I'm the damn paterfamilias!

If you've not taken some time to read through this week's Blawg Review #209, hosted by John Hochfelder at his New York Injury Cases Blog, don't hesitate a moment longer. Many editions of the carnival of legal blogging have been excellent, memorable ones; until this week, though, none of them prompted me to call my father just to chat. Hochfelder's tribute to his late father on his birthday will be a contender for Blawg Review of the Year next January, I'm sure. Highlights include defining acceptable limits for interrogation, finding a better way to deal with executive compensation, and remembering the fight against the Barbary Coast pirates while we deal with their present-day Somalian counterparts. Dan Harris will host next week's Blawg Review #210 at his China Law Blog.

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (216)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of The Inquisitr (from Monday, April 20; link good at time of posting):

Ever heard of the Washington Natinals? Neither had anyone else until Friday when Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn fronted a game at Nationals Park sporting jerseys with the name “Natinals” printed on them.

The error was picked up during the game, and both players switched to jerseys that read Nationals instead, but the bigger question is how it wasn’t picked up in the first place. Even putting aside an obvious manufacturing error, surely someone in the team would have noticed the missing O.

The teams excuse: they only checked the back of the jerseys when they came in, and never thought to check the front.

[Previous TGIS]

Earth Day: Celebrating My Second-Favorite Planet After Gallifrey

When I was young, the only people I can recall discussing "Earth Day" were pushing zero population growth and/or anti-immigration policies. Or they were named "Ed Begley, jr." Needless to day, a broader environmental consciousness seems to have taken root in America these days and Earth Day is now closer to being a national day of observation than are actual holidays like Columbus Day or Labor Day. The source of all elementary schoolchild wisdom (nonparents, that would be Nickelodeon, not elementary school) has been relentlessly promoting its "Big Green Help" messages, wherein the channel's stars offer tips to save the planet, including remembering to turn off the lights when you leave the room. Sure, these tips are geared toward seven-years-olds, but they're right in my wheelhouse as well. I know the message is getting through to the younger set, because my daughter has turned out lights in rooms she's left even when I'm still sitting there.

If Nickelodeon is raising my daughter's consciousness about Earth Day, folks like Eric Lane are raising mine. Lane hosts this week's Blawg Review #208 at his Green Patent Blog site. As his blog is generally "at the intersection of IP law and all things green, clean, or renewable," Lane's focus on this Earth Day special edition of the carnival of legal blogging is all that's "green and earthy." Highlights include the EPA's move to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, determining the environmental impact of spam e-mail, and trademarking trees.

If, like me, you were otherwise occupied last week, it's not too late to get caught-up with Jordan Furlong's excellent Blawg Review #207 at his Law21 site. Next week, John Hochfelder will handle hosting duties at his New York Injury Cases Blog site.

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (215)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of Reuters (from Monday, April 13; link good at time of posting):

A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported Friday.

"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys ($11 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there," Michal Grzes, a conservative councilor in the city of Poznan in western Poland, was quoted as saying.

[Previous TGIS]

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (214)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of the Associated Press (from Wednesday, April 8; link good at time of posting):

One Colorado woman's love for tofu has been judged X-rated by state officials.
Kelly Coffman-Lee wanted to tell the world about her fondness for bean curd by picking certain letters for her SUV's license plate.

Her suggestion for the plate: "ILVTOFU."

But the Division of Motor Vehicles blocked her plan because they thought the combination of letters could be interpreted as profane.

Says Department of Revenue spokesman Mark Couch: "We don't allow 'FU' because some people could read that as street language for sex."

[Previous TGIS]

If it's not Scottish, it's not Blawg Review.

Stuart Rankin (Mike Myers): Welcome to All Things Scottish. If it's not Scottish, it's crap! Can I help ye?

Customer (Phil Hartman): Uh, yeah. A friend of mine's Scottish and he's getting married, so I gotta buy a kilt.

Rankin: Well, you've come to the right store.

Customer: Now, the kilts you have are 100% Scotch kilts, correct?

Rankin: Well, actually, that's Scots kilt. Scotch is a drink; Scots are a people. But we're both great-tasting!

Customer: Allright... now in Scotland, do men wear kilts all the time?

Rankin: Oh, aye. It's a very manly garb.

"All Things Scottish"
Saturday Night Live
2 November 1991

On Tartan Day, J. Craig Williams honors his Scottish heritage with a Caledonian-themed Blawg Review # 206 at his May It Please the Court blog. Highlights include a survey of the G20 protests from the turret of a Tiger tank, a celebration of clannish behavior by social networkers, and a few shout-outs to legal bloggers who aren't Scottish but probably wish they were.

Jordan Furlong will go the extra eighth of a mile for us next week when he hosts Blawg Review # 207 at his Law21 blog.

UPDATE: Robert Burns is a fine poet to read on Tartan Day, but for my sixpence there's no finer Scottish poet than Ewan McTeagle.

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (213)... The Sequel!

This week's bonus joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of The Times (Trenton, New Jersey) (from Thursday, April 2; link good at time of posting):

A man who tried to rob a liquor store Monday night sat down and cried when he encountered resistance from the senior citizen behind the counter, police said.

Edwin Calix, 19, was arrested and charged with robbery by cops who arrived at Sykes Liquor Store on the 300 block of South Broad Street moments after the 8:30 p.m. attempt.

. . . .

Keying a magnetic lock switch, [76-year-old clerk Jeff] Wadkins was able to secure the front door and trap Calix inside, police said. That's when, police said, Calix pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Wadkins and demanded he be let out of the store.

. . . .

Wadkins said he knew the would-be robber posed no threat. "It was a fake gun, he wasn't armed," he said.

According to police spokesman Sgt. Pedro Medina, Calix then panicked. "The suspect ran to the back of the store attempting to find a way out, but it was not his lucky day," Medina said.

Unable to locate a second doorway, police said, Calix threw what he had brandished into the basement, returned to the front of the store, sat down and began crying.

. . . .

After the attempted robbery, the threats at what was intended to be gunpoint, and after the tears, Wadkins was asked, did he feel sorry for Calix?

"I guess," he said after some thought.

[Previous TGIS]

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (213)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of the Associated Press (from Tuesday, March 31; link good at time of posting):

An Internal Revenue Service agent who audits taxpayers in California has agreed to plead guilty to cheating on his own taxes.

In a plea agreement filed Monday in Orange County, 43-year-old Jim H. Liu (LOO) of Diamond Bar admitted that he filed a tax return claiming a loss on a real estate transaction when he in fact saw a large profit.

He pleaded guilty to one federal count of subscribing to a false tax return, a charge that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.

[Previous TGIS]