Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Creating Graphs

Inter Alia reported on a product called Create A Graph that allows you to easily create graphs. It is put out by the National Center for Education Statistics. Designed for students, it is easy to use and the graphs can be exported to PDF, JPG, and other formats. Which means that if you need to use a graph to illustrate a point in a paper, this might be something to check into.

GlobaLex Research Guide on Terrorism

GlobaLex has published a research guide on Terrorism. See it here.

GlobaLex is sponsored by Hauser Global Law School Program and New York University School of Law. The web site has a number of research guides for Foreign, International, and Comparative Law research. Check it out at http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/index.html.


Source: Barclay Blog

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Medical-Legal Topics

The AMA has a web site listing "Hot Topics" in Medicine and Law. See it here.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Lost User Manual? No Problem!

If you've ever lost (or misplaced) a user manual, bookmark this web site. It links you to manuals for products like cell phones, computers, cameras, appliances, etc.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Professor Tribe Talks About NSA Wiretapping and the Fourth Amendment

Professor Laurence Tribe, Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School wrote an op-ed piece that was published in The Boston Globe on May 16. In his article, Professor Tribe analyzes NSA wiretapping activities in the context of the protections given by the Fourth Amendment. Read the reprinted article here.


Source: Law Librarian Blog

Friday, May 12, 2006

New Meaning Given to "Reach Out and Touch Someone"?

This week USA Today ran a story on the NSA collecting the phone records of "tens of millions of Americans using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth." This information was given to USA Today by sources who did not want to be identified. If true, this raises more questions about whether the privacy of ordinary Americans is being invaded by a government agency against the law. Read the USA today story here.

Meanwhile, Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and John Conyers (D-MI) have introduced the “Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA Act” (The LISTEN Act).

The proposed legislation "makes clear that any attempt to listen in on Americans or collect telephone or e-mail records must be conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), or Title III of the criminal code. In both cases, court warrants based on probable cause are required. The Act states that FISA is the exclusive way to conduct electronic surveillance of U.S. persons on U.S. soil for intelligence purposes. It also states and that the Authorization to Use Military Force, passed by Congress in October 2002, did not constitute authority to engage in electronic surveillance outside of FISA."

Further, "the legislation provides tools to expedite emergency warrant applications, and authorizes funds to incorporate standardization, electronic filing and streamlined review procedures at the NSA and Department of Justice. It requires the President to ensure that resources are adequate to process warrants, and requires the Administration to comply with FISA at all times."

Read Rep. Harman's press release.

Lexis Announces New Databases

Beginning May 12, we will have access to the following databases in LexisNexis:

Factiva Content

Publication Name:
* Asian Wall Street Journal
* Barron’s
* Dow Jones Business News
* Dow Jones Capital Markets Report
* Dow Jones Corporate Filings Alert
* Dow Jones Emerging Markets Report
* Dow Jones International News
* Dow Jones News Service
* Reuters EU Highlights
* Reuters Health E-Line
* Reuters Washington Daybook Report
* The Wall Street Journal Europe
* The Wall Street Journal Sunday
* The Wall Street Journal
* Reuters News

Thursday, May 11, 2006

CRS Reports on Criminal Justice

The Law Librarian Blog has put together a list of new CRS Reports on Criminal Justice. The list includes:

FEDERAL HABEAS CORPUS: A BRIEF LEGAL OVERVIEW
THE DEATH PENALTY: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT LEGISLATION IN THE 109TH CONGRESS
FEDERAL HABEAS CORPUS: AN ABRIDGED SKETCH
THE DEATH PENALTY: AN ABRIDGED LOOK AT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT LEGISLATION IN THE 109TH CONGRESS
FEDERAL STATUTES (Child Pornography)
RENDITIONS: CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED BY LAWS ON TORTURE
GANG PREVENTION AND SUPPRESSION LEGISLATION IN THE 109TH CONGRESS: SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF S. 155, H.R. 1279, AND H.R. 4472
FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES
FEDERAL CRIME CONTROL: BACKGROUND, LEGISLATION, AND ISSUES
EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM: LEGISLATIVE AND FUNDING HISTORY


Look here to read the annotated list.

By the way, CRS Reports are excellent sources of information on many issues that are considered by Congress. CRS stands for Congressional Research Service. It is part of the Library of Congress and works for Congress to provide comprehensive, objective analysis and research on all legislative issues. There is an excellent pathfinder for CRS reports at http://www.llrx.com/features/crsreports.htm#Locating.

Health Insurance Coverage Gap

A study commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and done by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health gives a state-by-state analysis of access to health care by people who have health insurance and those who do not. The study was released to launch Cover the Uninsured week, an effort to raise awareness of the need to cover all Americans with health insurance. Read the study here.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

Mail from Iran

The full text of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush is available at this site: http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2607.shtml. The letter was released by the Iranian Republic News Agency (IRNA). It is an interesting ramble.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Using Online Exams

To access online exams, go to the Quick Links section on the Library Home Page. Click on Reserves and Exams. Type in the name of the professor whose exams you want to see. Choose the name of the course and then click on the exam you want to see. You will then be asked to type in your name and library bar code number (found on the back of your Hamline ID). If you have any questions, ask one of the librarians!

Please note: the library puts exams into the electronic archive when we receive them from the faculty. If your professor's exam is not in the archive, he or she either did not provide one to the library or has chosen not to have the exam be part of the archive. Hard copies of exams from 1978-2002 are found in the reference collection at KF 292 .H35 A24.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Preparing for Pandemic Flu

You may have heard David Letterman's jokes about the government's latest attempt to get ahead of the planning curve for a pandemic flu occurrence. But all joking aside, if you want to see what the government is doing (and recommending for the public to do in the event of a pandemic), you can view the website at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/.

Source: beSpacific

Thursday, May 04, 2006

ABA Family Law Tables

There are tables showing summaries of state laws governing family law at http://www.abanet.org/family/familylaw/tables.html. These tables can also be found in
Family Law Quarterly Vol. 39 No. 4, Winter 2006.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Moussaoui Gets Life Sentence

The jury in the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui has recommended that he be sentenced to life in prison without parole. The jury of nine men and three women reached their verdict on May 3 after seven days of deliberation. Moussaoui is the only person charged with the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Unscientific Survey/Fabulous Prizes

Do you read the blog? If so, I want to know about it! I am doing a very unscientific survey to see how many students read this blog. So if you do, come to my office (240-I in the law library) and tell me about it. The first 5 people to do so will receive a Fabulous Prize!

Midnight Oil

Beginning on May 3, the law library will be open until 2 a.m. for your late night study needs. Extended hours will continue through May 17.

SecureExam Software

SecureExam Software is no longer available for checkout in the law library. If you want to download SecureExam software to your PC, you can do so from Piperline. If you have a Mac, you will need to contact the Registrar's office.

PC Problems?

There is an article inPCWorld.com that gives some practical advice on how to fix PC problems without calling Tech Support. Read it at: http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,125161,00.asp.

Source: beSpacific

Unpublished Opinions

As reported in an earlier entry to this blog, unpublished opinions are now citable. There is also an article that discusses unpublished opinions and their role in our common law system.

Symposium: Have We Ceased to be a Common Law Country? A Conversation on Unpublished, Depublished, Withdrawn and Per Curiam Opinions. Panel articles by Patrick J. Schiltz, Stephen R. Barnett, Penelope Pether, Joan M. Shaughnessy, Arthur J. Jacobson, Sarah M.R. Cravens, David S. Caudill, David C. Vladeck and Mitu Gulati; responses by David E. Klein, William M. Richman and Carl Tobias. 62 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1429-1755 (2005).