law

Andrew Busch takes rhetoric seriously – so seriously, in fact, that he authors an entire book exploring how presidential campaigns rhetorically argue about, debate, discuss, and decide on weighty constitutional issues.

He starts with: Rowling "feels like her words were stolen," said lawyer Dan Shallman. Well, heck, I feel like the plot of my novel Ender's Game was stolen by J.K. Rowling.

And ends with: Rowling has now shown herself to lack a brain, a heart and courage. Clearly, she needs to visit Oz.

The rest is vitriolic, brilliant commentary.

Interested in knowing how copyright evolved? This website provides a digital resource relating to the history of copyright in five jurisdictions (France, Germany, Italy, the UK and US) for the period up to 1900. It will include the 50 most important documents from France, Germany and the UK, and the 20 most important from Venice and the United States.

Copyright lasts for life+50 years in most countries, life+70 years in other countries, and life+70 years with a hodgepodge of exceptions and things to confuse you in the U.S. & U.K. The common denominator is that January 1st is the day that the covered works go into the public domain. Read the blog post for a list of some authors whose works may now be in the public domain where you live.

No not lore, law.
Rothfuss makes the interesting point that there is nothing antithetical between having a functioning legal system and a society that believes in and uses magic

Helena Silverstein, Professor of Government and Law at Lafayette College, attempts to expose how pregnant teenagers navigate the abortion laws intended to provide them a judicial bypass option that avoids parental notification. Her research is designed to challenge the idea that judicial bypass laws represent an effective and rational compromise that gets implemented apolitically.

Geoffrey Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago and a long time first amendment scholar (Perilous Times) reviews Jack Goldsmith's The Terror Presidency. Jack Goldsmith is a lawyer who resigned from the Bush administration because he felt the legal justification for Bush policies was lacking. He is a staunch conservative, but likes to operate by the rule of law.

Living the Law of Attraction is an inspirational new book, full of real-life Law of Attraction stories. The authors are still looking for a few amazing stories, so if you have one or know someone who does, visit their website or e-mail them at Stories@LivingTheLOA.com.

Does anybody think that journalists should be forced to give up their sources? And just how is that decision made? The lines are finely drawn in Off the Record.

This article provides more information on the status of the Joyce estate's settlement with Stanford and Carol Loeb Shloss.