QQC 11/18/2010

QQC 10/28/2010

"As for Pluto itself, nobody is quite sure how big it is, or what it is made of, what kind of atmosphere it has, or even what it really is"



Pluto is definitely the underdog planet. In the introduction the author was saying that astronomers can tell you almost anything about any planet millions of light years outside of our galaxy, but it seems like nobody really cares to learn about Pluto. Everybody wants to get to know the exotic new stars and planets, but they're all pretty bored with poor Pluto.

In this same paragraph the author goes on to explain that astronomers believe it's not a planet, while most believe otherwise, so I'm wondering when exactly this was written. I was under the impression that Pluto was confirmed to be a star or asteroid of some sort, not a planet; then again i may very well have my facts wrong.

QQC 10/21/2010

I really enjoyed this article from the very beginning. The introduction had a great hook, and got me thinking right away, which leads me to my favorite quote:

"For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally underappreciated state known as existence."

Here Bryson is talking about the atoms that piece together to make up a person. I actually think that I enjoyed the introduction more than the actual chapter. It got me questioning my reality and existence, and was completely mind-blowing. It's such a simple concept, we're all made up of tiny particles, but to think of it in the context of our life and our purpose is really crazy. My very broad subject of wondering is why we're here, and why these tiny particles make us. Why aren't we just tiny particles? Are tiny particles made up of tiny particles? In the context of the universe, are we just tiny particles? This quote was an excellent start to the book, but almost a little distracting. Nonetheless, it got me thinking, and was very interesting.

Response to 'America's Concentration Camps'

http://staff.hthma.hightechhigh.org/~srodriguez/Spring%20Semester/History/Mini%20Lectures/japanese%20internment.pdf


I actually found this article really interesting. About a year ago I got the chance to see the remains of an internment camp from a distance while on my way up to Lake Tahoe, so learning about it was interesting for me. I completely disagree with what the United States was doing. They had no reason to believe that there were Japanese spies other than pure racism and paranoia. I don't believe that the military should have been given the power to incarcerate innocent people without trial. It goes back on everything that the United States believes in, and what we're based off of.

The fact I found most interesting in the article came in the very last paragraph. Japanese-Americans who did choose to serve in our army were members of the same division that liberated one of the Nazi Concentration camps. The last sentence says "Ironically, as they liberated Dachau, their mothers and fathers languished in concentration camps in the United States." It seems as though America is often the country that is contradicting its own beliefs, systems, and laws.

Another quote that I found humorous was one that concluded an army report, and said "The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken." This sentence just doesn't make sense at all, and is an excellent demonstration of ignorance and stupidity. You can't blame somebody for a crime that you believe they will commit.

International Woman's Day Blog

I've had the pleasure of living amongst many inspiring and noteworthy women. Some famous, some not so much. One woman that I feel would be worth appreciating is my mother. She is the most caring woman I know, always encourages me to do my best, and eases my fears about my future. She's somebody I feel like I can confide in if I ever need it. She's hard-working, passionate, and loving. Every other Wednesday night she comes home really late, and tired from her volunteer job at VIM (volunteers in medicine), goes to bed, and wakes up early the next morning to make breakfast and lunch for everyone, and goes back to her usual job, which I think shows how much she cares about not only her family, but people who are less fortunate. She's constantly inspiring to make good decisions, and I think that she's worth appreciating.

Is the US still a white supremacist country?

White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to people of color, and a system in which white people have social and political dominance over people of color. I wouldn't say that white people are better, or superior, but it seems as though they have more power and opportunities in modern society. A good education is considered to be the beginning of power, and the easiest access to better opportunities. The better education you get, the better your career, and the higher your power. Out of the top ten colleges (named by Forbes), an average of approximately 56% of the student population is white. More than half of the top colleges' population is white. This is a direct representation of the power of races in our society. Even though there are 7 races considered when finding racial demographics, white people still make up more than half of that. Because of these statistics, it is clear that white people are showing dominance as far as power in society is going.

Internship #15

I just wanted to give my blog followers a glimpse into the life of filing at a law firm. Even with recent paper cutbacks thanks to new technology, a LOT of paper goes around. For one correspondence that is sent, there are three copies that need to be made for filing. These are some pictures of the filing room, and two filing cabinets in my office. That's not even all the files we have! In each office there is atleast one filing cabinet. There are also offices being occupied by boxes of files alone. And the firm is even renting out storage space to store their 1,000+ boxes of files! I heard this is half the amount of paper they used to use....

Internship #13

The process of writing a legal memorandum:

Step 1: Research. This step may very well be the most important step in writing a legal memorandum. You might often go back to this step within various stages. This is also the step that takes the longest. As you can see here, there are many tabs of different results open. There are often so many different directions you can go with your research.

Step 2: Writing. This can be the most difficult part. You may come across a lot of important information in research, so compiling all of that, and filtering out the most important stuff can be difficult and tedious.

Step 3: Handing in the memorandum. This was a little nerveracking for me. I had spent so long working really hard, and I was feeling pressure to impress the lawyers.

Step 4: Recieving critique. I'm sure this final step isn't the same with everyone else. But because I am an intern, and it was my first memorandum, I needed tips to help me do better on my next one.

Internship #12

On a typical work day I don't work with very many people. I might chat with them, get opinions, or give updates on my research, but I mostly work on my own. It's a very individual project. Eventually my work is going to affect a lot more people than I could expect. I'm giving ideas and background information for a case, so it's not only going to affect the lawyers, and help them with their case, but it's going to help the clients, and even other people involved in the case, including the other defendants.

Every so often I'll talk with a lawyer, maybe get opinions, get critiques on my memorandum, talk about new ways to research. I'm always getting help on improving my work, and by the end of this, I will have helped a large number of people.

If the information I find is helpful enough, it could come up when the lawyers really get into the case. This could result in a stronger argument on their part, and eventually helping the clients and other defendants in the case. I'm directly helping the lawyers, and indirectly helping the clients.

The way collaboration works around here is pretty amazing. There is very little work that gets done without the help of other people. There are often multiple attorneys working together on one case, law clerks and paralegals, and on top of that there are all the secretaries. They all work together to win every case and defend their clients. This is an office that runs mainly on collaboration, and people helping each other.

Internship #11

This has been an interesting week. It's been raining and windy all week, and because I'm in a 32 story highrise, the building sways back and forth. It's really scary! The weather has been the topic of the week.

As far as work goes, I have been busy researching. As I said in an early post, I turned in my memorandum on the monetary value of life. Now I've been researching the mechanisms that juries have used to calculate the value. In my previous memorandum I listed some of the numbers that juries have come to, but didn't explain why. So that's what I've been researching. It has been really difficult because in many of the cases that I read, they don't go very far into detail as far as their decision process. So it has been interesting, and LOTS of reading! Looking forward to my final week at internship, and wrapping up my project.

Internship #10

A picture to sum up my day:










I spend almost every day on Westlaw doing research. Work isn't always what you think it will be. You can't expect it to be like the stuff you see on television. Having a job as a doctor isn't like being on Grey's Anatomy. Having a job as a forensic scientist isn't like being on Bones. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't like being on Desperate Housewives. Working at a paper company isn't like being on The Office. And from what I learned, being a lawyer is definitely not like being on Law & Order. Being a lawyer is a lot of tedious work, like reading and writing. In many cases, you won't even get to argue until years into your career. At this firm, approximately 75% of the cases don't even go to court, and that is often the same at every other firm. This internship has got me thinking about what I want to do when I grow up, and will I even like it? Assuming that it won't be what I would expect. It's been making me nervous, yet excited to start thinking about what career I want to do.


Some questions I might want to ask in the interview with my mentor:
Would you suggest that students work through college, or enjoy their time and worry about that later?
What was working throughout college like?
What was the hardest part about being a college student?
What are some of your fondest memories from college?
Due to the current economy, would it have been difficult for you to find a job right a job right after college?

Internship #9

My mentor is often very busy, so I didn't get a chance to get some full background information. Although, I've been able to pick up on basic information over the past week and a half. My mentor, Kristy Resnick, grew up in San Diego and attended Mt. Helix High School. She started college (I believe she went to UCSD) as an aspiring attorney, and ended up on the management side of that (she is now the accountant for the law firm). During college she worked full time, and went to school full time. After college she ended up here, and has been here ever since.

இன்டர்ன்ஷிப் #8

அமோங்க்ஸ்ட் தி பெஒப்லே தட் வொர்க் தேரே அட் சிம்ப்சன் தேல்மோரே கிரீன் இ ஹவே நோடிசெத் எ ற்றேந்து. எவேர்யோனே தேரே சீம்ஸ் டு லவ் வாட் தே டூ. லவஎர்ஸ் ஒப்டேன் சதி உண்டில் லேட் ஹெர்ஸ் ஒப் தி நைட் டு கெட் வொர்க் டன், அண்ட் நோபோடி டோஎஸ் தி மிநிமும். இ ஹவென்'த ஹெஅர்து அன்யோனே கம்ப்ளைன் அபௌட் ஆல் தி ட்டிஸ் வொர்க் தட் தாஸ் டு கெட் டேன் அறௌந்து தேரே. எவேரோனே தாஸ் லோட்ஸ் ஒப் வொர்க் டு டூ, அண்ட் இ டான்'த தினக் இ'வே சீன அன்யோனே லீவ் ஈர்லி, ஓர் கம் இன் லேட், பெகுசே இ கேன் டெல் தே ரேஅல்லி ரேச்பெச்ட் தி என்விரோன்மென்ட், அண்ட் தெயர் கோவோர்கேர்ஸ். வ்ஹெதேர் ஓர் நாட்இ வான்ட் டு கோ இந்தோ தி பிஎல்து ஒப் லா, இ வான்ட் டு பே அப்லே டு ரேச்பெச்ட் மி சோப் தி வே தே டூ தேரே.

Internship #7

Project Description

Internship Site: Simpson Delmore Green LLP
Department: Legal
Project title: Legal Research Project
General Description: In order to assess the damages in a current case, somebody must evaluate the different mechanisms courts have used in the past to calculate the value of life. Whether it be an equation, or evaluating how much one values their own life. I will be researching how juries have come to these decisions in order to help the firm determine how much their client could lose.
Learning Objectives: I hope to learn what it's really like to be a lawyer/ law clerk, and learn about the law.
Organization/Company Objectives & Benefit: They will recieve some insight as to how much their clients could lose in the case.
Schedule: I will be continuously researching throughout the next two weeks, and turning in legal memorandums as needed.
Academic Skills: Writing, researching, reading comprehension.
Technical Skills: Researching.
Collaboration- Skills and Oportunities: The lawyers will be helping me with researching, giving me advice, and telling me what topics I should be researching.
Exhibition Plans: Because some of the stuff I'm looking at is confidential, I won't have a whole lot to show. But, a lot of the cases that I have been researching are published, so I will be able to show a couple of the legal memorandums that I will be writing.


A summary of my week

I've been doing a lot of work this week. Most of it being research and writing. On Monday I printed out what I thought was important articles that I thought they might want, and gave it to them. I was then told that I was to summarize all the important research I've done into a legal memorandum. This memo took me a while. I was shown the proper format of a memo, and told to follow that. The one I finished is almost two pages long. It was tedious, and tiring, but this is what working at a law firm is all about, and this also gives me something to show at exhibition. I feel like I'm practically ready to take on a case by myself after all the research I've been doing! I turned in the memo this morning, and was given props on my writing skills, which made me feel really proud. I was then asked to continue my research, and go more in depth.

Intership work can be really frustrating, but you have to remind yourself that you're at the bottom of the totem pole, and the most you can do is try to make good impressions. The connections you get through your internship could help you later on in life (recommendations, job opportunities, etc.), so you want to prove to everyone that you're hard working, and capable.

Internship #6

In this blog post, write about what you would like to learn when you interview your mentor. Post the big ideas and main topics you want to discuss and why they are important to you.

Also, discuss when this could take place. Schedule a time and place with your mentor (or coworker) and post that info in your blog, if possible (you will need to know this by early next week). Locate and reserve a computer or other recording device to document this interview.

Post all of this info below your writing about your ideas and goals for your interview.

I would like to know what her college experience was like. To this day, I'm still curious what college is really like. I feel like I've been given "it's a great learning experience", and "you should do it". But I never really hear much about what sucks about it, and how it can be hard sometimes.
I would also like to know if it was difficult for her to find a job once she graduated college. In the current economy, it's difficult enough; but if she were to tell me it was hard for her to find a job, I would be able to adjust and compare to the current situation. That way I'll have expectations for when I graduate from college.

Internship #4

As well as the research project that I'm doing, I'll be helping my mentor figure out wether or not they should purchase an industrial shredder. They have storage spaces filled with confidential files that now need to be shredded. They have been paying a company by the box to shred their papers, but it's getting expensive. After how many boxes would the expensive shredder be worth it? I'll be creating linear equations to represent both the flat rate of the shredder, and the rate of the shredding company, and putting them in a graph on Microsoft Excel. I'll be using a lot of the stuff that I learned in math this year and last year. So this is definitely something that incorporates some academic skills that I've learned.

So far the past few days have consisted of research, research, and more research. I found a couple interesting articles on loss of consortium, wrongful death, and loss of enjoyment. I'm hoping everyone will be impressed with my work so far, because it has been really difficult.

Internship #3

In my internship project I would like to develop my problem solving skills, and writing skills, and I believe that our proposed project would allow me to do that. I already began working on what could possibly be my project. Everything in the courtroom is measured in terms of money, and how much ___ is worth. For my project I am assisting some of the lawyers with two cases, by determining how much money their clients might have to pay to compensate for plaintiffs' losses. It would be easy, but both of the cases involve either loss of enjoyment of life, or wrongful death. How do you put a dollar value on the life of a spouse, or family member? How has the court dealt with cases like this in the past? How much money would you take to be quadriplegic for the rest of your life? I will be researching all of those things, and attempting to put a value on lives.

After just a couple days I learned how difficult and extensive legal research can be. I've been trying to use a database that law school students use. As it turns out, students take entire classes on how to do legal research, so it's really difficult for me to do. But with everyone's help, I'll be able to figure it all out.

Internship #2

What have you actively done to start off on the right note?

I entered the internship with an open mind, and not very many expectations. I was willing to do almost anything that they asked me to do, which made me really helpful. I've been able to complete every task that they have asked me to do, which makes me seem hard-working and diligent. I set the right impression, which I believe has set the mood for the remaining three weeks.

What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?

I think I've shown everyone what I'm capable of, and how professional I can be. I think I've gained their respect, and by doing this, I'm going to get more interesting assignments, and I'm going to have a lot more fun.

What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?

I told my mentor about some interesting projects that my classmates are doing. She was impressed by all the things they were able to do, which got her thinking about some things that I could be doing, that she hadn't thought of before hand.

What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?

I need to impress everyone at my internship site with the research I'm doing this week. I'll be turning in a couple things on Monday, so I'm trying really hard to find things that they may not have known, or thought of. I would like to bring some new ideas, and I think if I were able to impress them enough, I would feel extremely accomplished.

My First Day at Internship

This is a picture of the side of the building I'm working in. The trolley runs right through it! I found that really cool.

This is a picture of Downtown, San Diego. It was a beautiful day. I absolutely love working in Downtown. It makes me feel professional, and I just love the atmosphere.

At lunch I had a friend take a picture of what I was wearing on the first day.

This is a picture of a stack of paper that I have to read through in a few days. It's all background information on the lawsuits I'm studying.

This is a picture of the desk in my office (yes, my own office!). I got all set up with a computer, phone, printer, and supplies. The only thing missing is a view of Downtown, which I know for a fact I can live without.


This morning I woke up tired as usual. I was feeling a little unenthusiastic about my day, figuring I would be doing the same work I was doing over summer, while my classmates were doing exciting projects. I was more rushed than I usually am because I had to leave fifteen minutes early to catch the bus, so I grabbed my brother's book, Into the Wild, and a half of a bagel and ran toward the bus stop. I barely caught the bus, and rode it down Balboa Avenue to Clairemont Boulevard, where I caught my next bus. I was fifteen minutes early, so I sat in Starbucks and continued my book. A couple minutes before 8:30 I went upstairs to the 4th floor, and asked the receptionist where Kristy was. She told me I could find her in the kitchen. "Hey, Libby." she said as I walked into the kitchen. We stood there and chatted for a little bit. It was then that she informed me what my project was going to be. I will be researching two current cases, and helping the lawyers with those. She then told me "Go ahead back to your office, get settled in, and I'll get some work for you to do." I started by beginning reading the background history, complaints and evidence. This will take me a few days, because it's a pretty thick stack. For lunch I met up with two friends that are also doing their internships downtown. We went to Horton Plaza, and ate there. When I returned I continued reading, and decided to write my blog! I'm really excited about getting the opportunity to directly help the firm, instead of filing all day. I think this is going to be a really great experience.


When my mentor came in to sign some paperwork for me, I conducted a short interview with her regarding how the recession has affected the firm:
*Keep in mind, the following questions and answers are not even close to word for word because I was taking notes*
Libby: ...One more thing. I would like to ask you a few questions about how the recession has had an effect on the business.
Kristy: Oh, sure. It's definitely affected us a lot. As you know a majority of our clients are construction companies, and because of the recession, they're building less. This means they don't need us as much.
Our two biggest clients are Barratt American and McMillin Companies, and just recently Barratt filed for bankruptcy. We were in the middle of a couple of cases with them, but we had to drop them because of the circumstances. As it turns out, it's more expensive for us not to show up in court, so that set us back pretty far.
Overall our biggest issue is the real estate crisis. It started out with a big real estate boom, so there was lots of building. Eventually it crashed, meanwhile they're still building, and they had to pay off loans that they had taken out to start building in the first place, but at that point they don't have money to pay off the loans. Luckily McMillin isn't just construction. They have many other parts to their business, but if they didn't, they would be in the same position as Barratt American.

Libby: This may seem a little redundant, but how has the economy affected your number of clients?
Kristy: Well, it reduced by a few. Obviously we lost Barratt, but other than that we didn't lose very many clients due to the recession. Luckily we don't just do construction, we also do employment law, business law, other stuff like that.

Libby: Has your firm seen more competition over the last few years?
Kristy: I don't know if I would call it competition. People seek out lawyers, so we don't really communicate with other firms, other than hearing things through word of mouth.

Libby: Have you had to narrow spending down to what the business' necessities are?
Kristy: For sure. We used to do a lot more client development, like gift baskets and stuff like that. Nobody got raises this year, which was big. We don't do as many firm functions. And we don't buy as many things that we don't really need.


Because of privacy issues, I had to censor some of the images. Here are some pictures I took on my first day: