Society

The Ugly Americano, The Bane of So-called “Coffee Shops”

Image by Julius Schorzman - Own workBy Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

There are times when one can justifiably take advantage of a host’s generosity and access to an international audience for the selfish purpose of venting one’s frustrations. This is just such a time.

It is increasingly a problem: Whenever I elect to try out a new coffee shop, especially when out of town on business, they do not serve brewed or drip coffee. Just about every foo-foo flavor or coffee containing drink imaginable fills their menu, yet not even a simple, regular cup of coffee can be had. It’s un-American I tell you.

In these “coffee shops” wanting coffee means receiving a cheap substitute: A watered-down misfit of a beverage–the Americano.

Continue reading “The Ugly Americano, The Bane of So-called “Coffee Shops”” →

Bizarre, International, Society

Big Brother, Little Pizza: England Moves Toward Limiting Size and Ingredients Of Pizza and Other Dishes

PizzaI have previously discussed my opposition to sugary drink bans or prohibitive taxation schemes in Chicago and New York.  While Cook County reluctantly yielded to public opinion and court decisions recently, other cities have continued to penalize the unhealthy choices of consumers. Now England is considering a measure to put a calorie count on pizza, ready meals and sandwiches to combat obesity. As you might expect, I feel the same way about this measure as a denial of individual choice despite the undeniable well-intentioned purpose of the measure.  It is the type of law only a Little Caesar would relish  . . .  other than the pizza chain of course.

Continue reading “Big Brother, Little Pizza: England Moves Toward Limiting Size and Ingredients Of Pizza and Other Dishes” →

Academia, Politics, Society

Cornell Law School Launches Title IX Investigation Over Male Students Ranking Female Students On Attractiveness

images-2The Cornell Daily Sun is reporting that Cornell Law School has started a Title IX investigation over a report that some male law students were “ranking women on their appearance.” What is most striking is that this was all done in a private group chat.  Men and women have been ranking each other by looks since time immemorial.  On October 5, Dean Eduardo M. Peñalver said in an October 5th email to law students that Cornell’s Title IX Office is investigating the matter, adding that “ranking women on their appearance is inherently degrading,” adding that it was “childish and unprofessional.” I agree that it is childish and unprofessional, but I still question the need for a Title IX investigation into the private correspondence of students over the attractiveness of other students. Continue reading “Cornell Law School Launches Title IX Investigation Over Male Students Ranking Female Students On Attractiveness” →

Society

In Memoriam: My Subaru, Aged 25 years 484,000 miles

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Thursday’s business trip met with the untimely demise of a close friend, my 1993 Subaru Legacy.

The untimely end came about four miles from my destination. The engine failed. I hoped for the best as each time in the past he would pull through famously. Yet after my mechanic broke the news it was not good. He required extensive repair to the engine and it wasn’t feasible to keep going. After hundreds of thousands of miles of every terrain in the state and every whether condition, my Subaru finally needed to rest.

It was not only named “Legacy”, the car WAS a legacy. He gave both his owners over 484,000 miles of reliable service, mostly to me as a second-hand buyer. If anything can be said of 1990’s Subarus, they were certainly built to last. But this Subaru lasted one of the longest.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Media, Politics

Turley and Toobin To Debate Impeachment In Dallas After Midterm Election

images-1The National Constitution Center and the Old Parkland Debate Series has announced that a debate will be held on November 12th between George Washington Professor Jonathan Turley and CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on impeachment.  The debate will occur a week after the 2018 midterm elections and many have called for the impeachment of both President Donald Trump and Judge Brett Kavanaugh following a Democratic takeover of the United States House of Representatives.  The debate question is: Resolved, the framers designed impeachment as a political, rather than a legal process.  Toobin will argue that the Framers intended impeachment to be a political judgment while Turley will argue that the Framers intended more of a legal judgment. Turley was the last lead counsel in an impeachment trial in the Senate and Toobin previously worked for Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society

Washington State Strikes Down The Death Penalty As Racially Biased and Arbitrary

washington-flag-sealWashington’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state’s death penalty Thursday based on the way that it has been used in an arbitrary and racially discriminatory manner. It was a surprising basis since usually capital punishment is rejected as cruel and unusual punishment. It is the punishment, not the imposition of the punishment, that is the common argument against executions. Continue reading “Washington State Strikes Down The Death Penalty As Racially Biased and Arbitrary” →

Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

West Wing-Nut: Kanye’s Visit To Oval Office Leads To Unhinged and Demeaning Rave

350px-US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svgIn one of the most bizarre (and frankly demeaning) moments for the White House, President Donald Trump invited Kanye West into the Oval Office for what became an unhinged and profane rave sessions in front of the world’s press.  As with the high-level visits with a Kardashian to talk policy, these sessions have a freak show quality more fitting a reality show than the Oval Office.  For anyone who reveres that office, West raving about how he is a “crazy motherf***er” is an utter disgrace. Not to be outdone, CNN proceeded to demean news coverage by racing to the bottom on the story with April Ryan.

Continue reading “West Wing-Nut: Kanye’s Visit To Oval Office Leads To Unhinged and Demeaning Rave” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Society

Kuwait: We Are Not Orwellian . . . We Banned Orwell

504px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Kuwait-2.svg1984-Big-BrotherKuwait has continued to remind the world that, despite its advances in the modern world, it remains a religiously orthodox government imposing medieval values on its population.  That fact was on display this week as the government banned such works as “The Little Mermaid” and Michelangelo’s David as unIslamic or indecent.  Sounds Orwellian? Perhaps but Kuwaiti’s would not know it . . .  Orwell’s masterpiece “1984” was also banned.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Media, Politics

Pro-Life Executions? Idaho Republican Calls For Prosecutions For Women Who Get Abortions, Including Capital Punishment

Nonini45.jpgIdaho Republican lieutenant governor candidate Bob Nonini has triggered a firestorm after saying that women who get an abortion should be criminally prosecuted and indicated that that could include the death penalty. If it seems a tad conflicted to execute someone in the name of being pro-life, Nonini seems to be still trying to thread that needle with a later effort to walk back from his comments.

 

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Media, Society

Nasty Gal Barred From Running Ad Featuring Thin Model
images.jpgI have previously criticized the effort to criminalize or sanction companies for using models who are deemed too thin in an effort to change the expectations for young girls.  There is no evidence that these efforts have a real impact on the social preference for thin body types, but officials continue to police the body shapes and weight of models.  That was the case this week with the action against Nasty Gal by the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using models deemed “unhealthily underweight” women in a 30-second ad.

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Bizarre, Politics

Hillary Clinton Dismisses White Women Voters As Lost Cause While Calling For The End Of Civility Toward Republicans

225px-Hillary_Clinton_official_Secretary_of_State_portrait_cropThe Clintons are back.  Despite Democratic members belatedly (by about two decades) denouncing Bill Clinton for the host of women who accused him of sexual assault and rape and the growing unpopularity of Hillary Clinton, Democrats are again putting the couple on the campaign trail in one of the most critical midterm elections in history.  Just as the Democratic leadership does not seem to change, neither does the playbook or players. I just do not get it.  Hillary has already made headlines in distinguishing her husband’s sexually abusive history by saying these cases were “thoroughly investigated” even though the couple did everything possible to stop such investigations and Democrats remained largely silent despite corroborating evidence from these women.  In a remarkably uncritical and relatively passive interview, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour did not seem at all concerned about a strange claim by Clinton that she won the vote of women voters while dismissing white women as opposed to Democratic candidates or values. For those who are looking for a blue wave, the high-profile speaking tour of the Clintons cannot be good news given their continuing polarizing impact in polls.  As Democrats seeks to build on the MeToo anger in the aftermath of the Kavanaugh hearings, the Clintons remind voters of the obvious hypocrisy in how Democrats handled the Bill Clinton accusations. Continue reading “Hillary Clinton Dismisses White Women Voters As Lost Cause While Calling For The End Of Civility Toward Republicans” →

Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

UK’s Highest Court Rules In Favor Of Bakery That Refused To Make Cake Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

England flagLast year, we experienced a national debate over the right of  Colorado cake shop owner Jack Phillips can refuse to make a special cake for a same-sex marriage due to religious objections in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. I supported the position on Phillips as a matter of free speech as opposed to free exercise.  Now Ireland has had its own challenge which  is remarkably similar to Masterpiece Cakeshop including lower court rulings against the owners at the Ashers bakery, Daniel and Amy McArthur, in Northern Ireland by lower courts. Continue reading “UK’s Highest Court Rules In Favor Of Bakery That Refused To Make Cake Supporting Same-Sex Marriage” →

Academia, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

Israel’s Denies Entry and Jails American Student on Suspicion Of Supporting The BDS Movement

660px-flag_of_israelsvgI have previously criticized U.S. laws barring public contracts or employment with people who support the boycott or boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.  Those laws raise troubling questions under the First Amendment and various courts have pushed back on the constitutionality of such laws.  Now Israel is holding an American university student for a week because she supported the BDS movement.   Lara Alqasem, 22, was held depending appeal at Ben-Gurion Airport.  She has Palestinian grandparents and was told that she could be released if she apologizes and disavows any boycotting of Israel.  Continue reading “Israel’s Denies Entry and Jails American Student on Suspicion Of Supporting The BDS Movement” →

Bizarre, Congress, International, Politics

Iowa Rally Chants “Lock Her Up” After Trump Taunts Diane Feinstein

225px-dianne_feinstein_official_senate_photoI have been critical of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on social media and the campaign trail.  The attacks are often personal and, in my view, often unsettling.  That was the case yesterday at an Iowa rally where the crowd chanted “Lock her up, lock her up” after Trump taunted ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) over the leaking of a letter from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.  It is a chilling development in a mass rally to have supporters calling for the jailing of Trump’s political opponents.  That is not what this country represents and should be condemned by Democratic and Republican leaders alike. Continue reading “Iowa Rally Chants “Lock Her Up” After Trump Taunts Diane Feinstein” →

Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

Taylor Swift Votes The GOP

downloadIf John Kerry was swift boated in 2004, the GOP appears to be Swift voted in 2016. In a measure of the power of celebrity status in our culture, Taylor Swift has reportedly caused a massive registration after she endorsed Tennessee Democrats.  For the GOP hoping for a “Brett bounce” of Republicans going to the polls (with money pouring in for both  parties after the Kavanaugh confirmation), Swift appears to have blunted the impact, particularly in Tennessee, with a single posting on Instagram. We remain a celebrity driven society.

 

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Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks