His death came as quite a shock not only to me, but also to my kids. He was a kind of idol in our family, someone we often imitated for fun but knew we were nowhere near as talented. His performances were like no one else in his business, real works of art that could not be duplicated. His unimaginable passing at the young age of 50 makes life itself seem more fragile. I’m writing, of course, of Billy Mays, who died last Sunday.
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Journalism and other myths.
Copyright Eternal
Law exists primarily to defend property. In medieval world, the primary concern was how real estate, often defined by a title, was maintained and passed on by the nobility. This was dramatically extended by the American Revolution when fundamental rights were determined to be something that everyone possessed. The idea of intellectual property, which are rights based on inventions of the mind, was also carefully codified. The US Patent and Trademark office was opened up to define just what property would be protected by law.
From there, it eventually starts to get a bit strange.
Failure is Impossible
The list of calls I had to make was numbing, long enough that it settled itself into a simple routine. “Hi, my name is Erik, and I’m calling for Jim Scheibel, your DFL candidate for Mayor of Saint Paul.” The 1989 election was going to be close, so Get Out The Vote (GOTV) calling to loyal Democrats was even more important than usual. But just as I let the routine propel my calls with their own mometum the soft yet gravely voice of an old woman stopped me cold.
“Oh, dear, you don’t have to remind me to vote. I’ve been voting ever since they let us.”
Insured
When American Airlines flight 1549 skidded safely into the Hudson River, most of New York was in a state of panic. It was, after all, the first low-flying commercial plane in that corridor since 9/11. As word of the amazing landing got out, people were relieved that this time it was heroism, not terrorism, that brought the plane in low. But there was far more in common with a disaster in the financial district, just down the Hudson, than most people might realize at first.
School’s Out (for Summer)
Yesterday was the last day of school here in Saint Paul. The summer has officially started, even if it is a bit cold and rainy outside. The kids now have nearly 3 months to forget everything. But does it have to be this way?
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 