A spooky 7.0 earthquake hits Japan

Halloween quake...and a pretty big one too.

Japan has really been hit hard lately, the subduction zone is really active right now, so they will need to continue to brace themselves for more of the same for a while.

Halloween Costume Ideas from President Bush

Check out the DNC "Kicking Ass" site if you haven't decided on what to wear for halloween.

these photos of Bush are wicked funny. especially the "man of many lands" costumes...

criticisms...

If you dish it out, be prepared to take it.

OK. I've been criticized by my sole trusty reader that I should not say bad things about people in my class on my blog.

He's right, of course, because he usually is.

However, in my defense, I offered a few arguments:

1) this is my law school blog, and designed for me to chronicle the emotional/social/intellectual challenges I face daily,
2) nobody actually reads my blog anyway,
3) in my entire class, there is only one other person who maintains a website, so the chances of someone seeing my cryptic descriptions and figuring out who they refer to are virtually nil,
4) the people I don't like don't like me, and that is why I don't like them. even if someone from my class were to happen upon my blog, there are no surprises here.

but I will try to avoid saying bad things about people in my class because it is just generally not nice.

criticism taken, duly noted, and abided by.

BUT -- I'm adhering to the 'no edit' rule, so I will not take down the post because it does not slander anyone. my opinions are just that, and they are subject to change at any time.

The sun is out...the sky is blue...

its beautiful, and so are you...(dear prudence...)

horray for the weather! it is COLD and cloudy, and yes! we've gotten the usual 'rain by halloween.'

but the sky is BLUE! not grey, black, or that "weird orange glow," but TRUE BLUE.

We are supposed to get a good dose of rain by the evening. This is good because it will dampen the wildfires and help the firefighters get a reign on them.

In the Arab world, everything is Israel's fault...

Iraqis See Israel as Culprit in Bombings

yea, right. the Israelis are behind the suicide bombing???

the strained logic that is offered up to support this (dare I say INSANE?) idea is beyond my comprehension.

1. who are Iraq's enemies? The answer offered is Israel -- but come on here...Iraq bombed Israel, Israel has never bombed Iraq.
2. Who will benefit frm the chaos? Again, the answer offered is Israel, because it will feel safer. Oh puh-lease! Israel isn't going to feel any safer with chaos in Iraq...if anything it makes the whole region more unstable. Besides, Israel has enough problems trying to protect herself -- there is simply nothing to be gained by this.
3. The chaos will keep americans on arab soil. Who wants that? Again, the answer offered is Israel. Ok, people. The americans don't even want americans on arab soil. sure, Israel might feel safer knowing there are americans in the neighborhood -- but the real threat to her is Syria (and maybe Iran). Having the americans inbetween the two is good insurance in case Syria or Iran launch direct attacks at Israel.

But ... what is really going on here people, is that the Palestinians are the ones suicide bombing the Iraqis. Syria gave passage to about 150,000 palestinian suicide bombers to stir up trouble against the united states in Iraq.

why would the palestinians want to do this? Maybe so they can make the Iraqis think that Israel is suicide bombing them? Maybe so that it takes the heat off of them for using such a disgusting tactic? (after all, if every arab does it, it must be okay).

the only benefit to Israel that there is to 150,000 palestinian suicide bombers running around Iraq, is that there is 150,000 fewer suicide bombers trying to run into Israel.

But can you really blame Israel for that? I hardly think there was a secret pact between them to make Israel feel safer...

UPDATE: I've been informed by my only trusty reader that Israel did, in fact, bomb Iraq once...1981. Also, my reader tells me that the 150,000 figure is greatly eggagerated.

Perhaps this is an eggagerated figure, but I'm employing what Thomas Friedman refers to as "palestinian math."

To wit: see my post of 9/22 -- the actual figure is 15,000. employing "palestinian math" we come up with 150,000. anyway, 15, 150...either way the point is that it is not Israel running around suicide bombing all over Iraq...

even if Israel benefits in some indirect way from having the americans in the neighborhood, it cannot be asserted that Israel is behind the designs of the suicide bombers because this is simply a baseless contention.

life in LA -- for better or worse...

I'm getting used to living here despite my long-standing loathing of L.A. I was beginning to like LA, and then the madness began:

Re the Grocers Strike: ongoing. learned to live without them. found a great store not far from home. I thought I died and went to kosher heaven! I bought all my favorite Israeli products: cracked green olives, Ski, cow-chocolate, feta cheese, and Milki. They even have my favorite french wine for $7.99.

Re the MTA Strike: still ongoing, no end in sight. traffic is awful, but not at 5:30a. Mustang still running great, for the time being. But I really would rather ride the train...its the environmentalist in me (air quality is so important) as well as the preservationist in me (want to keep the mustang pristine). besides, I can brief cases on the train -- can't do that on the freeway.

So the other morning, there was this desperate guy walking up and down Lankershim looking for a ride downtown. I tried to ignore him because I was a bit afraid to pick up a frantic-looking african american off the street (being a petite white girl driving a fairly cool car alone), but when he looked at me so desperately, I told him to hop in.

First thing: the guy was drunk. okay, I think. no problem. If he pulls anything funny, I've got sobriety on my side. and a big can of whoop-ass. but the reek was difficult to tolerate.

Second: the guy was homeless. yet he says to me "money doesn't mean anything to me" and gives me $5. To which I reply, "It should. you should save your money, because maybe you can someday afford to buy a car."

Third: the guy was harmless. we actually had a great conversation and it made sitting in traffic a little more bearable. the guy works at a flower shop, so I figure he can't be all that bad.

Fourth: the guy was completely directionless. seriously, all the way through hollywood (going 5 mph), he kept telling me we passed downtown. I kept assuring him we have not, and telling him "you gotta trust me, I'll get you where you need to go."

So I dropped him off at McArthur park so he could catch the dash bus to spring st. It felt pretty good helping out a person in need, and not giving in to stereotypical fears.

Re The Snow: so the wildfires are pretty bad, and the ash is still falling, but not like it was a few days ago. But today, hopping on the 101 home, somebody spilled an entire truckload of those packing peanuts on the freeway. I cracked up because it really looked like snow!

Re The Wildfires: the weather has substantially cooled, which should help calm the fires a bit as well as clearing the air. ya gotta love the on-shore flow. The sun didn't have that "weird orange glow" like during the last week, and the "big black wall of smoke" hanging over the Hollywood hills has dissipated. Now if it would only rain, we could actually get these fires under control.

I feel really awful for all those folks in the hills who have lost their homes. But I feel even worse for the horses...they get really spooked by fire and bolt. There is a "large animal" shelter for people to board their horses, but its not the easiest thing trying to handle a spooked horse who knows that he's supposed to run as fast as possible away from fire.

Worse yet, one of the fires is heading for the Angeles National Forest...they have to keep the fire out of there at all costs. I hope they can.

love and hate in law school...

some people you love, others you hate, and others you used to love, now hate.

I am not immune from categorizing classmates. While I conspicuously avoid any "clique" because it is soooo high school (and dare I say, that was 20 years ago), I do find myself drawn toward some people and repulsed by others.

so here's my list:

people I love:

olympic swimmer girl
brazilian mellow girl
all-too-cute voracious reader girl
princeton philosophy guy
berkeley c.s. "never writes anything down" guy
prada and pointy shoe girl
orange county poodle sweater girl
new jew girl
the roudy tu/th property study group
jp morgan girl
bar bri girl
bath n' body shop guy
hair-down-to-her-butt girl
wheelchair guy
Mr. Film Director
Eclipse cigarette guy
CMU girl
republican golfer guy
Keaneu Reeves guy
"I'm in love with our Crim Law Professor" guy


People I hate:

Mr. Ringleader-of-the-hate-crew
Squeeky girl
Always playing solitaire girl
Mr. AK-47 (please don't bring it to school)
horrible hypo guy


People I used to love, now hate:

best dressed girl (you were so cool until you started to throw attitude)
chronic-constipation-look guy (take a re-laxative!)
red curly hair girl (girl, I keep trying to like you, but you make it so hard!)

As for the rest, I'm still on the fence. Some people I simply don't like, but wouldn't go so far as saying I hate them. And there are those wallflowers that never ever utter a word, so at least you can't hate them.

Looking over my list here, it looks like I have quite a few people I really do like in my class. So for all my bitchy blogging of late, I guess it isn't really all that bad. Maybe this wasn't a horrible waste of time after all. I feel better about my social relationships already.

one more for the Top 10 List

Gosh! I can't forgive myself for leaving this one out!

in the art and architecture category:

Ansel Adams. Sure, some of his work was prior to 1950, but since many of his works were produced after 1950, he's on the list.

The "should've made my top 10 list" List

in the music category:

Fifty Gates of Wisdom by Ofra Haza. Her best album. So sad she died too soon. I probably should put her before Sigur Ros.

in the movies category:

Akira. In Japanese (not the english dubbed version). Definitely the top of the list as far as anime goes. I would definitely put Akira before Buckaroo.

in the art and architecture category:

The 1964 1/2, 1965, and 1966 Ford Mustang. Yes, perhaps a stretch, but these models are "art" in my book. Timeless beauty, great lines, and with luck and a whole lot of money, a few may stick around for 200 years as the greatest car ever made.

and finally ... in the books category: (many of these rank higher on my list than Farenheit 451.)

Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. It will take me 200 years to understand everything in there!

The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra. speaks for itself. spawned other timeless classics like The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.

Delta of Venus by Anais Nin. (c) 1969 -- apropos copyright year for a timeless erotica collection.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. "So long and thanks for all the fish!" Could there be a more timeless trilogy after Lord of the Rings?

The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manley P. Hall. Especially for the plate and overlay of the Shakespeare Portrait with Bacon Portrait Superimposed.

The Illuminatus Trilogy and The Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. Included because I still love them after all these years. And, because the AMA will no doubt still a formidable foe in 200 years.

Top Ten List of Contemporary Culture...

yea, sometimes I get to read other people's blogs while eating my dinner.

Anyway, via the volokh conspiracy, I am taking up tyler cowen's parlour game (in response to David Frum's original top ten list) with a list of my own.

Contemporary Landmarks (1950 - 2000) which will still matter in 200 years:

1. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. Here is where Tyler is totally on! This is by far the best and most timeless album in my entire collection.
2. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. who could object?
3. Flamenco Roots by Munir Bashir. If you haven't heard the "oud master" you owe yourself a favor to search this album out. This album alone is keeping me sane through my first year in law school.
4. Agaetis Byrjun by Sigur Ros. Ambient, Icelandic. This is a must-have for any timeless music collection.

(okay, I realize my list is heavily weighted toward musical landmarks first, but I only buy music that is timeless and I'm passionate about it...now on to movies).

5. Yojimbo by Akira Kurosawa. I was just commenting today that this is still one of the best films ever made. Probably the best role Mifune has played.
6. Mars Turki (Clean Sweep) ... without a doubt the best Israeli film ever made. I have watched it at least 100 times and will watch it 1000 more. You simply cannot get tired of it.
7. Buckaroo Bonzai. Absolutely timeless modern classic. 200 years from now, perhaps we will have figured out interdimensional travel and the "oscillation overthruster" thing, but you gotta hand it to Buckaroo! (ok, yea. he's cute too!)

(okay, now on to art and architecture)

8. The Transamerica Pyramid. Who could imagine the SF skyline without it?
9. Any porcelain sculpture by Paul Stein. I own two of his larger pieces, and he's a personal friend. But that aside, he is by far the most accomplished and talented potter in the modern era. His "collectors" know what I mean. The DeYoung Museum (Sacramento) has a few of his pieces, and you can sometimes find his work in galleries on the northern CA coast or big sur. His recent work is smaller and much more affordable than his earlier (larger and pricier) vessels, but even more precious because the pieces are so small.

(and last but not least, in the literature category...)

10. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The very first book report I ever did in grade school was on this book (even against the advice of my teacher who thought I was too young to "get it.") This is the one of the few modern books I've read that will remain relevant in 200 years.

why I'm beginning to like my class...

It turns out that Mr. Ringleader-of-the-hate-crew doesn't spend his whole day talking smack about me...

He talks smack about everybody! (as long as they aren't around).

why is this a good thing?

Well, first: at least I'm not the only victim here. Second, it demonstrates the infantile behavior that seems to pervade certain people who are too young to understand that they are just making asses of themselves.

so, I'm not going to think about this any more.

but before I leave the topic, I have to say that this group spent more than an hour of time today talking about this wonderful, cute, extremely intelligent girl who is about the nicest person in our class.

this girl reads 500 books a year! you have to respect that. apparently, they seemed to have a problem with the fact that she was: a) reading something other than law books, and b) she was reading the book when she could just go see the movie! (heaven forbid!)

Q: why on earth would they want to tear her apart publicly?

A: because she is going to get one of the highest grades in the class, and instead of just respecting her, they have to make up for being threatened by tearing her apart.

this is a serious character flaw that is becoming infectious in my section.

I felt vindicated in my criticism of Mr. Ringleader today in Property. The professor points out a footnote in the case, then asks: a) how many actually read the footnote? and b) who actually read the footnote carefully?

The Prof. launches into one of his diatribes in which he says...laypeople don't read footnotes, they hate them. but we're lawyers... that's what they are paying us to do...read the fine print. he brought up UCC 2-207 and the "battle of forms" -- here is where reading the fine print pays off...million dollar cases are won and lost on the fine print.

I glanced back to see this guy hanging his head down, and scratching the beginning-to-form-bald-spot on his head.

hee hee hee. I just love it.

I've been saying this from the beginning -- the exam questions are in the footnotes. read them, know them, love them.

so enough said. I'm not going to blog about these silly fools any more (unless, of course, something comes up so outrageous I can't leave it alone. this blog is, after all, my stress and comic relief.)

my class beginning to redeem itself...

okay. so not everyone in my class is a jerk. there are actually some pretty nice folks who don't have 'attitude'.

case in point: we have these crazy weekly legal research assignments. Last week, I got full points for mine, so there are a couple of people who were minimally impressed.

This week, one student (who is a rather cool philosophy major from Princeton) came to ask for some advice on our statute research project.

So I helped him out. big time. we had a crazy question about a Louisiana statute involving immunity from liability for allowing recreational use of one's undeveloped land. (the 'client' owns a swamp and wants to let people 4-wheel around for fun.)

one of the questions asked whether it made a difference if he charges an admission or use fee. The text of the statute says no, but then there is a case note citing a case saying that the purpose of the statute was to provide immunity for people who allow use of their land without charging.

I advised him that he should base his argument on the text of the statute, rather than the annotation. I hope he picks up a couple of points here.

But it makes me want to read the case, just to be sure the charging of the fee wasn't at issue, and to be sure that the case didn't "read out" the text of the statute saying that charging a use fee is permittable.

I think he was grateful.

at any rate, it was nice to help out, and nice that some people can look to me as a resource, rather than a threat.

I'm going to keep chipping away at the rest of them, Mr. Ringleader-of-the-hate-crew excepted.

Why LA might not be so bad after all...

So I'm driving down the 101 this morning...and I saw something I've never seen before, but glad now that I have.

You know those freeway signs that alert people to traffic problems? I've only really seen them in the mountains to warn people of when to put on chains.

Well, this morning, the sign reported a child abduction, with the suspect's license plate, make and model of the car.

Now that is a brilliant use of those signs!

Imagine the culprit, parked on the freeway with no exit in sight...spotted by everyone. If only....

Courtney Hole...you're outta there!

Courtney Love Ordered Out Of House By Judge

After her little arrest then OD incident a few weeks ago, an LA Juvenile Court judge ordered her out of her house so that her daughter can move back in.

As I blogged, she should rightly lose custody of her daughter, just as every other irresponsible heroin addict would. It is nice to see that the judge isn't cutting her any slack for her stardom.

She's facing a year in prison if convicted on the drug charges, which will surely impact her custody.

This poor child has to grow up with a psycho mom. She's going to turn out to be the most conservative anti-drug advocate ever.

It's what I call the "rubber band theory" -- when the parents are extreme, the children turn out to be the extreme antithesis of their parents.

first final exam nightmare...

I just woke up from the most awful dream:

Contracts exam.

I took the exam, thought I did pretty well. Went home, took a shower, then realized I had missed clarifying a certain point...I forgot to write one sentence clarifying the difference in my analysis of two paragraphs (for some reason, the two paragraphs looked identical, but would have shown I understood the difference if I had inserted two or three words to mark the difference).

Got the exam back with a C- !!!!! with a comment in red saying that I didn't even demonstrate I knew the issue was there!!!

I got very upset. "of course I knew the issue was there, why in the hell would I write two nearly identical paragraphs in the first place if I didn't get the point!"

At this point in the dream I picked up the exam and tossed it, shouting, "I could be the best tax lawyer in the world, but I'll never get there because I chose to come HERE!" (to my school with its insane grading system, instead of Boalt or Yale, where I would have at least gotten a "P" for the exam.)

Lesson: never read practice exams right before going to bed. Especially for your "fear and loathing" class.

Perhaps I can blame my anxiety on my neighbors who began arguing in Italian at 2:30am. Not your normal loud Italian discussion, but a real fight.

"TUTTO...blah blah blah..."

I'm feeling TUTTO stupid right now. I can't believe that I am stressing so hard on contracts. It is supposed to be a common sense class. I guess it is because it is one of those "cornerstone" classes -- it is essential that I get a high grade.

Civ Pro = no anxiety whatsoever. Know this stuff like the back of my hand (I guess it helps having years of doing "nexus" analyses for corps doing business in CA).

Crim = no anxiety because I could care less. The material isn't particularly difficult, and I know that I will never practice criminal law.

Property = golden. I love this class, and I got an A+ in property in Paralegal school, so my only anxiety is remembering to show my entire thought process.

Torts = not much anxiety here, either. this is one of those, "b.s. both sides well enough and you'll do fine" classes. my only anxiety is remembering not to cross over concepts from crim.

I suppose there is a reason that many of the top students don't begin to study for finals until the third week in november. It's probably a good idea to forego the sleepless nights until classes are actually over. I really shouldn't be having exam nightmares when it is still only OCTOBER!

Now...maybe I can get another two hours of restful shut-eye before I wake up at 5am and finish my crim law reading on conspiracy.

Show me the money!

Finally, the Palestinians are waking up to the fact that Arfrat and his crony Rashid, have stolen millions, if not billions, of dollars of Palestinian aid money.

See Jerusalem Post article (free subscription):
Palestinians demand missing PA money

To summarize, the Democratic Bloc of the Palestinian Legislative Council is demanding an investigation to find out where the money is.

They know that there is a Swiss Bank account, and they know that Rashid has stolen at least $200M.

After a falling out with Arfrat, Rashid ran off to Cairo and won't give it up.

The problem is, can they get their hands on it before Arfrat keels over? Who has the key to the swiss account?

Darn switzerland, if only they didn't have their banking secrecy laws, the money could be readily found and returned to the Palestinian people -- and Arfrat indicted for embezzlement.

That would be a most welcome end to his notorious life...

unilateral withdrawal...

I haven't blogged about Israel's security fence, but now is the time.

Israel has ordered that Palestinians who live between the '67 border and the security fence must obtain "long-term resident" permits.
Guardian: Permits ordered for Palestinians

First, it is important to note that despite the heaps of criticism being lobbed at Israel for building the fence, it is a TEMPORARY measure, as is the issuance of the permits. There is no legal status change, the green line isn't moving, nor are the Palestinians being given Israeli citizenship.

In my opinion, it is better that the Palestinians "stuck in the middle" be allowed to continue to reside in their homes, as opposed to just kicking them off their land. The latter would most certainly show an intent to confiscate land (not necessarily Israel's intent), while the former at least shows the willingness to find a reasonable solution to the problem given the security concerns.

If the Palestinians truly want to live in peace with Israel, and without a fence, they should be willing to put up with this temporary fence because there really is no other alternative.

Dennis Ross, who was involved in the Camp David accords way back in 2000, made it very clear that if the peace process falls apart, the only other choice would be unilateral withdrawal. The Palestinians (or at least Arafat) knew this when they started the Intifada. It was just a matter of time before the fence was built.

I'm actually quite surprised it took Israel this long to get around to it.

I'm not saying that the fence is a great idea -- I would oppose it if there was any other way of ensuring that the terrorists can't run to the next hillside to blow up another bus.

but there is clearly no other alternative at this point.

Now...the fence is a temporary measure. It is not a "confiscation of land" -- Israel is not redrawing any lines, she is just putting a fence up to prevent terrorism (to the extent that is even possible).

Once the terrorism stops, and a peace accord is agreed upon, presumably the fence can come down.

The way I see it, this is a problem of the Palestinians' own making. If they weren't so hell bent on using terrorism to achieve their political goals (whatever they might actually be), the fence wouldn't be necessary.

Until there is a complete renouncement of terrorism, the Palestinians will just keep digging their hole deeper (NO -- suicide bombing is NOT legitimate resistance, it is TERRORISM -- pure, simple and ugly).

I really wish they could see this for themselves. I really wish there didn't have to be this ugly fence across the hillside. I really wish there was a desire to live in peace with Israel.

but there isn't...yet. maybe never.

I keep hoping the "light will come on", but given the fact that most of the Palestinians have not been taught anything but hatred and violence, it would take a modern day miracle to change the spots of these leopards.

but then again, if there is any place on earth for a modern day miracle, the holy land would be that place.

why I'm beginning to hate my class...

so here's the situation:

there is one guy who is on a mission to make everyone in my class hate me because I know stuff and I sometimes ask questions to prod the professor into going a little deeper on a subject. he usually holds session after class with a small group of comiserators.

unfortunately, it seems that many people are charmed by his obnoxious behavior.

what happened today:

Class: torts Topic: negligence per se.

so we've been going through the unexcused violation of a non-tort statute rule, and the five exceptions.

today, the professor feels it is important enough to mention that CA doesn't follow this rule, but has essentially the same rule couched in the terms of a "rebuttable presumption."

the professor makes it clear that only the paralegals with litigation background will find this interesting because we don't take evidence until next year. He wanted everyone else to know that the two work basically the same.

It was the end of class, and I was still curious about this "rebuttable presumption" issue -- specifically, is this just a judicial efficiency policy of burden shifting, OR...more interestingly, is there anything more than the five exceptions that could be introduced to rebut?

(note: I was thinking of the guy who "forgot the intersection was there" -- I was thinking that although this argument doesn't fall within the five exceptions, it could suffice for rebuttable presumption if the driver was elderly or had some kind of memory problem. rebuttable presumptions are based on evidence, and if you can get enough of it together, you might be successful.)

So I ask, "beyond the five exceptions, what else could there be?"

This apparently sent the hate-crew on a spin.

So after class, this guy begins his session. What I overheard of the conversation went something like this, "why did she have to ask that? If the professor wanted us to know, he would have told us..." another student interjecting "shhh. she's right behind you."

This is where I have to laugh sometimes. Unfortunately, this self-delusion that "the professor will teach you everything you need to know" is a fairly common one among my classmates. perhaps this is the lesson to be learned with first semester grades.

Firstly, sure. The professor will teach you everything you need to know... to get a C.
However, the professor is NOT going to teach you everything you need to know to get an A.

(or with my school's insane grading system...he will teach you what you need to know to fall within the 2/3 deviation from the normative mean...he will not teach you what you need to know to be a high end outlier.)

you know that this is a testable issue because the professor told us so. He said, "if you want full credit on your exam, you will explain that the negligence per se issue can be handled in three different ways, blah blah blah, rebuttable presumption."

but full credit, especially when we have this crazy grading system, doesn't just mean spilling the words "rebuttable presumption" on the page...everyone will do that...there needs to be some indication you actually understand how this works if you want to pick up extra points. "show your work" as they say.

now I understand that absolutely no one in my class knows what a rebuttable presumption is, nor should they...yet. but when a professor takes the time to tell you something is out there that only the "litigation paralegals in the class will understand," this is an indication that unless you find those "litigation paralegals" in your class and suck the information out of their brains, you are going to miss some points here.

so what I wonder is why these guys can't just come to me and say, "hey, you know about this rebuttable presumption stuff...what's it all about?"

oh well. maybe I don't want all my "stuff" to be sucked out of my brain anyway. these fools are hardly worth it. This one guy in particular is going to be yet another idiot giving lawyers a bad name. I can only hope he miserably fails the Professional Responsibility exam, because there is really no other way to weed out people like this.

snow in LA???

well, not really. but it looks that way.

This extended indian summer has wreaked havoc in the hills, sparking raging wildfires.

earlier in the week, there was a 18,000 acre wildfire in the Burbank hills. This sent HUGE pieces of ash flying into the valley.

But today's fire is worse. There were little snowflake sized pieces of ash falling everywhere...downtown, hollywood, the valley...everywhere.

it looks like snow.

pretty...but annoying and sad, thinking that the ash could have been someone's family photo album, or that 100 year old oak that once gave respite from the southern california sun.

golfing for dollars...

my golf game looked more like bowling for dollars tonight.

can't complain too much. I won one hole. 1 over par. and I had one beee-utiful drive on the 9th.

Its been way too many years since hitting the greens, so for what it was worth, I did okay. I really need to work on my putting...

Tax Law Society is bringing an instructor to school on monday...and we're going to get a break on some lessons. It turns out there is a course pretty close to home, so I think I'll go to the driving range pretty frequently.

excuse: professional development.

If I can take some lessons to clean up my game a little, it will be worth it. I lose too many strokes on putting, so maybe hitting the putting green might not be a bad idea either.

I'm pretty tired, and I have class early tomorrow. going to sleep like a baby.

Jesus actor struck by lightning

okay. this is weird.. the assistant director, Michelini, has been struck twice now during filming.

maybe this is a sign from above???

lightening is what people usually look for.

the same guy has been hit twice in a row -- either he is a lightening rod, or someone "up there" is trying to get his attention.

there has been quite a bit of controversy because the film, focusing on the last few hours of Jesus' life, apparently paints Jews in a bad light.

what else is new??? any time there is a depiction of the crucifixion, it always comes back to "the jews killed jesus" -- which just fuels anti-semitism in christians.

I was starting to believe that christianity had moved beyond this insanity, but apparently never for long.

for those of you who still think "the jews" killed jesus, let me clarify a few things:

1. Jesus was a jew.
2. it wasn't "the jews" as a whole who asked Pilot to crucify -- it was a handful of illegitimate priests who had been installed in the Temple during Herod's time.
3. the illegitimacy of the priests in the Temple was one of Jesus' big issues -- hence the running around overturning the merchant's tables.
4. the legitimate priests were all hiding out in Qumran -- hence the Dead Sea Scrolls (I must note that not everyone believes my claim here. But, having done my thesis research on the matter, I feel quite confident that the Dead Sea Scrolls were the personal scroll collections of the priests who were evicted by Herod, and not the Essenes).

1L searching for summer associate position...

I went to a 'networking seminar' today...lots of firms, not all of which showed up, however.

it was nicer than the networking seminars at Boalt Hall. It was in our air-conditioned student lounge (as opposed to he hallway in front of the libarary as at Boalt) and the catering was actually good (not just wine and cheese).

I got a chance to ask around about tax jobs. Looks like there isn't much out there because of the 'downturn in the economy.' apparently, there isn't much work in international tax or m&a's right now.

but, I would think that there would be more aggressive tax assessments coming out of the IRS and the states, especially because revenue production is at an all-time low. So, there at least may be some work out there for tax litigation practice.

I was able to pass of a couple of resumes (even though it is a month early for a 1L to be doing so). I'm trying to get my name out there, just in case there is a firm out there willing to hire a 1L who actually has some experience.

It wasn't easy to pitch myself in front of my classmates though. For instance, I was speaking with one firm rep and was asking him specifically about what their tax group was involved in. He began his pitch to a small group of us about litigating against IRS assessments, etc. So I ask him, "would you, perhaps, be interested in someone with 10 years experience at Franchise Tax Board?" To which he replies, "WOW! 10 years at FTB, if you have a resume I'd be happy to pass it on."

bingo! had one ready to go. the only problem is that there were three classmates of mine standing there, all of which immediately turned and ran.

another strike in the 'getting friendly with your classmates' column.

oh well. we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Its not like I'm going to hide the fact that I have some marketable experience...who would? I'm trying to get a job here.

anyway, it will probably work to my advantage on the professional front, but to my disadvantage on the social front...I guess you take the good with the bad.

I've got a ton of work to do for tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to golfing tomorrow evening with the tax law society. Now here is a bunch of folks I really like, and who I get along with. I guess we are a 'different breed'.

I haven't golfed in years, and I'm going to be borrowing clubs. only 9 holes though. the problem: it takes me 9 holes just to warm up! but its a short course (only two par 4's), so if my driving isn't up to par, I won't be too bad off.

golf is a great game, as long as you don't take it seriously. Its a hoot to spend a day walking around hitting a little white ball around a park. I don't have a handicap, and I don't really care whether I make par, so I have a great time (though I usually do make par).

the only thing I don't like is water traps. its just lame to lose your ball. its the only thing that makes me upset on the course. especially if I have bought nice balls.

I suppose some day I will have to take the game seriously, but perhaps it is a good quality to not care about losing, especially if entertaining a client who is hung up on winning.

My only rule: I do not play with anyone who throws clubs. If you are a club-thrower, you have some serious issues and need some therapy.

On the subject of club-throwing: if the fact that club-throwing is simply bad etiquette isn't enough...a few years ago there was this unfortunate fellow who had a penchant for throwing his clubs. he hit a bad shot, threw his club, it hit a bench, snapped in half, and bounced back, piercing him in the heart.

the guy died because he hit a bad shot!

that is just lame. but I will never forget reading the story, I even clipped it from the paper to show to anyone who has those tendencies. golf is not supposed to be a deadly sport.

Nov 1 deadline for internet access tax ban looming...

Hill Hurrying to Renew Ban on Web-Access Taxes (TechNews.com)

the current moratorium on internet access taxes is slated to end unless this bill passes, but there appear to be some problems with the wording.

I'm not a fan of access taxes...especially because the internet is not as ubiquitous as it could be. there are too many people who cannot afford computers, let alone the cost of dsl or broadband, and the additional tax burden would make it even more difficult for internet to reach poorer households.

but, I also can see the revenue side of things, in that a small tax would be incorporated in the overall cost of service, and most people with internet access could afford to pay $5 per month (or maybe even less). with most state and local tax revenues declining due to the poor economy, it may be a lifeline to keep things afloat.

however, there is the good point that we already pay taxes on our phone line, and to tax internet access which is obtained through the phone line would essentially amount to double-taxation.

I must admit that my taxes on my phone bill are larger than the cost of my telephone calls, so I definitely don't want to pay the taxes twice just because I use my dsl connection more than my telephone service coming through the same line.

so, I think all things considered, it is more important for now to continue the moratorium, even despite the revenue producing problems facing most states and localities.

besides, there seems to be an equity problem in that the taxes would depend on which way you access the internet. would wireless users have to pay the taxes twice? what about dsl users who have access through their phone service? and then there is the cable/broadband access, which is also already taxed. are the taxes going to be equal for all types of access? should dsl/broadband users pay more because their data travels faster than the dial-up? or vice versa?

I should probably read the proposed bill to get a clearer idea of what is contemplated should the moratorium sunset...

aaahhh...if I only had the time for more interesting research projects than looking up 1944 cases in the Fifth Decennial Digest (aaargh! I spent way too many hours today in the library dusting off books that haven't been crack in nearly a century!)

David Blaine ends isolation stunt

this guy is amazing and scary at the same time.

I was always convinced that his tricks were mere illusions, but he really does possess some super-human qualities.

so he's left the box 60 lbs. lighter, and probably will have some permanent damage, not simply muscle atrophy, but maybe his stomach started eating itself, perhaps he's caused some chemical imbalance in his brain.

kudos neuvo-houdini. keep freakin' people out, 'cause they need it sometimes.

new green, renewable energy source discovered...

Scientists make electricity from tap water

wow! this is great! we have so much water around california, perhaps Arnold could find a way out of our power crisis! instead of hydrogen pumps up and down the I-5 corridor, we could have energy production stations up and down the California aqueduct. sure would be better to at least get some electricity before 50% of it evaporates.

this new way of harnessing energy from regular water flows has enormous potential!

its probably going to be a while before it can be adapted to produce large amounts of energy, but start small and work from there.

just think, your morning shower can generate enough electricity to perhaps power your hair dryer.

you just have to love the Canadians.

no free press for Iraq

It looks like the Iraq war has turned into Bush v. The Press.

apparently, the prez is trying to put the lid on all the bad news coming out of Iraq.

the bad news is overshadowing all those 'good things' -- like getting new currency, or kids back in school, or whatever 'feel good' stories they can scrape up.

they want people to think that things aren't all that bad -- but they are!

they want people to think that the suicide bombings and ambushes are 'isolated' incidents -- but they aren't!

the truth will out.

and it isn't just the press in Iraq either. On NPR the other morning, they reported that Bush was upset and issued an order that he doesn't want to hear any more 'unnamed white house sources' being quoted in the press.

ironically, the report was provided by 'a white house source who requested to remain unnamed'.

hee hee hee.

we still have free press in the US, for the time being anyway. besides, what white house source wants to be named, anyway?

as if there weren't problems enough in Iraq...

Eight Marine reservists under investigation for mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners-of-war

I haven't blogged much about the Iraq situation, mostly because I would need a whole separate blog to chronicle the daily slaughter of soldiers, the gross negligence of those in charge in sending reservists to do a job they aren't trained to do, and a whole host of other problems, not the least of which is Rumsfeld.

so it turns out that the reservists who are assigned to the POW camps got 1/2 hour of training on the Geneva Convention.

wow. Its scary to think that I probably know more about the Geneva Convention that these poor kids who have been recklessly thrown into a situation they haven't been trained for.

no wonder things are going so poorly for our troops.

I still can't fathom why it is that we are sending our 'weekend warriors' to fight this long, drawn out affair on foreign soil. I'm sure the morale factor is at an all-time low, and that is probably one reason why we don't have any good news coming out of Iraq. These guys signed up for one weekend a month, not a full year of being subjected to daily ambushes.

I feel awful for their families as well.

we should seriously consider pulling our troops out as soon as possible. even if we can't pull them out right away, there should at least be a reasonable rotation -- like one month on/one month off.

but it looks more like we are sending these poor kids to die so that Haliburton can make a ton of money from oil -- money that won't go to the Iraqi people, but back into the hands of Dick Cheney.

Congress needs to step in...else the situation continue to deteriorate at the hands of an ill qualified president (dare I say illegitimate) who has absolutely no exit plan, let alone an effective war plan, and even more of our troops die needlessly for the sake of oil money.

woo hoo! I'm back on...

managed to fix the DSL. apparently, from time to time, you have to turn your DSL modem off and back on again.

why?

blogging from Starbuck's...

not a preferable solution, but all I can do for now.

my SBC Yahoo DSL is down again...this is way too common a problem. It went down yesterday at 5 and still hasn't come back up yet!

I filled out this class action settlement form sent to me, but they still haven't improved the service (nor have I gotten my 2 free months either).

so I got a free daypass for T-Mobile for the evening.

the problem is that I missed classes yesterday and was hoping to listen to the audio at home and type my notes. but I don't want to do that at .10/minute!

I might actually have to go to school tomorrow and sit in the library!!! the horror!!

more on Mahathir's anti-semitism...

the comments yesterday at the Islamic summit are being fiercely defended.

the muslim leaders seem to think that these comments weren't anti-semitic!!???

but where did he get the idea that 'jews run the world by proxy'??? straight out of the mouth of hitler himself!

now the Malaysian PM may have had the ultimate point of pointing at the strength of the jews in not fighting, but thinking, and perhaps he may have meant to provide an example to Islamic nations to do the same.

but the ultimate goal he seeks in following this 'nonviolent' embracing of technology, etc. is so that they can obtain guns and bombs, tanks and warplanes, and whatever else they need to ultimately kill off all the jews.

to make matters worse, this guy recognizes his comments are irresponsible...saying:

"Nobody felt it was inflammatory. We thought it was a very wise assessment. It was addressed to the Muslims, it was an appeal for them to wake up."

slated to retire in 2 weeks, he promised to be "be even more irresponsible after I have stepped down".

"But probably not being the prime minister, people won't take notice of what I say, so I'll be more free to say nasty things."

my first rejection letter...

wow. didn't expect it, but sort of did.

even though I am a 1L and 'technically' not supposed to be farming out my resumes, I had a particular firm in mind and submitted my resume through their online system.

I was encouraged when I received an immediate email response and pdf file.

but today, that all went away. the letter says...

"thank you for sharing your information on [firm.com]. Unfortunately, due to the large number of highly qualified second-year students and the limited number of positions, we have decided not to include any first-year students this year in our [location of firm] summer program.

This was a difficult decision, particularly in view of your impressive record, and I am confident that you will be a valuable contributor to the firm which persuades you to participate in its summer program."

ouch.

well. at least I know now. bummer because they usually have hired 1Ls, and I have already taken international tax (and I know these 'highly qualified 2Ls' have not).

at least they think my record is impressive. but I bet they say that to everyone.

we have a 'networking seminar' next week, and there are a few firms I'm interested in checking out. I'm going to be sneaky and bring my resumes anyway, even though 1Ls are not supposed to even THINK about summer jobs.

I sent my RSVP with a blurb respectfully asking that I not be excluded from attending -- I hope they don't turn me away at the door.

some reps from the LA office of the "firm" above will be there, but the office is smaller and they don't have a good history of hiring 1Ls, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

I suppose I shouldn't be so sad, and perhaps it is a blessing in disguise. at least I'll be able to knock out Tax I in the summer session so I can get on to more interesting tax classes.

Funny, yesterday, while sitting in the sukkah of one of the professors from school, I was telling him of my goals, etc. and mentioned that I wanted to work for this firm. He said that his primary goal of the evening was to convince me not to work there.

he told me this scary story about a guy he knew, top of his class at harvard, spent one year at the firm and was "fried to a crisp" -- the guy quit and will never practice law again.

I thought this was an extreme example, and figured that maybe he was the kind of guy who had never had to work that hard. Harvard isn't all that tough, at least from what I can tell from their bloggers. He probably was born with the golden spoon in his mouth anyway, so I dismissed the guy as a weak pansy who probably shouldn't have gone to law school in the first place.

but in looking at the NALP forms, I was a bit disturbed by some statistical revelations. The firm is pretty huge, and as far as associates go, they hire about 50/50 men and women. and they hire about 99% of their 2L summer folks.

but here's the kicker: there are practically no women partners!!! even worse, the firm is practically all white!!! (oh, the occasional asian, and token black, but not much diversity going on there).

I wonder what the etiquette is on asking them about these statistics. I want to know why there aren't any women partners...perhaps it is because they are mommy-tracked? perhaps it is because they get hip to the 'crisp' thing and bail out after a year?

the statistic I want: what is their average associate tenure?

taking bets people don't stay much beyond 2 years...revolving door firms are bad news.

MTA Strike, Day 3

traffic is simply awful, everywhere, all the time (except 5:30am)

yesterday and today, I had to make two trips up and down the 101. absolutely dreadful both ways.

today, I woke up later than usual. no civ pro at 8:30a, so getting on the road late wasn't a problem, but sitting in traffic sucking gas is very problematic.

my '66 mustang is so very thirsty. she sucks up 1/4 tank every day, just driving to and from school.

some tips for LA drivers (because some people just don't get it):

1. zipper rule = when you are trying to merge, the 'zipper rule' applies.

for those of you who are new to the concept, this means ONE in-merging car, then one thru-traveling car, then the next in-merging car, and so on...just like a zipper.

this does NOT mean drive along the shoulder as far as you possibly can and then swerve into the lane cutting off the driver who merged properly 50 feet ago.

seriously folks, you are not going to get there any faster than anyone else. everyone is in the same boat, so don't be a jerk about needing to be three cars ahead.

2. keep a following distance, it makes everyone move faster, really!

there is a common phenomenon that most drivers have to be right on the rear-end of the car in front of them. even when the traffic isn't that bad, people drive in "packs", everyone tailgating everyone else, and going 80 mph! (this is especially true along the hwy 50 corridor between san francisco and the valley).

the problem is that everyone then has to brake at the same time, and it just slows the whole freeway up...everyone braking, accellerating, braking, accelerating...

keeping a 2-3 car length following distance has so many advantages. first, you don't have to ride your brakes. when the car in front brakes, you simply take your foot off the gas and coast. chances are, by the time you catch up to the car in front of you, it has begun to move again.

second, you rarely get cut off. with an adequate following distance, people who really need to get over can do so, and they don't have to slow up the other lane to do it. plus, you are less likely to get caught off guard and rear end the jerk who cut into your lane. rear end accidents make an already miserable situation worse, so just avoid them altogether by spacing yourselves out.

3. try to keep your speed constant, even if crawling.

I'm amazed that there are actually people who do this: they get right onto the rear-end of the car in front, then have to stop. then, when the traffic starts moving again, they sit there for a minute until there is a distance, and then PUNCH IT. then, they slam on the brakes before nearly rear ending the poor guy in front of them. and they keep doing it, over and over again.

it is these idiots who make the freeway a parking lot.

for what its worth, I have seen some people on the freeway who actually get it. these are obviously the long-time resident Angelenos. the problem is that LA attracts new people all the time, and these people arrive with stars in their eyes and absolutely no driving skills.

at least there haven't been any freeway shootings lately...

Islamic conference calls for killing all the jews...

this is scary anti-semitism raising its ugly head unashamedly.

muslims are getting together and actually praising the europeans killing 6 million jews, and calling for them to band together to kill the rest. and this is not just a few muslims, but backing this garbage is none other than Iran's leader Mohammed Khatami and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ...

they are claiming that the jews run the world by proxy.
they are claiming that the jews only survived 2000 years of pogroms because they think.
they are claiming that the jews are out to kill all 1.3 billion muslims.

their plan of attack (called 'defense')? embrace science so they can build bombs to kill jews.

I can't believe we live in a world that allows 57 leaders of nations to run around spouting this crap.

though not worthy of spilling any more bits, I will include the following quote by Mahathir Mohamad, just to give you a flavor of the rampant anti-semitism that the world is just ignoring:

"They invented Socialism, Communism, human rights and
democracy so that persecuting them would appear
to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal
rights with others."

"With these they have now gained control of the
most powerful countries and they, this tiny
community, have become a world power."

Mahathir said that "1.3 billion Muslims cannot
be defeated by a few million Jews. There must
be a way."

maybe the way is to realize that the jews are not out to kill all 1.3 billion muslims. sure, there is the palestinian terrorism problem, but there it is a situation of 6 million crazy people blowing up jews on busses and in restaurants, and 6 million jews trying simply to protect their country from people who are hell bent on wiping them off the face of the earth.

clearly we have a situation of collective psychological projection. they are projecting their own attitudes toward the jews upon the jews and then turning around and claiming to be the persecuted.

maybe they really are just undereducated?

purple frog discovered in India...

Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is its name.

I just love frogs.

This little guy is quite reclusive and spends 50 weeks of the year underground in a burrow, emerging only to breed during monsoon season.

and he is purple!

the best part is that his species dates back 100 million years! now that is an old frog!

other frog species have been suffering a lot lately because of the hole in the ozone layer, and many are disappearing altogether.

but this guy has the survival advantage of spending most of its life underground. no wonder he's outlasted nearly every other living creature on the planet!

yet another reason why frogs are the coolest creatures around.

Supreme Court to decide if 'under god' is unconstitutional...

Supreme Court to Consider Case on 'Under God' in Pledge to Flag

again, the Supreme Court will consider another 9th Circuit ruling.

the 9th Circuit ruled in the Newdow case that the words 'under god' in the pledge of allegiance is unconstitutional.

interestingly, Scalia may have to recuse himself because he has made he has publicly declared his view that the pledge is unconstitutional. although this raises the possibility that there could be a 4-4 split, I don't find that outcome likely. Such a split would leave the 9th Circuit ruling standing.

it has already been declared by the court that public schools cannot force students to say the pledge, but whether they must stand there quietly and listen to it is an interesting issue.

I think that those students who don't want to even hear the pledge could simply step into the hallway, and that schools cannot force students who so object to it to stand there and listen.

my 2 cents: personally, I never actually said the 'under god' part anyway. I always 'took a breath' when that time came.

These words were a later addition to the pledge, a wartime hysteria that was designed to put fear in our enemies that 'god is on our side, not yours." perhaps they should rightly be excluded.

but if the supreme court comes down with a decision that the words themselves render the pledge unconstitutional, then what do we do about our money??? will we have to change all the dollars and cents to eliminate the 'in god we trust' (all others must pay cash)???

it might be a good thing for the pledge to be redrafted to state, "one nation...indivisible...with liberty and justice for all", as it was originally worded.

by removing the 'under god', the pledge would have a more forceful effect of emphasizing our unity, which is our source of strength (not that god is shining only upon us). the 'under god' phrase interrupts the flow of the unity concept, and places undue emphasis on the judeo-christian god concept of divine providence.

The Supreme Court is probably not going to rule on the constitutionality issue anyway, but only address the specific, limited issues.

while most americans ascribe to judeo-christian theology, we have freedom of religion to become buddhists, pantheists or athiests. these voices are not loud, and therefore they are easily silented by the majority. our constitution should protect everyone's personal religious choices and not impose pledging to or honoring other people's gods, including the few who find the whole god concept abhorrant.

I'm glad the high court will consider this issue, and I hope that even if they rule that the words should stay, they should at least provide some protection for students who do not want to hear the pledge, and allow them to exit the room without repurcussion.

ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS: after sleeping on it, I was thinking about the government's assertion that the saying the pledge is a patriotic act, not an endorsement of religion.

okay, fine. patriotism is good. public schools should teach our children to be good citizens.

but let's look at the pledge as a patriotic statement:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America"
-- so far, so good. Nice patriotic statement.

"and to the republic for which it stands"
-- okay, so essentially we are pledging allegiance to the US Government, in its representative form of a flag. another nice patriotic statement.

"one nation, (under god), indivisible"
-- here's the problem: the flag does not have any representation of god and does not represent a nation UNDER god. The flag is a representation of the unity of the 13 colonies as stars and the other states as stripes -- THIS IS WHY WE SAY INDIVISIBLE.
-- nowhere on the flag is a Michangelo-like depiction of God -- if there were, there would be outright objections from nearly everyone about putting a face on god.
-- the flag does not even have a bar running across the top, saying "GOD", and the stars and stripes UNDER it.
-- clearly, as a patriotic statement, the words "under god" do not belong when describing the flag.

"with liberty and justice for all"
-- unless, of course, you are an athiest, polytheist, buddhist, or any other -ist that doesn't believe in the monotheistic concept.

So, if the words were removed, no one would ever have an objection to the state teaching children that our nation is a nation of unity -- why else do we call ourselves the UNITED states?

We are not called the united states under god, nor should we be. america as a name is derived from Amerigo Vespucci -- and while he may have believed in god, the name "america" does not mean "america under god."

Another sound judgment from the US Supreme Court...

The US Supreme Court let stand the 9th Circuit ruling in Walters v. Conant. By refusing to review the case, the high court affirmed that the federal government cannot revoke licenses for doctors who recommend medical marijauana to patients.

(yet another reason why I love the 9th Circuit!)

this is great news for all those doctors out there, and for patients. Not that I am advocating marijuana use, but it is imperative that patients feel safe about discussing the matter with their doctors, and that doctors are protected from criminal liability or revocation of their licenses for discussing the matter with their patients.

Utimately, to use or not to use is the choice of the patient. Under the present requirements for receiving a medical marijuana patient card, the doctors must certify that they have discussed the effects of marijuana use with their patients. Also, it is a requirement that the doctor certify that the patient has expressed that they feel pain relief from marijuana use.

doctors must also warn patients that they are not to operate heavy machinery, drive cars, etc. while taking their 'medication' -- just like the warning labels on Rush Limbaugh's prescription drugs.

My liberatarian leanings come apparent on this issue particularly. As with abortion rights, patients must stand firm and say, "Government, get your laws off my body."

I guess I'm going to ride, ride the white horse...

MTA strike, Day 1

Woke up at 5a, NPR promptly warning me that the strike is on.

Foregoing the shower, I thought it best to hit the road as early as possible.

Hopped into my '66 Mustang at 5:30, grabbed some coffee, and hit the 101.

It was lovely, smooth, and no more traffic than usual at O'Dark thirty. It took me only 1/2 an hour to get to school!

My mustang loves driving in LA. Unfortunately, I don't take her out as often as she deserves. I need to do some minor cosmetic things, like get a paint job. My 10 year old backyard paint job is flaking off, exposing her lovely body, so I try not to expose her to the elements.

Owning a mustang is sort of a money pit, but it is one of those things that you can just never get rid of. It is inextricably part of your soul.

UPDATE: the drive home. got on the road about 4:45, only took 1/2 hour to get home. traffic was dense, but we were moving.

what I can't figure out is how I can get home going 30 mph in the same amount of time it took to drive in going 60 mph...

murder-suicide in big sur??

CNN.com - Women's deaths investigated as murder-suicide

this is a very bizaare case. the details are a bit sketchy, but both women were found with plastic bags duct taped around their heads and their hands bound behind their backs.

now I'm no expert in criminal investigations, but I find it hard to imagine how one of the ladies could have done that to herself -- how can one duct tape a bag on one's head and tie one's own hands???

the strange fact is the halloween masks...one was found on one body, the other was nearby, and there was a third on the front door of their long beach apartment...

it sure looks to me like someone else is involved...

but then there is the 'suicide pact' note...

this is nothing new. I don't find it all that unusual for a murderer to force the victims to write a note before killing them. this usually has the effect of throwing the cops off one's trail, right?

further, if there really was a suicide pact, why spend $220/night on a cabin? why not $36/night at motel 6?

it sounds to me like a vacation gone bad.

but then again, perhaps it was a suicide pact. how would a murderer (unless the victims knew him/her) know where they lived so as to put another halloween mask there?

strikes here, strikes there...

strikes everywhere!

so the UFCWU (grocery worker's union) is on strike all over LA. No Ralph's, no Von's, no Albertson's. I cannot cross picket lines.

but to add insult to injury, besides not being able to buy food, the MTA transit authority is going on strike at midnight tonight! this means that I won't even be able to get to school!

if that weren't enough, the LA cops are on 'wildcat strike' -- sicking out randomly.

What is up with LA???

I absolutely hate driving in LA, and with no busses or trains running, the freeway is going to be a nightmare more than usual.

Looks like a 5am wakeup call is in order...if I hit the road by 5:30a, I might actually make it to school before my 8:30a class.

in the "hot seat"...

today was the day! I was in the hot seat for crim law. 30 pages on defenses. I prepared 9 pages of notes, meticulously briefing the cases so that I would be ready to respond to any question thrown at me.

the preparation was worth it! especially when it came to the procedural posture of Regina v. Kingston (defendant was drugged when he committed sexual assault on a 15 year old boy). The trial court convicted, the court of appeals reversed, and the house of lords reinstated the conviction.

However, those students in my class who already had "issues" with me were even more angry that I did a good job. I overheard the ring leader of the group shout after class in a snyde tone, "I know it ALL!"

I am trying very hard to ignore the negativity, but it is hard when it is so intensely focused in my direction.

My responses:

1. no one gets anywhere by acting dumb in law school
2. if you are on panel for the day, do us all a favor and be very well prepared -- otherwise you are wasting our time and your breath
3. I should know a little more than the average 1L because I have been working in the legal field for nearly 20 years!
4. don't hate me, utilize me -- I am ready willing and able to help my classmates who don't throw attitude.
5. it doesn't matter how well we do now, it matters how well we do on the exam -- so lighten up!!!

besides, sometimes a little knowledge can be a bad thing. case in point: we had our first legal research assignment on secondary sources. the hypo involved a spectator at a baseball game being struck by a ball that flew threw a hole in the net.

we were to search in the ALR index to find cases...and had to write down some "search terms".

my legal analysis background led me on a wild goose chase -- I spent half an hour searching the index under "negligence", "assumed risk", "sports" and a few others.

I broke down and finally looked up "baseball" -- duh! there it was!

If I hadn't had a legal background, that would have been my first search term. so it just goes to show that knowing that you know nothing can be advantageous!

chilling effects of USA "Patriot" Act...

Today's NYT has an article about the chilling effects of the Patriot Act for e-commerce.

Ashcroft tries to defend this garbage legislation, but the fact that it exists has numerous detrimental effects on e-commerce inter alia.

Just because they haven't issued any Patriot subpoenas yet, doesn't mean that people shouldn't worry.

It is interesting to note that Amazon.com relies on a Colorado case to deny the feds the information they are seeking.

The real problem here is that the Act was supposed to catch terrorists. But unfortunately, there are no safeguards on the types of cases the feds can use their expanded powers to pursue...especially with regard to the 'war on drugs' (remember those anti-drug ads with the kids saying they helped bin laden by smoking pot??)

So what potential effects will the Patriot Act really cause?

1. terrorists will not go to a library to surf the net when they can just sit at starbuck's.
2. terrorists will still get what they want by paying cash.
3. people will be investigated for reading books that are on some secret 'black list' (watch out bukowski lovers -- the feds are watching you!)
4. people will be investigated for purchasing fertilizer and other innocuous home and garden supplies
5. students will continue to have the FBI show up and threaten them at school for expressing their political beliefs (if they do not coincide with the bush-ashcroft philosophy)
6. we are no longer the home of the free, but rather the home of the afraid (not of the terrorists, but of our own government).
7. Jefferson will be rolling in his grave. (sorry pal, your lofty idealism barely lasted 225 years).
8. Freedom loving Americans will emigrate in droves to Canada (which, by the way, has a nearly zero homicide rate, despite having a larger per capita rate of gun ownership than the US).

the summer associate job search...

although they tell me that it is too soon to begin the summer job search because 1Ls aren't allowed to interview until spring...

I never take no for an answer.

From what I understand, law firms can begin recruiting 1Ls as early as November, which means that I need to get started now!

I've revised my resume and have begun to search for firms which are likely to hire a 1L with 10 years experience in personal income tax appeals litigation (for the State of CA), and interested in practicing international law (M&A's).

The Office of Career Services won't even talk to me yet (another drag about being a 1L).

I've already submitted my resume at my first choice firm, and with luck they will pick me up because I am one step ahead of the game, but I wonder if this will work to my disadvantage.

I attended the government job fair at my school last week, which I must say was disappointing. There were more military recruiters than anyone else, and most of the other government attorneys did investigation work and had to carry concealed weapons.

I want to be a lawyer, not a cop. I don't want a job that requires me to arm myself.

anyway, I'm hoping to get some good advice from my mentor on interviewing. I've heard that OCI can be tough, and they can ask you bizaare questions in order to see how you think. I wish I had a clue what to expect.

I also need tips on buying a suit. I've seen everyone wearing 'basic black' but find it a bit boring. I don't want to do the 'legally blonde' thing and show up in hot pink, but I want to wear something that will distinguish me from the crowd. Maybe a pink blouse?

I wonder if it appropriate to wear a light grey suit...

And with regard to shoes: I am averse to that darn L.A. overly-pointy shoe fad, but wonder if I should splurge on a pair of Manolo Blahniks. Is it worth it? Do recruiters even notice if you are wearing designer shoes? Do they care?

And with regard to hair: I have been considering cutting my extremely long locks back to my shoulders in an a-line bob (the most flattering cut for me). Presently, I wear my hair pulled back in a bun. Which would be a more professional look for a tax job? Should I stick with the librarian look, or venture out for the stylish and hip a-line bob?

Am I too worried about being judged on my looks over my merit? Should I consider that my resume looks far stronger than most 1Ls, or is it really style over substance when it comes to getting that first job?

I suppose I'll have to worry about this when and if I ever get called for an interview. Keeping my fingers crossed, it will be soon.

Egyptian conjoined twins separated...

the twins conjoined at the skull were successfully separated today.

they will spend the next few days in a drug-induced coma, but if all goes well, they will be heading home with a chance for normal lives.

This is extremely wonderful news. I hope the parents will return to Egypt and tell everyone that Americans aren't evil after all...

funny in farsi...

I just returned from an International House, Berkeley alumni reunion, and had the pleasure of meeting Firoozeh Dumas, who just wrote the most hilarious book, Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America.

She read one chapter, which had me in stitches nearly every sentence!

It turns out that this year's "Orange County Reads One Book" program has designated Ms. Dumas' book at THE book to read this year.

I urge everyone to pick up a copy.

The reunion was lovely and intimate. Surprisingly, there were several alumni from my years spent there, and (not quite so) surprisingly, there were a large number of couples who met their spouses at I-House (myself included).

The phenomenon continues... breaking down cultural barriers one marriage at a time.

Arfrat has stomach cancer and Qureia wants to quit...

It wasn't a heart attack, as previously reported.

everyone is saying he isn't dying, but how long can someone survive with stomach cancer?

and if he didn't have a heart attack, he will when he reads Qureia's note saying he wants to quit.

it looks like no one wants to be Arfrat's puppet.

pennies from heaven?

every day for the past week and a half or so, I have found at least one penny lying on the ground. at first I thought this was neat, but now it has become a weird phenomenon.
today, I found three!

being reluctant to assign divine providence to my finds, I have contemplated several mundane reasons for this phenomenon:

1. I spend too much time looking at the ground,
2. I walk in the wake of people with holes in their pockets,
3. the low-rise jeans fad precludes most women from stooping to pick up a lucky penny -- especially if they lack the necessary low-rise thong.
4. the economy is in such an upswing that a penny is not worth the time it takes to pick it up,
5. people actually believe the superstition that a penny face-down is bad luck (as opposed to the good luck face-up penny)

whatever the reason, if it keeps up, I may have found my secret scholarship fund.

at this rate, in three weeks I may have found enough change to buy a cup of coffee!

another earthquake in japan...

A 6.7 quake hit Hokkaido today.

I was (fortunately) wrong in my earlier prediction that the west coast would be hit with a sizeable quake shortly after the 8 point Hokkaido quake.

but it looks like the subduction zone is where all the action is...

UPDATE: another 5.5 hit Hokkaido Sunday morning, 10/12

I think Hokkaido has had enough. These unfortunate people...no sooner do they get the books back up on the shelves, they are knocked down again.

Arnold is in on the Enron scandal...

Arnold's Enron Secret

read this article! It appears that Arnold has been in on the 'rape of california' since the beginning.

law student suicide bomber...

the female suicide bomber that murdered 19 people eating in a Haifa restaurant, was a "trainee lawyer".

proof positive that this is how the PA trains new lawyers.

yet another reason why there is no 'partner for peace' in the palestinians.

if they can't manage to train lawyers to value the rule of law, how can Israel trust that they will ever construct a legal infrastructure to deal with its terrorists?

In retaliation, Israel struck a terrorist training base in Syria.

the arab league is meeting over possible responses, and things aren't looking very good.

while everyone knows Syria is the biggest sponsor of terrorism outside the palestinian territories, I hope Israel knows what it is doing by escalating the conflict, and knows that Syria could retaliate with Saddam's missing weapons (Syria provided an avenue of escape for the WMDs in january and february, before the US invasion).

things could get really ugly.

courtney hole does it again...

Courney Love was arrested again, this time for being on drugs (no surprise here). The cops released her and then a few minutes she later OD-ed and was taken to the hospital.

the articles don't say what drugs she was on, but my guess is it is heroin again.

I wonder if they are going to let her keep her kid...any other drug addict under similar circumstances would have her child taken away by CPS.

nice motherly example courtney...

Jerusalem bus on display in New York...

ZAKA is going to bring the #32A bus that was blown up in gilo on june 18, 2002 to new york to display from december 20-22.

while I am all for the idea of sharing knowledge and bringing enlightenment to Americans of the gravity of the terror in Israel...

I absolutely cannot condone them bringing this PARTICULAR BUS to new york...

don't these people realize that there is family of the victims of this bombing that live in the US???

as family of one of the victims of that bombing, I am absolutely OUTRAGED!!!

can't they just bring pictures??? why bring the whole bus??? what is the point?

it just makes me cry.

since this is primarily a fundraising expedition...

how much money can I give them NOT to bring the bus???

Enron in the White House...

Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures

okay. how long are we going to allow the justice department to collect (and presumably destroy) evidence against itself???

ashcroft has a serious conflict of interest here. if he doesn't step aside and let a special prosecutor in, he will be facing some charges himself.

here's my beef: every day that passes, the justice department is collecting evidence. the problem is that if the evidence incriminates ashcroft, rove, or anyone else in bush's 'inner circle', then the evidence will suddenly 'disappear' (can anyone truly trust ashcroft to be impartial???)

by the time a special prosecutor is appointed, there will be no evidence.

its enron in the white house.

meet the enemy...within...

I really didn't think I would get there, but I have.

I am beginning to hate people in my class.

first, there are those people who throw out the WEIRD hypos...every class. there are three or four of them. the professors have started to shut them up, but they still persist.
everyone hates them, with good reason.

but then there are those people who think they are too cool for school.

there is one guy, though, who I particularly hate. I actually overheard him say something really rude about me the day I wore my Harvard sweatshirt. BFD!!!! who cares? I was cold!

but he got all bothered by it and decided to run around telling people how what he thinks about it and making some profound (-ly wrong) judgment about my character.

little does he know that his 'patchwork' pants say more negative things about his character than I can. suffice it to say, he can kiss my *ss come finals. big loser.

and then there is the guy who I think is going to come to school with an AK-47 and kill us all. this guy is scary!!!! He's one of the WEIRD hypo people, too. The guy is totally mentally imbalanced.

this really happened: we were in crim law. this is one of the classes that really sets him off. so the professor has gotten pretty tired of his WEIRD hypos...I mean really WEIRD. so he was sitting there in the front of the class with his hand in the air. the professor refused to call on him. SO WHAT DID HE DO????

the guy actually got mad, packed all of his books up (making as much noise as possible) and then sat there for the entire rest of the class period with his arms crossed and a mean look on his face, staring down the professor.

I'm telling you...the guy is going to go postal when grades come out!

We don't need another incident like the Yale bombing.

Maybe law schools ought to have psychological testing for applicants so we can weed out the psychos?

good fences make good neighbors...

or so they say.

Israel's Cabinet Approves Barrier Inside West Bank

Is a security fence a good thing? It depends on which side you are standing. On the Israeli side, the fence keeps suicide bombers out. On the Palistinian side, the fence locks them in.

its a matter of perspective. the palis could look at the fence as a way of making sure that the Israelis don't take any more land, in other words, a way of keeping them out. The Israelis could look at the fence as a way of shutting themselves in, insulating themselves from increasingly hostile neighbors.

either way, a wall is inevitable. there is absolutely no way that a peace agreement can be achieved by each side laying down arms. everyone's been trying to do this for 10 years now, and every time things get close -- someone blows up a bus.

The fact of the matter is that regardless of what Israel does to make peace, there are enough forces that will sacrifice every pali life in order to ensure that Israel is destroyed.

at some point, there will have to be unilateral withdrawal and the erection of a wall.

this is not a desirable or perfect solution, but it is the only thing that the international community can do at this point. all peace efforts have failed.

there can be no movement forward on the peace trail with arfrat's new government of terrorists.

I wish the UN would stop trying to seem fair to the terrorists -- they hate the UN as much as they hate Israel and the US.

maybe the problem is with Syria having a seat on the security council???

I still don't understand how a country that sponsors terrorism, harbors terrorists, and provided an escape route for saddam's WMD can sit on the UN security council...someone please explain???