This coming Monday, January 17th, 2022, is MLK Day, a federal holiday that recognizes the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and commemorates his life and work as a civil rights activist and leader.
Read moreOh Bookmas Tree! Oh Bookmas Tree!
We invite all library visitors to snap a #shelfie in front of our Bookmas Tree at our downtown location. Share your photo on social media, and don’t forget to tag the #HarrisCountyHainsworthLawLibrary. Merry Bookmas! From all of us at the Harris County Robert W. Hainswoth Law Library, may your holiday be happy, joyous, and healthy. Cheers!
Read moreSeasons Greetings!
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” - Albert Camus
‘Tis the season to tell all we meet (though those numbers are of course relatively low this year due to Covid) Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings! But which holidays do we mean? What is the season, exactly? A law librarian by day, your humble blog author is dusting off her Religion degree to present this brief and fun overview.
The Winter Solstice and its general timeframe has been seen across cultures, space, and time as an excellent moment to mark the birth or rebirth of God or the gods. In our American society, Christmas is the most obvious and omnipresent modern example. However, particularly here in Houston, the United States’ 7th most diverse city, a wide variety of celebrations take place.
Our readers may be most familiar with Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. The holiday spans eight days and nights, and commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple when Jerusalem was retaken during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire circa 160 BCE. Prior to that time, Judaism had been made illegal, and the Temple had been defiled. It appeared there was not enough purified oil to burn in order to properly cleanse the space, but miraculously the small amount found lasted for 8 days of continuous burning. This year, it lasts from December 10th through 18th.
Hindus celebrate Pancha Ganapati, a family festival of giving that spans five days and centers on Lord Ganesha, the god of new beginnings and deva of wisdom. Each day is marked by its own color and discipline, as adherents spend the five days exchanging gifts; presenting offerings for Ganesha’s five-faced form Lord Panchamukha; and nurturing five realms of their lives: family, friends, associates, culture and religion. The festival runs from December 21 through 25.
In Iran and adjacent territories, the very old holiday of Yaldā Night is still observed, albeit in a much more casual and contemporary manner than in ancient times. Extended family units gather to share specific foods, engage in general revelry, and stay up past midnight as a nod to an old Zoroastrian belief that one must stay awake and vigilant against evil spirits on the longest night of the year. Iran does not follow the Gregorian Calendar, but the holiday generally correlates to December 20 or 21st.
Many Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day, which marks the day Siddhartha came to enlightenment after several days of meditation beneath a bodhi tree. Reflecting the many differences among Buddhist sects around the world, this holiday goes by multiple names, and is celebrated or acknowledged in quite a wide variety of ways on different winter days, though frequently in December.
Whatever you celebrate or observe this winter holiday season, we hope it brings you happiness, and a sense of connectedness in these unusual times. Stay warm!
To Grandmother's House? Know Before You Go
The CDC urges Americans that travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19 and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. If your holiday plans still include travel or you are considering travel, it is important to understand that depending on your destination COVID-19 restrictions may vary, such as requiring people to wear masks and requiring those who recently traveled to stay home for up to 14 days.
On May 21, 2020, Gov. Abbott issued Executive Order GA-24 terminating Texas air travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are travelling outside of Texas, here are some resources to help guide your decision and plans within and outside of the United States.
Domestic Travel
The CDC recommends using Travel Planner before traveling. The site offers links to state, local, tribal, and territorial government restrictions. You simply enter a city, zip code, or address to learn more about COVID-19 travel restrictions, guidance, and resources in your destination.
Additionally, CNN Travel has also created a list of travel restrictions state-by-state which they update periodically due to the ever-changing situation across the country.
Before making your final travel plans, it would be helpful to also know if cases are high or increasing in your destination. The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker provides the latest number of cases by state.
Finally, you may wish to consult this map, the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool created at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Enter your geographic destination, narrowing your selection to the county you intend to visit. Use the slider to specify your event size, from 10-5,000 people. The tool will then assess the likelihood of at least one person getting the virus.
One additional metric for gauging your risk of infection is provided here on this chart from the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Resource Center. It ranks your chances, on a scale of 1 to 10, of getting COVID-19 while participating in a number of holiday festivities. The chart is available in English and Spanish and in grayscale for easy printing.
International Travel
The U.S. Department of State maintains a COVID-19 Traveler Information page that has current information on international travel restrictions, advisories, and any required self-quarantine periods. The State Department also offers a U.S. Embassy COVID page with country specific information, such as entry and exit requirements, self-quarantine policies, and current restrictions on movement within the country (e.g., curfews, intercity travel).
For individuals looking to travel to the United States, the CDC has published the following: Travelers Prohibited from Entry to the United States. With specific exceptions, foreign nationals who have been in any of the following countries during the past 14 days may not enter the United States:
European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City)
United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
In a time when we are starved for human connection, we are also faced with alarming numbers. In the United States, there were 162,320 newly reported COVID-19 cases on Nov 18, 2020 alone. Recognizing that we all want to celebrate with friends and family in some way and hopefully in a safe way, the CDC offers a Holiday Celebrations page. One tip: Limit the number of attendees as much as possible to allow people from different households to remain at least 6 feet apart (2 arm lengths) at all times. Although the CDC cannot offer a magic number for attendees, in these times, less is definitely more.
Mask Requirements While Flying
The CDC issued a “strong recommendation” that all passengers and employees on airplanes, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-share vehicles should wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Surprising to some, there is no formal mask mandate from the U.S. government for travel on airplanes or at airports. The U.S. Department of Transportation previously declined a petition by the largest airline passenger non-profit organization consumer group Flyers Rights to implement one. However, airlines have stepped in and all major U.S. airlines are requiring passengers to wear face masks. As some of these restrictions become tighter, it is advisable to check with your airline for specific instructions and for more information and recommendations on travel visit the CDC’s Travel page.
From all of us here at the Harris County Law Library, we wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
The Spirit of the Law
In the spirit of the Halloween season, Harris County Law Library typically displays several spooky selections from our print collection in the Law Library’s exhibit space. This year, Halloween is a little different. Our favorite haunt is closed, but we feel no less spirited about celebrating this happy holiday.
Below are a few items of interest to ghouls and goblins alike. We’ve linked to the online resources whenever possible. Happy haunting!
Burchill v. Hermsmeyer, 212 SW 767 (1919), is the case of the ghost who inspired a contract dispute and a fraud claim. Mr. Hermsmeyer sued to recover the $10,000 he invested in Mrs. Burchill's corporation. She claimed that ghosts, with whom she consulted via a medium, told her there was oil under her land. When no oil was discovered, Mr. Hermsmeyer argued that Ms. Burchill's claim was a fraudulent misrepresentation of facts. The court rejected his argument saying that the existence of ghosts is a matter of belief, not of fact. His claim was, therefore, "insufficient to form a basis for relief for the plaintiff."
Purtell v. Mason, 527 F.3d 615 (2008), involves Halloween yard decorations which caused a neighborhood dispute and raised questions about the right to insult every person on your block. Jeffrey and Vicki Purtell displayed six wooden tombstones in front of their Chicago home, each bearing unflattering references to their neighbors and the details of each person's fictitious demise. One of the neighbors identified on the tombstones argued with Mr. Purtell over the offensive decorations resulting in a call to the police. Officer Bruce Mason arrived at the scene. He arrested Mr. Purtell and ordered the removal of the tombstones. The Purtells asserted their free speech rights, but the Seventh Circuit found no loss of First Amendment Protection under the "fighting words" doctrine.
The Law of Cadavers and of Burial and Burial Places by Percival E. Jackson is the "standard work on the subject of the law pertaining to the care and disposal of bodies of deceased human beings, and the establishment and maintenance of burial places." Included in this volume is a thorough treatment of the law regarding sepulture along with "approximately a hundred pages of forms pertaining to the regulation of cemeteries, the transfer of plots, graves, and monuments therein and the care, transportation, and burial of human corpses as well as some forms of legal proceedings in both tort and contract, germane to the general subject." (Book Review by Charles G. Coster, 2014.) This title, 2nd edition, is available in the Harris County Law Library's print collection and also via HeinOnline's Legal Classics Library, which you can access via the Law Library’s remote access services.
In the early 1900s, three creative thinkers designed new and improved lanterns in the category of "decorative and grotesque illuminating devices commonly called jackolanterns." (Andrew B. Heard, Patent No. 715,379.) Their patent drawings can be seen here, in the graphics throughout this post.
A final note from the Harris County Law Library staff
This summer, we lost a dear colleague and friend, Ben Pride, a dedicated public servant at the Harris County Law Library for 19 years. In his quiet, thoughtful, and deliberate way, he was an ally for justice. He was warm and welcoming of every library visitor. He was empathetic, patient, and sincere. With great humility and compassion, he served the community he loved. Ben was generous with his time and his spirit, and for that generosity, most of all, he will be remembered. Cornell West famously said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Ben Pride embodied this sentiment in his daily work, taking to heart the very mission we all strive to uphold every day at the Law Library. For this and so many other qualities, he is missed.
Ben was also curious, intellectual, funny, and creative. Each of the last three years, he took great pride in assembling the Law Library’s Halloween book art, pictures of which are shown here. While we’re still closed and unable to continue our tradition this year, we definitely had plans to do so. In fact, as we dismantled last year’s display on November 1st, Ben was already suggesting a new idea for Halloween 2020. He envisioned a sugar skull on our shelves, a traditional Mexican folk art symbol used in Día de los Muertos rituals. Placed on an ofrenda in tribute to a departed soul, it honors a beloved spirit and the life lived. Ben would have built another creative display to encourage patrons to “snap a shelfie,” and it would have made everyone smile.