May 25, 2007

YLD to Host "Philly GenNext" 20/20 Luncheon on Wednesday, June 13

width=90,height=130 On Wednesday, June 13, the YLD will host a 20/20 luncheon and panel discussion titled "Philly GenNext." The goal of the panel is to discuss what Philadelphia needs to do to become the "Next Great City" and how the participating organizations are contributing toward that effort.

The discussion will be moderated by Mark Schweiker, President of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Panelists include: Jon Hermann of Campus Philly, Robert Nix of the Police Advisory Commission, Greg Goldman of Wireless Philadelphia, Peggy Amsterdam of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Gerald Furgione of Philly CarShare.

The program begins at 11:45 a.m. in the 11th Floor Conference Center. Lunch will be sponsored by Magna Legal Services, but you must RSVP to attend the program.

Volunteer to Be a Mentor for Law Students

The Young Lawyers Division will join with local law students for its 2007-2008 Mentor program. Members of the YLD will be paired with law students and will meet at a happy hour in June. If you would like to volunteer to be a mentor, please fill out the YLD Mentor Questionnaire.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan McKenna.

PBS' Gwen Ifill to Deliver Higginbotham Lecture at the June 7 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon

width=90,height=130 Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," will deliver the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture at the Association's Thursday, June 7 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon. Read more...

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PBS' Gwen Ifill to Deliver Higginbotham Lecture at the June 7 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon

Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," will deliver the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture at the Association's Thursday, June 7 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon.

A lifelong champion of individual rights, Judge Higginbotham had a legal career that spanned nearly half a century. Since Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, delivered the first Higginbotham lecture in 1999, notables such as Juan Williams, Charles J. Ogletree, Chaka Fattah, Cornel West and Kweisi Mfume have filled the role. New members of the Association's 50-, 60-, 65- and 70-Year Clubs will also be honored at the event. The Year Clubs recognize attorneys who have been practicing law for 50 years or more.

Ifill is frequently asked to moderate debates in national elections, most recently the Vice Presidential debate during the 2004 election. She spent several years as a Washington Week panelist before taking over the moderator's chair in October 1999.

Registration is available here.

Third Time Not the Charm for "Shrek" by Bill Larson

1.5 Buckets of Popcorn out of 4

Who ever said the third time is the charm? So far, the 2007 summer movie season is lackluster and with "Shrek the Third" we are "treated" to another "threequel" at the multiplex and another huge letdown.

When his new father-in-law, King Harold, falls ill, Shrek is considered an heir to Far, Far Away land. But not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to search for a geeky and awkward kid named Arthur (Artie for short) as a possible new king. In the meantime, Princess Fiona is left to fend off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming with her band of royal girlfriends.

"Shrek the Third" technically is OK, but has no soul, no excitement and no feeling. It was ho-hum, and it made me sleepy. It was like the folks at Dreamworks decided one day to make a third Shrek with no idea of how to do it. The story is weak and the film has nowhere near the quality of villain that "Shrek 2" had. The film has a couple (and I do mean a couple) of cool moments, like the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"-like dive bar where all the defeated bad guys and gals hang out. But how sad is it that I felt more for the baddies than the heroes of the film? Pretty sad.

Like "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" made me hunger for part two, which was exciting, character-driven and really good. I wanted to see it again. Luckily, the best part of "Shrek the Third" is that it's a mere 92 minutes. When the credits started to roll, I was so glad to see that it was...get ready for it...ogre.

Cast:

Mike Myers ... Shrek (voice)

Eddie Murphy ... Donkey (voice)

Cameron Diaz ... Princess Fiona (voice)

Antonio Banderas ... Puss In Boots (voice)

Julie Andrews ... Queen Lillian (voice)

John Cleese ... King Harold (voice)

Rupert Everett ... Prince Charming (voice)

Eric Idle ... Merlin (voice)

Justin Timberlake ... Artie (voice)

MPAA: Rated PG for some crude humor, suggestive content and swashbuckling action.

Runtime: 92 min

Human Relations Act Discussion May 31

Stephen A. Glassman and Charles Nier of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will discuss the Human Relations Act and its effect on minorities at the Thursday, May 31 meeting of the Minorities in the Profession Committee.

Glassman is chairperson of the Human Relations Commission and Nier is supervising attorney of the Philadelphia Regional Office of the PHRC. A discussion on predatory lending and minorities is also planned for this program which begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th Floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $7.50 those members who register in advance. Please RSVP to attend the program.

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