Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Press Release of the Day: "Look At Me, I'm A Lawyer!"
I get a lot of press releases and story pitches in my work inbox, and, most of the time, I ignore them. Whenever something important happens, self-promoters go on a blitz to cast themselves as "experts" so they can hoodwink some quote-hungry reporter into using them as a source for a story. Everybody wins - the reporter gets his quote, and the "expert" gets more ammo for their next PR blitz ("...as quoted by the New York Times...").
The only problem is that a lot of it is bullshit, and weeding through them often isn't worth the effort.
This is the kind of stuff I get on a regular basis: "Are you writing about the Supreme Court's health care decision? I've got a broccoli farmer who'd love to talk about Congress's power to force vegetable purchases under the the Commerce Clause... Writing about the controversial Keystone pipeline? You should talk to this gas station owner who has proof that Obama wants oil prices to rise so he can usher in his Kenyan-Communist master plan!"
But sometimes irrelevant stuff catches my eye, like this absolute gem from today that practically begs to be ignored.
Rather than summarize the release and tamper with its greatness, here it is, re-posted in its entirety.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012
New York City Lawyer OK With Being Labeled ‘Obsessive’
Up-to-date legal scholar Michael M. Menicucci approaches 25 years in practice
NEW YORK – New York City attorney Michael M.Menicucci is admittedly obsessive when it comes to being a leader in his field.
“I’m fixated – but in a good way,” said the seasoned legal scholar and principle of Menicucci,Villa & Associates.
Many of today’s legal concerns, he said, involve recent legislative changes that could render case law or once-standard procedures obsolete.
“If staying up-to-date on court decisions and regulatory makeovers for my clients means I’m obsessive, the label fits,” said Menicucci, who is one of the New York region’s foremost authorities on the legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Clients -- ranging from builders and banks to families, large corporations, small-business owners and lawyers -- commonly depend on Menicucci’s expertise in matters of property law; business transactions; partnerships and corporations; regulatory disputes; administrative law; comprehensive estate planning; offshore asset protection; forensic accounting; will contests, and trust and probate litigation.
“A lack of adequate knowledge and experience involving any of these matters could devastate a client’s finances,” Menicucci said. “This is why it’s so important for an attorney to be in the forefront of regulatory changes and court decisions before offering advice, sitting at a negotiating table or entering a courtroom to represent a client.”
A member of the New York State Bar for nearly 25 years, Menicucci launched his private practice in 1988, efficiently growing it into a powerhouse practice. Fourteen years later, his endeavor further blossomed into the law firm of Menicucci, Villa & Asociates.
Earlier, 1985 to 1988, Menicucci worked as the confidential assistant to the borough president of Staten Island. From 1982 to 1985, he drafted and developed federal environmental measures as legislative assistant to then
Congressman Guy V. Molinari.
Menicucci attributes his years of success to a combination of unrelenting due diligence and a work ethic instilled in him by his father.
“There should be no compromise when a client hires you, expecting the very best representation,” Menicucci said.
“You either know the law and do what’s best for your client, or look elsewhere for a less demanding career. It’s that simple.”
Menicucci may be reached at 718-667-9090 or via e-mail at: MMenicucci@menicuccivilla.com
About Menicucci . Villa & Associates
Menicucci, Villa & Associates PPLC is one of the New York region’s leading law firms with an expertise in the legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Based in Staten Island, N.Y., the team of Menicucci, Villa &Associates is widely recognized as one of the top law practices of its kind in metropolitan New York. The firm may be reach at 718-667-9090 or via e-mail at SILawyers@menicuccivilla.com.
CAPTION: Attorney Michael Menicucci is one of the New York region’s foremost authorities on the
legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Media Contact: Barton Horowitz
Relevant Public Relations, LLC
Headquarters: 718‑682‑1509
Mobile: 917‑715‑8761
Email: Bhorowitz@RelevantPR.com
(Hat tip to fellow reporter Bibeka, who passed it along to me).
The only problem is that a lot of it is bullshit, and weeding through them often isn't worth the effort.
This is the kind of stuff I get on a regular basis: "Are you writing about the Supreme Court's health care decision? I've got a broccoli farmer who'd love to talk about Congress's power to force vegetable purchases under the the Commerce Clause... Writing about the controversial Keystone pipeline? You should talk to this gas station owner who has proof that Obama wants oil prices to rise so he can usher in his Kenyan-Communist master plan!"
But sometimes irrelevant stuff catches my eye, like this absolute gem from today that practically begs to be ignored.
So, congratulations to the winner of today's "Most Transparently Self-Serving Press Release," NY attorney Michael Menicucci, who wants you to know that he has been practicing law for nearly 25 years and doesn't mind being called obsessive.
Is this a Hannibal Burress joke cleverly disguised as a sad PR grab?
Is this a Hannibal Burress joke cleverly disguised as a sad PR grab?
Or did the PR guy just write a bio for the lawyer's website, and say, "What the hell, maybe I can send out a bunch of emails and see if anyone bites"? He doesn't even try to make it relevant to anybody but Michael Menicucci!
That's particularly ironic, coming from a PR firm called "Relevant Public Relations LLC."
Rather than summarize the release and tamper with its greatness, here it is, re-posted in its entirety.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012
New York City Lawyer OK With Being Labeled ‘Obsessive’
Up-to-date legal scholar Michael M. Menicucci approaches 25 years in practice
NEW YORK – New York City attorney Michael M.Menicucci is admittedly obsessive when it comes to being a leader in his field.
“I’m fixated – but in a good way,” said the seasoned legal scholar and principle of Menicucci,Villa & Associates.
Many of today’s legal concerns, he said, involve recent legislative changes that could render case law or once-standard procedures obsolete.
“If staying up-to-date on court decisions and regulatory makeovers for my clients means I’m obsessive, the label fits,” said Menicucci, who is one of the New York region’s foremost authorities on the legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Clients -- ranging from builders and banks to families, large corporations, small-business owners and lawyers -- commonly depend on Menicucci’s expertise in matters of property law; business transactions; partnerships and corporations; regulatory disputes; administrative law; comprehensive estate planning; offshore asset protection; forensic accounting; will contests, and trust and probate litigation.
“A lack of adequate knowledge and experience involving any of these matters could devastate a client’s finances,” Menicucci said. “This is why it’s so important for an attorney to be in the forefront of regulatory changes and court decisions before offering advice, sitting at a negotiating table or entering a courtroom to represent a client.”
A member of the New York State Bar for nearly 25 years, Menicucci launched his private practice in 1988, efficiently growing it into a powerhouse practice. Fourteen years later, his endeavor further blossomed into the law firm of Menicucci, Villa & Asociates.
Earlier, 1985 to 1988, Menicucci worked as the confidential assistant to the borough president of Staten Island. From 1982 to 1985, he drafted and developed federal environmental measures as legislative assistant to then
Congressman Guy V. Molinari.
Menicucci attributes his years of success to a combination of unrelenting due diligence and a work ethic instilled in him by his father.
“There should be no compromise when a client hires you, expecting the very best representation,” Menicucci said.
“You either know the law and do what’s best for your client, or look elsewhere for a less demanding career. It’s that simple.”
Menicucci may be reached at 718-667-9090 or via e-mail at: MMenicucci@menicuccivilla.com
About Menicucci . Villa & Associates
Menicucci, Villa & Associates PPLC is one of the New York region’s leading law firms with an expertise in the legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Based in Staten Island, N.Y., the team of Menicucci, Villa &Associates is widely recognized as one of the top law practices of its kind in metropolitan New York. The firm may be reach at 718-667-9090 or via e-mail at SILawyers@menicuccivilla.com.
CAPTION: Attorney Michael Menicucci is one of the New York region’s foremost authorities on the
legal details of banking and finance, including federal regulatory-compliance issues; residential and commercial real estate transactions; commercial litigation, and trusts and estates.
Media Contact: Barton Horowitz
Relevant Public Relations, LLC
Headquarters: 718‑682‑1509
Mobile: 917‑715‑8761
Email: Bhorowitz@RelevantPR.com
(Hat tip to fellow reporter Bibeka, who passed it along to me).
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
How much is an apology worth? In U.S. -Pakistan fight, $2.1B
"We are sorry," Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Wednesday. She's sorry for the deaths of 21 Pakistani soldiers who reportedly fired (repeatedly) at U.S./NATO troops patrolling the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, but she's surely also sorry that the political blowup - fueled by Pakistan's dissatisfaction with previous U.S. apologies - has cost the U.S. roughly $2.1 billion and further recalcitrance from a dubious ally.
Clinton's apology has helped re-open the Ground Lines of Communication, military jargon for the ground transportation routes through Pakistan that the U.S. uses to supply its forces in Afghanistan. The routes had been closed since the November border skirmish that killed the Pakistani soldiers, forcing the U.S. to rely on expensive alternatives, such as longer roads through Russia and Central Asia and more airlifts.
In a previous post, "In War, $100M A Month Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry", I talked about the absurdity of a formal apology being a sticking point in the U.S.-Pakistan negotiations. But with overall costs of re-routes exceeding $2.1 billion so far (and disrupting war funding enough that the Department of Defense asked Congress to reshuffle $8 billion in contingency funds), I guess the U.S. decided enough was enough, and that it could extend itself beyond offering "condolences," "deep regrets" and acknowledging mistakes.
Although both the State Department and Department of Defense downplayed the role of the apology in negotiations, Pakistani officials continued to publicly insistent on a more formal apology. And the apology plays prominently in Clinton's official statement today, dominating from the first paragraph.
"I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.
As I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect." -- Hilary Clinton.
Pakistan's insistence on a formal apology must be maddening for the State Department and Defense Department, who must surely be thinking "but they started it!" (in terms of shots fired), at least on some gut level. Pakistan is so focused on "respect" that they ignore their repeated failures in the complicated and dysfunctional relationship -- from its failure to police its borders for Taliban fighters to its failure to capture Osama Bin Laden (compounded by the later treason conviction for a Pakistani doctor who tried to help Americans discover his whereabouts). At some point, Pakistan, in so many things, needs to figure out that respect needs to be earned, and insisting on it will just get you into pointless and embarrassing fights over semantics.
Clinton's apology has helped re-open the Ground Lines of Communication, military jargon for the ground transportation routes through Pakistan that the U.S. uses to supply its forces in Afghanistan. The routes had been closed since the November border skirmish that killed the Pakistani soldiers, forcing the U.S. to rely on expensive alternatives, such as longer roads through Russia and Central Asia and more airlifts.
In a previous post, "In War, $100M A Month Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry", I talked about the absurdity of a formal apology being a sticking point in the U.S.-Pakistan negotiations. But with overall costs of re-routes exceeding $2.1 billion so far (and disrupting war funding enough that the Department of Defense asked Congress to reshuffle $8 billion in contingency funds), I guess the U.S. decided enough was enough, and that it could extend itself beyond offering "condolences," "deep regrets" and acknowledging mistakes.
Although both the State Department and Department of Defense downplayed the role of the apology in negotiations, Pakistani officials continued to publicly insistent on a more formal apology. And the apology plays prominently in Clinton's official statement today, dominating from the first paragraph.
"I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.
As I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect." -- Hilary Clinton.
Pakistan's insistence on a formal apology must be maddening for the State Department and Defense Department, who must surely be thinking "but they started it!" (in terms of shots fired), at least on some gut level. Pakistan is so focused on "respect" that they ignore their repeated failures in the complicated and dysfunctional relationship -- from its failure to police its borders for Taliban fighters to its failure to capture Osama Bin Laden (compounded by the later treason conviction for a Pakistani doctor who tried to help Americans discover his whereabouts). At some point, Pakistan, in so many things, needs to figure out that respect needs to be earned, and insisting on it will just get you into pointless and embarrassing fights over semantics.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Government Denies the Existence of Mermaids
Despite the overwhelming evidence on display last week in Coney Island, the U.S. government still denies the existence of mermaids or, indeed, any "aquatic humanoids."
Are mermaids real? Not according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That’s a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologists," NOAA said. In other words, a clown question, according to the government.
But then again, NOAA has lied to us before - remember the Department of Interior-sponsored smash hit, the Day After Tomorrow? Massive flooding, followed by a cold snap that traps the Statue of Liberty in a freshly-made glacier - this was supposed to happen the day after the day after May 17, 2004. Global warming was just a scam to get me to buy a $11.75 ticket!
But this raises the question of what other majestic creatures whose existence the government will try to hide from us - unicorns? Bigfoot? Your move, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Are mermaids real? Not according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That’s a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologists," NOAA said. In other words, a clown question, according to the government.
But then again, NOAA has lied to us before - remember the Department of Interior-sponsored smash hit, the Day After Tomorrow? Massive flooding, followed by a cold snap that traps the Statue of Liberty in a freshly-made glacier - this was supposed to happen the day after the day after May 17, 2004. Global warming was just a scam to get me to buy a $11.75 ticket!
But this raises the question of what other majestic creatures whose existence the government will try to hide from us - unicorns? Bigfoot? Your move, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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