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Off Topic: Salted Peanuts In Coke Or Pepsi

     It's a slow time for Social Security news. Let me go off topic. The local newspaper did a story on the old North Carolina thing of dumping a pack of salted peanuts into a cold Coke or Pepsi. I saw that a lot when I was a boy and enjoyed doing it. I don't think I ever saw a girl, much less a woman, do it and not many grown men. I haven't seen it in years but I'm not around boys that much. I've never known how widespread a custom this is or was.

    It's actually pretty good. You get great contrasts between salty and sweet and between liquid and crunchy.

    I'm curious. Is this something you ever did? Ever saw it done?

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Off Topic For A Slow News Day

     Maybe I’m just confessing that I was ignorant until recently but that song, "Winter Wonderland", that you’ve heard hundreds, if not thousands of times, what's it about? If your answer is "Well, it's about the pleasures of walking in the snow" you're not completely right. Here's part of the lyrics:

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say: Are you married?
We'll say: No man,
But you can do the job
When you're in town.

Later on, we'll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid,
The plans that we've made,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

    The song tells a story about a couple becoming engaged to be married or at least contemplating it seriously. Did you know that? I’ll admit that I didn't until recently. Of course, I have a bit of excuse. We've often heard it with different lyrics that don't include Parson Brown and conspiring by the fire but you hear it both ways. I think that most times I hear it, the romantic content is there.

    Anyway, that song, at least as originally written, isn't quite as sappy as I had thought.

More On Supreme Court Ethics

      Because an article about Supreme Court ethics issues I quoted mentioned a gift offered by a Social Security claimant to a federal judge, I posted about it here. The problem isn't limited to Justice Thomas but he is the prime offender because of his acceptance of gifts and lavish vacations from those interested in the work of the Court.

     I thought I was mostly writing for other attorneys who knew a little about judicial ethics but many of the comments made here were along the lines of “Well, you can’t prove Justice Thomas changed his vote because of what he received so there’s no problem.” Let me clue in the non-attorneys. There is a code of conduct for federal judges. Canon 2 of those rules is titled “A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all Activities.” I’m sure that just about every state judiciary has the same rule. I don’t think you can reasonably argue that there’s no appearance of impropriety in Justice Thomas’ conduct. So why hasn’t this story blown up even more than it has? The code of conduct for federal judges doesn’t apply to Supreme Court justices. There is no code of conduct for Supreme Court justices.

     The lack of a code of conduct for Supreme Court justices is shocking. Even without a rule in place, Thomas’ conduct is shocking.

A Pet Peeve

     There doesn't seem to be any Social Security news so far today so I'll tell you about a pet peeve. Does talking on a cell phone using earbuds cause people to talk very LOUD? I was at the NOSSCR conference last week. In the halls there were attendees talking directly into their cell phones, quietly. Those using earbuds broadcast their side of the call to everyone within 50 feet.

Fighting To Survive

 

A Pet Peeve: "It's Been A Minute"

     Here's a pet peeve of mine: Clients who answer "It's been a minute" when asked when some event occurred. What the hell does that mean? Where did this usage come from? I think I've only heard this in the last year or two. Is this usage national? 

     Unfortunately, lawyers usually need to know when things happened! We get annoyed when given answers like this. My instinct as a lawyer is that if my client seems evasive when answering a question, I've just hit upon a key problem.  Of course, "It's been a minute" isn't necessarily evasive but it sounds that way even when it isn't.

Off Topic: I'm Not Sure About All Of This

     The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is an umbrella group for organizations supporting the rights of the disabled in the United States. This is from a recent position paper they've put out on service animals:

... Public transportation, as well as Amtrak, must allow any service animal trained to work or perform tasks with the exception of primates and exotic snakes. Any limitations must preserve access for all species and sizes of dogs, cats, rabbits, miniature horses, capuchin monkeys, and other species that can be trained to behave appropriately and be safely brought on public transit and rail. ...

Off Topic: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing: What Do You Think?

     What do you think about the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing? Who do you believe? Should he be confirmed?

Off Topic But I Hope I'll Help Somebody

     I'm going to succumb to the temptation of playing amateur physician and give readers a little advice that only a very few of you need. If you've got hidradenitis suppurtiva, see a dermatologist.

     First, I need to explain what hidradenitis suppurtiva is, since if you already know that you have it, you're probably already seeing a dermatologist. Hidradenitis suppurtiva is a skin condition that causes severe recurrent boils in the arm pits and groin areas. It's extremely painful. It can absolutely be disabling. It's just a matter of how frequently you get the boils and how long they last. (No, thank goodness, I'm not talking from personal experience. I've just heard enough about it from my clients, including one I saw recently.)  Most people who have hidradenitis suppurtiva don't get referred to a dermatologist because they don't get diagnosed. They keep going to general surgeons who keep treating the disease as a series of individual boils to be drained or excised rather than as a dermatological problem to be managed with medication. Almost every time I see a client with this problem I have to refer him or her to a dermatologist. Dermatologist do a better job of managing the problem than surgeons.

     Your first impulse on considering this may be that a skin condition couldn't possibly be disabling. Your second impulse is probably that if a skin condition is disabling, it must be an awful disease to have. Your second impulse is the correct one. Hidradenitis suppurtiva is a really nasty skin problem. There are other really nasty disabling skin problems. You don't want to be on disability for any of them.

     By the way, you might be surprised how often these cases come up before Social Security Administrative Law Judges. The incidence rate of this disease may be as high as 4% of the adult population so it's not rare. Statistically, it's almost a certainty that there will be at least on reader of this blog who has an undiagnosed case of hidradenitis suppurtiva. Of course, not everyone with hidradenitis suppurtiva is disabled by it. There are mild cases and there are severe cases. It's only the extremely severe cases that lead to disability claims.

Off Topic: Some Holiday Reading On Trump-Russia

     If you have trouble understanding the whole Trump-Russia connection, I really recommend you read this New Yorker article by Jane Mayer on Robert Mercer. You probably haven't heard his name before but you will. 

     The Russians influenced the presidential election by the aggressive use of social media to spread lies about Hillary Clinton. The big question is how did Russia know what lies to spread and where and how to spread them? That would seem to require detailed knowledge about the U.S. electorate. How would they know what lies to spread and who to spread it to? How would Russia come by that knowledge?

     It's clear from this article that Robert Mercer, a reclusive, sinister, oddball billionaire, paid vast sums of money to Cambridge Analytica to collect incredibly detailed knowledge about the U.S. electorate and how lies could be used to affect the Presidential election. It is exactly the sort of information Russia would have needed. Mercer was well aware of how lies and disinformation could be used to influence public debate since he is the money man behind Breitbart News.
     It should be said that Mercer probably didn't think any of it was lies. He has all sorts of weird beliefs about Hillary Clinton and is eager to use his money to share his weird beliefs with the world.
     By the way, Cambridge Analytica worked on the successful campaign to promote Brexit. Russia also favored Brexit.

     Ms. Mayer is not accusing Mercer of giving Cambridge Analytica data to Russia or knowing it was given. However, it's hard to believe that Russia didn't get the data one way or another. I don't know how Russia's involvement in the election could have been effective otherwise.

     In case you're not familiar with the New Yorker, it has a reputation for the most obsessive fact checking of any publication anywhere.

Off Topic: Clarence Thomas Asks A Question

     For the first time in more than a decade, Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas asked a question from the bench during oral arguments! Actually, he asked several questions in a five minute exchange concerning gun rights.

Off Topic: Spooky

     I got a call from a telemarketer yesterday. Nothing unusual about that other than it was Sunday, but, still, that's not all that unusual these days. The "do not call" registry is a joke. The unusual thing was that the caller asked for my mother, by name. My mother doesn't live with me. She died in 1979.

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Off Topic: Can Anyone Replace Jon Stewart?

     I'd say that no one can really replace Jon Stewart at The Daily Show. John Oliver has certainly proven that he can do it for the short run but I doubt that anyone can do it for the long haul. What do you think?

Last Minute Shopping

     I was at a store this afternoon. I wasn't buying a Christmas gift. I was there for a more routine reason. There was a fellow ahead of me making quite a purchase. He said he was doing all his Christmas shopping then and there. From the looks of things he was buying presents for at least 25 people. It was a convenience store. He was buying lottery tickets.

Robin Williams 1951-2014

Off Topic But Awesome