LibWorm.com provides a librarian RSS filtering service. Over 1500 RSS librarian sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest headlines from journals and sites in the Law interest group. http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:50:24 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/10/in-the-news-proposal-to-merge-national-library-of-new-zealand-national-archives-of-new-zealand/ A proposal to merge the National Library of NZ and the National Archives of NZ and merge them into the Department of Internal Affairs continues to have opinions published Here are a couple from the past few days: + Archives, Library merger turning back the clock (via NZ Labour Party) “The Government is trying to wind back the clock by putting Archives and the National Library under the control of Internal Affairs, after extensive work was done to separate them only a decade ago,” Grant Robertson said. “The Chief Archivist needs to be in the position to enforce the law that requires other government agencies to keep and deposit their records. That will be compromised with a re-merger into Internal Affairs. “When the National Library was administered by Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education it struggled to have a voice. The separation allowed protection for the iconic Alexander Turnbull Library, and a place for library users to have a role in its management. None of this can be guaranteed with a re-merger. + If it’s not broken then don’t fix it (via New Zealand Society of Authors) The New Zealand Society of Authors has strong reservations about the proposed merger of Archives New Zealand and the National Library into the Department of Internal Affairs. [Snip] Tony Simpson, President of the Society, comments “Research facilities are not only important to historians and writers of historical fiction, but also to the protection of New Zealand history. It is crucial that the integrity of New Zealand’s research facilities be maintained and we are concerned that through this merger Archives New Zealand will lose its autonomy which would jeopardise its objectives with serious consequences for freedom of speech.” We will continue to monitor and post news and opinion from all sides. (Source: ResourceShelf) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:44:28 +0100 825325 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/jkbaumga/2010/03/10/journalisms-digital-transition-unique-legal-challenges-and-opportunities-conference-at-harvard-49/ “The Berkman Center’s Citizen Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic are pleased to announce a one-day symposium and [continuing legal education] program to celebrate the launch of the Online Media Legal Network (OMLN) [called Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities]. OMLN is a legal referral service that connects qualifying online journalism ventures and digital media creators with lawyers willing to provide legal services on a pro bono or reduced-fee basis. It supports promising ventures and innovative thinkers in online and digital media by providing access to legal help that would otherwise be unavailable. The program will bring together panels of academics, legal practitioners, and journalists. Topics include the legal issues arising from news aggregation and managing online communities, as well as the question of what comes next for journalism, and how the legal profession can assist (or hinder) journalism’s digital transition.” 4/9/10, 9 am – 6 pm, Harvard Law School $275 ($225 if registration is received before March 22), which includes all CLE/course materials (Source: J's Scratchpad) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:37:36 +0100 825256 http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/03/10/the-mysteries-of-cataloguing/ Jennie Law – “Here, we have our own catalogue system. It doesn’t have a name, but if it did, it would probably be something along the lines of “I need this book NOW, no I don’t care about the precise spelling of the authors middle name, or their date of birth.” I know, I know, it’s not snappy, but it’s accurate. Cataloguing demands are different in a commercial law firm: we don’t care about much more than what it’s about, who wrote, when, and what jurisdiction it covers. And what we really, really care about is “where the hell is it” (Source: Library Stuff) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:00:48 +0100 825307 http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/5425 A Growing Terrorist Threat? Assessing "Homegrown" Extremism in the United States. The Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report earlier this week that address "homegrown extremism" in the United States. The report focused on "five events during the fall of 2009 which thrust concerns over “homegrown” terrorism—or extremist violence perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens—into public view." According to the report, "this rash of arrests has important implications for policymakers and officials in charge of counterterrorism and homeland security because U.S. legal residents and citizens are lucrative assets for global terrorist organizations. Facing comparatively few restrictions, U.S. legal residents and citizens can travel abroad, connect with terrorist groups to gain explosives or weapons training, and return here to plan and execute attacks. Particularly troubling are homegrown extremists who possess facility with both American and foreign cultures, including language skills. Such multi-cultural familiarity could allow them to operate freely both at home and overseas and to elude—far more easily than foreign nationals—U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials." read more (Source: HSDL Weblog - On the HomeFront) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:59:08 +0100 825223 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33196 Fiscal Policy Choices (PDF; 447 KB) Source: Congressional Budget Office From CBO Director’s Blog: I spoke yesterday at the annual economic policy conference of the NABE, the National Association for Business Economics. The theme of the conference was “The New Normal? Policy Choices After the Great Recession,” and naturally I discussed fiscal policy choices. My slides and remarks were based on CBO’s January report on the budget and economic outlook and preliminary analysis of the President’s budget released last Friday. The first part of my presentation focused on the next few years. CBO forecasts that the economic recovery will be fairly slow, with the unemployment rate returning to near its long-run sustainable level of 5 percent only in 2014. One factor underlying that forecast is declining support for economic activity from fiscal policy. CBO’s baseline budget projection, which follows current law, shows the budget deficit dropping from about 9 percent of GDP in this fiscal year to about 4 percent of GDP two years from now. That decline of roughly 5 percentage points would be the sharpest two-year reduction in the budget deficit that we have seen since the end of World War II. Most of that decline can be attributed not to improving economic conditions (although those play some role) but to the diminishing impact of last year’s stimulus legislation and the scheduled expiration of earlier tax reductions. The effects of last year’s stimulus package on government outlays and receipts peaks in fiscal year 2010, as can be seen in the following picture, and CBO estimates that the effects of the package on output and employment will begin to wane later this year. (Source: Docuticker) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:27:21 +0100 825292 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/5981 BERKMAN CENTER FOR INTERNET & SOCIETY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITYMarch 10, 2010 // Upcoming events and digital media [1] [TODAY 3/10/10] Institute of Politics Forum Event Co-Sponsored by the Berkman Center: "Digital Governance -- From the State House to the White House" with Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO; Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Teri Takai: CIO, State of California Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2010/03/digitalgovernanceforum) [2] [TUESDAY 3/16/10] Berkman Center Luncheon Series: "Cyber-pluralism: Can We Get Along with Each Other in a “Splitting” Internet?" with Donnie, Hao Dong, Berkman Fellow (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2010/03/dong) [3] [REGISTER NOW! 4/9/10] Conference: Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities, organized by the Citizen Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic (http://www.omln.org/conference) [TODAY] IOP FORUM on DIGITAL GOVERNANCE==================================================================================3/10/10, 6:00PM, JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School Topic: Digital Governance -- From the State House to the White HouseGuests: Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO; Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Teri Takai: CIO, State of California Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS The Berkman Center will co-sponsor a panel discussion with chief technology officers and information officers from the White House, State of CA, and State of MA. Panelists include: * Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO;* Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts;* Teri Takai: CIO, State of California* Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS This event will be webcast live; for more information and a complete description, see the event web page: http://cyber.law.harvard. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:55:12 +0100 825360 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/new-law-may-provide-some-relief-from-high-textbook-prices.html The climbing cost of college textbooks has been the subject of congressional hearings and legislative efforts in almost three dozen states. A federal law that takes effect in July is aimed at controlling textbook costs.It requires publishers to tell professors the price of textbooks when they choose books for classes, and it ends the practice of bundling — packaging editions with CD-ROMS, study guides and online tools, which critics say are unnecessary. It asks colleges to tell students which textbooks they need a semester early. Publishers said they are offering options this year for students, including e-books, no-frills and low-cost printed texts, rentals and customized curriculum. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825281 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Digitization101/~3/5sFKOdyU72g/book-guide-to-distributed-digital.html  The announcement below was received via email.  Please note that the book is for sale via lulu.com Authored by members of the MetaArchive Cooperative, A Guide to Distributed Digital Preservation is the first of a series of volumes from the Educopia Institute describing successful collaborative strategies and articulating specific new models that may help cultural memory organizations work together for their mutual benefit.This volume is devoted to the broad topic of distributed digital preservation, a still-emerging field of practice for the cultural memory arena. Replication and distribution hold out the promise of indefinite preservation of materials without degradation, but establishing effective organizational and technical processes to enable this form of digital preservation is daunting. Institutions need practical examples of how this task can be accomplished in manageable, low-cost ways.This guide is written with a broad audience in mind that includes librarians, archivists, scholars, curators, technologists, lawyers, and administrators. Readers may use this guide to gain both a philosophical and practical understanding of the emerging field of distributed digital preservation, including how to establish or join a network.Readers may access A Guide to Distributed Digital Preservation as a freely downloadable pdf and/or as a print publication for purchase. Please visit http://www.metaarchive.org/GDDP to download or order the book.Technorati tag: Digital PreservationThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. (Source: Digitization 101) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825272 http://dallnet.blogspot.com/2010/03/state-bar-free-legal-resources.html 3 Geeks and a Law Blog posted an interactive map showing which state bar associations provided what free legal resources. Check it out! (Source: Lex Scripta) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825245 http://cincinnatilaw.blogspot.com/2010/03/us-supreme-court-cases.html The Unites States Supreme Court in its decision in Bloate v. United States Monday , reaffirmed that "The Speedy Trial Act of 1974 (Act) requires a criminal defendant's trial to commence within 70 days of his indictment or initial appearance,18 U. S. C. §3161(c)(1), and entitles him to dismissal of the charges if that deadline is not met, §3162(a)(2)… The Act also "automatically excludes from the (Source: Cincinnati Law Library Association) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825224 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/boston-public-library-branch-closings.html The Boston Globe's Andrew Ryan reports on a passionate and raucous meeting at the central Boston Public Library. Nearly 400 people packed a lecture hall in the beautiful Copley branch. When City Council President Michael Ross stepped to the microphone at one point, the crowd roared, and people shouted: "The public goes first!" and "Let the people speak!" And speak they did! The city council, Mayor Menino and the Trustees of the Public Library got quite an earful from the people of Boston. Sell a page from the 556-year-old Gutenberg Bible, one woman suggested. Charge a modest fee for library cards, said another, waving a $10 bill.One man said that he was a prison librarian while serving time in Walpole and that closing any library branches would be far worse than any of his crimes.“I may have robbed a bank, but I have never burned a book,’’ said the man, John McGrath. “And that’s what you do when you close a library branch, because they are never going to reopen.’’ (snip)“It’s outrageous that it has come to this,’’ said Yann Poisson of Dorchester. “Only a fifth-term mayor could dismiss libraries as a 21st-century anachronism, something that can be replaced by Yahoo or Google.’’The library’s president, Amy E. Ryan, outlined a broad range of criteria that will be used to target branches for potential closing, including computer usage, handicapped accessibility, proximity to other branches, and the story behind each location. No decisions have been made.The library lacks a sufficient number of computers, Ryan said, and it cannot adequately staff some of its most basic programs, such as story hours.“We have to ensure that if it says Boston Public Library over the door that we have to commit resources for families, kids, and adults,’’ Ryan said.Some at the meeting, though, accused Mayor Thomas M. Menino of trying to divide the city and pit neighborhood against neighborhood. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825179 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33168 Southwest Border Violence: Issues in Identifying and Measuring Spillover Violence7 (PDF; 710 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Secrecy News/Federation of American Scientists) There has been a recent increase in the level of drug trafficking-related violence within and between the drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. This violence has generated concern among U.S. policy makers that the violence in Mexico might spill over into the United States. Currently, U.S. federal officials deny that the recent increase in drug trafficking-related violence in Mexico has resulted in a spillover into the United States, but they acknowledge that the prospect is a serious concern. The most recent threat assessment indicates that the Mexican drug trafficking organizations pose the greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States, and this threat is driven partly by U.S. demand for drugs. Mexican drug trafficking organizations are the major suppliers and key producers of most illegal drugs smuggled into the United States across the Southwest border (SWB). The nature of the conflict between the Mexican drug trafficking organizations in Mexico has manifested itself, in part, as a struggle for control of these smuggling routes into the United States. Further, in an illegal marketplace—such as that of illicit drugs—where prices and profits are elevated due to the risks of operating outside the law, violence or the threat of violence becomes the primary means for settling disputes. When assessing the potential implications of the increased violence in Mexico, one of the central concerns for Congress is the potential for what has been termed “spillover” violence—an increase in drug trafficking-related violence in United States. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:26:12 +0100 825104 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/5Xjjmnmvjkg/ Christopher Kenneally, Copyright Clearance Center, moderator; John Silbersack, Trident Media Group; Sara Pearl, Trident Media Group John Silbersack: literary agent. even for major authors electronic book sales only account for a few percentage points. Meeting with ebook companies who want to explain their ebook models almost every week, but still very little money being generated on these deals. Most companies don’t offer an advance but higher royalties. These companies are also selling a marketing platform. Probably not the time to fight the battle about who owns backlist ebook rights because of low monetary value. But it is a battle that will have to be fought eventually. 700 backlist works in the Isaac Asimov estate. How does the agent make them available? Time to try short term licenses and experimentation to find best way. Often these new products will be sold side-by-side with the original book. What makes this content different and takes it out of verbatim rights? For out of print books that have reverted to the author, spending a lot of time now sending termination notices to publishers. For the last 50 years in publishing has been a pretty common practice to use orphan works without permission and put aside some money in case someone comes forward. Not so different than what Google is doing now. For the working writer the Google settlement doesn’t make much difference because can opt in/out. How Amazon take a larger percentage of revenue from an ebook sale than the author gets. Sara Pearl: lawyer. Amazon thinks of themselves as publishers. Their view is that they are creating a new product. For front list publishers very clear that they keep verbatim rights, for “new media rights” those tend to be reserved by author. Author contributes about 20% of “enhanced” work and a lack of clarity about who creates the remaining 80% and what rights are involved. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:57:25 +0100 824960 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33166 Honduran Political Crisis, June 2009-January 2010 (PDF; 285 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Secrecy News/Federation of American Scientists) On June 28, 2009, the Honduran military detained President Manuel Zelaya and flew him to exile in Costa Rica, ending 27 years of uninterrupted democratic, constitutional governance. Honduran governmental institutions had become increasingly polarized in the preceding months as a result of Zelaya’s intention to hold a non-binding referendum and eventually amend the constitution. After the ouster, the Honduran Supreme Court asserted that an arrest warrant had been issued for Zelaya as a result of his noncompliance with judicial decisions that had declared the non-binding referendum unconstitutional. However, the military’s actions halted the judicial process before a trial could be held. The Honduran National Congress then adopted a resolution to replace Zelaya with the President of Congress, Roberto Micheletti. Micheletti insisted that he took power through a “constitutional succession” throughout the seven months between Zelaya’s forced removal and the inauguration of new President Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo Sosa. He also maintained tight control of Honduran society, severely restricting political activity that opposed his government. President Lobo, who won a November 2009 election that had been scheduled prior to the ouster, took office on January 27, 2010. Some Hondurans declared the election illegitimate, however, as a result of the conditions in the country at the time it was held. The political crisis has left Lobo with a number of challenges, including considerable domestic political polarization, a lack of international recognition, and a faltering economy. The United States and the rest of the international community universally condemned Zelaya’s ouster. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:22:49 +0100 824936 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/09/crossref-adds-new-members/ From the CrossRef Blog The new members of CrossRef are: Advanced Research Journals American Journal of Comparative Law Journal of the Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology Textrum, Ltd. Chinese Birds Coldev Editions Comparative Politics Estonian Association for Applied Linguistics Kyoto University Library Turkish Neurological Society Source: CrossRef (Source: ResourceShelf) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:57:08 +0100 824990 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/umPoFrhFOGM/stieg-larsson-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo Everything you need to know about Stieg Larsson, the bestselling author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo▶ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was originally published in Sweden as Men Who Hate Women, a title English-language publishers rightly thought read, Don't Buy This Book. It is the first of the Millennium trilogy, a series of contemporary Swedish thrillers featuring Lisbeth Salander, a semi-psychotic hacker, and Mikael Blomqvist, a leftwing investigative journalist. The film adaptation opens on Friday.▶ Stieg Larsson conceived the Millennium books as a series of 10 novels, but he died of a heart attack, aged 50, before the first volume was even published. Because he was himself an investigative journalist, there were unsubstantiated rumours Larsson had been murdered. An outline manuscript of the fourth book is believed to exist, but his partner, Eva Gabrielsson, refuses to let it be published.▶ Despite the edgy nature of the protagonists and its themes of violence against women and political corruption, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a surprisingly old-fashioned story of a large dysfunctional family set in a closed community. The writing is also old-fashioned: Larsson allows no "I" to go undotted nor "T" uncrossed as the story continues for another 60 pages after the main denouement.▶ Because Larsson and Gabrielsson never married, his estate has been the subject of a long legal battle. Under Swedish law, Gabrielsson has no right to inheritance, despite being mother to Larsson's child, and she is locked in a dispute with Larsson's father and brother who copped the lot. A 1977 will, in which Larsson left all his assets to the Communist Workers League, has been deemed invalid as it was unsigned.▶ The Millennium trilogy is published in the UK by Christopher MacLehose, the man who brought other Scandinavian writers, such as Henning Mankell and Peter Høeg, to a British audience. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:30:00 +0100 825061 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33158 Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests (PDF; 411 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) Although Russia made some uneven progress in democratization during the 1990s, this limited progress was reversed after Vladimir Putin rose to power in 1999-2000 (first as prime minister, then as president), according to most observers. During this period, the State Duma (lower legislative chamber) came to be dominated by government-approved parties, and opposition democratic parties were excluded. Putin also abolished gubernatorial elections, placed controls on the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and established government ownership or control over major media and major industries, including the energy sector. Putin’s suppression of insurgency in the Chechnya republic demonstrated his government’s generally low regard for the rule of law and respect for human rights, according to these observers. Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin’s chosen successor and long-time protégé, was elected President in March 2008 with about 70% of the vote. Immediately after the election, Putin became Prime Minister. President Medvedev generally has continued policies established during the Putin presidency. In August 2008, the Medvedev-Putin “tandem” directed wide-scale military operations against Georgia and unilaterally recognized the independence of Georgia’s separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia, actions that most of the international community have censured. The sharp decline in oil and gas prices since mid-2008 and other aspects of the global economic downturn put a halt to a Russian economic expansion that had begun in 1999, resulting in an officially reported 9.5% drop in gross domestic product in 2008 and an estimated 8-9% drop in 2009. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:08:31 +0100 824939 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2010/03/wilbanks Tuesday, March 9, 12:30 pmBerkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floorRSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp@cyber.law.harvard.edu)This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.Scientific research has so far shown significant resistance to adopting the kinds of "generative" effects we've seen in networks and culture. Most of the resistance is systemic - emerging from the institutions that host research, the cultures of scientific publication and reward, the lack of infrastructures to make data and tools easy to transfer and master, and the trend towards micro-specialization of disciplines. However, some interventions from the free culture and free software world can be "localized" to create an increased tendency towards generativity, and there is evidence of early success. Now it's important to begin questioning the interventions and analyzing the potential for the "stall" that can follow a generative system's emergence. John Wilbanks will discuss.About JohnJohn Wilbanks attended Tulane University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1994. He also studied modern letters at the Sorbonne in Paris.From 1994 to 1997, he worked in Washington, DC as a legislative aide to Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark. During this time Wilbanks was also a grassroots coordinator and fundraiser for the American Physical Therapy Association. John was the Berkman Center for Internet & Society's first Assistant Director from the fall of 1998 to the summer of 2000. There he led efforts in software development and Internet-mediated learning, and was involved in the Berkman Center's work on ICANN. While at the Berkman Center, Wilbanks founded Incellico, Inc., a bioinformatics company that built semantic graph networks for use in pharmaceutical research and development. He served as President and CEO, and led to the company's acquisition in the summer of 2003). ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:30:00 +0100 825093 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33155 Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress (PDF; 194 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) Legislation enacted in 1980 gave the executive branch authority to limit advance notification of especially sensitive covert actions to eight Members of Congress–the “Gang of Eight”–when the President determines that it is essential to limit prior notice in order to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting U.S. vital interests. In such cases, the executive branch is permitted by statute to limit notification to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the two congressional intelligence committees, the Speaker and minority leader of the House, and Senate majority and minority leaders, rather than to notify the full intelligence committees, as is required in cases involving covert actions determined to be less sensitive. Congress, in approving this new procedure in 1980, during the Iran hostage crisis, said it intended to preserve operational secrecy in those “rare” cases involving especially sensitive covert actions while providing the President with advance consultation with the leaders in Congress and the leadership of the intelligence committees who have special expertise and responsibility in intelligence matters. The intent appeared to some to be to provide the President, on a short-term basis, a greater degree of operational security as long as sensitive operations were underway. In 1991, in a further elaboration of its intent following the Iran-Contra Affair, congressional report language stated that limiting notification to the Gang of Eight should occur only in situations involving covert actions of such extraordinary sensitivity or risk to life that knowledge of such activity should be restricted to as few individuals as possible. In its mark-up of H.R. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:05:20 +0100 824940 http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/03/09/law-librarian-fingerprints-are-all-over-westlawnext/ Legal Current – “In conversations with customers since the launch of WestlawNext, we’ve been energized by their reaction to the new service. In many cases, it’s a shared pride – more than 3,000 legal professionals touched the new service or the research around it at some point during the development process. We set out with the mission of making the law more transparent and accessible – something that I know we share with law librarians. So it’s especially important to me to acknowledge the ways the librarian community helped in developing WestlawNext:” (Source: Library Stuff) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:39 +0100 824954 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33153 “Gang of Four” Congressional Intelligence Notifications (PDF; 173 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) “Gang of Four” intelligence notifications generally are oral briefings of certain particularly sensitive non-covert action intelligence activities, including principally, but not exclusively, intelligence collection programs, that the Intelligence Community typically limits to the chairmen and ranking members of the two congressional intelligence committees, and at times, but not always, to their respective staff directors. Gang of Four notifications are not based in statute but have constituted a practice generally accepted by the leadership of the intelligence committees and that is employed when the Intelligence Community believes a particular intelligence activity to be of such sensitivity that a restricted notification is warranted in order to reduce the risk of disclosure, inadvertent or otherwise. Intelligence activities viewed as being less sensitive typically are briefed to the full membership of each committee. In either case–whether a given briefing about non-covert action intelligence activities is limited to the Gang of Four, or provided to the full membership of the intelligence committees–the current statute conditions the provision of any such information on the need to protect from unauthorized disclosure classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters. Congress has said that its intent in this regard is that in extremely rare circumstances a need to preserve essential secrecy may result in a decision not to impart certain sensitive aspects of operations or collection programs to the intelligence oversight committees in order to protect extremely sensitive intelligence sources and methods. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:22:39 +0100 824941 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33170 Satellite Surveillance: Domestic Issues (PDF; 271 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Secrecy News/Federation of American Scientists) Reconnaissance satellites, first deployed in the early 1960s to peer into denied regions of the Soviet Union and other secretive enemy states, have from time to time been used by civilian agencies of the federal government to assist with mapping, disaster relief, and environmental concerns. These uses have been coordinated by the Civil Applications Office at the U.S. Geological Survey, a component of the Interior Department. Post 9/11, the Bush Administration sought to encourage use of satellite-derived data for homeland security and law enforcement purposes, in addition to the civil applications that have been supported for years. In 2007, it moved to transfer responsibility for coordinating civilian use of satellites to the Department of Homeland Security. The initiative was launched, however, apparently without notification of key congressional oversight committees. Members of Congress and outside groups raised concerns that using satellites for law enforcement purposes may infringe on the privacy and Fourth Amendment rights of U.S. persons. Other commentators questioned whether the proposed surveillance will violate the Posse Comitatus Act or other restrictions on military involvement in civilian law enforcement, or would otherwise exceed the statutory mandates of the agencies involved. Such concerns led Congress to preclude any funds in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R. 2764, P.L. 110-161), from being used to “commence operations of the National Applications Office … until the Secretary [of the Department of Homeland Security] certifies that these programs comply with all existing laws, including all applicable privacy and civil liberties standards, and that certification is reviewed by the Government Accountability Office.” (Section 525. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:34:01 +0100 824944 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33147 Metropolitan Transportation Planning (PDF; 245 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) Federal law requires state and local governments to designate a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in each urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more to help plan surface transportation infrastructure and services. There are currently 381 MPOs nationwide. Despite some strengthening of their authority over the years, MPOs have generally remained subordinate to state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the planning and selecting (”programming”) of projects using federal surface transportation funds. Moreover, it can be argued that at the metropolitan level MPOs are subordinate to local governments that own and operate many elements of the transportation system, and also control land use planning and zoning. Because of the perceived weakness of MPOs, some in the transportation community have argued that they ought to be given much more power over the planning and programming of projects using federal surface transportation funds. Some of these observers go so far as to suggest that federal policies and programs in a number of areas, including transportation, housing, and the environment, need to be coordinated on a metropolitan scale, and that MPOs are the organizational venue where this should occur. Others argue that the relationship between state government, local government, and MPOs is well-balanced and should not be changed. A third view is that metropolitan transportation planning is controlled by planners who often harbor anti- car views, and consequently, MPOs can be actually detrimental to well-functioning metropolitan transportation systems. In this view, MPOs should be abolished or, at the very least, have their functions significantly curtailed. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:51:00 +0100 824945 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/iRcS/~3/8qfzD23a2xc/universities-protest-against-government.html "Libraries and universities are protesting about plans to make them police users of wireless networks. The government's Digital Economy Bill includes plans to make them responsible for what is done over free wi-fi. The plans imply that libraries, universities and cafes offering free wireless will be responsible if people use it to pirate movies and music. Bodies representing universities want the law clarified so they are not hit with big bills for policing every user" - BBC (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:49:50 +0100 824883 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33143 U.S. Nuclear Cooperation with India: Issues for Congress (PDF; 413 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) India, which has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and does not have International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on all nuclear material in peaceful nuclear activities, exploded a “peaceful” nuclear device in 1974, convincing the world of the need for greater restrictions on nuclear trade. The United States created the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as a direct response to India’s test, halted nuclear exports to India a few years later, and worked to convince other states to do the same. India tested nuclear weapons again in 1998. However, President Bush announced July 18, 2005, he would “work to achieve full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India” and would “also seek agreement from Congress to adjust U.S. laws and policies,” in the context of a broader partnership with India. U.S. nuclear cooperation is governed by the Atomic Energy Act (AEA). P.L. 109-401, which President Bush signed into law on December 18, 2006, provides waivers of several provisions of the AEA (Sections 123 a. (2), 128, and 129). It requires that several steps occur before nuclear cooperation can proceed. On September 10, 2008, President Bush submitted to Congress a written determination that these requirements had been met. That same day, the President submitted the text of the proposed agreement, which had not yet been signed. The President also submitted a written determination (also required by the AEA) “that the performance of the proposed agreement will promote and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security.” In addition, President Bush submitted several documents, including classified and unclassified versions of a Nuclear Proliferation Assessment Statement, which is required by section 123 of the AEA. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:43:18 +0100 824948 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/iRcS/~3/fQRNERLINqE/insite-vol-15-no-14-march-8-2010.html InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 15, No. 14, March 8, 2010 is now available. Contents:# AEI Reg-Markets.org# India Code# National Sea Grant Law Center (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:36:16 +0100 824885 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=6973 State: Illinois The John Marshall Law School Library is accepting applications for the newly created position of Emerging Technologies Librarian. This person will play an important role in leading the library with innovative, technology-based services by creating, promoting, and facilitating use of electronic resources and services. The Emerging Technologies Librarian will be an enthusiastic user of technology who enjoys exploring the cutting edge and applying it in a library setting. We are looking for someone who has the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment, takes initiative, is self-directed, and is committed to innovation and creativity. A detailed job posting is available online at: http://www.jmls.edu/library/pdf/eslibnpost.pdf To apply, send resume, cover letter including links to web-based projects, and contact information for three work references to: Christopher Bevard, John Marshall Law School Library, 315 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago IL 60604 or fax to his attention at (312) 427-8307. Review of applications will begin on April 1, 2010. Submitted on 2010-03-04 (Source: SLIS Careers Feed) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:30:02 +0100 824776 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=6974 State: Indiana Three openings: Assistant Professor of Library Services To best serve our students, faculty, and staff at Valparaiso University, Library Services seeks three innovative and dedicated librarians to join our newly-created Public Services team. Reporting to the Director of Public Services, this four person team collaborates to support the day-to-day public services activities of the library, teach in the curriculum-based information literacy program, and create programming for outreach activities. Each position includes a subject liaison emphasis for collection development and information literacy activities. One position will be responsible for the health sciences (nursing, human biology); other positions will cover areas such as fine arts, government information, or social sciences. Candidates should possess an ALA-accredited Master’s Degree; a commitment to student success, excellent customer service, and thoughtful teaching; and the potential to attain tenure and promotion through job performance, service, and research. Early career librarians are encouraged to apply. Additionally, Library Services values creativity, professional initiative and leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in the team environment. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. More information about benefits and the Public Services Department can be found at www.valpo.edu/library/jobs.html. Send position-related inquiries to Trisha Mileham, Director of Public Services: Trisha.Mileham@valpo.edu. With expected start dates of July 1, 2010, review of applications will begin immediately; those received before March 29, 2010, will receive full consideration. Review will continue until suitable candidates are identified for each position. All application materials must be submitted electronically. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:30:02 +0100 824775 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ALS-Jobs/~3/ub8R0nPlB_0/jobs.cfm (Source: Alliance Library System Job Listings) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:20:02 +0100 824754 http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/023704.html Metropolitan Transportation Planning, Metropolitan Transportation Planning, William J. Mallett, Specialist in Transportation Policy, February 3, 2010 "Federal law requires state... (Source: beSpacific) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824925 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/virginia-ag-says-ihes-are-not-allowed-to-prohibit-discrimination-by-sexual-orientation.html Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says Virginia’s colleges and universities cannot prohibit discrimination against gays because the General Assembly has not authorized them to do so. Cuccinelli said: the law and public policy of Virginia “prohibit a college or university from including ‘sexual orientation’, ‘gender identity’, ‘gender expression’ or like classification, as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy, absent specific authorization from the General Assembly.“ Most of the state’s public universities have policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Today they were exploring how to react to Cuccinelli’s letter. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824907 http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2010/03/your-census-form.html The census form for our summer home came before the letter at our permanent residence (tied to the door, not delivered by mail). Most of the owners at Lakeside won't see their form until late May, and it is due April 1. Even the people I know who do claim a permanent residence there are either in Florida or Arizona for 3 months. My husband was there last week-end, so he brought ours home and made an attempt at filling it out; it's impossible since there's no question to reveal that you don't live there. Just answering zero to how many people live there won't do it, folks. I think the same people who write the tax code, the health care bills, and the instructions for the can opener made in China also write the Census forms. My husband then tried the phone number but that was a frustration round robin of multiple choices, that brought him back to the original question. I realize no one has ever really been prosecuted for incorrectly filling out the Census, but now that we have the Chicago Mafia in charge of our census, I suppose that could change, especially if there's a way to gather some fees or pay a clutch of lawyers.This reminds me of my 2009 $250 Social Security refund check. I don't get Social Security. (Source: Collecting my Thoughts) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824876 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2010/03/web-20-and-rumours-even-us-supreme.html The online legal publication Above the Law provides an interesting analysis of how erroneous rumours quickly spread last week that the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts, was about to announce his retirement:"Like many a promising legal career, the Roberts resignation rumor traces its origins to a 1L class at Georgetown University Law Center (...)"Our criminal justice professor started our 9 am lecture with the news that roberts will be resigning tomorrow for health reasons — that he could not handle the administrative burdens of the job. He would not say how he knows — but halfway through our lecture on the credibility and reliability of informants he revealed that the Roberts rumor was made up to show how someone you ordinarily think is credible and reliable (ie a law professor) can disseminate inaccurate information."Of course, all the students immediately text messaged, IM'ed, tweeted, or Facebooked all their friends and things just kind of snowballed.Wow, as easy as that.Or this (apologies to Gordon Lightfoot).All this technology and we are still as gullible as ever. (Source: Library Boy) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824839 http://hedgehoglibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/03/web-animal.html Found via Jennie Law--who is back from New Zealand.  Oh so jealous...According to a Web Behavior Survey: I'm an ostrich  Fast-moving - We can tell from your results that you are a speedy surfer - one of the characteristics of the Web Ostrich, whose real-world counterpart has an impressive top speed of 45mph. Sociable - The web is a social place. You take full advantage of this when you search for information by using social networks and other sites whose content is created by its users. Real-world ostriches are also highly social, even keeping eggs in each other’s nests to share the burden. Specialised - The real-world ostrich is a true specialist, highly adapted to survive in hot, dusty African grasslands. You might not be at risk from lions when browsing the web, but you are still very focused. From your test we can tell you do best when you concentrate on one task at time, rather than several things at once. (Source: Hedgehog Librarian: Prickly, Nocturnal, InfoDiva) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:27:00 +0100 824626 http://lisnews.org/copyright_flack Breaking news is now copied and redistributed on thousands of websites across the Internet within minutes - producing a World Wide Web of carbon copies. First Amendment lawyer David Marburger argues that this redistribution is hurting newspapers financially and that the fault lies with the Copyright Act. If embedded player does not show you can hear and read full story here. (Source: LISNews.org) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:54:06 +0100 824682 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33130 Adult Photography Record-Keeping and Inspection Law Threatens Free Speech, Privacy Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging a federal court judge to block two criminal statutes that unconstitutionally limit the free expression of millions of adults who use the Internet and other electronic forms of communication, bringing the threat of criminal sanctions for private, lawful speech. At issue are provisions of federal law that require anyone who produces a visual depiction of sexually explicit expression to maintain extensive records — including copies of drivers’ licenses, the dates and times images were taken, and all URLs where images were posted — and often force public disclosure of a creator’s home address. Even more troubling, the regulations allow law enforcement warrantless entry into homes or offices in order to inspect the records that are supposed to be kept. While these statutes regulate the commercial pornography industry, they also likely apply to a staggering number of Americans who create and share images of themselves over social networks, online dating services, personal erotic websites, and text messaging. + Amicus Brief (PDF; 212 KB) + More on Free Speech Coalition v. Holder (Source: Docuticker) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:25:37 +0100 824562 http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2010/03/08/an-amazing-journey/ Gail Collin’s very readable account of the last fifty years of American women’s history, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from the 1960’s to the Present, begins with a woman not allowed to pay for a ticket in a government building because she was wearing pants, and ends with the historic presidential candidacy of Hilary Clinton, whose wardrobe consisted exclusively of pantsuits. Over 50 years, Collins covers changes for women that are much more substantial than wardrobe issues, and also shows the many things that have not changed in women’s lives. Collins documents events with stories from individual women, some famous and some not.  Included are interviews with many familar women, such as Rosa Parks, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, and Sandra Day O’Connor.  There are also many less well know interviewees: flight attendants, factory workers, and housewives.  These interviews provide personal and first hand perspectives. The first sections are the most interesting.  During the pre-Betty Friedan era middle class women were expected to stay at home (many of them expressed their frustrations at their limited options).  Single women were expected to quit their jobs when they got married, flight attendants were regularly weighed, there were no sports for girls, and there were many male only venues.  The few women who did graduate with advanced degrees were expected to take jobs as secretaries.  Sandra Day O’Connor had many frustrating experiences in the workforce after her graduation from law school.  The Civil Rights Era is also thoroughly covered.  Rosa Parks did not randomly sit down on the bus; she was carefully chosen for her role and the event was carefully orchestrated.  There were strong women leaders behind the ministers who did most of the public speaking. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:59:22 +0100 824594 http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/03/08/open-access-plus/ The Life of Books – “As the body of primary legal materials grows and access to it spreads, what will be the result? Will citizens actually be better able to understand the law without access to the scholarship, analysis and the sophisticated objective finding tools of legal research? In addition to advocating the free, unfettered access to primary laws, perhaps we should also focus our efforts toward using new technology to develop new finding tools and access to secondary materials. “ (Source: Library Stuff) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:30:14 +0100 824580 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/lawlab/2010/03/bird Monday, March 8, 12:30 pmBerkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floorRSVP required for those attending in person (kglemaud@cyber.law.harvard.edu)This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.read more (Source: Berkman Blog) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:30:00 +0100 824524 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33109 SEC Charges Nationally Known Psychic in Multi-Million Dollar Securities Fraud Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a self-proclaimed psychic who fraudulently raised $6 million after telling investors he could predict stock market highs and lows. The SEC’s charges were filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Sean David Morton, who bills himself as “America’s Prophet,” as well as three corporate entities that Morton co-owns with his wife Melissa Morton under the umbrella of the Delphi Associates Investment Group. According to the SEC’s complaint, Morton began soliciting investors around the summer of 2006 by telling them that he would use his psychic expertise to provide investment guidance to his investing team. In one newsletter to potential investors, Morton falsely stated: “I have called ALL the highs and lows of the market giving EXACT DATES for rises and crashes over the last 14 years.” Morton used his monthly newsletter, his Web site, his appearances on a nationally syndicated radio show, and appearances at public events to promote his psychic abilities. Morton made numerous materially false representations relating to his psychic abilities in order to solicit investors for the Delphi Investment Group. “Morton’s self-proclaimed psychic powers were nothing more than a scam to attract investors and steal their money,” said George S. Canellos, Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office. + Morton’s Newsletter to Investors (PDF; 4.3 MB) + SEC Complaint (PDF; 9.4 MB) + Litigation Release No. 21433 (Source: Docuticker) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:25:38 +0100 824571 http://poeticeconomics.blogspot.com/2010/03/acta-end-secrecy-democracy-now.html Thanks to Michael Geist for keeping us posted on leaks from the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).Under discussion: international intellectual property laws, such as anti-circumvention measures, notice and notice versus notice and takedown - see Geist for as much as we've been able to figure out so far. Until recently, these kinds of discussion were a matter of national law-making, for most of us under democratic principles.Today, these discussions are held in secret, with no opportunity for democratic participation.Have we - all of us in the so-called free world, that is - lost the franchise? ACTA - and all of the countries involved in these discussions: END THE SECRECY! Let's have DEMOCRACY - NOW!!A huge thanks to whoever is responsible for the leaks. (Source: The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825072 http://cincinnatilaw.blogspot.com/2010/03/ohio-supreme-courts-proposed-rule.html The Ohio Supreme Court this morning announced its holding public commentary on amendments to the state's Rules of Practice that address the tolling of time for filing an appeal in the Supreme Court after a party seeks a full review by all members of an appeals court. The Court's announcement reported that "Division (A)(5) of S.Ct. Prac. R. 2.2 was proposed in response to an amendment to the (Source: Cincinnati Law Library Association) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824694 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-cant-believe-everything-you-hear.html The Chronicle of Higher Ed passes along a story from Above the Law, "The Backstory of the John Roberts Retirement Rumor." Datelined October 4, 2010, ATL explains that there were thousands of erroneous e-mails, blogposts and text messages flying around that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was on the verge of announcing his retirement for health reasons. Radar evidently broke the story, and was the first to retract. Radar's retraction makes it sound as though Roberts just reconsidered. ATL tells it differently; they were skeptical about the rumor and used contacts at the Supreme Court, checking at the Public Information Office, where the rumor apparently caused laughter. Roberts would apparently rather die in office than give President Obama the option of appointing his successor. ATL reports further, with some good, old fashioned investigative reporting: Here’s an account of what went down in Professor Peter Tague’s criminal law class this morning, from a 1L at Georgetown Law:"Today’s class was partially on the validity of informants not explaining their sources. [Professor Tague] started off class at around 9 am EST by telling us not to tell anyone, but that we might find it interesting that tomorrow, Roberts would be announcing his retirement for health concerns. He refused to tell anyone how he knew. Then, at around 9:30, he let everyone in on the joke." (snip)A second Georgetown Law student confirms that Professor Tague’s class was probably where the Roberts resignation rumor got started:"Our criminal justice professor started our 9 am lecture with the news that roberts will be resigning tomorrow for health reasons — that he could not handle the administrative burdens of the job. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824666 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2010/03/spicing-up-supreme-court-of-canada.html This is a follow up to the Library Boy post of February 28, 2010 entitled Supreme Court of Canada Statistics 1999-2009.The Osgoode Hall Law School blog The Court today published Official (and Unofficial) Supreme Court Statistics, 1999-2009, a post by Ahsan Mirza.The first section analyzes some of the numbers supplied by the Supreme Court.The second half tries to break down some of the statistics by judge:"Although the official Supreme Court statistics are interesting, they are silent on data associated with each judge. To 'spice up' this post on statistics, I decided to compile some data on decisions rendered in 2009 based on neutral citations (62 decisions from 2009 SCC 1 to 2009 SCC 62). ""An obvious disclaimer is that one year’s worth of data is too small a sample size to derive any conclusions. These findings highlight only the promise that a more comprehensive statistical project could provide." (Source: Library Boy) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824620 http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2010/03/defaulted-loans-may-haunt-seniors.html According to an article in the WSJ this morning by Ellen E. Schultz, Congress (that would be Democrats, btw, who won Congress in 2006 in case you've forgotten) tacked on a nasty little thing to the 2008 Farm Bill. I've read quickly through the highlights of the bill, and can't find the specific provision, so I'll take her word for it."A provision in the 2008 Farm Bill lifted the ten-year statute of limitations on the government's ability to withhold Social Security benefits in collecting debts other than student loans—for which the statute of limitations was lifted in 1997—and income taxes, where the limit remains 10 years. This means that a person who defaulted on a small-business loan in 1995, for example, and who is receiving Social Security could be notified that his benefits may be reduced each month until the debt, with interest, fees, and penalties, is paid. The Treasury can withhold 15% of the benefit, though it can't be reduced to below $750. Tax debts have no floor.The change will add more than $6 billion to the $75 billion in delinquent debt individuals owe the government, according to the Financial Management Service, the Treasury's debt collection unit. Defaulted Loans May Haunt Seniors - WSJ.comImagine the interest, fees and penalties the Treasury will tack onto that loan you defaulted on 15-20 years ago, and then see your Social Security check go "poof" right before your eyes! Wow. Even if you challenge the validity of the government's claim, you can spend thousands and thousands fighting the claim and still be impoverished by using up your savings. And you folks trust the government with health care? This is a change in the law--and how many people were paying attention to a farm bill? This will impoverish God knows how many seniors. But not to worry. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824535 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=32769 Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: a London Case Study Source: European Muslim Research Centre In this report we introduce empirical evidence that demonstrates tangible links between Islamophobia or anti-Muslim bigotry in both (i) mainstream political and media discourse and (ii) extremist nationalist discourse and anti-Muslim hate crimes. That is to say the report provides prima facie and empirical evidence to demonstrate that assailants of Muslims are invariably motivated by a negative view of Muslims they have acquired from either mainstream or extremist nationalist reports or commentaries in the media. Moreover, the evidence is clear that the major motivating factor for violence against Muslims is a negative and false belief that Muslims pose a security or terrorist threat. The evidence arises from compelling and original primary data: interviews with victims, perpetrators and witnesses of hate crimes in London. Muslim Londoners face a threat of violence and intimidation from three arenas. Firstly from a small violent extremist nationalist milieu that has broadly the same political analysis as the British National Party (BNP) and the English Defence League (EDL). BNP influence is significant but so is the influence of mainstream political commentators. Moreover, whereas the experienced London based Searchlight monitors of this same milieu focus on the BNP and the dirty water it swims in as racist and anti-Semitic, this report highlights new tendencies towards anti-Muslim bigotry that have hitherto been understated. Secondly from London gangs who have no allegiance with or affinity to the BNP or the violent extremist nationalist milieu that surrounds that party. Thirdly from ordinary Londoners and visitors to London who have become convinced and angry by negative portrayals of Muslims as terrorists and security threats. + Direct link to document (PDF; 2 MB) (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:19:26 +0100 824394 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/ikqFURmsuME/future-british-libraries-margaret-hodge Coffee shops, gigs, free cinema tickets, flashy architecture . . . is this the future of our libraries? Stuart Jeffries on government plans to shake things up – and the people standing in their way'It will be much more than just a library. Perhaps we should call it a palazzo of human thought," says Mike Whitby, Birmingham city council's leader, as he reclines in his vast office. He's talking about the new £193m Library of Birmingham, currently under construction at Centenary Square between those other two Brummie palazzi, the Repertory Theatre and the former civic centre called Baskerville House.Cardiff, Newcastle and Swindon already have new super-libraries, while Liverpool and Manchester's central libraries are undergoing multimillion-pound renovations. Councillor Whitby thinks Birmingham's will be better than any of them. Thanks to Dutch architects Mecanoo, the library will be a highly transparent glass building wrapped in delicate metal filigree, housing within its 33,500 sq m a few million books (fingers crossed). It is a key component in the city's bid to be the UK's capital of culture in 2013 and should help fulfil Whitby's aim of putting Birmingham in the top 25 world cities by 2020, as ranked by the Mercer Quality of Living survey (it currently comes joint 56th, with Glasgow).Whitby's office looks out on to the existing Birmingham Central Library, an inverted modernist ziggurat built in 1973-4. This is the building Prince Charles famously described as a place where books were incinerated rather than borrowed. Unlike him, I once spent long, happy hours reading here, amazed that so many books (2.5m of them, stretching over seven floors) were at the disposal of a non-princely nobody like me. Now culture minister Margaret Hodge has given the go-ahead to flatten this Grade II-listed building; demolition will be completed over the next five years. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:30:01 +0100 824352 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33099 FEC Holds Public Hearing on Coordinated Communications Source: Federal Elections Commission The Federal Election Commission concluded a two-day public hearing Wednesday on alternatives for amendments to rules governing coordinated communications under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act). The hearing was part of a rulemaking process in response to the decision of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Shays v. FEC, 528 F.3d 914 (D.C. Cir. 2008). The Commission is also considering the potential effect of the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. ___ (2010) on the Commission’s proposals on the coordinated communications rulemaking. The Commission heard testimony from 11 witnesses, including representatives of national party committees, unions, business federations, and nonprofit organizations; representatives of campaign finance education and reform organizations; and other campaign finance practitioners. Testimony focused on how to address the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ view that the Commission’s prior coordination rules — which govern communications made in coordination with Federal candidates, their authorized committees, or political parties, but paid for by others — did not “rationally separate election-related advocacy from other speech.” Witnesses discussed the applicability of the several proposed content standards, including a standard based on whether a communication “promotes, supports, attacks or opposes” (PASO) a candidate and a standard based on the Supreme Court’s test for the “functional equivalent of express advocacy” established in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, 551 U.S. 449 (2007) (WRTL). Witnesses also weighed alternatives for timeframes applicable to the conduct standard regarding common vendors and former employees. (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:16:09 +0100 824396 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33093 Enforcement of the Criminal Laws Against Medicare and Medicaid Fraud (PDF; 1.1 MB) Source: Greg Andres, Acting Assistant Deputy Attorney General (before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security) Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars are spent to provide health security for American seniors, children, and to the poor and disabled. We have a duty to ensure that taxpayer funds are well spent and that our citizens who receive treatment paid for by the Medicare and Medicaid, and other government prograpms are receiving proper medical care. While most medical providers and health care companies are doing the right thing, Medicare and Medicaid frause cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars that could be spent on patient care. Medicare and Medicaid fraud also can corrept the medical decisions health care providers make with respect to their patients and thereby put patients at risk of harm. (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:06:24 +0100 824399 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33085 T&I Releases Report Criticizing Corps of Engineers’ Failure to Implement WRDA Reforms Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released a report today criticizing the U.S. Corps of Engineer’s implementation of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. WRDA 2007’s requirements for increased transparency, accountability, and modernization are the most sweeping reforms of how the Corps of Engineers develops and implements its projects and programs since the Water Resources Development Act of 1986. The report released today shows that since WRDA 2007 was enacted, the Corps has been slow to implement the programmatic reforms and projects in the law, and the results often have been inadequate and inconsistent with the statute and Congressional intent. Among the issues the report examines are the Corps’ failure to follow its mitigation requirements and monitoring, submit larger and controversial project proposals to an independent review, improve the quality of modeling and analysis, update its guidelines for project planning and implementation, and streamline its project formulation and delivery process. + Full Report (PDF; 6.3 MB) + Hearing – The Water Resources Development Act of 2007: A Review of Implementation in its Third Year (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:50:20 +0100 824402 http://www.slaw.ca/2010/03/07/implications-of-china-v-google-standoff-to-canada/ As many of our readers surely know, Google has been reassessing whether to continue its operations in China following a series of hacking incidents that allegedly originated from that country. Prof. Ronald Deibert of UofT revealed today that the hackers also attempted to access Google directories, which was not widely reported when the story first broke.  Deibert is one of the experts Google is consulting with on how to respond to the incidents. Despite the The Investigative Powers of the 21st Century Act (IP21C) that was tabled before the prorogue, Deibert claims that cyberspace generally operates in a policy vacuum in Canada. His recent paper with the Canadian International Council, China’s Cyberspace Control Strategy: An Overview and Consideration of Issues for Canadian Policy, states, Like many other countries, Canada depends on economic exchange with China, and is home to a large and growing Chinese diaspora community that can be vocal critics of China’s human rights policies. It is also the home of some of the leading research and development projects on Internet censorship, surveillance and information warfare that, at times, are antagonistically linked to China. He proposes that Canada: (1) Take a leadership position in promoting a global, multilateral agenda around arms control in cyberspace. The present state-based cyber security agenda is almost entirely absent of voices or forums dedicated to creating norms of mutual restraint, confidence building and information sharing. (2) Take a more active interest in the role played by Canadian companies which support China’s vast censorship and surveillance regime. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:50:43 +0100 824446 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/xqmxknxhatE/michelangelo-letters-auction-vasari Government in Rome fights to keep Giorgio Vasari archive leaving Tuscany after purchase by mystery RussianAn artistic and literary enigma involving a mysterious death and a €150m deal reportedly struck in a Moscow hotel is expected to be resolved this weekat an auction in the Tuscan city of Arezzo.On sale will be the archive of the man credited with being the father of Western art history: Giorgio Vasari, whose Lives of the Artists chronicled the lives of the painters and sculptors of the Renaissance. The documents include 17 letters from Vasari's friend, Michelangelo, together with correspondence from five Renaissance popes and the 16th-century ruler of Florence, Cosimo I de' Medici.The archive is subject to an Italian government order that it should never be removed from Vasari's house in Arezzo. But last October, Giuseppe Fanfani, the mayor of the city, was told by an official it had been bought by a Russian gas magnate for €150m. Agreement was said to have been reached on 23 September, just days before the death of Count Giovanni Festari, the archive's owner.The mayor noted that the government order could be lifted in the future, and that unless the Italian state outbid the tycoon within six months, ownership of an irreplaceable fragment of Italy's history would be lost abroad. The announcement of the sale prompted an outcry from scholars and questions from art experts who said the archive was worth, at most, €10m.There was yet more confusion when a lawyer claiming to represent the unidentified buyer announced that his client too had died – in a car crash. But the date he gave for the accident was 14 days before the deal was said to have been struck at the Hotel Metropolitan in Moscow.Then, last November, government debt collectors claimed the archive to meet a bill for taxes allegedly unpaid by the noble family that has owned it for generations. The auction is to raise the money that the treasury says it is owed. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:46:18 +0100 824355 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pandia/vfbc/~3/VbFVnOL5bgE/2604-pandia-search-engine-news-wrap-up-march-7.html Here is our weekly wrap-up of Internet search and search engine industry oriented headlines. Google Buys Online Collaboration Operator DocVerse Something good is about to happen with Google’s cloud computing service – that is interoperability with Microsoft Office files (SE Journal March 3 2010) The five-minute guide to Google Squared Arrange data from the web in a neat spreadsheet (techradar March 6 2010) Google Launches Gesture Search for Android To use the search, you write a letter across the screen. (SE Watch March 5 2010) Google Kills SearchWiki, Replaces It With Starred Results The ability to re-order, remove, and comment on search results has been replaced by a scaled-down version (SE Land March 3 1010) SMX West 2010 Live Blogging Recap Keri Morgret of Strike Models and Brian Ussery of Beu Blog spent a tremendous amount of time and energy live blogging the event. (March 5 2010) Bing & Yahoo Soon To Support Canonical Tag At SMX West on Thursday, reps from both search engines said they’re in the process of supporting rel=canonical right now. (SE Land March 5 2010) YouTube adds automatic subtitles for the deaf Latest speech recognition breakthrough for the hard of hearing (techradar march 5 2010) Peter Norvig offers an insider’s look at Google Research during SMX West A list of new products from Google (SE Watch March 3 2010) Google’s Norvig: PageRank Is Overhyped Speaking at SMX WestGoogle’s Director of Research said that PageRank is overhyped and probably needs a new name (SE Land March 3 2010) Google’s Proposal For Crawling AJAX URLs is Live The documentation is live on Google Code (SE Land March 3 2010) Yahoo CEO Bartz Says Would Have Sold Yahoo, Mocks Facebook Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz stated she would have sold Yahoo at $36 when Microsoft was offering (SE Watch March 2 2010) Google Italy ruling might very well turn out to be a blessing Its time to finally get the law straightened out. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:55:22 +0100 824920 http://www.llrx.com/features/dnareliability.htm In criminal cases, there have been challenges on sufficiency grounds and concerns over the use of forensic DNA evidence as the sole or primary proof of guilt. Uncorroborated DNA matching might not be enough to satisfy the burden of establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The reliability of forensic DNA testing results might be questioned for any number of reasons, e.g., laboratory error, cross-contamination, interpretive bias or fraud, etc. Ken Strutin's essay provides an overview of nuclear DNA typing, a sampling of the kinds of discretionary decisions that analysts often confront when interpreting crime scene samples, and concludes with with remarks about current disputes in forensic DNA typing, and how recognition of its inherent subjectivity might inform and illuminate these debates. (Source: LLRX.com) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:04:23 +0100 824841 http://vivabibliotecaviva.blogspot.com/2010/03/estudos-sobre-mulher-na-ciencia-da.html Adjabeng, A.,  "Las bibliotecas como recurso para Acrecentar y Apoyar el Desarrollo Económico para la Mujer".  IFLA Council and General Conference, No. 70, 2004. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/037s_trans-Adjabeng.pdfDescriptores: Mujeres/Bibliotecas/Aspecto económico/Aspecto social/Discriminaión socialResumen: Los asuntos que se centran en la mujer han asumido una dimensión más profunda. Muchas actividades se han llevado a cabo para alarmar a los gobiernos, a organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, instituciones políticas, sociales y económicas sobre los problemas de la mujer en general. Una de dichas actividades la Década para la Mujer de las Naciones Unidas 1975-1985, un periodo creado por las Naciones Unidas para crear una amplia conciencia en todo el mundo sobre los asuntos centrados en la mujer. Adjabeng, A.,  "Libraries as a source of relevant information to support and enhance economic development for women".  IFLA Council and General Conference, No. 70, 2004. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/037e-Adjabeng.pdfDescriptores: Mujeres/Bibliotecas/Aspecto económico/Aspecto social/Discriminaión socialResumen: Issues concerning women have assumed a wider dimension. Many activities have been carried out to alert governments, governmental and non-governmental organizations, political, social and economic and academic institutions about the problems of women in general. One of such activities was The United Nations Decade for Women 1975-1985, a period set aside by the United Nations to create a widespread awareness in the whole world on issues concerning women. Alfaya Lamas, E., Fernández Mariño, P., and Villaverde Solar, D.,  "Análisis de datos mediante observación documental en las noticias de prensa sobre misoginia".  Jornadas Españolas de Documentación, No. 11, 2009, pp. 298-301 . http://www.fesabid. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825058 http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/023683.html News release: "Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland calls on states to do more to eradicate discrimination against women." Link to fact... (Source: beSpacific) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824380 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/copyright-for-fashion.html The Globe also reports on Harvard Professor and Guggenheim fellow Jeannie Suk's argument that fashion designers need a tailored (ahem!) copyright provision covering their designs. Professor Suk's article, The Law, Culture, and Economics of Fashion, in vol. 61 Stanford Law Review (March, 2009), is summarized in the abstract, in part: Despite being the core of fashion and legally protected in Europe, fashion design lacks protection against copying under U.S. intellectual property law. This Article frames the debate over whether to provide protection to fashion design within a reflection on the cultural dynamics of innovation as a social practice. The desire to be in fashion - most visibly manifested in the practice of dress - captures a significant aspect of social life, characterized by both the pull of continuity with others and the push of innovation toward the new. We explain what is at stake economically and culturally in providing legal protection for original designs, and why a protection against close copies only is the proper way to proceed. We offer a model of fashion consumption and production that emphasizes the complementary roles of individual differentiation and shared participation in trends. Our analysis reveals that the current legal regime, which protects trademarks but not fashion designs from copying, distorts innovation in fashion away from this expressive aspect and toward status and luxury aspects. The dynamics of fashion lend insight into dynamics of innovation more broadly, in areas where consumption is also expressive. We emphasize that the line between close copying and remixing represents an often underappreciated but promising direction for intellectual property today. The Globe article tells that Senator Charles Schumer of New York is sponsoring a bill to create copyright protection for fashion designers. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824370 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/Fhrup2zjY6U/dave-eggers-zeitoun-hurricane-katrina Author, publisher and literary trendsetter: Dave Eggers is all those, and he's fast becoming the conscience of liberal America too. Here he tells how he went from 'staggering genius' to the man who gives a voice to the downtrodden and dispossessedI'm a little nervous of meeting Dave Eggers. On the way to San Francisco, where he lives and runs his groovy and influential publishing empire, McSweeney's, I consider his reputation. When Eggers published his first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, he mostly refused to do interviews except by email, and then his answers were spiky and oblique, and occasionally just a joke. He once railed against a journalist who he said had quoted him off the record with a fury that seems to me to have been just a touch disproportionate. Sure enough, before I leave London, I get an email from an assistant warning me that he will only talk about his new book, Zeitoun, and that it will drive him nuts if I ask him "what he had for dinner the night before last" (I reply that I have never asked anyone, ever, what they had for dinner the night before last and I certainly would not dream of flying half way round the world to pose such a question). As for his human rights work and many charitable projects, these things are so intimidating. Faced with such abundant goodness, I furtively examine my conscience and find it wanting.As it turns out, though, I am wrong. Entirely wrong. Granted, he is not big on self-revelation. But he is neither difficult nor mean. McSweeney's is in the Mission district of the city: it's like Camden only with wider roads and more second-hand bookshops. When I arrive, I'm led past the desks of half-a-dozen bright young things and into his office, which is small and gloomy and womb-like. Time to break the ice. You hate doing interviews, don't you? I ask, sitting down (there is no desk; he works on an old sofa). "No, not at all," he says. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:08:07 +0100 824118 http://www.slaw.ca/2010/03/06/policytool-policy-for-the-masses/ Lawyer, Slawyer, and newspaper columnist David Canton has teamed up with rtraction, an Ontario IT company, to produce PolicyTool. The notion is that businesses need policies in place to govern a variety of employee practices but can’t always afford the services of a lawyer to devise them; PolicyTool invites you to answer a number of questions and feeds the answers into well-drafted “boilerplate,” resulting in a “comprehensive and informed framework for your legal counsel to quickly create a binding policy.” PolicyTool does the initial drafting; and a lawyer engaged by the user will tweak and approve. At the moment the only area in which PolicyTool offers its service is in relation to the use of social media by employees. Other policy areas are under development. The use of PolicyTool is currently free. It’s been getting a lot of coverage on Twitter and has been bookmarked a couple of hundred times on Declicious. Congratulations, David. (Source: Slaw) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:54:50 +0100 824447 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33059 Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population (PDF; 2.9 MB) Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University From press release: Of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nations prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics, according to Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population. Combined these two groups constitute 85 percent of the U.S. prison population. The new 144-page report released today by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University also reveals that alcohol and other drugs are significant factors in all crime. In 2006, alcohol and other drugs were involved in these inmate offenses: 78 percent of violent crimes; 83 percent of property crimes; and 77 percent of public order, immigration or weapon offenses; and probation/parole violations. The CASA report found that only 11 percent of all inmates with substance abuse and addiction disorders receive any treatment during their incarceration. The report found that if all inmates who needed treatment and aftercare received such services, the nation would break even in a year if just over 10 percent remained substance and crime free and employed. Thereafter, for each inmate who remained sober, employed and crime free the nation would reap an economic benefit of $90,953 per year. (Source: Docuticker) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:45:26 +0100 824144 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33057 Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997–2008 (PDF; 146 KB) Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (USDoJ) The number of juvenile offenders in residential placement in publicly and privately operated juvenile facilities has declined steadily since 2000. In 2008, fewer than 81,000 juvenile offend- ers were housed. This is the fewest juvenile offenders counted in a national census of juvenile facilities since 1993, when the tally was slightly less than 79,000. (Source: Docuticker) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:36:34 +0100 824145 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33055 Justice Department Releases Toolkit on Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing the 21st Century Jail Workforce Source: Office of Justice Programs (USDoJ) The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs today announced a new toolkit for improving employee recruitment, retention, and succession planning and leadership development for the criminal justice community. This toolkit is based on current research in the field as well as input from some 2,106 line staff and 569 administrators responding to the first National Jail Workforce Survey. + Full Document (PDF; 21 MB) (Source: Docuticker) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:20:02 +0100 824146 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=32766 Youth Deaths: The Reality Behind the ‘Knife Crime’ Debate (PDF; 253 KB) Source: Insitute of Race Relations The media portrayal of, and government response to, the ‘knife crime epidemic’ created a distorted image of the reality on the ground, according to new research undertaken by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The evidence suggests that, whilst some marginalised young people are carrying knives, the image of violently nihilist, feral, often Black or ethnic minority teen gangs armed with knives and guns is, at best, only a snapshot of the grim reality for a very small minority. At worst, this kind of imagery, replicated unchallenged and unqualified on our screens and from the dispatch box, leads to a punitive and misguided political climate which may ultimately fail the very teenagers it aims to reach. Here, the IRR publishes a summary of its key findings for 2008. It aims to provide a description of who was killed and by whom and in what circumstances – a factual description which was largely missing from much media and political evaluation at the time. (Source: Docuticker) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:15:41 +0100 824147 http://rabid-librarian.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-feel-wonky.html So of course the first thing I did this morning (after peeing, of course, doesn't everyone do that first?) was take my blood sugar. It was 155, which is a little above normal, but incredibly low for me in the morning (I was over 300 yesterday morning, to give you an idea). So my body thinks my blood sugar is low. So first things first...I'm eating a couple of tomato basil garden burgers. Obviously the thing with waking up at 8 am didn't work out (it almost never does). But I am raring to go now that I'm starting to function. I had odd dreams, including one of a TV show with a New York lawyer who was having sex with three women (much more graphic than on TV though, and they did a little dance at the end of the segment) on the eve of closing an important case which turned out to be argued in front of second-graders at school, trying to prove that one student did not attempt to murder his teacher with a piano. I'm not sure how the piano fit in--it wasn't dropped on her. Maybe the wire for a garrote? Those were hard-core second graders, I guess. They brought her into court carrying her prone even though she'd survived and was okay. It was just very strange. Okay, I feel almost normal now. I'm going to go tackle the notes. Have a great day. (Source: The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825085 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2010/03/innovative-job-hunting-strategy-become.html On Real Lawyers Have Blogs, Kevin O'Keefe wrote earlier this week about Georgetown law student Mike Sacks's strategy for finding a job as a lawyer:"The third-year writes First One @ One First, chronicling his attempt to be the first one in line to hear all major arguments before the Supreme Court [of the United States] this term (...)""Bigger than winning the prime spot in line, of course, is Mike's desire to leverage 'stunt journalism' into broader recognition for his writing portfolio on the blog. Alongside the photos snapped on his phone while waiting, he provides analysis of the cases and why they matter, interviews with the other attendees, and links to other relevant articles and blog posts on these cases."His job search strategy may seem a little obsessive. But it certainly is original and he has my vote. (Source: Library Boy) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824177 http://digital-scholarship.com/digitalkoans/2010/03/05/systems-and-electronic-services-librarian-at-lebanon-valley-college/ The Lebanon Valley College Bishop Library is recruiting a Systems and Electronic Services Librarian. Here's an excerpt from the ad: Under direction of the Director of the Library, the Systems and Electronic Services Librarian provides oversight and leadership in the planning, implementation, integration, and maintenance of a broad range of library electronic services including the integrated library system (SirsiDynix Symphony), the Serials Solutions Knowledge base and 360 Suite, EZProxy, access to electronic databases, serials subscriptions and packages, and other third-party applications. The Systems and Electronic Services Librarian participates in the design and maintenance of the library web presence and also assists students, faculty, staff, and other library users with electronic systems and services and participates in reference service and library instruction. Related Posts Systems Librarian at Florida Institute of Technology Web Services Librarian at SUNY Potsdam Academic Librarian, Automation Librarian at University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac Web Services Librarian at Dominican University Systems Librarian at George Washington University Law School (Source: DigitalKoans) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:02:22 +0100 823994 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/_MUaNW4lwVI/trespass-rose-tremain Rose Tremain's latest novel is a cautionary tale, says Alex ClarkReaders of Rose Tremain's 11th novel who find themselves inspired to rush off to the French countryside she lovingly conjures will hardly be able to claim they haven't heard the warnings of "buyer, beware" that nestle between the vivid descriptions of brooding hilltops and babbling streams, particularly if they feel inclined to take their chequebooks with them and acquire a prime piece of real estate. In her first novel since the Orange prize-winning The Road Home, which told the story of an eastern European's journey through a bewildering and inhospitable contemporary Britain, she turns to the mountains and villages of the Cévennes to bring us a different vision of cultural collision and the experience of the outsider.The most significant outsider is Anthony Verey, a once-renowned antiques dealer from Chelsea who finds himself in the shadow of "a universal letting-go" – of fame, money, vigour and desire. Sitting in his forbiddingly elegant shop, kept permanently chilly to lengthen the life-span of "the beloveds", the collective name he bestows on the acquisitions he fears he will miss most in death, he is a man in need of escape, which obligingly arrives in the shape of his ever-dependable sister Veronica. A garden designer enjoying a late-flourishing love affair with Kitty, a mediocre watercolourist in southern France, Veronica has admitted few passions into her life aside from Susan, the horse which mitigated the miseries of her childhood, but Anthony is one of them; and when he decides that what will transform his old age is a splendid house in the Cévennes, Veronica throws herself into making his sketchy dreams a reality.Such a bond of sympathy and co-operation does not exist, however, between the narrative's mirror brother and sister. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:08:08 +0100 823793 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/Y6maNOlC-YA/loaded-guns-emily-dickinson-gordon Elaine Showalter enjoys a boldly original view of 'the poet next door'Any writer brave enough to undertake a biography of Emily Dickinson has to grapple with a century's burden of cultural baggage – numerous biographical mysteries, extreme and conflicting interpretations of her work, and her sacerdotal role as muse for other American poets.Dickinson's life story is both alarmingly uneventful and heavily weighed down with the legends of the recluse, the wraith and the virginal spinster in a white dress. Was she the victim of a secret unrequited love, revealed in her ecstatically submissive letters to an unknown, married "Master"? Was she the unhappy woman genius confined by her sex and class, "starving of passion" in "her father's garden", as William Carlos Williams wrote? Was she the lesbian who adored her sister-in-law Susan Gilbert Dickinson, and unconsciously revealed her longings in "clitoral imagery"? Was her social withdrawal after the mid-1850s neurotic, or a strategic choice for her art? Why did she refuse to publish during her lifetime all but seven of her 1,789 poems?In the 20th century, Dickinson became the inspiration and muse for a generation of American women writers. Adrienne Rich wrote about her as "Vesuvius at Home". The novelists Carol Shields, in Mary Swann, and Joyce Carol Oates, in Mysteries of Winterthurn, both channelled Dickinson's voice through invented women poets. For male American poets, Dickinson has appeared as a more challenging and threatening muse, one to be conquered and seduced. Billy Collins describes the experience of entering into her poetic world as "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes": "I could plainly hear her inhale / when I undid the very top / hook-and-eye fastener of her corset / and I could her hear her sigh when finally it was unloosed. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:06:50 +0100 823796 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/05/archiving-britains-web-the-legal-nightmare-explored/ An investigation by Katie Scott. From the Report: A proposal that could give select institutions the power to take snapshots of websites without their owners’ permission is being ruminated by our Government. Civil servants at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are now processing opinions on whether we should be archiving websites for future generations. [Snip] It is this act [2003 Legal Deposit Libraries Act] that stipulates that a copy of every printed publication made in this country is sent to The British Library, and, on request, to five other “deposit libraries”, which include the National Library of Scotland; the National Library of Wales and the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The institutions argue that the act needs to be adapted to include websites, allowing them to archive websites without contacting the owners. The British Library has, in fact, been archiving websites for six years. Last week, it unveiled the culmination of this work — an archive of 6,000 websites it deems culturally significant — called the UK Web Archive. These include the websites of high street shops that fell prey to the recession; and the website for Antony Gormley’s Fourth Plinth art installation in Trafalgar Square. The archive has been available to the public since the end of last year. However, as Stephen Bury, head of European and American collections told Wired: “The new website is more useful as you can search by subject.” But the archivists are being held back by the law, he says. The team currently has to contact the copyright holder of every website it wants to archive and this process has just a 24 percent response rate. The Internet Archive including Heritrix and Archive-It are mentioned. The WebCite Project is also noted. Access the Complete Article Source: Wired (Source: ResourceShelf) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:56:01 +0100 823881 http://lawlib.lclark.edu/podcast/?p=3058 Law School Event Alter Wiener: Honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day January 28, 2010 Event Announcement Alter Wiener is one of only a few Holocaust survivors living in the Portland area and will share with us his amazing life story and uplifting philosophies. Alter was only eighteen years old when he was liberated from his fifth Nazi forced labor and concentration camp. He lost his entire family and almost all of his extended family in the Holocaust and suffered unspeakable horrors during his imprisonment. Alter Wiener’s father was brutally murdered on September 11, 1939 by the German invaders of Poland. Still, Alter teaches us about the power of tolerance, forgiveness and much, much more. He is an incredible lecturer, mentor and author, including his 2007 autobiography, From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor’s Autobiography. The program was held at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon on January 28, 2010. View presentation here (Source: Lewis) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:13:02 +0100 824614 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blogjunction/~3/23GuKXRtO0A/ We encourage those of you attending PLA2010 to attend this session put together by the Self-Represented Litigation Network: Public Libraries and Access to Justice (Oregon Convention Center Room E145-146), Thursday March 25th at 8:30 AM This session provides tools and training that will help public libraries serve as gateways to justice and governmental institutions, with a focus on collaboration with courts, law libraries, and legal aid programs. It introduces information and tools and how public librarians can appropriately help their patrons use these tools, such as those provided by legal aid and courts. Participants will learn about the national network of state Access to Justice Commissions, and how public libraries can participate in these groups. The session will also introduce the online “train the trainer” tools developed by the Self-Represented Litigation Network of the National Center for State Courts, as presented at a recent national conference funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Participants will receive tips and a template for creating a list of key resources, and ideas on how state access to justice partners can assist in the customization of that listing. For those of you who will not be going to PLA: We have also posted the PowerPoint presentation to WebJunction. This slideshow is absolutely chock full of information and links to additional websites and online resources, so be sure to check it out. Additional material resulting from the Self-Represented Litigation Network’s January training workshop on legal resources will also be posted to WebJunction in the coming weeks. (Source: BlogJunction) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:26:21 +0100 824194 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33013 Proposed rules to protect credit card users from certain practices Source: Federal Reserve Board The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday proposed a rule amending Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to protect credit card users from unreasonable late payment and other penalty fees and to require credit card issuers to reconsider increases in interest rates. … Among other things, the proposed rule would: Prohibit credit card issuers from charging penalty fees (including late payment fees and fees for exceeding the credit limit) that exceed the dollar amount associated with the consumer’s violation of the account terms. For example, card issuers would no longer be permitted to charge a $39 fee when a consumer is late making a $20 minimum payment. Instead, the fee could not exceed $20. Ban inactivity fees, such as fees based on the consumer’s failure to use the account to make new purchases. Prevent issuers from charging multiple penalty fees based on a single late payment or other violation of the account terms. Require credit card issuers to inform consumers of the reasons for increases in rates. Require issuers that have increased rates since January 1, 2009 to evaluate whether the reasons for the increase have changed and, if appropriate, to reduce the rate in February 22, 2010. + Full Document (PDF; 1.5 MB) + 2010 Banking and Consumer Regulatory Policy (Source: Docuticker) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:11:45 +0100 823851 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33009 FDA Calls on Food Companies to Correct Labeling Violations; FDA Commissioner Issues an Open Letter to the Industry Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified 17 food manufacturers that the labeling for 22 of their food products violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The action follows an October 2009 statement by Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret Hamburg, M.D., encouraging companies to review their labeling to ensure that they were in compliance with FDA regulations, and were truthful and not misleading. In an open letter to Industry dated March 3, 2010, Dr. Hamburg underscored the importance of providing nutrition information that consumers could rely on. “Today, ready access to reliable information about the calorie and nutrient content of food is even more important, given the prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases in the United States,” Dr. Hamburg said in the letter. She also expressed her hope that the warning letters would clarify the FDA’s expectations for food manufacturers as they review their current labeling. The violations cited in the warning letters include unauthorized health claims, unauthorized nutrient content claims, and the unauthorized use of terms such as “healthy,” and others that have strict, regulatory definitions. Companies that received warning letters have 15 business days to inform the FDA of the steps they will take to correct their labeling. + FOP Labeling Page + Warning Letters + Chart of affected companies and products + Letter from Dr. Hamburg to industry + Q&A + Link to terms with strict, regulatory definitions (Source: Docuticker) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:59:17 +0100 823853 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33007 U.S. Drug Control Director Sees Collaborative International Effort To Address Worldwide Threat of Drug Production, Trafficking, and Use Source: Office of National Drug Control National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske said today that “a window of opportunity” exists for strengthened, collaborative, international efforts to address the worldwide threat of drug production, trafficking, and use. Testifying before the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Kerlikowske called the international drug trade “a significant threat to our Nation, our hemisphere, and our planet.” Kerlikowske said the “past two decades have witnessed a strengthening worldwide resolve” to address the problem, which he said requires strong domestic drug control, treatment ,and prevention programs within the United States, and international collaboration to disrupt the cross-border flow of illicit drugs. “We must also do the same with our non-law enforcement efforts, such as capacity building of democratic institutions, improving justice systems, strengthening community capacity to resist and prevent substance abuse, and providing opportunities to at-risk youth so they do not become involved in either drug abuse or the drug trade,” Kerlikowske said. Kerlikowske cited progress in several international efforts, including interdiction of drug trafficking between South America and the United States and disruption of drug trafficking organizations in Colombia. The United States will continue to strengthen its partnerships and efforts in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Russia, Afghanistan, West Africa, and the Asian Pacific region to combat regional and international drug issues. + Full Testimony (PDF; 194 KB) (Source: Docuticker) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:55:30 +0100 823854 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33026 Medical Malpractice Payments Continue to Fall, Public Citizen Analysis Shows Source: Public Citizen Fewer medical malpractice payments were made on behalf of doctors in 2009 than any year on record, according to an update of the National Practitioner Data Bank that was released this week. The data contradict claims by some that medical malpractice litigation is to blame for rising health care costs. Changing the liability system to the detriment of patients will not curb health care costs. The value of malpractice payments in actual (unadjusted) dollars was the lowest since 1999. Adjusted for inflation, payments were at their lowest since 1992, a Public Citizen analysis shows. Last year was the fifth consecutive year the number of payments has fallen and the sixth straight year in which the value of payments has fallen. In contrast, U.S. health care costs have increased every year since 1965, the earliest year for which such data exist. Between 2000 and 2009, health care spending rose 83 percent while medical malpractice payments fell 8 percent. (Both figures are in unadjusted dollars.) A total of 10,772 payments were made on behalf of doctors in 2009, totaling $3.49 billion. That figure equals 0.14 of one percent of the Centers for Medicare and Medcaid Services’ estimated $2.5 trillion in overall U.S. health care spending for 2009. + Full Report (PDF; 374 KB) (Source: Docuticker) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:34:45 +0100 823858 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Wisblawg-FromTheUwLawLibrary/~3/dUa8JicoFPw/more_creative_uses_for_old_boo_1.html A while back I did a post on some clever uses for old books. Since I've run into a few more, I thought I'd update the list. Kathy Kelly, an Erie law librarian, has developed a business called BookBags in which she makes purses and laptop computer cases from the covers of outdated law books and other volumes. The bags will be on display in the Fayette County Law Library beginning next month. This Into That artist, Jim Rosenau makes some really neat arts from vintage books, including book cases, book shelves, chairs, etc. How to Make a Hollow Book (from wikiHow):A hollow book can be a nifty way to hide something, whether it's a spare key, a secret note, or even money. Most people wouldn't think to browse your library for private or personal things. It's also a great way to pass something to someone discreetly--an unsuspecting onlooker will just think you're sharing a very good read! How to Turn a Book Into a Picture Frame (from wikiHow): Search the basement, the attic or the back of the bookshelves for an old book that has not been opened for years. Make sure that it isn't a valuable antique or first edition! Follow the steps to insert a favorite picture into the frame. Place the book on the end table to be enjoyed and shared by everyone. Instructables also has a video tutorial on how to make this cool Recycled Book Lampshade. How to Make and Do has some other fun ideas, including a literary clock, stacked book table legs, and personalized flap books. Don't have the right books for these projects? Then stop by the Friends of the UW Madison Libraries used book sale on April 7-10, 2010. Held at the Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this is the largest used book sale in Wisconsin and includes more than 15,000 books covering almost any subject. (Source: WisBlawg - From the UW Law Library) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:41:37 +0100 823988 http://www.lib.auburn.edu/whatsnew/2010/03/icpsr-study-on-college-student-rape/ Prevalence and Case Characteristics of Drug-Facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape among College Students and Other Young Women in the United States, 2006 This study was recently added to the ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research) database.  The study seeks to identify the number of women in the United States and in college settings raped or sexually assaulted during their lifetime and within the past year; to identify key case characteristics of drug-facilitated and forcible rapes; to examine factors affecting the willingness of women to report rape to law enforcement and seek help from support networks; and to make comparisons between different types of rape. The data were derived from a national telephone household sample of 3001 American women and the college population data consisted of a sample of 2000 college women. The ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research) database provides search and browsing access to abstracts and datasets in the world’s largest archive of computerized social science data.  Search or browse title of study, principal investigator. words in abstracts, or study number.  It is possible to browse major research categories. (Source: What's New at the Auburn Libraries) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:40:55 +0100 823723 http://www.slaw.ca/2010/03/05/a-little-something-in-writing-to-remember-it-by/ Every now and then it is “improving,” as the Victorians used to say, for a lawyer to be caught up in the toils of another profession, in order to recapture the client experience of uncertainty in the face of an opaque problem. I’ve had the fortune, recently — I wouldn’t label it “good” — to be in that situation and it has occurred to me, not for the first time, that there is a way to make the experience better for the lay person, a way that is all too seldom taken. My small suggestion is that professionals who deal with clients consider preparing printed material for the clients to take away with them, material that will help them understand what is going on. There’s a perfect storm of reasons for these “hand-holders,” as I call them. The client is dealing with a complex problem with which he or she is unfamiliar, and a carefully thought-out, written explanation will be better expressed than an oral one. The professional is always busy, not to say rushed: time is money or scarce or beyond the professional’s control. Hurried explanations often are the result, where much can be omitted. The client is likely stressed, typically because professionals are consulted only when there’s a serious problem or plan; and emotional stress does very bad things to clear thinking and to memory. We forget to ask certain questions — forget, even, to consult our list of important questions — can’t remember the answers, or, worse, think we remember but get it wrong. The professional has to translate out of jargon and into the client’s vocabulary — or, indeed, into a language other than English. When this is done in the moment, it can be a haphazard matter, and there’s plenty of room to under- or over-estimate the client’s ability to understand. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:07:01 +0100 824449 http://www.slaw.ca/2010/03/05/shakespeare-in-court-a-play-with-appeal/ Last night UWO Law hosted a presentation by law and undergraduate students of the trial scene from Merchant of Venice. Following the play, an appeal was heard to the Western Law Moot Court, featuring an all-star line-up. Shylock’s sentence was appealed by Earl Cherniak, QC, and the Attorney General of Ontario Chris Bentley represented Antonio. The bench in the appeal consisted of Justice Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada, Justice Eileen Gillese of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Professor James Purkis from the Department of English at Western and legal journalist and author Jeffrey Miller. (Far Left) Irfan Premji, Earl Cherniak (Front) Prof. Stephen Pitel (Back, From Left) Jeffrey Miller, Antoni Cimolino, Justice Ian Binnie, Justice Eileen Gillese, James Purkis (Far Right) Christopher Bentley, Andre Cormier Prof. Stephen Pitel said, There are great connections between law, literature, and drama. The common law is based on a strong narrative tradition and the courtroom is often compared to a theatre.  So pairing appellate advocacy and Shakespeare has tremendous potential. Now I did manage to get some clips of the event, though the resolution is poor and I missed major parts of it.  But I’m working on a student budget here, and I’m still certain that the numerous references to Facebook, Twitter, legal aid certificates, and circumcision (I kid you not), will still leave you amused and entertained. Not only did this event reach its potential, it exceeded it by far. And without further ado, here is the appeal of Shylock’s judgment, after some 411 years: Shakespeare in Court: A Play with Appeal – Appellant’s submissions from Omar2 on Vimeo. Shakespeare in Court: A Play with Appeal – Respondent’s submissions from Omar Ha-Redeye on Vimeo. (Source: Slaw) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:26:29 +0100 824450 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=14537 Library Director (City of Danville, Virginia) City of Danville, Virginia Human Service Department Library Director The City of Danville is seeking an experienced, dynamic Library Director to take a leadership role in managing, directing and coordinating activities of the City’s Public Library and Public Law Library. The Library serves a population of 48,000 with a collection of over 100,000, an annual circulation of over 230,000 and a staff of 13 full-time (two professional positions) and nine part-time employees. The Library Director reports directly to the Director of Human Services. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:40:01 +0100 823585 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Law_Library_Letter_Public_Library_Resources Public libraries provide access to non-legal databases that can be useful to attorneys. Highlighted below are some of those we suggest when searchin (Source: pligg - all) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:21 +0100 823682 http://ee.iusb.edu/index.php?/libnews/web_site_of_interest_in_relation_to_campus_theme_food_and_agriculture_organ/ From 3/5/10 issue of the The Scout Report, a web site of interest in relation to the campus theme "the Urban and the Rural": Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Gender and Land Rights Database "The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has created this helpful database for policy makers, government officials, and others interested in the relationship between gender and land rights. The database contains country level information on "social, economic, political and cultural issues related to the gender inequalities embedded in those rights." As their homepage notes, "disparity on land access is one of the major causes for social and gender inequalities in rural areas." Visitors will note that the database contains information on six categories, including women's property and use rights in the nation's civil code, customary law, land tenure, and civil society organizations which work on such matters. On the site, visitors can view full country reports, compare two or more countries, or create reports on one distinct category. Also, visitors can perform a full text search across all of the reports." (Source: Schurz Library News) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825356 http://librarychronicles.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html#4151466144106325184 Batt's "war-chest" is impressive. Take a look at all these fine, upstanding pillars-of-the-community just aching to put him back on the council. Batt's donor list is peppered with familiar names.Among those who have given him the maximum $5,000 contribution are car dealer Ronnie Lamarque and his wife, Natasha; Fred Heebe, one of the owners of River Birch landfill, which receives at least $7 million per year in payments from City Hall to dispose of garbage; and City Planning Commission member Lynes "Poco'' Sloss.Batt received $3,000 in donations from developer Joseph Canizaro and venture capitalist David Voelker and his family and $2,500 donations from engineering consultant Walter Baudier, lawyer Calvin C. Fayard Jr., manufacturing executive Jay Lapeyre and former Councilman Bryan Wagner.The $2,000 donors to Batt include lawyers Henry Braden, who raised money for Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu and failed mayoral candidate Ed Murray, and Herschel Abbott; and shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger.Batt's $1,000 contributors include lawyers William Broadhurst and William Aaron, Vieux Carre Commission Chairman Ralph Lupin, businessman Greg Rusovich, restaurateur Ralph Brennan and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jiff Hingle.People keep asking what happened to Ray Nagin's "shadow government" and I keep telling them it's doing just fine. Still I wonder why it is that, despite the fact of this well-known perpetual campaign against him, so many people still seem to really love Jay Batt. I mean, we already know he's a great dancerAnd that he likes cocktails with little umbrellas in themThat's all very endearing. But still something tells me there's gotta be something else. This morning we learned that Batt says it might be about keeping ACORN BOLD from doing... something... to the council's Utility Committee. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825124 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-2968 This bill has been passed by the Senate and House and now awaits the signature of the President before becoming law. [This event matched these trackers: Intellectual property ] Check our new spin-off GovTrackInsider.com for original and syndicated reporting of what is happening in Congress. (Source: Intellectual property -- Tracked by GovTrack.us) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824740 http://vancouverlawlib.blogspot.com/2010/03/cameron-on-file-openings-reducing-bad.html Colin Cameron has a good post up on how Firms can use file openings as triage, both for reducing bad debts and the amount of time firms invest in WIP & AR.Colin makes a number of great points, including:giving the Managing Partner the authority to say no when a new client presents a high credit risk;implementing a credit limit system that manages client WIP & AR;reducing the amount of time firms invest in AR & WIP from 5 to 4 months; andthe positive impact that can be had on quality of the firm’s clients over time.You should also take a look at Colin's blog for previous topics on: MDPs in the BC Market, Getting Lawyers to Sell, and Firm Strategy in Tough Economic Times. (Source: Vancouver Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823986 http://aidlibrary.blogspot.com/2010/03/library-news-352010.html Week 8 is nearly over!!!  This quarter is going fast.What's new in the library?ProQuest has some features that we don't talk about much but they are pretty cool.  It's the My Research page.    Here is what they say about it:  "My Research lets you save documents you find useful and view details from your searches during your ProQuest session. You can then print a bibliography and email or export several documents at once. You can use the links to documents and publications, as well as searches you have run to create web pages. "Create a web page?! Yes, you can make a web page for your research in ProQuest.  I think this would be useful for team projects or for an instructor to select articles for their class to read.  Check these articles I put together on the new Alice in Wonderland movie.  If you are off campus, you will need the log-in and passwords to see the links.Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, that story has been made into many movies over the years.  How about this story from NPR that includes a clip of a 1903 version?The Library has the Disney movie version and  the book for your viewing/reading pleasure.   And yes, we will buy the Burton movie when it comes out on DVD.Alice in WonderlandDVD CA 1347-1348Alice’s adventures in WonderlandPZ 7 .C234937 Ak 2002OUCH!!The purple, red, blue and black around my eye is not the result of sloppy application of eyeshadow!  Okay, it's true, I  do have a black eye but the rumors about me beating up someone who was eating soup in the library are simply untrue.  I was hit by a street sign!  Please note that despite what my friend Maury said, I was not texting while walking and ran into a sign.   The sign hit me, I did not hit it.  The truth is that most accidents do happen in the home. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823876 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/nq3a3pcZznQ/another-twist-in-the-tenenbaum-file-sharing-case.html When we last left Joel Tenenbaum and his attorney, Professor Charles Neeson of Harvard, the defendant was arguing for a reduction in damages assessed by the jury. That would be $675,000 for downloading and and further sharing of 30 songs.... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823746 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/su3qbBoHIac/using-twitter-to-change-classroom-dynamics.html There's an interesting article in Mashable that discusses how Twitter can significantly boost class participation. According to the article, "Twitter is an inexpensive solution to the growing problem of increasing class sizes. It is a tried-and-true platform to let conversations... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823745 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/pRI3Hd0YaZ0/piracy-as-a-positive-force.html OK, so I have absolutely no programming "chops" to crack DRM and don't even try but then I haven't bought an eReader to read a licensed book because, at least I know "this too shall pass." How? Hackers will break... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823744 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/qkRTsJFM090/is-the-case-for-cost-recovery-because-online-is-more-efficient-than-print-research-persuasive-in-the.html In the good old days, which for me would be the 1980s when I was a BigLaw firm librarian, firm libraries had several thousand linear feet of shelving filled with books, meaning many thousands of dollars spent to acquire and... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823743 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/aPl14YGWzPo/friday-fun-did-you-pick-the-right-career.html I've worked with a few law librarians who didn't pick the right career path IMHO (and a few who thought I didn't, too). If you are wondering whether your career choice suits your personality, here a little silliness: 50 sort-of-free... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823742 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/n6MkRQLHWHc/reminder-new-name-new-platform-same-informative-podcasts-law-librarian-conversations-features-lipa-e.html Rich Leiter and Marcia Dority Baker's Law Librarian Conversations (formerly known as The Law Librarian Podcasts) is now being hosted and supported by CALI. Today's program will feature a discussion of developments in preservation with LIPA Executive Director Margie Maes... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823741 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/79P3B2zYiig/court-denies-nascent-main-law-school-ability-for-graduates-to-sit-for-the-bar.html The Maine Supreme Court has denied for a second time a petition of the Husson University School of Law to let its students sit for the Maine Bar. This is the second time the petition was denied, with the application... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823740 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/VnJqqmbzU1I/us-news-responds-to-the-diversity-in-rankings-issue.html A full statement from U.S. News on the issue of diversity in law school and its affect on the rankings is here. The response notes the article by Saunder and Espeland reiterates the difficulty of measuring diversity as part of... (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823739 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/class-action-over-google-buzz.html Google Buzz, the new attempt by Google to bootstrap its Gmail accounts into a Facebook-like social media effort, has already generated two law suits over privacy issues. The earliest class action was filed in San Francisco in front of the Federal Trade Commission. See also this story in the San Francisco Chronicle. See this link for the complaint in PDF. And here is a supplement to the original complaint.A second class action law suit was filed in federal district court by a second year Harvard law student. Google has posted a blog statement in response at their gmail blog. Google has also responded by making changes to Google Buzz, which they detail in this statement.See helpful posts from Download Squad blog:How to turn off Buzz & delete your profile, andComplete coverage of Buzz at DownloadSquad.com (Source: Out of the Jungle) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823699 http://hplbookhunt.blogspot.com/2010/03/our-patrons-are-traveling-world-of.html Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queenby Susan Gregg GilmoreThrough the ups, downs and everything in between, the only constant in Catherine Grace's life has been the Saturday afternoons spent at the Dairy Queen eating Dilly Bars. After endless hours of daydreaming about leaving her little southern hometown, she heads out for the big city life in Atlanta; but is it everything that she ever wanted?- Suzie M.Pride and Prejudiceby Jane AustenI found this book not an easy read as the language I guess, is old English, a bit stiff and formal.The story takes place in England, not far from London. The family consists of the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and five daughters. Jane and Elizabeth are the eldest. Charlotte Lucas is Elizabeth’s close friend living next door. The purpose of parents of comfortable and well to do families is to marry off their daughters. The property near the Bennet’s is bought by young Mr. Bingsley. He arrives with his sisters, a brother in law and friend Mr. Darcy. Dances are held by different families so that the young people can socialize, leading to marriage. Mr. Bingsley is attracted to Jane and Mr. Darcy seems to be stiff and self absorbed. Mr. Collins, a young clergy man, a bore and long winded speaker, a cousin of Mr. Bennet and who will inherit Bennet’s estate as estate’s go to male relatives and not to daughters. He comes to visit the Bennet’s and proposes to Elizabeth. She refuses and he then turns to Charlotte who accepts. Mr. Collins’ benefactress in his vicarage is Mr. Darcy’s Aunt Catherine, a strong domineering woman with a sickly daughter who she wishes to see married to Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy starts to fall for Elizabeth and Bingsley’s sister is jealous as she adores Darcy, Elizabeth tells Darcy off as he told Bingsley he thought Jane didn’t care for him. Meanwhile, the third sister, Lydia runs away with Darcy’s soldier cousin. Darcy and Elizabeth’s uncle find them and get them married. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 823695 http://sanchezkisser.com/blog/2010/03/04/the-wookie-always-wins/ Paul Campos over at Lawyers Guns and Money makes an interesting observation about the lingua franca of our modern world, pop culture references: [...] at this point I find that the only two film references that I can always count on the vast majority of the class to get are The Wizard of Oz and the [...] (Source: The Invisible Library) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:48:21 +0100 825071 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalKoans/~3/sPKclHleTBE/ The Berkman Center for Internet and Society has made Peter Suber on the Future of Open Access available on YouTube. Related Posts Peter Suber on "Ten Challenges for Open-Access Journals" Video Presentations from Open Access to Science Publications—Policy Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges Conference Peter Suber to “Step Back” from Blogging on Open Access News Peter Suber Receives Joint Fellowship at Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication and the Harvard Law School Library Peter Suber: “A Field Guide to Misunderstandings about Open Access” (Source: DigitalKoans) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:05:31 +0100 824231 http://digital-scholarship.com/digitalkoans/2010/03/04/unintended-consequences-12-years-under-the-dmca/ The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA. Here's an excerpt from the announcement: EFF today released Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA. This is the sixth update to the report, which aims to catalog all the reported instances where the DMCA's ban on tampering with DRM have been abused to stymie fair use, free speech, and competition, rather than to attack "piracy." Congress enacted the DMCA's ban on bypassing DRM at the urging of entertainment industry lobbyists who argued that DRM backed by law would quell digital copyright infringement. Of course, 12 years later, that exactly hasn't worked out. Nor is it likely to ever work out. But lots of industries have recognized that these provisions of the DMCA are good for other things—like impeding scientific research and legitimate competition. The Unintended Consequences report collects these stories, including oldies like Lexmark's effort to block toner cartridge refilling and new cases like the lawsuit against RealDVD. Other new additions to the report include Apple's use of the DMCA to lock iPhone owners to Apple's own App Store for software, Apple's DMCA threats against Bluwiki for hosting discussions about iPod interoperability, and Texas Instruments' use of the DMCA to threaten calculator hobbyists trying to write their own operating systems. Related Posts Google Book Search Settlement Hearing Transcript "Academic Author Objections to the Google Book Search Settlement" "The Long and Winding Road to the Google Books Settlement" Lessig: "For the Love of Culture: Google, Copyright, and Our Future" "Google Book Search and the Future of Books in Cyberspace" (Source: DigitalKoans) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:03:40 +0100 823998 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalKoans/~3/Nipa8yWvzQY/ The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA. Here's an excerpt from the announcement: EFF today released Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA. This is the sixth update to the report, which aims to catalog all the reported instances where the DMCA's ban on tampering with DRM have been abused to stymie fair use, free speech, and competition, rather than to attack "piracy." Congress enacted the DMCA's ban on bypassing DRM at the urging of entertainment industry lobbyists who argued that DRM backed by law would quell digital copyright infringement. Of course, 12 years later, that exactly hasn't worked out. Nor is it likely to ever work out. But lots of industries have recognized that these provisions of the DMCA are good for other things—like impeding scientific research and legitimate competition. The Unintended Consequences report collects these stories, including oldies like Lexmark's effort to block toner cartridge refilling and new cases like the lawsuit against RealDVD. Other new additions to the report include Apple's use of the DMCA to lock iPhone owners to Apple's own App Store for software, Apple's DMCA threats against Bluwiki for hosting discussions about iPod interoperability, and Texas Instruments' use of the DMCA to threaten calculator hobbyists trying to write their own operating systems. Related Posts "Looking for Fair Use in the DMCA's Safety Dance" Jonathan Band’s Testimony on the DMCA Film Clip Compilation Exemption Library of Congress Releases Audio Files of Washington DMCA Exemption Hearings “The Google Book Search Settlement: Ends, Means, and the Future of Books” (Source: DigitalKoans) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:03:24 +0100 824233