Dr Johnson defined gallimaufry as

1. A hoch-poch …
2. Any inconsistent or ridiculous medley. …

Here’s a hoch-poch, or hotch-potch (though, of course, not a hotchpot) of links relevant to the themes of this blog that have caught my eye over the last while:

First, an Article 10 Right of Reply? considers the various routes to a legally enforceable right to reply to inaccurate information in the same medium where the original statements were published. In this post, Andrea Martin argued that such a development is neither necessary nor desirable, but that a voluntary scheme operated by broadcast media would have a lot to recommend it.

Second, the Irish judiciary has signalled support for setting up a judicial council, a development anticipated by the ICCL in 2007 which I welcomed at the time.

Third, Slate recently published No More Bullet Points, No More Clip Art (h/t Oisín, offline) arguing that “PowerPoint isn’t evil if you learn how to use it”. But so many people fail to learn how to use it that I have no doubt that my antipathy will continue.

Fourth, a story in the Independent on Plagiarism and PhDs: how to deal with copying says that it “may seem counter-intuitive but postgraduates are more likely to commit plagiarism than undergraduates”. Whether postgrads or undergrads – or of that matter, postdocs, lecturers or professors – we must all be on our guard against plagiarism in the academy.

Fifth, I have long been a strong supporter of open access to academic information, so I am heartened to learn that over 20% of the world’s scholarly journals now open access! (Kudos to DOAJ)

Sixth, Thinspiration: Still legal in the U.S.! picks up the proposed French legislation which I discussed in my post on incitement to anoxeria.

Seventh, the online challenge to traditional third-level education gathers pace: U of California Considers Online Classes, or Even Degrees the University of California “hope to put $5-million to $6-million into a pilot project that could clear the way for the system to offer online undergraduate degrees and push distance learning further into the mainstream …”

Eighth, a woman jailed by a Chicago judge for 2 days for wearing an offensive T-shirt to court recalls my post If t-shirts could talk …, discussing a similar Irish case and a more serious US example (there’s also an earlier Illinois example). Cohen v California 403 US 15 (1971) anyone?