SoCal Minds

Look at all the stuff they're chattering about now ...

From UCLA, ALOUD, Zocalo, Southwestern Law School, USC & the Milken Institute

Here's hoping there are madding crowds around town with noble striving to learn lots more this week about international criminal courts, Islam, Christianity, mammon-like matters, defamation, unemployment and happiness. Those are among the topics that will be or have been taken up in salon-like, free, open and public conversations across the area that also may require RSVPs or online patience.

• On the Westside this afternoon, for example, Gen. Wesley Clark, the one-time NATO supreme allied commander, and David Scheffer, the first U.S. ambassador at-large for war crime issues, will address whether aggressive war constitutes a crime and what the proper role might be for an international criminal court in the future of international justice.

• In downtown, Graham E. Fuller, a former vice chair of the CIA's national intelligence council, will join Tuesday night with Maher Hathout, an oft-quoted figure in the U.S. Muslim community, and Rabbi Reuven Firestone to ponder scenarios in which there might be a world without Islam? That session will be twinned with a Thursday night program with Eliza Griswold, a poet and prize winning journalist (shown at left), and Amir Hussain, a theological studies prof from Westchester, examining life along the 10th parallel, near which half the world's 1.3 billion Muslims dwell, as do 60% or so of the planet's 2 billion Christians.

•  In downtown, too, but on Wednesday night, Sebastian Mallaby -- a noted journalist and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations -- will detail the rise and seek to explain the unprecedented position that hedge funds now occupy in global finance. 

• With the appropriate caveat about a possible conflict of interest (since the home institution of the event mentioned next also happens to write a paycheck or two to the author of this post), it's worth taking note for the legal crowd that on Wednesday afternoon a group of international scholars and experts, as part of a symposium put on by a specialty law journal at the school, will detail and discuss emerging global issues in defamation law. In Exposition Park, of course, a similar symposium sponsored by another campus law journal recently considered the special ravages inflicted by the nation's soaring unemployment on minority groups that already were ignored or shunned.

• And, finally, for those who might wonder just what sort of program the smart set gets to see at the sessions detailed here, well, here's an online posting and a video from a recent Los Angeles appearance at a Bevery Hills think tank by Tony Hsieh, a corporate CEO (shown at right) whose company, Zappos.com, came to represent not only top notch customer service but also highly successful and profitable online innovation, which, incidentally and arguably, also brought considerable happiness to investors, employees and customers alike. 

 

For legal scholars, court talk, publishing and status checks

From USC, Pepperdine, Southwestern & Chapman

With the usual caveat that the author of this post gets a check as an adjunct law prof in an institution housed in a landmark building near downtown L.A., let's play some catch-up with some legal matters of note around town. In Exposition Park and Malibu, it must be that time of year as the scholars are lining up to assay the doings of the Roberts Court. From the Art Deco confines of the historic Bullock's Wilshire building, meantime, a sometimes grumpy vice dean and his legal writing colleague tackle in bemused fashion the all-too-frequent and critical interrogatory from law students, especially first years: How do I survive and thrive in law school? The online sample chapter from their new tome both catches its flavor and offers some tasty tidbits, such as why students should see their profs during office hours and why they shouldn't diss their teachers. And speaking of legal scholars, just who, in academic terms, is among the fairest of them all? The folks in Orange, in touting the disconnect between the ever popular rankings of a certain fading newsweekly as opposed to some other measures, point to an academic effort to pinpoint profs and schools by their scholarly influence in the field. Hmmm.

In Exposition Park, the annual preview of the Supreme Court's new term

In Malibu, a published assessment of twists, turns in the Roberts court

Advice from a 'cranky prof' on succeeding in law school

Click here for a writing sample from Prof. Cranky

In Orange, a tout for the scholarly influence of law school, its faculty   

Click here to see schools, faculty ranked by 'scholarly influence'

A weekend of Dead Sea scrolls, dumplings, iconic furniture

From Azusa Pacific, Pacific Asia Museum, Southwestern Law & the Huntington

Because some schedule challenges with work may prevent Friday postings, just a little jump on the usual weekend roundup of stuff worth taking in.

Of course, for those who aren't tired of hearing about it already and who want to meet and learn more about the candidates seeking posts in the June 8 Superior Court races in LA County, well, get over to the historic Bullock's Wilshire building in Koreatown for a free, open, public forum starting at 5:30 this afternoon.

• The marquee weekend event, much mentioned here and elsewhere, for those fascinated by Scripture, the Bible and other Christian writing will be the display in Azusa of various biblical 'treasures,' including fragments of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls (as shown in photo at right). The exhibit, for which reserved tickets must be purchased, opens on Friday and runs through July 18.

Click here for more info on 'Treasures of the Bible: the Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond'

Scripture's Beautiful Past from Azusa Pacific on Vimeo.

•  In San Marino on Saturday, a major, traveling exhibit opens of American Arts and Crafts furniture artisan Charles Rohlfs. Curators say his complex, compelling creations (including some scroll work from one piece, as shown at left) put him in the fore of modernist design with such iconic figures as Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. Because his work draws from such broad, varying traditions, however, Rohlfs has defied easy description and categorization, which has kept him out of wider public acclaim. This exhibit will be open until Sept. 6 when it closes and moves on to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Click here for more information on 'Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs'

• In Pasadena, there will be a different lure on Saturday for fanciers of the arts and culture of Asia -- a chance to wolf down dumplings for a prize. They museum, in cooperation with the folks who run the Dumpling Station and its mobile kitchen in a dumpling truck (as seen in photo at right), will present a dumpling festival and contest. With music, drinks and games, those partaking of the program also can watch six hungry contestants try to eat 50 dumplings within two minutes. The winner will receive a $50 VISA gift card, tee shirt and Pacific Asia Museum membership.They're picking prospects from among a pool of folks who e-mail them to enter at: dumplingstation626@gmail.com.

Click here, scroll down calendar to see more info on 'Pasadena Dumpling Festival'

Get the free skinny on the Mideast, women, twins, judges

From ALOUD, Zocalo, UCLA & Southwestern Law

Get out those calendars, get in those cars and get to some of the free, open and public opportunities offered this week for lots of intellectual stimulation, eh?

In downtown at at 7 tonight, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird will be joined by LA Times Editorial Page Editor Nick Goldberg, a former foreign correspondent, to discuss Bird's new work 'Crossing the Mandelbaum Gate,' which examines his early life in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt and jumps off from memoir to offer insights into the American experience in the Mideast and the tragedy of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Mideast also will be the focus at 7:30 on Wednesday night in downtown, as author-scholar Isobel Coleman takes on the topic of how women are changing the Mideast, the subject by the Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow's new book 'Paradise at Her Feet.'

In Westwood on Tuesday night at 7, there will be lots of straight double-talk and folks may be seeing double as the Bruins present a rare gathering of six top experts to take on the topic of twins -- and everything you want to know about them.

And, speaking of rare, don't forget that voters will be offered the chance to meet the Los Angeles Superior Court candidates competing in the June 8 elections and get to learn more about judicial races in a program Thursday afternoon and evening starting at 5:30 (and yes, this is a plug for an event in which I'm involved). For all the programs mentioned in this post, space will be limited and reservations are required.

A rare chance to meet Superior Court candidates

From Southwestern Law

A point of personal privilege with the potential conflict of interest declared. Yes, yours truly is a consultant helping to publicize the event. But for those concerned with the law and the courts, put May 17 on the calendar and come out for a rare, free and public opportunity for voters to meet and to learn more about those seeking Superior Court seats in Los Angeles County in the June 8 election. The session also will feature a briefing on judicial elections by the administrative presiding judge of the San Diego appellate district with Val Zavala, a KCET-TV vice president and host of the news and public affairs program 'SoCal Connected.'

Click here for more info, to RSVP

*Winning arguments for law students, undergrads

From Southwestern, USC, Claremont McKenna College

Hmm, the weather's been fine, the traffic not unusual and there's seemingly nothing special to contribute to the disputatiousness of the locals. Still, just catching up here with several schools' postings about their students' accomplishments in various oral arguments and competitions, including the folks downtown touting moot court triumphs in the Ruby Vale competition in Delaware and the Stetson contest in Orange County. In Exposition Park, they're proud of their dual champs in the Hale competition and their national entry in the Cardozo/BMI test. In Claremont, they're crowing about their undergrad showing in regional contests that led to an invitation to a national mock trial championship in Memphis.

*Full disclosure: I'm a free-lance writing and editing consultant to Southwestern Law School

*For legal-minded, developments all around town

From Pepperdine, UCLA & Southwestern Law

Let's play catch up with some legal items of interest occuring around town:

In Malibu, dozens of really smart, accomplished young legal minds are gathered from across the country for a session that aims to help them in a critical step in their law careers -- their impending work as law clerks to federal judges. This will be the 10th time that the law school has assembled distinguished scholars, judges and legal practitioners to get the law clerks, 80 of them in this go round, up to speed in their crucial duties, which include drafting opinions and handling other big responsibilities for their judicial bosses. The divergent speakers will include the liberal dean of the UCI law school, Erwin Chemerinsky, and the conservative dean of the Waves' law school, Ken Starr.

*Full disclosure: I'm a consultant at Southwestern, writing and editing there

A push to get next class of federal law clerks up to speed, ready for duty

In Westwood, even as she and her team embark on federally funded research to fix flaws in the forensics so commonly employed in U.S. courts, a Bruin legal scholar gets lots of attention from the scientific community as to the evidentiary errors and challenges of fingerprints and their 'expert' analysis. Both 'Nature' and the 'New Scientist' weigh in with reports on the topic.

Expert attention to Bruin scrutiny of scientific reliability of forensics like fingerprint analysis

'Nature's' take on 'science in the court'

What 'New Scientist' says on 'fingerprint evidence to harden up at last'

In downtown, the folks at Southwestern are pressing on with the special attention they pay to immigration, entertainment and children's law with some intriguing steps in each area. The school has announced it will partner with the big downtown firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson for a hybrid academic-practical approach to appeals of immigration cases. It's offering new, two-year fellowships to up-and-comers interested in teaching and litigating in immigration and children's law. And, of course, for just the right legal figure, there's a pretty prime posting up for director of the school's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Law Institute. 

Who wants to head entertainment, law institute?

Partnership with big downtown firm on immigration appeals

New, two-year clinical fellowships in immigration, children's law

A pro bono plea to law students, lawyers, judges

*From Claremont McKenna College & Southwestern

Calling all law students, lawyers and jurists: Some ambitious undergrads need help as they conduct the American Mock Trial Association's regional tournament in the midst of tough economic times. The aspiring legal eagles out in Claremont run their mock trial program with student leadership and without the common trappings of hovering faculty and attorney counsel. That can make the hurdles huge for them in handling the logistics and finances of conducting the Feb. 20-21 event in Southern California in which they say 30 teams with more than 200 competitors from three states will take part. The state budget crisis really complicated their planning as they could not secure donated courtroom space as they had in the past. But the college president and a state lawmaker have pitched in so they now will partner with Southwestern Law School and the Los Angeles Superior Courts. Southwestern is providing the mock trial program financial support and use of its facilities, while Assemblyman Mike Eng's office helped secure the use of the Stanley Mosk courthouse. Now, though, the students need at least 100 volunteers with legal training to judge the competition.

*Full disclosure: I'm a writing and editing consultant for Southwestern Law School

Undergrads running mock trial program seek 100 legally trained judges

Click here to learn more, volunteer

Here's a timely symposium topic: bankruptcy

* From Southwestern Law

It's truly a sign of the times: Six of the 10 largest bankruptcies in U.S. history -- cases in which the assets totaled in excess of $1 trillion -- were filed in the last two years, experts say. And with the economic crisis holding fast, with its harsh unemployment figures and unrelenting numbers of home foreclosures, well, is there a more timely topic for a legal symposium than bankruptcy and the latest developments in this area of the law? The session, 'Bankruptcy in the New Millenium,' will, of course, be on Lincoln's birthday (Feb. 12). It will feature jurists, academic scholars and top practitioners. It will be coordinated with articles in the Southwestern Law Review; continuing legal ed credits also will be available. Registration is required by Feb. 5 and there is a fee.

*Full disclosure: I'm a writing and editing consultant for the school

With joblessness roaring, foreclosures soaring, bankruptcy is top topic for program  

Legal eyes on fiscal crisis, digital entertainment

*From USC, Southwestern Law

The legal eagles at two schools will be staying atop current issues and concerns with major programs this week on the nation's looming fiscal crisis and challenges of the new media frontier. The Trojans have summoned leading economists, budget experts and tax authorities for a Friday conference on what sponsors are calling the 'train wreck' of the federal and state budgeting, government revenue shortfalls and deficits, as well as walloping spending and galloping costs of entitlement programs, especially those in the health area. Across downtown, the Biederman Institute and Media Law Resource Center will bring together top entertainment law figures on Thursday to tackle the unknowns of digital entertainment, content regulation and crisis management.

*Full disclosure: I'm a writing and editing consultant at Southwestern

'Train wreck' of federal, state fiscal crisis to come under Trojan scrutiny

Click here for agenda, speakers list

Click here to register

At Southwestern, an examination of unknowns on the digital entertainment frontier

Click here to access conference brochure, online registration

*Full disclosure: I'm a writing and editing consultant at Southwestern