Promoting Global Internet Freedom (New CRS Report)

The Congressional Research Service has published a new report, Promoting Global Internet Freedom: Policy and Technology (16 pages).

From the Summary:

"This report provides information about federal and private sector efforts to promote and support global Internet freedom and a description of Internet freedom legislation and hearings from the 112th Congress. Three appendixes suggest further reading on this topic and describe censorship and circumvention technologies."

Historical State Codes on HeinOnline

Ever try to research old state statutes? Ever need to know how the language changed over the years? Ever need a snapshot in time –  from a really long time ago?

Gallagher Law Library patrons have always been able to use our rich historical collection of print state statutes. It’s quite something to go down to the Compact Stacks on L2 and pull out an old code and find what you need. We also have a collection of state session laws on microfiche and in digital form on HeinOnline. And now Gallagher patrons have a fabulous new source – HeinOnline’s State Statutes: A Historical Archive. It includes superseded statutes for all fifty states, with coverage as far back as 1717. The end dates seem to vary, but Washington State, for example starts with the Code of 1881 and ends with the 1961 supplement to the 1951 Revised Code of Washington. Not bad!

Sharp blog readers might ask, but . . . what about the Washington laws before 1881? We have the territorial session laws in print, of course, and Hein has them in the Session Laws Library. The key is to use both the Session Laws Library and the State Statutes Historical Archive.

Prada lawsuit to be heard by UN's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

Maybe the devil really does wear Prada...or at least works there.  You might remember hearing about a discrimination lawsuit back in 2010 brought by a former Prada employee against her employer in Japanese court. The employee alleged being told by HR that her employer was ashamed of her ugliness, to lose weight and to change her hairstyle. The former Prada employee further alleged that Prada demoted and transferred 15 female employees, many of them top saleswomen, because they were "old, fat, ugly, disgusting, had bad teeth, bad bodies or did not have the Prada look.”  Thirteen employees "were transferred to other locations, but most of them ended up quitting instead."

The allegations of discrimination based on age, weight and beauty are mortifying but even worse, last fall the employee lost her battle when Tokyo District Court Judge Reiko Morioka ruled in favor of Prada, saying their alleged discrimination was "acceptable for a luxury fashion label" and that "a well-compensated female employee should be able to withstand a certain level of harassment." 

Despite its victory, Prada countersued its former employee "for harming the firm’s image." The former employee plans to "pitch the $780,000 countersuit as discrimination against employees." A panel from the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women will hold a hearing on the case later this month. The hefty media coverage since the lawsuit's inception has ranged from sympathetic to skeptical, where do you fall?

Photo Credit 1: www.amazon.com

Photo Credit 2: www.un.org

National Library Week: Peepshow Contest Winners!

The results are in!  Congratulations to our winners and thanks for participating in the fun!

Legal Peeple
Congratulations to Kara Noel, law library intern, for her winning entry, "Justice to the Peeple."

Library Peeple
The winning entry is from Jennifer Haire Gonzalez, law library intern, with "Inbox Peep."

Peeple's Choice
And last, but certainly not least, is reference librarian Sherry Leysen's winning entry, "Peeping Toms."

Congratulations, everyone!  Thanks for helping us celebrate National Library Week.

A brassiere heist and an injurious thong!

A brassiere heist?  An injurious thong?  Who knew that Victoria's Secret could fuel such controversy?!

Victoria's Secret Love Spell

A manager of a Victoria’s Secret store in Puyallup was injured this weekend when she was attacked by three women stealing brassieres!   After the women grabbed approximately 150 bras and ran away, the store manager attempted to stop the thieves and was punched in the face and sprayed with "an unknown substance". (The substance was probably not one of the famous lingerie chain's fragrance mists.)

The thieves have not yet been apprehended but are now being referred to as "bra bandits."  Some speculate that the bra bandits will sell their stolen booty on eBay; but no speculation is needed when determining that the bandits are undeterred by the possibility that Victoria's Secret lingerie causes injury.

Several years ago, a Los Angeles traffic cop sued Victoria's Secret after a metal fixture on a rhinestone allegedly popped off her Victoria's Secret thong and scratched her cornea. The injured's attorney was applauded by making the "thong malfunction," "sound as exciting as a scholarly discussion of pea gravel." Feel free to watch an interview of the attorney and the injured below or check out the filed complaint here.

Though the 2008 lawsuit was dismissed in 2009, it appears that Victoria's Secret lingerie may still pose a risk of injury...to unfortunate store managers who attempt to stop bra bandits.

Photo Credit: www.victoriassecret.com
Video Credit: www.today.com

What Are We Reading?

If the Gallagher staff were all sitting around reading for fun, what would that look like?  What do we currently have in our bags, on our bedside tables, and on the floor of our cars? What have we checked out from the library, borrowed from friends, or bought this week?  Not (necessarily) our best-loved books or the one we can't wait for someone else to read. And not (necessarily) the most obscure or impressive. Just this – as a staff, what does our current pile of books look like?

Gallagher's Fun Friday Tip - Cascade Bicycle Club Commute Challenge

May is bicycle month, and to kick it off, Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting the Commute Challenge!  

Riders participate in the Commute Challenge for a variety of reasons. The challenge is great for new riders, providing the support and structure to make the transition to cycling smooth, easy and fun. Experienced cyclists often relish the competition that comes with tracking trips and the chance to convince coworkers to ride.

Participants can either ride solo or form a team. Teams are a great way to encourage brand new bike commuters while challenging experienced bike commuters. 

To learn more about how to sign up, form a team, and win prizes, visit
http://commutechallenge.cascade.org/

The Commute Challenge also provides resources to help you, including bike maps, resources for learning about local and state bike and traffic laws, and tips for combining a bus ride with your cycling commute! If you're new to commuting on your bike, this is a great opportunity to learn skills and enjoy support.

Here's an example of how *not* to commute on your bike!

***Make sure you don't miss any of our helpful legal resource posts, library news, and Fun Friday Tips by signing up your email or twitter address to receive updates from Gallagher Blogs.***

Book Podcasts: Not Just for National Library Week

It is true that many people who work in libraries love to read books. We read in a variety of genres and in all sorts of formats. We read e-books, pristine new print books, and ratty old used paperbacks bought with cash from independent bookstores. At work, we blog about books and libraries and even bookmobiles. National Library Week is a perfect excuse for a blog post about one of my favorite things: the book podcast. Reading is personal, and so is podcast listening. These are just of few of my favorites.

Books on the Nightstand is a project of two friends and colleagues who work in the publishing industry. Book reviews and behind the scenes chats about the business.

Book Lust with Nancy Pearl is in-depth author interviews, recorded at the University Bookstore.

Slate has several podcasts of interest to readers. Live atPolitics and Prose features author appearances at the bookstore and the AudioBook Club features critics’ discussion of a particular title.

NPR: Books Podcast pulls together book stories – reviews, interviews, news – from the week’s programs.

BBC’s Open Book features author interviews and A Good Read is discussion of favorite titles.

And of course both The New York Times and The Guardian offer podcasts by their respective book editors.

Happy listening and happy reading!

National Library Week: Peepshow Contest Voting is OPEN!!

At long last, the voting for our Second Annual Peepshow Contest is now open to anyone with a UW NetID.  The voting will end at 5:00 pm on Sunday the 21st and the winners will be announced on Monday the 22nd.

Remember, the first place winner in each category will score a UW Bookstore gift card so make people happy and vote! 

Follow this link to see the fantastic submissions (including the two fun ones below): https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/aendter/199594



Declaration of Indepeepdence

 



Peeping Toms