Tag Archives: law

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* Belgium has the highest concentration of street lights in Europe and keeps most of them on at night. (Courtesy: Milan Schreuer/NYT)

* British Parliamentarian acts were, until only recently, recorded on parchment made out of calfskin. (Courtesy: Jenny Gross/WSJ)

* French Empire chandeliers are a devil to assemble. (Courtesy: Personal experience)

* Shelley Berman as someone other than Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David’s father. (Courtesy: Peter Keepnews/NYT)

* The Venice Charter, which outlines how restoration of monuments and sites should be handled. (Courtesy: Benjamin Ramm/NYT)

Stephen Breyer on why You should Study the Humanities

Here’s an excellent explanation as to the value of the humanities from a NYRoB interview of Justice Stephen Breyer:

It’s true, I’ve always thought that it was not particularly useful to study law as an undergrad. We are only allowed to live one life: it’s the human condition, there’s no escaping it. In my view, only by studying the humanities can we hope to escape this fundamental limitation and understand how other people live. Because literature, history, or philosophy all provide extraordinary windows on the world. Foreign languages, too, are fundamental.

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* There are more than 400 fashion-related bloggers in the DC area. (Courtesy: Pink Line Project)

* Pledge cleans stainless steel. (Courtesy: VS)

* Email-list services don’t let companies share their own lists (e.g., dump the list, pass it to another company) for free. (Courtesy: GR)

* The IRS explicitly states that designated terrorist organizations are not permitted to apply for tax-exempt (i.e., 501(c)(3)) status. (Courtesy: IRS)