Hurricane Law?

We all know that Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath have changed lives and national politics. Did you know that there is a blog devoted to tracking how hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the recovery effort are also changing the face of the law? Hurricane Law Blog, published by the law firm of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, provides a “single online destination for hurricane-related developments in this rapidly-evolving legal landscape.” The Gulf Coast firm maintains the blog as a searchable up-to-date repository for news and information about hurricane-related legislation, litigation, federal and state regulatory issues, opinion and commentary. Hurricane Law Blog is a great way to keep up with post-Katrina legal developments in many key areas, including financial services, insurance, real estate, environmental, government contracts, health care and employment.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Does History Repeat Itself?

Wondering if anything interesting happened on this date in history? There are several different websites to check out for events in past years. Try The Free Dictionary, On This Day from the N.Y. Times, or Today in History from Yahoo News.

Today in History (from The Free Dictionary) . . .
"John T. Scopes, a Tennessee biology teacher, was tried for violating the Butler Act, a 1925 state law banning the teaching of evolution. This so-called "Monkey Trial" became a flashpoint for debate among religious scholars and scientists as well as the general public. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, though the verdict was later reversed. Despite the outcry stemming from the case, the Butler Act was not repealed until 1967." For more background on the Scopes trial, see http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Scopes+Trial


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Devilish Diversion

Fans of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons may recall an inarticulate character that embodies chaos, indiscipline, and anarchy--in a word, the very antithesis of law and order--known as the Tasmanian Devil. The real Devil, however, is a very different beast from his cartoon counterpart, and a most interesting one. Those who are curious about this creature will find more information here.

I like them because they are natural enemies of dogs. ;-)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Barbeque!

Too hot to cook? So, barbeque! I realize that barbeque is a style of cooking, but it is more fun and somehow seems cooler than turning on the oven. For everything you need to know about grilling over an open flame check out the Barbecue Bible website. Equipment, recipes and common sense advice are easy to find and understand. So if you don't have your grill out already, take it out now and barbeque!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wex - quick, reliable, legal reference

Many of us have done a quick search on Wikipedia to get a fact, date or rough idea on a topic. Wex, a similar new website provided by our friends at the Legal Information Institute, is

"A collaboratively built, freely available legal dictionary and encyclopedia. Much of the material that appears in Wex was originally developed for the LII's 'Law about...' pages, to which Wex is the successor. "

Like Wikipedia, Wex has multiple contributors, although there is a selection process in order to maintain quality and prevent vandalism.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Medical Metasearch

If you ever need quick, sufficiently detailed and reliable information about a medical topic (who doesn't?), you need to know about OmniMedicalSearch.com. A free medical metasearch engine, OmniMedicalSearch is designed to simultaneously search up to 16 medical search engines and provide the top results from all. Sources include both United States and UK prominent services and institutes (such as WebMD, Healthline, and NHSDirect Online), each selected for being "unbiased and noncommercial in nature and an established authority for delivering responsible medical information." Users can opt to search the entire Web, medical news sources, images, or a single source. They can also select the "Web2" option that searches only .gov, .edu, .org and .ac.uk domains among four major search engines. Check out the site-map for dictionary and acronym search features and links to medical associations and journals.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Myth Information

The law, being a learned profession, has often made use of Classical and mythological allusions to illustrate its doctrines. To the modern reader, however, such references may seem obscure. The Encyclopedia Mythica, an online resource devoted to the world's mythology, shall quickly explain and clarify these allusions. So, if a phrase such as "cleaning the Augean stables" has you puzzled for a moment, then look no further than the Encyclopedia Mythica for a quick answer.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Finding Scientific Info

Want to find out more about astronomy, physics, or regular biology? You can find scientific information on the Web much more effectively and efficiently, using a Scirus - a search engine for scientific information only.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Get Beyond The Human

In a post of a few weeks ago, I offered a link to a Web site that helps one to find an actual human to speak to when calling large companies, banks, and the like. This week, however, in celebration of the recent Space Shuttle launch, I invite you to look beyond the human. NASA's exobiology* Web site offers a brief introduction to the fascinating scientific study of the origin, distribution, and evolution of life throughout the universe.


*Exobiology: The branch of biology that deals with the search for extraterrestrial life and the effects of extraterrestrial surroundings on living organisms.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fourth of July weekend on Long Island

The Ernster hopes that you will find some time for relaxation at some point during this holiday weekend. Should you be looking for something to do in close proximity to the library, check out Newsday's Guide to Celebrating the 4th of July on Long Island. Activities can be viewed by date, community or category.

Should you need a quick reminder of the reason for the season, take a look HERE

Enjoy!!
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat