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September 08, 2007
UnAmerican: "Passenger too sexy for Southwest Airlines"
WAC?, fond of waitresses and generally seeking entertainment while traveling, has taken a stand against this sort of thing. From BloggingStocks.com, here's Miniskirt Gets Waitress Tossed.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2007
Rule Nine: Be There For Clients -- 24/7
From WAC?'s 12 Rules, here is Rule Nine. If you have thought through this rule, and you still disagree with it, that's fine. However, we are 100% certain that you are in the wrong profession. Here's the silver lining: if you indeed have good clients--i.e., sophisticated users of legal services with interesting problems to solve who pay well and on time--feel free to let us know the names of their GCs. Or, even better, just have them contact us. Our contact information, phone numbers and e-mail addresses are on the website. We'll unburden you. No problem.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)
China President Hu: "China Ready to Work on Product Safety"
What else would we expect the guy to say?
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Chinese President Hu Jintao defended the safety and quality of China's exports Thursday and offered to work with other countries to improve any problems in the country's inspection regimes.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
Malaise ender: turn up speakers, point, click, dance around, continue work.
To get you and especially our staid Pennsylvania office through those first tough days after Labor Day:
Ride like the wind, at double speed
I'll take you places that you've never, never seen.--MPJ, Buenos Aires, 1995
Posted by JD Hull at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)
Duke LaX news: Rich kids have rights, too--and maybe they can get damages.
AP: "Former Duke Lacrosse D.A. Reports to Jail". Meanwhile, the City of Durham negotiates civil damages with some fancy Yankee lawyers representing the 3 Duke students. Even Williams & Connolly's Brendan Sullivan--as Oliver North's wonderfully aggressive lawyer in the Iran-Contra hearings 20 years ago, he said to Sen. Daniel Inouye: "I am not a potted plant"--is involved.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2007
People--lawyers, too--need mediation training.
“Whenever two good people argue over principles, they are both right.”
See Justin Patten's new Human Law Mediation website. There's even a quote from Christian Slater.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Work-Life Balance is PC for "Slacker"?
I told WAC?, at an LA restaurant called "The Ivy", about this 2006 post. It may have been the espresso, but he was very jazzed, said he will name his next born son after the guy who wrote it--maybe call him Very Excellent Mo. Last August Dan Morris of the VeraSage Institute, and a man who avoids mediocrity, wrote "Work-Life Balance is PC for 'Slacker'". Morris adds to the strange but interesting new conversation about work v. real life (as if they are capable of separation).
Our thanks for finding it goes to Idealawg's Stephanie West Allen, who monitors and thoughtfully writes about the WLB "issue" from time to time, and without ever being doctrinaire, presumptuous or pig-headed about it, like we are. We just think that lawyering, good work, problem-solving and innovation are all hard. After all, that's what makes these things great.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2007
Ruthie does America...and vice-versa.
WAC? understands that the UK lawyer-blogger Ruthie of Ruthie's Law landed safe and sound in a Midwestern city on Saturday--and is now busy charming and seducing everyone she meets in meetings in the Heartland. Lots of press about this in England (e.g., "Ruthie in Evil Empire"). Will she finally meet my travel-worn boss on this trip? Or will she/he have to wait until WAC?'s next trip to London? Stay tuned.
In the meantime, welcome to America, Ruthie. And vice-versa.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
USA workers most productive--but Asian numbers are impressive.
As announced earlier this week by UN agency the International Labour Organization, American workers are the most productive, even while not always putting in the longest hours. As Boston-based employment lawyer (management side) Jay Shepherd points out in "US Workers Most Gruntled?", value, not long hours, is the point. Still, note that seven Asian states averaged 2200 hours per worker in 2006 compared with the US average of 1800. Whoa. Sign those dudes up.
Posted by JD Hull at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2007
The Blogs of War: 2008 U.S. Elections
"If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much space."
--Ernie of Glen Burnie, lawyer, philosopher, New Age pundit
Well, you could at least vote. It's the day after Labor Day: time to rev up for 2008 elections. Whether you're red, blue, green, independent or just another American man, woman, business person, manager, drone, government worker, accountant, lawyer, associate, partner, dynamo or human just barely mananging things these days, slouching toward your future, drooling at your desk, this 2008 election stuff concerns you, dudes. See Salon.com's "guide to the political blogosphere" in The Blog Report, where there's someone for everyone.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:58 PM | Comments (0)
London Tube Strike Causes Commuter Chaos
See here, from the Associated Press.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
September 03, 2007
Promethean Anti-Slacker Blawg Review #124
Whoa. Blawg Review #124, the Labor Day Special, is up at George Lenard's Employment Blawg. It's really long and comprehensive, a super-human effort. But it's also Promethean (Prometheus (Προμηθεύς) means "forethought"). You won't see a better specimen of Blawg Review than this one in terms of planning, choice of content and writing. So Lenard's an especially thoughtful and hard-working fellow. If he doesn't get an end-of-year award from BR's mysterious editor for something, we will have our junior co-blogger and associate Holden Oliver jump from the 32nd floor of the US Steel Building on New Year's Day 2008. It's the least we could do in protest. And, besides, Holden's billable hours were down at 2,500 last year.
Posted by Tom Welshonce at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
British troops leave Basra, Iraq base
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
U.S. 2008 election line-up and result?
Our prediction, and without comment: it will be Clinton-Obama v. Giuliani-Romney, unless one of the four is discovered to have done something "bad" in past or future. And unless there is a new 9/11 style attack on American soil, Democrats will win, but barely. Fred Thompson will be flavor of the week for several months but not be in play by end of February 2008. And for a while Thompson will be discussed as the perfect GOP VP candidate for Rudy.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
Love's Labours Lost: An American holiday tribute.
NOTE: We offer this special Labor Day item rather than a thoughtful post on work-life balance or a very short but comprehensive item on current usefulness of trade unions in the U.S.
The complete text of the circa-1595 comedy by William Shakespeare is here on one page. First performed before Queen Elizabeth at her Court in 1597 (as "Loues Labors Loſt"), it was likely written for performance before law students and barristers-in-training--who would appreciate its sophistication and wit--at the Inns of Court in what is now often called Legal London. Interestingly, it begins with a vow by several men to forswear pleasures of the flesh and the company of women during a three-year period of study and reflection. And to "train our intellects to vain delight". Click above to find out what happens.
Posted by JD Hull at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)