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  • My Post-Bucket List

    By Rose Madeline Mula

    The other day it dawned on me that it was pointless to have a bucket list.  I have to be realistic and realize that at this stage of my life no way will I have enough time — not to mention energy or money — to complete it.  So I’m converting it to a post-bucket list;  that is, things I plan to do the next time around.

    Overlooking Capri harbor from the rotunda at Villa San Michele, Wikimedia Commons

    I’ll start with objectives most people consider very mundane.A Villa on Capril

    First, learn to swim.  I never could get the hang of it.  Not that I haven’t tried.  I’m sure my innards are permanently bleached from swallowing a gazillion gallons of chlorine-laced pool water over a lifetime of trying to learn to stay afloat.  The more friends, relatives, and even professional instructors exhorted me to “Relax!” the tenser I became and the faster I sank to the bottom.  How come those metropolis-size cruise ships can float and teeny-tiny (well, by comparison) me can’t?  It’s a moot question at this point.  Even if I could magically learn to swim now, there’s no way I’d appear in public in a bathing suit.

    Next, I’d like to be able to ride a bike — one with only two wheels. 

    I would also like to ski.  On real skis next time and not just wooden slats with tipped up ends and leather straps that fit over my old galoshes.  I’m hoping for actual ski boots, too; and a real mountain to schuss down instead of just the unplowed street in front of my old house.   I realize I’ll have to wear a helmet, of course (unheard of when I was a child), and this could be a problem.  Helmets give me hat hair.   So I’m putting in my order for long, sleek tresses (blonde would be nice) next time around, instead of the unruly curls I’ve been cursed with this time.  Until then, I’ll have to confine my winter sports experiences to riding a chairlift down, as well as up, a mountain.  Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s an Olympic event for that.

    Speaking of Olympic events, I also plan to be a champion figure skater in my next life.  It will be a real challenge, though — not so much executing the actual jumps and gyrations, but figuring out the difference between a salchow, toe loop, axel, lutz…  They all look the same to me.

  • Bills & Hearings: Childhood Development and Education in Indian Country, Military Sexual Assault & Suicide

    Hearings

    Early Childhood Education and Child Care Subject of Senate HearingSenator Heidi Heitcamp of North Dakota

    Heidi Heitcamp, Senator from North Dakota

    On February 26, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing,”Early Childhood Development and Education in Indian Country.”

    Linda K. Smith, deputy assistant secretary and inter-departmental liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, noted that the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) has played an important role in helping to integrate tribal traditions and cultures into early education and child care. She said, “One of the key goals of CCDF is helping children from low-income families access high quality care. Tribal grantees are innovative in how they invest in quality, and many tribal grantees incorporate culturally relevant activities into their child care programs.

    Tribes preserve their languages by developing child care curricula that focuses on Native American language. For example, the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana braided CCDF funding with grant funding from the Administration for Native Americans to create a language immersion child care program for children from birth to age three. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in Maine invited Tribal Elders to teach children traditional stories in their native language. Given the research on the positive cognitive benefits of bi- or multilingualism, these are powerful innovations that have important impacts on young children. Tribal grantees also include traditional song and dance, regalia making, and other cultural activities to enrich children’s learning experiences in child care and engage families in their children’s care and education.”

     

    The following witnesses also testified:

    • Danny Wells, executive officer, Division of Education, Chickasaw Nation, Ada, Oklahoma;
    • Barbara Fabre, chairman, National Indian Child Care Association, and director, Child Care/Early Childhood Program, White Earth Ojibwe Nation, White Earth, Minnesota;
    • Jacquelyn Power, superintendent/principal, Blackwater Community School, Coolidge, Arizona; and
    • Dr. E. Jane Costello, associate director for Research, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University.

  • Who Doesn’t Like Penguins? New Marine Megafauna Open Online Course Instructor Interview

     Lifecycle of a penguin
    Lifecycle of the Emperor Penguin, Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation

    By jennihorsley

     The PLOS ONE Marine Megafauna Collection brings together recent Open Access research for use by students of Marine Megafauna: An Introduction to Marine Science and Conservation, a new MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) from Duke University. The course, taught by David W. Johnston (Asst. Professor of Marine Conservation & Ecology), will encourage students to use the papers in the Collection to gain a deeper understanding of marine life and how scientists study the ocean.

    I recently spoke with David to discuss the MOOC and the importance of OA research when introducing a global audience to the science of marine conservation.

     Tell us about the Marine Megafauna course:

    I offer the course in two ways, one being the traditional in-presence class offered at Duke University every spring and the second as a Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) through the Coursera platform. In my traditional class we have regular lectures and exams, and we also have field trips to the Duke Marine Lab and to the Smithsonian Institution’s Sant Ocean Hall to get students up close and personal with basilosaurs and giant squid. In the online version, students are presented with video lectures on various species, systems and conservation topics and are evaluated through weekly quizzes and peer-assessed exercises that use open access data and resources.

     Why charismatic marine megafauna?

    This question comes up a lot, and my usual response is: “Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like penguins?” Most people really like marine megafauna species. This provides educators like me with a pedagogical hook to capture a student’s attention and maintain it in order to sneak in some complex ideas from marine science. Clearly not everyone’s path is so predictable, but many young people become engaged in marine science through this fascination – I did. They don’t always continue on with their initial infatuation however – they move on to other aspects of marine science like biogeochemistry, or phycology or fisheries science to name just a few.

     What are the benefits of learning via a MOOC as opposed to a traditional course?

    Well, that’s a great question that I can’t answer just yet – this is the first time we will be teaching Marine Megafauna in the online realm. Clearly, my traditional course only reaches about 45 students every spring semester, so my hope is that we will reach a greater number of people through the MOOC approach and set at least a few of them on a revitalized path in life that includes something related to marine science and conservation. In the online context, we have the opportunity to reach across ages, not just the younger audience that most university educators like me frequently interact with. That’s cool! We can also reach across political boundaries relatively easily through this educational approach, which is both exciting and challenging for a course that deals with conservation issues.

     Can you tell us about the digital textbook you’ve developed to run alongside the course?

    Students are asked to read open access journal articles that cover the main aspects taught in the course. In this case we have focused on using PLOS ONE articles that are now all collected into the Marine Megafauna Collection over at PLOS Collections. We have also developed an iPad app that is useful for teaching marine megafauna-based classes called Cachalot. This app, available on the iTunes store for free, incorporates the PLOS ONE articles with other content written be experts around the world and is released under an open access license. We are not using the app directly in the online class this time as it is only available on iOS, not through the Android or web-based platforms — yet.

    Why use Open Access research to teach?

    In the open online learning context, I think that using OA materials is ideal. Educators can distribute materials and use them in their classes without the hassle of dealing with more restrictive licensing requirements or, in some cases paying for use of materials. These benefits are passed on to the students in the class who get a free “textbook” and an educational experience that makes use of solid and up-to-date science. That is nearly the opposite experience that students face with many traditional paper texts that are expensive and often dated by the time they are released. Using OA research also provides educators access to new datasets (published as supplements to OA articles) that can be used in hands-on exercises with students within the context of what they are reading for class.

     Finally, what is your favourite Marine Megafauna?

    Another tough question. Right now I must admit to be fascinated with crabeater seals.

    CC-BY

    Credit: David Johnston

    They live around the Antarctic continent and feed primarily on krill — the small shrimp-like critters that are a key component in Antarctic foodwebs. Crabeaters have a beautiful silver pelage and some of the most amazing teeth around — essentially designed to strain krill out of the water after they take a gulp.

    For more information on the course, please watch the introductory video here.

    To enroll for the course, please visit:

    https://www.coursera.org/course/megafauna

    David W. Johnston

    David W. Johnston

    Interview by Jennifer Horsley, Editorial Project Coordinator, PLOS Collections

  • Married Women’s Average Contributions to Household Retirement Savings Increased 1992 to 2010: 20 to 38%

    What GAO Found

    Over the last 50 years, the composition and work patterns of the American household have changed dramatically. During this period, the proportion of unmarried and never-married individuals in the population increased steadily as couples chose to marry at later ages and live together prior to marriage. At the same time, the proportion of single-parent households more than doubled. These trends were more pronounced for individuals with lower levels of income and education and for certain racial and ethnic groups. Over the same period, labor force participation among married women nearly doubled.wedding bands

    Taken together, these trends have resulted in a decline in the receipt of spousal and survivor benefits and married women contributing more to household retirement savings. From 1960 through 2011, the percentage of women aged 62 and older receiving Social Security benefits based purely on their spouse’s (or deceased spouse’s) work record declined from 56 to 25. At the same time, the percentage of women receiving benefits based purely on their own work records rose from 39 to 48. Further, as of 2010, among married households receiving pensions, 40 percent had elected not to receive a survivor benefit. Rising labor force participation among married women enabled them to contribute more to household retirement savings. From 1992 to 2010, married women’s average contributions to household retirement savings increased from 20 to 38 percent.

    In the future, fewer retirees will receive spousal or survivor benefits from Social Security and private employer-sponsored pension plans, increasing vulnerabilities for some. Eligibility for Social Security spousal benefits among women is projected to decline, in part, because fewer women are expected to qualify based on marital history and more are expected to qualify for their own benefit based on their own work record. For many women, this shift will be positive, reflecting their greater earnings and capacity to save for retirement. However, women with low levels of lifetime earnings and no spouse or spousal benefit may face greater risk of poverty in old age. For private plans, the shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) plans increases the vulnerability of spouses because of different federal protections for spouses under these plans. DB plans are required to offer survivor benefits, which can only be waived with spousal consent. In contrast, DC plan participants generally do not need spousal consent to withdraw funds from the account.

    Why GAO Did This Study

    Marriage has historically helped protect the financial health of couples and surviving spouses in old age. Based on their marriage, and independent of their own work history, spouses may receive retirement and survivor income through Social Security and some employer-sponsored pension plans. Many of the federal requirements governing these benefits were developed at a time when family structures, work patterns, and pensions were very different from what they are today.

    In recent decades, marriage has become less common, more households have two earners rather than one, and many employers have shifted from DB plans to DC plans. In light of these trends, GAO was asked to examine the issue of marriage and retirement security. Specifically, GAO examined: (1) the trends in and status of marriage and labor force participation in American households, (2) how those trends have affected spousal benefits and retirement savings behavior within households today, and (3) the implications of these trends for future retirement security.

    GAO analyzed nationally representative survey data including the Survey of Consumer Finances, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the Current Population Survey (CPS); conducted a broad literature review; and interviewed agency officials and a range of experts in the area of retirement security.

    GAO is making no recommendations. GAO received technical comments on a draft of this report from the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury, and incorporated them, as appropriate.

    For more information, contact Charles Jeszeck at (202) 512-7215 or jeszeckc@gao.gov

  • A Flexible Mind?

    By Julia Sneden Gray's anatomy

    Routing of neural signals from the two eyes to the brain, Gray’s Anatomy, Wikimedia Commons

    If you have never checked out The Quotations Page, may I suggest that you give it a glance, and possibly bookmark it so that you can check its popular “Quotes of the Day?” I’ve been an addict of this site for a long time, both when I want to look up a particular quote, and when I’m just in the mood for some random wisdom. You can find just about anything to affirm your position on almost any subject. Trouble is, you can also find just about anything to refute whatever it is you think you know.

    The other day, I found a quote from Alvin Toffler, the futurist academic, editor and author of Future Shock.  According to Dr. Toffler:

    “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

    Boy oh boy, am I in trouble! As anyone who has updated a couple of computers and/or cell phones knows, mastering the ins and outs of each new device is always tricky, and after the first two or three, becomes downright impossible unless you are holding the manual in your hands … only computers and cell phones no longer come with good manuals. Oh, you can always go to a bookstore and pick up a book promising to teach you how to learn the new system, even if you’re an idiot. My experiences with those books indicate that the idiot is whoever put them together and found an idiotic publisher, because those volumes are (a) fond of words you don’t know and they don’t define, and (b) badly indexed, and (c) even more badly illustrated.

    Or, you can go to a designated website and download nearly a ream’s worth of instructions which you will then need to keep in a desk drawer, if you have a desk drawer that’s sufficiently empty to receive the bulk. Then, when you need to find an answer, you can root through the badly-indexed, loose sheets of 8xll printout paper to try to locate the proper section. I have finally learned to take down my very own, short “cheat sheet” that lists all the usual problems for which I need answers. Trouble is, I seem unable ever to anticipate potential problems for situations that I didn’t know might arise in the first place.

    I tell myself that the problem is that, having learned and then dealt with so many new systems and configurations, I know too much. One system leaches over into another somewhere down in the quagmire that is my brain, and sorting out which procedure works or worked with which system is something akin to untangling the mess in my scrap fabric drawer after a grandchild has played with everything in it and added all the loose spools of thread from the drawer above.

  • Secrets of the Vatican, A Frontline Presentation

    St. Peter's Basilica

    Editor’s Note: We’re publishing the press release for this PBS Frontline program, hoping that the investigation itself would be of interest to those within the religion and others concerned about past and current problems. The Francis Papacy indicates an extraordinary openess and compassion heartening those who have been discouraged by revelations over recent decades.

    A year ago, after receiving a confidential dossier on troubles in the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI became the first Pope in nearly 600 years to resign.

    In Secrets of the Vatican, Frontline exposes the threats and scandals that rocked Benedict’s papacy: a far-reaching clergy sex abuse crisis; money laundering and corruption at the Vatican Bank; and Vatileaks — the release of internal documents revealing cronyism, power struggles, and allegations of blackmail within the Holy See.

    From award-winning director Antony Thomas, this special, 90-minute Frontline presentation tells the epic, inside story of the collapse of the Benedict Papacy — and illuminates the extraordinary challenges facing Pope Francis as he tries to reform the powerful Vatican bureaucracy, root out corruption, and chart a new course for the troubled Catholic Church and its 1.2 billion followers.

    Using undercover footage and interviews with Vatican insiders, as well as abuse victims, whistleblowers, and journalists, Secrets of the Vatican shows the deep sexual hypocrisy within the Catholic Church and the long legacy of clergy sexual abuse of children.

  • The Moral Merits of Reading Fiction … Not One of Literature’s Strong Suits?

    writers' museum edinburghBy Justin Tackett*

    Stanford humanities scholars say imparting morality may not be one of literature’s strong suits.

    The last time you finished a novel or short story, your emotions might have been stirred, your intellect exercised, or your curiosity disappointed. But were your morals improved?

    The Writers Museum in Edinburgh; Christian Bickel, Wikimedia Commons

    The relationship between literature and morality – and the proper role of both – has long engaged philosophers, critics and writers. But at a recent event hosted by the Stanford McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society, Stanford humanities scholars said that while literature is capable of providing new perspectives and challenging our assumptions, imparting morality might not be one of its strong suits.

    “The best we can say about literature is that its effects are not reliable,” said panelist Joshua Landy, a professor of French and of comparative literature and co-director of Stanford’s Initiative in Literature and Philosophy. “As they say in the medical profession: results may vary.”

    Organized as part of the center’s 25th anniversary celebrations, “Does Reading Literature Make You More Moral?” aimed to explore “literature and its contribution to ethical reasoning,” said director Debra Satz.

    A philosopher and senior associate dean of the humanities at Stanford, Satz said most people read literature to be educated, entertained or to experience beauty and to find their way into the lives of others, rather than for moral reasons. However, she said, these very aims could also “serve moral purposes.”

    “Literary fiction helps us develop additional schemas, other ways of seeing the world different from our own,” said panelist Paula Moya, professor of English and director of the Program in Modern Thought and Literature at Stanford.  

    Literature, Moya added, is “brilliantly suited to the exploration of what it means to be an ethical human being in a particular sociohistorical situation,” referring to the complicated friendships depicted in Toni Morrison’s Sula as a compelling example.

    An empirical approach to the question was taken by David Kidd, a PhD candidate in cognitive, social and developmental psychology at  New York’s New School for Social Research, whose work explores the relationship between fiction and empathy. 

    He cited five experiments he conducted with his adviser, psychology Professor Emanuele Castano. Participants read various selections of fiction and were asked immediately afterward to respond to images of facial expressions as a means of assessing the participants’ “theory of mind,” a concept from developmental psychology.

  • Free To Be … Discovering Just How

    by Adrienne G. Cannon

    “Sing a song … for a land where the horses run free

    And you and me are free to be, you and me…. “

    The refrain from the Marlo Thomas song I played for my kids many years ago replays itself in my head often these days.  When I heard it back then, I hoped that my children would understand that, no matter how insecure they felt, they could take control of their life the way they wanted to. 

    Today, after the death of my husband, I am free to be.  That should be a liberating thought.  But it is frightening to me even with the experience I have of many years of shaping the life I have wanted. It is a lonely life without my partner whom I could consult when I needed advice and encouragement.  Now there is no one to second-guess the wiseness of my decisions.  The best I can do is try to imagine what his advice would have been.

    I have kept the structure of my days the same as always.  The order of knowing what I will be doing each day gives me security that, in spite of my emotional trauma, my life will go on as usual.  I will take tours at the Kennedy Center on Monday, rehearse with two bands in the evenings, go to dance classes and swim when I have no deadlines.

    But lately I have been  musing that, other than some volunteer commitments and taking care of Lucy, my four-legged companion, I can do what I want each day.  I have nothing exotic in mind, but can run errands, have lunch with friends, visit Old Town, take walks along the parkway without worrying about a schedule that is related to my life at my home address. I can stay up until any hour I choose at night watching television, reading, writing and emailing my sleeping friends.

    I can look at my monthly calendar and plan trips that accommodate only my schedule.  I don’t have to worry about matching up my dates with any one else’s.  And there is no reason not to make travel plans one month after another. My friends will say, “You travel a lot!”  And I can smile with pleasure and not feel guilty because somebody is waiting for me at home.

    Yet this scenario is poignant as I return to my empty apartment. Previously my arrival home was always highlighted by the first moments when I could excitedly describe the details of my day, or my trip, to my husband who was waiting to greet me.  Now that I am on my own, I search for a way to fill in the emptiness of those solitary moments.

    Perhaps the daily photos I take and share with friends or the frequent emails I send along with the essays I continue to write, will sustain me as I adapt to my new freedom.

    Yes, I am free and in control. What remains for me to discover is just how I will be.

    ©2014 Adrienne G. Cannon for SeniorWomen.com

  • Governors Pitch Novel Tactics to Create Jobs

     

    By Pamela M. Prah, Staff Writer

    As the US economy gains strength and states are in their best financial position in years, governors are  proposing tactics to create jobs,  especially in health care and high-tech.

    Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner program, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

    Approaches range from luring more immigrants to Detroit; making western New York the center for genomic research; to paying off nursing students’ college loans in New Mexico.

    In crafting their proposals, many governors are trying to respond to a common complaint from employers: They are ready to hire, but can’t find workers with the right skills.

    “I talk to business executives almost daily about what they need to make their companies successful,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, said in his State of the State address. “They tell me that factors like low taxes, incentives, good roads, logistical support and low utility rates are all important. But their No. 1 concern is their workforce – finding enough talented, skilled, energetic, healthy and educated workers.”

    Most governors, regardless of party, sounded similar themes as they opened their legislative sessions.

    Seeking Health Care Workers

    Health care jobs are expected to be among the fastest growing jobs in the next decade, but many states are having problems finding enough people to fill them, including nurses and mental health professionals.

    “Today, in 32 of 33 counties, we don’t have enough health care workers, and that’s before we attempt to add up to 205,000 more people to Medicaid,” New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, said.

    To attract more qualified applicants, Martinez wants her state to help repay student loans, particularly for those who agree to serve in rural areas. She expects this effort will attract up to 720 new health care workers this decade, including nurses, dentists and physicians.  While she didn’t provide a dollar figure in her speech, she said late last year that she would seek $1.5 million for such an effort.

    Martinez also wants to “cut the red tape to attract more nurse practitioners,” by allowing any nurse practitioner in the country who wants to work in New Mexico to  be licensed in five days or less.

  • “I’m a Consulting Detective” … I Dabble With Poisons a Good Deal”: The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes Portrait done by Sidney Paget, 1891, for the Strand magazine. WikipediaSidney Paget Portrait of Holmes

    “You see,” he explained, ” I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stick it with such furniture as you choosse. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these has has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”

    — Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet

    Footprints, splatter patterns and the powers of observation mark the journey through The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, opened at the Center for Science and Industry, Columbus, Ohio. The interactive experience combines science with history and culture to bring to life the historic underpinnings of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s rich and vibrant stories. The exhibit continues until September 8, 2014.

    Museum visitors will learn how Sherlock Holmes, a scientific expert ahead of his time, used seemingly trivial observations of clues others missed to solve some of his era’s most mysterious crimes. His practices and techniques, created in the mind of doctor-turned-author Conan Doyle, changed the way police work was conducted and remain in practice today. The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes features original manuscripts and period artifacts, investigative tools influenced and used by Sherlock Holmes, and interactive crime-solving opportunities. Guests will be transported into Sherlock Holmes’ London to solve a crime in a world filled with innovation and experimentation – and just receiving its introduction to his ground-breaking methods.

    “The Conan Doyle Estate can’t remember an undertaking as involved and exciting as this one,” says the Estate’s US representative Jon Lellenberg: “Museum visitors will experience the scientific and literary ideas that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes, and Holmes’ methods for investigating and solving crimes as the world’s first consulting detective, and they will visit their two worlds, including the very rooms in which all this took place.”

    “COSI is excited to be the second host of this one-of-a-kind exhibition building on the compelling deductive reasoning of the favorite character, Sherlock Holmes,” said David Chesebrough, Ed.D, president and CEO of COSI. “Guests will be able to immerse themselves into the world of Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street and solve an apparent crime using the deductive thinking Holmes is known for.”A Study in Scarlet

    Exhibition guests will learn about the practices of Sherlock Holmes, the world in which Conan Doyle drew from to develop his stories, and the history of forensic science. The galleries in the exhibition include:

    • Dr. Conan Doyle’s Study – Conan Doyle, a scientifically educated physician, was a curious and tireless investigator his entire life. Guests will discover his world first as a medical student at Edinburgh University, then as an apprentice at Royal Surgeons’ Hall, next as a practicing physician in Southsea, Portsmouth, and finally as a creator of literary genius who moved to London in the early 1890s and became a full-time author. On display will be an original manuscript, letters, and illustrations through which guests will gain perspective on the experiences that influenced Conan Doyle in creating Sherlock Holmes.
    • Science and History – Sherlock Holmes solved mysteries using observation and solid scientific experimentation, something real-world detectives (police or private) had not fully embraced. Guests will participate in experiments of their own by exploring the developments in science and technology in the 1890s — developments that are still highly relevant today. Supported by forensics expert and crime historian E. J. Wagner, author of The Science of Sherlock Holmes, the exhibition digs into real forensic studies in order to demonstrate the link between the Sherlock Holmes stories, detective science and the world of today.
    • Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street – Visit Sherlock Holmes’ and Dr. Watson’s sitting room at 221B Baker Street, London, where their investigations began and concluded  looming large in popular imagination around the globe ever since the first Sherlock Holmes tale, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887. Poet Vincent Starrett said of the famed room: “Here dwell together still two men of note / Who never lived and so can never die . . . Here, though the world explode, these two survive / And it is always eighteen ninety-five.”
    • Become a Detective – Exchange the museum map for a book full of clues while hot on a trail to solve a remarkable murder. Using their own powers of observation, visitors can crack a new Sherlock Holmes mystery written exclusively for this exhibition by Daniel Stashower, the award-winning Conan Doyle biographer (author of Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle and co-editor of Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters) and the author of new Sherlock Holmes stories as well.
    • Culture of Sherlock – Pop culture enthusiasts will enjoy the exhibition’s final gallery, housing a robust collection of all things “Sherlockian,” ranging from vintage Sherlock Holmes-themed card games, comics, and magazines, to radio scripts, and movie and television show props and costumes. Featured are hero props from the Warner Bros.’ current Sherlock Holmes movies set in the Victorian era, alongside costumes, props and behind the scenes tools from the hit CBS television shows Elementary and the BBC’s Sherlock, both of which set Sherlock Holmes in the present day.

    Upcoming Destinations:

    St. Louis Science Center; opening 10/09/2014 — St. Louis, MO., Perot Museum of Nature & Science

    Opening 02/12/2015 — Dallas, TX; Discovery Science Center

    Opening 06/11/2015 — Santa Ana, CA

    Denver Museum of Nature & Science; opening 10/15/2015 — Denver, CO

    Editor’s Tip: The Gutenberg Press has 121 of Arthur Conan Doyle’s books to read: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69