Monday, August 29, 2005

Class Update

Well the first half a week of class is over and (fear) it looks like the semester will be even harder than I thought. Some how I got the idea that 18 hours would be ok.... and it probebally would have, if it wasn't THESE 18 hours. I have one easy class (ELH 200, aka Greek networking), and five hard ones, including the toughest PLS class, the second toughest ECO class, and a couple not that easy business classes. Kill me please.

Some drama with house investing, we are looking to completely redo the inside of our house, starting with a nice new TV. Or course, something has to go wrong, more details on that later.

On a law school note, Indiana FINALLY sent me their info and I visited Northern Illinois this weekend. I was NOT impressed, AT ALL IN ANY WAY.

The building is like a normal building at bradley. i was walking with some friends so i didn't go in, but from the outside it loked exactly like bradley hall.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Countdown

Well the last few days have been filled with getting ready for school to start. I am almost ready, I have to buy some notebooks and a few more frames and i will be all set. On a more important note, the house is starting to come together. The kitchen is set, the front is clean, and things are ready for rush. We are hoping for a good rush including a few leaders (hopefully a future president).

I missed IFC Sunday which was a disappointment because I think some important issues were delt with. Oh well. I need to get the house books in order for the semester, so starting September 7, that will be my main mission.

We are looking for a new TV for the front room, which is exciting.

On a social note, I love taste of Bradley. This year I met several cool guys, one in particular and two otehrs that I hope to hang out with a lot the next couple of semesters. All of them are cool guys and they all have some interests pretty close to mine. Hopefully I'll be playing some massive rball the next few weeks.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Business Law

Well I got my sylabus for Business law and it clearly stated the class is not to prepare students to go to law school and that it is only to give business majors a sence of the influence law has on business. I figured it would be good for an A.

The next thing I did was look at the cases that would be studied. Marbury.... simple enough, makes sence. Some cases i have never heard of are next, then comes the bomb.

Erie v. Tonkin. Wow, you wanna talk about shock. This is the single case I have heard the most about in terms of difficulty. From what I can tell it is just a jurisdiction case dealing with federal courts. I think the rule is that federal courts can apply state law, but even that I am not sure about. Anyway, so much for a blowoff class....

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Anti Trust

Well for anybody interested in either sports law or anti trust law, we were deprived of a facinating legal opportunity the weekend when the NCAA and the NIT announced they will be reaching a settlement. I for one was really looking forward to seeing the result of this case. As a sports fan I am eager to see what the resulting system will be (possibly a sperate tournament for mid majors?)

I really would have liked to see the case to go trial and I think there are some interesting legal issues at work in the case. Oh well. Mabye I will ge lucky and the settlement will fall apart.

On a Greek note, only a few days left before move in, I am excited and nervous at the same time.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Computer Crime

So when word got out today about a computer worm disabling computers around the country (including CNN) I decided to look around at the laws regarding computer crime. What I discovered is that the law regarding computer crime is largely inadequate. I am by no means claiming to be an expert, or even that I found all of the relevant information, but the conclusion that I came to was that the law surrounding computer crime is VERY VERY vague, more importantly it does a poor job of assigning punishment to crimes. In some cases it is even unclear if things (such as using an open wireless connection owned by somebody else) is a crime.

Please please please, powers that be, take some time, hire some smart people that understand computers and create a computer law that works. With the wide use of the internet and other information systems, wouldn't it make sence that the law start to be formed and refined? Just because not everybdoy understands the tech doeesn't mean it should go without regulation, in fact, it is all the more reason why we need MORE regulation to help people.

Why is it that if i steal your credit card account information to learn about you I am a felon, but if I plant some software on your computer to track what you do and reduce its performance I ahve done nothing wrong? this is crazy. We need regulation and we need stiff punishments. There is no reason for technology to put people's information and saftey, not to mention privacy at risk every itime you sign online.

Monday, August 15, 2005

And he's back

Sorry for the delay everybody. The past few days were filled with a fantasy football draft, work, moving into the house, and getting some house stuff set up. I should be back and better than ever (due to more material) now.

Let me start by updating you on some house stuff. Almost everybody is moved in. The rush plan is being constructed and we are getting things together for the upcomming semester. Today we met to put together the semester calandar. There are some things I dont agree with, but for the most part I think it is a good calandar. We also agreed to contact other chapters to put together a kick a$$ formal.

My computer screen in screwed up and probeball will be that way untill I but a new one. The final topic\thought I have for you is also my only major legal question for the day:

If you are participating in the running of the bulls and trip somebody (that eventually gets killed) are you guilty of a crime? You did lead to their death, however it was something else that actually killed them, more importantly, isn't there some understanding similar to the "assumed risk" issue in tort law?

Its an interesting thought either way.

More posts to follow as Greek life heats up, school starts, and I return to work.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

More law school comments in the paper

Todays suggested reading is an article about the third year of law school.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/08/09/some_question_third_year_of_law_school/

My opinion about this is as follows. Students, while more relaxed will learn something in the third year. Students deserve somewhat of a break, even if it is costly. My suggestion would be that law schools keep the light year and make it lighter, dropping it to nine hours, but then require externships to graduate. This was the year is academically light but legally insightful.

Those are my thoughts.

Mini Semester

I was talking to somebody tonight and they sent me a link that I thought was well worth the read.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dorf/20050803.html

This is basically a super condensed version of law schools 1L curriculum. It is sort of a fun read, and certainly thought provoking.

My thought for today is simple: If lawyers 100 years ago had less established law, and did not have to go to law school but could "read" the law, why has this practice been banned in most states?

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

bad

Today was a bad day..... nothing horrible, just a big downer. Still no LSAT stuff, golf early tomorrow. I really don't have anything law related. If you want a good law read, check out Martin V. PGA. The Scalia dissent is priceless. He is right on the mark.

Monday, August 08, 2005

McDonald's Comlaints

In the absence of more important material, today I want to talk about people who complain about the court system. Before I do, I want to say that I believe our court system has MANY MANY problems, and I do think juries have, in many cases, awarded damages that were out of control. I agree that there are lawyers in American worried only with making more money in torts cases at the expenses of anybody and anything. Mass torts lawyers are one such breed. That said, many of the complaints leveled on our legal system are incorrect or misinformed. A great example of this is the idea that "tort law is just a bunch of ambulance chasers looking to make a quick buck. The case that is always given as the ultimate example of this is the McDonald's coffee case, aka Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Corporation.

The story that is often told by those that try to use it as an example of corruption is that a lady ordered a cup of coffee and while driving away spilled it, burned herself, and sued McDonald's winning millions of dollars. One of the strengths of this version is that it both proves the point of lawyers as crooks, and more importantly, it is true.

The problem with this account isn't that the facts that are given are false (they are very true), it is that many important facts are omitted. For example, the coffee wasn't just hot, it was dangerously hot. It was drastically hotter than coffee that is served in restaurants, and it was far hotter than the temperature that it is recommended coffee be served at for optimal taste. Big deal you say? Coffee is supposed to be hot you point out? This is true, and consistent with the version people are often told, but what isn't told is that the coffee was SO HOT that it could actually cause burns to the throat if drank. Most people expect hot coffee, but not coffee so hot that when it is consumed it could damage your body. Nobody expects food to be served in a fashion that is not save to be consumed.

The next complaint is something like, she spilled it on herself and didn't do anything about it, she should know she would be burned. From the moment she spilled she had 10 seconds to get out of her clothes and get the coffee off of her skin to avoid severe burns. That is not much time, especially when you consider she was in a car in the middle of a parking lot.

Finally, McDonald's would have you believe that she generated huge damages from a simple burn. This is again false. She had to be hospitalized, her entire lower body (including her gentiles) suffered massive burns. Skin needed to be grafted from other parts of her body. This wasn't just a little burn.

Oh and did we mention this had happened hundreds of times before but nobody had the courage to take the case to court?

I'm not saying one side is right or wrong, I am not saying that there aren't flaws in our legal system. What I am saying is that when you hear cases like this, find them and read the details. More often than not, the details are different than the original story. So make all the judgments you want, just make sure they are based on real cases.

Oh, and I looked around on the internet all day for the case of the burglar that fell through a roof and landed on a knife and sued the homeowner, but I cannot find it anywhere... I tend to believe there is no such case and that it is urban myth... But if somebody finds it feel free to straighten me out.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Different

Well today was a different sort of day. First, I ran this morning, which is something I have failed to do much lately. So thats a VERY good thing (I hate being fat, it ruines my self-confidence). Alternately, I also looked at an old LSAT for the first time in a while. I thought the airport game (the one with the Canadia cities) was the hardest game I had tried to take when I first looked at it. I decided that today I would sit down and figure it out. I obvously was able to get all the answers correct (by ignoring time) but I still cannot figure out what key deduction I missed that made the game so hard. Ah well, such is the LSAT.

Sox win tonight, a beautiful thing.

Tomorrow marks the first time in a while we have gone friday night bowling.... I have to anticipate that there will be fantasy talk galore.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Football = law school?

So today I started preparing for the best time of the year...... Fantasy Football season. Last year I had some tough luck in my money draft (read: finished last) but I did well in the lower stakes world of fantasy auction. I finished in third, but thats to winning the regular season, I was able to win the most money of anybody in the league.

So this season looks to be a lot different than last year. For the first time since I started playing, top QB's can make a difference. More importantly, thes eason was filled with more turnover among fantasy positions\starts than any season before. Mix in with that several possible impact rookies and you get a fantasy season unlike any I have seen in a long time (and since I started this addiction when I was nine, I have seen MANY fantasy seasons.)

It amazes me how similar fantasy football and taking the LSAT are. You spend lots of time preparing and trying to learn the material. After you think you have it synthasized, you start to practice (practice drafts or tests). Finally the big day comes and it is filled with nerve wrecking moments. Hopefully this fantasy season will be successful, but more importantly, hopefully this years LSAT will go well for me.

Back to law school prep. Some enterprising person was able to track down where I work today and posted it on a messege board. I am less than thrilled about that, but it is fun to know somebody really wanted to know my background enough to go through all that effort. I still havent received my scores from the PR free practice test.... mabye thats their trick.

Sorry for the lack of timely posts lately, its been a WIERD time in my life. Things will get better soon enough. Additionally, once I get back to school I will have a lot more material to post about.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

How much longer

As a mentioned before, I took a Princeton Review practice LSAT two weeks before my vacation. They said the grading took a couple of weeks, so of course I had hoped it might get there the day before we left. No such luck. I thought for sure it would arrive before we got bad from vacation (no such luck). I was certain it would be here by Modnay (still no). I am not hoping it gets here tomorrow. If it does not it will have been 4 weeks. My next goal is just that it comes before I go back to college. Oy, whats taking so long.

I read a post today that Minnesota law school is a very racist place. I am very suprised by this. Being a lilly white kid I am not as bothered as I probebally should be, but this was a school that was a leading candidate in my book. Now I am not so sure.

I will not have a car tonight, so mabye I will be productive (read: do IFC stuff). Who knows.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Pot Meet Kettle

I just experienced the ultimate pot calling the kettle black moment about ten minutes ago. I was reading around on an internet website that I find interesting and saw a huge thread dedicated to talking about 1. what makes a person a tool, 2. Which people posting are tools, and 3. how to know if somebody is a tool. It was hilarioius. I pretty much assume anybody willing to get into an argument over this IS a tool.

On another note, I was the the Notre Dame chat room a few days ago and the moderator said she thought the size\strength of the applicant pool would be down next year. Heres hoping its down for 2007 as well!!

Almost done with my Econ class, I expect to receive the critiques of my third paper today or tomorrow and be done by the weekend (celebrate good times common!) just in time to prepare for fantasy football and going back to school. Talk about having stuff to do, I still need to finish a Greek Week packet, hold and study for a fantasy football draft, get my back to school stuff taken care of, finish putting together some assistant treasurer stuff, and get ready for the upcomming semester\rush.

At least all that stuff is Greek related and fun.

More Rankings Games

Another rankings article worth reading: http://www.autoadmit.com/studies/chalfin/chalfin.pdf

It isn't as good as Posner's, but then this guy is an unempolyed law school dropout. That said, the study has some merit and is very interesting. It once again shows Yale to be the best law school in the Universe.

For those that are wondering why I keep finding all these rankings sites, it is because I am STRONGLY considering a stats research project dealing with law school rankings for the upcomming semester, and I am doing some research now. Specifically, I would be using this for PLS209's research requirement as well as an attempt to analyze usnews effects on students preception. Publishable? Probebally not. Interesting? You bet.

Bowled today, high score: 170, average: 142

worked 8 hours, that blew.

Working 7 hours tomorrow that will blow.

Fatty needs to run tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Posner Rankings

Before I begin I want to say that today I resumed work.... god I wish I was still on my break.

Now that I have that out of my system, I want to urge everybody to take a look at this article:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=703821

It really is a full analysis of the rankings system, how it can be manipuplated, and how odd things that occure when you tinker with the criteria. Overall I found it very interesting both from a "what should rankings really be used for" standpoint as well as a "look at how good schools are if you do this which I care more about" standpoint. Overall a solid read well worth the time.

Didn't receive my paper back to edit, that was disappointing.

Nobody returns my emails anymore, that is VERY fustrating!

Monday, August 01, 2005

Sox Game and stuff

Went to the Sox game today, they came from behind to win which was huge.

I did some more law school reading and decided that I like George Washington and American a lot more than I thought I would. I need to see more schools to get a better sence of my true feelings however. Hopefully all the schools will impress me as much as these two.

Nothing too exciting, trying to figure out if my laptop is still covered by Dell or not.

I finished my first draft of my final econ paper tonight. I hope it turns out ok, since I only have two days to fix two papers. Wish me luck!

I will send completed copies of both papers as soon as they are done (also as soon as I have nothing else to talk about).

Its back to work tomorrow :(