Caturday!

New Tools for Thomas

Thomas is a great free source for statutory law and legeslative history.   But linking to it?  Forget it, the links expire.  Enter the new tool tiny Thom.as.  Tiny Thom.as will create a permalink to the Thomas webpage you want to save or share.  Not only does it give you a permalink, it also gives you a variety of sources from which to view the information: Thomas, Open Congress(“/oc” at the end of the link), and GovTrack (“/gt” at the end of the link).

Very cool!  Another tool for my research tool box.

Wordless Wednesday: Apple Cake Edition

(recipe)

Misc. Monday: AC/DC

A few weeks ago, Preebs shared a blog post from Invisible Oranges about a new book out about AC/DC – Why AC/DC Matters, by Anthony Bozza.  It was a contest to win one of 5 free copies.  And as far as getting a book for free from blogs, well, I’m always a winner!

Okay, the cover’s really not that red (I had fun taking pictures!)

So the book chronicles the history of the band and its fans.  It’s amazingly short (131 pages) but packed with info!  There’s a chapter on the Youngs, a chapter on the lead singers, a chapter on the drummers and bassists.  Then the fun starts.

If you’re not a fan, then the book won’t be much to read.  If you’re a fan, it’s a fast read.  And it reads like the longest, best review of an album (or in this case, the band) ever.  The book goes into the details and science of sound without being so technical to leave behind the most musically disinclined.

The only thing I wish the book had were pictures, photos, promotional posters.  But no matter, it’s a great book for any fan!

Caturday

New Search Tools for Case Law

The blogosphere has been all aflutter about Google Scholar‘s ability to search court cases.  I had some time earlier this week to play around with the Google Scholar features.  It’s pretty decent for keyword searching and excellent if you have the citation.  It also shows you how to properly cite the case (a big plus in my book!) and you can use the standard advanced search options for any Google search.  The downside, as far as I can tell, is the inability to update a case (Shepardize/KeyCite).  For this, Lexis and Westlaw (pay services) would seem to have the stronghold.

Then I heard about Xyggy legal.  Type in a case name or citation, and -bam! – the case is updated.  It’s seems pretty exhaustive for federal cases too.   The Xyggy hompage says it covers “United States Reporter (U.S.): 1 – 544, Federal Reporter, Second Series (F.2d): 178 – 999, Federal Reporter, Third Series (F.3d): 1 – 491.  Case coverage is incomplete for recent years and Xyggy will endeavor to complete the collection in the future. Till then the site is at beta status.”  But this is a big chunk of what I’m asked to research and update, so it will be helpful.

Of course, this is great news for someone like me who does legal research on contract basis – now there’s not as much need to charge clients more, which of course, translates to lower fees for their clients.  So, for now, Google Scholar and Xyggy legal are my first stops for case law.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  Even though I couldn’t see my family, I am thankful for many things this year!  In no particular order:

1. Figo, who’s getting better about being held and petted.                                                                     
2. Lily, who has really blossomed into a loving kitty, and is starting to be calm around my roommate.
3. My roommate, for giving me a place to live when I was nearly homeless.
4. My friend and coworker K, who put me up for 2 weeks, and found me my roommate.
5. N, for letting me sew him a halloween costume and reminding me how much I enjoy sewing.
6. B and L for providing me great baked goods.
7. Preebs, for the lively conversations and for turning me onto a certain podcast.
8. E for constantly providing me with reasons (and jobs!) to move to NYC.
9. The whole book cart drill team for the fun and competition.                                                                                                
10. A for taking care of Azul, my “kitty boyfriend.”
11. K and S in Seattle for being great Buddy parents, and sending me Buddy pictures.                               
12. A in Seattle for encourage my Scotch drinking.
13. Facebook for letting me reconnect with my friends from Portugal.
14. My friends from Portugal for being there for me.
15. My sister for taking good care of my Smokey Joe Joe.
16. My mom for always being there for me.
17. My library school friends (especially M in Philly and  S and T in PGH) for reminding me how lucky I an to have good friends.
18. Smokey Joe Joe for being the Wonder Cat.                                                                                     
19. E in Seattle for being a great long-distance friend.
20. The various library regulars for making that job lively.
21. J for introducing me to the various cheap, good restaurants in PGH.
22. B in Seattle for being supportive.
23. My new boss and job for taking a chance on me, and reintroducing me to urban planning.
24. Secret Agent L for being cool and spreading joy.
25. A (now in TX) for being a great drinking buddy.
26. A (also in TX) for staying in contact even though she’s having a tough time.
27. Trader Joe’s for being a super grocery store.
28. ShurSave for being a cheap grocery store.
29. The T(ea) Gallery for carrying such wonderful tea.
30. My blog readers, for reading what I write.

Weather Forecast – IMMD

From the weather service – WOOHOO!!

Event:	Special Weather Statement
Alert:	...SNOW SHOWERS AND COLD TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR BLACK FRIDAY...

Wordless Wednesday: Graffiti in PGH

Tea Tuesday: World Peace Tea

I have a huge tin of World Peace Tea from Teahouse Kuan Yin.

The tin was from my mom – it has Girl Scout uniforms through the years!

I must have really like this tea at some point because I bought 4 ounces of it.  Well, I found out this weekend I don’t like it.  It’s way too minty and bitter.  I guess my taste in tea has changed.  I used to really like minty tea, and now I’m not such a big fan, I prefer a milder mint flavor.  Oh well.  Mom really likes this tea, so I’ll bring it to her at Christmas.