And I'm clear of upstate New York, so you won't even need to share the same state as me.
I am around and will be in Dive Bar on Wednesday (good call it's actually easier than Fresh Salt) and will be around in London the week after. Are we looking for places near Heathrow or further in?
I am passing through Heathrow on 18th and 22nd so might in theory be upright and awake in London on the evening of Monday 24th after a long day in the office.
I'm now in upstate New York,* but will be downstate by the 19th. Dive Bar does sound easier than Fresh Salt.
*But in the ADKs, which is not depressing.
I wanted to see them, so we drove home a long way. I'm going to have to hike them someday.
The High Peaks are definitely worth hiking. And the ADK region really is kind of special (all of those lakes and rivers, in a moutainous setting....).
She says, while looking over her shoulder for that bear that has been recently been seen in the area...(last summer, that bear left its calling card in my laneway [bear scat just outside my front door}, so: you know...).
Local handyman guy tells me, "Don't you let that bear scare you. You just tell him to leave, and you speak firmly," Yeah, okay, sure, like I'm supposed to be some sort of bear whisperer, or something.
In truth, I'm more afraid of snakes than I am of bears, but that doesn't mean I'm not afraid of bears.
Fortunately, rattlesnakes tend to rattle before you accidentally step on them.
A rattlesnake would seriously freak me out. Would rather encounter a bear, no question.
As I was saying in the other thread, the move from Schenectady to Tucson involved an exchange of problems, but the handful of times I met rattlesnakes in the wild it didn't seem like a big deal; the snake is proceeding about its business and you just stay back until it's gone. I think the scorpions were the most dangerous on balance, because they get into your house and you can so easily encounter them unwittingly.
Always check your boots before putting them on.
And your bath towel after getting out of the shower, per my high school friend who didn't do so and got stung in the personal sack.
In London, they call that a "sponge bag."
Also, that sounds like a horrible way to start the morning.
I was thinking maybe I could set foot in North America south of raccoon range, but turns out no.
Also there is nowhere in North American south of raccoon range.
That was me, I don't know why my browser keeps losing my info.
North of the range, then. But grizzlies.
Which in retrospect surely is not a coincidence.
How did raccoons get to Japan? I suppose I could google that.
Imported as pets after too many Japanese kids read Rascal, apparently.
Wait, Japan? Fuck. Do they have rabies also?
(Pix of today's ursine visitor in the flickr group)
I'm not sure if I remember how to get into the Flickr group still.
(I will not be bringing a llama.)
Because it's scared of the bears.
Speaking of places and raccoons, I'm in Concord, MA, and today I saw a giant raccoon at Walden Pond. I'm guessing the beach trash cans are pretty transcendent if you're a raccoon.
On that raccoon map, the particular contours of the gaps in the Southwest are strange to me. Like, the low desert around Yuma is fine, but Phoenix (and maybe marginally Tucson) are no-go? I don't think I ever saw raccoons there, but I also don't know why they wouldn't be there unless the javelinas are taking all the trash.
The lack of crows in southern Arizona (though we get ravens aplenty) is another oddity.
Tucson is nicer than Phoenix, according to people trying to get me to move to Tuscon.
Not much of a bar to clear, but entirely true.
Nice summary of the distribution of wildlife carrying rabies in the US. For raccoons it's all about the east coast. Racccoons way down from peak in the early 90s. So the tie-in to lead is ...?
not that there is probably a significant populated area bias.
Luckily for you, I had a bunch of them captive anyway.
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God help me, I am becoming curious about the study at a law office CA bar admission option. The catch is that there's basically no incentive for anyone to mentor you, right? You're just an annoyance to them for four years?
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I held the same job for twelve years. Annoying somebody for four years is easy.
Because I'm getting older and wiser and gastric-pain-ier, I haven't been going to the bar hardly at all lately. Tonight I went and everybody was talking about this guy. Apparently, he was a regular when I wasn't there.
For the record, he got banned from the bar well before he went into attempted homicide.
One of my more, uh, lurid genealogical finds was a distant relative who worked as a bartender and was murdered by a patron. Contemporary press: "Los Angeles, April 27. [E.B.], a one-legged man, was arrested late tonight on the charge of having shot and killed [G.C.], a bar tender, when the latter refused to give him a drink. After shooting G.C., E.B., it was alleged, cowed other men in the saloon by threatening to attack them with his crutches, and left the place unmolested. The police caught him several hours later." He was eventually sentenced, although I don't know if there are any documents extant about the case. Maybe the poster in 36 could find and study them.
Re: the OP, I should have good availability in the timeframe, but Heathrow is really hard to get to and from for me (stupid Crossrail delay) so would definitely prefer somewhere central if that's an option. Also, it's a bit grim around there anyway.
36: I would figure you could be a perfectly useful paralegal/dogsbody while apprenticing. But I also think that even if you got a law license like that, you'd probably never get a job without a law degree.
Yeah, and unfortunately neither I nor most people can afford a law degree unless big things change. Aren't they close to $250K now? Maybe if I were still in my 20s...
In what area of law are you interested in practicing, caveman?
Hmm. I've only been mulling it over for 48 hours. A lot of social-justicey concerns (immigration, environment, human rights, etc) are leading me down this path, but I don't have a good answer beyond "probably an area of law that doesn't pay off student loans quickly." Let's say immigration law for argument's sake.
45: It's worth finding out whether NILC (or whatever organization serves your interest) has the capacity mentor you in exchange for research and other assistance. In Los Angeles, you also have the option of People's College of Law, which is free and offers evening classes so you can work during the day.
Oh oops I just looked it up and I guess it's not free anymore? It's pretty cheap though.
Thanks, I'll investigate. A friend just sent me this article too...
Raccoons can be quite vicious. My parents had an elderly friend who encountered a couple of raccoons in his kitchen one day (eek!). I guess they felt trapped, or cornered, or what have you; and they attacked. The poor man ended up in hospital with serious injuries.
I'm not really afraid of the local bear. By all accounts, it has been around for ages, and has never shown any aggression toward humans. It's not a young bear, nor is it a mother with cubs, and it is extremely unlikely to initiate a hostile confrontation.
On the other hand, I am very much afraid of ticks. Tiny blood-sucking parasites whose bite can lead to an illness that can ultimately lead to paralysis? That is seriously terrifying to me.
Is there a secret handshake (or a password, I guess) for the flickr group? I had it years ago, but no longer.
Nebraska has a law school for only $15k/year tuition, if you can establish residency.
Looking at that map I want to know how raccoons are native on New Providence and what appears to be St. Kitts.
Probably dropped by a passing bird.
There's probably a type of island raccoon that can survive passage through the digestive tract of a gull.
There was probably a type of New Zealand dwarf ostrich that could survive passage through the digestive tract of a Haast's eagle.
Very roomy cloaca on a bird of that size.
49: Either Heebie or Ogged has to add you to the group -- maybe there's someone else but I'm not sure who.
Armsmasher, IIRC. Not that that's very helpful these days.
He smashed his keyboard arm?
Also curious what if anything the Alaskan zeitgeist* is on the Arctic fisheries agreement in the other thread.
*Wrong word. Zeitunggeist?
I haven't heard anything about it. The area it covers is pretty distant from the currently active commercial fisheries, though they have been gradually moving north as the climate warms.
Which is sort of the point of doing the agreement now, of course. They want to set some rules before people actually start fishing up there.
Is there currently commercial fishing in the Arctic basin itself?
There's a small chum salmon fishery in Kotzebue Sound but I think that's it. The resources of the Bering Sea are so much vaster than areas further north that there hasn't been a whole lot of interest or study so far, but again that may change as temperatures go up.
Yep. In the summer, I'm more interested in eating fish.
OK - Barry just gave me a heads up about this, so I will attempt to show up at Dive Bar tomorrow night!
I always looked forward, in the 90s and early 00s, to visits from Etok, who was a close friend of a colleague. Last time I saw him, he had recently harpooned a 45 foot whale from a sealskin kayak. In a swell. Calling this a 'fishery' seems insufficient.
60 et seq
A spectacular satellite image of northern Alaska and surrounding sea areas. A lot of different "features" are evident.
Apparently it's rare to have that much of that area be cloud free.
70 is awesome.
Stormcrow expertise still requested re isostasy in other thread.
I'll probably be there shortly after 5.
Maybe upstate doesn't start until 230th?
I got a table for around 6 but some peeps gotta show around then.
Not peep tho, I know he's somewhere in Ohio.
Money, get your ass down here.
I'm leaving work now. Say, I'll be there in forty minutes or so?
77.last money a/b Moby. But if money wants to show up that's fine too.
I'm s/b money and I don't even know it.
I'm leaving work now so I'll see y'all soon!
The lawyers are discussing the niceties of maritime law as it pertains to Atlantic clam fisheries.
Stall them. I'll be there soon and have a hot take on clams.
Sounds like a good group to plan a heist. Or commit one, if your schedules are clear all night.
So sorry to miss this. I'm still in upstate New York. I guess I didn't realize there was going to be a heist (or a plan for one, at any rate ... perhaps involving Atlantic clam fisheries?).
That was great, thanks to everyone who came out. Sorry you couldn't make it JPJ.
90 Home now. Alas no heists were planned but we probably could have pulled off a banger.
J. Robot can be in central London on Monday evening. How about the Parcel Yard in Kings Cross again? Or are there any other suggestions?
King's Cross works fine for me, though I'm not wedded to a particular pub. And Monday should work.
I ought to be able to do that but I will clearly be the least witty person there.
I might suggest the back of the LIncoln Lounge, though, instead of the parcel yard, It's cheaper and on a Monday evening a lot less crowded.
Is anyone up for dinner in London on Monday night? I'm going to be sightseeing all day, so I can meet wherever.
Actually, cancel that. My relatives have made big dinner plans, so I think I will have to remain sans-meetup.
You can't spell "perogi" without "I go eat a person."
Poles are prominent in scrap metal. Just saying.
The Warhola family is big in scrap metal.
Poles are prominent in scrap metal.
Because they stick out of the heap.
99: London's only Nebraska-themed nightspot.
And people say when you are tired of London, you are tired of night life.
Is there then to be a London meetup at all? It isn't really one without a visiting dignitary
I don't think so. I'm sorry to miss you this trip!
110: if you're jonesing for a meetup, there's a good chance I'll be there the second week of July. Still getting details sorted, though.
99: London's only Nebraska-themed nightspot.
Apart from Oma-ha, the comedy club where all the jokes are about German grandmas.
I think the party should assemble regardless, in case Robot doesn't know her relatives as well as she thinks.
I agree. I'm already committed to taking the tube, a horrible experience that I only undergo when there's a pint at the end of it (otherwise I would cycle but you clearly can't cycle and drink).
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We are all familiar with nationalist military histories in which armies are led to mass slaughter, yet scholars declare Marlborough the finest of English generals. Or in which Prussia is wrecked and Frederick contemplates suicide, saved only by a stroke of fortuna, yet he is the greatest of Germans. We have all perused bookshelves stacked with adulation wherein France fights for a generation only to lose and be left in ruins, twice, yet an age is named by historians for Louis XIV and another for Napoleon.|>
I would question very strongly the argument that Louis XIV left France in ruins.
Oh, dearie. All that gilt. So vulgar.
|| It's Monday morning. Today the Supreme Court (a) struck down a firearms enhancement statute as void for vagueness; (b) eliminated harm as a necessary element for withholding confidential business information from FOIA disclosure; (c) decided that the bar on scandalous or immoral trademarks violates the First Amendment; and (d) decided that punitive damages are not available in admiralty claims of unseaworthiness. Opinion (a) has some nice Gorsuch on Kavanaugh action. New opinions will come out on Wednesday. |>
Happy to continue with the meetup, if we've nailed down time and venue. Can't stay too late though.
119(b) -- Businesses give the government confidential information under an assurance that it will be kept confidential. Some person asks the government for the information under the Freedom of Information Act. Must the business show that it would experience competitive harm for the government with withhold the information? Answer: from 1974 to now -- Yes. Now -- No.
119(d) -- Maritime law is the special province of the federal courts, so they are common law courts, developing and defining causes of action, remedies, etc. (Obviously, Congress can get in the act as well). Sailor is injured when a hatch blows open and crushes his hand. Are punitive damages available for the category of claim? Alito (joined by 5) -- No. Ginsberg (joined by 2) -- Yes.
119(b) -- Businesses give the government confidential information under an assurance that it will be kept confidential. Some person asks the government for the information under the Freedom of Information Act. Must the business show that it would experience competitive harm for the government with withhold the information? Answer: from 1974 to now -- Yes. Now -- No.
Yikes. The UK FoIA has been totally gutted by commercial confidentially (along with certain other restrictions). This seems like a nightmare for transparency around procurement etc.
confidentially s/b confidentiality
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'Monster rat' trend catches on as Wellington residents kill rats the size of small possums|>
Also, thanks Charlie. What's the rationale for the maritime not liability? Even as I type I feel I'm going regret hearing the answer.
126 -- (1) Not traditional (ie, not a 19th century thing); (2) not needed to conform to statute; and (3) not needed, from a policy standpoint, to ensure seaworthiness, because owners have other incentives to have seaworthy vessels.
It's an interesting opinion, to people interested in that sort of thing. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/18-266_m6io.pdf
You can just read Ginsberg's dissent. And wonder just what The Amiable Nancy was about.
The Amiable Nancy: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/16/546/
Right. Lincoln Lounge back room, 6:00? I have filed. I don't care.
I reorganized my work day after J. Robot said she couldn't be there, and now won't be able to get into London and back this evening and still meet tomorrow morning's deadline. I'm sorry to miss everyone.
I'm going to struggle to get there before 6.45pm.
In honour of Ajay's forgone bicycle I will wait here.
While you're waiting, any thoughts on the PRC-Vatican reset?
Also 119(b) WTF? Is the court not directly contradicting the purpose of FOIA itself?
135 -- Here's what FOIA says:
This section does not apply to matters that are-- [...]
(4) trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential
If you loved the boondoggle that is the F-35 you ain't seen nothing yet.
And here's a handy explanation of what the words mean (including today's Argus Leader decision):
https://foia.wiki/wiki/Exemption_4#Scope_of_Exemption_for_Commercial_or_Financial_Information
Sorry for the confusion, all. My cousins surprised me by buying a barbecue grill for the occasion of my visit (still not cannibals), and once it was finally assembled we had kielbasa.
It's been a weird trip. I have a few friends living in Ume's town (three of whom were members of my wedding party), two of whom are close to death. I was only able to see one, as the other was in intensive care, but at least I was able to run a few errands for them to help out. Cancer is so fucked up. These were among the first of my close friends to be diagnosed, and I'm feeling all kinds of survivor's guilt right now.
My last trip to England two years ago was actually primarily for the purpose of "saying goodbye," so I suppose I should be grateful for these bonus two years with friends. Another miracle, though, is unlikely.
I'm sorry to hear that. That sounds very rough.
My friend's now in hospice. This will be the second fucking person in my wedding party to die from cancer in his 30s. I hate everything.
