How Do Law Students Really Learn? Problem-Solving, Modern Pragmatism, and Property Law

Edward Rabin and Roberta Kwall had student learning in mind when they wrote Fundamentals of Modern Real Property Law. Rabin and Kwall\u27s casebook is an attractive and effective road map for students as they journey through a course (and a body of legal principles and issues) that typically intimidates many law students in virtually every law school

Close Encounters

Abstract: The expressiveness of the human figure is the syntax and vocabulary that I use to explore the things that make us human. In coming to really know an individual, we not only gain insights into our own psychological make-up, but we may extrapolate our findings to the broader human condition. Although intimately concerned with highlighting the characteristics that make my subjects distinctive, I am equally determined to examine those traits underscoring our commonality, that bind us all into a human family. I look for fresh ways to pull back the curtain of privacy and allow viewers to intrude on my subjects\u27 thoughts and ponder their perspective. I want viewers to confront the same questions that I pondered as I stood before my model, brush in hand, Who is this person? , What is going through this person\u27s mind? and How does he/she perceive me? In an effort to arrive at closure, observers formulate responses by consulting the reservoir of their own unique life experiences. Thus, the answers to these questions are highly personalized to each viewer. The people that I paint embody the idea of a neighbor that lives across the street or perhaps passes us each morning in the hallway. They are of any age, ethnicity and of either gender. They appear self-assured and in control of their space. For me, the crucial role of the pose extends beyond snagging a viewer\u27s attention. It alludes to the silent, invisible soul that resides beneath the surface of what is physically apparent. I stage subjects alone, alert and attired indifferently; all non-essentials are discarded. Because there is little else to ponder, viewers\u27 attention is left to linger on the stark humanity of the person before them. Defensiveness is circumvented by posing models in a suspended moment and lost in thought. Eye contact becomes the conduit that intimately links viewer to subject, allowing one soul to non-verbally, intuitively communicate itself to the other. In returning the subject\u27s gaze, we are inextricably drawn into a slow, downward-spiraling vortex, to the very core of their personality. For my work to be successful it must compel viewers to peer beyond the superficial, to ferret out the meaningful. Ultimately, through my figural paintings, I want to make people feel what it is like to be in my subjects\u27 shoes. I want to afford people the opportunity trade places with my subject and then to observe themselves being observed

Privatization of Public Water Services: The States\u27 Role in Ensuring Public Accountability

The privatization of public water services in the United States has grown dramatically in recent years in response to political and ideological interest in privatizing public services, arguments about economic efficiencies, and the realities of overwhelming public costs related to water quality standards, infrastructure upgrade needs, and operational complexities. Many states have expressly enacted statutes authorizing municipalities to transfer services, operation and management, and even ownership of public water systems to private firms. This article systematically evaluates the status of water privatization in the U.S., the legal authority for privatization and its limits, and the most common and significant issues in water privatization. These issues include: 1) the unique characteristics of water services; 2) operational efficiency and capital cost savings; 3) rates; 4) service quality and reliability, and water quality; 5) take-or-pay contracts; 6) long-term capital investment, maintenance, and public agency capacity; 7) environmental protection and impact; 8) global commerce in water; 9) security of water supplies and terrorism; 10) equity; 11) public employees; 12) public opinion; and 13) the limited authority of regional public water institutions. The article makes a case for a state legislation to protect the public and ensure accountability to the public when public water systems are considering privatization. It identifies specific model elements of a comprehensive state statute governing water privatization, including considerations when evaluating privatization proposals and conditions that should be imposed on private water firms. The article takes the position that the term privatization can mean any number of different arrangements, which are neither inherently good nor bad. The desirability of privatization arrangements depends on the context, the need, the nature of the arrangement, and legal controls imposed to ensure accountability to the public

Adaptive Water Law

This is the published version