Friday, August 31, 2007

Value of Clinical Research Trials

If you live near a university research center, and want to help medical research and earn extra money at the same time, you might want to consider checking out clinical research trials.

I just got accepted into another clinical trial today and I am so excited! Not only will it help me with my allergies, but I will earn some extra money, something I desperately need, this last year in law school.

Some people may be scared to participate in clinical trials, but my experience has been wonderful. I have been a healthy, normal volunteer in diabetes trials, smallpox vaccine trials, bird flu trials, and in this case, I do have the allergies that they are testing for. But being protected from bird flu by getting the bird flu vaccine--how cool is that!

Some of the trials are low pay/high hassle factor, while others are high pay/low hassle factor, meaning that you don't have to do much to make good money. This is the case with the current study I am in.

The benefits to participating are many. Not only are you going to help people who have different diseases or syndromes, but you are earning money. On top of that, most of the studies I have participated in have required that I go through extensive medical testing before getting accepted. Because of this, I have had extensive phyiscals at no cost to me and have found out that I am healthy to boot.

There are also private clinical research trial companies around that do similar kinds of studies.

If you have some time to spare and want to help out others, while earning cash, look in your phone book for clinical research opportunities. I am glad that I have.

Helmsley Goes to the Dogs

Or I should say Leona Helmsley's fortune goes to her dogs. Don't get me wrong--I am pro dog. Very much so. I am one of those who thinks that if you don't like dogs, there is something wrong with you. I think Michael Vick is satan himself.

But there is something a little wierd about leaving $12 million to your little dog Trouble. Don't you think so? I mean--how much does it cost to keep Trouble up? Vaccines, food, kennel bills, jeweled collars etc., etc., only cost so much. What in the world could you spend $12 million on for a dog?

People have asked if leaving money to an animal is legal. The answer is yes.

But why $12 million? There has to be a reason. What what it was?

I think it is also kind of mean that she cut out two of her grandchildren. She said it was for "reasons known to them." It is mean because she knew that because of who she was that it would make headlines, and therefore embarrass them.

I really think that when people are making their wills, and making their last testament, literally, they should think about how hurtful things can be. After all, there is no chance to make things right after that.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tennessee's Bond Rating Goes Up

We Tennesseans got some good news recently: Moody's has boosted Tennessee's bond rating, which is recognition of good fiscal management. That means that when the state issues bonds on large projects, it can get a better interest rate. Moody's raised the rating from Aa2 to Aa1, which is its second highest rating.

But at the same time, it downgraded the state's outlook from positive to stable. As reported in the Tennessean, the agency cited "education-related and health-related expenditure pressures and the negative economic impact of continuing manufacturing sector declines," as part of its assessments.

Continuing manufacturing sector declines has a new meaning to me, since my new career is in manufacturing. Not on my watch, I say! We'll show them who is manufacturing. Us!

This bond rating is a great testament to Governor Phil Bredesen's skill. I actually think he would make a good president. I haven't heard anyone make this suggestion. Maybe in 2012? Think about it, Phil.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Strong Winds Exacerbate Tragedy in Greece

When I traveled to Greece in the 1980s, I fell in love with the country just like I thought I would. People ask me what I did on the trip, and they are amazed when I say I spent most of my time in Athens, and on top of that, I really enjoyed it. Many people I talk to who have been to Greece say they did not care about Athens that much. "It was dirty," they say. "And crowded."

I loved it. I was young and pursued by many Greek men , both young and old, while there. That is not unusual, I know. But my friend and I met a group of Greek men our age, whom we met every night in one of the squares at an Italian restaurant. I know--wierd. But it was really good spaghetti, and we had a lot of fun just hanging out there with other people our age.

We had wanted to travel to the islands, but we didn't really have the time or money. We did take a one day boat trip to Mykynos, but it turned out to be a difficult day. The strong winds that Greece will sometimes get in August popped up while we were there, and it was so strong, we couldn't stay on the beach. The sand stung your eyes and skin. Mykenos is quite the spot, but no one, including the locals were at the beach because of the winds. To be honest, it put a damper on the trip, but we had a good time nonetheless. Back in Athens, we climbed up to the Parthenon a number of times, but again, on at least one occasion, the winds made it less fun that it could have been.

Today I read about the terrible fires in Greece that have been exacerbated by the winds. Sixty-three people had reportedly been killed over four days, and there had been a fear that the birthplace of the Olympics might be destroyed. It was so bad that from Sunday morning to Monday morning, 89 new fires had broken out. Authorities suspect arson. The scene is grim and desperate, but at least 19 countries are offering help. I can't imagine such a wonderful place and people going through such a horrible thing. But I can imagine how much the winds added to the problem.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

When the Levees Broke

I spent the day studying for class, as well as watching the wonderful 4-part documentary When the Levees Broke. Spike Lee did a wonderful job of chronicaling the Katrina disaster, from the night the hurricane hit till months later when residents are still displaced and still not getting the help they need.

Some of the things that hit me: the fact that many of the people did not evacuate. Many of course did not have the means to evacuate, but many also thought they could ride it out. That sounds stupid in retrospect, but in reality it does make sense. Just a few days ago, everyone was upset about another hurricane that didn't rise to the level they thought it would, so I am assuming those in New Orleans thought the same would be with Katrina. How many times can you hear a disaster is coming and you have to evacuate, only to find it turns out to not be that big of a disaster. Of course with Katrina, it did end up that way, but you can see why some might dismiss the warnings to evacuate.

Someone in the documentary referred to Katrina as the 50-foot tall woman who was trying to tear off the roof of the Superdome. What an apt visual that is.

Mike Brown, the ridiculous choice for director of FEMA, comes off as a very pleasant man, someone you might want to have as a friend or date, and have to your house for a party, but in the footage, he just looks like a big goofy boob.

Spike Lee interspersed his own interviews of people with news footage. Some of my favorite footage was of Soledad O'Brien with CNN. Her interview with Brown was priceless. She kept asking him how her 23-year old research assistant at CNN could have more intel on the Katrina situation than Brown and FEMA. He never did answer the question.

The vignettes of people talking about being stuck in New Orleans, the heat, no water, no food, the stench, the bodies piled up for days, is just heartbreaking. Some of the residents did not want to return to New Orleans, saying that they didn't feel wanted there. But many more said they just wanted to come home. I can't imagine being in that position. I wonder how these people will ever recover from this event. One of the most inspiring moments in the series was when General Honore was telling the police and the guard to put their weapons down.

Try to catch the series if you can. It is on HBO On Demand through Sept. 16.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

No More Movies at Vanderbilt University's Sarratt Center

I was wandering around Vanderbilt campus today (a tough thing to do in 100 F degree weather). There was a lot of activity, as students are moving in this weekend, and throngs of students and parents were moving items into dorm rooms, getting IDs and textbooks, and getting acquainted with where things are.

After running my errands on campus, I walked into the Sarratt Center to get the latest film schedule. In recent years, I haven't been able to attend many of the movies, but I was hoping to squeeze in a few this year, somehow in between law class and studying for tests.

When I got to the front desk, I looked for the schedules, which ususally are on the counter. I didn't see any and asked the people behind the desk where they were. They told me they are not showing movies anymore at Sarratt; Last year many of the shows only attracted a few people, and they just couldn't justify it anymore. Parking was an issue now: New construction has taken many of the few parking spaces that were available, and it is just too hard for people to get there, as Sarratt is in the middle of campus. People have to park on the periphery and walk into the heart of the campus to go to the center.

That was disappointing news, as Sarratt once ran some of the best movies in town. Current films, classic films, quirky films. They used to hold the Nashville Film Society series. The people at the desk said they will not start showing movies again until enough people say they want it back.

Granted the great Belcourt Theatre in Hillsboro Village can pick up the slack in showing the quality art films and such. But there was something special about the showings in Sarratt. Often Vanderbilt would hold educational panels to go along with certain films.

So if you feel strongly about this, give Sarratt a call. I already voiced my opinion.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Repubs and Immigration Fallout

Have the Repubs really thought through all the consequences of their rabid illegal immigration stance? Of course not! They are Republicans and they really don't think through anything!

I read an article in an international newspaper the other day about one of the effects of the crackdown on illegal immigrants. The effect is that many more jobs will go overseas. This could be true even in the construction business. Much of construction can be made prefab overseas. Isn't outsourcing something else that Repubs have been upset about? Of course. But do they realize they are going to make it worse? Of course not! They are Republicans and they can't think anything through!

An economist I used to work with said that illegal immigrants actually contribute more to the economy than they take out. They provide labor that no one else wants to do and that our economy needs. Even when they have fake social security numbers, they are paying into our social security system. Many business have sprouted up and thrive based on the fact that these illegal immigrants are also consumers and they consume things. Many businesses would have to close down if the illegal immigrants were to go away.

I heard a speaker on entrepreneurship today who said that immigrants in this country are quick to form their own businesses. Isn't that a good thing?

And the debate seems to dwell on low level immigrant work. It hasn't even touched on the fact that this country needs more high level immigrants in the engineering and sciences. Desperately needs them.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Tennessee Divorce Factoids

From my domestic relations class:

**The charge of adultery, as a general rule, has to be proven and established by circumstantial evidence. It is not necessary to prove the direct fact of adultery. To justify divorce for adultery, a preponderance of the fact is sufficient.

**Acts of adultery occurring after separation, so long as they occurred prior to the entry of the final decree, can constitute grounds for divorce.

**Whether alimony should be awarded and the amount are matters left to the discretion of the trial court and are dependent upon the unique circumstances of each case. There is no hard and fast rule as to the amount of alimony to be awarded.

**The two principal elements in seeking to ascertain alimony are the need of the spouse and the ability of the other spouse to pay. The court may properly consider the amount of income required to provide for wife to live in a manner to which she became accustomed during the marriage.

**In divorce proceedings, attorney fees may be properly allowed as part of an alimony award.

That's all for now--I'm leaving you hungry for more!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Michael Vick Must Be Evil

I was going to title this post Michael Vick Must Be Sick. Or even, Michael Vick Must be a Dick. But that is way too easy on him. I think he must just be evil. I have heard of dog fighting for a long time but really did not pay attention to it. After all, I really don' t like pit bulls anyway. Aren't they just killing machines, and weren't they bred to just fight? Well, maybe not. Since the Vick episode, I have heard some people on TV say that pit bulls are not necessarily mean--like other breeds, it depends on how they are treated.

At this point for me, it doesn't really matter if pit bulls are inherently mean or not. When people engage in dog fighting, they are just being cruel for no reason. What is worse than the fighting itself is how they kill dogs who underperform. Strangling dogs? Electrocuting dogs? Unbelievable. There is enough research out there to say that such people are very dangerous. Many times they do this behavior on animals because they can. And there is research out there to say that people who abuse animals will abuse people.

I have heard that Vick may have to serve up to several years in prison. To me, that is not enough.

Body Heat

I remember when I first saw the wonderful movie Body Heat, starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. I kept thinking where in the world is this movie supposed to be set? Maybe southern Texas, maybe Louisiana, or southern Alabama, or southern Florida. (It turns out it is southern Florida.) I knew it wasn't Tennessee, as back then we hardly had any days that were that hot.

But that was then, and this is now. We have been in a stretch of unprecedented 100 F degree days. It used to be that every summer we would have a couple of days that reached 100, but this year it has been day after day. Well, I stand corrected--yesterday it went down to a cool 97 degree F. So maybe we are starting into the cooling phase.

There are some people in Nashville who don't have air conditioning, and I don't see how they cope. A number of people in Memphis have died from the heat this summer.

I was out at the pool this past weekend--swimming and studying. While in the pool of course, I was fine, but it really was too hot to be sitting by the pool for any length of time. I was studying, so I sat out there too long. And again on Sunday. Enough time for me to feel kind of sick on Sunday night. Was it heat exhaustion? I don't know, but the symptoms fit the description.

This heat together with the flooding in Oklahoma, etc., has made it a hard summer for some.

And people say there is no global warming? And even if they don't believe there is global warming, I don't understand why they don't think we should be good stewards of the planet. That's the least we can do for future generations.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Excuse Me, Is Your Paper Negotiable?

Warning: Stop reading now if boring law topics make you catatonic.

I have finished the first week of my last year of law school and I am determined to stay current with my reading. (Something I haven't been able to do during the previous years.)

Today I am studying negotiable instruments. Apparently, this is just stuff about checks, and CDs and cashier checks, etc., but of course there are technical terms and rules and stuff about it.

Like most things, this law has it roots in the Middle Ages. According to my textbook, drafts--or bills of exchange--originated in Europe in the Middle Ages, when merchants were wanting to travel from point A to point B and they were faced with the possibility of being robbed enroute.
They solved this by going to a bank in their city of origin and getting a letter addressed to another bank in their destination city, telling it to give a certain amount of money to that merchant on arrival. Sounds kind of like the situation today, and why people get travelers' checks and all.

My textbook goes on to say that there is not enough money to go around, so these negotiable instruments help out with that. hmmmmmmm.

Some factoids from my reading:

--A note is a written promise to pay money. If the note is written by a bank, it is a CD.

--A draft is a written order by one person (drawer) to another (drawee) directing the latter to pay money to a third person (payee). So if you deposit money in your checking account and then write checks addressed to the bank ordering it to pay the comic book vendor for all those comic books you bought, you are the drawer, the bank is the drawee, and the guy who had the comic books is the payee.

--A draft written on a bank and payable on demand is a check. If the bank is both the drawer and the drawee, then what you have is a cashier's check. If one bank draws a draft on another or makes the draft payable through another bank, the instrument is a teller's check.

Bored yet? No??? My goodness, you are a glutton for punishment!

--When the word negotiable is used with paper, it means the form, and negotiated means transfer process. A purchaser is the holder in due course???? Book doesn't explain this very well. Get more info on this.

--Every element specified in Article 3-104a of the UCC must be met or the instrument is non-negotiable. (Get these requirements.)

--Apparently the first question a lawyer should ask in this regard is, "Is the instrument technically negotiable?"

--This is important, as negotiable instruments pass more freely in commerce than do non-negotiable ones. The transferee of negotiable paper, if a holder in due course, has the protection of the rule, and then all other parties to the paper will have to pay it at maturity even if they have defenses. If the paper is non-negotiable, then it is nothing more than an assignment of a contract right, and holders or assignees of a contract take subject to all defenses arising from the underlying transaction.

All for now. Go write some checks! Spread the wealth around!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hunk a Hunk a Burning Love

Yes, tonight is the eve of the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death. They say everyone remembers what they were doing when they heard that Elvis was dead. I definitely remember what I was doing, but I will not say, because it will date me!

I was never much of an Elvis fan. That may be heresy for someone from Tennessee, but remember I am from Nashville, not Memphis. Tomorrow in Memphis it will be wild, I am sure, as the loyal followers will make their annual pilgrimmage to their Mecca--Graceland. I even know of some people who have come to Tennessee from abroad to go to graduate school to be near Graceland, and I betcha they have come back since graduating.

I have been to Graceland once. By today's standards, the mansion is not so big. Before Elvis, it was owned by a doctor and was considered a stately home in a nice area. I know someone who grew up in that area, and he said that people were upset when Elvis bought the house, and rightly so, I guess, as the neighborhood went down after he bought it.

But I do think it is worth it to go to Graceland. Plus there are other fun things to do in Memphis: Beale Street, Peabody Hotel with its ducks in the lobby, a riverboat ride on the Mighty Mississippi, and the Rendezvous, with its fantastic ribs.

I still wonder what Elvis would have said if he were alive when his daughter was married to Michael Jackson. Maybe he would have felt the need to "take care of business." But more than that, I wonder why Priscilla's parents went along with that wierd arrangement when she was 14--that she could go live at Elvis' house. Today that would be considered very strange, not appropriate at all. I have never heard anyone talk about the strangeness of that at all. Maybe I am the first!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Contract With Myself

Law school started again for me tonight, and I am hoping this year I can avoid some pitfalls that I have fallen into each of the three previous years.

To try to hold myself accountable, I am making a contract with myself. Hard to do in the legal sense, but I will do it nonetheless.

Here is my contract (OK, it really seems more like goals):

1) I will eat well, hold junk food to a minimum, and try to eat dinner before class. I have gained weight each year of law school (luckily taking some of that off each summer) but this year I not only don't want to gain weight, but I want to lose quite a bit also.

2) I will keep up with my weekly assignments and not get behind, so I will not have to cram so much at exam time.

3) I will do regular housecleaning, so I don't get behind and depressed when things look a mess. Here is my tentative schedule: vacuum and dust weekly, do laundry a couple of times a week, and hang up clothes at least weekly. Everyday go through junk mail, and destroy sensitive items and throw away what I can. Try to keep the kitchen table cleared off.

4) Wash dishes every day and don't let them pile up.

5) Clean the bathtub and bathroom sink everyday.

6) Do 15 minutes of housework at a time, whenever I can, as discussed by Fly Lady. That is doable! It is amazing how much you can get done in 15 minutes.

7) Give myself regular manicures and pedicures.

8) Keep manifesting my soulmate.

9) Get more sleep this year.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Disability Denials

Again, this afternoon in my back reading of the Nashville Scene, I read a cover article called "Denied," which talked about how Tennessee is the leading state in denying disability claims. It was a hard story to read--of course I had heard how hard it is for people to get benefits before, but I did not realize that TN is the worst state in this regard. The article talked about how people with legitimate claims get denied, and then they have to appeal. The process takes so long that people can lose everything, their money, their savings, their homes, their self esteem, sometimes their very lives. Some people have died by the time their appeals come up.

The bureaucrats in the article argued that those who evaluate the claims are doing the right thing, as evidenced by the high accuracy rating. (Can't remember who is doing this rating.) Then others in the article argued back saying, that really can't be true as there is a very high reversal rating on appeal. Several people quoted in the article said that TN tends to be more geared to looking for those who are trying to cheat the system rather than really trying to help people.

The money they end up getting isn't high--the one man in the article who finally got his money ended up only get about $600 a month. At least it would put food on the table, if you still had a table. The real problem though is that it can be as long as 18 months between the original application and the appeal. This is so hard to comprehend. One of the classes I am taking this year is social security disability. I would someday like to represent people who need a lawyer in this effort. I will write more on this subject later in the year when I have that course.

Hey all you mater heads!

Anyone who is a mater head or who wants to be a mater head should have been at Nashville's Tomato Arts Festival yesterday. It was held in East Nashville at Five Points and was a lot of fun despite the horrible heat. They had a stage with live music, and booths with typical arts and crafts and companies selling their wares.

What makes this festival usual is that it is totally devoted to tomatoes. Why, I am not sure. But a lot of artists painted paintings, shot photographs, or made jewelry, all with a tomato theme. They were quite good.

There were contests and events all day: a tomato sidewalk chalk art contest, bloody mary recipe contest, a tomato toss--patterned after a similar event in Spain--where everyone threw tomatoes at a building that was scheduled to be demolished immediately thereafter, a red head contest, biggest and littlest tomato contest, salsa dancing, a tomato jingle contest, and the most beautiful tomato contest. They also had a booth with the ugliest tomatoes, but one of these entries actually looked like lips, which I thought was kind of pretty actually.

And of course, there was a parade, with the crowning of the tomato king and queen.

But I think the real winner was East Nashville, which really showed off its stuff. Over time, it has really become more and more of a community, and there are now more stores and restaurants over there. Note to self: look at East Nashville when considering buying a home in a couple of years.

If you missed the festival, not to worry. Since this is the 4th annual, there will probably be a fifth next year.


***********************************************
I start back to law school tomorrow, so I am desperately trying to finish at least a couple of personal projects today that I have put off all summer. One of them is to quickly read through all of the Nashville Scenes that have stacked up over the year. I like the alternative paper--it has some quirky stuff in it. But I had to laugh when I saw that they originally had said that Buck Dozier was going to be Bob Clement's main competition in the mayoral race. Boy, did they get that wrong! Buck didn't even come close in the election a couple of weeks ago, and he will not be in the runoff on Sept. 11. And the paper completely dissed Karl Dean for no good reason, and now they have endorsed him. ??????????? I really miss the days when Bruce Dobie edited the paper.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Ethical Convergence

Doesn't the country seem to be a more ethical place today since countless of us law students and lawyers took the MPRE yesterday?

I think I did OK on the test--knock on wood. I was worried about running out of time, but I finished the test with a few minutes to spare. I have long given up on the idea of trying to figure out how I did on a law test. There have been so many instances of when I thought I did well, only to have not done so well, and vice-versa.

But this is a real test that counts. This is part of the bar exam, and that is scary! We find out our results in 5 weeks. It will be a long five weeks.

After I finished the test, I felt fine, but later on that night felt like I had been beaten with a stick. I guess partly because I hadn't gotten enough sleep the week before.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the disciplinary cases on the Board of Professional Responsibility website. I was surprised to see the cases listed there. Many of them were exactly what we had studied in the review. I even noticed one of my former high school teachers was censured on there!

The charges included lawyers doing such things as failing to keep the client informed, failing to file on time, failing to pay dues and not keeping up with CLE courses. But some were worse--stealing money from clients, forging checks, and pretending a client won an award when they didn't. How in the world would you pull that off? The most curious were the listings that said that this lawyer or that lawyer was a danger to the public (or some such language like that). That really gets the curiosity up.

I am surprised that lawyers would act like this. I guess it is a good idea to teach professional responsbility in school and make people take the MPRE. Those of us in law school will know ahead of time what is expected of us and what the consequences will be if we don't follow the ethics rules.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

MPREing

Here I am on the eve eve of my MPRE exam, and I am feeling better. My practice exams scores are getting better, and I am making progress reading through my barbri outline. What a blessing barbri is! I have heard this, and do believe, that part of the success on these tests comes from knowing how to really answer the questions--to know what they are looking for and to know which answer will satisfy it. Part of that comes with just doing the practice questions over and over.

Like this one for instance. I have been stewing over this one for a while. Which do you think is the best answer?

1) Lawyer Bizz is starting to worry about her mental health. As a lawyer, she should not accept a case if she thinks she is not mentally competent. Which of these would indicate that she is not competent?

a) Thinking compulsive thoughts about the same subject (in this case lawyer ethics).

b) The inability to think about anything besides lawyer ethics.

c) Sneaking time at work to study lawyer ethics.

d) Feelings of depression when she can't pick up her barbri outline and her highlighter and read some more lawyer ethics.

e) Wishing she had more time to read lawyer ethics.

f) all of the above

g) It is too late. She is doomed.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Speaking of Notorious Nashville People

I am right now watching Dominick Dunne's show on Court TV. Tonight he is a featuring a murder story from Nashville--the March case. Perry March was a lawyer here who was charged with killing his wife. Those of us in Nashville were captivated by this story for years.

Perry met his wife Janet in college in Chicago and then moved back to Nashville, where Janet's father put him through Vanderbilt Law School. He was hired by one of the best law firms in the town. All was well, until he sexually harrassed someone at the firm and had to leave. That kind of started the downward trend. Then he went to work at his father-in-law's firm. One night he said Janet just up and left their beautiful home in Forest Hills. Said she was going on vacation for a couple of weeks. But they had two small children, and Janet's friends said she would never just leave like that. She never came back home. She was reported missing and things were never the same.

Fast forward. There was no sign of Janet, and the city of Nashville turned on Perry and for good reason. He just acted guilty and was arrogant to boot. People speculated that maybe they had an argument, Perry killed her, and then had to dispose of the body. No body was ever found, but Perry was found guilty of her murder in a civil suit.

March moves to Mexico to be near his father and remarries. March tries to get his in-laws killed because they keep interfering with his child custody and such. (how stupid!) They ask a Tennessee criminal to kill the in-laws and the criminal pretends to do so, but of course doesn't. Police close in on March's father, and the father admits he helped Perry hide Janet's body. But still no real evidence. (and to boot, Perry was also found guilty of embezzling money from his father-in-law's law firm.)

End of story: March's father admitted to disposing of the body and was sentenced to prison for five years and dies shortly afterward. March was found guilty of second degree murder, abuse of a corpse and of tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 56 years. And to think that March's father was a pharmacist and March a lawyer. Both with good careers. To think how low they sunk.

I am feverishly studying for the MPRE test, which I will take on Friday. I am pretty sure that the law examiners would consider that Perry March had that badge of dishonor: moral turpitude.

The Devil is in the Doritos

No, I am not talking about Britney Spears feeding her young kids Doritos and their rotting teeth.

I am talking about a Nashville special--Gwen Shamblin and her Weigh Down Diet. Nashville is in the Bible Belt, and as you might expect, we have our share of religious good and bad. Part of the bad is her Weigh Down Workshop. Shamblin has a unique schtickt. Her weight loss program appeals to those who can't seem to lose weight any other way. People who have really bad self image. They have these regular meetings in people's homes---they talk about, well , I can't imagine what.

Her weight loss program seems to be to starve yourself. Or that is the practical effect of it. You are not supposed to eat until your stomach growls. Un, hello? Can anyone say "Wierd"???? On top of this, some parents have put their children on this diet. That can't be healthy for children. I think it is going to promote eating disorders in these children as they get older. Shamblin says she is a nutritionist. I wonder if this is advice that nutritionists are supposed to give. According to those who have been part of this group, being overweight is supposed to be a sin; it is greed. I have heard that they say if you are overweight you will go to hell. HELLo! Anyone in there? Put down that doritos bag, you dirty scumbucket sleazepot!

The program preys on people with poor self image and then they can find themselves sucked into her program, which has been equated to a religious cult. Do a search on Weigh Down and read the scary accounts from former members. The ingredients are a diva, a mansion, sexy good looks and a lot of other trappings. She doesn't believe in the Trinity, which got her in hot water with one of the major church denominations in town and they dropped her program like a hot potato. They have built their own church--the Remnant Fellowship, which is a cold, imposing fortress of a building. Wonder where they got the money to build this church?

Trouble and controversy surround this diet and church. A couple that follows her tenets were found guilty of killing their child. Reports of child abuse connected to their followers are out there. She denies that these occurrences have anything to do with her teachings.

Why this post? Because Yahoo News just recently ran an article about this program, and made no mention of its bad sides. Other news outlets are giving the diet positive spin. My personal gripe is that this group got one of my former best friends. Unfortunately she has gotten more gullible as she has gotten older. Yes, she was overweight, and yes on this diet she didn't eat for days. And yes, she had her 12 year old daughter on it too. The last I heard was that she was scary skinny. I hope she is OK and that she has gotten away from these people.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Panic Attacks

I am watching Paula Deen on the Larry King show. I have never heard of her before, but apparently she is a well known cook. I really don't care about cooking shows, but what is making me interested in her story is her account of her panic attacks. She talked about having to breathe into a paper bag for years when a panic attack would come on, then being afraid of leaving her house (agoraphobia) and never letting on to anyone.

This touches home with me as I used to suffer from panic attacks. I was very young, in my early 20s, and they started one day as I was driving on the interstate. Later, I was to find that this is a common trigger for panic attacks. I remember that day I felt light headed and thought I was getting the flu. If only that had been the case.

I suffered with the attacks for about 5 years. I would get the palpitations, the cold sweats, the racing heart, the shallow breathing, and yes, I thought I was having a heart attack, a silly thought for a woman of 24. I was to the point I was starting to get afraid to go anywhere, and when I did go somewhere, I had to make sure I had an ecape route. I was disgusted with myself. I am a woman who loves to be out in the world, and it is hard to be out in the world when you have panic attacks and are bordering on agoraphobia.

I would read anything I could to figure out what was wrong with me. I didnt' want to go to a psychiatrist, as I was afraid to give up control. I was so young that I was afraid my parents would take over my life, if I couldn't control my life myself.

One day I found a marvelous book called Hope and Help for Your Nerves. It described panic attacks, even though I don't think they used that phrase--I don't think people talked about panic attacks yet. The book said to let the feelings wash over you, to not fight the panic. When you fight the panic, it gets worse.

I worked and worded at this, and eventually, I got desensitized to the panic attacks. And believe it or not, they went away. I was thrilled--I had my life back. They've been gone for a very long time. That isn't to say I don't still get a panic attack once in a while. But I remember to let the feelings wash over me, and they are gone before you know it.

The Old Gray Mare

She ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be....and she won't be anything very soon.

I have mentioned the gray monstrosity next to my building--the old ugly apartment building that is such an eyesore. They are going to tear it down and build one of Nashville's new hip condo buildings in its place. I am really excited--I have hated that old building for so long. It is ugly and makes the corner look dilapidated. The last tenants moved out last week. It is eerie to see a totally empty, dark building. I think I mentioned that last week I took my dog and walked around the building and peered in the windows and doors. I was surprised to see hardwood floors. That seems too fancy for that building. And in one apartment, there was a mural painted on a whole wall. Someone had some talent. Things have gotten worse and worse with the pile of furniture tossed out back growing, and the smell in the dumpster more putrid.

But tonight as I drove into the alleyway to get to my house, I had to catch my breath. There is a bulldozer parked out front of the gray building, with its claw down in front of the downstairs apartments. It looks like they may start demolition tomorrow. As much as I want that building to come down, and the new one to go up, it is sad to see that bulldozer. I think it is always sad for some reason to see something torn down. I don't like that building, but I know the tenants did. Some country music wannabes lived there. People who had a good time lived there. The gray tabby cat that still lives there likes it too. Because of that I am sad.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Civility in the Workplace, #2

Well, today at work was interesting to say the least. A few weeks ago, a couple of us approached the CEO and told him that we thought it was important to improve the environment there. Make it more civil, improve teamwork, and thus improve morale. The CEO didn't seem impressed, and he said for us to give him some examples of what was wrong. It is hard to give examples, because the the negativity there can be subtle and pervasive. And hard to put your finger on. A lot of it stems from one of the managers though. Although he is competent and personable, he doesn't always treat his underlings the right way. And there you have it.

Well, at least we had the conversation and put the issue on the table. Yesterday, things came to a head, and someone at work feels threatened by said manager. So much so, that today, he talked with the CEO and said that he has contacted an attorney about it. To be honest, both the manager and the employee are troublesome and touchy. I doubt the employee really has a case. I talked about him with one of my law professors last year, and that was his opinion. But it is not necessarily out of the question. Like any case, it would depend on the facts and how the facts are spun. But it is problemmatic, and more evidence of the fact that we really do need to work on the environment. I do not see one reason not to.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Bridge Disaster

I couldn't believe my eyes last night when I got home, turned on CNN and saw the bridge disaster. What an awful thing. My first thought was of my friend who lives in Minneapolis, and I emailed her right away. She wrote me back this morning and said they are all fine, and she doesn't think she knows anyone who was involved in the tragedy. Hard to believe that you would just be driving and suddenly finding your vehicle falling into the water. The story about the schoolbus is just amazing. It is like the bus flew to safety. So glad those children are fine. Hope they don't have lasting effects from this. I was flipping between CNN, MSNBC, and Fox to see the coverage, and as expected, Fox was the only one that mentioned the "T" word in connection with what might have caused the disaster.

When I first heard about the bridge failure, I thought of metal fatigue right away. I used to work with engineers and learned the term there. There was a meeting we all went to, maybe 10-15 years ago, where the engineers were talking about metal fatigue and how the bridges and other infrastructure in the U.S. were getting seriously close to being dangerous. And that was 10-15 years ago! I am assuming that maybe some bridges have been repaired since then, but it sounds like there are still quite a large number that are unsafe.

Well, I better get back to studying for the MPRE!

Election Day!

Today was election day, and all but one of my candidates won. So I am a happy camper! My guy for mayor came out on top, even though not too long ago they said he didn't have a chance. It is a close call between him and the next guy, so there will be a runoff in September. I went to the election party tonight, and it was good seeing a lot of old friends. My guy says he is going to run a positive campaign, and so far he has. I didn't pay much attention to the other guy, but he managed to get in a dig for my guy tonight. Seems wierd to be negative so early, when he doesn't have to be. They were only about 400 votes apart.