The Women Detained at Abu Ghraib

Over the summer, I had the good fortune to work on a very small piece of the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the men and women tortured at Abu Ghraib. The suit was filed against CACI and Titan, two private military contractors that provided interrogators and translators at Abu Ghraib.

But through all of the press coverage the case has received, none up until this point has focused on what's happened to the women detained at Abu Ghraib. Read this well-done piece in the American Prospect to learn about the horrors they endured.

I feel fortunate to have worked with people, and in particular, with attorney Susan Burke, who read and heard about detainees being tortured, and had the courage and wherewithal to do something about it. May we all have the courage and wherewithal to speak out against the atrocities -- large and small -- that we see.

Tortured Desire: Chantico

I had the most delicious drink in the world today: Chantico. For the uninitiated, this is Starbuck's latest beverage, a "drinkable dessert with an intense, full-bodied chocolate flavor and silky, rich texture." I happily affirm that its marketing lingo is correct. Seriously. No false advertising there.

The 6 oz. cup -- the only size it's sold in -- packs a punch, though. 390 calories in that itty bitty cup. Remarkable. But it's chockful of other stuff that's good for you, too -- 6g of fiber, and 11g of protein, according to the nutritional info listed here. That can't possible be right, can it? (Though the 40g of sugar and 51g of carbs sound accurate...)

Anyway, the reason for my tortured desire is that I typically try and stay away from Starbucks. I hate them. Their coffee's too bitter and I'm tired of seeing the logo on every street corner. I'd much rather support my local coffeehouses -- you know, the ones that put most of their money back into our local community, like Infusion or Coffee Junction (you have to scroll down a bit in the link to find their listing).

But with Chantico, well, I might have to visit a little more often.... For now, I'll take some solace in the fact that at least they provide living wages and decent benes to their employees.

Ode to Snow in Mt. Airy

It snowed this weekend. A lot, about a foot -- the first snow we had all weekend. I put on my snow pants and jacket, my hat and mittens and scarf and made snow angels.

I live in Philadelphia, right on the edge of the city in a neighborhood called Mt. Airy. It's close enough to Center City that it has an urban feel but still far enough out that there are plenty of trees and grass and woods to wander around in. It's politically progressive, and well-integrated: lots of people of color and white people living next door to each other, straight couples and same-sex couples. Different religions, too. Not too many Republicans or single people, but still, some. I've lived here for about 18 months now, and it seems like everyone gets along. Someone once told me that Mt. Airy has the highest number of Jewish lesbian rabbis anywhere in the world. I think it's true. At least one lesbian rabbi lives on my block.

In this crazy, busy city, everyone had to slow down for the day: public transportation stopped running, snow too bad to drive. People just walking down the street, or shoveling out, or talking to their neighbors. It was idyllic: snow piled high and icicles hanging from houses.

I met my friend's neighbor while we were shoveling. He had a beagle and it was running and jumping through the snow; he looked like a bunny. It was cool.

Not My President

'Nuff said, for now.

Law & Order

Serena Comes Out?!?! Okay, what the hell happened at the end of Law & Order last night?!?! D.A. Branch fires A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn for being "too passionate." But the kicker at the end is after she's fired, Serena turns to him and says, "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" Huh? Did I miss something? Some scene that indicated she was a lesbian BEFORE the last episode in which she'll ever appear?!?!?

It's disingenuous to make Serena a lesbian as she's walking out the door. It perpetuates lesbian invisibility: NBC gets the benefit of saying they had a lesbian character without ever having to do a storyline about our lives. Ugh. (For more on this, check out this article on afterellen.com.)

But the problems with Serena's character began long before her finale coming out. For the past four years, the show writers have reinforced stereotypes about female professionals in the lines they have given her. She has long been seen as the overly emotional, irrational female, prone to passionate outbursts. Meanwhile, her two male colleagues react coolly and rationally, patronizingly calming her down. It's disheartening and frustrating; we can only hope that with the new ADA, L&O will also get a clue.

3L Malaise

It's almost the end of the first week. I attended one course 3 times, two courses 2 times, and one course once, for a total of 8 classes. (One class meets for the first time tomorrow, and one meets again tonight.) I have read for class 1.75 times (once I was adequately prepared, and once I was mostly prepared, but I had to skim the last couple of pages). I've pretty much had it with law school, as much as the future worries me. (The short version of my future angst is that I'm not sure I'm cut out for a 9-5 job -- much less a 9-8 job. It seems boring to have to go to the same place every day and do the same thing. I hope that I am wrong about this.)

But as for law school? Well, I'm tired of the baby frat boys, of the done-up young women, of the indoctrination into conservatism and status quo. It's old. On the plus side, the professors are mostly interesting and smart -- though I pick my classes largely by the professors, not the subject. And I like wearing jeans and t-shirts every day. It's what nature intended.

Chatters, Part 2

The 3L word
I'm sitting next to a Chatter in Tax. She began chatting right after the professor finished her lecture on not talking to your neighbor during class. Seriously. She saved my butt in Civ Pro II, so I do feel a debt of gratitude. She had the best flowchart I have ever seen. It was like art, and the B+ I got (with a B- curve) was due only to her masterpiece. So, I'm willing to let it go a bit. But I do hope she quiets down.

The Blabbers

The 3L word
So, I'm in class today -- the one where I'm sitting on the floor -- and the frat-boy-wannabe sitting next to me won't shut up. Blah blah blah talking to his femmebot friend. They talked through the whole class. Nonstop. Even after several floormates (including yours truly) glared at them.

The world is divided into us and them: the chatters and the note-takers. The chatters mumble, crack jokes, and freely talk to their neighbors. Sometimes, they play with their cell phones, and, on rare occassions, actually answer them when they ring. They like law school for its entertainment value and bar crawls. They play Solitaire, 3-D Pinball and Fantasy Football. They check email and surf the 'net. The note-takers have highlighted texts, books open on their desk and write (or type) furiously through class. They're trying to pay attention and have realized that someday, someone will pay them for their advice/knowledge/lawyerly skills. This scares the hell out of the note-takers, and hence, the furious note-taking.

I am a furious note-taker. But it's a fine line. If I brought a computer to class, I could quickly become a chatter. But I don't. I take notes in a 3-ring binder with notebook paper and dividers, just like I did in seventh grade Social Studies. I am a Trapper-Keeper away from becoming a chatter. But like an ex-smoker infuriated by the nicotine addicts, I can't stand the chatters. They chat. I fume.

The Right-Sized Room

I am taking a full-year trial advocacy class that has a Monday night lecture. Tonight, they split the class -- about 100ish students -- into two smaller classes, one for plaintiff and one for defendant.

I was plaintiff's counsel. But the room was too small. About 20 of us had to sit on the floor. On the floor! I guess that's what happens when they only charge $12,000/year for tuition. I bet my private law school friends all get to sit in chairs.

But then again, they're paying $35,000/year.

Drop/Add, Part 2

The 3L word
I have now dropped and added 6 different courses. I have 4 courses I am definitely taking. Really, it's all about the Wild Card Fifth Class -- WCFC, for short. I just dropped a course that I plan on taking (Crim Pro), so that I could add another course without dropping my coveted Public Interest class. Which I don't even want to take, because it meets at 9 am on Monday morning. Ugh. There must be medication I could take for this.

I'm mostly waiting for a professor to email me back with the details about an independent research I want to do with him. He's teaching a seminar on the First Amendment, but I've taken a similar version of the course (with an exam instead of a research paper), so I can't take it as a seminar. Ill-thought-out policy, I think. The school offers ONE COURSE on the First Amendment. I mean, I know we haven't broken the Top 50 in the rankings yet (though alumni have been assuring me for 3 years that it's imminent....), but it'd be nice if we could balance out the emphasis on practical application with some more theoretical-based classes. Like, for example, an upper-level First Amendment class (and by that I mean Free Speech, not Free Exercise or Establishment Clause).

Anyway, I'm paranoid that the professor has changed his mind after reading my exam. Which is anonymous anyway, so I'm really approaching conspiracy theory. Seriously, medication suggestions, anyone?

Drop/Add

I am a drop/add day-trader. Since drop/add started last week, I have been scouring our web site, looking for courses with one seat open. They go quickly, so I try and act fast. This morning, I added Introduction to Public Interest. A real find -- only 12 students, and I picked up a seat. But it meets at 9 am on Monday. And I'm a 3L. I mean, really. I'll probably drop it by noon.

Graduation Check-Up

Last week, I had to meet with the assistant dean for "graduation check-up." She reviewed my record to make sure I had met all of the requirements for graduation. She told me the date of graduation. She stressed the importance of attending a bar review course. She stressed the importance of attending a bar review course -- again. She noted happily -- maybe a little too much so -- that I have a job after graduation. And then... she gave me a lollipop. A watermelon Dum-Dum.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it. Really. But a lollipop? What am I, 7?