Lex Anteinternet: What's with all those dire warnings

I was out of town this past week, so came home to a collection of newspapers.

One of them related that Wyoming had lost 3,000+ oilfield jobs.

We've had a variety of posts on this topic.  As we've been doing that, occasionally we'd read the articles that would relate that this down turn wouldn't be that bad.  At one time, we felt compelled to post an item entitled:

Lex Anteinternet: What's with all those dire warnings. . . .: and why are they on a blog that supposedly looks at history around the turn of the prior century? St. Francis Mission, Midwest Wyomin...

Well, the loss was higher than anticipated.

And now that a deal with Iran of some sort has been reached, and we can anticipate that the embargo on Iranian oil will cease, the trend is likely to amplify.

Roads to the Great War: The Most Concise History of World War One Ever Written.

Roads to the Great War: The Most Concise History of World War One Ever Wri...: E.H. Gombrich When, in the spring of 1914, the heir to the Austrian throne was visiting one of these newly conquered regions called Bosnia, ...

Friday, July 30, 1915. First Australia Day, First use of the flamethrower.

It was Australia Day for the first time.

The flamethrower was used in combat for the firs ttime by the Germans (of course), against the British, at Hooge, Belgium.

Hampartsoum Boyadjian, Armenian partisan, was hanged with 12 others at a prison in Kayseri, Turkey.

The British cargo ship Iberian was sunk by the U-28.

Headline in the Winnipeg Tribune:

It probably isn't, but you aren't going to live forever anyway.

Last edition:

Thursday, July 29, 1915. Bandits, Rebels, and would be Rebels.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Anglo-Irish War, Bandit War, Ireland, Mexican Border War, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Patrick Pearse, Texas

Mid Week At Work: We are all ignorant on some subjects.

Thursday, July 29, 1915. Bandits, Rebels, and would be Rebels.

Mexican national Adolfo Munoz, a resident of Cameron County, Texas, was arrested in San Benito Texas for plotting to rob a bank and for having connections with Mexican rebels.

The next day he was killed by some sort of masked mob. The identify of his killers has never been determined and they may have been local racists, or Mexican rebels.

Irish Republicans, led by Patrick Pearse, took over the Gaelic League at its Dundalk.

Honus Wagner became the oldest player in the 20th Century to hit a grand slam. 

French political cartoon from this day.

Last edition:

Wednesday, July 28, 1915. Occupying Haiti. Occupying Haiti.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, 1930s, 1934, American Occupation of Haiti, boats and ships, German Kriegsmarine, Haiti, Labor unrest, Unions

Wednesday, July 28, 1915. Occupying Haiti. Occupying Haiti.

Woodrow Wilson authorized 330 Marines to land at Port-au-Prince to safeguard the interests of American businesses operating in the country, following the lynching and murder of Haitian president Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. 

The occupation would last until 1934.

The Bayonne refinery strike ended in receipt of better pay and an eight hour day.

The Norwegian ocean liner Trondhjemsfjord was sunk by the SM U-41

Last edition:

Sunday, July 25, 1915. The Bandit War.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Agriculture, Art, Bandit War, Homesteads, It was because of World War One, Mexican Border War, Mexican Revolution, Railroads, Second Battle of the Isonzo, Texas, Texas Rangers, The American Midwest, World War One

Monday at the Bar: Courthouses of the West: Albany County Courthouse, Laramie Wyoming.

Albany County Courthouse, Laramie Wyoming.

The trades and manual labor

Recently we've been posting about the Bond Issue and in that context, the school district's plan to seek to ask the voters to help fund technical and vocational training at the high school level has come up. 

Just prior to my noting that, I had an odd experience in which I woke up really early one morning and couldn't sleep, so I got up and turned on the television.  Good Will Hunting, which I'd never seen, was on, and even though I missed the beginning of it, I started watching and watched it to the end.  I must say it was a good film.  Part of the theme, and the reason I'm noting this here, is that the film argued that the exceptionally mathematically gifted protagonist should pursue a mathmatical career (although he ends up purusing his love first).  Indeed, in one major scence in the film his close friend argues that if he fails to do so and continues to work as a laberor, it would be a tragedy.

Well, would it?

I don't know.  Its easy for me to note what the movie argued but not so easy for me to opine on it.  I don't have laberor's job, and there's no doubt that most laborers do not get well paid.  The film does make an argument, in the form of a scene, to the effect that all labor has dignitiy, but it goes on to essentailly endorse the very widely held concept that jobs that involve no physical labor and all intellect are more worthy of those that do not.

I don't know what to make of that, other than to note that it is an extremely widely held concept. But a person ought to be careful about simply accepting it.  It's a very widely ingraned concept, however.

Unsolicited Career Advice for the Student No. 7. The perils of occupational predictions.

In spite of the title here, I'm not sure that this is really "career advice", so much as it is commentary and the recommendation to be cautious.

This post comes about due to the receent article in the Wyoming Lawyer about the Board of Law Examiners abondoning the Wyoming CLE requirement.  While I agree that the CLE was absurd, the BLE seems to be on the railroad track leading to the oblivion of local practice on this one.  This sort of "we have to do this as we have to do this" sort of process is really common.  People, once committed to a certain course of action, tend to stay that through even if it was never a good idea.  Quitting some things, quite frankly, is a good idea. And if the destionation is lousy, why go there. Get off the train somewhere else.

It's also prompted by having read some of the occasional commentary put out by local economic entites to the effect of "this brings in jobs".  I've also commented on that locally.  It amazes me the extent to which the "jobs" argument is so poorly analyzed.

Both of the factors mentioned above are important if you are starting out planning your career.  A couple of important trends seem to come to light when you do, which are:

1.  Technology is on the brink of premanently wiping out a lot of "good jobs'.

2.  The mega-urbanization of our economy has premanently exported jobs from towns and cities to big cities.

3.  Some professions that formerly had small town expression have permanently moved to mid sized cities where the professionals must have signficant infrastructure investment.

4.  With at least one profession, the law, the operation of technology and short sighted bar admisison policies will kill off the practice in rural areas.

Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, and St. ...

Churches of the West: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, and St. ...:
 

Sunday, July 25, 1915. The Bandit War.

Mexican raiders burned a railway bridge belonging to St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.  In response, Governor James E. Ferguson to ordered a unit of Texas Rangers to assist local law in keeping order in the area.

The Bandit War was a result of the instability of Mexico, then fighting the Mexican Revolution.

Italian forces occupied the Cappuccio Wood.

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, age 56, French socialite, mode John Singer Sargent's painting Portrait of Madame X, passed away.  The painting was originally regarded as scandalous, as in its original version, one of her dress straps had fallen away.   The controversy caused Sargant to relocate from France to the United Kingdom.

It was his favorite painting.

Harvesting was ongoing in the Midwest.

The mid teens were freakishly wet, leading to high crop yields throughout the United States.  This in turn contributed to a boom in wartime homesteading, due to the increase in crop prices caused by the war.

Last edition:

Saturday, July 24, 1915. The Eastland Disaster.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, boats and ships, Disaster, German Kriegsmarine, Illinois (Chicago), Royal Navy, World War One

Saturday, July 24, 1915. The Eastland Disaster.

The Eastland capsized in Chicago River drowning 844 people.

The U-36 was sunk in the North Atlantic by the HMS Prince Charles, a Q-ship.

Last edition:

Thursday, July 22, 1915. The Great Retreat.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Central Powers, Eastern Front, Imperial Russian Army, Poland, The Great Retreat

Roosevelt Oklahoma farm goes back to basics

A Roosevelt Oklahoma farm goes back to basics.

C-SPAN Cities Tour - Casper: Teapot Dome Scandal

Thursday, July 22, 1915. The Great Retreat.

The Imperial Russian Army began The Great Retreat on the Eastern Front.  The Central Powers crossed the Vistula.

The British government introduced the Elections and Registration Act which required all British citizens aged 15 to 65 to be registered by August 15.

Last edition:

Wednesday, July 21, 1915. "Deliberately unfriendly".

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Alberta, Alcohol, Diplomacy, Germany, Labor unrest, New Jersey, Prohibition, RMS Lusitania, United States, Woodrow Wilson, World War One

Mid Week at Work: Federal Adult Schools

Wednesday, July 21, 1915. "Deliberately unfriendly".

Woodrow Wilson issued Germany an ultimatum in the third and final letter related to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in May, warning any subsequent sinkings would be perceived by the United States as "deliberately unfriendly".

A refinery strike at Bayonne became increasingly violent.

Voters in Alberta voted for prohibition.

Last edition:

Sunday, July 18, 1915. Alpine combat.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Austro Hungaria, Austro Hungarian Army, Austro Hungarian Navy, boats and ships, Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italy, Second Battle of the Isonzo, World War One

The Press and Statute of Limitations Bogusity

I keep hearing press reports connected with one asserted crime or another, that because the allegations happened long ago, they are "past the statute of limitations", as if there's a national criminal statute of limitations that pertains to state criminal cases..

There isn't.

Many states do have statute of limitations for criminal acts.  But not all. Wyoming doesn't.  I'm sure we're not alone in that either.

Most recently, this has come up concerning the various news stories about Bill Cosby.  I won't go into that, but a common report is "the alleged actions are past the statute of limitations".  Maybe they are, but if they are, they're past the statute of limitations in California, presumably.  They wouldn't be past the statute of limitations in other locations, if the alleged acts allegedly occurred there, depending upon the location.

Monday at the Bar: Courthouses of the West: Joseph C. O'Mahoney Federal Courthouse, Cheyenne W...

Joseph C. O'Mahoney Federal Courthouse, Cheyenne Wyoming




Cheyenne's modern Federal courthouse.

I'm sorry, but these newer courthouses (this one must have been built in the 1970s, really just leave a lot to be desired externally.  Inside, it's very nice.  but outside, it looks just like a Federal office building.

Randon Snippets: The Horror of It All.

Putting walnuts in to chocolate chip cookies should be a crime.

Just saying.