Breastfeeding Legislative Updates

A law in Scotland has come into force which imposes fines on anyone trying to prevent a woman from breastfeeding in public (articles from the BBC and
Scotland Today).

A campaign is underway - TheWayNatureIntended.org - to promote a similar law in Britain.

Here in the states, however, Kansas Senate balks at breastfeeding bill.

A Massachusetts bill would also impose fines (Harwich Oracle). The article states:

Supporters said that it is important to put these traditional protections into state law so that there is no chance that breastfeeding mothers are charged with a crime or denied their right to breastfeed when necessary. Some opponents said that the law is unnecessary because breastfeeding is not currently illegal and there are no reported incidents of mothers being charged with a crime or being denied the right to breastfeed.

And the Texas Bills I blogged about in January which would prohibit the promotion of artificial baby milk (er - infant formula) have been referred to committee. If the bills make it out of committee (doubtful), that means no more free diaper bags at the hospital, sorry ladies.

4/12/05 Edited to Add: Ohio bill

I'm thinking she shoulda just stayed home

Confused Cops Swarm Woman After Birth

Thursday Library Trip - 03/31/05

• Book: The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
• Book: LEGO Reader: Race For Survival, Marie Birkinshaw
• Book: LEGO Reader: Castle Under Attack, Nicola Baxter
• Book: Bob Books: Set 1, Bobby Lynn Maslen
• Video: Star Trek: Generations
• DVD: Blue's Big Musical Movie
• Video: Hoop-dee-doo! It's a Wiggly Party
• Video: Snoopy, Come Home
• Video: Spot Goes to School
• Video: Thomas the Tank Engine: Thomas Gets Bumped

Speeding Excuses

Via RangelMd.com, this article: Officer disciplined for stopping doctor on way to birth.

Lawyers and Blogging

Why blog? More specifically, why should lawyers blog? Do lawyers have a moral or legal duty to blog?

The InHouse Blog informs you of Your Legal Duty to Blog.

Sarah Kellogg in For Lawyers asks Do You Blog? (via Dennis Kennedy).

Kevin at LexBlog says Lawyers' moral obligation to blog - why not? And Alex Barnett agrees.

More blawging news:
Kevin Heller at TechLawAdvisor publishes the Belly Up to the Bar Final (?) Edition. But never fear, the spirit of BUTTB will live on at Blawgreview.com. BTW, TechLawAdvisor was mentioned at Instapundit.com. We should all be so lucky.

The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager

This is really neat. Type in any name, and it will graphically show you the popularity of the name for the last 100 years or so. Type in part of a name, and it will show you the popularity of all the names starting with those letters (Alex, Alexander, Alexis, etc.).

The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager

Speechless

I'll bet this article from the Illinois Leader is big talk all over certain portions of the blogosphere, but I don't have time to look right now:

Mother arrested for attempting to intervene in her 14-year old's decision to have abortion

Thursday Library Trip - 03/24/05

• Book: Children's Quick & Easy Cookbook, Angela Wilkes
• Book: The Easter Story, Brian Wildsmith
• Book: LEGO Reader: Rocket Rescue, Nicola Baxter
• Book: Buzz vs. Torque: One On One?, Mark McVeigh
• Video: Star Trek: First Contact
• Video: Star Trek: Insurrection
• Video: Kratts' Creatures: African Creature Quest
• Video: Bob the Builder: Bob Saves the Day
• Video: Alef Bet Blast Off: The Whole Megillah

Epidurals and C-Sections Part II

On February 17, 2005 I posted a commentary (o.k., it was a bit of a rant) about a New England Journal of Medicine study of epidurals and c-section rates. My problem wasn't with the study itself, but with the media's gross misinterpretation of the study and extremely inaccurate headlines.

Maternitywise.org has posted an analysis of the study. Upon reading it, I find that there were factual errors in my description of the study, though the errors do not change my conclusion. Hey, I only read the abstract, not the entire article (which is more than I can say for those headline writers).

Thursday Library Trip - 03/17/05

We got Big Champion his own library card today. Not that he really needs it to check out books, but it allows us to double the number of holds we can place (and I place a lot of holds); and for both he and I to use the Internet at the library at the same time. The librarian offered to let him sign the back of the card, and he made a "C" and was, I'm sure, very proud. But now I'm wondering why we ever gave our son a first name with eleven letters in it.

• Book: Eats Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
• Book: The Maker's Diet, Jordan S. Rubin
• Book: Purim, Carmen Bredeson
• Book: Queen Esther Saves Her People, Rita Golden Gelman
• Video: The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
• Video: Sesame Street: Dance Along
• Video: Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown

Life-Support Stopped for 6-Month-Old in Houston

Tom Mayo of the HealthLawProf Blog discusses the case of a 6-month old Houston baby whose died this week when his life support was stopped over the objection of his mother. Prof. Mayo has a lot of first-hand knowlege of the subject, since he not only has served on hospital ethics committees, but was a co-author of the bill authorizing withdrawal of treatment in such cases.

Link: Life-Support Stopped for 6-Month-Old in Houston

Mercury Pollution, Autism Link Found

Hey, a new study points to a link between Mercury pollution (methyl mercury) and Autism.

But of course there is no link between the ethyl mercury in vaccines and Autism. That has been conclusively proven. Of course.

What's Your Super Power?

And I want one of these t-shirts from Granolathreads.com , too.

Blogads Reader Survey

BlogAds recently posted the results of a survey of blog readers. Henry Copeland of BlogAds muses:

But remember also that the blogosphere is all about biases and conversations and boot-strapping and not waiting for some authority-- a newspaper editor or university dean or foundation officer or venture capitalist or government agent -- to tell you something but figuring it out yourself, and, finally, about sharing fragments of imperfect data with peers to arrive at some useful collective knowledge.

That's true. When it isn't about bloggers posting what they ate for breakfast.

Texas Women in the White House

Via Michelle Malkin, the Washington Post reports that Karen Hughes, former adviser to President Bush, plans to return to Washington. The Post labels Hughes as "often described as the most powerful woman ever to work in the White House." So what is White House Counsel (and former Texas Bar President) Harriet Miers, chopped liver?

Thursday Library Trip - 03/10/05

• Book: Trouble at the Bridge, Marie Birkinshaw
• Book: Happy Birthday, Thomas, Awdry/Bell
• Video: The Wiggles: Wiggly Play Time
• Video: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Belly Up to the Bar - Interim Edition II

... is up over at Tech Law Advisor.

Blogging on Nightline

The topic of tonight's Nightline will be on bloggers and blogging.

Link: ABC News: IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, BLOG 'EM

11:30 p.m. Edited to add:
Not bad. I do wish they had drawn some distinction between bloggers who are journaling their personal lives, and those who think they are alternative media. They briefly showed a screen shot of Dot Moms. And a large chunk of the broadcast (as an example of the "power of blogs", I suppose) was devoted to interviews with Virginia Delegate John Cosgrove, blogger Maura Keaney of Democracy for Virginia, and the flap over HB 1677, which I blogged about on January 13, 2005.

And all those shots of bloggers with laptops, made me really want one...

Selling Ads on Blawgs (and Beer)

Kevin of lexBlog comments on a quote by Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds in a New York Times article, saying "I'll be darned if I am going to sell ads on the blog where I market our companies services through education based marketing so I can pick up $150 per month." Kevin Heller wants to know, "Is Beer More Important than Marketing?". As for me, I would gladly settle for $150 a month. Right now, I'm up to fifty-nine cents. Really.

Thursday Library Trip - 03/03/05

Not much selection this week.

• Book: The E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber
• Book: Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, Bart D. Ehrman
• Video: Thomas' Christmas Wonderland [Thomas the Tank Engine]
• Video: Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss, nar. John Lithgow
• Video: We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story

Bloggers IRL (in real life)

Just got a brochure in the mail for the ABA TechShow in Chicago. A panel discussion called "Meet the Bloggers" will be moderated by Rick Klau, Sabrina Pacifici, and Ernie "the Attorney" Svenson; and will feature "the chance to see actual blogging performed right before your very eyes!". Inter Alia's Tom Mighell (a fellow Texan) will be speaking several times, including moderating a panel on RSS feeds along with Dennis Kennedy. Doubtless the faculty includes some other blawgers whose names I don't recognize. Ok, enough with the gratuitous name dropping...

Plans are underway for GodBlogCon 2005 set for October. Organized by Dr. Andrew Jackson and promoted by Hugh Hewitt, the conference will feature workshops such as "Christian Political Blogging", "Christian Homeschool Blogging", and "Video Blogging (Vlogging)". The conference even has its own prayer blog. Marla Swoffer, a/k/a The Proverbial Wife is keeping readers updated on the plans as they unfold and has secured the rights to www.godblognews.com. Billed as "the Christian Blogosphere Convention", critics have pointed out that the conference is not for those who blog about God, but more narrowly a conference of Christian bloggers, thereby excluding Jews, Muslims, and Mormons (though Catholics and Orthodox Christians are welcome; it's not merely an Evangelical Protestant event).