Outside Counsel

Tuesday, February 03, 2026

Number 35 at my polling place at 12:45. It's a special election to fill the seat Sean Ryan vacated to become mayor. There'll be a Democratic primary in June, and then a general, so it's not at all clear how long former Erie County Democratic Chair will have to be a New York State Senator, but he spent nearly $300k to win this race

// posted by Bill @ 1:32 PM 0 comments

Thursday, January 08, 2026

We live in the worst sort of country: imperialistic, totalitarian police state. Our legislators are dupes, or complicit. Our Supreme Court is controlled by puppets. Our press is cowed, if not completely compromised. Americans voted for this, and we are getting it good and hard

What are we going to do about it? Don’t you always wonder, when you read about the previous countries that became this why nobody did anything?

I will add that some institutions are mostly standing strong. The state and the lower courts are functioning as they should, and ruling in ways that are consistent with the law (at least, as we all used to understand it). The education system, including, with a few notable exceptions, our colleges and universities- or, at least their faculties are resisting most of what is being forced on them. A shout-out also to the medical community.

And there are people who are standing up- like the poor, dead woman in Minneapolis, and the brave others there who stood their ground and recorded and broadcast the atrocity.

This is what we are: a nation where cops gun down civilians. We know what that looks like: it looks like Gaza. It looks like Marcos’ Panama. It looks a hell of a lot like Russia

// posted by Bill @ 12:46 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 29, 2025

For me the word of the year has been "tranche". I don't think I ever saw it used before 2025, and I'm still not sure how to pronounce it, but it's been everywhere.

// posted by Bill @ 1:04 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Philly has a statue of Rocky, and now Detroit has one of RoboCop. Works for me

// posted by Bill @ 12:07 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 09, 2025

What Three Words. Sorry, Good, Also

// posted by Bill @ 12:03 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 08, 2025

My dad turned 99 yesterday. He is far older than either of his parents or his brother were before they died, and the only medication he takes is for high blood pressure. Everyone in his family were cigarette smokers, and none of them were notably active- he was playing tennis into his 80's. He never smoked, and was moderate in his alcohol consumption.

Genetics count for a lot, but so does lifestyle is, I guess, my take-away.

// posted by Bill @ 11:58 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Bird and Diz

// posted by Bill @ 12:15 PM 0 comments