~ what's bloggin' on Justice O'Connor and the future of the supreme court ~

To contact us Click HERE
Jurist claims President Bush will wait until after July 8 to offer an O'Connor replacement. O'Connor dismisses her importance as a swing vote on the Court suggesting she was just "open to persuasion", according to this Washington Post story.

Not as surprising a move as it seems, at least to the White House, which was circulating a list of possible female candidates last week. I think you can surmise who might be hot based on these biographical summaries. And then...the nomination process...

balkanization points to the bitter fight ahead, more contentious because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the Court. The problems inherent in a Gonzales nomination and Supreme Court statistics you don't need to know are all at SouthernAppeal.

Supreme Court

Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference

To contact us Click HERE
Siskind, Gregory H. 2009. Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
REF KF4829.S57 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/employers-immigration-compliance-desk-reference/oclc/271647204

Provides practical guidance to employers on compliance with Federal and State immigration laws. Also includes an overview of the U.S. immigration system. Material is presented in a question and answer format, with a detailed table of contents listing every question. Abbreviations and acronyms are defined on page 21. Appendices include descriptions of "notable" enforcement actions in the 2006-2008 time period, a Department of Homeland Security Handbook for employers, and a list of electronic I-9 and E-verify vendors. The author points readers to a blog for tracking new laws and legislation: http://i9compliance.blogspot.com. The National Conference of State Legislatures website also offers a wealth of information on immigration law and legislation at the state level: http://www.ncsl.org/ (click on Issues and Research, then Immigration).

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE
Frank, Diane. 2009. Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary. Rainier, WA: DMFrank Publishing.

REF RE1153.F72 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/gabbys-wordspeller-phonetic-dictionary-find-your-word-by-the-way-it-sounds/oclc/440804411

Geared towards people with dyslexia, this book would likely be useful for anyone who has difficulty looking up words in a standard dictionary, including those who find themselves in circumstances where dialects or accents have caused a misunderstanding of the pronunciation. The book includes brief but complete directions for finding base words along with prefixes and suffixes. It doesn't cover proper nouns at all, and for complete definitions and correct pronunciations, this book should be used in conjunction with a standard dictionary.

Our edition is revised and condensed. The accompanying CD includes a powerpoint presentation for PC computers on using the resource, along with Mozart accompaniment, which may be helpful for auditory learners.

Black's Legal Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE

Garner, Bryan A. 2009. Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition. St. Paul, MN: Thomson West.

REFERENCE KF156.B53 2009

You’ll find so much more than just definitions in the 9^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Want to dazzle your friends with witty legal maxims, find out what a particular abbreviation means, or determine just what the “Office of Thrift Supervision” does? Black’s Law Dictionary can help.

The definitions cover legal terms, organizations and government offices, and legislative acts. The entries are robust, with many describing the origin of the term, the date of first use, a subject matter tag identifying the associated field of law, cross references to related entries, a quotation about the term from another legal source, and citations to West’s key number system. Explanatory or encyclopedic information frequently appears together with the definition. For example, the entry for “ex post facto law” provides a definition (“A law that impermissibly applies retroactively…”) but also tells us that “Ex post facto criminal laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.” Many entries include subentries for terms relating to the same general topic. So if you want to find out what types of insurance exist, just look up “insurance,” and you’ll find over 100 subentries ranging from “accidental and health insurance” to “whole-life insurance.”

Among the eight appendices, you'll find legal abbreviations, legal maxims, the United States Constitution, a list of all of the members of the Supreme Court, and the British Regnal Years (just in case you want to find out when Queen Victoria reigned).

Thematic Focus: Children

To contact us Click HERE
"Hosting Strangers: Hospitality and Family Practices in Fostering Unaccompanied Refugee Young People," Child & Family Social Work, vol. 18, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) [free full-text]

A Lot to Learn: Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Post-16 Learning (Refugee Council, Jan. 2013) [text]

Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (Child Protection Working Group, Oct. 2012) [text]
- See also related USAID blog post.

Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People (Jan. 2013) [access]

Turned Away: Summary Returns of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Adult Asylum Seekers from Italy to Greece (HRW, Jan. 2013) [text]

What Out-of-school Resources and Practices Facilitate African Refugee Students' Educational Success in Australian Rural and Regional Settings? (Charles Sturt University, March 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference

To contact us Click HERE
Siskind, Gregory H. 2009. Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
REF KF4829.S57 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/employers-immigration-compliance-desk-reference/oclc/271647204

Provides practical guidance to employers on compliance with Federal and State immigration laws. Also includes an overview of the U.S. immigration system. Material is presented in a question and answer format, with a detailed table of contents listing every question. Abbreviations and acronyms are defined on page 21. Appendices include descriptions of "notable" enforcement actions in the 2006-2008 time period, a Department of Homeland Security Handbook for employers, and a list of electronic I-9 and E-verify vendors. The author points readers to a blog for tracking new laws and legislation: http://i9compliance.blogspot.com. The National Conference of State Legislatures website also offers a wealth of information on immigration law and legislation at the state level: http://www.ncsl.org/ (click on Issues and Research, then Immigration).

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE
Frank, Diane. 2009. Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary. Rainier, WA: DMFrank Publishing.

REF RE1153.F72 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/gabbys-wordspeller-phonetic-dictionary-find-your-word-by-the-way-it-sounds/oclc/440804411

Geared towards people with dyslexia, this book would likely be useful for anyone who has difficulty looking up words in a standard dictionary, including those who find themselves in circumstances where dialects or accents have caused a misunderstanding of the pronunciation. The book includes brief but complete directions for finding base words along with prefixes and suffixes. It doesn't cover proper nouns at all, and for complete definitions and correct pronunciations, this book should be used in conjunction with a standard dictionary.

Our edition is revised and condensed. The accompanying CD includes a powerpoint presentation for PC computers on using the resource, along with Mozart accompaniment, which may be helpful for auditory learners.

Black's Legal Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE

Garner, Bryan A. 2009. Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition. St. Paul, MN: Thomson West.

REFERENCE KF156.B53 2009

You’ll find so much more than just definitions in the 9^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Want to dazzle your friends with witty legal maxims, find out what a particular abbreviation means, or determine just what the “Office of Thrift Supervision” does? Black’s Law Dictionary can help.

The definitions cover legal terms, organizations and government offices, and legislative acts. The entries are robust, with many describing the origin of the term, the date of first use, a subject matter tag identifying the associated field of law, cross references to related entries, a quotation about the term from another legal source, and citations to West’s key number system. Explanatory or encyclopedic information frequently appears together with the definition. For example, the entry for “ex post facto law” provides a definition (“A law that impermissibly applies retroactively…”) but also tells us that “Ex post facto criminal laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.” Many entries include subentries for terms relating to the same general topic. So if you want to find out what types of insurance exist, just look up “insurance,” and you’ll find over 100 subentries ranging from “accidental and health insurance” to “whole-life insurance.”

Among the eight appendices, you'll find legal abbreviations, legal maxims, the United States Constitution, a list of all of the members of the Supreme Court, and the British Regnal Years (just in case you want to find out when Queen Victoria reigned).

~ what's bloggin' on Justice O'Connor and the future of the supreme court ~

To contact us Click HERE
Jurist claims President Bush will wait until after July 8 to offer an O'Connor replacement. O'Connor dismisses her importance as a swing vote on the Court suggesting she was just "open to persuasion", according to this Washington Post story.

Not as surprising a move as it seems, at least to the White House, which was circulating a list of possible female candidates last week. I think you can surmise who might be hot based on these biographical summaries. And then...the nomination process...

balkanization points to the bitter fight ahead, more contentious because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the Court. The problems inherent in a Gonzales nomination and Supreme Court statistics you don't need to know are all at SouthernAppeal.

Supreme Court

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE
Frank, Diane. 2009. Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary. Rainier, WA: DMFrank Publishing.

REF RE1153.F72 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/gabbys-wordspeller-phonetic-dictionary-find-your-word-by-the-way-it-sounds/oclc/440804411

Geared towards people with dyslexia, this book would likely be useful for anyone who has difficulty looking up words in a standard dictionary, including those who find themselves in circumstances where dialects or accents have caused a misunderstanding of the pronunciation. The book includes brief but complete directions for finding base words along with prefixes and suffixes. It doesn't cover proper nouns at all, and for complete definitions and correct pronunciations, this book should be used in conjunction with a standard dictionary.

Our edition is revised and condensed. The accompanying CD includes a powerpoint presentation for PC computers on using the resource, along with Mozart accompaniment, which may be helpful for auditory learners.

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE
Frank, Diane. 2009. Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary. Rainier, WA: DMFrank Publishing.

REF RE1153.F72 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/gabbys-wordspeller-phonetic-dictionary-find-your-word-by-the-way-it-sounds/oclc/440804411

Geared towards people with dyslexia, this book would likely be useful for anyone who has difficulty looking up words in a standard dictionary, including those who find themselves in circumstances where dialects or accents have caused a misunderstanding of the pronunciation. The book includes brief but complete directions for finding base words along with prefixes and suffixes. It doesn't cover proper nouns at all, and for complete definitions and correct pronunciations, this book should be used in conjunction with a standard dictionary.

Our edition is revised and condensed. The accompanying CD includes a powerpoint presentation for PC computers on using the resource, along with Mozart accompaniment, which may be helpful for auditory learners.

Black's Legal Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE

Garner, Bryan A. 2009. Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition. St. Paul, MN: Thomson West.

REFERENCE KF156.B53 2009

You’ll find so much more than just definitions in the 9^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Want to dazzle your friends with witty legal maxims, find out what a particular abbreviation means, or determine just what the “Office of Thrift Supervision” does? Black’s Law Dictionary can help.

The definitions cover legal terms, organizations and government offices, and legislative acts. The entries are robust, with many describing the origin of the term, the date of first use, a subject matter tag identifying the associated field of law, cross references to related entries, a quotation about the term from another legal source, and citations to West’s key number system. Explanatory or encyclopedic information frequently appears together with the definition. For example, the entry for “ex post facto law” provides a definition (“A law that impermissibly applies retroactively…”) but also tells us that “Ex post facto criminal laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.” Many entries include subentries for terms relating to the same general topic. So if you want to find out what types of insurance exist, just look up “insurance,” and you’ll find over 100 subentries ranging from “accidental and health insurance” to “whole-life insurance.”

Among the eight appendices, you'll find legal abbreviations, legal maxims, the United States Constitution, a list of all of the members of the Supreme Court, and the British Regnal Years (just in case you want to find out when Queen Victoria reigned).

O'Connor Critiques State Judicial Elections

To contact us Click HERE
Last Friday, the New York Times published a short opinion piece by former Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. In this column, O'Connor expresses her dismay for the partisan election of judges at the state level. Her greatest concern is the power of campaign contributors in judicial elections and the possibility of inhibitted justice.

In contrast, she proposes a merit-based system for the selection of judges that could help states save money and bring talented candidates to the forefront.

For the full article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/opinion/23oconnor.html.

Hat tip for Karen Kalnins for the referal.

Google's Collection of Unsecured Wi-Fi Data Prompts Investigations

To contact us Click HERE
In May, the Energy and Commerce Committee of US House of Representative sent a letter to Google inquiring about the "huge amounts of data sent over private Wi-Fi networks while documenting the streets of our country for its Google Street View Product." The letter expressed specific concern that "Google did not disclose until long after the fact that consumers' Internet use was being recorded, analyzed and perhaps profiled." Google's response indicates that it "mistakenly" collected the data and that "the data has never been used in any Google product or service, nor do we intend to use it."

According to a Jurist Legal News & Research, Google data collection is also a subject of investigation in Australia and Canada; and several other nations have also become interested in data collected by Google.

Google's Collection of Unsecured Wi-Fi Data Prompts Investigations

To contact us Click HERE
In May, the Energy and Commerce Committee of US House of Representative sent a letter to Google inquiring about the "huge amounts of data sent over private Wi-Fi networks while documenting the streets of our country for its Google Street View Product." The letter expressed specific concern that "Google did not disclose until long after the fact that consumers' Internet use was being recorded, analyzed and perhaps profiled." Google's response indicates that it "mistakenly" collected the data and that "the data has never been used in any Google product or service, nor do we intend to use it."

According to a Jurist Legal News & Research, Google data collection is also a subject of investigation in Australia and Canada; and several other nations have also become interested in data collected by Google.

Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference

To contact us Click HERE
Siskind, Gregory H. 2009. Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
REF KF4829.S57 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/employers-immigration-compliance-desk-reference/oclc/271647204

Provides practical guidance to employers on compliance with Federal and State immigration laws. Also includes an overview of the U.S. immigration system. Material is presented in a question and answer format, with a detailed table of contents listing every question. Abbreviations and acronyms are defined on page 21. Appendices include descriptions of "notable" enforcement actions in the 2006-2008 time period, a Department of Homeland Security Handbook for employers, and a list of electronic I-9 and E-verify vendors. The author points readers to a blog for tracking new laws and legislation: http://i9compliance.blogspot.com. The National Conference of State Legislatures website also offers a wealth of information on immigration law and legislation at the state level: http://www.ncsl.org/ (click on Issues and Research, then Immigration).

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Black's Legal Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE

Garner, Bryan A. 2009. Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition. St. Paul, MN: Thomson West.

REFERENCE KF156.B53 2009

You’ll find so much more than just definitions in the 9^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Want to dazzle your friends with witty legal maxims, find out what a particular abbreviation means, or determine just what the “Office of Thrift Supervision” does? Black’s Law Dictionary can help.

The definitions cover legal terms, organizations and government offices, and legislative acts. The entries are robust, with many describing the origin of the term, the date of first use, a subject matter tag identifying the associated field of law, cross references to related entries, a quotation about the term from another legal source, and citations to West’s key number system. Explanatory or encyclopedic information frequently appears together with the definition. For example, the entry for “ex post facto law” provides a definition (“A law that impermissibly applies retroactively…”) but also tells us that “Ex post facto criminal laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.” Many entries include subentries for terms relating to the same general topic. So if you want to find out what types of insurance exist, just look up “insurance,” and you’ll find over 100 subentries ranging from “accidental and health insurance” to “whole-life insurance.”

Among the eight appendices, you'll find legal abbreviations, legal maxims, the United States Constitution, a list of all of the members of the Supreme Court, and the British Regnal Years (just in case you want to find out when Queen Victoria reigned).

Thematic Focus: Innovation/ICT

To contact us Click HERE
Events & Opportunities:

Improving Communication between Aid Agencies and Crisis-affected People, London, 20 February 2013 [info]
- This event will also be streamed live.

ICVA Annual Conference, Geneva, 1 March 2013 [info]
- Theme is "Innovation! It Doesn't Have to be Like This"; registration is closed but interesting agenda.

Publications:

Digital Education in Rural Uganda (UNICEF UK Blog, Jan. 2012) [text]

In Ecuador, a New Learning Centre Combines Garbage and Gigabytes (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See photo.

Mobile and Internet Use in Crisis-affected Communities: Can I Phone a Friend? (Global Humanitarian Assistance, Nov. 2012) [text]

On a Mission to Close a Gap between UNHCR and Refugees (HCD Connect, Jan. 2013) [text]

Web sites:

infoasaid [access]
- Although this project has now ended, its web site resources will remain available until June 2013.  These include "media guides" ("information on the media and telecommunications landscape in a country"), an e-learning course on "communication with crisis-affected communities," and various tools and research.

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

Thematic Focus: Climate Change/Disasters

To contact us Click HERE
Publications:

"Bangladesh's Climate Refugees: 'It's a Question of Life' – Audio Slideshow," The Guardian, 29 Jan. 2013 [access]

"Environmental Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region: Could We Hang Out Sometime?," Asian Journal of International Law, vol. 3, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [free full-text]
- Free access until 12 May 2013.

Summary Report: International Course on Law and Legal Protection in Natural Disasters, Sanremo, 3-7 December 2012 [text]

When Disasters and Conflicts Collide: Improving Links between Disaster Resilience and Conflict Prevention  (ODI, Feb. 2013) [text]

Web site:

Migration and Climate Change [access]
- New web site showcasing a research project based at the Université de Neuchâtel; will eventually include a CliMig Bibliographic Database and Map of the World's Case Studies, but for now both are currently under construction.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

From Land's End to Stadium

To contact us Click HERE

I haven’t included a predominantly sports-oriented blogentry in Pragmatism Refreshed sinceFebruary.  And that was simply my briefreaction to the loss of the Patriots in the SuperBowl.
So now I break the sports drought with a few words about theupcoming Summer Olympics.
Last week the Olympic flame arrived in the United Kingdom,for an 8,000 mile relay that begins at Land’s End.
Land’s End, by the way, is what it sounds like. It is thebit of southwest England where the Channel meets the Atlantic at a point.
I remember reading a book about the Spanish Armada with theclever chapter title, “From Finisterre to Land’s End.”
Why is that clever?  Well, because “finisterre” rathertransparently means “land’s end,” and because the pertinent Finisterre in thiscase is the headline of Galicia in northwest Spain. So the chapter in questiondescribed the pre-battle portion of the Armada’s travels, before they arrivedclose enough for Drake to challenge them.
Anyway, the torch began its relay in Land’s End, in thehands of Ben Ainslie, and before it reaches the stadium in London that willhost the Games, it will have passed through 8,000 pairs of hands over a periodof ten weeks.
Why Ben Ainslie?  Hehas been a standout athlete for the UK in each of the last four summer games insailing events, wnning silver in 1996 and gold in 2000. In those first twogames he sailed in what is known as the Laser class. Then he moved up to theFinn class (larger craft) and won gold both in 2004 and 2008.   
For those who are curious, Laser looks like this.

~ police departments don't follow witness identification guidelines ~

To contact us Click HERE

Mistaken eyewitness identifications helped convict nearly 80 percent of the 157 people nationwide who eventually were exonerated through DNA testing carried out by the New York-based Innocence Project. Other studies also have shown false eyewitness i.d.'s have led to unjust convictions.

Psychological experts on witness issues have found that inadequate, outmoded police procedures are a major part of the problem. Read all about it

FDsys

To contact us Click HERE

A program developed by the Government Printing Office (GPO), stands for Advanced Federal Digital System and is found online at http://www.fdsys.gov. GPO is migrating all of its content on http://www.gpoaccess.gov to this new, easily searched platform. The new system allows federal agencies such as Congress to submit electronic materials; provides public access to authenticated digital versions of documents; and serves as a mechanism for preserving government information long-term. To learn how to best utilize FDsys, watch the Adobe Flash tutorials at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsysinfo/tutorials.htm.

Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference

To contact us Click HERE
Siskind, Gregory H. 2009. Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
REF KF4829.S57 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/employers-immigration-compliance-desk-reference/oclc/271647204

Provides practical guidance to employers on compliance with Federal and State immigration laws. Also includes an overview of the U.S. immigration system. Material is presented in a question and answer format, with a detailed table of contents listing every question. Abbreviations and acronyms are defined on page 21. Appendices include descriptions of "notable" enforcement actions in the 2006-2008 time period, a Department of Homeland Security Handbook for employers, and a list of electronic I-9 and E-verify vendors. The author points readers to a blog for tracking new laws and legislation: http://i9compliance.blogspot.com. The National Conference of State Legislatures website also offers a wealth of information on immigration law and legislation at the state level: http://www.ncsl.org/ (click on Issues and Research, then Immigration).

GuideStar's online directory of nonprofit organizations

To contact us Click HERE
GuideStar publishes a directory of nonprofit organizations at http://www2.guidestar.org/. Over 1.8 million IRS recognized tax-exempt organizations are represented in GuideStar's database. Some information, such as an organization's name, city and state, and mission statement, is available free to anyone who visits the site. Other information, like the complete address and IRS form 990, is available free to people who register at the site. Financial statements, the identity of the organization’s officers, and some other documents and data are available on a subscription basis. GuideStar compiles the information from nonprofit reporting and “several other sources,” one of which appears to be IRS form 990. Although only rudimentary information is available for many organizations, GuideStar is the most complete free online directory of nonprofit organizations that we have found.

Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE
Frank, Diane. 2009. Gabby's Wordspeller Phonetic Dictionary. Rainier, WA: DMFrank Publishing.

REF RE1153.F72 2009
Find in a library nearby: http://www.worldcat.org/title/gabbys-wordspeller-phonetic-dictionary-find-your-word-by-the-way-it-sounds/oclc/440804411

Geared towards people with dyslexia, this book would likely be useful for anyone who has difficulty looking up words in a standard dictionary, including those who find themselves in circumstances where dialects or accents have caused a misunderstanding of the pronunciation. The book includes brief but complete directions for finding base words along with prefixes and suffixes. It doesn't cover proper nouns at all, and for complete definitions and correct pronunciations, this book should be used in conjunction with a standard dictionary.

Our edition is revised and condensed. The accompanying CD includes a powerpoint presentation for PC computers on using the resource, along with Mozart accompaniment, which may be helpful for auditory learners.

Black's Legal Dictionary

To contact us Click HERE

Garner, Bryan A. 2009. Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition. St. Paul, MN: Thomson West.

REFERENCE KF156.B53 2009

You’ll find so much more than just definitions in the 9^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Want to dazzle your friends with witty legal maxims, find out what a particular abbreviation means, or determine just what the “Office of Thrift Supervision” does? Black’s Law Dictionary can help.

The definitions cover legal terms, organizations and government offices, and legislative acts. The entries are robust, with many describing the origin of the term, the date of first use, a subject matter tag identifying the associated field of law, cross references to related entries, a quotation about the term from another legal source, and citations to West’s key number system. Explanatory or encyclopedic information frequently appears together with the definition. For example, the entry for “ex post facto law” provides a definition (“A law that impermissibly applies retroactively…”) but also tells us that “Ex post facto criminal laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.” Many entries include subentries for terms relating to the same general topic. So if you want to find out what types of insurance exist, just look up “insurance,” and you’ll find over 100 subentries ranging from “accidental and health insurance” to “whole-life insurance.”

Among the eight appendices, you'll find legal abbreviations, legal maxims, the United States Constitution, a list of all of the members of the Supreme Court, and the British Regnal Years (just in case you want to find out when Queen Victoria reigned).

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

To contact us Click HERE
Upcoming event & opportunity:

Statelessness and Citizenship: Camps and the Creation of 'Political Space', Oxford, 20 February 2013 [info]
- RSC Seminar Series.

Statelessness Summer Course, Tilburg, Neth., 5-9 August 2013 [info]
- Application deadline is 1 April 2013.

Publications:

In the Sun: Research and Advocacy on Roma Stateless People in Italy (Italian Council for Refugees, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See also press release (in Italian) which notes that the final report will be made available soon.

Mapping Statelessness in Belgium (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]

Observing and Documenting the Violations of Stateless (Bidoun) Children’s Rights (Group29, Sept. 2012) [text]

Statelessness Having Been Mapped, It's Time to Act Now for Belgian Authorities, Before Momentum Passes (ENS Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Study for the Feasibility of a Legal Instrument in the Field of Nationality Law and Families (including the Promotion of Acquisition of Citizenship) (Council of Europe, Feb. 2012) [text]

An Unexpected Frontrunner: Tackling Statelessness in Iraq (ENS Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Policy & Programming Items

To contact us Click HERE

Informal Consultative Meetingon Global Strategic Priorities for 2014-2015 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Local Faith Communities and the Promotion of Resilience in Humanitarian Situations: A Scoping Survey, Working Paper, no. 90 (RSC & Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, Feb. 2013) [text]

Management Response to the Recommendations of the Synthesis Summary Report of the Joint UNHCR/WFP Impact Evaluations on the Contribution of Food Assistance to Durable Solutions in Protracted Refugee Situations (WFP & UNHCR, Jan. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- The evaluations that this response refers to were referenced in this earlier post.

Refugee Livelihoods in Urban Areas: Identifying Program Opportunities (Feinstein International Center, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See also case studies on Ecuador, Egypt, and Israel.

Refugee Resettlement:2012 and Beyond, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 253 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

UNHCR's Dialogues with Refugee Women: Progress Report on Implementation of Recommendations (UNHCR, 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

From Land's End to Stadium

To contact us Click HERE

I haven’t included a predominantly sports-oriented blogentry in Pragmatism Refreshed sinceFebruary.  And that was simply my briefreaction to the loss of the Patriots in the SuperBowl.
So now I break the sports drought with a few words about theupcoming Summer Olympics.
Last week the Olympic flame arrived in the United Kingdom,for an 8,000 mile relay that begins at Land’s End.
Land’s End, by the way, is what it sounds like. It is thebit of southwest England where the Channel meets the Atlantic at a point.
I remember reading a book about the Spanish Armada with theclever chapter title, “From Finisterre to Land’s End.”
Why is that clever?  Well, because “finisterre” rathertransparently means “land’s end,” and because the pertinent Finisterre in thiscase is the headline of Galicia in northwest Spain. So the chapter in questiondescribed the pre-battle portion of the Armada’s travels, before they arrivedclose enough for Drake to challenge them.
Anyway, the torch began its relay in Land’s End, in thehands of Ben Ainslie, and before it reaches the stadium in London that willhost the Games, it will have passed through 8,000 pairs of hands over a periodof ten weeks.
Why Ben Ainslie?  Hehas been a standout athlete for the UK in each of the last four summer games insailing events, wnning silver in 1996 and gold in 2000. In those first twogames he sailed in what is known as the Laser class. Then he moved up to theFinn class (larger craft) and won gold both in 2004 and 2008.   
For those who are curious, Laser looks like this.

~ police departments don't follow witness identification guidelines ~

To contact us Click HERE

Mistaken eyewitness identifications helped convict nearly 80 percent of the 157 people nationwide who eventually were exonerated through DNA testing carried out by the New York-based Innocence Project. Other studies also have shown false eyewitness i.d.'s have led to unjust convictions.

Psychological experts on witness issues have found that inadequate, outmoded police procedures are a major part of the problem. Read all about it

~ what's bloggin' on Justice O'Connor and the future of the supreme court ~

To contact us Click HERE
Jurist claims President Bush will wait until after July 8 to offer an O'Connor replacement. O'Connor dismisses her importance as a swing vote on the Court suggesting she was just "open to persuasion", according to this Washington Post story.

Not as surprising a move as it seems, at least to the White House, which was circulating a list of possible female candidates last week. I think you can surmise who might be hot based on these biographical summaries. And then...the nomination process...

balkanization points to the bitter fight ahead, more contentious because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the Court. The problems inherent in a Gonzales nomination and Supreme Court statistics you don't need to know are all at SouthernAppeal.

Supreme Court

~ police departments don't follow witness identification guidelines ~

To contact us Click HERE

Mistaken eyewitness identifications helped convict nearly 80 percent of the 157 people nationwide who eventually were exonerated through DNA testing carried out by the New York-based Innocence Project. Other studies also have shown false eyewitness i.d.'s have led to unjust convictions.

Psychological experts on witness issues have found that inadequate, outmoded police procedures are a major part of the problem. Read all about it

~ what's bloggin' on Justice O'Connor and the future of the supreme court ~

To contact us Click HERE
Jurist claims President Bush will wait until after July 8 to offer an O'Connor replacement. O'Connor dismisses her importance as a swing vote on the Court suggesting she was just "open to persuasion", according to this Washington Post story.

Not as surprising a move as it seems, at least to the White House, which was circulating a list of possible female candidates last week. I think you can surmise who might be hot based on these biographical summaries. And then...the nomination process...

balkanization points to the bitter fight ahead, more contentious because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the Court. The problems inherent in a Gonzales nomination and Supreme Court statistics you don't need to know are all at SouthernAppeal.

Supreme Court

From Land's End to Stadium

To contact us Click HERE

I haven’t included a predominantly sports-oriented blogentry in Pragmatism Refreshed sinceFebruary.  And that was simply my briefreaction to the loss of the Patriots in the SuperBowl.
So now I break the sports drought with a few words about theupcoming Summer Olympics.
Last week the Olympic flame arrived in the United Kingdom,for an 8,000 mile relay that begins at Land’s End.
Land’s End, by the way, is what it sounds like. It is thebit of southwest England where the Channel meets the Atlantic at a point.
I remember reading a book about the Spanish Armada with theclever chapter title, “From Finisterre to Land’s End.”
Why is that clever?  Well, because “finisterre” rathertransparently means “land’s end,” and because the pertinent Finisterre in thiscase is the headline of Galicia in northwest Spain. So the chapter in questiondescribed the pre-battle portion of the Armada’s travels, before they arrivedclose enough for Drake to challenge them.
Anyway, the torch began its relay in Land’s End, in thehands of Ben Ainslie, and before it reaches the stadium in London that willhost the Games, it will have passed through 8,000 pairs of hands over a periodof ten weeks.
Why Ben Ainslie?  Hehas been a standout athlete for the UK in each of the last four summer games insailing events, wnning silver in 1996 and gold in 2000. In those first twogames he sailed in what is known as the Laser class. Then he moved up to theFinn class (larger craft) and won gold both in 2004 and 2008.   
For those who are curious, Laser looks like this.

O'Connor Critiques State Judicial Elections

To contact us Click HERE
Last Friday, the New York Times published a short opinion piece by former Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. In this column, O'Connor expresses her dismay for the partisan election of judges at the state level. Her greatest concern is the power of campaign contributors in judicial elections and the possibility of inhibitted justice.

In contrast, she proposes a merit-based system for the selection of judges that could help states save money and bring talented candidates to the forefront.

For the full article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/opinion/23oconnor.html.

Hat tip for Karen Kalnins for the referal.

Google's Collection of Unsecured Wi-Fi Data Prompts Investigations

To contact us Click HERE
In May, the Energy and Commerce Committee of US House of Representative sent a letter to Google inquiring about the "huge amounts of data sent over private Wi-Fi networks while documenting the streets of our country for its Google Street View Product." The letter expressed specific concern that "Google did not disclose until long after the fact that consumers' Internet use was being recorded, analyzed and perhaps profiled." Google's response indicates that it "mistakenly" collected the data and that "the data has never been used in any Google product or service, nor do we intend to use it."

According to a Jurist Legal News & Research, Google data collection is also a subject of investigation in Australia and Canada; and several other nations have also become interested in data collected by Google.

~ police departments don't follow witness identification guidelines ~

To contact us Click HERE

Mistaken eyewitness identifications helped convict nearly 80 percent of the 157 people nationwide who eventually were exonerated through DNA testing carried out by the New York-based Innocence Project. Other studies also have shown false eyewitness i.d.'s have led to unjust convictions.

Psychological experts on witness issues have found that inadequate, outmoded police procedures are a major part of the problem. Read all about it

~ what's bloggin' on Justice O'Connor and the future of the supreme court ~

To contact us Click HERE
Jurist claims President Bush will wait until after July 8 to offer an O'Connor replacement. O'Connor dismisses her importance as a swing vote on the Court suggesting she was just "open to persuasion", according to this Washington Post story.

Not as surprising a move as it seems, at least to the White House, which was circulating a list of possible female candidates last week. I think you can surmise who might be hot based on these biographical summaries. And then...the nomination process...

balkanization points to the bitter fight ahead, more contentious because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the Court. The problems inherent in a Gonzales nomination and Supreme Court statistics you don't need to know are all at SouthernAppeal.

Supreme Court

From Land's End to Stadium

To contact us Click HERE

I haven’t included a predominantly sports-oriented blogentry in Pragmatism Refreshed sinceFebruary.  And that was simply my briefreaction to the loss of the Patriots in the SuperBowl.
So now I break the sports drought with a few words about theupcoming Summer Olympics.
Last week the Olympic flame arrived in the United Kingdom,for an 8,000 mile relay that begins at Land’s End.
Land’s End, by the way, is what it sounds like. It is thebit of southwest England where the Channel meets the Atlantic at a point.
I remember reading a book about the Spanish Armada with theclever chapter title, “From Finisterre to Land’s End.”
Why is that clever?  Well, because “finisterre” rathertransparently means “land’s end,” and because the pertinent Finisterre in thiscase is the headline of Galicia in northwest Spain. So the chapter in questiondescribed the pre-battle portion of the Armada’s travels, before they arrivedclose enough for Drake to challenge them.
Anyway, the torch began its relay in Land’s End, in thehands of Ben Ainslie, and before it reaches the stadium in London that willhost the Games, it will have passed through 8,000 pairs of hands over a periodof ten weeks.
Why Ben Ainslie?  Hehas been a standout athlete for the UK in each of the last four summer games insailing events, wnning silver in 1996 and gold in 2000. In those first twogames he sailed in what is known as the Laser class. Then he moved up to theFinn class (larger craft) and won gold both in 2004 and 2008.   
For those who are curious, Laser looks like this.