Category: Bizarre

Bizarre, International, Society

American Snaps Finger Off 600 Year Old Masterpiece In Florence

statueYou may recall the global disgust over a Chinese tourist who wrote on an ancient Egyptian temple, now it will be Americans who hang their heads in shame. An unidentified 55-year-old man from Missouri snapped the finger off a 14th or 15th century marble masterpiece when he decided to measure it by grabbing the hand. It is something out of a Seinfeld episode but this represents a serious act of destruction of an ancient piece. Fortunately, it can be repaired.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society, Torts

Tawana Brawley’s Wages Garnished For Defamation Damages From Infamous Hoax Case

250px-al_sharpton_by_david_shankboneTbrawleyWe previously discussed the infamous case of Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton, now a MSNBC host. In 1987, Brawley, a black teenager, falsely accused a prosecutor, a New York police officer and a state trooper of a racist attack and rape. The racial animus was fueled actively by Al Sharpton who used the case to propelled himself into national fame or infamy. She later recanted and a court ordered damages to be paid by both Brawley and Sharpton — neither of whom paid. The falsely accused former Dutchess County prosecutor Steven Pagones tracked down Brawley living in Virginia and working as a nurse last year. He is owed $190,000 in damages against Brawley, now 40.

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Bizarre, Torts

California Demolition Blows Off Man’s Leg And Injuries Four Others

Today we discussed strict liability for wild animals in the wake of the terrible tragedy in Canada. Bakersfield, California is facing another area of traditional strict liability after a man lost his leg to shrapnel from a demolition of a power plant and various others were injured. Such demolitions fall within ultrahazardous or abnormally dangerous activities subject to common law strict liability rules.

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Animals, Bizarre, International, Society, Torts

Two Boys Strangled To Death In Their Sleep By Escaped Python

200px-Python_sebae_head2aWe often discuss the strict liability rule governing wild animals in tort law. This morning Canada is dealing with a tragic and bizarre case in which two young boys — aged five and seven — were killed by a python that escaped a pet store and slithered through their ventilation system into their room. Reptile Ocean owner Jean-Claude Savoie lives above the store and was hosting the two boys for a sleepover with his own son who was unhurt.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Society

Report: U.S. Proceeding With Massive Purchase of Russian Helicopters That The Afghans Cannot Fully Maintain Or Operate

300px-afghan_mi-17_helicoptersAs Afghanistan quickly unravels and the Taliban resume control over large areas of the country, the Obama Administration appears to be rushing to spend as much money as possible before we are kicked out.  The latest example is the Pentagon moving forward with a $772 million purchase of aircraft that the Afghan army “cannot operate or maintain,” according to a Special Inspector report.  It is understandable of course. We cannot wait any longer with the rise of anti-American sentiments.  We need to get this equipment in place before the Taliban and their allies take over.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics

Is The Administration Blocking Access To The Guardian?

260px-The_Guardian_front_page228px-Picture_of_Edward_SnowdenWe have been following the effort by countries like Iran and China to block access to particular sites viewed as anti-Islamic or anti-social. However, I have heard from a couple U.S. government employees that, since the Snowden disclosures, their agencies have blocked access to the Guardian website. When they try to get on to the site at the Energy Department for example it is simply blocked. I am trying to get answers from the Administration but wanted to ask some of our regulars for help on these reports.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law

Millikin University Professor Under Fire After Discovery That He Is A Former Mental Hospital Patient Who Killed His Family

article-0-1B2028A9000005DC-50_306x423dt.common.streams.StreamServer.clsMillikin University is facing a challenging controversy over one of its faculty, Professor James St. James. It turns out that James St. James is not his original name which was James Gordon Wolcott. The problem is that Wolcott is a former state mental patient who killed his family in 1967. St. James effectively reinvented himself with remarkable (and commendable) success — ultimately not just teaching but heading the university’s Department of Behavioral Sciences. The university is standing by him as people call for his removal from the faculty.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

Highway Robbery: Russian Man Arrested For Stealing Road

220px-Kaluga_Region_TrassaI guess some jurisdictional questions are easier than others. Prosecutors often look at whether an interstate road was used in a crime, but what is the crime is the interstate road? It may sound like a Yakov Smirnoff skit (“In Russia, you don’t steal away on the road, the road . . . “) but in Syktyvkar, Russia a man was arrested for stealing 82 reinforced concrete slabs that made up a road outside of a city.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Seattle Workers Told Not To Use Offensive Terms Like “Citizen” Or “Brown Bag”

brown-bag-lunch2Seattle_sealWe have previously followed government officials who are ordering the removal of basic words that they deem offensive. Thus, we saw how “hold down the fort” have been declared unacceptable by Obama Administration officials as racist. In Seattle, the language police have added terms like “citizen” and “brown bag” as racist or offensive. They are to be banned from public documents and discussions by order of the Seattle officials in the city’s Office of Civil Rights. By the way, they might want to start with the city council, which routinely holds “brown bag” lunches.

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Animals, Bizarre, Environment, Society, Uncategorized

We’re Here For Giggles: Family Finds Fawn And Brings It To Shelter . . . Wisconsin Officials Raid Shelter And Kill Fawn

220px-OdocoileusVirginianus2007-07-28fawn32395_460630240667849_1067942150_nA family and animal shelter in Wisconsin is raising questions about the response of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to a fawn being dropped off at the shelter. An Illinois family found the fawn and brought it to the the Society of St. Francis shelter a couple weeks ago. The shelter planned to take the fawn named Giggles to a wildlife shelter. However, the DNR learned of the plan and, according to the shelter, raided the facility and killed the fawn.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Two Women Are Rescued On Hike Only To Die After Driving Off Pier In Maine

article-2376834-1AF98F71000005DC-553_306x423_zpsc9bb3370article-2376834-1AF9844E000005DC-95_306x423_zps7612c67eLast week, there was a bizarre and tragic accident killing Amy Stiner, 37, and Melissa Moyer, 38. The two women were hiking in Maine when they became lost. They were rescued only to get into their car and drive of a boat ramp and drown. Adding to the tragedy, Stiner was four months pregnant. Moyer left behind a 12 year old son.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Science, Society

Russian Legislator Promises To Arrest Gay Olympic Athletes Under New Anti-Gay Law

220px-From_Russia_with_Love_–_UK_cinema_posterRussian Lawmaker Vitaly Milonov is promising to arrest Olympic athletes found to be in violation of the country’s new abusive anti-gay law. The “gay propaganda” law has led many to call for the games to be shifted from Russia since the host country would arrest athletes who are openly gay. In the meantime, a boycott of Russian vodka has picked up steam around the world in protest of the crackdown on gays and lesbians.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Torts

California Judge Approves Two Charges Of Manslaughter Against Driver In The Electrocution Of Two Good Samaritans

staceyirmaThere is a tragedy in California that has led to a particularly challenging question of proximate causation. It appears well established that Arman Samsonian, 19, was driving recklessly when he slammed his SUV into a utility pole and a fire hydrant. It was a bad combination. When two individuals ran over to help, they were both electrocuted to death by the electrified water from the hydrant in contact with a fallen wire. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Karen Nudell last week approved charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the deaths of good Samaritans, Irma Zamora (right) and Stacey Schreiber (left). The defense insists these were unforeseeable intervening acts that should not be the basis for criminal charges.

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Bizarre, Society

Just When You Thought The Weiner Scandal Could Not Get Creepier . . .

250px-Creepy1220px-AnthonyweinerOk, after seeing these high resolution pictures of narcissism on parade, I have decided that Anthony Weiner and Sydney Leathers are made for each other.  Leathers is now reportedly considering a porn career.  In the meantime, there appears one group that remains enthusiastic about Weiner. Believe it or not, it is women aged 18-36 which give him a 78 percent favorable rating according to a poll by a dating site. Putting aside the skewed population for the poll, it is still pretty disheartening.

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