For Public Patrons of Pace Law Library

Lexis Public Access will replace the current Westlaw Public Access as of Saturday, November 2, 2008, and will be available on the public computer workstations in the Pace Law Library. The six public computer workstations are located on the main level of the library opposite the reference desk. Westlaw Public Access will no longer be available in the library after tomorrow November 1, 2008.

Access to Westlaw and Lexis for students, staff, and faculty is uninterrupted by this change.

Pardon sought for executed British witches

Witchcraft in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers. Witchcraft has not been punished by death for nearly 300 years. The classical period of witch-hunts falls into period of time 1480-1700. During the time of Reformation and thirty-years-war, thousands of people (mainly women) were executed for being accused of witchcraft. As CNN reports, the campaigners in London plan to ask the British government to issue a posthumous pardon for the hundreds of people executed for witchcraft between the 16th and 18th century in England. The petition asks Justice Minister Jack Straw to recommend that Queen Elizabeth II issue a pardon. CNN quotes the petitioners:

We were gobsmacked to discover that though the law was changed hundreds of years ago and society had moved on, the victims were never officially pardoned.

United Nations Lecture Series on International Law

The United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law is a new website which includes a collection of lectures "on virtually every subject of international law given by leading international law scholars and practitioners from different regions, legal systems, cultures and sectors of the legal profession." The site is easy to navigate, and I was able to watch portions of several lectures without any technical difficulties. The Lecture Series collection is still growing. Many lectures have already been posted, along with supplementary material (bibliographies, outlines, etc.) when those have been made available by the speaker. Additional lectures are already as "forthcoming."
The United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law also includes the Historic Archives, a section of the website organized by legal instrument, and the Research Library, a collection of links to other Internet resources essential to the study of international law. The website is free, and no password or registration is required.

Strategic Plan: The Coastal Program

This Report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes the Services approach to coastal conservation through the year 2010 with the goals of: conserving habitat, strengthening partnerships, improving communication, enhancing its workforce, and increasing accountability.

Department of Defense Energy Strategy: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

This August 2007 Report from the Brookings Institute by Gregory J. Lengyel, Colonel, USAF details military reliance upon foreign sources of oil and suggests strategies using increased fuel efficiency, nuclear energy, alternative sources of energy including synthetic fuels and renewable energy in the form of solar and wind.

Ivory Auction Opened

BBC reports on October 28, 2008 the first officially sanctioned sale of ivory in southern Africa for almost a decade opened on Tuesday. Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe will auction more than 100 tonnes of ivory from stockpiles to buyers from China and Japan. The raised money is supposed to go into elephant conservation projects. The sale of ivory was globally banned in 1989. By allowing this trade, many speculate it will encourage poachers in Africa to kill more elephants and it will open additional illegal trade. Read the full article here, and leave your comment.

PEN-e

Pace Law Library offers the finest Environmental Law Library collection in the nation. As a part of the outreach services, the Law Library is proud to announce the creation of a blog dedicated to Pace Environmental Notes - an electronic edition that highlights new documents and events in the areas of Environmental Law, Energy Law, and Land Use Law. Under the direction and guidance of Jack McNeil, Associate Director of Pace Law Library, this blog together with Pace Environmental Notes, custom bibliographies, research instruction and research assistance support the mission of Pace Law School Environmental Program.

Real Arrest For a Virtual Murder?

CNN reports from Tokyo, Japan. A 43-year-old Japanese woman has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, when she killed her online husband's digital persona after he suddenly divorced her in the online environment of a popular interactive game "Maple Story". The virtual reality divorce made the woman so angry that she decided to kill her online ex-husband. CNN further reports:

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world. She has not been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Animal Blawg

Two Pace Law School faculty members, David N. Cassuto and Luis E. Chiesa, with the assistance from a Pace third-year law student and animal-rights activist, Suzanne McMillan, have launched a blog dealing with animal law titled Animal Blawg: Transcending Speciesism since October 2008. It is intended to transcend "speciesism" and to provide the latest information about animal issues as they relate to the legal field. Enjoy reading!

A Lesson in How Not to Get Admitted to the Bar

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts rejected a candidate for admission to the bar for sending harassing and threatening e-mail messages to a member of the Massachusetts bar, and then lying about it to the Court hearing his appeal. The Court said the candidate's conduct "strongly suggests dishonesty, poor judgment, and a willingness to misuse the judicial process." Desy v. Board of Bar Examiners, SJC 10069 (Oct. 20, 2008).

Laptops in the Classroom

According to a recent article by Jana McCreary of Florida Coastal School of Law, laptops are more distracting to non-users than users (The Laptop-Free Zone). One suggestion--rather than banning laptops, professors should create laptop-free zones in their classrooms.

New USB Flash Drives

The Pace Law Library is now selling 1GB USB flash drives for only $10.00. There is a limited amount of them, so be sure to get one before they sell out. The drives are dark blue in color with an imprint of "Pace Law Library".

Did you forget your storage device at home or do you need one? Are you looking for a gift? Are you looking for a practical Pace memorabilia? Our Pace Law Library USB flash drive might be the answer. Purchase one at the Law Library circulation desk.

See you there!

A case against God?

The BBC News featured an article titled "Legal Case against God dismissed" on October 16, 2008. What do you think, can one sue God? The suit was brought by a Nebraskan senator Ernie Chambers to make a point that "anyone can sue anyone, even God", as reported by the BBC news. The US judge Marlon Polk, of 4th Judicial District Court of Nebraska, dismissed the case on the grounds that the defendant [God] does not have an address; therefore legal papers cannot be served. Judge Polk wrote in his ruling:

Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice.

War in Georgia

The Library of Congress published an executive summary "Russian Federation: Legal Aspect of War in Georgia" on October 8, 2008 discussing the war in Georgia, the historic background of the conflict, laws of the use of the Russian military abroad, legal grounds for the Russian military presence in Georgia, Russia's "Protection of Citizens" justification, and the legal justification and consequences of recognizing the separatist's independence.

This report reviews legal aspects of Russia’s invasion into Georgia in August 2008 and Russia’s recognition of Georgia’s separatist enclaves’ independence. The report includes an analysis of relevant aspects of international law and Russian domestic law, as well as an evaluation of Russia’s legal justification for its actions. The report also provides historic background of the conflict and commentaries on laws regarding the deployment of the Russian military abroad.

The report includes many cross references and can be downloaded in PDF format.

Cause of Air-pollution in China ...

The MIT news on October 6, 2008 featured an article "MIT report debunks China energy myth: the problem isn't the technology, it's the operations" by David Chandler. An interesting and detailed analysis of China's powerplants by MIT suggests:

...the widespread notion that outmoded energy technology or the utter absence of government regulation is to blame for that country's notorious air-pollution problems. The real issue, the study found, involves complicated interactions between new market forces, new commercial pressures and new types of governmental regulation.

Legal Talk Network Discussing the Lehman Brothers Collapse

Join the co-hosts of Legal Talk Network (J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi) as they discuss the largest bankruptcy case in U.S. history involving the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., that created the chaos in the financial community. The guests Attorney John D. Penn and Attorney Victor Bass share their opinions about disclosure of company's assets, what will happen to stockholders and customers along with the impact on the economy, and they share their take on the legal options and strategies used in this unprecedented case. What is your opinion?

Furniture Law Blog

An interesting, newly emerged blog that follows patent and intellectual property law in the furniture industry. A nicely designed blog, with search feature and top page navigation. The blog welcomes its readers:

Welcome to the Furniture Law Blog. This blog will focus on legal issues affecting the furniture industry with a particular emphasis on intellectual property issues. The entries will highlight new case filings, decisions, and legislative activities.