Time to Reflect
By Noel Bagwell
December 14, 2009
The end of my first semester of law school came abruptly and without much ceremony, though not without a fair amount of celebration, on December 11th, this year. I feel like I did well enough on my exams that I will be able to return to continue my studies in the spring. I’m looking forward to that, of course, but, right now, I’d like to take a moment to pause and reflect on the semester that has come and gone so quickly.
In May, my wife & I moved from Cary, North Carolina to attend law school in the Deep South, at the law school where my father and grandfather both attended. The law school used to be located in another state, but was relocated to its current campus in the 1940s. My grandfather attended before it moved, my father after; now, following in their footsteps, a third generation of Bagwells is embarking on the trying, but rewarding, journey of legal education.
My wife works on campus for a different school within the same university (there are several graduate schools at the university), and has recently been accepted to the business school’s MBA program. I’m very proud of her, and we’re very happy about her employee tuition discount. That is an invaluable benefit, and it is so convenient. The best part is that she should finish her MBA around the same time I finish my J.D.
A beautiful (cherry?) tree just starting to bloom outside a Law Library window.
Because we moved in May so she could take her new job when they needed her, I was faced with a quick decision to make – the decision to attend summer classes, or not. I am very pleased that I decided to take the summer classes that were offered, because I had been out of graduate school for two years before starting law school, and had not devoted much of those two years to intellectually rigorous work. The summer courses were a great way to get myself back in shape, academically, and to acquaint myself with some of the rudimentary legal writing and analysis facets of a legal education that would prove so necessary in the first full semester. Plus, I got 5 credit hours, and received above-average grades in both the classes I took.
Once the fall semester started, it was daunting to see how many people were in my class, not to mention to hear how several of them dropped out over the first weeks and months. We didn’t lose many – in fact, I don’t think we lost anyone in my section – and the semester progressed, for most of us, pretty smoothly.
The Law Library, my home-away-from-home.
Our Contracts class was tough, and though Professor Stone quickly became a favorite professor for many of us, his exam was the most brutal. Torts, though frustrating at times with its endless shifting hypotheticals, changing “what if” scenarios, and unique version of the Socratic Method practiced by Professor Evans, was, by the end of the semester, one of the most surprising classes in that a lot of people started out hating it, but over time grew to love it and to truly appreciate how Professor Evans’s unique teaching methods effectively communicated the course material.
Professor Royal’s Civil Procedure class was very efficient – steady, clear communication of the course material; a straightforward exam; rarely a moment wasted in the classroom; enough time for questions; professor availability during office hours; always a polite, but professional atmosphere. That class was taught with textbook precision, cordiality and excellence – exactly what one would expect from a first-rate law school.
Criminal Law was… well, Criminal Law. What is there that you can really say about Criminal Law? The laws of every state are different. In order to practice Criminal Law (for the defense or the prosecution), you have to know the law of the specific state in which you’re practicing. The criminal code of the State of Tennessee, for example, will be different from the criminal code from the state of Maryland. So, we learned the basic concepts universal to nearly all United States criminal jurisdictions – mens rea, actus reus, jury nullification, the rights we all have under the 5th, 14th, and other Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, and so forth. There really isn’t a lot to tell about Criminal Law. Professor Goodwin did a very good job of teaching the course, but it is what it is – as the kids say, these days – and you either want to be involved with it, or you don’t. After only one semester, I’m not sure where, along those lines, I fall. The exam, at least, was straightforward, coming directly from our textbook and the problems in our casebook, though some had been altered slightly.
The friendships I made with my classmates from the summer classes were, for the most part, reinforced, and new friendships formed with new classmates I met during the fall semester. It was good to meet new people with similar interests and goals, even better to discover a few kindred spirits with whom I enjoyed spending time. These I will miss over the Christmas break as we all venture home to celebrate Christmas & the advent of the New Year with our families and friends back home; I look forward to seeing them again, next spring.
So, now the time has come to relax a bit and unwind. I’ll probably try to play some games, read some books, and watch a few movies. I’m not sure how much time I will devote to blogging, unless I feel I’ve got something really worthwhile to share or write. You never know, though, so keep stopping by regularly. I’ll try not to disappoint.
This Guy Has My Vote
I want this man to run for President of the United States of America:
Mr. Monk and the End
By Noel Bagwell
December 5, 2009
He’s The Guy
There aren’t many shows on, these days, that you can watch with your entire family and which combine humor, wit, charm, a compelling cast, great writers and a sincere commitment to excellence in every single episode from the beginning of the series, straight through to the finale. USA Network’s Monk, starring Tony Shaloub, since July of 2002, has been one of those shows.
Monk title card (seasons two through eight)
Tony Shalhoub was nominated in the 2007 Emmy Awards for Best Actor (Comedy) for his role as Adrian Monk on Monk.
Tony Shaloub is the guy, without a doubt, but everyone that worked so hard for seven seasons is also “the guy.” In Monk, “the guy” was the one who did it. In the case of nearly every episode, “the guy” killed someone, but in this case, “the guy” is who made Monk a success.
Even though it may not have achieved the cultural status of a sitcom like Seinfeld or Friends, Monk achieved success no less substantial by connecting with its audience in a way that few TV programs can, by doing so without bending to the social pressures of any particular ideology or agenda, and by making a commitment to quality family programming that one wouldn’t be ashamed to watch with one’s children or grandparents.
So, to the cast, production crew, writers and network execs who made Monk happen for seven wonderful seasons: you’re “The Guy,” and we – the fans – owe you so much, and thank you for all you have done to bring us a wonderful, rich story told by compelling characters who made us feel like we had a personal stake in what happened to them.
Here’s What Happened
Traylor Howard stars as Natalie in Monk on the USA Network.
“According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman, ABC first conceived the series as a police show with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder. Hoberman said ABC wanted Michael Richards for the show, but Richards turned it down. Hoberman brought in Andy Breckman as creator, and Breckman, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, introduced a Doctor Watson-like character as Monk’s nurse and an Inspector Lestrade-like character which eventually became Captain Stottlemeyer.
Although ABC originated the show, the network handed it off to the USA Network. USA is now owned by NBC (NBC Universal). Monk was the first ABC Studios-produced show (formerly Touchstone Television) aired on USA Network instead of ABC. Although ABC initially refused Monk, they did air repeats of the show on ABC in the summer and fall of 2002, and then again in the spring of 2004. On January 12, 2006, USA Network announced that Monk had been picked up through at least season six as one of the “highest-rated series in cable history.” Season 5 premiered Friday, July 7, 2006, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. This marked the first time change for the program, which aired at 10:00 p.m. during its first four seasons. The change allowed the show to work as a lead-in to a new USA Network series, Psych, another offbeat detective program. Monk has followed a consistent format of airing half of its 16 episodes in mid-year and the second half early the following year.” (Wikipedia) The final episode aired this past Friday, December 4, 2009, with Part II of the two-part series finale, Mr. Monk and the End.
But that’s not all that happened. Monk was used to increase the amount of scripted programming on [NBC] as production of its own scripted programming ramped back up following the writers’ strike. (TV Week) There was a controversy over the show’s Emmy-Award-winning theme, though Randy Newman’s subsequent theme also won an Emmy. And the cast even underwent some substantial changes, most notable of which being Traylor Howard replacing Bitty Schram as Mr. Monk’s assistant and Héctor Elizondo replacing Stanley Kamel as Mr. Monk’s psychiatrist. Actor Stanley Kamel died of a heart attack on April 8, 2008, between production of seasons six and seven. His character was said to have died of a heart attack as well when Monk restarted. His last appearance was in season six, “Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece.”
Despite all the challenges the show encountered, it still succeeded in acquiring millions of fans who brought Mr. Monk into their homes and into their hearts with each new episode. That connection with fans, I believe, is the biggest, purest success a TV program can have.
The cast of "Monk."
Mr. Monk and the End
I really appreciated Monk. It created awareness about the causes and challenges of living with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), provided entertainment and explored the humanity of a character who felt oppressed by that humanity. Mr. Monk refers to his extraordinary case-solving abilities as “a blessing… and a curse,” throughout the series; I think a lot of highly intelligent people feel that way about their intellect – hence the expression “ignorance is bliss” – though there is good research emerging that suggests that intelligence actually acts as a buffer between stressful life events and psychological harm.
But I digress; the genious of Monk is that, through an obviously flawed human being, we gain insight into what is best about humanity – a clear sense of justice, a pure expression of love, genuine expressions of loyalty and friendship, and a commitment to the truth that supersedes everything else. True artists use lies to tell the truth – the more convincing the lie, the deeper the truth.
This is what people tuned in for, week after week. Sure, Monk was entertaining, but it was so much more; it was wholesome. It was good TV. That is a rare – and dwindling – commodity. For sharing their brilliance, their art with us, Monk fans everywhere are grateful to “The Guy” who made that happen. Thank you, Mr. Monk. We’ll miss you. I already do.
MISSING POSTS
A lot of the content I’ve posted on this blog has been deleted. At first, I thought it was a malicious act of vandalism, but the WordPress.com forums seem to indicate that it is a problem with the WordPress.com hosting service.
I hope I get that content back, but if I don’t… well, that sucks, but c’est la vie.
UPDATE: They’re back! Hallelujah!
WH social secretary won’t testify – First Read – msnbc.com
News Of the Day
Today’s Top Headlines
Setting Up Our Military to Fail
- UPDATE – LATEST CLIMATEGATE HEADLINES:
PAPER: CLIMATE CHANGE ‘FRAUD’…
CLIMATEGATE: Scientist at center of e-mail controversy to step down…
Penn State Professor also under investigation…
Inhofe Asks Boxer to Probe Potential Scientific ‘Conspiracy’…
Obama science officials defend warming research…
Australia’s Parliament defeats global warming bill…
‘It’s all unravelling now’…
North Texas Wakes to Big Snowflakes…
(courtesy of the Drudge Report)
FOXNews.com – How to Give a Plane Ticket as a Gift – Travel
Climate Change Scientists Pull An ENRON, Shred Evidence Thwarting Climate Sceptics From Analyzing Data
From The Sunday Times
November 29, 2009
Climate change data dumped
Jonathan Leake, Environment Editor
SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.
It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.
The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation.
The data were gathered from weather stations around the world and then adjusted to take account of variables in the way they were collected. The revised figures were kept, but the originals — stored on paper and magnetic tape — were dumped to save space when the CRU moved to a new building.
The admission follows the leaking of a thousand private emails sent and received by Professor Phil Jones, the CRU’s director. In them he discusses thwarting climate sceptics seeking access to such data.
In a statement on its website, the CRU said: “We do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (quality controlled and homogenised) data.”
The CRU is the world’s leading centre for reconstructing past climate and temperatures. Climate change sceptics have long been keen to examine exactly how its data were compiled. That is now impossible.
Roger Pielke, professor of environmental studies at Colorado University, discovered data had been lost when he asked for original records. “The CRU is basically saying, ‘Trust us’. So much for settling questions and resolving debates with science,” he said.
Click Climate change data dumped – Times Online for more.
More Climate Gate Stories:
Climategate: ‘Scientific establishment hopelessly compromised’…
Microsoft Surface & Table-Top Gaming
By Noel Bagwell
November 28, 2009
I was surfing the web for something else entirely, and came across an article about Tabletop Gaming on Microsoft Surface. It was intriguing. More information on the project trying to bring tabletop gaming experiences – like Dungeons & Dragons – together with new technologies like Microsoft Surface, is available here.
Very interesting stuff. I love the idea of interactive surfaces for tabletop gaming.
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