You cannot trust anything today. After generations were taught how the little pig who built his house out of straw was negligent, a straw house has not only been built in England but it has even passed the industry standard fire safety test. Called the Balehaus@Bath, it is built of pre-fabricated straw-bale and hemp sections and would resist the most determined, wind-blowing wolf.
Continue reading ‘I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff . . .: English Architects Build Wolf-Proof, Fire-Proof Straw House’
Archive for the 'Environment' Category
I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff . . .: English Architects Build Wolf-Proof, Fire-Proof Straw House
Published 1, November 21, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , International , Society 3 CommentsShock Lobster: Company Invents Lobster Stunning Machine
Published 1, November 20, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Society 11 Comments
With the increased use of tasers on humans, it was perhaps inevitable that the crustacean set would demand their own stunning device. Simon Buckhaven of CrustaStun has developed a system that allows lobsters to be zapped to death in a device rather than boiled alive. It was such a breakthrough that PETA organized a lobster dinner fundraiser with lobsters dispatched with the CrustaStun device. The problem is that the machines were lost in transit and PETA had to boil hundreds of lobsters alive.
Continue reading ‘Shock Lobster: Company Invents Lobster Stunning Machine’
Court: Corps of Engineers Responsible for Flood Damage in New Orleans
Published 1, November 20, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Media , Politics , Society , Torts 21 Comments
A federal judge in New Orleans has found “monumental negligence” by the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers in the operation and maintenance of a shipping channel called the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. The finding allows residents to collect damages against the U.S. government after their homes were swamped by Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters in 2005.
Continue reading ‘Court: Corps of Engineers Responsible for Flood Damage in New Orleans’
Barney The Bovine Canine: Man Barred From Owning Dogs for Ten Years After Overfeeding Dalmatian
Published 1, November 20, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , International , Society 18 Comments
John Green 50, has attained the novel status of being banned from keeping dogs for ten years. Green’s victim was a Dalmatian named Barney, who he overfed to the point that he weighed “11 stone” — a stone is roughly the equivalent to 14 pounds. This made Barney look like he ate the other 100 Dalmatians.
Continue reading ‘Barney The Bovine Canine: Man Barred From Owning Dogs for Ten Years After Overfeeding Dalmatian’
More Randy Than Good: Man Agrees To Remove Pile of Hundreds of Dead Deer from Property
Published 1, November 17, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society , Torts 16 Comments
In North Buffalo, Pennsylvania, Randy Good has created a novel and disgusting nuisance. He has agreed to remove a pile of hundreds of dead deer from his property which has neighbors gagging from the odor.
Wolf, Dog, or Wog? Breeders Raises Troubling Legal Questions Over Hybrid Wolf/Dogs
Published 1, November 17, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society , Torts 32 Comments
It appears that the recent popularity over new hybrid dog breeds (like Labradoodles) has spawned a more dangerous market for hybrid dog/wolf pups. Animal activists are warning about the potential for attacks. Moreover, the new breeds could still be illegal in some states and may expose owners to strict liability.
Continue reading ‘Wolf, Dog, or Wog? Breeders Raises Troubling Legal Questions Over Hybrid Wolf/Dogs’
Proof that dogs are too smart to pay $10,000 to sweat to death in a self-help program, here.
Continue reading ‘A Fan of Dogs’
And the American Challenger Sets, Jumps and . . .
Published 1, November 14, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 7 CommentsThe agony of defeat . . .
Continue reading ‘And the American Challenger Sets, Jumps and . . .’
Blowing Away Deer: Judge Rules That Quadriplegic Has Right to Gun To Hunt
Published 1, November 11, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society 70 Comments
A New Jersey judge has ruled at a quadriplegic must be allowed to buy a gun for hunting, which will be mounted on his wheelchair and fired by blowing into a tube. James Cap has been paralyzed for 30 years after an injury in a high school football game.
Continue reading ‘Blowing Away Deer: Judge Rules That Quadriplegic Has Right to Gun To Hunt’
New Zealand Cancels Dead Rabbit Toss Competition
Published 1, November 10, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 27 Comments
It appears that you have missed your chance to participate in the annual Dead Rabbit Throw competition in New Zealand. Animal welfare activists seem to have found it somehow distasteful to have families try to throw dead rabbits the farthest.
Continue reading ‘New Zealand Cancels Dead Rabbit Toss Competition’
I give you this moment of starlings zen.
Continue reading ‘Bird Zen’
The Lion’s Den: National Zoo the Scene of an All-Too-Real Predator-Prey Exhibit
Published 1, November 9, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 11 CommentsFamilies got a bit too real of a zoological lesson at the National Zoo this week when a deer somehow jumped into the wrong exhibit: the lion enclosure. Nature took it from there.
Continue reading ‘The Lion’s Den: National Zoo the Scene of an All-Too-Real Predator-Prey Exhibit’
The look on this dog captures the meaning of Halloween.
A Lesson in Equine Etiquette
Published 1, November 7, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 8 CommentsThis must be a mother horse.
Bear Necessities of Law: Man Acquitted of Disturbing Bears in San Francisco Zoo
Published 1, November 5, 2009 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , Environment , Lawyering , Society , Torts 27 Comments
Kenneth Herron may have picked the wrong cage but apparently the right counsel. Herron was acquitted of “disturbing dangerous animals” on a novel defense by deputy public defender James Conger. Conger argued that the bears were actually not that disturbed when Herron came into their cage after the San Francisco Zoo closed.
Continue reading ‘Bear Necessities of Law: Man Acquitted of Disturbing Bears in San Francisco Zoo’
Hanging Rascell: New York Man Arrested for Hanging Girlfriend’s Cat — and Videotaping Himself in the Act
Published 1, November 4, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society , Torts 7 Comments
In Syracuse, New York, Rascell Williams is looking at a curious charge for a horrible crime. Williams, 28, is charged with hanging his girlfriend’s four-month-old kitten with a belt and making a video of the animal struggling. It was discovered by the girlfriend, Joanne Cichy, the day after Halloween and turned over the police.
Ok, I will be the first. Yes, I raided the kids’ bags last night for snickers, but Leslie did the same for Heath bars.
Continue reading ‘The Morning After’
Snakes on a Ferry: Norwegian Man Found with Tarantula, 14 Pythons, and 10 Lizards Taped to His Body
Published 1, October 27, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Society 8 Comments
Norwegian police had a bit of a surprise when they noticed something moving on the body of a 22-year-old man getting off a ferry. They found a tarantula in a bag during a routine stop and then in a strip search discovered 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos taped to his body. This was without the use of baggy pants, here.
Continue reading ‘Snakes on a Ferry: Norwegian Man Found with Tarantula, 14 Pythons, and 10 Lizards Taped to His Body’
A Puggle Pup Named Pip: Man Charged After Giving Puppy Alcohol
Published 1, October 26, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 6 Comments
In Iowa City, Jared Colony, 28, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after giving a puggle puppy named Pip vodka in its bowl as a joke with friends.
Continue reading ‘A Puggle Pup Named Pip: Man Charged After Giving Puppy Alcohol’
On this Sunday, let us not forget the simple pleasures.
Continue reading ‘A Cat and a Teddy’
There are some who remind us of the virtue of restraint.
Sacrificial Study: New Research Finds Pain in Religious Live Sacrifices
Published 1, October 18, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Religion , Society 6 Comments
There has long been tension between animal activists and religious adherents over the sacrificing of live animals. Jewish and Muslim leaders have long argued that the sacrifices are not any more painful than what occurs in slaughter houses. Now a study is challenging that assumption and leading to calls in England for a ban on live sacrifices.
Continue reading ‘Sacrificial Study: New Research Finds Pain in Religious Live Sacrifices’
Letter Leporidae: Rabbits Are Not Just For Fuel Anymore . . .
Published 1, October 17, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Media , Society 4 Comments In light of our disturbing Bunny Briquettes story, this video shows that rabbits are useful for many things beyond combustible fuel. Indeed, Sweden may want to consider dispersing its excess rabbits to offices as letter openers.
Continue reading ‘Letter Leporidae: Rabbits Are Not Just For Fuel Anymore . . .’
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’
Many of us have felt like this at work.
Continue reading ‘Dog Versus Sprinkler’
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’
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.
Continue reading ‘Gaza Zoo Invents the Instant Zebra’
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’
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’
This may not be legal in Alabama, but it is still pretty remarkable.
Continue reading ‘Love Will Find a Way’
A Fish Called Wanda (Texas Edition): Woman Accused of Frying and Eating Ex-Husband’s Goldfish
Published 1, October 1, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society , Torts 18 Comments
Police in Pasadena, Texas say that a Houston-area woman had a curious way of convincing her ex-husband to return her jewelry. She took his seven pet goldfish, fried them, and ate three of them. The other four were found fried and laid out on a plate. I can’t imagine how this man let this woman go.
Continue reading ‘A Fish Called Wanda (Texas Edition): Woman Accused of Frying and Eating Ex-Husband’s Goldfish’
Pissed Off: Endangered Shrimp Wiped Out By Urinating Tourists
Published 1, September 30, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 3 Comments
Many endangered species are threatened by industry and urban sprawl. However, tourists have made something of a statement by going to Australia’s famed Ayers Rock, or Uluru, and pissed away a rare species of shrimp, Branchinella latzi.
Continue reading ‘Pissed Off: Endangered Shrimp Wiped Out By Urinating Tourists’
Breakfast is Served and Served and Served . . .
Published 1, September 27, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 7 Comments
And you thought you had too many mouths to feed.
Continue reading ‘Breakfast is Served and Served and Served . . .’
In Defense of Man-Cow Relations: New Jersey Judge Drops Charges Against Police Officer for Having Sex with Cows On the Grounds That They May Have Enjoyed It
Published 1, September 24, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 104 Comments
New Jersey police officer Robert Melia Jr. will not face criminal charges for allegedly having sex with five calves under a perfectly bizarre ruling by Judge James J. Morley. We previously discussed the case, here. Morley dismissed animal cruelty charges on the grounds that the cows may have enjoyed having sex with Melia.
Given our evolution stories this week, this picture was apropos.
Continue reading ‘Simian Sensibilities’
Lord of the Flies II: Parents and Activists Call For End of School Farm Program After Students Vote to Cull Lamb
Published 1, September 15, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Society 23 Comments
A popular farming and livestock program at a primary school in Kent may be shutdown after the student council voted to ignore objections from parents and animal activists and have a six-month-old lamb named Marcus slaughtered for cash. The 14-member council composed of 6 to 11 year old children voted to turn Marcus into chops and to use the money to buy pigs for the program at Lydd primary school.
Waste Not Want Not: Green Bike Shop Owner Given Citation for Not Having Enough Trash
Published 1, September 14, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Society 8 Comments
Bike shop owner Mark Howard prides himself on running a green business with virtually no trash. It is a bit too green for English authorities, who hit him with a citation. The reason? Not enough trash.
Continue reading ‘Waste Not Want Not: Green Bike Shop Owner Given Citation for Not Having Enough Trash’
THE PERILS OF ALL YOU CAN EAT RESTAURANTS
Published 1, September 13, 2009 Environment , Society 9 Comments
There is nothing sadder than binge eating.
Continue reading ‘THE PERILS OF ALL YOU CAN EAT RESTAURANTS’
Police Officer Finds Missing Cat, Takes It To a Field, Shoots It In the Head, and Throws It In the Trash
Published 1, September 13, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 24 Comments
Police in Raymore, Missouri have a curious way to recovering missing pets. When 19-year-old Tobey disappeared on Labor Day, she was eventually found by a police officer. However, since it did not have a tag, the dispatcher ordered the officer to take the cat directly to a field and “put him down.”
Continue reading ‘Police Officer Finds Missing Cat, Takes It To a Field, Shoots It In the Head, and Throws It In the Trash’
Georgia Accused of Killing Hundreds of Turtles To Protect Them From Their Owner
Published 1, September 11, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society , Torts 7 Comments
The State of Georgia has a curious way of protecting animals. In 2005, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources raided the home of amateur herpetologist Steve Santhuff and seized 500 turtles. Santhuff was ultimately able to prove that he was not guilty of criminal charges when a jury acquitted him of all charges. He then learned that the state had killed as many as 362 of the turtles during the interim.
Continue reading ‘Georgia Accused of Killing Hundreds of Turtles To Protect Them From Their Owner’
Assault with a Slimey Weapon: Florida Man Accused of Attacking People With Jellyfish
Published 1, September 10, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment 11 Comments
I am pretty sure that this is a unique crime. Keith Edward Marriott, 41, is charged with repeatedly pretending to drown in Madeira Beach, Florida and then throwing jellyfish at people who came to help him.
In light of our recent reaffirmation of the civility rule on this blog, I give you evidence that species with generations of “difficulties” can overcome such instincts and impulses to achieve harmony.
Evolution Claims Another Victim: Christian Motorcyclist Injured While Jumping Giant Creationist Crab
Published 1, September 6, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Religion , Society 16 Comments
Freedom Worship Baptist Church in Blanchester, Ohio wanted to demonstrate the fallacy of evolution of the human species and appears to have succeeded. The Church arranged for stunt driver Louis Re of New York to jump in a motocycle over a giant horseshoe crab — an example often cited by creationists to show creatures have not evolved since they were spontaneously created a few thousand years ago.
Arizona Man Arrested After Video Shows Him Trying to Feed Kitten to Python and Then Kicking It to Death
Published 1, September 6, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 11 Comments
Jeremy Tuffly, 28, may be the leading contender for the worst human being of the week. The Mesa, Arizona man is shown in the videotape below trying to feed a 6-week-old kitten to a python snake. After repeatedly throwing the kitten at the snake (only to have the kitten run back to him), he drop-kicks the kitten — killing it.
Continue reading ‘Arizona Man Arrested After Video Shows Him Trying to Feed Kitten to Python and Then Kicking It to Death’
Hatchery Horror: Video Shows Live Chicks Being Discharged By Being Thrown Live Into Grinder
Published 1, September 2, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 24 Comments
An undercover video by Mercy for Animals purportedly reveals a shocking treatment of baby chicks at the Hy-Line North America’s hatchery in Spencer, Iowa. The video below shows workers discarding unwanted chicks by tossing them alive into a grinder while others are left to die on the factory floor.
Continue reading ‘Hatchery Horror: Video Shows Live Chicks Being Discharged By Being Thrown Live Into Grinder’
You read the Tennessee Williams play. Now you can see the real thing.
Continue reading ‘CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF’
South Carolina Man Goes Dragonfly Hunting with Rifle and Shoots Friend
Published 1, August 29, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 12 Comments
It appears that folks in South Carolina prefer to bag for dragonflies with old-fashioned way: with a hunting rifle. A South Carolina man reportedly decided to use a rifle rather than a net to catch dragonflies at a hunting club in Johnsonville, South Carolina (pop. 1418 and an unknown number of dragonflies). He ended shooting his friend when he walked in front of the gun.
Continue reading ‘South Carolina Man Goes Dragonfly Hunting with Rifle and Shoots Friend’
Flip and Fall: Chicago Woman Sues Zoo for Dolphin-Induced Fall
Published 1, August 24, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society , Torts 7 Comments
The Dolphin did it. That is likely to be the defense of the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago, which is being sued for the 2008 fall of Allecyn Edwards. Edwards fell while walking near the exhibit of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
Continue reading ‘Flip and Fall: Chicago Woman Sues Zoo for Dolphin-Induced Fall’
During the dog days of summer, there are certain signs to look for when it is time to service the ac unit.
Continue reading ‘HOT DOG’
Palin-Hannity in 2012 — A Republican (and Democratic) Fantasy Moves Closer to Reality
Published 1, August 22, 2009 Bizarre , Congress , Environment , Media , Politics , Society 53 Comments
It is a dream of many a Democratic strategist: A Hannity-Palin Ticket or Palin-Hannity Ticket in 2012. According to one news report, Sean Hannity added fuel to the speculation this week by saying that he would not rule out a run and would await direction from the Almighty. (It is assumed that that is a reference to God as opposed to Roger Ailes).
Continue reading ‘Palin-Hannity in 2012 — A Republican (and Democratic) Fantasy Moves Closer to Reality’
DENY EVERYTHING
Published 1, August 16, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 15 Comments
I know this looks bad but there is always a defense.
Continue reading ‘DENY EVERYTHING’
PETA’s “Unhappy Meal”: Organization Criticized for Targeting Kids with Carnographic Images
Published 1, August 11, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Media , Society 15 Comments
Those crazy cats at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are at it again with a new campaign entitled “McCruelty” featuring “Unhappy Meals” with a knife-wielding Ronald McDonald and bloody rubber chickens. Parents are complaining that PETA is targeting kids with the macabre meals.
Continue reading ‘PETA’s “Unhappy Meal”: Organization Criticized for Targeting Kids with Carnographic Images’
This week we saw how Keith Griffin argued that he was framed by his cat, which downloaded over 1000 pornographic images on his computer. Now, with this picture, you people may wake up to the menace of feline computer fraud.
Continue reading ‘THE SECRET LIFE OF CATS’
My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student — Really
Published 1, August 9, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Society 4 Comments
Next time some parents carries on about how smarter their toddler is, throw the little boy a ball and tell him to roll over. A recent student has shown that dogs are actually as smart or smarter than most 2 1/2 year old toddlers. I was told about the study after my speech at the American Psychological Association in Toronto this week.
Continue reading ‘My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student — Really’
Hopping Mad: Petland Employee Charged After Posting Mocking Pictures of Drowned Rabbits
Published 1, August 8, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 9 Comments
We have another accused Facebook felon. Elizabeth Carlisle, 20, is a Petland employee in Akron, Ohio who decided to drown two injured rabbits at the store and then show the pictures on her Facebook page while smiling. She has been charged with animal cruelty.
A Wee Little Idea to Save the Planet: Brazilian Campaign Calls for People to Pee in the Shower
Published 1, August 6, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 12 CommentsThe latest craze in Brazil is a push to get people to pee in their showers. The effort is designed to conserve water by reducing the use of toilets. Of course, kids have been saving the planet for years.
Continue reading ‘A Wee Little Idea to Save the Planet: Brazilian Campaign Calls for People to Pee in the Shower’
In light of today’s story of a creationist killing an evolutionist, this picture throws into question of whether humans have evolved faster than our primate cousins.
Bolivia Bans Circus Animals as Matter of Animal Cruelty
Published 1, August 1, 2009 Criminal law , Environment , International , Society 11 Comments
Bolivia has enacted the world’s first ban on all animals at a circus — both wild and domestic animals — because such use “constitutes an act of cruelty.” The ban comes just days after the latest video of alleged abuse of elephants released by PETA. While some countries ban the use of animals in circus, this is the first to encompass both wild and domesticated animals.
Continue reading ‘Bolivia Bans Circus Animals as Matter of Animal Cruelty’
Worker’s Paradise and Paranoia: China Tells Doctors to Stop Treating Patients — Declaring Sickness Related to New Factory To Be “Mass Hysteria”
Published 1, July 31, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 5 Comments
After a new factory opened in Jilin, China, citizens flooded local hospitals with complaints about convulsions, breathing difficulties, vomiting and temporary paralysis. They all lived or worked near the new Jilin Connell Chemical Plant. The Chinese government responded in an all too familiar way: declaring the cases to be little more than “mass hysteria” and ordering doctors to stop treating the patients. More than 1,200 of the workers at the new factory has sought medical help.
We have seen the horror of human manipulation of animal styles (here), but this is dog is looking at years of therapy and inter-species confusion
Continue reading ‘HUMANS DID THIS TO ME’
Worst Show On Earth: Ringling Bros. Accused of Elephant Abuse Based on Undercover Video
Published 1, July 22, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , International , Society , Torts 42 Comments
A new videotape (below) has emerged of alleged abuse by a circus of elephants. This video by an undercover PETA activist shows Ringling Bros. employees beating elephants in ‘The Greatest Shows on Earth.” We have previously followed such lawsuits against the circuses, here.
China Raids and Confiscates Computers and Files of Leading Civil Rights Activists
Published 1, July 20, 2009 Constitutional Law , Environment , International , Lawyering , Media , Politics 4 CommentsA leading civil rights organization in China, the Open Constitution Initiative, was effectively shutdown last Friday by the Chinese government, which seized its computers and files — including sensitive files on the tainted milk powder scandal that killed at least six children and hurt hundreds of thousands.
Continue reading ‘China Raids and Confiscates Computers and Files of Leading Civil Rights Activists’
Humans continue their campaign of forcing exchanges of dignity for dog bones.
Continue reading ‘HUMANS DID THIS TO ME’
West Virginia Man Charged With Dog Rape
Published 1, July 19, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 18 Comments
Farmington, W. Va. (The Weekly Vice) – Christopher Bagwell, 26, is accused of a bizarre deviant offense: raping a neighbor’s dog that he had long coveted. The case shows a continuing failure of many states to have adequate laws punishing such animal cruelty.
Continue reading ‘West Virginia Man Charged With Dog Rape’
Hard-Right Science: Tea Party Leader Explains the Basic of Global Warming
Published 1, July 19, 2009 Academics , Environment , International , Politics 205 CommentsThis is almost hypnotic. One of the leaders at a Tea Party event with the Citizens of Liberty holds forth on the science of global warming. [Note: there will be no academic credit awarded for this Internet learning exercise].
Continue reading ‘Hard-Right Science: Tea Party Leader Explains the Basic of Global Warming’
Live Free (With Fines) or Die (in Debt): New Hampshire Fines Injured Eagle Scout $25,000 for Mountain Rescue
Published 1, July 18, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society 8 Comments
Scott Mason, an eagle scout from Massachusetts, was praised in April after he spent three nights on Mount Washington in New Hampshire with a sprained ankle using his scout skills. New Hampshire officials, however, are now demanding payment of $25,000 for the rescue because he believe he was negligent in continuing on the height despite his injury. It appears that the “free” in “Live Free or Die” should not be read to literally.
Continue reading ‘Live Free (With Fines) or Die (in Debt): New Hampshire Fines Injured Eagle Scout $25,000 for Mountain Rescue’
Oh Hail Our Monkey Overlords! Simians Move Closer to Operating Flesh-Eating Robots
Published 1, July 15, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Society 17 Comments
As many on this blog know, we try to keep track of who is likely to assert tyrannical control over the Earth so that the Turley bloggers can be the first to capitulate and curry favor. We now have two stories that, when combined, indicate that it will be our monkey masters. A report has surfaced that monkeys have proven capable of using robots with mind control devices. When combined with the recent story of robots capable of surviving on biomass, including human body parts, the meaning is obvious: our monkey overlords will soon be operating human-eating robots with their minds.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Lead Paint Manufacturers
Published 1, July 15, 2009 Environment , Society , Torts 5 Comments
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has handed down another victory for lead paint manufacturers in ruling that paint is not defective due to the lead. The rejection of the defective design claim by Ruben Baez Godoy is only the latest such victory for the industry (here).
Continue reading ‘Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Lead Paint Manufacturers’
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Published 1, July 12, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Politics , Society 13 Comments
In light of this week’s latest disclosures of secret and allegedly unlawful programs by the Bush Administration, this picture seems apropos.
Boston Considers Closing Franklin Park Zoo and Killing Animals Due to Budget Shortfall
Published 1, July 12, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society 11 Comments
Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo is joining other zoos which are considering closing or killing (or transferring) animals due to budget shortfalls — as we continue to spend billions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if the zoo does not closed, one thousand animals may be euthanized or transferred from the zoo.
Continue reading ‘Boston Considers Closing Franklin Park Zoo and Killing Animals Due to Budget Shortfall’
The Proper Way to Peel a Banana
Published 1, July 9, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 25 Comments
I saw this video today and was struck by the fact that I have been peeling bananas the wrong day for decades. I had to share it for all Turley bloggers to save time on future human v. banana incidents. I have personally tried this technique and had extremely satisfying results in my limited study. Each banana was left intact and unmarred.
Corpus Delicti: Historic Illinois Cemetary Accused of Digging Up and Reselling Graves While Oklahoma Couple Accused of Traveling With Corpse
Published 1, July 9, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Religion , Society , Torts 4 Comments
Officials and workers at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois have been accused of digging up and dumping bodies in older plots in order to resell plots in a criminal scheme. In the meantime, an Oklahoma couple Abel Wolf, 35, and Denise Wolf, 40, (shown here) has been accused of digging up the body of a young girl and moving the body around the country.
Creationism Goes Nuclear: Arizona State Senator Proclaims That Earth is 6000 Years Old
Published 1, July 7, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society 40 Comments
Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen sits on the state’s Education Accountability and Reform Committee as well as the Natural Resources Committee. So, it was a bit scary to hear Allen display her knowledge of science and geology recently during her call for uranium mining. In the clip below, Allen casually explains that the Earth is 6000 years old and that it has done just fine without environmental laws of any kind for most of that time. She represents Snowflake, Arizona.
Continue reading ‘Creationism Goes Nuclear: Arizona State Senator Proclaims That Earth is 6000 Years Old’
No doubt many Turley bloggers are experiencing this same state of exhaustion after the celebrations on the Fourth of July.
Continue reading ‘THE MORNING AFTER’
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
Published 1, July 4, 2009 Academics , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Environment , International , Justice , Lawyering , Media , Military , Politics , Religion , Society , Torts 45 Comments
Happy Independence Day!
Court Takes Man’s Head: Wisconsin Driver Ordered to Return Roadkill Trophy
Published 1, July 1, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 28 Comments
John Longo, 69, has been ordered by a Wisconsin court of appeals to surrender roadkill that he found on the side of the road in February 2008. It appears that even a dead deer on the side of the road requires a permit, which Longo did not have.
Continue reading ‘Court Takes Man’s Head: Wisconsin Driver Ordered to Return Roadkill Trophy’
Ever wonder what your cat is doing when you are not at home?
Ohio Firefighter Pleads Guilty To Shooting Two Dogs To Avoid Boarding Fees During His Vacation
Published 1, June 26, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 10 Comments
David P. Santuomo, 43, is a real charmer. The Columbus firefighter has pleaded guilty to shooting his two dogs because he did not want to pay boarding fees while and went on vacation.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!
Published 1, June 21, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Congress , Constitutional Law , Environment , Justice , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 23 Comments
Gentleman assume your couches! Happy Father’s Day to all of the Turley bloggers.
Taser! Taser! Taser! Video Shows Police Beating and Tasering Suspect on Ground
Published 1, June 16, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Media , Society 14 CommentsThis video has a disturbing scene as multiple officer in Nottingham, England beat and taser a man who is lying on the ground.
Continue reading ‘Taser! Taser! Taser! Video Shows Police Beating and Tasering Suspect on Ground’
Just a reminder to all of the Turley bloggers: floss, brush, spit, and repeat.
Continue reading ‘The Scourge of Equine Gingivitis’
Nip and Tuck: Canine Cosmetic Challenges
Published 1, June 7, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 25 Comments
Given the (very much appreciated) discussion of a needed face lift for the Turley blog, I wanted to remind you that there are some who are in even greater need for such intervention.
Continue reading ‘Nip and Tuck: Canine Cosmetic Challenges’
DOES TURLEY BLOG NEED A NIP AND TUCK?
Published 1, June 7, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Columns , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Environment , International , Justice , Lawyering , Media , Military , Politics , Religion , Society , Supreme Court , Testimony , Torts 88 Comments
It comes to all of us with age. As hairlines recede and waistlines expand, cosmetic surgery becomes more attractive. While this blog is just around 2 years old, in human-to-blog years that is almost middle aged. In the last few weeks, various regulars have suggested that the site needs work to handle the large number of visitors and entries. This is an attempt to see what you would like to do with the site. I view this site as belonging to all of the regulars and I would like to solicit your thoughts on changes that you would like to see from different cosmetic touches to different structure. This entry will also allow discussion of those things (not people) that you least like.
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Royal Governor Eats Raw Seal Heart In Protest of EU Ban
Published 1, May 27, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 14 Comments
In a truly bizarre scene, Royal Governor General Michaelle Jean, the representative of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as Canada’s head of state, protested restrictions on seal products by eating the raw heart of a dead seal. It is moments like these that one wonders whether a strong letter and signed picture might have sufficed.
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Florida Man Jailed for Four Years After Dispute Over “Junk Protest”
Published 1, May 26, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , Society 6 Comments
There is a strange case out of Altamonte Springs, Florida this week. Alan Davis was reportedly mad at the city and his neighbors, so he expressed himself by decorating his house and yard with junk from toilets on his roof to airplane parts to a statue of buttockes. He was convicted in 2003 for felony littering and ended up serving four years.
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Critter Ridder Owner Charged in Involuntary Squirrelslaughter Case
Published 1, May 24, 2009 Academics , Criminal law , Environment , Society 19 Comments
Authorities in Hazlet, New Jersey have criminally charged Kathleen Buck, owner of Critter Ridder, for animal cruelty after she caught a squirrel that perished in her trap.
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Darwinian Dilemma: Scientists See Fossil As “Missing Link” While Creationist Scientists See Old Dead Monkey
Published 1, May 20, 2009 Academics , Environment , Religion , Society 46 Comments
Scientists have discovered what is being heralded as the long sought “missing link” — a 47-million-year-old fossilized skeleton of a monkey called Ida that is 95% complete. It is believed to show a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. Of course, anyone who has a master’s in creationist science in Texas or runs as a GOP candidate for president can tell you that the researchers have been duped. Since the Earth is only 10,000 years old, the radiometric dating is obviously wrong by roughly 47 million years and evolution is just a god-hating, atheist-advancing theory.
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While police dogs are often the focus of torts lawsuit, this training video of one dog leaping over a car at a felon firing a weapon is pretty amazing.
Continue reading ‘Nice Doggy’
Bait and Switch: Investigative Report Finds 85 Percent of Tested Restaurants Substituted Cheaper Fish in Dishes
Published 1, May 15, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 18 Comments
There is an interesting investigative report this week out of Kansas City. The local NBC station tested the fish in 20 restaurants to see if they were actually serving the fish on the menu. Seventeen restaurants were found to switch the fish with cheaper types while charging for such higher value fish as salmon.
Ship of Fool: Billionaire Tamir Saphir’s Yacht Seized While Loaded With Endangered and Exotic Animal Parts
Published 1, May 15, 2009 Bizarre , Criminal law , Environment , International 7 Comments
One of the wealthiest Americans has been fined after his enormous yacht was found loaded with dead exotic and endangered animals and animal parts. Tamir Saphir’s yacht was something out of Dr. Moreau’s island — loaded with stuffed dead animals and skins and carved ivory.
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Scouts Denied Asbestos Badge: Boy Scouts Shutdown Eden
Published 1, May 14, 2009 Environment , Society 12 Comments
Eden, Vermont is one of the main boy scout camps around the country for summer adventures. This summer, however, it will be closed due to the fact that it is located near an asbestos mine in a contaminated area.
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Canadian Parliament Mandates Use of Seal Products in Olympic Uniforms
Published 1, May 7, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 13 Comments
While I first thought this was an item from the Onion, it appears that the Canadian Parliament has voted to mandate that Canadian Olympic athletes should wear wear a seal product — most likely seal skin — as part of their uniforms. This is the response to the opposition by the European Union to the Canadian seal hunt.
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Thank You For Smoking: Chinese Officials Order Workers To Smoke Or Face Fines
Published 1, May 5, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Society 6 Comments
Authorities in Gng’an county are concerned about the economy and faltering sales of the local cigarette brand, Hubei. The solution was simple. They reportedly ordered government workers to smoke more or face possible fines.
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Canadian Farmer May Have Given Pigs Swine Flu — Fear Rises for Iraqi and Eygptian Farmers
Published 1, May 3, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , Society 2 Comments
Canadian officials believe that a farmer gave swine flu to pigs: an interspecies act of retribution. However, in light of the slaughter of zoo animals in Iraq and the slaughter of all pigs in Egypt, there is a concern that farmers will be next in the world’s governmentally sanctions panic. After all, if Iraq will kill wild boars in a zoo, imagine what it might do with a proven case of farmer’s transmitting the disease.
Iraqi Officials to Kill Zoo Animals to Protect Against Swine Flu
Published 1, May 1, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Religion , Society 81 Comments
In an example of colossal stupidity, Iraqi officials have called for the killing of the three wild boars in the Baghdad zoo to protect the country against swine flu. This comes on the heals of the Egyptian government moving to kill every pig in the country despite the lack of any evidence that it would help prevent the virus, which passes from human to human.
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TB or Not TB: Lawyer Involved in 2007 TB Scare Sues CDC
Published 1, April 30, 2009 Congress , Courts , Environment , International , Media , Politics , Society , Torts 2 Comments
Andrew Speaker, the lawyer to cause an international health panic by getting on an international flight with tuberculosis, has filed suit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for invasion of privacy. In his complaint, he blames the CDC on the breakup of his marriage, claiming that the couple went through with the wedding but then broke up after the wedding and never turned in their marriage license. He insists that he never had the worse form of TB, though critics insisted that he did not know that until after he was quarantined.
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Bacon Lung? U.S. and Israel Object to the Use of “Swine” Flu As Name of Current Outbreak
Published 1, April 29, 2009 Bizarre , Environment , International , Politics , Religion , Society 11 CommentsThe Obama Administration is finally getting ahead of this health care crisis: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have told reporters to stop calling this virus the “Swine” Flu — suggesting the ever-so-hip “H1N1′ virus. While it was the pork businesses that led to the change in nomenclature, Israel is moving to drop the reference due to religious objections to pork. It appears that even catching a swine-based flu is religiously problematic. The Obama Administration appears to have rejected “the virus formerly known as Swine Flu.”
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New York City Council Votes to Evict Animals From Bronx Zoo Due to Budget Shortfalls
Published 1, April 24, 2009 Bizarre , Environment 10 Comments
While New Yorkers continue to enjoy a rent control system, animals at the Bronx Zoo will be soon sent packing in the search of zoos due to the economic downturn. Hundreds of animals may soon be put out on the curb, including deer, bats, foxes, and antelopes.
Supreme Court to Rule on Free Speech Claim Over Animal Cruelty Films
Published 1, April 20, 2009 Congress , Criminal law , Environment , Politics , Society 12 Comments 
The Supreme Court today accepted U.S. v. Stevens, which will decide whether Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Virginia can be prosecuted for selling videos of pit bull fights. The case could decided the broader question of animal snuff films, crush films, and other disturbing images being sold on the Internet. This case focuses on a federal law criminalizing sale or possession of such images.
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Synchronized Sleeping — The New Olympic Sport
Published 1, April 19, 2009 Academics , Bizarre , Environment , Lawyering , Media , Politics , Society 25 Comments
Finally, an Olympic event in which I could compete.
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