The New York Times reports: A group of men arrested in Denmark on Wednesday were about to mount a “Mumbai style” attack on the Danish newspaper that ignited Muslim fury around the world by publishing satirical cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005, the head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said…. Prime Minister […]
Archive | 2010
The Science of Pouring Champagne
From Alan Boyle, MSNBC Cosmic Log. One tip: “If you want to make the most of your glass of bubbly, you should pour the wine down the side of the glass, French researchers reported in a paper published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry this summer.” Thanks to GeekPress for the pointer.
Opting for TSA Alternatives
The Washington Post reports that more airports are considering whether to hire private contractors to replace TSA personnel for airport security. Such a shift would not alter the screening protocols — these requriements are imposed by federal regulations independent of whether TSA personnel man the security checkpoints — but could alter the efficiency and attitude […]
The Kidney Condition
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is granting early release to two sisters serving life sentences for armed robbery under an unusual condition: One sister must donate her kidney to help the other. From the Washington Post account: Barbour agreed this week to suspend their sentences in light of the poor health of Jamie Scott, 38, who […]
Solar Power After Sunset
Intermittency is one of the biggest problems with solar and wind power. When the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, there’s no power. For this reason power storage technologies are essential if wind and solar power are to replace base load capacity and become more than bit players in energy markets. The WSJ […]
Libel Law, Blogging About Incest, Plus Opposition to Government Regulation of Banking: “It Is of Stunning Coincidence”
Connoisseurs of odd legal arguments might appreciate this item, but unfortunately it requires a bit of background explanation. Aviation lawyer Arthur Wolk sued Overlawyered.com and its bloggers for libel. Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit), Marc Randazza (Legal Satyricon), Ed Whelan (National Review Online), and I signed an amicus brief on the side of Overlawyered. Now Wolk’s lawyers […]
Victory for firearms preemption in New York
Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, enacted an ordinance which bans handguns in non-traditional colors, such as pink. The ordinance declares such firearms to be “deceptively colored.” On December 28, the Appellate Division, Second Department (the intermediate court of appeals) ruled 4-0 that the Nassau ban is preempted by New York State’s handgun licensing […]
Chinese Court Rejects Divorcing Wife’s Claim to Share of Couple’s Online Game Virtual Assets
From the China Daily, summarizing a Beijing Morning Post article: The couple tied the knot at the end of 2008 after they got to know each other through an online game in May…. The couple played the online games under the ID the husband had registered. In court, the wife asked for her share of […]
Somin Family Featured in December 2010 Issue of Engage
By Ilya Somin on December 30, 2010 10:45 pm in Eminent Domain, Kelo, Post-Kelo Reform, Property Rights, Sports and Games
The December 2010 issue of Engage features not one but two items written by members of the Somin family: a debate on Kelo v. City of New London and eminent domain reform between University of Chicago Law Professor (and former Dean) Saul Levmore and myself; and an article on Title IX and women’s sports written […]
Our Amicus Brief in the Thomas More Law Center Individual Mandate Case
By Ilya Somin on December 30, 2010 10:21 pm in Commerce Clause, Federalism, Health Care, Individual Mandate, Taxes, Taxing and Spending Clause
For those who may be interested, I have written an amicus brief in Thomas More Law Center v. Obama, one of the cases challenging the constitutionality of the Obama health care bill’s individual mandate. I wrote the brief on behalf of the Washington Legal Foundation and twelve members of the House of Representatives. It is […]
Strange Things Happening With the Exclusionary Rule: The Introduction of Case-by-Case Balancing After Herring v. United States
When the Supreme Court handed down Herring v. United States, 555 U.S. 135 (2009), a case about the Fourth Amendment’s exclusionary rule, there was an interesting blog debate about how much it mattered. Tom Goldstein thought it was a revolutionary case; I thought it was not. Almost two years later, I think it’s fair to […]
More on Free Speech at UVA
The Washington Post’s education blog has an update on UVA’s decision that Ilya and I mentioned a little while back to get rid of its policies that infringe on free speech. FIRE discusses the story on its blog too. FIRE has also posted a round-up with links to all of its law review articles from […]
Big Second Amendment Opinion from the Fourth Circuit, Related to the Ban on Gun Possession by Domestic Violence Misdemeanants
The opinion is United States v. Chester, just decided today; thanks to Prof. Doug Berman (Sentencing Law & Policy) for the pointer. I’ll blog more after I read it, but here’s the conclusion from the two-judge majority: We cannot conclude on this record that the government has carried its burden of establishing a reasonable fit […]
Go Viral! Go!
Well, with all the nonsense and downright crap that somehow catches the wave and makes the 5 million hit mark, surely there’s room for something that’s actually quite magnificent and inspired, like the Bach Goldberg Variations. Go forth and multiply! [And if you’re interested, the entire performance is available for free download at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/samuelpost ]
The War on Christmas
Minivan News (Independent News for the Maldives) reports: Management at the Jade Bistro cafe … have apologised to any Maldivians that may have been offended by a “festive” lunch promotion offered over the Christmas period that has since attracted protests and the attention of police in the capital. The offer was criticised as a Christmas […]