This afternoon, I will participating in a discussion of “Trying High-Profile Cases” with David Bois as part of the American Bar Association’s Annual Conference (CLE Premier Speaker Series Webinar). The conference also include federal judges Barbara M. G. Lynn
(Northern District of Texas) and Gene E. K. Pratter (Eastern District of Pennsylvania) and leading litigator Randall M. Kessler. It will start at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
Continue reading “Trying High-Profile Cases: Today’s ABA Discussion”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The internet is all abuzz about something weird going on in the Gobi Desert in western China. One of the shapes consists of thick white lines drawn at irregular angles. When zoomed-in, erosion has erased some parts of the lines suggesting they were put there several years ago. Check it out for yourself in Google Maps, here.
Submitted by Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger
Last week during a long road trip, I was listening to a CD from the band The Eagles. A song came on written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey the group’s songwriters and leaders. The song is called “Get Over It”. As the autumn beautiful Shenandoah Valley landscape was passing by, a line from the song jarred me from my motoring reverie and made me think of this blog. The line was:
“The more I think about it, Old Billy was right
Let’s kill all the lawyers, kill ’em tonight.”
Continue reading “Let’s Kill All The Lawyers?”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
It must have been that scene from Splendor in the Grass. You know the one where she is called to “stand and deliver” by the Nurse Ratchet-like school marm on William Wordsworth’s poem Ode: Intimations of Immortality. It’s an uncomfortable, vulnerable, and powerful bit of celluloid as the emotionally torn teenage beauty struggles with life and youth lost, and then distraught bursts into tears only to flee the classroom. It seemed a requiem for the 60s, and the reason for the activism of its time. It’s a fair estimate of Wood’s own life, as well.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
After a three year investigation, European Union officials have concluded that there is no evidence to prove that water can prevent dehydration. Bottled water producers are now forbidden by law from making such a claim. The European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) refused to approve the statement that “regular consumption of significant amounts of water can reduce the risk of development of dehydration.” Critics have said: “This is stupidity writ large.”
The ridicule has been non-stop. But there are some important details being overlooked.
Continue reading “EU Bans Claim That Water Prevents Dehydration”
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
UPDATED: Newton’s Third Law of Motion is commonly expressed by the phrase “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. The action in question is the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The reaction in question is fear.
Huffington Post obtained a copy of a memo being sent by high-powered Washington lobbying firm Clark, Lytle, Geduldig, Cranford to one of its major Wall Street clients over Thanksgiving. Previously unnamed, it has been revealed that the major Wall Street client in question is the American Bankers Association. The four page memo was first revealed by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, host of the show “Up with Chris Hayes“. The first two paragraphs of the memo are indicative of the mood and probably sets the tone for what many in the lobbying industry are having to admit as an inconvenient truth. Namely the truth that the OWS Movement is gaining traction for their cause and doing so in such a way that politicians are eventually going to be forced to put on the appearance of action in bringing the criminals on Wall Street to justice if not actually bring them to justice. The fear on behalf of the lobbyists and their Wall Street clients is palpable.
The first two paragraphs of the Thanksgiving Memo read as follows:
Continue reading “The Smell of Corporatist Fear, Smells Just Like . . . a Lobbyist Memo”
This afternoon, I will be one of the moderators as part of “Debating Taboos” series of the Center for Study of Responsive Law. This series, organized by consumer rights icon Ralph Nader, is designed to foster dialogue in areas where politicians and even reporters tend to avoid substantive discussion. This part is entitled “Bush and Obama: War Crimes or Lawful Wars – Debating Taboos.” I will be asking questions from the perspective of those who view torture as a war crime while Stuart Taylor of Newsweek will ask questions from the other side of the debate. The event is open to the public.
Continue reading “Bush and Obama: War Crimes or Lawful Wars?”
A math teacher in Fort Myers, Florida is under fire for teaching his students about supply and demand within a market-based system. Jeff Spires’ problem appears to be his choice of pedagogical vehicle: purchasing their own grades. Spires was suspended from Charlotte County High School in Charlotte County, Fla., without pay on Oct. 14 and resigned two weeks later. This “new math” approach could have promise for wider applications as discussed below. Think of it as a variation of Adam Smith’s work, a type of “Wealth of Students” approach to the job market.
Continue reading “Teaching Supply and Demand: Florida Teacher Accused of Selling Math Grades”
In class, we discuss the evolution of mental health defenses in torts as society has come to recognize widespread emotional and behavioral problems. Like earlier studies, the latest report from Medco Health Solutions gives a glimpse into how common such problems are in our society with more than one in four American women taking at least one drug for conditions like anxiety and depression last year. This rate rose by 22 percent since 2001.
Continue reading “One in Four U.S. Women Take Medication for Mental Health Programs”
An Illinois man, Gary Winner, pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Rhode Island after selling “penis enlargers” to diabetes patients to help with “bladder control, urinary flow and prostate comfort.” This could make for an a particularly novel product liability claim as well as a negligence case.
Nicholas Coyle, 19, is facing charges of animal cruelty in Rhode Island after he allegedly killed a rabbit with a hockey stick and used the body as a puck. He is a student at Salve Regina University.
In Ireland, “grass” is a term for a criminal informant. In Gendale, California, it is a crime itself if it is a fake. The city has added its name to the growing list of cities criminalizing trivial acts — part of a pattern of the criminalization of America discussed in past columns and blogs.
Continue reading “Garden-Variety Crime: California City Criminalizes Artificial Turf”
Toronto’s Earl Beatty Public School is the latest example of a school overreacting to simple schoolyard accidents or antics. A parent at the school was injured after being hit in the head by a soccer ball. The response: ban all balls for the children.
Continue reading “No Balls: Toronto School Bans Balls After Playground Accident”
LB Williams is the latest defendant in a criminal case of cross burning. What is a bit curious is that Williams is a black man charged with the crime in Panama City.
Continue reading “Florida Black Man Arrested For Cross Burning on His Own Land”
Mariah Yeater has reportedly withdrawn her lawsuit against Justin Bieber. Her lawyer, Jeffrey Leving, explains that he has withdrawn the lawsuit in hopes of forcing an out-of-court settlement — what may appear to be a conflict strategy.
Continue reading “Bieber Accuser Drops Lawsuit: Will A Defamation Action Now Follow The DNA Test?”