I have recently seen an increase in coverage in both the U.S. and the UK about the provision of aid to foreign countries (commonly referred to as Overseas Development Assistance, or ODA). Many countries are facing the question of how much assistance to provide to other countries in need when they are struggling domestically. I …
A colleague recently drew my attention to the proposition that “in the United States, the specter of class-action lawsuits imposes a higher level of precaution on the part of drug makers.” This statement was made in a newspaper article that discussed the scandal that erupted in France in connection with the prescription drug Mediator, which was …
The Holiday season flew by again this year. It truly is my favourite time of the year. When not frantically cooking or wrapping gifts, I always spend a part of my time feeling a bit homesick. I compensate for this by watching Masterpiece Classics on PBS; although, there are only so many period dramas I can …
Despite a line that I once heard in a movie that the United States is the only country in which unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are sighted, the United Kingdom appears to have its fair share of unexplained phenomena across its skies too. The UK’s National Archives has published an extensive array of documents of sightings and policy …
The Kenyan Law Reports (KLR), a free Kenyan Law database, was just announced winner of the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL) 2011 Website Award Competition. With this award, Kenyan Law Reports joins the ranks of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law websites that claimed …
On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. In so doing, he inaugurated a period of centuries of intense, though intermittent, warfare fought at the peripheries of Christendom. The Crusades exist in our historical memory as a period of near constant bloodshed and destruction, but out of the chaos …
The recent release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has forced Israelis to reflect again on the cost of releasing kidnapped soldiers. Shalit was abducted by the military wing of Hamas from inside Israel’s borders in June 2006 and had been held captive for over five years. Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the …
Veterans Day is November 11, 2011. As Andrew wrote last year, the Library is home to the Veterans History Project. The Veterans History Project was created by Congress in 2000 (P.L. 106-380) as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The Project’s mission is to collect, preserve, and make accessible personal …
The following is a guest post by Francisco Macías, Senior Legal Information Analyst. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,— from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth If you’ve read …