Virtual Library Cat's Eye View

Haymarket Affair: 1886-1887

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair1886-1887

This collection showcases more than 3,800 images of original manuscripts, broadsides, photographs, prints and artifacts relating to the Haymarket Affair. The violent confrontation between Chicago police and labor protesters in 1886 proved to be a pivotal setback in the struggle for American workers' rights. These materials pertain to: the May 4, 1886 meeting and bombing; to the trial, conviction and subsequent appeals of those accused of inciting the bombing; and to the execution of four of the convicted and the later pardon of the remaining defendants. Of special interest and significance are the two dozen images of three-dimensional artifacts, including contemporary Chicago Police Department paraphernalia, labor banners, and an unexploded bomb casing given to juror J. H. Brayton by Chicago Police Captain Michael Schaack. The cornerstone is the presentation, as images and searchable text, of the transcript of the 3,200 pages of proceedings from the murder trial of State of Illinois v. August Spies, et al.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Earth Portal

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Self-described as a comprehensive resource for timely, objective, science-based information about the environment, the Earth Portal was selected as one of Library Journal's "Best Free Reference" web sites of 2008. The Earth Portal covers the natural environment of the earth as broadly defined, from air and water to living organisms and interdisciplinary topics, including related law and policy. All content is governed by the Environmental Information Coalition (EIC), a group of scientists and scholars and the institutions and agencies for which they work. Well organized and easy to navigate, the site consists of three components: the Encyclopedia of the Earth (with a great topical browse feature); Earth Forum (commentary and discussion); and Earth News (international in scope). For environmental law background or personal interest, this is a great place to start.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The World's Ten Smallest Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:04:00 +0000

We follow up our list of the weirdest animals of 2008 with that of the ten smallest animals. If you've ever wanted to see the smallest lizard, or--*cough, cough*--the smallest cat, then have a look.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

It was a dark and stormy night...

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:02:00 +0000

The results of the 2009 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest are released. Most likely you think of Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip when you see the phrase "it was a dark and stormy night", but the phrase is actually part of the first sentence of the novel Paul Clifford by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton. The complete sentence is:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

The contest is an international literary parody contest that honors the memory if not the reputation of Bulwer-Lytton. The goal of the contest is simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels.

The results are usually very funny. An example, the 2009 winner for the Detective entry:

She walked into my office on legs as long as one of those long-legged birds that you see in Florida - the pink ones, not the white ones - except that she was standing on both of them, not just one of them, like those birds, the pink ones, and she wasn't wearing pink, but I knew right away that she was trouble, which those birds usually aren't.

Eric Rice
Sun Prairie, WI

So if you would like a smile, check out the present and past winners.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Spring OCIs?

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is some talk of moving the summer associate recruiting process from the 2L Fall Semester (often, in reality, summer) to the 2L Spring Semester. There is no telling whether this idea will catch on.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

SCOTUSblog: Super Stat Pack

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:06:00 +0000

Want a statistical overview of the Supreme Court term that has just ended? Then check out SCOTUSblog "Super Stat Pack". The statistics include:

Opinion Tally
Justice Agreement
Decisions by Final Vote
Frequency in the Majority
Opinion Authors by Sitting
Circuit Scorecard
The Court’s Workload
Grant Rates by Conference
OT08 Questions Presented and Results (with embedded links to slip opinions)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Bill Jackets in the News

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:11:00 +0000

There has been a lot of controversy recently related to bill jackets in the New York State Senate.

Bill jackets are, not surprisingly, jackets--or folders--for bills. As Bill Manz writes in Gibson's New York Legal Research Guide, "Engrossing a bill involves affixing to it the certifications of passage from each house and enclosing the bill in a folder known as a 'bill jacket.' The house of origin transmits the engrossed bill to the governor's office."

Related to the turmoil in the New York State Senate, that body's bill jackets are being kept under lock and key by the Secretary of the Senate, which probably prevents any bills passed by the Senate from really being official. And two Republican Senators are suing to compel the Secretary to release the bill jackets.

Anyone who has made an appellate argument in New York knows that, in addition to keeping bills warm and giving them an imprimatur of 'officialness,' bill jackets are also the main source of legislative history for New York State laws. Some bill jackets from the last decade are available for free on the State Archives website. Others can be a little harder to find.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Redistricting Game

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:23:00 +0000

How may future lawyers, legislators or policymakers really understand how congressional redistricting works--and how it affects political power and the outcome of elections? Grasping these concepts would never be fun if it weren't for the Redistricting Game.

This free game, developed at the University of Southern California's Game Innovation Lab for the USC Annenberg Center for Communication, lets you play the "redistricting game" by redrawing maps of congressional districts in fictional states within a browser window. Watch the results both on the map and in the facial expressions of the fictional representatives affected by your moves, and work toward approval of your plan. Players can work through five missions, including basic population equality, partisan Gerrymander, and Voting Rights Act. Each mission comes with eye-opening quotes.

Check out this game and play the real world variables to understand how the system really works.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Independence Weekend Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:12:00 +0000

For those of you studying for exams or the Bar Exam, make sure to take a break to celebrate the 4th of July. I will be doing the same. This means on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th the Library will be CLOSED. We will be open on Sunday, July 5th from 10am-8pm.

Check the Library's Hours web page for our new extended hours starting Monday, July 6th.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sleeping on a Complex Decision May Be a Bad Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:04:00 +0000

The venerable piece of advice that one should “sleep on” a complex decision before acting upon it may not help you to make the best choice, after all. So say two studies that question the evidence for unconscious decision-making. Read more about these findings here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

In this Corner .... Microsoft Bing: Interesting New Search Engines from Microsoft and Google

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:52:00 +0000

Microsoft recently launched their new search engine, Bing. While there are similarities between Bing and Google, Bing has added a few features like page preview. When you hover your mouse to the right of your search result, a preview of the page is displayed. Click here for more information about Bing.

Another search engine of interest is Google Wave which is expected to launch later this year. Google Wave, is a self described "new tool for communication and collaboration on the web." ""A wave is equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more." Click here to view the Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Philpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:19:00 +0000

Looking for philosophy resources? Try PhilPaper s. Philpapers is an online directory of philosophy articles and books--from here you can browse current tables of contents from over 200 journals or you can browse articles by subject. A search engine allows you to search by keyword as well. Philpapers has a blog component which posts selected threads from its discussion forums--an interesting idea!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Black's iPhone App

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:53:00 +0000

You can now purchase Black's Law Dictionary for your iPhone. At $50, it's comparable to the price you would pay for a new copy of the print version, but up to $48 more than you might pay for a used cop y, or $50 more than you would pay for a copy provided by your law firm.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

American Car Art

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Take a break from summer work, courses, or bar exam study. Escape for a few minutes into the glamorous world of car advertising from the decades when the U.S. auto industry was immensely profitable and car ads represented an idealized vision of an era. "Drawing Power: Motor City Ad Art in the Age of Muscle and Chrome" features original works of advertising art created in the large graphic illustration studios that once filled the skyscrapers of Detroit, Michigan. While most original work by these talented illustrators has disappeared, this Detroit Public Library exhibit brings together a wonderful collection by the finest commercial artists of the Motor City.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Year's Weirdest Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:03:00 +0000

According to the New Scientist, “from a sea-slug that runs on solar power, to a bug that lives in total isolation; from the world's smallest snake to a one-tonne rodent – here are the 10 oddest [animal] species from 2008”. See for yourself here (and notice that no species of felidae are included!).

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Summer Pre-Bar Exam Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Just a reminder that the Law Library's Bar Exam Schedule will begin after Independence Day. From Monday, July 6 - Tuesday, July 28, the Law Library's hours will be:

Monday - Thursday 8:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Friday 8:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday 10:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Map of Disputes between WTO Members

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:52:00 +0000

The WTO has created an interactive map of disputes between WTO members. One can search disputes by country, subject or chronologically. There is also a link for "Find Dispute Documents." An interesting way to view trade disputes.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Writing in the Age of Distraction

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:36:00 +0000

I know that many of you are currently (or are interested in) writing scholarly work. And I also know how difficult it is to write without being distracted by e-mails, texts, online games, RSS feeds, Facebook posts and/or other shiny things on the internet. Here is a helpful article from Locus Online about how to write without being distracted. And without giving up the internet altogether!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

2006 United States Code

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:47:00 +0000

You can stop holding your breath. The 2006 United States Code has been completed. It is up-to-date through the end of 2006. What is nice about it is that you can now download PDF copies of individual sections of the U.S. Code from the Government Printing Office website.

Of course, if you don't need a PDF of the official version of the U.S. Code, the Legal Information Institute still provides a good free version that is more up-to-date.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

YouTomb

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:05:00 +0000

If you have an interest in copyright, open access, and culture, you might want to check out YouTomb, a research project of MIT Free Culture, a student organization at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. YouTomb tracks videos on YouTube that have been removed for alleged copyright violations. Copyright holders can submit takedown notifications under the Digital Millennial Copyright Act that cause YouTube to remove the video. YouTomb continually monitors the most popular videos on YouTube for copyright-related takedowns, and provides information about the video, including how many days ago it was removed, how long it had been viewable, and the name of the copyright holder. There's more about YouTomb here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Another Search Engine choice

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:36:00 +0000

I know the name needs work, but I am still a fan of the Web search engine, Clusty . What makes it different and worth a look is that it "clusters" your results. So, if you search for something, for example "pet insurance" you will get your results in topics such as "health insurance", "cat insurance" and "compare" as well as just the usual list.

In case you are interested, health insurance for felines does not look any better than for you humans!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Once you start looking, you'll "notice" that they're everywhere: Myriad signs with odd and unnecessary quotation marks. For instance, one that tells you there "will" be an extra charge, or another that urges you to step right “in”.

The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks photographically chronicles these oddities. Just click the highlighted link and “scroll” down to see some amusing examples.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Discover who is Tweeting with We follow

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:41:00 +0000

Are you having a tough time finding out who is Tweeting? Try We follow. We follow is a "user powered user directory" that ranks Tweeters by the number of followers and sorts the followers by user-defined tags. Popular tags include "celebrity," "news,""politics," and "socialmedia."

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Revolving Door | Open Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:44:00 +0000

The Center for Responsive Politics is a donor supported research group dedicated to tracking money in politics and its effects on elections and public policy. Their mission is:

Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives
Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information
Advocate for a transparent and responsive government

The mission is pursued mainly through the website. They follow the money and report to us.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

UN Secretary-General's Database on Violence Against Women

noreply@blogger.com (Ernster the Virtual Library Cat) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:42:00 +0000

The UN Secretary General's Database on Violence Against Women contains information about violence against women and the measures taken by various countries to combat this violence. The advanced search feature allows you to search by type of measure taken, the form of violence and by country. It also has a profiles on several countries that outline that country's legal framework, policies and strategies, institutional mechanisms, services and preventative measures and statistics related to violence against women.

Hat tip to Cornell's Insite.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat