break a leg?!

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well that phrase has taken on several different meanings this weekend...

well, it's been another crazy week... i wrapped up several projects that i've been working on (thankfully!), only so i can focus the last remaining 6 weeks [?!?!] of law school on yet more assignments... facta and essays and presentations, oh my! facta and essays and presentations, oh my! facta and essays and presentations, oh my!

"Is this my real life?
Or is it fantasy?
Caught in a legal life
No escape from reality"


i pretty much spent the weekend with warner, and that had its share of interesting moments... i went to see his play (twice in the same week!?) and got to meet more of his friends at closing night... we seem to have a shared understanding of where things are and where they're going to be for the next little while, so i guess things are going pretty well...

my silly mother and gravity and winter collaborated to send her to the hospital with a fracture of her knee and ankle (or something along those lines)... the surgery is scheduled for tomorrow... of all the crazy things that could've happened, this had to take the cake... talk about a freak accident!

so is it wrong to sue a church?

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Current mood: exhausted
Current music: "Bay Street Rhapsody" (from the Mock Trial soundtrack)

CILSC 2005

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What do the prosecution of Saddam Hussein, the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defence Program, Shari’a Law, International Climate Policy, human rights, and the future of NAFTA all have in common? This year’s 12th annual Canadian International Law Students Conference. The CILSC is organized by two law schools in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Law School.

This year's two-day event engaged students, scholars, policy-makers, lawyers and activists alike, in discussions on some of the most timely and controversial issues of public and private international law. The unprecedented line-up of speakers included former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations Paul Heinbecker, Alex Neve, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada, Lawrence Herman, a leading Canadian international trade lawyer, Dr. Clarence Dias, the President of the International Centre for Law in Development in New York City, former Ontario Attorney-General Marion Boyd, and many other distinguished experts in international law.

In past years, the CILSC welcomed hundreds of students from law schools across Ontario. In light of the rapidly changing global socio-economic climate, the CILSC has grown to become a premiere event, pushing the boundaries of discussion on many important issues in international law, and helping to influence the direction of international law in Canada.




Well, after months of preparation, the big event finally took place. It was a resounding success by all accounts, and once again I'm deeply impressed with the calibre of people that I am privileged to know and to work with on a daily basis. Kudos to the executive, the panel chairs and committee members, and the volunteers for getting this thing off the ground. The hard work paid off, and yet another notch has been added to the belt of accomplishments in this very busy first year of law school.

On to the next set of projects...

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On Leadership

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Books on leadership crowd the shelves of bookstores’ Business and Management sections these days. Nearly all of them are weighty tomes. They are full of tips on how to act as a strong leader and how to deal with the people around you. They emphasize that if you follow all the tips, you will achieve the important goal of becoming a leader yourself.

Generally, I find these books depressing because they assume leadership is an ideal and there’s something wrong with people who are not leaders. These non-leaders are apparently lacking something, and to make up for it they must study lessons like the “habits of highly effective people”. The reader can then master these habits and join the select group of chosen ones. There is something secretive and mystical about the topic of leadership—as if leaders are privy to a higher knowledge that enables them to separate themselves from the fuss and bother faced by mere mortals.

You never see any books or articles about how to be a good follower. Apparently it’s in your nature, a primitive stage of development you must somehow escape as soon as possible. What we see today everywhere is a glamorization of leaders and sorry denigration of anyone who is not. And those who are not account for, say, 90 percent of the population—all those women and men who care for the needy, drive trucks, check train tickets, work as cashiers or clerks, keep households running and happy and on and on. All these are activities that matter and that directly benefit other people.

From way back in my childhood I was taught that “the here and now is no good and there’s only one place to be, and that’s at the top”. The top was a kind of Mount Olympus, a high mountain where a select group of gods reveled in one another’s company, enjoyed delicious food and drink and occasionally cast a pitying look down below on those less fortunate beings saddled with grief, need, illness, hunger and death. But the ascent became increasingly difficult and tiring, as I climbed farther and farther from the green valley where I began. A deep feeling crept over me: “What am I doing here on this cold, steep mountainside in this thin air? Down below, smoke is spiraling out of friendly chimneys and I see tiny little people on the market square laughing and eating and drinking. That’s where life is, where it’s cozy, where all the fuss is. Fuss is wonderful!”

A lot of so-called leadership stems from ambition. And that’s why things so often go wrong. Ambition is a hole in your ego, an empty space that needs filling and you think you can fill it by making other people look up to you. But you won’t be able to lead that way. Leadership is about finding meaning in life. But those who believe that their role as leader means they must create meaning for all the people around them are vastly overestimating themselves. A leader shouldn’t provide meaning; meaning comes from the goal that inspires him or her. And those who are inspired pass that inspiration on to others. Not because they are bold and charismatic leaders, but simply because it’s infectious.

The true leader doesn’t set out to lead at all. Whether other people follow is, to him or her personally, of secondary importance. These kind of leaders don’t lead, they follow—a dream, an ideal, freedom for their country, a good life for their family. And they’re very clear about it, which touches the people around them who then want to share in the dream. True, authentic leaders know they are connected to something bigger. Their wish is to serve that. Leadership is an outcome, not someone’s goal or personal quality.

-- Johan Schaberg, Ode Magazine (Issue 21)

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ever wonder...

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• why drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes and candy bars at the front...
• why banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters...
• why cars worth thousands are in the driveway and useless junk is kept in the garage...
• why hot dogs come in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight...
• why they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering...
• why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed...
• why you don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"...
• why "abbreviated" is such a long word...
• why is it that doctors and lawyers call what they do "practice"...
• why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor and dishwashing liquid of real lemons...
• why is the man who invests all your money called a broker...
• why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections...
• why do they call the airport the terminal, if flying is so safe...

and you know that indestructible black box that's used on airplanes?
why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

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Q: You! What did you learn at Mock Trial?
A: That I'm self-important!

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Thriving Under the Influence

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The reward of a thing well done is to have done it. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson


it is the end of a very exhausting but fulfilling week...

i got home at 4AM last night after falling asleep at warner's, coming from daniela's bf's b-day party... even though we said last weekend we wouldn't see each other until tuesday when i'm supposed to go watch his show, we ended up spending a lot of time together this week anyway... which is all well and good, i can't say i don't enjoy it, and i've had nothing but a great time being with him this past month...

but that late night was in addition to a week which totalled probably no more than 25 hours of sleep over 5 nights... with technical and dress rehearsals for the Mock Trial early during the week going well past 10PM, not to mention having to be at school for classes, and the shows themselves taking place wednesday, thursday, and friday nights, i can't believe i managed to stay alive and focused with everything else that's going on...

in case you're wondering, the Mock Trial is the law school's annual variety (comedy/musical) show put on by the talented (and not-so-talented) crop of lawyer-wanna-be's... for those of you that didn't realize even law students have a sense of humour or have talents beyond making elaborate and wordy arguments out of nonsesne, this show really proved you wrong... it was a great effort put on by a bunch of seriously amazing people who put together skits, song parodies, and dance numbers to celebrate the funny (advertent or otherwise) aspects of law school... it was a real privilege to have gotten acquainted and worked with so many talented colleagues at school... more importantly, the show raised $8000 for Jacob's Ladder, a charitable organization facilitating research to discover and develop therapy and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases... it was a great success for the cast and the producers and the school, and especially for the charity...

the lack of sleep was due to a series of after-parties also, specifically thursday's pub night, which was a first for yours truly... i don't tend to make appearances at campus events, but since the whole cast was attending and a bunch of friends came to support us, we made a real night of it... fun shenanigans galore and an amazing time all around, although some of us paid for it with hangovers the next morning...

but there were plenty of reasons to celebrate this week... notwithstanding the continuing series of projects i have on the go, i made time to party because i landed two jobs this summer... after nearly 4 years, my days at TD Canada Trust are coming to an end... i was offered a 2-month contract research position with a professor (the same one soliciting asisstance about his book), and the best part about it is that i didn't have to apply -- he sought me out specifically for the job... apparently, i have a "certain anal-retentiveness" that would be suitable for the role...

little does he know...

i also succeeded in getting a placement with the Innocence Project, a clinical intensive education programme at the law school developed to address the phenomenon of wrongful convictions in Canada... of all the things i wanted to get involved with at the school, this was at the top of the list, mainly because i believe it is an opportunity to get involved at a very real level with the pursuit of justice... and more importantly, it's about the most selfless project one could be involved in: there is nothing but an intrinsic reward in this line of work... on the other hand, i was also very lucky to not just get a placement for september 2005, but also to receive an offer for a paid position in the summer doing case work, analyzing and investigating the cases of persons who have applied to the clinic for assistance and acting as duty counsel once every few weeks, and generally managing the administration of the clinic...


all in all, it's nice to know that the hard work is paying off...

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Current mood: tired/accomplished
Current music: "Osgoode Paradise" (from the Mock Trial soundtrack)

that which we call a rose... by any other name [or having any other colour] would smell as sweet...

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I stare at your face
Into your eyes
Outside there's so much passing us by
All of the sounds
All of the sights
Over the earth and under the sky
Too much cold and too much rain
Too much heartache to explain
Who needs the world when I got you
Switch off the sun the stars and the moon
I have all I need inside of this room
Who needs the world when I got you?

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Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

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Current mood: mushy
Current music: Nick Carter -- Who Needs the World

harold and kumar go to hooters downtown

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so brown guy #1 and brown guy #2 finally managed to hook up...

i hadn't seen shawn in forever, i think it must have been before thanksgiving at least (if not even before school started) that we last shot the shite... he might've disappeared in the tsunami and i wouldn't have known if i hadn't called his brother... he's almost as bad as i've been as of late, if not worse... i guess we all tend to pull the disappearing act when school's on, or at least those of us that are striving for something or to get somewhere in life... like me, he's busy as heck, so i don't begrudge that he and i haven't made our schedules work for each other... but again, it's funny because shawn wasn't exactly one of those guys i marked at the beginning as someone that would become a best friend... here we are, over 6 years and a lot of McDick's stories later, and we're still at it...

the best part about our friendship is that we're similarly situated in life... we've both had to bust our ass to get to where we're at, never really had any silver spoons to feed us, and we're both brown (well, he's more brown than me for sure)... but it really is like the classic story of harold and kumar, two guys who just want to enjoy life and make the most of it, while having to deal with the craziness of living in a whitewashed world... thankfully, we live in canada, where tolerance reigns, the land is flowing with beer and honey, and there are plenty of beautiful and qualified servers at fine establishments like hooters that treat us like any other inebriated yuppie frat boy regardless of creed or colour...

"excuse me, miss? i just wanted to know... what are your qualifications?"

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Current mood: mellow
Current music: Punjabi MC -- Mundian To Bach Ke

life... and death...

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one man's license to explore the secrets of life...
another man's license to broadcast his death to the world...

the greeks had a word for it: hubris

For Socrates, true knowledge begins by recognizing one’s true self – the soul. His claim to virtue is reinforced by his recognition that “the man among mortals is wisest who understands that his wisdom is worthless” (Apology 23b). This virtue of self-knowledge – recognizing oneself as one is – is the basis for the definitions of justice (recognizing one’s place in society) and piety (recognizing one’s place before the gods). “Death is something I couldn’t care less about, but my whole concern is not to do anything unjust or impious” (32d).

in today's moral pluralism, reverence for life or death has little or no political currency... for the sake of expedience and self-interest, we shatter boundaries of the sacred and chip away at the last vestiges of our ideals...

and yet... what sway should ideals hold in the face of the "all-too-real"?

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pass the pork, the violin, and the golf balls...

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the "little guy from shawinagan", at his rhetorical best:

"Mr. Commissioner, I welcome the opportunity to appear before you today. Government is serious business and democracy requires that the trust that citizens confer on those they elect must always be respected. I have been looking forward to this occasion because it gives me the opportunity to try to put certain things in their proper perspective for you and the Canadian public, and to set out clearly on the basis of 40 years in Parliament, 27 years around the cabinet table, and 10 years as prime minister of Canada my views on how government works in practice.

[. . .]

The question is not whether some action is unusual. The question is whether it is necessary and whether it is right. I am firmly convinced that our national unity strategy was necessary and right. Were some mistakes made in everything we did? I am sure they were. After all, we are all human.

Mr. Commissioner, you and I are both trained in the civil law. One of the first things we both learned at law school was the article of the Quebec Civil Code that provides a presumption of good faith. I have explained that the sponsorship program was conceived in good faith. Its objectives were noble. When there is a presumption that a program is designed for sinister or corrupt partisan reasons, it is easy to draw all sorts of conclusions about ulterior motives of anyone associated with it particularly when there are hazy recollections of long ago meetings or memos.

[. . .]

Sometimes, like every prime minister, I did not accept the advice I received. The job of a prime minister, or a minister or a chief executive officer is not to rubberstamp every memo he receives.

In all my years, I never ceased to marvel at the professionalism of the public service of Canada, at the dedication to country of public servants and those in all political parties who operate at the political level. The public service and those on political staffs who work on government programs do so in good faith and for the best of motives. Like all of us in all sectors of society, they may make mistakes in the course of their work. Their good faith should not be doubted unless there is solid evidence to the contrary. But if you find any wrongdoing, Mr. Commissioner, I hope you allocate individual responsibility and do not tar our entire institutions with the inappropriate actions of the very few."

--------------------

this is how this man, who many have mocked for years as "simple" and "unrefined" and having a poor command of English (not to mention the disparaging remarks about his facial deformities), was able to maintain a stranglehold on Canadian politics for over a decade, winning convincing majorities in 4 straight elections (an unprecedented feat)... call him what you will -- an egotist, a liar, a political scoundrel -- but above all else, call him a great leader...

he pulled this country together after its near combustion in 1995...
he commanded a government that turned Canada's economy around...
he trimmed the fat and slew the deficit (yes, thanks to paul martin too)...

even now, still with his raspy quebecois twang, his speeches bring a chuckle to many... but don't be fooled: chretien was - and still is - the man!


* dislodges tongue from cheek *

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is that a banana under your robe or...

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If you can't be a good example, you can serve as a horrible warning...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Jurors and others in Judge Donald Thompson's courtroom kept hearing a strange whooshing noise, like a bicycle pump or maybe a blood pressure cuff. During one trial, Thompson seemed so distracted some jurors thought he was playing a hand-held video game or tying fly-fishing lures behind the bench. The explanation, investigators said, is even stranger than some imagined: the judge had a habit of masturbating with a penis pump under his robe during trials.

The lurid allegations have led to criminal charges against Thompson, brought an embarrassing end to a solid career and shocked many of his colleagues. The case could also lead to a wave of appeals from defendants claiming the judge was not paying attention while presiding over their cases.

Thompson, a 58-year-old married father of three grown children, has denied the allegations and said the pump was just a gag gift received from a hunting buddy on his 50th birthday. He retired in August after being threatened with removal from the bench but still faces indecent-exposure charges brought against him last month.

"We're certainly saddened by the thought that the prosecutor filed charges," said Clark Brewster, Thompson's lawyer. "We thought all this was dealt with when he resigned. We didn't feel like anything that was alleged rose to the level of criminal charges."

The trials during which he allegedly used the pump included murder cases, as well as a libel suit in which a jury ordered the company that publishes the Oklahoman newspaper, a website and a TV station to pay $3.7 million.

© The Canadian Press, 2005

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all the world's a stage...

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"525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?"


in recent months, i've gotten a chance to indulge my love of theatre quite a bit... tonight i went out with warner to watch "Take Me Out", an interesting take on archetypes, prejudice, and the difficulties of overcoming stereotypes in any walk of life... a few weeks ago in new york, i got a chance to attend the broadway production of "RENT", a reinvention of the classic La Boheme story except the plague is AIDS rather than consumption... the essence of the show involves relationships among friends and lovers (gay and straight, healthy and HIV-positive)...

as i contemplate turning 23 in less than a month, deal with a "relationship by default" and the attached commitment and responsibilities, dread the impending annual ritual of valentine's day, and come to terms with the inherent paradoxes and inconsistencies of my identity and my goals, choices, and desires in life, i can't help but turn to the stage and wish that life's conundrums could be resolved by a deus ex machina or other convenient plot device... to paraphrase a conversation with my good friend dan several years ago, i'm happy, but am i joyful?

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Current mood: "content"
Current music: Seasons of Love (from Rent)

State of the Union 2005

here's what the great GW said:

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As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: We have been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve [unlike last time]. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign [at some time in the unknown future] Iraq.

[. . .]

In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when [and as often as] we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: to extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace [!?] that freedom brings.

As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "Each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of providence is uneven and unpredictable [just like my speeches], yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom [and money].

Thank you, and may God bless America.

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here's what the great GW meant:

State of the Union Address

God bless America, indeed!

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Global Priorities

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Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

"If our cause is just, we should not be afraid to witness its cost."

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Charles Schultz's Philosophy

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The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts.

You don't have to actually respond. Just read and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

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Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?


The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

They are the ones that care.


Don't worry about the world ending today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.

-- Charles Schultz

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