137 PhD positions at University of Siena, Italy
June 30, 2008
137 PhD positions at University of Siena, Italy
UNIVERSITY ONIVERSITY OF SIENA
DOCTORAL SCHOOLS– ACADEMIC YEAR 2008/2009
The University of Siena has set up a number of Doctoral Schools for the
academic year 2008/2009.
Admission requirements for each school are specified in the relevant
regulations for participation.
General information is given below.
http://dottorati. unisi.it/ bandi/bandi24. asp
Video of KC Johnson’s Duke Lecture
June 30, 2008
Video of KC Johnson’s Duke Lecture
The video of KC Johnson’s lecture at Duke is now up. It is on the website of Duke Students for an Ethical Duke, one of the cosponsors for the event. Here is the link.
While you are over there consider making a donation to DSEDuke. During the lacrosse case, the students as a group were the only ones consistently showing any leadership or initiative on campus. Now that the crisis is over, the students are once again leading the way by making sure that the appropriate lessons are learned and that Duke can once again be a place of mutual respect and concern among all members of the community.
[Update: new link provided]
Text~Tone(sm): Auditory Highlighting/Rating of Text
June 30, 2008
Text~Tone(sm): Auditory Highlighting/Rating of Text
Humans Are MultiModal Creatures With MultiModal Minds
[http://www.ncte.org/edpolicy/multimodal]
Here Within I Propose The Development and Implementation of Technology That Would Allow Authors/Readers to Highlight Text With Varying Degrees of Sound.
Listen up – it’s summer
June 30, 2008
Listen up – it’s summer
Whether you’re conquering the world at your internship, cursing the heat or cuddling beside the pool, your summer months need a soundtrack. Here are some essential summer sounds that you can count on one hand (unless you’re one of “The Simpsons”).
Five “Summer” Songs:
1.
(OOT) Nanyang Assistant Professorships
Nanyang Assistant Professorships
16-Jun-2008
Nanyang Assistant Professorships
Singapore’s science and technology university, the Nanyang
Technological University, invites outstanding young researchers and
exceptional scholars in their fields of science, engineering, social
sciences, arts and humanities or business, to apply for appointments
as Nanyang Assistant Professors. Up to 10 appointments will be made.
Successful candidates will receive start-up research grants of up to
S$1 million and an attractive remuneration package with a competitive
salary year and other benefits including assistance with
accommodation. They will hold tenure track appointments and play lead
roles in the university’s new wave of multi-disciplinary, integrative
research. They are expected to be within 10 years of gaining their
Ph.D and ready for independent leadership of their own research
groups. Outstanding applicants in science and engineering are also
encouraged to apply for the prestigious Singapore National Research
Foundation Fellowships in Science and Technology (see
http://www.nrf. gov.sg, Closing Date 15 September 2008) indicating that
the Fellowship will be held at the Nanyang Technological University.
Singapore has in place an exciting, dynamic and well-funded research
environment to nurture and attract top R&D talent and the Government
has set aside S$13.5 billion over 5 years to develop international
R&D. In tandem, Nanyang Technological University is also making
unprecedented research investments, emphasizing cutting-edge research
and revolutionary technological innovations across multiple
disciplines. It has already attracted World-leading researchers to
its ranks.
This is an unique opportunity to join one of the fastest-growing
research universities and participate in the rapid rise of Asia, in an
English-speaking environment at the interface between East and West.
To apply, please download the application form here or send an email
to nanyangprof- appform@ntu. edu.sg and submit to:
The Provost (NAP Application)
Nanyang Technological University
Administration Building, Level 5
50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
Fax (65) 6791-9340
or email NanyangProfessorshi p@ntu.edu. sg
Closing Date: 30 September 2008
Kindly include the following in your application package:
- A duly completed Application Form
- A copy of your CV
- A full/detailed Research Proposal containing a short Executive
Summary (not more than 300 words) on the research project
- A certified true copy of your Identification Card / Passport
- Certified true copies of University Transcript(s) , one in English
translation and the other in original language
- Certified true copies of Degree Scroll(s)
- Two referees’ Recommendation Letters
Too Little Too Late
June 30, 2008
Too Little Too Late
by Jason Trumpbour, FODU spokesperson
In an address to a conference at the Law School on Saturday, President Brodhead apologized for several aspects of the administration’s handling of the lacrosse case. The text appears here.
Apologizing to the players was the right thing to do. However, I cannot help but feel that, once again, circumstances forced his hand. After all, the administration had been belligerently insisting that they had gotten things more or less right and have clung to that position up until this speech. Now, there is the prospect of imminent lawsuits by the unindicted players and a review of President Brodhead’s first three years in office is underway. Just as the revelation that Mike Nifong was hiding evidence forced him to speak out in December, we see President Brodhead reacting rather than leading.
His apology also is incomplete. It is inevitable that mistakes would be made in trying to deal with such a bizarre and unprecedented situation. No one would have expected different. That mistakes were made is not really the problem.
What President Brodhead really needs to take responsibly for and has yet to do so are the selfish motives that drove the administration’s policies. The administration wanted the case to go to trial. It believed that, if the case were dismissed before trial for whatever reason, people would say that Duke used its influence to have it dismissed. Robert Steel, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees told me that a year ago. That is also why President Brodhead, despite being savagely maligned for doing so, clung to the concept of Reade, Collin and David “proving themselves innocent.” That was not just an isolated, unfortunate choice of words. President Brodhead repeated this formulation only a few days ago. Dismissal is the proper procedure in the case of weak or baseless charges. Indeed, prosecutors have an affirmative legal and ethical duty to dismiss such charges where they are not based on probable cause or where they do not themselves believe in the guilt of the accused. However, the administration pretended not to know anything about these concepts.*
If Reade, Collin and David had to be exposed to the risks associated with a trial by a corrupt, unethical prosecutor who had done everything he could to inflame the jury pool, that was just the way it had to be. Steel told me that it did not matter if they were convicted because all the problems with the case would be sorted out on appeal. That is not the way the appeal process works and I told him that, but that was still his plan.
The most disturbing outgrowth of this policy was that the administration not only did not want to speak up itself. It did not want anyone else doing so either. Administration officials would privately bad mouth the players to reporters and anyone else who expressed doubts about the charges or the fairness of the procedures used. I know. I heard this garbage myself. They were still doing it after the Attorney General’s report came out to justify their actions.
In the end, the administration’s policies were never about ignorance of the facts or credulity concerning the motives of public officials. The facts were irrelevant. It was all about keeping up appearances. Moreover, the views of some groups carried more weight than others. It is the same policy that lead to Ryan McFadyen being suspended, Mike Pressler being fired and Kim Curtis going unpunished.
President Brodhead, as he did in May, reckons that he has things figured out now. However, a recent series in the Chronicle detailed how the administration has been modifying the University’s judicial code to eliminate most of students’ procedural rights and how the administration punishes students on the mere accusation of Durham police officers without further proof despite well documented abuses by the Durham Police department. If the lacrosse case has taught us anything, it is that procedure matters. Unfortunately, it appears that the administration has learned absolutely nothing at all.
Duke needs and deserves strong leadership. In making his apology, we find President Brodhead doing precisely what he has been doing all along: embracing and conforming to whatever the prevailing understanding is regardless of its validity. It is gratifying that people finally understand what was actually going on. However, nothing has changed at Duke.
Throughout this entire ordeal, we have criticized the administration, but, unlike a number of other critics, we did not call for President Brodhead to be removed. Instead, we tried to support him and give him the courage he needed to be a leader and to do the right thing. We tried to engage the administration in a respectful dialogue about the issues. We have nothing to show for those efforts. I am glad that FODU could help the public understand the extent of Mike Nifong’s misconduct. However, that satisfaction is tempered by the fact that we spent a year doing someone else’s job for them.
It has long been our position that the administration’s words must be matched with deeds. Unfortunately, the time for action has come and gone. Last May, I wrote President Brodhead asking him to appoint a commission to look at the administration’s response to the lacrosse case. He appointed one to look at the first couple of weeks. Why not the other eleven months or so? We could not have changed the past. However, could have made sure that the same mistakes and moral failings are not repeated in the future. That is what we wanted and that is what most of the families, despite the wrongs done to them, really wanted. President Brodhead gave us the brush off. That was his last possible opportunity to actually do some tangible good. He has made his choice. It is time to look somewhere else for leadership.
President Brodhead is now undergoing a performance review to determine whether his contract should be renewed. Information on how to participate is here. I know what we will be recommending.
In criticizing President Brodhead, it should be kept in mind that he alone is not responsible for the University’s official policies and conduct. Indeed, those above him and below him bear greater culpability and their status needs to be addressed as well. Robert Steel, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees bears the greater responsibility for Duke’s official policies regarding the lacrosse case. Getting rid of him is a bigger priority for me than getting rid of Brodhead. Many of those below President Brodhead carried out these policies in the manner described above and with far too much enthusiasm. President Brodhead often simply appeared to be there in the middle. However, that in and of itself is a huge problem.
*[Edited for clarity]
Addicted to rock on the road
Ladies and gentlemen, summer has officially arrived and, for some of us here in Kansas City, that can mean only one thing: Rockfest.
It’s a beautiful thing to see 50,000 people gathered together in one huge, happy, communal sweat. It is the largest one-day concert this summer in the Midwest, but as of May 29, only 2,000 tickets were still available.
Its Out!
June 30, 2008
Its Out!
Until Proven Innocent, Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson’s definitive account of the Duke lacrosse case is out today. Be sure and get your copy. And then go and see KC Johnson speak at Duke on September 11, 2007. (See the last post for details.)
Another Follow Up to Duke and the Police
by Jason Trumpbour, FODU spokesperson
Speaking of the growing library on the Duke lacrosse case, I realized that I forgot to mention in my last post an item from Mike Pressler and Don Yaeger’s book, It’s Not about the Truth that I thought was rather interesting. That post and the one before it dealt with the Duke administration’s violation of federal law by releasing protected student information to Durham police without a subpoena. In It’s Not about the Truth, News and Observer columnist Ruth Sheehan, an early critic of the lacrosse team who had based her criticism on the false information being disseminated by Nifong and the Durham Police Department, recounted a conversation she later had with John Burness:
I did have a conversation with [him] about the university’s role in the case at some point and asked why when all of this was coming out that they [the university] didn’t help us understand the truth, why they did not spin the other side to us. They could have helped us, that’s for sure. One thing he did say to me at the time, which is a convenient excuse but also true, was that they also have to be really careful about how they handle student information.
Yes, one cannot be too careful.
I am sure that Until Proven Innocent will add more insights such as this one into the Duke administration’s thinking. I greet that prospect with both eagerness and trepidation.
Open PhD positions at University of Pavia, Italy
University of Pavia, Italy
Bandi Dottorati di Ricerca 2008-2009
Dal 20 giugno 2008 è possibile presentare domanda di ammissione alle selezioni per il XXIV ciclo dei dottorati di ricerca (a.a. 2008/2009) dell’Università di Pavia. Le domande vanno compilate esclusivamente on-line, direttamente sul sito dell’Ufficio Borse e Dottorati.
Al termine della compilazione on-line il candidato dovrà stampare la domanda, sottoscriverla e trasmetterla (corredata dei relativi titoli, ove previsti) entro il 21 Luglio 2008.
Sarà disponibile un’apposita procedura in lingua inglese per agevolare la partecipazione anche degli studenti stranieri interessati ai dottorati attivati presso l’Università di Pavia.
http://www.unipv. eu/on-line/ Home/AreaStampa/ articolo1659. html
https://enola- gay.unipv. it/IOLDOTTENG
K-9 Shock and Awe inspired by Alpha Five Platinum
June 30, 2008
K-9 Shock and Awe inspired by Alpha Five Platinum
It never fails: Every time a customer sees a demo of Alpha Five Platinum, they sit and stare into space with a shocked expression on their face.
Hurley (below) is one such customer. You can see the shock and awe he’s experiencing, having just watched a demo showcasing several of Alpha Five’s new AJAX features.
Hurley runs a disobedience school for pooches, and had trouble finding a database development tool that supported RUFF (Real User-Friendly Features). Once he saw Alpha Five in action, well, his expression says it all.
I think its safe to say Hurley is now an Alpha dog. (Yes, Hurley really is a member of the Alpha family. He’s owned by Bridget, who helps write the blog.)
Whalesong
June 30, 2008
Miki Gymnast’s installation is framed by pocket universe clips and augmented with humpback whalesong in this little movie I put together today.
Ilianexsi Sojourner at Mysterio Gallery
Ilia has been in Second Life for over four years, and has been creating intriguing self-portraits, which will now be on display at Mysterio Gallery. There will be an opening Saturday, June 28, 2008, at 11AM at the gallery, so come meet the artist herself and compare her current look to her images! Virtual food and drink available.
A bright light goes out…The Sojouner
June 30, 2008
A bright light goes out…The Sojouner
It’s impossible to encapsulate Soj’s life in a few words, but saying nothing at all would be even worse. The Dreams community was the fuel behind my belief in Second Life and Soj’s faith kept all of us on track through some rough times.
I met The Sojourner in my first months of Second Life, back when I was still considering medicine as a career. I then realized something that may seem naive now…if you ever read about stroke in a biology book, you’ll never know the whole truth: the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which every day, stroke survivors find themselves more limited than they were the day before. It’s a feeling of uselessness, of anger at yourself and at the world that very few can conquer with as much dignity and patience as Soj did. She challenged herself and the obstacles her health placed in her way. With Second Life as a filter, I almost forgot that she was a bit slower or that she reacted to a social/technical change by falling apart. She focused so much on helping others that we, in turn, almost forgot the struggles she went through or that she only had a short amount of time to be with us.
The Soj I had met wasn’t the person she was before stroke, or at least this is what she told us all. The truth is that stroke changes people – things you could do alone before, even simple things like reading the analog clock, need to be done with the help of someone else. I found this email I once sent to her:
“Often times I wish I had saved the many conversations we had. I am truly happy I met you, and even happier that you now have a part of your life that can make you feel like you have a purpose. I think the purpose was there all along, it just may be harder to adjust to it when you change from being the strong one into the one who needs support.“
I don’t know about you, but Soj never felt like she was asking for help. She inspired strength and love, while taking in a little advice or care when she was discouraged. Second Life allowed her the freedom to be who she truly was, to keep being a nurturing, loving person, even when real life was very different.
The Sojouner …despite her name, she is here for a lot more than just a day. I know a lot of us will fight to keep her dream alive. Let’s hope we can be half as strong as she was for us. To place a tribute to her, please follow this link.
Livestock’s long shadow – Environmental UN Report
Livestock’s long shadow – Environmental issues and options
Paul McCartney appeared on News at Ten highlighting the grave repercussions for us if we continue to eat as much meat as we currently do.
As if you needed anymore reasons to avoid saturated animal fats in your diet he added scarcity of water, land degradation, and polution to the list.
Sir Paul McCartney has a point. When meat eaters start admitting that Donald Watson was right, back in 1944 when he predicted catastrophe if we failed to change our diets, you know times are changing. The United Nations report is clear about apportioning blame. Cattle farming is worse than cars and planes. We must drastically change the way we eat or face responsibility for a horrifying legacy for our children.
More – Paul McCartney Interview, News at 10
The Anthrax Fiasco – Wall Street Journal
June 30, 2008
The Anthrax Fiasco – Wall Street Journal The Anthrax Fiasco
BBC News
Wall Street Journal -
Steven Hatfill finally has his life back. Thanks to FBI incompetence, he also has $5.8 million. In a late Friday news dump, the Justice Department announced it had settled a lawsuit with Mr.
EXCLUSIVE: How the FBI Botched the Anthrax Case
Anthrax settlement doesn't address reporters' issue
Zimbabwe: Kenya Calls for African Union to Suspend Mugabe – AllAfrica.com Zimbabwe: Kenya Calls for African Union to Suspend Mugabe
AllAfrica.com -
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday called for the suspension of Robert Mugabe from the African Union, until he allows a "free and fair" election.
African Leaders Urge Zimbabwe's Mugabe to Share Power (Update2)
No public criticism for Mugabe at African summit
McGregory, Coughlin set world records in 100 back – The Associated Press McGregory, Coughlin set world records in 100 back
BBC Sport
The Associated Press -
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Natalie Coughlin stood on deck watching Hayley McGregory erase her world record in the 100-meter backstroke. Coughlin decided she wanted it back.
Two Records in Less Than Two Minutes at Swimming Trials
Coughlin Reclaims Record Moments After Losing Mark
FACTBOX-McCain, Obama infrastructure priorities – Reuters FACTBOX-McCain, Obama infrastructure priorities
ABC News
Reuters -
June 30 (Reuters) – US presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have spent the past week articulating policy goals for shoring up and modernizing the nation's infrastructure.
McCain and Obama share energy goals, not methods
For southpaws Barack Obama and John McCain, the commonalities mount
