The Ultimate Potato

Meet your savior, the Tax code!

2009-03-16T11:58:00.003-04:00

Having been required to take Tax, reading 162 m first though was 'All those fraking bonuses are deductible?'

And the tax code may be our savior to really stick it to mostly government owned bail out toilet companies.

All we need is the IRS to start breaking out the whooping sticks and get to work.

UPDATE:
That's right, you mess with The Obama you get the IRS!

(That's supposed be based off of: You mess with the bull, and you get the horns.)

Reading Status Conference 1

2009-03-15T20:32:00.002-04:00

I'm starting something new that I think will help me start blogging more regularly.

I read. A lot. Both books and reports and what not I pull from the Internet. So whenever I finish something I am going to write up a little something and post it. Most will probably be cross posted with my GoodReads profile too.

Interestingly... Linking to GoodReads reminds me of an article I read for work. It was published by Google and it was entitled 'Undermining Privacy with Social Networks'. I was hoping it would offer some insights into how to figure out more about people for my actual job. But it was more targeted towards how inadvertent slip ups can reveal more then you want to. One of the big things I saw, was this kind of cross-linking. My GoodReads has more personal info then my blog. (Which is largely irrelevant as no one reads it or comes from my facebook page!) But still, there's now more info out there for people to find about me and connect the dots. At least I dont have the problem of being a flower loving gun fanatic that didnt want my gun fanatic buddies to find out I liked flowers in the article.

Alright, enough of a detour. I finished 'The Nuclear Tipping Point: Why States Reconsider Their Nuclear Choices' a few weeks ago. I will say, upon getting this book I was VERY excited to read it. One of my thesis ideas for graduate school was going to be a multivariate analysis of what caused states to pursue nuclear power. One of the prime areas I was going to look at was security and presence of nuclear armed rivals. So this book dove-tailed nicely. However, I was largely disappointed. It is still a fascinating read, I felt the title was misleading it would be more appropriately titled 'The Nuclear Tipping Point: When would States Reconsider Their Nuclear Choices'. A subtle difference, but important. Really, the individual chapters were very informative, and I felt the analysis on the subject was spot on. The only real flaw I can find with the book is that the chapters were written in a vacuum. For instance, the South Korea chapter made some bold claims about if South Korea obtained nukes, that it would jeopardize their relationship with Japan. I find that to be a bold claim. Especially since most of the factors cited as for South Korea rethinking their nuclear choices were the same as Japan. So it's impossible to cite South Korea as getting nukes without at least thinking Japan would be in the same boat. It's like the authors of the chapter didnt talk to one another. Which is alright, I just assumed that if you're participating in a project with another expert, you should really take that extra step. Overall, an easy, informative read that I'm glad is on my bookshelf for citation purposes.
*One side note. I really didnt write a thing in the margin of this book! I barely highlighted anything too! Strange for me.

Now I'm moving on to: 'Social Theory of International Politics' by Alexander Wednt. I just finished the first chapter. HOLY COW. It's going to be awesome. Assuming I can find time to read it...

Sometime this week I'm going to finish 'Female Suicide Bombers: Dying for Equality?' I've been at it for MONTHS! Although, that one may be broken out into a separate post.

Destroying the Constitution

2009-03-09T22:03:00.002-04:00

To me, this, says more about what Bush thought of the Constitution then any sort of warrantless wiretapping, holding US citizens in jail with no charges for years and the like.

Into the shredder!

Really? Bypassing a CONGRESSIONALLY PASSED LAW because some fucking moron said that they could in a signing statement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like to see the Memo that said they could do that. I'd get a good laugh.

Where else?

2009-02-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Are you going to find two power stations that can generate a total of 2,800 megawatts of carbon free power?

Ummm.... No where?

Good thing we've got nukes.

Outsourcing Anti-trust to Europe?

2009-02-26T15:49:00.002-05:00

Is the Supreme Court trying to outsource anti-trust suits to Europe?

I haven't read into this opinion, but it looks like it.

With Microsoft taking a beating across the pond, any company that wants to share markets (which really, they're going to have to or at least really really want to) is going to have to worry about the EU.

Do we really want to put our capitalist system in the hands on those socialistic Euro-trash-ites!?

Finally!

2009-02-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

A good reason to take anti-depressants. (Well, if you're not depressed).

Anti-love potion!

With brain enhancement pills, and now anti-love pills, how long until we can take a suite of pills and become whoever we want to be?

Huzzah! Diplomacy works!

2009-02-20T20:40:00.002-05:00

Iran finally has enough LEU to make a nuke!

North Korea still has their HEU plant! And is currently fueling up a Taepodong-2 missile that can supposedly reach Alaska!

I'll let you decide on who Diplomacy worked for...

Imagine my surprise...

2009-02-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

When I came across this in my news feed. "West Bank land siezed as Israel looks to build". I read that headline, and it's pathetic and stupid, and all I could do was shake my head. Real smart idiots. I was not going to post anything on it.

Then I came across this, "Israel: FM Give land for peace". I'd laugh if it was not so sad and pathetic. Generally, when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is STOP DIGGING! Not lie about stopping digging while you shovel away...

So I had to post something on it.

I refer you you to Stephen Walk for a discussion of what would happen if the 'two state' solution were to fail.

There's really nothing else to say.

This is just shameful...

2009-02-17T13:13:00.005-05:00

What kind of national government sells it's people down the river like this.

'Peace deal'? 'Cease fire'? What a load. The next suicide bomber the explode in Islamabad, or the next boat load of terrorists that offload in Mumbai or the next suicide bomber in Kabul will really prove it effective! Short sighted imbeciles.

And on top of that, this? The Taliban is actually going around and harassing families of expatriates? Ridiculous. Insanity.

Where's the larger coverage of this! Why don't we see more headlines 'Taliban take 97 year old father hostage' to go along with the infamous 'Gay rape horror' headline from a few weeks ago?

UPDATE:
Attackerman has better commentary then I do. Much better.

Okay, it's not Islamabad, but it is a terrorist attack.

We can rebuild him/her we have the technology

2009-02-11T14:28:00.002-05:00

Well, we do now.

Professional Development: Power

2009-02-09T21:33:00.004-05:00

I keep racking up these professional development moments! Sorry, another person detour.

Last week I was getting ready for Pre-Trials, reviewing specifically the cases that the ECU usually works. I'm more versed in them, and that's what I'm being sent down to take care of first before moving on the the more 'fun' cases.

So I was reviewing one of the cases, and looking at the criminal history. It was length, and it didn't look like the defendant had served anytime in jail yet. And I said to myself "I'm going to cap her jail time as part of the plea, an make her spend some time in jail." And I stopped. And I asked myself "what gives me the right to be trying to send this woman to jail?" Who was I to be doing this? Some doofus 2L with a giant beard and all of personal foibles I have is deciding to. Who was I to be weilding this kind of power? I didn't have an answer. The only thing I could reallt come up with was: trust, and the virture that I have put in 'two years' worth of law school.

Granted, as an intern I do not have the actual authority without someone signing off on it. And the judge has the final discretion anyway. But still, there's enough trust there that when I come in with a proposed plea, there's a presumption that it's valid. And of course the defendant can tell me to shove it, request an attorney and take it to trial.

Just that realization that I had authority and the power to make that decision was very strange. Power. I cannot let it go to my head, stay on the level and be neutral.

Which leads me to another point. Prejudice. One of the other cases I was working on, a moving violation. I was looking at the driving record. Once again it was long, but mostly speeding tickets and license suspensions for stupid things. Then I got to an OWI. And all sympathy I had for this defendant drained away. In the moment I did not see an issue with it. What a defendant has done in the past is relevant to a plea, but where's the line? Is it okay that an OWI drains away any chance of me giving the defendant a break?

Discretionary power. It's a scary thing to playing around with. Until you get used to it. Especially when the only guidance you initally have is internal. Well, not right now, I have the other prosecutors to bounce ideas off of and help me out. But still, that initial formulation is a bit odd.

Lastly, after I finished reviewing the "Who am I to be deciding this?" case, I moved on to another one. Which let me tell you, had one of the funniest police reports I have ever read. I had recovered my confidence a little, and ha come to the decision that I would be capping jail time again. And I think it was the nature of the police report, but as I was doing that I thought to myself "HAHA! I'm sending this defendant to jail!" It was another whoa moment.

Arrogance. I think in that moment I let me head get bigger then it should have gotten. I suppose I was a little more used to the power and authority I was attempting to exercise, and was aware of the scope of it.

I've seen the path that arrogance can take you in this line of work (look at me talking like I'm some 20 yr veteran). But seriously, I have seen it. Arrogance leads to belligerance, and that leads to not getting the result you want.

So far I have a very good track record of getting people to agree to the deals that I am offering. Granted, I haven't been in the position very often to try and force something extra uncomfortable on someone, but there have been a few situations where I've assumed that the person is not going to be happy, but they bite the bullet and take it. I've noticed it generally too, when not at court, dealing with participants in phone conversations. I rarely have to deal with irate people, even when I'm giving them pretty bad news. No one is overly difficult either.

I think a lot of it has to do with tone. I always attempt to be understanding and nice, at first. And it pays off. Heck, but I can be mean too! I've had several people refuse to deal with me anymore because I'm mean! Woohoo! And I am getting better responses from the angry messages I leave on people's phones. But still, off the bat, there's no reason to be arrogant or mean just because you have that power.

I think this dovetails a lot with what I was talking about in my last Professional Development post too.

In the end, this is the kind of position that I want, and have wanted. One with power. And one with responsibility. I want to be out there, on the front lines, deeply involved in dispensing justice. I think I'm built for it. I just need to experience all the aspects of it first off. Like throwing someone in the water to start swimming. It's weird until you develop the muscle memory. As long as I keep learning, and internalizing the lessons that I'm being taught, I will be all right. As long as I keep finding ways to and setting goals to imporve myself, I will be all right.

Better me then some other 2L doofus right?

(These little updates will continue until I have no more! Or at least none that I want to talk about. I'm entering an interesting peroid in my life right now, the crucible where Professional Me is being created. I need to figure out a way to try and explain what I am experience to the masses. They're more for me than for you. Well, unless you're an employer, then these little anectodtes and self-reflection will come up once or twice. So if you don't like it, you can Bite My Shiny Metal Face.)

There goes the neighborhood

2009-02-09T09:10:00.004-05:00

Is there anything a carbon nanotube can not do?

Now they can function as the platinum catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells?

AND last longer and work better? AND all they need is Nitrogen (that gas that makes up 80% of the atmosphere)?

Where's the funding for this in the stimulus bill? Or are the Democrats waiting for a 'Fuck Iran and Venezuela Bill'? (All the funding that carbon nanotube catalyst and lithium ion batteries could ask for?)

Still, assembling the nanotubes (I like typing and saying nanotube) is still an issue. But with recent advances in producing them on an industrial scale (or using DNA) can efficient industrial catalyst production be far behind?

UPDATE:
Wait, you mean nanotubes can even make lithium ion batters better?

Disaster? Is that worse than a catastrophe?

2009-02-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

That may be where the confusion in this statement is.

Personally, I prefer to call it 'Economic Apocalypse'. That tends to clear things up. But that may just come from living in Michigan and seeing it up close and personal.

Also, that's part of the reason I'm very disappointed that aid to the States is being cut back. I can live with delaying education spending to a later bill. And even energy spending. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If Michigan's unemployment goes belly up... SO many people are going to be devastated. The lines are already up, and the process is already slow. Pumping more money into an already existing system to keep people on their feet until the real spending can come in and give them a job... What is wrong with that? I must not get it.

Also, has anyone told Senator Shelby that the Republican got ANNIHILATED in the election?

On a more humorous note, I agree with SNL Pelosi in this sketch.

The Republican have earned the right to vote NO on whatever they want. And nothing more.

China's economic and environmental recovery plan

2009-02-08T15:04:00.002-05:00

70 GWe's worth of nuclear power.

That's roughly 70 new nuclear plants by 2020.

At the US rate of 500 jobs per 1GWe, that's roughly 35,000 jobs. And that's just directly created job by the power plants. Not to mention the construction jobs and the service jobs that spring up around nuclear plants.

The installed capacity, per Idaho Samizdat, is expected to make nuclear power 5% of China's expected power grid. Not a big enough jump to make a huge impact on the environment, but that's still 70 GWe of coal power that is not being installed.

Sure the numbers are a little shrimpy

Here's a thought experiment: say the US applies the economic stimulus package to nuclear power. China's spending 85 billion. So let's say the US stimulus comes in at 850 billion for ease of measure.
-700 Gwe added
-140 new plants
-350000 directly created jobs plant jobs (plus training center jobs)
-420000 construction jobs created until the plants are completed (3000 per plant for 4-8 years)
-525000 indirectly created jobs*
-Not to mention the creation of an expanded enrichment industry and I'd imagine the start up of a large fuel reprocessing industry

Obviously there are more effecive ways to create jobs, or paying people to dig holes and then paying them to fill them in. But, it's just something to think about.

*See this link for a much better discussion as well as the source for my base statistics

What's your angle?

2009-02-07T09:13:00.004-05:00

I'm a little confused as to just what Russia has been getting at lately with Afghanisgtan.

First, we see the closing of the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan.

Second, the Taliban have been playing havoc on the supply lines, the Khyber pass, coming from Pakistan. Including blowing up a vital bridge, destroying hundreds of trucks and essentially reoccupying the area once Pakistan pull troops out of the region to prepare for a shooting war with India.

Now Russia offers this? Shipping 'non-lethal' aid Afghanistan? Thanks... Kind of like blowing a tire on the highway and some stranger pulls over to help and says: "Well, you can't have a tire or use my jack, but you can have these lug nuts." Yeah, sure, the offer of assistance is appreciated on some level... But limiting it to non-lethal?

I fail to see what benefit Russia will get by having a more unstable Afghanistan in the region. Especially now that the fates of Afghanistan and Pakistan seem to be linked together. (Well, were they really ever separate?)

I guess we'll just have to ship all of our lethal equipment through Uzbekistan. (Wow, I actually spelled that right! And was going to devote a sentence or two to the complexities of the spellings of the -Stans.) Hooray for realpolitik!

So what does Russia want?
-Revenge for the US's actions in 1979-1989? (Definitely strikes me as something that Putin would be up for.)
-To make the US look bad by forcing us back into bed with Uzbekistan? (Just when we've jettisoned our biggest source of luggage?)
- To put so much strain on NATO that it breaks up? (This actually strikes me as a plausible. One failed state, that has been failed for a LONG time, and whose only major terrorist export has been to the US, seems to be a small price to pay to dismantle NATO. Especially when Russia has 'zero tolerance for terrorists and hostages'. I post that link in jest, but I think it is somewhat of an accurate reflection of Russia's stance. 'We will kill anyone we have to to kill you if you mess with us.')

In somewhat better news: looks like our wino friends from Italy will be upping troop commitment.

And in more predictable news: the rest of Europe is... being Europe.

Iraq Provincial Elections

2009-02-06T18:59:00.003-05:00

If you're interested, I turn you to better sources than I.

Marc Lynch.

Abu Muqawama.

I will suggest this. Did Iran know that they were going to take a walloping in Iraq? So they've had to take a more active approach to being belligerent to US interests (launching EMP weapon satellites, demanding apologies, demanding to be treated like a grown-up, getting ready to fire up the Bushehr reactor, and going on 20 minute tirades at supposedly constructive security conferences).

And I second the Aardvark's last update. Let's take it and RUN!

Real holographic simulated Evil Lincoln is BACK!!!

2009-02-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

I guess we know who WONT be joining NATO now.

The Warsaw pact is back.

Iran is putting satellites into orbit. That may be an EMP weapon?

2009 is going to be AWESOME!

Conspiracy theory?

2009-02-04T14:24:00.002-05:00

Does this have anything to do with this?

Massive Russian cyber-attack leads to crippling of the 'Internationals Sit, Anglos Fight' (as long as Anglos includes the Dutch) Afghan force?

But maybe it's been brewing for a while.

FINALLY! Someone is asking the tough questions.

2009-02-04T07:02:00.002-05:00

Oh man, do I hope the answer is yes!

And I agree with this too.

I must be getting soft in my old age.

Professional Development: Two things I'll never forget

2009-01-31T21:12:00.004-05:00

Already, I have had two profession defining experiences. (Sorry folks, this is going to be kind of a personal one. But in a professional context.)

The first relates to the responsibilities of being a lawyer.

I'll never forget the panic in her eyes as she came out of the courtroom saying: "I've got to pick my own jury this afternoon, the judge didn't give me a lawyer." Most of the time when I see or talk to people, it would probably rank as one of the most stressful or worst days of their life. I represent the big scary government calling them to task on breaking a law. The law is a scary thing. Most people do not understand it, they do not understand the procedures and how it operates. Obviously something has already happened to them, or they've done something. They've already been 'wounded' to a degree. And then I get to come along and start it all over again. I have to be gentle (would be the word I guess, maybe tactful?) in dealing with people. Just a measure of clear communication and being nice can make a HUGE difference. I have seen it the other way, and it does not benefit anyone. And in a situation where the person in unrepresented, I have an even greater responsibility. This is not something I have had to learn on the job, but it is the one moment where it has crystallized for me.

The second largely deals with how I act as an advocate.

I'm starting to realize that I have some authority, some leeway to steer people into the results that I want. And even more so, as a prosecutor I would have the actual power to do the same. I need to start being more proactive doing this. One of the pre-trials I ran, the individual came in, told me his story when I asked him. At the time, nothing really stuck me so I followed the general guidelines. Looking back, I should have taken a closer look at his situation and fought for him. Obviously he was guilty. But even at the time, I felt like there were mitigating circumstances. I only helped him as much as the general guidelines allowed. I didn't take my argument back to the other prosecutors and convince them too. All I need is a good reason.One of the Prosecutors that I work with is always telling this whenever she gets the chance. I need to do better. While I am the represntative of the County, I'm also a represntative for that ever amorphous term 'justice'. And sometimes justice is not served by rigid application of the guidelines. do not know why this has stuck in my head so much, but I think it always will.

In general, I'm starting to get more self-confidence. I know what I'm talking about, my ideas are good, my arguments and reasoning are sound, my analysis is spot on and my conslusions are acurate. I need to get better at asserting myself in these cases. This has repurcussions everywhere too. Not only for dealing with 'my team', but dealing with defense attornies and judges too. I have to convince the judge. And I have to dare the defense attorney to break my argument. Being timid will not do. I do not think I've ever been accussed of being timid. But I'm just now starting to put the pieces together into some kind of functioning whole. Mock Trial and Moot Court were both excellent experiences in this regard.

And really, I am glad that I am coming to these realizations now. I can build on them. I can establish for myself, the kind of attorney I am going to be now. And apply that paradigm to everything else I do from here on out.

What's it that they say about hand baskets?

2009-01-28T17:36:00.003-05:00

Looks like preparing for a shooting war with India really served the Pakistani state well!

Going back in is going to be much much much more difficult. Any contacts with the military are probably beheaded in mass graves somewhere or sitting at home with acid burned faces...

Nuclear waste?

2009-01-28T07:07:00.003-05:00

What nuclear waste? Oh, you mean the material that we can shove in a new reactor type, completely destroying while generating energy? That stuff? The stuff that can come from a fast breeder reactor that literally makes energy while creating even more fuel for other reactors, the waste of which can be placed in the new reactor type and destroyed while making more energy? That is not affected by the strength of the wind, clouds, night fall and can provide oodles of high intensity base load energy?

Nuclear is the future, anyone who says any different is full of it.

Better discussion over at Next Big Future.

Hooray! Energy policy shift!

2009-01-26T11:01:00.002-05:00

I may not agree with everything. But it's so NICE to have some movement on the energy policy front. And we're going to see how incompetent the previous administration was.

Why wouldn't the Executive branch let the states set their own emission standards? The only issue I see is a Commerce clause issue (as well as preemption with the EPA and various other federal regulations), but as long as the states do not carve out an exception for in in-state car maker they should pass muster.

FINALLY! Forcing a 35 mpg base rate. That's right OPEC. Bite my shiny black president!

And another FINALLY! Coal plants are needed, for a time, but they could be managed so much better and effectively.

The previous administration thinks they did not hesitate to 'make the tough decisions'. I do not see how they can make that argument with a straight face.

Iraqi tribes dominating the upcoming election?

2009-01-25T09:42:00.003-05:00

Duh.

Absent any kind of trust and with low levels of security, it's rather obvious that the family and tribe will substitute for secular and, I'd say, religious type parties. While religious parties would have more appeal than secular parties at this point.

Especially taking into consideration that Iraqi (and largely Arab) society is tribe based.

Where else would the political power lie? Political development, well develops! Societies do not just hop out of the box ready to rumble.

Another detour

2009-01-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

This time into Penny Arcade territory.

This. This. This. This.

Hilarious.

An excellent point in the News section of part 4. When you really really try to make it cheesy and terrible. It becomes something special. While not quite 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' (I do not think that was intended). But the result may be similar.