Virginia Mann

The story linking attempts by the University of Virginia to recruit Michael Mann to a professorial chair and attempts to get its president to resign refuses to die. Bacon's Rebellion, a specialist Virginia blog, reviews the evidence for and against.

Comments

[Don Keiller]

OT but another victory for "Big Wind" over the little people.
http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2012/8/Anglesey-Against-Wind-Turbines/SHP_ADJ_191852.aspx

[Joni]

I’ve looked at Mann from both sides now
From Mandia to McIntyre, and still somehow
It’s Mann's indiscretions I recall
I really don’t like Mann at all

[Geckko]

Not bad Joni.

The meter still requires some work though.

[bernie]

I remain confused as to Sullivan's position on Mann's hiring and what role Mann's possible hiring/not hiring in her attempted ouster.
Sullivan appears to be a big, big government type. Her decision to fight to protect Mann's emails after surrendering Michael's to Greenpeace says a lot.

[IanG]

Yes Virginia, there is a Sanity Clause.

[Mike Fowle]

They seem to have a lot of money to burn at these institutions, don't they?

[HaroldW]

Bernie: "...after surrendering Michael's to Greenpeace..."

It is my understanding -- but unfortunately I can't at the moment point to any evidence -- that Pat Michaels' emails were not actually given to Greenpeace. UVa acquiesced to their release under an FoIA request from Greenpeace, but Greenpeace then did not agree to pay the administrative costs, and the emails were not provided after all.

Edit: Aha! Found evidence. From the University of Virginia website:

Q: Did U.Va. give Michaels' emails to Greenpeace?

A. No. After a series of emails and narrowing of the group's request to reduce its costs, and a letter confirming what the amount of those costs would be, U.Va. heard nothing more from Greenpeace.

[Lance Wallace]

UVA apparently agreed to provide Michaels' emails to Greenpeace. Whether or not Greenpeace backed off because of administrative costs does not affect the principle involved. The about-face on Mann was defended on "academic freedom" grounds (which apparently did not exist in Michaels' case).

[kramer]

Re, HaroldW, Nov 30, 2012 at 1:17 PM:

Nice find!

I called UVA about a year ago and talked to somebody in charge of FOI requests and asked why they were fighting the request for Mann's emails. During the conversation, I mentioned to them that they had given Patrick Michael's emails to greenpeace to which she replied this was untrue. The impression I got from her was that UVA had refused to hand them out.

Now I know the rest of the story...

Thanks!

[Geckko]

Harold W,

I have seen it written elsewhere that Greenpeace dropped its FOI request at the same time as ATI lodged theirs.

[John Whitman]

WRT the attempted UVA president ouster, the whole cloth of its back story probably is not woven with Mannian related story threads, but it seems reasonable a small thread or two of the back story belongs to events related to him.

John

[KnR]

Harold W ,UVA were happy to hand over Michael's emails with no talk about acedmic freedom , Greenpeace did not want to pay has they made their point , those who cross us can expect to have their past dug up and smeared for all their worth . Contrast to Mann where UVA has spent lots of time and money to protect his 'academic freedom' becasue ?

[HaroldW]

Lance Wallace: "The about-face on Mann was defended on "academic freedom" grounds (which apparently did not exist in Michaels' case)."
KnR: "UVA were happy to hand over Michael's emails with no talk about acedmic freedom."

I don't think it's as black-and-white as that. Reviewing what I can see concerning these FoIA requests at the UVa & ATI websites, it appears to me that UVa agreed to release Mann's emails (once they were discovered) as readily as Michaels'. After ATI funded the effort, UVa went through the emails individually, and at that time declared a large part of Mann's emails exempt from FoIA. But that stage never occurred in the Michaels case.

I don't think that Michaels complained, or at least not as noisily as Mann. So perhaps UVa would not have claimed as much of Michaels' correspondence off-limits due to "academic freedom" issues as they did with Mann's, but it would be pure speculation to say so. I'd have to say "not proven" to claims of a double-standard here.

[oeman50]

I fail to see a connection between the Sullivan and Mann issues except as a coincidental juxtaposition in time. I live a short distance from Chalottesville and have a several connections with The University so I have followed both issues closely.

In the interest of full disclosure, I fully support the release of Mann's e-mails (that I paid for) and am dismayed at how UVa has fought this action.

[michu]

Mann is losing it??
http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2012/12/kat-von-d-seeks-restraining-order-against-crazed-fan

12/4/2012

Kat Von D is seeking a restraining order against a crazed fan who is allegedly stalking her.

Michael Mann, the alleged stalker, has been sending Kat “creepy” messages online, showing up at her house among other uncomfortable things, TMZ reports.