July 20, 2007
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YLD to Present Minority Bar Scholarships Wednesday, July 25

The Young Lawyers Division and the Minorities in the Profession Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association, along with the Barristers' Association, South Asian Bar Association, Asian American Bar Association of the Delaware Valley and the Hispanic Bar Association of Philadelphia, invites you to a joint happy hour on July 25 to present minority bar scholarships.

This "summer soiree" will take place from 5-8 p.m. at Marathon Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, and will feature $2 lager drafts, $4 wine and $4 well drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Two drink tickets for the first 200 people to register. Kindly RSVP to Tracey McCloskey.

Bench-Bar Scholarships Available

Again this year, full scholarships to the 2007 Bench-Bar Conference, to be held September 28-29 at Bally's in Atlantic City, are available by lottery to Association Members who are public interest or government service attorneys.

Scholarship winners will be drawn and announced on Wednesday, September 5th during a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, 11th Floor Conference Center.

To enter the lottery, please submit your name and organization to Areetha Carter at acarter@philabar.org by August 30, 2007.

Scholarships include one night hotel room at Bally's as well as all conference fees, CLE credits and meals.

For more information on the 2007 Bench-Bar Conference go to: Bench-Bar 2007

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"Transformers" Definitely More Than Meets the Eye by Bill Larson

3.5 Buckets of Popcorn out of 4

As a kid I grew up during the 80s, the decade of real Saturday morning cartoons. And like other children of the 80s I was eager to see the big-screen "Transformers." But I also had doubts. It could have gone disastrously wrong the way "Masters of the Universe" did. Remember how bad that was?

Well, I can now say that "Transformers" is great and one of the best action movies I've seen in quite some time.

On the planet Cybertron, the noble Autobots (led by the wise Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (commanded by the dreaded Megatron) fight for the Allspark, a mystical cube that creates life wherever it travels and grants unlimited power to whoever possesses it.

The Autobots smuggle the Allspark off Cybertron, but Megatron eventually tracks it to Earth (circa 1850). However, he lands in the Arctic Ocean, where the sheer cold forces him into hybernation. A century later, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) with the help of Optimus Prime discovers he possesses a map that leads to the Allspark. But the Autobots are not the only Transformers on Earth. The Decepticons arrive and Megatron awakens to join the battle for control of the universe.

The special effects in this movie are really cool. The seamless fusion of live-action and CGI is amazing, and you really do feel like applauding at points during the incredible action sequences. And unlike some movies this year this movie doesn't feel too long at all, even at almost two-and-a-half hours.

By all means see "Transformers" on the biggest screen possible with the best sound possible. It is definitely worth the trip and your time. You will not be disappointed. It is a special kind of summer action film - a rare thing that makes you feel just like a kid again.

Shia LaBeouf ... Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox ... Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel ... Sergeant Lennox

Tyrese Gibson ... USAF Tech Sergeant Epps

Rachael Taylor ... Maggie Madsen

Anthony Anderson ... Glen Whitmann

Jon Voight ... Defense Secretary John Keller

John Turturro ... Agent Simmons

Michael O'Neill ... Tom Banachek

Kevin Dunn ... Ron Witwicky

Peter Cullen ... Optimus Prime (voice)

Julie White ... Judy Witwicky

Bryan Cox ... (voice)

Amaury Nolasco ... ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa

Mark Ryan ... Bumblebee (voice)

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language.

Runtime: 144 min

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