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On-line version ISSN 2309-8392
Print version ISSN 0018-229X
Historia vol.56 n.1 Durban May. 2011
Comprehensive and sensitive study
Jessica Murray
University of South Africa
Joanna Bourke Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present
Virago Press, London, 2007
565 pp
Joanna Burke's comprehensive and sensitive study of the history of rape offers an invaluable resource for a range of scholars who do research on gender and sexual aggression. Her text is both meticulously researched and accessible to readers beyond academia. The prevalence of rape in the South African context makes this a subject matter that continues to attract considerable scholarly attention. Although the author focuses mostly on the history of rape in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, South African readers will find the text useful and recognise its relevance to the increasingly globalised South African environment. Bourke illustrates why it remains the case that "there is no crime more difficult to prove than rape and no injured party more distrusted than the rape victim" (p 23). Feminist readers will appreciate the author's insistence that the personal is political and the way in which she situates herself in terms of her research. The text opens with her assertion that she was "enraged" and she courageously admits that this book "had been born of fear" (p. vii). Women will recognise her description of how she was raised with warnings about sexual violence and how she saw the physical and psychic traces of violence in friends who had been victimised. In order to deal with her rage and fear, Bourke notes that rapists have a history and she goes about researching this history because, by "demystifying the category of rapist we can make him less frightening and more amenable to change" (p viii).
Throughout the text, Bourke is nuanced in her use of terminology that has become very loaded. For example, she chooses to continue using the word "victim" without losing sight of the fact that many victims are also survivors of rape. She also goes to great lengths to explore the definition of the term "rape". She correctly observes that it is insufficient to use an absence of consent as the sole criterion to classify an assault as rape. Terms such as "consent" and "coercion" are, of course, contested concepts in their own right. The feminist insistence that rape is about power rather than about sex comes under scrutiny and Bourke echoes the astute observation by Catherine MacKinnon: "if it's violence not sex why didn't he just hit her"?1 After analysing and critiquing the different definitions of rape, Bourke proceeds to base her work on the "simple principle that sexual abuse is any act called such by a participant or third party" (p 9). This definition enables Bourke to engage with diverse ways of conceptualising rape as well as the identity of the rapist without succumbing to the theoretical pitfall of essentialising or universalising either the body or sexuality.
Bourke deals with the magnitude of the subject matter by organising the text into seven sections. Section one sketches the context and makes some conceptual clarifications. In section two, entitled "Lies", Bourke identifies a number of "rape myths". These myths, which continue to be used to discredit rape victims, will strike contemporary readers as very familiar. She illustrates how these lies have achieved the status of myths and how they have thus become a powerful weapon in the arsenal of rapists. The myths form part of a "rapists' charter" and they are pervasively deployed to enable rapists to get away with their crimes. The first myth is called "it is impossible to sheath a sword into a vibrating scabbard" and it implies that it is impossible to rape a woman if she really resists (p 24). This is a particularly insidious lie, especially when one considers that a significant part of the trauma that a rape victim experiences in the aftermath of an attack is related to issues of self-blame. The myth sends women the message that if they are raped, they do indeed deserve the blame since they did not fight back hard enough.
The second myth suggests that it is extremely common for women to lie about being raped and thus contributes to a hermeneutics of suspicion when it comes to hearing women's testimony about rape. The reasons that are offered for women's supposed propensity to lie about sexual attacks vary, but the common thread that runs through these "explanations" is a profoundly misogynist attitude to women in general. Whether women lie because of hysteria or attention seeking, the message is that their accusations should be approached with distrust. A third myth holds that rape is not really a serious crime, unless the rapist is a stranger who uses physical violence in addition to the rape itself. Feminist researchers are well aware that so-called stranger rape constitutes a small proportion of rapes and that women are much more likely to be attacked by partners, acquaintances and family members. This myth thus suggests that the vast majority of rapes are simply not serious enough to warrant either the attention of the legal system or the disapprobation of society. In this section, Bourke devotes a whole chapter to the common assertion by rapists that "no means yes". By tracing the ways in which (overwhelmingly male) psychologists have pathologised women's sexuality, Bourke demonstrates how women's "no" has routinely been doubted and undermined. She also shows how the legacy of slavery continues to render African-American women particularly vulnerable to being discredited by rape myths since they were constructed as inherently sexual and promiscuous.
In section three, Bourke continues her exploration of the ways in which racism functions in the history of rape by illustrating how certain men, including black men, have been regarded as naturally "rapacious". She critiques the failure of biological and environmental theories of rape to propose any type of "radical socio-economic change" (p 146). Instead of finding the solution to male sexual aggression in sweeping social, political and institutional restructuring, these theories tend to look to individuals in their suggestions for preventing rape. Bourke identifies feminist scholarship as the first school of thought to insist that rapists are the constructed products of material contexts that are fundamentally gendered.
Section four offers a number of case studies and starts with the often overlooked instances of female perpetrators and male victims. Without obfuscating the simple fact that the overwhelming majority of rapes are perpetrated by men, Bourke challenges the "cheapening of the harm of female-on-male rape" which, she illustrates, is pervasive in both the legal system and the media (p 217). She also focuses on gendered constructions of "proper" femininity to explain the tendency to regard sexually violent women as aberrational monsters. In section five, Bourke turns her attention to "Violent Institutions" amongst which she singles out the home, the prison and the military. She exposes and critiques the gendered ideological assumptions about women that allow marital rape to remain a significantly underreported crime. In the chapter on the brutalising environment of the military, she addresses the phenomenon of wartime rape, which seems to have become a ubiquitous feature in armed conflicts. It is so widespread, that it "is often portrayed as inevitable" (p 359).
Chapter fourteen, "Getting Away with Rape", begins with Bourke's reassertion of the rage with which she opened her Preface. She traces this anger to the damning statistic that a mere five per cent of reported rapes result in a conviction in the United Kingdom (p 389). She suggests a number of explanations for the low conviction rate and she exposes how the "law is coded masculine through and through" (p 410). Her argument is that the law serves the interests of men while pretending that male interests and human interests are synonymous. The only way to address sexual violence is to implement comprehensive reforms at every social, institutional and legal level. In the final chapter, Bourke reiterates her insistence that it is only by "revealing the specificities of the past" that "we can imagine a future in which sexual violence has been placed outside the threshold of the human" (p 441).
1. C. MacKinnon, "Sexuality, Pornography, and Method: Pleasure under Patriarchy", Ethics, 99, 2, January 1989, p 323.


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LABOUR'S DAVID CUNLIFFE yesterday released his economic vision for New Zealand in a community hall in Blockhouse Bay.
At least, we were told to expect by sundry bloggers, commentators and Mr Cunliffe himself to expect an "an economic vision worth fighting for," "some ideas around economic development"—"a signal of where Cunliffe would take the party if he was in charge"-- "the most important speech given from a high ranking Labour Party politician since David Lange articulated NZ's independent foreign policy in the 1980's"—but it was in vain that I scrolled through his speech in search of either vision, or plans, or proposals for the future—or anything that might possibly make it "important."
I didn't expect to agree with it, but I at least wanted to know what it is, this "vision" of his of "economic development."
Now, his speech to the faithfully invited did indicate where he might take Labour if he were in charge, i.e., even further down the gurgler from where it is now, but what it mostly contained was not vision but bullshit, bluster and ego-driven ennui: a litany of historical errors and a mess of shop-worn cloth-cap clichés.
But there was nothing at all about economic development. Nothing at all to even suggest he understands how economies do develop. And if there is any "vision" at all in David Cunliffe's head, the evidence is those visions are somewhat like those of Saint Joan's—which is to say of himself at the head of some "True Labour" Column.
Perhaps he has forgotten she was burned as a heretic.
The whole sorry speech deserves a good fisk, but who has the time. So let me just pluck out a few of his more farcical pronouncements on history, on economics, and on politics… [Cunliffe's flaccid prose is in italics.]
The major reason that voters didn't vote for Labour, and sometimes didn't vote at all, is simply that Labour failed to inspire voters that it was a credible alternative to National.
Really. No shit.
You hear the National government talking about the need to sell assets because we have so little money in this country. Do you know why we have so little money in this country? It's because a large percentage of our economic assets are overseas-owned.
No, it's so much spending of the spending in this country is poured down government holes instead of building up the capital structure—which means so much that New Zealanders do save goes to better homes overseas where they can find decent investments, instead of here.
And because so few large assets are easily bought by wealthier foreigners. (Cunliffe does realise that every purchaser of an asset has to hand over money to the local owners first, doesn't he, who can then re-invest it here to make greater profits—essentially doubling available local capital with every foreign purchase?)
While the hippies were out protesting in the streets [in the 1970s], a professor at the University of Chicago called Milton Friedman, was selling his students the idea that taxation was evil and that businesses worked best when they were deregulated.
Actually it was Ayn Rand arguing that taxation is theft. Unfortunately, Milton Friedman and his Chicagoites just wanted to make taxation more "efficient." Which they did: the total tax take under Roger Douglas and David Lange's Labour Party went up to its highest ever level; something about Friedman would be delighted and Douglas was. But Rand would not be.
Does this sound familiar? It should be. The Republican Party in the US, the Conservative Party in England and the Labour Party in New Zealand enthusiastically took up Friedman's philosophy, which is now called neo-liberalism.
This will be news to Ronald Reagan's Republicans, who followed the blatherings of supply-siders, more than Friedman's Chicago-ites. (Friedman had to go to Chile to try his ideas out properly.) And Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives were followers more of UK-resident Hayek than that crass American from across the ditch. (Thatcher was famous for banging down Hayek's book
Road to Serfdom Constitution of Liberty on the cabinet table exclaiming "This is what we believe!" No similar stories exist about Friedman's Free to Choose.)
And the "philosophy" is only called neo-Liberalism by people to the left of Jane Kelsey and Tim Hazeldine.
Neo-liberalism has become such a dominant economic philosophy that it is now the only economic philosophy taught in many universities.
This will be news to anyone studying politics or economics in virtually any university in the world, even in Friedman's Chicago home-base. And to anyone studying under Jane Kelsey or Tim Hazeldine.
Friedman revived a belief in the "invisible hand" of the market. It was a fairy tale that Adam Smith had said a century earlier would automatically deliver the best of all possible economic worlds.
It was actually two centuries before Friedman became popular that Adam Smith produced his analysis of what made nations rich--in the eventful year of 1776 to be precise. (Maybe Cunliffe should have studied history at Harvard instead of poetry?) Adam Smith's answer to the question of what made them rich was, famously, division of labour.
But "Silent T" apparently knows nothing of this, since the reader will search in vain in Cunliffe's many turgid writings for anything understanding what Smith might have said, or for anything in Smith suggesting division of labour would "automatically deliver the best of all possible economic worlds"—or for knowing what else might have happened in 1776. Because Smith observes in some detail that the division of labour, and the freedom it requires, allows new resources to be produced and discovered and put to their best, most highly-valued use, producing more wealth and infinitely more real harmony than the pressure-group warfare of Mercantilism that Smith's opponents (and "Silent T") invariably seem to favour.
And for those who fail to see the economic plan in the free market, rest assured there is one. It's called the price system.
Of course many of the rogues who benefited from ['neo-liberalism'] have never believed [Smith's story] – they remember how they got rich…
The people who were the most enthusiastic supporters of neo-liberalism were … advisors to government.
If he had read Smith's Wealth of Nations (described by PJ O'Rourke as the study of why some places are as rich as hell and others just suck), Cunliffe would have noted Smith's derision in passages like these at the type of "businessman" who gets rich by government favour:
"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or would be consistent with liberty or justice. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary."
Note too that Cunliffe's "vision," or what there is of it, calls for more government subsidies for business, not less. Ask yourself what type of "businessman" this policy will favour.
Did you know, for example, that British Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, regularly lunched with Rupert Murdoch, the far-right media boss? Tony, apparently, used to test which policies would be acceptable to Murdoch.Thus we have a far-right media boss influencing the policies of what was supposed to be the party of the people. It's shameful.
This is blatant hyperbole, heading off into Ian Wishart territory.
But perhaps Cunliffe just prefers the media owners, media people, and media trainers that Helen used to lunch with-and with whom he would like to break bread if he ever manages the ascent of the greasy pole.
I think that's a major reason that nearly one million voters deserted us at the last election. It wasn't because we failed to communicate our policies. Quite the opposite. Those voters saw that our policies – with the exception of asset sales – were mostly the same as National's.
Largely because National's policies were copied from Labour.
The good news, if you can call it good news, is that the economic myths that drove the world into this current mess are starting to unravel…Europe's current economic crisis was caused by bankers who loaned money on riskier and riskier ventures until the whole structure collapsed.
Um, actually Europe's current economic mess was caused by government's borrowing to pay (first) for their bloated and obese welfare states, and (second) to pay for the failed stimulunacy that has left them in a deeper hole and still digging.
And you know what? Despite all the promises that the European economic austerity measures would turn this tragic situation around, the opposite is occurring.
And you know what? The only governments in Europe attempting anything remotely like austerity are Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Estonia (whose government currently has the only balanced budget in the Eurozone). These are the few Europeans who are doing even relatively well.
As for the UK government itself, despite the political rhetoric Cameron and Osborne have imposed the very opposite of austerity. For the past five years their deficit has been between two to five times that of New Zealand…
Austerity economics does not work. It did not work in the Great Depression of the 1930s and it will not work in the Great Recession of the current decade.
Once again Cunliffe's history fails him. It actually did work: in every place that it was tried. What didn't work was the Keynesian stimulus of Roosevelt's America: their recovery had to wait until 1946-47, when govt spending plunged after the war and ten million came home to start producing things instead of shooting at other soldiers.
When you start closing down your government services and firing your workers, those people have no money to spend. Because they have no money to spend, the local businesses suffer. So they start firing staff. And so the economy goes into deep recession, with no easy way out.
Spending doesn't stop when you close down your government services. It just changes its form: the money that was taken to buy government waste and pay back government's debt is left in the producers' hands and spent instead on private production and capital formation. So instead of spending it on arseholes to play with paperclips, the money can be spent instead on new capital goods—on production instead of consumption—on industry not on bureaucracy.
This is what actually produces wealth (as Adam Smith could teach Cunliffe) and why cutting government leads not to recession, but to prosperity.
You know, these problems that we face today stem from a lack of appropriate regulation or a lack of enforcement of existing regulations. The global financial crisis was caused by unregulated banking…
This is a complete fantasy. The three areas of the US, European and local economies that are and were most heavily regulated are the production of money, the production of housing and banking. It is no accident that it was the intersection of these three industries where the crisis began. Perhaps Mr Cunliffe could read about the true causes of the crisis before he travels the country spouting his fantasies.
Leaky building syndrome was caused by deregulating the building industry…
What planet is this moron on? There has been no "deregulation" of the building industry. It has become more regulated by the decade, not less. And the causes of leaky houses was plain enough: poor building systems mandated, approved and allowed by government agencies unqualified to vet them (agencies like the BIA whose names were changed after the debacle to avoid litigation) and inspected, assessed and approved by councils unqualified and too inexperienced to know what they were looking at.
SO ANYWAY, WE'RE NEARLY two-thirds through this grand-standing "positioning paper" and still yet to see a "plan." Perhaps this is it:
Do I favour supporting positive businesses? You're damned right I do. Businesses help create jobs and economic growth. I want to see a future Labour government get stuck in and do more to help the economy grow.
Do I support all businesses? No way. Businesses that let workers die unnecessarily, or abuse and exploit their workers, or steal from old people: all these business need a strong, legal response from the state.
All this requires regulation…
This is all that can be found in his diatribe that even remotely approaches his promised delivery of a "simple, credible economic development plan."
And all it amounts to is three paragraphs of tax, subsidise and regulate--a vision promised by a man whose biggest "achievement" as minister was to eviscerate the country's biggest business and nationalise its infrastructure.
In other words, it's a wet dream for a command economy—a plan without a plan, and vision without any vision; a plan like that of Karl Marx's, of which Ludwig Von Mises observed it "just assumed roast pigeons would in some way simply fly into the comrades' mouths, while omitting to even consider how this miracle is to take place."
It is a sign of Labour's desperation that anything in that could be taken for vision.
UPDATE 1: Canterbury University's Paul Walker, who writes at the Anti Dismal blog, responds:
Does Cunliffe know anything about economics? This speech is awful. A few quick points.
"While the hippies were out protesting in the streets [in the 1970s], a professor at the University of Chicago called Milton Friedman, was selling his students the idea that taxation was evil and that businesses worked best when they were deregulated."
Friedman wanted markets regulated, but he knew that the best form of regulation is competition
"Does this sound familiar? It should be. The Republican Party in the US, the Conservative Party in England and the Labour Party in New Zealand enthusiastically took up Friedman's philosophy, which is now called neo-liberalism."
As Friedman (see "Capitalism and Freedom") said himself his philosophy is call classical liberalism.
"Neo-liberalism has become such a dominant economic philosophy that it is now the only economic philosophy taught in many universities."
Do any universities teach courses in "economic philosophy"? Most economics departments will teach many things I'm sure Friedman would not like, they will argue that there are many reasons for market failure and government interventions.
"Friedman revived a belief in the "invisible hand" of the market. It was a fairy tale that Adam Smith had said a century earlier would automatically deliver the best of all possible economic worlds."
No one says that. Adam Smith never said that and no economist today says that. The best you will get is that markets are better than the alternative.
"You know, these problems that we face today stem from a lack of appropriate regulation or a lack of enforcement of existing regulations. The global financial crisis was caused by unregulated banking…"
Unregulated banking?!! One of the big problems with banking was over regulation. People believed that the government has made banking safe and no business is safe. The moral hazard problems the government caused are still with us.
Paul concludes, "If this speech is an indication of the quality of economic advice Cunliffe is getting he needs to change his advisers.
Much more here at his post "Just what does David Cunliffe know about economics?"
UPDATE 2: No, my mistake. "It's a cracking speech," says Russell Brown this morning.
Well, that's me and Paul told then.
UPDATE 3: Eric Crampton: "That Cunliffe seems to think he can use Bernard Hickey as trump card over Milton Friedman suggests he has little grasp of modern economics. Or of anything else."
UPDATE 4: NZ Classical Liberal blogs:
Cunliffe outlines plan for economy; forgets plan
Drawing attention to his speech on Red Alert, he titled his post Economic Development Ideas, and in his introductory remarks promised to tell us what a Labour economic development plan should contain. Yet nowhere in his speech is there a specific policy to be found…Despite devoting at least two thousand words to the failures of neo-liberal economic policy, not once does he deign to sully his flowery prose with anything so base …
Cunliffe's speech may well have its merits as a means of motivating Labour's base and laying the groundwork for a leadership challenge. Measured against its stated goal of articulating a new economic plan for New Zealand, however, it is nought but facile verbiage, bereft of ideas, wanting of genuine thought and devoid of purpose beyond rhetorical attack on economic freedom.
Before his next speech, perhaps Cunliffe would do well to reflect on the words Churchill once dedicated to a waffly Labour politician of his own time: "We know that he has, more than any other man, the gift of compressing the largest number of words into the smallest amount of thought."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Legislature Considers Competing Voting Proposals
Related Story
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri lawmakers are set to debate two absentee-voting measures as the legislature's current session continues its final week.
The legislature's version of an early-voting bill was approved by the senate yesterday morning and is headed back to the house for approval. The measure would amend the constitution and allow voters to cast ballots during normal business hours on six different business days before election day.
But some Democrats said the bill is too limited and proposed a competing petition that would allow a six-week absentee-voting period and voting on weekends for the final 21 days before an election. Supporters of that petition said they gathered over 300,000 signatures of support.
Lawmakers countered an absentee voting period lasting that long would cost too much, especially if voting is allowed on weekends. They said the legislature's plan is more cost-effective.


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FIELDS AND SEA, CONNEMARACharles Vincent Lamb RHA RUA (1893-1964)
- Auction Details
- T&Cs
- Bidding
Clause 1
(a) Each lot is put up subject to any reserve price imposed by the vendor
(b) Subject to sub-clause (a) of this clause, the highest bidder for each lot shall be the purchaser thereof
(c) If any dispute arises as to the highest bidder the auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to determine the dispute and may put up again and re-sell the lot in respect of which the dispute arises.
Clause 2
(a) The bidding and advances shall be regulated by and at the absolute discretion of the auctioneer and he shall have the right to refuse any bid or bids. NOTE: Where an agent bids, even on behalf of a disclosed client, the auctioneer nevertheless has the right at his discretion to refuse any such bid.
(b) The purchaser of each lot shall immediately on its sale, if required by the auctioneer, give him the name and address of the purchaser and pay to the auctioneer at his discretion the whole or part of the purchase money. If the purchaser of any lot fails to comply with any such requirement the auctioneer may put up again and re-sell the lot; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and expenses of re-sale which shall become a debt due from him.
(c) Where an agent purchases on behalf of an undisclosed client such agent shall be personally liable for payment of the purchase money to the auctioneer and for safe delivery of the lot to the said client.
Clause 3
(a) The auctioneer reserves the rights to bid on behalf of clients including vendors, but shall not be liable for errors or omissions in executing instructions to bid.
(b) The auctioneer reserves the rights, before or during a sale, to group together lots belonging to the same vendor, to split up and to withdraw any lot or lots at the auctioneer's absolute discretion and without giving any reason in any case.
(c) The auctioneer acts as agent only, and therefore shall not be liable for any default of the purchaser or vendor.
Clause 4
(a) Each lot shall be at the purchaser's risk from the fall of the hammer and shall be paid for in full before delivery and taken away at his expense within one day of the sale. The buyer will be responsible for all removal, storage and insurance charges in respect of any lot which has not been collected within one day of the date of sale. (b) If any purchaser fails to pay in full for any lot within 21 days of the date of sale such lot may at any time thereafter at the auctioneer's discretion be put up for sale by auction again or sold privately; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and the expenses of re-sale which shall become debt due from him. (c) Interest at 2 per cent per month and legal costs (if any) for recovery of monies due shall be payable by the purchaser on any overdue account.
Clause 5
(a) All lots are made available for inspection before each sale and each buyer, by making a bid, acknowledges that he has satisfied himself as to the physical condition, age and catalogue description of each lot (including but not restricted to whether the lot is damaged or has been repaired or restored).
(b) All lots are sold with all faults and imperfections and errors of description and the Auctioneer and its employees, servants or agents shall not be responsible for any error of description or for the condition or authenticity of any lot, save for Clause 5 (c) below. Written or verbal condition reports may be supplied by the Auctioneer on request but these are merely statements of opinion, and any error or omission in these reports may not be taken as grounds for a cancellation of sale or refund of any part of the purchase price or the cost of any repairs to the lot or lots reported on
(c) A purchaser shall be at liberty to reject any lot if he - (i) gives the auctioneer written notice of intention to question the genuineness of the lot within seven days from the date of sale; AND (ii) proves that the lot is a deliberate forgery and (iii) returns to the auctioneer within 20 days from the date of sale the lot in the same condition as it was at the time of sale; provided that the auctioneer may, at his discretion, on receiving a request in writing from the purchaser, extend for a reasonable period the time for return of the lot to enable it to be submitted to expertisation. NOTE: The onus of proving a lot to be a deliberate forgery is on the purchaser.
(d) Where a lot has been submitted to expertisation, all costs of such expertisation shall be paid by the person who retains the certificate of expertisation and item or items to which the certificate relates.
(e) Where the purchaser of a lot discharges the onus and acts in accordance with sub-clause (b) of this clause, the auctioneer shall rescind the sale and repay to the purchaser the purchase money paid by him in respect of the lot.
(f) No lot shall be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been marked by an expert committee or treated by any other process unless the auctioneer's permission to subject the lot to such treatment has first been obtained in writing.
(g) Any lot listed as a "collection, range, portfolio etc." or stated to comprise or contain a collection or range of items which are not described shall be put up for sale not subject to rejection and shall be taken by the purchaser with all (if any) faults, lack of genuineness and errors of description and numbers of items in the lot, and the purchaser shall have no right to reject the lot; except that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this sub-clause, where before a sale a person intending to bid at the sale gives notice in writing to, and satisfies the auctioneer that any such lot contains any item or items undescribed in the sale catalogue and that person specifically describes that item or those items in that notice, then that item or those items shall, as between the auctioneer and that person, to be taken to form part of the description of the lot.
Clause 6
The respective rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed and interpreted by Irish law, and the buyer hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish Courts.
Special Conditions
a) The buyer shall pay the Auctioneer a commission at the rate of 20% up to and including €3 million, and 13.5% of that part of the hammer price over €3 million. The Buyer's Premium is added to the hammer price of all lots and is subject to VAT at the prevailing rate. There is no extra charge to on-line buyers on Whyte's platform – bid.whytes.ie or on Invaluable.com.
(b) The Auctioneer or its employees, servants or agents may, on request organise packing and shipping of lots purchased or may order on the buyer's behalf third parties to pack or ship purchases. Under no circumstances does the Auctioneer accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage howsoever occasioned in the course of such service.
(c) The buyer authorises the Auctioneer to use any photographs or illustrations of any lot purchased for any or all purposes as the Auctioneer may require. The placing of a bid will be taken as full agreement to all the above conditions.
YOU CAN LEAVE BIDS OR BID LIVE ON THE INTERNET - all our sales are broadcast live with video and audio at NO EXTRA COST to buyers. Register using www.bid.whytes.ie or follow the link to LIVE BIDDING from our main websites www.whytes.ie or www.whytes.com . For a guide to bidding on-line click here
YOU CAN BID LIVE ON THE TELEPHONE: (on lots with a high estimate of €1,000+ only) we can arrange to telephone you on lots you are interested in and you can bid live over the phone. This service is offered subject to availability of lines and we accept no responsibility whatsoever for not being able to contact clients during the auction for any reason, be it technical difficulty or otherwise.
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR BIDS FOR US TO PLACE – just use the bidding form provided. You can fill it in and leave it with our staff or email it in to our office – preferably at the very least an hour before the sale starts. Our staff will be happy to help you with this
YOU CAN E-MAIL BIDS to firstname.lastname@example.com You will need to include your full name and address and telephone number as well as photo id and proof of address - a driver's licence will cover both requirements.
Bid the maximum price you would pay for the lot; we will try and secure the lot for you at the lowest possible price. For instance if you bid €2,000 on a lot and the highest other bid we receive is €1,200 you get it for €1,250.
Most people tend to bid in round numbers, e.g. €500. It's often a good idea to bid an odd number, e.g. €520, or €540 which will outbid an even number.
"Break ties" or "Plus 1" Bids: give us discretion to increase your bid by one step to beat a bid equal to yours.
Interested in several lots but only want to buy one or two? You can enter bids on any number of lots but limit the grand total spent. Lots are bid on in the numerical order they appear in the catalogue.
You can also use alternatives: just write "OR" between the lots e.g "Lot 30 €1,000 OR Lot 34 €2,000 OR Lot 38 €1,600".
Check the results the day after the sale: these are published on our website www.whytes.ie at about 10am on the day after the sale. Successful bidders are also notified of results by mail.
FOR HELP AND ADVICE ON BIDDING PLEASE EMAIL firstname.lastname@example.com OR TELEPHONE 01 676 2888 (+3531 6762888)
Good luck with your bidding!


text: The FreeBSD Diary contains a large number of practical examples and how-to guides. This message is posted weekly to freebsd-questions at freebsd.org with the aim of letting people know what's available on the website. Before you post a question here it might be a good idea to first search the mailing list archives <http://www.freebsd.org/search/search.html#mailinglists> and/or The FreeBSD Diary <http://www.freebsddiary.org/>. -- Dan Langille - DVL Software Limited The FreeBSD Diary - http://www.FreeBSDDiary.org/ - practical examples FreshPorts - http://www.FreshPorts.org/ - the place for ports FreshSource - http://www.FreshSource.org/ - the place for source


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e360's $11 Million Win Against Spamhaus... Now Reduced To Just $3 (Not $3 Million, But Just $3)
from the what-percentage-of-$135-million-is-that? deptFor about five years now, we've been following the bizarre case of email marketer e360 vs. Spamhaus. As you may know, e360 sued Spamhaus for defamation (and a few other things) for listing e360 as a spammer. You may have heard about e360 winning over $11 million dollars. You may have also heard about it asking for $135 million. And then there was a greatly reduced award of $27,000. Except now, the court has reduced the award down to $3. Yes, three whole dollars. It would appear that a court was not particularly impressed with e360. Let's review the history.
The whole lawsuit was silly, because Spamhaus' spam list is an opinion, not a factual statement. However, being a UK organization, Spamhaus (after initially engaging) decided to simply ignore the US judicial process, which resulted in the court granting a default judgment for over $11 million to e360. e360 then tried to force Spamhaus to shut down on the basis of that ruling, but the effort was rejected.
Around this time, Spamhaus decided to get back involved, asking for the default judgment to be set aside. The appeals court refused to do that, but did send the ruling back to the district court to figure out a way to more accurately determine damages. That resulted in the following, as summarized by Venkat Balasubramani at the link above:
Back at the district court, e360 was left with the task of proving up its damages, but it suffered a slew of discovery foibles. e360's principal failed to appear for his deposition as scheduled and failed to respond to Spamhaus's interrogatory requests. Spamhaus moved to dismiss on the basis of e360's discovery failures, and the trial court gave e360 another opportunity to address the discovery issues. e360 supplemented its previous responses but added a slew of new witnesses. It also increased its damages estimate from $11.7 million to a "whopping $135 million." It also sought to reopen discovery. The trial court said no dice and struck the new witnesses listed by e360 and struck e360's requested damage award to the extent it exceeded the initial $11.7 million request.The court then reduced the award from $11 million down to $27,002. That didn't go over well with either party, and both appealed. Things definitely looked bad for e360 from the beginning of the appeal, with the respected Judge Posner positively berating e360's damages claims:
"I have never seen such an incompetent presentation of a damages case," Posner said. "It's not only incompetent, it's grotesque. You've got damages jumping around from $11 million to $130 million to $122 million to $33 million. In fact, the damages are probably zero."That certainly provided a hint of what was to come. The award was reduced from the $27,002, down to a mere $3. Honestly, $3 seems even more mocking than if the court had taken it down to $0. The ruling details e360's incompetence in handling this lawsuit, especially the damages claims, which appear to have been made up entirely by the guy who runs e360 using a formula he himself created. It then rejects even the $27,000, saying that even damages of that amount do not appear to be supported by the evidence, and so concludes that the only reasonable award is a "nominal" award of $1 for each of the three charges, making the grand total $3. The judge even points out that e360's own conduct in the case resulted in "snatch[ing] defeat from the jaws of certain victory."
By failing to comply with its basic discovery obligations, a party can snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. After our earlier remand, all e360 needed to do was provide a reasonable estimate of the harm it suffered from Spamhaus�s conduct. Rather than do so, however, e360 engaged in a pattern of delay that ultimately cost it the testimony of all but one witness with any personal knowledge of its damages. That lone witness lost all credibility when he painted a wildly unrealistic picture of e360�s losses. Having squandered its opportunity to present its case, e360 must content itself with nominal damages on each of its claims, and nothing more. We VACATE the judgment of the district court and REMAND this matter with instructions to enter judgment for the plaintiffs in the amount of three dollars.Priceless. Or, well, three bucks.


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"After presenting what turned out to be a rather controversial paper at an Iverson Bell Symposium several years ago I had thoughts that I might get fired," quipped Elmore, who serves as associate dean for academic programs, admission and diversity at KSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Instead, his achievements will be celebrated on Friday, March 8, during the AAVMC's 2013 Annual Conference in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the biennial Iverson Bell Symposium, the oldest symposium dedicated to promoting ethnic, gender, and racial diversity in the veterinary medical profession.
In nominating Dr. Elmore for the award, Dr. Ralph Richardson, dean of KSU's College of Veterinary Medicine wrote that, "There has never been a time in the history of this college when the number of historically underrepresented students is as large as what we are currently experiencing. This is due almost exclusively to Dr. Elmore's faithful and extensive travels to historically black colleges and universities throughout the United States … Dr. Elmore's devotion and dedication to a more integrated and culturally aware veterinary profession is inspiring to all of us who share his vision."
Elmore is a prolific writer, having published more than 250 journal and magazine articles, abstracts and book chapters. He has written a weekly column for Copley News Service for more than 30 years. He created an elective course at KSU, "Practicing Veterinary Medicine in a Multicultural Society," which is designed to help students develop an awareness and appreciation of diversity in all of its dimensions in order to communicate effectively with those from cultures that are different from their own. Elmore is also an in-demand speaker on diversity topics and many credit him with raising awareness of the need to address a lack of diversity in the veterinary profession.
After earning his veterinary degree at the University of Illinois, Elmore was in private practice in Ohio, on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia and on the faculty of Texas A&M University before joining Kansas State University in 1990.
He has served as the associate dean for admissions and diversity programs at KSU's College of Veterinary Medicine for more than 20 years.
Elmore received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Greenville College and a Bachelor of Science degree and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana. His master's degree is from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The AAVMC's award is named in honor of Iverson Bell, DVM, who left an outstanding legacy of leadership and contributions in the promotion of opportunities for minorities in veterinary medical education. Dr. Bell spent more than 30 years working as a veterinarian and civic leader in Terre Haute, Ind., and was a vice president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA.)
# # #
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people, and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Its members include all 33 veterinary medical colleges in the United States and Canada, eight departments of veterinary science, eight departments of comparative medicine, 12 international schools or colleges of veterinary medicine, and four affiliate international colleges of veterinary medicine: www.aavmc.org
Jeanne Johnson
AAVMC Communications
Phone: 202/371-9195, x144
Email: email@example.com


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Calendar |
Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of
Logan County
Reminder: Watch Night/First Day celebrates 150th anniversary of the
Emancipation Proclamation
Send a link to a friend
[December 29, 2012]
SPRINGFIELD -- The Abraham
Lincoln Association is hosting two events to celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. On Monday at 8 p.m.
there will be a watch night service at Westminster Presbyterian
Church in Springfield to celebrate the coming of emancipation. On
Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, a
portrayer of President Abraham Lincoln will sign the Emancipation
Proclamation and have a public news conference to answer questions.
A Frederick Douglass portrayer and others will join the president
for comments.
On Dec. 31, 1862, 150 years ago, American
slaves, freemen, abolitionists and common folk sat in churches,
meeting houses and fields all over the nation, watching and waiting
for the first day of freedom to roll in. Freedom was to occur the
next day, on Jan. 1, 1863, when President Lincoln was to issue a
proclamation emancipating, or freeing, the slaves in states or parts
of states that were in rebellion against the Union. It was a very
emotional time.
As they watched and waited, people sang songs and testified to
the glory and the goodness of the Lord. They gave thanks to
President Lincoln, whom many called Father Abraham, and famous
abolitionists like Horace Greeley, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd
Garrison and others who strongly and relentlessly urged Lincoln to
emancipate the slaves. They also gave thanks for the sacrifices of
slaves themselves who had boldly risked all in a desperate push to
crack open the door to freedom and to the death of slavery.
[to top of second column]
The Watch Night/First Day events will recreate the excitement and
joy of 150 years ago. The words and songs of the participants will
come to life.
In addition to the primary sponsors, the following groups also
have contributed to the program: Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum, Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, Lincoln
Home National Historic Site, and Springfield and Central Illinois
African American History Museum.
[Text from file received from the
Looking for Lincoln Heritage
< Tourism index
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| Rural
Review |
& Learning |
and Family |
| Obituaries
Community |
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& Courts |
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Life | Health
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to the Editor


text:
Open-source Software
Open-source licensing:
For a longer definition of open-source licensing and how it differs from commercial, proprietary licensing, see Open Source for Beginners at OSSwatch.
Linux for beginners:
Wikipedia has a good definition of Linux and links to other resources. If you want to know more about the different flavors of Linux out there, see the top ten list on DistroWatch, which compares the most popular Linux distributions. A larger matrix is available on Wikipedia.
Ubuntu for beginners:
For Ubuntu, the official documentation and the User wiki are great resources. In particular, you might want to look at Switching to Ubuntu from Windows and documentation about using the LiveCD. If you're a visual learner, watch some of the "how to" screencasts. Once you've decided want to install it permanently, check out Installing Ubuntu or Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows. Of course, you should back up important data and get permission from your IT department before you try this.
Open-source software for libraries:
Koha and Evergreen are the open-source projects with the highest profile among libraries and librarians. Koha is an Integrated Library System (ILS) for small and medium-sized library systems. Evergreen is an ILS for large systems and consortia. However, there are dozens of library-centric programs, designed to handle everything from patron management to interlibrary loan. The lists on OSS4Lib, Library Success Wiki and Sourceforge are all good starting places.
In other cases, the library community is extending and adapting software that already exists rather than writing new programs from the ground up. For example, a lot of libraries use Drupal, Joomla, Plone or WordPress to manage their Web presence. Drupal for Libraries, Joomla for Libraries, Plinkit (based on Plone) and Scriblio (based on WordPress) are four sites with more information on the ways that open-source software is being adapted for use in libraries. Also, the Library Success Wiki directs you to numerous sites that help you integrate your Firefox Web browser with your library's digital resources.
Open-source software for windows:
If you're not ready to switch your entire library to Ubuntu or another Linux-based operating system, take a look at the Open Source for Windows page. Rather than overwhelm you with a thousand choices, this site lists roughly 60 popular programs that run on Windows and breaks them down into categories. For a more comprehensive list, see the OSSwin Project. If you're just looking for all the free software you can download, check out these popular freeware sites. But bear in mind that freeware is not the same as open-source, because you usually can't view or modify the source code of a freeware program.
Gaming in Libraries
Introductory material: If you're having trouble with the gaming terminology, InfoPeople has a handy glossary. Animeted.org has a great discussion of the practical details involved in setting up a gaming event (though some of the technical details are a bit out of date). You'll also find excellent advice on the Library Success Wiki, including tips and suggestions from libraries with successful gaming programs. And if you want to talk to a colleague about his or her experience with gaming events, the Wiki provides contact information for libraries of all sizes. Gaming the Way to Literacy tells the story of a poor, rural library in South Carolina using gaming to engage youth and promote reading.
Intermediate resources: ALA now has a Games and Gaming Wiki with a strong bibliography, good advice on advocating for your gaming program and lots more.
Advanced resources: If you're looking for a longer, more detailed discussion of gaming in libraries, ALA devoted two recent issues of Library Technology Reports to this subject (both edited by Jenny Levine). Also, Eli Neiburger, who manages the highly successful gaming program at Ann Arbor Public Library, has written a book about gaming tournaments. Finally, the library gaming listserv is a great place to ask specific questions. If you're really excited about the intersection of games and libraries, you might attend the second annual Gaming, Learning and Libraries Conference this November or read up on the latest academic research being conducted at the Library Game Lab.
Gaming blogs: There are too many blogs covering this topic to mention them all, but Game On and The Shifted Librarian are especially strong on library gaming. ALA also has some great postings at their Gaming News site.
Web 2.0 References and Tools
Everything You Need to Know About Web 2.0 TechSoup explains ways nonprofits can benefit from the use of emerging technologies.
Five Weeks to a Social Library The first free, grassroots, completely online course devoted to teaching librarians about social software and how to use it in their libraries. It was developed to provide a free, comprehensive and social online learning opportunity for librarians who do not otherwise have access to conferences or continuing education and who would benefit greatly from learning about social software.
Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service, by Michael E. Casey and Laura Savastinuk. Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc. 2007.
Library 2.0 and "Library 2.0" This Cites and Insights article by Walt Crawford is a thorough look at the phenomenon of Library 2.0 and examines whether it is hype or an actual movement.
Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries This article by Jack M. Maness of the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries addresses the application of Web 2.0 social software in libraries.
Library 2.0: Service for the Next-Generation Library, by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk, Library Journal, 2006. This article brought the concepts of Web 2.0 into the library arena, dubbing them Library 2.0. Explains "long tail," collaboration, social networking, tools and services for today's users.
OPAL: Online Programming for All Libraries is a collaborative effort by libraries of all types to provide free Web-based programs and training for library users and library staff members. You can find free courses, such as the Ten Top Technologies for Librarians, Day of the Digital Audio Book, Wikis and How to Google: An Introduction to Searching the Web.
SirsiDynix Institute includes free Webinars on blogs and libraries, Library 2.0, gaming, etc.
Techcrunch profiles and reviews Internet products and companies.
The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation, Thomas Frey, Executive Director of the DaVinci Institute.
The Machine Is Us/ing Us is a YouTube video that explains the dynamic Web.
Web 2.0 This Wikipedia article does a good job of explaining the various services that make up Web 2.0 and the technologies behind it.
Web 2.0 and Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software This article from ALA's TechSource by Michael Stephens of Tame the Web, discusses how Web 2.0 social software can be put to use in libraries.
Web 2.0: Building the New Library This article, by Dr Paul Miller in the online journal Ariadne, examines the characteristics of Web 2.0 and how they can and/or should be employed in libraries.
WebJunction's Online Courses Everything from basic computing skills to training on advocacy and outreach.
WebJunction Webinars Live and archived free Webinars on topics including technology, training and outreach.
Library Technology-Related Blogs to Read
ALA TechSource Blog is published by the American Library Association with authors Michelle Boule, Michael Casey, Michael Golrick, Teresa Koltzenburg, Jenny Levine, Tom Peters, Karen G. Schneider and Michael Stephens.
BlogJunction is WebJunction's blog authored by WJ staff and will keep you up-to-date on WJ events, programs and staff observations.
Information Wants to Be Free by Meredith Farkas, Distance Learning Librarian at Norwich University, includes posts regarding the library profession and technology.
It's All Good is maintained by five Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) staff members, with posts about "all things present and future that impact libraries and library users."
MCLC Library Tech Talk. Blog of a technology interest group in Maricopa Country, AZ. Profiles a different Web 2.0 tool every Friday.
LibrarianInBlack is by Sarah Houghton-Jan, Information and Web Services Manager for the San Mateo County Library, who writes "resources and discussions for the 'tech-librarians-by-default' among us."
LibraryCrunch: Service for the Next-Generation Library — A Library 2.0 Perspective, by Michael Casey.
Stephen's Lighthouse by Stephen Abram, SirsiDynix's Vice President of Innovation, includes his thoughts on library technology issues and notes from his national presentations.
Tame the Web: Libraries and Technology by Michael Stephens, Instructor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University, focuses on Web 2.0 and Library 2.0, technology-related articles and presentations and technology trends.
The Shifted Librarian by Jennie Levine, Internet Development Specialist and Strategy Guide, American Library Association, contains posts on technology gadgets, gaming and social technologies.
Podcasts: These are audio-only broadcasts that can be downloaded for free online.
CNET Networks Includes podcasts such as Buzz Out Loud, Gadgettes and MP3 Insider.
Talking with Talis Listen to conversations about the interface between Web 2.0, libraries and the Semantic Web.
TWiT: This Week in Tech Free podcasts on technology topics.
Examples of Successful Web 2.0 Projects Happening in Libraries
PLCMC's Learning 2.0 project, an online self-discovery program that encourages the exploration of Web 2.0 tools and new technologies, specifically, 23 Things.
Princeton Public Library's wiki for a summer reading club.
Infodoodads Librarians review online info tools.
Superpatron. Edward Vielmetti is a patron of the Ann Arbor District Library and a member of its Technology Advisory Board.
Hennepin County Library offers RSS feeds, comments within library catalog and Amazon links from the catalog.
St. Joseph County Public Library - Subject Guides SJCPL has created subject guides using wiki software, updates a SJCPL GameBlog and posts photos on Flickr.
Lansing Public Library Home Page The Lansing Public Library in Illinois offers RSS feeds and podcasting.
Wadsworth Public Library in Ohio is using MySpace for teen programming.
Western Springs History This is a joint project of the Thomas Ford Memorial Library and Western Springs Historical Society. It uses blog software to share photographs and collect comments from the public.
Westerville Public Library -- Celebrate Westerville's 150th Anniversary. This is a great example of the power of Flickr, used to create a timeline and show images of the town's history.
The Coastal Resource Sharing Network (CRSN) is a consortium of public and academic libraries serving Tillamook and Lincoln counties in Oregon. Their staff intranet includes email contacts for all library staff, documentation, policy documents, reports, events, current and historical collection and circulation statistics, and a Staff Toolkit of special tools for staff use, including the Weed-O-maker, to generate shelf lists for weeding, reporting or other purposes.
Ann Arbor District Library, Michigan, has an innovative online presence created through the use of an open-source content management system, several blog mechanisms that allow easily updated content to display on the front page and a dedication to interaction with library patrons. AADL has created a thriving community with an online branch. In the teen area and gaming blogs, it is not unusual to see discussions with more than 200 comments.
Public classes at ImaginOn, a collaborative venture of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the Children's Theatre of Charlotte include:
- YouTube Video Contest: Film and edit on site with free help from staff and interns.
- Take Photos for Your Webpage: Got a MySpace, Facebook or other online account? Need cool pics for it? The Loft can help! Just drop by The Loft on Thursdays from 5-7 p.m, and we'll snap your picture for you.
- Teen Second Life: Get one! Explore the virtual world of Second Life. Learn from other teens how to build in 3-D, script objects and interact with other avatars. Your world. Your imagination.
- Make Your Own Computer Games: Use Game Maker to create many different types of games. For ages 9-11. Participant should be familiar with using a mouse, dragging and dropping objects and online game play. Creating games builds visual literacy, strategy and symbolic recognition skills.
- Gaming for Parents: Learn why video and computer games are so popular and how they can benefit tweens and teens. This workshop will look at research, suggest games that are brain-power builders and then we will also play a few games.
Princeton Public Library offers an amazing array of technology classes for the public, including "Fantastic Freebies for Everyone," which focuses on free Web 2.0 tools. Here's the class description: "Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as a 'free lunch,' and you can find it on the Web. The number of free services, sites and downloads is multiplying monthly at an astonishing rate in a new era of Internet innovation. This class will take you on a tour of some of the hottest freebies currently available. Everything from system tools to image editors to word processors and much more can all be found online for no cost. This session will ensure you know where to find the newest and most useful tools to keep you on the cutting edge of technology."


text:
Oklahoma group buys Sonics, Storm
New owners say they could stay here -- with right deal
How does the Oklahoma City Sonics sound?
Tired of losing millions of dollars and fighting politicians over a new arena, coffee mogul Howard Schultz and his partners Tuesday cashed out by selling the Seattle Sonics and Seattle Storm for $350 million to a group of deep-pocketed Oklahoma City businessmen.
The new investment group, which lured the New Orleans Hornets to temporarily play in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, pledged to keep the one-time NBA champions here -- but only if they get an upgraded facility.
Clay Bennett, incoming managing partner of the newly formed Professional Basketball Club, said his group would give local and state officials 12 months to work with them on getting a "successor" to Key-Arena.
At the end of that deadline, the National Basketball Association is forcing the Hornets to move back to New Orleans, leaving open the Ford Center, Oklahoma City's four-year-old, 19,599-seat arena. Basketball fans in Oklahoma City were ecstatic Tuesday about possibly having a professional hoops team to call their own, while Seattle fans were resigned that they likely would be losing the city's oldest professional sports franchise.
But some Seattle residents, weary from helping pay for a baseball and football stadiums, said the price of keeping the Sonics was too high considering other needs in the city.
"I don't like the public supporting a sports enterprise," said 67-year-old George Shinn, who was drinking an Americano at Pike Place Market. "It's a private business. They profit from it."
Bennett, at a news conference at Sonics headquarters, said it was the new group's desire to have the Sonics and WNBA Storm remain in Seattle.
"It's not our intention to move or relocate the teams as long, of course, as we are able to negotiate a successor venue to the current basketball arena," Bennett said.
In an interview, Bennett, who has a close relationship with NBA Commissioner David Stern, declined to elaborate on whether he was referring to a renovated KeyArena or a new facility in the Seattle suburbs.
"After more than two years and numerous efforts to find solutions, we were forced to face the unfortunate reality that our group simply would not be successful in doing so," Schultz said. "The ultimate goal has been and continues to be to preserve the future of professional basketball here in the Northwest region and to do it in a way that, I think, reaffirms our commitment to our fans.
"We concluded that new ownership bringing a fresh perspective was needed if we were to have any hope of accomplishing this important goal. It is really impossible to communicate how difficult this decision has been for us to make and how we struggled both individually and collectively before making it."
Investor G. Edward Evans, top negotiator for the new owners, said they intend to honor the current KeyArena lease, which requires the Sonics to play there until 2010. Evans said the group is willing to lose money for a "period of time" while negotiations for a new arena occur. Evans said the investment bank handling the Sonics deal approached his group six to eight weeks ago about possibly buying the team.
In order to break the lease, the new owners would have to pay off the lease, which includes about $1 million in rent, plus unspecified damages. City officials declined to estimate what that might cost, but said it could include millions in lost revenue and additional debt costs. The city gets a share of Sonics concessions, luxury suites and other revenue as well as ancillary income, such as parking. In addition, the lease requires smaller fees, such as per-game costs.
"The lease is ironclad through 2010," Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said. "If they want to negotiate a way out, that could happen. ... It would have to be on really great terms for us. But, absent that, they have to play here through the end of the 2010 season."
Still, several public officials worried that the Sonics, established in 1967, would bolt after one year.
"We are awaiting word on whether or not that was their intention," City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck said. "If they decided to keep them here, that would be a very strange deal."
Councilman Nick Licata said he had heard nothing from the new ownership group, but he, too, wasn't holding out hope the Sonics would stay.
"The trend in other cities has been they often will find a way to break the lease," Licata said. "I hope they don't do it here. But the precedent has been set in other cities."
Just like Schultz's group, the new owners say they can't afford to play in KeyArena under the current deal with the city because not enough revenue flows to the Sonics. Under Schultz's five-year tenure, team spokeswoman Karen Bryant said Tuesday that the current ownership absorbed $70 million in operational losses, debt financing and interest payments.
However, the team appreciated 75 percent in value during that time. Even with the annual losses, Schultz and his group of 57 other owners walked away with an $80 million gain after buying the team for $200 million in April 2001. The deal, however, was well below the NBA record $401 million paid for the Phoenix Suns in July 2004.
Schultz, the majority owner, has a 30 percent stake in the franchise. Bryant declined to confirm how much Schultz made.
Schultz said his group passed up other offers for the team because the Oklahoma City investors promised to try to keep the team in Seattle.
Although Schultz's group could never broker a deal on a new arena, politicians said Tuesday that they were willing to work with the new group if it's sincere about keeping the Sonics in Seattle. Schultz said he thought the newcomers would have a better chance of negotiating.
"We're going to give Mr. Bennett and his group the benefit of the doubt," Mayor Greg Nickels said. "We think that they're going to see that Seattle is a great place to do business."
Nickels, however, disagreed with Schultz that outsiders had a better chance of crafting a deal.
"We're disappointed, because local ownership, local people you know, you have an experience working with them," the mayor said.
Nickels said offers extended by the city to the Sonics would remain with the new group.
Under the most modest proposal, taxpayers would contribute $50 million to renovate the arena and Sonics wouldn't have to contribute any money. The lease would have run 10 years.
The two more-expensive models would have gone to voters for approval and would have required 20-year commitments, Nickels' office said. In one scheme, taxpayers would contribute $112 million and the Sonics would be on the hook for $37 million. In the costliest plan, taxpayers would contribute $148 million and the team would pay $49 million.
In all three proposals, the Sonics would operate the arena and retain any revenue from premium seats, ticket sales, advertising, merchandising and concessions.
The city would have kept any revenue from admission taxes and parking fees. Team officials had said they wanted access to that money in any new lease.
Licata said he was not surprised that Nickels' office was unable to strike a deal with the current owners.
"They were pretty adamant that they wanted a full $220 million investment (in tax dollars for arena renovations), and no one was going to give them that," Licata said. "The public would have gone crazy if we had subsidized to that amount."
"I would have preferred that the Sonics stay, and (that they) had entertained our offer of having a modest renovation in KeyArena and taking care of the debt," Licata said. "But that wasn't sufficient for the owners, and they chose profits over our offer."
In Olympia, Gov. Christine Gregoire said she had a "good conversation" with Bennett and looked forward to meeting with him.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, who had worked as Ways and Means Committee chairwoman to pass legislation that would have given Seattle and King County taxing authority for a KeyArena renovation, said she's ready to try again.
But Prentice, who said she received a call from the new ownership team Tuesday, said she's given up on trying to keep the Sonics at KeyArena.
"I'm not surprised that the team gave up on Seattle," she said, "with all the hostility that they faced from the City Council ... and the kind of hesitancy on the mayor's part. One day it sounded as if he'd be for it, then the next day against it, and you couldn't tell.
"I thought, 'How can good businessmen operate and make plans in that atmosphere?' So it wasn't surprising."
When she meets with the new owners, Prentice said she'll see if there are any possibilities for keeping the team in Washington by suggesting some new locations.
At the top of her list: Renton.
"Naturally, I represent Renton, and I think that is actually a better location than KeyArena," she said. Prentice would also support locating the team in Bellevue. "People forget that that there are other communities besides Seattle, and there are plenty of fans over there," she said.
The deal still needs approval from the NBA and its owners, said Tim Frank, NBA spokesman. Frank believes the Sonics will stay in Seattle.
"We are encouraged they are going to work with the city of Seattle and get a deal done," Frank said. "It's always our first priority to stay in cities where we currently are. Hopefully, something will work out. If not, we will have to deal with that situation when it arises."
News of the sale surprised Jerry Colangelo, a longtime NBA insider who sold control of the Suns two years ago. "I knew Howard was negotiating for a new arena and the speculation was for him to try to potentially sell," said Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball. "But I'm still caught a little off guard with it."
Colangelo added that Bennett has a strong relationship with NBA Commissioner Stern for the work Bennett did to help New Orleans relocate temporarily in Oklahoma City.
Sports marketing experts said the Sonics are destined to head to Oklahoma City, and the new ownership group got the team for a fair price considering the NBA market.
"They know they are getting an asset with an upside," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the University of Oregon's sports marketing center. "It just shows the health of the league."
David M. Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, agreed.
"If it looks like a relocation and it's positioned like a relocation, then, guess what, you will wake up one day and they will be the Oklahoma City Sonics," Carter said.


text:
Speaker Interview: Brendan GreggSubmitted by Larry Cafiero on Wed, 2015-02-11 16:43
Brendan Gregg is all about performance, and his talk on Linux Profiling at Netflix, given on SCALE 13x Saturday at 11:30, touches on this very issue. The SCALE Team caught up with Brendan for this interview.
Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?


text:
Remember Me
Please enter the e-mail address for your account. A verification token will be sent to you. Once you have received the token, you will be able to choose a new password for your account.
Copyright © 2005 - 2020 Stony Point Police Department | Town Webmail | Town of Stony Point Website |


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I just got my car, and it is terrific. Really amazing. However, a glaring omission is the fact that you can't dial a phone number by number. You can only say names. I called Tesla because I thought I was doing something wrong, and they told me that there is no such capability.
This is obviously a safety issue, as hands-free dialing of numbers is much safer than using the touchpad. It is also rather basic, something that has been available on Toyotas and Hondas for a long time. They said that they are considering adding it in the future. It is surprising that such a rudimentary feature was overlooked.


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This week marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of
the Eastern Bloc communist regimes in Eastern Europe. which along with Gorbachev's,
perestroika sowed the seeds to the collapse of the Soviet Union and independance of
With special anniversary events taking place in Berlin and the former East Germany.
Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989


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Jenny Jonevret necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 440 diseños de 116 diseñadores freelance.
Academy of Sweden, Subcategories: Outdoor, Culinary, Fashion and other areas.
VisitSweden is a communication company owned equally by the Swedish Government and the Swedish tourism industry. We are responsible for the international marketing of the Brand Sweden as well as the marketing of Swedish tourism destinations and Swedish experiences.
VisitSweden is a modern communication company and we are aiming to be in the forefront when it comes to using new and exciting communication tools. People who work here are passionate about marketing Sweden.
VisitSweden needs a logo for an activity called Academy of Sweden. It is a 3-5 days trip that we arrange for journalists, tour operators and other stake holders. The activity is arranged with in the areas of food, outdoor and fashion. Here we showcase the best that Sweden has to offer with in these different areas and they help us spread a positive image of Sweden and the wonderful things one can experience here.
Storytelling, participation and engagement are important elements in creating the right environment.
An important part of Academy of Sweden is learning. The goal is that the participants become "ambassadors" of Sweden in the specific areas. Social media such as blogs, YouTube etc are used to disseminate information about the Academies. For more inspiration/information:
VisitSweden communicates with the target group "The Global Traveler". The Global Traveler is ecologically and socially engaged and is looking for unique experiences with elements of learning in genuine travel destinations. The target group regularly book travel via the Internet and consists of experienced travelers who place high demands on availability and activities. The Global Traveler is interested in culture and has a high disposable income.
The Global Traveler is to be reach through the Academy participants and their channels and networks.
VisitSweden needs a general logo for "Academy of Sweden".
This logo should work as a general logo for the concept Academy of Sweden. We also need logos for each subcategory, but where the Academy of Sweden logo works as a base. For example, it could be visualized by using a stamp with Outdoor, Culinary, Fashion etc. that is placed on/next to the "Academy of Sweden-logo".
Right now we have Outdoor, Fashion and Culinary as Academy topics, but in the future we may add other areas.
The logo shall express the feeling of creativity, learning, nature / sustainability.
The logo should be modern, simple and clear (Scandinavian design).
We want to use the name "Academy of Sweden" in the logo.
We want to use the logo for invitations, web, diplomas etc
We want the general "Academy of Sweden logo" both in color and black and white
Restrictions for the logo:
• Do not use the Swedish flag
• Do not use the color yellow and blue in combination, follow the colors in the Graphic Identity Manual (page 12).
• Do not play with Swedish stereotypes like elks, Swedish blonds etc
Please read more in the attached documents:
- Brand Sweden
- Graphic Identity Manual
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Journal Article
© Jan 2005 Volume 2 Issue 1, Editor: Charles Despres, pp1 - 90
Look inside Download PDF (free)
Due to an evolution of business models compatible with networked economy, office — environments of this age need effective support for collaboration among office workers. This article demonstrates that existing Extended Office Systems (EOS) are not specifically designed to maintain awareness and knowledge‑sharing requirements of the collaborating actors of many of today's networked office environments. Using an awareness framework for sharing of contextual knowledge in collaborative business processes, this article provides general design directives for a Collaboration‑ Aware EOS (CAEOS) system that facilitates sharing of the contextual knowledge among office workers in networked offices. In order to assess its effectiveness, this framework is applied to a network management case study with the aim of identifying the awareness requirements of the actors within that process. The results confirm effectiveness of the framework. The components of the framework, that is the process model and the awareness model, are then used as analytical tools as input to the design of CAEOS for achieving its collaborating goals. It is suggested that the process model component of the framework to constitute foundation for the knowledge‑base component of the CAEOS, whereas the awareness model of the framework to constitute foundation for the inference engine of the CAEOS'.
Keywords: awareness, extended office systems, EOS, collaboration support systems, knowledge sharing, knowledge representation, groupware, business intelligence
Share |


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English-Language Media Wildly Overestimated
Gay Pride Numbers, Underestimated Pro-Family March Brazil
Brazilian Gay Pride March vs March for Jesus: A Comparative Analysis
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
One minister led the crowd, paraphrasing a traditional Latin exorcism prayer with "Vade retro, Satan!", adding "Vade retro, homosexuality!" (Get back, Satan! Get back homosexuality!). Although the Associated Press, Reuters, and other English-speaking news services claimed that only a million people attended the march, the mainstream Brazilian press widely reported that three million attended, citing the Policia Militar (Military Police).
When questioned by the media, marchers denied hostility towards homosexuals, and expressed concern for their well-being. "Through the Bible, we know that God doesn't agree with what they do," members of one church group from the Vila Carrão neighborhood of
Another pastor who brought a group from his church denied that the march had anything to do with the "Gay Parade", emphasizing the positive aspect of it: "This is a demonstration in the name of Jesus. The two have nothing to do with each other." No violent incidents were reported during the march.
Three days later, the nation's annual "Gay Parade" presented a stark contrast to the March for Jesus. Over one million homosexual men and women marched down the city's main thoroughfare, many without shirts and dressed in drag outfits or wearing feathers.
They carried huge banners with the rainbow symbol that has been adopted by the international homosexual movement, and demanded an end to "machismo, racism, and homophobia". Last year's march resulted in the creation of a bill, currently pending in the Brazilian Congress, to outlaw all condemnations of homosexual behavior as "homophobia". The Gay Parade organizers this year demanded that such measures be accelerated.
Unlike the March for Jesus, the Gay Parade was frequently marred by violence between participants, according to Brazilian homosexual news outlets. G Online (the web version of G Magazine, a Brazilian homosexual publication), noted that "the G Online team, which covered the event throughout the day and throughout the march route, investigated various unpleasant scenes along the avenue (see photo on left). Shoving, fights, drunkenness and thefts were common during the Parade." The photo to the left showed a man covered in blood slumped against a car.
The Brazilian homosexual web portal, MixBrasil stated glumly that "this year, marked by violence between the parade participants, families disappeared" from the march. "Assaults, fights on every corner, thefts, pure violence…a tragedy."
Although the mainstream media generally quoted the parade organizers' estimate of
Also in stark contrast to the March for Jesus, this year's Gay Parade enjoyed heavy support from government and affiliated business institutions in
Major government officials were present for the event, including the Governor of Sao Paulo state, Jose Serra, and the Mayor of Sao Paulo, Gilbert Kassab. The
Among the expenditures by the government was a flyer containing the program for the event, as well as advice on how to avoid diseases when using injected narcotics. At some point the organizers suspended the flyer's distribution, apparently due to controversy.
Source: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/


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A white cop who came to work with cornrows got pulled from street duty and stuck behind a desk until he got a new "do," according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
Apparently it's not a big deal if you walk into work with cornrows and you're a black police officer in Philadelphia – dozens of black officers on the force sport the same hairdo, according to the report.
"It's absolutely discriminatory," one officer told the Daily News.
Officer Thomas Strain is with the 35th District and his supervisor, Inspector Aaron Horne, ordered Strain to chop off his braids and get a more professional hairstyle.
"The policy's the policy, it doesn't matter what race you are," police spokesman, Lt. Frank Vanore told the paper. Department policy requires officers to have "clean, properly trimmed and combed hair" that doesn't prevent them from wearing their uniform hat "in a military-manner," Vanore said.
U.S. & World
Vanore, who didn't see Strain's cornrows, speculated that the hat-wearing part of the policy may have been the problem. Asked why black officers with cornrows weren't ordered to get haircuts, Vanore didn't have an explanation, according to the report, but did say that if the black officers are women, the policy is not as strict.
Officer Strain cut his braids off after two days on desk duty.
Get More: The Daily News


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Premiering Saturday night on Cinemax was 2010's "The A-Team", starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copely, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jessica Biel.
Fair warning. I'm a BIG fan of the tv show.
It happened to hit me at just the right age. Any older and I think I would have been too critical of it. Any younger and I wouldn't have appreciated its blend of humor, action and colorful characters. As it wound up though, it's a show that would make my top 5 personal favorites from my youth with ease. If I didn't have a baby blog to feed, I most likely would have continued to stay away from the movie adaptation in protest.
But, technically, it's not a remake… the original was a TV show and this is a movie. And I heard enough things about it to make me think it has little chance of disrupting my fond memories of the original. And I DO need post material, so I said, screw it, let's check it out.
I'm actually glad – well, at least not pissed – I did.


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Welcome Riverside Bank customers!
On December 5th, 2014 Riverside Bank and Salisbury Bank have merged. We are pleased to offer the added convenience of an expanded branch network and additional online services.
When it comes to money, you can count on us to help manage your challenges or reach your goals. We look forward to getting to know you!
Add Salisburybank.com to your favorites.
Get to know us:
Visit a Branch
13 convenient locations in CT, NY and MA.
Get Started
Visit our homepage and explore all that we offer.
Share Questions
You can get in touch with us anytime.


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Oneida boys volleyball sweeps Canastota
ONEIDA - Oneida's boys volleyball team improved to 9-3 with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-13 sweep of Canastota Wednesday. Tyler Colvin led Oneida with 27 assists and added seven kills to go with David Kann's team-high nine. Avery Brennan's six kills led Canastota in defeat.
Canastota (0-5, 3-9): Elijah Cary 2k, 2d; Avery Brennan 1ac, 6k, 3d; Connor Hanauer 1ac, 3k, 1as, 4d; DeShawn Joyner 1ac; Mike McDermott 1k; Brandon Pickard 1k, 8as, 5b; Alex Truax 2k, 1as; Josh Whaley 1d.
Oneida (5-1, 9-3): Tyler Colvin 1ac, 7k, 27as; Andrew Sreca 1k; Kyle George 1ac, 1k, 4as; Trevor Rice 2d; Dylan Dibble 4k, 2b; Alex Nemeti 1ac, 1k; Derek Connelly 1ac, 4k, 2d; Chris Spencer 1d; Jessie Morrison 3ac, 7k, 2as, 2b; Zach Brown 5k; David Kann 3ac, 9k, 3d; Dan Keck 5d.


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> What's new ?
+ OS filter
+ Keywords search
+ Developers
VST Instruments
VST Effects
Midi VST
> HAWK Virtual Synthesizers :
/ 5
(8 votes)
BassTard is a
monophonic subtractive synthesizer
, designed to put out ground-shattering low frequency content.
BassTard was created around simplicity, delivering only the parameters needed to sculpt your perfect bass sound. Every major parameter has MIDI learn functionality, via the right mouse button.
At the core of BassTard's engine is a pair of unique oscillators, both with variable waveforms from a selection of shapes created with sub-woofer rattling bass sounds in mind. The unique waveshape morphing parameters allow you to create almost endless combinations of waveforms, enabling you to create individual flare for each sound. Each of the oscillators runs through an ADSR envelope before reaching the filter stage.
The first filter is a "Moog" styled low-pass filter, controlled by the Filter Envelope section, and optionally via keyboard velocity and note. The second has variable filter types, designed to add overtones to the original filter, it is also optionally controlled via keyboard note tracking.
Filter Envelope:
The Filter Envelope section was not only crafted with the idea of being able to create the tightest of filter curves, but also with the ability to function as an LFO modulator, for warping bass sounds. This is easily achieved by adjusting the settings via the right mouse button menu.
BassTard comes equipped with a simple to use parametric EQ with spectrum analysis, to help identify erroneous frequencies and further sculpt your perfect bass tone. The idea was that often an EQ plays a very integral role in the construction of a bass patch, and to be able to save and operate all the parameters within one host would be a key feature in finding the sound you want quickly and effortlessly.
Transient Shaper:
Second last in the signal path is a transient shaper, to balance or accentuate the peaks or dips of the total dynamic range of your sound. The transient shaper functions slightly differently from a regular envelope in that rather than the parameters controlling time based functions, they control the amplitude of either the peak or dip.
Finally, for good measure, we added a dual-band compressor into the chain. The compressor is able to smooth out the most aggressive of basslines, or bring out roaring harmonics from soothing tones. It has a dry/wet parameter, allowing you to dial in just the right amount of compression needed to compliment your sound perfectly.
Win 32 VST
(3.2 Mb)
Submit new comment
Feb 26 2018
/ 5
I like! phat sound!
Sept 24 2017
/ 5
EXTRA Bass Sounds
Sept 09 2016
/ 5
Suena fantástico el video, a ver como se comporta en mis temas :)
Aug 13 2015
Cesar Nova
/ 5
Good Bass Sounds
Please type this code :
May 31 2015
/ 5
May I suggest you make the gui smaller? I can't see it properly in fl12 even at maximum resolution (1366x768).
May 22 2015
/ 5
If you pronounce the name like the fish, it is a play on words (a very thin play.) If you pronounce it like the musical instrument, the second syllable comes out as 'tard, which we all are familiar with as a pejorative shortening of retard. So, a slightly witty but not very well named average sounding virtual analog soft synthesizer.
May 22 2015
/ 5
Do'nt be put off by the nasty looking GUI ugly is only skin deep! Lurking under the hood are all the tools you need to program basses of all complexion, plus some nice presets to get you started.


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Southwestern Receives $1.3 Million Grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
May 21, 2012
May 21, 2012
Southwestern University is one of 47 colleges selected to participate in a $50 million science education initiative sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
The new initiative is designed to help schools create more engaging science classes, bring real-world research experiences to students, and increase the diversity of students who study science.
Southwestern will receive $1.3 million from HHMI to transform its undergraduate science education program over the next four years. The money will be used to implement an "inquiry-based" curriculum across all departments in its Natural Sciences Division – Animal Behavior, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kinesiology, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics.
"Inquiry-based learning can be defined in many ways, but in general it involves a more hands-on approach in which students actively engage in the scientific process rather than learning through instructor-transmitted information," said Emily Niemeyer, a chemistry professor who chaired the HHMI proposal planning committee, helped write the grant submission, and will serve as a co-director for the new program."Inquiry-based learning has been shown to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills and to help with student retention and enthusiasm for science."
The other co-director for the program will be Maha Zewail-Foote, associate professor of chemistry and chair of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
Some science departments at Southwestern have already been moving toward more inquiry-based courses. Mark Bottorff, associate professor of physics, previously received a grant from the Associated Colleges of the South to develop a new inquiry-based curriculum for teaching astronomy and for the past two years students in General Chemistry developed inquiry-based experiments to share with students at local elementary schools.
Southwestern plans to gradually transform all its natural science courses, beginning with introductory classes. Funds from the HHMI grant will be used to help faculty learn how to implement the new inquiry-based curriculum and to purchase supplies that will support inquiry-based laboratories in all departments.
Niemeyer said particular attention will be paid to overhauling the curriculum in organic chemistry, which is one of the most important "gateway courses" in the sciences.
"At Southwestern and other schools, organic chemistry has the reputation of 'weeding out' the ranks of potential science majors," Niemeyer said, noting that the typical attrition rate at most schools is 30 to 50 percent over the two-semester course.
The HHMI grant will be used to hire a full-time lab instructor with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry to completely revamp the laboratory portion of the class and offer continuity for the course. It also will fund peer mentors who will provide tutoring to students taking organic chemistry, giving a new support structure to help ensure student success in the class.
Southwestern also will use the grant money to double the amount of student-faculty collaborative research projects it funds in the summer. Currently, Southwestern has a chemistry summer research program sponsored by the Welch Foundation of Houston and an institutionally funded Faculty-Student Projects program that supports collaborative research in the natural sciences and throughout the university. With HHMI funding, student-faculty collaborative research in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and animal behavior will be consolidated into a single interdisciplinary program called the Southwestern Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE).
HHMI support will allow an additional 68 Southwestern students to take part in research projects with faculty members over the four-year course of the grant. One-third of the places in the summer research program will be reserved for students from groups who are underrepresented in the sciences and Martín Gonzalez, an associate professor of biology, will serve as an HHMI faculty mentor and will offer a one-credit course in which SURE students will talk about current topics in science and learn more about careers in the sciences, preparation for graduate school, scientific presentations and study abroad opportunities.
Faculty members in Southwestern's Natural Sciences Division began meeting in 2008 to discuss how science education at Southwestern could be transformed in the coming decades. As part of this discussion, they also began making plans to renovate and expand Southwestern's existing science building. Fundraising for this project is currently under way and just this month Southwestern received a $1 million gift from The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston for the project, bringing the total raised to date to $5.6 million. The new building will bring all departments in the division – which are currently spread out among three buildings – into one facility.
Every four years, HHMI invites a limited number of colleges to submit proposals for programs that will improve science education. Colleges are invited to participate in the competition based on their record of postbaccalaureate student achievement in the sciences and their record of preparing students from groups underrepresented in the sciences to pursue scientific careers.
Southwestern was one of 215 schools invited to participate in the 2012 competition, which ended up funding 43 proposals involving 47 schools.
"Southwestern has a strong history of providing an exemplary, rigorous undergraduate education in the sciences and producing students who are exceptionally well prepared," Zewail-Foote said. "We are delighted that HHMI recognizes our tradition of excellence and our vision for the future."


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AT&T and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announce that they will be starting a new initiative that will provide free Wi-Fi to 20 parks across New York Citys boroughs. This will mean that New Yorkers will be able to connect to a parks WiFi through selected Smartphones and other WiFi devices. How cool is it that soon you will be able to hang out in Central Park and fully use your BlackBerry Playbook or Smartphone??
So far New York parks such as Battery Park, Joyce Kilmer Park and Thomas Jefferson Park have been opened with WiFi access. Their will be more parks that will launch throughout the summer.
AT&T Writes:
AT&T launching these WiFi sites is a powerful move. This is part of AT&T's way of showing NYC it cares about giving you the 100% full experience of mobile technology.Connecting to AT&T Wi-Fi at the parks is quick, easy and free to all users, not only to AT&T subscribers.
What do you think about this new initiative?


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The bootloader is preburned in factory from Atmel and is stored in a dedicated ROM memory.
I wonder if the 'vanilla version' of the SAM3X8E can be used to make own Arduino-compatible boards, since the Due page says:QuoteThe bootloader is preburned in factory from Atmel and is stored in a dedicated ROM memory.Would this mean Atmel ships a custom Arduino bootloader with these chips, or does the Due use a standard Atmel bootloader? If the former, will be able to burn a bootloader ourselves? :~
16 Kbytes ROM with embedded bootloader routines (UART, USB) and IAP routines
The SAM-BA Boot is in ROM and is mapped in Flash at address 0x0 when GPNVM bit 1 is setto 0.
The Teensy 3.0 is now entering general release if you wanted an ARM board in a smaller package than the DUE. The Teensy is not the DUE, so be sure to understand what it offers and what it doesn't. Teensy 3.0 uses a modified Arduino 1.0.1 IDE.


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Film: A Monster in Paris
Released: 2011
Director: Bibo Bergeron
Stars: Adam Goldberg (voice), Vanessa Paradis (voice), Jay Harrington (voice), Danny Huston (voice), Sean Lennon (singing voice)
Paris,1910. Emile, a shy movie projectionist, and Raoul, a colorful inventor, find themselves embarked on the hunt for a monster terrorizing citizens. They join forces with Lucille, the big-hearted star of the Rare Bird cabaret, an eccentric scientist and his irascible monkey to save the monster, who turns out to be an oversized but harmless flea, from the city's ruthlessly ambitious police chief.
What I thought of it:
A wonderful blend of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera (coincidentally both also set in Paris!) with a touch of Frankenstein and a dash of Beauty and the Beast. The animation is gorgeous, the storyline superbly executed, and it features a song that should have been nominated for the Best Original Song at the Oscars (La Seine – it should have won it too!).
Featuring the vocal talents of Vanessa Paradis and Sean Lennon (whch blend beautifully, by the way), this is the perfect antidote to a rainy afternoon for kids and adults alike. I took Xander to see this at the cinema and he's done nothing but talk about it and ask to see it again ever since – he's even asked me to sing La Seine for him on numerous occasions and has started joining in with it too!
Of course, we saw the English version, but I'm certain the original French version is just as wonderful.
And for your listening pleasure, here is the English version of La Seine: