Category Archives: Uncategorized

Preview of Charles Fried’s contracts course

I am interrupting my series of blog posts on “illicit promises” to share with you this short video (see below) featuring Charles Fried, who has taught contract law at Harvard Law School for many years. Professor Fried put together an … Continue reading

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Usurious payday loans (continued)

In my previous post, I restated the facts in the Buckeye Check Cashing case. A consumer was challenging the legality of his payday loans under state law, but the loan documents he signed contained a mandatory arbitration clause. So, how … Continue reading

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The law and ethics of usurious payday loans

I have been blogging off and on about so-called “illicit promises”–defined broadly as solemn promises to commit immoral or illegal acts. In a previous post, for example, we revisited one of the most famous fictional illicit promises of all time: … Continue reading

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The wisdom of betting markets?

Updated (9/26): I am interrupting my series of posts on illicit promises to place a bet on whether President Donald J. Trump will be impeached before 12/31/19. According to this report by Ben Winck, for example, the odds of President … Continue reading

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An illicit Shakespearean promise

When is an illicit promise morally or legally binding? Perhaps the most famous fictional illicit promise of all time is the one that appears in William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. (I am indebted to my friend and colleague Nate Oman, … Continue reading

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Promises to obstruct justice

In a previous post, I posed the following moral paradox: when is an illicit promise morally binding? In my next few posts, I will present three concrete examples of illicit promises: (1) usurious payday loans in the case of Buckeye … Continue reading

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Vintage 1927 Hermes model 2000 portable typewriter

As per this tweet, William Gibson wrote his 1984 science fiction novel Neuromancer on this vintage typewriter. Generally speaking, which method of writing is better? Typewriters or word processors?

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Haitian vodou art

This gallery contains 2 photos.

 

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Time lapse of rare Yosemite Falls rainbow

More details here (hat tip @kottke).

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Do the Patriots still have to pay Antonio Brown?

Maybe. Although the Patriots finally cut Antonio Brown from the team, Kristian Dyer explains in this Fox Business report why Bob Kraft might still have to pay Brown the first part of his signing bonus ($5 million USD). Because this … Continue reading

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