The Legal Research Society

On Wed, 7 th October at 7pm in Taylor A19 the Legal Research Society will present its first movie night of this academic year with a screening of the film HOT FUZZ, a British action comedy with a huge portion of irony and black humour about the bigotry, hypocrisy and intrigues set in an (superficially) idyllic small town in Britain… Synopsis Sgt Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a fiercely motivated and successful London copper who finds himself transferred to the sleepy town of Sandford . Almost everyone in this manicured little community seems to know and love each other. But if Sandford is a sleepy market town, it is home to some very real nightmares. Not that local coppers like loveable oaf Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) see anything suspicious about Sandford's absurd number of 'accidents'. Angel is no ordinary constable and launches an investigation, much to the amusement of his bumbling boss and his colleagues. Critics “Refreshingly British come

The Legal Research Society is pleased to announce that our member Ian Taggart who recently obtained his PhD will give a talk on racial discrimination of travellers in the UK . Date: 3 rd June Time: 4:00-5:00 pm Venue: Taylor A17 Gypsies/Travellers in the United Kingdom remain the most socially excluded and discriminated sections of society that are subjected to racism on a daily basis. This presentation will examine the situation faced by Gypsies/Travellers based on primary research undertaken to inform the presenters’ doctoral thesis on Gypsies/Travellers titled Moving On – Again? This research was undertaken primarily to measure the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 and Race Relations Act 1976 as amended on prejudice and racism suffered by Gypsies/Travellers in Scotland, replicating previous research undertaken in 2000 by the Scottish Executive on Gypsies/Travellers lifestyles. The original research provides baseline data regarding prejudice and racism, that is parti

Maria Aristodemou , Senior Lecturer in Law, Birkbeck University of London DOES THE LETTER OF THE LAW ALWAYS ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION? Thursday 30 April , 1-3 p.m. (1.00 sandwich lunch, 1.30 talk) MacRobert 302 Abstract This lecture uses Balzac's short story "A Study in Feminine Psychology" as a springboard from which to explore what position the letter of the law occupies in a subject's psychic space. Through this tale of a mis-addressed declaration of love, the paper examines how the law and the signifier arrest the subject, and what freedom, if any, the subject has to manoeuvre around this position. Are subjects condemned, as Balzac seems to suggest in this tragi-comic tale, to never fully find, let alone assume, their own satisfying place "before the law"? Or that they can never do so without some embarrassment and/or pain? Further, if the letter of the law always arrives at its destination, if the subject is always arrested by the signi

The Legal Research Society invites you to the Farewell Party of Professor Anthony Carty

Time : 7pm Date : Wednesday 25, March, 2009 Venue : Taylor C11 Mr Felipe Gomez , Professor of Public International Law at Deusto University of the Basque Country, will present a film titled “The Butterfly’s Tongue”. The film is set against the background of Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The film show will be followed with a discussion, to be moderated by Professor Anthony Carty , of how contemporary Spain is handling through the courts and in public opinion the consequences of its very divisive Civil War. The film received some critical acclaim. It was nominated for the 2000 Goya Award for "Best Picture" and it won the Goya Award for "Best Adapted Screenplay." All Welcome....

The Legal Research society Invites you To ‘The problem of economic, social and especially cultural self-determination of Mexico in the face of the United States .’ Presented by Marcela Garnica Date : Monday 23rd Venue : Macrobert 252 Time : 6:15 – 8:00 pm Marcela is a doctoral student from Mexico at the Autonomous University of Madrid Postgraduate International Law Programme. Marcela would like to tackle the question: Is Mexico becoming another failed state? Looking for ways to restore and maintain the economic and social self-determination of developing countries in a time of global crisis and crisis in the United States. All welcome,

Trip to The Hague 24 th – 28 th May One Day& 1 night in Amsterdam 3 Days in The Hague Price after subsidy only: £300 In this trip, you will have the chance to see many international and European legal bodies including The Hague Conference on Private International Law , International Court of Justice , the Peace Palace , the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). We are also working on an open meeting with PhD Students at Leiden University. Tickets : £120 deposit tickets sold on the bases of first come first serve; the deadline is 23 rd March . You can either pay by Cash or by Cheque made payable to the Legal Research Society. You can also pay by bank transfer to the LRS account: 06001537 sort code: 801215. The payment of the rest of value must be made no later than 24 th April. This price includes a return flight ticket from Aberdeen to Amsterdam and includes all accommodation + b

Legal Research Society organised The State Israel ’s in Thursday 12th @ 5pm a talk by Hilda Meers I speak to you as a Jewish person who campaigns for peace, for Palestinians' rights to justice, freedom to live at peace in the land historically known as Palestine, which they will share with their Jewish neighbours and friends once the folly of Zionism has led, either to a much-needed radical policy change or to its collapse. For, far from being deeply rooted in Jewish history or ideas, Zionism was formally put forward at a Zionist Congress in 1897. The notion of a Jewish state long ago promised to their ancestors in Biblical times is a myth, nor was Palestine the first destination proposed by advocates of Jewish separatism and exclusiveness, (Madagascar was first suggested) nor was the notion of a Jewish state widely supported by Jews worldwide, most of whom were either well-rooted in countries they lived in, or, if subject to persecution, particularly in Eastern Europe and Tsaris

As we have promised you after the successful Workshop and Roundtable Discussion on the Legal Implications of the War on Gaza : we are delighted to announce our first follow up event focussing on the Jewish/Israeli perspective: The State Israel ’s in Date: Thursday 12 th @ 5pm Venue: NK 14 Speaker: Hilda Meers Hilda Meers , is an eye witness of the history of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. A Jewish peace campaigner for more than thirty years , her talk out of experience is not to be missed. Topics covered: The founding of the state of Israel and its core values and policies, post World War II developments and the effects of these on the indigenous Arab populations of Palestine , a divided Israel . Moreover, US support for Israel 's economy and wars, election procedure, with these various strands pulled together as a coherent whole.

The Legal Research Society would like to kindly invite you to: Film Night, 11 March, 7pm, Taylor C11 An Academy Awards film screen-written and directed by an Italian director “The Last Emperor” The Last Emperor is a biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. It was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures. Puyi's life is depicted from his ascension to the throne as a small boy to his imprisonment and political rehabilitation by the Chinese Communist authorities. It was the first feature film for which the producers were authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City (the historical royal palace) in Beijing. In 1987, the film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film bears much on Chinese history in the first half of the 20th century and is also related to some international historic event

The Legal Research Society Organised a Workshop and Roundtable Discussion on: “ The Legal Implications of the Recent War against Gaza ” Date : Friday, 13 th February 2009 Time : 4 to 6 pm Venue : New King’s 14 Can one legally speak of a holocaust or genocide committed by Israel ? – What human rights violations are the Palestinians subjected to? – Are the Israeli attacks covered by the right to self-defense ? – In legal terms, can Hamas be described as terrorists or as freedom fighters? – What does jihad mean under Islamic International Law? – Could Israel as a state or Israeli officials be held liable and be prosecuted for war crimes ? These and many other questions werediscussed by four panel speakers: Mohamed Almagsoudi – PhD student in Human Rights Law Nabahan Al-Ma’awali – PhD student in International Criminal law Khaled Ramadan Bashir – PhD student in Islamic Contribution and International Law Ahmed Samir Hassanein – PhD student in International Criminal law Moreover,