It has been said that “he who controls the definition controls the argument.” It is perhaps for that reason that we strive to find authoritative sources that provide the definitive meaning of a word. In the realm of the Spanish language, it is an accepted practice to consult the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española …
In my previous post, which I wrote as a guest blogger (before I had the privilege of joining the club – AKA the Law Library’s blog team), I spoke about the awesome Law Library of Congress tradition known as Power Lunch. I recently attended a Power Lunch talk on China’s family planning policy (commonly known as …
In a related theme to gruesome, violent ads (commercials) being removed from programming in the UK, as described in my previous blog post, the UK has censored an entire film (movie). The Human Centipede II has failed to get a certification (rating) from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC is an independent, non-governmental …
In my morning perusal of the newspapers the other week I came across an article saying that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s independent regulator for advertising in the media, has banned two film (movie) trailers for the movie The Mechanic, one of which was aired during the show Glee. The ASA has a …
The old Schoolhouse Rock lesson “I’m Just a Bill” provides a quick introduction to the legislative process. However, there is more detailed information available through the Law Library of Congress on the legislative process. There is a Legislative Process page in THOMAS which contains links to very detailed guides: the House of Representatives’ “How Our …
No, May 5th is not Mexican Independence Day. Mexico’s independence is celebrated on September 16th and shouldn’t be confused with the holiday of May 5th. The celebration of “Cinco de Mayo” commemorates the “Battle of Puebla” (May 5, 1862). In this battle, Mexican forces led by Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín (from what is now the city …
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. From Laurence Binyon’s poem, For the Fallen (1914) Today, April 25, is Anzac Day – a public holiday in …
As a Mexican-born American, I’m always looking for occasions to celebrate. I guess this festive nature is simply dyed-in-the-wool (or dyed-in-the-cotton, if you’re Southern-raised, as I am). With that in mind, I wanted to write a bit about the Mexican Constitution – especially since two related holidays take place in the month of February: Mexican …