Month: October 2011

Bizarre, Politics, Society

Reforming Halloween From “Jesus Ween” To Saturday-Only Observance

As a self-confessed Halloween devotee, I am always taken aback by those who want to change or eliminate what seems to me to be a hugely fun holiday for kids and adults alike. Yet, this year has seen the annual reforms of the holidays from changing the date to establishing the alternative of “Jesus Ween.” Yet, this is an improvement over psychoanalysis that my love for Halloween is merely a cry for help from my dying soul.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Politics, Society

The Obama Tuition Stimulus: Will Students Get A Sawbuck While The Constitution Get The Shaft?

The newly announced stimulus effort to help students has been denounced as an election year ploy that, as discussed in the below article, would result in less than $10 a month in savings for the average student. The question is whether such a use of executive power is constitutional given the conflict with prior legislation.
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Constitutional Law, Religion, Society

Court Under Fire For Upholding Application of Islamic Law in Florida Court

The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland, Florida is under fire after upholding the use of Islamic law by Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Richard A. Nielsen. The uproar has reignited the national controversy over the perceived threat of Sharia law to the United States.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Pro-Life or Pro-Libel: Former Dem Congressman Sues Susan B. Anthony List For “Loss of Livelihood” After Defeat

When former Rep. Steven Driehaus lost his seat in Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, he prepared more than a concession speech. He prepared a lawsuit. Driehaus blames his defeat on what he says were misrepresentations by the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports pro-life candidates for Congress. Continue reading “Pro-Life or Pro-Libel: Former Dem Congressman Sues Susan B. Anthony List For “Loss of Livelihood” After Defeat” →

Bizarre, Society

Rock Relics: John Lennon’s Tooth Up For Sale At $16,000

Many of us may have been under the misimpression that the sale of relics is a market that has largely disappeared since the height in the Middle Ages. An auction this week shows that it has not disappeared. It has simply moved from religious to rock relics. John Lennon’s remarkably yellow tooth will be auctioned on Omega auction with a price of $16,000. Assuming that all teeth are valued the same, that would mean that John Lennon’s full 32-tooth dental resources (not including baby teeth) are worth $512,000.
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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Egyptian Party Leader: “I Am the Enemy of Democracy”

With Libya now moving to a Sharia-based system that will impose religious values on the population, Egypt is also rapidly moving toward an extreme Sharia based system. Indeed, Hesham al Ashry (the leader of the Salafists) announced this week that “I am the enemy of democracy.”

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Bizarre, Torts

California Man Spends Nine Hours Trapped in Swing

Now this would make for an interesting tort lawsuit. A California man was rescued on Saturday after being stuck in a toddler’s swing in the park for nine hours. The man had bet his friends $100 that he could fit into the swing, lubricated himself with laundry detergent, and squeezed into the swing — only to be stuck. After trying unsuccessfully to free him, the friends decided to leave him as a joke.

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Torts

Michigan Court Rules Insurance Coverage Includes Witnessing Son’s Death While Driving In Another Vehicle

There is an interesting case out of the Michigan courts this week. A Michigan appellate court ruled that a mother, Gale Boertmann, who saw her son’s fatal motorcycle accident could claim damages under her own auto insurance for her injuries while driving. Cincinnati Insurance Co. objected, saying that the injury was not due to her operation of the vehicle since “she would have suffered the exact same injury if she were standing on the front porch of her house.”
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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Oregon Man Shoots At “Bear” and Kills Marine on a Hike

We have previously discussed “buck fever” cases and the relative absence of civil or criminal penalties for fatal hunting accidents historically. This week saw another tragic case after Marine reservist Christopher A. Ochoa, 20, was shot while hiking with a friend. Gene Collier, 67, says that he though Ochoa was a bear while hunting with his grandson.
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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Meet Robert Maresca: The Man Who Wants The Rights To “Occupy Wall Street”

Many people have watched the spontaneous “Occupy Wall Street” protests and have been inspired and moved to action. Robert and Diane Maresca are two of those people but not quite in the way intended. The Long Island couple has filed a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) application to cash in on the movement and claim ‘Occupy Wall St.” as a global brand name for merchandise and marketing.
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Bizarre, International, Society

Woman Claims TSA Inspector Left Note In Bag Saying “GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL” After Discovering Sex Toy

Jill Filipovic claims to have found quite a surprise when she arrived in Ireland. Upon opening up her luggage, she allegedly discovered that the TSA had done an inspection of her luggage. What was disconcerting is that, after finding a sex toy in her luggage, an inspector left a message on the inspection notice saying “GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL”
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Animals, Criminal law, Society

CSI – Minneapolis: Who Did The Ferret?

Police in Minneapolis are awaiting an autopsy to determine if Thomas James Hart, 23, is a killer. It is an all-too-familiar story: boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, boy drowns ferret. The whodunit will turn on the whether the victim has water in the lungs — evidence that Hart drowned him in a bowl of water. The problem is that the victim is a ferret.
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Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Society

CBS: Gadhafi May Have Been Sodomized After Capture

I received a fair amount of criticism after my post following the death of Maummar Gadhafi objecting to the apparent execution of the deposed leader and the abuse of his body. One rebel has now come forward to take credit in executing the unarmed dictator and there is now a report that a Libyan rebel may have sodomized the dictator as part of the abuse after his capture.

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