Pew Research Center's Election ' 08

Sometimes in an intense political season it's good to step back from the daily tracking polls and breaking news. For a broader perspective on what the American public is thinking, check out Election '08: Pew Research Center's Coverage of This Year's Campaign. Here the nonpartisan research and polling center uncovers what they have found out about the issues, attitudes and beliefs shaping the election landscape, including society's interaction with the media and technology. Election '08 reports include both data and analysis, with graphics and actual polling questions behind the results.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Hot off the Virtual Press-Conn. on same sex marriage

The Connecticut Supreme Court released its opinion overturning the ban on same sex marriage in Connecticut.

To view the opinion of the court and the 3 dissenting opinions, go to the Supreme Court's opinions page .


Have a great weekend.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Social Networking: Etiquette Tips

Looking for guidance as to how to comport yourself when using such social networking sites as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? This article from CIO comes to the rescue with etiquette tips for users of social networking sites.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Second Presidential Debate

The second Presidential debate between Obama and McCain was held last night at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. This debate differed from the first in that it used a town hall format in front of 80 selected voters. What didn't differ were claims that the opposing candidate made untrue statements. Let's see what the fact checking sites have to say . . .

So, did business organizations say that McCain's health care plan " would lead to the unraveling of the employer-based health care system" as claimed by Sen. Barack Obama? Well, according to CNN Factcheck it is "true." "Obama's comments appear to refer to an Oct. 7 New York Times article"and he "accurately expresses the tone and content of the news article."

Do “1.3 million people in America make their living off eBay” as claimed by McCain? According to FactCheck.org "only 724,000 persons in the U.S. have income from eBay, and only some of them rely on it as their primary source."

In any event, the front page of today's Newsday expresses one undisputed fact -- "Next Stop, Hofstra."




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

What do large law firms attorneys want?

A recent survey concludes that it is not more money. Nearly tied for 2 aspects of their careers that attorneys would change are that they would like less stress (31%) and fewer hours / more personal time (30%). Job related stress and difficulty maintaining a work/life balance can lead to increased job dissatisfaction.

This is something to think about while you are in law school. What do you want from a job? Law school is stressful, but big law firms can be more so. How well do you deal with stress? Do you need better coping skills?

By planning now you can decide whether life in a big law firm is right for you.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Voting Location

Not sure of your voting location? The Smartvoter site by the League of Women voters can help. Use the Find My Ballot function to find voting locations and ballot information. The site also contains candidate information and links to other political information sites.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Press for Public.Resource.org

There was a good article in the Times last week about Carl Malamud's effort to makes laws and regulations, including things like building codes, available for free online. It's worth checking out for anyone interested in how copyright law relates to government information. (There is more on whether states can copyright their laws on this Harvard blog.)



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat