London Update

I know it's been a few days since my last update, so bear with me as I summarize the events of the past week.

(Note - Some parts of this post are a few days old . . . So I apologize if the writing doesn't flow neatly).

Last Sunday (06-06-10) - We finished up our adventures in Galway with a trip to Inish More, the largest of the Aran Islands. It was a pretty great trip: We biked around the Island, took some pictures, explored Dun Aenghus, and went swimming off the coast. I can't say that skinny dipping off the coast of Ireland was on my Bucket List, but now I can say that I've crossed it off. After barely making it back to the ferry, we left Galway behind and headed back to Dublin, where we hopped a plane back to London the following morning.

Tuesday (06-08-10) - We began our course on Comparative Counter Terrorism at 10 in the Morning. Our instructor, John Radsan, is a bit of a character. His teaching style can best be described as . . . "animated." Monday's class concerned topics such as the threats to American and British national security. After a few hours of lecture and discussion, we headed to a local pub, The Lamb Tavern to eat, drink and socialize.

Wednesday (06-09-10) - Day two of Comparative Counter Terrorism. Tuesdays lecture/discussion concerned the topic of criminal trials v. military tribunals for suspected terrorists and 9-11 plotters. As the day ended and I returned to NIDO (our living facilities) I was a bit anxious about checking for grades (maybe "dreading" is the better word). Unfortunately, there were no updates. Come on Mitchell . . . Pull the freaking Band-aid off!!!

Thursday (06-10-10) - Day three of CCT. Today we discussed Predator drones, the moral/legal implications of their use, Articles 2 and 3 of the Geneva convention, and the "rules of war." We also attempted to answer a hypothetical:

Should and may the United States target Osama bin Laden for a Predator strike if intelligence reveals that he always keeps at least three adopted four-year old Afghan boys with him at all times?

The topics this course is running us through are fascinating. We've also been informed that next Monday Kerri Miller from Minnesota Public Radio will be coming to report on our class discussions, counter terrorism, and the anniversary of the 7/7 suicide bombings in London.

Friday (06-11-10) - Grades for Contracts were posted last night. I'm happy. Not thrilled, but I'm a touch above the average and (most importantly, I survived).

Anyway, Day 4 of CCT. Today we discussed the American States Secrets privilege, and the rather strange Totten Doctrine.

Apparently, President Lincoln personally hired a spy to scout out Confederate territory during the civil war. Lincoln (allegedly) promised to pay this spy (William Loyd) $200 a month plus expenses. You can guess what happened next--"Honest Abe" apparently didn't make good on his promise. So, after Loyd passed away, his estate sued the United States Government to recover for breach on what basically amounts to an espionage contract. The Supreme Court basically knocked down the suit, holding that civil courts cannot hear cases involving secret espionage contracts with the state. I found a really funny limerick online relating to the case:

The President gamely employed
But then stiffed an agent named Lloyd.
Abe knew Lee’s plan
Because of this man,
But the court found his legal claims void.

- Jeremy Telman

Saturday (06-12-10) - Finally, the weekend is here. After a bit of a run-around (due mostly to the random repairs of the London Tube System), a few of us made our way over to Buckingham Palace in time to see the Queen's Parade (she just turned 84). After that, I walked around London for most of the day enjoying a bit of ice cream (and anti-fur demonstration at Harrods Department Store (I think the ice cream was the only thing I could actually afford there), and a pleasant walk around Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James' Park.

The evening was spent in the best possible way. A few of us went to a place called The York, pulled up a table right next to a t.v. and watched as the U.S. Soccer team duked it out with England. In order to make things a little more interesting, Tom and I place a little bet on the U.S. It was a small bet, but the odds were so against us that . . . well . . . let's just say we would have been drinking for the next few days from the Cup of Glory . . . relishing the victory of American Soccer . . . and celebrating the broken dreams of English school children . . . but we tied.

Lame.

More updates to come . . .

Ireland Update

DUBLIN-

Our first day in Dublin (06-03-2010) was incredibly eventful. Tom, Noelle and I made our way to Trinity College, where we walked about for a bit and visited the Book of Kells and Long Library. We took a few pictures outside, but photographs inside the exhibits was strictly prohibited.

After visiting the scholarly part of the Island of Saints and Scholars, we walked around the streets of Dublin (past the Leinster House (Irish Parliament) and through St. Stephen's Green (a local park) and over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. We made our way over to the Guinness Brewery. We all felt that a tour of the Guinness Storehouse and a pint of one the finest stout beers in the world was absolutely necessary. While we were there, I noticed that the bar had free wifi and took advantage of the opportunity to test out the Skype app on my I-pod. I gave dad a call, talked for a few minutes and declared the app a success.

DUBLIN NIGHTLIFE-

The night life in Dublin consisted of a few bottles of cheap wine (imbibed in the safety of our hostel), followed by (in the words of our English hostel roomie) "a bit of moderate drinking" at a few of the local pubs and clubs. We ultimately ended up at this place called the Button Factory where we befriended a few of the locals.

DUBLIN THE NEXT DAY/GALWAY-

Dublin the next day (06-04-2010)was fairly relaxed. After visiting Dublin's famous General Post Office to drop off a few post cards we hopped on a bus to Galway.

We arrived in Galway in the evening.

Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of bad luck when we arrived at our hostel. As we were getting settled, Noelle quickly realized that her wallet had gone missing from her bag. We're not sure how it happened, but it seemed that someone (probably someone on the bus) lifted it . . . or perhaps it was misplaced . . . either way it was gone.

After going through the normal motions (retracing our steps back to the bus station, asking the bus employees a few questions, and calling the station that we had stopped at along the way) we headed back to the hostel so that Noelle could cancel her cards. A few Skype app/phone calls later, the cards had been canceled. Thank God for the Skype app.

There is an upside to the story, however. It seems that no charges had been made on the card (which leads me to believe that someone either grabbed it, pocketed the money and tossed the rest in a bin or found it and turned it in somewhere). All in all, the situation certainly could have been worse. In the colorful words of our hostel owner: "You could've been shanked."

After we sorted out the card situation. We headed out to grab some food. By this time it was a bit late. Most of the local bars had stopped serving food, and all of the restaurants were packed-- so we decided to enjoy a little piece of Americana: Subway . . . yeah, I know we're in Ireland . . . but it had been a long day and we needed quick, cheap food.

GALWAY THE NEXT DAY/THE CLIFFS OF MOHER-

Today (06-05-2010) we got up early and caught a bus out to the Cliffs of Moher.

Beautiful . . . just beautiful.

We took a lot of pictures (which, by the way, will be posted as soon as I can get back to my computer in London) and ventured out a ways into the surrounding countryside. A few hours later, we were back in Galway enjoying an early dinner at the local burger and sandwich joint.

More updates to follow . . .

We're Here (Dublin)

We somehow managed to make our way to Dublin.

After dropping our bags off at our accommodations in London (thank you
Kevin for letting us use your room), we quickly made our way back to
Kings Cross and hopped onto a train . . . Which would ideally lead us
to another train, which would take us to Gatwick Airport, which had a
plain that would take us to Dublin.

We ran into a few snags along the way (difficulties with the train
ticket systems and a very stressful time crunch), but somehow we
managed to make it to the airport just in time (seriously, we only
just made it.)

Once aboard, I sat down and took a very much needed snooze. When I
awoke, an hour or so later, we had landed in Dublin.

After checking into our hostel (Abraham Inn), we made our way to a
fine establishment, where we had diner and a pint . . . This would be
my first real meal since the BBQ at the Ohlhauser's on Monday. And
what a meal it was! Steak and Guinness pie!

Well, the battery on this I-pod can only hold out for so long.

More updates to come . . .

--
John Fitzgerald

651-769-5441

We're Here!!!

It was a long flight--and I only got about 30 minutes of sleep--but we're here!!!

We got in at around 11:45 (local time). After picking up the bags, we made our way onto a train, and over to King's Cross.

This post is going to sound a bit rushed. We've made it to Nido (our living accommodations), however we've hit a snag. The plan was to run over to Nido, drop off our bags and head out to Ireland. Unfortunately, they Nido staff isn't letting us drop our bags off early (for free). So, we're currently waiting for another one of our classmates (who's already signed up to check in early) to arrive so we can leave our bags in his room.

Hopefully the next post will be from Ireland and a bit more detailed.

Hurry Kevin!!!

A Little Over a Week Away . . .

I'm sitting here in a coffee shop in Woodbury, Minnesota—typing out a blog post, while I should probably be working on my Law Review Case Note.

In about a week I will be leaving for William Mitchell's “Summer in London” program—or, what my friends and I have unofficially dubbed “Adventures in London.”

While I’m there/here, I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.

I’ll be taking a class on Comparative Counter Terrorism. Here’s the course description:

"Through real-life scenarios, examine issues that democracies confront as they deal with suspected terrorists and the threat of terrorism. With American and British experts providing guidance and leading small-group discussions, define, debate, and develop international standards for handling the complex problems of terrorism in the 21st century. Topics include irregular rendition, interrogation, military trials, criminal charges, and the monitoring of attorney-client communications with William Mitchell College of Law Professor Afsheen John Radsan and New England Law -Boston Professor Victor Hansen."

I will also be taking a class on Comparative Corporate Governance. Here’s the course description:

"Explore the issues that corporate and shareholder clients face in today’s global economy. Academics and practitioners who are experts in corporate governance facilitate class discussions and guide group exercises that are designed to give students a perspective on the issues that corporate and shareholder clients face in today’s global economy. Issues include board discretion, management misconduct, legal impediments to shareholder involvement in corporate affairs, shareholder litigation, and investor protection around the world with William Mitchell College of Law Professor Thuy-Nga Vo and California Western School of Law Professor Andrea Johnson."

In addition to my classes, I have a few goals for this trip (some I came up with; some came as suggestions from others).

• Take a lot of pictures
• Take in a Play (at least one)
• Visit the Parks (Particularly, St. Jame's Park)
• Visit Ireland
• Visit Europe proper
• Visit Wimbledon
• Do the various "tourist things" in London
• Do the unconventional (non-tourist) things in London
• Keep this blog updated throughout the trip
• Meet some new people and have some fun (obviously)

Well, that's the plan. With any luck (and no activity from a certain volcano . . . Knock . . . On . . . Wood!!!) I will be flying over the Atlantic in a little over a week.