Early 4freeCLE Newsletter - Jan 27, 2012

I was going to wait until Monday for the next issue, but I suddenly learned of a couple of webinars early next week and didn't want anyone to miss them:

4freeCLE: The Free CLE Newsletter! Jan 27, 2012 Top 3 Modes of Presenting Free CLE  Nearly all free Continuing Legal Education programs are delivered in one of three ways:  Webinars/Telecons. These live events maximize convenience of access, and usually allow some limited opportunity for interaction between speaker and audience. On-Demand. These are most often recorded webinars or in-person seminars; interaction with speakers is limited to followup questions. In-Person. The traditional in-person seminar maximizes the opportunity for interaction between speaker and audience, although it is rare for much of the audience to ask a question. Simultaneous webcasting of In-Person events seems to be on the rise.  It is uncommon for event sponsors to seek accreditation in every state, but often attorneys may seek credit for an event by applying to their credit-granting authority. Webinar CLE Jan 31-Feb 1: NACDL Padilla Practice Series. By National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Also In-Person (DC). Credit: Attorneys must apply in own state. Feb 2: Webinar for New Louisiana Lawyers. By DigitalWorkflowCLE. Credit: LA.   Feb 6: Introduction to Fastcase. By Fastcase. Credit: AZ CA DC FL GA IL IA MD MN NV NJ NM OH OK OR SD TN VA WV WI. Feb 8: How the Cleveland Bar Became Segregated: And Why it Matters. By Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Also In-Person (Cleveland).   Feb 16: The Ethical Issues in Mediation. By Clifford Law Offices. Also In-Person (Chicago).  Ethics Credit!   On Demand CLE Why not try one of these right now? Can Content Survive Online? By Intellectual Property Colloquium. Credit: CA NH NY PA WA Catastrophic Loss Cases - How They Are Different. By Trial.com. Credit: AK AZ CA CO FL GA HI KY LA MO ND NJ NY TX UT WA.    Navigating the Immigration Jungle: Immigration Visas. By Lexvid. Credit: Many states.  What Florida Lawyers Need To Know To Comply With the Amendment to Rule 1.7204. By Upchurch Watson White and Max. Credit: FL.      In-Person CLE Unless stated otherwise, credit has been applied for in the state in which the program is located. Jan 31/Tacoma - It's All in the Tax Returns and Financial Statements. By McKinley Irvin.  Jan 31+Feb 1/DC - NACDL Padilla Practice Series. By National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Also available as webinar. Credit: Attorney must apply in own state. Feb 16/Chicago - The Ethical Issues in Mediation. By Clifford Law Offices. Also available as webinar. Ethics Credit! Feb 2/NYC - Counseling the Small Nonprofit Organization. By The Legal Aid Society.   Feb 7/Boston - Introduction to Guardianship of Adults. By Volunteer Lawyers Project.   Feb 7/San Francisco - Affirmative Lawsuits in Housing. By AIDS Legal Referral Panel.  Credit: CA.  Feb 8/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law.  Feb 8/Cleveland - How the Cleveland Bar Became Segregated: And Why it Matters. By Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Also available as webinar.   Feb 9/Chaska, MN - Digital Device Forensics: Evidence from Mobile Phone and GPS Units May Surprise You! By Carver County Library.  Feb 14/Apple Valley, MN - Closing or Selling a Law Office: What are the Responsibilities?  By Dakota County Law Library. Ethics Credit!   Feb 16/Hastings, MN - Collateral Consequences for Juveniles. By Dakota County Law Library.  Apr 20/DC - Veterans Pro Bono Consortium Training. Credit: Most states. Register Now To Ensure Seating!   Was This Forwarded To You? Get Your Own Subscription For Free!  This is a free newsletter, delivered weekly.  Sign up for future issues for free!

4freeCLE - My free CLE Newsletter - Jan 23, 2012 issue ....

Going out to over 100 subscribers, and cross-posted here on my private blog, something for the lawyers (...although anyone can watch the on-demand programs ... maybe you'll like them!)

4freeCLE: The Free CLE Newsletter! Jan 23, 2012 The Free CLE Revolution Continues! So far in 2012, we've published at least one webinar a week, and four or more on-demand programs. This bodes well for revolutionizing continuing legal education, as well as making it easier for sponsors to get their message out! And remember: just because an event doesn't have your state listed doesn't mean you can't get credit; although it is not a sure thing, I have had good luck applying for credit as an individual. Try it! Webinar CLE Jan 30 - Boolean (Keyword) Search for Lawyers. By Fastcase. Credit: AZ CA DC FL GA IL IA MD MN NV NJ NM OH OK OR SD TN VA WV WI. On-Demand CLE Alternative Fee Arrangements. By Trial.com. Credit: AK AZ CA CO FL GA HI KY LA MO ND NJ NY TX UT WA. Ethics Credit.    Language Access Rights for California Advocates. By Legal Aid Association of California. Credit: CA. Navigating the Immigration Jungle: Immigration Visas. By Lexvid.  The Bilski Oral Argument. By Intellectual Property Colloquium. Credit: CA NH NY PA WA.      Live CLE Jan 25/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Credit: OH.   Jan 25/Stillwater, MN - Minnesota Supreme Court Update on Case Law. By Washington County Law Library. Credit: MN. Jan 26/NYC - Corporate Bankruptcy for Small Businesses in Distress. By The Legal Aid Society. Credit: NY.   Jan 26/Seattle - Saving Endangered Wildlife in Our Warming World. By WSBA Animal Law Section. Credit: WA. Free to Section members. Feb 2/NYC - Counseling the Small Nonprofit Organization. By The Legal Aid Society. Credit: NY.  Feb 7/San Francisco - Affirmative Lawsuits in Housing. By AIDS Legal Referral Panel.  Credit: CA.  Feb 8/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Credit: OH.  Feb 14/Apple Valley, MN - Closing or Selling a Law Office: What are the Responsibilities?  By Dakota County Law Library. Credit: MN. Ethics Credit!  Apr 20/DC - Veterans Pro Bono Consortium Training. Credit: Most states. Register Now To Ensure Seating!   Free CLE Provider Profile:   Lexvid.Com   Lexvid.com is a free, ad-supported, web-based continuing legal education provider whose FAQ states boldly: "By combining quality, convenience and free access, Lexvid aims to become the premiere source for online CLE content." There are currently 50 hours of Lexvid seminars offered free of charge, covering over 20 practice areas. Supplementing the videos are interactive, community-building features such "Discussions" for each event and an "Ask the Lecturer" tab. (How often have you thought of something you wanted to ask a speaker a week or a month later? Now you can!) Lexvid also emails you certificates of completion, maintains a personal "dashboard" logging programs you have completed and provides an easy way to halt programs to deal with interruptions, and then resume days later on nearly any internet device you have handy. In the evolving world of continuing legal education, Lexvid appears to be going all-in! Learn more at http://www.lexvid.com. Was This Forwarded To You? Get Your Own Subscription For Free!  This is a free newsletter, delivered weekly.  Sign up for future issues for free!

Italian Wedding Soup Win!

The Champ!

Kris won the soup contest at Big Al's tonight.
The flavor picked randomly last week was "Italian Wedding Soup." We googled a bunch of recipes and settled on The Barefoot Contessa's as a starting point. The one thing we weren't sure of was its use of ground chicken, which tends to be low in flavor, and chicken sausage, which can introduce flavors we're not sure of. One thing we especially liked is that the meatballs were baked separately, and once they were cooked enough to be safe and to have structural integrity, only then were they added to the broth to start sharing flavors.
The basic recipe (I'll leave out quantities, since your interpretation should depend on the particulars of your ingredients and preferences):
Make the Meatballs:

• Some Ground bison
• Ground Veal
• An egg (we used a home-grown egg from Steve and Sherry - thanks!)
• Parmesan cheese
• A little parsley
• Bread crumbs
• Salt & Pepper

Cook on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 F.

Prepare the Broth:

• Chicken broth
• Carrots
• Onions
• Celery
• Dill
• Pasta (we used tiny stars).

Sherry, Steve and Egglaying Girl

Saute the veggies in olive oil for six minutes, then add the broth, dill and pasta. Boil to cook the pasta. Add meatballs and baby spinach.

Serve!

The competition was fierce this week, as each competitor had a slightly different idea and flavor. However when the ballots were all counted, Kris came out ahead and was awarded a beer. A good time was had by all!

Next week: beef and barley. We're planning already!

"Obamacare Saved My Life" she said ...

"... Even though I had paid into their policy since I was practically a kid, now when I needed it, it wasn't there: I was no longer earning enough to be covered. ...."
This true story should melt a heart of stone:

Jennifer Skye writes: 

"When I began working as an actor as a teenager, one of the perks was comprehensive insurance coverage through the Screen Actors Guild. Up until six years ago, I never even needed it.

Then, one day, when I was 26 and living in Los Angeles, I experienced a sharp pain in my right side that lasted for hours. My husband drove me straight to the emergency room.

Turns out there were non-cancerous tumors taking up 60% of my liver.

When they finally did operate, they took a football-sized tumor out of my liver and pronounced the operation a success. I was left to heal from the large incisions.

The scar runs from right under my breastbone to my bellybutton, and across my stomach, and it is not an easy thing for a former Maxim cover girl to hide.

In fact, my whole diagnosis meant I had to retire from acting altogether.

Production companies take out insurance policies on all assets of their production, including their actors. With such a large scar and pre-existing condition, I was virtually uninsurable, even in the glamorous, fake world of Hollywood.

Acting was a career I had worked hard at since I was 15, but after my surgery I was dropped from my Screen Actor's Guild insurance. Even though I had paid into their policy since I was practically a kid, now when I needed it, it wasn't there: I was no longer earning enough to be covered.

Luckily, I was able to transfer to my husband's insurance. Then, last year, we separated. Part of our agreement was that he would allow me to continue to be covered by his policy, but, in the process, there was a terrible mistake.

One day I walked into the doctor's office for a routine post-op check up. After my appointment, I was about to leave, when the receptionist called me back to her desk.

"Jennifer? Do you have any new insurance for us to use?"

"No, use the same one," I smiled. "I just had surgery, it should work."

The white-coated woman nodded her head and handed me the phone, with the insurance company on the other end.

That's when I discovered my ex-husband's manager had made an irreversible filing error that resulted in me being kicked off his COBRA retroactively. In other words, my last eight months of treatment -- surgery, medication, MRIs at $19,000 a pop -- had not been covered.

It takes a lot to reduce me to tears, but that day in the doctor's office I was near hysteria.


"Please, I'm sick, I can't lose my insurance," I begged to the insurance lady on the phone.

It was too late, she told me. The decision had been made.

When I applied to Blue Cross, I was promptly denied due to "pre-existing conditions."

By the way, having your chest cut open is not the only way to be determined un-insurable.

Pregnant? That's a pre-existing condition.

Ever seen a therapist and been prescribed antidepressants? You have one, too.

Susceptible to chronic urinary tract infections or kidney stones? You guessed it.

Asthma? Ditto.

In fact, it wasn't until our government passed the health care bill I so often hear referred to -- with a derogatory slur -- as "ObamaCare" that I earned the right to be covered under the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.

Now I'm a highly functioning sick girl, and one who's unbelievably grateful to her government for the work Congress and the President did last year, giving me the ability to stay healthy."

Read Jennifer's Entire Story And Remember - This Could Happen To You:
http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/11/02/obamacare-saved-my-life-maxim-cover-girl-speaks-out/