Jean Maguire

Before he was a myth, he was a student of sound.

@drshabazzz.bsky.social on who shaped Prince — and how those influences made Purple Rain possible.
cc: @uncpress.bsky.social

Press play and rethink the genius. 🎧
Share this with someone who still argues Prince vs. MJ.

My linocut portrait of Marie Maynard Daly in purples (she’s a young smiling Black woman, wearing earrings, a necklace and a dress, looking at the viewer over her shoulder). Above her to the right is an anatomical heart with a blowout diagram in a circle of a clogged artery and the cholesterol molecule all in red. Next to her on the left in blue are the molecules of the bases which make up DNA and a diagram of a human cell.

#BlackHistoryMonth is a great time to celebrate #biochemist Marie Maynard Daly (1921-2003), 1st Black woman to earn a PhD in #chemistry in the US! 🧪🐡👩🏿‍🔬 #histsci She made important research contributions to our understanding of the biochemisty of the cell nucleus & cardiovascular issues & the 🧵

Highly recommend reading this post by book critic Ron Charles and subscribing to his substack.

Public domain contest challenges filmmakers to remix Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and more Nearly 280 filmmakers entered the Internet Archive's annual contest celebrating creative freedom without copyright restrictions.

Nearly 280 filmmakers entered the Internet Archive's annual contest celebrating creative freedom without copyright restrictions. n.pr/45iSrw2

Check out his personal library, now held in Morehouse College's "Martin Luther King Jr. Collection," and cataloged on LibraryThing as one of our Legacy Libraries. www.librarything.com/profile/Mart...

Satchel Paige Project Intro Since late 2023 I have been on a quest to log every pitching appearance in the extraordinary life and baseball career of Satchel Paige. From age 19 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to oldtimers gam…

Most gratifying (non-family) happening for my 2025 was the launch of the Satchel Paige Project. A work in progress, I have logged 1,909 games thus far. (I have another 145 as "plausible".) If you have questions, ideas, or wish to help, let me know!

marklaurencearmour.wordpress.com/2084-2/

In the snow, these salamanders get supercool Blue spotted salamanders have been seen walking across snow and new research suggests how they get by in the cold.

Blue spotted salamanders have been seen walking across snow and new research suggests how they get by in the cold. n.pr/3L6Mqvo

National Library of Ireland acquires historical letters from Donegal - Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport The National Library of Ireland have acquired letters from a Donegal family dating back to the 1860s. The correspondence is mainly from Neal and Cornelius McMonagle who emigrated to the United States ...

The National Library of Ireland have received a donation of letters from a Donegal family on both sides of the Atlantic many of which deal with the American Civil War. No surprise a Pennsylvania Regiment features! highlandradio.com/2025/12/23/n...

Yankee Pensioners in Ireland 1845-1905: An Interactive Map An interactive map with biographical info and addresses of 700+ women, men and children who received U.S. pensions in 19th century Ireland.

I'm very pleased to formally launch "Yankee Pensioners in Ireland 1845-1905: An Interactive Map" with location/bio info on 720+ women & men receiving U.S. pensions in Ireland-significantly more than previously thought: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4e3d...

Image reads: A Thanksgiving note from Bookshop.org CEO and founder Andy Hunter

Image reads: “Did you know that Black Friday got its name because it helps small businesses go from “in the red” (losing money) to “in the black” (solvent)? It’s no exaggeration that a strong holiday season is necessary for most local bookstores’ survival. And their survival is critical to us as readers, writers, and book lovers. Without booksellers’ passion and advocacy, our literary culture would fade fast.

Image reads: This holiday is about being thankful and connecting with the humans you care about: your family, whether they’re biological or chosen. We are thankful for our extended book family—the authors, booksellers, and readers—and we’re fighting for them. Please fight for them, too, by choosing to support local independent bookstores this holiday season. We are all part of the same chosen family—built of readers who are trying to preserve a human-centered future with a beloved bookstore in every town.

Image reads: Your purchase on Bookshop.org supports more than 2,500 independent bookstores (90% of the bookstores in the U.S.). They are thankful for you, too.

A note from our CEO Andy Hunter expressing our gratitude for our extended book family and stressing the importance of supporting independent bookstores this holiday season and beyond 💜

Lenticular clouds above Mt. Washington today. Completely harmless, they form when stable air is forced to rise over a mountain range. Note the striking resemblance to “mothership” supercell thunderstorms - which can be precursors for tornadoes.

$100 million prize goes to dynamic duo aiming to stop next pandemic before it starts Two scientists who are fast friends, one Nigerian and one American, have won the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition for their network to catch the next disease with pandemic potential.

Two scientists who are fast friends, one Nigerian and one American, have won the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition for their network to catch the next disease with pandemic potential.

Merriam-Webster goes old school with first new hardcover Collegiate dictionary in 22 years Merriam-Webster, the country’s oldest dictionary publisher which is headquartered in Springfield, just released an updated Collegiate edition with 5,000 new entries.

Merriam-Webster, the country’s oldest dictionary publisher which is headquartered in Springfield, just released an updated Collegiate edition with 5,000 new entries.

YouTube video by Rawnboy RON SINGS "IT"S ONLY A DREAM" WRITTEN BY NEIL YOUNG

One of my fave more recent songs of Neil Young
"It's Only A Dream" RS
youtu.be/SxrdX0WiZqk?...

For fans of graphic design, planes, or travel, here is a marvelous collection of airline luggage labels. Some of the airlines were new to me, like Air California, Deruluft, Spantax, and Wardair.

From 1900 to 1974, Italian immigrant Marino Persechini traveled the streets of Boston with his barrel piano. That same 126 year old instrument will be played live and in person November 2nd at the West End Museum! 

Image: Credit Unknown, Marino Persechini on the streets of Boston, circa 1955.

YouTube video by Queens Public Library QPL's New Freedom to Read Special Edition Library Card!

Reminder: Our #FreedomToRead Special Edition Library Card is available at your nearest QPL location!
www.queenslibrary.org/spotlight/fr...

Learn more about Sammi Wu, the winner of our Library Card Design Contest, and the inspiration for her design.
youtu.be/li0jk8o6_4w

Yes, they really seem to love the rain. Similar here with very few blooms this summer, though the plant itself was thriving.

Interesting about your vegetables. A cucumber near the end of October seems pretty remarkable. I was quite surprised yesterday to be greeted in the garden by this large flower and a bunch of buds on the morning glory.

Northeastern University Library has developed a server and plugin that work with any LLM or chatbot to improve search results and answer the question “What if we could combine the LLM’s better understanding of a student’s aims with the rigorous index and robust collection of a research library?”

Massport Launches Its New Program “BOS PAWS” | WBZ NewsRadio 1030 WBZ NewsRadio is the home of Traffic and Weather Together on the 3s. Breaking news when it happens. Boston's source for local news. Listen on your radio at 1030AM in Boston or take us anywhere with th...

Massport has officially launched a new program named “BOS PAWS”, which introduces dogs at Logan Airport to help reduce stress for those coming in and out of Boston. wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/mass...

what motivated a young man from a rural Vermont town to fight. Alexander was especially struck by the passion and eloquence with which Mason, a white rank-and-file officer with no more than a high school education, wrote about the moral wrong of slavery.”

“More than 100 missives [to his hometown sweetheart Harriet Clark] from Mason—who served as a soldier in the Sixth Vermont Infantry, then as an officer in the 19th U.S. Colored Troops—were remarkable, both for their vivid descriptions of war’s harsh realities and as a window into …

Women seated around a table, painting ceramics

On the evening of Saturday, October 9, 1920,  Lili Shapiro registered to vote at the North End's Prince Street School in Boston. Lili was an artist who designed and crafted original ceramics. She was also an active participant in the North End’s Saturday Evening Girls. Image: Historic New England

People perceive thickness of letters very individually, and that’s why we are conducting Font Weight Survey to understand the regional preferences of font weight. Could we ask you for 10 min of your time? The findings will be published publicly once we have some results.
tptq.com/weight

Unless you are already a lover of swamps, this beautifully written essay by Ashley Stimpson is sure to alter your view of them. It taught me a lot, not just about swamps but about American history. Highly recommended

The Ann Arbor District Library Plans to Acquire the Ann Arbor Observer | Ann Arbor District Library All libraries will be closed on Monday, October 13, for a staff in-service day.

'The Ann Arbor District Library announced that it plans to acquire the Ann Arbor Observer, one of Ann Arbor’s most beloved publications, serving the community since 1976. The acquisition is subject to the parties finalizing the terms of a purchase agreement.' buff.ly/EFSbWGi

What the world needs now is …
Reading Rainbow with Mychal Threets.

In the spring as the #Bookbinders near the end of their first year, they create a set of sample books: 10 books, two boxes, one slipcase, and one four-flap. Many of them chose a theme for their series too. Check out some the lovely results from last May!

Learn more: nbss.edu/full-time-pr...

"It’s the 50th anniversary of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' and nostalgia has me in a bit of a 'Time Warp.' A jump to the left, and it’s 1988, and an awkward, more-anxious 16-year-old version of me accompanies a friend to a late-night 'Rocky' showing at the Balboa Theatre in Newport Beach, CA."