The Record

A paraphrase: Me: So, tell me, what distinguishes [large firm recently implicated in tax shelter scandal with KPMG] from the other big firms in Chicago? I don't have you all pegged yet. Partner: Well, around town, we're sort of known as the "collegial" law firm.…

On October 5, 2005 the Senate, by a powerful 90-9 vote, approved an amendment sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that intends to place certain prohibitions on the torture policies approved by the Bush administration in interrogating terrorism-related detainees.…

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2005 - Will the academy forget Carter G. Woodson? Will we fail ultimately to rise to the challenge issued 100 years ago this year by The Father of Black History? Will we stop heeding the early black Harvard Ph.D.'s seminal call, to make available the historical materials that tell the truth about the African and African American past for those engaged in the act of educating? Recent events present ambiguity on the question of how we are implementing his vision, and the question is, "Will the academy forget?" On one hand, the events of last week in Buffalo demonstrate that American history in the black context is being seriously studied, systematically analyzed, and intentionally presented to a global audience.…

There's no real unified theme this week, just a trio of eclectic items: Ig Nobels Ignertaining Last Thursday, I attended the 15th First Annual (yes, you read that right) Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at Sanders Theater. A parody of the Nobel prize, Ig Nobels are awarded to bizarre research that "first makes you laugh, and then makes you think" or to achievements that "cannot, or should not, be reproduced.…

In a desperate attempt to avoid a) the rain, and b) any mention of law school, I fled south to Washington D.C. for the long weekend. Unfortunately, I failed on both counts. And even worse, I was reminded that my friends who aren't in law school managed to graduate from college and, get this, find productive employment.…

Some columns try to tackle the hot button issues of the day, grappling with our nation's pandemic flu preparedness or the post-election violence in Togo. This is not that column. Some columns attempt to review current books (Harry Potter & The Enchanted Pube), TV shows (Pimp My Genitals), or restaurants (S.…