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First Space Lawyer Graduates
PHPNerd writes "Over at space.com is an interesting article about the first space lawyer. He graduated from the University of Mississippi. 'Any future space lawyer might have to deal with issues ranging from the fallout over satellite shoot-downs to legal disputes between astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The expanding privatization of the space sector may also pose new legal challenges [...] "We are particularly proud to be offering these space law certificates for the first time, since ours is the only program of its kind in the U.S. and only one of two in North America," said Samuel Davis, law dean at the University of Mississippi.'"
on Jedi mind tricks.....
Disputes between citizens of different countries are already resolved on the high seas by maritime law. Dumping too.
Space law just sounds like a degree cooked up by one of those internet universities that send you a pdf degree.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
In virtually all the SF I've read, 'space lawyer' carried a degree of denigration over and above that of a simple lawyer, however.
Maybe, if we work hard enough, *every* place can be a lawyer-free haven.
In the medical profession, some of the subspecialty boards are more of a money-grab by the professional societies rather than any indication of the abilities of the practitioners.
:-(
In the field of cardiology, there are a number of subspecialty board examinations. Some of them are necessary (ie: Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology), and some of them are simple money grabs (Echocardiography, Nuclear Medicine, Peripheral Vascular Disease).
Unfortunately, it all sounds impressive when you are a patient.
Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
Here's the best ways to check their credentials:
1. Ask to see their medical school diploma. Most will have it hanging in their office. As a general rule, you want a doctor who graduated from a United States medical school. There are a lot of med schools in the carribean for docs who can't hack the U.S. curriculum. There are also some good schools in England as well as a couple other places, so don't immediately discount them if they don't have a U.S. diploma -- but it is a possible warning flag that you need to research.
2. Ask to see their board certification (assuming you are talking to a specialist like an orthopedic surgeon, radiologist, ob/gyn, etc). If they don't have board certification, see if you can find a doctor in your health care's plan that is board certified. Board certification requires a doctor to take a rather grueling exam much akin to a lawyer's boards. If your doc did it, you know right off that they are likely higher-calibur.
3. Ask them if they have ever had their license involuntarily revoked in this or any other state. If so, find another doctor. **Caveat: Doctors have to pay dues to keep their license to practice in a state, so if they moved they might have it revoked for failure to pay dues. Obviously, that's not an issue.