Today, July 18, is Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday and the second annual Nelson Mandela International Day. This day was officially observed for the first time last year following the adoption of a resolution by the U.N. General Assembly on November 10, 2009. The resolution acknowledged “Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and …
While considering a post on Trial by Ordeal (TBO) in Liberia, the first thought that came to my mind was to define the term. The first online source (not particularly authoritative or official) I could find defined it as “a primitive method of determining a person’s guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to …
The following is a guest post by Steve Clarke, Senior Foreign Law Specialist. Canada‘s new majority Conservative Government headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper has introduced a bill (Bill C-7) that would limit Senators to one nine-year term. The 105 members of Canada’s upper house currently have no terms of office and are only obliged …
Shrek died last month. Not green ogre Shrek – he’s still happily living in Ogre Swamp as far as I know – but Shrek the sheep. Shrek became a celebrity in New Zealand after he was found in 2004 after six years of avoiding being shorn by hiding out in a cave in the hills …
One of the greatest advantages of working at the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Center is the ability to interact with experts in foreign law from around the globe and learn from their legal experience. Having visited China ten years ago, and having appreciation for the long and impressive history of that country, I particularly …
The following is a guest post by Issam Saliba, Senior Foreign Law Specialist. In a speech delivered on June 17, 2011, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, outlined the changes that are included in a proposed new constitution, which will be voted on in a referendum scheduled for tomorrow – July 1, 2011. The King …
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 …