Futurelawyer

Climate Emergency? What Climate Emergency?

#TBT - Spaceman.

The Stoics teach that traveling to faraway places is not a substitute for dealing with our ability to control our actions and reactions to our fates. This recalls the mountaineer who, when asked why he climbed the mountain, answered: "Because it is there". When we seek answers to our daily strife, perhaps we need to look closer to home.

SPACEMAN

He pushed the envelope

Put on a white spacesuit

Trained for years

Swam in weightless swimming pools

Took a thousand medical tests

Waited for his day to ride the candle

up to the moon

and back.

He left his family

waiting

at the altar

of professional accomplishment

Wondering whether it was worth it

To see the stars.

The spacecraft

had a million parts

complex computers

lights blinking madly

monster engines

burning fuel and gas

exploding into the darkness

of a launch pad

built with the sweat of a thousand men and women.

When he got to space

He brushed his teeth

looked into the mirror

slept eight hours

read a book

did his work

and looked out the porthole

at the same stars.

Happy World Parrot Day from Rick, Diane, Pinot, Rio, Pepper and Lemon.

Shadowrunner.

 

 

Before he met her,

He spent his time in the shadows,

running away from scary things.

Streetlights and sunshine

were the enemy.

If he ventured into them,

he would be burned.

When someone followed him

into the dark,

their light flickered,

and their spark retreated

with him,

into dark places.

He became adept

at running in the shadows,

never risking sunburn

or discovery,

always keeping safely

under the radar

of the invisible light.

When she appeared

outside the line

between darkness and light,

he was dazzled by her brilliance.

He knew that she would never follow him

into a place without light

or sunshine.

His pale skin,

made paler by years of hiding,

would have to risk sunburn,

if he were to go with her.

His eyes would require

a period of time

to get used to the glare,

and he would have to understand

the new life

as a new reader reads a book.

He stepped into the light,

felt the warmth of it,

and knew that he would never

live in the shadows again.

World Parrot Day Is Tomorrow.

World Parrot Trust I have been a member of the World Parrot Trust for some years. So, I was pleasantly surprised today to learn that the organization is joining with Disney's Animal Kingdom to breed rare Amazon parrots at the Kingdom. Some of the rarest parrots in the world will be saved due to this good work. And, to top it off, tomorrow is World Parrot Day. Save the parrots. They are our last connection to the dinosaurs.

Confirmation Bias Is Not Legal Research.

The Perils of Consulting An Electric Monk For Legal Research. This is a wonderful article on the recent ChatGPT legal research kerfuffle involving a hapless lawyer who relied on ChatGPT's made up cases in a legal memorandum. Reliance on information from someone else is a product of the information age. In this case, of course, the lawyer didn't go far enough to check the accuracy of the information provided by the AI, and is paying the price. But, as Jordan Furlong points out, we all do it all the time. We are so enamored by answers that align with our beliefs, that we accept them at face value. Confirmation bias is present in everything modern humans do. We have become consumers of information, and there is so much of it that we don't always check it for accuracy. Our antennae must be up at all times in an environment of the Internet of Things, in which computers and answers generated by them will be more and more in our lives. Be careful out there.

Memorial Day. When They Were Young.

I have always been curious about my natural father, who was killed in a plane crash in 1951 while stationed in New Mexico. He was an Army Air Corps pilot, and died at age 29. But, today, I found a photograph of his High School Band, in which he can be seen with a clarinet and going to Lee High School. I had always assumed he only played saxophone, since that was the only photo I had. Lee High School would have been my high school except that I was bused across town to the Catholic High School, Bishop Kenny. And, I also played the clarinet in the high school band. Further proof that fate is fickle, and we should revel in the gift of each day. I was only 5 when he died, so I have no independent memory of him, except from photographs. But, looking at this photo, I can't help but think of the Robin Williams' movie, Dead Poets Society, and the scene in which he brings his students to a hallway filled with photos of long dead students, when they were young, and prompts them to live each day as if it were their last. Every soldier who died in service deserves to be remembered today on Memorial Day; but more than that, to be remembered always. They were young, and never got beyond youth. Enjoy your holiday. But, of all holidays, this is one to be enjoyed with a somber grief. This is the one in which grief must combine with thanks. What more can one human give than their very life? Look at each young man in this photo of my dad's high school band. (he is second from the left, third row from the front).  Some of them died in the service of their country. Each of them had dreams of the future.

 

#PoetryFriday - Lover.

I have grown accustomed to your body

next to mine.

I imagine its curving skin,

touched by my hands,

gently.

I am alone in my bed,

tossing and turning,

reaching out

to touch you,

grasping at the image of you.

I speak to the image

and pretend the response.

I am a child

with a peanut-butter smile,

playing cowboys and indians

in a back yard

filled with monsters

and scary things.

I fear being alone,

and I am frightened to be near you.

I love wanting you,

and being wanted by you.

Do not be

away

very long.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Control The Flow Of People Asking Me For Help.

We are a species of Danas, and those seeking Dana's help. If you are a helper, your sanity requires that you control access to your abilities. Otherwise, you risk burn out, and an unhappy life. It's about freedom, grasshopper.

There Is No Such Thing As A Happy Memorial Day.

Each Of Us Has A Friend Or Family Member To Remember This Weekend.

There are some holidays that do not lend themselves to commercialization, or joyful celebration, or weekend sales, and so forth. The last Monday in May is one of them. I lost my dad during wartime, and, at 5 years old, have no specific memories of him. Of course, every day is a day to be lived happily. However, some days are days to remember sacrifice. Monday is, for many, just a day to stay home from work, or have fun at a picnic. For me, it is a day to remember the over Six Hundred Thousand men and women who have given their lives in the service of the United States of America. One particular person, my father, Martin M. Georges, Sr., gave his life while serving in the Army Air Corps in 1952. Take some time this weekend to honor him and our other heroes. I served, in a minor way; but do not honor me and other veterans this weekend. Honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.