Oracle owns the Boston tech scene. That’s all I can think of now.

The Larry Ellison machine from Silicon Valley has spent increasing amounts of money to acquire Boston-area icons, including Phase Forward ($685 million), Endeca (about $1 billion), and now Acme Packet—the latter to the tune of $2.1 billion, a 22 percent premium on Acme’s closing stock price on Friday.

The deal is expected to close in the first half of this year. Presumably Oracle will add Acme Packet’s products to its data communications technologies, to try to help big companies deal with the seismic shifts in Internet communications, networking, and IT that are happening across industries. But exactly how that integration will go is anyone’s guess—it’s always a huge, messy challenge, especially with two established companies.

Acme Packet (NASDAQ: APKT) says it’s not doing interviews about the deal. That’s a bad sign, at least for those of us who want to know what’s really happening here.

The Bedford, MA-based networking tech firm started in 2000 and became a leader in session border control—that’s tech stuff that helps telecoms, wireless firms, and enterprises manage voice-over-IP, video, and other data services over the Internet. Acme Packet had its IPO on the Nasdaq in 2006 and has been up and down as a public company since then.

When I met Acme Packet CEO and co-founder Andy Ory in 2011, his company had rebounded from tough times in 2008-09, and it had a market capitalization of some $5 billion. But over the past year or two, the company’s stock has declined and its market cap dipped well below $2 billion, before a bit of a recovery in the past few months.

Back in 2011, Ory acknowledged that losing companies like DEC, Data General, and Wang hurt the Boston tech scene in previous decades. “We exist because of them,” he said. “We stand on their shoulders. And there is an obligation for us to supply back to the community so there are businesses that stand on our shoulders.”

Ory has been pretty visible in the tech and business community over the past few years, speaking at events, mentoring entrepreneurs, sharing stories and lessons from his companies, and so forth.

Last March, Ory talked with me about continuing to invest for the long term, and about how having 33 percent revenue growth and nearly $80 million in profits in 2011 wasn’t enough; Acme Packet needed to keep pushing on the enterprise and mobile parts of its business.

And most recently, I spoke with Ory and his co-founder and CTO, Patrick MeLampy, at Acme Packet headquarters towards the end of last year. We talked about the proliferation of mobile devices, especially the iPhone 5 (and 4G LTE), and its impact on the future of Internet communications. We also touched on global issues, most notably the center of gravity “moving away from Europe and to Asia for large communication manufacturers,” as Ory put it.

Acme Packet was pushing 900 employees the last time I checked. At this point, their individual fates in the Oracle machine are unknown. What is known, of course, is that another Boston tech icon, built painstakingly over more than a decade, has joined the Bay Area empire.

Trending on Xconomy

Connor Hoban (pictured above)
Belle Harbor

Why’d you decide to do this?
I had a lot of other jobs. I did a lot of DoorDash; I worked at the gym as a trainer. But I wanted a real, stable job, and I wanted something that was noble. My grandfather had a stroke in the summer, and seeing the way the EMTs were so nice to him and made him feel real good
made me want to do that for others.

Was the training intense?
Very. It was paramilitary training. We had to be clean shaven, do push-ups, planking, running — it all sucked. It hurt and was painful. But then, all of a sudden, it’s the last day and you’re ready to graduate and the drill instructors are saying that we’ve blossomed.

The Looney Tunes are about to be back in action on the big screen, through the new film Coyote vs. Acme. The project, which is co-written and produced by now-DC Studios CEO James Gunn, has been one that fans of the animated franchise are particularly excited to see. Even though Coyote vs. Acme does not currently have a release date, a new comment from one of the film's stars indicates that it is well worth the wait. In a latest interview with Collider, Will Forte spoke about his work in the film, and reveled that it will be a hybrid of live-action and animation a la Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

"I mean, it was so fun to make this. It came out of this article that I think is decades old," Forte explained. "Wiley Coyote is suing the Acme Corporation because of all the different contraptions that have exploded in his face, and stuff like that. And so, I get to play Wile E. Coyote's lawyer, and it's a mixture of animation, and it's like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style movie. And yeah, John Cena is so great in it. Lana Condor is in it. It was so much fun making it, and these guys who are making it are so smart. Because you've got to figure out where this animated character is going to move to. It was amazing to be a part of it. So, I'm excited to see how it turns out because, of course, I'm acting with a tennis ball a lot of times. There's a tennis ball for an eye-line, and it's moving around. So, yeah, I think, I don't know how much more I can say about it, but I've blathered on for a while."

In Coyote vs. Acme, after every ACME Corporation product backfired on Wile E. Coyote, in his pursuit of the Road Runner, he hires an equally-unlucky human attorney to sue the company. When Wile E.'s lawyer finds out that his former law firm's intimidating boss is ACME's CEO, he teams up with Wile E. to win the court case against him.

The film also stars John Cena as the opposing lawyer, and Lana Condor in a currently-unknown role. Gunn co-wrote the script alongside Jeremy Slater, Jon Silberman, Josh Silberman, and Samy Burch.

Are you excited for Coyote vs. Acme? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Looney Tunes movies that combine live-action with animation are often hit or miss. But given the enduring legacy of the characters, fans can always count on them returning to the big screen at least once every decade or so. This time, it’s Will Forte’s turn to share the screen with the Looney Tunes family in Coyote vs. Acme. The film was announced last February and wrapped production the following May. Now, Forte has reflected on the experience in a brand new sit-down with Collider.

“I mean, it was so fun to make this,” said Forte. “It came out of this article that I think is decades old. Wile E. Coyote is suing the ACME Corporation because of all the different contraptions that have exploded in his face, and stuff like that. And so, I get to play Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer, and it’s a mixture of animation, and it’s like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style movie.”

Forte also heaped praise on his two co-stars in the film. “John Cena is so great in it,” he continued. “Lana Condor is in it. It was so much fun making it, and these guys who are making it are so smart. Because you’ve got to figure out where this animated character is going to move to. It was amazing to be a part of it. So, I’m excited to see how it turns out because, of course, I’m acting with a tennis ball a lot of times. There’s a tennis ball for an eye-line, and it’s moving around. So, yeah, I think, I don’t know how much more I can say about it, but I’ve blathered on for a while.”

The movie is based on a fake news story that writer and humorist Ian Frazier published in The New Yorker back in 1990. Forte’s character will represent the Coyote in court against his former boss, played by Cena, who is defending the ACME Corporation. Condor’s character is still a mystery. Regardless, it sounds like Wile E. won’t be the only Looney Tunes staple making an appearance in the film.  

“There are so many different characters from that universe that are involved,” teased Forte. “It was a real honor to get to act with all these beloved cartoon characters.”

Dave Green is directing Coyote vs. Acme from a screenplay by Samy Burch. The film also counts James Gunn and Chris DeFaria as two of its producers. Originally, Warner Bros. was planning to release the film on July 21 of this year. But now that the studio’s upcoming Barbie movie has claimed that spot for itself, its current premiere date is unknown.

Are you excited to watch Forte interact with various Looney Tunes characters? Let us know in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons

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The Bologna Children's Book Fair, which will be held in Bologna, Italy, March 6-9, has announced its initial slate of programs for Bologna Book Plus, the fair's general publishing education track. The first morning will feature an overview of the Italian Book Market delivered by the Italian Publishers Association.

This year's author ambassador is Lloyd Grossman, the American-British television personality, actor, and author. His most latest book is An Elephant in Rome: Bernini, the Pope and the Making of the Eternal City (Pallas Athene). Grossman will have several staged conversations at the event, including with Jacks Thomas, guest director of Bologna Book Plus; U.K. publisher Richard Charkin; and historian Mark Gilbert.

Grossman will also offer the keynote at the seminar “Call Your Agent: How to Become a Successful Literary Agent” on March 7. The event, which is chaired Jamie Hodder-Williams, will offer sessions focused on best practices for literary agents. Speakers will include Luigi Bonomi, Valentina Colombo, and Lora Fountain. Rosalind Ramsay of U.K.-based RR Scouting will offer a session on scouting.

This program will be preceded by a full day of training for aspiring literary agents on March 7, entitled “How to Sell Rights and Understand Licensing in Children’s Books.” That event is chaired by Tracy Phillips.

Bologna Book Plus will also inaugurate a market of honor program, which this year focuses on Greece. The country's literary industry will be featured in a series of panels and discussions.

Greece's illustration and design culture will be the focus of the “Illustration Book Jacket Design: Celebrating the Best of the Best” event on March 8. On March 9, the “Jackets Off!” exhibition will examine the different interpretations of George Orwell’s contemporary classic 1984 across cultures and languages.

For this year's Illustrators Exhibition, which sits at the heart of the fair, 79 sets of illustrations by 80 artists from 28 countries and territories will be on display. China has a dozen illustrators on the list, which marks the largest number from a single country; just one American, Rahele Bell, made the cut. In all, 4,345 illustrators from 91 countries and territories applied.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Jonathan Majors revealed that he's had some clown training. He and his buddy Paul Rudd sat down with The Project to hype the Marvel movie. During their conversation, the Kang the Conqueror reflected on his clown training at Yale. Now, you might not know that the Ivy League has a long tradition of producing people who should be wearing red noses. But, Majors is probably the highest profile one right now. He obviously loves certain aspect of that performance. Marvel fans have probably seen the clip of him juggling on Jimmy Kimmel Live last year. So, it's not like no one can believe that he would be into that kind of thing. But, to hear him speak about it, the respect for the craft is admirable. 

"I carry my red nose with me everywhere I go," Majors began. "I will admit, currently, it's at the Park Hyatt, it was left behind. It's not with me. It's always nearby." When asked why he still carries it, the MCU villain offered, "Clowning is something special. It allows you to go to a place that is unsocialized, a bit wild, a bit zany. It lets you take off your daily armor and play."

Werewolf by Night producer Brian Gay hyped the Kang star in front of his big villainous debut. Fans need to know what they're in for. "Jonathan is a phenomenal actor and comes in prepared and so thoughtful," Gay explained. "And I think part of the fun is that we got someone who is so talented that he can play as they say in Loki, the low keys and the high keys, and go across the whole range with him. I'm so excited for everyone to see the incredible work he's done. I think that he's an incredible presence on the MCU. And when he steps on screen, you know that Kang is there. He gives that embodiment and that gravitas that's so focal to that character."

Marvel describes the big Kang debut in the movie's latest synopsis: "In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope's parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang."

What other MCU actor could you believed was trained as a clown? Let us know down in the comments!

© Provided by The 74

Florida’s top education officials on Wednesday approved new training protocols for school librarians to consider “bias,” “indoctrination,” and “pornography” when vetting books and other materials in schools.

The training, in part, instructs media certified to “err on the side of caution” when deciding whether a book is appropriate for school libraries.

This point speaks to a larger trend in limiting ideas students are exposed to in Florida public schools.

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However, some conservative activists argued the rules do not go far enough in limiting content available in public school libraries and classrooms.

The state Board of Education approved the rules to implement a law passed during the 2022 legislative session, HB 1467, which critics believed would bring a wave of book bans in Florida classrooms.

One point in particular stirred dissent, even those who supported the new rule overall: language defining materials deemed “harmful to minors,” including depictions of nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement.

The statute allows consideration for literary merit or other purposes, saying that to be “harmful to minors” the material must be “without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.” Conservative audience members argued that would allow books they find disagreeable or unduly graphic into classrooms.

“The language … has been used as a loophole not just here in Florida but all across the United States as a way to supply permission for the harmful content to be in,” said Robert Goodman, the executive director of the Polk County Chapter of County Citizens Defending Freedom.

Many of the public commenters on hand Wednesday had connections to the group, a conservative organization that has played a major role in book challenges across the state.

The law requires new online training for “media specialists” who oversee school libraries, which the board approved during a meeting at the Nassau County School Board Office in Northeast Florida.

The training merges new and preexisting state rules involving instructional materials and library books, while offering “considerations” that media certified should take into account when selecting books.

In addition to the age, grade level, and maturity of students, considerations should include “the accurate portrayal of the state’s broad racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity, without bias or indoctrination,” according to officials who devised the protocols.

HB 1467, along with other laws like the Parental Rights in Education Act (known to critics as “Don’t Say Gay”) and Department of Education rules that ban works like The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project” have some educators and free speech groups concerned about a wave of censorship in Florida classrooms.

Free-speech advocacy groups like PEN America have been tracking book challenges across the United States, ranking Florida No. 2 with the second highest number of book challenges and bans in the nation in September.

© Provided by The 74 Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” (Max McCoy / Kansas Reflector)

Here is a sampling of some of the most challenged book titles in Florida last school year, according to a Phoenix analysis of PEN America’s data:

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, a series of essays reflecting the life of the author, who is Black and nonbinary. The book has been challenged in seven Florida school districts.“Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, who died in 2019, have been challenged in seven  Florida counties. Morrison earned the Pulitzer Prize for “Beloved” in 1988.“Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult, which centers the events of a school shooting, was challenged or banned in seven counties.“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, which depicts police violence against Black characters and focuses on race relations, has been challenged or banned in eight school districts.“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, which depicts the story of a high-school student’s suicide and was adapted into a Netflix TV show, has been banned or challenged in eight school districts.

‘Literary value’

April Morgan, a teacher aid at the private Christian school Calvary Chapel Academy, questioned inclusion of “literary value” as a consideration.

“The argument for some is that we cannot remove the questionable books because they contain literary value. I’d like to challenge that valuation of books, because not all literature is beneficial for students. The keyword is ‘beneficial,’” Morgan said.

“Educational value is not equal to literary value. Literature containing descriptive details of rape, abuse, trauma, et cetera does not bring value to 12- to 18-year-olds,” she continued.

The wave of criticism may have swayed members of the state board, but because the “literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors” language comes from statute, there was little the board could do.

“So, if this board agreed with the sentiment from many speakers today that that there is, for lack of a better word, a ‘loophole’ or that there could be better language … we don’t have the authority to do that,” board Chair Tom Grady said. “You’re telling me that this is straight from the statute, and any changes would have to be addressed by the [Florida] Legislature.”

Board member Grazie Christie asked whether the board could ask the Legislature whether that language could be “tightened up” to keep “pornographic materials out of our children’s library.”

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. agreed that the language “certainly can be tweaked by the Legislature.”

With 2023 committee meetings underway leading to the 2023 legislative session starting in March, it’s possible the issue could be addressed then.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

Dr. Prabhakara Viswakarma Govindachari, a resident of Qatar has been awarded a certificate from the prestigious “Golden Book of World Records “, in appreciation of his music-based project on sexual well-being. He is a practicing Dermatologist with a desparate interest in music and behavioral sciences.

Dr. Prabhakara Govindachari Viswakarma states, “These music tracks have been created by the panel of our expert music maestros based on the concept stated in a book titled ‘Quantum Union’ that has been authored by me and will be released soon. The book talks about the union of the mind, body and the soul. These tracks have been designed to enhance an individual’s experiences of love and sex. This exclusive creation is based on the scientific research of human biological responses to various sounds of specific frequencies during different stages of sexual activities.”

He says, people look for different remedies when they feel something is amiss in their love life. Some even resort to medications. The doctor firmly believes that listening to the right kind of music can help significantly in improving one’s romantic experiences with one’s partner and promote healthier relationships. His expertise as a specialised medical practitioner and love for music contributed towards lending this project a definite shape.

The project emphasizes the importance of music created according to the process of the human physiology of lovemaking by eliciting the response of emotional calmness, peace, romance, and love.

There are 4 albums, each lasting for 2 hours.
1. Romance
2. Passion
3. Seduction
4. Lust

Available on Itunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Anghami, Deezer, Music.youtube.com, and most online streaming platforms.

The tracks are using Indian classical music instruments. These albums have been recorded at Bangalore, in collaboration with a well-known group of musicians.

He intends to produce similar tracks using Arabic and Western musical instruments. He welcomes partners and collaborators.

He can be reached on vgprabhakar2015@gmail.com

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lku8N42W8im2Dw2ySHxBn7dx0nEumS30s

Instagram: @prabhakaravg