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« February 2009 | Main | April 2009 »

Legalize Fireworks in Maine?

As reported in the Press Herald, Maine is considering legalizing fireworks.  Proponents say, why not — many folks smuggle them into the state anyway.  Opponents say they should be banned because accidents are likely to happen and folks with injure themselves and start more fires.

I wonder how New Hampshire fares in the injury/fire numbers as compared with Maine?

What does your state do and how do you feel about it?

Fireworks

This post supported by Injury Claims Lawyers.

Posted by on March 30, 2020 at 08:26 AM in Business, Entertainment, Legal, Politics | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Proposed Bill Would Allow Non-citizens of U.S. to vote

The Portland Press Herald wrote a story today about a bill in Maine that would give non-citizens of the U.S. the right to vote in local elections.

The rationale is that it would allow immigrants the right to have their opinions heard on local issues and provide an incentive to become U.S. citizens.

The opponents say just the opposite: that the right to vote should only be for full U.S. citizens — and just as you have to be a citizen to vote in national politics, you should also be a U.S. citizen to vote locally.

What do you think?

Posted by on March 27, 2020 at 10:43 AM in Current Affairs, Legal, News, Politics | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Woman Calls 911 Saying Suicidal, Police Respond and Shoot Her Dead

The Portland Press Herald reports in today’s paper the story of a Biddeford, Maine woman who called police saying she was armed and suicidal.  Biddeford police responded and ended up shooting her dead.

There are several interesting things about this news story.  The first is that the article indicates that the police “are declining to say what type of gun she had.”

That’s funny.  Yesterday, when this story broke on the Portland Press Herald’s website, the paper indicated that it was a BB-pellet gun.  Today, someone made the decision that they did’t want this fact (if it is true) in the paper.  Why is that?

Another interesting thing is that the paper goes out of it’s way to repeat over and over that the shooting was justified.  The police chief, as you might expect, immediately calls it justified and defends his officers.  The article also talks about all the training the officers have received in responding to suicide calls and the use of deadly force.

Yet for all the training they received, one officer ends up shooting this woman to death.  No matter how you look at it, this can’t be considered a good outcome to a suicide call.

Also, why was she shot 3 times?  Did it really take that many shots to stop this 47–year old woman?  The officer involved was behind a telephone pole and was with two other officers — why is it only one officer fired?  Was she only pointing the weapon at just him?

The Biddeford police chief says that the entire incident was captured on a squad car’s video camera and that the tape has been turned over to the Attorney General’s Office.

So what? 

Asking the Attorney General’s office to review a shooting in Maine seems to be just a rubber stamp of approval.  In my memory, I don’t ever recall the AG’s office ever concluding that a shooting was unjustified.  I’d like to know how many shootings the AG’s office has reviewed in the last few years and see if any of them resulted in anything other than a justified conclusion.

I want to make it perfectly clear that I have no idea whether or not this shooting was justified.  The officer in question may well have acted properly.

And I have nothing but the utmost respect for police officers and know that they put their lives on the line like few others in this country.  I also understand that it’s difficult to keep a cool head when your life may be in danger.  Training simulations are one thing — real life situations are often very different.

But this woman called saying she “intended to kill herself.”  She didn’t say she was going to kill someone else, that she was going on a shooting rampage, or anything like that.  When the officers told her to put the weapon down, she said, “No, I will not.”  She didn’t say she’d shoot them or that they better stay away.

Clearly, this woman needed help.

I just wonder, what more could have been done?  How long were these officers questioning this woman?  Could a specialist — a counselor, psychologist or someone like that have been called to talk with her?  What efforts were made to find out more information about this woman?  The woman’s brother apparently lives in the same apartment — could he have been contacted to help better understand why this woman was suicidal?

There are lots of questions at this point. 

Posted by on March 26, 2020 at 10:19 AM in Legal | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Are You Too Timid To Ask Clients For Work?

Here’s a link to a post about lawyers being too timid to ask clients for work.  Could this be you?

It’s almost hard for me to believe that lawyers are too afraid to ask their clients for work.  It takes me back to the advice by Jay Foonberg in his excellent book “How To Start And Build A Law Practice” where he advises lawyers to place a picture on their desk of a loved one (spouse, children, lover, whatever) to remind them that practicing law is a business and in order to succeed, you must be paid for your work.

The post mentions three reasons some lawyers might find it difficult to ask for business:

  • Don’t know how;
  • Think it is “beneath them to ask”; and
  • Afraid of rejection.

As to “don’t know how” — duh!  Just ask your clients straight out if there is any other legal service you can provide for them.  They’ll be happy you’re thinking of their welfare.

As to the second, just look at that picture on your desk and suck it up.  I personally believe that all jobs have dignity and nothing is beneath folks when they take pride and do a good job at whatever they’re doing.  So ask away.

As to being afraid of rejection, I have no problem with that at all.  After all, I do stand up comedy.  If you’re going to get all upset with rejection, you can’t hope to be on stage by yourself telling jokes.  You either get used to rejection or find some other way to entertain yourself.

So if business is slow, get out there and ask your clients for more!

 

Posted by on March 24, 2020 at 09:58 AM in Business, Current Affairs, Legal, Writing | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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100 Movies To See Before You Die

Here’s the site for the list.  It looks like I’ve seen quite a few of them.

How many have you seen?

Posted by on March 24, 2020 at 09:48 AM in Business, Entertainment, Film | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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AIG Executives Return SOME Bonuses

So the news is that 18 of 25 AIG executives have returned about $50 billion in bonus money.  There was $165 million given out (and I heard one news account that it was actually over $200 million), so that leaves 7 executives sitting on at least $115 million.  It would appear that the people with the most to give up are the ones who haven’t yet decided what to do.

They better make up their minds — fast.  It’s clear that New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is playing hard ball.  He’s saying that people who return the bonuses will not have their names released.  What he’s not saying, but merely implying, is that the other folks WILL have their names released. 

This can’t be good news to the people involved.  We’re already heard from the head of AIG the type of wacko death threats being made against these executives.  The people keeping the bonuses will be walking around with a taget on their backs.

I wouldn’t want my name released as one of the executives keeping the money.  Then again, if I were to receive $16 million or so ($115 divided by 7 – just as an example), that would pay for a lot of security until this thing blew over.

What would you do? 

Posted by on March 24, 2020 at 09:28 AM in Business, Legal | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Curt Schilling Retires

Saying he had no regrets after 23 years in baseball, Curt Schilling called it quits today.  He was a gutsy pitcher that helped the Red Sox immensely in their 2004 and 2007 World Series.

And who can ever forget this pic:

Schillingsock

It was 2004 and Schilling was pitching through pain in game 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals after surgury to a loose tendon in his right ankle.  With blood seeping through his sock, he pitched a hell of a game and helped keep the Red Sox in contention. (The sock is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.)

Schilling will be remembered fondly by most Sox fans!

Posted by on March 23, 2020 at 02:36 PM in Business, Games, Health, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Maine Maple Sunday

Had a great time yesterday celebrating once again Maine Maple Sunday (always the 4th Sunday in March).

If you’re “from away”, Maine Maple Sunday is when folks who make maple syrup in Maine open their sugarhouses and let people learn how maple syrup is made and generally roam all over their property.  They in turn sell lots of maple syrup and other maple products (pancake breakfasts, maple cotton candy, maple ice cream, maple sundaes, maple candy and about 16,000 other maple goodies).

We went to Coopers Farm this year and it didn’t disappoint.  My daughter enjoyed the miniature hourses, peococks, cattle, and an ostrich.  I enjoyed the free vanilla ice cream with maple syrup on it and also purchased a quart of syrup.

Fun morning!

 

Posted by on March 23, 2020 at 12:01 PM in Business, Food and Drink | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Celtics Finally Clinch A Playoff In Win Over Heat

Boston played big without its starters Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  Also missing due to injuries was Leon Powe.  The men in green played a great overtime game against Miami winning 112 – 108, with Paul Pierce again taking the lead by scoring 36 points.  Rajon Rondo added 27 and the Celts clinched the Atlantic division.

For the Heat, they played without their superstar Dwyane Wade.

Doc Rivers: “It almost came down to the fact that we had Paul and they didn’t have Wade.”

Exactly.

CelticsLogo

Posted by on March 19, 2020 at 09:57 AM in Business, Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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AIG past tv commercials

Want to be even more ticked off at AIG? Take a look here.

Posted by on March 18, 2020 at 09:53 AM in Business, Current Affairs, Legal | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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