diff --git a/Foundation/include/Poco/Bugcheck.h b/Foundation/include/Poco/Bugcheck.h
index f48ffb27c..0bd62eae8 100644
--- a/Foundation/include/Poco/Bugcheck.h
+++ b/Foundation/include/Poco/Bugcheck.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 
 #include "Poco/Foundation.h"
+#include <cstddef>
 #include <string>
 #if defined(_DEBUG)
 #	include <iostream>
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ class Foundation_API Bugcheck
 	/// automatically provide useful context information.
 {
 public:
-	static void assertion(const char* cond, const char* file, int line);
+	static void assertion(const char* cond, const char* file, int line, const char* text = NULL);
 		/// An assertion failed. Break into the debugger, if
 		/// possible, then throw an AssertionViolationException.
 		
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ public:
 		/// possible.
 
 protected:
-	static std::string what(const char* msg, const char* file, int line);
+	static std::string what(const char* msg, const char* file, int line, const char* text = NULL);
 };
 
 
@@ -84,7 +85,11 @@ protected:
 #if defined(_DEBUG)
 	#define poco_assert_dbg(cond) \
 		if (!(cond)) Poco::Bugcheck::assertion(#cond, __FILE__, __LINE__); else (void) 0
+
+   #define poco_assert_msg_dbg(cond, text) \
+		if (!(cond)) Poco::Bugcheck::assertion(#cond, __FILE__, __LINE__, text); else (void) 0
 #else
+   #define poco_assert_msg_dbg(cond, text)
 	#define poco_assert_dbg(cond)
 #endif
 
@@ -92,6 +97,8 @@ protected:
 #define poco_assert(cond) \
 	if (!(cond)) Poco::Bugcheck::assertion(#cond, __FILE__, __LINE__); else (void) 0
 
+#define poco_assert_msg(cond, text) \
+	if (!(cond)) Poco::Bugcheck::assertion(#cond, __FILE__, __LINE__, text); else (void) 0
 
 #define poco_check_ptr(ptr) \
 	if (!(ptr)) Poco::Bugcheck::nullPointer(#ptr, __FILE__, __LINE__); else (void) 0
diff --git a/Foundation/include/Poco/Timestamp.h b/Foundation/include/Poco/Timestamp.h
index 2ce171048..3cc79cc03 100644
--- a/Foundation/include/Poco/Timestamp.h
+++ b/Foundation/include/Poco/Timestamp.h
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ public:
 	typedef Int64 UtcTimeVal; /// monotonic UTC time value in 100 nanosecond resolution
 	typedef Int64 TimeDiff;   /// difference between two timestamps in microseconds
 
+   static const TimeVal Min;
+   static const TimeVal Max;
+
 	Timestamp();
 		/// Creates a timestamp with the current time.
 		
diff --git a/Foundation/src/Bugcheck.cpp b/Foundation/src/Bugcheck.cpp
index ea2cfe9f5..c7609bc50 100644
--- a/Foundation/src/Bugcheck.cpp
+++ b/Foundation/src/Bugcheck.cpp
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@
 namespace Poco {
 
 
-void Bugcheck::assertion(const char* cond, const char* file, int line)
+void Bugcheck::assertion(const char* cond, const char* file, int line, const char* text)
 {
-	Debugger::enter(std::string("Assertion violation: ") + cond, file, line);
-	throw AssertionViolationException(what(cond, file, line));
+	Debugger::enter(std::string("Assertion violation: ") + cond + (text != NULL ? (std::string(" (") + text + std::string(")")) : ""), file, line);
+	throw AssertionViolationException(what(cond, file, line, text));
 }
 
 
@@ -100,10 +100,11 @@ void Bugcheck::debugger(const char* msg, const char* file, int line)
 }
 
 
-std::string Bugcheck::what(const char* msg, const char* file, int line)
+std::string Bugcheck::what(const char* msg, const char* file, int line, const char* text)
 {
 	std::ostringstream str;
 	if (msg) str << msg << " ";
+   if (text != NULL) str << "(" << text << ") ";
 	str << "in file \"" << file << "\", line " << line;
 	return str.str();
 }
diff --git a/Foundation/src/Timestamp.cpp b/Foundation/src/Timestamp.cpp
index a3c8a55f0..2497eb291 100644
--- a/Foundation/src/Timestamp.cpp
+++ b/Foundation/src/Timestamp.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 #include "Poco/Timespan.h"
 #include "Poco/Exception.h"
 #include <algorithm>
+#ifdef min
+   #undef min
+#endif
+#ifdef max
+   #undef max
+#endif
+#include <limits>
 #if defined(POCO_OS_FAMILY_UNIX)
 #include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
@@ -260,6 +267,8 @@ Timestamp& Timestamp::operator -= (const Timespan& span)
 	return *this -= span.totalMicroseconds();
 }
 
+const Timestamp::TimeVal Timestamp::Min = std::numeric_limits<Timestamp::TimeVal>::min();
+const Timestamp::TimeVal Timestamp::Max = std::numeric_limits<Timestamp::TimeVal>::max();
 
 #if defined(_WIN32)