Kaulapi World

Perfect example of how to explain/teach a legal concept from the most logical to the most arcane:

Say I want to communicate the basic legal concept, here’s what a (somewhat) normal human being would explain it:

(1) I could speak as close to a normal person and say something like: “When one person wants to sell something to another, both the buyer and the seller are responsible for doing their homework on the fair price and value of the item, as long as they don’t blatantly rip the other one off, neither of them can turn around and sue the other guy for an otherwise shady deal.”

(2) Or I could throw out the latin phrase “Caveat Emptor”, nothing else.

(3) Or in addition to the latin phrase, I could include the english translation which is “buyer beware” which in itself only partially explains the concept.

(4) Or I could be a bit more descriptive but still be confusing in a but wordy fashion: “When entering into a binding contract for the exchange of goods or services in full consideration, each party bears its own burden for researching the fair market price and value of the goods or services within the confines of reasonable negotiation, and that barring the limits of fraud, each party bears the obligation or burden to disclose circumstances or events about the product that the other party should reasonably ascertain on their own initiative.”

(5) Or I could give you a 200 year old case and expect you to read the whole thing from front to back, and be prepared to fully articulate the concept in when I call on you in class. http://openjurist.org/15/us/178/laidlaw-v-organ

(6) Or I could give you a citation: 15 U.S. 178 (Wheat.) and forbid anyone from looking it up on their laptops, instead they would all have to get the hard copy version from the law library.

Anyone guess which is the most common method of instruction used in law schools today?

Youtube distractions, first in a while, I know.  I find this first clip so really cool on so many different levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPZW39EUF20&

Hifana live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vikGddBeARQ&

Again w/ Prof Chinen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVVFm2tEyc&

Old school:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dbEespoRw

Gaggle remix:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIiIL-Dfxd0&

A Loco fan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-F2Jx8qQTc&

Keyco and IQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmlPhyFtkDM&

Haiji

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhsZ3f5Cy5Y&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkhcjBTIF-s&

Recurring dream that keeps popping up every once in a while.  I’m back in grad school, but a different grad school, I’m assuming it’s out here in DC.  I am coming up on my final semester of the degree program, which seems to be a policy or economics type program, although I’m not sure.  I sense that I’ve been struggling a bit with finishing up the semester, I feel a bit distracted during the lectures and am more or less just going through the motions, just ready to be done already.

In one of my classes most of my attention is drawn to the fact that I don’t know what class I have next on my schedule, I spent a good deal of time cleaning out my backpack looking for a single piece of paper which has the course schedule, all the while I notice that there is a lot of non-school related junk in my bag.  When I finally find the paper copy of the schedule, I have an “aha” moment which is the most significant detail of the dream.  there is a class that is held on Wednesday afternoon that I have not been able to make all semester because of work.  I recall in a previous dream that I did in fact attend the class a few times before, but from listening to the professor and looking at the syllabus, I decided that it was mostly a review course, and I was not too worried about it.  Still, being mid semester I come the realization that I may be further behind than I had thought.

I go to the office hours to meet with the professor and express some of my concerns, I’m thinking that I’ll just lay it out to him that I’ve been keeping up, but have missed some class sue to outside commitments, however I am committed to finishing strong, but I would welcome any advice he might have to assist me in doing so.  When I get to the office, in front of me is another student apparently in a similar situation as I am, talking to the professor about missing classes, although it is not nearly as clear exactly why he has fallen behind.  The student then asks for an incomplete, permission to drop the class, or an extension to study for the final.

The professor is very curt with him, tells him that there is no excuse for his behavior, and that since we have past the drop deadline, he will just have to suck it up.  He does not sound interested at all in accommodating this student in any way, from the sound of his voice, he is insulted.  As I’m listening I realize quickly that this professor is not going to give me any constructive advice, even if I come in with a better attitude, even if I’m not asking for any special treatment.  At the very least, talking to dipshit in front of me asking for special favors will affect my later conversation, I decide that it might be better just to walk away.  The dream ends as the student in front of me walks by me, I recognize him as a younger version of this asshole professor I once had as an undergrad.