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China allows Google to keep doing business

Iantha Haight 1 Response »
Jul 092010

Google ChinaA few months ago it looked like Google might abandon its business operations and Web presence in China, but the situation has changed dramatically.

Some brief background: A sophisticated cyber attack against Google’s technology infrastructure last January was launched from within China, and Google believed that the attack targeted Chinese human-rights activists.  In response Google began automatically re-directing visitors from Google’s censored China search page to its uncensored Hong Kong version.  Google even issued a strongly-worded statement threatening to close its business offices in China.  Google has filtered its Chinese site’s search results since 2006 to comply with Chinese government mandates.

Unsurprisingly, China was not happy with Google’s new strategy.  Google backpedalled somewhat last week by re-establishing Google.cn.  Google now offers less controversial services like music search and text translate from its Chinese page along with a link to its Hong Kong page for regular searching.  China accepted Google’s comprise approach when it renewed Google’s operating license today.

So what do you think of Google’s compromise?  Is it better for Google to continue offering its services, albeit in a modified manner, or should Google have stuck to its guns?

Posted by library at 2:23 pm Tagged with:

Google gets encrypted search

Iantha Haight No Responses »
May 242010

Google encrypted search logoGoogle released the encrypted version of its search engine in beta on Friday, available at https://www.google.com.  The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption protects your search query and search results while they are in transit between Google and your computer from third parties like ISPs (Internet Service Providers).  SSL encryption does not protect your information from malware that may be running on your machine.  The encryption only works for communications with Google, so it does not provide privacy when you click on a search result.  Encrypted search does not yet work for Google Images or Google Maps, although SSL encryption has been in use by Gmail and Google Docs for some time.  And though your information is protected from snoopy third parties, Google still knows and tracks the search terms you are entering and the results you are clicking.

Posted by library at 3:43 pm Tagged with: ,

U.S. Courts Web site gets makeover

Iantha Haight No Responses »
May 242010

U.S. Courts logoFollowing the recent revamping of the U.S. Supreme Court’s extremely dated Web site, uscourts.gov just received a new, slicker interface.  The new changes are primarily cosmetic but welcome—the site now has a cleaner, more sophisticated look with larger, size-adjustable font.  The site is compatible with BrowseAloud, a free program that audibly reads Web sites for people who have trouble reading the text.  Other new editions include email updates and an RSS feed of news about the judicial branch of the federal government and videos (the Web site hosts some videos and has a YouTube channel).  Videos are directed toward a general audience and provide background information about the federal courts, working for the courts, and bankruptcy information, among other topics.

Uscourts.gov provides news and information about the federal courts, job openings, judges, forms and fees, rules and policies, and educational resources, for example:

The site also offers text and videos explaining bankruptcy and the bankruptcy process and resources for high school teachers including material for mock trials.

Posted by library at 2:44 pm Tagged with: ,

ABA podcast: Beyond the Ethics of Web 2.0

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 302010

Bar association Web sites often provide resources for free to the public (members get access to even more). The American Bar Association offers free podcasts and audio recordings in the multimedia section of ABANow, the Web site of the ABA’s media relations division. A lot of the material is promotional, but I like this podcast on one of the hottest topics in ethics right now, social media use by lawyers, entitled Beyond the Ethics of Web 2.0—What’s Now, What’s Next, What If. Download the podcast here, or listen to the recording on your computer.

Posted by library at 4:41 am Tagged with: , ,

NYLJ report: Finding a job in a tough economy

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 272010

The New York Law Journal published a special report yesterday on law schools that has a lot of good information for current law students, including articles such as:

  • Career Prospects in a Difficult Economy discusses how to make the best of the changing job market.  Look for the quotation by Dean Schwab on page 3 of the article.
  • Alternative Jobs.  Probably several people have told you that you can do many things with a J.D., but what exactly are those “things” (besides practicing law, of course)?  This article provides some answers to that question.
  • How High is Your E.I.? (i.e., Emotional Intelligence)  There’s a lot more to being a good lawyer than the ability to understand the U.C.C.  Having a high emotional intelligence makes you not only more employable but also more successful after you get the job.

Anyone can view the special report for free by signing up for the digital edition with a name and email address.

For more information for Cornell Law students on accessing other articles from the NYLJ, see my blog post from a few weeks ago, Legal troubles of Yankee Stadium.

Posted by library at 3:06 pm Tagged with: ,

The Torture Lawyers by Jens Ohlin

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 232010

In “The Torture Lawyers” published at 51 Harv. Int’l L.J. 193 (2010) and available in Scholarship@Cornell Law, Cornell Law Professor Jens Ohlin examines the use of the justified necessity and excused necessity defenses by government agents who engaged in acts of what many consider to be torture during the Bush Administration. Professor Ohlin then discusses why Bush Administration attorneys who advocated the use of torture and may be considered accomplices in torture cannot successfully use these same defenses under the “flow-down” theory. To counter the objection that attorneys cannot be prosecuted simply for giving advice, Professor Ohlin examines two cases from the Nuremberg trials:

  • Prosecutor v. Altstoetter et al. (the Justice Case), in which members of the German Justice Ministry were charged with giving legal effect to Nazi statutes and decrees that stripped the right to due process of law from many groups and individuals throughout Germany and German-controlled territories.
  • United States v. von Weizsaecker et al. (the Ministries Case), in which members of Nazi ministries, including the Foreign Policy Office, were charged with war crimes stemming from their advisement of Nazi leaders regarding the deportation of Jews to concentration camps and other actions.

For other work by Professor Ohlin, see his faculty publications page. I recommend the following:


Posted by library at 10:29 am Tagged with: ,

Peeps in popular culture: ABA version

Iantha Haight 1 Response »
Apr 092010

Sonia Steps OutOn-the-ball Research Attorney Amy Emerson has informed me that the ABA has a Peep diorama competition of its very own called Peeps in Law modeled on the Washington Post Peeps Show. The ABA contest is only in its second year, while the Peeps Show has a storied tradition stemming from four epic years of peep-filled diorama goodness. Despite its newbie status, Peeps in Law has several key advantages over Peeps Show:

  1.  The artistry and craftsmanship is of a much inferior caliber, although lawyers can be very artistic. I admittedly prefer a homespun look,  but some of the ABA dioramas are too minimalist for my taste (e.g., My Cousin Peep, Murder or Accident).
  2. Fewer entries (39 in the ABA competition vs. 1,100+ in the Washington Post competition).

How are these advantages? Your odds of winning Peeps in Law are excellent when compared to Peeps Show, and so far the ABA has displayed all of the entries! So start brainstorming. Spring Break provides the perfect opportunity for diorama-crafting.

There are many excellent dioramas from this year’s competition, to which I give the following awards:

Vote for your favorite here. Polling closes 5 p.m. central time on Monday April 12. The winner receives a prize from the Just Born, the candy company behind Peeps.

Posted by library at 1:51 pm Tagged with: ,

Cornell Prof. Cynthia Bowman on law and cohabitation

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 072010

Cynthia Bowman Unmarried Couples, Law, & Public PolicyIn honor of Cornell Law School Professor Cynthia Grant Bowman‘s new book, Unmarried Couples, Law, and Public Policy, today we are highlighting a few of her other publications. In addition to a degree in law, Professor Bowman earned a Ph.D in political science, and she brings an interdisciplinary approach to her analysis of topics such as family law and feminist jurisprudence.

Professor Bowman studied the relationship between law and cohabitation–and especially its impact on low-income women–for many years before writing this book:

For more of Professor Bowman’s writings, see her faculty publications page and the Scholarship@Cornell Law online repository.

Posted by library at 9:11 am Tagged with:

Legal troubles of Yankee Stadium

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 022010

Yankee StadiumThe New York Law Journal featured an article today entitled “What Legal Challenges Ahead For New Yankee Stadium?” written by Angela M. Mazzarelli, Robert J. Patchen, and Jeffrey D. Ratner. Despite its title, the article is not a prospective look at the future of the new Yankee Stadium; instead it summarizes ten historic lawsuits involving the former Yankee Stadium.

Number 8 on the list is my favorite because of the opinion’s snarky concluding paragraph. In 1927 Harry Schafer purchased tickets for two ringside seats at the Sharkey–Dempsey prizefight at Yankee Stadium for $27.50 each—quite a lot of money then (click here for the results of the bout). Harry and his wife took the train from their home in Oklahoma City to NYC just to attend the fight, only to allegedly find the gates of Yankee Stadium locked. Upset and disappointed, Schafer sued to recover the cost of the trip, but the judge did not believe his story. The judge found that the defendant had, in fact, kept the gates open. But the judge offered Schafer these final words of consolation:

This was the first visit to New York for both plaintiff and his wife. They were there for three days after their tragic experience. They did some shopping in its magnificent stores, and attended the performances at several theaters. Plaintiff should find some consolation in the pride which must be his, that it can no longer be said that he and his wife did not visit the greatest metropolis in the world, and its splendid and stupendous places of amusement.

The case is Shafer v. Rickard, 132 Misc 489 (Mun. Ct. of N.Y., Bor. of Man., 4th Dist. 1928).

If you want to access this or other New York Law Journal articles and you are a Cornell Law student, you have several options available to you. Selected articles (including this one) are available in Westlaw, database code NYLJ. You can ask for a copy of the print publication at the circulation desk in the Reading Room. We keep the most recent issues stored there until we receive it on microfiche. Law students can also access the Journal’s Web site. Some of the articles are free; for articles that are not freely available, email a Research Attorney or ask at the reference desk for a password.

Yankee Stadium Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjetilhr/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Posted by library at 7:10 am Tagged with: ,

Peeps Show IV

Iantha Haight No Responses »
Apr 012010

Eep!In celebration of April Fool’s Day today we are featuring Peeps Show IV, this year’s installment of the Washington Post‘s annual diorama contest featuring that lovable, pastel-hued, sugary character—the Peep.

My favorite this year is “Balloon Peep (based on the balloon boy)”, but I think “Little Bo Peep” is pretty great too. What’s your favorite? Make sure to vote for it in the Peeple’s Choice Awards (click on the link at the top of the page).

Check out the Washington Post’s behind-the-scenes coverage or the accompanying news story. There’s even an iPhone app, but sadly I can’t bring myself to pay 99 cents for it.

One of my dearest wishes is to submit a diorama that will earn inclusion in the Peeps Show, but competition gets tougher every year (over 1,100 entries!). Some of the dioramas look downright professional, although I usually prefer the homemade look myself. Most of the best dioramas are created by teams. Maybe next year some intrepid 2L’s will band together to create a diorama based on Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. Think about it.

Posted by library at 3:00 pm Tagged with:
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