Oregon Federal Public Defender, Steve Wax, has written a book, Kafka Comes to America, about his experiences representing Guantanamo prisoners and Brandon Mayfield (whom I blogged about, in The Law Librarian and the FBI).
Thanks to Jack Boganski for the lead!
Does A.R.F. on a death certificate stand for Acute Renal Failure or Acute Respiratory Failure?
We all use abbreviations, but not all of us know the dangers of using them with impunity. Use of a wrong, or confusing, abbreviation can lead to serious consequences indeed:
Oregonlive story, from the Argus: “My life has just dissolved” Cherry Grove woman says abbreviation on death certificate caused dog problems,” Friday, May 02, 2008, by Nick Christensen, The Argus:
Not quite what I want to see when I walk into the library, onto the bus, or into my local coffee shop, but I promise you will laugh out loud at this. Privacy is as privacy does:
Thank you to the inimitable Bruce Scheier, for his post Protect Your Laptop Screen From Roving Eyes.
News stories:
Oregonlive 4/29/08, story, by Ashbel S. Green, Suit filed to throw out law meant to shield kids:
Excerpt “A group of book stores, health groups and civil liberties advocates has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn an Oregon law aimed at keeping sexually explicit materials from children.
Excerpt from the Oregon Blue Book:
“In 1902, the Oregon electorate overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that created the initiative and referendum, a system of direct legislation by the people. In 1904, the electorate enacted the direct primary and, in 1908, the State Constitution was amended to include recall of public officials. These victories were the culmination of efforts by the Direct Legislation League, a group of political activists that progressive leader William S. U’Ren founded in 1898.
The initiative and referendum became known nationally as the “Oregon System,” and adoption of these popular legislative tools put Oregon in the vanguard of progressive and enlightened politics, allowing the people to propose new laws or change the State Constitution through a general election ballot measure….” (continue reading Blue Book entry)
The iLibrarian blog posts are of use to non-librarians too:
1. Seven Ways to Get the Most from your RSS Reader
2. A summary of articles on Deleting Your Facebook Account
3. 15 Best Freeware Apps for Mac Users
And lots more – at iLibrarian.
The Washington County (Oregon) Sheriff’s Office Newsletter always has at least one, and usually more, interesting (and even funny!) story. This latest issue includes this article:
What is the Difference Between Assault IV and Assault I: What do the numbers mean?
“People often hear that criminals are charged with Theft I or Theft III. Have you ever wondered what the different numbers mean after the charges? Or maybe you have heard that someone was charged with a Class A, B or C felony or misdemeanor. Both of these systems are ways of classifying the seriousness of the crime. Here’s a bit of info to help you remember what these designations mean.
Your lawyer, your insurance company, your executor, and your family may love you for this Home Inventory Guide one day, though only one of the latter is likely to help you complete this guide:
Via Neat New Tricks (which also links to this Picanswers site – gotta love the web), comes this: Home Inventory Guide
It’s a California guide so don’t phone them for help, unless you live in California! Phone your own state’s “people.” (You DO have People, don’t you? If you don’t know who they are, phone your public library reference staff – they are Your People.)
You wouldn’t think you’d have to study the Oregon Elections Division web pages to find the impending, looming, terrifyingly close voter registration deadline, but you do!
Here’s what it says at the Election Division Homepage. Find it there? Nope. Click on Voter Registration. Find it there? Nope.
Now, click on the next link, Register to Vote, (and then read half-way down the page). It says:
Great minds think alike. The following organizations all have their annual meetings in Portland this year:
League of Women Voters U.S. (LWVUS), June 13-17th, 2008
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) 2008, July 12-15th, 2008
Oregon Legal Research Blog