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mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:13 pm

McKendrick on Contract Law

CrazyHorse · Post by **CrazyHorse** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:15 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:McKendrick on Contract Law

Bet you wish you'd taken that job on the building site now, eh?

David Lee's Hair · Post by **David Lee's Hair** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:16 pm

hisroyalgingerness wrote:
David Lee's Hair wrote:
hisroyalgingerness wrote:i've just started "Haunted" by Chuck Palahnuik of Fight club fame. It's the one with the short story "guts" which people passed out at his readings of. Earlier this week when i spent far too much of my life on public transport and hotel rooms i polished the original version of Casino Royale which was fantastic and Survivor, again by Chuck Palahniuk which has led me to this little fad of reading his books
Casino Royale is a great book - as are most of the original bond books
any others you particularly recommend?

From Russia With Love is particularly good, but also moonraker and goldfinger - to be honest they're all pretty good

Nozza · Post by **Nozza** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:40 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:You Can Get Arrested For That by Richard Smith.

Basically, these two lads from down Plymouth way have decided to go over to America just so that they can break some of the silly laws that are in place over here (though I'm sure they didn't have to go much further than the bottom of their own street, really). Stuff like, in South Dakota you're not allowed to go to sleep inside a cheese facory, in California you're not allowed to ride a push-bike inside an empty swimming pool - That sort of think.
Anyway, whereas it's a jolly enough read, what it doesn't explain is why these laws were ever put in place in the first place, and that's what you'd really like to know, and ultimately where the book falls down.
Had this been given to Bill Bryson as a project then I reckon that it could've been one of his best ever.

I'm hunting that out. Sounds class.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:52 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:You Can Get Arrested For That by Richard Smith.

Basically, these two lads from down Plymouth way have decided to go over to America just so that they can break some of the silly laws that are in place over here (though I'm sure they didn't have to go much further than the bottom of their own street, really). Stuff like, in South Dakota you're not allowed to go to sleep inside a cheese facory, in California you're not allowed to ride a push-bike inside an empty swimming pool - That sort of think.
Anyway, whereas it's a jolly enough read, what it doesn't explain is why these laws were ever put in place in the first place, and that's what you'd really like to know, and ultimately where the book falls down.
Had this been given to Bill Bryson as a project then I reckon that it could've been one of his best ever.

Monty is a law librarian - I'm sure he'd be happy to look into the history of some of those laws if you asked him nicely...

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:55 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
Bruce Rioja wrote:Monty is a law librarian - I'm sure he'd be happy to look into the history of some of those laws if you asked him nicely...

Hmmmm, this is giving me an idea for a book of my own!

Montreal Wanderer · Post by **Montreal Wanderer** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:00 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
Bruce Rioja wrote:You Can Get Arrested For That by Richard Smith.

Basically, these two lads from down Plymouth way have decided to go over to America just so that they can break some of the silly laws that are in place over here (though I'm sure they didn't have to go much further than the bottom of their own street, really). Stuff like, in South Dakota you're not allowed to go to sleep inside a cheese facory, in California you're not allowed to ride a push-bike inside an empty swimming pool - That sort of think.
Anyway, whereas it's a jolly enough read, what it doesn't explain is why these laws were ever put in place in the first place, and that's what you'd really like to know, and ultimately where the book falls down.
Had this been given to Bill Bryson as a project then I reckon that it could've been one of his best ever.
Monty is a law librarian - I'm sure he'd be happy to look into the history of some of those laws if you asked him nicely...

That is a problem with common law jurisdictions like England and the US - once a statute is passed it remains in force until it is repealed so you have some astonishingly silly ones on the books because parliaments never have time to repeal obsolete laws. In civil law jurisdictions like Quebec and Scotland

we have a concept of desuetude - this means once a law becomes obsolete through disuse, it is invalid and cannot be enforced. A sort of de facto repeal.

Le Snake · Post by **Le Snake** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:03 pm

hisroyalgingerness wrote:i've just started "Haunted" by Chuck Palahnuik of Fight club fame. It's the one with the short story "guts" which people passed out at his readings of. Earlier this week when i spent far too much of my life on public transport and hotel rooms i polished the original version of Casino Royale which was fantastic and Survivor, again by Chuck Palahniuk which has led me to this little fad of reading his books

I was reading 'Guts' on the metro in Madrid on a hot day, and I passed out. Very odd experience.

Thought the book was dire, mind.

Currently reading 'The Happy Isles of Oceania' by Paul Theroux, Paul Auster's 'New York Trilogy', and a bunch of books about Japanese script.

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:15 pm

Montreal Wanderer wrote:That is a problem with common law jurisdictions like England and the US - once a statute is passed it remains in force until it is repealed so you have some astonishingly silly ones on the books because parliaments never have time to repeal obsolete laws. In civil law jurisdictions like Quebec and Scotland we have a concept of desuetude - this means once a law becomes obsolete through disuse, it is invalid and cannot be enforced. A sort of de facto repeal.

Understood, Monty. Our 'Black Cabs' are still governed by the laws that surrounded the original Hackney drawn carriages (inner height sufficient for a gentlemans top hat, the boot being the size of a bale of hay etc.) but I'd love to know what happened so that somebody felt it necessary to pass these more bizarre laws in the first place. For instance, did you know that in Florida it is illegal for divorced women to parachute jump on a Sunday? Why? And why specifically on a Sunday? Do you see what I mean about the book that I'm reading had it been done more thoroughly? It could've been a fascinating read rather than two guys having a bit of fun.

Little Green Man · Post by **Little Green Man** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:16 pm

Le Snake wrote:Paul Auster's 'New York Trilogy'

I'm just about to take that with me to Sheffield tonight - excellent book, it is!

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:18 pm

Not sure what's happened here.

thebish · Post by **thebish** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:18 pm

I've read one of these books before - not specifically UK - but around the world..

I seem to remember that there is a law somewhere specifically forbidding the throwing of an elk out of a plane...

warthog · Post by **warthog** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:20 pm

thebish wrote:I've read one of these books before - not specifically UK - but around the world..

I seem to remember that there is a law somewhere specifically forbidding the throwing of an elk out of a plane...

Seems sensible.

I remember reading a story about live cows being thrown out of a plane.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:28 pm

Just read Bernard Cornwell's three Grail novels. About an English bowman. How ironic; I just wrote three novels about an English bowman. Also reading "Grand Slam", the life story of American golfer Bobby Jones. Just finished the latest Reacher novel "The Hard Way" by Lee Childs. Reacher makes all the hard boys look like pussycats.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:55 pm

"Bernard Cornwell's three Grail novels. About an English bowman."

Any good, have always been tempted but not quite

Dave Sutton's barnet · Post by **Dave Sutton's barnet** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:11 pm

Am chuckling my way through Man Skills. Short bursts of information (how to rugby-tackle a burglar) topped and tailed with humour ("Burglars generally do not like being disturbed while at work"). The perfect bog-book, it's taken its place alongside Stephen Fry's Paperweight, Clive James's The Crystal Bucket, Hugh McIlvanney's On Football, Robin Cooper's Timewaster Letters, Bill Hicks's Love All The People, etc.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Skills-Nick ... 1843172305

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:15 pm

I found the Timewasters Letters to be, well, a waste of time

Dave Sutton's barnet · Post by **Dave Sutton's barnet** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:18 pm

communistworkethic wrote:I found the Timewasters Letters to be, well, a waste of time

Must admit it's the one gathering the most dust in DSB's "office"

americantrotter · Post by **americantrotter** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:23 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:You Can Get Arrested For That by Richard Smith.

Basically, these two lads from down Plymouth way have decided to go over to America just so that they can break some of the silly laws that are in place over here (though I'm sure they didn't have to go much further than the bottom of their own street, really). Stuff like, in South Dakota you're not allowed to go to sleep inside a cheese facory, in California you're not allowed to ride a push-bike inside an empty swimming pool - That sort of think.
Anyway, whereas it's a jolly enough read, what it doesn't explain is why these laws were ever put in place in the first place, and that's what you'd really like to know, and ultimately where the book falls down.
Had this been given to Bill Bryson as a project then I reckon that it could've been one of his best ever.

Just read that myself! I liked it best as an American because of the way they approached American life in General. It mirrored so much of what my family dealt with after moving here.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:45 pm

Raven wrote:"Bernard Cornwell's three Grail novels. About an English bowman."

Any good, have always been tempted but not quite

Readable in the historical sense as Cornwell is good on detail. Found them passable without being riveting.

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