If you follow national and international news it’s important to make sure you remember that other people in other places may define THINGS differently from the way we define them in America.
For example: Did you know that a U.S. Billion is different from a British Billion? (See also the Oxford Dictionaries website entry.)
(Think about those $$$ amounts thrown out in news stories about international financial debacles. Whose “Billion” is being referenced?)
Do you have questions about Washington State law? Here are some legal research tips, which will also apply if you need to research other states’ laws (just substitute the other state’s name for Washington’s).
WASHINGTON STATE LAW LIBRARIES, PUBLIC & ACADEMIC:
If you want to know about legal forms, practice books, treatises, free and subscription databases, and other legal research tools, the best place to start is with a law library website or law librarian in Washington State. Some non-Washington state law libraries will have a few of these research resources, but if you aren’t near one of those law libraries, read on ….
You can link to a “Database of Law School Employment Statistics,” from the University of Wisconsin Law Library Blog (WisBlawg).
You can also visit the “Law School Transparency” website directly.
The April 2012 Oregon State Bar (OSB) Bulletin contains a detailed summary of this interesting case about blogging, bloggers, journalism, defamation, and the law: Obsidian Finance Group, LLC and Kevin D. Padrick v. Crystal Cox (3:2011cv00057) (D. Or. Nov. 30, 2011) (Motion for new trial denied Mar. 27, 2012) (Appeals filed March 30, 2012, and April 25, 2012)
“The Poster Child: How Oregon’s Blogging Defamation Case Attracted National Attention,” by Janine Robben.
Excerpts:
“Last November, a federal jury in Portland found a vitriolic, Montana-based blogger liable for $2.5 million for defaming an Oregon State Bar member and his company online. On March 27, 2012, a U.S. District Court judge denied the defendant’s motion for a new trial, setting the stage for an appeal that will be followed by First Amendment lawyers, bloggers and traditional journalists around the country.
This Oregonian opinion article by a recent law school graduate isn’t just Oregon-centric and encapsulates what some of us have always known: we don’t live in a bubble, you will pay tomorrow for what you do today, that butterfly flapping its wings in Rio, will soon send something to bite you in the Bronx, and if you drown young people in student debt, they cannot breathe let alone dream about swimming to victory for themselves, their families, and the world.
“Student law school debt harms Oregon’s legal community,” by guest columnist Gary Gray, May 29, 2012.
Read this blog post by Ernie the Attorney. At first blush it looks as if it is recommending yet another tech tip, and it is, but it is also describing a useful tech lesson he has learned on how to make better use of his time.
It’s no miracle cure (there isn’t one) for our “I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can” era, and it might not work for you, but if it does, it just might reduce a little of your tech-stress so you can at least enjoy your weekends:
“What’s Time to a Pig? Or How to Learn to Be super-efficient With Technology?
From Tamara, aka PI Buzz, a private investigator who should also be declared an honorary librarian given her outstanding research, knowledge, and penchant for sharing attributes: Free Sources to Verify a Death
Professional indexing is an art and a craft. If you are a writer who is inclined to go it alone, for money or for love of indexing, or if you have someone who loves you and is willing to create an index for your book:
Chronicle of Higher Education has a 3-part article about DIY book indexing:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The May 25th, 2012, Library Link of the Day, and other sources, tip us off to this article:
“How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit,” by Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, May 15 2012.
Oregon Legal Research Blog