You elected a winner AZ at 11:49 AM

Linkage

::almost done::
many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.--thomas edison

Rents Visit at 12:35 PM

I have been working and studying a lot this semester so I have not been up to much but my parents and nana and tata came and visited over Halloween weekend which was a great break.  I was originally going to run a marathon that weekend but I got plantar fasciitis from running so much and could barely walk so training was out of the question the month up to the race. 

I showed my family around town and we even went to a winery.  It was also Halloween weekend so Lara and I went to a party with our commercial costumes.  Here are some pics.

"Mother Nature" (Tampax) and "I'm thinking..."(Arby's)

Familia at Savannah-Chanelle Winery

::merc and snuggs 4 life:: 
don't be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life. -- bertolt brecht

Not Uplifiting at 12:33 AM

One of the harder things for me to do is something my teacher assigned in my Legal Systems in El Salvador class.  I am supposed to ask for money…

Now I am not a fan of asking for money.  That does not mean I will not take money.  When my dad asks me if I need money my answer is usually no but I always tell him I could spend some. 

In this case, we are supposed to ask for money in order to go to El Salvador.  I have already bought my plane ticket which comes out of my pocket (Or future Anthony’s pocket as I say.)  The money we are asking for has to do with our trip such as staying in the student barrack place, transportation and “gifts” which are money we give to some of the people we meet who tell us their stories. 

El Salvador went through a Civil War around during the 1980’s but many of the atrocities are still fresh for people.  Santa Clara Law is a Jesuit university and has strong ties to the country of El Salvador.  One of the catalysts to the civil war was the assassination of the Jesuit archbishop Oscar Romero.

El Salvador had to fight their Civil War in the context of the Cold War and the communist guerrillas were the target of the military government.  (You owe me $5 if you cannot guess where they got their guns from)  During the military rule, terrible human rights violations occurred.  Clergy were killed for protecting the teens.  Doctors were killed for healing the wounded.  And there are plenty of rapes and murder holes in the wake of this military regime.

One of the stories that have really bothered me is that one day a military group came in to a small town and rounded up little boys and their mothers.  The military strung up the boys by ropes and then split the boys open by their bellies and they bled to death.  The troops then forced the mothers to put their heads in the stomachs of their dead sons. 

I will be spending the New Year before school starts again in this country.  I will be with plenty of classmates and Lara will head down with me early with friends to enjoy the culture before my immersion trip begins.  I will be examining the repression of speech and the press through laws and the supreme court of El Salvador.  Some of my classmates will be studying environmental law, abortion law, gang culture and the amnesty law that the government passed to absolve troops of their atrocities during the civil war.

The university has set up a donation account to help us collect money that will benefit the entire trip.  If you have any ties to El Salvador, know anyone who has ties to El Salvador or just want to benefit a great program please donate. 

https://alumnidirectory.scu.edu/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=289

On the pull-down menu, under "Designation" go to "El Salvador Law Immersion Program." Thank you.

"I am bound, as a pastor, by divine command to give my life for those whom I love, and that is all Salvadorians, even those who are going to kill me." – Oscar Romero (two weeks before he was killed) 

MNF at 10:41 AM

Sorry it has been a while but this has turned out to be a busy semester.  My cousin Brandon came out a couple of weeks ago so we could go to Monday Night Football with the Saints versus the 49ers.  It was also my first 49er game. 

The day before we drove around Santa Clara and found the training facility and the location of the new stadium the 9ers are going to build in Santa Clara.  The trophy room was closed so we could not see everything but we did both get magnets. 

4949

We took the CalTrain to the stadium, which was convenient even though it is a bit of a trek and there is practically only one entrance to the stadium but we finally got there. 

My football Mecca

We had great seats and the stadium was crazy. 

VD and Gore

 The craziest moment may have been before the game even started.  Jerry Rice had his jersey retired as a 9er and received his ring and ran out after the 49ers.

Boys2Men were even there for the occasion and sang the National Anthem. 

ABC, BBD

Before the end of the first half I went to get Brandon and I some beers and knocked over some woman's wine getting this picture. (Totally worth it)

THE Hall Of Fame Receiver

 Despite a horrible first quarter, the 9ers made a game out of it and nearly went to overtime.  The Saints made a game winning field goal for a final score of 25-22.  It was still a great game and one of the most memorable nights for this 9er fan. 

::deuces::
do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.--bruce lee

Moving and Shaking at 12:38 AM

Been a long time since I blogged but school is back in this week so I have to get back on this. A number of things have happened so I will try to go in order:

I was elected to the La Raza Law Student Association board as the Social Chair at the end of last semester.  It is a great club with a great membership that I am glad to be a part. Hanging out with the board is the closest I can get to feeling as if I am home with the family. Here is a picture of a bunch of us with the president of the Student Bar Association:

From the left: Carlos, Mike, Camille, Gangsterness, Brandon, Barbie, Javier

I have started training to run my first (and last) marathon. The run is at the end of October and I have been training these last few months to get in shape. A marathon is 26.2 miles but anything over 10 miles sucks. (linkage)

Lara decided to leave Davis and move-in with my roommate and me. We have a place in Northern San Jose (aka Japantown). She is going to be looking in to getting a job and possibly some other academic pursuit here in the Bay.

The Legal Director of the Northern California Innocence Project asked me to interview the dean (head) of Santa Clara Law. The article I write after the interview will be included in the newsletter the Project puts out. I had a great time this summer working on actual cases and my supervising attorney asked me to stay on to do the advanced program of NCIP this semester. I have a new case that I will be writing a motion for shortly and look forward to getting even more experience.

I applied and the professor in charge accepted me to take a trip to the country of El Salvador. The program looks at the legal structure of the country and the unique problems the country faces. As I learn more, I will keep you updated. The trip is over Christmas break (not on Christmas Eve or Day but after) and Lara is planning on heading down there early with me to explore (along with some friends from La Raza who are on the trip).

After a year of feeling awkward at mixers, lunches I thought were going to go nowhere, and help from La Raza members (from both law school and the larger association of practicing lawyers); I finally will be an intern with the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office. I start Tuesday and am very excited. I want to become a public defender after law school and this internship will be the strongest thing on my resume. I will be doing a ton of actual work as my attorney expects me to do everything a public defender does, short of arguing in court (but I will be in court to assist and learn from him if our cases go to trial).

I will be one busy mofo this year but it will help immensely having Lara with me here in San Jose. I got a slow start to law school moving out here (at least compared to my peers) but I feel like I am finally hitting on all cylinders with this thing. I will be better about keeping everyone updated so count on more blog posts in the future.

::s to the leep time::
A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things. --Grace Hopper

Back from Finals at 8:14 PM

So finals kind of killed this blog for a bit.  I owe my dad some money.  I did decently on my finals.  It was tough being locked in a study room in the library for 10 hours a day for two weeks but it seems to have paid off.  

For the summer, I am working for the Innocence Project here in Santa Clara.  Their goal is to challenge the factual basis of some convictions, having some success.  It really is a needle in a haystack but when you read the good cases, it is hard to see how they were convicted at all.  I was assigned to the California DNA Project wing of the project, which is even more interesting.  We challenge the old types of tests that have been touted as science for years and only work on those cases.  I cannot talk about the details of any of my cases but reading about murders and rapes all day get to be interesting.

I’ll have more to talk about next week as it is Lara’s birthday on Friday.

::peace out::

the greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within.~miguel de cervantes~

Doing Nothing at 11:52 PM

Been locked in my room or a room in the library this past week and next week is going to be a lot more of the same. Finals are here and the Antdog is getting ready to dominate.

Had a post on the soccer site I write for that was pretty interesting:
Hooligans United F.C.(clicky)

Enjoy!

::wishes someone would pull him over for being brown in AZ::
few minds wear out; more rust out. ~christian nestell bovee~

Not Just Any Spoon at 8:36 PM

I had a great Tuesday night this week.  Lara and I went to see one of my favorite bands, Spoon. 

The concert was in this great hall in Oakland:

Here is one of my favorite Spoon songs:

 

 Other than Spoon I spent most of the week working on my final for my legal writing class which is due tomorrow.

::getting close to the end::
if you get hung up on everybody else's hang-ups, then the whole world's going to be nothing more than one huge gallows. ~richard brautigan~

We Have Them Too at 10:55 PM

Starting to get my summer set up and I will let you all know what those plans turn out to be. Setting up where I am going to live as well as money to pay for it all but it looks like things are coming together and I should know more by next week.

Not much happening this past week so I will post a clip from The Daily Show that I love:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Health Care Slime Machine
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

My favorite part:

As I listen to health care opponents talking about rising up and revolution I guess my one thought is - bring it on. Let's fucking do this. I'm kinda sick of their shit. We have guns too. If passing health care forces them to throw bricks through my window, then what does throwing bricks through my window force me to do to them? I mean, I don't wanna fight, but now I guess I kinda wanna do.

::the dog out::
walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming frightened when danger threatens. --jigoro kano

Jeebus at 11:37 PM

Not much going on the past week.  Got my writing final for the end of the semester so doing some research and took off to see Lara in Davis since I had a three-day-weekend. (Perk of being at a Jesuit school.)

Came home today and did some more homework.  Was not sure what I should do for dinner but I ended up having to celebrate the traditional way:

The Colonel...

 

..and some BL!

Would not be Easter without it. 

:: who is peter cottontail?::
eat your spinach and you'll grow up big and strong like popeye. You'll also end up with a girlfriend that looks like olive oyl. ~unknown~

Last Weekend Before Finals Start at 11:51 PM

I had a good, “relaxing” weekend.  My good friend Chris Tapia performed his stand-up at the bar close to campus here called the Hut during the week. Even Lara came down to see him.  Here is the first part of his set; you can find the second part on that page:

 

Friday I went to the La Raza banquet.  It was out “end of the year, let us have fun and also network with some of the lawyers from the area” event.  After some speeches and dinner, the lawyers from the area took off and were able to relax and have fun.     

Did some work and hung out with some friends Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Played some soccer and as usual did not get enough work done this weekend. 

Been listening to some of the attacks on health-care and I want to single one out as ridiculous.  There is one that goes like this “health-care is not a right, it is a privilege.”  Then they like to take it further and say it goes against everything this country was made on.  The founders would have hated it and this is going to lead to the destruction of the country.  Turn on Fox News and I imagine that is the current line of attack of the moment.  The problem with it is that it is entirely wrong. 

I went to college to major in the subject of political science, concentrating on political theory and American political thought.  What they are saying is an absolute perversion of what the founders stood for.  The reason many of these people feel the founders thought this way was there was no mention of health-care being a right in our Constitution, and therefore it cannot be a right.  What they overlook is something the founders did place in the Constitution, the Ninth Amendment:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

 This has been interpreted to mean that the Constitution is not an exhaustive listing of our rights, and that there might come one day when we would recognize other rights.  This has been one of the interpretations that also allows for rights such as privacy, which I am sure everyone feels is fundamental to us as social human beings.  There is nothing in the Constitution that bars a right to health-care. 

This healthcare bill is not going to lead to the end of our country.  We have survived two world wars.  We have overcome slavery.  We have fought for women to have an equal place in our society.  We have overcome discrimination (somewhat).  

This is not the worst thing this country has faced by far.  I am more afraid of stupidity, laziness and ignorance.  All of which seem to be on the rise.  All three happen to be the source of these statements about the founders.  If we want to talk about real things like economic effect, please let us have that discussion.  Chasing and yelling at shadows is pointless. 

::clowns are scary too, congress should get rid of clowns::

to be fully alive is to feel that everything is possible. ~eric hoffer~

Can You Dig It?!?!?! at 10:57 PM

Amazing day today!

Beautiful day here in Santa Clara, sunny and breezy with a temp of 65 degrees. Went out with some guys from the law school to play soccer and scored the game winner (not that impressive of a goal but I’ll take it). And healthcare reform bill passed! Monumental vote but it is a bit tricky so I will break it down.

What happened was that the House passed the bill the Senate approved back in December. Therefore, as it stands now there is healthcare reform that can head to Obama’s desk. Right after that vote, they voted on a reconciliation package that amends the Senate bill both houses just passed. This amendment/reconciliation package now needs Senate approval. The trick is that now it only needs a simple majority of 51 votes, which the Democrats have in the Senate. The Republican senators were blocking the passage of a bill with their filibuster but reconciliation packages are virtually not allowed to be filibustered so only 51 votes are needed instead of 60.

There is a lot of the bill that needs to be read but I generally know what will happen this year: 

• Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.
• Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
• Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college. (VERY excited about this one but hoping that applies to me since I have technically already been dropped)
• Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
• A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.
• Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.
• A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.
• A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.

Very exciting day. Let us have R. Kelly play us out:

 

I Believe - R Kelly

::Ciroc Obama Out::

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they have a common "enemy".~Unknown~

Every Day is Exactly the Same at 11:03 PM

The first year of law school really is about studying students to death.  Every day is a struggle to do more and more without ever ending.  There is always more to do.  Right now even though I am done with reading for tomorrow I have to worry about my motion revisions due Friday, my oral argument I have to give Friday and outline for all of my classes.   Professors keep piling it on and then in the end test you to make sure you were paying attention the whole time.  It is a crazy exercise that we subject ourselves to but if this marathon of learning is required to be a lawyer then so be it. 

 

Every Day Is Exactly The Same ...

To break up the monotonous undertaking I go out with friends whenever there is some time, workout and am thinking of getting back to playing soccer in pickup games around here. 

Not much new in my life so I will talk about the area and the 49ers.  In June, Santa Clara voters will be voting for this:

 

The new stadium will be about three miles from where I currently live.  The location might have been better as it is really close to Great America but at least there will be public transportation.  There is some talk about renaming the team but I think San Francisco has given up that exercise.  There has also been some speculation of getting T.O. back in red and gold.  The front office he got in trouble with is no longer here.  I probably would not normally go for this but I think Singletary can handle him:

 

::Antdog outs:: 

chaos needs no allies, for it dwells like a poison in every one of us. --steven erikson

Tyrone Biggums on Depression at 11:55 PM

What do you want for dinner? at 10:53 PM

Not much happened this week and I'm pretty tired so I figured I would post a video:

BCW at 11:40 PM

My birthday is almost over and it is time for another blog.

I had a great BCW! (Birthday Celebration Weekend for those out of the loop) Had a practice test on Friday that went decently but after that, it was time to go to The Barrister’s Ball, or what we named it- Law Prom.

It was a night for us to get all dressed up and awards for teachers and such.

On Saturday, I went out to sushi with friends and of course Lara. I had a rough morning but those usually follow good nights.

Guy at my right is my friend Chris who is in all my classes

Two on the left are my study group Cheri and Pat- Guy on the right is Pat's roommate Luke

When Lara arrived for the weekend she had my presents all wrapped and in the car and had me carry them in. What Lara did not know is that I am good at figuring out what are inside presents before they are unwrapped, which is probably one of the reasons I dislike wrapping paper. Before I got from the car to my place, she was not happy that I knew what was in each box. My dad used to wrap my gifts in other boxes or do something to throw off the weight. He would also switch names on the gifts so I could not figure it out. I finally got an old timey popcorn machine!

::1 week until spring break::

it is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. the sane are usually attracted by other things than power. --david brin

The City at 10:37 PM

Had to catch up with schoolwork as I neglected it this weekend when my dad came in to town with my cousin and we headed up to San Fran. Lara’s parents were also in town so it was fun to see everyone for this President’s Day weekend.

After showing my family around Santa Clara (not much to do), we headed up to San Fran (where there is tons to do). We parked in Chinatown and our parking spot came with its own fortune:

We walked through Chinatown, where Brandon said he felt like a giant, through Little Italy, which has a couple of nice churches (this being one of them:)

One thing my dad insisted on was getting clam chowder at the pier so that was our first order of business:

We also went down to Pier 39 to see how the sea lions were getting along and got to see the ones too lazy to make the trip. Sometime in the fall, the sea lion clan that hung out at Pier 39 disappeared. Some say they went with the fishing, which has not been so good around the bay, and it had something to do with climate change.

My pops and Brando had to head back to catch a plane, so I hung around with Lara and her parents and did the touristy thing. Here is Lara looking cute outside Ghirardelli:

This weekend is my birthday and Barrister’s Ball, which is like a law school prom. I will make sure to have a good post next weekend as well.

:: deuce caboose::
if the destructive dice-box has pleasures for the father, the son will be a gambler. ~proverb~

Gah! at 10:52 PM

Had a busy weekend of me actually doing things so I hope you will forgive the substantive post being held over until tomorrow.

::deuces::

Not So Big Easy at 10:35 PM

In lieu of the great win my Nawlins this evening, I figured I would share my thoughts on a story that came out a couple of weeks ago. It is from New Orleans and is about prostitution. (Linkage)
The article is about how they are using the law to label arrested prostitutes as sex offenders.

There is no logical reason this law helps the problem. I will not even go in to how I do not see prostitution as being a crime in the first place as it hurts no one but willing participants. The law itself traps women in to still being prostitutes. If you are a woman in New Orleans and labeled a sex offender because you are a prostitute, what hope of getting a better job do you have? What job does not require a background check or an impressive resume? If you guessed prostitution, you are right. How are these people supposed to be “rehabilitated?”

I have an even bigger problem with the people who made the law. Who is the criminal in this scenario? Undercover stings typically are the device to bust a prostitute. The crime being committed cannot happen if there is not a willing male participant, but the public typically frowns on the man and sends them on their way. The truly evil person is the prostitute. Whom does the law not label as a sex offender? If you guess the man, you are amazing at my prostitution Q & A.

The point of a sex offender label is to protect those who are not of the right age or mind to consent to sexual acts. They label the true criminal as a sex offender, especially given the high recidivism (reoffending) rate of sex crimes, in order to protect the public and track them (Ice T busting them in the head is also a plus). Instead, the people in charge are perverting the law in order to hold consenting teenagers and now prostitutes in the same arena with people who perform sex acts with children.

While it might be hard out there for a pimp, I always thought prostitutes had it rougher.

::who dat?::
anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not. --václav havel

It Is Like Banging Your Head Against A Wall at 9:51 PM

This past week has been uneventful. I have a paper due Tuesday so I did not do anything this weekend aside from write the thing. Lara and I went and saw Legion on Friday, which was a good movie.

If you did not catch the State of the Union last week, it was phenomenal. The President called out everyone to do better. He went after Republicans, Democrats, science skeptics, himself and the Supreme Court. What was even more impressive was when he went to the House Republicans and did a question and answer period. He actually walked over to the other side and asked them why they got beef. It is a long video but if you have an hour, I highly suggest watching it:

If you do not- One of the highlights was Obama explaining that they should stop trying to demonize him and the Democrats because all they do is paint themselves in to a corner where they cannot agree with the other side. That is not arguing in good faith. It is like Jonny Damon going to the Yankees; Red Sox fans hate him (good thing he is not elected). It is like calling the other football team a bunch of rapists then signing with them a little later. It is not right.

I get in to this debate with my mother every once in a while where she tells me I should just let things go and not even bother arguing with people who may never agree with me. Seeing Obama do just that is completely inspirational and should be to every person to engage the people who disagree with him or her. What is important though is reality and not rhetoric (as Obama puts it). Facts should be the common ammo, not name-calling, half-truths, lies and complete nonsense.

::Ant out::

As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests. --Gore Vidal