Student’s Plea Was More Than Law Professor Bargained For

A student at the University of West Los Angeles law school e-mailed this plea to several Times reporters: “My Midterm Assignment is for me to contact a Writer at the Los Angeles Times and find a way for my Professor, Jeffrey W. Steinberger, to contribute a Quote, Commentary or Sound Bite to a column or article you may be writing in the future.”

He included the professor’s telephone and fax numbers, postal and e-mail addresses and website. A colleague of mine phoned Steinberger’s office to tell him that Times staffers were annoyed with the e-mails and pointed out it was an outrageous case of self-promotion.

Steinberger, whose website describes him as a “celebrity attorney,” among other things, told the reporter that there was a misunderstanding. He wanted students in the law and media studies class only to reach out to members of the media to learn how to talk to them -- not to try to get his name in the paper.

Guess that means I’ll never know what grade the student would have received for getting his prof a mention in this column. Maybe I don’t want to know.

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Inside out: Carol Fairbairn of Pacific Palisades suspects one furniture store needs a lesson in the use of umbrellas (see accompanying).

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What has 12 legs and ... : A storage shed walking across a parking lot in Newport Beach caught the eye of Dan Woodman of Anaheim (see photo). The shed makes for a good umbrella too.

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Food for thought: Harvey Geller of Tarzana says you can find some untraditional hot dogs at “a venerable hot dog stand between Hollywood and Sunset on Vine Street that’s been at the same location since the late ‘30s. The moldering menu proclaims English muffins and ‘Beagles.’ ”

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Don’t expect much protection: Ron Gold of Malibu sent along an ad for a camper that wouldn’t cover much -- maybe a cold beagle (see accompanying).

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Word imperfect: “Ever since 1934, when I was the spelling champion of Forest County, Wis., I’ve been interested in correct spelling,” wrote Jean McKinley of West Hills. “I assume that this is a typo, poor spelling or has it become part of wedding planning to prepare for armed combat?” (see accompanying).

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Write 100 times on the blackboard: Rodney Piatt of Los Angeles found a learning center that should hire Ms. McKinley (see accompanying).

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miscelLAny: Something to dance about? Ruth Bavetta of Redlands saw a real estate ad for a home “minuets” from the freeway.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083; by fax at (213) 237-4712; by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012; and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.