Piracy is not just a software, music, or film industry concern any longer.

Pirates come ashore to herald the start of Seafair each year. When I last went to Disneyland, I found that pirates had taken over what used to be Tom Sawyer Island. Now, my beloved Blawg Review has fallen to buccaneers. Fortunately for us all, Blawg Review #153 demonstrates that they know how to produce an entertaining round-up of the best legal blogging from the past week (with just a bit of assistance from George M. Wallace at the Declarations and Exclusions blog). Highlights include comprehensive coverage of the Medellin decision, tips on negotiating with a sociopath, and the prospects for a teaching law firm. David Harlow hosts next week at his HealthBlawg site.

UPDATE: As if this wasn't enough, Wallace has posted an appendix to Blawg Review #153, in honor of April Fool's Day, at his A Fool in the Forest blog. No, really. I'm not joking. C'mon, it's true!

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (160) . . . The Sequel!

This week's bonus joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of Reuters (from Wednesday, March 26; link good at time of posting):

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary's famed acumen and self-confidence briefly deserted him when he failed to back his own horse Hear The Echo to win the Irish Grand National at odds of 33-1.

The outsider ridden by Paddy Flood and trained by Michael 'Mouse' Morris easily knocked 6-1 favorite Royal County Star into second place at Ireland's top steeplechase on Monday.

"We had no money on him," The Irish Times newspaper quoted O'Leary as saying.

"I thought he was going out for a run to keep himself warm," said O'Leary . . . .

The multimillionaire chief executive of Europe's biggest low-cost airline said he was "gobsmacked" by the result.

"Two people asked me earlier should they back him and I told them no way," O'Leary was quoted as saying by the Irish Daily Mirror newspaper beneath its front-page headline "O'Deary."

[Previous TGIS]

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (160)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of the (Eureka, California) Times-Standard (via QuizLaw) (from Monday, March 24; link good at time of posting):

A Crescent City woman is heading back to prison and her friend also is facing two years behind bars after a botched attempt at stealing a urine sample from a delivery van.

Denise McClure, 24, and her friend, 26-year-old Krystal Evans, flagged down a DHL delivery van on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Klamath in December 2007, said Del Norte County District Attorney Mike Riese.

Both women were on probation at the time, and were required to be regularly screened for drugs through Del Norte Superior Court's drug court.

After the two flagged down the southbound van, Evans told the driver she'd forgotten to put something in a package and asked that the back of the van be opened, Riese said. McClure then grabbed a bag of urine samples and started to look for Evans' test, Riese said.

The driver heard one of the women say, “I gotta get the stuff or I'll go to prison,” and after he threatened to call law enforcement, they fled, leaving the samples behind, Riese said.

It turned out that Evans' urine tested clean, but an oral swab test conducted after the attempted theft came back positive for methamphetamine, Riese said.

”It's one of the more nonsensical crimes I've seen in the 20 years I've been in law enforcement,” Riese said.

[Previous TGIS]

Blawg Review's e-book cousin comes for a visit.

Neil Squillante hosts Blawg Review #152 at his TechnoLawyer blog. Squillante, who publishes the widely-read BlawgWorld e-book, observes that he's in familiar territory as a host:

Blawg Review is similar to our BlawgWorld eBook.

The former contains links to Posts whereas the latter reprints entire Posts. Both have the same goal — expose people to blawgs and the excellent content they publish free of charge.

It's no surprise then that this week's gathering of the best of last week's legal blogging is a good one. Highlights include an impromptu performance of Reservoir Dogs in a courtroom, college hoops' connection to law firm profits, and applying a "broken windows" philosophy to practice management.

George Wallace hosts next week at his Declarations and Exclusions blog.

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (159)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of The Greenville News, via QuizLaw (from Wednesday, March 19; link good at time of posting):

Tauris Maurice Hart was supposed to stand trial on Monday, but authorities say that at the same time he was scheduled to be in court defending himself against a robbery charge, he was out on the streets committing the same crime.

The Greenville (North Carolina) man’s jury trial on a November 2006 strong-armed robbery charge was scheduled to begin Monday morning in Greenville County court, but Hart never showed, Assistant Solicitor Bryna Seay said today.

Instead, at about the same time, Hart was busy robbing a White Horse Road check-cashing business, a Greenville County Sheriff’s arrest warrant alleges.

. . . .

At about 11 a.m. on Monday, Hart entered The Money Store at 6134 White Horse Road, approached the counter and passed an employee a note threatening that he had a gun, according to the warrant. The note demanded the employee "should give him all the money," the warrant alleges.

The employee gave Hart the money and Hart fled in a marked taxi . . . . Deputies stopped the taxi a short distance away from the store, then Hart tried to escape on foot but was arrested a short time later . . . .

. . . .

His trial on the 2006 robbery charges will be rescheduled, Seay said.

[Previous TGIS]

On March 17, everyone is both Irish and a member of a bar association.

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, Irish legal blogger Daithí Mac Sithigh hosts Blawg Review #151 at his Lex Ferenda blog. For those of you struggling today to find your way back to a fully-upright and locked position, #151 offers the best of last week's legal blogging in a single compact post. Highlights include notable links from the Irish blogosphere, turning Japanese (jury-wise, at least), and the comings-and-goings of the political class (or classless as the case might be) on Saint Patrick's Day. The TechnoLawyer blog hosts next week's review.

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (158)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of The Register (from Thursday, March 13; link good at time of posting):

You've got to feel a bit sorry for German VoIP phone outfit snom, which has asked customers not to call it following an evidently troublesome office relocation.

The firm's contact page explains: "We moved to our new offices on March 6, 2008, and unfortunately our phone lines have still not been connected (as of March 12, 2008). We ask for your understanding."

The landing page concludes: "Please note that you will not be able to reach us by phone."

Sadly, it appears the might of the cutting-edge technology that is VoIP has been rendered impotent by a good, old-fashioned telecoms cock-up.

[Previous TGIS]

TGIS: Thanks God It's Schadenfreude! (157)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of Metro.co.uk (from Wednesday, March 5; link good at time of posting):

A policeman alerted hundreds of families to the danger-drug Strawberry Meth - despite the fact it does not exist.

Pupils and parents at 80 schools in Oxfordshire were warned of the possible risks of the fruit-flavoured drug, also known as Strawberry Quick, by the unwitting officer.

The spurious alert came after the officer sent an email via a special system connecting police and schools without checking it with colleagues.

The drug, said to contain deadly crystal meth, had apparently been given to children in sweet form by strangers outside school gates, leading to two victims being hospitalised.

But there had never been such an incident, and the officer had forwarded on an email well known for being an Internet hoax.

If he had checked with colleagues or even typed the drug's name into Google the email would have been revealed as an urban myth.

. . . .

West Oxfordshire's most senior police officer was forced to apologise over the fiasco.

Chief Inspector Dennis Evendon said: "The officer should have double checked before taking this action, which he did take with the best intentions.

"We will be making sure this sort of thing does not happen again."

[Previous TGIS]

Antitrust But Antiverify

David Fischer, Hanno Kaiser, and Manfred Gabriel host this week's Blawg Review #149 at their Antitrust Review blog. The trio ably round-up the best legal blogging of the past week and shine a bit of spotlight on their own antitrust niche of the blawgosphere. Highlights of this week's edition include the Constitutional meaning of "natural born", the unmasking of a formerly-anonymous patent troll tracker, and giving potential jurors enough time in voir dire to... well, dire. Blawg Review will continue to earn your trust next week when the 150th edition of the carnival of legal blogging will be hosted by Charles Green at his Trust Matters blog.