There were some great costumes on the Today Show. For some reason I am unable to post the pictures, but here is the link. Check out slides 7, 10 and 11.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/interactive.aspx?type=ss&launch=27472884,2&pg=7
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
No room in the manger, but plenty of space in the Hummer.
As you may know from reading The Blog, I have a colleague whose name is Mary, and her husband’s name is Joseph, and they coincidentally share many of the virtues of the original Mary and Joseph (actually it is no coincidence since those names are aliases). At any rate, Mary and Joseph are virtuous, kind, and generally live pretty austere lives (and they will become more austere next week when their sole mode of transportation becomes an ’86 Jeep). But tomorrow night, Mary and Joseph are letting some flash out as they will be doing a bar crawl in two 30-passenger Hummer limousines. These limos are so big I cannot even find a picture of one; the largest I have seen are the 25 passenger ones. They are so big that if one person at one end of the limo calls another person at the other end it is an interLATA call unless the terminating carrier is doing VNXX (telecom joke). This limo has eight bars, three TVs, two dance floors (one on the ceiling), but alas no KC & the Sunshine Band (who are coming to Denver next month). Mary is dressing as Little Red Riding Hood and suffice to say Ms. Hood has never rocked a ride so fly as this Hummer. As one who has cursed much smaller Hummer limos for taking up an entire non-curb lane on the road, you may want to consider avoiding the Colfax corridor tomorrow night (and, yes, I mean the entire Colfax corridor). So I just wanted to alert you in case you mistakenly thought when seeing the limos that the Palins are celebrating Halloween in Denver.Only in Vegas . . .
. . . could you vote and play slots in the same room. I guess both are a gamble with Obama being the jackpot.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
On Wednesday, Nov. 5th . . .
. . . Beautiful Disaster will recreate this scene in the Castle Rock kitchen of the ACME offices by waxing Elvis's chest hair. His chest may look like this:
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Today is Truly a Day of Enlightenment for Us All
From Details/CoEd:
A little trivia for you: The origins of the term “cougar” dates back to the 1980’s when members of the Vancouver Canucks used it in the locker room as a derogatory name for the team’s older groupies. But the concept has been around much longer.
Hot, tight-bodied older women have always fueled younger men’s sexual fantasies since our fathers were our age. (Just watch 1967’s The Graduate to see Dustin Hoffman seduced by pop-culture’s first cougar.) But now that every “The View”-watching wildcat is lusting after boy-toy ass, a new breed of sexed-up older ladies is upon us - and no man is safe.
A little trivia for you: The origins of the term “cougar” dates back to the 1980’s when members of the Vancouver Canucks used it in the locker room as a derogatory name for the team’s older groupies. But the concept has been around much longer.
Hot, tight-bodied older women have always fueled younger men’s sexual fantasies since our fathers were our age. (Just watch 1967’s The Graduate to see Dustin Hoffman seduced by pop-culture’s first cougar.) But now that every “The View”-watching wildcat is lusting after boy-toy ass, a new breed of sexed-up older ladies is upon us - and no man is safe.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I Fear I May Have Picked the Wrong Career
I should be the person conducting this type of research:
The Come-Hither Voice
By Rachel Zelkowitz
ScienceNOW Daily News
8 October 2008
Forget the scent of a woman. Listen to her voice to find out if she's in the mood, researchers say.
Female animals produce a variety of cues to let males know they're fertile and looking to mate. For example, research on humans has shown that women's faces and scents become even more attractive to men as levels of a chemical called luteinizing hormone rise in women, and their ovarian follicles prepare to release an egg. Female lap dancers even appear to earn higher tips when ovulating (ScienceNOW, 5 October). In certain animals, such as cows and elephants, the females moo, bellow, and grunt more during ovulation. But no one had looked for a link between ovulation and women's voices.
Two researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, decided to examine the question by comparing voice recordings of women at different stages of the menstrual cycle. They enlisted 69 women between the ages of 18 and 39 who were not on birth control, and they used urine tests to analyze the woman's level of luteinizing hormone. The volunteers were recorded saying vowel sounds "eh-ee-ii-o-oo" and a sentence, "Hi, I am a student at UCLA" at the peak of ovulation and at the end of the reproductive cycle, just before the women began menstruating.
The researchers then analyzed the two samples for differences in traits such as pitch, speech rate, and scratchiness, or sound quality. On average, the women's voices were about 5 hz higher in pitch at the peak of ovulation than before menstruation. That's a small difference, so the researchers also played the recordings to a group of 15 men and women to see if humans could detect the difference. The listeners could distinguish the higher one 55% of the time, slightly better than chance, the researchers report today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biology Letters.
The pitch difference occurred only when women uttered the sentence, not when they made the vowel sounds, the scientists note. Lead researcher Greg Bryant, an evolutionary psychologist, says this suggests the hormone surge doesn't alter the vocal chords; instead, it may play out on a more subliminal level. "It's motivating them to dress differently and walk differently," he says, citing previous research that showed women act in ways perceived as more feminine during ovulation. "It could be making them talk differently."
Ben Jones, a psychologist at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K. who has studied how changes in the reproductive cycle affect women's behavior, says the findings "fit nicely" with previous research on ovulation and female behavior. "The picture that's emerging is that all these factors work together to increase the likelihood of women having healthy kids," Jones says. That's because increasing one's femininity might prove more appealing to the most masculine--and thus healthiest--mates, he says.
The Come-Hither Voice
By Rachel Zelkowitz
ScienceNOW Daily News
8 October 2008
Forget the scent of a woman. Listen to her voice to find out if she's in the mood, researchers say.
Female animals produce a variety of cues to let males know they're fertile and looking to mate. For example, research on humans has shown that women's faces and scents become even more attractive to men as levels of a chemical called luteinizing hormone rise in women, and their ovarian follicles prepare to release an egg. Female lap dancers even appear to earn higher tips when ovulating (ScienceNOW, 5 October). In certain animals, such as cows and elephants, the females moo, bellow, and grunt more during ovulation. But no one had looked for a link between ovulation and women's voices.
Two researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, decided to examine the question by comparing voice recordings of women at different stages of the menstrual cycle. They enlisted 69 women between the ages of 18 and 39 who were not on birth control, and they used urine tests to analyze the woman's level of luteinizing hormone. The volunteers were recorded saying vowel sounds "eh-ee-ii-o-oo" and a sentence, "Hi, I am a student at UCLA" at the peak of ovulation and at the end of the reproductive cycle, just before the women began menstruating.
The researchers then analyzed the two samples for differences in traits such as pitch, speech rate, and scratchiness, or sound quality. On average, the women's voices were about 5 hz higher in pitch at the peak of ovulation than before menstruation. That's a small difference, so the researchers also played the recordings to a group of 15 men and women to see if humans could detect the difference. The listeners could distinguish the higher one 55% of the time, slightly better than chance, the researchers report today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biology Letters.
The pitch difference occurred only when women uttered the sentence, not when they made the vowel sounds, the scientists note. Lead researcher Greg Bryant, an evolutionary psychologist, says this suggests the hormone surge doesn't alter the vocal chords; instead, it may play out on a more subliminal level. "It's motivating them to dress differently and walk differently," he says, citing previous research that showed women act in ways perceived as more feminine during ovulation. "It could be making them talk differently."
Ben Jones, a psychologist at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K. who has studied how changes in the reproductive cycle affect women's behavior, says the findings "fit nicely" with previous research on ovulation and female behavior. "The picture that's emerging is that all these factors work together to increase the likelihood of women having healthy kids," Jones says. That's because increasing one's femininity might prove more appealing to the most masculine--and thus healthiest--mates, he says.
If you want to keep updated about my blog
I know many of you view every minute that passes until you read my latest posting as precious moments forever lost, never to be regained. If you want to avoid losing those moments, just click on "Follow this Blog" on the right and follow the instructions. This will allow you to go back and dwell on the other things you have lost: your innocence, your virginity, your 401(k) . . .
An Innocent Man
A rash of false accusations has been taking place at the ACME Law Department and, unfortunately, most (ok, all) have been directed at yours truly. Admittedly I do have a history of being a prankster in the ACME offices such as placing a NKOTB poster in the cube of Beautiful Disaster, or putting a dirty Target bag in the otherwise immaculately clean office of Anderson Cooper, or sending flowers to a male co-worker with a note saying “Meet me in the lobby” and then racing down to see his reaction when no one showed up (but he played a trick on me so it was deserved). But in yesterday’s cases, the accusations were undeserved. First, someone left a package of beef ramen noodles on Penelope’s desk. Then, someone threw a half-filled Starbucks cup in RTD Rider’s recycling bin. And finally someone put a pink “Anderson” name tag on Anderson Cooper’s door. I, however, am blameless in all the incidents. In regard to the first one, I have not purchased, or otherwise had in my possession, ramen noodles of any kind since college over 20 years ago. Plus Penelope is a vegetarian, and has been for years, so it would be beyond belief (albeit highly amusing) if she chose to end that with the processed beef in beef ramen noodles. In regard to the Starbucks cup, yes, I am a Starbucks addict, and yes I do deposit my cups in Beautiful Disaster’s cube, but with her knowledge and consent (you see, they took away our trash cans and replaced them with recycling bins and you can’t put cups with liquid in the bins since the trash must be dry. BD, however, was aware of the stealth removal of the trash cans and hid hers so she is one of the lucky few who still have one. And lastly, I have not been near Anderson Cooper’s office in weeks. I have been cleared on one incident. Buckeye admitted that he took the ramen noodles from the kitchen and put in on Penelope’s desk. But the two other charges remain out there. Once the perps are apprehended, I expect a full, and public, apology from all who rendered false accusations against me.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Anticipating Our Every Need
Yes, the folks at Google are at it again -- staying one step ahead of the curve. Google has created a beta application that is akin to a breath tester in a car, i.e., your ignition is locked if your breath registers a BA % above a certain rate. In this case, if you sign up for the application and you attempt to send a Gmail between 10 pm and 4 am, you need to complete five math problems to be able to send an email. The intent is to preclude the sending of the email(s) you wrote in a drunken state which you regret the next morning. Back in the day, the risk was the 3am phone calls; many of my friends must have wished there was similar call impeding technology back then. The magic of those calls was that you actually had real-time conversations with the person you called; then again that person was usually half asleep.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Nature's Safe
I heard the news the other day that many people having been buying safes to secure their savings finding that banks are no longer worth the brick, mortar, wood, and drywall that constitutes their building. But one of my colleagues, let’s call her Corporate Bohemia since she has not picked a nickname yet, feels she has found an even more secure place – the bushes in front of her house. One morning CB had an early meeting and she was pulling out of her driveway when she discovered that she had her husband’s nephew’s girlfriend’s handbag in her car. Let’s call this person, Bonfemme. CB, not having time to stop the car, and run the bag inside, simply threw it in her front bushes. CB then proceeded to forget that fact for the rest of they day. Finally, her hubby called her in the evening and said that Bonfemme inquired about the whereabouts of her bag. Then CB remembered it was still in the front bushes. Now in fairness to CB, she reasonably suspected that said bag would not have much, if any, money in it. You see, while Bonfemme is intelligent and articulate, she is still searching for her career in life. For now, she is a caregiver for an autistic child and is primarily compensated by the free room and board offered by the child’s parents. But CB may be on to something. Thieves would look for a safe first in robbing a house. They would not likely check the front bushes for valuables. So perhaps the best “safe” is one of your front bushes (but watch for dogs that may pilfer the contents of the bushes). And, yes, the bag was still there in the bushes; untouched.
An Evening in the Sam's Club Parking Lot
It is a fascinating sociological and anthropological study to spend three hours observing what transpires in a Sam’s Club parking lot. What I discovered was i) invariably a car alarm will go off every hour and keep sounding for a minimum of five minutes; ii) the whole “disassembled box instead of bags” experiment that these bulk food stores use is a complete failure – I witnessed numerous cases of items falling out of the flimsy boxes onto the parking lot; iii) sales of Charmin have not been impacted by the economic crisis. Now what was I doing in the Sam’s Club parking lot for three hours on a Friday evening? No, I was not stalking anyone (believe me a Sam’s Club parking lot is a stalker-free zone). No, I was not hanging out with teens. And no, I was not waiting for Charmin to go on sale. I was collecting money for the Special Olympics by offering free Tootsie Rolls. Remember Tootsie Rolls? They were quite popular when I was a kid, but not as much today. And some non-children who took the free Tootsie Rolls did not grasp the concept that perhaps since I was standing there in a yellow vest which said “Please donate to the Special Olympics” and had a can in my hand which said the same thing meant that a nice quid pro quo for the free candy would be a donation.
There's Just Something About Mary II
Poor Mary. In the past week, on two occasions, once in a bar and once in a Starbucks she has had men say “I’m just not into you.” Once she was simply asking a guy where the ATM was and before she could even utter the question, the guy said “You’re not my type, missy” and acted all cool in front of his friends. At the Starbucks, another guy randomly told her something similar and they had not even initiated any remnant of a conversation. Don’t fret for Mary, though. One, she is blissfully married to a great guy so she does not need those losers. And two, it turns out she was a victim of what Maxim terms the “Neg.” (OK, yes I do subscribe to Maxim but it was a gift from my soon-to-be-former wife. It was one of the nicest things she did for me in the latter stages of our marriage. In fact, she got me a three year subscription. Of course, I failed to mention that she was snookered into buying $400 worth of magazine subscriptions by one of those teens who sell them door-to-door. At any rate, clearly, I do read the articles). Supposedly there was a recent book for men called The Game and one of the pointers they give is to try to pick up an attractive woman using reverse psychology, in this case, opening with an insult or back-handed compliment. The theory is that it supposedly makes the woman want you more. The reality is that not only do they now not want you, but they also think you are an ass and will communicate that to their other hot friends. Sure enough, the two guys who “neg-ed” Mary did end up trying to hit on her. The guy at the bar came up to her and apologized saying he was just trying to impress his friends. So women do not fret the “Neg;” it is the purveyors of the “Neg” who should fret.
Say It Ain't So!!!
Our ace Tidbits staff (for those new to the Blog, Tidbits is the successor to Curling Today, the tabloid arm of the Blog. CT was renamed due to IP reasons. Congrats to Beautiful Disaster who won the naming contest) has heard that the talk in Hollywood (Tidbits has no actual staff in Hollywood so it relies on news from other tabloids; essentially it is a reseller of tabloid news) is that David Duchovny’s marriage to the luscious Tea Leoni did not break up due to his sex addiction (you might as well face it you’re addicted to love) but because Tea was dabbling with the Billy Bob. This has not been confirmed and no sightings of amulets with BB’s blood have appeared around Tea’s neck, but no gossip around Hollywood can ever be random. This continues the strange fascination of Hollywood starlets with the Bob (Dern, Jolie), and all I can ask is why? Women readers, are you attracted to the Bob? If so, why? And you mean to tell me that I have been wasting my money on skin products to make me look like a dashing metrosexual when all I need to do is look like a scraggly bum like the Bob?
Even Better than SNL
Check out the video of the Alfred Smith Foundation Dinner which is traditionally the last time the candidates meet before the election. It is a political roast and had McCain and Obama roasting each other. Some excellent jokes and this is one debate that McCain won. Here is a link to it. C-Span also has the video.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/al-smith-dinner-obama-mcc_n_135455.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/al-smith-dinner-obama-mcc_n_135455.html
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Valuable Advice No. 2
I realize that I am running the risk that some of you may view me as a “Dear Abby” or Dr. Phil-type by providing so much useful advice, but I feel duty-bound to pass on this advice. If you are planning on stalking someone, do not put their picture as your background on your computer or cell phone. I learned this from watching an episode of Fringe, a new dramatic series from JJ Abrams currently on Fox. In the episode, a delivery guy was madly in love with a receptionist at an office where he made daily deliveries. Of course, she had no clue. Then one day they were on an elevator together, and the elevator suddenly plunged a few floors and came to a stop. All the passengers fell over each other, and the delivery guy dropped his cell phone. The unwitting object of his affection picked up the phone and lo and behold saw her picture as the wallpaper on his cell phone. She had that aghast look that people display when they realize they are being stalked. Luckily for him, the elevator plunged again, this time all the way to ground floor and everyone died except for himself. But a stalker cannot always expect to escape an embarrassing situation so easily. Real life is much different from TV. So consider yourself warned; always use the generic Microsoft Windows picture as your wallpaper if you are a stalker.
Where are all the interns?
Buired in your law books? I miss the parrying. Someone comment on something. Jenny from the GV, if you are reading this, I saw a GV patrol car on I-25. I guess they have been allowed to return to their patrol cars. No more stakeouts in the bushes to nab turtle-esque drivers. By the way, the 3G works like a gem; I told you to ignore Joe. Speaking of Joe Rove, how goes the Young Lawyers for McCain a/k/a LOST.
Valuable Advice
Periodically, the Blog likes to give some useful advice, and that often is the only time the Blog provides anything "useful."
My advice -- Never schedule a glucose tolerance test (GCT) on the same day you schedule a dental cleaning.
Why? I am doing this study for CU Hospital. Since it is a study I cannot divulge the full details, but I have to do periodic GCTs for the study. For the unaware, a GCT requires you to fast for at least eight hours. They then draw blood from you to establish baseline levels. Fifteen minutes later, you are given a small bottle containing what is the equivalent of a sugar-laden orange soda. That is your sole nourishment for the four hour study during which they draw blood from you at 30 minute intervals. My GCT ran longer than expected, so I was unable to grab lunch before my dentist appt as I had planned to do. As a result, I had my cleaning on an empty stomach. This heightened my gag reflex, and, just my luck, my hygienist wields a mean pick. She likes to explore the full depths of my mouth (boy, this is sounding pretty racy here; rest assured it was not as I clung to the chair and stared at the map of the world on the ceiling). So I was in permanent gag mode for the duration of the appt. And to facilitate her cleaning of my molars she really likes to reach deep into my mouth (again, in a totally non-erotic manner). To enhance her reach, she has to essentially plant her chest into my face, or vice-versa. Normally, I enjoy this immeasurably, but since I was in gag mode this time, it was torture. So this is why I counsel against doing a GCT on the same day as a dental cleaning.
My advice -- Never schedule a glucose tolerance test (GCT) on the same day you schedule a dental cleaning.
Why? I am doing this study for CU Hospital. Since it is a study I cannot divulge the full details, but I have to do periodic GCTs for the study. For the unaware, a GCT requires you to fast for at least eight hours. They then draw blood from you to establish baseline levels. Fifteen minutes later, you are given a small bottle containing what is the equivalent of a sugar-laden orange soda. That is your sole nourishment for the four hour study during which they draw blood from you at 30 minute intervals. My GCT ran longer than expected, so I was unable to grab lunch before my dentist appt as I had planned to do. As a result, I had my cleaning on an empty stomach. This heightened my gag reflex, and, just my luck, my hygienist wields a mean pick. She likes to explore the full depths of my mouth (boy, this is sounding pretty racy here; rest assured it was not as I clung to the chair and stared at the map of the world on the ceiling). So I was in permanent gag mode for the duration of the appt. And to facilitate her cleaning of my molars she really likes to reach deep into my mouth (again, in a totally non-erotic manner). To enhance her reach, she has to essentially plant her chest into my face, or vice-versa. Normally, I enjoy this immeasurably, but since I was in gag mode this time, it was torture. So this is why I counsel against doing a GCT on the same day as a dental cleaning.
"W"
As America anxiously awaits the opening of "W" Oliver Stone's take on the Worst President in History, I am sure Grande Roja will be plotting ways in which to lure her ardently Republican husband to the movie theater to see it. She almost succeeded in getting him to watch "Sicko" by telling her hubby it was a horror movie (and, it actually was).
Ignore the 2% Figure . . .
Your Republican friends will tout a Gallup poll saying the margin is down to 2%. Toss that out the window based on the following:
Gallup is presenting two likely voter estimates to see how preferences might vary under different turnout scenarios. The "expanded" model determines likely voters based only on current voting intentions. This estimate would take into account higher turnout among groups of voters traditionally less likely to vote, such as young adults and minorities. That model has generally produced results that closely match the registered voter figures, but with a lower undecided percentage, and show Obama up by six percentage points today, 51% to 45%.
The "traditional" likely voter model, which Gallup has employed for past elections, factors in prior voting behavior as well as current voting intention. This has generally shown a closer contest, reflecting the fact that Republicans have typically been more likely to vote than Democrats in previous elections. Today's results show Obama with a two-point advantage over McCain using this likely voter model, 49% to 47%, this is within the poll's margin of error. -- Frank Newport
Gallup is presenting two likely voter estimates to see how preferences might vary under different turnout scenarios. The "expanded" model determines likely voters based only on current voting intentions. This estimate would take into account higher turnout among groups of voters traditionally less likely to vote, such as young adults and minorities. That model has generally produced results that closely match the registered voter figures, but with a lower undecided percentage, and show Obama up by six percentage points today, 51% to 45%.
The "traditional" likely voter model, which Gallup has employed for past elections, factors in prior voting behavior as well as current voting intention. This has generally shown a closer contest, reflecting the fact that Republicans have typically been more likely to vote than Democrats in previous elections. Today's results show Obama with a two-point advantage over McCain using this likely voter model, 49% to 47%, this is within the poll's margin of error. -- Frank Newport
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
More Sage Investment Advice -- Vote Democrat
Courtesy of The Invisible Hand of Idiocy by Devilstower Tue Oct 14, 2008 at 03:30:04 PM PDT:
Democrats fight for reasoned regulation of the markets using a consistent, fair framework. Republicans chaff at any restraint, sure that the market can be "self regulating." So how much data do you need to see which side is right? Since 1929, Republicans and Democrats have each controlled the presidency for nearly 40 years. ... As of Friday, a $10,000 investment in the S.& P. stock market index would have grown to $11,733 if invested under Republican presidents only ... Invested under Democratic presidents only, $10,000 would have grown to $300,671 at a compound rate of 8.9 percent over nearly 40 years. $1700 in growth under Republicans, $290,000 under Democrats. Even if you exclude the failure of the markets under Hoover, Democrats still come out with six times the results of the GOP.Of seven Republican presidents, three turned in negative results and the average rate of return was only 0.4%. Every Democratic president since 1929 has turned in a positive performance, with Bill Clinton setting the record at a 15.2% rate of growth.So the next time someone suggests to you that the market averages 6%, or 7%, or 8% growth over the long term, remember this caveat: only when Democrats are in charge.
Democrats fight for reasoned regulation of the markets using a consistent, fair framework. Republicans chaff at any restraint, sure that the market can be "self regulating." So how much data do you need to see which side is right? Since 1929, Republicans and Democrats have each controlled the presidency for nearly 40 years. ... As of Friday, a $10,000 investment in the S.& P. stock market index would have grown to $11,733 if invested under Republican presidents only ... Invested under Democratic presidents only, $10,000 would have grown to $300,671 at a compound rate of 8.9 percent over nearly 40 years. $1700 in growth under Republicans, $290,000 under Democrats. Even if you exclude the failure of the markets under Hoover, Democrats still come out with six times the results of the GOP.Of seven Republican presidents, three turned in negative results and the average rate of return was only 0.4%. Every Democratic president since 1929 has turned in a positive performance, with Bill Clinton setting the record at a 15.2% rate of growth.So the next time someone suggests to you that the market averages 6%, or 7%, or 8% growth over the long term, remember this caveat: only when Democrats are in charge.
Maybe You Don't Need a Financial Planner
Someone passed along this sage investment advice to me:
If you had purchased $1,000 of AIG stock one year ago, youwould have $42 left. With Lehman, you would have $6.60 left. With Fannie or Freddie, you would have less than $5 left. But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago,drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for thealuminum recycling REFUND, you would have had $214.Based on the above, the best current investment advice isto drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-Keg.....
If you had purchased $1,000 of AIG stock one year ago, youwould have $42 left. With Lehman, you would have $6.60 left. With Fannie or Freddie, you would have less than $5 left. But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago,drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for thealuminum recycling REFUND, you would have had $214.Based on the above, the best current investment advice isto drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-Keg.....
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Supreme Court Opinions Can Be Droll
Sunny Day. The Chief Dissents. A Touch of Noir.
Three years into his job as chief justice, is John Roberts Jr. already getting bored with traditional opinion-writing? Or is it just one more way in which he is following in the footsteps of William Rehnquist, his predecessor, mentor, and amateur mystery writer? Or does Roberts have a law clerk who's a descendant of Dashiell Hammett? These are just three of the questions that come to mind after reading an extraordinary dissent from denial of review issued this morning by the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania v. Dunlap, a fairly routine drug arrest case raising "probable cause" issues. Roberts, who was joined by Justice Anthony Kennedy, wrote the dissent, and this is how it begins:
"Officer Sean Devlin, Narcotics Strike Force, was working the morning shift. Undercover surveillance. The neighborhood? Tough as a three dollar steak. Devlin knew. Five years on the beat, nine months with the Strike Force. He’d made fifteen, twenty drug busts in the neighborhood.
"Devlin spotted him: a lone man on the corner. Another approached. Quick exchange of words. Cash handed over; small objects handed back. Each man then quickly on his own way. Devlin knew the guy wasn’t buying bus tokens. He radioed a description and Officer Stein picked up the buyer. Sure enough: three bags of crack in the guy’s pocket. Head downtown and book him. Just another day at the office."
The rest of the dissent is written in routine opinion-speak. Just another day at the office, you might say, except for those top two paragraphs. Paul Levine, a prolific Florida mystery writer and former lawyer who co-created First Monday, the short-lived TV drama on the Supreme Court, said after reading Roberts' work today, "Good for the Chief. Faux Hammett and imitation Chandler beat legalese any day." He added, "My guess is that the Chief lost a bet with Scalia on the baseball playoffs. If Roberts wins the next wager, Scalia will have to write an opinion in iambic pentameter."
Three years into his job as chief justice, is John Roberts Jr. already getting bored with traditional opinion-writing? Or is it just one more way in which he is following in the footsteps of William Rehnquist, his predecessor, mentor, and amateur mystery writer? Or does Roberts have a law clerk who's a descendant of Dashiell Hammett? These are just three of the questions that come to mind after reading an extraordinary dissent from denial of review issued this morning by the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania v. Dunlap, a fairly routine drug arrest case raising "probable cause" issues. Roberts, who was joined by Justice Anthony Kennedy, wrote the dissent, and this is how it begins:
"Officer Sean Devlin, Narcotics Strike Force, was working the morning shift. Undercover surveillance. The neighborhood? Tough as a three dollar steak. Devlin knew. Five years on the beat, nine months with the Strike Force. He’d made fifteen, twenty drug busts in the neighborhood.
"Devlin spotted him: a lone man on the corner. Another approached. Quick exchange of words. Cash handed over; small objects handed back. Each man then quickly on his own way. Devlin knew the guy wasn’t buying bus tokens. He radioed a description and Officer Stein picked up the buyer. Sure enough: three bags of crack in the guy’s pocket. Head downtown and book him. Just another day at the office."
The rest of the dissent is written in routine opinion-speak. Just another day at the office, you might say, except for those top two paragraphs. Paul Levine, a prolific Florida mystery writer and former lawyer who co-created First Monday, the short-lived TV drama on the Supreme Court, said after reading Roberts' work today, "Good for the Chief. Faux Hammett and imitation Chandler beat legalese any day." He added, "My guess is that the Chief lost a bet with Scalia on the baseball playoffs. If Roberts wins the next wager, Scalia will have to write an opinion in iambic pentameter."
I Always Thought Sarah Palin was a fusion of FDR and Princess Di
Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are not the only political odd couple who share a family tree. Sarah Palin is linked in her lineage to Franklin Roosevelt. She also has a connection with Princess Diana.
Roosevelt, the Depression-era Democratic president, is a distant cousin of Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, according to genealogists at Ancestry.com.
Roosevelt is Palin's ninth cousin once removed. Their common ancestor is Rev. John Lothrop, who came to Massachusetts in 1634.
Palin also has ties to the late British princess, the Web site's researchers found. The Alaska governor is a 10th cousin of the former royal.
Last year, Cheney's wife, Lynne, discovered the ancestral ties between the Republican vice president and Democratic presidential nominee while researching her book. She said the relationship was eighth cousin, though the Chicago Sun-Times has traced it as ninth cousins once removed.
Roosevelt, the Depression-era Democratic president, is a distant cousin of Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, according to genealogists at Ancestry.com.
Roosevelt is Palin's ninth cousin once removed. Their common ancestor is Rev. John Lothrop, who came to Massachusetts in 1634.
Palin also has ties to the late British princess, the Web site's researchers found. The Alaska governor is a 10th cousin of the former royal.
Last year, Cheney's wife, Lynne, discovered the ancestral ties between the Republican vice president and Democratic presidential nominee while researching her book. She said the relationship was eighth cousin, though the Chicago Sun-Times has traced it as ninth cousins once removed.
Apparently there is a strategy to ineptitude
Or as Pres. Bush would say, "stratergy"
"Let me give you the state of the race today. We have 22 days to go. We're six points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator [Harry] Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we've got them just where we want them," John McCain said yesterday.
Apparently, McCain is channeling Napoleon at Waterloo. Or Charlie Brown as he is about to attempt a field goal.
"Let me give you the state of the race today. We have 22 days to go. We're six points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator [Harry] Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we've got them just where we want them," John McCain said yesterday.
Apparently, McCain is channeling Napoleon at Waterloo. Or Charlie Brown as he is about to attempt a field goal.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Someone Somebody Somewhere
OK, I guess it is only fair that I throw myself out there. After over 150 posts, probing into the depths of individuals, public figures and private souls, it is time to reveal some of myself. I am not sure why I decided tonight was the night to start, but it was triggered by a song. More on that later.
As some of you know, I make mix CDs. I have been doing this for about 23 years now; when I started they were mix tapes. For me these tapes or CDs were not meant as a form of seduction as they are for many people; instead I just wanted to share the wonderful music I have heard. And I have heard a lot. I started out with vinyl records and had hundreds of those. I think my CD collection numbers over 500 and that is after discarding many at the behest of my soon-to-be-former wife. And now I have over 1300 songs on my iTunes. I am a music addict; plain and simple. My ultimate dream is to be a DJ at a night club; a trendy one in a big city; one in which I hold sway over the masses on the dance floor below. But that dream has expired; at least any hope of it ever realistically manifesting itself.
So I do the next best thing. I make mix CDs for people and I spread the music that way. By the way, if you want to be on my distro list, let me know. They are free. One of the best tapes I ever made was called “Happiness” which ironically enough was made at a time in which I was very unhappy. I had just experienced a romance that was nipped in the bud, and as I am sure many of you can identify, there is no worse feeling. You are always left with a feeling of “what if . . . .” The tape reflected the manner in which I deal with sadness. Side A, I believe was titled Disintegration, which was the title of a Cure album that came out in the mid-80s. The album was distilled sadness, and, yes, it dealt with the disintegration of a romance with such killer lines as:
i never said i would stay to the end so i leave you with babies and hoping for frequencyscreaming like this in the hope of the secrecyscreaming me over and over and overi leave you with photographs pictures of trickerystains on the carpet and stains on the scenerysongs about happiness murmured in dreamswhen we both us knew how the ending would be...
Side A consisted of the saddest songs I knew, because I felt, and still feel, that to purge sadness you have to experience its deepest depths. Side B was then titled Integration because after you reach the depths you begin the climb upwards. You literally piece yourself back together again. So Side B deals with hope. And hope for me was reattaching myself to my romantic ideals. For me, music really helped articulate and conceptualize what I was searching for. And just like everyone else I was searching for that Someone Somewhere in Summertime.
Stay, I'm burning slow
With me in the rain, walking in the soft rain
Calling out my name
See me burning slow
Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change all the time
Memories, burning gold memories
Gold of day memories change me in these times
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Stay, I'm burning slow
With me in the rain, walking in the soft rain
Calling out my name
See me burning slow
Moments burn, slow burning golden nights
Once more see city lights, holding candles to the flame
Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change me all the time
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
For many years I thought I found this "someone" in my wife. But now I know that was an illusion, and an illusion I helped craft. Tonight I heard a song on one of my newer CDs titled “Use Somebody” that reminded me that I am still searching. It is a song by Kings of Leon, a band from Tennessee that is more popular in the UK than here. I never was really into them; I did see them open for R.E.M. once. But this song captured my feelings. I may never find this woman. Maybe it is just an illusion. Maybe, like the premise of “The Ex-List” this person was already in my life and I failed to recognize her. Or maybe you only get one shot. I don’t know. But for now I will keep looking.
I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you noticeI hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me
I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see.
I don’t know who this “somebody” is; I just hope there is a “somebody” for “someone like me.”
As some of you know, I make mix CDs. I have been doing this for about 23 years now; when I started they were mix tapes. For me these tapes or CDs were not meant as a form of seduction as they are for many people; instead I just wanted to share the wonderful music I have heard. And I have heard a lot. I started out with vinyl records and had hundreds of those. I think my CD collection numbers over 500 and that is after discarding many at the behest of my soon-to-be-former wife. And now I have over 1300 songs on my iTunes. I am a music addict; plain and simple. My ultimate dream is to be a DJ at a night club; a trendy one in a big city; one in which I hold sway over the masses on the dance floor below. But that dream has expired; at least any hope of it ever realistically manifesting itself.
So I do the next best thing. I make mix CDs for people and I spread the music that way. By the way, if you want to be on my distro list, let me know. They are free. One of the best tapes I ever made was called “Happiness” which ironically enough was made at a time in which I was very unhappy. I had just experienced a romance that was nipped in the bud, and as I am sure many of you can identify, there is no worse feeling. You are always left with a feeling of “what if . . . .” The tape reflected the manner in which I deal with sadness. Side A, I believe was titled Disintegration, which was the title of a Cure album that came out in the mid-80s. The album was distilled sadness, and, yes, it dealt with the disintegration of a romance with such killer lines as:
i never said i would stay to the end so i leave you with babies and hoping for frequencyscreaming like this in the hope of the secrecyscreaming me over and over and overi leave you with photographs pictures of trickerystains on the carpet and stains on the scenerysongs about happiness murmured in dreamswhen we both us knew how the ending would be...
Side A consisted of the saddest songs I knew, because I felt, and still feel, that to purge sadness you have to experience its deepest depths. Side B was then titled Integration because after you reach the depths you begin the climb upwards. You literally piece yourself back together again. So Side B deals with hope. And hope for me was reattaching myself to my romantic ideals. For me, music really helped articulate and conceptualize what I was searching for. And just like everyone else I was searching for that Someone Somewhere in Summertime.
Stay, I'm burning slow
With me in the rain, walking in the soft rain
Calling out my name
See me burning slow
Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change all the time
Memories, burning gold memories
Gold of day memories change me in these times
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Stay, I'm burning slow
With me in the rain, walking in the soft rain
Calling out my name
See me burning slow
Moments burn, slow burning golden nights
Once more see city lights, holding candles to the flame
Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change me all the time
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
For many years I thought I found this "someone" in my wife. But now I know that was an illusion, and an illusion I helped craft. Tonight I heard a song on one of my newer CDs titled “Use Somebody” that reminded me that I am still searching. It is a song by Kings of Leon, a band from Tennessee that is more popular in the UK than here. I never was really into them; I did see them open for R.E.M. once. But this song captured my feelings. I may never find this woman. Maybe it is just an illusion. Maybe, like the premise of “The Ex-List” this person was already in my life and I failed to recognize her. Or maybe you only get one shot. I don’t know. But for now I will keep looking.
I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you noticeI hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me
I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see.
I don’t know who this “somebody” is; I just hope there is a “somebody” for “someone like me.”
The Value of an Open Mind
The problems we face today are much to complex and significant to let ideology or notions of party politics get in the way. The Administration seems to be finally learning that lesson, but is it too late?
From the NY Times:
Two weeks after persuading Congress to let it spend $700 billion to buy distressed securities tied to mortgages, the Bush administration has put that idea aside in favor of a new approach that would have the government inject capital directly into the nation’s banks — in effect, partially nationalizing the industry.
As recently as Sept. 23, senior officials had publicly derided proposals by Democrats to have the government take ownership stakes in banks.
The Treasury Department’s surprising turnaround on the issue of buying stock in banks, which has now become its primary focus, has raised questions about whether the administration squandered valuable time in trying to sell Congress on a plan that officials had failed to think through in advance.
It has also raised questions about whether the administration’s deep philosophical aversion to government ownership in private companies hindered its ability to look at all options for stabilizing the markets.
Some experts also contend that Treasury’s decision last month to not use taxpayer money to save Lehman Brothers worsened the panic that quickly metastasized into an international crisis.
From the NY Times:
Two weeks after persuading Congress to let it spend $700 billion to buy distressed securities tied to mortgages, the Bush administration has put that idea aside in favor of a new approach that would have the government inject capital directly into the nation’s banks — in effect, partially nationalizing the industry.
As recently as Sept. 23, senior officials had publicly derided proposals by Democrats to have the government take ownership stakes in banks.
The Treasury Department’s surprising turnaround on the issue of buying stock in banks, which has now become its primary focus, has raised questions about whether the administration squandered valuable time in trying to sell Congress on a plan that officials had failed to think through in advance.
It has also raised questions about whether the administration’s deep philosophical aversion to government ownership in private companies hindered its ability to look at all options for stabilizing the markets.
Some experts also contend that Treasury’s decision last month to not use taxpayer money to save Lehman Brothers worsened the panic that quickly metastasized into an international crisis.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Who is the Biggest Loser?
Yes, clearly, this is a big blow for the empire-building dreams of Sarah and Todd. But surely it could not have come as a surprise to them. Granted, before they became educated in civics and ethics after her nomination they thought her Governor’s position gave her unchecked control over her private fiefdom of Alaska. Now they know, and hopefully Alaskans do the right thing and nip her “political” career in the bud by voting her out of office.
The big blow, however, is dealt to Sen. McCain, whose judgment is now discredited. Ironically, the man who has spent his campaign trying to denigrate the character of Sen. Obama is now the one left holding the unethical mess that is Sarah Palin. And all the concerns about his rash decision-making in his choice of Gov. Palin are validated and all the questions about his quick-trigger are only exacerbated.
The big blow, however, is dealt to Sen. McCain, whose judgment is now discredited. Ironically, the man who has spent his campaign trying to denigrate the character of Sen. Obama is now the one left holding the unethical mess that is Sarah Palin. And all the concerns about his rash decision-making in his choice of Gov. Palin are validated and all the questions about his quick-trigger are only exacerbated.
The Women of Curling -- The Official Blog Review
First, let me say this calendar did not disappoint. To the women/ladies of curling, you are all beautiful and do a tremendous service to your sport. To the calendar makers, very tastefully done. Great promotion of the sport. And it is very altruistic of you to donate proceeds to the lady curlers and/or their favorite charities. To the US lady curlers, sadly none of you made the cut, but here's to next year! To Denverites, there is a major curling competition in Denver next February. And to the world, I highly recommend this wonderful calendar.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Woman of Curling
I finally got the calendar. Full report tomorrow.
Oh, and the starlet in the quiz from earlier this week was Ellie May from the Beverly Hillbillies.
Oh, and the starlet in the quiz from earlier this week was Ellie May from the Beverly Hillbillies.
Things Not to Do in the Garage of your Office Building
I was cruising in the lower garage of the ACME building and I see a very cute blonde from afar strutting to the elevator. As I get closer, I realize to my horror it is a co-worker. I immediately get that look on my face that Macaulay Culkin had in Home Alone I, II and III.
So I do apologize to my co-worker for “checking her out” even though she was blissfully unaware of the fact (she is blonde after all; just kidding; actually she is extremely bright). And I vow to never check out a co-worker again, particularly since this blog has no umbrella insurance. I will restrict my gawking to the Channel 9 studio, and my gym, and I-25, and church (just kidding II), and Earls, and Coyote Ugly, and Red Rocks, the Fillmore, the Gothic, Zengo, DIA, Invesco, Red Robin . . .
The Good Samaritan?
When I got in my car this morning, my car indicated that I had only 20 miles left of fuel. Not wanting to endure the Mary saga of running out of gas and having to walk miles to a gas station (and having no spouse or significant other to blame for running out of gas), I decided to fill up at my local gas station. While I was getting ready to “fill ‘er up” an attractive cougar came up to me and asked if I could jump start her car. Of course, I said yes (and for the record, I would have said yes to anyone as long as they did not have Crips or Bloods written on their jacket or tattooed on their body). (Before I continue, a brief digression discussion -- One, is an attractive middle-age woman a cougar if her prey is someone in her own age group? And this begs the following question – Is an attractive middle-age woman a cougar if she is not on the prowl, i.e., happily in a relationship? I wish we had a Supreme Court to address these types of questions).
Well, my chivalrous endeavor when south pretty quickly. One, I could not find the latch to release the hood. Now before you nod your head in disapproval, I have never had to pop the hood on my car in four years; I let my dealer’s garage do that. I also drive an European car and as any European car driver can attest Europeans do not make anything in their cars “easy” – for instance, see the almost universal disdain for the mouse in BMWs when they were first introduced (for the record, I am not a B-mer driver but I did read of the very negative reaction). So I had to pop open the manual to find out where the lever was and, of course, it was in some remote, practically hidden location with no sign indicating its location. So then I pop the hood and discover the battery is not there. Back to the manual I go. It turns out the battery is in the trunk. But, of course, it is under the floor, and my trunk is jam packed with stuff from my move that I have to find a place for since I no longer have a garage. At this point, the woman jokes, “your trunk is as bad as my office.” Little does she know that my office is equally bad. After a couple of minutes of my trying to rearrange stuff to access the battery, she suggests that perhaps she should ask someone else. I reluctantly concur, as I have a conference call to join.
So she asks another guy who thankfully for her sake actually knew what he was doing. He checked her lights and they were still working as were her interior lights so he discerned that when she parked the gear probably had not fully fallen into place. And, lo and behold, he was right and the car started right up. As simple as that. So I don’t know if a failed Samaritan is a good one, but hopefully it is the thought that counts.
Well, my chivalrous endeavor when south pretty quickly. One, I could not find the latch to release the hood. Now before you nod your head in disapproval, I have never had to pop the hood on my car in four years; I let my dealer’s garage do that. I also drive an European car and as any European car driver can attest Europeans do not make anything in their cars “easy” – for instance, see the almost universal disdain for the mouse in BMWs when they were first introduced (for the record, I am not a B-mer driver but I did read of the very negative reaction). So I had to pop open the manual to find out where the lever was and, of course, it was in some remote, practically hidden location with no sign indicating its location. So then I pop the hood and discover the battery is not there. Back to the manual I go. It turns out the battery is in the trunk. But, of course, it is under the floor, and my trunk is jam packed with stuff from my move that I have to find a place for since I no longer have a garage. At this point, the woman jokes, “your trunk is as bad as my office.” Little does she know that my office is equally bad. After a couple of minutes of my trying to rearrange stuff to access the battery, she suggests that perhaps she should ask someone else. I reluctantly concur, as I have a conference call to join.
So she asks another guy who thankfully for her sake actually knew what he was doing. He checked her lights and they were still working as were her interior lights so he discerned that when she parked the gear probably had not fully fallen into place. And, lo and behold, he was right and the car started right up. As simple as that. So I don’t know if a failed Samaritan is a good one, but hopefully it is the thought that counts.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Whither the Dance Crew?
A lot of people have been asking me about the status of the ACME Dance Crew. OK, perhaps not actual people but the voices in my head. OK, perhaps not those voices, but the parking garage machines (walk up to them and they will talk to you – try it). Admittedly I have been neglecting the Crew in favor of my political campaign work. But subconsciously I fear it is the realization that even if I was George Balanchine (and some have made such a comparison) I could not mold this motley crew into a VH-1-worthy dance crew much less a MTV one. This is not to say that there is not talent on this crew – the CD&S Czar and the Daughter of the CD&S Star are classically and Riverdance -trained respectively, but I have to bring the other Gomer Pyle-eque talents to their level before I can tap into the talents of the two stars. And to say it creates choreographical challenges is an understatement. Even worse is the time pressure; HMIII drops in a couple of weeks and as with the prior versions, it will define dance for the next year. Who knows what radical moves and staging to expect – pirouettes in the locker room? A West Side Story-invoking scene in the detention hall? A conga line during Spirit Week? And what about the costumes? What will be this year’s low rise jeans or pajama pants? I have been trying to recruit the one person who can meet all these challenges – yes, Mischa Baryshnikov, but he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. And, of course, the seminal dancer/choreographer who created “Step Up” Ms. Paula Abdul is still amazingly plugging ahead on American Idol. At best I can hope the ADC will have a year like the Broncos – lucky calls, puff opponents leading into a “winning” season.
Drive for Life
I ventured to Invesco Field yesterday for Drive for Life XI. Normally I donate blood at the ACME Building or at Bonfils’ Highland Ranch Location, but I thought it would be fun to check this out. You get to donate with hundreds of other people. You get free bling, lots of food, and excellent treatment by the entire Bonfils staff. But I must admit I had an ulterior motive. In my plan, I would feign fainting and a Bronco cheerleader would rush to my rescue and perform CPR (because per their job description, “[t]he job of a Denver Broncos Cheerleader is to be a lady at all times, to be gracious and kind to those she comes into contact with and to support and uphold the impeccable image of the Denver Broncos organization.”)(Note: Apparently no longer does the impeccable Bronco image involve a Bronco fathering nine children out of wedlock). Alas, one small crink in my plans. It seems that the DBC do not like to get up early. They were only going to show up at 11 am (of course, the ads never disclosed that fact). So, I was only left with the opportunity to get the autographs of two of the Bronco offensive linemen (which, of course, I passed up.)
It's the Economy, Stupid
One thing we learned last night is that Sen. McCain finally gets that. But what about his "plan."
Sen. McCain's one bid to insert a new element in the debate was a $300 billion plan to buy the mortgages of troubled homeowners and replace them with payment regimes the homeowners can afford. Sen. Obama's campaign later noted that the Treasury Department was granted such power by the financial-rescue law signed last week, and that Sen. Obama brought up such a step two weeks ago, as the New York Times reports. The paper also cites the McCain campaign saying that the idea was recently proposed by Hillary Clinton and originally came from a Depression-era New Deal agency. And like most other ideas last night, it was channeled through campaign dynamics that have become familiar, including Sen. Obama's efforts to tie Sen. McCain to an unpopular President Bush and Sen. McCain's efforts to distance himself from the fellow Republican he would succeed. "It's my proposal," Sen. McCain said about the plan, as the Journal notes. "It's not Sen. Obama's proposal; it's not President Bush's proposal."
Sen. McCain's one bid to insert a new element in the debate was a $300 billion plan to buy the mortgages of troubled homeowners and replace them with payment regimes the homeowners can afford. Sen. Obama's campaign later noted that the Treasury Department was granted such power by the financial-rescue law signed last week, and that Sen. Obama brought up such a step two weeks ago, as the New York Times reports. The paper also cites the McCain campaign saying that the idea was recently proposed by Hillary Clinton and originally came from a Depression-era New Deal agency. And like most other ideas last night, it was channeled through campaign dynamics that have become familiar, including Sen. Obama's efforts to tie Sen. McCain to an unpopular President Bush and Sen. McCain's efforts to distance himself from the fellow Republican he would succeed. "It's my proposal," Sen. McCain said about the plan, as the Journal notes. "It's not Sen. Obama's proposal; it's not President Bush's proposal."
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Bar for Palin Could Not Be Set Any Lower
From the Richard Cohen of the Wash. Post:
In her debate against Joe Biden last week, she mischaracterized Barack Obama's tax plan and his offer to meet with foreign adversaries of the United States. She found whole new powers for the vice president by misreading the Constitution, if she ever read it at all. She called one moment for the federal government to virtually disappear and a moment later lamented the lack of its oversight of the financial markets. She asserted that she "may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you [Biden] want to hear" because, apparently, the rules don't apply to her on account of her being a hockey mom. Fer sure.
Not enough? Okay. Palin also said that she "and others in the legislature" had called for the state of Alaska to divest itself of investments in companies that do business with Sudan. But, as the indefatigable truth-hunter at The Post found out, the divestiture effort was not led by Palin. In fact, her administration opposed the initiative, and Palin herself only came around to it after the bill had died. In spite of it all, much of the media saw a credible performance. I could quote the hosannas of some of my colleagues, but I spare them the infamy that will surely follow them to their graves. (The debate's moderator, Gwen Ifill, used the occasion to catch up on some sleep.) Many of my colleagues judged Palin simply as a performer and inferred that her performance would go over well in homes with aboveground swimming pools.
In her debate against Joe Biden last week, she mischaracterized Barack Obama's tax plan and his offer to meet with foreign adversaries of the United States. She found whole new powers for the vice president by misreading the Constitution, if she ever read it at all. She called one moment for the federal government to virtually disappear and a moment later lamented the lack of its oversight of the financial markets. She asserted that she "may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you [Biden] want to hear" because, apparently, the rules don't apply to her on account of her being a hockey mom. Fer sure.
Not enough? Okay. Palin also said that she "and others in the legislature" had called for the state of Alaska to divest itself of investments in companies that do business with Sudan. But, as the indefatigable truth-hunter at The Post found out, the divestiture effort was not led by Palin. In fact, her administration opposed the initiative, and Palin herself only came around to it after the bill had died. In spite of it all, much of the media saw a credible performance. I could quote the hosannas of some of my colleagues, but I spare them the infamy that will surely follow them to their graves. (The debate's moderator, Gwen Ifill, used the occasion to catch up on some sleep.) Many of my colleagues judged Palin simply as a performer and inferred that her performance would go over well in homes with aboveground swimming pools.
Surprisingly, the Palins May Have Underpaid their Taxes
Tax Profs Agree: Gov. Palin's Tax Returns Are Wrong
Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark) & Bryan Camp (Texas Tech) have independently reviewed the tax issues raised by the release of Gov. Palin's 2006 and 2007 tax returns and financial disclosure form, as well as the remarkable opinion letter issued from Washington D.C. tax lawyer Roger M. Olsen. Jack and Bryan conclude that there are serious errors in Gov. Palin's returns as filed and that she and her husband owe tens of thousands of dollars in additional taxes.
Jack Bogdanski, There's No Debate: Palins Owe Thousands in Back Taxes:
There is no serious debate (at least, none that has been brought to our attention) about the fact that at least the amounts paid for the children's travel -- $24,728.83 in 2007, according to the Washington Post -- are taxable. The campaign's tax lawyer has got at least that much of the law, and perhaps more, wrong. ... The Palins, who had their tax returns done by HR Block, simply got it wrong. And the fact that the state payroll office got it wrong, too, doesn't erase the Palins' unpaid tax liability.
Bryan Camp, A Brief Analysis of Governor Palin's Tax Returns for 2006 and 2007:
The release of an opinion letter by attorney Roger M. Olsen dated September 30, 2008, has stirred up the pot once again about the accuracy of Sarah and Todd Palin’s 2006 and 2007 tax returns. Not only that, but Mr. Olsen’s letter raises a couple of new issues.
This paper focuses on five problems: three raised in the tax returns and two new ones raised by Mr. Olsen’s letter. Here’s a summary of the five problems and my conclusions, for those who want to cut to the chase. My analysis will follow.
1. The Palins did not report as income some $17,000 that Governor Palin’s employer (the State of Alaska) paid her as an “allowance” for her travel. Can they do that? Yes, most likely.
2. The Palins did not report as income some $43,000 that the State of Alaska paid the Governor as an “allowance” for her husband and children’s travel. Can they do that? No, most likely not.
3. The Palins deducted $9,000 on their 2007 return, claiming it was a loss from Mr. Palin’s snow machine racing activity. Can they do that? Most likely not, but more info could make the deduction o.k. If any of the above issues goes against the Palins they then risk getting hit with the section 6662 penalty for “negligence or disregard of rules or regulations.”
4. Can the Palins avoid the section 6662 negligence penalty by claiming that they reasonably relied either (a) on the W-2’s sent to them by their employer, which did not reflect either the $17,000 or the $43,000, or (b) on their tax return preparer H&R Block, or (c) on Mr. Olsen’s opinion letter dated September 30, 2008? The three reliance defenses are unlikely to succeed, but more info may make the (b) defense a good one. Does Mr. Olsen have any exposure to sanctions by the IRS because of his letter? I believe Mr. Olsen’s letter probably violates 31 C.F.R. section 10.35. If so, he would be exposed to possible sanctions from the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.
Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark) & Bryan Camp (Texas Tech) have independently reviewed the tax issues raised by the release of Gov. Palin's 2006 and 2007 tax returns and financial disclosure form, as well as the remarkable opinion letter issued from Washington D.C. tax lawyer Roger M. Olsen. Jack and Bryan conclude that there are serious errors in Gov. Palin's returns as filed and that she and her husband owe tens of thousands of dollars in additional taxes.
Jack Bogdanski, There's No Debate: Palins Owe Thousands in Back Taxes:
There is no serious debate (at least, none that has been brought to our attention) about the fact that at least the amounts paid for the children's travel -- $24,728.83 in 2007, according to the Washington Post -- are taxable. The campaign's tax lawyer has got at least that much of the law, and perhaps more, wrong. ... The Palins, who had their tax returns done by HR Block, simply got it wrong. And the fact that the state payroll office got it wrong, too, doesn't erase the Palins' unpaid tax liability.
Bryan Camp, A Brief Analysis of Governor Palin's Tax Returns for 2006 and 2007:
The release of an opinion letter by attorney Roger M. Olsen dated September 30, 2008, has stirred up the pot once again about the accuracy of Sarah and Todd Palin’s 2006 and 2007 tax returns. Not only that, but Mr. Olsen’s letter raises a couple of new issues.
This paper focuses on five problems: three raised in the tax returns and two new ones raised by Mr. Olsen’s letter. Here’s a summary of the five problems and my conclusions, for those who want to cut to the chase. My analysis will follow.
1. The Palins did not report as income some $17,000 that Governor Palin’s employer (the State of Alaska) paid her as an “allowance” for her travel. Can they do that? Yes, most likely.
2. The Palins did not report as income some $43,000 that the State of Alaska paid the Governor as an “allowance” for her husband and children’s travel. Can they do that? No, most likely not.
3. The Palins deducted $9,000 on their 2007 return, claiming it was a loss from Mr. Palin’s snow machine racing activity. Can they do that? Most likely not, but more info could make the deduction o.k. If any of the above issues goes against the Palins they then risk getting hit with the section 6662 penalty for “negligence or disregard of rules or regulations.”
4. Can the Palins avoid the section 6662 negligence penalty by claiming that they reasonably relied either (a) on the W-2’s sent to them by their employer, which did not reflect either the $17,000 or the $43,000, or (b) on their tax return preparer H&R Block, or (c) on Mr. Olsen’s opinion letter dated September 30, 2008? The three reliance defenses are unlikely to succeed, but more info may make the (b) defense a good one. Does Mr. Olsen have any exposure to sanctions by the IRS because of his letter? I believe Mr. Olsen’s letter probably violates 31 C.F.R. section 10.35. If so, he would be exposed to possible sanctions from the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.
The Friends We Keep
But if the McCain people want to rummage through presidential candidates' associations, real or imagined, to turn up figures who threaten to pull down this proud republic, they should begin in-house. Chief among those to whom responsibility attaches for the financial crisis that is plunging the nation into recession is former Texas senator Phil Gramm, McCain's own economic guru.
Gramm was always Wall Street's man in the Senate. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee during the Clinton administration, he consistently underfunded the Securities and Exchange Commission and kept it from stopping accounting firms from auditing corporations with which they had conflicts of interest. Gramm's piece de resistance came on Dec. 15, 2000, when he slipped into an omnibus spending bill a provision called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA), which prohibited any governmental regulation of credit default swaps, those insurance policies covering losses on securities in the event they went belly up. As the housing bubble ballooned, the face value of those swaps rose to a tidy $62 trillion. And as the housing bubble burst, those swaps became a massive pile of worthless paper, because no government agency had required the banks to set aside money to back them up.
The CFMA also prohibited government regulation of the energy-trading market, which enabled Enron to nearly bankrupt the state of California before bankrupting itself.
The problem with this exercise, of course, is that Gramm's relationship to McCain is not comparable to the relationships that Ayers or Wright have with Obama. The idea that either Ayers or Wright would have any impact on the workings of an Obama administration is nonsensical. But Gramm and McCain do have an enduring political and economic alliance. McCain chaired Gramm's short-lived presidential campaign in 1996; Gramm is co-chair of McCain's current effort. McCain has not repudiated reports that Gramm is on the shortlist to become Treasury secretary if McCain is elected, even after Gramm labeled America "a nation of whiners."
Gramm was always Wall Street's man in the Senate. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee during the Clinton administration, he consistently underfunded the Securities and Exchange Commission and kept it from stopping accounting firms from auditing corporations with which they had conflicts of interest. Gramm's piece de resistance came on Dec. 15, 2000, when he slipped into an omnibus spending bill a provision called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA), which prohibited any governmental regulation of credit default swaps, those insurance policies covering losses on securities in the event they went belly up. As the housing bubble ballooned, the face value of those swaps rose to a tidy $62 trillion. And as the housing bubble burst, those swaps became a massive pile of worthless paper, because no government agency had required the banks to set aside money to back them up.
The CFMA also prohibited government regulation of the energy-trading market, which enabled Enron to nearly bankrupt the state of California before bankrupting itself.
The problem with this exercise, of course, is that Gramm's relationship to McCain is not comparable to the relationships that Ayers or Wright have with Obama. The idea that either Ayers or Wright would have any impact on the workings of an Obama administration is nonsensical. But Gramm and McCain do have an enduring political and economic alliance. McCain chaired Gramm's short-lived presidential campaign in 1996; Gramm is co-chair of McCain's current effort. McCain has not repudiated reports that Gramm is on the shortlist to become Treasury secretary if McCain is elected, even after Gramm labeled America "a nation of whiners."
As Sarah Palin was scouring the NY Times . . .
. . . to find the comics section, apparently she came across an article regarding the friends Obama keeps. Alas, reading comprehension does not appear to be one of her better talents:
Campaigning on Saturday in Colorado, Sarah Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists" by associating with Ayers, citing as her source a New York Times story from that morning. In fact, the story concluded that the Obama-Ayers "relationship" consisted of both men attending the board meetings of two Chicago organizations and that there had been no contact between the men, other than bumping into each other on the sidewalk (they live in the same neighborhood), since Obama went to the U.S. Senate in January 2005.
The story of Obama's interaction with Ayers is drenched in irony, since it is basically a tale of Obama being co-opted into Chicago's civic establishment. In 1995, Obama, then a young lawyer with political ambitions but as yet no office, was recruited to chair the board of a school reform organization funded and established by the Annenberg Foundation -- a group that distributes the wealth of the estate of Walter Annenberg, Richard Nixon's ambassador to Britain. It was only then that Obama met Ayers, who already was a board member and a figure in Chicago's education-policy elite. (Mayor Richard Daley, that known radical, told the Times that he had consulted Ayers on education issues for years.)
Go join your city's establishment, and see what it gets you.
Campaigning on Saturday in Colorado, Sarah Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists" by associating with Ayers, citing as her source a New York Times story from that morning. In fact, the story concluded that the Obama-Ayers "relationship" consisted of both men attending the board meetings of two Chicago organizations and that there had been no contact between the men, other than bumping into each other on the sidewalk (they live in the same neighborhood), since Obama went to the U.S. Senate in January 2005.
The story of Obama's interaction with Ayers is drenched in irony, since it is basically a tale of Obama being co-opted into Chicago's civic establishment. In 1995, Obama, then a young lawyer with political ambitions but as yet no office, was recruited to chair the board of a school reform organization funded and established by the Annenberg Foundation -- a group that distributes the wealth of the estate of Walter Annenberg, Richard Nixon's ambassador to Britain. It was only then that Obama met Ayers, who already was a board member and a figure in Chicago's education-policy elite. (Mayor Richard Daley, that known radical, told the Times that he had consulted Ayers on education issues for years.)
Go join your city's establishment, and see what it gets you.
Ever wonder where your federal tax dollars go?
This site provides some insight (click on title above to go to site).
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Anti-Intellectual Party
The rapid ascendancy of Sarah Palin in the ranks of the Republican Party coupled with the increasingly negative campaign of Senator McCain and building upon the already baser instincts of the Republican Party such as its anti-immigration policy has resurrected claims that the Republicans are the Anti-Intellectual Party. Not that GOP party members are stupid, mind you, but that they embark upon a type of disingenuous populism that is used to fuse and motivate its ranks without necessarily offering anything substantive in the art of governance.
In 2006, an editorial in the neoconservative magazine The Weekly Standard by William Kristol attacked populist Republicans for not recognizing the danger of "turning the GOP into an anti-immigration, Know-Nothing party."
The lead editorial of the New York Times for Sunday, May 20, 2007, on a proposed immigration bill, referred to "this generation's Know-Nothings...."
Economist Paul Krugman, in a New York Times opinion piece dated August 7, 2008, writes
[K]now-nothingism — the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise — has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy. The party’s de facto slogan has become: “Real men don’t think things through.”
It is a trend that traces back at least to the “Red Scare” which crafted a domestic and foreign policy based on fear, and that emotional fear was the fuel of the party’s success. After all, the modern-day conservative movement was borne of the fear engendered by Ronald Reagan that America was being pushed around by a gnat of a nation, and that fear has been embraced by Messrs. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rove in building policy in the context of a post-9/11 world. It is ironic that the two purported “mavericks” are actually reverting to the comfort of the “anti-intellectual” ideology by assailing Barack Obama as not “one of us” and therefore not of the correct “character” to lead us. The fodder for such notions are slender reeds of distorted “facts” built into a fog of innuendo meant to mask the lack of solutions that GOP has for the problems it has created. If anything, November 4th is a referendum on this anti-intellectualism.
In 2006, an editorial in the neoconservative magazine The Weekly Standard by William Kristol attacked populist Republicans for not recognizing the danger of "turning the GOP into an anti-immigration, Know-Nothing party."
The lead editorial of the New York Times for Sunday, May 20, 2007, on a proposed immigration bill, referred to "this generation's Know-Nothings...."
Economist Paul Krugman, in a New York Times opinion piece dated August 7, 2008, writes
[K]now-nothingism — the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise — has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy. The party’s de facto slogan has become: “Real men don’t think things through.”
It is a trend that traces back at least to the “Red Scare” which crafted a domestic and foreign policy based on fear, and that emotional fear was the fuel of the party’s success. After all, the modern-day conservative movement was borne of the fear engendered by Ronald Reagan that America was being pushed around by a gnat of a nation, and that fear has been embraced by Messrs. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rove in building policy in the context of a post-9/11 world. It is ironic that the two purported “mavericks” are actually reverting to the comfort of the “anti-intellectual” ideology by assailing Barack Obama as not “one of us” and therefore not of the correct “character” to lead us. The fodder for such notions are slender reeds of distorted “facts” built into a fog of innuendo meant to mask the lack of solutions that GOP has for the problems it has created. If anything, November 4th is a referendum on this anti-intellectualism.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Would she claim the same thing about negotiating with Putin?
Appearing on a friendlier news outlet, Gov. Sarah Palin said she was "annoyed" with the way Katie Couric handled their interview and complained that the CBS Evening News host failed to give her the opportunity to take a proverbial axe to Barack Obama.
In a portion of her sit-down with Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron, Palin claimed that Couric's questions -- which produced a series of staggeringly embarrassing responses -- put her in a lose-lose position.
"The Sarah Palin in those interviews was a little bit annoyed," she said. "It's like, man, no matter what you say, you are going to get clobbered. If you choose to answer a question, you are going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to try to pivot and go to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that too."
For the record, Couric asked her, among other things, what type of news sources she turns to for information, which Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with, why Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience, her opinion of the bailout package for Wall Street, and where she thought Vice President Dick Cheney erred. Which one of those questions was designed to trip her up (as opposed to, say, give viewers a better sense of her character and views) is tough to ascertain.
Later in her interview with Cameron, Palin offered a sense of what she thinks would have been a fairer set of questions. Unsurprisingly, they all would have provided her the opportunity to rail against Obama.
"In those Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were lot of things that she was missing in terms of an opportunity to ask what a VP candidate stands for, what the values are represented in our ticket. I wanted to talk about Barack Obama increasing taxes, which would lead to killing jobs. I wanted to talk about his proposal to increase government spending by another trillion dollars. Some of his comments that he's made about the war, that I think may, in my world, disqualify someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. Some of the comments that he has made about Afghanistan -- what we are doing there, supposedly just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless. I want to talk about things like that. So I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that's also an indication of being outside the Washington elite, outside of the media elite also. I just wanted to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."
In a portion of her sit-down with Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron, Palin claimed that Couric's questions -- which produced a series of staggeringly embarrassing responses -- put her in a lose-lose position.
"The Sarah Palin in those interviews was a little bit annoyed," she said. "It's like, man, no matter what you say, you are going to get clobbered. If you choose to answer a question, you are going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to try to pivot and go to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that too."
For the record, Couric asked her, among other things, what type of news sources she turns to for information, which Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with, why Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience, her opinion of the bailout package for Wall Street, and where she thought Vice President Dick Cheney erred. Which one of those questions was designed to trip her up (as opposed to, say, give viewers a better sense of her character and views) is tough to ascertain.
Later in her interview with Cameron, Palin offered a sense of what she thinks would have been a fairer set of questions. Unsurprisingly, they all would have provided her the opportunity to rail against Obama.
"In those Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were lot of things that she was missing in terms of an opportunity to ask what a VP candidate stands for, what the values are represented in our ticket. I wanted to talk about Barack Obama increasing taxes, which would lead to killing jobs. I wanted to talk about his proposal to increase government spending by another trillion dollars. Some of his comments that he's made about the war, that I think may, in my world, disqualify someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. Some of the comments that he has made about Afghanistan -- what we are doing there, supposedly just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless. I want to talk about things like that. So I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that's also an indication of being outside the Washington elite, outside of the media elite also. I just wanted to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Farewell, Grande Roja
GR,
When you walk out the door tomorrow, you will be taking a chunk of the spirit of ACME Corp. with you.
Keys to Tonight's Debate
Keys to SuccessFeign laryngitis
Learn what “feign” means
Read Foreign Policy for Dummies
Read Government for Dummies
Read Dan Quayle autobiography
Practice quote “I have never met Dan Quayle, but I know I am no Dan Quayle.”
Pay Tina Fey to be debate surrogate
Answer every question with a question
Use Chief Justice Roberts as her lifeline
If stumped, say how much she loves Big Hunk Todd.
Exude her Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman jibe
If stumped, try to fire the moderator
Practice quote "There you go again"
Practice quote "I don't know what I am doing here"
If really stumped, say "Live from Nashville, it's Saturday Night Live!!!"
If All Goes Wrong
Say John McCain does not approve of this debate
Ask for a recount
Claim you purchased a set of the "official" PBS Debate Questions across the street, but they ended up being questions for a high school Chemistry test
Throw your camp counselors under the rug
Pretend you thought this was a “Mock” debate
Promise a 50% tax cut for those with incomes of $5 million or more
Keys to Success
Emulate the Swiss
Channel your inner Condoleezza
Wear pink tie
Compliment her on her eyeglasses
Use a trap defense style
Crib Barack's dabate notes
Take a couple Xanax
If you really want to go off-script, talk about the Phillies
Admit Hillary would have been a better choice
If It All Goes Wrong
It Won’t
Quit and let Hillary be VP
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Interview Process to Beat All Interview Processes
I am sure many of us have their favorite interview horror stories, but this poor guy had to interview with 38 partners (not all in one day, of course). I am sure he is finding it worth it, however.
Williams & Connolly Hires First Lateral Partner in 22 Years
By Marisa McQuilken
Legal Times
September 29, 2008
The vetting process to become a lateral partner at Williams & Connolly might be tougher than the one for the vice presidency: Only one candidate has made the cut at the firm in 22 years. Kannon Shanmugam, who joins the firm Oct. 6 from the Solicitor General’s Office, met with 38 of its existing partners over a four-month period. Partners eventually voted unanimously to hire him.
Shanmugam says the new job will be a challenge “because everybody has kind of grown up together. I just hope that people don’t refer to me as ‘the mistake,’ ” he adds with a laugh. Williams & Connolly has a well-known policy of bringing associates up through the ranks rather than going outside. But Shanmugam found his way in through law school friends, as well as a next-door neighbor, who were already partners at the firm and vouched for him.
It’s a lot of pressure to be the first new guy in 22 years, but high pressure is something Shanmugam is used to. At 35, he has already argued eight cases before the Supreme Court as an assistant to the solicitor general, and he won six of them, including Tellabs v. Makor Issues & Rights in 2007, which examined the standard for pleading state of mind in a federal securities-fraud action. After graduating from Harvard Law, Shanmugam clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, worked as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis, and landed in the SG’s office in 2004. Now, he plans to help grow Williams & Connolly’s appellate practice.
Williams & Connolly made him the exception to the rule, says Robert Barnett, a member of the executive committee, stressing that other hopefuls need not apply: “This is a very rare exception to a very strong policy.”
Williams & Connolly Hires First Lateral Partner in 22 Years
By Marisa McQuilken
Legal Times
September 29, 2008
The vetting process to become a lateral partner at Williams & Connolly might be tougher than the one for the vice presidency: Only one candidate has made the cut at the firm in 22 years. Kannon Shanmugam, who joins the firm Oct. 6 from the Solicitor General’s Office, met with 38 of its existing partners over a four-month period. Partners eventually voted unanimously to hire him.
Shanmugam says the new job will be a challenge “because everybody has kind of grown up together. I just hope that people don’t refer to me as ‘the mistake,’ ” he adds with a laugh. Williams & Connolly has a well-known policy of bringing associates up through the ranks rather than going outside. But Shanmugam found his way in through law school friends, as well as a next-door neighbor, who were already partners at the firm and vouched for him.
It’s a lot of pressure to be the first new guy in 22 years, but high pressure is something Shanmugam is used to. At 35, he has already argued eight cases before the Supreme Court as an assistant to the solicitor general, and he won six of them, including Tellabs v. Makor Issues & Rights in 2007, which examined the standard for pleading state of mind in a federal securities-fraud action. After graduating from Harvard Law, Shanmugam clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, worked as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis, and landed in the SG’s office in 2004. Now, he plans to help grow Williams & Connolly’s appellate practice.
Williams & Connolly made him the exception to the rule, says Robert Barnett, a member of the executive committee, stressing that other hopefuls need not apply: “This is a very rare exception to a very strong policy.”
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