Triscribe

Category: Washington, D.C.

  • Heat Wave Recovery In Progress

    We had some three-digit days; that was a bit much (just sayin’).

    Items of interest:

    In case you need an excuse to visit Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library branch (besides borrowing books, that is): an exhibit, 6/28/11 to 9/18/11: “Brooklyn’s Bridges: Engineering as Art & Inspiration.”

    Interesting item from this July’s ABA Journal: “Second Lives: For These Former Justices, Retirement Is No Day at the Beach,” by Mark Walsh:  Justice John Paul Stevens – (still) not an easy guy to pin down on issues; Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is candid about not liking how the current US Supreme Court is knocking on her decisions (i.e., abortion and affirmative action); and I’m curious to know more about what Justice David Souter meant about “fair reading model” of statutes (what?).

    Entertainment Weekly did some coverage at this year’s Comic Con in San Diego, and I’ll let others go web surfing on the goodies. But, I thought this item about “Community” looked interesting – could it be that the gang could actually graduate by season 4? (not that anyone would have to graduate from community college in four years, if at all; and this assumes that that show can make it to four years, if NBC will be so kind).

    So…  could Jeff Winger (played by Joel McHale) will one day be a real fake lawyer? I don’t remember if he went to a real (tv) law school or passed a (tv) bar exam, but the show was pretty clear that he never had a real (tv) undergrad degree (from the country Colombia, not Columbia U), which was why the bar suspended (disbarred?) Jeff, a Damn Fine (tv) Litigator otherwise.

    But, if Jeff graduates… well, it could be interesting to watch.  It might even be believable.

    Other interesting items from EW (strangely not from Comic Con…):

    OMG.  EW made me hysterical with laughter over their 1980’s redux.  The comments to this particular post, “Who’s the coolest G.I. Joe?” –  they are so funny, hitting at how EW forgot about at least two of the cartoon’s characters: Shipwreck and Lady J (that I even remember those characters only proves how I wasted the 1980’s).

    Plus: “Who’s the coolest member of Voltron?”   Hmm…  Ahem.  Maybe I’m the only one who thinks that Lance was the Chandler of the Voltron Lions team, if Voltron Lions team were like Friends (wasn’t he the sarcastic one?).  And Princess Allura was surely a mix of the insecure Monica with the character development (gaining her own independence) of Rachel.  And, Keith leads.  He leads, man.  (Oh, and the new Voltron cartoon on Nicktoons: my main quibble is why aren’t the team members wearing helmets?).

    And, even a “Who’s the coolest ‘Duck Tales’ character?”  Yes, my 1980’s were a waste of time…

    This article from NPR.org about Kevin Clash’s career “Being Elmo” was such a great read.  And, PBS’ “Independent Lens” is scheduled to eventually show this documentary about Kevin Clash – so that’ll be cool to watch. (he didn’t just do Elmo; he did the annoying baby dinosaur from the Dinosaurs show back in the 1990’s on ABC. The man’s talented).

    The return of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, but in a live-action movie.  Seriously?  So… will Captain Planet and the Planeteers save Fukushima and stop global warming?… oh, wait, Captain Planet kind of was making us do that. Sorry… (and, really, where are original ideas? Talk about recycling!).

    I don’t have BBC America (unless I get DVD’s?); so I’m not on the Law & Order UK bandwagon. But: Freema Agyeman (the remaining prosecutor) and Peter Davison (new chief prosecutor)? Doctor Who partnerships get a mashup, as the ex-Martha works with the ex-Doctor!  Well, British actors get around… (I love these photos from All Things Law & Order; and how, in this post on ATL&O: Peter Davison does mention having gotten to know Agyeman from the Doctor Who connection/convention); and here, Agyeman goes a little into the Doctor Who connection too, while giving a lot of insight of her L&O: UK character).

    Last but not least:

    The passing of Betty Ford, definitely in a unique category of Republican First Ladies. Impressive that she was both ahead and so very much part of her/our times.  NY Times obit here, with a lot of interesting stuff on her legacy.  Daily News’ longtime DC Bureau chief/correspondent Thomas DeFrank has a good insight, after having interviewed her over the years.

    The passing of Lucian Freud.

    The passing of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John M. Shalikashvili.

    The passing of Amy Winehouse.  Daily News Music Critic Jim Farber on her musical legacy; I agree – the playing of her “Rehab” song gets in the way of how she had quite a unique voice.

  • June Already?

    Last Friday: saw Kung Fu Panda 2. Great movie – entertaining; great art. I thought it was missing a scene (plot-wise), but otherwise fun. However, I do wonder if 3D is going to be everything…

    Emil Guillermo posts on the AALDEF blog about the retirement of Shaquille O’Neal (recalling the anti-Asian problems of Shaq) and the possible side effects of Goodwin Liu’s withdrawal; Guillermo notes:

    I’m concerned for the young legal minds out there who may take D’Affaire Liu as the way not to act. Speaking out on behalf of the generally silent community? Against the nomination of Samuel Alito? Against the nomination of John Roberts?  What? And jeopardize my career?

    But I’m also concerned for Asian Americans in general, who have trouble enough being what I call “Public Asians.” Voting? You mean taking a stand in a private booth?

    It’s too easy for Asian Americans to lay back and do nothing. So when a Goodwin Liu stands up and loses, you’ll inevitably hear someone mention that age old quote about the nail that sticks out. The virtue of docility. You never get hammered.

    But you never get to nail anyone either.

    Dare to be the nail.

    Hat tip to Angry Asian Man: the passing of Matt Fong, the first Asian American Republican elected to state-wide office in California; see also the obit in the L.A. Times.

    Korean grocers are slowly decreasing in the demographics of NYC, as they decide (or their kids decide) not to continue the family businesses; as the article by Sam Dolnick notes, this is similar to the dilemma faced by other demographics of NYC-immigrant communities, such as the Italians and the Jews.

    Last but not least: New York’s night court drama (particularly in small claims court) shall continue, despite cutbacks.

  • More APA Items and What’s with the Law?

    Follow up on the Goodwin Liu nomination (see previous post here) and it’s unfortunate news: as Dahlia Lithwick over at Slate reports, Goodwin Liu has withdrawn his nomination for the 9th Circuit. The number of Asian Pacific American active federal appellate judges will remain just one. Pardon me as I say that just sucks.

    See also NAPABA’s press release on the subject: “NAPABA Disappointed by Withdrawal of Nomination by Professor Liu, Praises Liu for His Courage.”

    Meanwhile, the legal industry is getting some attention on how it does business: this NY Times article by Catherine Rampell, available via Yahoo notes that a non-partnership track in big firms are possibly good for work/life balance, and is sort of like outsourcing – but a perception that it’s a “second class” track can’t quite be ignored. (then again, public service attorneys earning $60k/year are not considered badly off; it’s more of a private sector thing – who would feel a little weird to not make the kind of big money in the big firm, just because you’re not on the same track as others in the big firm?).

    Interesting videos available via WLIW Channel 21: The Asian Indians in America and The Chinese Americans. They’re both more celebratory type of videos (sure, go ahead, celebrate those model minorities with their great work ethic, family values, and diverse cultures), but have some pretty fascinating talking heads giving their insights about being Asian Indian and Chinese in America. Guess we all need some positivity out there for the moment.

  • And Over at the US Senate…

    Per NAPABA: the U.S. Senate failed to pass a cloture vote on judicial nominee Professor Goodwin Liu.  No up or down vote; continued filibustering.

    Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick on today’s mess in the Senate. She’s so on point about the hypocrisy.

    I get that the Republicans don’t like Liu; just vote straight up or down, rather than be hypocrites about this. I mean, really – the Republicans were upset that he was mean about the nomination of Justice Alito?  As if mere meanness meant that Liu couldn’t be an appellate judge.  And, please don’t tell me that he has no experience.  I eye-roll about how a law professor who has been a Rhodes Scholar isn’t qualified to be an appeals court judge.

    Nina Totenberg of NPR reports that Liu is likely to withdraw, since he has been at this for over a year now.

  • Some More Stuff

    Jim Lehrer stepping down as the main anchor on the Newshour.  Kind of weird that it’s really happening, even if Jim Lehrer was planning for the future for quite awhile (yeah, the future’s here!); at least he’ll still be on Fridays to moderate Shields and Brooks.

    The Washington Post with a nice Lehrer profile for the occasion.  I like the description of the Lehrer and MacNeil friendship.

    An analysis of NBC’s “Outsourced,” on NPR’s Monkey See Blog, as “Outsourced” is going to have its Big Sleep, presuming that being in the bubble means likely cancellation (yes, a Raymond Chandler reference; I recommend the book, if only to get the metaphor).  Americans of Indian descent deserve a better sitcom.  Actually, all Americans do, but that’s another story entirely.

    I’m almost got caught up with “Community” – but for the season finale, which was earlier this evening.  I did catch the last 5 minutes of the season finale though.  I don’t think I’ll ever truly appreciate Chevy Chase as Pierce, but maybe the writers will figure out to work Pierce better with the rest of the study group.  Or how to avoid putting too much Ken Jeong out there; too much of him can be a bit much.

    However, hat tip to 8Asians’ Facebook fan page: Ken Jeong’s Mother’s Day post on the Huffington Post, in honor of his wife was sweet.

    I think that I ought to get caught up on “Parks and Recreation.”  “Fringe” is not a sitcom, but it is … very strange…  time traveling always gives me a headache.  I’ll say that much.

    Hat tip to a law school classmate, JK: link to this article in the New York Magazine by Wesley Yang, “Paper Tigers: What happens to all the Asian-American overachievers when test-taking ends?”  A really interesting and complex read, because it’s kind of true – we as APA’s have to figure out the soft skills, not just taking a standardized test – and that’s not something to blame on affirmative action (the existence or lack thereof), but also involves class and culture clashes.

    In response to the Wesley Yang article, YC – via Facebook – suggested this link, “Tiger Moms and Black Swans,” considering how much parenting and other elements (like, how do we really view our kids?  what do we really value?) are so relevant.

    Hat tip to NAPABA’s fan page on Facebook: APA’s making progress in the federal judiciary, but with far to go.

  • APA Heritage Month 2011 Continues

    Couldn’t make the 32nd AAPI Heritage Festival at Union Square this past Sunday because I foolishly re-injured my knee.  But, I expect to see pictures…!

    Hat tip to Angry Asian Man blog: the US Senate has confirmed Edward Chen, US magistrate judge, to be US federal district court judge for Northern District of California.

    As Angry Asian Man notes: Judge Chen will be “the first time an Asian American judge has been appointed to the federal district court in San Francisco, and he’s only the second Asian American federal district court judge in the Northern California district (after Lucy Koh, who was confirmed last year).

    See also the NAPABA press release on Judge Chen’s confirmation.  Congratulations to Judge Chen!

  • Happy APA Heritage Month and Stuff Like that…

    Interesting post from NPR on the subject of the end of Bin Laden from a religious perspective (highlighting the Dalai Lama’s thoughts and the statement from the Vatican). Not forgetting and searching for peace – not easy stuff. No surprise that there are no easy answers.

    Interesting interview with the author/journalist Janny Scott on NPR’s All Things Considered, regarding her new book about Ann Dunham, President Obama’s mother, as she made quite a life between mainland USA, Hawaii, and Indonesia – and how it led to the making of Obama (who Scott says was definitely born in Hawaii, based on her exhaustive research, even without seeing a long-form birth certificate).

    NAPABA issued a press release, congratulating Tony N. Leung on his appointment to the position of federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.  He is the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the federal bench in Minnesota.

    He is not this other Tony Leung, who was in such movies as “Chungking Express”, “In the Mood for Love”, “Hero,” “Internal Affairs,” and “2046” (I still haven’t watched most of these movies and I’d like to do so already; sigh).

    And, yes, I’m being facetious…  ultimately, kudos to Judge Leung, a longtime Minnesota state court judge, Yale alumnus and NYU Law alumnus.

    Also, kudos from our very own AABANY’s press release: AABANY congratulating Vincent T. Chang and Andrew T. Hahn, Past Presidents of AABANY, on their selection as the 2011 City Bar Diversity Champion Award Recipients.

    Oh, and this Sunday (Mother’s Day!) is the 32nd Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival 2011, at Union Square.  Be there or be… well, you know.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art has some interesting Asian and Pacific Island exhibits.

    Umm… I’m not on the Fast Five thing, but I heard that it’s a fun enough movie and, hey, it has a diverse cast.  Vin Diesel (who’s not Asian or Pacific Islander; oh well; he’s still Vin Diesel).  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (part Samoan) .  Sung Kang (Korean American).  And Justin Lin directed it!

    But, around here at triscribe, everyday is APA Heritage Day…  🙂  Hope you’re enjoying APA Heritage Month so far.

    Oh, and last but not least: weird stuff: a seal who doesn’t really like people lands in town (Inwood, apparently). Sounds like the perfect NY’er…

  • A Moment to Observe

    President Obama:

    Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

    And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

    The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

    Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

    I added the italics to the line I thought was most interesting.  If we can remember our past, if we can not forget the horrors and the victories – that in great sadness, we were together – then, maybe Obama’s right.  We can do it.

    The emotions are far more complicated, speaking as a New Yorker and an American.  It’s not over, but let’s take a moment of observation.

  • TGIF: Law and technology, sort of

    Some decent news: the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Goodwin Liu and so the Senate ought to vote him up or down already (not to mention Edward Chen). Now the Senate ought to confirm them already and to avoid a federal shutdown. Not that I think they ought to do everything, but they kind of have to.

    Hmm. Apparently, an elderly woman cut off the Internet connection of Georgia and Armenia, when she was picking up a cable and thought she could use it as scrap metal. Really?

    And… the return of ye olde Commodore 64? Wow. Talk about combining the new with the retro…

    ABA Journal is voting on… peeps! Peeps in Law Dioramas are so fun and cute!

  • Reflecting on things from the hiatus

    Not that my hiatus was planned (really, it wasn’t!).  But, I’ll try to catch up a little with some commentary and links on things that might be a little old, but still good to check out.

    Some stuff to note, because around here at triscribe, we’re APA’s and we’re lawyers:

    The first Asian American woman elected to be mayor of Oakland: Jean Quan.  PBS Newshour had an interesting interview with her and coverage on the format of election in Oakland (rank-choice voting – almost a little Round Robin with ranking you 1st choice each round).  Oakland has problems to overcome (high crime, poor economy), in addition to its interesting demographics.

    The new White House Chief of Staff, Pete Rouse, is part Asian-American, via his mother, a Nisei.  Meanwhile, I’m not sure how ex-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is pulling off the race for Chicago mayor election, but good luck!  Saturday Night Live won’t be the same without SNL Alternate Rahm.

    Karin Wong of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center raises interesting points about Asian American legal history, on the Angry Asian Man blog.

    I’ve seen others share this Slate article, and I’m passing it along: “A Case of Supply v. Demand: Law schools are manufacturing more lawyers than America needs, and law students aren’t happy about it,” by Annie Lowrey.  The headline doesn’t quite do justice to the issue, though; there are unemployed or underemployed lawyers who are frustrated that law schools are producing more lawyers, since the law students will eventually compete with them (who already are bar-admitted…) for employment. At least, that’s what I noticed from conversations – anecdotal info don’t quite compare to the stats, I guess. But, frustration is out there. How to resolve it is another story.

    I thought this Yahoo post was interesting: NBA player Ben Wallace is looking to one day transition to become a law student and join us lawyers.  I mean, Shaquille O’Neal has a law enforcement alternative path, and if Ben Wallace is serious about law school – maybe the NBA isn’t completely pointless (to me, anyway; I believe a bunch of NFL alumni are lawyers and judges).

    NaNoWriMo got in the NY Times op-ed last month.  Thought it was pretty cool.  I especially liked this line about the point of NaNoWriMo (besides the challenge of writing a novel in a month): “It’s also the pleasure of belonging, for a month, to a community that puts the lie to the myth of the lonely writer.”

    James “You’re Beautiful” Blunt may have prevented World War III, way back in 1999, when he was in the British Army?  Guess I can’t listen to the song the same way anymore.

    I don’t listen to NPR on radio, but I have gotten into listening or reading on NPR things on the NPR website:

    If you’ve got a half hour to listen to something fascinating and you’re a Founding Fathers (and Mothers) history buff, this NPR thing was great stuff.  The interview/coverage of Joseph Ellis’ new book o the Adams’ marriage was fascinating.  Joseph Ellis is also quite the writer/historian; I’d recommend reading anything he writes.  The John and Abigail Adams story is just amazing.

    This particular item is so precious and precocious: Former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins and his now-4 year old fan.  It is funny and sweet!

    Plus, really awesome stuff on NPR, with this interview with Garry Trudeau and his 40 years of Doonesbury!  I enjoyed the reflecting on the characters’ development – Mike, B.D. (the helmet! the losing of the helmet! the losing of his leg!), and Joanie.  The interview didn’t touch on, say, Zonker and Uncle Duke (wonder if he’s behind the crazy 2010 election commercials; Uncle Duke is THAT crazy), but it was still awesome.  The Slate interview with Trudeau was also cool.

    The story of the 101 year old woman who got her US citizenship was heart-warming.

    Eventually, I will have to do a post on the fall 2010 tv.  Eventually…