What were the important influences in your life when you were 16 years old? The Papers of George Washington look at our first president's school exercises, and cite the "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation," as having a profound influence upon him in his teen years.
Going back a few hundred years further, what did the people of the 15th century do for pleasure? The Richard III Society tells us about Delights of Life in Fifteenth-Century England, which details some interesting pastimes and diversions.
Lysander Spooner wrote an essay in 1852 on the common law right to a trial by jury. The document is a long one, but is an interesting discussion of the right to have a jury trial, and the right to be a juror.
At a Newark City Council meeting recently, a member of the public spoke before the Council as a representative of a church on Main Street. The City Council has been reviewing the many different liquor licenses held by different establishments in Newark. The rule that defines each licensee's rights under their license vary depending upon the year that the license was granted. A new restaurant near the church has applied for a liquor license, and it appears that the church is interested in seeing that the City consider very carefully the impact upon the church that granting such a license might have. The thought of having a church for a neighbor has been in the back of my mind since the meeting a couple of weeks ago, and when I came across an article on such a subject, it raised some additional things to think about. Struggling with Churches as Neighbors: Land Use Conflicts Between Religious Institutions And Those Who Reside Nearby, brings forth some points I hadn't considered.
The United States Chamber of Commerce today released a poll which makes the Delaware judicial system look very good. This survey of corporate counsel ranked each state in a number of categories, including judge's impartiality and competence, juries predictability and fairness, and a number of other categories. Delaware finished first amongst the fifty states overall. Delaware also finished first amongst all the states
in each individual category ranked.
- William Slawski
