Bob Jensen's Tidbits

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
As quoted in a recent email message from Georgia Golden

Goal Tenders versus Movers and Shakers
Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is.
Wayne Gretsky (as quoted for many years by Jerry Trites at http://www.zorba.ca/ )
Jensen Comment
This may be true for most hockey players and other movers and shakers, but for goal tenders the eyes should be focused on where the puck is at every moment --- not where it's going. The question is whether an accountant is a goal tender (stewardship responsibilities) or a mover and shaker (part of the managerial decision making team). This is also the essence of the debate of historical accounting versus pro forma accounting.

Graduate student Derek Panchuk and professor Joan Vickers, who discovered the Quiet Eye phenomenon, have just completed the most comprehensive, on-ice hockey study to determine where elite goalies focus their eyes in order to make a save. Simply put, they found that goalies should keep their eyes on the puck. In an article to be published in the journal Human Movement Science, Panchuk and Vickers discovered that the best goaltenders rest their gaze directly on the puck and shooter's stick almost a full second before the shot is released. When they do that they make the save over 75 per cent of the time.
"Keep your eyes on the puck," PhysOrg, October 26, 2006 --- http://physorg.com/news81068530.html

Interesting analogy. Given Raleigh is now the hockey capital of the world (Go Canes) and our tender, Cam Ward, won the Conn Smythe, he is an interesting case study re the article you mentioned. His personality is much remarked upon. Just a kid, but possessed of a calm, unflappable temperament -- a still point in the tumult. His concentration and reaction time are remarkable (note his 4 saves in one flurry against Atlanta last night -- stick, blocker, pad and glove saves in one "play" ), a neurological correlate of high intelligence. His is the hardest job in all of sport and no team can win without excellent goal tending. That accountants could be likened to goaltenders ought to make us proud of what we do. We could do a lot worse.
Reply from Paul Williams, Accounting Professor, North Carolina State University, October 26, 2006

It is an interesting analogy. But I stand by the Gretzky quote. I also agree with the goaltending analogy - sort of. Certainly anyone who plays hockey or follows it closely understands how very important good goaltending is to the team. Anyone who runs a business understands how very important accountants are to their business. It is the only way they can really tell how they are doing and the only way they can do sound forward planning. They need to know where they are in order to be able to plan ahead. You need to go to where the puck is going, but you also need to keep track of the puck while you're skating, because otherwise you might get there and find the puck went somewhere else. The Gretzky quote didn't say keep your eyes on where the puck is going, but skate to that point. The trick is to know where the puck is going and skate there, but keep your eye on it in the meantime. Actually, the quote from Gretzky is a line that is often used by coaches around the world. It's probably one of those many quotes that was said by many people and we don't know the actual first person to speak it. Before posting it on my site, I did some research on this and found numerous sources that attributed the quote to Gretzky, many of them credible, so I accepted it.
Jerry Trites on October 27, 2006

I asked [the ump] if he saw any pitches, because I didn't.
New York Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez, on the Tigers' Joel Zumaya's 101 mph fastball.
As quoted in Newsweek Magazine, October 16, 2006, Page 27

Focus on tax advice patents: Another scheme dreamed up by lawyers
Since 1998, when a federal appeals court ruled that business methods could be patented, the U.S. Patent Office has issued patents to 49 tax strategies. At least 60 more are pending, the New York Times reports, a development that concerns tax attorneys and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Tax attorneys say that licensing tax ideas has “mind-boggling potential,” and could lead to multiple legal challenges, the Times says. It could also reach the point where licensing fees might have to be added to an accountant’s bill just for providing standard tax advice. And the Internal Revenue Service has stated that because a tax strategy is licensed by the U.S. Patent Office doesn’t mean that it has been accepted.
AccountingWeb, October 25, 2006 --- http://www.accountingweb.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=102726

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H L Mencken --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mencken
As quoted in October 2006 by John Brigknell in "The Movement" at http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/2006 October.htm

The improver of natural knowledge absolutely refuses to acknowledge authority, as such. For him, scepticism is the highest of duties; blind faith the one unpardonable sin.
Thomas Huxley --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Huxley
As quoted in October 2006 by John Brigknell in "The Movement" at http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/2006 October.htm

One by one the citadels of science are invested and brought under control – the once great journals, the academic societies, the research funding bodies etc. – all abandon the scientific method and adopt the faith. It is a great irony that it should all happen most effectively in Britain , the home of sceptical science. From the Bacons, through the likes of Locke, Hume and Russell, to the magnificent climax of Popper’s statement of the principle of falsifiability, the scientific method was painfully established, only to be abandoned in a few short decades.
John Brigknell in "The Movement" at http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/2006 October.htm

Does Ramsey Clark really want Saddam to be set free?
The judge presiding over the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven others on charges of crimes against humanity ejected former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark from the court on Sunday for insulting the tribunal. Clark, who heads an international team of lawyers involved in the defence, was ejected at the start of a hearing at which Saddam and two aides were convicted and sentenced to death. The judge, Raouf Abdul Rahman, ejected Clark because he had sent a memo to Abdul Rahman including the accusation that the tribunal was making "a mockery of justice". The judge told him in Arabic: "No, you are the mockery ... get him out, out." Abdul Rahman then shouted in English: "Out! Out!" "You come from America and ridicule the Iraqi people," he said. Clark had earlier said the trial was politically influenced, and that if Saddam were sentenced to death, it would be "victors' justice".
"Saddam trial judge ejects Ramsey Clark," Reuters, November 5, 2006 --- http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05192059.htm
Jensen Comment
Being naturally suspicious of lawyers, I wonder how much Clark gets paid by Saddam (a billionaire) to generate these courtroom outbursts? Actually Clark says he's really there in an effort to extend the trials to that of Presidents Bush (father and son) and the other top military leaders in the United States and all other coalition forces that participated in the two recent wars against Iraq led by Saddam Hussein.

Finally, any court that considers criminal charges against Saddam Hussein must have the power and the mandate to consider charges against leaders and military personnel of the U.S., Britain and the other nations that participated in the aggression against Iraq, if equal justice under law is to have meaning. No power, or person, can be above the law. For there to be peace, the days of victor's justice must end.
Ramsey Clark, "Why I'm Willing to Defend Hussein," Common Dreams, January 24, 2005 --- http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0124-26.htm
Jensen Comment
Although Clark is now viewed by many as unpatriotic, he's been a moving force in both the anti-war movements and civil rights movements. In fairness, he did take some patriotic actions while serving as Attorney General (1967-1969) under Lyndon Johnson during the Viet Nam War. As Attorney General during part of the Vietnam War, Clark oversaw the prosecution of the Boston Five for “conspiracy to aid and abet draft resistance.” Four of the five were convicted, including pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock and Yale chaplain William Sloane Coffin Jr. Ramsey Clark's appointment as Attorney General was a typical back room political ploy by then President Lyndon Johnson --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Clark

On March 2, 1967, President Johnson appointed him to be Attorney General of the United States, an appointment probably influenced by Johnson's expectation that Clark's father, Associate Justice Tom C. Clark, would resign from the Supreme Court to avoid a conflict of interest. Johnson wanted a vacancy to be created on the Court so he could appoint Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice. The elder Clark resigned from the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967.

I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown. We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam.
John Kerry, 1972 --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry

Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.
John Kerry, 2006

Nightly news coverage on the major television networks dramatically favored the Democratic Party during the first seven weeks of this year's midterm election, according to a new study released Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
"Midterm Election Coverage Is Bad News for GOP, Study Says," by Randy Hall, CNS, November 1, 2006 ---
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200611/CUL20061101a.html

The analysis by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA), a nonpartisan research and educational organization affiliated with George Mason University, found that three out of four evaluations of Democratic candidates' chances of winning - such as soundbytes - were positive, compared with one out of eight for Republicans.

In compiling the study, which is entitled "Midterm Coverage Is Bad News for GOP," the CMPA examined stories aired on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts from Sept. 5 to Oct. 22, according to Matthew Felling, media director for the center.

Major findings of the report include:

-- Weighing the positives and negatives: Three out of every four (77 percent) on-air evaluations of Democratic candidates and members of Congress were positive during the first seven weeks of the campaign.

By contrast, only one out of every eight assessments (12 percent) was favorable of their Republican counterparts.

-- Midterm overkill: In the first seven weeks after Labor Day in 2002, network coverage of the midterm elections totaled only 35 stories. This year's coverage has been almost five times as heavy, with 167 election stories.

"I don't think there was a whole lot of suspense in the 2002 election," Felling told Cybercast News Service. "We've never had the cohesion of post-9/11 America, in which a lot of the politics was cast aside - for the moment.

"Nobody wanted to poke at any of our leaders because it was a 'circle-the-wagons, rally-round-the-flag' type of election," Felling added. "This year is just the opposite."

-- Three dominant storylines: Regardless of attempts on both sides to redirect media coverage, only three issues have received more than sporadic coverage.

The scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley was the main storyline of the period, producing 59 items. Coverage of the disgraced Florida Republican drew almost as much coverage as the next two stories - Iraq (33) and terrorism/national security (31) - combined. No other issue was discussed in more than six stories.

-- Local candidates, national spotlight: With the Foley scandal looming over House Speaker Dennis Hastert's re-election race, the Illinois Republican's campaign was featured in 42 stories.

Sen. Barack Obama was featured in 10 stories, even though the Illinois Democrat is not seeking re-election this year, and Sen. Hillary Clinton's possible 2008 presidential run was discussed in nine reports. No other candidate was covered in more than five stories.

"What's hurting Republican candidates is the media's focus on two non-candidates: Mark Foley and George W. Bush," Felling noted. "They're using figures who are not up for election as symbols of disillusionment on the part of many Americans."

Felling added that the "six-year itch" is keeping pressure high on GOP candidates across the country.

"The middle of a president's second term is notorious for being unfriendly to his party," Felling said. "And when that president's party runs both houses of Congress, then it just jazzes up the coverage.

"Add that to the fact that there's a war, that there is scandal and a certain amount of presidential fatigue on the part of constituents," he noted. "When you put all of those together, it combines for a lot of restlessness on the part of the electorate."

Most stories aired on the network newscasts "painted with broad strokes when covering the nation's political climate and the parties' overall prospects," Felling said.

Among individual races, Virginia's Senate race was the subject of the most in-depth stories, due to the focus on verbal gaffes by Republican incumbent George Allen, he said.

Felling defended the fact that the study only dealt with what he called the "Couric-Williams-Gibson trifecta."

"Even though they're dinosaurs and they're dying, we should all be dying like they are. They still get 25 to 27 million Americans watching them every single night."

Despite his extensive analysis of the midterm election, Felling said that neither he nor anyone else at the CMPA would make a prediction as to the outcome of the Nov. 7 election.

"We describe. We don't prescribe," Felling said.

October 27, 2006 message from Naomi Ragen [nragen@netvision.net.il]

Two IDF soldiers, Jeremy and Ari, both Americans, have started what I think is an inspiring website. Inbetween being called up for reserve duty, they write some powerful things. If their voice is truly the voice of a new generation in Israel, then there is reason for all of us to hope. Read what they have to say and visit their website. www.TheLandOfIsrael.com

Gay Marriage --- Is the Sky Falling?
Gays have married. The sky hasn't fallen . . . Social conservatives suggest that legal recognition of same-sex couples has harmed society. Sen. Bill Frist has stated that "years of de facto same-sex marriage in Scandinavia has further weakened marriage"; similar claims have been made by Sens. John Cornyn, Rick Santorum, James Inhofe and Sam Brownback. However, there is no evidence that allowing same-sex couples to marry weakens the institution. If anything, the numbers indicate the opposite. A decade after Denmark, Norway and Sweden passed their respective partnership laws, heterosexual marriage rates had risen 10.7% in Denmark; 12.7% in Norway; and a whopping 28.8% in Sweden. In Denmark over the last few years, marriage rates are the highest they've been since the early 1970s. Divorce rates among heterosexual couples, on the other hand, have fallen. A decade after each country passed its partnership law, divorce rates had dropped 13.9% in Denmark; 6% in Norway; and 13.7% in Sweden. On average, divorce rates among heterosexuals remain lower now than in the years before same-sex partnerships were legalized.
Darren R. Spedale and William N. Eskridge, Jr., "The Hitch," The Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2006; Page A14 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116191428485605594.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep

Even supporters of Gay legislation should object to this violation of free speech at the University of Missouri
Emily Brooker, who graduated from the university’s School of Social Work last spring, took issue with a project in which students were asked to draft and individually sign a letter to Missouri legislators that supported the right of gay people to be foster parents, according to the complaint. The assignment was eventually shelved, but the complaint says officials in the social work school charged Brooker with the highest-level grievance for not following guidelines on diversity, interpersonal skills and professional behavior. According to the complaint, during a hearing before an ethics committee, faculty members asked Brooker: “Do you think gays and lesbians are sinners? Do you think I am a sinner?” and questioned whether she could assist gay men and women as a professional social worker.
Elia Powers, "Did Assignment Get Too Political?" Inside Higher Ed, November 1, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/11/01/complaint

Liberals are not so impressed with the microfinance 2006 Nobel Peace Prize
Indeed, one of those who have thoroughly studied the phenomenon, Thomas Dichter, says that the idea that microfinance allows its recipients to graduate from poverty to entrepreneurship is inflated. He sketches out the dynamics of microcredit: "It emerges that the clients with the most experience got started using their own resources, and though they have not progressed very far--they cannot because the market is just too limited--they have enough turnover to keep buying and selling, and probably would have with or without the microcredit. For them the loans are often diverted to consumption since they can use the relatively large lump sum of the loan, a luxury they do not come by in their daily turnover." He concludes: "Definitely, microcredit has not done what the majority of microcredit enthusiasts claim it can do--function as capital aimed at increasing the returns to a business activity." And so the great microcredit paradox that, as Dichter puts it, "the poorest people can do little productive with the credit, and the ones who can do the most with it are those who don't really need microcredit, but larger amounts with different (often longer) credit terms."
Walden Bello, "Microcredit, Macro Issues," The Nation, October 14, 2006 --- http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061030/bello
Jensen Comment
Bello makes a good point, which is why Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize rather than the Nobel Economics Prize, which is a point totally missed by Carlos Alberto Montaner at http://www.firmaspress.com/712.htm
Montaner incorrectly argues that Yunus should be rewarded for noteworthy economics. This great man's microfinance efforts are noteworthy from a short-term, consumptive standpoint, but they are not the way to lift households out of poverty in the long term, especially in poor nations where population explosion is exponential and self-defeating.

Projected Population Growth (it's out of control) --- http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm
Also see http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Populations.html
Projected U.S. Population Growth --- http://www.carryingcapacity.org/projections75.html

Islam and Politics in Indonesia
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, take a bow. Halfway through his government's five-year term, a new poll shows support for Indonesia's radical Islamist parties is on the wane. Keep preaching moderation, Mr. President. In a survey released last week from the Jakarta-based Indonesian Survey Institute, only 9% of those polled said they would vote for a party that supports an enlarged role for Islam in government. That's a huge drop from two years ago, when more than 20% said they would support radical views. The poll, conducted between September 23 and October 2, surveyed a random sample of 1,092 Muslims across the country. These results may be counterintuitive to Indonesia-watchers abroad, who are mostly treated to video of jihadists rallying in Jakarta's streets. But democracy is taking root in the world's most populous Muslim nation less than a decade after the fall of Suharto. That's not to say there aren't problems -- take the violence yesterday in Sulawesi or rumblings in Aceh. Still, 82% of those polled support democracy.
"Islam and Politics in Indonesia," The Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2006

With Beheadings and Attacks, Drug Gangs Terrorize Mexico
In recent months the violence has included a total of two dozen beheadings, a raid on a local police station by men with grenades and a bazooka, and daytime kidnappings of top law enforcement officials. At least 123 law enforcement officials, among them 2 judges and 3 prosecutors, have been gunned down or tortured to death. Five police officers were among those beheaded.
James C. McKinley, "With Beheadings and Attacks, Drug Gangs Terrorize Mexico," The New York Times, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/world/americas/26mexico.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Jury Rewards Idiots With $24 Million
A federal jury awarded $24.2 million to two men who were severely burned by electrical wires when they trespassed onto railroad property and climbed atop a rail car. Jeffrey Klein and Brett Birdwell, who were 17 at the time of the accident, sued Amtrak and Norfolk Southern Corp. after being burned by a 12,500-volt electrical wire in Lancaster in August 2002. In their lawsuit, they argued that the companies should have placed warning signs alerting people to the wires, which power locomotives.
"Jury awards $24M to Pa. men burned after climbing rail car," Philly.com, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15864415.htm

Huge Russian trawlers being specially built to invade Arctic seas
Russian trawlers are already being built to exploit the Arctic seas opened up as the sea ice shrinks as a result of global warming, scientists warned yesterday. Yet the international agreements which constrain oil, gas and fisheries activities in the High Arctic are at best rudimentary and at worst defective, a meeting in London heard yesterday. The summer Arctic ice cover is predicted to disappear by 2080-2100, endangering the polar bear and the walrus, but vastly enlarging the range of cod and other fish species.
Charles Clover, "Russian trawlers prepare to invade Arctic seas," Telegraph, November 1, 2006 --- Click Here

Many Universities Are Receiving Kickbacks from Credit Card Companies
(I've written about this before, but an inquiry from a reporter inspired me to search out some update information.)

"University releasing data of students UWF required to release information," by Angela Fail, Pensacola News Journal, October 3, 2006 --- http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061003/BUSINESS/610030324

University of West Florida students might have more trouble resisting the urge to splurge this year.

UWF is one of several state universities releasing student contact information to banks and credit card companies, which subsequently bombard mailboxes and in-boxes with credit card and other solicitations.

The University of Florida, the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida also are releasing student information.

UWF says it has no choice but to release the information -- unless a student specifically requests that it be kept private.

Because of the state's public records law, anyone who submits a request can obtain directory information -- student names, phone numbers, addresses, e-mails and majors, said Ann Dzaidon, university registrar.

"We are a public institution," she said. "We have to follow certain requirements."

Students who want to keep their information private can fill out a form in the registrar's office or access their records online, she said.

"Students do have the right to protect their own records," Dzaidon said.

Banks and companies also look to alumni and athletic organizations for records. But Missy Grace, UWF's alumni coordinator, said they won't get it from her.

"We don't give out anything," she said. "The directory is online, but you have to have a password. Everything's confidential."

Some out-of-state colleges charge a fee for the information, using the profit to offset declining government revenue.

The easy access to student information comes as some groups have warned that college-age consumers are accumulating alarming debt. According to Nellie Mae, a leading provider of higher education loans, a study of last year's student loan applicants showed that college students hold an average of three separate credit cards. About 78 percent of students have at least one card, and at least 32 percent of students have four or more cards.

"CREDIT CARDS ON CAMPUS: The Social Consequences of Student Credit Dependency," Chapter 6 of Credit Card Nation --- http://www.creditcardnation.com/ccn_chapt6.html

On June 8, 1999, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) convened a major press conference on student credit card debt at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The program featured leading consumer advocates, mothers of two college students whose credit card debts contributed to their recent suicides, and the release of the first major academic study of student credit card debt that was based on both in-depth interviews and cross-sectional, survey data. The highly publicized event was widely reported in the national and regional media. This is because the previously neglected social consequences of credit card debt captured the nation’s attention in front-page newspaper stories, magazine articles, newspaper editorials, evening television news programs, cable TV interviews, and radio call-in shows.

Although Americans have become inured to the tremendous growth of the national debt and economic consequences of corporate mergers, the newly reported social impacts of student debt struck a chord in the national consciousness. Most Americans assumed that college administrators are responsible for providing a safe, nurturing environment where parents can expect that their children will acquire the personal skills and professional experiences necessary for a rewarding future. Instead, it was a national revelation that young lives were being ruined by credit card debt due to dropping out of college (misclassified as academic casualties), health problems (physical and emotional), family conflicts, bankruptcy, job rejections (due to poor credit histories), loan denials, inability to rent apartments, professional school rejection, and even suicide. Many people were aware of anecdotal stories of family members or friends whose collegiate careers were disrupted or abruptly ended by credit card debts. However, most had been persuaded by the assurances of the credit card industry that the problem affected only a small number of students (3-4 percent) and most of them would suffer only a minor financial inconvenience after beginning their work careers.

The personal testimonies of parents whose children committed suicide challenged the benign image of student credit card debt as a new adolescent rite of passage of the “Just Do It”-”Shop ‘til You Drop” generation. Their anguish resonated with the concerns of all Americans who realized that their own sons and daughters were at risk to the predatory marketing policies of the credit card industry. Janne O’Donnell described the despair of her 22 year-old son, a National Merit finalist and a “letters” major, who succumbed to the temptations of “easy money:”

“A week before Sean killed himself [we] had a long talk about his debts and about his future. He told me he had no idea how to get out of his financial mess and didn’t see much of a future for himself. He had wanted to got to law school but didn’t think he could get a loan to pay tuition because he owed so much on his cards... Sean tried to pay off his debts. He went through credit counseling but fell further behind... and moved [from University of Dallas] back home with us to attend the University of Oklahoma. He was working 2 jobs while attending OU. Still he couldn’t make ends meet... By the time he died he had 12 [credit] cards including 1 MasterCard, 2 Visas, Neiman-Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue, Macy’s Marshall Fields, Conoco, and Discover. How those companies can justify giving credit to a person making $5.15 an hour is beyond me... Credit must be based on the applicant’s present income--not on potential to earn... There simply has to be some limits set on credit card companies before more students end up in bankruptcy or dead.”

O’Donnell later described the emotional pain of making the “hard” decision not to help Sean with his mounting credit card bills. In previous years, Janne and her husband had paid some of his debts. In retrospect, however, they believed that their assistance had actually been a “disservice” by not “holding him responsible for his debts.” At the time, Sean expressed his desire to attend graduate school and become a lawyer. With his younger brother preparing to start college in the fall, Janne explained that “we thought our money should be spent paying for Tim’s bachelor’s degree rather than graduate school for Sean. It was a [difficult] choice of allocating our [limited] resources.” As Janne pondered this agonizing dilemma, she related that “I don’t know if it was the right decision and I do not know if Sean would be here today if we had paid his bills. It haunts us still.”

Sadly, Janne and her family are regularly reminded of their personal tragedy due to ongoing debt collection activities. The aggressive tactics of one particular bill collector continues to haunt O’Donnell, “He called about Sean’s credit card debt [a year later]. I left two messages explaining his death and where to get a copy of his death certificate. I just couldn’t believe it when I received the third phone call... [This time] he insisted that I pay [Sean’s] debt. I’ll never forget [this conversation]... he said to me ‘wouldn’t you want to honor his memory by paying off his debts.’ I was so angry. If I had the money, I would have paid them [earlier] and Sean might be with us today.” As if the O’Donnells need further reminders of their ordeal, Chase and other credit card companies still mail “pre-approved” credit card applications in Sean’s name to their home. And, more instructively, “the creditors still call but not as often.” See O’Donnel Web site

To the chagrin of the credit card industry, the national debate continues to intensify over the seriousness of the student debt problem and who is ultimately responsible. Criticism of the industry’s methodologically flawed research (which have been previously used to soften and systematically underestimates student credit card debt) elicited a flurry of journalistic and academic investigations that confirmed many key findings of Manning’s 1999 CFA study. Significantly, the most striking feature of the ongoing furor over predatory marketing to college and high school students has been the adamant refusal of the credit card industry to publicly acknowledge any culpability. In fact, representatives of the credit card industry have rejected all requests to participate in national television or radio programs that specifically addressed the issue of student credit card debt. As CNN reporter Brooks Jackson concluded the “Headline News” story on the CFA press conference, he explained that “credit card companies say [that] most students use credit responsibly but the representatives [of] Visa, MasterCard, American Express would not go on camera to discuss this story.” The following week, Visa even withdrew its spokesperson from an interview on “Good Morning America” which included O’Donnell and Manning. To the surprise of millions of viewers, a miffed Diane Sawyer curtly commented that “the credit card companies, by the way, would not come on our program to talk with us [about the CFA study].”

For the credit card companies, their initial public relations strategy was to dismiss the scholarly criticism and its relevance to the public as unrepresentative of national trends and the student suicides as anecdotal anomalies. By ignoring the negative publicity, they gambled on the expectation that the public’s attention would shift during the summer to baseball pennant races and family vacations, financed by friendly credit cards--of course. Instead, the groundswell of opposition to credit card marketing and lending policies led to mounting public pressures for political action in the form of federal bills and legislative amendments as well as the introduction of restrictive marketing bills in at least nine state legislatures. The most prominent federal response is HR-3142, the “College Student Credit Card Protection Act,” which was introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) in October 1999 and again in January 2001.

Additionally, student groups, parents and alumni have intensified pressure on college administrators to ban or restrict credit card marketing on their campuses. During the academic year 1999-2000, over 400 colleges and universities formulated official policies against on-campus credit card marketing and nearly 600 other schools are considering similar restrictions. Significantly, the most effective policies have been instituted by small, liberal arts colleges where the loss of even a few students has social and economic repercussions. Conversely, it is large public schools with their highly profitable student populations where credit card companies are aggressively directing their energies. This includes the threat of potential lawsuits against non-cooperative universities, persuasive tactics of corporate lobbyists, major donations, and of course lucrative marketing contracts such as the $16 million deal with the University of Tennessee. The latter has provoked greater public scrutiny of “exclusive licensing” agreements with colleges that generate millions of dollars in annual fees.

In addition to the public scrutiny of college administrators in providing a “safe” environment for their students, the result has been greater attention to the role of colleges and universities in promoting complacent attitudes toward personal debt and the need for effective credit card education/financial literacy programs. The latter focus is reminiscent of the beer industry’s “Drink Responsibly” campaign which publicly lauds cautious attitudes toward alcohol consumption but loathes the impact on its financial bottom line. Unfortunately, the current business climate of higher education rewards revenue enhancement programs over instructional excellence. This explains why many college administrators are willing to sacrifice the long-term interests of their students and their own institutional interests for the short-term financial inducements of the credit card industry.

Bob Jensen's threads on the dirty secrets of credit card companies are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudReporting.htm#FICO

"Advice on Shopping for a Windows PC -- If You Must Buy Now," by Walter S. Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2006; Page B1 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/personal_technology.html

Of course, you can upgrade most new Windows XP computers you buy now to Windows Vista after January. And starting today, Microsoft and PC makers are offering an Express Upgrade program that will provide copies of Vista for free, or at reduced prices, to people who buy Windows XP machines bearing a "Vista Capable" sticker from now through mid-March.

The catch is that upgrading PCs to major new operating system releases can be a tricky business. Often, it works just fine, but in many cases there are significant problems. It's always better to buy a new PC that has been matched at the factory with the latest operating system. Waiting just another 90 days could save you a lot of upgrading aggravation.

Also, the free or discounted upgrade program will, in most cases, entitle users of the common Home edition of Windows XP to obtain only a stripped-down version of Vista called Home Basic. That version lacks many of the coolest features of the Vista user interface.

What if you want an Apple Macintosh instead? Should you wait? After all, Apple is also planning an all-new version of its operating system, to be called Leopard, in 2007. I don't advise Mac shoppers to wait, for several reasons. First, Leopard isn't due until spring of 2007, months after Vista. Second, Leopard won't be as disruptive an upgrade as Vista because it is the fifth major revision of Apple's operating system since 2001, not the first. Third, because Apple makes both the hardware and software, Mac operating system upgrades tend to be relatively easy.

Apple isn't offering holiday buyers any discounts or free upgrades to Leopard, but the company says all of its Mac models currently being sold will work fine with the new system. The current Mac operating system, called Tiger, already contains most of the key features promised for Windows Vista. I still regard the Apple iMac as the best consumer desktop computer on the market.

But, if you want a Windows desktop or laptop and you can't wait until February for a model that is preloaded with Vista, here are some guidelines. As always, these tips are for typical mainstream users, not hard-core gamers or people doing intensive video production.

Vista compatibility: Make sure your new PC has a sticker that says "Vista Capable." But this sticker guarantees that it will work with only the stripped-down Home Basic version of Vista. If you want to be able to upgrade to the Home Premium version of Vista, which has the full user interface and other features, or to several other versions of Vista, look for a computer designated "Premium Ready." Naturally, these latter machines will cost more.

Memory: Microsoft suggests 512 megabytes of memory, or RAM, for the stripped-down Vista Home Basic, and 1 gigabyte of memory for full Vista. But I strongly suggest doubling those amounts. If you want to run Vista with all its features, get 2 gigabytes of memory.

Video: Vista Home Basic can run on any graphics hardware that can support a Microsoft technology called DirectX 9. This includes many "integrated" graphics systems, which don't use a separate video card.

Vista Home Premium and other versions will work best with a separate, or "discrete," graphics card that has at least 128 megabytes of dedicated video memory. Microsoft says even integrated graphics systems, like Intel's chip sets labeled 945 or higher, will also work, as long as the computers containing them are labeled "Premium Ready."

Processor: For stripped-down Vista, a processor running at 800 megahertz or faster should be sufficient, according to Microsoft. For full Vista, the speed rises to 1 gigahertz. For anything other than stripped-down Vista, I'd strongly suggest buying a so-called dual core processor, like Intel's Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, which pack the equivalent of two chips into one.

Hard disk: Disk storage is already copious enough for Vista, and buying large amounts is inexpensive. For stripped-down Vista, I'd go for at least 60 gigabytes of hard-disk space. For full Vista, I'd boost that to 200 gigabytes, to accommodate lots of music and video.

Price: Don't spend extra for a slightly faster processor. Invest in more memory instead. And factor in the cost of Vista. Even the Express Upgrade program may pay only part of the cost of an upgrade, which ranges from $99 to $259, depending on the version of Vista you want.

Skilling Sentenced to 24 Years plus Four Months: Club Fed is Easier Than State Prison, But Very Early Paroles Are Less Likely
Oct-27-2006 - Former Enron Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced last Monday to 24 years and four months in prison for his role in the corporate accounting scandal that gave its name to an era. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it would begin distributions to WorldCom investors from the Fair Fund. And while the Enron and WorldCom corporate accounting scandals set the stage for congressional action and passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2004, criminal prosecutions in these cases have not lessened the SEC’s work load. The current stock options backdating scandal threatens to keep the SEC occupied for years. U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake denied bond while Skilling appeals his sentence and ordered him to home confinement with an ankle monitor, the Associated Press reports. Judge Lake has recommended that Skilling be sent to a federal facility in Butner, North Carolina. There is no parole in federal sentencing, but like Bernie Ebbers, former Chief Executive Officer of WorldCom who is serving a 25-year sentence, Skilling could get two months a year taken off for good behavior.
AcountingWeb, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.accountingweb.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=102732

Bob Jensen's threads on the Enron accounting scandal are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudEnron.htm

Nearly 40 percent of the scientists conducting hands-on research at the National Institutes of Health say they are looking for other jobs or are considering doing so to escape new ethics rules that have curtailed their opportunity to earn outside income.

"Ethics Rules Send NIH Scientists Packing," PhysOrg, October 30, 2006 --- http://physorg.com/news81396442.html

Most scientists say the ethics crackdown is too severe, and nearly three-quarters of them believe it will hinder the government's ability to attract and keep medical researchers, according to a survey commissioned by the government's premier medical research agency.

The tightened rules were put in place last year after NIH found dozens of scientists had run afoul of existing restrictions on private consulting deals that had enriched them with money from drug and biotechnology companies.

Outside income from such companies is now banned. NIH also is placing greater restrictions and disclosure requirements on employees' financial holdings.

"Of course we are concerned when any employees are saying they might consider leaving as a result of a change of policy," said Dr. Raynard Kington, the agency's principal deputy director. But he said in a telephone interview Friday that the survey results are muddy because they combine both those actively seeking to leave and those thinking about it.

Continued in article

Bob Jensen's threads on "Appearance Versus the Reality of Research Independence and Freedom" are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#ResearchIndependence

Trends in Foreign Graduate Enrollments
Following 9/11 and the tightening of visa rules, the number of foreign students coming to the United States for graduate school plunged. But a new report by the Council of Graduate Schools finds that foreign graduate student enrollment has finally started to climb. Most foreign graduate students entering this year came from China and India, which have burgeoning populations of undergraduates to feed into graduate programs.
Paul D. Thacker, "Foreign Graduate Enrollments Up," Inside Higher Ed, November 1, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/11/01/foreigngrads

Trends in Foreign Graduate Enrollments

New Enrollment,
2004 -5 New Enrollment,
2005 -6 Total Enrolled,
2004-5 Total Enrolled,
2005 -6

International total 1% 12% -3% 1%

Country of origin

China 3% 20% -2% -2%

India 3% 32% -4% 8%

South Korea 5% 5% -4% -3%

Middle East 11% -1% 1% 1%

Discipline

Business 7% 10% -3% 1%

Engineering 3% 22% -6% 3%

Humanities and Arts -2% -6% 1% -7%

Life Sciences -1% 2% -5% -1%

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education controversies are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm

MS Office Accounting Software is Now Available

From the AccountingWeb on October 30, 2006

Special features for accounting professionals

Both versions of Office Accounting 2007 offer enhanced features that make managing your clients’ books simpler, faster, and cleaner than before, such as:

Accountant Navigator—manage multiple clients from a single dashboard.

Accountant Transfer Wizard—edit and transmit client files for seamless transfers and updates.

Online File Sharing—online sharing of books with your clients using Office Live.

Payroll Center—run payroll for an unlimited number of clients from a single account.

Journal Entry Worksheet—enter multiple accounts, customers, and vendors in one journal entry form.

For more in-depth product information, click here.

Office Accounting Express is a Free Download
See http://www.ideawins.com/

MS Office 7 Tutorial Videos: A Great Illustration of Camtasia (software that virtually all instructors should learn how to use)

October 30, 2006 message from Richard J. Campbell mailto:campbell@rio.edu

This is a particularly well done series of videos on MS Office 2007. The author used Camtasia V3 to film the videos.

http://shoresmedia.com/theater/2007/index.htm l

Richard J. Campbell

Bob Jensen's threads on Camtasia are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HelpersVideos.htm

"Review: Fastap keyboard offers novel way to type on a tiny cell phone," MIT's Technology Review, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17666&ch=infotech

There are only so many ways to lay out the keys on a cell phone for typing words, or so you'd think.

There's the traditional 10-number telephone keypad with the letters of the alphabet bunched three and four to a button. Even with cutsie abbreviations, typing is an arduous affair. If you want a full typewriter keyboard with one letter per key, then you probably have to settle for a bulkier BlackBerry-like device.

Innovative solutions to this stalemate have been rare, and only the BlackBerry 7100 series with its novel two-letters-per-key design can be judged a raging success. Another notable design, from Nokia, with a funky fold-out keyboard resembling a Star Wars wing fighter, has sold well enough to appear on three devices.

The Fastap keyboard from Digit Wireless offers a surprising new twist: The letters appear on 26 small raised buttons positioned at every corner between the standard keys found on a typical cell phone. The letters are placed in alphabetical order rather than the ''QWERTY'' layout found on typewriters, BlackBerries, Treos and the like.

For now, you can't get a phone with Fastap through one of the big national carriers, but Digit says that's due to change next year. That sounds plausible because the Fastap keyboard is already gaining traction with two smaller wireless providers, Alltel Corp. of Arkansas and Telus Corp. of Canada.

Telus Mobility launched the first handset with Fastap in late 2004, and the customer response has been so encouraging the company has introduced two more models with the keyboard, the third arriving last month.

According to Telus, the Fastap keyboard is fueling higher usage of text messaging and other premium services that generate extra revenue. On average, Fastap users send more than twice as many text messages as Telus customers with a standard phone. Likewise, Fastap handsets generate twice as much revenue from text messaging and mobile Internet usage as comparable handsets.

I tried out the Fastap keyboard on an otherwise ordinary LG handset from Alltel. Without a doubt, typing was swifter compared to the usual process of locating a letter on a number key and then tapping it multiple times to choose from among the three or four letters on that button.

My biggest complaint was that the letters were printed on the keys in a hard-to-read gray. The ''Q'' key was pretty indistinguishable from the ''O'' key, and so there were plenty of typos in my messages where a word like ''word'' was misspelled as ''wqrd.''

Continued in article

May 3, 2006 message from Carolyn Kotlas [kotlas@email.unc.edu]

RESOURCES FOR RESHAPING SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION

". . . the crisis in the scholarly communication system not only threatens the well being of libraries, but also it threatens our academic faculty's ability to do world-class research. With current technologies, we now have, for the first time in history, the tools necessary to effect change ourselves. We must do everything in our power to change the current scholarly communication system and promote open access to scholarly articles."

Paul G. Haschak's webliography provides resources to help effect this change. "Reshaping the World of Scholarly Communication -- Open Access and the Free Online Scholarship Movement: Open Access Statements, Proposals, Declarations, Principles, Strategies, Organizations, Projects, Campaigns, Initiatives, and Related Items -- A Webliography" (E-JASL, vol. 7, no. 1, spring 2006) is available online at http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v07n01/haschak_p01.htm

E-JASL: The Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship [ISSN 1704-8532] is an independent, professional, refereed electronic journal dedicated to advancing knowledge and research in the areas of academic and special librarianship. E-JASL is published by the Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication (ICAAP), Athabasca, Canada. For more information, contact: Paul Haschak, Executive Editor, Board President, and Founder, Linus A. Sims Memorial Library, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA USA;
email: phaschak@selu.edu
Web: http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/

November 2, 2006 message from Carolyn Kotlas [kotlas@email.unc.edu]

OPEN SOURCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The October/November 2006 issue (vol. 3, issue 1) of INNOVATE is devoted to open source and the "potential of open source software and related trends to transform educational practice." Papers include:

"Getting Open Source Software into Schools: Strategies and Challenges" by Gary Hepburn and Jan Buley

"Looking Toward the Future: A Case Study of Open Source Software in the Humanities" by Harvey Quamen

"Harnessing Open Technologies to Promote Open Educational Knowledge Sharing" by Toru Iiyoshi, Cheryl Richardson, and Owen McGrath

The complete issue is available at http://www.innovateonline.info/ .

Innovate [ISSN 1552-3233] is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed online periodical published by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University. The journal focuses on the creative use of information technology (IT) to enhance educational processes in academic, commercial, and government settings. Readers can comment on articles, share material with colleagues and friends, and participate in open forums. For more information, contact: James L. Morrison, Editor-in-Chief, Innovate; email: innovate@nova.edu ; Web: http://www.innovateonline.info/ .

Bob Jensen's threads on open sourcing are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI

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ADAPTIVE HYPERMEDIA

The JOURNAL OF DIGITAL INFORMATION (JoDI) has recently published a special issue focusing on adaptive hypermedia. "Adaptive hypermedia systems are those that build a profile of the user and then deliver content that is appropriate for these needs, rather than the more traditional 'one-size-fits-all' approach of the web." These systems have the potential for tailoring online learning experiences to the individual student.

The complete issue (vol. 7, no. 1, 2006) is available at http://journals.tdl.org/jodi/issue/view/29 .

The Journal of Digital Information (JoDI) [ISSN: 1368-7506] is a peer-reviewed Web journal, supported by Texas A&M University Libraries. Current and past issues are available at http://journals.tdl.org/jodi .

See also:

"Adaptive Hypermedia: A New Paradigm for Educational Software" By H. Spallek ADVANCES IN DENTAL RESEARCH, vol. 17, December 2003, pp. 38-42 http://adr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/17/1/38 [Note: online access available via a subscription by your institution.]

Although this paper discusses how adaptive hypermedia was used in dental education courses, it's findings can be applied to other disciplines.

Bob Jensen's threads on tools of the trade are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/thetools.htm

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HOW FACULTY SEARCH FOR ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS

Is the increasing availability of documents diminishing our reliance on colleagues for resource information? In 2004, Pertti Vakkari and Sanna Talja surveyed 900 faculty members and PhD students in Finnish universities to answer the question, "How are academic status and discipline associated with the patterning of search methods used by university scholars for finding materials for teaching, research, and keeping up to date in their field?" They report their findings in "Searching for Electronic Journal Articles to Support Academic Tasks. A Case Study of the Use of the Finnish National Electronic Library (FinELib)" (INFORMATION RESEARCH, vol. 12 no. 1, October 2006). One interesting discovery was that, in contradiction to earlier studies, colleagues were considered "unimportant sources for discovering needed [electronic] materials." However, the authors believe that, while this role for colleagues is diminishing, their role as "discussion partners concerning matters of research is considerably more important than their role as providers of information about literature."

The paper is available online at http://informationr.net/ir/12-1/paper285.html .

Information Research [ISSN 1368-1613] is a freely available, international, scholarly journal, dedicated to making accessible the results of research across a wide range of information-related disciplines. It is privately published by Professor T.D. Wilson, Professor Emeritus of the University of Sheffield, with in-kind support from the University and its Department of Information Studies. For more information, contact: Tom Wilson, Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; tel: +44 (0)114-222-2642; fax: +44 (0)114-278-0300;
email: t.d.wilson@shef.ac.uk ; Web: http://informationr.net/ir/ .

Bob Jensen's search helpers are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Searchh.htm

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RECOMMENDED READING

"Recommended Reading" lists items that have been recommended to me or that Infobits readers have found particularly interesting and/or useful, including books, articles, and websites published by Infobits subscribers. Send your recommendations to carolyn_kotlas@unc.edu for possible inclusion in this column.

"Emerging Leadership Roles in Distance Education: Current State of Affairs and Forecasting Future Trends" By Lisa Marie Portugal ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP, vol. 4, issue 3, Summer 2006 http://www.academicleadership.org/volume4/issue3/student_research/portugal_lisa_marie2/article.html

"This paper discusses the enormous impact distance learning has had on traditional higher education and leadership roles within those constructs. . . . [It focuses] on transformational leadership qualities that are necessary for current and future successful distance education programs."

Bob Jensen's threads on distance education alternatives are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Crossborder.htm

Biology Online
Virtual Pig Dissection --- http://www.whitman.edu/biology/vpd/main.html

Bob Jensen's threads on science and medicine helpers online --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#050421Science%20and%20Medicine

Online Math
Analyze Math --- http://www.analyzemath.com/

Bob Jensen's threads on math helpers online --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#050421Mathematics

Learn Spanish --- http://www.studyspanish.com/

Professor Matt Stroud at Trinity University provides some very popular Spanish grammar helpers --- http://www.trinity.edu/mstroud/
His grammar site is at http://www.trinity.edu/mstroud/spanish/help.html#grammar
He has other helpers at http://www.trinity.edu/mstroud/spanish/index.html

Other online resources for language study are provided at http://www.trinity.edu/departments/modern_languages/resources.htm

November 2, 2006 message from Elena Gozalo

We will like to ask you to please add a link to the Barcelona University UAB Spanish course website www.barcelona-university.es .

We offer students the opportunity to book Spanish language courses and accommodation at the University of Barcelona UAB in Spain.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Elena Gozalo
www.barcelona-university.es

Question
How do you become a good or a bad journal referee?

Answer from FinancialRounds --- http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2006/10/how_to_be_a_goo.html

Question
How do you become a better teacher?

If it’s true that at many colleges and universities, teaching has historically taken a backseat to research in tenure evaluations and, as a result, in the priorities of many faculty members, the problem has perhaps been amplified at medical schools, where the obligations of patient care can nudge teaching a notch further down the priority ladder. But as has been the case throughout academe, medical schools (often from the ground up, led by faculty members themselves) have been trying to pay more attention to the quality of instruction. The new issue of Academic Medicine highlights one important thrust in that effort: the creation of teaching fellowship programs, in which faculty members interested in improving their teaching get stipends and some release time for training in teaching or evaluation skills, curriculum development, or educational research or leadership, among other things.
Doug Lederman, "Teaching Doctors to Teach," Inside Higher Ed, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/27/medicaled

"Drop Patent," Educause Urges Blackboard
The leaders of higher education’s main technology association have written a powerfully worded letter urging Blackboard to relinquish the rights it gained under a controversial patent of online learning technologies in the public domain and to drop a patent infringement lawsuit it filed in August against a Canadian competitor, Desire2Learn.
Doug Lederman, "Drop Patent, Educause Urges Blackboard," Inside Higher Ed, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/27/educause

Blackboard officials did not take kindly to the request. “Blackboard has been (and remains) a long time supporter of Educause and the important role it plays for the academic community, but we are disappointed that Educause, an industry organization, is taking public positions on its members’ intellectual property and enforcement efforts,” Michael Chasen, Blackboard’s CEO, said in a statement released Thursday night. “We are proud of our innovations and believe protecting Blackboard’s intellectual property is tantamount to the success of the company and the evolution of the industry at large.”

The letter (the text of which is available below) was hand-delivered to Chasen at Educause’s early October meeting but was made public only Thursday, when Educause posted it on its Web site along with the minutes of the board’s meeting. Those minutes note that the letter was approved unanimously by all board members attending (two directors were not there) “after much discussion.” Hawkins said in an interview Thursday that the fact that there was significant discussion should not be read to suggest that there was disagreement about the content of the letter, which he said was unprecedented in the association’s history.

“We have never sent this type of a letter to one of our corporate members before,” Hawkins said. The association’s “guiding principles” for dealing with corporations say that Educause will not endorse one corporation over another or otherwise take sides in a corporate dispute. But the principles also note that “Educause is accountable primarily to its institutional members,” and that “institutional member objectives, if ever in conflict with corporate member objectives, take precedence.” In this case, Hawkins said, Educause is not siding with Desire2Learn over Blackboard, but putting its college and university members’ interests first.

In their letter, which Hawkins and the Educause board say was written on behalf of the entire “higher education IT community,” they use unusually dramatic language to describe how college technology officials view Blackboard’s patent and its lawsuit against Desire2Learn.

“One of our concerns is that you may not fully appreciate the depth of the consternation this action has caused for key members of our community.... We have seen this intensity of anger only a few times before. In those cases, the corporations involved were unaware of what was happening outside their official channels. Please do not underestimate this consternation which we believe will impact Blackboard in both the short- and the long-term.”

It continues: “The expressions we hear range from the vilification of Blackboard, to stories about the cold reception Blackboard is receiving at presentations, to the embarrassment of your employees who are asked to explain this corporate action.”

The Educause letter notes that rather than rely on the strong opinions and beliefs of its members, it had hired a “highly reputable, independent law firm to review the patent,” and that the firm’s “preliminary conclusion” is that the patent was “very broadly defined and was inappropriately approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

The letter urges the company to “disclaim the rights established under your recently-awarded patent, placing the patent in the public domain and withdrawing the claim of infringement against Desire2Learn.”

Chasen’s response suggests Blackboard is disinclined to do so. Company officials have said repeatedly that critics are misreading the patent if they believe it applies broadly to learning management software, and that they do not intend to try to impede the development of open source software.

Bob Jensen's threads on the controversial Blackboard patent are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/290wp/290wp.htm#2006

"Co-Founder of Wikipedia Starts Spinoff With Academic Editors," University of Illinois Issues in Scholarly Communications blog, October 18, 2006 --- http://www.library.uiuc.edu/blog/scholcomm/

Can scholars build a better version of Wikipedia? Larry Sanger, a co-founder who has since become a critic of the open-source encyclopedia, intends to find out.

This week Mr. Sanger announced the creation of the Citizendium, an online, interactive encyclopedia that will be open to public contributors but guided by academic editors. The site aims to give academics more authorial control -- and a less combative environment -- than they find on Wikipedia, which affords all users the same editing privileges, whether they have any proven expertise or not.

The Citizendium, whose name is derived from "citizen's compendium," will soon start a six-week pilot project to determine many of its basic rules and operating procedures.

Mr. Sanger left Wikipedia at the end of 2002 because he felt it was too easy on vandals and too hard on scholars. There is a lot to like about Wikipedia, he said, starting with the site's open-source ethics and its commitment to "radical collaboration."

But in operation, he said, Wikipedia has flaws -- like its openness to anonymous contributors and its rough-and-tumble editing process -- that have driven scholars away. With his new venture, Mr. Sanger hopes to bring those professors back into the fold.

He plans to create for the site a "representative democracy," in which self-appointed experts will oversee the editing and shaping of articles. Any Web surfer, regardless of his or her credentials, will be able to contribute to the Citizendium. But scholars with "the qualifications typically needed for a tenure-track academic position" will act as editors, he said, authorizing changes in articles and approving entries they deem to be trustworthy.

A team of "constables" -- administrators who must be more than 25 years old and hold at least a bachelor's degree, according to the project's Web site -- will enforce the editors' dictates. "If an editor says the article on Descartes should put his biography before his philosophy, and someone changes that order, a constable comes in and changes it back," said Mr. Sanger.

Continued in article

The Citizendium link is at http://www.citizendium.org/

Of course the Wikipedia link to an unbelievable (nearly 1.5 million articles to date) database in information (and some misinformation) is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Bob Jensen’s search helpers are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/searchh.htm

Capella is one of the most successful for-profit online universities to date: Do you want to get in on its forthcoming IPO?
Capella Education announced plans Friday for an initial public offering. Reuters reported that the online institution’s plans call for offering 4 million common shares, between $17.50 and $19.50 each.
Inside Higher Ed, October 30, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/30/qt

Capella University --- http://www.capella.edu/

Capella's online degrees ---http://www.capelladegrees.com/

Mascot Bites Football Player
Smokey IX, the University of Tennessee’s coonhound mascot, is being accused of biting a University of Alabama player who landed on him, out of bounds, during last weekend’s game, the AP reported. There are conflicting reports on whether a bit took place, whether it would have been justified, and whether a hole in the player’s pants is definitive evidence of a bite.
Inside Higher Ed, October 27, 2006

Minority Gains and Gaps
Minority enrollment at colleges and universities rose by just over 50 percent, to 4.7 million students, between 1993 and 2003, according to the American Council on Education . . . A pessimist could note the many gaps between black and Hispanic students and their white and Asian counterparts. In particular, figures for black and Latino males remain far behind not only white and Asian men but also behind black and Hispanic women.
Scott Jaschik, "Minority Gains and Gaps," Inside Higher Ed, October 30, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/30/minorities

The ACE report extends to the college presidency, where it finds that most presidential positions continue to be held by white men. The last five years, however, have seen significant diversification, particularly among women of all ethic groups. Community colleges are also significantly more diverse at the presidential level. These data come from ACE’s database of presidents. (Note: The figures do include women’s and historically black or minority-serving institutions.)

Presidents by Gender, Race and Ethnicity, 2005

Group Number of Presidents, 4-Year Institutions % Change, 2000-5 Number of Presidents, 2-Year Institutions % Change, 2000-5

White men 1,441 +10.2% 700 +3.6%

White women 322 +9.9% 253 +18.2%

Black men 104 +15.6% 40 -2.4%

Black women 37 +54.2% 30 +50.0%

Hispanic men 33 +10% 33 -8.3%

Hispanic women 9 +125% 15 +66.7%

Asian American men 29 +11.5% 7 +133.3%

Asian American women 5 +0% 4 +33.3%

American Indian men 6 +20.0% 10 +0%

American Indian women 2 +0% 6 +20%

The full ACE report is not available online, but may be purchased from the council through its Web site.

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education controversies are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm

Old Folks Demonstrate Higher Ability to be Remediated

The study, “Stepping Stones to a Degree: The Impact of Enrollment Pathways and Milestones on Older Community College Student Outcomes, is slated to be released in the November 2007 edition of Research in Higher Education. It shows that older students who enrolled in remedial courses – particularly in mathematics – were “less negatively” affected in terms of time to program completion than were younger students who also took the courses.Specifically, younger students who took remedial courses were 42 percent less likely to graduate than their peers who weren’t in the stepping-stone classes. Older students needing remediation decreased their odds of graduation in a particular term by 23 percent. A key factor in both cases is that remedial classes rarely count toward a student’s graduation.
Elia Powers, "Age and Remediation," Inside Higher Ed, October 30, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/30/remediation

"New Measures for Gender Inequities," Inside Higher Ed, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/26/salaries

In an effort to draw attention to the significant gender gaps in many categories of faculty employment, the American Association of University Professors is today releasing a report with “gender equity indicators” for higher education as a whole and for individual campuses.

The report finds significant gaps in salaries and in the percentages of faculty members in the senior ranks of universities, especially at doctoral universities. Gender parity appears to be much more likely at community colleges and other teaching-oriented institutions, and in part-time positions across sectors. Of course those are areas that tend to pay much less. The data also suggest that even at doctoral institutions, departments are more likely to have parity at the junior faculty levels.

“I think one of the questions that this raises is whether we are going to end up in a two-tiered profession,” a well paid tier dominated by men at research universities and a more modestly compensated and diverse tier elsewhere, said Ann Higginbotham, a professor of history at Eastern Connecticut State University and chair of the AAUP’s Committee on Women in the Academic Profession.

Some of the numbers in the report are quite striking, both as national averages and by comparing individual institutions. For example, there are nine doctoral institutions where the average salary for a female assistant professor is less than 85 percent of that of the average male assistant professor, and there are nine doctoral universities where women do not make up even 10 percent of full professors. There are also doctoral institutions that fare well in both of those measures (see lists at end of article).

But officials at some institutions that don’t look particularly good — and some experts on salary patterns — warn that there are many possible explanations for the disparities. In particular, they say that disciplinary salary differentials, not gender, may be a key factor in explaining gaps.

AAUP officials acknowledge that there are many possible explanations. But they say that, at the very least, the gaps call out for investigation. “I think the significant thing is that we are releasing the data for individual schools around the country, so people at their own schools can compare how their school is doing compared to others,” said Martha S. West, a professor of law at the University of California at Davis. “Hopefully we’ll generate some significant attention all over the country,” said Davis, who co-wrote the report with John W. Curtis, director of research and public policy for the AAUP.

Continued in article

The report can be downloaded from http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/research/geneq2006

Jensen Comment
Once again this is the long-standing debate that should focus on salary differences between disciplines rather than gender issues. It is well known that supply of faculty is much more scarce in some disciplines than other disciplines. Many accounting research programs in academe at the moment cannot get one terminally qualified (doctoral degree) applicant. Shortages of females in some disciplines are far greater than in other disciplines. For example, there less than 10% of the new doctorates in Computer Science are female, and Computer Science faculty are much more expensive than faculty in most other disciplines at the moment. Hence female computer scientists are likely to have much higher salaries than most other female faculty. The issue is mainly one of discipline rather than sexism in determining starting salaries at most colleges that by now have put an end to gender discrimination against females. If anything, there is reverse discrimination in starting salaries for equally qualified male versus female applicants. Of course there can be sexual bias in any given circumstance, but it would surprise me greatly if the sexual bias was widespread against females.

Shortages of faculty have become so critical in the field of Business Administration that the AACSB initiated a "Bridge Program" to encourage and provide financial aid for business practitioners to enter into doctoral studies --- http://www.aacsb.edu/bridge/default.asp
Special efforts are being made to recruit women and minority students.

"How Can Employers Improve Defined Contribution Plans?" Knowledge@Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, October 18, 2006 --- http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1578&CFID=2442125&CFTOKEN=98133604

In 1980, more than 60% of American workers who had retirement plans at work enjoyed traditional pensions, with the employer providing fixed monthly payments throughout the former employee's retirement. Most other employees had "defined contribution" plans such as 401(k)s, which leave retirement investing to the employee.

Today, the numbers are reversed, with more and more companies scrapping traditional pensions and shifting the investing risk to their workers. But numerous studies have found that the typical worker saves too little, often invests too conservatively and doesn't manage the nest egg well after retiring. Millions could end up with too little to live on as they grow old.

If 401(k)s and similar plans are the main way Americans invest for retirement, how can employers improve them? By making enrollment automatic, minimizing the use of the employer's stock, expanding use of annuities and improving employees' financial knowledge, according to the Financial Economists Roundtable, a 13-year-old group of about 50 prominent economists. "As a social policy, we want people to have enough to live on when they are retired," says Wharton finance professor Marshall E. Blume. Unless these problems are remedied, Blume says, many 401(k) participants will run out of money and become burdens on society. "Currently, many employees do not participate in these plans, even when there's an employer match [to employee contributions]," he adds.

To address these problems, members of the FER met in Breton Woods, NH, in July. The result is a set of recommendations titled, "Best Practices for the Design of Defined Contribution Plans."

Bob Jensen's threads on pension fund accounting are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen//theory/00overview/theory01.htm#Pensions

Explore the Art and Science of Listening --- http://www.exploratorium.edu/listen/about_listen.php

A New Vocabulary for College Admission Officials

"Decisions and Revisions," by David Galef, Inside Higher Ed, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2006/10/26/galef

What schools really need now, though, is an end-run around the old terms. Here are some proposals now on the table at admissions offices across the country:

oily admissions:
for those acceptances with a certain slimy feel, necessary to the school’s financial welfare but best not to discuss. May derive from Texas-based alums who kick in oil company money to expedite the acceptance of their kids to business school.

eerie admissions:
a term meant to cover those unaccountable acceptances, such as the athletic scholarship extended to the chess whiz, or the offer made to a high school student with no extracurricular activities.

only admissions:
the new, no-frills form of acceptance, without any fat welcome packet or additional literature sent through the mail; the academic equivalent of an airline e-ticket.

early submissions:
a label for those eager beaver applicants who just can’t wait ’til fall of their senior year in high school and start bombarding colleges with material as early as July.

yearly remissions:
not technically an admissions matter, but these represent the annual tithing from wealthy graduates who will one day expect their offspring to apply to and be accepted by their alma maters.

early revisions:
this curious term signifies that percentage of accepted students who , well before the deadline, decide that they want to matriculate elsewhere.

late action:
a polite term for what used to be called the waiting list, or those applicants who have no reasonable hope of getting in unless someone else opts out.

early faction:
any admitted students likely to become a cohesive group, such as the College Republicans.

proactive admissions:
the new term for offers extended ahead of time to athletes who’ll be snapped up by other schools if another day goes by.

early derision:
a cover for those admitted students who in retrospect were ludicrous choices, such as those with bad debts or probation officers.

easy submissives and early emissions:
don’t go there.

Ellison Says Oracle Knows What's Best for Linux
In an apparent fit of pique over the closeness of Red Hat and IBM, Oracle this week said it would support its own version of the Red Hat distribution because it is uniquely qualified to provide the kind of support that enterprise class customers need. The decision to strip the Red Hat logo off the version of Linux that Oracle offers caught a lot of people off guard, but when you think about it Larry Ellison may have a point. Meanwhile, Oracle showed that its still series about tying all its applications together into a single E-Business Suite 12.0, while also showcasing some new Fusion middleware tools and previewing Oracle 11g.
Renee Boucher Ferguson, "Ellison Says Oracle Knows What's Best for Linux," eWeek, October 25, 2006 --- http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2037355,00.asp?kc=EWWHNEMNL102606EOAD

Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 --- http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/

October 24, 2006 message from Craig [craig@hotelsbycity.com]

Hello Prof. Bob,

I was browsing your site and noticed that you have a really comprehensive directory of great links, being a travel website owner; I couldn’t help but notice, that our link did not make the travel section of that directory located here http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob3.htm#Travel

Just wanted to let you know about www.hotelsbycity.net we are an online travel company focused primarily on hotels. We run a Blog, and custom write all of our city guides, we currently have over 500 travel guides located here: www.hotelsbycity.net/guides/ and more than 1000 images of cities worldwide

Just wondering if you could possibly link to our site from your directory?

I really do like your directory, hopefully we'll be in touch.

Thanks,

Craig Dueck
www.hotelsbycity.net

Bob Jensen's travel bookmarks at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob3.htm#Travel

Race Preferences Vote Splits Michigan
The ballot initiative, Proposition 2, which would amend Michigan’s Constitution to bar public institutions from considering race or sex in public educ

	New Enrollment, 2004 -5	New Enrollment, 2005 -6	Total Enrolled, 2004-5	Total Enrolled, 2005 -6
International total	1%	12%	-3%	1%
Country of origin
China	3%	20%	-2%	-2%
India	3%	32%	-4%	8%
South Korea	5%	5%	-4%	-3%
Middle East	11%	-1%	1%	1%
Discipline
Business	7%	10%	-3%	1%
Engineering	3%	22%	-6%	3%
Humanities and Arts	-2%	-6%	1%	-7%
Life Sciences	-1%	2%	-5%	-1%

Group	Number of Presidents, 4-Year Institutions	% Change, 2000-5	Number of Presidents, 2-Year Institutions	% Change, 2000-5
White men	1,441	+10.2%	700	+3.6%
White women	322	+9.9%	253	+18.2%
Black men	104	+15.6%	40	-2.4%
Black women	37	+54.2%	30	+50.0%
Hispanic men	33	+10%	33	-8.3%
Hispanic women	9	+125%	15	+66.7%
Asian American men	29	+11.5%	7	+133.3%
Asian American women	5	+0%	4	+33.3%
American Indian men	6	+20.0%	10	+0%
American Indian women	2	+0%	6	+20%