Love is in the air.

Well, at least in the décor. It is estimated that one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second-largest card-selling holiday (after Christmas). But was Valentine’s Day really invented by the greeting card companies to take advantage of the love and/or friendship between two people?

Actually, Valentine’s Day was established at around 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I who named the holiday after a (some speculate several) Christian martyr named Valentine or Valentinus. No one really knows for sure who Valentine was or what he did but February was a month of romance long before the pope declared the 14^th the big day. Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival, was celebrated in mid-February.

The commercial holiday that we recognize today first began in Great Britain in the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common practice to exchange small gifts or handwritten poems on Valentine’s Day. Improvements in printing technology led to printed greeting cards in the late 1700s. By this time, the holiday had become popular in the United States. In the 1840s, Esther Howland (now known as the Mother of the Valentine) began selling the first mass-produced valentines in the country. Since then, a number of other countries in the world have created their own Valentine’s Day traditions. In Japan, it is customary for women to buy chocolates for men (usually co-workers). One month later, the men who received chocolates are expected to return the favor. In Norfolk, England “Jack” Valentine leaves treats for children on the back step of the house. In Finland and Estonia the holiday is more about celebrating friends rather than lovers.

How do you spend your Valentine’s Day? Some people use this opportunity to show their loved ones how much they care; others use it to show how much they’re willing to spend. Some people go out and have a romantic dinner; others go on a romantic weekend getaway. But if you’re like me, you prefer to spend the day relaxing at home without roses, heart-shaped boxes, and pink teddy bears. While I do intend to spend some quality time with my significant other, I plan on spending the greater part of the day the same way I spend every Sunday – cozily bundled up in blankets with a good read. Incidentally, the book I’ll be reading this Sunday is the seventh installment of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series – a series about love that transcends time.

But Erica, shouldn’t you be doing more on Valentine’s Day to show that special someone how much you care? Well, what can I say? At the risk of sounding ooey-gooey, I must say that I hardly feel the need for a big to-do this Sunday. After all, every day is Valentine’s Day in our home.

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
At a whopping 656 pages, Outlander may appear daunting at first but if you’re into adventure, historical fiction, and love stories, the time will fly.

https://rwsteen2.sfasu.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/0/0/0/5?searchdata1=9780440212560

Research Library Liaison - Erica Lopez

Email: z_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edu
Phone: (936) 468-6270
Office: 202j

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Licensing, Fair Use, and Copyright.

In June of 2009Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library, discontinued a short-lived pilot project wherein the library provided inter-library loan services to faculty using Amazon's Kindle. Roger Layton, communications manager for the library said.

"We are pretty fast on the interlibrary loans, but it still takes days....With the Kindle, we can have a new book available for someone in a matter of minutes.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705310939/BYU-suspends-Kindle-program-over-legal-concerns.html

while this incident caused a bit of a stir in the library community it could have quietly faded into obscurity if Amazon had left well enough alone. Instead around July 14th of this year Amazon "began e-mailing a few hundred owners of its Kindle reading device to explain that it had deleted electronic copies of the George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "1984" and had refunded the $0.99 purchase price." according to a recent article posted at Information Week's website. http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/drm/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218501227

Until now many saw no significant difference between purchasing copyrighted material and purchasing a license to use copyrighted material, despite the fact that almost every piece of software we use or "purchase" has for years been made available under a license agreement. People who bought a Kindle became painfully aware of the difference between buying a book and paying for a license to use a book.

Well So What?

Why should we care? Amazon gave refunds for the EBooks and said they "will no longer delete books in this manner." (Read apolofy from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos) Amazon and other corporations may have the best interest of their customers at heart for the moment there is no guarantee that this will last. By lisenceing access to digital versions of a book or magazine, companies can circumvent or even eliminate consumers' rights of "fair use" and "first sale." The Kindle manual states "Digital content will be deemed licensed to you under this Agreement". The manual also states that "Amazon reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time, and Amazon will not be liable to you should it exercise such right." (Amazon Kindle: Liscence Agreement and Terms of Use)So they can take back any EBook at anytime without any liability. Would this agreement stand up in court, or in the marketplace? It is hard to say, but the same types of licensing agreements have stood up in court for years in regards to software and End-User Liscense Agreements or EULAs. It is becoming an increasing concern in regards to music and movies purchased and managed by Digital Rights Management (DRM) software. (see the Computer & Communications Industry Association web site on defending fair use http://www.defendfairuse.org/index.html)

If this was just about Amazon and the Kindle then there would be no problem, people could just stop buying Kindles if they didn't like the licensing agreement. However, it is not just about Amazon. How much of our reading, research, watching movies, and listening to music do we do online or with our computers? If a company could license our access to all or most of our information, they could control, or at least exert an unprecideneted influence over what we could and could not read, hear or see through a EULA.

Google's Terms of Service
Your relationship with Google

• Whenever you use our services it’s under the terms of a legal contract with Google.
• This contract is made up of the Terms of Use and the Legal Notices for the services you’re using.
• We will make any additional Legal Notices available to you when you sign up for the service concerned so you’ll know they apply.
• If you misbehave, we may terminate our agreement with you. This might result in your access to some or all of our services being disabled. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
• We may also decide to stop providing services to you. While we don’t plan to discontinue any service, we reserve the right to.
• You can terminate your agreement with us at any time by closing your account for the services you use. We’ll be sorry to see you go, but you can come back anytime!....

About Google’s services

• We are constantly changing and improving our services. If you’re scared of change, this isn’t the place for you....

http://www.google.com/accounts/tos/highlights/utos-us-en-h.html

Fair use and copyright law does not appear to apply in regards to the Kindle, Google, Google Scholar, Google Books, or almost any information accessed with a computer. Think about how much of your work, study, entertainment, and research you do through the use of Google, or any computer software (including operating systems). What would happen if Google, Apple, or Microsoft decided to "terminate our agreement with you. This might result in your access to some or all of our services being disabled...." "We may also decide to stop providing services to you. While we don’t plan to discontinue any service, we reserve the right to."

Now it all of a sudden is not about whether you want to buy a Kindle, its about your access to almost any information that at some time may be stored on a computer. While Google's current corporate philosophy includes the idea of "do no evil" is comforting, it could easily change."We are constantly changing and improving our services. If you’re scared of change, this isn’t the place for you...." Google's definition of "evil" is suddenly relevant to almost everyone whose life is touched by a computer. http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html

Is the sky falling?

No, but you might want to think about licensing the use of an umbrella.

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

RIS Recommends: The Color of Money: Fair Use and Copyright or: Free the Bound Periodicals!

Pop Quiz. The Alarm Sounds. What do You Do?

Thursday...

April 16, 2009 8:00 a.m.

Several threatening signs were found posted on and off campus this morning. The signs found on campus stated “4-16-09 A shooting will occur today and students will die.” Several signs were also found off-campus at the Grove apartment complex stating “4-16-09 10 people will be killed and shot at the grove.” While these messages are disturbing, there have been no other indications of a threat. Classes will continue as scheduled. Police patrols have been increased today. We ask that students, faculty and staff be vigilant and notify University Police immediately if they witness any unusual activity. Any updates will be posted on this site.

What was a catchy phrase for a movie in 1994 is now a scary possibility for some in 2009. Did you know what to do Thursday? The university has detailed plans and procedures for dealing with emergencies.

Pop Quiz. Fire alarms go off in the building, what do you do?
Fire
Pop Quiz. Weather alert alarms go off, what do you do?
Weather
Pop Quiz. Hazardous chemical spill forces an evacuation the alarms go off, what do you do?
Evacuation
Pop Quiz. A gunman starts shooting on campus, alarms go off, what do you do?
Armed Subjects
Pop Quiz. Someone makes physical threats, what do you do?
Disruptive Individuals
Pop Quiz. Someone is having a heart attack, what do you do?
Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AED)

What do you do? You should be prepared by reading emergency procedures ahead of time, and then practicing them. You can also learn about preparedness and survival in almost any situation from books and other materials in the library.

That's what you do.

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Beyond the Pale and Toad and the Wet Sprocket

The phrase "beyond the pale" appears frequently in writing; many guess at its meaning or just read past the phrase without looking up its meaning and move on. However, it could be central to the point the author is making. Its use extends through the lexicon of western civilization for at least 1000 years. If we ignore its origins or meaning of this and other phrases shared by our culture it hinders our understanding. Not knowing the shared fundamental knowledge of educated members of western society renders us illiterate regarding many of the things we read and hear throughout our lives. David Hirsch describes this concept of the need to know a standard set of facts and knowledge shared by all members of western society as "Cultural Literacy."

Wanting to be a literate and reasonably educated person, I often turn to reference sources to understand what I am reading or the world around me. One source many turn to Google. I tried it. After entering [Define:pale] Google retrieved several definitions. One was from Wikipedia: "Pale is the second album by Toad the Wet Sprocket released in January 1990.” This was not what I was looking for, so I turned to my all time favorite reference resource: "The Oxford English Dictionary” (OED).

The OED has two pages of text defining the word pale, its origins, and definitions for it from its first appearance an English text to the present. This multi volume work is comprehensive however; I will admit it did not mention "Toad and the Wet Sprocket.” The OED did reveal that a Pale was a poll or log lodged into an embankment with a pointed tip facing outward at an angle to act as a fence or defensive barrier impaling any attackers. This barrier defined the boundary of the civilized camp or village, from those who lived outside the defended area (or, beyond the pale) who were the "uncivilized" or "barbarians”. Eventually these boundaries became stone walls and then just lines on a map.

The meaning of beyond the pale also evolved from referring to the crude physical barrier to a conceptual line surrounding social behavior or set of shared ideals. Today it refers frequently to an individual or group that acts in a way beyond the accepted values, mores, or behavior of respectable or civilized members of society. This is beyond bending the rules or offending someone, but is an action so outrageous that society cannot accommodate or excuse the behavior. The offender traveled past the protective boundaries of civilization into barbarism; going "beyond the pale" of all reason and moral judgment.

I have nothing against Toad and the Wet Sprocket or Google, but I think the OED's definition is what I needed.

See: Rudyard Kiplings short story "Beyond the Pale", where a "man who willfully stepped beyond the safe limits of decent everyday society, and paid for it heavily".

The Oxford English dictionary.Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.
call no. SFA Ref nc PE1625 .O87 1989

The dictionary of cultural literacy [electronic resource] / .D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Online at Net Library
print version, call no. SFA Ref nc E169.1 .H6 1993

Cultural literacy : what every American needs to know / E.D. Hirsch, Jr. ; with an updated appendix, What literate Americans know [by] E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph Kett, James Trefil. New York : Vintage Books, 1988, c1987.
call no. LB45. H57

"Pale" by Toad The Wet Sprocket (Audio CD - Jan 16, 1990) Amazon

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, new VP candidate for the United States, and her opponent Joseph Biden ...

NEED TO KNOW MORE -

Use the library to find out more about the candidates and other influential people. Look in the library resource, Biography Resource Center (Sorry, only SFA folks can use it). When trying to find information about a person, the Biography Resource Center can offer accurate info in addition to journal articles and websites. When you need to know more about a person, go to the library. Ask a librarian.

	Marthea Turnage mturnage@sfasu.edu rm. 202c 936.468.1896 Subjects - Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, General Business, Law, Management/Marketing/International Business, Nursing, Psychology

From Librarian to Leader

This mild mannered turned radical librarian became a political leader whose status as a revolutionary in world history is matched by few others. He was highly literate and sensitive, and dedicated to a relentless struggle against inequality and injustice.

Born on Dec. 26, 1893, he did not venture outside his home province until he was 25. A visit to the capital city in 1918 broadened his view. Although his life there was miserable, he was working under the chief librarian of one of the countries largest Universities. Reportedly, the university passed him over for a promotion and he returned home following year.

In this stage of his life, this librarian started making a living as a primary schoolteacher. He also edited radical magazines, organized trade unions, and set up politically oriented schools of his own creating agitation among city workers and students.

After a long convalescence, he discovered the revolutionary potential of the peasants, who had in such great numbers been displaced and pauperized by the misrule of the warlords. From then on, he focused his attention to this vast underprivileged class of people. He studied them, tried to understand their grievances, and agitated among them.

Eventually a personality cult grew around our famous librarian. His ideas and philosophy became part of his party’s constitution. Finally, in 1949 he took power of his entire country. He would reassert is power over the military and with their help and the help of young students, he waged a fierce struggle against what he called the revisionists in power. In this struggle it was revealed how elitist, bureaucratic, and brittle the government had become since 1949.

After reaching his late 70s, his lifework was essentially done, although he retained power until the end. One of his final major acts was to reopen contact with the United States. In September of 1976, he died as undoubtedly 20th century's most important movers and reformers. This was the end of the life of the librarian known as; Mao, Tse-tung or (Mao Zedong).

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

I Prefer My Gadget Porn to My Climate Porn

I Prefer My Gadget Porn to My Climate Porn: New Words from 2007 ( Word Spy )

In his book WORD SPY: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture Paul McFedries identifies "...new words and phrases that tell us something about our world." He collects "snapshots" of our quickly changing world with words, then adds context and a definition of their meaning. These words are like the gray literature of dictionaries. They are a step above slang because of their use in professional publications or circles, and their pervasiveness in current culture. Despite this they still lack the sanction of a respected dictionary.

The words and phrases McFedrise selects from our spoken and written interactions, provide an interesting gauge of current culture. They represent changes in society by society's need to create a new word to more accurately or succinctly describe either a new concept, or an old concept that previously did not seem to warrant its own word.

The WORD SPY: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture web site contains a Subject Guide, Archives, and an Quotation Section organized by author and quote, and a list that "...shows the top 100 Word Spy words (as measured by page views) from the past seven days (The list below came from December 25, 2007 to January 1, 2008)."

New additions from 2007 include:

Rank	Previous	Word	Posted On
2	2	vajayjay	January 26, 2007
6	5	Christmas tree allergy	December 13, 2007
7	7	intensivist	December 18, 2007
12	11	Frankenstein veto	December 14, 2007
14	12	stroller envy	October 25, 2007
17	16	push present	December 12, 2007
18	20	lifestreaming	November 6, 2007
20	15	fixie	December 5, 2007
21	18	dropout factory	December 6, 2007
22	19	womenomics	December 11, 2007
61	54	upcycling	October 11, 2007
68	55	pack-year	September 13, 2007
90	82	climate porn	March 2, 2007
96	87	gorno	June 15, 2007

An interesting quote from the site about a current issue.

"Above all, a book is a riverbank for the river of language. Language without the riverbank is only television talk — a free fall, a loose splash, a spill."
—Cynthia Ozick, American novelist, essayist, critic, and playwright, Portrait of the Artist as a Bad Character, 1996.

	R. Philip Reynolds preynolds@sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography