4.20.2006

the continued adventures of my persona

My persona has begun embarking on new adventures. The increased line of credit helps.

I recently used the line of credit to have the dark goddess of replevin become a corporate sponsor of a charity benefit rock concert.

My tastes are nothing if not eclectic, so after duly educating myself about the birth of grunge, I put in an appearance at the concert in time to hear Riverred and the Supersuckers. (Obligatory bad cell phone concert photograph on its way shortly.) One of the other bands--I won't name it--was awful, just awful, but I am now feeling rather smug that I actually know who the Supersuckers ARE and what group later gave rise to Riverred. Also, the corporate rep from Livewire, there at the concert to promote the CD(NOTE: I receive no compensation whatsoever if you buy this product by clicking on this link) seemed rather amused to discover that one of his corporate sponsors was a woman in classic pearls...and tiger-print spike heels. As my son says, I totally rock.

4.17.2006

treetop barbie

Last month I blogged in jest here about Washington state Barbies.

In a further demonstration that parody is dead and has been replaced completely by irony, I learned yesterday that it is possible to obtain a product known as TreeTop Barbie if one donates $50 or so to the International Canopy Network, based at the Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Here is the actual description of this product. As Dave Barry says, I swear I am not making this up.

"TreeTop Barbie is designed to raise consciousness among young girls (and boys!) about the importance of forest canopy organisms and interactions. TreeTop Barbie can provide a role model for kids and parents who are interested in alternatives to mainstream culture’s Barbie doll image. TreeTop Barbie can provide encouragement to kids who would like to be field biologists. Additionally, TreeTop Barbie can help to raise awareness regarding the importance of forest canopies, both in rainforests and the temperate zone.

TreeTop Barbie’s field clothes are hand sewn and include rough and tumble climbing pants, field vest, field shirt, helmet, boots and all the appropriate climbing gear (rope, harness, etc). TreeTop Barbie, armed with her binoculars, rite-in-the-rain [sic] data book and trusty field guide (both Barbie- and big girl-sized) is ready to identify plants and animals found in the forest. The TreeTop Barbie Package also includes a personal letter from TreeTop Barbie as well as some information about forests, both kid- and adult-oriented."


I am also not making up the fact that I learned about TreeTop Barbie yesterday when she was interviewed by a local newspaper.

4.10.2006

motion practice, continued

Part of an irregular series in which I take note of novel forms of relief sought by litigants in my sphere of influence.

Today I am in receipt of a Motion for Fist Fight dated two weeks ago in the Montana Fourth Judicial District Court, Mineral County in the case of State v. Mauhar, No. D2005-8. My research confirms that this brief was actually filed (and later withdrawn).

The defense attorney asserted that (1) the prosecution had maintained that the decedent (one Matt Palagi) had the right to beat up the defendant and another individual, Demetrius Joslin, and (2) therefore the defense and the prosecution should settle the matter via fistfight.

The State of Montana responded the following day that "While counsel for the State are confident they could acquit themselves respectably if were necessary to settle any part of this matter by means of a physical contest . . ." etc.

Now. There was a real Matt Palagi who was stabbed to death by Demetrius Joslin, and defendant Mauhar (name misspelled in one of the pleadings) was in fact represented by Kirk Krutilla and David Stenerson, whose names are listed on the pleadings I have.

Poking a little deeper below the surface, it appears that Mr. Krutilla was subjected to some heckling shortly before this motion was filed. And the Clark Fork Chronicle, which comes out once per week, reports that one of Krutilla's friends has been assaulted and Krutilla himself has left this case.

Mineral County, Montana, sounds like a lonely place to be if they're gunnin' for ya. The county contains 1,223 square miles with a population of 3,600, which is, let's see, three people per square mile.

When I first saw the style of the pleading, I thought this was going to be funny. The more I research this matter, the more I feel a chill.

corporate alzheimer's

When I read this headline I assumed it had something to do with lack of institutional memory.

Although that's a problem, the article turns out to be about the problems of abandoning old files when one abandons computers. I cherish my electronic form file and brief bank. I've only been in charge of it for eight years (that being when I founded my firm), but since I hope to practice for many years hence, these issues will recur.

What wasn't addressed in the article is the problem of legacy file formats, which I can foresee (donning my Cassandra robes here) as a problem for the future. Although it's unlikely that Microsoft will stop churning out new releases of Word, suppose Time Matters shuts its doors? Yes, it's owned by LexisNexis now, but they could always decide to kill it. I've got all my practice information stored in a modified Topspeed database. Always at my back I hear Time's winged chariot running near.

4.04.2006

the death of a blawg on the death of a law firm

It seems like only last week--in fact, it was only last week--that I speculated that an anonymous blawg called "Death of a Law Firm" was an inside job by a partner.

We'll never know. The site has already been deleted, so quickly that even the Wayback Machine could not assist me in resuscitating it. Note: I had occasion last week to locate a Very Naughty Site, Which Probably Caused Me To Violate A Number Of Federal Laws In Viewing It, last week in the course of research on a case. You can locate traces of almost any folly on the Internet. It's not often that the vapor trails of people's thoughts on the Internet let me down.

But I could have told J.D., the putative (or should I say titular? I love that word) author of the already-defunct Death of a Law Firm blawg, that it is hard work maintaining a persona for any length of time (let alone establishing a line of credit in her name). Not every fictitious person is up to it. These violent delights have violent ends.