In honor of July 4th

The best way I know of to celebrate July 4th is to read the Declaration of Independence or hear it being read. My favorite reading is from the voice personalities at NPR.

The Library will also observe the Independence holiday and will be closed. This includes swipe card access for 24/7 hours. The schedule is as follows:

Fri., July 1 8am - 5pm

Sat. July 2 10am - 6pm (No Reference Librarian available)

Sun. July 3 10am - 6pm** (No Reference Librarian available)

Mon. July 4 LIBRARY CLOSED**

** The Library closes completely as of Sun. July 3 at 6pm through Tues. July 5 at 8am .

There is no swipe card access during this time.***

Tues. July 5 8am - 8pm Swipe card access resumes at 8pm

Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

On Televising Federal Trials

In a very interesting article that recently appeared in The Philadelphia Lawyer and some other bar journals, Pepper Hamilton attorney M. Kelly Tillery writes about the Supreme Court's 2010 5-4 decision to stop arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger from being streamed to multiple courthouses, the Federal Judicial Conference's 1994 decision to reject the recommendation that some federal civil proceedings be broadcast, and his own positive experience as counsel in one of the few federal trials to have been televised, Neely v. Club Med, which appeared on Court TV in 1993.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Do you know these LinkedIn tips?

If you are on LinkedIn, this article "5 LinkedIn Tips You Didn't Know" is an update of useful features on the service. With the need to network today, articles like this are a quick way to find out if we are using our online presence to meet our needs.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New York Passes Bill Legalizing Gay Marriage

The New York State Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday. The Marriage Equality Act was passed with a vote of 33 to 29. Currently, gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa, as well as Washington, D.C. To learn more about the new bill click here. Read the full Marriage Equality Act Bill No. A-08354 here.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

End of term

It is Supreme Court decision season. Two of my favorite places to keep up to date and to read about the significance of new Supreme Court decisions:

SCOTUSblog

Free and also provides the decisions explained in "Plain English" and interesting analytical statistics regarding the Supreme Court decisions (scroll to bottom)

BNA Supreme Court Today (click on Supreme Court Today link on left)

Gives a short summary of the decision. To access from home, you will need to log in with your Hofstra 700 number.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Connecticut Law Offers Protection For Transgendered Persons

The Connecticut Senate recently passed a bill that adds the phrase "gender identity or expression" to all existing state sex discrimination laws. Upon the governor’s signing the bill into law, Connecticut will become the fifteenth state to offer such protections. Read more here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Plane travel

For some fun check out 3 things you can't do on a plane. Yes there really are more things one shouldn't do on a plane, but these are kind of funny.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Clutter-free Web Reading and Printing

I have discovered another great web browser add-on. Readability lets me see a web page without all of the advertising clutter . Once installed in my browser, I click on the "Read Now" button to the left of the address bar and . . . presto change-o . . . no ads. This is also great for printing an article without the unnecessary clutter.

(Hat tip to ProfHacker)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

MySpace Parodies Protected in Pennsylvania

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that two Pennsylvania teenagers cannot be disciplined at school for MySpace parodies of their principals that the students created from off-campus computers.

"Today's court decision states that you cannot punish students for off-campus speech simply because it offends or criticizes (school officials)," said Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which represented both students. Read more here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Constitution by Crowd

Well, not exactly. But Iceland is bringing the general population (and followers around the globe) into the process of creating a new national constitution this summer, using the new social media. Iceland is soliciting citizen suggestions on the Constitutional Council website, where the most recent draft is posted in Icelandic, along with an English translation by Google Translate. A JURIST post has more on the process, which also involves Twitter and Facebook pages and a YouTube channel (in Icelandic), not only to facilitate comments but also to post interviews with delegates and live broadcasts of Council meetings. It's all part of the Council's stated intention to "open communication with the Icelandic nation" and give "the people an opportunity to participate in the formation of a new Constitution of the Republic of Iceland." A 21st century version of the constitutional convention has arrived.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat