How hard is it to determine whether ice cream should melt, in the context of international law? Edwin Vermulst attempts to lick that problem, in this lengthy exposition: “EC Customs Classification Rules: Should Ice Cream Melt?” Edwin A. Vermulst [pictured here], Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 15, 1993, pp. 1241-1327.
Studies into possible implications of laughter episodes at the US Supreme Court were initiated in 2005 by Professor Jay D. Wexler (Boston University School of Law) who was the first to calculate the ‘Laughter Episodes Instigated Per Argument Average’ (LEIPAA) from the records of court proceedings. Details here in a 2016 Improbable Article. Then, in 2019, […]
If you thought that fractals were restricted to coastlines, clouds and cauliflowers – think again. Over the years (especially since the name ‘fractal’ was coined in the 1960’s ) investigators have been on the lookout for them, and have been finding them in quite unexpected places. Take, for example the US Constitution. Researcher Daniel M Braun, […]
You might think that, in the eyes of the law, you ‘own’ your body and all its constituent parts. Think again. “Most women would be stunned to discover that the law does not consider a piece of their body to be their property” That’s when the body part under consideration is a placenta. This perplexing […]
Imagine this scenario : A poacher arrives at an area where there are wild deer, intent on shooting one – but it’s out of season, so it’s illegal to do so. He takes a shot at a deer and hits it – unknown to him though, it’s actually a stuffed replica put there by the […]
Vehicles could be fitted with what they call an ‘Ethical Knob’, under a proposal by Giuseppe Contissa, Francesca Lagioia, and Giovanni Sartor of CIRSFID, at the University of Bologna, Italy. The device might help clarify ethical/legal issues with Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). What for example, should a self-driving car do when it ‘realizes’ (in an impending […]
Of all the curious things one can get insurance cover for – the golfing fraternity’s ‘hole-in-one-insurance’ is surely one of the curiouser. Why would one want insurance against a hole-in-one? The answer lies in the substantial cash bonus prizes which (some) golf clubs offer to those players who manage to get one. From the club’s […]
Are you a legal-writing professor? Unsure about the use of Emoji(s) for comments on academic work? Jennifer Murphy Romig who is an Instructor in Legal Writing, of the Research and Advocacy Program at Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, US, has produced a guide to ‘Commenting by Emoji: A Tentative Glossary for Legal Writing Professors’. […]
Mischief, despite the modern aura of fun that the word has acquired, can be a serious matter. A book called A penal code prepared by the Indian law commissioners, and published by command of the governor general of India in council (Bengal Military Orphan Press, 1837), explores some of the legal logical that applied then […]
“Everyone has heard of a kangaroo court. But how about a court for kangaroos? What about a court for caterpillars? Impossible though it seems, for 250 years French, Italian, and Swiss legal systems had just that. Their ecclesiastic courts tried insects and rodents for property crimes as legal persons under the same laws and according […]