The first of Pardo’s victims was an eight-year-old girl who answered the door. She will survive by she was injured in the face.
For the full story, click here.
Month: December 2008
Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Our kids get to double dip on both holidays in a play to spread our bets between the two religions of the parents. We have just finished placing the last present under the tree in Chicago. We can now look forward to three hours of sleep before the C-Day invasion. As my gift to you, I have linked a truly inspirational holiday video: Jingle Bells played on microwave ovens below.
Continue reading “Happy Holidays!”
A Christmas controversy is brewing in Pensacola, Florida where Tonia Thomas, 35, claims that she was fired because he insisted on greeting callers with “Merry Christmas” rather than Happy Holidays. Her former employer, Counts-Oakes Resorts Properties Inc., insists that there were other reasons for her termination but outside groups have come to Thomas’ aid in suing the company. In the meantime, Muslims are debating whether they can say “Merry Christmas.”
Santa has long flaunted his disregard for basic driving laws from speed limits to parking regulations to proper turn signaling. Now, he has been spotted sabotaging traffic cameras in the days leading up to his reckless high-speed run.
Continue reading “Santa Saboteurs: Old St. Nick Spotted Disabling Traffic Cameras Before Midnight Run”
As states grapple with limitations on same sex marriage, polygamy, and other moral legislation controversies, scientists may have introduced another areas of potential challenge: the ban on first cousins. The premise for barring first cousins was always based on rather shaky science. Now, scientists are challenging any medical or public policy basis for the prohibition — raising constitutional questions of why consenting adults can be barred from such marriages.
Continue reading “Kissing Cousins: A New Question of Discrimination In the Wake of New Studies”
Police in Galveston, Texas are being sued for allegedly arresting a 12-year-old Dymond Larae Milburn outside of her home as a prostitute in 2006. The girl did not realize that the plainclothes officers were police and fought back as she screamed for her father inside the house. She was reportedly beaten by the officers and ended up with sprained wrist, two black eyes, a bloody nose, and blood in an ear. Weeks later, the police arrested her for resisting arrest.
Continue reading “Family Sues After Police Arrest and Rough Up 12-Year-Old Girl as a Prostitute Outside of Her Texas Home”
California investigators are interested in speaking with Dr. Craig Alan Bittner. Bittner has an interesting way of “saving the planet”: he used that fat that he removed from his patients in liposuction to fuel his two SUVs. His M.I.P. (Miles to the Patient) was great until officials notified his lawyer that it happens to be a crime.
Continue reading “Driving Miss Daisy: California Doctor Leaves Country After Using Patient’s Fat as Fuel for His Cars”
Twenty-five firefighters were needed this week to put out a fire in New Bedford, Massachusetts after the home owner, Vasco Silva, attached a blowtorch to a 20-pound propane cylinder and used it as a snow and ice remover.
Continue reading “Salt, Shovel . . . Blowtorch: Massachusetts Man Used Blowtorch for Ice Removal and Burns Home”
No Noel for Uriel.
Uriel Oliva, 18, was arrested early has been arrested for a curious probation violation: flashing gang symbols while sitting on Santa’s lap. The picture was spotted by his probation officer on a keychain during a probation check. It is unclear if St. Nick is an unindicted co-conspirator, but Oliva is charged with three misdemeanor counts for violating court orders.
Continue reading “Naughty List: California Man Arrested for Flashing Gang Symbols on Santa’s Lap”
There are objections being raised on how school officials have responded to the discovery of a young boy and girl having sex in a stairwell at Francis Pastorius Elementary School in Philadelphia before Thanksgiving: the boy, Walter Goss (13), was expelled but the girl was allowed to continue at the school.
Continue reading “Pastorius Elementary: Boy and Girl Caught Having Sex in Stairwell So School Suspends the Boy”
There appears to be no lawyers living in Brighton, Michigan or within telephone range of the city council. The city elders have made it a crime for anyone to commit acts that “seriously annoy another person and that serve no legitimate purpose.” Putting aside the vagueness and overbreadth violations, there is the restriction on travel by Paris Hilton, Rosie O’Donnell, and the other annual recipients of the most annoying people.
Continue reading “Not-So-Brigthon: City Makes It A Crime To Be Annoying”
While the family of Iraqi journalist of Muntazer al-Zaidi (or al-Zeidi) (including a brother who visited him) have alleged obvious signs of abuse and torture, investigating judge Dhiya al-Kenani has refused to allow an investigation into the matter — saying that such accounts are completely baseless. The problem has been the curious refusal of authorities to allow anyone to see al-Zaidi for many days and the decision to cancel an appearance in court shortly after his arrest. Then there are the accounts of witnesses who say that they heard him screaming after being taken away by Iraqi security.
Continue reading “Iraqi Judge: No Abuse Probe In Case of Shoe Thrower”
It appears that neither judges nor police officers in Douglasville, Georgia have heard of the use of a scarf for religious purposes or, more likely, didn’t care about the religious practice. Lisa Valentine was arrested after she was ordered to remove the scarf, or hijab. Valentine, who goes by the Muslim name Miedah, refused and tried to leave the courthouse when she was barred by officers who took her to appear before Judge Keith Rollins who appears to have a little judgment as training as a jurist. He jailed her for 10 days.
Lillo Brancato Jr. has been acquitted in the 2005 killing an off-duty New York City police officer but found guilty of attempted burglary. The actor from The Sopranos and A Bronx Tale could still be sentenced to 15 years in prison for the lesser offense.
There is an interesting tort case in Iowa where Jeffrey Tigges of Dubuque, was found by his wife to have secretly mounted cameras in their bedroom and filmed them in private. A court awarded Cathy Tigges (now divorced) $22,500 for invasion of privacy.
Continue reading “Iowa Rules Against Husband Who Secretly Videotaped Wife in Bedroom”