Heading for bed

I want a love like my bed.

Someone to support me,

someone comfortable,

someone who will listen

to everything I say,

and will be there

to catch all my tears.

Morning of grace

“No society has been able to abolish human sadness, no political system can deliver us from the pain of living, from our fear of death, our thirst for the absolute. It is the human condition that directs the social condition, not vice versa.”

"I thought that it was strange to assume that it was abnormal for anyone to be forever asking questions about the nature of the universe, about what the human condition really was, my condition, what I was doing here, if there was really something to do. It seemed to me on the contrary that it was abnormal for people not to think about it, for them to allow themselves to live, as it were, unconsciously. Perhaps it's because everyone, all the others, are convinced in some unformulated, irrational way that one day everything will be made clear. Perhaps there will be a morning of grace for humanity. Perhaps there will be a morning of grace for me. "

Eugène Ionesco

New Point of View

We arrived yesterday to meet our new instructor for the next couple of weeks, a retired cop. I must say it is an interesting experience. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for peace officers. I have never been in trouble with the law. In fact, I've never had so much as a speeding ticket in 20+ years of driving. However, I have had few pleasant experiences with cops. The one exception is an OPP officer who interviewed me following a serious multiple vehicle accident. I was in tremendous shock (though uninjured), and he showed a great amount of compassion and reassured me that I was not at fault. I made a point of thanking him for his kindness and told him he was my first positive encounter with the law. Still have his card in my wallet.

Our regular instructor is a retired paralegal, and her great passion is for righting wrongs and studying wrongful convictions. Our primary focus has always been 'the client' in the classroom, in sharp contrast to the cop's viewpoint that all defence attorneys should be taken out and shot, they are not to be trusted, etc. He made several cracks about 'when we get to defend scumbags'. He's a nice man, but rather cynical and lacks compassion. Class was frustrating yesterday, because we are used to working independently, and the lectures are usually limited to 3-6 hours of rapid-fire transcription. His method involves repeating phrases from the textbook ad nauseam, interspersed with gory, shocking, and shameful tales about suicides, child molesters, murders, or techniques for sleeping on the job... all delivered in a facetious manner.

I understand that being a cop is a difficult job... believe me, I do. I've seen enough of human nature in my 36 years of life to know that it's not a pretty job, and to survive it you must detach and harden yourself in order to continue to function. It's probably a good experience for us to hear about the darker side of the law, and to try and see the realities of law from a law enforcement point of view, but I'm not enjoying it. He asked how many of us would be interested in working for a prosecutor, and not one hand was raised. The day was spent being interrupted by a couple of other students who felt a need to drone on about their own experiences with cops and the law, which irritates me to no end. I'd rather be working from home and getting things done than listening to people BS in class about personal issues. Not to mention, he's used to teaching beginning students who are enrolled in the police program, so everything is so pre-digested and dumbed down that it's insulting to our intelligence.

Ah well, the plan is to turn all the project assignments in a week early and keep my mouth shut. Pig noises are absolutely forbidden. Vacation countdown commencing......

Technorati Tags:law, paralegal, cops

Mock trials finally over!

I recently re-entered my paralegal program after withdrawing for 5+ months for health reasons. As a result, the familiar classroom faces were gone, graduated, and most of them already working in law offices. I have now become the 11th class member of the next class, and the odd-girl-out in a group of 11 students, 10 of them already paired up to argue opposing sides on 5 murder cases, and they were into 3 months into mock trial preparations before I got there.

I was assigned to the role of judge, and I was at first content, imagining that I would be allowed to coast until the trials began. I assumed my role would be limited to sitting on my ass, being called upon to sustain or overrule objections, look solemn and throw in the infrequent "Noted Council, you may continue."

Did I ever have it wrong.

My instructor assigned me to research the prepared charting, evidence and witness lists for both sides on all five cases. In three weeks, no less. I was to be able to recall facts from memory or notes so that I could make note of factual errors, creative arguments, etc. I murdered a minimum of 3 trees for this project.

Most of the murder trials we choose are high-profile US cases, of which there is an abundance of information available on the internet or in libraries. Canadian cases that are chosen are generally those involving wrongful convictions. (These are my favorite.) We argue them as if they occured in Canada, applying our laws in place of the US laws. Happily, this means Crown council need never argue for the death penalty.

The students are always quite creative in their arguments, bringing in evidence props that have taken months of work to mock-up. One lady made a full-scale cardboard vehicle with life-size dolls wearing the exact clothing that the children of Diane Downs were wearing when she shot them.

The trials I was allowed to judge this round, along with the charges and jury verdicts included:

Regina v. James Driskell
Charge: 1st Degree Murder
Verdict: Mistrial

Regina v. Lawrencia Bembenek
Charge: 1st Degree Murder
Verdict: Not Guilty

Regina v. Stephen Grant
Charges: 1st Degree Murder; Dismemberment of a Corpse
Verdict: Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder and Dismemberment of a Corpse

Regina v. Robert Baltovich
Charges: 1st Degree Murder
Verdict: Hung jury

Regina v. Andrea Yates
Charges: 3 counts of 1st Degree Murder
Verdict: Not guilty by reason of insanty

Note that the verdicts reflect how the cases were argued by each side, and don't reflect upon the actual trials of those accused. The most difficult cases for me to research and hear testimony and arguments on were Yates and Grant. I have a great empathy for Andrea Yates, and her mock-trial defense had such a powerful closing that I lost the ability to maintain impassive and had to call for a recess because I started bawling. Very unprofessional of me.

Grant was difficult to research, after reading his full confession (.pdf), and then watching the news clips of his interviews when he was still pretending his wife, Tara Grant, was missing. They are truly disturbing to view. In this video, which I watched 3 times, I never was able to catch him blinking or successfully swallowing. Quite eerie. I've been having nightmares ever since. Contemplating a cubicle job in real estate law at this point. I'm not sure Criminal Law is for me, though I find it fascinating.

The most exciting was Bembenek's mock trial. I argued for her as defense earlier in the year and it's the only one of my trials that I saved all the documentation from, and the one I'm proudest of. The defense council for Bembenek in this mock trial emailed Ira Robins, the private detective who has worked on the case for decades. She wrote to inquire about obtaining some information, and he replied back, offering to attend the trial as a witness and to bring documentation. He was an amazing man, and I am pleased to have been allowed to hear him speak about Bembenek's case.

He's got HUGE cajones. The following day, he spoke with our department, along with the criminal justice students about his various ongoing projects in exposing corruption at the highest levels of state government in Wisconsin.

All in all, an interesting first few weeks back in school. We were assigned to choose and research new cases, which we will be working on until September. My partner and I chose the Robert Latimer case, the Saskatchewan farmer who confessed to killing his severely disabled 12 y.o. daughter, because she was living in constant pain. We couldn't decide which sides we preferred to argue, as both are fairly evenly weighted. The instructor tossed a coin, and I was assigned to represent the Crown. I'm looking forward to the challenge, and mentally preparing for some serious emotional upheaval.

As difficult as these cases are, I love the work involved and am very happy to be back in school again.

Technorati Tags:law, paralegal, mock trials, bembenek, stephen grant, yates, driskell, baltovich, ira robins

Gaza is Burning

U.S., Israel back new Palestinian regime

More relevant today than a year ago, note the date of this article.
July 27, 2006
Burning Lebanon
Israel's New Middle East
By TANYA REINHART

"For the U.S., the Middle East is a "strategic playing field", where the game is establishing full U.S. domination. The U.S. already controls Iraq and Afghanistan, and considers Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and a few other states as friendly cooperating regimes. But even with this massive foothold, full U.S. domination is still far from established. Iran has only been strengthened by the Iraq war and refuses to accept the decrees of the master. Throughout the Arab world, including in the "friendly regimes", there is boiling anger at the U.S., at the heart of which is not only the occupation of Iraq, but the brutal oppression of the Palestinians, and the U.S. backing of Israel's policies. The new axis of the four enemie! s of the Bush administration (Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran) are bodies viewed by the Arab world as resisting U.S. or Israel's rule, and standing for Arab liberation. From Bush's perspective, he only has two years to consolidate his vision of complete U.S. control of the Middle East, and to do that, all seeds of resistance should be crushed in a devastating blow that will make it clear to every single Arab that obeying the master is the only way to stay alive. If Israel is willing to do the job, and crush not only the Palestinians, but also Lebanon and Hezbollah, then the U.S., torn from the inside by growing resentment over Bush's wars, and perhaps unable to send new soldiers to be killed for this cause right now, will give Israel all the backing it can. As Rice announced in her visit in Jerusalem on July 25, what is at stakes is "a new Middle East". "We will prevail" - she promised Olmert."

Full Text

Technorati Tags:war, palestine

ADR and Mediation in SL!

Peacemakers Training and Education Center

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

Have a rl or sl dispute? Try mediation.

In mediation, two or more parties to a dispute meet with a trained, impartial third person to discuss issues and negotiate a resolution. Our mediators are rl professionals using sl as a tool for conflict resolution. Rates vary by mediator and nature of dispute.
IM Bengoshi Shakkyo for more information.

My avatar loitering while I send an IM to inquire about Mediation courses.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coburg/102/29/112

Technorati Tags:law, second life, mediation, ADR

Keith Olbermann

Technorati Tags:bush, iraq, olbermann, youtube, war, corruption, manipulation, fear

Solitude

Little do men perceive what solitude is,

and how far it extendeth.
For a crowd is not company,
and faces are but a gallery of pictures,
and talk but a tinkling cymbal,

where there is no love.

Francis Bacon

Technorati Tags:solitude, poem

Law, Like Love

Law, say the gardeners, is the sun,
Law is the one
All gardeners obey
To-morrow, yesterday, to-day.

Law is the wisdom of the old,
The impotent grandfathers feebly scold;
The grandchildren put out a treble tongue,
Law is the senses of the young.

Law, says the priest with a priestly look,
Expounding to an unpriestly people,
Law is the words in my priestly book,
Law is my pulpit and my steeple.

Law, says the judge as he looks down his nose,
Speaking clearly and most severely,
Law is as I've told you before,
Law is as you know I suppose,
Law is but let me explain it once more,
Law is the The Law.

Yet lay-abiding scholars write:
Law is neither wrong nor right,
Law is only crimes
Punished by places and by times,
Law is the clothes men wear
Anytime, anywhere,
Law is Good morning and Good night.

Others say, Law is our Fate;
Others say, Law is our State;
Others say, others say
Law is no more,
Law has gone away.

And always the loud angry crowd,
Very angry and very loud,
Law is We,
And always the soft idiot softly Me.

If we, dear, know we know no more
Than they about the Law,
If I no more than you
Know what we should and should not do
Except that all agree
Gladly or miserably
That the Law is
And that all know this
If therefore thinking it absurd
To identify Law with some other word,
Unlike so many men
I cannot say Law is again,

No more than they can we suppress
The universal wish to guess
Or slip out of our own position
Into an unconcerned condition.
Although I can at least confine
Your vanity and mine
To stating timidly
A timid similarity,
We shall boast anyway:
Like love I say.

Like love we don't know where or why,
Like love we can't compel or fly,
Like love we often weep,
Like love we seldom keep.

W.H. Auden

Private Warriors

Frontline's documentary on military outsourcing to private contractors, corporate security guards who are killing without accountability, the money being made on the war by companies like KBR and Halliburton, why things went fubar in Fallujah. This is an incredible documentary, and you can watch it on PBS via streaming video.


Frontline's Private Warriors - view the entire program online.

Tao Te Ching 10

Nurture the darkness of your soul
until you become whole.
Can you do this and not fail?
Can you focus your life-breath until you become
supple as a newborn child?
While you cleanse your inner vision
will you be found without fault?
Can you love people and lead them
without forcing your will on them?
When Heaven gives and takes away
can you be content with the outcome?
When you understand all things
can you step back from your own understanding?

Not by a long shot, but working on it.

'Dedication to My Wife'

"To whom I owe the leaping delight
That quickens my senses in our wakingtime
And the rhythm that governs the repose of our sleepingtime,
The breathing in unison.
Of lovers whose bodies smell of each other
Who think the same thoughts without need of speech
And babble the same speech without need of meaning.
No peevish winter wind shall chill
No sullen tropic sun shall wither
The roses in the rose-garden which is ours and ours only
But this dedication is for others to read:
These are private words addressed to you in public."

T.S. Eliot

To be loved like that, man.

sigh.

Who should paint your portrait?

Salvador Dali Salvador Dali should paint your portrait. You love to think about the world in a different way then everyone else. You are very ambitious, and you like strange things. You are curious about everything and love to learn. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Nerd Supreme

How to End the War

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?

Mahatma Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War"

How to End the War, by Naomi Klein

The Universe Within

from the FSU Molecular Expressions website:

Secret Worlds:  The Universe Within

"Soar through space starting at 10 million light years away from the Milky Way down through to a single proton in Florida in decreasing orders of magnitude (powers of ten). This tutorial explores the use of exponential notation to understand and compare the size of things in our world and the universe, and provides a glimpse of the duality between the macroworld around us and the hidden microworld within."

 

Kabalarian Name Analysis

What the Kabalarians have to say about my name:

Although the name Allison creates an interest in the deeper aspects of life, we emphasize that it causes a blunt expression that alienates others. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the lungs, heart, bronchial area, and tension or accidents to the head.

As Allison you have a great love of nature and the out-of-doors. All the finer things of life and beauties of nature are an inspiration to you and you are attracted to the mysteries of nature. Difficulty in expression results in your being too positive, blunt, and candid in speech and although you are easily offended by others, you do not show it. You crave affection and understanding, but rarely find it as others do not understand you and accuse you of being cool and aloof. The average person would never realize the true depth of your nature.

I dunno.

Global Economics 101

One disposable lighter. $.87 CDN

Label reads:

Tri-Star Marketing

Woodbridge, ON L4L 7K5 Canada

copyright 2003 Swedish Match, North America, Inc.

Owensboro, Kentucky, 42301, USA

Made and packaged in the Philippines

All this to make fire? Ludicrous.

wtf?

Your Brain is 33.33% Female, 66.67% Male

You have a total boy brain Logical and detailed, you tend to look at the facts And while your emotions do sway you sometimes... You never like to get feelings too involved

What Gender Is Your Brain?