Author Archives: nskam

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

Note the conjoined twin print behind our antagonist

2010’s gross-out, horror film The Human Centipede (First Sequence) came and went with more hype than anything else. Finally, it’s hit Netflix on-demand opening up the movie to a much wider audience, except for the squeamish of course. Some have praised it highly, others panned it without due diligence. Roger Ebert’s remarks certainly take the cake:

I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don’t shine.

In the film the token, creepy German Dr. Joseph Heiter, played by Dieter Laser, is a former surgeon who made his living separating conjoined twins. But his true passion in life lies in attaching autonomous creatures to form a more perfect organism.

Will he succeed in building Ethmostigmus rubripes sapiens? Yes.

Will the doctor be thwarted by our plucky young cast? Perhaps.

Will you be emotionally scarred forever? No doubt.

Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the Siamese triplets proffered by this heartwarming film.

Munich Oktoberfest Sees Rise in Assaults with Beer Glasses

So far this year there have been 32 injuries resulting from beer stein assaults, said Munich police spokeswoman Claudia Haas, up from 19 at the same time during last year’s festival. She said she expects the stiff sentences the perpetrators face will serve as a deterrent in future.

This is not unlike the “glassing” sprees going on in the UK. As Drew Breunig points out, the efforts to reduce such attacks by introducing plastic, unbreakable pint glasses don’t address the problem at all.  “The problem here is rooted in culture, not in an easily breakable pint glass.”

Consider also the introduction of the anti-rape condom as a device that fails to only address the symptoms of an epidemic and not the problem.

On the plus side, Der Spiegel reported that rapes and assaults at the 2ooth Oktoberfest are down. Kudos to you Münchners!

Via Der Spiegel.

When You Can’t Even Work for Free

Here’s something the Class of 2010 had been discussing at length before the NYTimes picked up on it: deferred law firm associates take stipends and jobs at public interest groups only to later decide to forgo their big law paychecks for a more rewarding career in public interest.

The legal job market has been inundated by recent graduates who secured law firm jobs, were subsequently deferred with pay and ultimately ended up in public interest jobs. Some work the requisite year and then return to their firms. Others, are choosing to stay in public interest.

The NYTimes puts their own spin on the state of the market: “But it could be that nonprofits would have few, if any jobs, for entry-level lawyers because of the economic climate, and deferred associates are picking up the work for public interest groups that would otherwise be slashing services because of budget cuts.” Under this view, yes, this is a good thing.

This view ignores the fact that you’ve got graduates who have made two positions unavailable through the good fortune that their law firms don’t have enough work to do. While they work for free at the local courthouse, landlord-tenant call in line, or the consumer foreclosure resource office they receive a monthly stipend from their law firm.

The outcome? Not only are those firm jobs unavailable, but the public interest groups are finding it easier to justify not paying employees. If there are deferred associates receiving a stipend, there’s no need to find money in the budget to pay them. It’s terrifying to think that public interest groups might get used to not paying fledgling attorneys for this work, especially when you’ve got recent graduates who have decided to dedicate themselves to that field, not just fortunate deferees who need to fill the day with some practical experience.

While it’s unclear whether the employers realize what’s going on, it’s clear the academics and administrators do:

“I think it is hard for those wholly committed to public interest to see their deferred friends getting jobs at great public interest organizations while they struggle to land their dream jobs,” said Ms. Shabecoff, the assistant dean at Harvard.

via the NYTimes.

Overheard on the Summer 2010 California Bar Exam

“Open the door, you jerk! I am the law!” — Irate process server.

Hairy Louseweed gets you high.

Using endangered falcons in some kind of heathen ritual.

More sexual assault multiple choice questions than you’d care to answer (sorry about your congenital heart defect).

“To The University of Southern California known as The U.C.L.A.”

What happens when a testatrix’s will has the sort of ambiguity implicating one of the greatest sports rivalries in the US? Litigation! Litigation involving USC, the UC Regents, and the heirs of Cora L. Black. Ms. Black executed the following holographic will:

“Los Gatos, California May 2nd 1957

“I, Cora L. Black, Being of sound and disposing mind and Memory make this My last Will and Testament. I cancel all Other Wills made by me.

“To The University of Southern California known as The U.C.L.A.  My entire Estate for Educational purposes.

“My Estate consists of Stocks bonds

“The house in which I live is to be sold and the money shall be part of The Estate. All monthly bills shall be paid by The Bank of California Who are to administar [sic] This Estate.

“If any claims are made by relatives They are to be given one dollar.

“Signed by me This Second day of May 1957.

CORA L. BLACK”

The trial court, in a dramatic re-reading of Black’s will held that there was no latent ambiguity in this devise. Rather, the lower court eliminated one of the beneficiaries, USC, and interpreted “The University of Southern California” to mean “the university in Southern California.” Further, the court believed the capitalization of the word “University” was of no significance because people sometimes capitalize the word and on other occasions they do not. Ultimately, the court awarded the entirety of Black’s estate to UCLA, leaving USC and the surviving heirs out in the cold.

As a rule in the law of Wills, a very central rule, a court is not at liberty to read the language of a will with anything other than its plain, ordinary meaning. Accordingly, the appellate court reversed, sending the case back to the trial court to admit parol evidence in order to determine what exactly was meant by the phrase “To The University of Southern California known as The U.C.L.A.”

Estate of Black, 211 Cal. App. 2d 75 (1962).

Mehserle Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter (Probation or 5-14 Years Possible)

Interesting to note:

The case marked the first murder prosecution of an on-duty Bay Area police officer. Prosecutors rarely file charges against police for shootings. A Chronicle review of police use-of-force cases around the country found just six cases in the past 15 years – not including the BART shooting – in which murder charges had been filed.

This either means police (and BART cops) in the Bay Area are (were) extremely careful about using lethal force or they’re in bed the the D.A.’s office.
From the Chron.

SF Public Press Features Sit/Lie Comic Strip

Journalist Shawn Gaynor and artist Andrew Goldfarb teamed up to create this visual account of the history and politics behind sit/lie in San Francisco. Their illustration of the issue begins off well enough, illustrating a previous SF sit/lie law which targeted hippies but was used against homosexuals (smells like an equal protection argument).

But then the entire thing devolves into a slippery slope argument: to support sit/lie is to support the Arizona Immigration Law (SB 1070). Sticking to San Francisco would have taken their position a little further than likening sit/lie proponents to anti-immigrant Arizonians.

— Update — Upon further consideration, the doomsday scenario posed in the comic (local cops would have to enforce the I.C.E. regulation requiring handing over the identities of undocumented workers arrested for violating the sit/lie law) is unlikely as it is unconstitutional under the commandeering doctrine — the federal government cannot tell state government to enforce federal law as doing so would be violative of dual sovereignty. — End Update —

The point is (well, not the point of the comic) the supervisors screwed up big when they decided to reject the policy outright rather than working with the Mayor to craft something a little more manageable and palatable than a city-wide sit/lie ban. Now, the SF voters are being offered the chance to clean up their streets (although, in the least ideal way) and they’re going to do it. Maybe the supes will take this as a lesson that even they can be too liberal for San Francisco.

Sample frames and a downloadable pdf of the entire comic are available on the SF Public Press website. Get the whole thing in print copies of the debut issue of SF Public Press, available at the Booksmith in the Haight and other locations.

See more StandAgainstSitLie.org.