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Friday Fun Thread for August 8, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Ever since the halcyon days of early 2020, where some yahoo dared us rationalist corona panickers to buy puts on cruise companies, I’ve been trying to recreate this missed opportunity (turns out, it wasn’t priced in).

Ozempic’s been getting a lot of good press in rat circles. Leaps calls on novo nordisk/eli lily?

Court opinion:

  • A person is being investigated. Twelve minutes into a "custodial" (at the police station) interview (with Miranda rights having been read to the suspect), the following exchange takes place.

Suspect: Would I be able to call my lawyer?

Detective 1: You can, yeah.

Suspect: I got, uh, Lou Savino.

Detective 1: Do you want to continue this interview or what do you want to do?

Suspect: I want to continue it but I want my lawyer present.

Detective 1: Ok. So then we have to end the interview.

Suspect: You have to end the interview?

Detective 1: Mmm hmm. If you want your lawyer here, we have to end the interview.

Suspect: Will he be here today or no?

Detective 1: Probably not. Lou Savino is a very busy man.

Suspect: Yeah, I called him this morning before I left Delaware.

Detective 1: If you want him here, we’ll end the interview.

Suspect: You can keep it going.

Detective 1: Are you sure you want to do this without a lawyer?

Suspect: Yeah, because I got the right to remain silent, right?

Detective 2: Sure.

The interview then continues.

  • Several months later, the suspect is charged with various crimes. However, the trial judge suppresses all statements made by the defendant after the exchange recounted above, and the appeals panel affirms. According to the federal supreme court, once a suspect in police custody has requested a lawyer, he is not allowed to revoke that request until either he gets a lawyer or he leaves police custody and then initiates a new contact with the police. After the then-suspect said "I want my lawyer present", the detective should have ended the interview immediately, or at least should have disregarded the then-suspect's later statement of "you can keep it going".

Court opinion:

  • In year 2021, the mayor of Philadelphia issues an executive order (1) declaring Juneteenth a city holiday and (2) renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. A coalition of Italian-American organizations promptly sues, alleging that this executive order not only is the latest in a string of anti-Italian discriminatory actions perpetrated by the mayor, but also is a usurpation of the city council's exclusive power to declare city holidays.

  • In year 2023, the trial court rejects the coalition's arguments. The city charter grants the power of establishing holidays to the city personnel director, who is a member of the executive branch under the mayor.

  • In year 2025, the appeals panel reverses. The city charter grants to the city personnel director, not the power of establishing holidays, but merely the power of establishing employment regulations regarding holidays. The power of establishing holidays is not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the charter, so by default, in accordance with state and federal practice, it inheres in the legislative body—the council. Therefore, this executive order is a usurpation of legislative power. (This analysis applies to substantive holidays that are days off for city workers. The mayor still may declare temporary, symbolic holidays that have no effect on anybody.)