Monthly Archives: August 2009

Jury Duty Today

I have jury duty today in the Dade County Circuit Court, down on West Flagler.

I've been called once before, a couple of years ago (see Called for Jury Duty and Jury Duty), but that was for the criminal court. I was part of the venire for a truly horrible case of child molestation, and while prepared to do it, I was very relieved not to be chosen as it sounded as if the evidence would be very graphic and upsetting.

This time it is civil court. Again, though, we have a one-day one-trial system, so if I don't get picked for a case, that's it until next time.

You might think that a law professor has no chance to be on a jury, but in fact that's not the case. A few of my colleagues have sat in actual trials.

See you in court. Maybe.

Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Making the Rounds

This email is making the rounds. Original source unknown (to me anyway):

this morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US department of energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the national weather service of the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the national aeronautics and space administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US department of agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the food and drug administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US congress and kept accurate by the national institute of standards and technology and the US naval observatory, I get into my national highway traffic safety administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the environmental protection agency, using legal tender issed by the federal reserve bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US postal service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the department of labor and the occupational safety and health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to ny house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it's valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the defense advanced research projects administration and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right

Bingo.

Update: Kevin Drum reminds us that for really infuriating customer service you have to be a budget-minded consumer dealing with a large faceless profit-minded corporation.

Posted in Politics: US | 18 Comments

Foreclosure Miami

Here’s a Google map of the foreclosure mess in Miami .

Each red dot is a property either in foreclosure or in pre-foreclosure proceedings.

2009-08-06_221651.png

 

More info on how it was put together at Healdsburg Housing Bubble Info

(spotted via Calculated Risk, Google Maps Shows Foreclosure Status)

Hours of schadenfreude potential. Or counting your blessings.

Posted in Econ & Money: Mortgage Mess, Miami | 5 Comments

ICANN Reverts to Its Roots

[Only] Four ICANN Board members dissent in vote on NCSG charter. Milton Mueller tries to find a silver lining in this cloud — four dissents! out of fourteen votes! — but it's pretty small.

By choosing to gut public participation — for that is the result that the ICANN staff has lead the Board into — ICANN makes a high-stakes bet about its future.

Will the Obama administration see this as proof that ICANN lacks the maturity to be trusted with increased independence? (One hopes.) Or will ICANN be able to sail under the radar and walk away with the Root while the staff keeps the ability to pay itself millions per year.

We'll see.

Posted in Internet | 1 Comment

Dean White Interviewed

Our new Dean was interviewed by Miami Today. Dean Patricia White: Seeing New Horizons for UM's Law School.

She's a pro, so there are no real surprises there (but who knew she had five children including one doing a Ph.D on international internet economics in France?).

Posted in U.Miami | 1 Comment

Everybody Can Have One

Kenyan Birth Certificate Generator – Make your own! Invalidating legitimate presidencies since 2009!

(Please note that actually posting one of these things with otherwise accurate information invites ID theft….)

Posted in Completely Different | 1 Comment