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Episode 14 25 min 35 sec Islam and Sharia in Today's Indonesia
Professor Tim Lindsey. Tim is Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Asian Law Centre in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne where he has served as an Associate Dean. He is also Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam.
In 2006, Professor Lindsey was awarded a five-year Federation Fellowship to research !!!OIslam and Modernity: Syari'ah, Terrorism and Governance in South-East Asia". Other recent Grants include !¢FDIslamic Law in Indonesia!| (2002-2005), !¢FDIslamic Law in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei!| (2005-2007) and !¢FDDefamation Law, Journalism and Public Debate in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore!| (2006-2009)
More information
Recent Publications
- LINDSEY, T., !¢FDRelaxed, Complacent and Risible!|, The Australian Literary Review, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 7 March 2007 (pp 18-19).
- LINDSEY, T., !¢FDLegal Infrastructure in East Asia!|, Asia Pacific Economic Literature, Vol.18, No. 1, May 2004, (pp 12-40).
- LINDSEY, T. and Hooker, MB, !¢FDTowards a new Mazhab? The Public Faces of Syariah in Indonesia!|, Studia Islamika, Vol 10, No. 1, 2003 (pp 23-64).
- Law Reform in Developing and Transitional Economies
LINDSEY, T. (editor and contributor), Law Reform in Developing and Transitional States, London: Routledge (2006)
Buy from Amazon
- Chinese Indonesians: Remembering, Distorting and Forgetting
LINDSEY, T and PAUSACKER, H. (editors and contributors), Chinese Indonesians: Remembering, Distorting, Forgetting - A Festschrift for Charles A Coppel, ISEAS: Singapore; Monash Asia Institute: Clayton, 2005 reprinted 2006 (2nd edition)
Buy from Melbourne University Bookshop
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- Corruption in Asia
LINDSEY, T. and DICK, H. (editors and contributors), Corruption in Asia: Rethinking the Good Governance Paradigm, Federation Press: Sydney, 2002
- Buy from Melbourne University Bookshop
Buy from Amazon
- Indonesia: Law and Society
LINDSEY, T. (editor and contributor) Indonesia: Law & Society, Federation Press: Sydney, 1999
Buy from Melbourne University Bookshop
Buy from Amazon
- Government of the Shadows (forthcoming)
LINDSEY, T. and WILSON, E. (editors), Government of the Shadows: Criminal Sovereignty and Para-politics, London: Pluto Press, forthcoming (2007)
Asian Law Centre website
Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam website
Prof Tim Lindsey's web page in the Melbourne Law School website
Melbourne Law School website
Host: Sian Prior
Producers: Kelvin Param, Eric Van Bemmel and Sian Prior
Audio Engineer: Dean Collett
Theme Music performed by Sergio Ercole. Mr Ercole is represented by the Musicians' Agency, Faculty of Music
Voiceover: Paul Richiardi
Series Creators: Eric Van Bemmel and Kelvin Param
Melbourne University Up Close is brought to you by the Marketing and Communications Division in association with Asia Institute.
Read Transcript show transcript | print transcript | download pdf
Islam and Sharia in Today's Indonesia
Welcome to Melbourne University Up Close, a fortnightly podcast of research, personalities, and cultural offerings of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Up Close is available on the web at upclose.unimelb.edu.au That!|s upclose.u-n-i-m-e-l-b.edu.au.
Hello and welcome to Up Close, coming to you from Melbourne University, Australia. I!|m Sian Prior. The Republic of Indonesia has undergone enormous social, political and economic changes in the last decade with the financial crisis of 1998, the end of President Suharto!|s 32 year rule and the subsequent changes to the Constitution and numerous natural disasters including earthquakes, floods and a devastating tsunami. All of these events have been well documented by the world media, but less well publicised has been the recent debate in Indonesia over the proposed introduction of laws which would enforce conservative Islamic morality on the secular state.
Professor Tim Lindsey is the Director of the Asian Law Centre and Co-director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam here at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and an Australian research council Federation Fellow. He!|s been taking a close look at the so-called anti-pornography bill and his interpretation is that it!|s an attempt to introduce hard line interpretations of Shariah law by stealth. Professor Lindsay is our guest today in Melbourne University Upclose. Welcome Tim.
Thank you.
Now you!|ve also been taking a long hard look at the current state of the relationship between Australia and Indonesia and we!|ll talk about that a little later. But let!|s begin with the anti-pornography bill. Tim, what are the aims of this Bill and which aspects of Indonesian society would it impact on if it was passed.
The Bill aims to impose what we!|d think of as ultraconservative Islamic morality, and it!|s clearly targeted at women. It would force women to cover up their arms, their hair, their legs. An image that we associate with Middle Eastern Arab societies would be imposed on Indonesia society. Indonesia is one of the world!|s most ethnically diverse nations, some 300 different ethnic groups and cultures. And they!|re extremely diverse from societies in Papua, through Bali, to Java and Sumatra, from Aceh which is highly Islamic to Papua which is animist and Christian. So, to force women in all these societies to conform with an image of Arab conservatism would be a dramatic and radical change. It would be reinventing Indonesian culture as an extraordinarily diverse universe to a single borrowed model from outside the region.
And other than women, are there other parts of !V of Indonesian society which would be strongly impacted by the effect of these laws? The arts community for example?
Yes absolutely, it would make portrayal of those parts of the body that women in particular would be required to cover up, also an act of pornography. So people appearing in images in film, in cinema, on the television, in books, in art, in performance, would all have to be covered in the same fashion. So it would effectively destroy one of the region!|s most dynamic scenes, and I!|m talking here about painting, visual arts, performance, cinema. It!|s extremely vibrant. That would be !V have to come to an end and indeed this reflects a backlash from these conservative groups against the diversity of Indonesian society that has in fact already lead to some prosecution of artists. A painter in a case called The Pink Swing Case has found himself in jail for showing partly nude men and women. and of course, we!|ve had an Indonesian Playboy magazine in which the models are !V are clothed, facing riots and recent prosecution, although he was eventually acquitted. So there is a !V a strong push from these ultra conservative religious elements to reinvent Indonesian society at the expense of women and at the expense of the arts.
Well tell us a little bit about the history of this Bill and who are these hard line conservative elements in Indonesian society who have got the Bill this far to be debated at a national level.
To understand what!|s going on here we have to realise this is not a new debate, this is not produced out of recent events in the Middle East or in Afghanistan or Iraq. This is a long standing debate in Indonesia about what the nature of the state would be in this society. There!|s always been a !V a small group and estimates vary but there!|s anywhere between about 5% to 20%, that has persistently pursued the notion that Indonesia should be an Islamic state, a Shariah state, whatever that might mean.
And this goes all the way back to 1945 and the founding of !V of Indonesian republic.
It goes back well before that, but 1945 is one of the critical moments when the debate became a national debate. And so one of the questions for the founding fathers and mothers for that matter, of the republic, was !!!OWill it be a secular state, a democratic state, an authoritarian state, a military state or an Islamic state, or a Marxist state?!!L
They settled on a secular democratic model back then which took a long time to really be realised. Only in the last few years has it been achieved in the way they intended I think. But the losers in that debate were the conservative hardline Muslim groups, but they didn!|t give up. And they have been re-emerging from time to time to reassert this agenda. Sometimes this has been through armed warfare. There was a separatist Islamic State called Darul Islam that emerged in the middle of the revolution in 1948 which held territory in West Java just an hour or so outside the capital right through to 1961, and that is the parent of current radical militant groups such as Jemaah Islamiah which split off from survivors of the organization. So, there is a long train that can be traced back pushing this agenda, sometimes in a militant form, sometimes through terrorism, sometimes through politics. And, there have been conservative Muslim parties pushing this line right through the !V that period, through education, through agitation. Now they!|ve never succeeded. One of the reasons for that is that in every election in Indonesia history, free or rigged, the majority of Indonesian Muslims have always voted for secular parties, because that is clearly what the vast majority wish. So there!|s a !V a tension in Indonesian society that!|s always been and won!|t go away between those who want this political form of Islam recognised and the majority who consistently rejected it. A few years ago this became a national debate after Suharto fell they mended their constitution and the issue came straight up again, just like in 1945, !!!OAre we going to be an Islamic state?!!L
Interestingly all the Islamic parties rallied against it and voted it down. It was defeated in an open vote in the highest assembly in Indonesia, the NPR [People's Consultative Assembly].
Well, again the majority of Muslims would prefer a secular arrangement. And the !V and the politicians would too because once you have a Shariah state, power goes to religious leaders. In other words, out of the hands of politicians to religious leaders and then the question comes up, whose version of Shariah. Shariah are the norms contained in the Koran which for Muslims are !V are given by God in a revelation. But the big question is, how do we take those norms and apply them. And that!|s done ...
To a 21st century modern state.
Yeah indeed. Indeed !V towards !V even to any state after the death of the prophet Mohammad. And that is done through Islamic jurisprudence we call it fiqh and the fiqh is of course contestable, and has been contested and is subject to debate. There is no certainty. Islam, Sunni mainstream Islam does not have a pope, so there is no authoritative determinant of doctrine. This means that the question of what Shariah means in action in Indonesia will be debated. And so, if you!|re an Islamic leader in a political party, if you introduce a Shariah state, the risk is that that Shariah will be the Shariah chosen by one of your rivals. Indonesia has two huge Islamic organizations, Nahdatul Ulama which is the largest Islamic organization on earth, and Muhammadia. They have very different ideas, they!|re mainstream moderate organizations. They!|ve never been able to agree on what form of Shariah would be appropriate in Indonesia, so much so that they would rather not have Shariah than each other!|s version. Think of all the other dozens and dozens of political organizations with their own versions, and then, you!|ve got out on the fringe - the radicals. The mainstream politicians and the mainstream Muslim leaders see the risk that Shariah could fall into the hands of someone other than themselves. And so they!|d split. That very fragmentation in Indonesia that has stopped Shariah being acceptable is the same diversity that makes it so rich.
And yet at certain levels of government as I understand it there has been some adoption of, if not direct Shariah law, then you know elements of more repressive law which are on the path to Shariah, is that right?
Yes. Well, the situation here!|s !V here is that the ultraconservatives have consistently lost the national political battle for a Shariah state, but they won!|t stop seeking that. It would be very strange for them to do so. And so, they seek alternative routes. There!|s two ways in which this has been done, the first is at a regional level. Now again this is linked to democracy. One of the things about democracy is it gives voices. And in Indonesia that!|s a grant of a voice to a whole range of groups in extremely diverse society including the ultraconservatives. And Indonesia, after Suharto fell, has introduced electoral processes for president, for the national legislature and right down to village level. All these positions have to be voted for and it has been the case that some of the ultraconservatives have been very successful in getting their candidates in at the local level.
It!|s a case of be careful what you wish for really isn!|t it? I mean there!|s an irony here that !V that in introducing a more inclusive, participatory democratic system, post-Suharto that has actually allowed some less progressive elements to !V to gain more power.
Well yes, I think that!|s part of a process. When you !V you decompress out of authoritarianism, the voices that have been most suppressed are often the loudest. And these groups were considered subversive, outright banned from the political arena under Suharto. They!|re bouncing back. I don!|t think that!|s a permanent situation and I think this is healthy. I think Indonesia is going through a debate again about the nature of their society. But in !V in local elections, around about 40% of them were won by conservative candidates and they started introducing under the new powers granted to the regions, through decentralisation, post-Suharto, they started introducing very conservative laws that are like this anti pornography law but at the local level, and they!|ve been very successful. There!|s around 70 districts that have now introduced laws forcing women to dress in this fashion, preventing women from going out after dark.
And are those laws being seriously policed?
In some areas they are, yes. There!|s been one interesting experiment in Aceh, as part of the autonomy package granted to Aceh to settle the violence and to deal with demands for independence in Aceh, which has been quite successful through the Helsinki process. They!|ve introduced these laws as well, and they!|re part of a very sophisticated package of governance, education, laws, produced by the local council or the local municipal authorities that include moral regulation. That!|s been reasonably successful in Aceh although it!|s !V there is an issue again for women. But outside Aceh it!|s a different story. Aceh!|s about the only place that has had legal authority to do this. The other places are doing it largely illegally, because religion is a power that was not devolved down through decentralisation. Most of those laws are illegal except in Aceh. So, there is I think a backlash building now in many of the regions, against these quite oppressive regulations, particularly for women. Indonesia is a long, long way from the Middle East geographically and culturally. Women have always been prominent in Indonesian society, they!|ve often run businesses, they!|ve been active in politics, [there've] been women generals. This is not a society where women are out the back, far from it, there!|s more Indonesian women parliamentarians that in Australia for example.
So women have a lot to lose if this bill goes through?
They do have a lot to lose.
Many of the activists who toppled Suharto were women. Many of the NGOs were led by women, so there!|s a lot to lose and NGOs, in particular, are !V are pushing a response now at the regional level to regional Islamising laws. And they!|ve been quite successful at the national level. It now looks like this anti-pornography law, so called, the anti-women law, which is really what it is, will be unlikely to get through parliament in its current form. If it gets there, it!|ll be watered right down because of this sort of activism. So there !V there is this liberal stream in Indonesia democratic traditions. It is very, very strong. One of the problems we have is that we are so attuned to a sort of Islamaphobia that we see it only in terms of a threat. This is a process Indonesian society is working through and don!|t forget that the opponents of this pornography law and of Islamisation are Muslims as well. It!|s a 90 - 80, a 90% Muslim majority country, the largest on earth. So this is a debate not between Islam and secularism, but a debate within Islam about what sort of future it will have.
My guest today in Melbourne University Up Close is Professor Tim Lindsey, the Director of the Asian Law Centre and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam here at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Time let!|s take a step back now and have a look at the state of the relationship between Australia and Indonesia. And there!|ve been some !V some fairly dramatic and turbulent moments in the relationship in recent times. The difficult process of !V of granting independence to East Timor and Australia!|s role in that, the terrorist bombings in Bali, which targeted Australian tourists, but also Australia!|s assistance to Indonesia following the tsunami. If it!|s possible to make some very broad generalisations, are we friendly neighbours at the moment or feuding neighbours?
People !V are very surprised when I say that the Australia Indonesia relationship is a strong and healthy one. In fact, it!|s probably stronger and healthier now than it has ever been. And that is in the midst of a whole range of controversies. Timor, Papuan migrants arriving from Indonesia in a boat seeking asylum in Australia, Australians on trial in Indonesia for drugs charges, and cases where members of Jemaah Islamiah involved in bombing attacks that have killed Australians, have undergone controversial trials and where the supposed spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Basheer has been released. So these are highly controversial issues between the two countries, highly controversial. And yet at its heart, there is what Gareth Evans, former foreign minister of Australia famously described as the ballast that was for so long needed, I think it!|s there. A billion dollars which is the aid Australia offered Indonesia after the tsunami is a lot of ballast. It!|s a lot of ballast. The !V the thing about the Australian Indonesia relationship is at the same time that I say that, I would also say it!|s probably more tense than ever before. Now, how can I say this? How can I say it!|s stronger and healthier and yet more tense? Because it!|s sort of split. Any Australian government realises that a good working relationship with Jakarta is essential for Australia!|s international relations. You can!|t run Asia unless you!|ve go Jakarta working with you. They control ASEAN, they can determine whether Australia is in or not. We!|re now at the table for regional summits and sitting in there with the ASEAN group, even if we!|re not at the ASEAN table formally, we!|re !V we!|re in that process because Indonesia said we should be. And that leads us into the whole of East Asia. So, we have to have Jakarta working with us in one way or another for all the problems involved and every government reaches that point sooner or later. So it!|s an absolute priority. That!|s why our embassy in Australia is our largest overseas post. And so those people who are involved understand the importance of it and are very positive about it and they made it work very, very well.
So where is the tension coming from?
Everybody else. If you don!|t have a personal or private interest in the relationship; for example outside government, if you!|re someone like me who specialises in this area you think it!|s healthy and important and indeed it is; it works well. There!|s a lot of tolerance and understanding on both sides. But outside that, if you don!|t know much about Indonesia and you!|re not involved with it, it seems to be a fraught catastrophic relationship where all you read about is terrorism, bombs, death penalties, drugs, refugees, asylum seekers, illegal fishermen. So, that then creates this dynamic in a relationship. Politicians listen to what the public say. They listen to talkback. When Indonesia comes up on talkback, it!|s ugly. Most Australians have images of gigantic armies and Muslim terrorists poised to invade Australia.
Why do we have those images? Given as you say that the relationship is essentially stable, that Australia!|s given a billion dollars to Indonesia, there!|s cooperation !V
Indonesia, like most of Asia is a holiday destination, it!|s not a real place. It!|s not a place you engage with, it!|s not a place for business for Australia for example. South East Asia is very problematic. If you look at our current trading partners China and Japan are critical. If you look at our trading partners for example the Australian resources boom which is allowing our economy to survive and to prosper in fact, two way trade with Asia is more than 100 billion. We only have 40 billion with the US and 20 billion with Britain. So, Asia is bankrolling our society. But how many businesses are really looking at Asia as a major place for investment. We see it as a market, not as an investment. We sell to Asia, we don!|t !V
Don!|t invest in ...
- invest and spend money in Asia ourselves. We take money from Asia but we go there for holidays. And many Australians, and there !V there have been surveys on !V done on this, indicate that many Australians who go to Bali for holidays, don!|t actually realise it!|s part of Indonesia. So, there!|s a sort of detachment between the wonderful experience you may have in Bali and Indonesia which is threatening you, although of course they!|re the same.
So it!|s ignorance at the heart of it?
It!|s !V it is !V ignorance, and a cultural orientation towards Europe that has really barely changed.
And you know a !V a former White Australia Policy which we only got rid of about 3 and a half decades ago.
That!|s right. Well it was really only in the early 70s that we stopped trying to prevent Asians coming into Australia. And !V and 70s is three and a half decades ago is a living memory for many politicians in the region. So, Australia!|s image in the region is not the way Australians imagine our society as democratic and liberal and tolerant, and based on rights. It!|s whether rightly or wrongly it!|s seen as a racist white outpost that seeks to exclude Asians. Now most Indonesians have that view of Australia. They think that Australia has colonial ambitions, it wishes to break down Indonesia and create its own sphere of interest with client states like East Timor in the region; that is widely believed. And most Indonesians believe Australians have an essentially racist attitude. [Of] course when they come here and realise it!|s a lot more complicated than that, come to this University and see Asian, African, European faces all mixing in, in large numbers, they rethink it.
And we are educating, I think it!|s about 17,000 Indonesian students each year ...
Australia !V Australia is the largest destination for Indonesian students abroad !V way bigger than the US or Europe. So we have lots of Indonesians coming here although the numbers are !V are tiny in a nation of 240 million. But very few going there.
So what you!|re saying is the ignorance goes both ways?
It does.
There are assumptions, very old, probably now completely inaccurate assumptions about the culture, about the national aspirations of both countries towards each other.
Yes, and one of the !V the biggest of these is that Australia dumped white Australia ideas, a long time ago and on the other hand Australians are simply unaware, most of them, that Indonesia is now the most vibrant democracy in South East Asia. It has undergone a transition from military rule to a genuine effective and functional democratic model where everybody is elected from the village head to the legislators, to the head of state; something that doesn!|t happen in Australia. And that this is a real democratic system. Australians just don!|t understand that Indonesia has re-written its constitution from an authoritarian model, to one that guarantees almost the full set of rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that it is going through the process of actually implementing things like Prohibitions and Discrimination. It!|s going through a growing up process, dealing with Islamic conservatists, liberal reformers, in a democratic context, that involves debate and argument through parliament. And it seems to be working. When they have their elections, unlike the Philippines, they don!|t have assassinations. And when they have their elections, riots don!|t break out as in, for example, Timor. So, this is actually a working state, but we don!|t know about that because we only see horror stories. We don!|t hear the hundreds and thousands of moderate Muslim clerics coming out against terrorist in Indonesia. It!|s just not reported.
It!|s not newsworthy.
Yes, so and this reflects the fact that Asian Studies in Australia has come very close to collapse. And that means there is no channel for getting these ideas and information out. And people aren!|t interested in studying them.
Well Tim, it!|s been fascinating and obviously very important that people like you are holding the line in terms of maintaining some level of !V of Asian studies of education of Australians about what!|s going on in Asia. I!|m Sian Prior and my guest today has been Professor Tim Lindsey, Director of the Asian Law Centre, Co-Director of the centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam here at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and an Australian research Council Federation Fellow.
Melbourne University Up Close is brought to you by the Marketing and Communications Division in association with Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Relevant links, a full transcript and more information on this episode can be found on our website, at upclose.unimelb.edu.au
We also invite you to leave your comments or feedback on this or any episode of UpClose. Simply click in the add new comment link at the bottom of the episde page. This programme was produced by Kelvin Param, Eric Van Bemmel and myself Sian Prior. Audio recording is by Dean Collett and the theme music is performed by Sergio Ercole. Melbourne University Up Close is created by Eric Van Bemel and Kelvin Param. Until next time thanks for joining us. Goodbye.
You!|ve been listening to Melbourne University Up Close, a fortnightly podcast of research, personalities and cultural offerings of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Up Close is available on the web at upclose.unimelb.edu.au, that!|s upclose.u-n-i-m-e-l-b.edu.au. Copyright 2007 University of Melbourne.
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Celtic Thunder
MP3 Album:
Celtic Thunder s Inspirational album is a great mix of Christian and Inspirational songs that we all know and love and were chosen because they inspire us and make us thankful for our wonderful audience who give us the chance to do what we love.
Songs such as From the Ground Up Dan and Shay, The Preacher & the Stranger Joey & Rory, If I Can Dream Elvis Presley, In the Garden Alan Jackson, Unanswered Prayers Garth Brooks, Down to the River to Pray Alison Krauss, You ll Never walk Alone Gerry & the Pacemakers and others all performed by Celtic Thunder.
Mista Savona
Producer, arranger and musician Jake Savona (pka Mista Savona) brought together a stellar assortment of Cuban and Jamaican musicians to create this collection of re-interpreted classics and original songs as a soundtrack to an upcoming documentary of the same title. Havana Meets Kingston is a tour through these two historic island nations highlighting the common ground between the two, through rhythm and culture.
The Hempolics
Kiss Cuddle & Torture Vol. 1 [LP]
New Vinyl: $21.98 $20.66 Buy
Double vinyl LP pressing. 2017 release. Kiss, Cuddle & Torture Volume 1 is the debut album from London outfit The Hempolics. If variety is the spice of life then this album embodies it, taking a heavy reggae roots influence and mashing it with hip hop, electro, soul, rock and pop to provide an antidote to the attention-deficit generation. Some bands talk an 'all killer no filler' album, The Hempolics walk it. Over years of recording top international talent The Hempolics enigmatic leader, Grippa Laybourne, has been carefully honing his own masterpiece and selecting a gang armed and dangerous enough to execute it. Alongside mainstay vocalists Nubiya, Dandelion and Harry come other top talent including Maxi Jazz and Paolo Nutini. Singles off the album have already picked up massive support on BBC Radio. With a unique modern yet vintage sound and a serious punk DIY ethic this working class band is destined to have the rich kids and performance school drones dominating the industry quaking in their wake. This is the sound of the underdog coming to bite.
Where The Gods Are In Peace [LP]
New Vinyl: $19.98 $17.98 Buy
Antibalas new studio album, Where The Gods Are In Peace, is an epic Afro-Western Trilogy searching for solace from American political opportunism, greed and vengeance. Through its battle cry of resistance against exploitation and displacement, Antibalas long-form compositions investigate oppression in 1800s America that eerily mirror the current state of the country. Three explosive original arrangements cultivate an urgent call to heal a broken system. Ultimately, the sonic excursion lands on an island where love is our first instinct. A new ideology is born opening our hearts to the possibilities of living as one unified people, where all gods are equal and together we prevail.
True to traditional form, Where The Gods Are In Peace pays respect to the forefathers of Afrobeat with compositions spanning nine to 15 minutes in length. With a blessing from the Fela Kuti legacy early in the band s career, Antibalas has long been revered for re-popularizing the classic Afrobeat sound while adding their distinct New York City grit to the mix. Influences of punk rock, free jazz, and hip-hop seep into their expansive works to define a truly 21st century translation of the Afrobeat genre and beyond. Vinyl includes download code.
Damian Marley
Bob Marley & The Wailers
New CD: $19.95 $17.95 Buy
Mali Music
Omar Souleyman
Yasmine Hamdan
Orchestra Baobab
MP3 Album:
Rough Guide
Rough Guide To Peru Rare Groove [Limited Edition Vinyl]
New Vinyl: $22.98 $21.60 Buy
Rough Guide
Rough Guide To Hillbilly Blues
Celtic Thunder
New CD: $11.96 $10.96 Buy
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Celtic Woman
New CD: $13.99 $12.99 Buy
Zomba Prison Project
Lee 'scratch' Perry
New CD: $12.99 $11.99 Buy
Richard Bona Mandekan Cubano
Reggae Gold 2016 / Various
MP3 Album:
Rough Guide
Rough Guide
Rough Guide To South African Jazz [Vinyl]
New Vinyl: $22.98 $21.60 Buy


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ROCHESTER — The following are the arrest reported by the Rochester Police Department for service from April 8 to 14:
Monday, April 8
10:58 a.m. — After a traffic stop, James Dean, 51, of 144 North Main St., Apt. 2, is charged with unregistered vehicle, misuse or failure to display plates, failure to obtain a NH license in 60 days and failure to obey inspection requirements,
11:01 a.m. — Tracy Goings, 48, of 11 Worster St., Farmington, is charged with operating without a valid license.
1:54 p.m. — Tyrone Kimber, 34, of Route 202 Lebanon, Maine, is arrested on a warrant.
8:31 p.m. — Michael Bray, 47, of 79 Periwinkle Drive, Apt. 2, is charged with drug possession.
Wednesday, April 10
7:31 a.m. — Nicole V. Summers, 33, of 4 Downfield Lane, is charged with driving after suspension.
7:57 a.m. — Jake Chiaradonna, 24, of 321 Wakefield Road, Union, is charged with criminal mischief, criminal threatening, criminal trespass, and obstructing the report of crime or injury.
4:59 p.m. — Carla Gale, 44, of 16 Wakefield St., Apt. 1, is charged with willful concealment.
6:24 p.m. — William A. Sirois, 53, of 12 King St., is charged with disorderly behavior and criminal trespass.
7:46 p.m. — Benjamin Hatch, 18, of 14 Maple St., Apt. 5, is charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, two counts of resisting arrest and three counts of criminal threatening.
Thursday, April 11
8:04 a.m. — Gloria Bordeleau, 61, of 546 Main St., Farmington, is charged with theft of services.
1:09 p.m. — A 16-year-old is charged with drug possession.
1:19 p.m. — Christopher Halliday, 29, of 150 Rochester Hill Road, Apt. 7, is charged with theft and habitual offender.
2:09 p.m. — Aaron Shackelford, 20, of 9 Strafford Road, Gonic, is charged with drug possession, transportation of alcoholic beverages by a minor, and three counts of receiving stolen property. He is also arrested on a bench warrant.
5:36 p.m. — A 16-year-old is charged with reckless operation after an auto accident on Green Street.
5:50 p.m. — Joseph Fowler, 42, of 481 Wakefield St., Union, is arrested on a warrant.
5:55 p.m. — Ryan Gates, 18, of 53C Charles St., Farmington, is charged with willful concealment; Thomas Cutter, 21, of 53B Charles St., Farmington, is charged with burglary.
7:53 p.m. — John Donnell, 24, of 433 Lower Guinea Road, Lebanon, Maine, is charged with willful concealment and drug possession.
9:26 p.m. — Nathanel Bisco, 29, of 6 Kilda St., Somersworth, is charged with criminal mischief.
Friday, April 12
1:36 p.m. — Jordan Wallace, 19, of 8B Depot Pond Road, Milton, is arrested on three bench warrants.
5:28 p.m. — Megan N. Whitcomb, 28, a transient, is charged with willful concealment at Hannaford.
Saturday, April 13
2:54 a.m. — Michelle M. Jenkins, 18, of 342 River Road, Eliot, Maine, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol. 11:03 a.m. — Richard Tucker, 18, of 2 Tingley St., is charged with drug possession and operating without a valid license. A 16-year-old is also charged with drug possession.
11:39 a.m. — Juanita Deraps, 60, of 384 Cross Road, is charged with arson.
8:46 p.m. — Jason Nutter, 35, of 35 Highland St., is charged with criminal mischief.
Sunday, April 14
1:36 a.m. — Sean D. Delaney, 43, of 10A Glen St, is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and simple assault on law enforcement.
1:30 p.m. — Milton H. Thurston, 58, of 9 Nutter St., is charged with criminal mischief.
1:55 p.m. — At Cumberland Farms on Knight Street, Michael Bray, 47, of 79 Periwinkle Drive, Apt. 2, is charged with consumption of liquor on private property.
10:25 p.m. — Jermaine Stallion, 21, of 113 Dewitt Drive, Boston, Mass. is arrested on a warrant.


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Open 10 am – 6 pm
Wednesday January 1, 2020 at 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
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An event every day that begins at 10:00 am, repeating until Wednesday January 1, 2020
The Lab will open at 10am – 6pm today for your exploring enjoyment.
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Descriptions for Description
Before the original sketches, I had imagined and dreamed this font was used for side characters of retro robot animations such as Gundam and Ideon. But the sketches were put in a PENDING folder. It was a few years ago. In the begining of 2011, I restarted working with the sketches to complete as a font file. Detail and some shape were improved retaining the original concept and they were completed, then named 'Space Colony'. Just as the name implies, this wide and geometric font family consisting of six weights was designed targeting at use for futuristic product of game, movie, logo and so on. Not only that but the rounded shape makes a lovely, cute and soft impressions so this font is also suited for cartoons, animations and character merchandise too. Link for more information: http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/flat-it/space-colony/


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Red curry paste from Mae Anong, comes in family size. Red curry is the most common curry dish in Thailand. Red curry paste from Mae Anong can be cooked with variety of meat, tofu or even plain vegetable. Bamboo shoot or eggplant are major vegetable using for this curry but not limit. Cooking instruction is on the package. Ingredients: Red chili, onion, garlic, galanga, lemongrass, Salt, Shrimp paste. Weight: 17.6 oz. Product of Thailand.
Copyright © 2004 - 2019 GroceryThai.com


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If you want to volunteer, contact Catherine at Telford House. She can help you find a suitable volunteer opportunity from many available
locally. Just pop in for a wee chat or get in touch to find out more!
Volunteering can help you!
Contact details:
- Gain valuable skills
- Increased confidence
- Training
- Meet new people
- Good for CV
Telford House, Wick
Phone: 01955 605002
Email: email@example.com


text:
The Statue of the Norwegian Lady at 25th Street and the Oceanfront has long been a site of local renown, but few know the real story behind the landmark. The Wreck of the Dictator is a dramatic re-telling of the story that held Hampton Roads captive in 1891 and, ultimately, inspired the statue. The heart-stopping story of the Norwegian ship "Dictator" and her gallant crew is breathtakingly produced with full lighting, sound, and special effects at the very sight where the wreck took place. Based on the unbelievable historical facts of the tragedy, this compelling tale is a half-hour long and is performed three times nightly. Truth is truly more gripping than fiction!
See Wreck of the Dictator July 8 through August 28 on Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. Performances at 8pm, 9pm, & 10pm.


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Post jobs, find pros, and collaborate commission-free in our professional marketplace.
Get your team aligned with all the tools you need on one secure, reliable video platform.
Browse and buy exceptional, royalty-free stock clips, handpicked by the best.
Foo Louise
This video is about FORMAT NO 2 - THIRD SPACE


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Court to Consider When Software Can Be Patented
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., will hear arguments Friday over a fundamental question that has vexed the technology industry for nearly two decades: When is a piece of software patentable?
The issue has created a curious split in the technology sector. On one side lie technology giants such as Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and Intuit Inc., which largely believe the Patent & Trademark Office has issued too many software patents in recent years and would like to see courts apply a more exacting standard when reviewing them.
On the other lies a collection of big and small technology companies and patent holders, including International Business Machines Corp., which contend that tighter standards on software patents could hinder innovation.


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Business Journal April 2014
CORRECTION: In the April 2014 edition of the Business Journal, a story on page 4 misquoted Port Arthur plant manager Nigel Tranter regarding the cost of a TOTAL ethane cracker in the planning stages for either Texas or Louisiana. The investment would be about $1.4 billion, Tranter said. We regret the error.


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"Just imagine. The electric grid is so dumb that when the power goes out you have to actually phone your local utility to tell them you're in the dark." So goes an oft repeated insight at smart grid conferences, frequently followed by knowing, Urkel-like snickers from tech wonks.
All of our networks share a similar problem. Does
In fact, yes to all--in theory. There are means to install sensors and communications devices to do all the aforementioned. Ironically it will be the good, old, dumb, sprawling, trillion-dollar electric grid that will first get such capabilities--and more.
The paradigm of the "smart grid" has been embraced eagerly by everyone from staid old utilities to Silicon Valley venture capitalists, from startups and industrial giants to the Department of Energy, with its generous stimulus grants for the development. Why not? Who wouldn't want to go from the ostensible dumb grid to a smart one? Easy sell.
Big opportunities for everyone in a transformative electric network: for consumers to make smarter energy decisions, vendors to sell smart hardware and software, utilities to optimize their assets and get green "cred," and of course, for investors to facilitate and benefit from both real and frothy growth. Win-win all around. Bigger, greener, better, smarter.
So will the electric grid come to resemble the architecture of the Internet's pervasive communications grid? It can and it will, but not entirely for the reasons proffered by smart grid cognoscenti. You need to know just two things--two macro trends--to know why the smart grid is coming, and will be a big secular trend. First is the rising use of electricity and collateral radical increase in its importance. Second are the technologies to make the grid smarter have come of age, and just in time.
First, the demand. More than 70% of U.S. energy is used for non-transportation purposes, with the majority (60%) of all non-transport needs being met with electrons. The use of energy in the form of electricity (measured in "barrels of oil equivalent" per year) has risen 75% in the past 30 years. The Energy Information Administration forecasts the trend continuing for another 30 years. Energy used for all other purposes (again, excluding cars, planes and trains, which for context use about 5 BBOE per year) has been essentially flat for three decades and will stay essentially flat, even as the U.S. economy has grown, and is forecast to grow.
The inexorable increase in the absolute and relative importance of electricity means that its transportation and management will collaterally rise in importance in our ever more electric and information-centric economy. It will be ever more critical not just to manage efficiently these vast quantities of electrical energy, but critically, to ensure things stay lit. Plus, if you're a believer in the electric transformation of automobiles, this only amplifies all of the aforementioned.
Global spending on electric transport (transmission and distribution infrastructure) already runs about $100 billion annually, with the U.S. accounting for 20% of that market. It's an easy bet on this macro; a lot more money will be spent on electric grids. That's pretty much all you need to know to bet on this sector, but there's more. Add to this trend the imperative to achieve more efficiency from the electric system, reliably and securely. This can only come from adding more smarts to the grid. Growth will be proportionally faster on new technologies to add smarts to the old.
Click here to watch Mark Mills on video discuss why gasoline has a long, useful life ahead of it, as the world will never kick its addiction.
The second macro, then: technologies to make the grid smarter. There are quite a variety, from smart meters to clever software, and a large and rapidly growing constellation of small and large companies entering the fray, all in a race to be the leaders, or at least major players in the enormous market to add communications, sensors, computing and software muscle of the digital age to enable a 21st-century electrical age.
A telegraphic bellwether of the new smart grid was the recent announcement of an alliance between $25 billion-in-sales Google and $155 billion-in-sales
It can't be all that hard to add a communications overlay to wires and meters using the ubiquitous products available from the telecom and Internet world, nor to add rudimentary intelligence to electrical appliances, thermostats, transmission gear and the like. After all, making a light bulb or air conditioner smart is about as difficult as training a flatworm to avoid the light. An iPad it's not.
The emerging transformation of the electric grid is enabled not just by modern telecommunications, but also the analogous architectural evolution of the grid. The telecommunications grid was reasonably smart for its first century, which started with the 1877 formation of Bell Telephone. The old telecom grid crossed the smart divide to become the brilliant Internet, a true network, with the advent of four things, the emergence of cheap and powerful: communications connectivity, logic (computing and software) to make sense of things, controls (e.g., routing), and storage. This last was co-equally essential and often overlooked in popular historic accounting.
You can't scoot information around with any degree of control and utility without the ability to store it effectively, cheaply, quickly at every level of a communication's network hierarchy. Information networks would be nearly impossible to manage if all the data had to be created the instant they were used.
The architecture of the Internet is made possible by information storage technology at every level. Storage was the unsung partner enabling the Internet revolution. Storing electrons in the form of data became cost-effective and ubiquitous with the advent of the technologies of the random access memory (RAM) chip and the hard-disk drive. Both changed the game.
Information storage technologies and nomenclature are now familiar outside of the previously cloistered world of information engineering; megabytes of RAM and cache, gigabytes of hard drive. Storage devices are ubiquitous across the information network. Specific storage devices trade size and speed metrics depending where they are used in the hierarchy to facilitate both features ("I need to see my movie now") and convenience ("I want to have access to a million movies"). The storage concept will need to be emulated on the electric grid if it is to become a smart network. Everything else is technologically readily available to enable a smart electric network.
Today electricity is produced, transported and used on the grid essentially without storage. For 99% of all electricity consumed--electrical energy is produced the instant it is used. From a smart network perspective, this is more than very annoying; it is an inherently inefficient architecture. The key technologies to change that are derivatives of the lowly battery, many now poised to finally unleash a migration to a truly smart electric grid with deeply hierarchal storage across the landscape.
Moving, managing and storing electrons at the power scale, rather than information scale, is like comparing aircraft carriers to water bugs. While there are a variety of ways to store electrical energy, it is lithium battery technology that is poised for ubiquitous deployment throughout the vast, sprawling middle of the electric network, in between the end-users and the primary providers. It is no coincidence that (much, much smaller) lithium batteries based on the same core chemistry are what enabled the revolution in wireless Internet and portable computing.
Click here for five Canadian energy trusts that are shielded from the coming tax changes in 2011, as well as ways to play the oil sands in Alberta--now in The Canada Report.
For the original battery breakthrough, credit an Exxon researcher, M.S. Wittington, who in the 1970s invented lithium-class chemistry that enabled the 200% to 300% improvement in battery performance. Then collaterally credit ground-breaking research by University of Texas professor Goodenough that lead to the first practical commercial lithium batteries introduced by
The overall electric storage hierarchy, analogous to the architecture found in communications systems will find batteries, or equivalent at four main levels of the network; neighborhood storage, the local loop (in utility parlance, a microgrid), the network itself (again in utility parlance, substations), and finally at the head-end of the network (generation). Storage in emerging electric network (the "Electrinet," as counterpart to the Internet?) is counted in kilowatt-hours and megawatt-hours, not kilobytes and megabytes.
The typical individual device storage requirements at the aforementioned four network levels: neighborhoods around 100 kilowatt-hours, microgrid a few megawatt-hours, the network tens of megawatt-hours, and at the head end hundreds of megawatt-hours. For scale context, your laptop battery stores about 0.05 kilowatt-hours. And at the generation end of the network, while batteries may play there one day, for now the technology options are largely in old but adequate (in terms of efficiency, cost and responsiveness features) storage from compressed air and pumped hydro.
The benefits from embedding storage pervasively in the middle layers of the network are fundamental in bringing efficiency, control, reliability and stability to quixotic electric grids. Storage-enabled smart grids will also make more practical all manner of otherwise episodic, and operationally annoying energy sources like wind and solar. Storage will be vital to practical deployment of plug-in electric vehicles but also something that is longer term at least in terms of relative scale and impact.
There are a growing though still relatively small number of lithium battery companies chasing the smart grid market, including familiar names like
Did you buy BIDU at $80? Oberweis Report subscribers did. What now? Click here for the latest Oberweis Report with updated buys and sells.
As with all technologies, there is never just one solution. Batteries are no different. While lithium chemistry is poised to dominate the middle of the smart electric network, other battery chemistries and technologies offer features that will have non-trivial roles, including so-called flow batteries using sodium and bromine chemicals (e.g., NGK,
Importantly, a handful of forward-looking utilities are already leading the storage charge, notably
Congress has, and necessarily will weigh in, in various ways. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has sponsored a STORAGE bill, a properly contrived acronym for the Storage Technology of Renewable and Green Energy Act, which seeks investment tax credits for storage projects. A number of state regulatory commissions are already wrestling with the issue, and California has a regulatory order on the table that would require utilities to deploy storage as a specific percentage of the grid's primary supply.
Some in the electric business take umbrage over the fact that the electric grid is already reasonably smart and has been for a long time, starting around 1930. Electricity is sufficiently strange that engineers from the early days of electrification had to add control systems borrowed from the telecom, and then computing industries. One of the early uses for real-time computing when it arrived in the 1960s was to create electric utility SCADA--Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems. Adding smarts to the electric network, from long-wires to local building grids is already a $20+ billion a year industry. Truth be told, what is really happening now is the creation of a smarter grid--directly analogous to the communications grid's earlier migration from just smart to the Internet.
That this is a new era for the old grid is abundantly clear given the names in the smart grid hunt, the likes of
Boeing thinks in a few years the smart grid communications market alone will be $20 billion a year. They are joined by upstarts like
Networks, rather than grids, have special properties as we have all noticed given the impact of the Internet on our lives and the economy. The power and value of a communications network increases as the square of the number of users connected; so postulated Robert Metcalfe, inventor of Ethernet. Double the number of computer-based smart devices on a network and its value quadruples. Rising value entices others to join the network, thereby creating a cycle of growth in value for users, markets and suppliers. This explains the explosive growth of the Internet, even though a communications grid had already existed for 100 years when the Internet burst on the world.
The belief that the Metcalfe's Law is coming to the electric grid is evidenced by the players chasing opportunity in the emerging smart grid. Cisco breathlessly claims that the smart grid's underlying network could be well over 100 times bigger than the Internet. It is entirely possible that the smart grid's appetite for a lot of other things--hardware, software, sensors and batteries--will similarly eclipse previous uses of similar technologies. Perhaps the Urkel-nerds will get the last laugh.
Mark Mills, a physicist, served in President Reagan's White House science office, is cofounding partner of Digital Power Capital, an energy tech venture fund, and coauthor of The Bottomless Well, (Basic Books, 2005). Mills may hold positions in companies discussed in this column and may provide technology assessment services for firms that have interests in the companies. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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- Emily Bruskin - violin
- Julia Bruskin - cello
- Donna Kwong - piano
The Claremont Trio is one of the most exciting young groups performing today. "Their exuberant performance and gutsy repertoire ... was the kind of fresh approach that keeps chamber music alive," raves the Cincinnati Enquirer. Winners of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the first winners of the Laredo Robinson International Trio Award, the Claremont Trio has performed in major venues throughout the nation, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. They made their debut at the Gardner Museum as part of the Young Artists Showcase, and have since returned as performers in the Sunday Concert Series, and performed a series of concerts of the complete Beethoven piano trios, ending in September 2006. Twin sisters Emily and Julia Bruskin grew up in Cambridge and formed the trio with pianist Donna Kwong in 1999 while studying at the Juilliard School.


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Retro 51 has introduced four new designs to the Tornado Rescue Collection! These special pens benefit the nonprofit groups: Operation Kindness (OperationKindness.org) and Elephants, Rhino and People (ERP.ngo) and, the NW Honeybee Habitat Restoration. Each pen comes in a matching tube.
Retro 51 has created this special Tornado benefiting the nonprofit group Elephants, Rhino and People (ERP.ngo) with a mission to protect the wild populations of Southern Africa.
Acid-etched honeycomb texture with printed bees and antique copper accents. A donation is made to NW Honeybee Habitat Restoration.
This popular design was originally available only as 1.15mm pencil. Due to its popularity, Retro has added a rollerball in this lacquer finish. Now you can get your favorite mathematician a pencil and add this pen for a set! The capless rollerball point deploys with a twist of the knurled top. Tornado pens also fit any Parker-style refill. Create formulas with finesse in up to ten ink colors shown below.
The fine, glow in the dark details on the new Retro 1951 Deluxe Dr. Gray Tornado are amazing. Doctors, nurses, medical technicians, the list is endless, will all get a kick out of this capless rollerball pen. Be reminded of Gray's Anatomy, written and hand illustrated in 1863 by Henry Gray. Your Dr. Gray is trimmed in gunmetal and arrives in companion tube. A great gift and a fun work tool.
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Check out our Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX FQ-360 photo gallery
with HQ pics.
Last update in Lancer Evolution IX FQ-360 gallery: 2006-07-27
Mitsubishi has distributed a teaser of its future novelties
Mitsubishi shaw the first teaser of a new SUV with the hybrid installation.
Restyled Pajero Sport is already being delivered to dealers, although the debut of the car in public has not yet taken place.
In the Mitsubishi guide, they are thinking about the release of a new generation of Lancer Evolution sports sedan.
The Japanese SUV was given a formal farewell because the model lived on the car market for 37 years.
Mitsubishi Motors completes the Pajero off-road vehicle. For Japan, the company has prepared a farewell version of the auto.
We select only big size mitsubishi lancer evolution ix fq-360 photos
for our photogallery.


text: The San Francisco Public Library Commission held its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 2, 2001in the Koret Auditorium, Main Library. The meeting was called to order at 4: 05PM by President Higueras The following members were noted present: President Higueras, and Commissioners Chin, Streets, and Swig. The Secretary noted Vice President Carol Steiman was excused attendance and that Commissioners Bautista and Coulter's arrival was expected. President Higueras announced that Item #1 Election of Commission Officers would be delayed pending the arrival of additional Commissioners and that the previous meetings Minutes would be taken up at a later meeting of the Commission. The Commission Secretary apologized for the unavailability of the past meetings' Minutes. Commissioner Bautista joined the meeting at 4:12PM. AGENDA ITEM #2 CITY LIBRARIAN'S REPORT The Acting City Librarian announced the opening of the Tool Lending Center on January 4, 2001 noting it was to be operated in partnership between the Library and the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG). Ms. Hildreth next reported on a number of branch library improvements including tree removal and landscaping work at the Eureka Valley, construction work on the new Ingleside Branch, the installation of air cooling equipment at Chinatown, and reported on several changes in plans for branch library electrical upgrades in light of the approval of the branch Library construction and improvement bond. The Acting City Librarians noted that electrical improvements would go forward at the Anza, Golden Gate Valley, Bernal Heights, and at the West Portal Branch Library. Ms. Hildreth in addition reported on Board of Supervisor's action to approve acceptance of the $159,000 Fortunio Bequest and act on the new Fine & Fee schedule. Public comment on Agenda Item #1 CITY LIBRARIAN'S REPORT: Mr. Ed Regan suggested that the proposal to replace branch libraries located in rented facilities be reconsidered given that the new Ocean View Branch while an improvement was too small. Mr. Peter Warfield inquired based on a reading of the meeting's agenda if funding for the Tool Lending Center was to be eliminated? Commission comment on Agenda Item #1 CITY LIBRARIAN'S REPORT In answer to questions posed by President Higueras, the Acting City Librarian discussed staff's efforts to carefully consider any work to be done in branches that were to be renovated in light of the pending branch renovation and construction bond program. Responding to questions by Commissioner Bautista, the Acting City Librarian proposed that a report on the Tool Lending Center be brought to the Commission in February. President Higueras announced that discussion of Agenda Item #3 the City Librarian Search Committee Report would be delayed until Commissioner Coulter's arrival. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #4 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION MOU The Acting City Librarian discussed the final revision of the proposed Friends and Foundation MOU made to address concerned raised by the Board of Supervisors Finance Committee. Ms. Hildreth reported that in response to requests by Supervisor Yee the annual minimum contribution level made to the Library by its Friends and Foundation was raised from$200,000 to $300,000. She further noted that the legally allowed use of the patron list for solicitation of support for the Library would be changed in the future to requesting that patrons be asked if they wished to receive information about the Friends and Foundation. Ms. Hildreth additionally pointed out that in the proposed final draft MOU the current $5,000 limit on gifts that could be accepted by the Library without Board of Supervisors approval had been reinstated instead of the proposed $25,000 cap. Ms. Hildreth discussed that the Friends and Foundation use of its Main Library 6th Floor office space would terminate after three years and would not be renewable. The Acting City Librarian noted that while the length of the MOU was five years, the fact that it was backdated two years meant than in reality the term of the new MOU would only run three years. The Acting City Librarian noted that the former event management agreement had ended and references to it had been removed from the final version of the MOU. In addition, Ms. Hildreth reported on several meetings with representatives of the Library's labor union. She noted that the union representatives remained opposed to any use of patron information to solicit support for the Library and objected to the Friends and Foundation funded outreach coordinators staffing the Stegner Environmental Center and the Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center. Public comment on Agenda item #4 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION MOU An anonymous member of the public noted that the MOU had been considered by the Board of Supervisors in August and suggested throwing the moneychangers from the Temple. This individual also found that the changes in the MOU failed to restore confidence in the Library as a public institution, and recommended the elimination of the private non-profit intermediary, proposing instead that donations be made directly to the Library. Commission comment on Agenda item #4 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION MOU Vice President Steiman found the final version of the proposed MOU much improved. She observed that the existing grievance system might ultimately be the only way to find agreement on the remaining outstanding issues with the Library's labor unions. Both Commissioners Chin and Streets noted additional efforts that had been made to resolve the outstanding issues with the Library unions and expressed a desire to move this item forward. MOTION: By Vice President Steiman, seconded by Commissioner Chin that the MOU be approved and submitted to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for its approval. ACTION: AYE 5-0 (Bautista, Chin, Higueras, Steiman, and Streets) Library Finance Director George Nichols provided the Commissioners with an extensive overview of the proposed Library budget for FY 2001-2002. The sum total of the proposed budget from all revenue sources was reported to be $51.15 million. Mr. Nichols noted that this represented a 5.5% increase over the previous budget and discussed in some detail each of the revenue sources for the proposed budget. Mr. Nichols explained a significant increase in projected Prop. E (Library Preservation Fund) revenues in both year's and next years budget allowing for full funding of all proposed expenditures with a lower than anticipated expenditure of reserves. He noted that there had been both budget savings and additional costs, including the addition of $100,000 for the book budget, identified since the draft budget had been presented to the Commissioners in November and described in detail each of the changes. Mr. Nichols specifically pointed out deletion from the Library's baseline proposal of the Tool Lending Center budget as requested by the Commission. The Library Finance Director next addressed various high points such as increased security and lease purchase of a branch library telephone system addressed in the materials provided in the agenda packet. Mr. Nichols then described in detail each of the various changes and increases in staffing and equipment proposed for the branches and each library department in the draft budget. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda item #5 Public comment on the Library Budget An anonymous member of the public observed that there had been frequent presentations concerning the budget but this individual found the variety of terms and descriptions used in the various reports lacking in clarity. The anonymous member of the public noted that policy issues were buried in the documents specifically decrying what was perceived as a relatively small book budget and potential costs of various technological systems. Mr. Ed Regan suggested that funds mad available by the Fuhrman Bequest be used to purchase additional books on politics, economics, and the study of government for the Main and branch libraries. Mr. Peter Warfield expressed frustration that information on the proposed changes in the draft budget had not been made available earlier and suggested a need for more study. Mr. Warfield additionally found the proposed book budget inadequate, opposed any outsourcing of overdue notices, and questioned the costs of proposed automation improvements. Ms. Andrea Grimes, Local 790 noted that the library labor unions had concerns with the budget relating to the book budget as well as about some positions funded, and urged that action to approve the budget be postponed to allow further discussion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda item #5 Commission comment on the Library Budget In response to questions and concerns by Commissioner Streets that a future decline in revenues could force cutbacks in library staffing, Mr. Nichols explained how the Library Administration had carefully studied economic forecasts and thoughtfully considered anticipated revenues for the next several years before proposing the addition of any new permanent positions. The Library Finance Director specifically noted the prudent view of anticipated revenue estimates that underlay all of the budget assumptions allowing for greater flexibility in response to potentially changing economic conditions. He further discussed the significant level of reserves maintained in the Library Preservation Fund as a safeguard against unanticipated future revenue declines. Commissioner Streets requested that Mr. Nichols report to the Commission on a recommended level of reserve fund that the Library should maintain. In response to questions by Vice President Steiman regarding the purchase of additional vehicles for the Library, Mr. Nichols outlined in some detail the needs that recommended the addition of the proposed vehicles. Vice President Steiman expressed satisfaction with the removal of the Tool Lending Center budget from the Library's baseline budget noting her philosophical opposition to funding the tool center at the expense of regular library activities. She further expressed approval of the new positions noting that there had been a need for additional staffing at 1st stop and also on the 3rd floor of the Main Library. Responding to a query by Commissioner Bautista, Mr. Nichols explained how the Project Manager positions for the Branch Library bond program could be funded by proceeds from the bond sales. Mr. Nichols informed Commissioners Steiman and Streets that the book budget comprised approximately 10% of the overall library budget and that while this was below the percent of budget of some other Bay Area Libraries it represented a reasonable balance of meeting the library's overall needs. The Acting City Librarian provided Commissioner Bautista with a background explanation for the addition of the curator and exhibit preparators positions as a means of addressing some of the services imbalances among the various specialized centers. Ms. Hildreth noted that both the Stegner and Hormel Centers possessed significant endowments to continue to fund their support staffing through the Friends and Foundation. In response to questions by Commissioners Chin and Higueras, Ms. Hildreth discussed how the proposed additional positions for Library security could address security concerns in some of the larger more active branches. President Higueras called attention to the importance of linking proposals in the annual budget to the Library's Strategic Plan. In addition, he highlighted the importance of taking a multi-year view of ongoing building maintenance needs and in addressing the costs involved in keeping library technologies up to date. MOTION: By Commissioner Bautista, seconded by Commissioner Streets that the FY 2001-02 Library Budget be approved and submitted to the Mayor. ACTION: AYE 5-0 (Bautista, Chin, Higueras, Steiman, and Streets) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #6 POE RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT The Acting City Librarian provided the Commissioners with a detailed presentation concerning the recommendations for Main Library improvements in response to problems identified in the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) of the Main Library which Library staff found would produce the most benefit for the public and library staff. Ms. Hildreth identified theses as development and implementation of a master signage plan for the Main Library, significant improvement of Borrowers' Services other public services, and the rest rooms on the first floor, relocation of Tech Services, and some improvements to the 2nd floor. Ms. Hildreth noted that while the POE called for a number of improvements and changes on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors that staff had identified these as a lesser priority and had strongly recommended concentrating the first improvements to be done on the first and second floor. The Acting City Librarian detailed the $4 million available in the Library Improvement Fund to pay for various projects. The Acting City Library informed the Commission that she proposed to submit a supplemental appropriations request for their approval at their February meeting for additional building fix up projects not spelled out in the POE recommendations report. Commissioner Coulter joined the meeting at 5:40PM Ms. Hildreth then gave an extensive overview of the various building modifications proposed in the POE recommendation report. The Acting City Librarian in particular pointed out the strong provisions for both staff and Library Commission oversight of each of the recommended projects. Ms. Hildreth then discussed how these changes could facilitate improved public services, provide greater access to popular collections, and to retain and enhance the 2nd floor services provided by the Library for the Blind and Project Read, and the Children's Historical (Effie Lee Morris) Collection. The Acting City Librarian then discussed various options to bridge the second floor and provide direct elevator access for patrons entering from Larkin and Fulton Streets. Ms. Hildreth next discussed proposed timelines and likely costs involved in carrying out the various projects. She then focused on issues involved in identifying appropriate space for relocating Tech Services. Ms. Hildreth also discussed potential use of space in Brooks Hall to in part to address this need. The Acting City Librarian then discussed improvements to Borrower's Services, and the POE recommendations for opening compact shelf spaces in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Floors for patron use. Ms. Hildreth then detailed the ongoing efforts to address the signage problems identified in the POE and how public access to the elevators to the upper floors might be accomplished. She then discussed how the atrium at the center of the building both provided a benefit to and in some ways a navigational problem for patrons. Ms. Hildreth then discussed building capacity issues and the proposed Library Support Services Center and how various changes which had occurred since the POE was issued had impacted consideration of these recommendations. The Acting City Librarian further detailed how use of Brooks Hall could address off site storage needs for archival materials in an easily accessible way, and potentially meet other needs. Ms. Hildreth noted those recommendations to increase the availability of computer access and study space on the upper floors would be considered, but was less pressing than other matters. The Acting City Librarian next discussed recommendations for providing access to government documents and historical materials. The issues involved in the relocation of the sorting room and book drops to simplify sorting and processing of returned materials were then outlined. Ms. Hildreth then discussed the facilities maintenance planning and building repairs issues raised in the POE and the various ways which staff proposed to address them. Ms. Hildreth then discussed what was proposed to do to address problems with the automatic window shade system, the public rest rooms, and to provide motor assists for some entry doors. The Acting City Librarian emphasized that the modifications to the 1st and 2nd floors were the library staff's top priorities that should be addressed before going on to the other recommendations. Public comment on Agenda Item #6 POE Recommendations An anonymous member of the public commented that the Library had not adopted a Strategic Plan and observed that it had served merely as a distraction during the Prop. E (Library Preservation Fund) hearings. This person further noted that a supplemental appropriation was being proposed to fund POE related work just after the Commission had approved the budget and thus true costs of the projects were being concealed. The anonymous member of the public found this to be a piecemeal process that could result in greater costs. Mr. Ed Regan suggested that Main Library elevators be manually operated for safety in case of emergency, that an encyclopedia and dictionary center be created, and that all circulating books be located on one floor. Mr. Peter Warfield found the report discouraging, found little evidence of creating more space for books, and feared reductions of book collections to meet space limitations. Mr. Warfield additionally expressed concern that the recommendations were not be straight forward about changes being proposed. Commission comment on Agenda Item #6 POE Recommendations In response to questions regarding the "ownership" of Brooks Hall by Commissioner Bautista, Ms. Hildreth provided an overview of the various issues and concerns involved in making sure that the Library had a feasible plan and chose the best alternative to make use of Brooks Hall. Ms. Hildreth proposed to bring a plan for Brooks Hall to the Commission in the near future. In response to questions by President Higueras, the Acting City Librarian discussed the careful process staff had undertaken in identifying the priority projects in this proposal and how firm realistic cost figures would be confirmed by the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Architecture for each of these particular projects. In response to a question by Commissioner Streets, Ms. Hildreth explained that the building fix it proposals which would be brought to the Commission for its consideration at it next meeting were not among those discussed in these recommendations and could be funded from the current operating budget without recourse to the Library improvement Fund. President Higueras called for a brief recess at 6:44PM The Commission returned to session at 6:54Pm President Higueras then returned to those agenda items previously passed over. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #1 NOMINATION OF COMMISSION OFFICERS Commissioner Steiman nominated President Higueras for the Office of Commission President for 2001. Commissioner Higueras nominated Commissioner Steiman for Vice President of the Library Commission for 2001. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #1 NOMINATION OF COMMISSION OFFICERS An anonymous member of the public commended the Commissioners for their willingness to serve, but noted that given some Commissioners' attendance that the earlier start time for commission meetings be reconsidered. Mr. Ed Regan observed that President Higueras and Vice President Steiman would do a great job as President and Vice President of the Commission. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #3 CITY LIBRARIAN SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT Vice President Steiman and Commissioner Coulter reported on the activities of the City Librarian Search Committee and discussed its ongoing efforts to identify a professional executive search firm. Commissioner Coulter noted that a committee meeting would be held on Friday January 5, 2001 to receive a report from its subcommittee concerning the search firm interviews and that that information would then be reported to the full Commission. Public comment on Agenda Item #3 CITY LIBRARIAN SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT An anonymous member of the public suggested that there was nothing to report, as the Committee had not met since its last meeting was reported. The anonymous member of the public urged that the Commission not hire a search firm, but instead undertake the City Librarian Search process itself. Mr. Ed Regan urged that any new City Librarian expand public service hours and strengthen the book collections. Mr. Regan also strongly recommended that the Commission select Ms. Susan Hildreth to be City Librarian. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #7 INTERNET USE POLICY Acting City Librarian Susan Hildreth informed the Commissioners regarding a recent change in federal law known as the Children's Internet Protection Act which would require libraries which received federal funding to install internet filters on public access computers or face cutoff of future federal funding. The Acting City Librarian noted that current Library Commission policy expressly rejected use of such filters and suggested that the Commission may wish to reaffirm its policy. She further noted that the American Library Association (ALA) as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) proposed to take legal action to prevent the law from going into effect. Ms. Hildreth noted that maintaining the current policy could result in loss of some $180,000 in federal funding in future years as outlined in a memo provided to the Commissioners (copy attached). Ms. Hildreth proposed to inform the Commission of discussions on this issue that will occur at the ALA's Mid-Winter meeting. Ms Hildreth recommended that the Commission re-affirm its policy and in turn as a loss of some federal funding could occur request that the Board of Supervisors express their support for the Library's open access policy. Public Comment on Agenda Item #7 INTERNET USE POLICY An anonymous member of the public noted that the Library's acceptance of computers from a Bill Gates Foundation grant bound the Library to unmediated access to these computers and thus could lead to various computers being mandated to various kinds of uses beyond the control of the Commission. This individual noted that this issue was one that was facing all libraries and that it reinforced the concern that the Commission must be very careful when accepting gifts. Mr. Peter Warfield agreed with the previous speaker's observation concerning the risk inherent with accepting conditional gifts and also agreed with the City Librarian's recommendation that the Commission affirm its open access policy. Mr. Warfield suggested that the guidelines for use of computers be revised because its penalties were too harsh and the guidelines lacked procedural safeguards for patrons. Commission Comment on Agenda Item #7 Internet Use Policy In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Bautista, the Acting City Librarian explained the background of the issues involved in the new federal law, noting that the law required complete filtering of all computers not just those dedicated to children's use. Ms. Hildreth further discussed likely revenue losses that could result and noted that they were manageable within the proposed operating budget. Commissioner Bautista proposed that this item be tabled until more information became available concerning the implications of the new law. Vice President Steiman stated that she supported the existing unrestricted access policy even if some risk of financial loss occurred. President Higueras and Commissioner Streets suggested that given the amount of time available prior to implementation of this legislation that the Acting City Librarian gather additional materials and report to the Commission further on what course of action might be taken. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #8 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION REPORT Mr. Chuck Forester, Executive Director of the Friends and Foundation expressed it thanks for the Commission's approval of its Memorandum of Understanding. He then presented the Commissioners with an update on recent its recent activities noting a $50,000 gift to the Ingleside Branch for basic furniture, fixtures, and equipment to help get the relocation project underway. Mr. Forester reported on plans to meet with branch library staff to prepare for a Capital Campaign to provided additional resources for the Branch libraries being built and renovated through Prop A (Branch Library Renovation and Construction Bond 2000). Mr. Forester then provided the Commissioners with an update on the construction of the new Book Bay at the Grove Street entrance of the Main Library. Public comment on Agenda Item #8 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION REPORT An anonymous member of the public observed that the Friends and Foundation would not giving up space in the Main Library until the end of the MOU, suggested that there could be a new MOU extending their say, and that they were retaining the bookstore space until 2009. Commission comment on Agenda Item #8 FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION REPORT Commissioner Bautista commented that the Friends and Foundation were doing a good job in doing outreach, reporting a fundraising effort being done at a bookstore at the San Francisco Airport. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #9 LIBRARY LABOR UNION REPORT Ms. Cathy Bremer, Chief Steward of the Librarian's Guild, SEIU Local 790 reported that the Library's labor unions had not been given advance information concerning the Library Budget and had no part in crafting the Library's Budget. Ms. Bremer suggested that the budget presented to the Commission each year primarily addressed changes rather than considering the underlying assumptions of the entire budget and recommended that at least every five years all of those assumptions and all of the library's programs be reconsidered. Additionally, Ms. Bremer specifically criticized what she referred to as contracting out of the sending out of library notices, reporting that a formal grievance would be filed should the Library go forward with this proposal. Ms. Bremer further suggested that because she had experienced problems with a contract for printers that this contract could also create problems. She proposed hiring library staff to undertake materials recovery activities instead. Ms. Bremer complained that her branch did not receive information on Commission activities until the day of a meeting and requested that Branch Library Commission Agenda packets be sent out earlier. Public comment on Agenda Item #9 LIBRARY LABOR UNION REPORT Mr. Ed Regan expressed happiness at hearing a report by the Library's labor union and recommended that each branch library have a collection of labor related materials including copies of corporate bylaws, organization charts of major companies, and copies of union contracts. Peter Warfield agreed that receiving advance information on Commission Agenda items would be useful, as these issues were frequently very complex. Mr. Warfield also agreed that outsourcing contracts could create a problem with the quality of service provided to patrons and create risks for breech of patron confidentiality. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #10 NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Streets requested that the Commission receive quarterly reports tracking the relationship between budget allocations and ongoing expenditures. Commissioner Chin requested reports linking Prop. A (Branch Library Renovation and Construction Bond 2000) activities to regular updates on the library's strategic planning especially how it relates to linking with education, informing parents, and the future of library services. Commissioner Bautista requested the Commission information on the Library website be given greater visibility. Commissioner Steiman requested that the Strategic Plan be brought to the Commission at the earliest possible date. Public comment on Agenda Item #10 NEW BUSINESS An anonymous member of the public expressed approval of both Commissioner Chin and Streets comments, and noted that the new District Supervisors will show great interest in the library's plans as they effect each district's branch libraries and their share of the Library budget. The anonymous member of the public expressed willingness to provide copies of documents obtained from the Library to the Library unions. Mr. Peter Warfield applauded the proposals for an increase in quarterly reports, and questioned the lack of highlighting of Commissioner's request for future agenda items. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda item #11 PUBLIC COMMENT Ms. Effie Lee Morris, former Library Chief of Children's Services expressed both general and specific concerns with some of the information presented but most specifically regarding her concerns with the preservation and enhancement of the Library's collection of historic children's materials. In addition, Ms. Morris expressed a wish that the Library carefully consider its overall policies rather than attempt to address critical issues in a piecemeal fashion, noting the great importance of careful strategic planning to meet rapidly changing needs. Mr. Ed Regan proposed that the Library extend public service hours from 6AM until Midnight, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Ms. Elizabeth Ludwig, a patron, expressed disappointment to see many video and books unshelved during visits to the Main Library both when it first opened and more recently, noted that she had previously spoken to the Library Commission concerning the need for shelf space for more books . Mr. Peter Warfield thanked Commissioner Steiman for referring the Library union representatives to him for copies of library materials, queried if payment or a job might be involved, and suggested that information on Commission discussions should regularly be available a least a week in advance of a Commission meeting. An anonymous member of the public noted that this individual had missed the beginning of the meeting and inquired concerning the lack of approval of previous meeting minutes. The anonymous member of the public noted that there would be no effort to provide additional space for books in the Main Library. The anonymous member of the public related an anecdote concerning an experience with untruthfulness because of perceived high status this individual experienced in high school. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agenda Item #12 - ADJOURNMENT MOTION: by President Higueras, seconded by Commissioner Coulter that the meeting be adjourned In memory of the late Rick Pacurar, a civic and Community leader and Domestic Partner of the Commission Secretary who died in December and the late Adelia Lines, longtime Library staff member and respected Bay Area Library Community leader. Public comment on Agenda Item #12 ADJOURNMENT An anonymous member of the public suggested that the meeting be also adjourned in memory of the late Adelia Lines, a former San Francisco Public Library department head and branch manager, and respected Library Community Leader. Ms. Effie Lee Morris also strongly urged adjourning the meeting in memory of Ms. Lines as well. ACTION: AYE 6-0 (Bautista, Chin, Coulter, Higueras, Swig, and Streets) The meeting was adjourned at 8:11PM Michael Housh, Commission Secretary 3/8/01 The number of members of the public who spoke anonymously at this meeting 1. Updated: July 03, 2002


text:
App Review: Lights Off by Steven Troughton-Smith
by Rob on
January 27, 2009
Filed under Daily App Reviews, Games
Lights Off is a very clever game that requires a very clever mind. Each level presents you with a new puzzle. The screen consists of 25 squares. Each square is either lit up or dark at the beginning of each level. To complete the level you must "turn off" all of the squares that are lit up. You turn a square on or off by touching it. However, when you touch a square it not only turns that square on or off, but you change the state of the squares directly to the right, left, top, and bottom of the one you touched.
The game starts with a few easy puzzles to get your brain going and then quickly becomes more difficult. If you get stuck, you can reset the puzzle and start again. You can also revisit the levels that you have already completed by touching the area of the screen where the level is displayed. If you like puzzles and thinking games, this one is for you. Don't think too hard, though. Sometimes the answer is easier than you think.
Lights Off is $1.99 in the iTunes App Store.