camp, said Archie of his father in a 2014 TribLive.com article. He"s really teaching you how to be a coach, and you don"t even realize it. He knew what hard work was. He knew what dedication was. He knew what preparation was. He knew how to communicate. It starts to come naturally to you. It"s all you do. It"s all you"re around, and it"s all you talk about.

Archie and Sean are one offour Division I head coaching brother combinations, joining the Drews (Scott, Baylor, and Bryce, Vanderbilt), Hurleys (Bobby, Arizona State, and Dan, Rhode Island), and Joneses (Joe, Boston University, and James, Yale).Archie and Sean Miller are the first brothers to coach different teams in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in the same season (2014).

2. Disciplinarian

Dayton took strong disciplinary actions when players run afoul of the law under Miller.

Dayton dismissed junior forwards Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson in 2014. The decision was related to a series of thefts from residence halls on campus, according to the Dayton Daily News. The players were key figures in Dayton reaching the Elite Eight the previous season, but the Flyers went 25-8 without them.

Dayton suspended star Dyshawn Pierre for a semester during the 2015-16 season after a hearing board determined he violated the university"s policy on unwanted sexual contact, according to the Dayton Daily News. The decision was upheld by a federal judge, who ruled Pierre"s attorney failed to prove that Dayton"s process for determining Pierre"s guilt was biased or unfair. Prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to charge him with a crime but university policy had a lower standard of guilt. Pierre returned to the team at the end of his suspension.

MORE:Archie Miller "a great hire, great for the state"

DOYEL: Fred Glass knocks it out of the park with Archie Miller

MORE:Reaction to IU"s hiring of Archie Miller

3. No sibling rivalry

Sean and Archie are 10 years apart and Archie has said that led his brother to being more of a mentor than a rival.Sean, then an assistant, recruited Archie to North Carolina State as a point guard.Sean also hired Archie as an assistant at Arizona when we got the job in 2009. Archie was there for two seasons, helping with a 14-win turnaround, from 16-15 in 2009-10 to 30-8.

We didnt grow up in the house together two years apart and the backyard, Archie Miller told the Washington Post for a 2015 story. ... I basically look at him sort of as the role model, the guy whom to be like, the guy who to call when you need something, the one that helped you get to where you wanted to get to.

So its a much different relationship in that way. ...Hes a great reference. But no, were not that brotherly relationship thats like that. Were much different. Hes much more of a guy that I look for wisdom and knowledge from than anything else.

4. Meet Ryan Miller

Archie"s given name is Ryan but was called Archie at an early age because his personality was similar to Archie Bunker, thegrouchy TV character, according to the story on TribLive.com.

MORE:"No doubt" Archie Miller will make in-state recruiting a priority

I always felt that someone was looking at me and saying I"m not that good, not that big, he"s sean"s brother, miller told TribLive.com for a 2014 story.I felt that all the time growing up. I wasn"t as friendly. I didn"t go out of my way to make conversation. I always felt like I had a chip on my shoulder.

5. No leaks not a surprise

Much of the talk around the IU job had been focused on UCLA"s Steve Alford and Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It shouldn"t be a surprise that Miller"s name didn"t surface until minutes before his hire was announced.

He kept his interview in Dayton a secret ... from his own father according to the Dayton Daily News.

My wife and I flew into Houston, and we were sitting there at a Starbucks in the airport about to head to the shuttle when I was like Holy Cow, theres Archie, John Miller said.He said hed take us to the hotel. On the way I said, Hey, what do you hear about the Dayton job? He said, I havent heard anything. I think thats a little above me maybe. He didnt give us a thing. I thought Dayton might be interested, but he didnt give us a clue. Then the next thing hes calling us and telling us hes flying up there to check out the job.

Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2017/03/25/5-things-know-new-iu-coach-archie-miller/99619454/

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7 Facts About India !

7 Facts About India !

1. In the next three years, up to 25% of the worlds new workers will be Indian !

2. Half the world�s outsourced IT services come from India, amounting to a $47 billion dollar industry !

3. Walmart alone outsources $1 billion in IT contracts to India !

4. India is the worlds second largest importer of arms and has spent $50 billion on defense purchases in the last decade !

5. The average Indian is nearly 20 years younger than the average Japanese (26 vs 45) !

6. In recent decades, 500,000 female births have gone missing each year due to (illegal) sex selection and abortion !

7. India used to account for 33% of the worlds GDP; then fell to 3%; now may rise to 25% !

India led the world in GDP before the industrial revolution, when population meant productivity, and India had the largest population. Following the industrial revolution, India entered a long period of economic stagnation.

The future outlook comes from Goldman Sachs, which sees India passing the U.S. economy in 2050, trailing only China.

 

 

 

 

 

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A little exercise about a recent forum question input field handling in awk and Perl

A little exercise about a recent forum question input field handling in awk and Perl

Just recently the following question was posted to the UNIX scripting group in Linkedin:
remove all duplicate entries in a colon separated list of strings
e.g. a: b:c: b: d:a:a: b:e::f should be transformed to a: b:c: d:e::f

Some of the fields contain spaces which should be preserved in the output of course, there is an empty field too which (to me and other authors) indicates that the fields are not necessarily ordered. Here I wont discuss the suggested solutions, I also did not answer to the original posting because I read it one month too late.

awk
But when reading the question my brain already got working and I could not help to try for myself. The obvious tool of choice for exercises like this is awk because awk has inbuilt mechanisms for viewing lines as a sequence of fields with configurable field separators.

A solution could be

BEGIN {
  FS=":" ;    # field separator
  ORS=":"     # output record separator
}
{ for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) {  # for all input fields
    if( f[$i] ) {       # check if array entry for field already exists
     continue;          # if yes: go to next field
    } else {
     print $i;          # if no: print the field content
     f[$i] = 1;          # and record it in array f    }  }
}

which leads to this output:
a: b:c: d:e::f:

The script can be shortened by omitting superfluous braces and else to

BEGIN { FS=":" ; ORS=":" } 
{ for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) { if(f[$i]) continue; f[$i]=1; print $i; } } 

The script uses a very simple straightforward logic: loop through all input fields, if a field is new then print it, if not skip it. This is achieved by storing each field in an associated array f when it first occurs.
Using the field separator FS for splitting the input line and the output record separator ORS when printing (you need to know that print automatically adds ORS) makes this an easy task.

There is one issue though: this solution adds an extra colon at the very end (compared to the requested output), this could be an issue or not depending on the context of this request so one might prefer this code:

BEGIN { FS=":" } 
{ printf $1; f[$1]=1; 
  for(i=2;i<=NF;i++) { if(f[$i]) continue; f[$i]=1; printf FS $i } }

which uses a slightly different logic: the first field is printed straight away (and recorded), the loop checks the remaining fields 2..NF and prints the field separator as a prefix to the field content. This code also works for the extreme case where there is just one field and no colon.

Perl
I then wondered if this couldnt be done equivalently or even shorter in Perl but my best solution is a little bit lengthier because I have to use split to get the individual fields.

$FS=":";
@s = split($FS,<>);
for($i=0;$i<=$#s;$i++) {$e=$s[$i]; next if(exists($f{$e})); $f{$e}=1; print $e,$FS }

I could have used command line options "-a -F:" to avoid the split but I need FS to be defined anyway for the output (I dont know if the split pattern defined by -F can be accessed in Perl).
I use split to chop up the input line and put it into an array s. Then the same logic applies as in awk. Instead of an associative array Im using a hash table f in Perl. The variable e is only used to avoid repeated occurances of $s[$i]. In the end tits a matter of personal preference which solution you take.


It should be noted that I tested with

echo -n "...." | awk ... or perl -e ...

which feeds a string without newline to the pipe which helped to avoid chomp in Perl for removing the newline in the last field.

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A cool article about Guerrilla Games and their office culture

A cool article about Guerrilla Games and their office culture

This article popped up on Twitter today, and I loved it.  First off, it gives the name of the Fallout: New Vegas writer I couldnt remember on the podcast - John Gonzalez, who lead that writers team, and the one on Shadow of Mordor (meh!) - second, I had no idea Guerrilla had such an open, creatively-minded culture.  Third, I love this paragraph about how they ended up producing (what I determine to be) the most successfully-feminist triple-A video game Ive ever played.  And the answer is exactly what youd hope:

"Aloy was always a woman right from the initial concept. While no one at Guerrilla expresses any kind of agenda when it comes to gender equality, as technical lead Michiel van der Leeuw notes, there was an awareness that female leads in games are often sexualized � a precedent the team had no intention of following. "She had to be agile and athletic. Shes an outcast but shes also brought up lovingly," he says. "There were so many elements we had to balance to make her the person she is. I like that people have picked up on her teeth being a bit crooked, her face being asymmetrical � I think people pick up on her imperfections because shes a real person.""

The article gives a really excellent impression of Guerrilla, perhaps most notably from Horizon writer - and new Guerrilla hire - Gonzalez, who moved from the States to Amsterdam to join the team, and now refuses to leave.

"Ive seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of things in the industry that would lead you to become cynical and disillusioned. I dont find that to be the case here. I feel like the level of ambition here is really high, but I dont feel like the ambition is high for external reasons, like wanting to be masters of the universe. Its high because people really care about the quality of the product. I just feel like I dont want to step away from that, you know? This is a place where I can improve myself, can bring myself to the work. I want to stay as close to that as I can."

A nice example of this is the ants on the trees.  You may have seen a GIF or video of the leafcutter ants youll find on trees, here and there - it was kind of a big deal when the game first launched.

little details like this impress me, ants carrying leaves on a tree [Horizon Zero Dawn]

Yknow why those are in the game?

"Its a level of attention to detail most wont notice, but one Guerrilla appears to do without consideration � even to the point where animators took time out of their day to render ants climbing up tree trunks, all of their own volition. ... "They felt like the environment needed something to make it come alive.""

So yeah, check the article.  Sgood stuff.

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A brand about to self immolate Land Rover original v DC100

A brand about to self immolate Land Rover original v DC100

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A Close Look at CCBCs 2015 Data on Books By About American Indians First Nations

A Close Look at CCBCs 2015 Data on Books By About American Indians First Nations

On February 23, the Cooperative Childrens Book Center at the University of Wisconsin released its statistics on the numbers of childrens books by/about American Indians/First Nations and People of Color during the year 2015. Their data is based on books that are sent to them. It is raw data that does not address the quality of the books themselves. This data is important and Im very glad they collect it. I use it in my work.

In 2015, CCBC estimates that they received about 3,400 books. Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen at St. Catherine University, working with illustrator David Huyck, Molly Beth Griffin, and several others (including me), created a graphic that depicts the CCBC data for 2015. Kudos to Sarah for getting it done. David Huycks idea--to reflect the percentages by different sized mirrors--is excellent. Including animals, trucks, etc., is also excellent because it tells us that there are more books about animals, trucks, etc. than about any individual demographic. Thats deeply troubling.

As of this writing (Thursday, September 15, 2016), the graphic has gone viral. It is being widely shared across social media. Im very glad to see that, but Im also seeing lots of assumptions about the data itself. My post today is a close look at the data specific to Native peoples and my attempt to look closely at that 0.9% on the graphic.

Earlier this year, CCBC sent me the list of books on their American Indian Log (it includes First Nations, Latin America, Pacific Islands, and New Zealand). There are a lot of ways to analyze their list. I may do more with the list in another post, but for now, Im focusing on fiction (according to CCBCs tags) published by US publishers.

Fiction, US publishers:

Heres the list of fiction written or illustrated by Native people (titles in blue are ones that AICL has recommended, here or elsewhere; titles in black have not been reviewed)

• Bruchac, Joseph. Trail of the Dead. Published by Tu Books/Lee and Low (Apache)
• Bruchac, Joseph. Walking Two Worlds. Published by 7th Generation (Iroquois)
• Robertson, Robbie. Hiawatha and the Peacemaker. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. (Mohawk)

Now heres the books on the CCBC list, by writers and illustrators who are not Native (titles in red are ones that AICL reviewed here or elsewhere and did not recommend; titles in black have not been reviewed)

• Bowman, Erin. Vengeance Road. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (Apache)
• Johnston, E. K. Prairie Fire. Published by Carolrhoda/Lerner. (Haida and Tseshaht)
• Osborne, Mary Pope. Shadow of the Shark. Published by Random House. (Maya)
• Rose, Caroline Starr. Blue Birds. Published by Penguin/Putnam. (Tribal nation not specified)
• Shepherd, Megan. The Cage. Published by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. (Maori)
• Velasquez, Crystal. Hunters of Chaos. Published by Aladdin/Simon and Schuster. (Mayan and Navajo)
• Voelkel, J & P. The Jaguar Stones: The Lost City. Published by EgmontUSA. (Maya)

Who publishes what?
In 2015, the Big Five publishers did not publish Native writers. Over half of the books the Big Five published misrepresent and/or stereotype Native peoples. As I found in the 2013 data set, Native writers get published by smaller publishers.

What does that mean?
If teachers/librarians wanted to get all 11 of the fiction from US publishers on the 2015 CCBC list, theyd likely have a harder time getting those from the smaller publishers because those arent stocked in stores like ones from the major publishers. Given the poor quality in the books from the Big Five, children will most easily see problematic depictions of Native people.

Is there a focus on one Native people?
Yes. There are 3 books with content specific to the Mayan people. I think thats interesting because this sample is US publishers. We might expect that, in sum, wed see them publishing books about US tribal nations, but, no! It is very hard to make generalizations based on such a tiny set of data, but what do you think?

What settings (chronologically) get published?
There are 11 books. Some are straight up historical fiction (Blue Birds). Several, like Shadow of the Shark are hard to categorize because theres time travel. I think this sample is not large enough to make any definitive statements about setting, but what do you see? What observations might you make?

The bottom line:

The Native child in the new graphic is holding a very small mirror. 

When you take a close look at the quality of the books that could be mirroring her in some way, what she gets is, primarily, distortions. 

_____
This post was updated on September 16 to correct an error. Patty Loews book was incorrectly listed in the CCBC log as fiction. It is nonfiction and has therefore been removed from the list of books by small publishers, above. 

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A Few Fundamental Truths About Game Reviews So Stop Being So Mad

A Few Fundamental Truths About Game Reviews So Stop Being So Mad

Always remember: If it makes lots of money, it is perfect and immune to criticism.

To catch you up: Theres a game called Grand Theft Auto V. Maybe youve heard of it. Like all games in the series, you commit horrible, violent crimes. Arguably, in V, those crimes tend to be a bit more on the gruesome, appalling scale than in earlier games.

Reviews are coming out. Greg Tito of the Escapist gave the game the shocking, war-crime level rating of 3.5 stars out of 5, saying "only buy Grand Theft Auto V if youre prepared to play as characters with no justifiable motivation for doing awful things to people."

Predictably, their forums exploded into haterage, as a huge portion of gamers are nothing but giant, ambulatory, exposed nerves mainly good for the spraying of spite. 

So Greg Tito had to back up the largely obvious, expected, self-evident points he made earlier with a long follow-up article. Its worthy reading.

Man, I loves me some good internet drama. Its like fudge. I can eat it all day. Keeps me from working. But ...

oh god why am i trying so tired so tired

A Few Sanity Comments

1. Evaluating the worth of a work of art with a number, a clump of stars, or the positioning of ones thumb is completely arbitrary and useless. We know that, right? Ignore it. You cant judge a work of art with a number. Its not like theres some Art Scale you can put art on and weigh it and say, "This weighs 7.32 Arts, so its good."

2. The point of a critic is to criticize. Anyone in our developing art form who actually tries to stand up and make real points is worth applauding, even if we dont agree.

3. If you, as a critic, dont ever make a bunch of people angry at you, youre wasting your time. If youre never challenging anyone, why are you bothering? 

4. Also, ProTip: When a carefully reasoned comment makes someone angry, that means youre on the right track. When you are being calm and thoughtful and people still rage at you, it means you hit a nerve that probably needed hitting.

5. As the art form matures, you have to expect that really egregious crap is going to get called out more and more. Sure, youre allowed to make a game thats morally repellent. But realize, as gamers grow up, have kids, and start to lose family members, they�re learning just how funny death isnt. The voices saying, "Why are the biggest, most glorious, most expensive worlds in the game industry being used for such a horrific end?" are only going to get louder.

6. This just makes me appreciate Saints Row IV so much more. Practically all of the comical violence in it is directed against evil, invading aliens or computer simulations. Makes it go down easier for us olds. And, yes, I am plausibly pointing out Saints Row as the sane, mature option, which is how we know that the world has gone mad.

7. A lot of the comments claim everything Greg Tito says is invalid forever because he gave Dragon Age II 5 stars out of 5. One, if youre wrong once, it doesnt mean you cant be right 500 times after that. And, two, read Sanity Comment #1 again. 

8. That Grand Theft Auto V depicts what it does and yet is as popular as it is is very interesting. I think it says something about us as people. And Im not about to get all liberal and sensitive and say that its something inherently bad. I think the game addresses less the desire to do wrong and more a deeper, fundamental frustration. Not sure. Just a hunch. Bears more thought.

9. Finally. If we are going to assign numerical values to represent the value of a work of art in a storytelling medium (which we shouldnt, because its dumb and useless), it is necessary to take the quality of the story into account. I mean, right?

Yeah, Ill probably play GTA V one of these days. For as long as I can stand it, anyway. It sounds like a stunning technical accomplishment, the sort of thing a game designer has to play to keep ones skills current. I just dream of a day when the most technically spectacular games can be played with my kids in the room.

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A Collection of Reviews Tutorials About Desktop Environments in GNU Linux

A Collection of Reviews Tutorials About Desktop Environments in GNU Linux

This article lists all UbuntuBuzz articles in intros, reviews, and tutorials about 10 desktop environments in GNU/Linux. UbuntuBuzz provides both basic usage and customization guides for every of the big four KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and LXDE; plus the similar guides for MATE and Cinnamon; and further UbuntuBuzz also provides intros or reviews for Unity, Manokwari, Budgie, and DDE. If you are looking for GNU/Linux desktop environments related articles, then this list and these all UbuntuBuzz articles are for you.

Subscribe to UbuntuBuzz Telegram Channel https://telegram.me/ubuntubuzz to get article updates directly.

1. KDE

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/07/beginner-kde-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/11/beginner-kde-desktop-customization-guide.html
• Intro KDE Connect: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/11/introducing-kde-connect-control-your-computer-from-your-phone.html
• Dolphin Guide: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/10/how-to-use-kde-file-manager-dolphin.html 
• Absolute Handy Image Manipulations in Dolphin: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/05/how-to-convert-resize-rotate-or.html

2. GNOME

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/06/beginner-gnome-3-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-gnome-desktop-customization.html
• Review GNOME 3.22: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/11/an-introduction-to-gnome-322-for-complete-beginner.html 
• Intro GNOME Software Center: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/04/introducing-gnome-software.html

3. XFCE

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-xfce-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/11/beginner-xfce-desktop-customization.html

4. LXDE

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-lxde-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/11/beginner-lxde-desktop-customization-guide.html

5. Unity

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-ubuntu-unity-desktop-usage.html

6. Manokwari

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-blankon-manokwari-desktop.html
• Review: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/11/a-preview-into-manokwari-desktop-environment-from-blankon-x-tambora.html

7. MATE

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/07/beginner-mate-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-mate-desktop-customization-guide.html
• Caja Guide: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/10/how-to-use-mate-file-manager-caja.html

8. Cinnamon

• Intro: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-cinnamon-desktop-usage-guide.html
• Customization: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2015/08/beginner-cinnamon-desktop-customization-guide.html

9. Budgie

• Review: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/10/desktop-environment-review-budgie.html

10. DDE

• Review: http://www.ubuntubuzz.com/2016/10/gnulinux-review-deepin-153.html 

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5 things you didnt or did know about Ubuntu

5 things you didnt or did know about Ubuntu

Ubuntu has lots of neat features that make using it more productive and fun, but people new to it dont know about them. Here are 5 of them that you might not have known.

Hiding files

Ubuntu has a different method for hiding file from Windows: any file with a . as the first letter automatically becomes hidden. As an example, if you had "picture.jpg", rename it to ".picture.jpg" to make it hidden.
Hidden files can be shown by pressing Ctrl+H

Run a program without a terminal

If you need to run a program but cant find where it installed to, then press Alt+F2. Youll be shown a list of applications to choose from and also each programs command.

Change folder and file icons in Nautilus

If you want to use a special image instead of the standard icons in Nautilus file browser, right-click an item and go to the Properties. In the top left corner youll see the current icon, so click that and navigate to an image that you want to use. You can also reset the image by clicking Revert at the bottom.

Spruce up your folders by changing icons

See also: http://ubuntudaily.blogspot.com/2011/03/set-folder-backgrounds-in-nautilus.html

Make fancy desktop effects

For this tip, youll need a decent graphics card. If things seem to be slow afterwards, you can disable this in System > Preferences > Appearance, and using None or Normal Visual Effects.

Install Compiz Config Settings Manager first. This lets you change the visual effects.
Open it in System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager.

In the manager window you can change a whole range of options, or if you havent got time, I have uploaded my settings file that has fun effects.

To use my file, click Preferences down the left side and select Import. Choose the "ccsm-settings.profile" file and once its finished the effects take place immediately.

Software you never knew you had

By default, Ubuntu hides some programs from the Applications menu that you might not need but these can be reshown to be used like other software.
Right click the Applications button and select Edit Menus. Youll be shown a window with the menus and software in each menu, and some of the software has a softer, italic font: these are the ones that are hidden.

 

Even though some items are hidden, it doesnt mean theyre not handy

To show or hide software, click the check box to the left. Some of the hidden items wont work, but a few such as Image Viewer or Control Centre are useful, so I keep them visible.

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9 quotes about trading from the most important trader who ever lived

9 quotes about trading from the most important trader who ever lived

http://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-quotes-from-trader-jesse-livermore-2015-2?IR=T

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51 Questions And Answers About The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild

51 Questions And Answers About The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild

The creator of the Zelda series answered 51 questions about the new Zelda game which will be released. As I always say I never listen to online theories by crazy fans but only from the creators and you should think of doing the same. Shigeru Miyamoto creator of the series and producer Eiji Aonuma was asked 51 questions about the game. They have already played through the whole game. The weapons can also break so you will have to find new weapons. The Nintendo Switch version will have better resolution than the Wii U version. Apparently Breath of the Wild was the hardest Zelda game to create. Link is not human and in Hyrule the planet is called earth. 

One of the biggest secrets is that Links last name is Mario. Why!? Well it is obvious. Mario was the base for Link. Understand? Mario = Link, Zelda = Peach and Ganon = Bowser. I knew that from a long time ago. Its nice to see the creator admit that Link and Mario are linked with his answer.

The original basis comes from Popeye the Sailorman. Popeye = Mario, Olive Oyl = Peach and Bluto = Bowser/Donky Kong. Nintendo licensed the characters a few times in earlier games as stated many times before but then I think King Features wouldnt let them for their next project so Miyamoto created Jumpman who later turned into Mario and there you have it but yeah characters based on other characters are the main basis. But where else do you get ideas? From other people of course.

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A Facebook’s notification to aware people about suspected cyber attack

A Facebook’s notification to aware people about suspected cyber attack

A Facebook�s notification to aware people about suspected cyber attack:

newsofcrime.blogspot.com

Don�t ignore a notification on Facebook by the Facebook that warns its users that their accounts are targeted or compromised by Associate in Nursing attacker suspected of functioning on behalf of a nation-state. 

Along with different emotions, Facebook has recently launched the notification that warns the user if it finds his/her Facebook account has been targeted by an attacker functioning on behalf of a nation-state.

�Starting these days, well give notice you if we tend to believe your account has been targeted or compromised by an attacker suspected of functioning on behalf of a nation-state,� Alex Stamos, chief security officer at Facebook, said on October seventeen.

He added, �While weve forever taken steps to secure accounts that we tend to believe to own been compromised, we tend to set to point out this extra warning if weve a robust suspicion that an attack may well be government-sponsored. we tend to try this as a result of these styles of attacks tend to be a lot of advanced and dangerous than others, and that we powerfully encourage affected individuals to require the actions necessary to secure all of their online accounts.�

The company has conjointly processed that the warning isnt associated with any compromise of Facebooks platform or systems, which having an account compromised during this manner could indicate that users� computers or mobile devices are infected with malware.

�Ideally, those that see this message should pay attention to make or replace these systems if potential,� the safety officer said.

However, at now, the Facebook continues to be unable to elucidate however they attribute bound attacks to suspected attackers, so as to safeguard the integrity of our ways and processes.

�We attempt to use this warning solely in things wherever the proof powerfully supports our conclusion. we tend to hope that these warnings can assist those individuals in want of protection, and that we can still improve our ability to stop and find attacks of all types against individuals on Facebook,� 

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7 Fun Facts about Warcraft III

7 Fun Facts about Warcraft III

7 Fun Facts about Warcraft III

1. The animation of a dying Demon Hunter shows the hero committing suicide. In essence, this should mean no experience points for the enemy when the hero is killed. But that would be unfair.
2. The Druid of the Talon and Necromancer units as well as the prophet Medivh were voiced by Michael Bell. His other game-related voice works include the Druid class and Nihlathak in Diablo II: LoD, The Fear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and HaerDalis in Baldurs Gate II.
3. The Buring Legion was originlly planned as a playable race but due to balancing issues, the idea was cancelled.
4. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was available in 4 different boxarts when it was released, each representing a playable race.

5. When WarCraft III debuted at ECTS 1999, it was a 3rd-person, Role-Playing Strategy game, much like what you would see now when you zoom in on your hero. The camera was fixed on your hero and your army followed you as you completed quests. This was later changed into what it is now to minimize its resemblance to World of Warcraft which was also being worked on at that time.
6. The bonus orc campaign features some characters who should have been in Blizzards cancelled adventure game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans like the goblin Gazlowe and the orc Nazgrel.
7. The German Warcraft III translation was not done very well. While some voices sound funny, some are just way off the original meaning. For instance, they seem to have forgotten to apply effects on the voices so the undead sound more like humans.

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14 000 Things to be Happy About

Have you ever just been driving down the street and you look up just for a brief second to see the sky in a swirl of colors?

"Mountains flaming with red, orange, and purple foliage."

Such a scene to put anyone in a better good, theres just something about seeing the sky such a color of orange that it could be compared to the color of fire.

This book has taught me that the "14,000 Things to be Happy About" dont always have to be big  extravagant things. It can be all simple as watching the sun go down with its magnificent colors or just waking up early enough to see "clouds and mist rolling over a mountain top"
Pg.11 and 12

Have you ever gotten up early and watched the sunrise or watched the sun set?

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Six Things About Me You Cannot Live Without

Dear honey doves,

Today I was reading Selenas awesome blog and she wrote this cute post "Six things you should know" :) And for a while know I have been seeing these types of posts and I wanted to make one. Well... she made me do it! I blame it totally on her :) In a good way, that is, as she - as an expat - is quite an inspiration!

So here we are, from the 9 questions she posted I selected the below ones:

1. What did you want to be when you grew up? How did that work out?   Well, weirdly enough when I was small I wanted to be an accountant like my Grandfather, so I would "play" with numbers and make money enough to take care of my grandparents and my parents and sister :) You could say I was a very conscious girl... I ended up finishing the High School of Economics, Business Administration and Law and further on I joined the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. About that time I figured out that being an accountant would be a desk job and even though it would bring a lot of money I would not be able to have people around me - and let us face it! I am a people person 100%! That is why I got to switch specialties and went to Marketing :)
2.  What is your favorite comport dish to prepare? I must say that would be my specialty: Liver with onion and "mamaliga" ;) which is a traditional Romanian dish I learned how to prepare by looking at my Granny and Mum :)
3. What is the biggest challenge that you have overcome? Well, I think that would be coming to Poland, trying to learn the language (after 2 years I manage to understand the main things people around me speak of, and I am proud of it! as I never took any language lessons) and becoming the fiancee of a Polish Hard Core Human :* He is now my best friend and best man I ever met!
4. If you were a super hero, what would your super here powers be? That is a good question... most of the superheroes I would like to be are males... Like Thor (who doesnt like Thor?! come on! I need a hammer like that! And the stature and the blonde here - handsome looking but yet from another world!) or Iron Man - BTW!!! I need to say that Iron Man comes first as he is a real superhero with no supernatural powers. He is an intelligent human being that knows how to use the elements and science and knock them down and drag them on his side :) He is my man! When it comes to ladies it is hard to say... I quite like Cat Woman but she is so lonely like and she falls into the style of Miss Havisham madness... but I quite enjoy Storm from the X-Men Series ;) I think I would like that... to be able to change the weather according to my mood :) But that would be a catastrophe as I am very moody and then people would have just 2 types of weather: either very hot or very cold, so that is a no! no!
5. What are you most afraid of? Sincerely try not to be afraid as being afraid is a weakness and I was tought not to show weaknesses - I am quite bad at that! What I can say that if I have a weakness I try to overcome it. My idea always is to always push ones limits as this is how you will know yourself more! And we all know that life starts at the end of your comfort zone ;)
6. What is the best gift you ever received? That is simple as this: THE GIFT OF LIFE :) And I think we should all thank our mothers for this ;) Why not call your Mum now? :) Go on!

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