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SULAIR NEWS – January 28, 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. Winter Issue of Speaking of Computers: Now Online
  2. SULAIR Technology Chalk Talks: They're Baaaack!!
  3. Social Science Data and Software (SSDS) Web Site Redesign
  4. *** Reference Question of the Week ***
  5. SULAIR Job Opportunities

1. Winter Issue of Speaking of Computers: Now Online

The wait is finally over! The winter issue of Speaking of Computers is now online at http://speaking.stanford.edu/



This e-newsletter highlights the latest news in technology-related and computing activities, services, and resources on the Stanford campus. You'll find articles in the winter issue that cover such topics as:
 Note that there are links at the top of the newsletter's home page and at the top of each section's home page to make browsing and printing entire sections easier. You can also browse the table of contents and read the articles of your choice online, or you can print "printer-friendly" copies of individual articles.

Speaking of Computers is published at the beginning of Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters by SULAIR Publications. A publication announcement for each issue is also being distributed to those who've requested one at http://speaking.stanford.edu/subscribe.html.

Please send any questions or feedback to eleanor.brown@stanford.edu.

--submitted by Eleanor Brown
2. SULAIR Technology Chalk Talks: They're Baaaack!!

This year will see the revival of SULAIR Technology Chalk Talks. Chalk Talks are twice-monthly forums "for exploring the intersection of technology, information science and higher education."

Chalk Talks provide a useful venue for exposing community and technology advances that, if adopted, could further SULAIR's own practices and services. They also serve as a forum to share knowledge across SULAIR on the gains that individuals or units have already made, and could be adapted elsewhere across the organization.

The home page for Chalk Talks is on consul at:

https://consul.stanford.edu/display/chalk/Home

As a reminder, the Chalk Talks are generally held from 2-3 PM on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month; the first talk of the year will likely be in February; and the first confirmed talk will be on March 26, when Roy Tennant and Merrilee Proffitt from OCLC will be presenting on OCLC's Grid Services.

If you have any suggestions for a topic, or would like to volunteer to present on something, please send email to tcramer@stanford.edu.

--submitted by Tom Cramer
3. Social Science Data and Software (SSDS) Web Site Redesign

You may have missed our article in the winter 2009 Speaking of Computers, announcing the redesign of the SSDS Web site using Drupal. The SSDS Web site has a fresh look with updated content that includes a new FAQ and an improved SSDS site search. Our walk-in consulting is a popular service and a quarterly schedule is prominently featured on the home page. In addition, users can quickly access the current quarter workshop schedule and details, and register online for one or more workshops. Another new feature is a workshop participation survey where users can offer feedback regarding our workshops.

Regular users can still access the SSDS Blog, contact us with their questions, or make an appointment via the front page. Drop by The Velma Denning Room for an in-person consultation, evaluate an array of quantitative and qualitative software packages, access an extensive collection of social science data on CD-ROM, or browse our reference library. Stanford users have access to key online data repositories, ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Public and Social Research), and the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, and a unique data discovery tool, DEWI (Data Extraction Web Interface).

A collection of guides and help documentation designed to help users get started with software, is available for viewing and downloading from the SSDS Web site. Visit us online and contact us with your questions at:

http://ssds.stanford.edu/

--submitted by Judy Marsh
4. *** Reference Question of the Week ***

Question: According to America's Historical Newspapers, a speech was given in Parliament in February of 1774, ostensibly by someone whose last name is "Van." Supposedly he said, in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party: “The offence of the Americans is flagitious. The town of Boston ought to be knocked about their ears and destroyed. Delenda est Carthago. You will never meet with proper obedience to the laws of this country until you have destroyed that nest of locusts.” I'm wondering how I can get the original speech that was given in Parliament, and find out more about the member of Parliament who gave it.

Answer: For this period of Parliament's history, there was no official record of debates, but there were a variety of private transcripts made, with some printed commercially, recording debates in a non-systematic way.

Some of the collections of Commons debates that Stanford owns are kept in the British Documents collection in Green Library, West Wing, Level 2 (PDF).

Looking in one of those, called William Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England, Vol. XVII, A.D. 1771-1774, one finds a debate on March 23, 1774 on "the Boston Port Bill," which gives the exact version of the speech as you cite it:

"Mr. Van said, he agreed to the flagitiousness of the offence in the Americans, and therefore was of opinion, that the town of Boston ought to be knocked about their ears, and destroyed. Delenda est Carthago: said he, I am of opinion you will never meet with that proper obedience to the laws of this country, until you have destroyed that nest of locusts" (p. 1178)

Interestingly, a similar, yet slightly variant account is found in volume IV of R.C. Simmons' and P.D.G. Thomas's Proceedings and Debates of the British Parliaments Respecting North America, January to May, 1774, V. 4.

In their account, which is also based on several manuscript diaries, Van is recorded as saying [and there are gaps, indicated by punctuation]:

"If they block up the harbour I would say Delenda est Carthago. That the English army should not trespass over that rebel town. Make it a mark that shall never be restored. They bring an odium upon themselves whichever part they take .... Impress the Americans. 'That was the town.' Now destroy them if ever you fear a single ball against it. Demolish it, that is my opinion. Delenda est Carthago."

The next speaker, Col. Barré refers back to Van's speech, citing Van as saying "Delenda est Carthago. If you fear a single shot you had better annihilate that rebel town".

So, locusts notwithstanding, that Van said "Delenda est Carthago" seems certain.

For the complete answer, visit the Information Center Web site at:

https://www.stanford.edu/group/ic/cgi-bin/drupal2/node/593/

To contribute to the Reference Question of the Week feature of SULAIR News, submit your question and answer through the SULAIR News online submission form.

--submitted by Editorial Staff
5. SULAIR Job Opportunities

SULAIR has no new positions this week.

For a complete description of open positions within SULAIR, go to the Stanford Jobs page and type University Libraries in the Job Search box at the bottom of the page.

--submitted by Editorial Staff
SULAIR News is an electronic publication of Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources issued weekly. Copy deadline is 12:00 NOON Friday for publication on the following Wednesday. Submit items for publication via the online submission system.
Editor: Eleanor Brown, Eleanor.Brown@stanford.edu
Last modified: May 10, 2006
   
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