… is Posner’s recent opinion in Cavel International, Inc v. Lisa Madigan. Posner reluctantly upheld Illinois’ recent law banning the slaughter of horses for human food purposes.
Some highlights to look forward to: (1) the picture of the lion eating a birthday cake on page 11, (2) Bo Derek on page 14.
Now we can get down to it. Bowling season is finally here, and the team can swing into action. Based on who showed up to the preview week, I think we can safely say that most of Gutter v. Bowlinger’s competition will be 1Ls. They’re going to lack the key experience which makes GvB a force in the law school league. They’re on our turf: we know what kind of nachos to order, how to keep people from getting confused over whose beer glass is whose, and how to work the alley computer. We’re returning three starters this year, and most of the bowlers we’ll be facing will be rookies who won’t know where to rent shoes or how to get the attention of the server.
I’m predicting a strong showing this week, as the experience factor is in full effect for Week One.
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ELS Blog: Distribution of 2006 Starting Salaries: Best Graphic Chart of the Year
This graph is somewhat confusing. Note especially the median salary line, which is way off towards the left, leading me to think that the left hump on the graph ought to be much bigger.
September 17, 2007: Luxembourg. The Court of First Instance, Europe’s main appeals court for challenges to the European Commission, will announce its decision on Microsoft’s appeal of Europe’s biggest antitrust case ever.
September 17, 2007: Chicago. R. Kelly’s trial on charges of child pornography begins.
Re-Update (9/5/2007): The Chicago Tribune is reporting that R. Kelly’s trial date has been indefinitely postponed yet again, this time because the Assistant State’s Attorney gave birth last week. This case has been on the docket since 2002.
In my own ingroup of 16 judges (11 active members of my court, 4 senior members, and 1 nominee, who will replace an active member who will be taking senior status), only 2 are overweight (12.5 percent), compared to a nationwide average of 66 percent. Among my other friends, judicial and otherwise, the percentage who are overweight is probably no greater than 12.5 percent.
I’m really enjoying my mental image of the 7th circuit judges lining up for their monthly Posner weigh-in. Or maybe he’s got a mental checklist he’s constantly updating. I’m sort of hoping they’re all in training for some sort of relay race, which they’ll run in robes, with a writ of mandamus as the baton.
Recent events have spurred the WI legislature into action:
2007 SENATE BILL 247
July 25, 2007 - Introduced by Senators Schultz, Roessler, Kedzie, Olsen and
Plale, cosponsored by Representatives Musser, Gronemus, Jeskewitz,
Albers and LeMahieu. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Corrections.
An Act to amend 940.225 (4) (intro.) and 940.225 (7); and to create 940.225 (3r) and 943.0125 of the statutes; relating to: sexual contact with a corpse and disturbing a burial site.
We’ll see if this bill languishes in committee as long as the bill introduced by Gronemus and Albers back in March (Assembly Bill 148), which would prohibit the sale or distribution of an elastic yo-yo, defined in the bill as any toy known as a “yo-yo waterball” or any other similar toy consisting of a rubber-like object that is attached to an elastic cord.
Update (8/12/07):
The Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of Executive Budget and Finance has evaluated Senate Bill 247 and reported back on 8/06/07 that it would have no fiscal impact on the State or local governments.
Also, see http://www.dangersofwateryoyos.com/ for more info on the dangers of water yo-yos.
Finally, something useful is posted on the internet! See Ann Arbor and Warm Beer, on where to get cold beer in Ann Arbor, and where not to get it. (i.e. Ashley’s)
I feel that this information will prove useful in the coming weeks.
Wisconsin continues to have trouble policing posthumous public morality. A recent appeals court ruling there answered whether the current sexual assault statute (Wis. Stat. § 940.225) “criminalizes sexual intercourse with a corpse where the defendant was not involved in the individual’s death and the corpse was already buried before the sexual act.” And, the answer is no.
Additional topics addressed in the opinion: whether corpses can give consent (No), whether “unconsciousness” can be read to include death (Also no), and whether human remains can be the “victim” of a crime (somewhat unclear).
The opinion’s a short read, and worth it.
First, I’m unhappy describing myself as a Midwesterner. I prefer to call myself a Chicagoan. I’ll admit, reluctantly, that I grew up in Ohio. Growing up, though, I always thought of myself as a New Englander living in the Midwest, never as an Ohioan.
This comes to mind now because the weather has been clear the past few days, and I’m finding it disturbing. I found out, on moving here, that this entire area is ringed with mountains. There’s the Cascades to the west and south, and across the sound, there are the Olympics. I know this, but I’m constantly surprised when I look to the horizon, and there are the goddamn mountains.
Horizons are for being flat. The sky meets the earth, or the sky meets the water, in a straight line. There ought not to be jagged rocky things jutting up. On days like today, when the sky is cloudless and blue, the mountains in the distance are sharp, and I can see the snow on top and the rocks and the other stony parts. Every time I see them, it confuses me. If I drove a car here, I’m sure I would crash.
The worst part is, this makes me feel provincial and small. And it makes me want to scurry back to the places I know.
Dear Mr. SUV Driver Who Honked At Me and Nearly Made Me Fall Off My Bike:
I have a few things to apologize for.
1. When you honked at me, I yelled, “What the fuck?!?” and gave you the finger as you roared past me. I actually meant to yell, “Hello to you too!” and give you a friendly wave.
2. When I caught up with you at the light, I rapped on your window and asked, “What the hell is your problem?” I actually meant to ask, “How’s your day going?”
3. When you responded with “Get that fucking thing off the road!” I called you an asshole. I meant to say, “Did I drop something? Was that why you were honking?”
4. When you suggested that I don’t pay gasoline taxes, and therefore don’t deserve to use public streets, I responded that yes, I do pay taxes. This was a lame response and I apologize. What I meant to say was that while I’m only visiting your state for the summer, I’m happy to pay all applicable local taxes on my wages and purchases. It’s unlikely that I’d want to move here with my car, though, because the drivers all seem to be big assholes.
5. I may have also suggested that while part of the cost of your gasoline does fund road construction and maintenance, an additional part ends up in the pockets of Islamic fundamentalists who use it to blow up American soldiers and citizens. This might have been over the line for polite conversation at a stoplight. I really feel bad about this, because it makes me seem like a crazed eco-hippie-peacenik, and I try really hard not to be one. I eat red meat, sir. What I should have said was, “I have additional, political, reasons for not making short, in-town trips in a car if I can help it. I’d be happy to discuss them with you over a beer.”
I feel like our interaction was somewhat less than ideal, and while I think there’s some responsibility for this on both sides, I would like to be the first to apologize.
I’ve also joined the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. They’re much better than I am at expressing how I feel, in a friendly way.
