Happy Marriage Equality Day in Washington State!

Today, December 6, 2012, is Marriage Equality Day in Washington State.
Today, and ever after,  any adult couple in Washington State can get a marriage license, without the need for government approval of their gender combination. This is a happy thing; I personally know several gay couples raising good families, and it's good for everyone that they have the same rights and responsibilities under a marriage license as everyone else.
The arguments against lost, because they are basically "Euw Ick!". But when you think about it, wasn't the prior situation even creepier? You had to prove to the satisfaction of a government clerk that you had the approved set of genetalia! What if they insisted on a "pants check"? Really, some things are private and nobody's business but your own, and you're spouse's.
Change can be hard, and I have to be honest. As a kind I was kind of squicked out by the idea of gay sex, but I had a lucky experience: when I was in the seminary, one of my best friends told me he was gay, in a very non-threatening way. I had to choose whether to stick with my prejudices or stick with my friend, and it wasn't that hard to stick with my friend. We are still friends today, and he's happily married to a guy, having been together for over 25 years (...longer than any of my marriages!) and raised a family quite successfully (although, not having raised a family myself, I don't consider kids to be the only reason to be married.)
If you're into religious argument, Genesis 2:18 reads:

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

...and we now know that some men were made by God that another man is that "helper suitable for him", and some women were made by God so that another woman is that "helper suitable". It is not for us to question the way God made them, nor to build barriers in law against God's clear command. There's more on this at No Father, The Gay Sky Isn't Falling.

For everyone else, if the thought of gay sex squicks you out, there's a simple solution: think about something else! What are you doing fantasizing about what your neighbors are doing anyway, you dirty dog!
This is a happy day for so many people, including myself, that we have a new burst of freedom in our state.

Heroics For Beginners: a book by John Moore

Heroics for Beginners is a delightful light fantasy that pleases on a couple of levels.
First, it is a spoof of the conventions of the fantasy genre, almost a novelization of Peter Anspach's "Evil Overlord list". However, it also works as a light-hearted story of adventure that Joseph Campbell might recognize, for the flawed hero overcomes his shortcomings with a handy how-to book that is more effective than any magic ring.
This is a quick read; if you enjoy Terry Pratchett or Piers Anthony's lighter works, you will probably enjoy this. It is well-written enough as a story that young teens may enjoy it without really caring about all the unsubtle references to classic fantasy literature.

Wintergreen in Our Raingarden

Wintergreen settles in
On top of the wall forming out rain garden

Wintergreen was on the list of plants going into our rain garden. I was not familiar with the plant but when Kris and I went shopping at Village Green's seasonal closeout, we saw 3 or 4 tiny bushes with bright red berries, with labels that said "Wintergreen" so we picked them up.
It turns out that the berries are indeed edible and come out very late in the season, which explains the "Winter" part of the name. They're supposed to be minty in taste, which made me remember that "Wintergreen" is a flavor of gum or lifesavers; I'd never really appreciated that there was an actual wintergreen for that flavor to be referring too.
These appear to be tough little plants and I'm looking forward to watching them grow.

4freeCLE: Your Free CLE Newsletter! December 2, 2012

4freeCLE: Your Free CLE Newsletter! December 2, 2012

In This Issue Webcasts On-Demand Recordings In California In Illinois In Massachusetts In Minnesota In New York In Ohio In Oregon In Pennsylvania In Washington State Past Issues  On-Demand Recordings   Turn an idle hour into CLE credit with your choice of dozens of free recordings, available to you anytime, on-demand! Learn more at 4freeCLE's On-Demand Page.

Webcast CLE Live events on the internet let you learn from the comfort of your home or workplace! December 4: The Myths and Mysteries of Substance Abuse. More lawyers suffer from substance abuse than is typical in the general population. By Attorney Protective. December 4: Survey Research Methods: Interpreting & Reporting Results. 3rd part of "Statistical Tools for Attorneys in Litigation" series. By Technical Advisory Service for Attorneys (TASA). December 5: The End of Social Security Checks: The 2013 Transition to Electronic Payments. Help clients receiving federal payments such as Social Security, disability and veterans' benefits navigate the change to electronic payment. By National Consumer Law Center.  December 11: Guardian and Conservatorships: The Basics. Also in-person (St. Paul). By Hamline University School of Law.  December 11: The New Era of White Collar Cases. Trends in enforcement, investigations, penalties and sentencing; trial techniques and strategies. By LexisNexis.  December 12: Cost-Effective Strategies for e-Discovery. How to search, organize, and manage large volumes of electronic documents. By TASA. December 13: How to Move Forward with An Information Governance (IG) Program in a Law Firm.Five common components that law firms consider as they map out an IG program for their firm. By Iron Mountain. December 13: Representing Tenants in Unlawful Detainer Actions in San Francisco. For attorneys willing to do pro bono with the Legal Services Program of The Bar Association of San Francisco. Also in-person (San Francisco). By Practising Law Institute (PLI). December 13: Railroad Grade Crossing Signal Systems - How They Work and Why They Fail. In railroad accident cases involving a crossing with automatic warning devices, understanding how they function can be invaluable to counsel. By TASA.  December 18: Ethical Issues in Pro Bono Representation 2012. Recent developments and on-going issues in ethics and professional responsibility arising out of pro bono and public interest practice. Also in-person (NYC). By PLI. December 19: Japanese Litigation: A Primer for Foreign Companies. The increase in litigation in Japan and general procedures for Japanese litigation. By The American Lawyer. On-Demand CLE  Always keep learning, because you know that your competition is! First Amendment Issues in K-12 Education. Leading cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit, and other courts. By Richard Clem Continuing Legal Education.  The Lawyers Guide to Technology. What you most need to know about technology in your law office. By Rekall Technologies. More Than A Game. A conversation with chief legal officers of three major videogame companies. By Intellectual Property Colloquium.  Tenants in Foreclosure. How to help tenants when the property they rent goes into foreclosure. By Legal Aid Association of California.  Windy City Litigation Management Conference - Part 1. An hour of litigation expertise. By Lexvid.   Find more on-demand programs at 4freeCLE's List of On-Demand CLE. In-Person CLEs State-by-State In-person events offer greater interactivity and networking opportunities, and are often eligible for credit in multiple states either by application or reciprocity. Do you know of an event offering free CLE? Send us information about free CLE and we'll publicize it for free! California December 5/San Francisco: Child Custody Training. By Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF). December 12/San Francisco: Negotiating with the IRS & Franchise Tax Board: Offers in Compromise,By AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP). December 13/San Francisco: Representing Tenants in Unlawful Detainer Actions in San Francisco. For attorneys willing to do pro bono with the Legal Services Program of The Bar Association of San Francisco. Also webcast. By Practising Law Institute and BASF.   December 18/San Francisco: Restraining Orders. By ALRP.  December 19/San Francisco: Introduction to Family Law training. By BASF.  Illinois    December 4/Chicago: Human Trafficking Awareness. Free to members of the Chicago Bar Association. December 15/Chicago: Family Law Clinic Training, By Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers. Massachusetts December 3/Boston: New Volunteer Attorney Orientation. By VLP. December 4/Boston: VLP Training - Family Law 102.By VLP. December 10/Boston: Debt Collection at the Boston Municipal Court. By VLP. December 17/Boston: Intro to Guardianship of Minors VLP Training. By VLP.   Minnesota December 11/Saint Paul: Guardian and Conservatorships: The Basics. Also webcast. By Hamline University School of Law.  New York December 18/NYC: Ethical Issues in Pro Bono Representation 2012. Recent developments and on-going issues in ethics and professional responsibility arising out of pro bono and public interest practice. Also webcast. By Practising Law Institute. Ohio December 12/Cleveland: Charity Care Obligations and Tax-Exempt Hospitals: Time For a Change? By Case Western Reserve University School of Law.  Oregon December 6/Portland: Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packs: Public Health, Commercial Free Speech and Corporate Personhood. By American Constitution Society. Pennsylvania December 6/Pittsburgh: "The Wills Project" - Training in Essential Personal Documents. By Neighborhood Legal Services Association.  Washington State December 12/Seattle: Protecting Labor Rights As Human Rights. By WSBA World Peace Through Law Section. December 14/Seattle: Housing Justice Project - Brown Bag Series: Subsidized Housing. By King County Bar Association.  Wisconson December 14/Black River Falls: The Challenges of Technology, Social Media and Internet Marketing, Outsourcing, and Supervision. By The Ho-Chunk Nation Trial Court.  About 4freeCLE 4freeCLE is delivered weekly and will always be free!Please forward to your fellow professionals so they may benefit; if this was forwarded to you, get your own subscription for free by signing up now!