20 Years On...Challenger, Space and the Law

The media--from the National Geographic Channel to talk radio--will be commemorating today’s sad anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster that led to the deaths of seven astronauts, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. But did you know that all three NASA spaceflight accidents, claiming 17 lives over the last 40 years, took place between January 27 (the Apollo 1 fire in 1967) and February 1 (the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003)? This fact, along with Challenger videos, training and liftoff photos, voice recorder transcripts, Congressional hearings, scientific investigation reports, and court decisions from related lawsuits are all available online from web sites dedicated to the history and law of space exploration. NASA’s History Division page on the ill-fated Challenger mission is a great place to start, with links to most of the key information. Spacelawstation.com, “the planet’s space law portal,” provides Challenger-related and other space law cases, a space lawyer directory, and links to space law resources worldwide.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

How to Say it in . . .

With globalization, we will have increasing need for communication in different languages. There are several websites that provide quick translations. My favorite is Babel Fish . Another is Google Language Tools. I can now tell you that "meow" is pretty much the same across your human languages.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Electronic Discovery

Those cutting-edge future litigators among you might find the Discovery Resources Web site to be of interest. Discovery Resources aggregates current information about electronic discovery for the legal community from a variety of different online sources. The site’s aim “is to keep legal professionals informed and provide the best tools available to evaluate the wide range of technological and legal issues associated with electronic discovery.” Resources include articles, news items, links to e-discovery case law, rules and regulations, and practice-based tools.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Pluto

In case you missed it last week, after 2 days of weather-related problems, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft lifted off on a long journey to Pluto. Pluto is the only planet not yet visited by a spacecraft, and this mission should hopefully remove that distinction. Read all about it at New Horizons main page.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

21st Century Library - A New Semester!

Once again the 21st Century Library will be holding workshops through out the semester on specific topics and different research tools and tricks. The intent is to provide guidance on available resources and suggestions on how these resources may be used in the research process. And, how and where to get started in a complex subject and evaluate what is found.

The first of the workshops will be held next week during the Common Hours. The schedule is:

Monday, January 30th, 12:10-1:00: International Human Rights research online
Monday, January 30th, 5:10-6:00: Secondary Sources on Lexis and Westlaw
Wednesday, February 1st, 1:10-2:00: European Union research online

Some workshops will focus on subjects (Int'l Human Rights/European Union) and others will focus on demonstrating less familiar aspects of a resource (Lexis/Westlaw). If there is a topic or resource you would like featured in a workshop, please tell us. We always welcome suggestions.

All workshops are held in the lower level computer lab and all law students are welcome.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

United States versus Google

Last week the Bush Administration demanded access to all the search data from the databases of Google, Yahoo and MSN. Their reason was so that they could track pornography results. Yahoo and MSN complied but Google has denied the request. Search Engine Watch has summarized the entire story and then has another article which provides links and summaries of the actual subpoena documents.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL BRAND 2005

The Brandchannel.com / Interbrand Fifth Annual Readers Choice Awards for 2005 have just been released. GOOGLE has been named the world's most influential brand, beating out second place APPLE. Demonstrating a growing interest in VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), SKYPE cracked the top five this year, ranking third. STARBUCKS and IKEA round out the Global top five. The entire report can be viewed here. It is a really good read. In addition to the global list, brands are also ranked by region: Asia-Pacific, Europe and Asia, Central and Latin America, and North America. The fifth most influential brand in North America? Lance Armstrong.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Law School and Beyond--Facts and Figures About Legal Education

Have you ever wanted to find a list of specialized post-J.D. degree programs offered by American law schools? Did you ever need some reliable facts and figures about legal education for a research paper, presentation or special event? A great source of quick and authoritative information is the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Their web site’s Legal Education Statistics page provides links to the latest law school enrollment figures, and to statistics on student and faculty demographics, law school tuition and living expenses, and much more. Select other links to view listings of post-J.D. programs in a wide variety of specialties, from tax law to tribal law, with a definition of the legal degrees conferred. Those interested in the financial impact of their career choices, especially in the light of law student debt, might want to scroll down under “Latest News” on the Section’s home page for the link to the “Report of the ABA Commission on Loan Repayment and Assistance.” This report highlights recent data on student debt patterns, lawyer starting salaries, and the impact of both on law school graduates and the communities they serve.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Happy Belated 300, Ben!

I could not let the week go by without wishing Benjamin Franklin a happy 300th birthday (which was Tuesday, January 17). As a "founding father", his credentials are unassailable. Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence, took the lead in negotiating military assistance from France and the peace treaty at the end of the Revolutionary War and was part of the Constitutional Convention. In his "spare time", he was also one of the foremost scientists and publishers of the age. He prized tolerance and had a reputation for a wicked sense of humor.

How could you not want to celebrate someone who was described as "equal parts Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Bugs Bunny" ?

(Quoted from op-ed piece in Tuesday's New York Times by Stacy Schiff, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America .)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Coalition of Journalists for Open Government

The Web site for the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government is an online resource provided by this organization, whose primary goal is to improve public access to records and meetings at all governmental levels, and to strengthen laws that will make government more transparent. The home page offers listings of linked “headlines” that consist of excerpted news stories, articles and other items. Many of the excerpts include links to other relevant material, such as the texts of bills. In addition, the Coalition posts its various position papers, petitions, and letters to the site

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat