Law blog round-up
January 28, 2008
Here’s some good reading for your Monday afternoon:
- The ABA journal blogs about a Texas prosecutor who “is focusing on freeing the wrongly convicted.” This is a pretty significant move coming from a jurisdiction notorious for those mistakes.
- May It Please the Court blogs about the proposed do-not-deliver-(The Examiner) bill.
- Ms. JD has a continuing series covering seven things professional women should know about having kids before they do so. Here’s a link to the first one.
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentMoCo considers bill requiring contracts with domestic workers
January 28, 2008
In this hour, MoCo Councilmembers Marc Elrich and George Leventhal are holding a press conference in Rockville to announce a bill that would require employers to sign a written employment contract with certain types of domestic workers. The county is lauding it as potentially the “first legislation nationally of this type.”
The bill would require an employer to present a written employment contract to the potential employee and offer to negotiate the terms and conditions of employment. It would apply to employers of housekeepers, childcare workers, and caretakers for the elderly or sick, among others.
A 2006 study found that MoCo domestic workers have limited access to information about their rights under state and county law and few have written contracts. Consequently, many of them are paid less than the required minimum wage and do not receive overtime pay for work in excess of 40 hours per week.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentThe cultural significance of the noose
January 28, 2008
Jim Downs, an assistant professor of history at Connecticut College, has an interesting essay posted today on the History News Network’s Web site about the cultural significance of the noose.
He mentions the noose-hanging incident last year at the University of Maryland’s Nyumburu Cultural Center in College Park — also the impetus for a hate crimes legislation introduced this year in the General Assembly — as well as other recent incidents that garnered media attention.
Downs suggests that the “recent rash of noose hangings seems to have less to do with the viscous horrors targeted against African-Americans, and more to do with how the history of the noose has enabled the leading media, such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, to define racism.”
Sphere: Related ContentUnexpected victims of the sub-prime mortgage mess
January 28, 2008
As owners lose their homes to foreclosure, their pets, too, are losing shelter, the Chicago Tribune reports. The newspaper found several animal shelters that have seen an increase in pets given up for adoption after the owners are forced to find new, un-pet-friendly living situations. In some cases, the animals are left to starve when the owners walk away from a foreclosed property.
The Humane Society even issued a public statement this month about the situation. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen people abandoning their pets,” Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for the Washington-based humane group, told the Trib. “But with this increase in foreclosures, we’re going to see more of it.”
Some former pets may be lucky enough to end up in the care of people like Robin Moro, a Cincinnati artist who created ForeclosureCats.org after adopting two abandoned cats last spring.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentWeek in Photos, 01/21-01/25
January 25, 2008
Good evening to On the Record visitors!
I hope I haven’t kept you waiting with the later-than-usual Week in Photos. This week seems to be dominated by news from the legislative session … but there’s plenty of other stories as well.
Take a moment to flip through some of the highlights from The Daily Record’s newsroom! And have a great weekend.
First Tax Court judges, now this…
January 25, 2008
Is there a severe shortage of people who can officiate marriages in Maryland?
Enough to warrant adding retired clerks of the circuit court for Maryland counties?
BEN MOOK, Assistant Business Editor
Sphere: Related ContentMultimedia: Largest-ever Baltimore Boat Show
January 25, 2008
This year’s Baltimore Boat Show hosts the two largest boats in its 54-year history at the Convention Center: a 45-foot Hunter Marine 45 sailboat and a 42-foot Rinker 400 Express cruiser.
The show also marks the debut of SailFest, a new component dedicated to sailing, which features new keelboats, catamarans and skiffs “docked” along a replica pier.
“The show is the largest ever, with 700 boats filling all 300,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Baltimore Convention Center,” said Show Manager Mike Duffy.
Daily Record Photographer Rich Dennison was at the Convention Center during Monday’s setup and at Wednesday’s opening night, where $40 tickets were offered for more avid boaters. He’s produced the audio slideshow below to share his experiences at the boat show, which will run through Sunday.
To see a larger version of the slideshow, click here.
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Attorneys: File under yuck
January 25, 2008
Do you agree with Ron Miller that the behavior alleged in this lawsuit, while disgusting, should not be the basis of a med mal complaint?
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentTaking stock (of our stock page)
January 24, 2008
One of the biggest changes in newspaper business sections over the last 10 or so years has been how daily stock market information is presented.
Heck, the fact that we call it “daily” information says it all. The stock market changes every second. And, unlike 10 years ago, it doesn’t stop changing at 4 p.m., when the markets close in New York. Papers have gone from running four or five or even six pages of listings to — in many cases — no listings at all.
The challenge has become to provide readers with information that they can’t easily get elsewhere (unless, of course, they have a Bloomberg terminal, one of the greatest financial toys, err, tools in the history of the world).
We’re fairly certain that the vast majority of Daily Record readers weren’t tearing through our paper to get to what we used to call our “Marketplace” page to see how their portfolio did the day before. At best, the information was outdated and hard to read. Starting Friday, with a big assist from the data wizards at Bloomberg, we’ve changed that.
Sphere: Related ContentMaryland’s primary votes will matter after all
January 24, 2008
The AP reports that the race for the presidential nomination is so close in both parties that it is mathematically impossible for any candidate to lock up the nomination by Super Tuesday, Feb. 5. Good news for those of us in Maryland who will cast our ballots on Feb. 12…
“A lot of people were predicting that this presidential election on both sides was going to be this massive sprint that ended on Feb. 5,” said Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant who is not affiliated with any candidate. Now it’s looking as if the primaries after Super Tuesday — including such big, delegate-rich states as Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania — could grow in importance. “Maybe some states were better off waiting,” said Backus.
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related Content-
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