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 | Faith-based Mission: Baylor Still Hopeful it Can Land Bush Library
Although the administration of President George W. Bush has said it is exclusively negotiating with Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas for the Bush Library and Policy Institute, Baylor University in Waco hasn't given up hope. As negotiations linger, with opposition both on campus and within the Methodist Church (which owns SMU), Baylor this week made what may be a final push, publicly releasing its proposal to win the library. At Baylor, the complex of buildings would "possibly be called the George Walker Bush Presidential Library Center" and would include "the George Walker Bush Presidential Library; the George Walker Bush Presidential Museum; the George Walker Bush Institute," according to the proposal. The complex would also include a conference center still to be named. Tommye Lou Davis, who has guided Baylor's library efforts, told reporters that the material posted "is just a small part of the university's pitch."
There are some distinct contrasts between the atmosphere conjured by the Baylor proposal and the division that has emerged at SMU. For example, while SMU faculty members have roundly expressed uneasiness over an accompanying policy institute and its relationship to the academy, under the proposal Baylor would seem to welcome not only a policy institute but an academic program at the library complex: "If there is a school associated with [the Bush Library complex] it would become an academic division of Baylor University, which would operate several undergraduate and graduate programs in that facility." Further, while a faction of the Methodist Church has circulated a petition against the library citing Bush's policies (though a council of Methodist bishops approved the library at SMU) there seems to be no such schism emerging at Baylor. "Baylor University's mission reflects President Bush's core principles of service, compassion, leadership, education, family, and faith," reads the introduction. "While many universities have strayed from these founding principles, Baylor is one of America's few comprehensive academic universities seriously committed to a faith-based mission."
Still, Baylor remains a long shot to land the Bush Library and it would require nothing short of a stunning collapse in negotiations at SMU. Meanwhile, in another sign that the library is all but signed, sealed, and delivered, SMU professor Benjamin Johnson this week suspended postings to the Bush Library Blog. "Surely some kind of announcement will be made soon," Johnson wrote in his final post.
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New Law Would Punish Attempted Copyright Infringement
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last week unveiled the Justice Department's latest legislative proposal concerning Internet piracy, a two-pronged attack that includes pushing for new legislation and redeploying current enforcement assets. At an appearance before members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Coalition against Counterfeiting and Piracy, Gonzales described the "Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007." Among its proposals: more searches and seizures of evidence suggesting infringement, and criminalizing "attempted" copyright crimes. "It is a general tenet of the criminal law that those who attempt to commit a crime but do not complete it are as morally culpable as those who succeed in doing so," Gonzales wrote to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives. Of course, experts note, copyright is a rather murky law, and the notion of "attempted infringement" raises the question of whether users will be bold in asserting fair use rights when facing potential criminal prosecution for any miscalculation.
In addition, the IPPA would increase jail terms, including life in prison for those whose piracy activities "recklessly causes or attempts to cause death," would strengthen penalties for repeat-offenders, and allow for broad forfeiture of property. It would seek greater powers to use wiretaps to fight piracy rings. It would also strengthen section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the controversial ant-circumvention provision, which makes it a crime to break encryption even if doing so for a legal use. According to CNET News, Gonzales' proposal is being considered by lawmakers, including Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lamar Smith (R-TX), who chose not to comment specifically on the proposed language. "We are reviewing (the attorney general's) proposal," said Smith. "I applaud the attorney general for recognizing the need to protect intellectual property." Berman's office told reporters they "drafting their own version of the legislation."
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| In NY Times, Author Helprin Argues for Perpetual Copyright
Georgetown professor Peter Jaszi once derisively called the constant passage of copyright extensions "perpetual copyright on the installment plan." In last Sunday's New York Times, novelist and Claremont Institute fellow Mark Helprin presented his latest idea: eliminate the installment plan and just go with perpetual copyright. Helprin argues that intellectual property should be treated no different than tangible property and complained that losing his exclusive author rights after life-plus-70 years represents an unfair government intrusion. "Should automobile manufacturers be nationalized after 70 years because they depend on publicly financed roads?" he asked. "No good case exists for the inequality of real and intellectual property, because no good case can exist for treating with special disfavor the work of the spirit and the mind."
In what reads like an excellent Copyright 101 primer, his op-ed has generated a spirited response, including a wiki entry started by Stanford University Law School's Lawrence Lessig. Among the many points of rebuttal, the wiki entry disputes the facile comparison of physical property, such as a home, to intellectual property. "Physical property acts as a zero sum game. For one person to gain some physical property, another person must lose it," Lessig wrote. "Intellectual works do not act as a zero sum game. It is possible to copy an abstract work, keep the original for yourself, and give a copy to someone one else."
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| A Librarian Tracks Austin's Weirdness
Austin, TX native Red Wassenich has been a librarian for 24 years, and now works as a reference librarian at Austin Community College. But he's probably best-known for inventing the oft-borrowed phrase Keep Austin Weird." Now he's authored Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town, published by Schiffer Books. And he took all the photos, including shots of the Cathedral of Junk, which is exactly what it sounds like, and Leslie, the semi-homeless perennial mayoral candidate who habitually wears a thong. The LJ Academic Newswire's Norman Oder recently caught up with Wassenich to discuss his book and his catchphrase claim to fame.
LJAN: How'd you come up with the phrase?
RW: In the spring of 2000, I was making a donation to a local volunteer radio station. I was listening to the Lounge Show, which plays very strange music. I called up to make my donation, and they asked, 'Why are you donating?" I said, "The show helps keep Austin weird." I mentioned it to my wife and we decided to print up bumper stickers. I've never tried to make money until this book thing, and I'll be lucky if I break even.
But other people have used the phrase, including a company that trademarked it for t-shirts, and also some local businesses.
I've never tried to push myself too much. It's the importance of the movement. The reasons there's "Keep Boulder Weird," etc., is due to a really good independent bookstore, BookPeople, and a really good independent record store, Waterloo, which started using the phrase to promote shopping local, as opposed to chain stores. They printed up bumper stickers that said, "Keep Austin Weird: Support Local Businesses." It was very successful.
How'd the book come about?
The publisher had read a magazine article about how other cities adopted the phrase, "Keep ___ Weird" and it mentioned me as the originator. So the editor called me up.
How do you describe the book?
A: It's kind of a skewed version of a traditional guidebook to a city, as the subtitle says. Probably every town has two or three odd events. There just seems to be an inordinate number of them here in Austin.
For example?
The O. Henry Pun-off, this horrible contest where people make excruciating puns—it's been going for 30 years. A classic one in Austin is the Spamarama, which has games like Spam-toss, or Spam-cram, a contest to eat a can of Spam the fastest. And there's cooking contest, which has two categories: people who actually try to make the Spam taste good, and the crazy category where people make the most disgusting thing, like Spam daiquiris.
You say Austin is changing?
Austin is hippies, rednecks, punks, high-tech people, blue-collar to some degree. But it's a real boomtown right now, which refers to the "Keep" part of "Keep Austin Weird." It's a little too driven by money, for my taste. I'm more of an old hippie.
Are you notorious on campus?
I very successfully still fly under the radar. On the web site, I don't even have my name. People are generally surprised and amused that the person who came up with the cool phrase is—gasp—a librarian. I did get the president of my college to pose for a picture holding up a "Keep Austin Community College Weird" calendar.
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Library Journal Academic Newswire
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