Harapan Buruh Wanita pada International Women's Day

2015-03-10T06:21:00.002-07:00

Memperingati Hari Perempuan Internasional, puluhan buruh yang tergabung dalam Komite Persatuan Perjuangan International Women's Day (KPPIWD), menggelar aksi di depan Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI).

Para buruh perempuan ini menuntut hak persamaan dan kesejahteraan bagi para buruh perempuan. Mereka menegaskan menolak keras agenda liberalisasi atau pasar bebas yang dibungkus dengan agenda Masyarakat Ekonomi Asean (MEA).

"Agenda MEA banyak merugikan Indonesia, khususnya bagi buruh," ujar orasi yang disampaikan salah satu buruh, Qori, di Jakarta, Minggu (8/3/2015).

Massa aksi yang yang berkumpul di depan Bundaran HI itu akan melanjutkan penyampaian pendapatnya dengan bergerak menuju Istana Negara. Setelah itu, menuju titik aksi terakhir di Mahkamah Konstitusi yang letaknya tidak berjauhan dengan istana.

Selain itu, mereka juga menuntut kepada pemerintahan era Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi), untuk dihapuskannya sistem kerja kontrak outsourcing dan memberikan upah yang setara bagi para buruh.

Google Ikut Merayakan Hari Perempuan Internasional

2015-03-10T06:20:00.001-07:00

Google selalu mengapresiasi perayaan hari-hari besar. Misalnya hari ini, Ahad, 8 Maret 2015 yang merupakan Hari Perempuan Internasional.

Dilansir NDTV, Minggu, 8 Maret 2015, Google mengganti tampilan gambar Google Doodle menjadi berbagai macam animasi kegiatan perempuan, seperti perempuan pelukis, ilmuan, koki, pengajar, pemusik, bahkan olahragawan.

Gambar tersebut sama dengan tema Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa untuk Hari Perempuan Internasional tahun ini, yaitu pemberdayaan perempuan.

Gambar tersebut seperti menyiratkan pesan bahwa perempuan bisa melakukan banyak hal. Tahun lalu Google merayakan Hari Perempuan Internasional dengan menampilkan lebih dari 100 tokoh perempuan terkenal, termasuk peraih Nobel, Malala Yousafzai, dan legenda Bollywood, Asha Bhonsle.

Hari Perempuan Internasional pertama kali dirayakan di Chicago, Amerika Serikat, tepatnya pada 3 Mei 1908. Kemudian pada 1914, secara meluas Hari Perempuan Internasional mulai dirayakan pada 8 Maret.

Jessie J Tampil Nyaris Telanjang di Atas Panggung

2015-03-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Selain penyanyi Christina Perri yang ditunggu-tunggu penampilannya pada Java Jazz Festival 2015, penyanyi Jessie J juga turut tampil diacara tersebut. Meskipun penonton yang ingin melihat penampilan Jessie J harus membeli tiket tambahan, tapi penonton tetap begitu antusias.

Hal itu terlihat dari mengularnya antrean di pintu masuk Hall D2 Jakarta Internasional Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran. Namun, rasa lelah menunggu antrean di pintu masuk, rasanya terbayarkan dengan melihat penyanyi R&B sekaligus Pop tampil memukau di atas panggung.

Penampilan pertama Jessie pun langsung mendapatkan sorotan tajam dari para penonton. Pasalnya, tidak seperti artis mancanegara lainnya, dia justru mengenakan t-shirt tipis berwarna hitam yang bertuliskan 'Jakarta'.

Sontak saja, kemunculan dia pun langsung disambut histeris dan tepuk tangan dari puluhan ribu penonton. Jessie yang begitu energik dan atraktif di atas panggung pun memberikan semangat juga kepada penonton.

"Hallo semuanya. Aku ingin melihat wajah mu. Aku tiga tahun lalu pernah datang ke sini. Jadi ini penampilan kedua ku. Saya senang akhirnya bisa kembali ke sini," sapa Jessie, di sela penampilannya di atas panggung Java Jazz Festival, Hall D2, JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta Pusat, Minggu (8/3/2015).

Lagu-lagu yang dibawakan Jessie seperti 'Square One', dan 'Sweet Talker' pun ditampilkan dengan nada tinggi. Demi tampil maksimal, penyanyi berusia 26 tahun itu menari dan berjalan menguasai isi panggung demi menyenangkan hati penggemarnya.

Namun, aksi energik dia pun rupanya membuat tubuh wanita berkulit putih itu dipenuhi keringat. Sambil melantunkan lagu 'Do It Like a Dude', Jessie pun melepaskan t-shit bertuliskan 'Jakarta' itu. Lekuk tubuh dia pun tampak terlihat jelas, manakala dalam aksi panggungnya dia nyaris telanjang dan hanya menyisakan pakaian dalam berwarna hitam.

Tentu saja, ribuan penonton itu pun berteriak histeris dan bertepuk tangan melihat aksi panggung idolanya tersebut. Namun, penampakan itu tidak berlangsung lama. Jessie pun masuk ke belakang panggung sejenak untuk berganti pakaian.

Seraya pelantunkan 'Price Tag', Jessie kembali tampil ke atas panggung dengan mengenakan t-shirt bertuliskan 'Bang Bang', dan berwarna hitam serta putih. Dia juga membawakan lagu hits lain yakni 'Bang Bang', dan dijadikan sebagai penutup penampilannya yang berlangsung sekitar satu setengah jam.

Californians pair 5 out of 6 Powerball numbers

2013-05-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

SAN JOSE, Calif. - California Lottery officials say two people are holding winning lottery tickets worth $2,309,228 after their Powerball tickets matched five of six winning numbers.

Officials say one of the winning tickets was sold at a 7-Eleven stores in San Jose and the other in Taft. National lottery officials say one ticket bearing all six winning numbers was sold in Florida.

So far the winner hasn't come forward to claim the highest Powerball jackpot in history.

The lucky ticket was bought at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla., a city of about 13,000 people about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa.

The winner will have up to two months to claim the estimated $590.5 million jackpot.

Under Florida law, lottery winners in the state cannot remain anonymous; their names and city of residence must be made publicly available to anyone who asks, according to the state's lottery website. No one had come forward as of Monday morning.

Lottery spokesman David Bishop says that winners of big jackpots usually don't rush to claim their prize. They typically contact an attorney or accountant to get their affairs in order.

Transcript for $590 1000000 Powerball Listing Sold in Florida

2013-05-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Now, to the latest on that winning ticket. Almost $600 million, the largest jackpot in powerball history. Will the lucky winner come forward today?

Abc's steve osunsami is at the florida location where the golden -- platinum ticket was purchased. Good morning, steve. Reporter: Good morning, robin.

People we talk to here at the grocery store and across this community, say this is a small town. And the winner can't hide for long. This is powerball.

Reporter: It's the most valuable winning lotteryket ever winning powerball numr is 11. Reporter: Worth more than $500 million. Who's got it?

Who's the new millionaire? It's a small town and everybody talks. Reporter: State law requires the winner to come out, come out wherever you are, and turn in the winning ticket in person at state lottery headquarters in tallahassee.

Across zephyrhills, florida, where until now, the biggest story was the town's bottled water. The rumor mill is now on fire. I heard a lot of buzz.

Reporter: Was it a grandfather from one of the many senior communities across town? Or a woman with two young children who may have worked at the grocery store where the ticket was sold. At the beauty shop -- they will share.

Reporter: And at the park, they're also trying to figure it out. Whoever it is, I'll be glad to see if we know them or anything like that. Reporter: If the winner says no thanks to the yearly payment option and decides to take the lump sum, you're talking nearly $371 million.

While the lottery withholds 25% to pay federal taxes, the winner here hit a second bit of luck. There's no state tax in florida. Someone could be walking away with somewhere south of $278 million.

Nicki Minaj Gives Lil Wayne A Lap Dance At Billboard Music

2013-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Nicki Minaj proved, with her raunchy performance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, that she can be a lady on the streets and a freak on the stage.

She walked the red carpet in an elegant red gown, but oh how quickly things changed. The rapper gave Lil Wayne a lap dance, "High School" style.

Twerking like a woman possessed in her shredded leggings, midriff-baring crop-top, and high heels, she straddled and writhed against Weezy. Hard.

The big finish to Nicki Minaj's explicit twerk fest involved her completely bent over suggestively fanning her fingers between her legs.

We haven't seen a "High School" twerking display like this since ... well, the Scripps Ranch twerk team video that got 33 high school kids suspended.

Lil Wayne was in for a sultry dance from Nicki Minaj at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.

Lil Wayne already has seizures, but after the "twerk"-filled lap dance from Nicki Minaj at the Billboard Music Awards, the rapper looked like a heart attack was on the way.
During the performance of their song "High School," Minaj, 30, had a dancer bring out a chair for Lil Wayne, 30, to sit down, before she began her sexy dance.

Minaj "twerked" all over Wayne, who looked on in amusement.

The "Super Bass" singer, clad in black leggings, a crop top and heels, gyrated on her label-mate's lap while he looked on incredulously.

Minaj work an all black outfit and Chanel baseball cap for her dance.

It was a performance to cap off her night of wins - Minaj took home three Billboard awards, including Top Streaming Artist, Top Rap Artist and Top Rap Album for "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded."

Lil Wayne, seated, and Nicki Minaj perform at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 19.

The 'Super Bass' singer went on to win three Billboard Awards on Sunday.

Minaj and Lil Wayne performed their song "High School."

UConn wins West, berth in Final Four

2011-03-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jim Calhoun could scarcely watch when the most improbable postseason run of his coaching life at Connecticut came down to an open 3-point attempt by Arizona's Jamelle Horne.

The shot clanged off the back rim. The clock hit zeros.

Nine victories in just 19 days. Calhoun has seen just about everything, but nothing like this — and now his Huskies will keep running all the way to Houston.

Kemba Walker scored 20 points, freshman Jeremy Lamb added 19 and UConn earned its second Final Four berth in three years, beating Arizona 65-63 Saturday to win the West regional.

After missing the NCAA tournament entirely last year, Calhoun's tireless team is headed to the Huskies' fourth Final Four, punctuated by an ebullient on-court celebration in a building packed with Arizona fans.

UConn simply hasn't lost since a .500 Big East regular season, winning five games in five days at the conference tournament before this NCAA run. Walker claims he isn't surprised by this sprint through the postseason, while Lamb has nothing to compare it to, leaving Calhoun alone in his grateful disbelief.

"Never did I imagine a team winning nine games in tournament play in 19 days," Calhoun said. "These brothers, these young guys, have just given me a thrill beyond compare. Our march in the past nine games, I haven't experienced anything like this."

UConn also made the Final Four in 1999, 2004 and 2009 — all three times out of the West. In sweet redemption for a program and a veteran coach tarred by scandals over the past year, the Huskies will face the winner of North Carolina's East regional final against Kentucky next Saturday.

Derrick Williams and Horne missed go-ahead 3-pointers in the final seconds for Arizona, allowing the third-seeded Huskies (30-9) to hang on after Lamb scored six key points down the stretch when Walker encouraged the Huskies to run plays for the fearless frosh.

"This is no time to be tired," Walker said. "We're trying to get as far as possible. We want to win this whole thing."

Williams had 20 points while battling foul trouble for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (30-8), who led with 6 minutes to play. After Lamb pushed the Huskies ahead and Walker hit a jumper with 1:13 left, Lamont Jones and Horne then hit late 3-pointers for Arizona, but the Wildcats couldn't convert two good looks in the final seconds.

"The second one, I thought it was definitely going in," Lamb said. "When he missed it, I looked at the clock and saw zero-zero, and I just went, 'Whooooo.' It's the best feeling I've ever had."

The Huskies are the last team standing from the Big East's 11 NCAA entrants. After going 9-9 in regular-season conference play, they've done more than even Calhoun might have expected just three weeks ago.

After the Wildcats missed their final two shots, Walker and Calhoun wrapped each other in a bear hug at center court after the buzzer as Emeka Okafor, Jake Voskuhl and other UConn alums celebrated on the court.

The two-time national champion coach has referred to his group as "an old-fashioned team," a praise of their work ethic and resilience. But they also showed remarkable poise down the stretch in a building firmly in favor of the Wildcats.

A year after Arizona's 25-year streak of NCAA tournament appearances ended, the Wildcats and second-year coach Sean Miller were one 3-pointer away from a return to the Final Four. Williams demolished Duke in the regional semifinals with a career-high 32 points, but three early fouls limited him to 7 minutes in the first half against UConn.

"I've never been prouder of a team, and I've never seen a team come so far as we did in a short period of time," Miller said. "It will probably feel better in a few weeks than it does now."

The Manchurian Candidate: Which Version is Better? Frank Sinatra or Denzel Washington?

2011-03-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

The 1962 film the Manchurian Candidate is a certified classic. The political thriller was so good that it earned the best tribute it could get. A remake. In 2004, Denzel Washington took on the role originally played by Frank Sintra.

There was of course some updating in the remake, some new tweets, and lots of color. But the original black and white, still holds it own. So which one is better and what has been said in comparing the two films?Most film fans who were familiar with the original political thriller tend to side with the 1962 version. But under the direction of Johnathan Demme with a cast that included along side Denzel the likes of Meryl Streep and Liev Schreilber, they do a fabulous job. It’s a strong piece of cinema that comes as a fresher, bright version of the dark and foreboding original.

Grant Helps Butler's Friesner Herbarium Put Plants Online

2011-03-27T04:27:00.000-07:00

More than 1,900 specimens of ferns and orchids that grow in Indiana can now be seen and studied online, thanks to an $8,000 grant Butler University received from the Indiana State Library.

The digital images, along with specific information on each plant, are available here. The plants are part of the collection in Butler’s Friesner Herbarium, which houses specimens from more than 43,000 Indiana plants as well as 55,000 samples from elsewhere. (Herbaria are systemic collections of pressed and dried plants with labels that document who collected them, when, and where. The focus of the Friesner Herbarium is plants that grow outside of cultivation.)

The University will publicly unveil the project at 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at Irwin Library. The event is free and open to the public.

“The idea is that hopefully, having this information available will make more people aware of the collection and its historical value,” said Rebecca Dolan, director of the Friesner Herbarium. “And as people are interested in the history of a county, they can look back at our records. Many of our specimens were collected in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, before there was a lot of development in most of the state.”

Digitizing the first 1,900 specimens began a year ago as a joint project between the Herbarium and the Irwin Library. Lewis Miller, dean of the libraries, was the principal investigator on the grant. Butler partnered with IUPUI’s library to photograph the plants, then linked the images with data from each specimen. Irwin Library Catalog Librarian Janice Gustaferro entered the pictures and information into a searchable database.

Dolan said the process went so well that a second grant – this time $20,000 – will enable the University to digitize another 6,400 specimens from the sunflower/daisy family.

“The ultimate goal would be to get all 43,000 Indiana specimens digitized so people don’t have to come here to see the specimens,” she said.

The herbarium’s collection is kept in folders inside lockers that protect the specimens from light, water and insects. Dolan said the plants are useful in a variety of ways – for professional botanists interested in species distributions; for students and teachers studying Indiana natural history; for people trying to establish historical landscapes; for people interested in the spread of non-native plants.

The project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Indiana State Library.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “nation of learners,” because lifelong learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build 21st century skills and increase civic participation. More information is available at www.imls.gov<http://www.imls.gov>.

The Butler University Year book Online

2011-03-27T04:25:00.000-07:00

So in lamenting Pitt's annual early exit from the NCAA tourney I felt obligated to look into Butler University because I have no idea who Butler is, where they are from and why they have to stir up trouble for the basketball powers that be.

While my main passion is college football, I graduated from Pitt so, of course, I love Pitt's basketball team unconditionally as well.
Needless to say I was disappointed by Butler's 71-70 dismissal of Pittsburgh.

After the game I had to look up a little bit about Butler. How many scholarships do they have?.. What conference do they play in?.. Do they have a Div. 1 football team?

Ultimately, I was convinced enough that Butler is an actual college, so I entered "Butler University Yearbooks" into the search bar and I was surprised to see that Butler University has their yearbooks posted online.

The yearbooks have had several names over the years, The Carillon, The Gallery and the name the yearbook started with and has come back to time and time again: The Drift.

The earliest yearbook Butler has available online is from way back in 1891, and butler boasted a solid football team even way back then.

One of the interesting things regarding any early yearbook the occasional bias exhibited by student writers.
I particularly liked this page from the 1891 Drift where the writer directly refutes a score on account of the ref not knowing the rules.
That is definitely a possibility in those early days- especially considering that there were two sets of rules committees even as late as 1896, but I have found no evidence thus far to suggest that Butler was robbed of 16 points vs Hanover and lost the 1887 Indiana state championship as a result.

So while these texts can certainly offer us some more clarity on football's salad days - the accounts can be biased and may raise as many new questions as they answer.

In all, this is another great surprise addition to the yearbooks collection. This one was produced by the Internet Archive and looks great, is easy to use and is keyword searchable. Pitt's loss to Butler in the round of 32 was hard to swallow, but at least I found this one positive in another painful Pitt tournament loss.

San Diego Zoo : San Diego Zoo Adds Two

2011-03-23T07:47:00.001-07:00

The California condor population has just added two!

Two condor chicks were born last week at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Two other eggs are in incubators.

Best known for their bald heads, California condors live in crevices and caves. They usually lay one egg with a chick hatching two months later. California condors are considered an important part of the ecosystem and play an essential part in natures clean up. They prefer large dead animals like cattle and deer to feed on and they find their food mostly by their keen eyesight and can go without food for several days.

In recent years, due to poaching and habitat loss, the condor population had only 22 birds in 1982. Thanks to Zoo’s like this one, the population is up 300 birds. The park has hatched 165 chicks since the ’80s, when the last 22 California condors were placed in the captive breeding program.

Conservation Up Close and Personal

2011-03-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest blogs. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal

Today, Lead Mammal Keeper Jane Kennedy and Senior Mammal Keeper Matt Gelvin took us to look at some of the animals that they oversee at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We all sat on bales of hay in the back of a keeper truck to get an up close and personal look at the wildlife of the Asian and African plains at the Safari Park. We actually got to feed giraffes and rhinos which was an amazing experience! Although I had an absolute blast feeding the animals at the Park, one animal stood out above all others. As we were driving through the Asian Plains enclosure, Mrs. Kennedy pointed out to us a very special animal with a very special story: the Père David’s deer.

Over 3,000 years ago, more than one million Père David’s deer roamed the open plains and marshes of China. The wild herds kept diminishing due to over-hunting in their habitat. However, their extinction was prevented by the Emperor of China, who had the only surviving herd placed in captivity in his Imperial Hunting Park. At this time, the deer were very popular and in high demand throughout Europe, so the emperor gifted many of the animals to zoos. The remaining Chinese herd was slaughtered and eaten by soldiers during the Boxer Rebellion resulting in the extinction of the Père David’s deer in its native China. However, the deer in captivity in Europe were thriving. European zoos worked together toward conserving the species and rescuing their population. These deer are now found in zoos around the globe. Mrs. Kennedy explained that the reason the Père David’s deer that I saw are even at the Safari Park is because of the conservation efforts done by zoos like the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. Mrs. Kennedy said that, “If we didn’t have zoos, these animals would be extinct. They just wouldn’t be here.”

It is humbling to think about what zoos do in terms of species conservation. When you think of a zoo, what comes to mind? Animals in enclosed habitats? Families with children? Petting corrals? Have you ever really thought of zoos in relationship to wildlife conservation? The San Diego Zoo is a big supporter of wildlife conservation. They raise and donate financial support and increase conservation awareness. They band together with other zoos around the world to work on wide scale conservation issues as well as breed and release species. They also exercise their most valuable resource, education. If I have learned one thing through this experience with InternQuest it is that knowledge is power and that education is key to conservation efforts. At places like the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, the clear message of conservation education is being spread to every visitor: “Inspire change by educating and motivating people to take action that will protect and nurture the natural world.”

2011-03-23T07:40:00.001-07:00

Buddhist Nuns in India / U of T conference

2011-03-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

The University of Toronto/McMaster University Yehan Numata Buddhist Studies Program is pleased to announce an international conference on the lives of ordained Buddhist nuns in India from the time of the Buddha until the eventual disappearance of the bhikṣuṇī saṅgha from Indian soil.

BUDDHIST NUNS IN INDIA
April 16-17, 2011, University of Toronto
Trinity College, Combination Room. 6 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto
Sponsored by the University of Toronto/McMaster University Yehan Numata Buddhist Studies Program
All conference sessions are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Shayne Clarke: clarsha@mcmaster.ca
http://buddhiststudies.chass.utoronto.ca/buddhist-nuns-in-india/

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Shayne Clarke (McMaster University) “Guṇaprabha, Yijing, Bu sTon and the Lack of a Coherent System of Rules for Nuns in the Tibetan Tradition of the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”

Christoph Emmrich (University of Toronto, Mississauga) “And Then There Were None? Mrs. Shakya and the Sketchy History of the Nepalese Bhikṣuṇīs”

Ann Heirman (University of Gent) “Beyond Gender: Bodily Care in Indian Buddhist Monasticism”

Oskar von Hinüber (Universität Freiburg) “Pious and Useful: Women Who did Not Become Nuns in Early Buddhism”

Hiraoka Satoshi (Kyoto Bunkyō University) “Did Yaśodharā become a Nun? On the Indebtedness of the Lotus Sūtra to the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”

Petra Kieffer-Pülz (Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg) “Buddhist Nuns in South India as Reflected in the Andhakaṭṭhakathā and the Anugaṇṭhipada”

Jinah Kim (Vanderbilt University) “At the Feet of the Buddha: Representations of Buddhist Nuns and Monastic Women in Medieval South Asia”

Kishino Ryōji (University of California, Los Angeles) “On Possible Misunderstandings of the Brahmacaryopasthānasaṃvṛti Requirement for Female Ordination in the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”

Jason Neelis (Wilfrid Laurier University) “Female Ownership of Buddhist Monasteries? A Closer Look at Vihārasvāminīs and Feminine Patronage in South Asian Sources”

Sasaki Shizuka (Hanazono University) “An Analytical Study of the Bhikṣuṇī Pārājika rules in the Vinayas”

Gregory Schopen (University of California, Los Angeles) “The Buddhist Nun as an Urban Landlord and a ‘Legal Person’ in Early India”

Jampa Tsedroen (Universität Hamburg) “The Foundation of the Order of Buddhist Nuns According to the Tibetan Translation of the Kṣudrakavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”

Yao Fumi (Tokyo University) “The Story of Dharmadinnā: Ordination by Messenger in the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”

Yonezawa Yoshiyasu (Taishō University) “Re-editing the Bhikṣuṇī-vibhaṅga Section of the Vinayasūtra”

Respondents: Kate Crosby (University of London), Paul Groner (University of Virginia), Shimoda Masahiro (Tokyo University)

A letter to Patrick Deane, President, McMaster University

2011-03-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is about the symposium upcoming at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, The Future of the Academic Library. The symposium is co-presented by Library Journal and McMaster.

It was announced on Twitter this past Sunday and there was a bit of a Twitter-storm about the conference as quite a few people (myself included) thought the program participants a bit problematic, to say the least.

But I'll let my University of Windsor colleague Mita Willliams take it from here. With her permission, I'm reposting the letter she wrote yesterday to President Deane.
I am writing this letter to you today on International Women's Day. Or, to be more accurate I'm writing you this letter *because* it's International Women's Day.

I am writing to ask you if you think that it's acceptable for a symposium that you will be a speaking at - The Future of Academic Libraries - to have what appears to be only 3 women presenting out of a possible 21 speakers.

The percentage of women in Canadian academic librarianship is 73% [CAUT Almanac, pdf].

Last night I got a call from a student from McMaster as part of the University's current Alumni fund-raising drive. She was kind, clear, engaging and polite. When I told her that I was able to apply my geography and environmental science degree from McMaster in my work as a science librarian, she told me that she really appreciated librarians and just recently a McMaster librarian helped her find the data she needed for her GIS class.

But as able as she was, she was not ultimately effective in getting closer to her fund-raising goal for reasons that were not her fault. So after I told the student my reasons why I would not donate to McMaster University, I told her that I would write you personally and tell you those reasons myself because... well because it only seemed fair.

I support McMaster librarians and the excellent work that they do. I'm looking forward to working with them at Code4Lib North (that McMaster University is kindly sponsoring) and I hope to run into them again at The Humanities and Technology Camp being held two weeks later at UWO. (As an aside, did you notice that there are no McMaster Librarians speaking at The Future of Academic libraries at the symposium? Others have.)

I will not be attending The Future of Academic Libraries Symposium because 15% doesn't sound fair to me. I want a future that's more fair than the present, for myself and for the student I spoke to last night.

Mita has it exactly right.

Consider me an additional signatory to Mita's letter.

Another thing that I find problematic is that most of the presenters from the library world are senior administrators -- university librarians and others at that level. While I have nothing against senior administrators per se, it seems to me that a symposium on the future of something could certainly benefit from some younger blood. See Peter Brantley's excellent call to arms, Get in the goddamn wagon, for some further thoughts in that direction.

A panel discussion featuring some of McMaster's front-line librarians would seem to be a natural for dealing with at least some of the aforementioned issues -- lack of women, lack of Mac librarians and lack of early-career and front-line librarians.

I realize that it's probably too late to change the program significantly, in particular since the schedule of events seems inordinately packed. However, I feel the three prominent omissions seriously damage the credibility of what should have been a significant event in the spring calendar for academic librarians in southern Ontario.

PACE lab opens at McMaster

2011-03-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

The PACE Lab established by General Motors (GM) and PACE Partners Autodesk, HP, Oracle and Siemens PLM Software at McMaster University is giving engineering and technology students an edge as they prepare for careers in the world of automotive design and engineering.

Patrick Deane, President of McMaster University, and Matt Crossley, director of Canadian engineering at GM Canada, opened the PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) Lab at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the University Thursday. Also participating were representatives from Autodesk, HP, Oracle and Siemens PLM Software.

"We want our engineering and technology students equipped to thrive in the automotive industry of the future," said Deane. "That industry is one that is global in scope and collaborative in nature. PACE provides our students with the chance to work with their peers from around the world and gives them exposure to tomorrow's technologies."

PACE has made an in-kind contribution of state-of-the-art computer-based hardware, such as 3D navigation devices and engineering workstations, and engineering software used by automakers around the globe for product planning, engineering, analysis, and data management. The University also receives technical and educational materials for student and instructor training and academic support.

Sixty-seven computer workstations have been installed in two locations at the University, one in the Engineering Technology Building and the other in the John Hodgins Engineering Building. The workstations are used by students in both the Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Technology programs. PACE software on the computers includes Siemens PLM Software NX and Teamcenter; and Autodesk Alias Design, Maya, and Sketchbook Pro.

A student team demonstrated their work for the PACE Next Generation Sustainable Urban Transport (SUT) project at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The students are collaborating with their peers at the University of Cincinnati to develop a near- pollution-free vehicle propelled by compressed air. McMaster is developing the propulsion system and students at the University of Cincinnati are developing the frame and chassis. The project will be presented at the 2011 PACE Global Annual Forum this July in Vancouver.

"Students experience a greater depth and breadth of learning when they are able to work with their peers and other professionals on real-world projects," said David Wilkinson, dean of engineering. "We are increasing opportunities for these types of experiences at McMaster and partnerships with organizations like PACE are essential to their success."

PACE is a corporate alliance between General Motors, Autodesk, HP, Oracle and Siemens PLM Software with contributions from 14 other companies. Founded in 1999, PACE supports 56 leading academic institutions in 12 countries through the contribution of computer-based engineering tools. Its goal is to prepare the engineers, designers, and analysts of the future by providing students in mechanical design, engineering, analysis and manufacturing with the digital and collaboration skills they need to succeed in their professional careers.

McMaster University is one of Canada's leading automotive research and education institutions, with the greatest concentration of powertrain research anywhere in the country. Under the MacAUTO umbrella, the University is involved in a wide variety of studies, from hybrid technology to lightweight materials to software and simulation. A new 50,000 square-foot automotive resource centre being planned will provide an innovation ecosystem to promote daily interactions among industry, university and government on market-oriented and industry-driven research.

Evan Rachel Wood Sports Pubic Wig in ‘Mildred Pierce’

2011-03-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Evan Rachel Wood spent months preparing for her role in the upcoming HBO mini-series ‘Mildred Pierce,’ working with dialect coaches and piano teachers. Foregoing her normal waxing routine, however, was apparently asking too much.

The young starlet, who plays Vampire Queen Sophie-Anne in the hit series True Blood, told Julie Zied of The Zeidgeist she was nervous about her nude scene in the final installment of the five-part depression-era series.

Although actually, she wasn’t fully nude in the frontal scene. On the advice of co-star Kate Winslet, she wore a merkin for authenticity sake. What’s a merkin, you ask?

“Let’s just say, I had to wear a wig because it was in the 30s, and everything had to look like it was in the 30s,” the 23-year old was kind enough to explain.

Unsurprisingly, such pubic hair pieces are readily available on the internet.

“Mildred Pierce” premieres Sunday, March 27 on HBO. In the meantime, Wood is busy filming The Ides of March, in which she stars alongside George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei. The drama, directed and co-writen by Clooney, is due to hit theaters this fall.

Celebrity Photos: Charlie Sheen, Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Brown, Monica Belluci, Guy Pearce, Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood

2011-03-23T07:19:00.001-07:00

AP Photo/ABC, Richard Cartwright

Charlie Sheen kisses Jimmy Kimmel

Charlie Sheen surprises Jimmy Kimmel and his audience with a big smooch for the late night talk show host.

Also featured today: Chris Brown doesn’t look happy being interviewed on “Good Morning America;” Monica Bellucci is still the most beautiful woman on the planet; and Guy Pearce is the luckiest man alive. What man doesn’t want Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood on their arms at a film premiere.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Triangle Fire: The Building Survives

2011-03-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

The onetime Asch Building, whose top three floors were occupied by the Triangle Waist Company, is now the Brown Building of Science, where New York University students and scientists occupy laboratories devoted to biology and chemistry. The only hint of its role in one of America’s worst — and most indelible — industrial disasters can be found on two street-level bronze plaques on its facade, one put up by the National Register of Historic Places.

The ninth floor, where two out of three of the 146 died and from where about 50 people plunged to their deaths, is today N.Y.U.’s Center for Developmental Genetics, where researchers are studying such matters as the development of the double-chambered heart in sea squirts.

“We think that it’s fitting that where all these sad things happened, we’re studying the genes involved in illnesses like heart disease,” said Gloria M. Coruzzi, chairwoman of the department of biology, as she showed a visitor around.

The haunted floor, its contents and occupants consumed by the fire, has been gutted and renovated at least twice, and all that is left to offer a sense of what it looked like on March 25, 1911 are the tall windows and the round supporting columns.

Instead of rows of sewing machines, there are rooms and cubicles filled with test tubes, centrifuges and aquatic tanks. Instead of 250 seamstresses and cutters crowded on a floor, there are a handful of professors, postdoctoral fellows and researchers.

“Every now and then you think about it,” Karin Kiontke, a postdoctoral fellow in biology, said of the Triangle fire.

The gray stone 10-story building on the northwest corner of Washington Place and Greene Street was a skyscraper of its time. Built in 1910 in a neo-Renaissance style, it is decorated with such old-fashioned touches as terra cotta trim and fleurs-de-lis moldings.

Most of the nation’s dresses, blouses, hats, feather adornments and other ready-made clothing were then being produced in New York, and the industry employed over 80,000 people. To take advantage of the growing work force of immigrants who were settling in the nearby tenements of the Lower East Side and East Village, factory loft buildings rose east and south of Washington Square.

“All the buildings on Washington Place, on Washington Square East, on Third Street were garment factories,” said Michael Nash, head of N.Y.U.’s Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. “Most of these buildings date from 1890 to 1916.”

The factories erased much of what was a posh pocket of downtown Manhattan, with the Asch Building itself erected on the site of the town house where the writer Henry James was born in 1843, according to Joyce Gold, an adjunct professor of New York history at N.Y.U. who gives tours of the neighborhood.

Triangle, which moved into the Asch Building one year after it opened, was regarded as a model of clean efficiency compared with the sweatshops inside tenement apartments that had been commonplace, Mr. Nash said. Triangle’s building was fireproof, had freight elevators, tall ceilings and windows that flooded the lofts with daylight.

“Triangle had the reputation of being the most modern of all the factories,” he said.

As the garment industry followed the subway lines and department stores uptown, N.Y.U., which had its law school next door to Asch, began gobbling up the lofts, eventually usurping the footprint of the garment industry. The university acquired the Asch Building in 1929. Still, as recently as 15 years ago garments were produced in the neighborhood.

Today, students with ear buds and book bags, who dominate the neighborhood the way immigrant blouse, dress and hat workers once did, hurry by the building. Most are oblivious to its history.

“I know there were lives lost in that factory, that people had to jump,” said Dominique Williams, 19, an N.Y.U. sophomore smoking a cigarette near the building and listening to her iPod. “I think about it sometimes. I guess it’s like all of New York. It has a lot of history and you can’t really escape, and our place of learning is in that place.”

In vivo systems biology

2011-03-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Biological systems, including cells, tissues and organs, can function properly only when their parts are working in harmony. These systems are often dauntingly complex: Inside a single cell, thousands of proteins interact with each other to determine how the cell will develop and respond to its environment.

To understand this great complexity, a growing number of biologists and bioengineers are turning to computational models. This approach, known as systems biology, has been used successfully to model the behavior of cells grown in laboratory dishes. However, until now, no one has used it to model the behavior of cells inside a living animal.

In the March 22 online edition of the journal Science Signaling, researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital report that they have created a new computational model that describes how intestinal cells in mice respond to a natural chemical called tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

The work demonstrates that systems biology offers a way to get a handle on the complexity of living systems and raises the possibility that it could be used to model cancer and other complex diseases, says Douglas Lauffenburger, head of MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and a senior author of the paper.

"You're not likely to explain most diseases in terms of one genetic deficit or one molecular impairment," Lauffenburger says. "You need to understand how many molecular components, working in concert, give rise to how cells and tissues are formed — either properly or improperly."

Biological complexity

Systems biology, a field that has grown dramatically in the past 10 years, focuses on analyzing how the components of a biological system interact to produce the behavior of that system — for example, the many proteins that interact with each other inside a cell to respond to hormones or other external stimuli.

"The beauty of systems biology is that it doesn't ignore the biological complexity of what's going on," says Kevin Haigis, an assistant professor of pathology at MGH and Harvard Medical School and a senior author of the Science Signaling paper.

"Biologists are trained to be reductionists," adds Haigis, who was a postdoctoral associate at MIT before moving to MGH. "I don't think people have failed to realize the complexity of how biology works, but people are accustomed to trying to reduce complexity to make things more understandable."

In contrast, the systems biology approach tries to capture that complexity through computer modeling of many variables. Inputs to the model might be the amounts of certain proteins found inside cells, and outputs would be the cells' resulting behaviors — for example, growing, committing suicide or secreting hormones.

While at MIT, Haigis worked in the lab of Tyler Jacks, director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, studying the role of the cancer-causing gene Ras in the mouse colon. He teamed up with Lauffenburger and others to computationally model Ras' behavior in cell culture.

After Haigis moved to MGH, he and Lauffenburger decided to bring this computational approach to studying living animals because they believed that studies done in cultured cells could miss some of the critical factors that come into play in living systems, such as the location of a cell within a living tissue and the influence of cells that surround it.

Inflammation

In the new paper, the researchers tackled the complex interactions that produce inflammation in the mouse intestine. The intestine contains many types of cells, but they focused on epithelial cells (which line the intestinal tube) and their response to TNF.

Previous work has shown that TNF plays a central role in intestinal inflammation, and provokes one of two possible responses in the intestinal epithelial cells: cell death or cell proliferation. Chronic inflammation can lead to inflammatory bowel disease and potentially cancer.

In this study, the researchers got the data they needed to develop their computational model by treating normal mice with TNF, then determining whether the cells proliferated or died. They found that cell fate depended on the cells' location in the intestine — cells in the ileum proliferated, while those in the duodenum died.

The multi-faceted result would likely not have been seen in a lab dish. "In cell culture, you would have gotten one or the other," Lauffenburger says.

They also correlated the diverse outcomes with the activities of more than a dozen proteins found in the cells, allowing them to determine how the outcomes depended on quantitative combination of key signaling pathways, and furthermore, to predict how the outcomes would be affected by drug treatment. The researchers then tested the model's predictions in an additional cohort of mice, and found that they were accurate.

Modeling disease

Jason Papin, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, says that the team's biggest accomplishment is demonstrating that systems biology modeling can be done in living animals (in vivo). "You always want to move to an in vivo setting, if possible, but it's technically more difficult," says Papin, who was not involved with this research.

The researchers are now trying to figure out in more detail what factors in the intestinal cells' environment influence the cells to behave the way they do. They are also studying how genetic mutations might alter the cells' responses.

They also plan to begin a study of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Cancer is another disease that lends itself to this kind of modeling, says Jacks, who was not part of this study. Cancer is an extremely complicated disease that usually involves derangement of many cell signaling pathways involved in cell division, DNA repair and stress response.

"We expect that our ability to predict which targets, which drugs and which patients to bring together in the context of cancer treatment will require a deeper understanding of the complex signaling pathways that exist in cancer," says Jacks. "This approach will help us get there."

Parents angry at Providence school closings

2011-03-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

PROVIDENCE — Parents wanted to know one thing Tuesday night: why are schools and teachers bearing the brunt of the city’s epic budget crisis?

“You ought to be ashamed of yourselves,” said Kayla Ashness, a parent of four. “How about you take a pay cut, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Superintendent. Why do we have to give up on our kids?”

Tuesday night’s public meeting, held at the Sanchez complex in South Providence, was the first of three such forums to provide residents with an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed closing of four school buildings in Providence, a move that will affect as many as eight schools. About 70 people attended. Mayor Angel Taveras announced last week that he wanted to close four elementary school buildings to help narrow a budget gap of close to $110 million.

But parents and teachers weren’t buying the mayor’s reasons for shutting down schools, a move that will affect an estimated 2,500 students, nor were they buying his rationale for sending termination notices to every teacher in the district.

“The whole truth is not being told,” said Chris Awsika. “Last year, we were told that Bridgham Middle School would close because the school is too old. Now you are making it into an elementary school. The School Board does the bidding of the mayor. The die has been cast.”

A common thread ran beneath the anger and the uncertainty: that class and race were the reasons why certain schools were targeted for closure.

Osiris Harrell, a parent activist who lives on the West Side, wanted to know why schools in his neighborhood were mostly composed of minority students while Vartan Gregorian Elementary School on the East Side is 47-percent white.

“If you want to show good faith to the black people of Providence, to the Latino people, to the Asian people, then send our children to a really good middle school,” he said, referring to Nathan Bishop Middle School on the East Side, which recently underwent a $45-million renovation.

“These schools are from our most oppressed areas,” said another parent, Sheila Wilhelm. “You’re closing these schools because you don’t think people will come out. Well, we’ve shut down School Board meetings before.”

There were the defenders of individual schools on the chopping block: the teachers from Asa Messer and Flynn Elementary Schools.

“This is my 20th year at Flynn,” said Paula Joel. Then she read a letter that she sends home every summer:

“I give you back your child a few months older and a few pounds heavier. Your child is also wiser than when he began this school year. I’ve watched his personality unfold. Ten years from now, if we meet again, we shall share that bond once more.”

Gina Sousa, a teacher at Asa Messer, described a school moving in the right direction, a school whose test scores in math and English have risen by almost 15 percent in the past two years. Asa Messer recently received a visit from state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist, who commended the school for making substantial progress in math.

School closings and related information

2011-03-23T07:02:00.001-07:00

Esko

Esko schools are closed Wednesday due to weather, Superintendent Aaron Fischer said Tuesday night.

Cloquet

All schools in the Cloquet School District will be closed on Wednesday, March 23 due to this deteriorating weather conditions and forecasted blizzard warning.

Youth baseball and softball registrations were scheduled for Wednesday evening at Cloquet High School, but those are postponed until the following Wednesday, March 30, 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Cloquet High School cafeteria.

Carlton

Carlton Schools Superintendent Peter Haapala said Tuesday evening that schools will not be in session Wednesday.

FDLTCC

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has canceled classes for Tuesday evening, no decision on Wednesday classes yet.

Moose Lake and Willow River

Moose Lake and Willow River have also canceled school Wednesday.

Wrenshall

Wrenshall has canceled school Wednesday.

Barnum

Barnum Public Schools have canceled all Tuesday evening activities and (later) canceled school Wednesday due to the weather.

Morning commute in Genesee County better than expected; lots of school closings

2011-03-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- Driving down I-75 in northern Genesee County into downtown Flint, the roads were a bit slushy, but easily passable.

Most cars on the expressway were cruising along at about 50 mph, although some brave (or perhaps foolish) drivers were going faster.

I-475 also was clear with no major icy spots. The biggest danger on my commute was a clogged drain under a bridge in downtown Flint that had partially flooded the road.

Roads in downtown Flint remain not yet plowed as of 7:15 a.m., but still easily passable.

Still, drivers need to exercise caution: Police have been called to four crashes since 6:30 a.m. in Atlas Township, Forest Township, Montrose Township and Thetford Township. There are lots of reports of downed wires also coming in.

Many mid-Michigan schools have called off classes for Wednesday. You can find a complete list as schools announce cancellations by using this link to ABC12 WJRT

Mega Millions jackpot one of biggest ever

2011-03-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Mega Millions jackpot rolled over last night to $304 million, bigger than all but 11 jackpots in U.S. lottery history.

Even before Friday's drawing, though, that prize could grow if sales exceed projections, as happened several times over four days in early January. After no one hit for $242 million on Dec. 31, the prize was set at $290 million. Before the next drawing, that was raised to $330 million, then $355 million. Once sales were tallied, the annuity payout was revised to $380 million.

The winners, in Idaho and Washington State, split $240 million cash - the most in U.S. lottery history. (For more giant jackpots, see link to "Biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history" at right.)

The only bigger annuity prize for a U.S. lottery was the March 2007 Mega Millions jackpot of $390 million.

The odds are good both records could fall if no one hits Friday night, with the first $400 million jackpot a possibility.

Friday's estimated cash payout - as of this morning - is $193.6 million.

Last night, 26 players, including one in Pennsylvania, came close to taking the top prize, matching the first five numbers - 1, 14, 35, 50 and 53 - but not the Mega Ball of 43.

Most will win $250,000, but if any of those players also had the Megaplier multiplier option, their prize would automatically become $1 million. Prizes differ under the pari-mutuel system used in California, which sold five of the second-tier tickets.

New York sold nine, and Georgia, Michigan and Texas each had two, while Maryland, Massachusetts, Arizona, Minnesota and Nebraska had one apiece.

Where the Pennsylvania ticket was sold should be known later today.

Powerball. Tonight's jackpot is worth $101 million for the annuity, $51.5 million for the cash.

Tickets for both major multistate lotteries are available in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and about three dozen other states.

Winning numbers drawn in 'Mega Millions' game

2011-03-23T06:47:00.001-07:00

ATLANTA—The winning numbers in Tuesday evening's drawing of the "Mega Millions" game were:

01-14-35-50-53, Mega Ball: 43

(one, fourteen, thirty-five, fifty, fifty-three; Mega Ball: forty-three)

Estimated jackpot: $244 million

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