Dismissing domestic violence?
October 19, 2007
Earlier this month, Anne Arundel County Judge Paul Harris acquitted a man of domestic assault because he was unsure the woman did not consent to the attack.
At the trial, police testified to witnessing the assault at a Laurel gas station in June 2006, but the prosecution couldn’t find the victim to testify. Harris said the couple could have hypothetically been engaging in sadomasochism, and that the jury instruction on the charge required proof that the victim did not consent.
What do you think about the decision?
-CHRISTINA DORAN, Assistant Legal Affairs Editor
Sphere: Related ContentNonprofit numbers
October 19, 2007
Thanks to Perspectives from the Pipeline for turning me on to an interesting set of facts about the nonprofit world.
In a 2006 report on the industry, the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services discovered:
• 75% of executive directors plan to leave their job within the next five years, and 9% have already taken steps to do so.
• An overwhelming number of executive directors (73%) identified fundraising as the most desired area of board improvement.
• Only 26% of executives have ever asked for a raise, despite widespread dissatisfaction with financial compensation.
• Executives cited fundraising and finance as their least favorite aspects of their job and the areas in which they most needed to build their skills.
• Only 18% of executive directors under 45 are people of color.
We’d like to hear from people from the local nonprofit community. Does this ring true? If so, should we be worried? What should be done about these concerns?
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentNegotiating for Mideast peace and a place to park
October 19, 2007
The parking in Annapolis could go from bad to worse in November.
The city known as much for lousy parking as it is for sailboats is going to see the perfect storm of visitors when the General Assembly and the leaders of the free world converge at the same time.
I can see it now: Condi Rice fighting Michael Busch over a parking meter along Ego Alley.
Really, what are people going to think about our capital city when correspondents from around the world have to park at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and take a bus in to cover what could be the creation of a Palestinian state?!
Anyway, at least us regular Annapolis visitors have our own favorite parking spot. I’ve been using mine for more than eight years now. Am I supposed to park there? No. Do I? Yes. Where is it? I’m not telling you.
But what choice do I have? I was in Annapolis yesterday to cover a Board of Public Works meeting and I tried to do it right. I looked, trust me, I looked.
Surprise surprise, all the garages were full! All the meters were either only good for a half-hour or taken. So I parked where I always park. And you know what? It felt good.
I’m sure I’m not the only one with a secret parking spot in Annapolis. Let’s do Condi a favor and let her know where she can find a hidden gem of a parking spot so she can focus on peace in the Middle East and not the guy on the bus next to her who is looking at her boots.
Share your favorite spot with Condi (anonymously of course. Wouldn’t want to see you towed away!)
-LOUIS LLOVIO, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentA matter of degrees
October 19, 2007
The most amusing top-10 list I’ve encountered this week came from ScholarPoint: Most Unusual College Degrees.
Even if you’re an avid snowboarder, chances are you’re not aware it could have been your college major (”Adventure Recreation” at Green Mountain College, VT). Same goes for professional nannies (Louisville, KY-based Sullivan U).
Here’s one with a surprisingly sunny future: Golf & Sports Turf Management at Mississippi State, which places 90% of its graduates in jobs.
The top spot on the list, Master Ranching, was profiled by the AP not long ago.
What do you wish you could have majored in, pragmatism aside?
Personally, I think a Blogging major would be pretty cool.
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentWhat is on your holiday wish list?
October 18, 2007
The special publications staff of The Daily Record is almost as busy as a certain someone’s elves as we prepare for the holiday season and the inaugural publication of the Luxury Gift Guide.
This year’s guide will make your holidays even brighter, helping you plan an unforgettable company party, impress your client roster and, of course, find, buy and give the perfect gift to everyone on your list — all while keeping pace with your busy work (and party) schedule.
As part of this year’s issue, we will be publishing the extravagant holiday gift wishes of our readers. Remember writing your wish list as a child? Sending letters to Santa? Here is your chance to relive the nostalgia of childhood, because The Daily Record wants to know:
What special item is on your wish list this year?
Perhaps a Porsche Boxster? A half-carat diamond watch from Tiffany? A trip to Australia? Or simply an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot range model air rifle?
Please respond to the blog or email me (emily.arnold@mddailyrecord.com) with your holiday wish. After all, you never know who may be reading.
-EMILY ARNOLD, Special Publications Editor
Sphere: Related ContentScotus: Who’s good for a laugh?
October 18, 2007
Our sister blog, DC Dicta, has issued a verdict on which of the Supremes is funniest this term and the result may surprise you. So far, Justice Antonin Scalia has gotten the most laughs, according to oral argument transcripts.
Second runner-up? Hail to the Chief: John G. Roberts, Jr.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has yet to produce laughter this term, and Justice Clarence Thomas (our favorite due to Winnebago fame) hasn’t commented since fall of 2005.
Scalia also finished first in a survey of the October 2004 term by Jay D. Wexler, a law professor at Boston University, as reported in The New York Times. (Prior to that term, transcripts did not identify the justices by name.)
Are conservative justices the quickest with a quip, in your experience?
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentFour-letter words at work
October 18, 2007
I guess there’s no more need for corporate retreats or office holiday parties, now that English researchers have discovered an unlikely source of team morale-boosting: swear words.
Supposedly, these office no-nos can boost camaraderie among co-workers and reduce stress.
So “sticks and stones can break our bones, but words will never hurt us” rings true, eh?
Anyone else prefer a morale-boosting happy hour instead? Swearing’s fun, but it won’t pay my tab.
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentAdrian Fenty and the nexus of the universe
October 18, 2007
At Naylor Road and Alabama Ave. SE yesterday, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that the District’s cab zoning system would be replaced with a standard metered fare.
Why in Southeast? Because each corner at the chosen intersection represented a different cab zone, emphasizing the zoning system’s flaws.
| View Larger Map |
It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer gets lost at the corner of 1st and 1st (”Can the same street intersect with itself?”), what he fears is the “nexus of the universe.”
Nexus or not, the scenario is one that the District’s tourism directors worry is all too familiar to visitors in the nation’s capital.
“Universally, the hospitality industry wants to go to time-and-distance meters,” William A. Hanbury, president of the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism Corp., recently told The Washington Post.
I know the industry brings billions to the District, but let’s forget about tourists for a minute. Do we think the zoning system was that horrible?
Is a simpler metered system the best we can do? Sound off, cab riders!
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentLawyers get a bad wrap—but a great French dip—at Idaho restaurant
October 17, 2007
A restaurant in Boise, Idaho has taken its distain for lawyers to a whole new level—and is profiting from it.
After having a year-long legal dispute with their lawyer neighbor over a swimming pool, the owners of Crescent Bar & Grill decided to implement a new concept for their restaurant: “No Lawyers.”
The restaurant sells lawyer-themed food, such as the “So-Su-Me platter” and the “Plea Bargain Burger.” Its Web site encourages patrons to submit their best lawyer jokes to win a free Crescent Bar & Grill “No Lawyers” t-shirt.
And best of all, according to the restaurant’s chipper hostess “Sarah,” while it does not refuse to serve lawyers, it does have a phony “$100 up-charge” button its lawyer customers can wear as they feast on their tasty “Lawyer Limbs.”
Lawyers, would you patronize this establishment, or do you think that it, along with lawyer jokes, perpetuates an unflattering image that the profession should not accept?
-CHRISTINA DORAN, Assistant Legal Editor
Networking for paralegals
October 17, 2007
It seems like the Great-Courtroom-in-the-Ether is quickly becoming crowded. But the latest online legal venture just might receive a unanimous affirmation, at least from the paralegal industry.
I’m referring to MyParalegalSpace, the newest venture by paralegal - and new media entrepreneur - Jeannie Johnston, creator of Paralegal Gateway. Johnston’s first creation, born in 2001, serves largely as an information portal.
Not so for MyParalegalSpace, Johnston tells Law Crossing:
“I wanted to have the members put a face to the name and become less quick to get hostile … I had a vision of [our site] to be more personable. [MyParalegalSpace] creates more of a community feel.”
And that community has grown to almost 400 members (all verified as paralegals) in just two months.
Johnston goes on to comment that one of her goals is to help paralegals progress in their careers.
Will MyParalegalSpace accomplish this? Among paralegals, is networking a significant advantage?
What are some other ideas for industry-specific social networking portals?
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related Content-
Business
Eye on Annapolis
Business posts- Outlook isn’t looking up for CEG stock
- The year of Pat Turner
- Fraser Smith brings his column to The Daily Record
- Whose best practices would you subscribe to?
- Happy holidays to Amazon.com
- Hoping for a brighter 2009? Bill Miller sure is.
- How effective is a 3-second TV ad?
- Let’s keep those holiday lights burning
- What does acquisition of Provident mean for bball tourney?
- Iraqi journalist causes footwear frenzy
Law
Law posts- Fabian’s not-so-happy New Year
- This week in Maryland Lawyer
- A bit of confusion over in-flight births
- Think before you tweet, lawyers warn
- A New Year’s Resolution worth keeping
- Do six-figure salaries skew survey?
- It has ceased to be
- This week in Maryland Lawyer
- Happy new year! Here’s a fine.
- Law blog round-up
Recent Posts
- Fabian’s not-so-happy New Year
- This week in Maryland Lawyer
- A bit of confusion over in-flight births
- Think before you tweet, lawyers warn
- A New Year’s Resolution worth keeping
Recent Comments
- JessieX: Duh.
- david halbritter: another halbritter served west virginia from wheeling unit so guess that makes me a yankee darnit ....
- Gerald Conrad: While I cannot agree with the trial lawyers’ reasoning, I do agree the American Tort Reform...
- Kathy: Closed on 50 Silo Point units ??? Check the SDAT tax records, only 1 unit has changed hands so far....
- Anonymous: As both a lawyer and a client (since I’m in-house), $92,000 for a new attorney is ridiculous. I...
On Commenting
We ask that our readers follow a few guidelines, noted below.Please do not post any personal attacks, profanity, spam or other advertisements — they will be removed. Also, please post using only one name or pseudonym, as this consistency helps establish a sense of community. We will delete posts if they are signed with different names but originate from the same IP or email address. And if you’re going to comment using a proper name, please make it your own. Deliberate misrepresentations will be removed.