Get A Human!

For those who are weary of negotiating labyrinthine voice messaging menus when contacting large companies, banks, and the like in search of a person to speak to, there is now a solution: Gethuman. This database offers lists of companies, organized by type, and gives precise instructions for ways to reach an actual person, instead of having one waste valuable time working one's way through an apparently endless series of voice messaging prompts.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

D-Day anniversary

Although some of you might be having ominous thoughts about tomorrow's date, 06/06/06, it is also the sixty-second anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy during World War II. PBS has a very interesting website on D-Day called the American Experience. You can read letters from the front, peruse maps and timelines and learn much more about the people and events that shaped the war during this time.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

HBD BEN FRANKLIN

2006 is the three hundredth anniversary of the year of Mr. Franklin's birth. Ben Franklin was a man who not only observed that

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth
reading, or do things worth the writing

but really lived by his words. Should you need a refresher on the life and legacy of Big Ben, the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary website has everything you need to join in the national celebration of this most impressive man.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tips for Assignments

For those of you with research and writing assignments, remember that a great place to start your research is with a Treatise on your subject. In addition to the treatises you will find in the Library, Lexis and Westlaw have a number of treatises online. In the Directory for either service, click on the "Area of Law" or "Topical Practice Area" link , click on the link for your topic, and then click on the link for Treatises. You can then choose a treatise and search it using whatever terms you choose.

As always, if you have a question, contact your favorite Reference Librarian.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Explore The Abyss

As you know, being virtual, and unconfined by time and space, I have taken a break from matters legal from time to time to report on happenings involving outer space. Today, for a change, here is a link that allows you to explore a fascinating domain of "inner space": The depths of our planet's oceans, and the strange--from the perspective of a terrene quadruped--creatures that inhabit it. The Bioluminescence Web Page contains many beautiful photographs that illuminate the self-illuminators inhabiting the darkest depths of the ocean.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Did You Eat Breakfast Today?

"They" say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Whether it is or not, a momentous event in breakfast history happened on this day in 1894. It was on this day in that year that the Kellogg brothers, Dr. John Harvey and William, received a patent for the process that created Corn Flakes. And the rest, as they say, is history. You can read about the history of the company at their 100th Anniversary site.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Memorial Day

Hope that you will spend a few moments Monday reflecting on the true meaning of Memorial Day.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs does a nice job of putting together many resources for doing so here. This collection includes a list of Memorial Day events in and around the nation's capital. Check here for events in the Long Island area.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Enron Story - More Sources

Last month we highlighted a Department of Justice Web site that provides access to trial exhibits from the government’s well-publicized criminal case against former Enron executives (see our post of April 27, 2006). For those interested in exploring other aspects of the Enron story, a good place to start is the Enron “topic” page at JURIST. This page brings together a news archive and links to key resources, including the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enron page and a well crafted Wikipedia article with background facts, biographical information on the personalities, a timeline, other Web links, and a bibliography. The law firm representing Enron’s shareholders in a class action lawsuit has also provided background information and court documents on that aspect of the story.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Google/Yahoo search tip

Ever need to search a website that has no search link? Yahoo and Google have an advanced feature to do just this. Go to either search engine, the enter the following:

site:deanelawlibrary.blogspot.com purring (replace the italicized text with the web address of the site you want to search and the terms you want to search at that site)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Basic Facts About Trademarks

In the field of Intellectual Property, one often hears talk of copyright and patents, but trademarks frequently receive less attention. To offer basic information about trademarks, and to dispel any confusion regarding the subject, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has created this Web page, which also contains practical information about filing for trademark protection and the like.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat