New Report: Southern States Have Highest Percentages of “Nonpayers” May 28th, 2010 Source: Tax Foundation Forty-five percent of tax filers in Mississippi had no federal income tax liability in 2008—the highest percentage among all states, according to a new Tax Foundation report based on recently released IRS data. Alaska had the lowest percentage of “nonpayers,” 21 percent. Nationally, the number of nonpayers reached a record high in 2008: roughly 52 million of the 143 million tax returns filed in 2008, or 36 percent. The report, “States Vary Widely in Number of Tax Filers With No Income Tax Liability,” is No. 230 in the Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact series and may be found online at http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/26336.html

The concern is that jurors will assume that prosecutions should play out like they do on the popular TV show CSI: evidence will conclusively point to guilt or innocence and trials will be fast-paced and exciting. If life doesn’t approximate art, the fear goes, jurors could improperly hold it against prosecutors or defendants and render verdicts not supported by the real-life evidence in the case. There is a U.S. News and World Report piece on the so-called CSI Effect on jurors http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/050425/25csi.htm and an article written on the same topic in Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, Vol. 41, 2009 The Ohio State Bar Association recently addressed the issue head on, creating jury instructions that explicitly warn about the influence of CSI and other TV legal dramas, including Boston Legal and Judge Judy. The Ohio jury instructions warn: there are many reasons why you cannot rely on TV legal programs, including the fact that these shows: (1) are not subject to the rules of evidence and (2) are works of fiction that present unrealistic situations for dramatic effect. You must put aside anything you think you know about the legal system that you saw on TV.
WSJ Law Blog May 28, 2010

Dr. Beach — Top 10 Beaches 2010 May 28th, 2010 Source: Dr. Beach (Stephen P. Leatherman) Coopers Beach takes the number one spot in the 20th annual Top 10 Beaches ranking produced by coastal expert Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research. Coopers Beach on the east end of Long Island, New York is the main beach in the Village of Southampton. The rest of the top 10:
2. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida
3. Coronado Beach in San Diego, California
4. Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
5. Main Beach in East Hampton, New York
6. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
7. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
8. Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, South Carolina
9. Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii
10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida

Medicare Part D Beneficiaries Will See 50 Percent Savings on Applicable Drugs in the Coverage Gap in 2011 May 27th, 2010 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new guidance to Part D plan sponsors to guarantee that Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D prescription drug plans will see 50 percent savings on their brand name and some authorized generic drugs when they enter the coverage gap, or donut hole, during 2011. In a notice in the Federal Register, CMS also issued the draft model agreement that drug manufacturers of applicable Part D drugs will sign in order to participate in the discount program. These agreements with manufacturers represent an unprecedented partnership to help millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Discounts will apply when the beneficiary reaches the coverage gap. Eligible beneficiaries will see the discount when they buy their drugs at their local pharmacy counter.

All summer “To Kill a Mockingbird” will be relived through at least 50 events around the country, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of a book that became a cultural touchstone and an enduring staple of high-school reading programs. Its publisher, HarperCollins, is trying to tap into what appears to be a near-endless reserve of affection for the book by helping to organize parties, movie screenings, readings and scholarly discussions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/books/25mock.html

English language A large number of common English words (“jungle,” “nirvana,” “bungalow”) were taken from Indian languages. The Roman occupation of England, from 43 A.D. to the early fifth century, accustomed Celtic-speaking islanders to Latin, which soon became the language of the Romano-British élite. The influence of this is still evident in English topography; for example, the Latin word for camp is castra, which is the reason that so many British place names end in “-chester” or “-cester.” In 1066, the Norman invasion established French as the language of government, but it did not dislodge English. Instead, the assimilation of elements of French into English produced Middle English and, with it, the basic profile of the language we still speak: a large vocabulary of Germanic and French-derived words organized with a simplified Germanic grammar
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/05/31/100531crbo_books_chotiner?currentPage=all