On July 21st, 1959 the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Grove Press, the publisher of now-classic works such as D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch and my personal favorite, Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. At that time in history, books considered obscene due to graphic sexual content or language were often forbidden from being published in the United States and other parts of the world. It took years of struggles and trials for books such as those above to be granted protection under the constitutional right of freedom of speech.

Look for a book soon to be added to our collection, 1959:The Year Everything Changed by author Fred Kaplan (also columnist for Slate), that discusses the trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover in more detail. And today - celebrate Lawrence, Burroughs and Miller!

Obama

Street artist Shepard Fairey who created the famous Hope image of Barack Obama sued The Associated Press, claiming his use of an AP photo in creating the poster did not violate copyright law, because he has dramatically changed the nature of the image and therefore, is protected under the so-called "Fair Use" provisions.

The AP said it is owed credit and compensation for the artist's rendition of the original photo taken by Mannie Garcia who was on assignment for the AP at the National Press Club. (Read the whole story).

Just today, Mannie Garcia discussed on NPR his own legal battle with the AP, claiming the photo was taken while he was working as a freelance photojournalist.

Maybe reading Elizabeth T. Russell’s Art Law Conversations : a surprisingly readable guide for visual artists (2005) might help clear up the muddle? But I doubt it.

BTW...signed originals of both the Hope poster and the Garcia photo have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.

Pulp Tree

So when you bring the green indoors this winter the plants may say "thank you".

Maybe you heard about Midori the blogging houseplant. Midori lives in Donburi Cafe in Kamakura Japan.

Just as plants are finding a voice in Japan the government of Switzerland has placed a ban on the humiliation of plants.

Read about the botanical interface that makes plant blogging possible and check out a product that will help you listen to your own plant.

Interested in this topic, check out these books: Plantwatching: how plants remember, tell time, form partnerships, and more / Malcolm Wilkins and Natural affairs: a botanist looks at the attachments between plants and people / Peter Bernhardt

Georgiana

Based on the biography of Georgiana (Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, The Duchess is the story of an extraordinary woman who rose to fame by staying true to her passion in a world of protocol, gossip, and social rules - and paid the price. (The New York Times review)

Flash of Genius is adapted from a 1993 New Yorker article by John Seabrook, about a lone crusader doing battle with the big bad establishments - in this case, Ford and Chrysler.

In 1967, Dr. Robert W. Kearns, an electrical engineer and college professor invented and patented the intermittent windshield wiper, only to watch Ford steal the idea two year later for its redesigned Mustang. Read an early review from the Traverse City Film Festival's sneak preview of this Oscar-worthy film, starring Greg Kinnear.

gonzalez

Today provides us with two newsworthy examples of how much has changed in the world of "government documents". The Attorney General of the United States released the long-awaited Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and the full report was instantly available online. The draft of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was also posted immediately this morning. Most media like the New York Times will embed a link to the report in their articles. Media or your favorite search engine are usually a safer bet than the government's own web search, us.gov which can lag by a day or more.

True Crime meets autobiography in The Butterfly Garden, a striking and capturing book about a boy's experiences living as the son of one of America's Most Wanted. Chip St. Clair was always told not to open the trunk in his father's bed room, but one day he did and his life was never the same again. What he found in the trunk was false documents as well as possible trophies from children his father had murdered in the past... several baby teeth, phony birth certificates, forged credit card and student loan paperwork and family photographs with cryptic messages written on the back. Chip's entire life--his name, even his date of birth--had been a lie, and the man he called 'Dad' was an impostor, an escaped child killer who had been on the run for over two decades. The stunning revelation would send one of America's Most Wanted to justice and another on a quest for his true identity.

"With chilling detail and a riveting, lyrical narrative, The Butterfly Garden reveals St. Clair's struggle to piece together his haunted past before it consumes him and shares his inspiring metamorphosis from victim to victim's advocate. The Butterfly Garden is a timeless triumph, a reminder that hope can be the most powerful of all emotions, freeing us to soar despite the past and the odds against us."

baseball

Former Senator George Mitchell has released the long-awaited Report to the Commissioner of Baseball on the use of illegal steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. "Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame," Mitchell said. Many top players are named in the report including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mo Vaughn and Gary Sheffield. MLB as well as media websites like CNN, NPR and the New York Times are providing extensive coverage.

court

The new Washtenaw County Trial Court web site is now in session. Potential jurors can check the web site to see if they need to report, read the Juror's Handbook and get directions to the Courthouse. The Calendar link lists the docket for each Trial Court and is updated daily. Over 150 web pages are available on every division of the Courts.