US Patent & Trademark Office, 3/30/16; Honoring Women in Public Service and Government

Blog by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Michelle K. Lee, US Patent & Trademark Office; Honoring Women in Public Service and Government:

"When I reflect on this year’s women’s history month theme, “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government,” I am inspired by the women here at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) who have made vital contributions to public service, intellectual property, invention, and innovation. These are women such as Marilyn Ricks-Beach, who we have highlighted in our Women’s History month video, and who exemplifies dedication to federal service, having worked at the USPTO since 1980. You can read more about the USPTO’s women employees on the All in STEM page of the USPTO website, which is part of the USPTO’s broader campaign to encourage more women and girls to go in to STEM fields and stay in them.

Recently, I’ve had the honor of swearing in three outstanding women as regional office directors: Christal Sheppard, Director of the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional Office in Detroit; Hope Shimabuku, Director of our Texas Regional Office in Dallas; and Molly Kocialski, Director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Denver. In addition to embodying the spirit of thme of this year’s Women’s History Month—public service—Christal, Hope, and Molly are trailblazers who have set high standards for excellence and achievement throughout this agency. They take their places as part of an executive team that is 41 percent female, which as compared to the national rate of women executives at 15 percent, shows the progress we are making at the agency of encouraging inclusive practices."

Anchor Wendy Bell addresses WTAE firing over Facebook posts; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/30/16

Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Anchor Wendy Bell addresses WTAE firing over Facebook posts:

"The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, in a news release Wednesday night, said its board members and WTAE management had met earlier in the day to discuss the Bell matter and other issues related to diversity.

The announcement of the firing occurred before the meeting took place, and the federation stressed that it had not called for Ms. Bell’s termination.

It said the station agreed to partner with it on several matters including a meeting twice a year to review WTAE’s coverage of African-American communities and other issues related to diversity and inclusion. Part of that will be working with the federation to recruit journalists of color for its newsroom."

Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close; BBC News, 3/29/16

BBC News; Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close:

"Almost 8,000 jobs in UK libraries have disappeared in six years, about a quarter of the overall total, an investigation by the BBC has revealed. Over the same period, some 15,500 volunteers have been recruited and 343 libraries have closed, leading to fears over the future of the profession. Children's author Alan Gibbons said the public library service faced the "greatest crisis in its history"."

My Shared Shame: The Media Helped Make Trump; New York Times, 3/26/16

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times; My Shared Shame: The Media Helped Make Trump:

"I personally made the mistake of regarding Trump’s candidacy as a stunt, scoffing at the idea that he could be the nominee. Mea culpa.

We failed to take Trump seriously because of a third media failing: We were largely oblivious to the pain among working-class Americans and thus didn’t appreciate how much his message resonated. “The media has been out of touch with these Americans,” Curry notes.

Media elites rightly talk about our insufficient racial, ethnic and gender diversity, but we also lack economic diversity. We inhabit a middle-class world and don’t adequately cover the part of America that is struggling and seething. We spend too much time talking to senators, not enough to the jobless."

McDonald's Wants to Trademark a 'Simple' New Slogan; Fortune, 3/25/16

Phil Wahba, Fortune; McDonald's Wants to Trademark a 'Simple' New Slogan:

"The hamburger chain, whose U.S. sales are recovering after years of declines, has filed to register a trademark for the slogan “The Simpler the Better,” a phrase that would echo its recent efforts to streamline its menu to speed up service—long a problem for the company—and tame its bureaucracy.

McDonald’s submitted the application to the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office earlier this month.

The filing doesn’t mean the burger chain will actually use the slogan. A company spokesperson told BurgerBusiness.com, which first reported on this filing, “We routinely file intent-to-use trademark applications as part of our regular course of business. We can’t share details at this time as to how this trademark may or may not be used.” (McDonald’s has trademarked terms such as “McBrunch” without ever using them.)

Regardless of its fate, the slogan embodies CEO Steve Easterbrook’s philosophy for the company since taking the reins in 2014 as he looks to make McDonald’s a “modern, progressive company.”"

Jimmy Kimmel Shows How F**ked Up Criticism Of Hillary Clinton’s Voice Can Be; Huffington Post, 3/25/16

Paige Lavender, Huffington Post; Jimmy Kimmel Shows How F**ked Up Criticism Of Hillary Clinton’s Voice Can Be:

"To prepare the former Secretary of State to debate someone like Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, Kimmel volunteered to mansplain her remarks. In the process, Kimmel proved just how ridiculous it is when people hit Clinton for how loudly or calmly she speaks — criticism the male presidential candidates don’t often receive...

The joke went on, with Kimmel saying Clinton wasn’t “doing it right.”

“I can’t put my finger on it,” he said. “But you’re not...”

“A man?” Clinton quipped."

Microsoft scrambles to limit PR damage over abusive AI bot Tay; Guardian, 3/24/16

Alex Hern, Guardian; Microsoft scrambles to limit PR damage over abusive AI bot Tay:

"Microsoft is battling to control the public relations damage done by its “millennial” chatbot, which turned into a genocide-supporting Nazi less than 24 hours after it was let loose on the internet.

The chatbot, named “Tay” (and, as is often the case, gendered female), was designed to have conversations with Twitter users, and learn how to mimic a human by copying their speech patterns. It was supposed to mimic people aged 18–24 but a brush with the dark side of the net, led by emigrants from the notorious 4chan forum, instead taught her to tweet phrases such as “I fucking hate feminists and they should all die and burn in hell” and “HITLER DID NOTHING WRONG”."

Copyright Office seeks comment on IT modernization plan; FedScoop, 3/18/16

Whitney Blair Wyckoff, FedScoop; Copyright Office seeks comment on IT modernization plan:

"The Copyright Office is seeking comment on a comprehensive technology plan to make its IT “lean, nimble, results-driven, and future-focused.”...

Comments on the plan are due March 31."

Lauren Reiter | Movers & Shakers 2016 – Advocates; Library Journal, 3/14/16

Library Journal; Lauren Reiter | Movers & Shakers 2016 – Advocates:

"Even though she worked as a corporate analyst before becoming a business librarian, college hadn’t prepared Lauren Reiter for personal money management. So when she heard discussions at Penn State seeking ways to address rising student debt and the lack of basic financial literacy, Reiter jumped at the opportunity. “I recognized the need for financial literacy education among college students and also the potential for the library to take a leading role,” she says...

Her efforts have resulted in the establishment of an endowment for financial education at Penn State, says associate dean Anne Langley, which is further funding Reiter’s financial literacy initiative.

Reiter has only just begun. Next, she says, she’s interested in “track[ing] the long-term impact of her efforts, the lifelong application of financial literacy skills, and continued engagement in financial learning.”"

Pittsburgh’s Youth-Driven Food Boom; New York Times, 3/16/16

Jeff Gordinier, New York Times; Pittsburgh’s Youth-Driven Food Boom:

"If there are scholars who hope to study how a vibrant food culture can help radically transform an American city, the time to do that is right now, in real time, in the place that gave us Heinz ketchup.

In December, Zagat named Pittsburgh the No. 1 food city in America. Vogue just went live with a piece that proclaimed, “Pittsburgh is not just a happening place to visit — increasingly, people, especially New Yorkers, are toying with the idea of moving here.”...

For decades, Pittsburgh was hardly seen as a beacon of innovative cuisine or a magnet for the young. It was the once-glorious metropolis that young people fled from after the shuttering of the steel mills in the early 1980s led to a mass exodus and a stark decline.

“We had to reinvent ourselves,” said Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh’s mayor.

And they have. Over the last decade or so, the city has been the beneficiary of several overlapping booms. Cheap rent and a voracious appetite for culture have attracted artists. Cheap rent and Carnegie Mellon University have attracted companies like Google, Facebook and Uber, seeking to tap local tech talent. And cheap rent alone has inspired chefs to pursue deeply personal projects that might have a hard time surviving in the Darwinian real estate microclimates of New York and San Francisco.

No one can pinpoint whether it was the artists or techies or chefs who got the revitalization rolling. But there’s no denying that restaurants play a starring role in the story Pittsburgh now tells about itself."

Aaron Bell of AdRoll: The Truth May Hurt, but It Also Heals; New York Times, 3/18/16

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Aaron Bell of AdRoll: The Truth May Hurt, but It Also Heals:

"This interview with Aaron Bell, C.E.O. of AdRoll, an online advertising placement firm, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant...

Tell me about the culture of your company now.

I have this overall philosophy that a company is like a human body, which builds up toxins over time. Every company has problems and issues that build up, and you need to find outlets for those things.

I think a lot about how you come up with different practices in the company that are a kind of cleanse. So we do a weekly all-hands meeting, and it’s a weekly flush to get the toxins out.

Before our all-hands meetings, I send out an email with a question-and-answer board and I encourage people to post their questions. You can vote up your favorite questions, and they’re anonymous.

If you give someone a mask, they’ll tell you the truth. I also encourage people to post their fears, their uncertainties and doubts. And there’s a guarantee that any question that is asked will get answered or addressed by me, unless they are personal in nature about someone in particular.

The alternative, if you don’t do that, is that you have people behind closed doors chatting about the company, gossiping, saying negative things.

If you address everything, people feel much more trust. They feel like they know what’s happening. And they’re going to make better decisions because they know what’s going on.""

Leading From the Middle: A Supervisor’s Challenge; New York Times, 3/18/16

Rob Walker, New York Times; Leading From the Middle: A Supervisor’s Challenge:

"I am an assistant manager at a convenience store and gas station chain. My clerks enjoy talking to one another, and this gets excessive when certain employees are paired up. I usually let it go on for five or so minutes before nudging them back to work...

Am I intervening too soon? Is there some better way to say, “Guys, break it up” or “I don’t mind if you talk, but we have to keep working,” and so on?...

A former Google manager named Kim Scott (who has also worked with many other tech companies) has advocated an approach she calls “radical candor.” This is perhaps just a hyped-up way of saying “be honest” — but it’s useful nonetheless.

Ms. Scott suggests two important yardsticks: caring and challenging. The way I read her thinking, each is crucial to providing productive guidance. The problem with a boss who doesn’t really care about workers but challenges them constantly is obvious enough. But a manager who cares about employees yet can never quite muster the courage to be openly critical — even when criticism would ultimate benefit the employee — falls into a category Ms. Scott calls “ruinous empathy.” This is bad for everybody, including you.

With that in mind, refine your nudging. Be clear about setting parameters, as opposed to reacting solely in the moment: We’re here to serve customers, not socialize, so work takes priority over chitchat, period. And as Ms. Scott advises, deliver praise in public, but criticism in private."

Affirming nondiscrimination; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/16/16

Robert Hill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Affirming nondiscrimination:

"Affirmative action does not give someone a job or a place in school. Rather, it embodies two main related aspects: taking action to ensure nondiscrimination and establishing plans designed to improve the diversity of a workforce or college class through analysis and goal-setting.

Established as federal employment policy in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors (receiving more than $10,000 in a single year) from discriminating based on race, religion, national origin and gender (since 1967) in employment-related decisions. Sexual orientation and gender identity were added in 2014.

Larger federal contractors (51 employees; $50,000) are required to establish annual plans aimed at increasing the employment of people who are not white males if analysis reveals such folks are underutilized by a contractor. Hiring goals, not quotas, emerge from the plans.

Compliant contractors proactively engage in a multiplicity of activities — properly described as affirmative action — to broadly make known the availability of job opportunities, to even-handedly consider all candidates who apply and to remove from the hiring process non-job-related criteria that may have the effect — if not the intent — of eliminating otherwise qualified candidates. Over the decades — largely attributable to high visibility Supreme Court cases — affirmative action has come to be most commonly and infamously associated with public college admissions decisions.

Far from assigning preferential treatment in hiring or admissions to any particular class or group of applicants based on race or sex, affirmative action provisions and the 1964 Civil Rights Act actually prohibit it."

The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World; Harvard Business Review, 3/15/16

Sunnie Giles, Harvard Business Review; The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World:

"What makes an effective leader? This question is a focus of my research as an organizational scientist, executive coach, and leadership development consultant. Looking for answers, I recently completed the first round of a study of 195 leaders in 15 countries over 30 global organizations. Participants were asked to choose the 15 most important leadership competencies from a list of 74. I’ve grouped the top ones into five major themes that suggest a set of priorities for leaders and leadership development programs. While some may not surprise you, they’re all difficult to master, in part because improving them requires acting against our nature."

San Jose library amnesty weighed as unpaid fines near $7 million; San Jose Mercury News, 3/7/16

Ramona Giwargis, San Jose Mercury News; San Jose library amnesty weighed as unpaid fines near $7 million:

"Library cards in San Jose are blocked after patrons amass $10 or more in fines. Nearly half of all youth and teen accounts have some unpaid fines, Bourne wrote in a recent report to city leaders.

Oliverio says it's critical to "welcome back" cardholders who've been shut out because of fines, especially children who rely on the resources. He proposes a library amnesty program to forgive penalties for two weeks -- but only if people return the outstanding materials...

Other solutions proposed by Bourne include reducing or waiving fines for youths or allowing people to bring in a brand-new book to replace a lost item. People can also volunteer their time or read to pay off fines, she suggested.

But one longtime library patron thinks it's unfair to forgive other people's fines and fees.

"People have to learn the hard way," said Eddie Acevedo, 60, while browsing Spanish books at Joyce Ellington Branch Library on Thursday."

Movers & Shakers 2016: The People Shaping the Future of Libraries; Library Journal, 3/14/16

Library Journal; Movers & Shakers 2016: The People Shaping the Future of Libraries:

"Fifteen years old and now over 750 leaders strong, Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers (M&S) proudly introduces the Class of 2016—54 individuals profiled in 50 stories, who are changing the face of libraries of all types and sizes. When LJ launched the inaugural M&S issue on March 15, 2002, we had no idea how much enthusiasm it would draw, how the models of service reflected in the Movers’ stories would ripple throughout the field, how the Movers would become a connected cadre of supporters, cheerleaders, and go-to folks for one another and for the profession, or how the careers of those selected would flourish. That first M&S selection led with Felton Thomas, then branch manager at the West Las Vegas Library (where he grew up and was a page) and now head of the Cleveland Public Library."

On the Fight Against HIV and AIDS -- and on the People Who Really Started the Conversation; Huffington Post, 3/13/16

Hillary Clinton, Huffington Post; On the Fight Against HIV and AIDS -- and on the People Who Really Started the Conversation:

"This week, at Nancy Reagan's funeral, I said something inaccurate when speaking about the Reagans' record on HIV and AIDS. Since then, I've heard from countless people who were devastated by the loss of friends and loved ones, and hurt and disappointed by what I said. As someone who has also lost friends and loved ones to AIDS, I understand why. I made a mistake, plain and simple.

I want to use this opportunity to talk not only about where we've come from, but where we must go in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

To be clear, the Reagans did not start a national conversation about HIV and AIDS. That distinction belongs to generations of brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, along with straight allies, who started not just a conversation but a movement that continues to this day...

I believe there's even more we can -- and must -- do together. For starters, let's continue to increase HIV and AIDS research and invest in the promising innovations that research is producing. Medications like PrEP are proving effective in preventing HIV infection; we should expand access to that drug for everyone, including at-risk populations. We should call on Republican governors to put people's health and well-being ahead of politics and extend Medicaid, which would provide health care to those with HIV and AIDS.

We should call on states to reform outdated and stigmatizing HIV criminalization laws. We should increase global funding for HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. And we should cap out-of-pocket expenses and drug costs -- and hold companies like Turing and Valeant accountable when they attempt to gouge patients by jacking up the price of lifesaving medications.

We're still surrounded by memories of loved ones lost and lives cut short. But we're also surrounded by survivors who are fighting harder than ever. We owe it to them and to future generations to continue that fight together. For the first time, an AIDS-free generation is in sight. As president, I promise you that I will not let up until we reach that goal. We will not leave anyone behind."

Clinton's comments on the Reagans and Aids demand more than apology; Guardian, 3/11/16

Steven W. Thrasher, Guardian; Clinton's comments on the Reagans and Aids demand more than apology:

"Aids historians, LGBT activists and anyone who cares about little things like the truth were immediately enraged at Clinton’s false claims. Ronald and Nancy Reagan were no more leaders discussing Aids in the 1980s than Republicans are at championing abortion access today.

“It may be hard for your viewers to remember,” Clinton said, “how difficult it was for people to talk about HIV/Aids back in the 1980s.”

She didn’t lie there. Indeed, it was difficult to talk about Aids throughout the 1980s – largely because of the silence from the White House. In April 1987, activists unveiled a poster that said “Silence = Death” – a month before Reagan would finally devote a speech to the years-long epidemic. That slogan would become the motto of the group Aids Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT-UP), and according to their website, the slogan was asking “Why is Reagan silent about Aids? What is really going on at the Center for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Vatican?”...

But for those of us who care about Aids and LGBT people, it is much harder and important to criticize the frontrunner of the Democratic party, who takes the support of gay voters for granted. Why, in 2016, did the Democratic frontrunner engage so blithely in the erasure of the people who actually did start the “national conversation” about Aids? Was it because they were gay men of the in-your-face variety of activism – many of whom died of the virus?

When Clinton said the Reagans led the way on Aids when “nobody wanted to do anything about it”, she is erasing these people from history in an ugly and dismissive fashion. People initially got HIV in this country through IV drug use, blood transfusions and sex. But while the Reagans looked the other way – even when a friend asked for help – it was was queer activists who were loud as hell in New York and San Francisco who forced the nation to face the plague...

I have been frightened for some time that the crisis of AIDS is not over, especially for black America, and yet it has again largely been erased from our national political consciousness. Aids, which is projected to infect one in two black gay American men, is almost invisible from the presidential race. And now even the Democratic frontrunner has diminished Aids history herself."

Director's Forum: A Blog from USPTO's Leadership: USPTO’s National Summer Teacher Institute – Bringing Innovation to the Classroom; US Patent & Trademark Office, 3/11/16

Russ Slifer, US Patent & Trademark Office; Director's Forum: A Blog from USPTO's Leadership:

"Guest blog by Russ Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Teachers across the country have until March 15 to apply for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) 3rd annual National Summer Teacher Institute—an exceptional opportunity for teachers to garner additional skills in innovation, “making,” and intellectual property, to incorporate into their classrooms.

The institute will be offered in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing from July 17-22, 2016. Fifty elementary, middle school, and high school science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) teachers will be selected to participate, and they will explore experiential training tools, practices, and project-based learning models to help foster skills and motivation for innovation.

Speakers and hands-on workshop instructors will include experts from the USPTO, faculty from MSU, noted scientists and engineers from the Science of Innovation curriculum, and representatives from other federal government agencies and non-profit organizations.

Invention projects provide a practical experience for participants to understand concepts of intellectual property in the context of STEM. Teachers will have access to maker spaces on the campus of MSU during the institute and are encouraged to take ideas and lessons learned back to their own classrooms. The program is designed to help teachers enhance student learning and outcomes, while meeting the rigors of common core and next generation science and engineering standards.

Steve Bennett, an 8th grade engineering and technology teacher at a middle school outside of Houston, participated in the teacher institute in 2014 and served as a teacher ambassador in 2015. Bennett stated the teacher institute was the best summer experience he has had as an educator. He learned about the patent process, how to teach his students about it, and activities to use in the classroom such as making a microscope from a simple laser pointer. Along with the tools and techniques to inspire intellectual property and innovation in his curriculum, Bennett said it’s the connections he made at the institute that help continue to drive him professionally. He’s met more than 60 teachers across the country who he continues to collaborate with and share ideas with. He now works with other schools and universities to promote STEM teaching programs, activities, and events. “The teacher institute opened up a whole new world for me,” he said. “The USPTO’s program can be used for any subject, and I recommend it for any teacher.”

Requirements for the USPTO’s National Summer Teacher Institute include three years of teaching experience and a commitment and willingness to take what they learn back to classrooms to help inspire a new generation of innovators. Teachers are chosen from across the country, and will have travel and lodging expenses covered if they live more than 50 miles from the venue."

Dennis Walcott Named CEO of Queens Library; Library Journal, 3/2/16

Matt Enis and Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Dennis Walcott Named CEO of Queens Library:

"Former New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott was named president and CEO of Queens Library (QL) on March 1. Walcott, a native of Queens, was selected by the board after a six-month national search. He succeeds Bridget Quinn-Carey, who has served as interim president and CEO since former QL president Thomas W. Galante was placed on administrative leave and then fired in December 2014 for alleged misconduct and mismanagement of library funds. Quinn-Carey was named CEO of the Hartford Public Library, CT, on March 4, and is expected to start on April 11. Assuming Walcott’s appointment is approved by the New York State Department of Education (DOE), he will assume his duties at QL on March 14. Although he is not a librarian, Walcott’s career has been devoted to education and social services, serving high-level administrative roles in New York City’s government and community organizations."

Simon Newman Resigns as President of Mount St. Mary’s; Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/1/16

Katherine Mangan and Nick DeSantis, Chronicle of Higher Education; Simon Newman Resigns as President of Mount St. Mary’s:

"Months after he incited a bitter backlash by comparing struggling students to bunnies that needed to be drowned, Simon P. Newman resigned late Monday, effective immediately, as president of Mount St. Mary’s University, in Maryland.

Mr. Newman, a former private-equity chief executive, had come under increasing pressure to step down after his decision to fire two professors — one with tenure — and to demote the provost. All had questioned his controversial freshman-retention plan, which called for encouraging at-risk freshmen who didn’t respond well to advising to drop out during the first weeks of the semester. He presented it as a win-win for students, who could get a tuition refund, and the university, which wouldn’t have those dropouts count against its retention rate.

Mr. Newman — who has since apologized for his blunt language — had said that professors who objected to his plan should stop treating students as cuddly bunnies and drown them instead. That conversation, which a faculty member leaked to the student newspaper, The Mountain Echo, brought a deluge of unwanted national attention to the Roman Catholic university in rural Emmitsburg, Md."