PASS THE TIME: TV SHOWS AND VIDEO GAMES TO BINGE YOUR WAY THROUGH QUARANTINE

By Matthew Sullivan and John Coffey We’re all stuck at home because of Covid-19, and it’s no fun. So we at the Commentary decided to recommend some binge-worthy TV shows and video games to help you get through these tough times. Two contributing writers, Matthew Sullivan and John Coffey, have banded together to bring you a list that we think you’ll love! [KEY]Recommendations by … Continue reading PASS THE TIME: TV SHOWS AND VIDEO GAMES TO BINGE YOUR WAY THROUGH QUARANTINE

CWSL CommentaryOctober 31, 2020October 31, 2020Leave a comment

Current Issue, Entertainment

Challenging the Old Ways of Music Royalties in the Digital Age: Good or Bad?

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The rise of the internet and the digital age have drastically changed many industries.

One of the best examples of this is the music industry, where almost every aspect of the business has had to adapt to new digital market trends. Recently, there was a case that was settled between the estate of Rick Nelson and Sony Music Entertainment. The claim arose from a challenge to how royalties are handled with regards to digital international distribution, resulting in a settlement that is being regarded as favorable to artists.

The question is: are these digital-era changes good for the music business?

CWSL CommentarySeptember 27, 2020September 27, 2020Leave a comment

Entertainment, Past Issues

Epic is Trying to Take a Bite Out of Apple

By John Coffey

Over the summer COVID 19 prevented many people from heading out on vacations. For the video game industry having a literal captive audience saw new heights both in sales and finding new audiences, desperate for some entertainment with theaters, bars, restaurants, and amusement parks still closed. Nintendo’s quarterly sales tripled over the same period last year[1] and Animal Crossing: New Horizons which released at the same time most states were implementing stay at home orders has sold over 22 million copies in the 6 months since it’s release, becoming the 2nd highest selling game on the three-year-old system.[2] With a public willing to spend millions on electronic entertainment other tech companies have wanted to secure a larger portion of the pie for themselves. Continue reading “Epic is Trying to Take a Bite Out of Apple”

CWSL CommentarySeptember 27, 2020October 31, 2020Leave a comment

Entertainment, Past Issues

Top 5 Legal Movies You Should See Before You Graduate

By Daniel Inacio

In honor of the 92^nd Annual Academy awards, I felt it pertinent to share some of the best Hollywood depictions of the legal world. And while studying law may not always be the most exciting way to occupy your time, watching it in films certainly is. Unfortunately, many law students have not seen any legal movies beyond Legally Blonde. I have included a list below of legal movies that take you to all over, from jury deliberation rooms and English Inns of Court, to military tribunals and toxic tort battles against big chemical companies.

Continue reading “Top 5 Legal Movies You Should See Before You Graduate”

CWSL CommentaryFebruary 8, 2020September 27, 2020Leave a comment

Entertainment, Past Issues

The Sovereign Nation of Hip-Hop

By Jonathan A. Gonzalez

The late and great Notorious B.I.G. once rapped: “Remember ‘Rappin’ Duke’? Duh-ha, duh-ha/ You Never thought that hip would take it this far.” Hip-hop that started in New York’s boroughs has evolved into one of the most influential cultures in the United States and around the world. Hip hop is no longer just a genre, it is a full-on global phenomenon; “Rap music has long been considered a form of resistance against authority. Boosted by the commercialization of the music industry, that message has proven its appeal to youth all around the world. Now, from Shanghai to Nairobi to São Paulo, hip-hop is evolving into a truly global art of communication.”[1]

Continue reading “The Sovereign Nation of Hip-Hop”

CWSL CommentaryFebruary 8, 2020September 27, 2020Leave a comment

Campus News, Entertainment, Past Issues

First Time in a DECADE

By Professor A.W. Campbell

It’s been over a decade since my horse and I did what we did today.

Three years ago, out of frustration, I quit polo. I could no longer hit the ball straight. That resulted from three mallet-arm issues. First, my right shoulder was anchored to a healed-but-overlapped broken collar bone. Second, only tendons connected that arm to my shoulder-blade; the nerves had been severed by a near-fatal fall. Third, I’d ripped two right-arm tendons out of my skeleton.

Continue reading “First Time in a DECADE”

CWSL CommentaryNovember 10, 2019February 8, 2020Leave a comment

Campus News, Entertainment, Past Issues, Sports

INTRAMURAL SPORTS–LEAGUE EXPANSION

By Breanna Hayes

This trimester, CWSL saw the expansion of intramural sports thanks in part to 2L, Jonathan Gonzalez. In previous years, CWSL’s Student Bar Association has partnered with Thomas Jefferson School of Law to offer co-ed basketball and flag football leagues. New to the lineup this trimester is the co-ed intramural soccer league, consisting of 3 teams of majority Cal Western players. Under Jon’s direction, the SBA aims to further expand the program and offer basketball and soccer leagues in both the fall and spring trimesters. There is even rumor of a kickball league coming Spring 2020! If you don’t think sports are your thing, guaranteed you can dodge a ball better than you can dodge an Einesman cold call (but respect to Patches O’Houlihan all the same).

Continue reading “INTRAMURAL SPORTS–LEAGUE EXPANSION”

CWSL CommentaryNovember 10, 2019February 8, 2020Leave a comment

Entertainment

Fun after finals — Speakeasies around San Diego

By Jennifer Brown

When we think of the Prohibition Era, we think of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his book The Great Gatsby, of speakeasies, flappers, partying, etc. It was time where women really became independent as a whole by being reckless and defying the status quo. It was a fascinating time, one that would be exciting to go back and live during, even for a day. For those of you that are fascinated with the events and trends that took place, which gave the era its infamous name, The Roaring 20’s, there are ways to relive that time today, in the 21^st Century.

Many speakeasies are still open today, even some of the original ones that were open during the 1920’s. Of course, all are totally legal now, but it is still exciting to dress up in your 1920’s best and go to the speakeasies that exist today. San Diego is home to a few speakeasies and hidden bars that can satisfy your curiosity as to what life was like at the time.

CWSL CommentaryApril 8, 2019April 8, 2019Leave a comment

Entertainment

POLL: Which professor would survive a zombie apocalypse?

To be honest, The Commentary has almost run out of ways to reduce the stress around finals. This edition features a student-written column on exam hacks. In the past, we have posted advice from the experts on exam preparation. We have also debunked myths about the grading curve. Earlier this trimester, we even lightened the mood by sharing professors’ stories about their worst grade in law school.

The obvious next step? Pure escapism. This month, we polled the faculty on which colleague they’d rate the most likely to survive a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.

Read their nominations below, and then vote for your pick!

CWSL CommentaryApril 8, 2019April 10, 2019Leave a comment

Campus News, Entertainment

Law meets fiction: Batman oral arguments, student publishes novel

By Sara Gold, Editor-in-Chief

Students defend Arkham Asylum in Batman mock trial

Ching-Yun Li, second from left, and Claudia Salinas, second from right, defended Arkham Asylum at a mock trial at San Diego Comic Fest.

Claudia Salinas (1L) and Ching-Yun Li (3L) were selected from among law student applicants nationwide to participate in a Batman-themed mock trial at San Diego Comic Fest on March 9.

Joined by teammate Zachary Sterling from the University of Kentucky College of Law, Salinas and Li served as defense counsel for Arkham Asylum, the psychiatric hospital featured in the Batman comic books. Arkham Asylum was on trial for alleged civil rights violations against comic book supervillain Two-Face (former lawyer Harvey Dent).

CWSL CommentaryApril 8, 2019April 11, 2019Leave a comment