Author: ssw15

The day before V-Day…

Some ABA E-Journal referred articles that I thought were interesting:

– should the so-called professionals be exempt from consumer protection laws, because they’re self-regulated? NJ says yes, and sent the issue back to the legislature to say otherwise?

– “ABA Says States Should Decide Who Can Marry” – seems like the ABA is aware that the reality of federalism, as the Founding Fathers knew, is about balancing the states’ rights and the federal government’s roles: while the ABA has postponed deciding its actual position on gay marriage (not an easy issue), it clearly holds that states have jurisdiction over marriage. Plus, ABA is sure that states shouldn’t rough up immigrants, because that’s the feds’ job.

I thought the political scene currently is eerie; besides the whole What Did George W. Do During the 1970’s?/What’s John Kerry Doing in That Photo Behind Jane Fonda During his Anti-Vietname Phase? (and why can’t we leave both guys alone with what they did or didn’t do during the 1970’s?), the Wesley Clark quip to John Kerry was amusing. According to the NY Times today, Clark headed to Wisconsin to endorse Kerry and the remark:

“‘Request permission to come aboard, the Army’s here,’ a smiling General Clark said as he and Mr. Kerry appeared at a rally here, four days before the Wisconsin primary.

“Mr. Kerry, a Navy lieutenant during the Vietnam War, said, ‘This is the first time in my life I’ve ever had the privilege of saying ‘Welcome aboard’ to a four-star general.'”

Plus, the NY Times article closes with an amusing moment for other remaining Democratic party candidate John Edwards: “Mr. Edwards took questions from the crowd in Racine [WI], which included dozens of high school students, but his drive to reach voters was apparent. Before he began answering, he whispered to an aide, ‘Are they old enough to vote?'”

Yes, and that’s the way the world is…

I’m in the middle of reading a fascinating historical mystery (taking place in medieval England); I’ll probably blog about it later, when I’m done – but I think it’s funny that the author is a tax attorney in her other life. This other mystery series I’ve read (coincidentally also taking place in medieval Europe) is written by a Legal Aid attorney from Queens. Apparently, I’ve read somewhere that historical mysteries are particularly popular lawyer-novelists, for not only the historical context but also because they give the lawyer-authors (or mystery writers in general) a chance to write about eras before warrants and other items, which may or may not impede investigations. Leave it to lawyers to enjoy that.

NY’s Channel 11 (WPIX) news had an interesting story for its 2/12/04 broadcast – this corporate attorney who is taking a leave of absence from his firm and six-figure-salary to be a Lego Master Builder at Legoland in San Diego. His work is amazing (ex., a several thousand pieces Lego sculpture of Han Solo in carbonite, straight out of Star Wars Episode 5 or 6). It’s like a kid’s dream – and one man is doing it, figuring he’s young enough to do it (in his 30’s or so, it seems), and his girlfriend’s letting him do it, and he loves Legos (it surely doesn’t hurt that he doesn’t have a family to raise yet). The reporter asks soon-to-be-ex-corporate-lawyer what his plans were down the line, and the story closes with the reporter reporting that Lego guy hasn’t abandoned the law; Lego guy figures that maybe down the line he can go back to his firm with Lego as a client.

Talk about a rainmaking/networking opportunity; I don’t doubt that Lego would be an amazing client to have – with its global business probably making plenty of income or possible billable hours for transactional attorneys. (I grew up loving Legos like anyone else, so nice to see a lawyer trying to keep both his interests intact – but not like I’d make Legos my life).

Some interesting bits and pieces:

Sometimes, one wonders if cell phones are too prized, and if they are, what does that say about the person prizing the cell phone? Consider the recent news, wherein a teenager allegedly jumped into the subway tunnel to fetch a cell phone she had dropped, only to be subsequently crushed to death by an oncoming train. We seem to feel sorry for the family, but the reality is that perhaps people are getting too foolhardy? As the article noted, not too long ago, a man on the Metro North trains reached into the toilet for his cell phone, which accidentally fell in; and then his arm stuck, requiring the firefighters to bring in the jaws of life to get him out; and delaying Metro North for hours (people definitely loved that guy).

Nicholas D. Kristof has an interesting op-ed about improving education of the prospective workforce, highlighting the Asian example. He points out that the cheap, but well-educated workers of India; the Chinese population’s high GRE scores; etc. Innovations and higher standards in education in America may be due, but will Americans accept it? As much as I don’t want to wonder (since Kristof is knowledgeable of Asian issues, since he and his wife were the Times’ correspondents in Asia for awhile), sometimes such discussions about the Asian advances in educational standards make me feel squeemish, because they feel like a touch on the stereotype of Asians good at math and other academics.

Speaking of stereotypes, there’s the Alessandra Stanley review of the upcoming PBS documentary on the Medicis, Renaissance Italy’s rulers and promoters. She highlights that the documentary seems accurate, but makes odd references or descriptions, as if Lorenzo the Magnificent and the rest of the Medicis were comparable to the Sopranos. Apparently, the producers were aiming for a humorous style, not intending offense, but, again, I do wonder what stereotypes mean – Italians, after all, aren’t all mobsters and so not all powerful, political Italians aren’t “mafia” (I mean, these are the Medicis, the sponsors of artists and artisans and makers of popes; they made history, not to say that the mob don’t make history, but, come on – Renaissance Italy isn’t exactly comparable to prohibition era America with Al Capone et al; they didn’t even have an Eliot Ness or FBI). Not sure if I’ll end up watching the series, but it doesn’t sound too terrible.