PlingTalk

Love is grand; divorce is at least a hundred grand.

Time may be a great healer, but it’s also a lousy beautician.

Remember: amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.

Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.

An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.
This civil right to counsel is known as “Civil Gideon”, after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Gideon v. Wainwright, which affirmed the right of an indigent person to have the assistance of counsel in a criminal trial. (Retired mediator and attorney David Giacalone introduced me and other readers of the blog shlep to this movement.)

Acceptance for the notion of a civil right to counsel will come about only through cultural change in the halls of justice and among the players there, according to one of its proponents, Russell Engler, a Professor at New England School of Law. In his 2006 article, “Shaping a Context-Based Civil Gideon from the Dynamics of Social Change” (downloadable in PDF from SSRN), Professor Engler describes the actions of those standing in the way of progress thus:

In the courtroom, court personnel, including the judges, will likely encourage the unrepresented litigant to settle the case. That, in turn, may require the litigant to go to the hallway to negotiate with the lawyer, or to resort to some form of court-based mediation. The hallway negotiations are rife with instances of overreaching and unethical behavior by lawyers, unmonitored and unpunished by a legal system that depends on a high settlement rate. Where the litigants resist settlement, strong words from the judges, mediators or lawyers eventually induce litigants to settle. Few civil cases are tried, and most settlements involving the unrepresented poor occur with a minimum of judicial involvement. [Id. at 2.]

Even acknowledging variations in behavior and changes over time, it is difficult to overstate the extent to which judges, court-connected mediators, clerks, court administrators, and the bar’s rank and file are hindering the expansion of a right to counsel in transacting their daily business. While many in those ranks are focused on the “problem” of unrepresented litigants, it would be a mistake to assume that those players are natural allies in Civil Gideon initiatives. [Id. at 3.]
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just stand there.

My inferiority complex is not as good as yours is.

I am having an out of money experience.

It’s frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

You’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.

Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

The next morning Champagne woke us up around 7 am. Being the lazy asses that we are we slept in till 8 and didn’t get to the Skaha parking lot till 10. We hiked for an hour to get to the furthest crags from the parking lot. I tried a few 5.10a climbs and decided I was too sleepy & tired to do any more climbing. So I took a long nap under the sun. Around 4 pm we packed it up and decided to explore the Skaha cave. To get into the cave we had to squeeze our bodies through a small odd shaped hole in an uncomfortable downward sideway twisting manner. Piotr was worried that he wouldn’t be able to squeeze himself in as his body was half way in and his legs were sticking out upsidedown. Luckily I had no such difficulties. I guess I’m still thin enough haha. The cave was narrow, pitch black, and cold! We scrambled using all our body parts, trying our hardest not to fall into the 10-15 metre holes in the ground, or knocking lose rocks onto each other. We even had to rappel off one section (thank god for bringing a rope with us!). The best part of the cave was the “photocopier.” It was exactly like what the name suggests - you had to squeeze through two “sheets” of rock and then get spit out the other side. I was glad that I invested $60 into a helmet for this trip! Everyone tried wiggling, squeezing, pushing, pulling, and doing whatever they can to move themselves out of the photocopier. Needless to say we got very dirty.

Hiking in the park
Evan on top of a sketchy 5.10a climb (which he fell while climbing), Piotr seconding it
Me taking a napInside the cave
Piotr going through a section
Champagne scrambling downward
Piotr going through the photocopier
Me climbing
Me rappelling
So I got back from Chicago late Saturday night and am ready for the weekened already….
Keeping with the pattern then, we have finally arrived at Step 7.

At least 38 people were killed and more than 100 injured when two or three bombs concealed on parked cycles went off near a mosque in Malegaon when people were streaming out after Friday afternoon prayers.

The well-planned explosions in the Muslim-dominated town 300 km from Mumbai, where terror attacks on trains only two months ago killed nearly 200 people, sending shock waves across India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for peace and communal harmony.

And so, the vicious cycle continues. Investigation is still underway but it isn’t too difficult to figure out who could have been behind the incident. Terrorist attacks in India are always either politically or religiously motivated, and in this case the location of the attack seems to point towards the latter.

It is the first time since urban terrorism began to take roots in this country that terrorists have targeted an area populated by Muslims, that too on a day of Shahe-e-Barat, when Muslims pray for the dead.

The bombs, placed near an old mosque, went off around 2 pm. The loud bangs reverberated in the town, sparking panic and a made run for safety as the mostly male audience began to run. The resultant stampede killed many children who were playing near the steps leading to the mosque.

This area has seen its share of sectarian violence, so it’s not too difficult to infer the motives of the terrorists. They could have been either Jihadists backed by Pakistan, or local goons supported by Hindu fundamentalists. The objective, in either case, was to incite communal tensions. Same old, same old.

On a different note, let’s look at the response of the American media to the attack. If such attacks had taken place in Europe, Israel, or Western embassies, the news would have received top headlines.
I couldn’t get out of there quick enough. Every morning when I woke up I seriously was saying only 5 days left, 4, 3, 2, etc…. It was brutal, and I didn’t know what to say to her. I was struggling to make conversation. The sad part is that I don’t think she thought anything was wrong, but come on 7 days and no sex?!? A red flag needs to go off in her head. I mean I didn’t even try at all!!! Who knows what she was thinking?!? Hopefully Christmas won’t be as bad. I am already trying to think of an excuse to get out of New Years….

On Sunday I went Christmas shopping with a very good friend. Sometimes I think me and her could have something together, but then I close my eyes and can see it would never work out. I think there is a tremendous physical attraction but that alone is not enough.

You could say that is what separates me from my younger self. In college and a year or two after I would basically hook-up with any semi-decent girl and now it is 100% the opposite. I feel like when I go out I can basically get any girl I want, but for some reason I am just not all about the hook-ups anymore. It really is a scary thought. I mean if I looked the way I do now 4 years ago, I would have been on fire….
On Monday we got a few hours of climbing. It was so nice and hot so all the guys decided to go climbing topless. I forgot to cut my nails before the trip. By this time my toes were taking a beating from a combination of wearing one size smaller climbing shoes and having long toenails. It was painful to climb but I sucked it up and did a couple climbs via top roping. We packed it in around 2 pm, hiked back to the car, and headed home. Yet another awesome climbing trip!

PS I tested my new -10 Merlin sleeping bag. It’s so nice & warm!

Going climbing at Lighthouse Park again tomorrow night! Then Squamish Sat. Should be lots fun.

Having a bit of phone tag with this girl… we’ll see how that goes. Wish me luck!

Start your engines for the INDY 500
Its time to your engines, for this year 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 or as its simply called the Indy 500 but in the early days of what has now become one of the biggest sporting events in the world, race track officials had a hard time choosing the name of its race.
The first race was advertised as the “International 500 mile sweepstakes “from 1911 -1916. In 1919, then the race was referred to as the “Liberty Sweepstakes” then after the following of WWI.
From 1920-1980, the race was revered to as the “International Sweepstakes “after slight variations of names over the time, in 1981 race track officials adopted “the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race” name.
The Indianapolis 500 is now annually held over the Memorial Day weekend, however the first 500 was held on Memorial Day on May 30th, 1911, in that first race Ray Harroun was piloting his yellow Firestone-shod #32 Marmon “Wasp” which was outfitted with his invention the rear view mirror to victory. Rather than riding the mechanic specified in the rules, which created controversy, but it was ultimately allowed in the end.
Ray went on to win the race, with an average speed of 74miles per hour, in which created another controversy; to this day, some say a scoring error cheated Ralph Mulford of his rightful victory, Ray, who came out of retirement to race in the first Indy 500 and as it turn out that was his last race.
The attendance at the Indianapolis 500 has never been a problem since it started the race, the first race in 1911, drew eighty thousands and two hundred people, who had paid one dollar to see the race. Since then the attendance at the Indy 500 has double into the two hundred thousand ranges and the prices of the tickets now ranges from 25 dollars all the way up to one thousand dollars.
In the end, this is one of those sporting events that have become a major part of our American culture, on this weekend we also take time out to remember and say thank you to those who have served and are serving in the United States armed forces.
Enjoy this great race, on such a great holiday weekend and thank you again to all that have served and are serving this great country of ours the land the of the free.

Gold Star Mom, Cindy Sheehan, gets New Orleans support (Louisiana Weekly)
Cindy Sheehan, grieving mother of a slain U.S. soldier, didn’t start the Iraq anti-war movement, but she has achieved something no organized march or online petition has been able to manage.

Cindy’s Crawford: Camp Casey Continues to Grow Despite Sheehan’s Absence (Democracy Now!)
Hundreds of supporters converged on Camp Casey outside Bush s Crawford estate this weekend. Despite the temporary departure of Cindy Sheehan to care for her ailing mother, the antiwar vigil outside President Bush s estate in Crawford is continuing to…

Backlash Against Cindy Sheehan Gains Momentum (Crosswalk.com)
(CNSNews.com) - Cindy Sheehan has announced that she plans to return “very soon” to her anti-war vigil in Crawford, Tex. When she does, she’ll find she has some company, according to the conservative group leading the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” tour.
I always try hard to balance both my work and home life. I am a bit “insane” when it comes to getting up early. I wake up at 4:30 to read emails, answer customer questions, and write my newsletter. Then, I work out and start my day. During the day, I try to spend as much time with my kids as I can, I only do my work during their naps, then again at night. Until my girls are in school, then that is the only way I can balance both.
I think it is important to remember that we stay home for our kids, so if I spend too much time on my business then I might as well go back to the workplace and put my girls in daycare. With that in mind, I try not to let it interfere with our time during the day.
I have found other great articles and posted them on the site:
The Mom’s Cafe’

posted by The Mom’s Cafe’ @ 4:35 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Work At Home Mom Bloggers Question For The Week

Question of The Week:
How do you stay fit? Not just on the physical side but the mental and emotional side? Do you make time for exercise? Do you always want to learn new things to keep you challenged?
Question from Work At Home Mom Bloggers.
Group Countering The Anti-war Sentiments Of Cindy Sheehan Coming To Bakersfield (Bakersfield Channel.com)
BAKERSFIELD — A group countering the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan is scheduled to arrive in Bakersfield late Monday night. The group will caravan as part of the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” Tour that counters the anti-war sentiments of Cindy…

Frank Rich: The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan (International Herald Tribune)
The failure of the smear campaign against Cindy Sheehan is yet another historical marker in the collapse of U.S. support for the Iraq war.

The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan - Independent Media TV (Independent Media TV)
Cindy Sheehan couldn’t have picked a more apt date to begin the vigil that ambushed a president: Aug. 6 was the fourth anniversary of that fateful 2001 Crawford vacation day when George W. Bush responded to an intelligence briefing titled “Bin Laden…

IAEA Chief reveals that the truth of a situation will never be addressed for fear of someone doing something about it. Do we really want to trust our security to the likes of he and the UN?

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2 comments

On June 02, Bald Headed Geek said…
Great blog! I’ve added you to my blogroll, and hope that you’ll stop by mine one day!

BHG
On June 01, a.k.a. Blandly Urbane said…
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T GRAB IT! I HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY LOCKED OUT (UP TO 48 HOURS) OF MY BLOG BY BLOGGER.

I WAS LOCKED OUT BECAUSE IT THOUGHT MY USE OF TIME MAGAZINES QUOTE OF THE DAY WAS A SPAM BLOG.

ENJOY THE QUOTE, BUT DON’T USE THE TIME MAG WIDGET!!!!

I’ve Come to the Conclusion that I’m a Wuss…
On my way home from work today I twisted my ankle and completely bit it into a patch of loose asphalt near my house. I was wearing shorts so my right knee got shredded and I was bleeding everywhere. My thought as I met the asphalt was how much is this going to cost me?

I had screamed out in pain (pretty proud of myself that a stream of expletives didn’t come out of my mouth as is usual for me in these instances), and five people came completely out of the woodwork to my assistance. Only in Hawaii! People are definitely cool here.

I was a little embarrassed about crying out, although I think that’s actually a survival thing - you instinctively cry out for assistance from your fellow mammals and when it comes you don’t feel like crying (as much) anymore. I was able to put weight on the ankle and hobbled the rest of the way home.

I went into the kitchen, bleeding a trail on the floor (yes, I did clean it up), and when I looked at in the light I saw it was more than just a scrape. I thought the skin had flapped. I was really grossed out and couldn’t bring myself clean it out thoroughly for fear of seeing bone. I had the suspicion I would need stitches, which I had never had. Either that or a tube of superglue, which is now being used as a quick fix for wounds.