damn the muse

Some how I am slowly dominating Evidence and Criminal Law. Constitutional Law is slowly getting there, and I still have hope for Property and Contracts. I apparently seem to lose brain cells on Torts. I don't know how. I just do. Somewhere between intent offenses and negligence offenses my brain just decides to shutdown and my score goes with it. See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya.

So today I'm doing intermediate questions in Evidence, and I'm rocking mucho booty. We're talking %70, but the hearsay monster strikes again. My Evidence professor's voice sneaks into my head, and I vaguely remember him saying that there were two sections in the class that would always be difficult. Character Evidence, which I'm proud to say I have dominated (I hope), and stupid hearsay.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to have to physically map this sucker out, and hopefully then I can see it.

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"She was dressed as a cylon and you knew her as 6?"

So far this is the best line from Veronica Mars tonight. But wait! It's not over yet.

I love how this show promotes the Battlestar love. Speaking of, Sunday's episode had to have been one of the best. I need to catch the repeat so I can hear the creepy lullaby again, but kudos to James Callais.

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We, as members of the class action lawsuit against BAR/BRI, have survived summary judgment, and the defendants failed to get all the claims dismissed against them. Like I care. Actually, I was just bothered by the way the administration at my school was so dead set on convincing us that we were going to fail if we didn't take BAR/BRI. It was do or die.

Tying is an agreement to sell one product on the condition that the buyer purchase a different, or tied, product. Park claims BAR/BRI violated federal law because it allegedly forced prospective lawyers to buy not only BAR/BRI's preparatory materials for the multistate bar exam, but also prep materials for the buyer's particular state exam.

The defendants argue there was no unlawful tying because the BAR/BRI course is a single, functionally integrated package of services. Park counters that multistate materials and state-specific materials are separate products. He contends he, as a law student in 2002, had to purchase both.

Reading the claims makes this much more interesting, especially since I haven't looked at this case since I received my piece of paper as an honorary member of the class. But the arguments are fascinating and true. Micromash has all its programs divided. MBE, essays, or both? PMBR, which recently lost a copyright lawsuit, only offers an MBE prep course. BAR/BRI is an all or nothing course, and the lectures aren't even live in some cities (San Antonio, for one but thankfully some profs stepped in on some days). It's $2000 for some good materials and some bad.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the outcome of this case.

Via Collateral Evidence

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Researchers in Spain are trying to construct wheelchairs that run just with the power of the mind. Granted, I bet they still need batteries to give them juice, but imagine not having to use one of those joysticks to turn right or left. Is this the future?

Spanish scientists have begun work on a new brain-computer interface, or BCI, capable of converting thought into commands that a wheelchair can execute.

Other researchers have already had some success with hard-wired brain computer interfaces, but they're powered by large computers and are physically plugged into the brain.

The Spanish researchers hope to develop a small, mobile interface that works with electroencephalogram electrodes, or EEG, placed on the scalp.

Noninvasive and small. I wonder what they'll come up with next.

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It's going to be pinkish. I'm positively disgusted with myself and bemused. The graphic is no biggy, but the css is giving me issues. MT really decided to make things complicated!

Anyway, as soon as I'm satisfied I'll upload the site design. At least it won't be this dull blue thing I've been staring at forever. I seriously wanted to do green, but I guess V-Day won even if I'm secretly cursing couples everywhere.

Ew.

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A challenge has been issued, and it's taken me an entire day to write about it. It is that difficult.

Over at Feministe, a mission was set. Women were asked to list five things they loved about their body and their self. Just five simple things, and I'm sure that any female would have some trouble listing one or two things or maybe even all five, but among the disABLED community it's a bit more complicated. It's all about appearance, what is lacking or not. When a person sees you for the first time that first glance speaks volumes even if it's unintentional. Unfortunately, in our society the physical is everything, for the most part.

So to say that the last twenty-nine years have been a journey in self-acceptance would be the understatement of the new millennium! Coming up with a list of five lovely things to say about my body was downright excruciating. Not because I don't believe I'm gorgeous, but because I'm afraid of sounding vain.

1. My hair. I absolutely am anal about it. I cut it every three month, condition it when it's supposed to, don't fry it, don't over dye it, etc. It's my hair.

2. I love my eyes. They are green, but they turn into shades of greyish green or green blue depending on what I wear. Who needs contacts with these eyes.

3. My voice. It's loud, it's soft, and it sings.

4. My hands. They're the second thing people notice about me that actually labels me as what I should be and am not. I'm ambidextrous in a nontraditional way. I type with my left and write with my right, and I have the neatest, tiniest handwriting ever. These hands take me everywhere.

5. My butt. Big is in. 'Nuff said.

Ladies, your turn.

Courtesy of Wheelchair Dancer.

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Texas my Texas, here we go again. An appeals court refused to throw out the conviction of a young man who was convicted of killing his twin children. The catch? The mother, 16, was only five months pregnant with the twins, and she didn't want to have the children either.

The way everything went down is appalling. It's the law that is slightly disconcerting.

The case tested a Texas law that makes it a capital offense to kill an unborn child. The law redefined a person as having full rights to legal protection from the moment of conception...

Abbott said doctors breaking the law should be given jail time and lose their licenses, rather than being prosecuted for capital murder.

Taken literally Texas is outlawing abortion, and doctors can go to jail for performing them even in the first trimester. Give a fetus rights from day one, and this is what could happen. I don't think the lawmakers even wanted to deal with a slippery slope. It was all intentional. After all in Texas religion rules, and zygotes have feelings too.

Well then what happens in a miscarriage? Imagine the suspicion.

We're all going to hell.

Fascinating, right?

And for the record, I'm writing about the law. I am in no way supporting what these kids did. Psycho pro-choicers and pro-lifers can stay away.

Posted by yasmín at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Bloody hell!

I stumbled across a few blogs that are retakers like moi, and apart from the fact that they rock, it just made me feel nice. It was a reminder that I'm not a loser. If they're not, then I'm most definitely not. After all, this exam is the test from hell, and rarely does anyone come back from it with their sanity intact.

Do I write sanely? No!

Of course, reading the blogs has suddenly induced something in me, and it's not good. The anxiety bitch is back, and I have to beat her back with a stick. Die, wench, die. Someone remind me about my mantra. What have I been saying for weeks? Oh yeah, I'm going to pass.

Texas can just bite me.

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There was no SOTU for me, though I did read somewhere that Bush plans to devote the remainder of his presidency helping Africa. Huh?

In the meantime, my brother sent me another one of those political quizzes that is supposed to pinpoint how I lean exactly. I really liked this one just because I honestly had to think about my answers. I'm economic left/right: -5.63 social libertarian/authoritarian: -3.03.

Apparently, I heart the Dalai Lama and Mandela. And here I thought I was Machiavellian all the way.

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Law firms are allegedly discriminating against homosexuals in New York. At least that's what one gay attorney at a high-end firm is claiming, and he wants to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.

Charney claims that one of the firm's partners, Eric Krautheimer, threw a document at his feet and told him to "bend over and pick it up — I'm sure you like that" and that partner Alexandra Korry falsely accused him of "carrying on an 'unnatural' homosexual relationship with another male S&C associate," according to court documents.

The actual article seems quite suspicious of Mr. Chaney, and his alleged abuse at the hands of these "Partners." After all, in order to make Partner at a firm it's been well documented that one must sell one's soul to the devil. We are the legal profession, are we not? What's different here?

Then I remembered (as I'm writing this because I'm brilliant) that a certain David Lat aka the former Underneath Their Robes always has the inside goods on the legal profession. Always. Sure enough his blawg has all the breaking news on this lovely gem, Charney v. S&C. So far the advice is sound. Judge not until all is known.

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Dude! DUDE! Just when I think the show can no longer surprise me, it does a double whammy and pulls that one.

Then there is Grey's Anatomy. ::sniff:: Every show makes me cry. Tonight was no exception.

Finally, it looks like another whedonverse actor was cast in Tim Minnear's new show, Drive. The lovely Amy Acker will be returning to tv, and she'll be playing Nathan Fillion's wife. Wait, Capt. Mal married to Fred/Illyria? Freaky, but I can see it.

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HBO just bought the television rights to George R.R. Martin's series "A Song of Ice and Fire." They intend to produce a season around each novel, and I'm sitting here thinking how in the hell are they going to find the actors to play these roles? Many of the characters are kids or teenagers, and there's sex! There's tons of it. They had better cast a damn good Jaime Lannister.

Oh my goodness. A Game of Thrones is coming to HBO! I think I can almost forgive them for canceling Deadwood.

Taken from Aintitcool.

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There are all these myths out there that perpetuate this downside to being bilingual. Apparently, some people think bilinguals have a subpar vocabulary, and their intelligence is rather lacking, and it's generally just to their detriment. There is no room in the brain for two languages. Except it seems that bilingualism prevents dementia.

Canadian scientists have found astonishing evidence that the lifelong use of two languages can help delay the onset of dementia symptoms by four years compared to people who are monolingual.

Imagine what three languages could do or even four. I can picture it now. People will be rushing to become linguists. Parents will actually teach their children their native tongue. Klingon will become nationally recognized.

As for those myths, I found them on some website, and I can't believe that they even exist. Do people honestly believe that bilinguals have a lesser vocabulary? Please don't make me smack you.

Via Slashdot.

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There are icicles outside my apartment. It rains, and then it jingles. It almost sounds like a key play when the opposing team is third and inches, and we as students (alumni) are asked to take out those lovely thinks and make some noise. I keep glancing at my window half expecting it to crack.

It's really cold outside.

I'm kinda loving it. I even went outside for a few minutes, and then I rushed back in because I couldn't feel my fingers. It was great! Cold weather is gorgeous. I just wish I were warm now.

Posted by yasmín at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I feel human again, and that feels great. I just had to lie on the couch all day and watch mindless tv with the lights off. A few brain cells were lost. Oy. And as I'm typing this it may not be clear, but I've deleted quite a few spelling errors. Foghead strikes again.

Migraines are evil.

I thought I had one last summer, but I'm thinking that was just a fluke. This one wasn't, and I didn't catch it on time. Why? I've become complacent perhaps? Lack of pain for close to a year = stupidity. The signs were there. I was just in lala land or something.

I'm too hard on myself.

I hate migraines.

I despise foghead more. I sound stupid.

By the way, the forecasters in San Antonio are going nuts. This cold front is sweeping in and we're supposed to get ice tomorrow and snow the next two days. Snow. White stuff. Methinks people will actually keel over and die. This doesn't include the people who die from the accidents that will occur from the crazy drivers. They'll see the stuff, freak out, and kaboom.

It's frozen water people. Drive slowly. Unless you are me who likes to do spur of the moment things like go down steep hills laced with sheets of ice, and oops am I skidding? Been there. Done that. Very stupid. Fun. But stupid. And I was in my scooter, not in a car. I could have tipped over!

My lesson is very cold weather is pretty, but cold and dangerous. And if it does snow in San Antonio, I'm so going to have to take pictures even though I've seen enough of that white stuff to last a life time!

Posted by yasmín at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This week came back to bite me.

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By now it's old news, but the USA seems thrilled to know that David Beckham is coming to play for the Galaxy.

Taking the first step Thursday, Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, starting this summer.

The Galaxy didn't say exactly what they'll pay him, but floated a figure of $250 million in salary and commercial endorsements over the length of his contract. In other words, his move could be worth $1 million a week.

For the MLS, this is great news. Soccer needs more exposure here in the States, and if David B. can do it, well I'm all for it. Besides, after watching him on GMA this morning, he's not that bad looking. He's way cuter than Posh that's for sure.

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I finally updated the blog list. If I have my way I'll be doing some major overhauling on this blog. Oh gee, a new layout would be lovely, ya know. I finally got my hands on Photoshop CS, but the touchpad on my laptop does not agree with my finger. We're currently in the middle of a love-hate relationship.

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The best news anyone can hear is that they're doing their job fairly.

One of my more recent Spanish students emailed her work to me, and she added in a little experience she just had. She was able to understand someone else's conversation and correct them! I think that's awesome. And if I had any help with this, then at least I'm doing something right because believe me sometimes it's like searching for that single tinted marble in bowl full of multicolored ones.

So, this is good. My Spanish students are showing progress. Now, if only the bar would show me the same kind of leniency. Torts was not good to me today at all.

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Apple's iPhone. I was following the live updates on Engadget, and it really does seem impressive. The touchscreen capabilities alone scream ease-of-use, since the only thing it requires is a finger. Here's hoping the actual screen can handle wear and tear, because my lovely video iPod scratches too easily. The phone shouldn't.

The phones, which will operate exclusively on AT&T Inc.'s Cingular wireless network, will start shipping in June. A 4-gigabyte model will cost $499, while an 8-gigabyte iPhone will be $599, Jobs said.

IPhone is less than a half-inch thin -- less than almost any phone on the market today. It comes with a 2-megapixel digital camera built into the back, as well as a slot for headphones and a SIM card.

Ah, exclusivity contracts. I love Verizon, which is why I won't switch, but they have the worst phones. And here again Apple is choosing just one carrier, but I doubt this will garner Cingular legions of new clients, what with that lovely price tag.

Then again it is income tax season. How many people would actually be able to save $600 plus for something that shiny? It's quite a wait.

For a mockup of the iPhone, its measurments, and how it compares to other gadgets, check out Kottke.

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Not everything has been going well as late. I don't want January to be the jinx, but as my friend, K, stated oh so clearly, would I rather this happen now or in February?

How about not at all.

There's stuff with me that I can deal with, but when it happens to my friends, it rather shakes me a bit. They need good vibes right now.

Posted by yasmín at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The FDA recently approved a new vaccine meant to prevent a virus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer. Now Texas wants to introduce legislation that would make it mandatory that the vaccine be administered to 6th grade girls. Truly innovative thinking from the lawmakers taking steps to save these girls, but this is Texas after all.

The vaccine called Gardasil is administered in a series of three injections over six months.

More than 85 percent of all cases of cervical cancer are linked to HPV and the makers of the vaccine say it could virtually wipe out this cancer threat...

Van de Putte is sponsoring Senate Bill 110. She says since the Centers for Disease Control have put this new vaccine on its list ... a state law would be a way to keep some young women from falling through the cracks.

"What states can do to help encourage the compliance is to make sure that just like your measles and your mumps and your chicken pox. That it's in the set of vaccines that students must have before entering school," said Van de Putte.

Farrar is sponsoring the House Bill 215.

"I think people are going to have to open their minds and look at the science and the medicine and put that at the forefront," said Farrar.

The shot has not been without controversy. Some parents are voicing fears that the vaccine might encourage promiscuous behavior if young women felt they were somehow protected, but just like other school shots, parents would be able to officially opt out by applying for an exemption.

This one is definitely something to keep an eye on.

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To announce that I rock. I just do.

I remarked to my brother on the phone yesterday that I was having a terrible time installing jabber on Trillian. It just wouldn't connect, but hopefully one of these days I could figure out what I was doing wrong. He laughed at me. He laughed!

Well, I had a brainstorm today, and voila! I can now use Google Talk on Trillian. Go me.

The problem wasn't with the configuration, rather it was with the files I downloaded with the latest jabber update. They include files that look like they should replace the files in the Trillian folder, but no. Those shouldn't be touched, and thankfully I had backups. So, for anyone having the same trouble as me, only replace the files in the plugins folder and languages folder.

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My last post got me accused of being on LSD or some other happy-inducing drug by some family members. It was very amusing. I swear I'm not that liberal, and I'm not literally calling our authority figure a dictator. Honest.

No. Really.

So I'm completely baffled that I scored a 10 on this quiz. It determines one's political nature. Apparently, Hillary and I have a lot in common. Can I cry now?

Danke Yin.

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In the news overlooked last month Mr. President decided to tack yet another one of his signing statements to the new postal reform bill. He finally confirmed what some legal and political pundits have been hinting at. He's a dictator, or would like to be in the name of National Security.

President Bush says he and other government officials have the power to snoop through your mail without a judge's warrant.

Bush made the claim last month in a signing statement attached to a postal reform bill. Bush wrote that the bill "provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection."

After last year's revelation of Bush's secret domestic eavesdropping program, the move caused waves on Capitol Hill among some legislators who said that it contradicted the postal reform bill, as well as existing law.

Signing statements are just that. They have no legal weight. He's not a judge, and he's not a legislature. Mr. President would love to invade his citizens' privacy a bit more, but his "statements" have no legal effect. Thank goodness checks and balances still exist.

Barely.

This is kinda creepy.

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Soap actor, Drake Hogestyn, was attacked by a fan who thought he was possessed by the devil. Unfortunately for the fan, he was a few years too late. Besides, wasn't Marlena the one who was possessed, and John was the one who rescued her with a little help from Isabella, his deceased wife?

I so don't miss Days of our Lives.

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2007 and I are not best buds. My made up karma says I'm due for an awesome year, so the badness has to stay away!

I did realize something today. I missed my blog anniversary. It's not that much of a big deal for me since I started this way back before blogs became popular. I couldn't even remember when, so I looked it up on the net archive, and it was last month. My blog is a December baby too.

So here's to four lovely years of rants, ramblings, and sarcasm. I do promise much more.

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