A reader writes to complain about “quote” being used as a noun to mean quotation; the reader says that it’s a “made up” word. Well, if it’s made up, that’s only in the sense that all words were made up. My Oxford English Dictionary lists quote as a synonym for quotation, dating back to the […]
Author Archive | Eugene Volokh
Profession:
How can you determine from this map the profession of the person who decided how the map would be divided into the various colors? Answer is here. No fair drawing inferences from the character of the organization that put up the map; just consider the map itself, plus of course whatever other knowledge you might […]
“Just Say No to Drugs” posters would be forbidden in UCLA dorms:
I just came across (via speechcodes.org) this policy in the 2003-2004 On Campus Housing Student Handbook: “D.8 Posting and Distribution of Materials . . . . c. Materials may not contain direct or indirect references to alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs; lewd or sexually explicit conduct; or criminal activity.” This clearly prohibits “Just Say No […]
UCLA endorsing the theological views of the Metropolitan Community Church:
A quick google search suggests that the opening paragraphs of the UCLA administration Web page endorsing a particular religious viewpoint on homosexuality is actually drawn from “Homosexuality; Not A Sin, Not A Sickness; What The Bible Does and Does Not Say,” by Rev. Elder Don Eastman, which seems to be a document generally distibuted by […]
Jews, homosexuals, Canadians, left-handers, and libertarians:
Randy’s post reminds me of a riddle I came up with several years ago — what do Jews, homosexuals, Canadians, left-handers, and libertarians have in common? Answer: They spend a lot of time talking about who is Jewish, homosexual, Canadian, left-handed, or libertarian, but is not widely known to be so. Gwyneth Paltrow is half-Jewish. […]
Likely Establishment Clause violation:
The UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Resource Center — which is apparently part of the UCLA administration, and not just a student group — provides the material quoted below on its Web site. Readers of this blog are likely aware that I have no moral objections to homosexuality; and I sympathize with the desire […]
Freedom from aggravation:
The Macalester College speech code provides “The College recognizes the complexity of defining language and actions that are not acceptable in a community which values freedom of expression. Freedom of expression does not include the right to intentionally and maliciously aggravate, intimidate, ridicule or humiliate another person.” There’s more, but nothing quite as good as […]
Race-based peremptory challenges of judges:
See the FURTHER UPDATE to this post.
Judiciary committee computer files scandal — or is it?
Jack Shafer at Slate takes a meta-look.
More from the Omaha principal:
From the Omaha World-Herald: Two Westside High School students say they were using satire to make a point: The school shouldn’t have a special award to recognize the achievement of black students. Trevor Richards, the Rambo twins’ choice for Westside High’s “Distinguished African American Student” award, moved from South Africa to Omaha six years ago. […]
Moving your car?
Avoid A AAAdvantage Auto Transport, and National Auto Transport, which is the broker that set us up with A AAAdvantage. Our car was picked up from Boston on Dec. 29, and didn’t arrive in L.A. until three weeks later, Jan. 20. My wife was told that it didn’t even leave Boston until Jan. 9. The […]
Retiarius: My friend Jack Schaedel passes along this word of the day, from the people who came up with one word for “to kill every tenth person as a means of collective punishment.” UPDATE: Sasha tells me that, etymologically speaking, “retiarius” more or less corresponds to “netster.” So maybe in a sense we are all […]
Peremptory challenges of judges:
Eric Muller has some interesting thoughts about the California practice (I believe called “papering”) of letting litigants reject, once per litigant per case, the judge that they’re drawn. The prosecution in the Peterson murder prosecution just did that to a judge. I’m skeptical, though, of the argument that [W]e worry about the partiality of jurors […]
What, no bracha? “Israel Rabbi Offers Prayer for Web Porn Browsers”: “Please God, help me cleanse the computer of viruses and evil photographs which disturb and ruin my work . . ., so that I shall be able to cleanse myself (of sin),” reads the benediction by Shlomo Eliahu, chief rabbi in the northern town […]
Religious beards may now be banned
in French schools, says Education Minister Luc Ferry (thanks to Hit & Run for the pointer): Discussing the plan to remove Islamic headscarves from state schools, he told a communist deputy who asked about a pupil with a beard, “As soon as it becomes a religious sign and the code is apparent, it would fall […]