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A local friend of mine writes and sings his own music. I encourage you to check out his work.
http://www.myspace.com/mattpaneramusic

My personal opinion is that the the Republican party has raised the tort reform banner for two very nefarious reasons, neither to do with changing the cost of healthcare. Tort reform is not healthcare, nor does it lower the overall cost of healthcare. There are boundless articles regarding this fact all over the Internet. Most sites that discuss tort reform as a positive force in healthcare reform cannot point to any real facts or studies. While the reports pointing out how tort reform fails to address the cost issues with healthcare have facts as to why tort reform cannot work.

By way of example I give you the following links:
http://airamerica.com/content/healthcare-reform-or-tort-reform
http://open.salon.com/blog/mahabarbara/2009/05/09/the_truth_about_health_care_and_tort_reform_part_iii

So then, why are the Republicans calling for Tort Reform again? Two reasons, first to distract people from an honest debate about healthcare reform that might actually change what we have. Second, because personal injury lawyers are among the largest contributors to Democratic candidates, and the Republican's know if they can take money from the PI lawyers, they are taking money away from the democrats.

Politics, my friend... politics.

Totally my opinion, but it is time for police chases in traffic to end, in almost any circumstance.

Sure, if you have an automobile rampaging through a city, with gunman riding in it, shooting everyone in sight, a chase is warranted. In most cases though, the chase begins when the subject vehicle does not pull over. This must end.

The most recent such news I saw was of a tragic accident reported on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/10/california.fatal.crash/. Granted, in this particular accident, many of the dead children were ejected from the vehicle, likely due to the parents not having the children wear their seat belts. However, the true cause of the collision was a vehicle trying to escape police. The police officer tried to pull the subject vehicle over for a traffic infraction. At the time of the infraction, the officer did not know the car was stolen. The subjects knew they were in a stolen vehicle, and tried to run.

Some will argue that if the police do not chase, everyone will run. They may, but most modern police vehicles are equipped with dash cameras. The officer likely could get a good description of the vehicle, the occupants, and the license plate, and alert the entire force to converge and close in on the suspect, at regular speeds.

I currently have a case involving an officer who ran a light, striking a civilian and causing massive injuries. In our case, the dispatch records show the officer who hit my client was the third officer to respond to a automobile accident. This officer was "responding", while two others were in rout. In her haste to get to a scene that was already being taken care of, she ran a light. The light she ran, happened to be green for my client.

The laws in Texas have been adjusted to try to address this problem. It used to be that emergency vehicles were 100% immune for any harm they caused while using their lights and sirens. Now, the officer are to slow, pause, or even stop at traffic controls, and must be mindful of the safety of others.

In the chase scenario, what usually happens is the suspect keeps accelerating and getting more reckless in an effort to escape, which in turn cause the officer to do the same. Most often, this escalation ends when the margin for error catches up to either the suspect or the officer. I cannot remember a time in recent history where the harm caused by the chase was equal to the risk of harm in initiating the chase. Usually, but for the chase, nobody was in immediate danger of harm. That is until the officer began to pursue.

I've had the pleasure of working in two office's that had an "office cat". My paralegal and I were recently discussing the value of an office cat. We are a bit biased, of course, we both like cats a lot. We think certain types of retail outlets (like bookstores) should all have a cat.

I could wax poetic about the virtues of the office cat in general, but that would make silly post (as if this isn't). Our current office cat is the purrfect mix of love and irritation. She is noisy, a meow that only a velociraptor would love. She likes to sit between you and the keyboard, rather than on a lap. But, she always seems to know those moments where you need to break away for a minute and enjoy the soft, furry, purry love of life.

I'm glad we have an office cat, and I'm glad none of the employees are allergic to her.

An interesting search string that brought someone to the blog asked, "What is it like to date a lawyer?" I can't claim to be an expert on this, after all, I am a lawyer, but I don't date myself. Lawyers are as varied as any other group of people, so stereotyping them is facile. There are some trends that likely touch most lawyers though.

Lawyers are well educated:
Of course, some lawyers are smarter or more educated than others. To be a Lawyer in Texas now requires an undergraduate degree, plus a three-year juris doctorate degree. That means all recent lawyers have at least seven years of college behind them. Some have much more. Being educated has many effects. I can't get too deep into hem since I am not a psychologist. Sum it up to say, being intelligent and educated can be both a blessing and a curse. Knowledge is a tool, and it can be used for good or evil. How it is used is up to the character of the individual. One thing is for sure, if you are dating a lawyer and do not have a college degree, you are likely to face many opportunities where your date is using words that you haven't hear, or is off on a topic that seems really esoteric or trivial to common conversations. Again, good or bad, depending on the person, situation and such.

Lawyers are often driven:
Suffering through seven years of college, tremendous student debt, barriers to entry, and loads of stress isn't something most people want to do. For a person to do all of that, they must have drive and dedication. Drive and dedication, like education and intelligence, can be a good or bad thing. Drive and dedication are great tools for life in troubled times. They are very bad in life when they are selfish or mean spirited. When a lawyer/date is out to fix a problem, they will be persistent and dogged. That's great if they are taking care of a bill, or a bad meal. It is tragic, if you are the subject of their dogged and obsessed pressure to be what that lawyer/date wants you to be. Also, that same dogged focus can mean you will find your date often "absent" even when he or she is around you. Their mind is obsessively stuck on the problem they are trying to fix.

Lawyers know how to argue, and they analyze EVERYTHING:
Getting in an argument with anyone is painful. Getting in an argument with a lawyer can escalate that pain. Some lawyers can show restraint. They are tired of being confrontational every day, all day at work, and the last thing they want is to be confrontational at home. Others thrive on conflict. The problem is they are trained at conflict. The analyzing comment is a problem lawyers share with engineers. To a lawyer, everything in life has structure, rules, reasons, motivations and potential outcomes. A lawyer is constantly looking at all the factors to understand what is going on and how to achieve an outcome. What that means for the date of a lawyer is you may find yourself under a constant microscope.

Lawyers are stressed:
I've never seen a reason why (personality or the job), but lawyers rank high on the list of most stressful jobs. Being stressed makes lawyers an emotional mess. Since lawyers are not one type of person, each deals with the stress in their own way. Some are given to addictions (alcohol, sex, etc.). Some will retreat from contact. Some will seek distractions. The most you as the date can do, is understand, help the lawyer to realize they are stressed, and help the lawyer to seek professional help if they go "to far".

Lawyers can be very dedicated:
It is true, there is a high incidence of infidelity among lawyers. I personally think it has less to do with the job, than it does the type of people who want to become lawyers. Since lawyers seek a higher-level job, they are often "A Type" personalities. These A Types are often the ones who will cheat on their significant other. At the same time, there are lawyers who are in the profession because thy want to help and serve. These lawyers are quite likely to be extremely loyal and devoted to their spouse, out of a sense of duty and honor. Lawyers and money: The myth is that all lawyers make a lot of money. It isn't true. Some lawyers do make considerable sums, many more make very comfortable incomes that take a massive toll on the attorney's time, energy and enjoyment of life. And, some lawyers barely eek a living out of their practice.

Summation:
Lawyers really are no different than everyone else. They are regular people who made it through law school into a profession. They have been trained to be very logical and analytical. Beyond that, asking what it is like to date a lawyer is like asking what does being drunk do to a person. Drinking can make some the life of the party, it can make some depressed, and it can make others angry or amorous. Which emotion the alcohol brings out has more to do with the individual's psychological state at that moment than it does with their profession. If you are thinking of dating someone who is a lawyer, go into it as if you would any other relationship. Look for clues if you are a good match. Watch for signs of emotional issues that could wreck your long-term happiness, and follow your heart.

PS: I'm sure my wife might have many more... uh... succinct points to make, although they'd all be about one particular lawyer. LOL.