Miscellaneous

There are a lot of things that

Posted on January 28, 2008
There are a lot of things that are hilarious about Rudy Giuliani's strategy, but the best, I think, is that it is apparently based on John V. Lindsay's plan. Can't you just hear Wallace Shawn sputtering in the background? "You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: the New Yorkers who moved to Florida all did it because they hated you!"

To the Lionel Loueke Trio at Bruce

Posted on January 28, 2008
To the Lionel Loueke Trio at Bruce Eaton's Hunt Real Estate Art of Jazz at the Albright Knox yesterday. Probably jazz is America's greatest contribution to world culture, and Bruce has been booking acts that demonstrate that the world is giving it back; Loueke is from Benin, in West Africa, his drummer, Ferenc Nemeth is Hungarian, and his bassist, Massimo Biolcati is from Italy, and is half Swedish...

I'm a proud alum of the University

Posted on January 22, 2008
I'm a proud alum of the University at Buffalo School of Law, but it seems to me that they can be a bit pusillanimous when it comes to honoring other graduates. I boycotted the dinner for Dennis Vacco-- a thug; and Dale Volker was an outrageous choice...

A funny sort of weekend, over which

Posted on January 21, 2008
A funny sort of weekend, over which we did a great deal, and yet felt as though little was accomplished. Saw the Sabres score 10 goals, and as I write this I hope that someone who needs it more is enjoying the yellow Bill Rogers touque-- LCA complained bitterly whenever I wore it, and I must admit that although it was soft and warm, it was also hideous...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

I'm terribly sad that New World

Posted on January 18, 2008
I'm terribly sad that New World Records is closing up shop. They were always good corporate citizens, for one thing, happy to come through with donations for arts organizations' fund raisers, and pleased to promote local musicians. I felt their absence immediately when they moved from Elmwood to Hertel-- the store was a haven, a place to duck into if you were kicking around Elmwood, and if I walked out with a new side eight or nine times out of ten, so much the better...

People who talk about "Dylan's

Posted on January 17, 2008
People who talk about "Dylan's sense of humor" can sound as stuffy as people who discuss the same thing about Shakespeare, but the fact remains that "As You Like It" really is pretty funny, and Bob gets a nifty joke off from time to time also. He was in fine form on "Theme Time Radio" this week...

Stupid and corrupt is not the same

Posted on January 17, 2008
Stupid and corrupt is not the same as unconstitutional. I guess I knew that, but it makes me sad that one of the consequences is that New York's stupid and corrupt judicial selection system gets to stay in place. You don't see a lot of 9-0 decisions out of this Supreme Court, but they held their noses and reversed the Second Circuit...

Warning Signs. (Via Making Lig

Posted on January 16, 2008
Warning Signs. (Via Making Light.)

It'll be a while before I'm on

Posted on January 15, 2008
It'll be a while before I'm on a bike again, and I miss almost everything about it. Just about the only thing I don't miss are Buffalo drivers, who are unusually unpleasant, and stupid and also wicked fat. I'd like to see Queen City cops on bikes, since this would be comical, and because it might bring about more aggressive enforcement of cyclists' rights...

Shopping for CDs with EGA just

Posted on January 13, 2008
Shopping for CDs with EGA just before Christmas she made a crack about how my music presents have an "eat your vegetables" quality. Coming from her this was less like calling the music I give my kids Brussels sprouts than it sounds, but even so, I have to admit it stung just a tad...

For some time now I've been wanting

Posted on January 11, 2008
For some time now I've been wanting to write something about mediator confidentiality. If I do Olam v. Congress Mortg. Co., 68 F.Supp.2d 1110 (N.D. California, 1999) would be a good place to start.

Since it came out I've been meaning

Posted on January 05, 2008
Since it came out I've been meaning to get my father Gary Giddins' Bing Crosby bio, "A Pocket Full of Dreams", but I could never remember if I had already done so. This year he broke the logjam and got it for me, and I've been digging it since Boxing Day...

The interesting thing about the

Posted on January 04, 2008
The interesting thing about the Iowa Caucus outcomes is the turnout: 100k more than ever before in history on the Democrat's side. That's pretty significant, as is the fact that on both sides the turnout favored the, you should excuse the expression, dark horse...

Excluding New York State and Southern

Posted on January 03, 2008
Excluding New York State and Southern Ontario-- which are too much of a part of my regular circuit to really count-- here's where I went in 2007: Miami, LA, Detroit, Northampton, Baltimore Pittsburgh, Ketchum, Laguna Beach, Bloomington, Holland (Michigan), Laguna Beach, New Orleans, Jacksonville...

The Court of Appeals says that

Posted on December 20, 2007
The Court of Appeals says that Supreme Court properly exercised personal jurisdiction over defendants, an individual and corporation, both residents of California, who retained a New York attorney to represent the corporation in an action brought in an Oregon federal court because the defendants' retention and subsequent communications with the plaintiff, a New York lawyer, established a continuing attorney-client relationship and thereby constitute the transaction of business under CPLR 302(a)1)...

For the past couple of years I've

Posted on December 19, 2007
For the past couple of years I've been carrying a pocket notebook around, to take notes and jot down things I want to remember. Like my brain, my notebook is kind of a whore's top drawer, full of useless odds and ends-- even more so, if you can imagine, than Outside Counsel is...

Liesl Schillinger on Christmas

Posted on December 19, 2007
Liesl Schillinger on Christmas mysteries: "There is so much we do not understand about Christmas. For instance, why do we sing "Oh bring us some figgy pudding" every December, when if anyone were to hand some to us, we wouldn't know what it was? (And when the song "Winter Wonderland" comes over the radio, babbling, "In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown...

It has long been an item of faith

Posted on December 13, 2007
It has long been an item of faith with me that Ike Turner recorded the first rock'n'roll record-- "Rocket 88", with the Kings of Rhythm at Sun Studio in 1951, under the name Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats. Just last night I read in Dave Marsh's Rock'N'Roll Confidential that some historians say that Roy Brown's 1948 single, "Good Rocking Tonight" deserves the title, and this morning I learned that Ike is dead...

New York does not recognize all

Posted on December 12, 2007
New York does not recognize all that many privileges. Attorney-client; spouse; Physician, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor and nurse; clergy; psychologist; social worker; Rape crisis counselor. (Library records are confidential, but subject to release pursuant to authorization or subpoena...

I'm not familiar with City Journal,

Posted on December 10, 2007
I'm not familiar with City Journal, but apparently my brother is, and he passed along this article about the Queen City of the Lakes.

The Scottish Diet is an ingenious

Posted on December 03, 2007
The Scottish Diet is an ingenious nutritional system invented by the Scots to keep their pension funds in balance by reducing the number of people who make it beyond the age of 60. Like many of the world's smartest inventions (most of them invented by the Scots), it is devilishly simple...

I've been thinking about Jerry

Posted on December 02, 2007
I've been thinking about Jerry Sullivan's column on why college football should have a playoff structure, and it seems to me that he got it exactly wrong. College sports do not need to be more like professional sports-- college sports should be less like the pros...

It's funny how sometimes a very

Posted on November 30, 2007
It's funny how sometimes a very little thing can really mark an improvement in my life. For example, I love that there is a Papaya King in the JetBlue terminal at JFK. A Papaya King hot dog and a regular papaya drink is just the right snack-- and if I get it with slaw, or sauerkraut it's high in health fiber!

Interesting decision by the Court

Posted on November 27, 2007
Interesting decision by the Court of Appeals in Arons v. Jutkowitz (pdf file)today. It has been the practice among medical malpractice defense attorneys to request an authorization permitting an ex parte interview with the plaintiff's treating doctor after the plaintiff has filed a Note of Issue placing the case on the trial calendar-- and to make a motion compelling the production of such an authorization if such is not forthcoming...

More Mailer reminiscence. The

Posted on November 27, 2007
More Mailer reminiscence. The Mailer-Breslin ticket's campaign slogan was "Vote the Rascals In". It's pretty great that it seems like everyone who ever met the guy has got a story about him."There is one small, pleasing fragment that has survived from those battleground years...

Mailer for Mayor. (Via Kottke

Posted on November 26, 2007
Mailer for Mayor. (Via Kottke.)

"I'm Not There" is inspiring some

Posted on November 26, 2007
"I'm Not There" is inspiring some worthwhile Dylanology. J. Hoberman on Dylan movies, for example, or this list (via Making Light) of The Ten Most Incomprehensible Bob Dylan Interviews of All Time.

As we did last year we are renting

Posted on November 19, 2007
As we did last year we are renting an apartment in Manhattan for Thanksgiving. There is a great deal to like about this arrangement: it is a more or less central point for our household and my parents; it is easy to travel for my brother and his wife-- and for EGA-- but it does present us with a problem common to vacation rentals-- Other People's Kitchens...

I had, as Vice President Cheney

Posted on November 16, 2007
I had, as Vice President Cheney says, "other priorities" last night, so I didn't watch the Democrats' debate. I like this summary from Firedoglake, though:"Clinton proved once again why she?s a formidable candidate. Her two closest challengers may have lost their edge, while three second tier candidates ? Biden (foreign policy expertise), Dodd (education and constitutional issues), and Kucinich (got it right the first time) ? did well...

Reading about Mailer took me to

Posted on November 14, 2007
Reading about Mailer took me to Vidal, which took me to William F. Buckley, who also ran for Mayor of New York. Buckley did it first, in 1965, four years before Mailer and Jimmy Breslin. (For some reason I thought they both ran the same year, which would have been awesome, instead they both ran against-- and in some way contributed to the victory of John V...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.