Assessment of State e-Government Services (from Law Librarian Blog):
“The National Center for Public Performance and the American Society for Public Administration have released U.S. States E-Governance Report (2008) An Assessment of State Websites, which evaluates security, usability and content of state websites, the type of online services being offered, and citizen response and participation….” (link to full post)
1) Check first with your local public library! Public librarians know how to find all sorts of genealogical information in print and online and have networks for asking other librarians when the specific question is particularly vexing.
2) In Oregon, public libraries may have these subscription databases that you can search, sometimes remotely:
a) America’s Obituaries and Death Notices
b) Biography and Genealogy Master Index
c) Ancestry Library has an Oregon Death Index. It’s similar to the SSDI except it has Oregon Death Certificate numbers (but no SSNs). Call your library. Some libraries subscribe to it, but not necessarily as a remote access database so you may need to visit your library, use their local email reference service, or use the Oregon statewide one, L-net.
3) Web-based free online databases:
a) Oregon Center Heath Statistics: Death Data
b) Social Security Death Index
c) Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
The Oregonian ran a story about the new law, 2009 SB 391 (HTML version), which will go into effect January 1, 2010: “Exotic Pets: bad idea, soon to be illegal.” (Online version: New Oregon law will clamp down on exotic pet ownership), by Jacques Von Lunen, Tuesday July 21, 2009):
Excerpt: “The four cats hiss fiercely as we approach their enclosure. When we go inside, two of them circle around to the opposite corner. It’s unnerving, because these cats are no tabbies.
They’re servals, African wildcats. The largest weighs close to 40 pounds. Their long legs make them excellent runners and jumpers; some call them the most efficient predators of all cats….
….
Many humans seduced by servals’ looks find they’re dealing with wild animals after all.
“We get about one call per month on servals,” says Cheryl Tuller, co-founder of WildCat Haven. “These owners realized quickly it was a big mistake.”
More free legal information – hurrah! See King County Law Library blog, KCLL Klues:
Free Federal Case Dockets Online
FreeCourtDockets dot com provides free court dockets from PACER (except for the U.S. Supreme Court, whose dockets originates from their own database). You must register (see their introductory information page) for access instructions.
See March 18, 2010, OLR blog post for updated links.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) affects every litigant, lawyer, and judge. Ignore it at your peril.
Two SCRA laws that apply to Oregonians, one federal and one Oregon:
Having problems with the lawyer someone recommended to you or who you thought was recommended by an “online service” or a “best ever lawyers in the whole wide world” list?
It is not enough just to get a recommendation for a lawyer who can help you with your legal problem. You need to do a some preliminary research and have a conversation about fees and service with that lawyer.
If you do absolutely nothing else before you hire a lawyer, please:
From the July 13, 2009, ATC, NPR story, Librarians Go Wild for Gold Book Cart:
‘….Five teams of librarians — dressed in costumes ranging from Vikings to Elvis Presley — competed for the coveted gold book cart. They marched in drill-team formation, equipped with metal book carts.
Gretchen Roltgen, a 62-year-old librarian with neon blue hair, says it’s a long way from Baraboo, Wis., to “the big dance.”
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (and here) started July 1, 2009. There is more information, and links, at this Law School Academic News blog post. (Note: the program is not just for law students.)
This is a very new program and I recommend you run a search for the most up-to-date information. The following Google searches will bring up dot gov or dot edu sites, which are the best place to begin for very new educational benefit program information. You can also check with your financial aid office, if you are still a student.
Search string: Public Service Loan Forgiveness program site:.gov
Or,
Search string: Public Service Loan Forgiveness program site:.edu
I’ve been working on a blog post linking to summaries of this Oregon Legislative Session’s consumer law accomplishments e.g. see the Oregon Live information, but got sidetracked by this story. Mandatory arbitration requirements have been a hot topic for a while amongst consumer law attorneys:
From an Oregon attorney’s blog post about a lawsuit against the National Arbitration Forum. Excerpt:
“This major development in the fight against arbitration abuse has potential to cause some serious carnage. The State of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against National Arbitration Forum, a leading arbitration provider, claiming that NAF is a front for debt collectors and their law firms and not an independent arbitration service. Here’s a copy of the complaint–it’s long–for anyone who is interested….” (read full post)
This program is part of the UO Portland Summer Spotlight series.
“Interested in how copyright law affects creative work? Itching to write your own version of copyright law? Curious to know how musicians and artists might talk to an entertainment attorney, and vice versa?
Join the UO Portland Library and Learning Commons at 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 16 for “Free Culture: Creating Copyright and Copyrighting Creation,” a lively discussion of copyright and the arts. UO alum and entertainment lawyer Peter Shaver will talk with Portland-based electropop trio YACHT, and will engage the audience in a real-time redraft of copyright law.
