counterpoise n : an equivalent counterbalancing weight [syn: counterweight, counterbalance, balance, equalizer, equaliser] v : constitute a counterweight or counterbalance to [syn: counterweight, counterpose]

English

Etymology

Noun

1. A weight sufficient to balance another, as in the opposite scale of a balance; an equal weight.
2. An equal power or force acting in opposition; a force sufficient to balance another force.
3. The relation of two weights or forces which balance each other; equilibrium; equiponderance.

Verb

1. To act against with equal weight; to equal in weight; to balance the weight of; to counterbalance.
2. To act against with equal power; to balance.

Counterpoise http://www.counterpoise.info/ is an alternative review journal based in Gainesville, Florida (USA). It was founded in 1997 by Charles Willett, as a project of the AIP Task Forcehttp://libr.org/amtf/ of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT). In January of 2001, Counterpoise became a project of the Civic Media Center http://www.civicmediacenter.org/ (an alternative library also located in Gainesville, Florida). Counterpoise magazine focuses on marginalized publications—books, magazines, and films on controversial topics or viewpoints that are not adequately represented in American mainstream press. The magazine is released on a quarterly basis; one issue each year is a double issue.

Counterpoise is a collective, wherein all members participate in the process of creating and publishing the magazine. The Collective is composed of volunteers and student interns from the University of Florida and Florida State University. The magazine is distributed throughout the US, Canada, and Great Britain; contributors (writers and reviewers) come from a wide range of fields and include historians, journalists, librarians, teachers, and activists of all stripes. Both the CMC and Counterpoise are non-profit organizations.

The volunteers at Counterpoise and the CMC are now contributing a weekly talk radio show for Gainesville's low power FM station WGOT-LP 94.7, which just recently began broadcasting (January 2008). The show airs locally on Mondays at 2pm, Wednesdays at 9pm, and again Saturdays at 2pm.

Counterpoise: a journal for social responsibilities, liberty, and dissent.

See also

• Counterpoise Myspace
• American Library Association
• Northland Poster Collective
• Zines