LawPundit

Blawg Review #180

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:01:01 -0500

THIS IS THE 180th EDITION OF Blawg Review.

Today, on German-American Day, October 6, 2008, a day proclaimed by the President of the United States, LawPundit, as a law blog domiciled in Germany and authored by an American expatriate, born in Germany, raised in the United States, and formerly lecturing on Anglo-American law at the University of Trier Law School in Germany, is honored to host the 180th edition of Blawg Review. (If you did not read BlawgReview #179, Infamy or Praise tells you more).

There are literally millions of German-American ("deutsch-amerikanische") connections, both contemporary and historical. It may come as a surprise to many Americans to know that German Americans make up the largest acknowledged ancestry group in America, even larger than the Irish and the English. Take a look at this map from the US Census 2000 which shows all the counties in America. Those in light blue color have a plurality of inhabitants claiming German ancestry:

Indeed, as President Ronald Reagan proclaimed in 1987:

"Few people have blended so completely into the multicultural tapestry of American society and yet have made such singular economic, political, social, scientific, and cultural contributions to the growth and success of these United States as have Americans of German extraction....

In fact:

"[T]here are still many metropolitan areas where German is the most reported ethnicity, such as Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and St. Louis."

There are many distinguished German-Americans, some of whom are annually honored by the German-American Heritage Foundation. The German-American lawyer Friedrich Kapp "can be regarded as a pioneer of German-American historical science."

The German-Corner features biographies, among them lawyer Francis Daniel Pastorius:

"PASTORIUS, Francis Daniel (1651-1720). German-American, lawyer and colonizer, b. Sommerhausen, Germany. Practiced law in Germany; as agent for Quaker group founded (1683) Germantown, Pa., and became its first mayor, chief citizen, and schoolmaster.

He marks the beginning of German settlement in the US."

WDR.de provides us with information about Pastorius in German for our German readers:

"Noch heute heißt ein Vorort Philadelphias "Germantown ". Gegründet wird er 1685 unter dem lateinischen Namen "Germanopolis" - von einem Mann aus dem fränkischen Sommerhausen. Sein Bild ist im Kuppelgemälde des Kapitols von Philadelphia verewigt, und im Deckenfries des Kapitols von Washington steht er neben William Penn, dem Gründer von Pennsylvania. Der Sommerhausener hat selbst einen lateinischen Nachnamen: Franz Daniel Pastorius wird am 26. September 1651 als Sohn eines Juristen geboren und studiert später ebenfalls Jura. "

Another example of a famous German American is America's first millionaire, Johann Jakob Astor (Johan Jakob Astor):

John Jacob Astor, detail of an oil painting by Gilbert Stuart, 1794.
Originally Johann Jakob Astor, he was the first of the Astor family dynasty
and the first millionaire in the United States,
making his fortune in the fur trade and New York City real estate.
German Americans (German: Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of ethnic German ancestry. They currently form the largest self-reported ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 49 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population. California and Texas have the largest populations of German origin, although upper Midwestern states, including North Dakota and Wisconsin, have the highest proportion of German-American population. ...

The first Germans to arrive in the New World settled in the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1608. It wasn’t until the 1680s, however, that significant numbers arrived, settling primarily in New York and Pennsylvania. Immigration continued in substantial numbers during the 19th century; with the largest number of arrivals coming between 1840 and 1900. Americans of German descent form the largest ancestry group in the U.S., outnumbering the Irish and English, with some eight million immigrants having come to the United States. Some arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others simply for the chance to start fresh in the New World.

German Americans have been influential in almost every field, from science to architecture, industry, sports, and entertainment. Some, like Brooklyn Bridge engineer John Augustus Roebling or architect Walter Gropius, left behind visible landmarks. Others, like Albert Einstein or Wernher von Braun, set intellectual landmarks."

Important dates in German-American history are found at the IUPUI Max Kade German-American Center, and the reader can find a list of German-American Historic Sites and Museums at that same website.

Viewed on a contemporary transatlantic and global basis, it is interesting to see from the following map that the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the USA and Germany, which dominate the Old World and the New World, reflect a similar work and production ethic. LawPundit has added labels to the following cartogram of the world, resized it and added a border: (you can view the original cartogram from Mark Newman, Department of Physics and Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, here):

Although not directed solely to America, but broadcasting "online, on-screen and over the air" in 30 languages around the world, including of course English as the primary language, the German Deutsche Welle mirrors the importance of Germany to world affairs, and, pursuant to its statutory mission:

"promote[s] understanding of Germany as an independent nation with its roots in European culture and as a liberal, democratic, constitutional state based on the rule of law.”
[emphasis added by LawPundit]

Speaking of the rule of law, the German-American Lawyers' Association, the Bonn-based Deutsch-Amerikanische Juristen-Vereinigung (DAJV), exemplifies German-American legal relations on this day, and points to the fact that:

"[T]he United States influences [German] cultural, economic and legal environment more than any other country. This is just one of the reasons why roughly 3,200 German and American jurists have joined together in our Association."

"The purpose of the DAJV:

"[I]s the advancement of professional and popular education, in particular the professional education of German lawyers and other groups interested in the fields of American law, as well as the advancement of American lawyers and other groups interested in the fields of German law."

The DAJV is holding its Annual Conference on German and American Law from August 12 to August 15, 2009, in Berkeley, California. Make a note.

But we are getting a bit ahead in our time schedule. For detailed information about the current German American Day, see the German American National Congress viz. Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress (DANK). As written at About.com:

"German-American Day - October 6 The first German-American Day was proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 for the 300th anniversary of the arrival of 13 German families on board a sailing vessel named "Concord" (the "German Mayflower"). The Germans from Krefeld landed in Philadelphia on October 6, 1683 and founded Germantown, Pennsylvania (now part of Philadelphia). In 1987, after a campaign by German-American organizations, Congress made October 6 an official day of commemoration and President Reagan signed the proclamation...."

German American Day celebrations 2008 have taken place or are taking place from Saturday, September 27 through Monday, October 6, 2008 in the USA, e.g. in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Germantown. The German-American Society of Pennsylvania points to the following event schedule today as found at AOL:

"Monday, October 6: German American Day 10:00 p.m. Wreath laying ceremony at the Pastorius Monument in Vernon Park, 5818 Germantown Avenue in Germantown. Call 215.947.5490.12:00 p.m. Commemorative Luncheon highlighting the 325th Anniversary and recognizing the German roots of the Rohm and Haas. Union League, 140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. 215.665.1585.7:00 p.m. Landesjugendorchester Rheinland-Pfalz Performance of Elgar, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, German Society of Pennsylvania, 611 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia."

Even German cooking is featured in the magazine German Life, "a bi-monthly magazine written for all interested in the diversity of German culture, past and present, and in the various ways that North America has been shaped by its German element. The magazine is dedicated to solid reporting on cultural, historical, social, and political events." This year's recipe, Bamberg Style Stuffed Onions With Savory Beer Sauce, is featured at Taste of Home.

In this connection, we also want to mention Oktoberfest, "a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September [and running to the first Sunday in October, unless that first Sunday is the 1st or 2nd of October, in which case the event runs to German Unity Day, October 3]. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event." Obviously, many an Oktoberfest (see this list from Realbeer.com) also takes place in America. A good example is the Great Syracuse Oktoberfest.

The Infant Attorney at Learning the Law in Baby Step has Oktoberfest all planned out:

"I have a fun weekend planned. MP and I are meeting up with some college friends at Oktoberfest (not in Munich unfortunately). I'm looking forward to lots of beer, more beer and German food, I can't wait. Hopefully I'll see some hot lederhosen too! I'd love to go to Germany someday for Oktoberfest, MP was lucky enough to go when he studied abroad in Italy. It will be fun regardless. Did I mention the beer?"

Make sure you click those links above for more photos like this one, it's the first, an Oktoberfest Meisterwerk (masterpiece):

Speaking of beer, food and Oktoberfest, David Harlow at the Health Care Law Blawg (also known as HealthBlawg) cautions us mildly about such festivities:

"If you load up on bratwurst and sauerkraut this Oktoberfest, you may be in the market for coronary artery bypass graft (a different kind of cabbage ... CABG) in the future . . . and you'll want to be sure you go to a high quality provider. I interviewed the general counsel of a teaching hospital that took its CABG program offline for a while to make it better. "

That interview by David Harlow presents the topic Doug Brown, UMass Memorial Health Care's General Counsel, speaks with David Harlow about transparency and systems improvement as posted at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog.

Eating and drinking in connection with night life can raise legal issues, as David Giacalone at his f/k/a weblog observes in his posting lady judge says "ladies' nights" are not unconstitutional. Giacalone writes:

"Federal District Court Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum (who'll be 80 years old next year) bounced avowed anti-feminist Roy Den Hollander from her Manhattan courtroom last Monday — rejecting his claim that bars and night clubs holding ladies' nights (where women are offered free or reduced-price admission or drinks) are engaged in unconstitutional gender discrimination against males under the Equal Protection Clause. See "Judge to anti-feminist: Ladies' night is alright" (AP, Sept. 30, 2008; "Ladies Night OKd by judge" (New York Daily News, Sept. 30, 2008)."

Did we mention keg tossing? Dan Slater at the WSJ Law Blog writes that:

"Earlier this summer, we told you that Vermont Law School was taking a stand against the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy — and paying for it. The school, whose endowment is about $14 million, could be denied federal research money to the tune of $300,000 to $500,000. (Hopefully, this won't affect the school's keg-tossing contest.)"

See a pic of Yale's Oktoberfest Keg Tossing Contest.

OK, that's been the fun part. Let's get down to more serious business. German-American legal and political affairs are important.

The German American Law Journal presents postings about US law in the German language ("Recht der USA auf Deutsch"). There are two language versions: German and English.

JuraBlogs - Die Welt juristischer Blogs (The World of legal Blogs). As written at Technorati, "JuraBlogs summarizes most of the German law blogosphere with several rankings, tools, newsletters and an advanced search functionality."

Davids Medienkritik ("Politically incorrect observations on reporting in the German media") is a pro-American blog which reports critically on transatlantic German-American relations as they are portrayed in German media. See their mission statement. An example is a posting about the Top Pet Issues for German Media Coverage of the United States.

The quality translation of legal documents is a must in the international legal sphere. Transblawg is the blog of German-English legal translator Margaret Marks, who maintains her "Weblog from Fürth on German-English legal translation / Weblog aus Fürth zur juristischen Übersetzung Deutsch-Englisch", and who refers to this edition of Blawg Review at Musings on Blawg Review/Blawg Review Deutsch-amerikanisch. An example of the type of useful postings that Transblawg makes is the Article on translating contracts into German/Probleme beim Übersetzen englischer Vertragstexte.

Speaking of contracts, marriage is also a contract that has important ramifications for German-American relations. Many children issue from marriages between Germans and Americans, and even a child born, for example, in Germany to two American parents can under some circumstances obtain a German citizenship. Amerika-Forum.de (in German) discusses the issue of dual citizenship ("doppelte Staatsbuergerschaft"). A detailed legal treatment of this important matter of dual nationality is found at the website of the U.S. Embassy in Germany.

Not only dual nationality, but also dual German-American educational degrees are possible. The Business School ESB Reutlingen discusses a double degree in international management ("Deutsch-Amerikansicher Studiengang").

Since the principle feature of this posting is by design directed to "blawg review", we present below a selection of blawgs covering the cutting edge of legal and political issues and contemporary topics of note, from a variety of perspectives:

The blawg IP Think Tank (TM) does a "weekly selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet" which includes German and American legal news.

The editor of IP.com's corporate blog, Securing Innovation, points to a recent article at Law.com, German Court Sees First Signs of European Patent Trolls, by Philippa Maister of IP Law & Business, and is concerned about the likelihood of confusion with IPCom GmbH in connection with the German company's whopping 12 Billion Euro patent infringement lawsuit against Nokia.

Bob Ambrogi on Law.com's Legal Blog Watch points to a report on The World's Most Client Friendly Firms, which included Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Germany, while Allen & Overy got top honors worldwide. Speaking of A&O ... we learn at the Tax Lawyer Blog, that Allen & Overy LLP will open a new office in Munich in October 2008. With its existing offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Mannheim, Allen & Overy will be represented in five of Germany's key economic centres. Prost!

Dan Hull at What About Paris? - formerly What About Clients? - asks Are you ready for Europe's REACH directive? In Blawg Review #65 Dan points to some German blawgs, among them "three German Fulbright Scholarship alums in Hamburg, Berlin and Seattle [who] publish the Atlantic Review, a press digest on transatlantic affairs...."

Professors of the world unite! We ourselves use the software program Zotero as a tool for research so that the following lawsuit hits us directly. At The Laboratorium, James Grimmelman suggested that the Thompson/Reuters lawsuit against the developers of Zotero, a free EndNote competitor, was "comically inept", but Mike Madison at the Madisonian thought that there might just be a method to it all, whereas Mike Masnick at Techdirt thought the whole thing was ill-considered and suggested that Zotero could make EndNote more, rather than less, valuable. Michael Froomkin at Discourse.net adds a new legal angle, writing that "there is one interesting and potentially triable ... issue in the case ... the extent to which a contract by a firm with a (state) university can bind its professors."

Elizabeth Garrett at Balkinization wonders "How the Financial Crisis is Reshaping Democratic Politics: Term Limits Reconsidered", whereas Rick Pildes at that same blawg considers the importance of appointing a board of overseers for the Department of Treasury in connection with the $700 Billion bank bailout.

Nolo's Bankruptcy and Foreclosure Blog exclaims, "Bailout? Follow The Money!".

Speaking of money, what about product liability cases? Jim Beck and Mark Herrmann jointly write the Drug and Device Law Blog, where they recently pointed to Learned Intermediary Rule 201 in a posting that describes the application of the "learned intermediary rule" in pharmaceutical product liability cases in which the treating physician gives slightly offbeat responses to some of the usual questions asked during discovery.

Nothing lasts forever, and fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers went through this long ago with the demolition of Ebbets Field, as BizzBangBuzz now shares "Yankee Stadium Memories" with us. Construction and destruction are two sides of the same coin.

At Deliberations, Anne Reed ponders in "Women Lawyers, Juries, -- And Stress?" whether juries react more positively to male lawyers rather than to female attorneys.

Advocate's Studio in "Poor writing across the pond" tangles with the view found in TheLawyer.com, as expressed by Peter Crisp, dean of BPP Law School, that law students suffer from lapses in writing. Solutions are suggested.

Law School is a topic at LawVibe, where Michael presents the "NYU Law School Cash for Class Scandal", the consequences of which are discussed by Paul Caron at the Tax Prof Blog and Jim Maule at MauledAgain (Part I-Tax Issues, Part II-Legal Education Issues).

Jordan Furlong of Slaw.ca and Law21 discusses "The Future of Law Firm Branding".

Feminist Law Professors discuss "Where Feminism, Copyright Law and This Interminable Election Intersect", pointing to a mock of Sarah Palin at the New Yorker, via the Huffington Post, which employs an Alaska parody of a famous New Yorker title page by Saul Steinberg.

Speaking of New York, Bruce MacEwen at Adam Smith, Esq. asks in (New York) City's End, in view of "all the body blows the New York City financial services industry and its attendant handmaidens (BigLaw, that would be you) have taken in the past couple of months", whether "the Apocalypse [will be] descending upon Sin City", referring to The Sky Keep's Falling!, a book review by Tama Starr at the Wall Street Journal book shelf of Max Page's The City's End, as published by the Yale University Press, which touts the book as:

"[T]he first to investigate two centuries of imagined cataclysms visited upon New York, and to provide a critical historical perspective to our understanding of the events of September 11, 2001."

How times have changed since the days when the famous Wagners, who were German-Americans and lawyers to boot, ran things in New York City. See that link.

Regarding that forthcoming Presidential Election, Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Do-Over Supreme Court Test For Palin? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness. Mad Kane describes herself as a "writer, musician, and "recovering lawyer.""

LawGeek reports that Smithsonian Institution Archives photos from the Scopes trial are now available on Flickr.

Tax Girl debates the meaning of tax hikes and tax cuts, commenting upon the vice-presidential debate that "it's not whether you speak the truth but how well you speak it." That's really "bloggitty goodness", to use a phrase found at this blawg.

Blawgletter asks, "MTM, WTF?" in talking about FASB No. 107, Disclosures About Fair Value of Financial Instruments.

The Madisonian.net tell us that "For just $125 this inflatable crime scene can be yours!", referring to the newest macabre Halloween product at Walmart.

Speaking of Halloween, George's Employment Blawg has advice on "Halloween in the Workplace? It Depends…".

Doc Searls Weblog recalls The Verdict and Absence of Malice, for which Paul Newman won the Oscar as leading actor, as Idealawg bids good-bye to actor Paul Newman, to whom the Connecticut Law Blog give's a hero's farewell, as do TalkLeft, The Right Coast, Mark Wahlstrom's The Settlement Channel, The Bizop News, the Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library at UCLA, Houston's Clear Thinkers, the Justice Building Blog, Jailhouselawyer's Blog, Instapundit, Ideoblog, and What About Clients? The CM Law Library Blog even asks the pertinent question as to how many people were led to study law by cinema portrayals of lawyers by actors such as Newman, citing to the August 2008 ABA Journal report on The 25 Greatest Legal Movies, as selected by attorneys.

Patent attorney Brett J. Trout addresses every blawger's problem in Define Yourself posted at BlawgIT.

Mrinalini Kochupillai signed-off from the Spicy IP blog with a lengthy and worthwhile post discussing whether India needs a publicly-funded R&D law like the U.S. Bayh-Dole law.

Dan Hull at What About Paris?(TM) suggested that the services industries -- including legal services -- could use an ease-of-use award like that given to manufactured goods.

Sam Conforti in Software Licensing & Master Service Agreements provided some guidance to those considering SaaS Contracting, the web-based license of software as a service (SaaS).

Dan Harris of the China Law Blawg has thrown a lifeline to anyone who's been provided bad products by a Chinese supplier. He also ventures to say on China Joint Ventures. Can Things Get Any Worse? as posted at China Law Blog. Take a look at the opening page of the law firm of Harris & Moure - in no less than five languages - English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and, of course, German.

Seth Freilich of QuizLaw is none-too-pleased that a judge with two DUI convictions has been sentenced to a total of twelve days of pro bono legal services.

When IBM seeks to patent a method for finding new things to patent, Victoria Pynchon of the IP ADR Blog thinks that it's a sign that we need a legal equivalent of the TED conference.

Michael Moore at the Pennsylvania Labor & Employment Blog has surveyed the worsening economy and sees the writing on the wall. He offers some timely advice to employers contemplating reductions in force.

Sharon Nelson at her ride the lightning electronic evidence blog found herself somewhere she seems to have considered the back of beyond, but at least one attendee at her presentation on appropriate self-marketing online was paying attention, as he bolted the scene to scrub his Facebook profile.

At the Ohio Employer's Law Blog, in honor of Rosh Hashanah, which begins the Jewish New Year, Jon Hyman has posted some words of wisdom about accommodating religious holidays. What does an employer do if an employee wants to take such a day off from work? Hyman writes: "Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act] requires an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee whose sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance conflicts with a work requirement, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship."

In addition to our blawg review, we point to the numerous transatlantic organizations that exist and which - either directly or indirectly - are German-American in nature, and many of these are listed in detail as Partner's Profiles by the New Traditions Network (NTN). The NTN is:

"[A] dynamic group of political, academic and cultural institutions, foundations and corporations in Germany and the United States cooperating together to promote the transatlantic dialogue. The network offers this community a common forum aiming to create new vehicles for dialogue and partnerships as well as new channels and modes of coordination and cooperation. It is open to any organization that is active in promoting U.S.-German relations....

The NTN ... was established in September 2000. Building upon the strong 'traditions' Americans and Germans have established since World War II, the NTN identifies issues and opportunities current in the transatlantic relationship.

Network projects involve at least two partners cooperating together to develop common activities and to reach out to actors and organizations taking on new roles in the rapidly changing transatlantic environment....

The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section coordinates the network and maintains the website. The network communicates mainly via email and internet and meets approximately every three months to give opportunity for person-to-person networking and to welcome new members."

The listed organizations are:

New Traditions Network

American Academy in Berlin (and New York)

American Chamber of Commerce
in Germany e.V. (Frankfurt and Berlin)

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) (Washington D.C.)

American Jewish Committee (Berlin)

Aspen Institute Berlin

Atlantik Brücke e.V. (Berlin)

Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz (Kaiserslautern)

Atlantische Initiative e.V.

Auswärtiges Amt (German Foreign Office, Berlin)

Bayerisch-Amerikanisches Zentrum im Amerika Haus München e.V. (BAZ) (Munich)

Bertelsmann Stiftung (Gütersloh)

BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt (Munich)

Bridge of Understanding (Berlin)

Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (BDA) (Berlin)

CDS International, Inc. (New York)

Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Berlin)

Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung (Berlin)

College Council GmbH (Berlin)

DaimlerChrysler AG (Berlin)

Deutsch-Amerikanische Juristen-Vereinigung e.V. (DAJV) (German-American Lawyers Association) (Bonn)

Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum (DAZ) (Stuttgart)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP) (German Council on Foreign Relations) (Berlin) (English)

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) (Bonn, Berlin, New York)

Deutscher Industrie und Handelskammertag (DIHK) (Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce)

Deutsch-Nordamerikanische Gesellschaft (Berlin)

Dräger-Stiftung (Lübeck)

Einstein Forum

European School of Governance (eusg) gGmbH

Freie Universität Berlin (John F. Kennedy Institut, Berlin Consortium for German Studies

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (Berlin, Washington D.C.)

Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (Potsdam, Berlin, Washington D.C., Brussels)

Fulbright Alumni e.V. (Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt am Main)

Fulbright-Kommission (Berlin)

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Student Exchange with Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

German Bridge- Wayne State University (Munich, Detroit)

German Marshall Fund (Berlin, Washington D.C.)

Harvard University Alumni Club of Berlin e.V.

Heinrich Böll Stiftung (Berlin, Washington D.C.)

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Illuminate Consulting Group, L.L.C. (San Jose, Berlin)

Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin)

Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) (Berlin)

Jüdisches Museum Berlin (Jewish Museum)

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung e.V. (Berlin, Washington D.C., Brussels)

Körber-Stiftung (Hamburg, Berlin)

Partnerschaft der Parlamente (Berlin)

RIAS Berlin Kommission

Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association (Washington, D.C., Madison, Wisconsin)

Robert Bosch Stiftung (Stuttgart, Berlin)

Senatskanzlei Berlin (Berlin Senate Chancellery)

Stanford University, Stanford in Berlin

State Legislative Leaders Foundation – Europe (Berlin)

Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe)

Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. (sdw) (Berlin)

Technische Universität Berlin (TU)

Touro College Berlin

Transatlantisches Studentenforum (Berlin)

U.S. Embassy (Berlin)

Veranstaltungsforum der Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck (Berlin)

Villa Aurora, Kreis der Freunde und Förderer e.V. (Berlin, Los Angeles (Pacific Palisades))

WilmerHale

World Trade Center Frankfurt (Oder) GmbH (Frankfurt/Oder)

In recent German-American news of note, we received an email announcing the October 3 German Unity Day relaunch of the website Germany.info as maintained in English and German language by the German Embassy in Washington D.C., providing inter alia:

"Integrated site

For the first time, Germany.info will fully integrate the German Embassy, the eight German Consulates in the United States, and the German Information Center USA into one website.

Easy access to visa/passport info
First and foremost, all visa, passport and other consular services information will be clearly laid out and easy to access. For the first time, users will be able to use an interactive map to find the German Consulate General, or Embassy, that serves them. They can then easily use that Consulate’s website to find directions, opening hours and other information specific to that location. Also for the first time, Germany’s Honorary Consuls in the United States will each have a page on Germany.info.

The German version of the site will feature comprehensive consular and legal information.

More videos
The new Germany.info will feature short videos more prominently—from informative films on renewable energy, for example, to fun skits on learning German. Of course, we’ll also keep running and expand our popular quizzes and interactive contests.

Informative features
The relaunched site will offer more features on studying in and traveling to Germany, learning the German language, the German business landscape, Germany’s role at the forefront of renewable energies and climate protection, German-US relations and much more.

Germany in your area
To make it easier for you to find German cultural events and organizations in your area, Germany.info will feature information specific to each part of the country. There will be a cultural events listing and an extensive listing of German organizations in America.

Germany.info en Español
Germany.info was one of the first websites published by an embassy not from South America to feature a version in Spanish for America's growing Spanish-speaking population. With the relaunched site, we will be expanding our Spanish language offering into a more comprehensive site.

Join us on October 3 to celebrate the new Germany.info, take part in special relaunch games, win great prizes and enjoy our new fun features.

Sincerely, Jennifer Clardy."

And that is it from us today. We hope you enjoyed some part of this posting and that it provided you with new information about your chosen interest in German-American relations.

Blawg Review has information about next week's host, and instructions on how to get your blawg posts reviewed in upcoming issues.

Porsche, Volkswagen, Germany and the European Union squabble over the Veto Powers of the German State of Lower Saxony over VW Management

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:37:26 -0500

Porsche has recently increased its stake in Volkswagen (VW) to 35.14%, giving it a controlling interest in VW. Furthermore, it is rumored that Porsche may try to increase its controlling interest in VW to 50% or more in the coming months, although, of course, no one knows for sure. Porsche is keeping open its theoretical possibility of obtaining 75% of the shares of VW.

However, in spite of the controlling shares owned by Porsche, according to controversial provisions in the Volkswagen Articles of Association (German: Satzung), the German State of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) effectively retains a veto power over important decisions at Volkswagen through its 20.1% stake. Moreover, the Federal Republic of Germany as well as Lower Saxony retain the special right of each delegating 2 members to the 20-member Volkswagen Supervisory Board, as long as they own shares in VW.

The mentioned provisions in the Articles of Association were designed to protect the interests of ca. 150,000 employees at Volkswagen in Lower Saxony. Those actual provisions of the Volkswagen Articles of Association read in English translation [not our translation] as follows:

"§ 12
Right of Delegation
The Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Lower Saxony are each entitled to delegate two members to the Supervisory Board as long as they hold shares in the company.
...
§ 24
Voting Right - Restrictions on Voting
(1) Every ordinary shares shall carry one vote at the General Meeting. The preferred stockholders have no voting rights. If, however, the preferred stockholders are entitled to a voting right under any mandatory provisions of the law, every preferred shares shall carry one vote. If a stockholder holds more than one fifth of the shares in the company, his voting rights shall be restricted to the number of votes granted by one fifth of the shares. Shares held by a
stockholder shall also include such shares as are held by a third party for the account of the stockholder. If a stockholder is a company, the shares belonging to said company shall also include such shares as are held by a company controlling it, by any of its subsidiary companies or by any fellow group company or such as are held by a third party for the account of such companies. [emphasis added by LawPundit]

(2) Shares in the company may not be transferred in order to avoid the voting right restriction set out in subsection 1 above. In accordance with § 2 of the law relating to the transfer of share rights in Volkswagenwerk GmbH into private hands, any shares which have been transferred in such manner as to be at variance with this prohibition cannot be reassigned."

The European Union (EU) through the European Commission (EC) has maintained its stance that these protective provisions violate European Union rules permitting free investment throughout the EU, and the EC has put pressure on VW accordingly. As written at the International Herald Tribune:

"European Union regulators have challenged the so-called VW law and the European Court of Justice ruled in October that it restricted the free flow of capital."

As a consequence, VW is no longer relying on the existing provisions, which capped any shareholders voting rights at 20%, and is now trying to change the Articles of Association to provide that an 80% vote is required for significant company decisions (this figure is currently 75%), thus effectively retaining the old rule in its converse, and with the same effect, since Lower Saxony's 20.1% share makes it impossible for anyone to obtain 80% of the shares, thus maintaining its veto power.

The Volkswagen Supervisory Board has thus submitted such changes in their Articles of Association to the court of record, the registry (viz. register) court (Registergericht) in Braunschweig, Germany. As written at the International Tax Review:

"[C]onfirmation by a government agency is typically a condition precedent to the formation of a corporation (in Germany, this takes the form of entry in the commercial register after review of the articles of incorporation by the commercial register court - partnerships, by contrast, are effective as between the partners upon entry into the partnership agreement)."

Recent news reports indicate, however, that the court of record in Braunschweig is not going to accept the changes to the Volkswagen Articles of Association as submitted by the Supervisory Board, since these Articles are regarded by that court to be matters which can only be changed by a resolution of a General Meeting of Stockholders, which votes as follows:

"§ 26
Resolutions
(1) The General Meeting shall adopt its resolutions by simple majority of the votes
cast.
(2) Resolutions of the General Meeting in respect of which the German Corporation
Act stipulates a majority comprising at least three quarters of the capital stock
represented at the time the resolution is voted on shall require a majority of more
than four fifths of the capital stock of the company represented at such time."[emphasis added by LawPundit]

The matter is apparently to be adjudicated at a local court in Hannover on November 6, 2008, but we think that the outcome is quite clear, in spite of the opportunistic political posturing by politicians for the VW provisions in the Articles of Association and in spite of emotional reports in German media which fail to see that the issue is a legal issue, and not a political one.

The fact is that neither the EU nor the courts can permit these kinds of blatantly twisted legal exceptions in the Articles of Association at Volkswagen. Otherwise, any and all companies would be entitled to put similar protective provisions in their Articles of Association, if they wanted them, which would then potentially engender complete chaos as regards the principle of free investment within the European Union.

College Football Game Predictions and Results - 2008 Season - Week 6

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:26:33 -0500

UPDATE: We had a good prediction week this week, as we were 38-15 in predicting winners and 29-21-1 against the spread (the odds line). For the season we are 375-102 in calling the game winner and 127-118-4 against the spread.

**********

The odds used below are those posted at Yahoo Sports on Monday, September 29, 2008. The unique system used for game prognostications is SPRS, which uses primarily our own derived NAYPPA system (based on yards per play stats from cfbstats.com) plus the Massey Ratings strength of schedule (SoS) for making college football predictions, although we handle SoS differently here than for a full season. Thus far this year, for Division I-A FBS football, the median (of 120 teams) net yards per play gained on offense is 5.5 whereas the median net yards per play allowed on defense is 5.3. In the year 2007 those medians were 5.4 and 5.3 respectively for the full season. Unless otherwise noted, the stats in parentheses give the net average yards per play gained on offense and net average yards per play allowed on defense thus far this football season. Each point of SPRS rating advantage = 9 points on the scoreboard (see the 2007 final rankings). We do this all in good fun and disclaim any and all liability for any reliance of any kind on our prognostications. May the best team win.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Florida Atlantic (5.5, 5.9, SoS=22) at Middle Tennessee State (4.8, 5.5, SoS=50)
We call the game for Middle Tennessee State: 28-27
Result: Middle Tennessee won 14-13 on a 32-yard TD pass by Joe Craddock to Malcolm Beyah as time expired, followed by the extra point by kicker Alan Gendreau . The Owls averaged 5.3 net yards per play to 5.0 for the Blue Raiders, so that the win was primarily due to the home field advantage.
This week, we are 1-0 in predicting winners and 0-0 against the spread (the odds line).

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Boise State (7.0, 4.4, SoS=63) is favored at home by 21 1/2 points over Louisiana Tech (4.7, 5.9, SoS=75).
We call the game for the Broncos: 47-9.
Result: Boise State won 38-3.
This week, we are 2-0 in predicting winners and 1-0 against the spread (the odds line).

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Memphis (5.9, 6.1, SoS=96) is favored on the road by 5 points over UAB (5.8, 7.0, SoS=127).
We call the game for Memphis: 35-24.
Result: Memphis beat UAB 33-30,but the losing Blazers actually gained more total yards.
This week, we are 3-0 in predicting winners and 1-1 against the spread (the odds line).

South Florida (6.1, 4.0, SoS=89) is favored at home by 13 1/2 points over Pittsburgh (4.9, 4.8, SoS=49).
We call the game for the Bulls: 26-14.
Result: The Panthers upset 1oth-ranked South Florida 26-21,. gaining 129 yards more on total offense.
This week, we are 3-1 in predicting winners and 2-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Utah (5.8, 4.0, SoS=35) is favored at home by 10 1/2 points over Oregon State (5.3, 5.4, SoS=14).
We call the game for Utah: 24-23.
Result: The Utes won 31-28 on a 37-yard field goal by Louis Sakoda in the last second of the game, but the Beavers actually put up the better game stats, outgaining the Utes by 1.5 yards per play.
This week, we are 4-1 in predicting winners and 3-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Friday, October 3, 2008

Brigham Young (6.5, 4.7, SoS=107) is favored on the road by 28 1/2 points over Utah State (5.2, 5.9, SoS=13).
We call the game for BYU: 48-0.
Result: After leading 34-0 going into the 4th quarter, BYU gave up 14 points in the final stanza to win 34-14.
This week, we are 5-1 in predicting winners and 3-2 against the spread (the odds line).

Cincinnati (6.2, 5.2, SoS=80) is favored on the road by 3 1/2 points over Marshall (5.3, 5.7, SoS=85).
We call the game for Cincinnati: 30-20.
Result: Cincinnati won 33-10, putting up an advantage of 5.0 to 3.9 net yards per play.
This week, we are 6-1 in predicting winners and 4-2 against the spread (the odds line).

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Penn State (7.2, 3.9, SoS=99) is favored on the road by 12 points over Purdue (5.7, 5.4, SoS=64).
We call the game for Penn State: 38-17
Result: The Nittany Lions won 20-6, putting up an advantage of 6.5 to 4.0 net yards per play.
This week, we are 7-1 in predicting winners and 5-2 against the spread (the odds line).

Michigan State (5.5, 5.5, SoS=65) is favored at home by 8 points over Iowa (6.1, 4.3, SoS=31).
We call the game for Iowa: 31-21
Result: Trailing 16-13 with 2:16 left in the game and a 4th and 1 on the Spartan 21-yard line, Iowa elected to go for the 1st down rather than kick the field goal. That is a coaching staff not playing the football percentages. Michigan State won 16-13.
This week, we are 7-2 in predicting winners and 6-2 against the spread (the odds line).

Minnesota (5.7, 5.5, SoS=77) is favored at home by 7 1/2 points over Indiana (6.1, 5.3, SoS=84).
We call the game for Minnesota: 32-31
Result: Joel Monroe kicked a 38-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the game to ice the victory 16-7 for the Golden Gophers.
This week, we are 8-2 in predicting winners and 7-2 against the spread (the odds line).

Georgia Tech (6.8, 4.1, SoS=45) is favored at home by 14 points over Duke (4.8, 5.1, SoS=5).
We call the game for Georgia Tech: 33-17
Result: The Yellow Jackets won 27-0, with a net average yards per play advantage of 6.2 to 2.7.
This week, we are 9-2 in predicting winners and 8-2 against the spread (the odds line).

West Virginia (5.9, 4.4, SoS=23) is favored at home by 14 points over Rutgers (5.4, 5.4, SoS=94).
We call the game for West Virginia: 37-14
Result: The Mountaineers won 24-17.
This week, we are 10-2 in predicting winners and 8-3 against the spread (the odds line).

Boston College (4.9, 4.1, SoS=145) is favored on the road by 8 points over North Carolina State (4.3, 5.9, SoS=16).
We call the game for Boston College: 28-21
Result: The Eagles won 38-31.
This week, we are 11-2 in predicting winners and 9-3 against the spread (the odds line).

Akron (4.7, 5.0, SoS=59) is favored on the road by 4 points over Kent State (5.6, 6.2, SoS=108).
We call the game for Akron: 28-21.
Result: Akron beat Kent 30-27 in two overtimes.
This week, we are 12-2 in predicting winners and 9-4 against the spread (the odds line).

Kansas (5.9, 5.0, SoS=47) is favored on the road by 13 points over Iowa State (5.4, 5.9, SoS=76).
We call the game for Kansas: 39-23
Result: After trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Jayhawks returned after the intermission with a vengeance, putting up 35 second half points, but then barely withstood a late Cyclones rally as Iowa State scored a late touchdown and recovered the onside kick, but went 0 for 4 on the subsequent passes, allowing Kansas to win by a hair 35-33.
This week, we are 13-2 in predicting winners and 9-5 against the spread (the odds line).

Oklahoma (6.9, 3.7, SoS=60) is favored on the road by 27 points over Baylor (6.7, 4.2, SoS=28).
We call the game for Oklahoma: 38-17
Result: The Sooners, buoyed by a 28-0 1st-quarter lead, beat the Bears 49-17.
This week, we are 14-2 in predicting winners and 9-6 against the spread (the odds line).

Florida (5.9, 4.0, SoS=109) is favored on the road by 22 points over Arkansas (5.3, 5.5, SoS=30).
We call the game for Florida: 34-28
Result: The Gators scored 21 4th-quarter points to win 38-7.
This week, we are 15-2 in predicting winners and 9-7 against the spread (the odds line).

Alcorn State at New Mexico State
We call the game for New Mexico State: 38-17
Result: Nedw Mexico State won 45-10.
This week, we are 16-2 in predicting winners and 9-7 against the spread (the odds line).

Virginia Tech (4.7, 5.6, SoS=6) is favored at home by 28 points over Western Kentucky (4.3, 5.6, SoS=98).
We call the game for Virginia Tech: 34-21
Result: The Hokies won 27-13.
This week, we are 17-2 in predicting winners and 10-7 against the spread (the odds line).

Colorado State (5.1, 5.9, SoS=58) is favored at home by 1 point over UNLV (5.6, 6.3, SoS=40).
We call the game for Colorado State: 36-34
Result: Colorado State won 41-28.
This week, we are 18-2 in predicting winners and 11-7 against the spread (the odds line).

Western Michigan (6.1, 5.3, SoS=126) is favored at home by 4 points over Ohio (5.5, 4.9, SoS=62).
We call the game for Western Michigan: 26-24
Result: Western Michigan won 41-20.
This week, we are 19-2 in predicting winners and 11-8 against the spread (the odds line).

Mississippi (6.3, 4.7, SoS=38) is favored at home by 2 1/2 points over South Carolina (4.9, 4.0, SoS=26).
We call the game for Mississippi: 31-23
Result: South Carolina won 31-24.
This week, we are 19-3 in predicting winners and 11-9 against the spread (the odds line).

Notre Dame (5.1, 5.4, SoS=37) is favored at home by 7 1/2 points over Stanford (5.2, 5.1, SoS=34).
We call the game for Stanford: 30-28
Result: Notre Dame won 28-21.
This week, we are 19-4 in predicting winners and 12-9 against the spread (the odds line).

Tulane (5.2, 4.6, SoS=42) is favored at home by 19 points over Army (3.9, 5.6, SoS=122).
We call the game for Tulane: 38-7
Result: In an incredible result, Army won 44-13.
This week, we are 19-5 in predicting winners and 12-10 against the spread (the odds line).

Miami (OH) (4.6, 5.6, SoS=19) is favored at home by 7 points over Temple (4.3, 5.3, SoS=55).
We call the game for Miami of Ohio: 17-14
Result: Temple won 28-10.
This week, we are 19-6 in predicting winners and 13-10 against the spread (the odds line).

UCF (4.1, 5.3, SoS=88) is favored at home by 14 points over Southern Methodist (5.5, 6.8, SoS=36).
We call the game for SMU: 31-30
Result: UCF won 31-17.
This week, we are 19-7 in predicting winners and 13-10-1 against the spread (the odds line).

California (6.6, 4.2, SoS=40) is favored at home by 9 1/2 points over Arizona State (6.3, 4.8, SoS=11).
We call the game for Cal: 40-32
Result: California won 24-14.
This week, we are 20-7 in predicting winners and 13-11-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Bowling Green (4.6, 5.1, SoS=4) is favored at home by 21 points over Eastern Michigan (5.4, 5.8, SoS=136).
We call the game for Bowling Green: 31-14
Result: Eastern Michigan won 24-21.
This week, we are 20-8 in predicting winners and 14-11-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Alabama (5.9, 4.1, SoS=25) is favored at home by 16 1/2 points over Kentucky (4.9, 3.9, SoS=129).
We call the game for Alabama: 17-7.
Result: Alabama won 17-14.
This week, we are 21-8 in predicting winners and 15-11-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Michigan (4.5, 4.3, SoS=3) is favored at home by 2 points over Illinois (6.1, 5.7, SoS=56).
We call the game for Michigan: 24-21
Result: Illinois won 45-20.
This week, we are 21-9 in predicting winners and 15-12-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Texas Tech (7.6, 4.8, SoS=81) is favored on the road by 6 1/2 points over Kansas State (6.5, 5.0, SoS=135).
We call the game for Texas Tech: 44-31
Result: Texas Tech won 58-28.
This week, we are 22-9 in predicting winners and 16-12-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Air Force (5.6, 5.7, SoS=52) is favored at home by 6 points over Navy (6.7, 5.8, SoS=33).
We call the game for Navy: 35-24.
Result: Navy beat Air Force 33-27.
This week, we are 23-9 in predicting winners and 17-12-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Miami (FL) (5.1, 4.8, SoS=104) is favored at home by 2 1/2 points over Florida State (6.4, 3.6, SoS=61).
We call the game for Florida State: 37-14
Result: Florida State won 41-39.
This week, we are 24-9 in predicting winners and 18-12-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Nevada (6.5, 6.4, SoS=8) is favored on the road by 24 1/2 points over Idaho (4.8, 6.8, SoS=133).
We call the game for Nevada: 42-24
Result: Nevada won 49-14.
This week, we are 25-9 in predicting winners and 18-13-1 against the spread (the odds line).

TCU (5.1, 4.1, SoS=68) is favored at home by 24 1/2 points over San Diego State (5.6, 5.6, SoS=74).
We call the game for TCU: 31-19
Result: TCU won 41-7.
This week, we are 26-9 in predicting winners and 18-14-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Auburn (4.7, 3.8, SoS=100) is favored on the road by 3 1/2 points over Vanderbilt (4.9, 5.3, SoS=24).
We call the game for Auburn: 17-13.
Result: Vanderbilt won 14-13.
This week, we are 26-10 in predicting winners and 18-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Ball State (7.1, 5.6, SoS=110) is favored on the road by 7 points over Toledo (5.4, 5.3, SoS=121).
We call the game for Ball State: 38-26.
Result: Ball State beat Toledo 31-0.
This week, we are 27-10 in predicting winners and 19-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Louisiana-Lafayette (ULL) (6.4, 6.3, SoS=103) is favored on the road by 1 point over Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) (4.9, 6.1, SoS=95).
We call the game for ULL: 44-34
Result: Louisiana-Lafayette beat Monroe 44-35.
This week, we are 28-10 in predicting winners and 20-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Tennessee (5.1, 4.0, SoS=106) is favored at home by 16 points over Northern Illinois (6.2, 4.6, SoS=153).
We call the game for Tennessee: 28-17
Result: The Vols won 13-9.
This week, we are 29-10 in predicting winners and 21-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Southern Miss (5.5, 5.9, SoS=91) is favored at home by 8 points over UTEP (5.2, 6.0, SoS=72).
We call the game for Southern Miss: 33-28
Result: UTEP won in 2 overtimes 40-37.
This week, we are 29-11 in predicting winners and 22-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Maryland (6.0, 5.3, SoS=93) is favored on the road by 14 points over Virginia (3.9, 5.5, SoS=2).
We call the game for Maryland: 27-18
Result: Virginia came out of nowhere to stomp the Terrapins 31-0.
This week, we are 29-12 in predicting winners and 23-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Florida International (3.4, 5.0, SoS=21) is favored on the road by 6 1/2 points over North Texas (4.7, 7.0, SoS=9).
We call the game for Florida International: 35-28
Result: Florida International won 42-10.
This week, we are 30-12 in predicting winners and 24-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

North Carolina (5.9, 4.8, SoS=82) is favored at home by 7 points over Connecticut (5.6, 5.1, SoS=78).
We call the game for North Carolina: 35-27
Result: North Carolina won 38-12.
This week, we are 31-12 in predicting winners and 25-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Texas (6.8, 4.6, SoS=70) is favored on the road by 14 points over Colorado (4.7, 4.9, SoS=48).
We call the game for Texas: 38-21
Result: Texas beat Colorado 38-14.
This week, we are 32-12 in predicting winners and 26-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Oklahoma State (7.8, 4.6, SoS=115) is favored at home by 23 1/2 points over Texas A&M (4.9, 5.3, SoS=144).
We call the game for Oklahoma State: 52-14
Result: Oklahoma State won 56-28.
This week, we are 33-12 in predicting winners and 27-15-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Arizona (5.9, 3.8, SoS=163) is favored at home by 19 points over Washington (4.4, 7.5, SoS=1).
We call the game for Arizona: 24-17.
Result: Arizona won 48-14.
This week, we are 34-12 in predicting winners and 27-16-1 against the spread (the odds line).

USC (6.4, 3.8, SoS=12) is favored at home by 17 points over Oregon (6.5, 4.3, SoS=54).
We call the game for USC: 38-28
Result: USC beat Oregon 44-10.
This week, we are 35-12 in predicting winners and 27-17-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Tulsa (8.6, 5.8, SoS=162) is favored at home by 14 points over Rice (5.8, 6.5, SoS=39).
We call the game for Tulsa: 55-32
Result: Tulsa beat Rice 63-28.
This week, we are 36-12 in predicting winners and 28-17-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Ohio State (5.2, 4.3, SoS=73) is favored on the road by 2 1/2 points over Wisconsin (5.8, 4.7, SoS=43).
We call the game for Wisconsin: 24-17
Result: The Buckeyes won 20-17.
This week, we are 36-13 in predicting winners and 28-18-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Fresno State (6.3, 5.8, SoS=118) is favored at home by 22 points over Hawaii (5.0, 4.9, SoS=71).
We call the game for Fresno State: 35-27
Result: Hawaii beat Fresno State in overtime 32-29.
This week, we are 36-14 in predicting winners and 29-18-1 against the spread (the odds line).

New Mexico (4.6, 5.7, SoS=67) is favored at home by 11 points over Wyoming (4.2, 4.9, SoS=57).
We call the game for New Mexico: 20-19
Result: New Mexico beat Wyoming 24-0.
This week, we are 37-14 in predicting winners and 29-19-1 against the spread (the odds line).

UCLA (4.5, 5.6, SoS=66) is favored at home by 16 1/2 points over Washington State (4.4, 6.7, SoS=46).
We call the game for UCLA: 28-16
Result: UCLA won 28-3.
This week, we are 38-14 in predicting winners and 29-20-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Missouri (8.2, 4.8, SoS=87) is favored on the road by 10 points over Nebraska (6.9, 5.0, SoS=32).
We call the game for Nebraska: 38-35
Result: Dehusked. How bad are the Huskers? Mizzou never punted in this game, not once. That is a statistic to remember. As a Husker alum, we have a short stick of patience for incompetence in the Nebraska football coaching staff. Mizzou beat the helpless Cornhuskers 52-17, winning in Lincoln for the first time in 30 years. The Husker website says that the Tigers "tripped" Nebraska. In fact, the Big Red - you hardly ever see that term Big Red anymore - was crushed. The Husker offensive playcallying continues to be an abysmal remnant of Callahan days and we can only hope that Pelini and Osborne finally see the light and get someone at offensive coordinator who understands football. Even when down by multiple TDs, the Huskers still seem to insist, predictably, on running the football ineffectually on first down and then throwing ineffectually on 3rd down. Even at end of the 3rd quarter and the beginning of the 4th quarter, down by 42 points, the Huskers ran a series of downs with 6 rushes and two passes. The Huskers rushed 35 times for 79 yards. That is stupidity in offensive playcallying personified.
This week, we were 38-15 in predicting winners and 29-21-1 against the spread (the odds line).

Administrative Message to LawPundit Subscribers whose RSS Feeds may not have been working the past days : Bloglines still not working? Get Omea

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:30:03 -0500

UPDATE: All other feed readers that we have tried are working correctly, but Bloglines is again not showing our feed for this week's postings and we have spent a good day trying to correct whatever the problem is, to no avail, and we are fed up. Maybe it has to do with the Bloglines Beta or the October 2 announced maintenance (allegedly for Sept. 30, moving databases to new servers). Here is a message we got today online at Bloglines,:

In any case, we have for now shifted to a superb feed reader called Omea, by JetBrains.com, which serves as a feed reader and aggregator for newsgroups, the web (bookmarks), RSS, notes and contacts, and has a host of other terrific features.

**********

Dear LawPundit Subscribers,

The posting Eight Things All RSS Publishers Should Remember at CuteWriting has as its number one rule: 1. Using FeedBurner? Know the feed limit.

Google owned FeedBurner, which burns and handles our RSS feed, can not fetch more than 512 KB of content at any one time. The past two days we were apparently above that level, based on the respective 512 KB warning messages that we received from FeedBurner. Our RSS feeds were thus not working.

Our own check of the blog's file size ran only to about 350 KB, so that it is also possible - based on geek info obtained online about this problem - that some faulty source code in a recently added script may have been the culprit for the RSS failure, leading to some kind of buffer runover and the resulting error message.

In any case, since we lost a number of subscribers through this mishap, we have pared down the LawPundit blog again, removing a lot of extras in the left and right column margins and also reducing the number of blogs linked in our blog rolls - this downsizing in the spirit of Feng Shui is an ongoing process and more links and materials will be removed in coming days as we check all links and get rid of materials that are outdated or too byte-intensive.

This also has the advantage for our readers that LawPundit will now load faster.

All RSS feeds - by our own check - are now working again. Thank you for your understanding.

Andis Kaulins, LawPundit

India Patents at the India Patent Blog of Senthil Kumar

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:03:54 -0500

In view of the increasing importance of the Indian and Far East economic spheres, we would like to point to a new patent blog on patents from India at the India Patent Blog of Senthil Kumar.

The Global Top 100 Law Firms for the year 2008 : Profits per Partner : Most Lawyers : Most Revenue

noreply@blogger.com (Andis Kaulins) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:14:54 -0500

The Global 100 Law Firm rankings for the year 2008 are available at Law.com,
ranked by 1) Most Profits per Partner , 2) Most Lawyers, and 3) Most Revenues.
As written at Law.com:
"[t]he Global 100 is a joint project of The American Lawyer and Legal Week, a sibling publication." [links added by LawPundit]

It is interesting for us to see that our former law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, headquartered in New York City, ranks 9th in the world for profits per partner, a top-10 ranking tied to the firm's heavy litigation practice, as Law.com writes:

"Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a U.S.-law-only shop where about half the lawyers are litigators, rose from 15th in The Global 100's profits per partner rankings in 2001 to fifth in 2002, and has not left the top 10 since."

Of course, some of those profits are also connected to the firm's highly rated information technology and telecommunications practice. As noted at the Paul|Weiss website:

"On September 19, for the eighth time, Paul, Weiss was awarded the "Best IT/Telecom Law Firm" by Asian Legal Business. This prestigious award is given in recognition for outstanding client service as well as the firm's ability to combine rigorous analysis with astute judgment to give clients a competitive edge. Winners were selected based on interviews with industry professionals."

Although the U.S. law firm Baker & McKenzie International continues to hold its place as the world's largest law firm, the United Kingdom has 5 of the 7 largest law firms in the world, a consolidation development accounted for by the growth of these firms internationally.

Indeed, three UK firms top the list of law firms in terms of gross revenues in the recent fiscal year:

1. Clifford Chance International
2. Linklaters International
3. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer International

If we compare just a single law office in a single city, according to Law.com:

"Clifford Chance has the largest office in London, with around 1,000 qualified attorneys, while New York's largest firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, has 845 attorneys in New York, according to The National Law Journal's 2007 NLJ 250. (The National Law Journal is a sibling publication of The American Lawyer.)"

Links to sources featuring the Global 100

The AmLaw Daily

Editor's Blog at LegalWeek.com

MarketWatch