I had a good run of Aviation Law Exam goodness from about 5 to 9. Before that I'd eaten some surprisingly good General Tso's chicken from the heavily armored place next to Zavelle's Bookstore on Broad Street. Now, normally, I prefer to eat in, but since this place didn't have any tables, I made an exception and carry-out'd back to Klein Hall.
The Gen Tso sauce was spicy, but not too spicy, and properly peppery. It was not barbecue sauce, which seems to be a common problem here in Philly. Every other place on Temple's campus, and most of the one's I've tried on South Street, have a more barbecue flavor to their General Tso's.
Now I'm back at home, hoping to chill a bit before turning in early. I know it might seem strange (well okay, not to Bill-he's a professional) but writing as well as you can is quite exhausing. So at 8:01 PM on Monday I'm going to be extremely happy (though then I'll be fixated in a few hours on Business Immigration Law.)
Oh, and while I understand that rain is cool and all, I'd have been happier with sunshine.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Friday, April 29, 2005
Back at the Bean Cafe
Well today I've been working on the Aviation Law exam (due n/l/t 8:00 PM Monday, May 2.)
Last night's exam went pretty well. The prof selected one straightforward, and one unpleasantly difficult, question. The multiple choice were fine-confusing but not impossible (a well-tabbed UCC and textbook helped immeasurably.)
Afterwards I had a long walk before heading to bed at about 2. Today I rested up, but the blur of activity is starting again.
Last night's exam went pretty well. The prof selected one straightforward, and one unpleasantly difficult, question. The multiple choice were fine-confusing but not impossible (a well-tabbed UCC and textbook helped immeasurably.)
Afterwards I had a long walk before heading to bed at about 2. Today I rested up, but the blur of activity is starting again.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
30 Minutes to Go
I've got 30 minutes until my first exam (and only in-class exam this semester) Payment systems. Either I shall rock hard, or rock hardly at all, but either way it'll be over soon.
I also visited the nice folks from Fin Aid and it turns out that mucho loan money is on the horizon.
So in about 10 days paying my bills won't hurt.
I also visited the nice folks from Fin Aid and it turns out that mucho loan money is on the horizon.
So in about 10 days paying my bills won't hurt.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Thoughts on the Exam Process
I've been spending the week writing out take-home exams. And it occurs to me that I really, really am better at take-homes than in-class exams. I make no predictions regarding my grades, but it really feels like I'm getting a proper chance to be thorough, without the dread of coming up with all the answers in 4 hours.
My life will be a blur until May 9th or so, when I hand in the last exam.
Oh, and tomorrow at noon I get to find out what my financing options are for summer. Yay student loan money.
My life will be a blur until May 9th or so, when I hand in the last exam.
Oh, and tomorrow at noon I get to find out what my financing options are for summer. Yay student loan money.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Last Day of Class Spring 2005
Woo-Hoo! Last night of class! More "Banking the Poor" in Payment Systems followed by dinner over at the Draught Horse. And some of the 4-Ls were celebrating, so I congratulated them.
I was also hit up by the class of '05 for a donation, which I gave 'em. Free cap and a line in the graduation program.
I was also hit up by the class of '05 for a donation, which I gave 'em. Free cap and a line in the graduation program.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Sunny, 81 Degrees
Today was the last class for Corporate Transactions. We had yet more duly diligent goodness, with a couple of hints from the Prof as to what we should expect on the exam.
Tonight will also be the last night for Business Immigration Law, which should be a blast. Tonight after class I'm going to look at the sample problems we got yesterday in Payment systems for tomorrow.
I'm feeling pretty good about the exams starting next week (although I'm not going to enjoy actually writing all this stuff.) Again, I'm going to do my best to be completely finished with school on May 10.
Tonight will also be the last night for Business Immigration Law, which should be a blast. Tonight after class I'm going to look at the sample problems we got yesterday in Payment systems for tomorrow.
I'm feeling pretty good about the exams starting next week (although I'm not going to enjoy actually writing all this stuff.) Again, I'm going to do my best to be completely finished with school on May 10.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Hanging Out at the Temple Law Bookstore
Right across the road from Klein Hall is the Law Bookstore. Here there's a nice little coffeeshop, with access to Temple's wireless network. So I get to hang out, read the New York Times (and my homework) and surf the web. On Tuesdays I only have one class, Payment Systems, and it's at 7:30, so leaving work at 4:00 I've got some time to kill.
Now, despite some effort, I'm fully aware of the parade of pulchritude wandering past the window. So if my typing should suddenly trail off, replaced by confused grunting, gentle reader you shall know why.
I guess I should admit some concern over my summer. My current plan is to work in Philly and take summer classes. But if I can find someone who wants to hire me, I'll go wherever they'll pay to have me. I wouldn't be worried, except that Penn's regs force me to work no more than 1000 hours a fiscal year, and I have less than 100 hours left between now and July 1. So I'm nervous about it.
I'm also having to think about my last two semesters of law school. I know I've got to take some more litigation courses to be a "well rounded law student" but I have zero enthusiasm for the task. Similarly, I need to take my big paper course, where I write a 30 page paper on some topic. I'm going to try to write on an international law topic, because I find it interesting, and because if I write a paper for international law, and I decide to go for a Transnational LLM I won't need to write a second paper (i.e. a two for one deal.)
Now, despite some effort, I'm fully aware of the parade of pulchritude wandering past the window. So if my typing should suddenly trail off, replaced by confused grunting, gentle reader you shall know why.
I guess I should admit some concern over my summer. My current plan is to work in Philly and take summer classes. But if I can find someone who wants to hire me, I'll go wherever they'll pay to have me. I wouldn't be worried, except that Penn's regs force me to work no more than 1000 hours a fiscal year, and I have less than 100 hours left between now and July 1. So I'm nervous about it.
I'm also having to think about my last two semesters of law school. I know I've got to take some more litigation courses to be a "well rounded law student" but I have zero enthusiasm for the task. Similarly, I need to take my big paper course, where I write a 30 page paper on some topic. I'm going to try to write on an international law topic, because I find it interesting, and because if I write a paper for international law, and I decide to go for a Transnational LLM I won't need to write a second paper (i.e. a two for one deal.)
Monday, April 18, 2005
The beginning of the end of class
This is the last week of classes for the spring term. Today was the last class for Aviation law, and the Prof gave a chance for me to speak in class (to make up for goofing up three weeks ago.) So that was good.
Today was gorgeous, absolutely warm and sunny. It felt good to be outside breathing the air.
Today was gorgeous, absolutely warm and sunny. It felt good to be outside breathing the air.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
More about the EU
The European Union spent years working on a new constitution. The constitution was intended to address a number of problems with the current treaties, including a mind-numbing opacity.
If you haven't looked at the US Constitution in a while, you may have forgotten that it is short. Really short. Now, on the one hand, this can be a problem. Often the Constitution will have a suggestive phrase, and leave the rest of the work of interpreting it as an exercise for the reader.
For instance, the Commander-in-Chief clause. "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States" Article II, Sec. 2. We've been arguing 200 years over what, exactly, the limits of the President's powers as Commander in Chief are. If the constitution had come with with a "definitions" section life could be much easier.
As an aside, I am reminded of last weeks Corporate Transactions class. The Prof was explaining that in a merger of private companies, his usual preference was to avoid creating a formal "Letter of Intent" instead using mutual term sheets to keep track of the bargaining parties positions. As he explained it, the risk with a Letter of Intent is that, in jumping in to negotiate Letter of Intent, the lawyers may scuttle the deal by killing its momentum. The lawyers, and principals, have a risk of butting heads on problems that don't have solutions at that part of the discussion. And, by spending too much time negotiating the details of the deal up front, the window of opportunity for the deal may be lost altogether.
The men who wrote the US Constitution were brilliant, but also pragmatic. Instead of bogging themselves in myriad details, they wrote a sharp, focused constitution and recognized much would have to be agreed upon later or resolved through the political process. The Europeans, however, seem to have been overcome by the desire to do everything at once, and so have birthed a document of monstrous size (the version here, including a couple of protocols, clocks in at 485 pages.)
Now, in some sense it's unfair to blame the Europeans, because the constitution is also an attempt to consolidate all of the piecemeal treaties into one. It would almost be as if you had to include a compendium of the current Supreme Court jurisprudence (cases, analysis, and decisions) along with the text of the Constitution, which I'm sure could easily beat a measely 500 pages.
But to recognize the difficulty of a thing is not to deny the possibility of doing it well. The process the Europeans used was fine. It is the end result that mocks the good intentions. They sought to increase the democratic accountability of the EU through making its ruling treaties comprehensible, but they only managed to demonstrate how incomprehensible the whole enterprise has become.
The European Constitution comes into effect after all of the member countries have ratified it. On May 29 the French will decide. (See the interactive "State of Play" map here.)
I hope the Constition is defeated, and that after the defeat the focus of effort will be on integrating the newly admitted countries of central and eastern europe. But for now it's a fun time for a Europe watcher.
If you haven't looked at the US Constitution in a while, you may have forgotten that it is short. Really short. Now, on the one hand, this can be a problem. Often the Constitution will have a suggestive phrase, and leave the rest of the work of interpreting it as an exercise for the reader.
For instance, the Commander-in-Chief clause. "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States" Article II, Sec. 2. We've been arguing 200 years over what, exactly, the limits of the President's powers as Commander in Chief are. If the constitution had come with with a "definitions" section life could be much easier.
As an aside, I am reminded of last weeks Corporate Transactions class. The Prof was explaining that in a merger of private companies, his usual preference was to avoid creating a formal "Letter of Intent" instead using mutual term sheets to keep track of the bargaining parties positions. As he explained it, the risk with a Letter of Intent is that, in jumping in to negotiate Letter of Intent, the lawyers may scuttle the deal by killing its momentum. The lawyers, and principals, have a risk of butting heads on problems that don't have solutions at that part of the discussion. And, by spending too much time negotiating the details of the deal up front, the window of opportunity for the deal may be lost altogether.
The men who wrote the US Constitution were brilliant, but also pragmatic. Instead of bogging themselves in myriad details, they wrote a sharp, focused constitution and recognized much would have to be agreed upon later or resolved through the political process. The Europeans, however, seem to have been overcome by the desire to do everything at once, and so have birthed a document of monstrous size (the version here, including a couple of protocols, clocks in at 485 pages.)
Now, in some sense it's unfair to blame the Europeans, because the constitution is also an attempt to consolidate all of the piecemeal treaties into one. It would almost be as if you had to include a compendium of the current Supreme Court jurisprudence (cases, analysis, and decisions) along with the text of the Constitution, which I'm sure could easily beat a measely 500 pages.
But to recognize the difficulty of a thing is not to deny the possibility of doing it well. The process the Europeans used was fine. It is the end result that mocks the good intentions. They sought to increase the democratic accountability of the EU through making its ruling treaties comprehensible, but they only managed to demonstrate how incomprehensible the whole enterprise has become.
The European Constitution comes into effect after all of the member countries have ratified it. On May 29 the French will decide. (See the interactive "State of Play" map here.)
I hope the Constition is defeated, and that after the defeat the focus of effort will be on integrating the newly admitted countries of central and eastern europe. But for now it's a fun time for a Europe watcher.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Federalist Society Student Symposium Recap
Woo-hoo! They've got the video up (thanks for the pointer from The Volokh Conspiracy).
I was there, and it was an incredibly fun symposium.
I was there, and it was an incredibly fun symposium.
Fun History
Esquire goofed last year in publishing a book including an essay of Gore Vidal's libelous attacks on William F. Buckley, Jr.
I just took the pleasure of reading the PDF of Buckley's response, and it's a beauty.
I just took the pleasure of reading the PDF of Buckley's response, and it's a beauty.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Super Fares
Southwest Airlines is now running a special $29 dollar Philly to Pittsburgh fare.
Now if only I had $58!
And a good reason to visit Pittsburgh.
Now if only I had $58!
And a good reason to visit Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The Thrill of Due Diligence
I got out of Corporate Transactions at 6, and grabbed a quick snack at the 7-11. Today we discussed corporate due diligence, after examining some example documents.
Getting to do due diligence would rock!
I'm serious! You get to do a sort of X-Ray on a living corporate patient. You could see how everything is connected.
From the initial articles of incorporation, to the day-to-day operation of the firm. Think of all of the lives, and loves, bound up in an enterprise of even a small size.
The smallest mom-and-pop company is somebody's baby. It might be raking in the dough, or barely making payroll. And, of course, every successful company will have friendly enemies out to undercut your every bid.
And, if they're asking you to do due diligence, that means there's a deal lurking in the background. Someone is looking to shake things up.
What a blast!
Anyway, now I'm hanging out at the Dunkin' Donuts, enjoying a large coffee and a krueller. Mmm, kruller.
Getting to do due diligence would rock!
I'm serious! You get to do a sort of X-Ray on a living corporate patient. You could see how everything is connected.
From the initial articles of incorporation, to the day-to-day operation of the firm. Think of all of the lives, and loves, bound up in an enterprise of even a small size.
The smallest mom-and-pop company is somebody's baby. It might be raking in the dough, or barely making payroll. And, of course, every successful company will have friendly enemies out to undercut your every bid.
And, if they're asking you to do due diligence, that means there's a deal lurking in the background. Someone is looking to shake things up.
What a blast!
Anyway, now I'm hanging out at the Dunkin' Donuts, enjoying a large coffee and a krueller. Mmm, kruller.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Intermezzo Cafe
Right now, I'm sitting at the Intermezzo Cafe, on Walnut Street. The cool thing about it is that they have a free wireless connection, which means I can email my Payment Systems homework to the professor from here.
About Payment Systems. We're finishing up guarantees, and will be looking at banking the poor next. Many people know that I don't really think that highly of banks. Citizens's Bank, for example, will happily pyramid charges on overdrafts, in addition to using "biggest withdrawal first" rules that ensure you get nicked for as many NSF charges as possible. Now, you might claim that it's my own fault for failing to have enough money in the account, and that's true. But since it's a complete crapshoot as to when deposits will clear and become available or when payments will actually be processed, I lack any sympathy for the bank. And, the charges and fees the bank levies, directly from my account, are completely disconnected from their costs for processing. A typical check overdraft costs a bank about oh, maybe 10 dollars to process. They will neg your bank account $30. That's $20 dollars of pure happy profit for shareholders.
About Payment Systems. We're finishing up guarantees, and will be looking at banking the poor next. Many people know that I don't really think that highly of banks. Citizens's Bank, for example, will happily pyramid charges on overdrafts, in addition to using "biggest withdrawal first" rules that ensure you get nicked for as many NSF charges as possible. Now, you might claim that it's my own fault for failing to have enough money in the account, and that's true. But since it's a complete crapshoot as to when deposits will clear and become available or when payments will actually be processed, I lack any sympathy for the bank. And, the charges and fees the bank levies, directly from my account, are completely disconnected from their costs for processing. A typical check overdraft costs a bank about oh, maybe 10 dollars to process. They will neg your bank account $30. That's $20 dollars of pure happy profit for shareholders.
Regression Analysis and Baby Names
I know I really like my name, although I don't think it's ever managed to open any doors for me.
Still, Slate has a neat excerpt from a book examining if names are destiny.
Turns out that the answer is no.
Still, Slate has a neat excerpt from a book examining if names are destiny.
Turns out that the answer is no.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Things to be proud of...
From ZDNet:
Sure, getting to the root of Russia's problems may be an item of academic interest, but at least there's something they do fantastically well.
Sure, getting to the root of Russia's problems may be an item of academic interest, but at least there's something they do fantastically well.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Bet this never happens to donuts
From MSNBC:
Surplus low-carb foods shipped to foodbanks
Truckloads of Atkins bars,diet shakes sent to charities
Ken Slone stands in the Christian Appalachian Project warehouse stocked with low-carb diet food near Paintsville, Ky., on March 30. Since September, the charity has received 14 truckloads of food from Atkins nutritionist, the New York company famous for the low-carb diet. Slone said each truck load contained about 1,300 cases of energy bars, shakes and breakfast mixes that are being distributed to churches and other organizations that minister to the needy.
Surplus low-carb foods shipped to foodbanks
Truckloads of Atkins bars,diet shakes sent to charities
Ken Slone stands in the Christian Appalachian Project warehouse stocked with low-carb diet food near Paintsville, Ky., on March 30. Since September, the charity has received 14 truckloads of food from Atkins nutritionist, the New York company famous for the low-carb diet. Slone said each truck load contained about 1,300 cases of energy bars, shakes and breakfast mixes that are being distributed to churches and other organizations that minister to the needy.
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