In preparation for our mid-term exam, the class was tasked to develop questions for a Jeopardy game, to be played by the students in class the following week.
Initially, the thought of memorizing 100+ pages of terms and concepts seemed to be a very daunting task, especially with our busy lives and other class commitments. However, in pouring over the pages repeatedly, and honing in on relevant information pertaining to our fields of study, the terms became more connu.
Later, in class, we were split up into collaborative groups, with our books in hand for quick referencing. Students took turns manning their games for the class, as the rest feverishly attempted to answer the various gauntlets of questions. In addition, the elements of points gained and lost with right or wrong answers, forced student to make a strong effort to post the correct answers. At the end of a series of questions, those groups with the highest points, gained currency, via yellow post-it notes. The post-it notes would later become extra credit points to count toward the mid-term exam the following week. This combination of rewards/punishments and competition among the classmates enabled an environment whereby, the terms were further embedded and committed to memory.
The end result was a success. This could be seen through the various "Aha!" and "Oh, I remember that!", which could be heard at different intervals of the game. There was a sense of satisfaction when one remembered off the top of their head, or had the term referenced already from their game, and were able to lock in a correct answer. Moreover, this innovative approach memorizing what appeared to be impossible, was made very manageable and entertaining. I hope the continuity of this tool to study for tests, remains a function of the class, and serves as a recommendation to others looking for creative options.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Week 3 EOC: Jeopardy Questions
Here are three of my Jeopardy questions for the classroom showdown:
Q. This refers to all previous developments that are used by
the USPTO and the courts to determine whether a particular invention is novel
and nonobvious.
A. What is prior art?
Q. When a patent owner requires companies to not only purchase
the patented invention, but also requires them to purchase non-patented items as
well.
A. What is tying?
Q. This document transfers a patent owner’s rights in exchange
for money payable in a lump sum or royalties on future sales of the invention.
A. What is an assignment?
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Week 2 EOC: Erin Brockovich
In the movie, "Erin Brockovich", based on the real life case of Anderson v. Pacific Gas & Electric, the inhabitants of Hinkley, California become involved in a class action suit to reclaim damages to their health as a result of drinking contaminated ground water leaked from a neighboring PG&E company plant. Though this movie depicts a warm, feel good story about the underdog receiving his just desserts in the face of a multi-billion dollar company, it fails to mention key details about how the real players in this story were more concerned with profit rather than the alleged injustice this town's people endured. What's more is that many of the 650 plaintiffs didn't even recover the award money owed to them in a timely manner, nor to the degree that the movie suggests.
The most glaring disparity between fact and fiction is denoted at the end of the movie, when the plaintiffs receive wide-eyed sums of award money as a result of the 333 million dollar settlement. Let's do the math. We must start by taking out the 40% for the legal team -comprised of Ed Masry, Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack in real life (Erin Brockovich only received $2 million for the fruits of her labor)- plus an additional $10 million they charged their clients for expenses, now split that by 650 and you'll get an average $300,000 per victim ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). Not too shabby, but in the face of people who would just be paying for the tip of the iceberg in medical expenses, it's small fries. Then you look to the legal team. “We are the ones who made those guys zillionaires.”, said one plaintiff ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). Now the "heroes" don't seem so noble in taking such an unprecedented amount when they weren't the individuals plagued with life long maladies, who would continue require and pay for expensive medical care. Sadder still, many of the plaintiffs received varied amounts. Not the $300,000 estimated per victim. They were allegedly awarded different amounts due to the nature of their illness; however, several victims said that their medical records were never even cracked open, so how these determinations were made is unknown and were made confidential to the public. Thus the sums ranged from $25,000-$2 million. In addition, the citizens were strongly "encouraged" not to disclose to anyone what their take home amounted to, as the legal team knew this would likely cause turmoil. They were right. Subsequent lawsuits were filed to expose the legal teams fraudulent practices.
Lastly, it took 5-6 months for these people to receive payment. "A staff attorney for the California State Bar’s Professional Competency Unit, Randall Difuntorum, said that in 1997 the bar disciplined an attorney who had kept his client’s award for an unusually long time — six weeks — before releasing it." ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). When the legal team was confronted and inundated with calls and requests to demand the whereabouts of their settlements, they were ignored and would not account for their lag on disbursement. Walter Lack would later say in an interview,"There were 650 cases! That was record time!" (http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). However, he, nor Ed Masry, would ever disclose the process of disbursement. And as a side note, the interest made from the award money procured over the six month period was never disclosed to this date. Assumptions can be made as to where this additional money went.
In closing, I don't want to take anything away from this movie. The casting, directing, and story-line very well done. The heart of the matter is that when Hollywood creates a version of events that are misleading and riddled with lies, then says it's based on a true story (in the loosest sense of the word), it creates an illusion. This illusion only serves to instill a false sense of faith in people that the justice system is fair, just, or truly concerned for the misfortunes of the disadvantaged. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are grossly outnumbered by those who have ever dealt with the justice system and offering their hand only to have the judges and lawyers take the fingers.
The most glaring disparity between fact and fiction is denoted at the end of the movie, when the plaintiffs receive wide-eyed sums of award money as a result of the 333 million dollar settlement. Let's do the math. We must start by taking out the 40% for the legal team -comprised of Ed Masry, Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack in real life (Erin Brockovich only received $2 million for the fruits of her labor)- plus an additional $10 million they charged their clients for expenses, now split that by 650 and you'll get an average $300,000 per victim ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). Not too shabby, but in the face of people who would just be paying for the tip of the iceberg in medical expenses, it's small fries. Then you look to the legal team. “We are the ones who made those guys zillionaires.”, said one plaintiff ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). Now the "heroes" don't seem so noble in taking such an unprecedented amount when they weren't the individuals plagued with life long maladies, who would continue require and pay for expensive medical care. Sadder still, many of the plaintiffs received varied amounts. Not the $300,000 estimated per victim. They were allegedly awarded different amounts due to the nature of their illness; however, several victims said that their medical records were never even cracked open, so how these determinations were made is unknown and were made confidential to the public. Thus the sums ranged from $25,000-$2 million. In addition, the citizens were strongly "encouraged" not to disclose to anyone what their take home amounted to, as the legal team knew this would likely cause turmoil. They were right. Subsequent lawsuits were filed to expose the legal teams fraudulent practices.
Lastly, it took 5-6 months for these people to receive payment. "A staff attorney for the California State Bar’s Professional Competency Unit, Randall Difuntorum, said that in 1997 the bar disciplined an attorney who had kept his client’s award for an unusually long time — six weeks — before releasing it." ( http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). When the legal team was confronted and inundated with calls and requests to demand the whereabouts of their settlements, they were ignored and would not account for their lag on disbursement. Walter Lack would later say in an interview,"There were 650 cases! That was record time!" (http://www.salon.com/2000/04/14/sharp/). However, he, nor Ed Masry, would ever disclose the process of disbursement. And as a side note, the interest made from the award money procured over the six month period was never disclosed to this date. Assumptions can be made as to where this additional money went.
In closing, I don't want to take anything away from this movie. The casting, directing, and story-line very well done. The heart of the matter is that when Hollywood creates a version of events that are misleading and riddled with lies, then says it's based on a true story (in the loosest sense of the word), it creates an illusion. This illusion only serves to instill a false sense of faith in people that the justice system is fair, just, or truly concerned for the misfortunes of the disadvantaged. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are grossly outnumbered by those who have ever dealt with the justice system and offering their hand only to have the judges and lawyers take the fingers.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Week 1 EOC: My Voice
My passion has always been fashion. For me it all began as a young girl watching my mother peruse her walk-in closet of clothes and shoes. I would try on her things and select from all the colors, textures, cuts and patterns. It was also around this time that I developed a talent for creating clothing. Starting with fashioning dresses for my dolls, I would eventually graduate to making my own outfits and costumes in high school. I've known for some time that the fashion industry was something that I was destined to do. I come from a long line of seamstresses for one, and it's the only thing I've ever really wanted to do. Even as a adult, I've had various jobs, but always moonlighted in the fashion realm. I truly love it all. From sketching to construction, fashion production to tailoring models, I've done it and enjoyed it all. This is my calling and I'm finally making the moves to do something about it.
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