Press release: "Forty-seven percent of internet users have searched for their own name online, but few monitor their online presence with great regularity. Fifty-three percent of internet users have searched online for information about personal and business contacts. These findings represent a significant change from when the Pew Internet Project first reported on this activity in 2002, at which time 22% of internet users had searched online for their own name."

International and Foreign Legal Research: A Coursebook, by Marci Hoffman Associate Director, International & Foreign Law Librarian, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law Library and Mary Rumsey, Foreign, Comparative & International Law Librarian, University of Minnesota Law School Library, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden / Boston (2007).

Select individual chapters to see a detailed table of contents, updated information on sources, and sample exercises.

• Table of Contents (PDF)


• Chapter 1, Getting Started


• Chapter 2, English Translations


• Chapter 3, Introductory and Background Sources


• Chapter 4, Commentary and Analysis


• Chapter 5, Internet Research


• Chapter 6, Public International Law


• Chapter 7, Foreign and Comparative Law


• Chapter 8, International Organizations


• Chapter 9, International Topics


• Appendix (PDF)


• Index (PDF)

"The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program was initiated in 1982 to provide objective and reliable scientific information needed to develop policies and practices that help avoid exposure to toxic substances, mitigate environmental deterioration from contaminants, provide cost-effective cleanup and waste-disposal strategies, and reduce future risk of contamination. Contamination of surface water, ground water, soil, sediment, and the atmosphere by toxic substances is among the most significant issues facing the Nation. Contaminants such as excessive nutrients, organic chemicals, metals, and pathogens enter the environment, often inadvertently, via industrial, agricultural, mining, or other human activities. The extent of their migration and their persistence often are difficult to ascertain. Estimates of the costs and time frames for cleanup of contamination and protection of human and environmental health can best be described as astounding, despite continual efforts by governments and industries worldwide to improve environmental technologies."

Press release: "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Semiannual Report to Congress reported total fiscal year (FY) 2007 savings and expected recoveries of $43 billion; $5 billion more than last year and more than double the savings and recoveries of just five years ago. OIG�s FY 2007 $43.08 billion in savings encompasses $39 billion in implemented recommendations and other actions to put funds to better use; $1.9 billion in audit receivables, up from $789 million in FY 2006; and $2.18 billion in investigative receivables, an increase of $578 million from FY 2006."

Editor and Publisher: "Yet it remains something newspapers are embracing as the 2008 presidential campaign hits its stride and the primaries loom. Campaign blogs were once left to partisans and non-journalists; now, along with the L.A. Times, at least five other daily papers have assigned to political blogs full-time reporters who post and edit items almost daily. Dozens of other newspapers have reporters posting regularly, on a part-time basis."

New York Times: Google Gets Ready to Rumble With Microsoft - "The growing confrontation between Google and Microsoft promises to be an epic business battle. It is likely to shape the prosperity and progress of both companies, and also inform how consumers and corporations work, shop, communicate and go about their digital lives. Google sees all of this happening on remote servers in faraway data centers, accessible over the Web by an array of wired and wireless devices � a setup known as cloud computing. Microsoft sees a Web future as well, but one whose center of gravity remains firmly tethered to its desktop PC software. Therein lies the conflict."

Press release: (Bali, 15 December 2007) � Climate Change Conference in Bali - "The Conference, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, took place at the Bali International Convention Centre and brought together more than 10,000 participants, including representatives of over 180 countries together with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations and the media. The two week period included the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, its subsidiary bodies as well as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. A ministerial segment in the second week concluded the Conference. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Bali roadmap, which charts the course for a new negotiating process to be concluded by 2009 that will ultimately lead to a post-2012 international agreement on climate change. Ground-breaking decisions were taken which form core elements of the roadmap. They include the launch of the Adaptation Fund as well as decisions on technology transfer and on reducing emissions from deforestation. These decisions represent various tracks that are essential to achieving a secure climate future." [Decisions adopted by COP 13 and CMP 3]

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom Fatalities As of December 14, 2007, 10 a.m. EST.

Via Wired: Top 10 Tips for New Bloggers From Original Blogger Jorn Barger: "Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom coined the term "weblog" Dec. 17, 1997 -- 10 years ago Monday -- to describe the daily list of links that "logged" his travels across the web. In the decade hence, Barger feels that he's gained some wisdom of his own about blogging. Here's Barger's top 10 tips for novice bloggers..."

Ventry, Dennis J., Whistleblowers and Qui Tam for Tax. Tax Lawyer, Forthcoming Available via SSRN.

Follow up to December 13, 2007 posting Senator George J. Mitchell Releases Report on Major League Baseball Investigation, this news: "A free, searchable database of The Mitchell Report has been released by askSam Systems. The askSam database contains a full-text searchable archive of George J. Mitchell's report to the commissioner of baseball on the investigation into steroid and other performance enhancing substance use by players in Major League Baseball."

Press release: "This statement responds to the �Complaint Requesting Recusal of the Federal Trade Commission Chairman From the Pending Review of the Proposed Google-Doubleclick Merger� (�Petition�), which was filed with the Federal Trade Commission (�FTC�) by Messrs. Rotenberg and Chester on December 12, 2007. After reviewing the relevant facts and consulting with the FTC�s Designated Agency Ethics Official, Deputy General Counsel Christian S. White, the General Counsel, my fellow Commissioners, and members of my staff, I have determined not to recuse myself from this matter because the relevant laws and rules, as detailed below, neither require nor support recusal."

Press release: "The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) issued guidance [December 12, 2007] for use by financial institutions in identifying the continuity planning that should be in place to minimize the potential adverse effects of a pandemic. This guidance expands upon the contents of the Interagency Advisory on Influenza Pandemic Preparedness issued in March 2006. Pandemic planning presents unique challenges to financial institutions. Unlike most natural or technical disasters and malicious acts, the impact of a pandemic is much more difficult to determine because of the anticipated difference in scale and duration. As a result of these differences, no individual or organization is safe from the potential adverse effects of a pandemic event. Experts believe the most significant challenge may be the severe staffing shortages that will likely result from a pandemic outbreak."

Press release: "As merchants get busier with holiday shopping, the Federal Trade Commission reminds them to be sure the credit and debit card receipts they give customers comply with federal law. To reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, the electronically printed credit and debit card receipts given to consumers must not include more than the last five digits of the card number, and must not show the expiration date."

Consumer Information:

• Slip Showing? Federal Law Requires All Businesses to Truncate Credit Card Information on Receipts


• Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business


• Fighting Back Against Identity Theft
Permanent Link        Topic(s): E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy