Pardon the lengthiness of the post; I got behind in blogging due to the progress of my National Novel Writing Month project.
Various articles on the state of the legal profession, at least from the NY Times. (ABA Journal has articles, too, apparently, but I’m way behind on reading that):
An article on how even lawyers are getting layed off. Sigh… Local and state gov’ts are in hiring freezes (well, if you hunt down the agency with the need, and willing to wait it out, you the poor lawyer might still have a shot at being a local/state lawyer); fed govt is… well, wait that out; and the private sector… I’m rolling my eyes now.
Plus, so, the Big Firm are sending lawyers abroad… well, the ones with some years under their belt and who are now more willing than ever to go. Hmm. That and the options in outsourcing could make difficult. Just a thought. Not like I really know.
The US Attorney of Southern District of NY and the US Attorney for the District of NJ – both are resigning, and reflecting on their work and their future. Big changes coming, and with the new US President, well, transitions are going to take time.
Plus, the possibilities raised in having Eric Holder as the next US Attorney General – a former NY’er (Stuyvesant H.S. alumnus; an Alma Mater alumnus) — very interesting! Dahlia Lithwick’s column on Slate — interesting analysis on Eric Holder. I do agree that people who push his one negative – that whole pardon problem during the end of the Clinton administration – can only go so far on that; Holder is a great nominee to restore the DOJ’s standing – which is badly needed.
And, speaking of Cabinet selections, Time’s Karen Tumulty observes that someone else recognized that this proposal to have Hilary Clinton as US Secretary of State sounded an awful lot like a “West Wing” episode. Hmm… Goodness, did Obama watch more tv than he claimed he did?
Time’s Joe Klein suggests what I think is a lovely idea: “Bush Junior’s national security team was thought to be ‘strong’ in 2001–but Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld ran away with it. I don’t see that sort of thing happening here, but if this is, indeed, the team–it might be a good idea for [Hilary] Clinton, [current and possibly retainable Sec’y of Defense Robert] Gates, [Retired General-possible next National Security Advisor James] Jones, Obama and [VP-elect Joe] Biden to go off for a weekend retreat somewhere, have a few drinks and get to know each other.”
If they get to know each other, maybe they can work together well and brainstorm ideas that might work. And, this might also sound like an episode of “West Wing” too.
Oh, heck, let’s just do everything that they did in “West Wing.” And, have Alan Alda be behind our science policy and Martin Sheen in something or what (as his imdb.com’s bio notes how often he ha been arrested for protesting, probably not quite what his President Bartlet would do, but that’s hard to say).
NY Times’ analysis on the whole “maybe the car industry ought to file for bankruptcy” idea. Look, it’s been a few years since I studied bankruptcy, but Chapt. 11 isn’t that bad – it’s reorganization, not liquidation; so why is GM looking for a “bailout” when what they want is “help”? “Oh, no one’s going to buy a car if they know we filed for (Chapt. 11) bankruptcy” — so don’t call it that! Oh, gee whiz, GM… Then again, maybe having unions to deal with does make things complicated and I do feel for the unions. Sort of. Maybe. Well, I just don’t know; not when the American car industry doesn’t seem very practical.
Time Magazine’s Justin Fox, who has been commenting on the car industry situation on his Time.com blog, The Curious Capitalist, suggests something that’s bankruptcy-like – conservatorship – in the magazine this week; which I thought, “Whoa, haven’t heard that since law school!” – but it does sound like a nice idea. Complicated and still unfolding situation, with employment, bankruptcy, and policy issues clashing into each other. Crazy.
In this week’s Time, there’s also this great article about wind power, by Bryan Walsh. If I wasn’t for wind power before, I’m more for it with this article (the drawbacks: still a little expensive to do, and might kill birds, but the pros seem quite worthy). But, we apparently need more encouragement from the government and more or less laws or deal with bureaucracy. Or something.
Speaking of law, Law and Order continues with its standard plot twists, with Det. Lupo, ADA Cutter, and the rest dealing with fundamentalist Mormons (particularly in the form of actor Colm Meaney – ex-Chief O’Brien of Star Trek fame). When even Slate has someone mildly entertained by L&O, it must be making some kind of comeback. I mean, I am actually watching it; well, yeah, the cast is attractive and amusing and the law crazy, but still, the show knows what it’s doing!
Horribly behind on NBC’s “Life.” But, the most recent episode was fun – Detective Reese ought to be more careful with her flirtation with the precinct’s current boss – and realizes her being an addict helps in certain cases; Detective Crews really ought to be more careful with his romances and his still-ongoing obsession with the conspiracy.
This week’s “Fringe” – touching stuff. Crazy Dr. Walter Bishop volunteers to go back to the insane asylum (umm, “institution”) to get info from his old friend, so that FBI Special Agent Olivia can crack the weird kidnapping. Peter Bishop comes to have some affection for his father, realizing that the institution probably did awful shit to Walter and Peter becomes quite protective for this man who probably did unforgiveable things to him. But, when the head of your institution is played by the actor who was Sloan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (which even worried Chief O’Brien, note above), I wouldn’t think this is a nice institution for anyone’s mentally ill relative to be in. The father-son plotline is the heart of “Fringe.”
And, I’m behind on this – I think it’s sad that the passing of Michael Crichton came upon the last season of “ER,” which he had been among the creators. Hope the last season can be a good season to honor him; that episode with the flashback return of Dr. Green was a heartbreaker.
The passing of theater critic Clive Barnes — sad too, because it means less out there in the area of dance and theater.
And, last but not least – the upcoming Star Trek movie trailer. To paraphrase the good Dr. McCoy, “I’m not a movie critic, Jim.”