Articles Posted in Uncategorized

Do you ever wonder If There’s a Law about the “Broadcast of Telephone Conversations?” There is!

Excerpt from full report, The Public and Broadcasting: How to Get the Most Service from your Local Station

“Broadcast of Telephone Conversations. Before broadcasting a telephone conversation live or recording a telephone conversation for later broadcast, a station must inform any party to the call of its intention to broadcast the conversation. However, that notification is not necessary when the other party knows that the conversation will be broadcast or such knowledge can be reasonably presumed, such as when the party is associated with the station (for example, as an employee or part-time reporter) or originates the call during a program during which the station customarily broadcasts the calls. For additional information on the rule concerning the broadcast of telephone conversations, see http://www.fcc.gov/eb/broadcast/telphon.html....”

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:

Body Laptop Interface

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.

From the The Times Online, 4/22/08: The new library fad: borrow a person: A new library allows readers to borrow people for a 30-minute chat. Here’s the experience of one man who offered himself as a human book

“The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I was there as Gay Man…” (read full article).

I’m not sure how this “librarian borrowing” is different from asking for a 30-minute appointment with a particular librarian to discuss a particular subject, which is done in acadmic and special libraries all the time, but this adaptation for public libraries sounds like a lot of fun.

In Oregon, at least on Trimet, speak softly and carry a big message.

The case referred to in the Thursday, April 24, 2008, Oregonian story by John Snell:

“TriMet: You shout, you’re out: New rules – It’s not what you say, but how loudly you say it, that will get you booted off the public transit system,”

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.