October 21, 2010

Want to Learn More about Ecosystem Services?

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Environment
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Green Law posts:

Pace Law School proudly hosted its annual Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture on October 18, this year featuring renowned scholar James Salzman, the Samuel F. Mordecai Professor of Law and Nicholas Institute Professor of Environmental Policy at Duke University. His lecture, entitled What is the Emperor Wearing? A Critical Look at the Potential of Ecosystem Services for Environmental Protection, offered an insightful glimpse into the increasingly popular field of payments for ecosystem services (PES). Using the New York City drinking water supply system as an historic example of the economic potential of natural capital, Professor Salzman described the many ways in which mechanisms designed to incorporate ecosystem services may be institutionalized and strengthened. Perhaps more importantly, he skillfully identified many of the factors preventing the more widespread appreciation for these services – from market failures to institutional impediments.

Given the rapidly deteriorating state of ecosystems and natural environments throughout the global community – and the associated loss of invaluable economic and environmental services – Professor Salzman’s remarks were timely and broadly applicable. While conscious of the limitations and theoretical problems inherent to the PES model, Professor Salzman convinced us of its usefulness as a  framework for assessing and integrating environmental priorities into our societal structures.

To listen to this impressive lecture in its entirety, please click here.

 

October 20, 2010

Will China become more powerful than the USA?

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under China
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This evening I attended my local library’s International Series presentation “China in 2025: a Country More Powerful than the USA?” with Loïc Tassé, Political Scientist and Sinologist at the University of Montreal.

Mr. Tassé discussed his views on a simply phrased question: “Will China become a more powerful country than the United States by 2025?”

He suggested that there were three types of superpower status, (1) economic, (2) scientific, and (3) military, and that evidence suggests that China is on pace to meet or surpass the U.S. on all accounts.  In his view, China has become so successful so quickly due to the centralized control of the Communist Party (he views claims of current decentralization as overstated) and the country’s pragmatic management of its economy.  Mr. Tassé suggested three factors that may ultimately limit China’s rise: poor environmental conditions (e.g., polluted water sources), uneven development between the coastal provinces and the more rural interior, and social problems causes by population demographics, specifically so many more men than women.

In Q&A, I think he made a key point (a point that I agree with an explains so much about China’s policies on everything from human rights to climate change)–that most Chinese citizens dislike the rule of the Communist Party and what exists is a tacit agreement where so long as economic prosperity continues, citizens will remain satisfied, but if the economy stalls, the Chinese will start questioning the ruling party.

 

October 20, 2010

Vermont Governor Race a Toss-Up

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Politics
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Reports 538:

Vermont: We finally have a new poll here. Mason-Dixon surveyed the race and found the Republican, Brian Dubie, running 1 point ahead of the Democrat, Peter Shumlin. The only previous polls of the state had been from Rasmussen Reports; the most recent showed Mr. Shumlin with a small lead. The race is a tossup.

 

October 19, 2010

What’s going on at SSRN?

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Announcements, Law, Law Schools, Life, Scholarship
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What’s going on at SSRN?  Over at Prawfsblawg, Dan Markel has a post entitled “SSRN, WTF?” questioning SSRN’s terms of service which allow editing and translation.  Now see below my correspondence with SSRN, since they now want to print and sell my work.  I emailed my colleagues immediately about this, writing: “Colleagues.  See the email below.  I have chosen to opt out of this option for environmental reasons and so as not to upset the apple cart on all my pre-existing copyright agreements that allowed for online publication of my articles on SSRN, but failed to make any mention of actual print distribution.”

My edited (for length) reply to SSRN with their original email below:

I do not want to have my papers on the SSRN eLibrary available for the new hard copy service.

I suspect many others will not want his as well since it may conflict with various copyright agreements.

Thanks,

Jason J. Czarnezki

Professor of Law

Vermont Law School

From: Gregg Gordon [mailto:Admin@SSRN.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:49 PM
To: czarnezki@gmail.com
Subject: SSRN Announces Forthcoming “Purchase Bound Hard Copy” option for Free PDF documents in SSRN eLibrary

Dear Jason J. Czarnezki,

In response to requests from authors and readers to purchase printed and bound hard copies of papers on SSRN, we will soon release a “Purchase Bound Hard Copy” service for most free PDF files in SSRN’s eLibrary. We have contracted with a New York company to do the printing, binding and shipping.

The price for one or more bound hard copies will be $9.99 per copy plus shipping. Free PDF files with a minimum of 19 pages and a maximum of 240 pages will be eligible for printing. The PDF document will be printed in black and white, “perfect bound” with a glossy color cover, and shipped to United States addresses only. A “Purchase Bound Hard Copy” option will be added on the abstract page of each eligible paper. The existing options, including free One-Click Download, will remain the same, and each purchased hard copy will count as a download.

Any author, who does not want to have his or her free papers in the SSRN eLibrary available for this new service, can opt out at any time by emailing the request to AuthorSupport@SSRN.com, or calling the SSRN office at 877-SSRNHelp (877.777.6435) in the United States, or +1 585 442 8170 outside of the United States, between 8:30 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday (U.S. Eastern). If you request to opt out of the “Purchase Bound Hard Copy” service, ALL papers that are authored or co-authored by you will not display the “Purchase Bound Hard Copy” option on your abstract page(s). Please notify us by Friday, October 29, 2010 if you do not want your papers included in the initial roll-out of this new service. You may change your participation status at any time in the future.

We hope you will enjoy the convenience of this new service.

Gregg Gordon
President
Social Science Research Network

 

October 19, 2010

Conservation – A Czarnezki Family Tradition

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Environment, Life, Natural Resources
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In an earlier post I discussed famous Wisconsin conservationists and, as a small tribute, I mentioned by grandfather Gerald Czarnezki, a long time Milwaukee County Parks worker and naturalist who was a proud member of the first graduating class of the conservation education program at the Central State Teachers College at Stevens Point, now UW-Stevens Point.

In comments to that post, readers mentioned other noted Wisconsin environmentalists and one comment (admittedly made by my mother, who as a good mom actually reads my blog) felt compelled to list my dad, Joe Czarnezki, a former state senator who was the recipient of numerous “Clean 16” awards from Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade and author of the law which made Wisconsin the first state in the nation to legislatively ban toxic shot for waterfowl hunting.

Needless to say I am very proud of my family’s environmental history.

Since my family has now been implicated, in addition to my grandfather and father, I want to acknowledge the other conservationists/environmentalists/naturalists in the family.  I don’t want to embarrass my relatives, but I’m quite proud of them, and it should be of no surprise after reading this, how I ended up interested in environmental law and natural resources policy.  While I’m sure I’ll miss folks (and don’t want to list their names since they know who they are, and I don’t want to invade their privacy), my second cousin works in the Forestry Division of the WI Department of Natural Resources, my uncle is a former Alaskan Park Ranger who also worked at South Pole, and two of my dad’s cousins are, respectively, a former biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation and natural resources planner on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.  Family members are welcome to add to the list, which likely includes an additional four generations of my grandfathers that were foresters and lumberjacks.

 

October 19, 2010

Blog Book for Vermont2China

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Life
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I found a great new service called Blog2Print that allows one to print their blog into a book.  We have now done so for our Vermont2China blog that chronicled our year in China.  See here.

 

October 18, 2010

Ken Burns, My National Parks Bucketlist & WI Conservationists

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Environment, Life, Natural Resources, Outdoor Recreation, Parks
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I’ve started watching the Ken Burns’ documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, and today showed the first hour to my Natural Resources Law class.  The film brought to mind two initial thoughts.

First, after watching about John Muir, I considered all the environmentalists/conservationists/outdoorsmen from Wisconsin (where I grew up)–Muir, Aldo Leopold, Owen Gromme, Gaylord Nelson, and, of course, my grandfather Gerald Czarnezki (a proud member of the first graduating class of the conservation education program at the Central State Teachers College at Stevens Point, now UW-Stevens Point).   Of note, Wisconsin passed the Conservation Education Statute that required “adequate instruction in the conservation of natural resources” in order to be certified to teach science or social studies, and the state legislature also required that conservation of natural resources be taught in public elementary and high schools.

Second, it made me want to create a lists of national parks that I want to see for the first time or return to.  The list so far:

  1. Yosemite
  2. Grand Canyon
  3. Kenai Fjords
  4. Glacier Bay
  5. Return to Yellowstone and Grand Teton with family
  6. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
  7. Redwood
  8. Glacier

I’ll keep adding to the list, and will likely add more  once I finish the Burns documentary.  Please feel free to suggest some additions.  The Park Service does have an interactive map online.

Updated: I’ve added to my list– 9. Muir Woods, 10. Crater Lake, 11. Zion

 

October 18, 2010

2010 Tied (So Far) for Warmest on Record

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Climate Change, Environment
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…reports Green blog.

 

October 18, 2010

Live Blogging Election Day on Nov. 2

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under Politics
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I hope to live blog election day on Nov. 2, but according to this report, I may be in for a long night if the Alaska U.S. Senate race is meaningful in determining control of the Senate.

 

October 17, 2010

Chinese Students and Letters of Recommendation

Posted by Jason J. Czarnezki under China, Law Schools, Life
[3] Comments 

While in China, I was told (by both Chinese and American professors) that Chinese students expect you to write recommendation letters that they can place in their permanent files.  For most Chinese professors, these letters are relatively standardized, positive, and done as a matter of course without a lot of individualized attention.   I haven’t been asked to write any letters for my former Chinese students who only plan to continue their education in China, but my recommendation has been sought by a significant number of students who want to study in the United States, Cananda, and the UK.  My former Chinese students are surprised to find that most schools (and LSAC) do not anticipate that students will see their letters of recommendation, and are absolutely shocked that I will not send them my letters of recommendation to them for their review.  They insist that I send them the letter for their review, and when I decline the first assumption is that I’m not understanding their request.  I assure them that I understand their request, but that it is best for them to formally waive their rights to review (e.g., on the LSAC form), and that I would have declined to write them a letter if I could not write a positive recommendation.  I’ve very upfront with my Chinese and American students about whether I believe I can write a good letter on their behalf, as well as strategize what key characteristics I should discuss.  But am I being too conservative here?  Should all my students just be able to see my letters first, and then they can decide whether it enhances their file?

 

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