May 2003

Seth Finkelstein writes “The
DMCA 1201 anticircumvention
hearings now have all
transcripts of testimony
available on the web.

These are my unofficial HTML versions of the PDF
versions. They have readability-enhancements, with my corrections and
relevant links. “

David Burt writes \”Edelman v. N2H2, a case filed by the ACLU that sought to remove N2H2\’s legal protections preventing the publication of N2H2\’s copyright-protected database code, was dismissed in April. The appeal deadline passed on Monday, 5/19. N2H2 was not served with any notice of appeal, and the court docket shows no notice has been filed. So Edelman v. N2H2 is now officially closed \”

Case Info from the ACLU.

A lengthy rant about the vast queerwing conspiracy to de-hetero the youngsters of America by Marjorie King in FrontPagemag.com. King focuses on a group called Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN), but ALA, NEA, and the APA are indicted for supporting GLBT awareness in schools. King pulls out some extreme examples to make her point (a teach-in for teachers and youth ages 14-21, including a workshop on fisting), but seems, uh, bent on keeping any aspect of GLBT culture in the closet.

Jen Young shares Bad News From The NYTimes that says the number of people they considered infected by a second outbreak of SARS in Toronto had tripled in the last 24 hours, although some officials expressed optimism that the new cluster of cases had reached its peak.

The Ontario Ministry of Health has daily updates. The Globe And Mail reports Toronto may have managed to put a lid on the newest outbreak of SARS, stopping the disease before it was able to spread its tentacles far into the community.

Cliff Urr writes “A brief but nice article on a wireless partnership between a library, a sandwich maker and ISP:


“Downtowners hanging out at Wooldridge Square Park, across from the Travis Co. Courthouse, no longer need to leave work behind when enjoying an alfresco lunch. The Austin Public Library has partnered with local Internet provider WiFi-Texas to turn Wooldridge Square — along with the neighboring Austin History Center and John Henry Faulk Central Library — into “hot spots” for free public wireless Internet access.”


For rest of story see: AustinChronicle.com “

Ruth noticed This One from Rochester NY, where the city has hired a consultant to explore and make recommendations about consolidating facility maintenance and elementary librarian services between the city and the Rochester School District.

Gary Deane passed along A Timesdaily.com Article on the Oakland Public Library in California posting list of books they would buy if they could on Amazon.com, the online bookseller. The response was overwhelming.

“The UPS man gets out and he has Amazon.com book mailers piled so high you can’t see his head,” said Leslie Rodd, Oakland’s administrative librarian. “It’s really a thrill.”

Gary Deane spotted This One from South Africa, where they say Budding entrepreneurs can now make use of their local libraries as an easy source of small business information.

Nearly a third of the public libraries in the City of Cape Town have become small business information centres, and are being used by more and more entrepreneurs to access relevant business information from government departments, parastatals and the private sector.

steven bell writes “The Mayor of Philadelphia has come up with a novel idea for solving the Free Library of Philadelphia’s cash crunch – sell the main branch of the Free Library to a group of private investors for an immediate cash windfall. The city would then lease back the building. The 20-year deal would have a capped yearly rent. Philadelphia’s City Council is less sure about the soundness of the idea. At least one member called it a “bad idea.” Elliot Shelkrot, Director of the Free Library, is more optimistic, and sees this as a creative, largely risk-free way to raise needed funds for library renovations and service expansion. Read more at:
Philly dot com “

“Libraries, especially in San Francisco, have a long tradition of catering to the diverse literary needs of the people they serve. As a result, libraries have become a valued source of information for individuals, families and civic groups.”

“But after Sept. 11, the bloodline of libraries — our belief in the freedom to read — is being seriously undermined in the name of homeland security.”

“In the aftermath of the terrorist bombings on New York and Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft pushed hard for the passage of the U.S. Patriot Act, which presented drastic changes to our nation’s surveillance laws and granted new intelligence-gathering powers for the FBI and other agencies. As our country mourned its unparalleled losses, the bill was pushed through Congress with minimal debate.” (from SF Gate)