Al, AALS's Associate Director, Prof. Linda Jellum, has made some improvements to the visiting register of late including sending those of us on the list a query as to whether we'd taken a position. As you know, I'm visiting in Ireland this year. Since I leased my Denver house out for two years, I decided to add my name to the visiting register and see if a school needs a Torts or Contracts professor, particularly for evening students. (I'd never count on getting a Legal History class.) This might presage an effort on my part to go back to California, where my parents live and where my son is now a freshman. ;-) Tom Russell

I love the "No Contracts" signs that some cell phone dealers have above their stores. Those signs, plus a heavy dose of Stewart Macaulay, should cause us all to be more than a bit skeptical about how and why we emphasize contracts as we do.

No need to speculate, there's a good way to research this issue. Britain has criminalized some workplace injuries. What has the impact been there? And, let's not be naive and think that (mere) civil liability causes tortfeasors to swing their doors and files open to investigators of any type.

This is the first that I have heard of a "personality" theory of property. I'd like to say, though, that when I teach about the history of the South, I feel that I spend a lot of time teaching against Gone with the Wind. Among the things to teach against is the myth that southerners were as extreme in their attachment to the soil as depicted in the movie. Southern plantation owners, in particular, used up the soil and then moved themselves west in search of other lands. There are good studies of this, none of which I can site because I'm in Ireland getting ready to visit, of all places, the Hill of Tara--the site where ancient Kings of Ireland did something or other.

Al, I've been meaning to let you know about a terrifically interesting monument I saw in Belfast just a few weeks ago. As you know, I'm visiting in Ireland this year. I had visited the Titanic Museum, which is very interesting but I felt that it paid insufficient attention to negligence and, more importantly, to those who lost their lives. As part of the Belfast Festival, a Brazilian artist named Nele Azevedo produced what she calls a "minimum monument." Members of the public, including my family and I, helped her install 1,517 little ice sculptures of sitting figures on the steps of the Custom house. (See the linked BBC story below.) The figures all sat together on the steps and then melted away, leaning into each other and making a little bit of noise as they disappeared. This was remarkably powerful and interesting. Azevedo's minimum monument made me feel better about Belfast its history of Titanic. For the BBC story, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20020498 I also have a picture up on my FB page. Tom Russell

My 17-year-old son has recently started watching Deadwood on HBOGo. I made sure to warn him that there's a lot of gambling depicted in that show. ;-)

Ruth Simmons was a great president. LIstening to her speak about Brown and slavery made me want to have a president like her.

Admire your contraction of that and are. I don't think I have ever seen that done.

The Regents mus still act, but I believe that they will decide that they should stop honoring the Klansman Simkins. It's interesting, Al, that you say this happened quickly. For a historian, this was quick. For my friends in the public relations business, UT took an eternity to act. Anyone interested in more of the media and blog coverage of this issue should see http://simkins.houseofrussell.com And please contact me with your thoughts about the issue if you choose not to comment here. Tom Russell

Al, Warren Emerson was kind enough to offer me the opportunity to comment on his blog about this issue, but the flood of media has kept me from my Contracts exams and I am down to the wire with those. So, I have not yet taken time to comment on that blog. Let me say briefly, though, if UT stops honoring Prof. Simkins by taking his name off the dormitory, plenty of opportunities to discuss race, history, and law will remain on UT's campus. For starters, a portrait of Simkins hangs in the law library; I'm fine with that. There is Painter Hall and the Sweatt Campus. There's a statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Pres. Jefferson Davis; buildings named after confederate soldiers; the Darrell Royal stadium, and a host of other monuments, none of which I think should be removed or renamed. On the flip side, there's also no reason to believe that The University of Texas would in fact turn Simkins Hall into the history lesson that it might be. The history of the university's administration suggests the opposite. Finally, I do not believe that those who are harmed or insulted by Simkins's undeserved honor in having his name on the building should have to continue to experience insult or injury in order to provide a possible history lesson to whomever is subjected to a plaque, lecture, or website post. I'm looking for the right metaphor to describe this--something along the lines of "We won't set your broken arm because it's a good teaching opportunity." I look forward to continuing our disagreement about this matter. Those who would like to read more about the controversy may wish to consult http://simkins.houseofrussell.com Cheers, Tom Russell trussell@law.du.edu