Picture by Scott Bauer, USDA

The major pizza companies are up in arms. Why? Because the FDA will soon require them to post calorie counts for their pizzas, which they say is impractical for a number of reasons. For example, the regulations would require the restaurants to list the calories in an entire pizza, rather than the calories per slice.

The proposed rules, which were distributed via the Federal Register in April 2011, would apply not only to pizza chains, but also to other restaurant chains with more than 20 locations. There was an open comment period that ended on July 5, 2011; comments that were submitted during that period can be viewed online at regulations.gov. Although the FDA anticipated issuing the final rules by the end of 2011, there have been delays and now they anticipate issuing the rules in November of this year.

There is evidence that consumers agree with the FDA’s stance. A recent study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that consumers overwhelmingly favored labeling in restaurants, and even favored labeling of items exempted from the new FDA rules, such as alcohol.

Image by Flickr user albertogp123

It’s summer time! Time for amusement parks and vacations, internships and exams. If you’re starting to think about another round of law school exams, don’t forget the great selection of resources we have to help you prepare:

• CALI Lessons and Law in a Flash flashcards
• AudioCaseFiles, Sum & Substance and Law School Legends audio CDs.
• Topical study aids from both the Examples & Explanations and Questions & Answers series.
• The online archive of old exams, and
• Earplugs, available at Circulation.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Toronto has discovered that morning people are happier than night owls.  Based on the responses to the study, those who favored mornings over evenings also reported higher levels of happiness.  Some of this maybe attributed to sleep deprivation.  People who stay up late and want to wake up later may end up having to wake up early anyways, especially if they have a 9-5 job (or Legal Bibliography at 9 a.m on a Friday morning). (Source, Yahoo:  Morning people happier than night owls, says study)

So are you ready to make the commitment to being a morning person?  It’s easy to do if you follow these tips (Source, Yahoo: Great tips for becoming a morning person):

• Slash an hour from your day:  trim down your evening obligations.
• Protein: add a little protein to the most important meal of the day, breakfast.
• Reward Yourself:  build in a few minutes of a reward for not hitting the snooze.  Read, listen to the news, meditate, whatever works for you.
• Pep Talk:  ask yourself what you GET to do today, instead of what you HAVE to do.
• Exercise:  exercise can boost morning energy surge, burn more fat calories, and result in more weight loss than exercising after breakfast.

It’s no surprise (but still often a shock) that upon graduation you lose the LexisNexis and Westlaw access that you’ve become accustomed to over the past three or four years. Six months after graduation you lose access to Bloomberg Law. Yet you still have to do legal research in order to practice law. How do you do that?

One option is to pay for access to LexisNexis, Westlaw, or Bloomberg Law, and many people do. However, there is another option. One of the perks that you get with membership in the Georgia Bar (along with free parking in the State Bar parking deck) is free access to Fastcase, a legal research service with access to both state and federal cases, statutes, regulations. Fastcase also offers Authority Check, which can help with locating citations to cases.

Fastcase released its iPhone and iPad apps in 2010, and this week launched the first legal research app for Android. What’s more, these apps are free for anyone to use. You have to register, but registration is free and not limited to subscribers or members of the state bar. The early reviews are in, and they’re pretty positive. If you have an Android device (or iPhone or iPad), go and check it out – it’s free, and it’s a great way to start becoming familiar with a resource that you’ll get upon graduation (and passing the bar, of course)!

Flicker photo by SeveStJude

For those of you who love your soda, whether it be Pepsi or Coke, you might be interested in the story bubbling out of New York City.  Recently Mayor Michael Bloomberg (yes, the same Bloomberg in Bloomberg Law) proposed a ban on the sale of sugary beverages over 16 ounces.  The ban would be enforced at city restaurants, delis, movie theaters, and street cars.  (source:  CNN Blog)

Why is this significant?  New York City is already a town where most eating establishments charge for a refill.  Throw on top of that a limit on the size of a soda that can be sold, and soda lovers are in for a rude awakening.  If passed, consumers can forget about that large mega gulp while watching the newest summer thriller or a super-sized cola with your burger and fries. (source:  CNN Blog)

The purpose behind the ban is to combat obesity, which Bloomberg believes has become a nationwide problem.  This is not the first time Bloomberg has caused an uproar regarding his food and health policies.  Bloomberg has a history of health proposals that have stirred a little controversy, such as (source: CNN Blog):

• Exclusion of soda, sports drinks, and other sugary drinks from food stamp eligibility
• Ban outdoor smoking in parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks, and pedestrian plazas
• Limits on alcohol advertising near schools
• “Salads in Schools” initiative, which provides low-height salad bars to elementary schools
• Calorie information displayed at chain restaurants on menus and menu boards
• Cuts to the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant food by 25% over 5 years
• Ban on trans fat in cooking oils within the city’s 24,000 food establishments

Before you get too rash and decide to take New York City off of your travel list, you should know that the ban would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy based drinks, or alcoholic beverages.  Furthermore, the ban will not extend to sugary beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.  Therefore, you can still get your fix, just not at places where you would be consuming food and drink.  (source:  New York Times article)

Remember that time we told you where to eat around here? Well, now we’re back with even more important news! Coffee spots. Whether you like fancy coffees with lots of sugar and syrup or a good ol’ mug-up, you’ve got some options. Enjoy!

In response to students’ requests the law library is in the process of installing laptop anchors on about half of its 113 student study carrels located throughout the law library’s lower and upper levels.

These laptop anchors –essentially a hook fastened to the study carrels with an industrial adhesive and screws– allow students to secure their laptops with a laptop cable. Most laptops offer a K-slot or other anti-theft system that allows a user to attach a security cable to the laptop and in turn secure it to an anchor. Check with your manufacturer for recommendations of security cables that are compatible with your laptop.

We found that there is no shortage of laptop anchor designs and options available. Consequently the law library looked to the students for direction in selecting the ones that would be ultimately installed.  Over spring exams (as part of the library’s coffee study break initiative which transforms the library conference room into a makeshift café offering free coffee to students studying for exams in the library) three laptop anchors were presented. Students were asked to vote on which anchor they would like to see installed in the law library. 92 votes were cast and the overwhelming preference with 57 votes was anchor option A (seen here with Librarians Austin Williams and Pam Brannon).

These laptop anchors will be installed over the summer and available by the start of the fall semester (if not sooner).

The law library does provide public services during regular university business hours (8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday). Members of the public are welcome in the law library at these times. The law library is committed to providing a safe and studious environment for members of the College of Law community as well as the general public. Students are reminded to take personal responsibility for protecting their property. While laptop anchors and security cables do create a deterrent to theft, it is strongly recommended that students never leave their laptops or other computing devices unattended—even if you are just getting a drink of water or running to the bathroom.

By Stephen Adams

by Flickr user dreamagicjp

We all envision state employment and service as a humdrum kind of life, complete with triplicate forms and staid office buildings. It’s the 1984 of the legal realm, where the status quo prevails, and we all wear metaphorical matching suits while learning about our doubleplusgood state statutes.

But not in Hawaii.

Leave it to a state with a festive, colorful shirt to break the monotony of state election laws. This week, after a two month back-and-forth with Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Hawaii has again verified President Obama’s long-form birth certificate, this time after providing us all with a lesson how to deal with those who make our day oh-so-interesting.

Ken Bennett, presumably under pressure from an apparently-whopping 1,200 constituents in Arizona, started a state ballot ordeal by requesting that Hawaii verify President Obama’s birth certificate yet again, even after Hawaii had done so multiple times. These requests were so numerous to the state that a special statute was passed to allow the state to disregard certain requests.

Talking Points Memo obtained, through a FOIA request, emails sent from Bennett and Jill Nagamine, Deputy Attorney General for the state of Hawaii; and they can be read here. The emails show us two main tactics in dealing with testy folks: 1) stalling, and 2) using the law to make them work for it.

Could Hawaii have just verified the birth certificate and made Bennett (and those 1,200 birthers) happy? Probably, but what’s the fun in that?

MacBook writing (Håkan Dahlström) / CC BY 2.0

Today, May 21st, was the first day of the fifth international Clarity Conference. The conference brings together people from around the world who are involved in the plain-language movement, who will discuss efforts to promote the use of plain, simple language in a variety of legal contexts. Advocates of plain language say that it saves time and increases compliance with laws and regulations. Using plain language in jury instructions, for example, can improve juror comprehension.

The plain-language movement has made some headway in recent years. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires that federal agencies use language “that the public can understand and use.” The Plain Regulations Act of 2012, introduced earlier this year, would close a loophole in the Plain Writing Act and require that agencies write regulations in plain, clear language. The ClearMark Awards reward companies and agencies who adopt plain language in their documents and websites.

Want to know more about how to write plainly and avoid “legalese”? Check these resources out:

• Plainlanguage.gov
• Legal Writing in Plain English, by Bryan A. Garner
• Lifting the Fog of Legalese: Essays on Plain Language, by Joseph Kimble
• The Language of the Law, by David Mellinkoff
• Clear and Effective Legal Writing, by Veda Charrow, Myra K. Erhardt, and Robert Charrow

Have you ever wondered how a congressman with little or no background in science or military matters can speak so intelligently on these topics during interviews or debates in Congress?  Part of it may be that they have a good speech writer or congressional staff.  Another reason may be that they have read a CRS Report on that topic.

CRS Reports are produced by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a department within the Library of Congress.  The CRS writes reports that provide policy and legal analysis for members of Congress.  Usually they tackle complex topics and attempt to examine the issue from all sides.

The CRS was originally called the Legislative Reference Service when it was created through legislation in 1914.  Further legislation in 1970 changed its name to Congressional Research Service and expanded its obligations to Congress.  Now each of the reports produced by the CRS are a direct result of congressional directives and guidance.

CRS Reports are perfect for anyone researching a topic of congressional importance because they provide a concise overview of the topic with references to primary authority.  The great thing for law students is that CRS Reports are public information.  The caveat with that though is there is no centralized website where the public can access these reports.  Luckily for you though,  I have included a few places below where you can access CRS Reports and find information about the Congressional Research Service:

• Congressional Research Service Homepage
• ProQuest Congressional – provides access to every CRS report that has been produced (Georgia State Law Only, sign in with MyLaw ID)
• University of North Texas – allows you to search for CRS Reports or browse by topic
• Federation of American Scientists – indexed CRS Reports that addresses national security, foreign policy and related topics
• U.S. Department of State – browse CRS Reports from 1999 – present on foreign policy and relations by date, region, and topic
• University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law Center IP Mall – browse CRS Reports from 1993 – 2011 on intellectual property, cyberlaw and electronic commerce
• University of Maryland Thurgood Marshall Law Library – browse CRS Reports from 1993 – present on homeland security, terrorism, and health law and policy
• National Council for Science and the Environment – search or browse over 2000 CRS Reports on environmental and related topics

So the next time you are trying to impress your friends, dominate trivia night, or start your research paper, give CRS Reports a try.