This AP story reports: [Aliso Viejo c]ity officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production. . . . “It’s embarrassing,” said City Manager David J. Norman. “We had a paralegal who did bad research.” The […]
Archive | Uncategorized
Sunday Song Lyric:
The Janet Jackson breast flap continues to reverberate. This past week, Congress voted to increase the fines for indecency on the airwaves, radio conglomerates and the FCC are cracking down on their “shock jocks,” and MTV is removing racy videos from daytime, forcing kids to stay up late if they want to see a scantily […]
Arguing what you don’t believe:
My friend Nate Oman thinks it’s off-putting/shallow/manipulative/condescending/dishonest when non-believers use religious arguments to try and persuade believers, like when non-Christians argue that the Passion misses the “true meaning” of Christianity or when Westerners argue that Islam is consistent with democracy. Alas, what of our entire education as lawyers, which is all about making arguments that […]
More on the University of Southern Mississippi controversy:
Ralph Luker is on top of the story. I can’t tell for sure who’s right and who’s wrong here, since the university is apparently restricted by confidentiality policies from telling its side of the story. But from all I’ve heard, my tentative sense of the matter is that the faculty members whom USM is trying […]
Another example of Jewish Sovereignty:
I previously listed four examples of Jewish sovereignty between the failure of the Bar-Kochba rebellion in 135 and the founding of the modern state of Israel. Here’s a fifth, courtesy of reader D. Siegel: 5th and 6th century Himayar (Yemen).
Don’t laugh at slippery slope fears:
A story from Australia: Swords will be outlawed from July under new laws to curb the growing use of the weapons in street brawls. Police Minister Andre Haermeyer said the ban would help police overcome a culture of young people arming themselves with swords. “For most people running around the street carrying swords there is […]
State v. Federal Parks:
Just enjoyed a spectacular day driving from Mountain View to Monterey by way of the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Being off-season and a weekday afternoon, the park was peaceful and largely deserted. Here I am standing in the redwood named the “Mother-of-the-Forest,” which stands 329 feet tall.. Hiking in this park reminded me that […]
Odd term:
In Slate, Domestic Silence: The Supreme Court kills evidence-based prosecution.” The story eventually explains what “evidence-based prosecution” means — apparently “evidence” is being distinguished from live testimony of the complaining witness, even though live testimony most certainly is a sort of evidence. Still, it’s an odd term, especially for a headline.
More on the Caesarean section case:
Reader Fred Larsen writes: Just thought that I would toss my two cents worth into the ring about the lady who is being charged for not submitting to a c/section to save the life of one of her twins. I am a board certified Ob/Gyn . . . (though now I only do infertility). I’ve […]
More T-shirt fun:
Reader Pritesh Patel points to this AP story: “International Terrorist” were the words framing President Bush’s picture on a black T-shirt that the Dearborn High School junior [Bretton Barber] wore to class on Feb. 17. School officials told him to take it off, turn it inside out or go home. He went home. The next […]
Forcing religious opinions:
I got a bunch of messages responding to my “forcing religious opinions” post; I’m too swamped now to respond in detail, but let me just mention a general point to my libertarian correspondents — I can certainly see why people would object to others forcing wrong opinions on us through the legal system. I object […]
Attempt to ban pro-life T-shirt in high school?
CNSNews reports: A Virginia high school says a student’s pro-life T-shirt violates the school’s ban on using profane or obscene language. The shirt says, “Abortion is Homicide. You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life.” An assistant vice principal at Denbigh High […]
Way cool military gadgets.
Say, wasn’t avoiding that part of the point?
Evangelical Outpost praises the indeed quite praiseworthy Catholic lawprof Mary Ann Glendon, who has been chosen to lead the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences [memo to self: write witticism re: pontifical/pontificates/professors/etc. — v. funny!] and writes: This is one of those times that I wish we evangelicals had a Vatican of our own. That whirring […]
An early happy bloggiversary:
to Russell Arben Fox, who commemorates the day with this very funny post.