Interesting Links for 12-08-2013

[andrewducker]

• Hamlet banned by the British Library for being too violent.
  This is what web censorship does. Falsely censors things that you don't expect, while leaving access open to things you would.
  (tags: censorship web )
• There's something linguistically interesting going on here.
  (tags: comic funny language )
• Tracking devices hidden in London's recycling

Comments

Messiah

[woodpijn]

That's stupid, and I say this as a Christian. I'd assume a baby called Messiah is named in honour of or in reference to Jesus, like one called Emmanuel (or indeed a Latin American one called Jesus).

Re: Messiah

[pigwotflies]

Or a Jewish boy with ambitious parents.

How does that work in the US system? Do judges have freedom to make individual judgements that don't have to conform to federal laws?

Re: Messiah

[abigail_n]

Messiah (or rather, Mashiach) is a common Israeli name. You'd probably be less likely to run across it in the US, though, because it's more common among Sepharadic Jews, and most US Jews are Ashkenazi.

Re: Messiah

[apostle_of_eris]

Constitution of the United States, Article VI: 3 "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Re: Messiah

[alextfish]

That's what I'd have assumed, but the mother claims not:

She said she chose the name not because of its religious connotations, but because she liked how it sounded with her two other children's names, Micah and Mason.