(Full title of ‘Diary: …’ appears on this page, or this one.)

From London Review of Books, Vol. 30 No. 10 · 22 May 2008:

And so I too – subconsciously – must have wanted to be caught. Caught and punished, in fact: ruined career in academia, ignominious return to law. But I wasn’t caught, unlike Albertine. For as far as I know, Eve’s never read the thing. (But what if she has!) Never seen my name above her work. Never noticed the plagiarism. Well, she will now. As will Bob, I expect. …

I’m at some public school in the Midwest. Midwesterners, of course, are very nice. (Barthes would call this statement doxa, a bit of conventional wisdom – like the notion that students plagiarise so as to please.) And I do like my colleagues. But the students! Or rather, the English majors! Our department, you see, is the only one in the humanities not allowed to require that majors have a minimum GPA. (I imagine administrators saying: ‘They’ve got to major in something – and they speak English.’) So for the most part, we get the very worst students: students with GPAs of 2.0 or lower. …

Kevin Kopelson’s page at University of Iowa

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From ABCNEWS:

Karla Brendler has been living in Vietnam since October, as she awaits approval from the State Department to bring home her 16-month-old adopted daughter Madison. Amid allegations of corruption and baby buying, the U.S. has suspended adoptions from Vietnam. …

Adoptions can cost about $20,000. But with stalled international adoptions like Brendler’s, costs can rise dramatically. With agency costs, lawyer fees, home studies, travel, extended stay in Vietnam, lost wages, Brendler estimates her bills to be about $100,000.

Brendler sometimes feels that she is being held hostage in Vietnam away from family and friends. …

PHOTO of Karla Brendler and daughter Madison

Systems Engineer Thomas O. Meeker, of Robins, and William D. Kurth, Lake City, Iowa, participating attorney for the Rutherford Institute, file a lawsuit claiming religious discrimination in employment; $300,000 requested.

From United States Courts - Northern District of Iowa:

Andrew Mlynarczyk [of Rockwell Collins Human Resources] told Meeker that Meeker’s e-mail messages were disrespectful and that Meeker had acted outside of the Defendant’s Standards of Business Conduct. Meeker again expressed his disagreement with Defendant’s diversity training and his belief that the training was promoting the homosexual lifestyle by insisting that employees accept, celebrate and embrace homosexuality. …

[Stephen L.] Brandt stated that the concerns of the Defendant’s management involved Meeker’s June 7 e-mail and Meeker’s objections to participating in diversity training. …

Meeker informed those at the meeting that his June 7 e-mail was not the most respectful way to convey his views and gave his assurance that he would not write any similar messages in the future. …

[According to court document, this excerpt is from a July 6, 2007 certified letter from Brandt to Meeker.]

Based on your recent e-mails and other communications, we believe that you are unwilling to treat gay or lesbian co-workers with respect in the workplace. … you have informed us that you refuse to participate in our diversity training program, even though this training is required for all employees. We believe your unwillingness to commit to treat your co-workers with respect, coupled with your refusal to participate in such training, impedes your ability to perform your job in a manner consistent with our Standards of Business Conduct policy. Based on the foregoing, we have decided to terminate your at-will employment at Rockwell Collins effective immediately.

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From rasmussen.com via Yahoo! News:

In Iowa, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Barack Obama leading John McCain 44% to 42%. This is the third consecutive poll to find the candidates very close in the state that gave Obama his first victory on the way to the Democratic Presidential Nomination. A month ago, it was Obama by four. In February, it was Obama by three. …

As for Iowa Governor Chet Culver (D), 35% say he is doing a good or excellent job while 30% give him poor marks.

In the unlikely event that Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, she trails McCain in Iowa by a 45% to 42% margin. …

From Chronicle of Higher Education:

To catch college students trading copyrighted songs online, the Recording Industry Association of America uses the same file-sharing software that online pirates love, an RIAA representative told The Chronicle at the organization’s offices during a private demonstration of how it catches alleged music pirates. He also said the group does not single out specific colleges in its investigations. …

Here’s how the process works: The RIAA maintains a list of songs whose distribution rights are owned by the RIAA’s member organizations. It has given that list to Media Sentry, a company it hired to search for online pirates. That company runs copies of the LimeWire program and performs searches for…

For the University of Iowa connection, see this Looking in at Iowa post from March: Record companies suing 20 University of Iowa Internet users accused of file sharing.

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Release from Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office

In 2005, Grassley introduced legislation named after Jetseta Gage, a 10-year old Cedar Rapids girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a registered sex offender. A modified version of “Jetseta’s Bill” was incorporated into the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety bill. “Jetseta’s Bill” created mandatory minimums of imprisonment for criminals who committed murder, kidnapping, or serious bodily harm against children.

“We made a good start in the Adam Walsh bill, but it’s not enough for people who commit these despicable crimes,” Grassley said. …

“S. 3014: A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen penalties for child pornography offenses, child sex trafficking offenses, and other sexual offenses committed against children.”

Also referred to as The “Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act of 2008.”

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From U.S. News & World Report:

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain’s short list for a running mate. At least that’s the word from a top McCain fundraiser and longtime Republican moneyman who has spoken to McCain’s inner circle. The fundraiser is less than thrilled with the idea of Huckabee as the vice presidential nominee, and many economic conservatives–turned off by the populist tone of Huckabee’s campaign and his tax record as governor–are likely to share that marked lack of enthusiasm. But here is the logic of picking Huckabee…

From Associated Press via Chicago Tribune:

Frank Broyles is one of eight collegiate athletic administrators picked for induction into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame. …

The 2008 Hall of Fame class includes Broyles, Jake Crouthamel of Syracuse, Joe Etzel of Portland, Christine Grant of Iowa, Willis Ham of South Carolina State, Ted Leland of Stanford, William Moore of Central Connecticut State and Ron Warnock of De Anza College.

Inductees will be honored at NACDA’s convention in Dallas on June 10.

From Business Wire:

Penford Corporation (Nasdaq: PENX), a global leader in renewable, natural-based ingredient systems for food and industrial applications, today announced that it had begun commercial sales of ethanol from its new ethanol facility. The ethanol facility is an expansion of Penford’s existing wet corn milling operations located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The facility is designed to efficiently produce between 25 million and 45 million gallons of ethanol annually. …

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LegiStorm page shows a 2005 agriculture and trade fact-finding trip to Australia by Rep. Steve King and wife was a travel gift worth $4,249.

Rep. King - $521 transportation, $95.80 entertainment, $838 lodging, $685 meals. Mrs. King - $521 transportation, $64.80 entertainment, $838 lodging, $685 meals. …

Actually, a May 2005 Gazette article had a higher number:

Iowa congressmen play by the book when they travel …

Rep. Steve King, 5th District Republican, and his wife, Marilyn, traveled to Sydney, Australia, last February for a conference on agriculture and trade. The American Australian Association paid $12,926 in transportation expenses for them. King serves on the Agriculture, Judiciary and Small Business committees. …

The 1999-2008 database also shows a silver clock, estimated at $540, was given to Chuck Grassley from Bahrain.

Otherwise nothing found for other recent and present members of Iowa delegation.

Start a new LegiStorm search here.