A gem of a snake!

This is Ella the Dog here.  Tonight while on our family walk (Momma, Henry, and me), we came across a dead snake!  This is so exciting!  Henry wouldn't get close to the snake --- he just sniffed towards it and stayed away.  I, however, gave it a full inspection (and I would have rolled on him if Momma had let me).  The snake had been squashed on the road, so he was really dead and safe for us to approach.  Momma was really interested too, and she picked him up and moved him to the grass so we can show him to Dad.  After studying the snake and where we found him (right by the swamp) and comparing him to what we've seen online, we think he's a water moccasin/ cotton mouth.  Grandpa suggested that we very carefully pry open the snake's mouth to see if he has fangs, but we're afraid to do that.   Here are the pictures Momma went back and took after she brought us back to the house.


The snake's head  -- it's definitely triangular, which means it is venomous:

This gives you an idea of how long he was --- about a yard long:

His markings:

More markings:

I never saw this guy at bankruptcy court

This guy, Young Buck (read more here if you don't know about him -- I personally had no idea who this character was) has just been evicted from his house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, which is outside Nashville.  Apparently, he filed for a chapter 13 bankruptcy back in 2010, which means that he has 3-5 years to pay back his debts.  He owed a lot of money in back taxes, which is a bad thing in bankruptcy, and you can't discharge those.  Young Buck then ended up converting his 13 to a 7 (like most chapter 13 debtors do because it's so hard to meet the requirements of the plan), and liquidation began.  First up, his house.  Let me point out that, in a chapter 7 bankruptcy, you are only permitted up to a certain amount of value of personal items (remember?  you owe people lots of money).  In this picture, you see Young Buck carrying his Louis Vuitton travel bag --- methinks that bag will claim a large chunk of his personal property exemption limit in a 7.  His lawyer might want to have a little chat with Mr. Buck about how-to-look-like-a-pauper.  Poor people don't have bags worth thousands of dollars.

Didn't I just watch this on Law and Order SVU?

Here's a story of a biological mother and son reconnecting after many years apart.  How sweet.  The only problem is that they choose to engage in numerous sex acts when reconnecting, and beyond the incest issue, there's also a minor-adult issue (read: statutory rape).  Didn't I just see this on Law & Order SVU?  A man (who was pretending to the sperm donor of teenage girls) was having sex with his "daughters" after meeting them.  Sounds pretty familiar --- ripped from the headlines with a little sperm donor action thrown in.  Naturally, the question that people, meaning "I", wonder is how do you cross that line of parent-child into sexual partners?  According to Dr. Wong in SVU, I know, I know, he's fictional, it's because the teenagers are so desperately seeking affection from that parent and their emotions are strong, so they easily cross those lines.  Interesting  . . .  I  have no idea.  The whole situation is just a little nutty to me, but it makes an enticing criminal story.  Ten bucks says this kid is going to be spending lots of time with a psychologist.

Guilty! --- oh wait, you're not. ha. sorry.

Yet another article giving statistics and stories of wrongly-convicted citizens:  National Registry of Exonerations.  How safe would you feel with your life in the hands of your "peers?"  You had better hope you're not an African American man facing murder charges.

The right to reproduce

This fine Tennessean has been exercising his right to reproduce:  Father of 30 children.  Because child support is figured solely through a mathematical formula in Tennessee, this man's minimum wage job is being split among his children and himself.  He now asks for help from the state because of the overly burdensome orders of child support.  Good luck with that one, Desmond Hatchett.  I'll go so far as to support your right to reproduce as you please, but I'll attach a moral obligation to society and your children to provide for them.  You've got a ways to improve on that obligation in my eyes, but you've got time.  Chin up, zipper up, and keep working.

the type of people who . . .

Let me begin this post with a couple of acknowledgments:

(1) I realize that mainly the wealthier part of America subscribes to Food and Wine (i.e.  these ain't the Golden Corral types)

(2) I would love to travel to the Maldives (or at least be the type of person who travels to the Maldives)

(3) I have eaten at Golden Corral, and I'm more likely to know what is being served there than what to do with sumac (which I thought was poisonous and gave rashes).

(4) I receive Food and Wine, and I enjoy it

With all of that out of the way, I want to express utter disbelief at Akhil Sharma's recent sentences in his article in the May 2012 F&W.  Sharma, describing a luscious vacation to the Maldives essentially just to bask (he pretends to have a goal of discovering local cuisine to show why we, as humanity, should save the disappearing islands), wrote, "I suddenly realize  . . . that we are the sort of people who get to go to the Maldives.  I guess I feel then what everyone who is fortunate enough to come to the Maldives with someone they love feels."  WHAT?!?!  Essentially, he comes off as ten shades of pretentious and five shades of without a soul (he "guess[es]" that he feels something???).  I was so floored when I read those two sentences.  Again, I recognize all the statements above and that not everyone subscribes to (nor is required to subscribed to) my belief of humility and service, but statements like that make you look like a grade-A asshole, Mr. Sharma, grade-A.  Perhaps he's been reading too much of this?  (psssst . . . Sharma, that Suri is fake -- you don't want to be like her -- she's not real)

Book to Read: The Language of Baklava

I just finished Diana Abu-Jaber's The Language of Baklava, and I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable memoir of an Arab-American girl coming to age and realizing who she is.  She emphasized how important food is to Jordanians by weaving recipes for key Jordanian dishes throughout her narrative.  I know I found myself craving most of her recipes as I was reading it.  As tends to happen with most memoirs, it sort of piddles out at the end, but it was a very enjoyable read overall.  Perhaps because I've been immersed in Asian cultures or perhaps because one of my cousins-in-law told us of her recent travels to Jordan, I was ready to get lost in the multi-cultural struggles, and I wholly enjoyed this book.  Here are some of my favorite phrases Abu-Jaber wrote:

- a murky, primordial sort of memory
- dark and delicious as the aroma of gasoline
- To my mind, this is the best way to show love -- to offer food from your own hand.
- I am stricken, paralyzed with love.
- Then the nuns take over the world.  There are nuns and nuns.  They stream from the school building.  So many of them: lipless, eyebrowless, boiled skinless, and swathed in acres of black veils with white bibs.  They come with rulers.  They herd our raggedy lines into sharp military formations.  These women mean business.
- as if the words have been bottled up inside her from the moment of her birth
- in splendid repeating pattern
- tissue-soft face
- the wind nudges
- These episodes were like electrical storms, breaking with ferocity and passing swiftly.
- sinking myself into reading
- The physical fact of those oiled, insectlike weapons disturbs the air and causes an instant physical contraction.
- a few more grieving instruments
- sheathe his wattled, allegatory neck

Link to buy book from Amazon

Great news from Nashville -- Adding 2 DV Prosecutors!

The Tennessean reported that Mayor Karl Dean has responded to the city's needs, and he has budgeted for two additional prosecutors to focus solely on domestic violence cases.  Nashville and Tennessee have proven themselves to be somewhat dangerous for women, and the Mayor is trying to change that situation.  This is extremely exciting news, and if I was in Nashville right now, I would likely  be applying for this opportunity.  Hurrah for the Mayor!  Hurrah for Nashville!   Hurrah for the women and children so often neglected!

Read the story here

Henry's first dip as a Hong

It's beginning to warm up here in Oklahoma, and I'm not having to work right now, so I'm spending time with the pooches and pussy cat.  Yesterday, I took Henry to Stanley Draper Lake (the OKC lake and park where people dump dead bodies; it happens to be very close to our house) for a swim.  Here's a picture of his first foray into the water as a Hong (who knows if he went swimming before coming to us).

Now, let me say that, while he is part labrador, he was not fond of the water.  In fact, he much preferred to run around like a wild dog and have me panic about where he went.  When I had sufficiently panicked, he came racing towards me with his ears pinned back against his head.  Oh, great fun, great fun.

Toobin's take on Judge Brett Kavanaugh

Leading up to the Affordable Care Act's oral arguments at the Supreme Court, Jeffrey Toobin wrote a piece about DC Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his peculiar interpretations.  Like Toobin's later smack-down of Justice Kennedy's questions during that oral argument, Toobin provides a smack-down of Kavanaugh in his March 26, 2012, piece.  In that piece, he summarized Kavanaugh's 65-page dissent to the challenge of the Affordable Care Act, and he highlighted that Kavanaugh "appeared to offer some advice to the Republicans who are challenging Obama in the election this year."  Essentially, the judge suggested that "even if the Supreme Court upholds the law . . ., a President . . . could refuse to enforce ACA because he 'deems' the law unconstitutional."  Wait for it, wait for it . . . Toobin's next line: "That, to put the matter plainly, is not how it works."  (emphasis added).  Ha!  Presidents don't get to decide whether the law is constitutional, rather, that happens to be the one job of the courts (regardless of how much the court tries to expand its job title).  Toobin goes on to discuss the air of paranoia and misunderstanding and the danger of Kavanaugh (a judge who clearly is mistaken on the separation of powers) being appointed to the bench by a Republican president, but the best part was definitely the smack-down.  Enjoy.

Uniqlo . . . interesting economic concept, so-so experience

As I've stated, I read many articles, magazines, and books while on my trip to Taiwan and Japan.  In the March 26, 2012, edition of The New Yorker, James Surowiecki wrote about the Japanese clothing store Uniqlo.  More interesting than merely discussing its line of clothing, its particular market, or its general success, he discussed it from an economic viewpoint (because, well, finances get him excited), and he discussed how the chain has improved its financial success by hiring more workers.  Yes, that's right.  In contrast to many American stores, Uniqlo has increased its labor costs by paying its employees more, having more full-time, long-term employees, and having more employees, in general.  Surowiecki was also highlighting Zeynep Ton's recent Harvard Business Review article that described his study on four low-price retailers (Costco, Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, and a Spanish company).  Those stores, like Uniqlo, all have higher than average labor costs, but they remain efficient and in business because they are able to keep people coming in their stores.  Ton essentially recognized that there is a point where cutting labor costs begins cutting against customers coming to your store because they can't find anything.  The term "phantom stock-out" was given to the issue when a store has an item, but the consumer can't find it, so the consumer assumes the store doesn't have it.  Another related term is "customer outsource" -- when the store begins making the customer do the work (think of self-service lanes at a grocery store).  At some point, the customer just gives up.  Suroweicki then gave the perfect example of Home Depot, where the labor costs were cut by reducing the number of employees and firing all the knowledgeable employees.  Thus, consumers were left wandering the many aisles looking for things.  Eventually, they stopped going to the stores.  I know I've personally experienced that very issue at Home Depot, and it is for that reason that I often do not patron Home Depot.

So, armed with this knowledge and knowing that I was imminently headed to Japan, I made a plan to visit a Uniqlo, if I happened to stumble on one.  Sure enough, there's a Uniqlo on Ginza, and so, despite the throngs of people we could see in the store, I persuaded my sister-in-law to accompany me to the store.  Now, I realize that it was Golden Week, and I realize we were in one of the few affordable stores on Ginza, but it was packed.  In fact, we had to wait in lines to go up the escalators.  Thus, some of the employees were being used essentially as crowd-control bouncers.  Then, once we got to the various floors, we noticed the clothing essentially offered a line of clothing reminiscent of Land's End mixed with Gap.  We weren't that impressed.  Some of the shirts had Barbie and Hello Kitty themes, but other than those, there was nothing exceptional.  The second sentence of Suroweicki's article stated, "[Uniqlo] has found a way to sell basic stuff that is not only affordable by also stylish and durable."  Yep.  We agree -- basic and durable.  Suroweicki wrote that it was the incredible labor force that made Uniqlo one of the most successful retailers in the world --- possible, but I have to say things were so hectic that we didn't really get to experience any fantastic service.  Overall, I think the idea that is so alluring is that the customer is being given top-class service even when buying low/medium-class stuff.  Everyone likes to be treated like a winner, and if a company can balance its costs just right, it seems it, too, can win.  Home Depot, take note.


p.s.  here's Uniqlo's website
p.p.s.  here's its corporate page

Another possible wrongful execution

For those of you who don't regularly read Arianna's massively successful Huffington Post, here's an article discussing yet another possible wrongful execution by the state of Texas:  De Luna Execution.  How many times must we catch wrongful executions or wrongful convictions and subsequent death penalty sentences before we begin really weighing whether our laws need to be re-examined???  Again, this is just one more nail in Texas's coffin for me. 

Aaaaand here's a video from an OKC news station . . .

One of my students showed me this fabulous you tube clip today:  Sweet Brown in OKC

 "I got bronchitis!!!"

Even better, here is a clip of a follow-up by Sweet-Brown-lovers:  Sweet Brown gets her reward

Enjoy ~

Jeffrey Toobin's Smack Down of the SCOTUS Qs

During my trip to Asia, I read a lot (because it is what I do, as my father-in-law pointed out to me).  I used the time to catch up on my New Yorkers, and I absolutely must highlight Jeffrey Toobin's smack down of the justices' questions concerning the health care act.  In the April 9, 2012, edition, Toobin wrote:

"The key issue in the case is whether congress, in passing the [Affordable Care Act], exceeded its powers under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, which allows the government to regulate interstate commerce.  Consider, then, this question, posed to [Solicitor General Donald] Verrilli by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy: 'Assume for the moment that this' -- the mandate -- 'is unprecedented, this is a step beyond what our cases have allowed, the affirmative duty to act to go into commerce.  If that is so, do you not have a heavy burden of justification?'  Every premise of that question was a misperception." (Emphasis added.)

Ha!  Toobin then goes on to explain that the national government has been involved with the health care market since the 60's since Medicaid and Medicare and that the heavy burden is actually on the other party (the challengers to the law) according to case law.  Toobin then remarks on how previous cases have set up a deference to Congress on such matters but that these justices were taking it upon themselves to become legislators along with justices.  He really seals his article with the zinger, "The awesome, and final, powers of the Justices are best exercised sparingly and with restraint.  Their normal burdens of interpreting laws are heavy enough.  No one expects the Justices to be making health-care policy any more than we expect them to be picking Presidents, which, it may be remembered, is not exactly their strength, either."  ZAP!  Way to go, Toobin!

I'm so glad that such a well-respected SCOTUS writer and critic has really taken the justices to the woodshed for trying to overstep their powers.  Unfortunately, as is so often pointed out, the justices live in a very secluded life and often do not interact with true American humanity or culture.  I hope that for this issue that will greatly save the country's long-term fiscal policies and sustainably provide for the people very much unlike themselves, the justices will step outside their ivory towers when issuing their decision.

I've been on vacation

Well, sorry for the silence . . . I've been grading appellate briefs, judging moot court competitions, and traveling.  My first year as a legal writing professor is quickly coming to an end.  In fact, I pretty much only have to convert my 0-100 scaled grades to a 12.0 scale and submit them, and then I'm done.  It's been a doozy of year, and I have learned so much.  I've been receiving numerous emails from students and reports from other professors and from my students themselves about how much they learned in my class and how much they enjoyed it, despite it being one of the toughest classes they have ever taken.  They know they've learned a lot, and they are now appreciating it.  Wonderful!

Due to the fact that I've not been rehired, I am now looking at some time to rest and cater to my own whims and the whims of my family.  These whims include painting, walking with dogs, and cooking good food for my husband.  Speaking of food for my husband, he has recently been on his own while I was in Asia.  I spent a little over two weeks in Taiwan and Japan.  Here are a couple of pictures of me there.  I'll be posting more about it later.  Enjoy!

This is me at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.

This is my sister-in-law (Sunny) and me on the bus from Taoyuan to Taipei. 

This is my sister-in-law and me outside the National Diet Building (the Japanese legislature) in Tokyo.