Liang Zhao Zhang, a janitor for Bay Area Rapid Transit in downtown San Francisco, promised to clean up and he did just that. Transparent California, a nonprofit organization, released records that show that the janitor earned four times more than his base pay last year in overtime — bringing his earnings to $235,000 in 2015.
Continue reading “Cleaning Up: BART Janitor Cleans Up With $235,000 In One Year”
There is an interesting potential tort lawsuit in an incident at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, which canceled its Saturday afternoon performance of “Guillaume Tell” after an audience member sprinkled what is believed to be the ashes of a deceased relative or friend. Update: The man involved in the incident has come forward and apologized. Dallas resident Roger Kaiser explained that he had promised his friend in 2012 (an opera lover) that he would scatter his ashes at various opera houses after his death.
Continue reading “The Met Cancels Shows After Man Spreads Ashes In Orchestra Pit [UPDATED]”
We discussed earlier how Donna Brazile, the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, denied the legitimacy of emails that showed her leaking a question to Hillary Clinton that would be asked verbatim at the CNN downhill event. The media has largely declined to investigate the claim, including confirming the receipt of the earlier email from the Clinton staffer. Now additional emails allegedly show Brazile secretly feeding information to the Clinton campaign. Again, there has been relatively little media attention to the story and CNN issued a remarkably weak response that it was “uncomfortable” with the new disclosures on Brazile’s actions while a CNN commentator. “Uncomfortable”? How about words like “unethical”?
Israeli Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoob Kara appears to hold a view of the Almighty as petty and capricious as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte . The Druze-Israeli Likud politician has declared that the two earthquakes in Italy this week were divine “retribution” for Italy’s support of the UNESCO resolution critical of Israel over its handling of a holy site in Jerusalem.
This is Denver Police Officer Julian Archuleta, 48, and he has been accused of an array of charges that come down to a certain $1,200 that disappeared at a crime scene.
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?”
New York Officer Josanne Hernandez, 27, allegedly began her career as a police officer with her own crime – or at least shopping – spree. Hernandez is accused of stealing her partner’s credit card and going on a shopping bender at his expense.
Continue reading “NYPD Officer Charged With Stealing Partner’s Credit Card For Shopping Spree”
As our presidential campaign de-evolves into petty name calling and calls for prosecution, the French are having a quintessentially French scandal of their own. French presidential hopeful Jean-François Copé has found himself in deep fondue after admitting that he did not know the price of pain au chocolat and then radically understated the price. Sacre Bleu. The French have not been so incensed since “The Terrors” and many have denounced Copé as an out-of-touch elitist.
Continue reading “Let Them Eat Pain Au Chocolat: French Presidential Candidate Triggers Controversy Over The Price of Pastries”
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte seems to be on a campaign to prove to the world that he is demonstrably insane. In his latest news grabbing headline, Duterte claims God spoke to him during a flight from Japan on Thursday and warned him the plane would crash if he kept using bad language. That’s right. The Almighty will not kill Duterte for ordering the murdering of thousands of criminal suspects, but he would not only kill Duterte but everyone on his plane because he really, really, really does not like swearing.
Continue reading “Duterte Claims Divine Guidance . . . and A Lethal Threat”
Miranda Kay Rader, 19, picked a uniquely bad moment for a selfie . . .
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?”
In a surprise Vatican ruling for many Catholics, the Church has declared at Catholic are forbidden from keeping the ashes of cremated loved ones at home, scattering them, or dividing them between family members. This widespread practice has been deemed one of the “new ideas contrary to the church’s faith”.
Continue reading “Catholic Church: Keeping Or Scattering Ashes Are “Not Allowed””
One of the least pursued stories in the mainstream media has been the denial of Donna Brazile that she sent the controversial email leaking a question to Hillary Clinton that would be asked at the CNN presidential downhill. Of course the easiest way to confirm that story is to ask the recipient campaign adviser Jennifer Palmieri who is readily available to the media. However, reporters have not pressed Palmieri. In the meantime, Brazile gave a rambling denial of the story that would normally trigger a feeding frenzy. In addition, some techies have posted a research that they say strongly support claims of authenticity, but the response of the media has been crickets.
Continue reading “Brazile Denies Sending Controversial Email Despite Claims Of Authenticity”
We previously discussed the ridiculous case of prominent Jordanian writer, Nahed Hattar, 56, who was charged with blasphemy for merely sharing this cartoon. The charge was a disgrace for a nation that long prided itself on being a moderate Arab nation. It is increasingly succumbing to extreme Islamic voices and the charges against this writer were a worrisome development. Now he is dead. A man dressed in traditional Islamic garb shot and killed Hattar as he walked outside of the court in Amman.
Continue reading “Prominent Jordanian Writer Murdered Outside of Blasphemy Trial”
While a curious 28 percent are happy with the current meltdown of our political system, most Americans are disgusted by the choices and tenor of this election. With the two most unpopular nominees to ever run for president for the main parties, both campaigns long ago abandoned the hope of getting voters to actually vote for their candidates. Instead, they are focusing on simply getting voters to hate the other candidate more than their own. In the midst of this race to the bottom, Wikileaks has given the public a new insight into the communications of political operatives, media, and activists. While stolen (and allegedly the product of Russian hacking), the public has been fascinated — and disgusted — by the contents of the emails. The emails have exposed a cesspool of hypocrisy, betrayal, and dishonesty in Washington. The more one reads, the harder it is to understand how this country could fallen into such absolute control of so few with so little integrity. While the Wikileaks emails recently have focused on the Clinton campaign, there is little in Washington that resembles any notion of civil virtue on either side. Strangely, the longer the campaign goes on, the more this election looks like a season of Game of Thrones. Below is my column in USA Today for those seeking insights from the “Seven Kingdoms.”
Continue reading “America’s Game of Thrones Election: “Hate’s As Good a Thing As Any To Keep A Person [Voting]. Better Than Most””
Ok, it was a DWI but this alleged drunk driver achieved one distinction that few felons could claim . . .
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?”
Bud Light recently had to apologize for its slogan “The Perfect Beer For Removing ‘No’ From Your Vocabulary For The Night.” It was part of a broader campaign and slogan on all Bud Lights as “the perfect beer for whatever happens.” Wayne County, North Carolina Judge Arnold O. Jones II appears to have taken that slogan to heart. He was just convicted for attempted bribery of a federal agent with two cases of Bud Light. Jones is a registered Democrat who was elected to an eight-year term on the Superior Court bench in 2008.