Friday Links

The comic book cover above is that of Tales of the Unexpected #16, published way back in August of 1957. The “Interplanetary Line-Up” is comprised, apparently, of several costumed party-goers and one actual extraterrestrial, all of whom have been placed in the standard line-up at the police station. It seems that a much easier procedure would have been to simply ask the humans to remove their costumes at the party, thereby utilizing the process of elimination to flush out the alien interloper. Oh, well.

Through this post at the ContractsProf Blog, we are alerted to this open letter from a Boston College 3L seeking to “leave law school, without a degree, at the end of this semester” in exchange for a “full refund of the tuition [the student] paid over the last two and a half years.” The student reasons that this will benefit both parties:

This will benefit both of us: on the one hand, I will be free to return to the teaching career I left to come here. I’ll be able to provide for my family without the crushing weight of my law school loans. On the other hand, this will help BC Law go up in the rankings, since you will not have to report my unemployment at graduation to US News.

The question: If this attempt at contract modification fails, will the student assert that BC’s law school education is unreasonably dangerous and defective? To be determined.

Cynthia Arends of the DRI Blog has this post, entitled “Is 500 Times the Heat of a Jalapeno too Hot?,” which profiles a complaint filed by a couple in Tennessee who allege that Blair’s Mega Death Hot Sauce, served to their son at a Steak-N-Shake restaurant, is “deleterious” and too hot to handle. As Arends notes, surely the fact that the phrase “Mega Death” is in the product name counts for something. (Of course, as litigious as our nation now is, this may prompt a copyright suit by the rock band Megadeth.). Whatever the case, we’ll be keeping our eyes on this case.

Quote of the Day I: “Through the use of chat rooms, any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox. Through the use of Web pages, mail exploders, and newsgroups, the same individual can become a pamphleteer. . . . Two hundred years after the framers ratified the Constitution, the Net has taught us what the First Amendment means.” In re J.J., No. D055603, 2010 WL 4033633, at *2 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 15, 2010) (striking down probation restrictions that would have prevented 15 year old from using the Internet and social media) (citations omitted) (Hat tip: Technology and Marketing Law Blog).

Quote of the Day II: “I want to make it clear that I’m not after anybody. I don’t want any money. This is not the Lotto. I don’t want to make anybody look bad. I’m just thinking about the next person who comes along and buys a bag of frozen vegetables,” said Tom Hoffman, quoted in this piece in the Lansing State Journal, regarding his finding a frozen frog in his bag of frozen vegetables he had purchased. Somewhere, an attorney, perhaps an in-house counsel, has already printed this article and placed it in a folder labeled “Impeachment.” (Hat Tip: The Consumerist).

The Augusta Chronicle ran a fascinating piece by the Associated Press on this week’s oral argument before the South Carolina Supreme Court regarding the legality of casual poker games. The big news was that the State apparently conceded that under South Carolina’s ancient law banning games of cards or dice, such casual games are permitted. Still no word on whether Monopoly is legal, though. (The Legal Blog Watch has its own post on this matter here.).

The South Carolina Bar’s Law Related Education Committee is seeking attorney judges for their upcoming mock trial competitions. If you’re interested in judging middle or high school mock lawyers in November, February, or March here in South Carolina, please contact Cynthia Cothran at (803) 252-5139 with all deliberate speed.

Finally, happy thirtieth anniversary to Backstreets, the official fan magazine of Bruce Springsteen, the first issue of which was first distributed on October 24, 1980. (Incidentally, this week also marks the thirtieth anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s The River album, released originally on October 17, 1980).

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