Month: August 2007

Grave Robber: A New Charge for an Old Crime

Joseph J. Vecchiarelli, 26, is employed in one of the world’s oldest professions: grave robbing. He stripped corposes of jewelry, gold teeth and other valuables, even dumping bodies (including an infant) on the ground in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is a vivid example why grave robbing is one of the oldest torts and crimes.

For the story, click here

Arabic School in New York Drawing Attention to the Balkanization of Public Education

The creation of a school with an emphasis on Arabic culture has drawn criticism in New York. The controversy should not be one about Arabic culture but the departure from a traditional view of public education that one sought to create a shared curriculum and culture for a diverse population. Continue reading “Arabic School in New York Drawing Attention to the Balkanization of Public Education”

A & P Files Tort Action Against Fired Rapper Employees Over Video

Brothers Mark and Matthew D’Avella were fired from A & P for using the store and their jobs as packers to make a rap video entitled Produce Paradise. The rap has such memorable lines as “It’s all about the produce produce, we don’t like to kid/It’s the lower middle portion of the food pyramid.” Continue reading “A & P Files Tort Action Against Fired Rapper Employees Over Video”

Legal Challenge to Craig Charges is Valid — But Likely Too Late

Sen. Craig’s suggestion that he is considering re-visiting his plea with the assistance of counsel is not without merit — it is only fatally delayed. There is much to challenge in this arrest. The officer was relying on highly interpretive conclusions about his actions. Had he challenged the arrest, he could have argued that the evidence did not establish the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Continue reading “Legal Challenge to Craig Charges is Valid — But Likely Too Late”

Helmsley Probate Claws: $12 million for dog; nothing for two grandkids

She was called the Queen of Mean and the probate of her will is likely to confirm that title for some. Late hotel and real estate (and ex-con) Leona Helmsley has left $12 million for her white Maltese, named Trouble, who will also be allowed to continue to live in her mansion and then be buried next to Helmsley in her mausoleum. Two of her grandchildren, however, got nothing in the will.

For the full story, click here

Man Charged with Burning the Burning Man

A San Francisco man named Paul Addis, 35, has been charged with arson and illegal possession of fireworks after allegedly starting the Burning Man burning: four days two early. The huge burning man is supposed to be the climax of the counterculture festival in the Black Rock desert in Nevada. Instead, Addis allegedly lit the object and is therefore charged with arson for the premature burning.

For the full story and a picture of the culprit, click here

The Killer of Beethoven Finally Uncovered?

Reserachers believe that they have finally uncovered who killed Beethoven and the culprit is Andreas Wawruch, his doctor.

Beethoven died in 1827 at the age 57 and there has been long speculation over the cause or even whether he was murdered. Now, it appears that his doctor gave him lethal levels of lead in his treatment.

For the full story, click here

Be Afraid, Very Afraid — The Bush Curse

Washington is all atwitter over who will replace outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The more relevant question, however, is who would want to step over the chalk outlines of his two predecessors on the office rug to sit in that seemingly cursed chair.

Indeed, of all of the famous curses from King Tut’s tomb to the Hope Diamond to the Monkey’s Paw, the Bush Curse of the Juris Doctors (or the J.D. Curse) appears the most lethal. With John Ashcroft or Gonzales as the most vivid examples, bad things happen to attorneys who go to work for this administration. Continue reading “Be Afraid, Very Afraid — The Bush Curse”