Introduction

As tuition rates climb to an all time high, it is not unusual to hear of students leaving college with 40, 50, or even 60 thousand dollars of debt. Many law and medical students are graduating from school with a degree in one hand and 100 thousand dollars in student loans in the other. This continuing increase in tuition has many eager students pursuing community colleges over four year universities. [1] For example, Mott Community College's Michael Kelly states that enrollement has been up 28 percent in the last five years. [2] Kelly says that for some the choice is simple and "[t]he higher the cost is, the more students we get." [3] [More]

1. Introduction

On September 28, 2007, Judge Winifred Smith of the Superior Court of Alamada County, California, took the extraordinary measure of invalidating an election result – an event that has only happened once before in California’s history.[1] Measure R, originally voted upon in November 2004, was ordered back onto next year’s ballot not because of electoral fraud or force majeure, but because 96% of the results from the election had vanished.[2] There was not any suggestion of dastardly doings; no ballots mysteriously vanished; no warehouses caught fire under unusual circumstances. These ballots had vanished because in a very real way they never existed in the first place. The election deciding Measure R’s fate took place entirely on computerized voting machines.

In the middle of litigation over the fate of the election, the machines were returned to the manufacturers, without the data having been backed up.[3] It is unknown why the county returned the machines, or what happened to the data once the machines were sent back.[4] Computers lose data all the time; crashes are a fact of life in the modern world. It is rare, however, that large, professionally designed computer systems crash quite so catastrophically. While most people are familiar with Windows’ infamous Blue Screen of Death [5], however, companies spending millions (or more) on tabulating data have little tolerance for errors that destroy the vast majority of the information they are designed to store. Alameda County, according to its own statements, rolled out the machines before it knew how to effectively handle the data they generated.[6] [More]

I.  Introduction  Why do companies go green?  A cleaner, more efficient energy solution certainly sounds progressive and looks great on paper, but aside from generating good public relations with environmental groups, is it an economically sound investment?   In the cas... [More]

I. Introduction

Greenfields, otherwise known as pristine tracts of land, are becoming scarce as demand for residential property continues to rise, yet environmentalist groups are fighting to preserve these undeveloped areas. [1] How, then, can we provide more residential areas to meet the increasing demand, while refraining from construction on previously unused land? Brownfields very well may be the answer to this fundamental conflict. Brownfields are “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” [2] Some authorities report that there are more than 500,000 abandoned brownfields scattered throughout the United States. [3] While the thought of turning polluted land into a residential area may at first seem unappetizing, brownfield redevelopment is gaining more acceptance as lenders and insurers begin to give financial support for these projects. [4] As more and more builders are taking on these projects, the question remains as to whether the benefits really outweigh the risks. [More]

I. Introduction

To attain the office of the Chief Justice of the United States is to reach the culmination of a prestigious legal career in public service. It is a guaranteed opportunity to go down in the history books, to impact the world - some might even call it attaining "legal immortality." [1]

But if this is so, why is Judge Judy making more than 100 times Chief Justice Roberts' salary? Her $25 million annual salary [2] makes Roberts' newly inflated one of $212,000 [3] appear as laughable as some of the more ludicrous plaintiffs that walk into her made-for-TV courtroom. [More]

The story has been told in many different ways, but for the most part it goes something like this: during the height of the Cold War, a newspaper reporter is flying on an Air Force jet interviewing a major general about a new missile designed to keep the Soviets on their side of the Iron Curtain. During the conversation, the general opens a cigar box full of Cubans, takes one out, and lights it up. “General,” the newspaper reporter asks, taken aback, “what are you doing? Isn’t that behavior supporting the illegitimate regime of Cuba?” The general taps his cigar, gives the newspaper man a wink, and replies, “No son, I consider it to be burning the communist’s crops.” [1]

For half of the twentieth century and the entirety of the twenty-first, Cuba has been ruled by a communist government under the direction of Fidel Castro. Castro took power during a communist revolution in 1959 and has led the country under tight communist control. [2] United States foreign policy since the end of World War II has been tailored to deny benefit to the nation’s direct enemies and enemies of her allies. One of these policy decisions has been a complete embargo on trade with Cuba since January of 1959, designed to starve the Cuban economy of American currency. [3] The big questions are whether or not the embargo is still warranted in the post-Cold War world where there are no ties between Cuba and terrorism and what will happen in U.S.-Cuban relations once Castro is no longer in power due to incapacity or death. [More]

A brief examination of the fiduciary, ethical, and professional paradigm shifts experienced by the health-care provider following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

As our nation recently observed the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, one cannot help but reflect on the fundamental changes that have occurred since. Foreign and domestic policies have undergone watershed transitions, the effects of which are still being understood. Health-care in the United States, specifically the role of the health-care provider, is no exception. Significant shifts have occurred and continue to occur in regard to how the government interacts, influences, and regulates health-care. New issues in medical ethics are now being vociferously debated. Even the day-to-day expectations of physicians and hospitals have seen marked change. While certainly no one with any experience in health-care will classify the pre-September 11th period as simple, the inordinate complexity of health-care administration seems to be metastasizing at ever growing rates. Long gone are the Doogie days of introspectively typing one’s thoughts on the practice of medicine while basked in the green glow of a word processor. [More]

Because of the high-cost of real estate in the most desirable areas of the United States, especially southern California, many Americans are searching for a cheaper, less crowded alternative both for vacation homes and for primary residences. With thousands of miles of undeveloped coastline, and beachfront property costs at a fraction of those in the United States, Mexico has recently become a hot market for Americans wanting a laid-back atmosphere and an affordable vacation home with warm weather throughout the year. Though Mexico is the perfect place to build an affordable beachfront home, there is one slight problem for foreigners wishing to re-locate there: Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution prohibits ownership of beachfront property by foreigners and foreign corporations. Only persons born in Mexico or corporations established in Mexico can gain title to property within Mexico's "Restricted Zone." [1]

How do Americans get around this prohibition? The answer is rather complex. [More]