The Giant's Shoulders #34: The Existentialist Edition of the history of science carnival, is up at Jai Virdi's From the Hands of Quacks.<p>

An ancient/medieval edition of Carnivalesque will go up at Jost A Mon on 26 April. Send nominations of the best in ancient and medieval history blogging since 20 February to jostamon*@*hotmail*.*com or use the form.<p>

Janny Scott, "Obama's Young Mother Abroad," NYTM, 20 April, is a fine portrait of the President's American mother.<p>

Justin Erik Halldór Smith, "The Blog as Mask and Gravestone," JEHS, 19 April, is his provocative reflections on the odd behavior in which we engage.<p>

Congratulations to the winners of Pulitzer Prizes for 2011: in History, Eric Foner for The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery; in Biography, Ron Chernow for Washington: A Life; and in General Non-Fiction, Siddhartha Mukherjee for The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.<p>

Finally, farewell to my graduate school buddy, Margaret Pitoniak Olson. Through countless cigarettes and cups of coffee in UNC, Chapel Hill's Pine Room, Marge took me to task and clarified my thinking on dozens of important issues.