Law Students

English Snarks Misfounded?

Posted on February 15, 2009
The comments of a recent post about English suffering from AIM and text messaging got me thinking... The English language doesn't suffer by techno-shorthand at all; it becomes improved by it. Language is organic, and as societal needs require lingual evolution, language can adapt...

Venting

Posted on February 13, 2009
Dear Sen. Feinstein:STFU. Derailing a murder investigation is one thing, but throwing a monkey-wrench into our efforts to root out Al Qaeda / Taliban is another.***To vent about Black Thursday:Not speaking from any inside information or anything, but I don't think there's much that 3Ls can do now...

The Death of Joy

Posted on February 12, 2009
Bay to Breakers organizers and city officials are cracking down this year, announcing a zero-tolerance ban of alcohol, nudity, and parade floats on May 17th. Apparently, the poor bastards who can afford houses along the route are pissed because of all the people pissing on their property once a year (which is particularly atrocious because there's absolutely no way they could have known this might happen when they bought the place)...

Wow Again!

Posted on February 12, 2009
From Dean Tom's email this morning:I am pleased to report that we have received more than 7,900 applications for the 270 places in the Class of 2012. We've never received this many applications in the School's history. Seven thousand, nine hundred?? I'm so lucky to be here.

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*Sigh* I Guess It's a Good Day After All

Posted on February 11, 2009
Last night I vowed to rant about Boalt Remote -- it's been down for what, five weeks? Six? Recently, it took me fourteen minutes to log on to one of the dinosaurs in the computer lab, retrieve a three page pdf from a flash drive, and print it. Fourteen freaking minutes! (Yes, I am the type of person who keeps track of such things...

Construction Quandary

Posted on February 11, 2009
I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about construction. I worked as a grunt my first summer out of college, building summer cabins on Lake Pend Oreille for people that retired by the age of 40 (yeah, THOSE people). In addition, I have ample experience with Legos®...

Come Support Fellow Bloggers!

Posted on February 11, 2009
Next Tuesday, February 17th, Eugene Volokh, of The Volokh Conspiracy, will be discussing slippery slope arguments. Come support fellow bloggers, so that, one day, people will want to listen to us!Details:Date: Tuesday, February 17Room: GoldbergFood? Hell yeah! Le Med will be catering.

Wow!

Posted on February 10, 2009
Another reminder that there are a lot of crappy lawyers out there. (H/t: Volokh). Reminds me of the 7th Circuit case before Easterbrook.

Someone Finally Acknowledges the Prison Problem!

Posted on February 10, 2009
Federal judges have tentatively ruled on a suit filed by California prisoners claiming that overcrowding has deprived them of their right to adequate health care. This means the state may have to reduce prison populations by up to a third. No doubt this will frighten many Californians who vote, which is why this was a good issue for the courts to decide...

Finally!!

Posted on February 08, 2009
A media bit about Michelle Obama that isn't dominated by discussion of her clothes!

The Long, Hot Summer

Posted on February 06, 2009
I'd heard a rumor earlier this week that the CDO would be giving a gloom-and-doom summer job presentation to 1L's. I ended up sitting in the back of the room during one of those talks today, but I didn't find it particularly grim. In fact, the most intersting thing about the presentation was the timeline for Fall OCIP 2009, not the tone of the talk or the tenor of the market...

A Sad News Day

Posted on February 05, 2009
As everyone has probably already heard, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized for early-stage pancreatic cancer. It sounds quite serious. I'm sure everyone is wishing her a speedy recovery.Various news reports have bandied around a five year survival rate of 5% for this type of cancer...

They Took Our Briefs!!!

Posted on February 04, 2009
I'm seething mad. Looking at this post on ATL, it's blatant that UPenn is ripping off our Boalt Briefs. Even the layout. Ugh.I guess this is as good a time as any to unveil this Google group I have created hosting prior years' Boalt Briefs. I think every Boaltie, past and present, should read them...

Voter fraud in Santa Barbara could mean Death Cab concert for UC Berkeley

Posted on February 03, 2009
With some chagrin, I must report that my crazy alma mater's allegedly fraudulent voter registration activities could result in a Death Cab for Cutie concert for us Berkeleyians.I wasn't aware of this contest during the run up to the election, but apparently Death Cab offered a free concert to the school that registered the most students to vote...

Dating for Dummies: It's a Jungle Out There

Posted on February 03, 2009
Headed to New York this summer? Don't forget the newest Zagat guide, "New York City Dating (and Dumping) Guide."Is it okay to burn someone's belongings? Two percent of Zagat respondents say yes. To break up via text? Ten percent give it a big thumbs up...

A Must Read

Posted on February 03, 2009
Prepared Testimony of Harry Markapolos (PDF). The second part, regarding reform of our regulatory bodies, reminds of one thought I've always had. I think one reason for the mess we are in is because it's so easy for banks to pretty much misrepresent their holdings in financial statements...

Here's the Keker

Posted on February 02, 2009
Looks like a new firm is springing to life in SF. (Website here). Of course Mark Lemley is the former Boalt professor who formed 1/3 of the big wig IP trio. And Ragesh Tangri was a visiting professor at Boalt a while back.

Why a semester away should be required

Posted on January 31, 2009
Perhaps I'm biased - I'm two weeks into an internship in the Netherlands and enjoying (almost) every minute of it. Even before I decided to take this particular internship, I wanted to spend a semester away from Boalt. Still, I think that the benefits of spending a semester outside the classroom far outweigh any of the possible downsides...

New Space Deathmatch: Flat Screen TVs v. Financial Restraint

Posted on January 31, 2009
The fifth in my series examining winners and losers of the Boalt Hall space reconfiguration. Winners: Flat Screen TVsHas anyone noticed that Boalt is now filled with flat screen TVs? They?re everywhere. Even the seminar room that nobody ever uses has a gigantic one...

Yoo-Hoo!

Posted on January 29, 2009
President Obama (don't those words make a lovely couple?) has ordered the DOJ and OLC to side with the defense in Jose Padilla v. John Yoo (pdf). Next week they'll be filing a motion to dismiss the suit.I think this is the right move but I also think it's awkward, for two reasons...

New Space Deathmatch: Clubs v. Journals

Posted on January 29, 2009
The fourth in my series examining winners and losers of the Boalt Hall space reconfiguration. Today, we're back in the trenches--er, basement, with a comparison between club and journal office space. Winners: ClubsHa! You all thought that journals would win in a landslide...

Zerg Rush 101

Posted on January 28, 2009
My prayers have been answered (and I imagine Dan's, and Hersh's).UC Berkeley offers Starcraft course.

New Space Deathmatch: Kato v. Zeb

Posted on January 28, 2009
The third in my series examining winners and losers of the Boalt Hall space reconfiguration. Lest anyone think that I'm just going to trash journals every day, here are two non-basement entities.Winner: Nancy KatoBlessed, blessed isolation! Well, the Registrar Office's soon-to-be new location in the MoFo Room isn't that far off the beaten path...

Loan Forgiveness for Public Service? Depends on the Service

Posted on January 27, 2009
It looks like Stanford's famous lady of the night, who has graced our hallowed pages here, here, and here, will be shutting down her operations for a little while. (HT: The Shark, which *cough* could be you.)Tax evasion. They'll nail you for anything, but tax evasion ...

Don't say this.

Posted on January 27, 2009
I was listening to Hannity on the ride in this morning (hey, I gotta get my laughs somewhere), and he and his guest, Minnesota people-hater Representative Michele Bachmann (of "we should investigate all Congressional Democrats for anti-American activity" fame) were discussing the practices of waterboarding and denying prisoners Constitutional rights, and the implications of them...

Berkeley Is Nuclear Free [and Ridiculous]

Posted on January 27, 2009
The City of Berkeley's "Peace and Justice Commission" is currently at odds with the city's library over a maintenance contract with 3M.Evidently (and likely for good reason), 3M has not signed Berkeley's nuclear-free disclosure form. To the crazies on the commission, that means the library's self-checkout machines should remain unserviced (and thus a huge waste of taxpayer dollars and time)...

New Space Deathmatch: AALJ vs. BTLJ

Posted on January 27, 2009
The second in my series examining winners and losers of the Boalt Hall space reconfiguration.Winner: Asian American Law JournalThe new basement has an egalitarian design, with each journal allocated a nearly identical space. (Four journal offices are slightly larger...

New Space Deathmatch: CLR vs. Board of Advocates

Posted on January 26, 2009
There are a lot of changes for Boalt student groups recently, with the exodus from Simon Hall, the new affinity group oasis/ghetto on the third floor, and the new basement space. I'm creating a series of posts to identify the big winners of this change--as well as those getting the shaft...

Glory and Honor

Posted on January 26, 2009
Cynthia from The Recorder in SF passes on the following announcement. I encourage co-bloggers and other Berkeley Lawties to follow up:The Shark, a Cal Law blog by and for California law school students, is currently accepting applications for a paid freelance writing position...

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Case Files

Posted on January 25, 2009
At the Washington Monthly, Hilzoy has two posts (here and here) regarding the lack of case files on Gitmo detainees (making the President's ordered review of their status an almost impossible task). In particular, the declaration (PDF) of LTC Vendeveld is worth a read in its entirety...

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