The last lecture
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I was forwarded a link recently to a a video clip from an episode of Oprah in which Professor Randy Pausch from Carnegie Mellon University reprized a lecture he did for his students called the last lecture. If you’re not familiar with the last lecture concept, it’s a lecture professors often give to their students at the end of the term as if it were their last lecture ever. The intent is to inspire students and share some life lessons.
We were blessed at the end of the summer to receive a last lecture from Professor James Bond, who was not likely to come back and teach at Seattle University again. It was inspiring on so many levels. (If only we’d known he flunked Property his first year at the beginning of the semester!) For Professor Pausch, however, the lecture was not merely academic; it very well could be his last lecture. Professor Pausch has pancreatic cancer and doctors have given him only a few months to live.
If you have 10 minutes, I recommend watching the lecture. It’s full of wonderful lessons, including my favorite:
“Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove
how badly we want something.”
how badly we want something.”
On the Docket
Monday, March 3, 2008
I wasn’t sure the school was going to endorse a happy hour to support the Student Disaster Relief Network’s upcoming trip to NOLA, let alone actively promote it. But what do you know? I got to school today to find our announcement prominently displayed throughout campus on the Sullivan Docket.
Anyone in the Seattle area, reading this is hereby invited to join us at Moe’s on Thursday for some partying. Proceeds from the sale of “New Orleans” cocktails will directly defray the costs of our volunteer trip. Cheers!
The thing speaks for itself
Monday, February 18, 2008
We’re moving on to the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur in Torts this week, which reminds me of a favorite Gonzo quote:
“Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish — a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow — to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested… Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll.”
Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo Papers, Vol. 2: Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the ‘80s (1988)
Law Friday - Stuff White People Like
Friday, February 15, 2008
Someone emailed Nick a link to a new Web site today called Stuff White People Like. If you’re not overly sensitive to racial stereotypes as a source of humor, you’ll love this site. In fact, I can almost guarantee if you’re white you’ll be laughing at yourself in no time over your follies.
Apparently one of the things white people like is lawyers. (Hey, that’s great, right? ‘Cause someone will have to pay me so I can afford my husband’s Porsche after I graduate.)
The article begins with a poignant observation:
A common characteristic amongst white people is the need to over analyze things, so they partake in activities such as therapy, writing a blog, or becoming an arts major. So its rather obvious why white people love lawyers so much as it is the one profession that has mastered the art of “over analyzing things”.
Has the author has been reading my journal? (Crap! A journal...is that something that white people like too?)
You wanna know what else white people like? Movies and TV shows about lawyers. I think I’ll go watch the latest Law & Order now.
Law Friday - Super Bowl edition
Friday, February 1, 2008
I’m straying from the usual Law Friday format to bring you a special edition, containing a tasty buffet of legal angles on Sunday’s big game. Let the tailgate begin!
Trademarks! - Remember when Dennis Green tried to register the phrase “They are who we thought they were” with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office a month or so ago? Amusing, but not nearly as bold as the Patriots’ latest act. To the ire of Giants fans everywhere, the Patriots have filed a registration to trademark “19-0″ and “19-0 The Perfect season.” Three cheers for the New York Post, which spent $375 for its own trademark application yesterday — on 18-1.
Copyrights! - The Washington Post reported on the ever-vigilant NFL’s efforts to pull the plug on big-screen Super Bowl shindigs at churches. The league insists that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets — those larger than 55 inches — violates the NFL copyright. You know the drill: “This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL’s consent is prohibited.” Believe it or not, part of me understands where the NFL is coming from, but the law seems a little outdated and problematic to me. It seems likely that many home viewers will watch the game on TVs much larger than this. Will the NFL start suing these folks, as well? To be consistent and protect their legal rights, I think they have to. Where will they draw the line?
Counterfeits! - The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency are on the ground in Glendale cracking down on the sale of counterfeit merchandise, conducting raids on dealers who descend upon the Super Bowl to hawk their goods. They’ve already seized about $140,000 worth of goods, according to the NYT. “A significant number of professional counterfeiters come into the host city every year,” Anastasia Danias, a lawyer for the NFL, told the Times. They come, she said, “hoping to make a quick buck off fans’ enthusiasm for the game.” Considering the NFL has about $3 billion to lose in this area, there’s no surprise.
Shenanegins! - Where would professional sports be without it’s fair share of mis-behaving players. Early this morning, New York Giants backup defensive end Adrian Awasom was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving by Arizona state police. Think he’ll make bail?
Gambling! - Lastly, let’s not forget the question of whether office pools are legal. It appears they are, according to RCW 9.46.0335, but not without some pretty specific restrictions. The outcome must be based on the score (sorry, bets about number of sacks relative to field goals are out). The most that can be wagered in a given pool is $100. Once the game starts, the betting is closed. And if you’re organizing the pool, you cannot conduct another sports pool for the same event.