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Archive: 2013 (24 Posts)

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Congress – The Second Session

Posted by: Margaret Wood

We have written a number of posts about Lame Duck congresses and what happens at the beginning of a new Congress, but we thought this year we would take a moment to talk about what happens during the second session of a Congress. Before the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, Congress began on …

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Christmas Movies and the Law

Posted by: Margaret Wood

James (Jim) Martin, Andrew Weber and I were talking about Christmas movies several weeks ago.  Jim describes himself as a cynic, who “developed a taste for what I call ‘alternative Christmas,’ films such as The Lion in Winter and Desk Set.”  Jim defines alternative Christmas films as “films that take place during the holiday period, but …

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Introduction to Canon Law – Global Legal Collection Highlights

Posted by: Margaret Wood

The following is a guest post by Dante Figueroa, a Senior Legal Information Analyst at the Law Library of Congress.  Some of Dante’s recent posts include Resources and Treasures of the Italian Parliamentary Libraries, The Italian Legislature and Legislative Process: A Recent Institution in an Ancient Legal System, and  A Fresh Update on the Canonical …

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Armistice Day/Veterans Day

Posted by: Margaret Wood

As a student of history, I often wonder how many people understand the significance of the date of Veterans Day and why it is always celebrated on the day of the holiday and not, like Labor Day or Memorial Day, observed on a Monday.  The holiday began originally as a commemoration associated with World War I …

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1680 – the Pueblo Revolt

Posted by: Margaret Wood

For my cousins, growing up in New England, American history began with the Pilgrims and settlement at Jamestown.  But for me, growing up in New Mexico, history began with the 16th century Spanish Conquest and the drive up into New Mexico territory followed, a century later, by the Pueblo Revolt.  The history of the United States …

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A Helpful Finding Aid: Appropriation Bills

Posted by: Margaret Wood

Every year in September, school begins, the weather cools down, and the federal fiscal year comes to an end.  Congress must pass legislation before October 1 to continue funding the government for the next fiscal year.  Congress has a number of legislative vehicles they can use to fund the government, including appropriation bills, or omnibus …

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The Atomic Energy Commission Sells Houses

Posted by: Margaret Wood

My sister Sarah recently sent me a book about our hometown of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  The book is entitled “Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau” and was co-written by the Los Alamos Historical Society.  Though I regretted the book did not contain more pictures from the 1970s and 1980s when we were growing up, …