Tom Roper's Weblog

Information Today on HOSTC inquiry

Information Today run a story on the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee Inquiry. Usefully they link to some of the paper submissions that are on line (though not CILIP's; CILIP seems to be hiding its light under a bushel: the evidence is not on the web site and members are advised to contact a member of staff) inlcuding some I missed such as one from a group of US library organisations including the Association of Research Libraries

After Cheltenham

After, from a racing point of view, the best Cheltenham I can remember, the wise man would stay away from racecourses for a decent period. Not me.
Though I only picked one winner at the Festival, I return to the struggle today with the following:
155 Uttoxeter Tattersals (Ireland) EBF Mares Novices Handicap Chase: Stocks 'n Shares
240 Ascot Cantor Odds Handicap Hurdle: Dante's Reef
255 Uttoxeter John Smiths Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase: Hume Castle
330 Uttoxeter Allied Irish Bank Novices Handicap Chase: Bee an Bee

Patrick Hamilton again

And the Brighton festival has three Patrick Hamilton events to mark his connection with the town in his centenary year:
Doris Lessing with Nigel Jones
Sean French & Nigel Jones
Michael Holroyd and Lynn Truss

Cheltenham: Gold Cup day selections

200 Triumph Hurdle: Adopted Hero
235 Stayers Hurdle: Crystal D'Alnay
315 Gold Cup: Irish Hussar
400 Foxhunter Chase: Never Compromise
435 Grand Annual Chase: Santenay
510 Cathcart Cup Chase: La Landière
545 County Hurdle: Albuhera

Some commentary on my Stayers Hurdle and Gold Cup selections may be helpful. In the former, I think Crystal D'Alnay will certainly get a place, and might just sneak a win, but Baracouda's last run at Sandown was impressive. I think the market in the Gold Cup is possibly skewed by sentiment. Every punter would love to see Best Mate win, but I think the odds on prices that are flying around this morning are not a true reflection of the way the race will run. If it were not for his health problems, Beef or Salmon would have been my selection, but I think Irish Hussar has a very good chance of a place.

Cheltenham: second day selections

200 Royal & SunAlliance Novices Hurdle: Big Moment
235 Royal & SunAlliance Chase: Pizarro
320 Queen Mother Champion Chase: Moscow Flyer
400 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle: Mughas
435 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup: Drombeag
510 Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup Handicap Chase: Barrow Drive
545 Weatherbys Champion Bumper: Blazing Liss

Cheltenham: first day selections

2.00 Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle: Perle De Puce
2.40 Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase: Thisthatandtother
3.20 Smurfit Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy: Rigmarole
4.00 William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase: Royal Auclair
4.40 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase: Toto Toscato
5.20 Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle: Hidden Bounty

Patrick Hamilton

A good piece in Saturday's Guardian on Patrick Hamilton by Dan Rhodes,. Among other things Rhodes returns to the issue of the availability of Hamilton's work, discussed elsewhere in this blog and calls for the London trilogy to be reissued. He says it's out of print; as I pointed out in a comment on Lynne Truss's article in the Times, the BookFind database disagrees. Who's right?

HOSTC scientific journals inquiry: more evidence online

More oral evidence is now online from the 8th March hearings .

Today's selections: Sandown and Wexford

The Saturday before Cheltenham, so for today we have:
135 Sandown, EBF Sunderlands NH Novices Handicap Hurdle: Accipter
210 Sandown, Sunderlands Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle: Hot Shots
310 Sandown, EBF/Doncaster Sales Mares Only NH Flat Race: Golden Odyssey
430 Wexford, Micheal O'Murchadha Handicap Steeplechase: Captain Moonlight

Oral evidence to HoCSTC inquiry

The first session of oral evidence to the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee inquiry into scientific publications is now available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmsctech/uc399-i/uc39902.htm
Robert Campbell, President, Blackwell Publishing , Richard Charkin, Nature Publishing Group , and Dr John Jarvis, Senior Vice President, Europe, Managing Director, Wiley Europe Limited gave evidence.
There was also a session on 8th March, which isn't up yet, in the Thatcher Room (!) where Julia King, Institute of Physics , Sally Morris, Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) , Martin Richardson, Oxford University Press , Nigel Goddard, Axiope , Harold Varmus, Public Library of Science (PLoS) and Vitek Tracz, BioMed Central gave evidence.