http://blog.kir.com/ Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities. en-us bigtkirk@kir.com 2010-02-09T00:01:00-06:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/final_qb_rating.asp Dave Berri just posted his final NFL quarterback ratings for the 2009 season, which are always interesting. Schaub moved up into the top quarter of NFL QB’s, but he has a ways to go before he is playing on the level that Rivers and Brees played on this past... 5455@http://blog.kir.com/ Tue, Feb 09 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Sports - Football 2010-02-09T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/the_wisdom_of_w.asp Tax simplification has been a frequent topic on this blog. So, I was enthused to see George Will knock the ball out of the park in describing the U.S. income tax system while addressing the issue in his WaPo Sunday column: “Today's tax system was shaped by sadists who... 5454@http://blog.kir.com/ Mon, Feb 08 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Politics - General 2010-02-08T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/super_bowl_xliv.asp Too much is written about the Super Bowl each year, so it is increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. The following are a few pieces that will provide a good primer for this year’s contest: This Hank Gola/NY Daily News article provides a wonderful overview of... 5453@http://blog.kir.com/ Sun, Feb 07 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Sports - Football 2010-02-07T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/kuroshio_sea.asp Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.... 5452@http://blog.kir.com/ Sat, Feb 06 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Culture 2010-02-06T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/justice_kennedy.asp Overcriminalization of life and the appalling condition of our country’s prison facilities have been frequent subjects on this blog over the years. At least one member of the U.S. Supreme Court has taken notice: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy criticized California sentencing policies and crowded prisons Wednesday... 5451@http://blog.kir.com/ Fri, Feb 05 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Legal - General 2010-02-05T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/different_eras.asp Ben Hogan and Anthony Kim.... 5450@http://blog.kir.com/ Thu, Feb 04 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Sports - Golf 2010-02-04T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/how_to_complete.asp 2010 is a census year, so it’s a good time to recall one of the best Saturday Night Live skits ever, Christopher Walken answering a census taker’s questions. Enjoy.... 5449@http://blog.kir.com/ Wed, Feb 03 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Humor 2010-02-03T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/running_into_th.asp 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal observed in his Pensées that “we run heedlessly into the abyss after putting something in front of us to stop us seeing it.” Neil Barofsky, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, observed something similar in his quarterly report regarding the... 5448@http://blog.kir.com/ Tue, Feb 02 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Business - 2008-09 Financial Crisis 2010-02-02T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/02/the_thrilla_in.asp As we prepare for the media tedium this Super Bowl week, it is a good time to appreciate the SI Vault, Sports Illustrated’s wonderful web archive of outstanding sports stories from the past. For example, check out this article by Mark Kram chronicling 1975’s Thrilla in Manila, the epic... 5447@http://blog.kir.com/ Mon, Feb 01 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Sports - General 2010-02-01T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/lone_survivor.asp I recently finished reading Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Little, Brown and Company 2009), Marcus Luttrell’s engrossing story of his experience in surviving a vicious battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan. I recommend the book highly to anyone who... 5446@http://blog.kir.com/ Sun, Jan 31 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Politics - Foreign Policy 2010-01-31T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/at_one_time_the.asp From Big Think, Guy Talese wonders how on earth he and his co-workers at the New York Times ever got the paper to publication:... 5445@http://blog.kir.com/ Sat, Jan 30 2010. 12:00 AM [-06:00] Culture 2010-01-30T00:00:01-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/tales_of_two_li.asp Wednesday’s Congressional testimony of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the Department of Justice’s incredible shrinking case against former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling got me to thinking. Geithner has made his share of dubious decisions over the past several years. I think he was wrong not to allow the markets... 5444@http://blog.kir.com/ Fri, Jan 29 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Legal - Criminalizing Business 2010-01-29T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/the_dojs_merits.asp On the heels of last month’s filing with the U.S. Supreme Court of Jeff Skilling’s brief on the merits of his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Department of Justice filed its brief on the merits of Skilling’s appeal earlier this week. A copy of the brief is... 5443@http://blog.kir.com/ Thu, Jan 28 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Legal - Criminalizing Business 2010-01-28T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/positively_4th.asp 5442@http://blog.kir.com/ Wed, Jan 27 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Culture 2010-01-27T00:01:00-06:00 http://blog.kir.com/archives/2010/01/checking_in_on_20.asp The football season still has two weeks to go and the NBA season is already at the halfway point? The always interesting Dave Berri posted his wins produced/productivity stats for each NBA player through mid-season yesterday. As usual, the statistics reveal some interesting developments: Unsurprisingly, LeBron James is the... 5441@http://blog.kir.com/ Tue, Jan 26 2010. 12:01 AM [-06:00] Sports - General 2010-01-26T00:01:00-06:00