Veterans Day is a time to celebrate the valiant men and women who have served in the armed forces, their stories, and our shared history.  The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center does just that, collecting first hand accounts and mementos of veterans and those on the home front during wartime.  Since its inception in 2000, the project has collected the stories of thousands of veterans and those in the war effort for preservation in the Library of Congress.  You can search or browse—many interviews are not digitized yet, but for some you can watch or listen to interviews, read transcripts, or view documents and photographs of interest. One very touching story is of a dog named Lucky who served in the Marines while his owner was in the Navy.  The Project does not conduct interviews themselves—their material comes from partner organizations and from volunteers.  Our own Senator Lugar has contributed greatly to the collection.  If you know a veteran with a story to tell (or are one yourself) you might consider participating in the project.  More details on how to do so can be found here. Happy Veterans Day!

It is always fun to pick up the latest John Grisham or Scott Turow novel, but have you ever considered writing legal fiction yourself?  Well now is your chance.  If you have ever tried your hand at legal fiction you should consider entering the New York Law Journal’s annual fiction contest.  Just submit five copies of your legal short story or first chapter by November 6, and you could be published and win fabulous cash prizes!  If you are interested you will find more information on the official flyer.

Law firms, like any other business, have slogans and taglines to advertise themselves.  Recently, the legal blog Stem collected 101 Law Firm Taglines from firms all over the world.  There are several varied approaches.  What do you think is important in a law firm catchphrase?  You want it to inspire trust and confidence of course, but does humor add or detract from a slogan?  The Harris Beach slogan (“Lawyers you’ll swear by. Not at.”) is pretty irresistible, but does it bring in people charmed by the wit, or deter people who want their lawyers to be serious?  Take a look at the list and see which ones you like. You might also take a look at the Legal Blog Watch entry, where Bruce Carton selects his list of the most memorable.

Halloween: a time of witches, brooms, cats, and trick-or-treating!  While you are happily gathering up your candy, spare a thought for the innocent (numbering many thousands) who were hunted, arrested, and persecuted for practicing witchcraft during Early Modern Europe (1480-1700). 

The current exhibit on display at the library entrance features a famous English witch trial (held in Bury St. Edmunds, 1662) which was to become influential and referenced in the renowned American Salem witch trials. The trial involved the prosecution of two Lowestoft women in the bewitching of several children. The children suffered fits, lameness, vomited nails and pins, and complained that the two defendants were witches. The major trial personages could have come straight out of a page of Who Was Who – Judge: Sir Matthew Hale (Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer and future Lord Chief Justice of England); Justice of the Peace: Sir Edmund Bacon; Serjeant-at-law: Sir John Kelyng (future Chief Justice of the King’s Bench); Expert witness: Sir Thomas Browne (author and physician).

While researching this trial, I became incredibly impressed by the wealth of primary and secondary sources held at Indiana University. The Lilly Library houses several fascinating treatises on witchcraft and have kindly lent their copy of the trial report for the exhibit. On a personal note, several generations of my family have lived in Lowestoft. So, if you would like to learn more about witchcraft bibliography and England, feel free to drop by the Circulation Office for a chat!

The United States Constitution was signed exactly 222 years ago today.  So on this day, we celebrate both this important document, and all the people who have become American citizens.  Constitution Day is celebrated with presidential statements, laws, and lesson plans each year.  This year you can celebrate by learning more about Constitution Day from the Library of Congress website, or by finding out which Founding Father you most resemble at the National Constitution Center’s website.

As popular as the three Lord of the Rings movies have been, it’s not surprising that they have generated several legal arguments.  Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema had a few skirmishes, but more recently, New Line has been in hot water with the heirs of J.R.R. Tolkien.  The estate claims that they received only an advance payment of $62,500, and are still due to get 7.5% of all the profits, which are sizable.  A significant portion of that money would go to the Tolkien Trust, a charitable organization that manages the late author’s estate.  The lawsuit was brought last year, and it has been looking for some time as though it would go to trial.  The estate and New Line finally reached an agreement this week.  The details aren’t yet public, but maybe the most important thing for the general public is that New Line is now able to start work on a two-part version of The Hobbit. If you would like to know more, you can read the Associated Press article about the settlement, or you can look at an American Lawyer article published this summer that goes a little into the details of why the estate hadn’t been paid.

Ever wonder what people actually mean when they talk about having your cake and eating it too? Well there are ways of finding out.  We’ve written about how to find legal terms and phrases before, but it’s also good to know where to find information on common phrases in general.  The Phrase Finder collects phrases and idioms—they research the origins and meanings, and then present them in fun to read summaries.  You can, if you want, sign up to receive a phrase a week by e-mail. They also include (although you have to buy a subscription) a phase thesaurus, which lets you enter a word or two, and will bring back a list of all the sayings, slogans, and catchphrases that use that word.

When you have a spare minute to watch a movie, the Law Library does have a collection of movies.  We try to collect movies that have something to do with the law-a courtroom scene, or a lawyer main character.  We will also take suggestions if you can think of any important movies that we are missing.  It is always interesting to see how lawyers are portrayed in popular culture.  We’ve all heard countless lawyer jokes, but many fictional lawyers do get to be more than the stereotype. 

The ABA released a book fairly recently about lawyers on TV called Lawyers in Your Living Room! Law on Television.  It looks like a pretty entertaining introduction to how television shapes the public’s image of the legal profession.  Thanks to the Law Librarian Blog for pointing the book out.

Everyone has their own place on the political spectrum, and we are all right.  But what are the factors that influence us to one side of the spectrum or the other?  Are there consistent differences between conservatives and liberals?  YourMorals.org is a website put together by five social psychologists to study the relationship between politics and morals.  There are numerous quizzes that test your values and opinions, and then compare your answers to other test takers-often by which political ideology they self-identify with.  Do you care more about fairness or loyalty?  Would you be more disgusted by watching an autopsy, or someone eat ice cream with ketchup?  What kind of sports do you prefer? Are you traditional or progressive when it comes to justice?  All these questions go in to giving you your political ideals.  The scientists set up the tests, hypothesize about the answers, and collect the data.  You will have to register, but it’s free, interesting, and helpful.  And you might be surprised what traits are identified with what politics, or to find that your ideas may not always be in line with the political party you expect.

Today we celebrate the founding of the United States with food, flags, and fireworks.  We hope that you are having a safe and happy holiday, where ever you may be. As with many holidays, there is lots of good information available for the interested at the U.S. government website, USA.gov.  You can see important founding documents, make presidential recipes, learn about the U.S. flag, get safety tips, find the biggest fireworks displays in the country, and more.  More locally, you can check the local Herald-Times website for a map on where you can find fireworks displays in South Central Indiana. And don’t forget the parade!  You can find the route at the City of Bloomington website.  Have a wonderful Forth, all!