The Lawyer Ego: It’s sooo real.

I took a part time job in the Walgreens photo lab this year, a job I used to work during the summers in college. I must say, it’s been quite the humbling experience. If there are no photos to develop, I have to stock shelves, empty trash, sometimes clean a bathroom and even (shudder) interact with customers. But a girl needs dinero to live this life and until I pass that stupid exam at the end of July, all I really have to offer society is my slightly-higher-than-minimum-wage mildly skilled labor. To be perfectly honest, I’ve really liked working there and will miss it this summer when I’m stressing over the bar. Passing the time stocking shelves turns out to be one of the more relaxing activities I’ve enjoyed this year. Interacting with non-lawyers has also been very therapeutic. A few words of advice from my experiences, however…and not just for law students or lawyers, but for people in general: sometimes, you all tend to really fail at life: 

First Floor Iowa for Sale

This blog for sale by owner.

The annual domain registration on First Floor is about to expire!  Since I am a third-year law student, and I plan on graduating (crossed fingers), if this blog is to survive as the venerable Iowa College of Law institution that it is, someone needs to take the reins. 

There are no real qualifications for the job of First Floor Iowa slumlord.  Literacy, tact, and cultural exposure are plusses but not required.  Upkeep on this place isn’t that bad either.  All you need to do is periodically kick out the transients who hang around and pay roughly $30 per year for the domain-name registration.  In any event, e-mail me at steven-wieland@uiowa.edu if you are interested in becoming the new honcho.

Scaling Your MPRE Score

Ever since I belatedly took the MPRE last weekend, I’ve been wondering what, exactly, my score will mean.  The MPRE website unhelpfully says that the score is scaled between 50 and 150, with the mean (the average) at 100.  What exactly does this mean for someone who needs an 85 for their bar-exam state?  What percentile do I need to attain in order to pass?  More importantly, where on the bell curve will my score put me compared to other test-takers around the country?

I did some digging and found out how to compute an MPRE score percentile in comparison to test-takers nationwide.  According to the Legal Profession Blog, the mean score on the MPRE is actually a bit lower than what ACT, the company that produces the MPRE for the National Council of Bar Examiners, tells us it is.  In reality, the mean is approximately 98.33.  Their other published data shows that the standard deviation for test-takers is 19.72.  Thus, if you know what your MPRE score is, you can compute your percentile position using this information.  I spelled it out for those of us who don’t remember taking college statistics:

1. Compute Your Z-Score.  Use this formula to compute your z-score, where “X” is your individual MPRE score:

   Z = (X - 98.33) / 19.72

 

2. Use Your Z-Score to Compute Your Percentile.  Instead of dealing with more algebra to determine how your z-score translates into your position on the bell curve, you can go to the Measuring Usability website and use the Z-Score to Percentile Calculator.  Select the “One-Sided” button and input your z-score into the text box.  Don’t forget to use a negative sign if your z-score was negative.  The calculator will produce two numbers for you, with the “Percent of Area” number being your percentile score.

That’s all there is to it!  After playing with this for a while, you will notice that many states require very little from the people taking the MPRE.  Even states that are on the high end of the country and require bar applicants to get an 85 or better on the MPRE are really only asking you to land somewhere in the 24th percentile or better.  In other words, you only need to do better than about 1 out of 4 people who took the test.  This means that for those of you who got around a 130, you are in the top 5 or 10 percent of the country.  Sorta makes you wonder why you studied so hard, huh?  Anyway, check out this quick Wikipedia entry on standardized scoring for more information on how this works.

Now why can’t ACT simply give us a chart so we don’t have to go through this hassle?  Nobody seems to know for sure, but it may have something to do with licensing issues.

Law School Accused of Viewpoint Discrimination

For anyone who hasn’t heard about it, here’s the link. The highlights…

The federal lawsuit alleges that Wagner, a Republican, was denied a full-time writing position in 2006 because of her conservative background and views on abortion and euthanasia.

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The Des Moines Register reviewed the voting registrations of U of I College of Law faculty this morning and found that Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 20-to-1. Among the 50 regular faculty are 38 registered Democrats; eight independents; two Republicans and two who are not registered, according to 2007 state voting records. The breakdown did not include adjunct or visiting professors.

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The lawsuit alleges that Jon Carlson, a law professor who had just become an associate dean, advised Wagner to conceal her ties to the conservative Ave Marie School of Law.

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Carlson later told Wagner that U of I law professor Randy Bezanson had spoken out against her appointment, the lawsuit alleges.

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Bezanson, who served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun — author of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion — said Wagner’s political views had nothing to do with the decision.

Fashion for the Rest of Us

Not to make another post about fashion, but why not. It’s more fun than most of the other news right now. We’ll defer to Morgan for expertise–I’ll provide the shameless banter.

I discovered over winter break that I.love.sweater dresses. I don’t know why I held off for so long–but let me tell you: the sweater dress is the new sweatpants. INCREDIBLE. It’s the perfect I-am-so-hungover/tired/lazy-and-don’t-have-time-to-put-myself-together outfit. Last Friday, I woke up not feeling so hot after a long and somewhat sucessful Law Night the night before–and I realized, when my alarm went off at 8:00 a.m., that throwing on a sweater dress and leggings with pearl earrings took a lot less energy than deciding which jeans/t-shirt/hoodie/sneakers-or-boots combination to sport at the BLB. I looked WAY more put together and on top of it than I ever could in sweatpants or a hoodie. Plus, the whole outfit was way less constricting than jeans are–almost like wearing a robe or a mumu. If I could wear a sweater dress every day and know that my peers wouldn’t judge me, I would. For now, I’ll stick to one per week.

(And by the way, they’re on sale right now at Banana Republic–and right now Banana/Gap.com have 30%-off sales PLUS free shipping.)

Always a silver lining.

Even oppressive Iowa mid-January can’t get me down now. The spring style guides have started to make their way to my inbox. The reminder that winter really will end is like puppies and sandy beaches and Chipotle combined. I’ve been pretty good this year so far, saving money and not buying many unnecessary items, so the plastic is starting to burn a hole in my pocket. Here’s a run down on things to come and a few indulgences I’ve allowed myself since feeding my ankle boot obsession:

I blog about blogs.

Back in Iowa and back to business. If you are like me, you are actively searching for ways to avoid work and procrastinate as much as possible. From the blogger who once hated blogs, here is a shameless plug for my bff’s health blog for Glamour. You can fulfill those New Year’s resolutions that include maybe being sort of healthy and also doing as little school work as possible. I also recommend Netflix.

Radley, Portrait of a Puppy

Radley, Portrait of a Puppy

Meet Radley.  He’s our 10-week-old Beagle-Mix puppy we just adopted from Pet Central Station, aka Mix-N-Match, in downtown Iowa City.  Isn’t he freaking awesome?  With a little face like that, I now understand why there are so many middle-age women out there on the internet posting narratives about their dogs too.

As I mentioned in a comment to Emily’s post about puppy mills, Jaren (my fiancée) and I had gone to a puppy convention down in Kalona a couple weekends ago and we were dismayed at what we encountered.  It was a Christian-school gym full of puppymill dealers.  Some were more reputable than others, but many of the puppies were in horrifically small cages, crawling over their own waste, and trying to cope with life without affectionate human or dog contact.  Some of the dealers were area farmers who simply treated dog breeding as a source of income.  One guy slammed his hand down on the table as we walked by, startling two overflowing cages full of puppies into waking up.  None of them seemed interested in screening possible owners to ensure the best placement for their dogs—one breeder even asked us what it would take to sell us a puppy before they packed their things up, as if an addition to your family is like buying a used Mazda.

The hidden cost of that “doggie in the window”

Christmas is right around the corner and thousands of children across the country will ask their parents for just one thing—a PUPPY!  Each year, hundreds of thousands of puppies are bred by commercial breeders, and then shipped to pet stores around the country.  These “puppy-mills” routinely engage in animal abuse  by overbreeding, housing animals in inadequate shelters, and failing to provide sufficient nutrition.   

Iowa is home to the third largest number of commercial breeders.  Not surprising, these breeding facilities hide behind cute kennel names and naive images of puppies running free in the miles and miles of endless Iowa farmland.  These images could not be farther from the truth.    

 Meanwhile, there are thousands of wonderful, smart, loving, (house-trained!) young dogs waiting at shelters hoping that someone will decide to give them a “forever home.”  Some of them will get their wish–but too many of them never will.  Each year, 3-4 million (yes, MILLION) cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters.  Not vicious  mail-man-chasing dogs, but loving, sweet, doe-eyed animals that have been thrown away because their owner found them “inconvenient.”  

Next weekend (Sat Nov 22), commercial breeders from around the state will gather for a “puppy sale” at the Pathway Christian School in Kalona, IA.  Purchasing pets from pet stores and puppy shows supports the business of selling dogs for money which, in turn, increases the number of animals in shelters.  Educate your friends and family about the dangers of purchasing pets from pet stores or “puppy shows.”  Check out : www.stoppuppymills.org for more information.

Lower Floor of the IMU

During the Great Iowa Flood of 2008, a number of university buildings suffered severe flooding.  Among the worst damaged was the Iowa Memorial Union.  The entire lower floor was lost as well as damage to other parts of the building. 

Now that the IMU is in the process of reopening, I thought I should get around to posting these pictures I’ve had laying around.  In early September, I got a chance to tour the lower floor of the IMU with some administrators and members of the Board of Regents.  Here are a couple of the photos I took.  As far as I know, the lower floor is still nowhere near being ready for normal use again.

The main floor of the I.M.U. with Dr. Grady, UI Associate Vice-President, and Maison Bleam, undergraduate student body president.

I believe that this was the IMU bookstore but I am not sure.

The windows of the Market Cafe survived the flood.

This is the IMU sub-basement, where the guts of the building are. This room flooded back in 1993 as well.

What used to be the Apple Store and the Credit Union

The Myrtle Lot already ruined my day, Part 2.

I’m sure you all noticed that the Myrtle Lot pay stations were not accepting anyone’s coins this morning before 8 am classes. I’m sure you all assumed that you wouldn’t be ticketed for the malfunction. I did anyway. But after PR I got up to the parking lot in time to see Officer # 810 put a ticket on my car. I informed him the pay stations weren’t taking coins; he said they were functioning normally. Regardless, they were not at 7:50 am today. I wonder if he found it at all strange that he was handing out an abnormally large number of parking tickets. I have a feeling he didn’t much care.

If the pay station wasn’t taking your coins this morning, appeal your parking ticket here. Go ahead and email parking-office@uiowa.edu and tell them they are ridiculous. They obviously don’t hear from us enough. Now move people. Give ’em Hell.

I really hope I get into T&E…

…Since that seems to be the only class next semester. Anyone else upset by the woeful lack of classes being offered this spring? Yes, another post of me complaining; maybe I should just save my breath for when the new rankings come out.

But seriously; didn’t our school used to offer remedies? Do we have a prof to teach commercial transactions? No admin law, no family law. I’m really glad we have someone to teach Contemporary Russian Law in Historical Perspective and European Union Law. Those are on the bar right?

I hope they are offering good classes across the river.

I Declare University Heights to be Unfit for Human Habitation

A feral dog gnaws on human flesh in University Heights, recently declared an uninhabitable hellscape by me.

Today, November 2, 2008, I declare University Heights, Iowa, to be completely inhospitable to human life. 

This municipality must now be completely absorbed into Iowa City, the mother womb city from which it came.  No man, woman, or child shall further dwell in this wretched land, nor shall motorists be further allowed to pass through here on their way to the expressway.  No person shall ever utter the name of this sordid locality. 

This declaration is based on the following grounds:

Felon in the Senate?

One thing that puzzles me about some politicians is how unrepentant they can be.  Even after a jury handed down a seven-count felony guilty verdict (2008 WL 4711056) the other day, Ted Stevens is still defiant.  Seriously?

The senator seems to have no respect for the law.  He lied on six Senate Financial Disclosure Forms spanning as many years.  Among the $250,000 in goodies he got from oil executive, William Allen, are a $2,700 massage chair, a $29,000 bronze fish statue on his front porch, guns, and a boxing bag.  The defense also wrongfully disclosed investigative documents during the trial (2008 WL 4656368), and even attempted to argue that the government should not be able to tell the jury that the public has an interest in the senator’s finance disclosure (2008 WL 4656353).

Yet, despite this behavior, Ted Stevens has the temerity to stay in the race.  When asked if he will drop out, he said, “Put this down: That will never happen — ever, OK?”  Ironically, this senator who unabashedly opposes civil liberties for criminal defendants declared in a press release that he will “fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy,” and that he hopes Alaskans will stand with him as he pursues his rights.

Fortunately, this is a case where justice will likely prevail.  Stevens is nine points down in the polls versus Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.  Stevens won his last election with 78% of the vote, so, more importantly, he shows us that Americans can still abandon party lines when their leaders turn out to be crooks no matter how heated our red-state-blue-state culture war gets.

Obligatory Halloween Post

The Black Angel in Iowa City's northside Oakland cemetery.

As many fundamentalist Christians eagerly point out, popular holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, and Easter combine American pop culture with the occult and paganism, and in fact, their modern incarnations are almost completely un-Christian.  It’s for this reason that some Christian sects oppose celebrating Halloween or even Christmas–at least in the modern American fashion.  Maybe, then, Halloween is one of the most interesting times of year because it’s when the mysterious becomes an overt feature of our lives without the religious overtones.

For those of us who love history, Halloween makes it fun to revisit local lore.  The best ghost stories combine the unexplained with local history to generate myths that add color to life here in Iowa.  I always think of the era when white settlers seized Iowa from Native Americans, then overran and settled it, as a much more dramatic time, a period where people relied more on luck and their own abilities to survive.  The people who built Iowa had to deal with the elements; with their own mental and physical malladies; and with each other without the benefits of modern technology or medicine to do it.  There are so many stories of Iowans building impressive monuments by hand, driving themselves to theatric suicides, or otherwise producing human accomplishments we wouldn’t consider today.

Part of what makes history so interesting is the fact that a lot of these things would just simply not happen today.  For instance, in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where I went to college, deputized citizens and vigilantes shot and killed two people for peeping into a girls’ dorm.  That sort of thing would never happen today, but with a little imagination and evolution over time, it could turn into a terrifying ghost story.

Anyway, I’ve done some digging and turned up haunted places in Eastern Iowa that you can easily visit this Halloween season for yourself.