Chef Mark DeCraepeo at Pizza Time in Boca Raton had been pushed just about as far as you can go as an Italian chef. One of his cousins working as a waitress at the restaurant hanged a ticket for another mozzarella caprese after he has already prepared the dish. DeCraepeo responded by pulling a gun and threatening to shoot her in the forehead if she hanged another order for mozzarella caprese.
Continue reading ‘Step Away From the Mozzarella Caprese: Florida Chef Arrested for Threatening to Shoot Server’
Archive for October, 2009
Step Away From the Mozzarella Caprese: Florida Chef Arrested for Threatening to Shoot Server
Published 1, October 17, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society , Torts 8 CommentsChicago High School Reports 115 Pregnant and New Mothers Out of 800 Students
Published 1, October 17, 2009 Bizarre , Politics , Society 44 Comments
This is an amazing and depressing statistic. There are 800 girls at Chicago’s Paul Robeson High School. Out of 800 girls, 115 are now pregnant or recently had children.
Continue reading ‘Chicago High School Reports 115 Pregnant and New Mothers Out of 800 Students’
Bunny Briquettes: Stockholm Burns Rabbits to Heat City
Published 1, October 17, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 11 Comments
City officials in Stockholm are feeling the heat over rabbit fuel. The city relies on green technology, including biofuel to reduce pollution and global warming. So, when thousands of rabbits had to be culled from Sweden’s parks and streets, they were used as fuel in the city heating plant. Now, people are hopping mad, but officials are having “burn, bunny, burn.”
Continue reading ‘Bunny Briquettes: Stockholm Burns Rabbits to Heat City’
Video: Baby Rolls in Stroller In Front of Passing Train
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , International 30 CommentsThis video is hard to watch. However, the most extraordinary thing is that this six-month-old baby boy survived with only a small bump on the head.
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Duick Blind: California Woman Sues After Being “Punked” by Toyota
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , Media , Society , Torts 13 Comments
There is an interesting torts lawsuit in Los Angeles where Amber Duick has filed against Toyota for a weird advertising campaign that she said “punked” her and convinced her that she was being stalked by an English man called Sebastian Bowler. She is demanding $10 million.
Continue reading ‘Duick Blind: California Woman Sues After Being “Punked” by Toyota’
Ohio Woman Charged After Claiming to Win Lottery and Causing Panic by Offering to Pay for Shopping Spree By Customers
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 8 Comments
Linda Brown, 45, has been given a novel criminal charge. Brown entered a store and announced that she had won the lottery for $1.5 million and was going to pay for a shopping spree for everyone in the store. The result was pandemonium and a charge of aggravated menacing.
Continue reading ‘Ohio Woman Charged After Claiming to Win Lottery and Causing Panic by Offering to Pay for Shopping Spree By Customers’
Louisiana Justice of the Peace Refuses to Marry Interracial Couples
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Lawyering , Politics , Society , Torts 37 Comments
Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana has become an infamous figure overnight after he refused to marry an interracial couple out of concern for their possible children. However, he helpfully explained “I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way.”
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Question of the Day: Can You Serve This Man Under Dram Shop Laws?
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society , Torts 13 CommentsIn torts, we have been exploring the requirements of state dram shop law for bars, restaurants, and other businesses. This video would probably constitute one extreme on the scale from serving and “over-serving” in the industry.
Continue reading ‘Question of the Day: Can You Serve This Man Under Dram Shop Laws?’
Italian Couple Files Suit After Setting Sail on a Gay Cruise
Published 1, October 16, 2009 Bizarre , International , Media , Society , Torts 9 Comments
An Italian couple has filed a provocative lawsuit seeking damages from a cruise that took them from Italy to Spain. After setting sail, the couple found out that they were on the “Revuelta” (“Revolution”) cruise for gay couples. They insist that it was a breach of their agreement not to inform them of the “theme” of the cruise while others are charging that they are homophobic.
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Meet Dr. Sima Samar — The Person Obama Beat Out for the Nobel Prize
Published 1, October 15, 2009 International , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 35 Comments
In light of the recent disclosure that President Obama was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize just 12 days after taking office and was initially opposed from the majority of the Committee (here), there is some interest on who was stepped over for the honor. The most striking “loser” in the competition was Dr. Sima Samar, an amazingly brave Afghan woman who has risked her life to fight for the rights of women and girls in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Continue reading ‘Meet Dr. Sima Samar — The Person Obama Beat Out for the Nobel Prize’
Majority of Nobel Committee Reportedly Objected to Awarding Obama Prize
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , International , Politics , Society 29 Comments
Various people, including civil libertarians, have criticized the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama given his expansion on Bush policies and his opposition to war crimes investigations. Others have criticized the fact that he was nominated after less than two weeks in office and selected after less than a year in office. Now, it appears that the majority of the Nobel committee had the same objections and had rejected him for the award.
Continue reading ‘Majority of Nobel Committee Reportedly Objected to Awarding Obama Prize’
Pee-Wee Football Coach Reportedly Gave Police Officer Cellphone with Bestiality Image — Leading to Discovery of Hundreds of Child Porn Images
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 1 Comment
The same day that a Wisconsin man was arrested after a bartender found child pornography on his cellphone (here), a Tennessee man and Pee-Wee football league coach, Raymond Travis, 51, was arrested after he handed over a cellphone to police containing bestiality pictures.
Continue reading ‘Pee-Wee Football Coach Reportedly Gave Police Officer Cellphone with Bestiality Image — Leading to Discovery of Hundreds of Child Porn Images’
Obama Moves to Change Law to Avoid Supreme Court Ruling on Withheld Detainee Photos
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , International , Justice , Lawyering , Media , Military , Politics , Religion , Society 31 Comments
President BarackN Obama, the world’s newest Nobel peace laureate, is again expanding on the policies of former President George Bush and fighting to conceal evidence of U.S. torture and abuse. As did the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration is seeking to change the law after courts rejected its absurd argument that the President can withhold photos of detainee abuse simply because they are embarrassing to the United States. Democrats in Congress are assisting in the effort to try to stop the Supreme Court from considering the issue by preempting the litigation.
Batty and Booked: Man Arrested for Assault of Officer With Pillow
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 5 Comments
We have recently seen police charge individuals for assault through flatulence (here). However, assault via a pillow is something new. Erik John Batty, 40, is facing the charge of battery when he threw a pillow at Officer Myles J. Lawler.
Continue reading ‘Batty and Booked: Man Arrested for Assault of Officer With Pillow’
Parents Arrested After Washing Out Mouth of Daughter with Soap
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 17 Comments
Adriyanna Herdener and Wilfredo Rivera were arrested for child abuse after they admitted to washing out the mouth of their 8-year-old daughter with soap for swearing.
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Canadian Trucker Fined for Smoking in a Workplace: His Own Truck
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Politics , Society 9 Comments
While we recently discussed criticism of the evolving “nanny state” in England, it appears that Canada may also have a degree of runaway paternalistic regulations. Truck driver Brad Weber, 44, was fined recently for smoking in his workplace. Of course, his workplace is the cab of his truck, which he owns and operates alone.
Continue reading ‘Canadian Trucker Fined for Smoking in a Workplace: His Own Truck’
Wisconsin Man Arrested After Leaving Cellphone at Bar Containing Child Pornography
Published 1, October 15, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 10 Comments
Aaron R. Klein, 24, of Brookfield, Wisconsin may spend a number of years in prison for what began as an unpaid bar bill. Klein was unable to pay his bar tab and agreed to leave his cellphone as security at the bar. When the bartender opened the phone to find Klein’s telephone number, he discovered child pornography.
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Gnome Nazi Invasion!
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , International , Media , Politics , Society 12 Comments
First there was Al Qaeda, then Swine Flu, and . . . now that you think you are over the worst of it . . . here come the Gnome Nazis.
Burrito Bomb: South Carolina Charges Teen with Throwing Deadly Missile at Car
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 5 Comments
South Carolina police have charged a 15-year-old boy with the serious offense of throwing a deadly missile at a moving car. The missile was a burrito. Driver John Addie says that a hard object (possibly a bottle) hit his car before the burrito came through his window.
Continue reading ‘Burrito Bomb: South Carolina Charges Teen with Throwing Deadly Missile at Car’
Detroit’s $18.5 Million Solitaire Game
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society , Torts 4 Comments
Detroit has long held the reputation as one of the worst run cities in the nation, particularly with its top politicians continually the subject of corruption scandals and criminal indictments, here. Now, an internal report has revealed that the city spent more than $18.5 million on an in-car computer system that is so poorly designed and used that investigators found that “its most common use today is a platform to play solitaire.”
The Scales of Justice: Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Fish Murder
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society , Torts 22 Comments
It appears that Oregon police take fish murder more seriously than Texas police. We previously saw how police declined to charge a woman who fried and ate her ex-husband’s pet fish, here. Now, Donald Earl Fite III has pleaded guilty to stabbing Sarah Harris’ pet betta (Siamese fighting) fish, DeLorean, to death when she (inexplicably) declined to resume her relationship with him. DeLorean was found at the crime scene on the wooden floor with a knife in its back.
Continue reading ‘The Scales of Justice: Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Fish Murder’
Eagle Scout Suspended for Having 2-Inch Pocketknife Locked in Car
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 29 Comments
The same week as the horrendous story of a six-year-old cub scout being suspended and sent to reform school for bringing his cub scout mess kit to eat lunch (here), New York educators have added another ridiculous case out of the “zero tolerance” madness gripping schools. Matthew Whalen is a 17-year-old senior at Lansingburgh High School who has just completed basic training to be a soldier. He kept a 2-inch keychain pocketknife locked in his car with other camping equipment. When the school learned about the knife, they suspended him and, when he appealed, they added 15 days for the Eagle Scout.
Continue reading ‘Eagle Scout Suspended for Having 2-Inch Pocketknife Locked in Car’
The Wedding Crasher: Women Sues Bride’s Brother and Hyatt for Fall at Wedding
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , Lawyering , Society , Torts 6 Comments
Thanks to one of my torts students, we have another interesting “dram shop” case. In New Jersey, Christine Mancision has filed a lawsuit after she was hurt by the drunken brother of the bride, Mary Graeber, at a wedding. James Graeber apparently is well named. He grabbed Mancision on the dance floor and ultimately knocked her down, causing her to break her wrist and requiring the insertion of a metal plate to reconstruct the wrist. However, she is not just suing Graeber but Hyatt Hotels Corp. for another $1 million in damages under New Jersey’s “dram shop” law.
Continue reading ‘The Wedding Crasher: Women Sues Bride’s Brother and Hyatt for Fall at Wedding’
Question of the Day: Are Farmers Liable for Cows Falling From Great Heights?
Published 1, October 14, 2009 Bizarre , Society , Torts 12 Comments
As anyone who has taken my torts class can attest, I collect bizarre torts cases, often falling body cases and res ipsa loquitur cases. One appears to have gotten away a few years ago that a current student just sent in. Charles Everson Jr. and his wife Linda barely escaped injury when a cow fell out of the sky and landed on the hood of their moving minivan. What is most amazing is that I can actually top this story in the airborne bovine category.
Continue reading ‘Question of the Day: Are Farmers Liable for Cows Falling From Great Heights?’
Sotomayor Joins Conservative Colleagues Over Possible Constitutional Claims by Corporations in Class Action Cases
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Constitutional Law , Courts , Lawyering , Society , Supreme Court 6 Comments
In light of today’s column on cases testing Sotomayor’s views (and possible alliance with conservatives in key areas), this story may be of some interest. Sotomayor joined Chief Justice john G. Roberts, Jr. and Justice Anthony Kennedy in raising concerns over whether courts are violating the constitutional rights of corporations in class action cases.
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Attorney Orly Taitz Fined $20,000 for Frivolous “Birther” Litigation
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Bizarre , Courts , Lawyering , Society 1,632 Comments
The bill is in for Orly Taitz, the California lawyer leading the “Birther” litigation: $20,000 for sanctionable conduct. U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land previously issued a stern warning to attorney Orly Taitz and others in the so-called “birther” campaign: do not file another such “frivolous” lawsuit or you will face sanctions. Land threw out the lawsuit filed on behalf of Capt. Connie Rhodes who is an Army surgeon challenging her deployment orders due to President Barack Obama’s alleged ineligibility to serve as President. Land (a Bush appointee) noted that “[u]nlike in ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ simply saying something is so does not make it so.” In the most recent order, Land said that Taitz’s conduct “borders on delusional.”
Continue reading ‘Attorney Orly Taitz Fined $20,000 for Frivolous “Birther” Litigation’
Murder, She Spoke: Court Overturns Convictions Due to Prosecutors Use of Defendant’s Nickname “Murder”
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Lawyering , Politics , Society 2 Comments
There is an important decision out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit where the conviction of Laval Farmer was overturned due to the prosecutors’ repeated use of his nickname “murder.” After all, his nickname is not “Attempted Murder” Farmer, which is what he was tried for. My only regret is that he was not represented by Richard “Racehorse” Haynes so that the prosecutors could have told the jury not to let “a race horse clear murder.”
Continue reading ‘Murder, She Spoke: Court Overturns Convictions Due to Prosecutors Use of Defendant’s Nickname “Murder”’
School Suspends Six-Year-Old For Bringing Cub Scout Kit to School
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Media , Politics , Society 33 Comments
School officials in Newark, Delaware have given the nation another example of mindless “zero-tolerance” abuse. In this case, officials suspended 6-year-old Zachary Christie because the boy brought his new cub scout camping utensils to school to eat his lunch. Because the utensil had a small knife, he was suspended and ordered to spend the next 45 days in the district’s reform school.
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National Treasure: Nicolas Cage Owes IRS Over $6 Million
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Society 9 Comments
Nicolas Cage has been hit by a lien for over $6,257,005 in unpaid income tax for 2007. It is not known if the IRS has started digging near Mount Rushmore.
Continue reading ‘National Treasure: Nicolas Cage Owes IRS Over $6 Million’
Tall Tale or Felony Crime? Colorado Man Charged With “Stolen Valor” After Making Up Heroic Stories
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Bizarre , Congress , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Media , Politics , Society 19 Comments
Richard Strandlof lived a life of distinction. He spoke to children and the media as a survivor first of the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 and then survived a roadside bomb that killed four fellow Marines. He will now add a further distinction as a defendant in a rare “stolen valor” prosecution after his claims of service were proven false.
Simply Sonia: Sotomayor’s Colleagues Pick Docket Virtually Tailored To Force Her To Choose Sides
Published 1, October 13, 2009 Academics , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Justice , Media , Politics , Religion , Society , Supreme Court 6 Comments Here is this week’s column from Roll Call. It explores the interesting selection of cases this term for the Supreme Court. Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s colleagues could not have selected cases more carefully to address areas of uncertainty from her confirmation hearing. Whether by accident or design, this docket is front-loaded with cases that will force Sotomayor to show her true colors in the first few months of her tenure as an associate justice.
Continue reading ‘Simply Sonia: Sotomayor’s Colleagues Pick Docket Virtually Tailored To Force Her To Choose Sides’
Question of the Day: Besides Woody Allen, Who Is The Last Guy Polanski Would Want as a Character Witness?
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Media , Politics , Society 9 Comments
It appears that when I suggested Woody Allen was the last person Polanski who want as an advocate (here), I spoke too hastily. As the French continue their campaign to force the return of Roman Polanski to their country (and avoid extradition to the United States for his rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1997), a new controversy has emerged from the Sarkozy government. The culture minister advocating for the famed director is the nephew of the late Socialist French president Francois Mitterand — Frédéric Mitterrand. Mitterrand appears to have more than a platonic interest in the underlying controversy.
Netanyahu Vows to Block Any War Crimes Trial of Israeli Official
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Courts , International , Justice , Military , Politics , Society 13 Comments
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to allow any Israelis to stand trial for war crimes even if demanded by the United Nations or world court. It is a position that defies the entire basis of international legal process created by the Nuremberg Tribunals since no country has a right to determine its own innocence. As previously noted, the Goldstone Commission found credible evidence of war crimes in the Gaza campaign.
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Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goal Post of Life: School Board to Meet on Christian Cheerleader Controversy
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Politics , Religion , Society 18 Comments
This week, the Catoosa County School Board in Ringgold, Georgia will meet on controversy over the cheerleaders of Georgia’s Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School who use Biblical verses as part of their displays to root for the football team to “commit to the Lord” and “take courage and do it.”
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Bountiful Birth: Utah Man Misses Birth of Child After Being Arrested for Groping the Delivery Nurse
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 16 Comments
Adam Jay Manning of Bountiful, Utah is not exactly going to be picked as Daddy of the Year. Indeed, when his kid asks where Manning was when he was born, he will be able to proudly state “I was in jail for groping the delivery nurse.”
Teen Happy Hours: Study Proposes a Weekly Alcohol Allowance for the Children
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , International , Politics , Society 28 Comments
Given our earlier story of how English parents are no longer allowed to buy alcohol with their teenagers present at the store, this may be a bit of a mixed message. A study has concluded that parents should supply alcohol to their teenagers at home rather than have them venture out for more dangerous liaisons. The researchers propose a weekly alcohol allowance for teens.
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Something Borrowed . . . : Tennessee Couple Spends Honeymoon in Jail After Burglarizing Wedding Chapel Where They Were Married
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 6 Comments
Brian T. Dykes, 21, and Mindy K. McGhee, 24, took the “something borrowed, something blue” thing a bit too literally. Hours after their marriage in Sevierville, Tennessee, they returned to the Angel’s View Wedding Chapel at the Black Bear Ridge Resort to burglarize it. They spent their honeymoon in separate cells.
Continue reading ‘Something Borrowed . . . : Tennessee Couple Spends Honeymoon in Jail After Burglarizing Wedding Chapel Where They Were Married’
“A Dud Pair”: Iraq Veteran Dies After Cancerous Lungs Are Used for Transplant
Published 1, October 12, 2009 Bizarre , Military , Society , Torts 10 Comments
Iraq war veteran Corporal Matthew Millington, 31, of the Queen’s Royal Lancers, thought that he had beaten the odds when he was told that the hospital had located two new lungs for transplant after his lungs were destroyed by an incurable lung condition. However, instead of dying of the original condition, he died of lung cancer. The two lungs transplanted in his body came from a smoker who had a habit of 30 to 50 roll-up cigarettes a day. Millington who served in the army since his 16th birthday told his wife, “They’ve given me a dud pair” before he died of lung cancer in February.
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Many of us have felt like this at work.
Continue reading ‘Dog Versus Sprinkler’
Bible Battles: Students Use Free Gideon Bibles in Texas Schools to Beat Jewish Students and Roll Joints
Published 1, October 11, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Politics , Religion , Society 30 Comments
Texas parents are complaining that a program to distribute free Gideon Bibles at schools may have backfired. So many Bibles were distributed to students in Plano and Frisco that students reportedly began to use them as weapons, sold them, or even uses the pages to roll joints. In one particularly disturbing account, a Jewish boy was attacked by Christian students throwing the bibles at him.
Continue reading ‘Bible Battles: Students Use Free Gideon Bibles in Texas Schools to Beat Jewish Students and Roll Joints’
Spiritual Searing: Two Die and Nineteen Injured in New Age “Sweatbox” Ceremony
Published 1, October 11, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Religion , Society , Torts 10 Comments
There is an interesting potential torts case out of Arizona where two people died and 19 people were injured as part of a “sweatbox” ceremony reportedly led by James Arthur Ray, author of the best-selling book “Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want.”
Continue reading ‘Spiritual Searing: Two Die and Nineteen Injured in New Age “Sweatbox” Ceremony’
The Good Faith Defense: Parents Given More Lenient Treatment When Children Die in Faith-Based Neglect
Published 1, October 11, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Politics , Religion , Society 43 Comments
We have another case of a child dying from a relatively minor condition while surrounded by praying adults. Kent Schaible, 2, died of bacterial pneumonia because the parents Herbert and Catherine Schaible believed in faith-healing and declined to get medical attention for the child in Philadelphia. This is strikingly similar to the case of Leilani and Dale Neumann in Wisconsin who were recently given light sentences in such a faith-based case. As shown below, difficult questions are raised by the disparate treatment given parents who neglect children for religious as opposed to non-religious reasons. Continue reading ‘The Good Faith Defense: Parents Given More Lenient Treatment When Children Die in Faith-Based Neglect’
I’ll Have Wine and Scissors, Please: English Citizens Object to Move Toward “Nanny State”
Published 1, October 11, 2009 Bizarre , International , Media , Politics , Society 14 Comments
Management consultant Jackie Slater is over fifty and wanted to buy two bottles of wine when she was stopped at a store counter in England. The Morrisons clerk told her that she could not purchase wine because she was accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter Emily. In a London library, Lorna Watts, 26, asked to borrow some scissors and was refused by a librarian who explained that she “might stab a member of staff”. These are stories from what many of our English cousins are calling the evolution of a “nanny state” where the government and companies dictate an ever-widening range of rules for citizens who are treated as little more than errant children.
Gilding the Lilly: Phoenix Police Board Clears Officer Who Mistakingly Shot Homeowner Six Times
Published 1, October 10, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society , Torts 16 Comments
Phoenix police officer Brian Lilly has been cleared in the shooting of homeowner Tony Arambula by a police board. The Phoenix Use of Force Board determined Lilly acted properly in responding to a call of a burglary and shooting Arambula six times — even though Arambula, 36, did not threaten Lilly and the family claims Lilly shot him twice while he was laying on the floor.
Evil Twins? Two Pediatricians-Brothers Accused of Sexual Abuse of Male Patients
Published 1, October 10, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 9 Comments
Police in Hamilton, Ohio are claiming that twin brothers who are practicing pediatricians share a certain deviate gene. Drs. Mark and Scott Blankenburg (both 53) are accused of having sex with young male patients and even “sharing” victims in a criminal complaint that reads like the writings of the Marquis de Sade. They allegedly paid the boys with drugs or money and videotaped some of the sexual acts.
Continue reading ‘Evil Twins? Two Pediatricians-Brothers Accused of Sexual Abuse of Male Patients’
The Pediatric Perry Mason: Illinois Attorney Nails 11-Year-Old Who Tried to Save Public Library Staff
Published 1, October 10, 2009 Bizarre , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Society 14 Comments
Criminal law attorney Constantine “Connie” Xinos bagged a trophy worth bragging about: nailing 11-year-old Sydney Sabbagha for trying to defend the staff of the public library of Oak Brook, Illinois. This Pediatric Perry Mason moment was a matter of some pride for Xinos, who told a reporter “I wanted that kid to lose sleep that night.”
Continue reading ‘The Pediatric Perry Mason: Illinois Attorney Nails 11-Year-Old Who Tried to Save Public Library Staff’
Ohio Officer Drives Drunk, Uses Dispatcher to Avoid Colleagues, and Helps Friend in Domestic Violence Case . . . Given Full Reinstatement to the Police Force With Back Pay
Published 1, October 10, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 10 Comments
Warren County Deputy Troy Lauffer was fired after he was found to have driven drunk and then used the police dispatcher to find out the location of his colleagues to avoid his colleagues on patrol. He was then accused of hampering an investigation into a domestic violence case by giving a friend a ride to get away from his house after his wife called the police. One would think that was enough to end a police career, but not in Warren County, Lauffer is back policing other citizens after being returned to work. Not only that but the county will have to pay Lauffer for some of his lost time.
Gaza Zoo Invents the Instant Zebra
Published 1, October 10, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Society 7 Comments
The Gaza zoo had a problem. They were missing two things: zebras and the money to buy them. The solution came in the form of some masking tape, paint, and two confused donkeys.
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Defaming Uncle Joe: Stalin Family Sues Newspaper for Portraying Stalin as Stalinistic
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Constitutional Law , International , Lawyering , Media , Society 6 Comments
It turns out that the correct meaning of ‘Stalinistic” is kind, family-oriented, and greatly loved. Or, at least that is the view expressed in a Russian court by Joseph Stalin’s grandson, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili. (Stalin’s given name was Joseph Dzhugashvili). He is suing opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta for publishing declassified death warrants from the period and offering an unvarnished account of the atrocities under Stalin.
Continue reading ‘Defaming Uncle Joe: Stalin Family Sues Newspaper for Portraying Stalin as Stalinistic’
America Bombs Moon Back Into Stone Age — Al Qaeda Strength on Moon Confirmed Within 100 Insurgents of Afghan Levels
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Academics , Military , Politics , Society 43 Comments
The United States of America opened a can of whoop — and bombed the Moon this morning. Early reports are promising in terms of any resistance. However, prior to the execution of the LCROSS mission, it was confirmed that the strength of Al Qaeda on the moon is within 100 insurgents of the levels in Afghanistan.
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Melanie Hain, Gun Rights Advocate, Shot Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Media , Politics , Society 14 Comments
Meleanie Hain, a soccer mom who became a national advocate for second amendment rights, has been killed in an apparent murder-suicide with her husband in Lebanon, PA. The murder occurred within a week of a published study showing that the odds of being killed or injured increased dramatically if you carry a gun.
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Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , International , Lawyering , Media , Society 66 CommentsPresident Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. It is a great honor for this country and for the President. For civil libertarians, however, the prize is a bit of a mixed message. Obama has blocked any investigation of war crimes or torture in violation of international law. He has also supported the limitation of free speech to allow the criminalization of criticism of religion. With less than a year in office, the selection may send the wrong message to Obama that personality rather than principles succeed in both domestic and international politics.
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Police Officer Involved in High School Beating Case Previously Shot Husband of His Ex-Wife in Front of Their Children and Is Now in Jail for Allegedly Raping an Indiana Woman
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 16 Comments
We previously watched this video of Dolton, Ill. police officer Christopher Lloyd, 38, beating a 15-year-old special needs student for failing to tuck in his shirt. Now, it turns out that Lloyd has been arrested in Indiana on an unrelated rape charge and previously shot the husband of his ex-wfie in front of their children. He has resigned from the police force after the beating of Marshawn Pitts, here.
Continue reading ‘Police Officer Involved in High School Beating Case Previously Shot Husband of His Ex-Wife in Front of Their Children and Is Now in Jail for Allegedly Raping an Indiana Woman’
The Blair Witch Project: Former Prime Minister Warns of Atheists Among Us
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Bizarre , International , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 77 Comments
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair used a speech at Georgetown University to warn of the threat against the West that is growing at alarming rate. No, he wasn’t talking about terrorism, the recession, or even Swine Flu. He was talking about atheists and the menace they present to the world. Not since leaders tackled the dangers of witches in our midst has a politician sounded such an alarm. This politician happens to be the leading contender for the first “president of Europe.”
Continue reading ‘The Blair Witch Project: Former Prime Minister Warns of Atheists Among Us’
Le Dauphin: Sarkozy Appoints 23-Year-Old Son To Head Multi-Billion Euro Business District
Published 1, October 9, 2009 Bizarre , International , Politics 4 Comments
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has added nepotism to his current personal controversies — shocking the French political establishment by appointing his son, Jean, 23, to be the head of the multibillion euro public agency that runs La Défense, the island of corporate towers in the west of Paris. It is reminiscent of Le Dauphin or child heir apparent to the French throne.
Nine Lives: Air Controller Heard Joking About Dead Cat Just Before Air Collision
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society , Torts 3 Comments
The FAA has released a disturbing tape (below) of an air traffic controller who is heard over a flight recording joking about a dead cat with a female friend as a small plane and tourist helicopter collided in midair — killing nine.
Continue reading ‘Nine Lives: Air Controller Heard Joking About Dead Cat Just Before Air Collision’
Brother, Can You Spare a Riyal? Saudis Ask For Possible Financial Assistance If World Reduces Emissions
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 18 Comments
The line of countries asking for handouts as part of the global warming agreement included a curious member: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is concerned that if environmentalism should ever break out, the Kingdom could suffer. Accordingly, they are quietly asking that the KSA not be forgotten in the list of needy nations.
Continue reading ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Riyal? Saudis Ask For Possible Financial Assistance If World Reduces Emissions’
Finding Jesus in All the Wrong Places: Man Barred From Church Under North Carolina’s Sex Offender Laws
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Politics , Religion , Society 10 Comments
In Raleigh, James Nichols says he wants to find God but he can’t find him in North Carolina. The convicted sex-offender was arrested when he tried to attend church because he is not allowed to be present on any property where children are present, such as in the church’s daycare center. It is only the latest in a series of cases that pit the freedom of religion against sex offender laws.
Continue reading ‘Finding Jesus in All the Wrong Places: Man Barred From Church Under North Carolina’s Sex Offender Laws’
Former Alabama Judge Faces Trial This Week For Allegedly Spanking and Sexually Assaulting Inmates in Chambers
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Society , Torts 14 Comments
We have been following the bizarre case of former Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas who is accused of ordering the male inmates be brought to his chambers where he would spank them and have sex with them. With the judge facing trial on various criminal charges, the case took another strange turn when a former inmate charged in a lawsuit that his former attorney coerced him into testifying against the judge. The case of Willie Pearson was dropped after he accused attorney Joe Kulakowski of threatening him. However, the prosecutor insists that the other cases will proceed as planned for trial.
Continue reading ‘Former Alabama Judge Faces Trial This Week For Allegedly Spanking and Sexually Assaulting Inmates in Chambers’
The Axe Effect: Naked Louisiana Burglar Breaks in Woman’s House, Makes Dinner, and Takes Shower
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 9 Comments
For a Slidell, Louisiana woman it was bad enough to find her home ransacked after returning from a weekend with her son. Then, after checking the home video system, she learned the burglar was entirely naked at the time and proceeded to take a shower before leaving. This may be the result of the entire AXE effect, which asks “Is Your Shower Hottie Ready?”
I Have a Terrier and I am Not Afraid to Use It: Nebraska Woman Throws Loaded Jack Russell on Officers
Published 1, October 8, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 8 Comments
A women in Lincoln, Nebraska has been charged after she allegedly threw a Jack Russell Terrier at an officer. It appears, however, that in Lincoln a charge of assault requires a dog as large or greater than a Bulldog to constitute assault on an officer. Instead, she was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault.
Continue reading ‘I Have a Terrier and I am Not Afraid to Use It: Nebraska Woman Throws Loaded Jack Russell on Officers’
The Case Against the Separation of Church and State
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Media , Politics , Religion , Supreme Court 24 Comments
As if by divine intervention, the debate over the separation of church and state was answered today — even as the Supreme Court took up the case of Salazar v. Buono ( 08-472). This picture clearly shows Jesus giving the Constitution to the drafters — resolving any suggestion that the original framers envisioned a separation. It came directly from Jesus and should moot the case heard by the Court today.
Continue reading ‘The Case Against the Separation of Church and State’
Video: Special Needs Student Beaten By Officer Due to Failure to Tuck in His Shirt
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 26 CommentsThis video is unbelievable as an officer working outside of Chicago as security in a high school beats a special needs student who left his shirt untucked in violation of the school dress code.
Continue reading ‘Video: Special Needs Student Beaten By Officer Due to Failure to Tuck in His Shirt’
Serving Mammon: Woman Accused of Using Stolen Check for Church Donation and Then Swiping Parishioners Wallet
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 6 Comments
And I thought John Ricci was damned. Police accuse China Graham of Ellwood City of laying hands on the faithful in the First Presbyterian Church in New Brighton, PA . . . well at least their valuables. She is accused of first using a stolen check for a donation and then grabbing a wallet from a women who left her purse in the pew when she went for communion.
Dancing DeLayed is Dancing Denied: Tom DeLay Pulls Out of Dancing With the Stars
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Bizarre , Media , Politics , Society 12 Comments
First, there was the departure of Mikhail Baryshnikov from the American Ballet Theatre in 1978. Then there was the retirement of Tommy Tune. Now, the art and dancing worlds are reeling from the announcement that former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay is leaving “Dancing With the Stars” due to foot injuries.
Continue reading ‘Dancing DeLayed is Dancing Denied: Tom DeLay Pulls Out of Dancing With the Stars’
Father Faces Jail Sentence For Giving Seven-Year-Old Son A Quarter-Sized Tattoo
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Politics , Society 9 Comments
There is a bizarre case out of Fresno California where Enrique Gonzalez faced lifetime imprisonment for “aggravated mayhem and street terrorism” because he allowed his 7-year-old son to have a quarter-sized tattoo on his right hip. While Fresno County Superior Court Judge Hillary Chittick wisely rejected the excessive charge of mayhem by the prosecutors, he still faces years in jail for cruel and inhumane treatment of a child.
Continue reading ‘Father Faces Jail Sentence For Giving Seven-Year-Old Son A Quarter-Sized Tattoo’
Keeping Albuquerque Atheist Free: City Council Member Runs On The Lack of Faith of His Opponent
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 15 Comments
We recently saw the outrage among fundamentalists when questions were raised whether a creationist can be a good mayor at St. Petersburg, here. Now Albuquerque City Councilor Don Harris is mailing voters to warn them that his opponent is . . . wait for it . . . an atheist. It appears that atheists cannot be good city council members since one cannot fill a pothole if your soul is empty of the Lord. The Godless office seeker, David Barbour, is shown on the right.
Continue reading ‘Keeping Albuquerque Atheist Free: City Council Member Runs On The Lack of Faith of His Opponent’
I find this fascinating. This is a flame in zero gravity.
Continue reading ‘A Flame in Zero Gravity’
It’s Not Like The Teacher Stole the Kids’ Lunch Money . . . Oh, Wait
Published 1, October 7, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 7 Comments
Angela Strube, third grade teacher, is accused of a classic crime from a thousand throw away lines in movies: stealing kids’ lunch money.
Continue reading ‘It’s Not Like The Teacher Stole the Kids’ Lunch Money . . . Oh, Wait’
Blasphemy (American Style): Obama Administration Supports Resolution on Limiting Free Speech to Bar Criticism of Religion
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Academics , Constitutional Law , International , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 47 Comments
The Obama administration has shocked many in the civil liberties community with the tacit endorsement of limitations of free speech in the United Nations. We have been following the international trend (here and here and here and here) to criminalize criticism of religions, including this prior column. The Administration has joined the UN Human Rights Council and has agreed to create a “new” standard balancing speech and respect for religion. These new standards are merely thinly disguised blasphemy laws that are spreading throughout the world, including the West.
Knott’s Landing: Mother Stopped While Driving on Highway With Daughter in a Box on Top of Minivan
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 11 Comments
Jackie Denise Knott, 37, really liked that box. She was arrested after having her 13-year-old daughter ride on top of her minivan in a box on the roof. She assured officers that the daughter was safe . . . she secured the box with a hanger.
Continue reading ‘Knott’s Landing: Mother Stopped While Driving on Highway With Daughter in a Box on Top of Minivan’
Lighting Up Halloween: Target’s Pulls Another Chinese-Made Product
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Bizarre , International , Torts 10 Comments
A consumer advocate Mitch Lipka has alerted Target and the public about cheap Chinese-made flashlights being sold for Halloween. The devices sold for three for a dollar appear to succeed in not just lighting up the night but the children holding them.
Continue reading ‘Lighting Up Halloween: Target’s Pulls Another Chinese-Made Product’
And Apple Commanded: “You Must Not Take of the Apple Tree . . . For You Will Surely Be Sued”
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Bizarre , International , Lawyering , Media , Society 18 Comments
Do these apples look alike? Computer giant Apple appears to believe so. It is suing Australia’s Woolworths for trademark infringement over the use of the new logo.
Continue reading ‘And Apple Commanded: “You Must Not Take of the Apple Tree . . . For You Will Surely Be Sued”’
George Mason and Virginia Accused of Harassment by Leading Professors
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Society 2 Comments
In two separate stories, well-known professors are involved in allegations of harassment by George Mason and Virginia law schools. Conservative law professor Ronald Rotunda left George Mason University with his wife Kyndra Rotunda (who worked in the law school’s clinic) after she accused another professor of sexual harassment. They transferred to Chapman University. In the meantime, on the liberal end of the spectrum, Professor William Eskridge, Jr. has testified that he left the University of Virginia in 1985 due to its discrimination against him as a gay man. Eskridge was not accusing the current faculty of such misconduct.
Continue reading ‘George Mason and Virginia Accused of Harassment by Leading Professors’
Tuba Torts: Video Shows the Growing Scourge of Tuba Tortfeasors
Published 1, October 6, 2009 Bizarre , Society , Torts 21 Comments A close examination of this video show a tuba tort, can you find it? This is what Tuba players mean when the whisper “lay down the B-flat.” B stands from boy.
Continue reading ‘Tuba Torts: Video Shows the Growing Scourge of Tuba Tortfeasors’
Man Commits Suicide After Newspaper Wrongly Says He Was Charged With Molestation of Boys — Then Issues a Remarkably Callous Account of Suicide
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Media , Politics , Society , Torts 22 Comments
Whatever David Dewees did or did not do, he was not accused of what The Toronto Star printed before he committed suicide by laying across railroad tracks: molestation of young boys. Yet, the newspaper (the largest in Canada) published a story on his death that can only be described as remarkably cold and callous.
Continue reading ‘Man Commits Suicide After Newspaper Wrongly Says He Was Charged With Molestation of Boys — Then Issues a Remarkably Callous Account of Suicide’
Sex Offender Sleepover: Counselor Arrested After Allegedly Taking Teenage Sex Offender Home to Have Sex
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 10 Comments
When a 17-year-old sex offender escaped from a juvenile treatment program in Baltimore County, many wondered where the counselors were at the time of the escape. Well, police say that one counselor never let him leave her sight. Tyra M. Greenfield, 26, was arrested after allegedly allowing the boy to stay at her house and having sex with the sex offender. Not quite the approach recommended by the manual on sex offender counseling. The charges, however, are interesting.
Continue reading ‘Sex Offender Sleepover: Counselor Arrested After Allegedly Taking Teenage Sex Offender Home to Have Sex’
Air Turbulence: Two Pilots Grounded After Allegedly Leaving Cockpit at 30,000 Feet to Punch Out Flight Crew
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Society , Torts 8 Comments
I have heard of air turbulence but this is ridiculous. Two Air India pilots — identified as Commander Ranbeer Arora and Captain Aditya Chopra — are grounded after they allegedly left the cockpit of their Airbus A320 to punched flight crew members who accused them of sexual harassment — in front of freaked out passengers.
Continue reading ‘Air Turbulence: Two Pilots Grounded After Allegedly Leaving Cockpit at 30,000 Feet to Punch Out Flight Crew’
Cloudy With a Chance of Molten Balls: Meet COROT-7b
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment 11 Comments
Talk about global warming. Astronomers have located a bizarre planet named COROT-7b where rocks form in clouds and fall to the ground — which is so hot that it melts rocks.
Continue reading ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Molten Balls: Meet COROT-7b’
Stocking Snuffer: California Man Allegedly Tries to Hire Hitman to Kill Ex-Girlfriend on Videotape To Watch Over Christmas
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 5 Comments
Mark Alan Jarosik, 43, believes it is never too early to shop for Christmas. He was arrested in California for trying to hire a man to kill his ex-girlfriend and to videotape the murder . . . so he could watch it over the Christmas holiday.
Continue reading ‘Stocking Snuffer: California Man Allegedly Tries to Hire Hitman to Kill Ex-Girlfriend on Videotape To Watch Over Christmas’
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s Free-Speech Tests
Published 1, October 5, 2009 Academics , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Justice , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Society , Supreme Court 17 CommentsBelow is today’s column on the first day of the October Term for the Supreme Court. It specifically explores the first amendment cases on the docket. There are four major such cases thus far on the docket and, most importantly, two free speech cases that will be strong indicators of the views of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Continue reading ‘Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s Free-Speech Tests’
This may not be legal in Alabama, but it is still pretty remarkable.
Continue reading ‘Love Will Find a Way’
Criminal Tweets: Man Arrested for Twitter Messages During G20 Protests
Published 1, October 4, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Media , Politics , Society 10 Comments
Elliot Madison, 41, is the subject of an intriguing — and in my view compelling — constitutional fight with both federal and state authorities. A self-described anarchist, Madison was arrested for using Twitter to send messages on the location of police during the G20 protests. Pittsburgh has been accused of excessive measures and this case appears to be one such case.
Continue reading ‘Criminal Tweets: Man Arrested for Twitter Messages During G20 Protests’
Love Stuff in Alabama: Supreme Court Rules Morality Can Be Constitutional Basis for Product Bans
Published 1, October 4, 2009 Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Politics , Religion , Society 86 Comments
Alabama Supreme Court has joined the debate over morality being the sole basis for legislative restrictions on citizens. The court upheld the state ban on the sale of sex toys purely on the basis that such toys are viewed as immoral. Since Lawrence v. Texas, such morality based laws have been questioned on constitutional grounds. For a prior column, click here.
Continue reading ‘Love Stuff in Alabama: Supreme Court Rules Morality Can Be Constitutional Basis for Product Bans’
Breach Birth: Federal Court Rules Prison Guard Does Not Have Qualified Immunity After Shackling Prisoner During Labor
Published 1, October 4, 2009 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 2 Comments
There is a disturbing and important ruling out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In the prisoner case below, Nelson v. Correctional Medical Services, the court examined whether a prisoner guard is entitled to qualified immunity when she shackles a female prisoner during labor despite the objections of the medical staff. Arkansas corrections officer Patricia Turensky was found not to be entitled to such protection for her actions in shackling inmate Shawanna Nelson. The decision was handed down on October 2, 2009.
Polanski Agreed to Pay Victim $500,000 in 1993 Despite Professing His Love for Young Girls
Published 1, October 4, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Media , Politics , Society 23 Comments
There are reports this week detailing a 1993 agreement of Roman Polanski to pay Samantha Geimer $500,000 in damages for raping her when she was thirteen. It is an interesting twist in the case because Geimer later said that she forgave Polanski and advocated that charges be dropped. The agreement came 16 years after the rape when Polanski was living as a fugitive and trying to come home.
Continue reading ‘Polanski Agreed to Pay Victim $500,000 in 1993 Despite Professing His Love for Young Girls’
iJail: Mr. Goodrich Goes to Jail After Threatening to Shoot His IPhone
Published 1, October 3, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 25 Comments
It appears that there is an app for quick incarceration. Donald Goodrich, 38, was arrested after making threats against the operating life of his iPhone in an Apple store in Cincinnati.
Continue reading ‘iJail: Mr. Goodrich Goes to Jail After Threatening to Shoot His IPhone’
How to Die a Virgin in Egypt: Leading Scholar Calls for the Execution of Women Buying Kits to Fake Virginity
Published 1, October 3, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Politics , Religion , Society 13 Comments
Abdul Mouti Bayoumi, a well-known and influential scholar in Egypt, has called for the execution of women who buy female virginity-faking kits. Since such kits help conceal vice, he argues, their use should be a death-penalty offense under Sharia law. Continue reading ‘How to Die a Virgin in Egypt: Leading Scholar Calls for the Execution of Women Buying Kits to Fake Virginity’
Two Iranian Protesters Go Public With Allegations of Rape While in Custody
Published 1, October 3, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Media , Politics , Society 6 Comments
The Iranians have faced rape charges recently in cases of women facing execution as well as the rape of protesters. Now, two protesters have come forward to publicly allege that they were raped as a form of extrajudicial punishment while in Iranian jails following the demonstrations over of the disputed presidential election.
Continue reading ‘Two Iranian Protesters Go Public With Allegations of Rape While in Custody’
In a Pickle: Ontario Police Dismiss Investigation Because Officers Involved in Questionable Shooting Withheld Contemporary Notes or Accounts of their Actions
Published 1, October 3, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Lawyering , Politics , Society 15 Comments
There is a fascinating case in Ontario, Canada this week. Levi Shaeffer, 30, was shot dead by Peterborough police officers when he was camping near Pickle lake. He had not committed any crimes and was simply camping on an island. However, an investigation was terminated because the officers involved in the shooting did not write down contemporary accounts of the shooting after meeting with counsel. Chief Murray Rodd, however, insists on the department website that “[w]e are truly dedicated to our core values to be the best Police Service, providing the highest standard of professionalism in partnership with our community.” They might want to start with writing down accounts of shooting campers.
Beating Bambi: Ohio Woman Sentenced For Beating Fawn To Death With Shovel
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 21 Comments
Dorothy Richardson, 76, has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service after being arrested for beating a baby deer to death in her garden in Euclid, Ohio — just outside of Cleveland. She will also pay a $500 fine and have to watch the movie Bambi 1000 times (OK, just the community service and the fine).
Continue reading ‘Beating Bambi: Ohio Woman Sentenced For Beating Fawn To Death With Shovel’
Decoupling the Staple Story: New York Jurist Challenges Account Over Negligent Stapling Story
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Bizarre , Courts , Lawyering , Media , Society 3 Comments
Judge Charles J. Markey is asking for a public rehearing. The New York Law Journal and the ABA Journal ran a story detailing how Markey allegedly denied a motion or dismissed a case due to improper stapling. The story was picked up on various legal blogs, including this blog. However, Markey has written a letter to the editor insisting that the facts have been distorted and that this was no “case of first impression” of dismissal for negligent stapling. He seems to have a case.
Continue reading ‘Decoupling the Staple Story: New York Jurist Challenges Account Over Negligent Stapling Story’
Amazing Video of Anne Frank
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Academics , International , Politics , Religion , Society 31 CommentsThis is the only known video of Anne Frank that was just made available. While short, it adds an even more chilling aspect to her writings.
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Texas Judge Rules Gay Men Can Secure Divorce in Texas — Rules Texas Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Constitutional Law , Politics , Society 42 Comments
In what could be an important challenge to same-sex marriage laws, District Judge Tena Callahan has ruled that two gay men married in Massachusetts may divorce in Texas. In so doing, Judge Callahan ruled the state same-sex marriage law to be unconstitutional.
Continue reading ‘Texas Judge Rules Gay Men Can Secure Divorce in Texas — Rules Texas Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional’
Will Toucan Sam Sing on the Stand? Man Sues Kellogg’s Over Fruitless “Froot”
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Bizarre , Lawyering , Society , Torts 12 Comments
Roy Werbel was shocked, shocked when he found no fruit in his froot loops. Werbel is suing Kellogg’s because he believed Toucan Sam when he declared: “Follow my nose! It always knows! The flavor of froot! Wherever it grows!” Werbel insists that he reasonably assumed “froot” was “fruit.”
Continue reading ‘Will Toucan Sam Sing on the Stand? Man Sues Kellogg’s Over Fruitless “Froot”’
Scientists Find 4-Million-Old Hominid . . . Creationists Find 10,000 Year Old Talented Monkey
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Academics , International , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 31 Comments
Her name is Ardi and, while she may not have been much of a looker by modern standards, she had one remarkable skill. She walked upright. This find in Ethiopa pushed our evolutionary traces about a million years earlier than the famed Lucy found in 1974.
Continue reading ‘Scientists Find 4-Million-Old Hominid . . . Creationists Find 10,000 Year Old Talented Monkey’
The Vatican Official Claims That No More Than Five Percent of Priests Rape Children . . . and Jews and Protestants May Be Worse
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , International , Media , Politics , Religion , Society , Torts 392 Comments
The Vatican appears in need of a serious media consultant. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN, has issued a defense that boils down to insisting that implicated priests were not pedophiles but homosexuals who liked young boys — and besides no more than five percent of priests had sex with children . . . and Jews and Protestants do it more.
The Nanook Invasion: Hockey Planning, Space Dwelling Polar Bears Attack Earth
Published 1, October 2, 2009 Bizarre , Media , Society 11 CommentsThis promo was for some reason pulled as “over-the-top.” I can’t imagine what they mean . . .
Continue reading ‘The Nanook Invasion: Hockey Planning, Space Dwelling Polar Bears Attack Earth’
Texas Gov. Perry Blocks Innocence Hearing of Executed Man By Dumping Chairman and Commission Members
Published 1, October 1, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 69 Comments
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has taken an perfectly Nixonian step of gutting a commission just days before it was to hear expert testimony indicating that Texas executed an innocent man, Cameron Todd Willingham. There is growing evidence that Texas not only convicted an innocent man but fought to prevent him from presenting evidence to prove his innocence. Just days before the hearing before the Texas Forensic Science Commission, Perry dumped the Chairman and declined to reappoint two commission members. The move may block the ability of Craig Beyler, an arson investigation expert, to prove that Willingham was innocent of setting a fire in his home in Corsicana, Texas, that killed his three daughters.
85-Year-Old Man Pulls Gun on Officer in Police Station And Does NOT Get Tasered or Shot
Published 1, October 1, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 9 Comments
We often chronicle the abuses of judges, lawyers, and police officers on this blog. Occasionally, however, we can celebrate acts of restraint (here) as in the case of the police in Huntley Illinois. Peter J. Reilly, 85, walked into a police station and pulled a gun on the police sergeant. The sergeant did not shoot Reilly or taser him. He ordered him to drop the weapon and then walked around and grabbed the gun, which turned out to be a BB gun.
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