The Israeli Knesset became the latest legislative body to ban skinny models. The new law prohibits both Israeli and foreign ads with “underweight” models and requires disclosure of when pictures have been manipulated to make the model look thinner.
Continue reading “The Rubens Regulation: Knesset Tells Skinny Models To Eat Or Starve”
We have previously discussed Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated inclinations toward the Taliban and harsh treatment of women. Then there was Karzai’s recent position that women are worth less than men — presumably even those American women keeping Karzai and his corrupt family and friends in power. This week Karzai has added that Americans are “demons” and no better than the Taliban. Karzai then called for divine intervention to defeat the Americans and the Taliban — a dangerous call in a nation known for religious fanaticism: “Let’s pray for God to rescue us from these two demons. There are two demons in our country now.”
This curious picture was taken in Miami. Officer Sandra Lyles has now been relieved of duty for hauling mattresses with her patrol car.
I just saw this photo on Reddit and I had to share it. This is a picture from the mid-1870s of a pile of American bison skulls waiting to be ground for fertilizer.
A New York City lawyer has been removed from a case involving a high-end prostitution ring because the judge, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan found his relationship with the accused “Madam” to be “murky.” Attorney Peter Gleason had put up his own $2.5 million New York City loft as collateral on the $2 million bond for Anna Gristina (shown here in a photo with her husband).
They called him the “crapper scrapper” — a man who was stealing toilet parts from bathrooms in the Denver metro area for cash. Donald Allen Citron, 48, faces 18 charges, including burglary and theft.
Continue reading “Meet Donald Citron: The Alleged “Crapper Scrapper” of Denver”
By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Seems the far Right just can’t stay out of – or quit throwing – the muck. The Huffington Post reports that University of Rochester econ professor, Steve Landsburg, has launched his own attack on Georgetown law school student, Sandra Fluke, who had the temerity to speak her mind to a congressional committee discussing contraceptive services. Landsburg apparently dabbles in English grammar when his dismal graphs Continue reading “Professor “Defends” Sandra Fluke As Mere Extortionist or Prostitute Not Slut; Students React Creatively”
Rick Santorum is continuing his faith-based campaign with a pledge to wipe out pornography in his Administration. The problem is that pornography is lawful and now a multi-billion dollar industry. It is obscenity that can be criminalized, but what is obscene remains exceptionally vague and ill-defined. Indeed, many may find parts of this presidential campaign to border on the obscene.
. . . so is the entire actual Jersey shore. A Princeton study has found that global warming is causing a rise in sea levels that is far greater and more accelerated than previously thought. The report predicts that the Jersey shore could be underwater in a matter of decades and low-lying areas thrashed by increasing storm surges.
Continue reading “The Good News Is Jersey Shore Is Set To Be Cancelled, The Bad News Is . . .”
In Sanford, Florida, a family has buried a teen killed by a “watch captain” in a gated community on February 26th. However, question remains not only about the killing of Trayvon Martin, 17, but why the shooter, George Zimmerman, 28, has not been charged. Zimmerman reported a suspicious character to 911 and was expressly told by the police not to confront the individual. Instead, he pursued Martin and shot him — claiming that the shooting was in self-defense. [UPDATE: A statement reportedly from the Zimmerman family denies that he confronted Martin].
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, is embroiled in another controversy. King has previously been criticized for anti-Muslim statements and his express support for the IRA, despite its listing as a terrorist organization. Now, King has triggered an investigation after he went along with U.S. Marshals on a raid of a home and gleefully filmed the arrest of a citizen, including what appears footage inside the person’s home. It is the perfect merging of entertainment, politics, and crime. In the land of the blind, the one-cameraed man is King.
Continue reading “Freeze, U.S. Congress! Rep. King Criticized For Video Of Raid Posted On YouTube”
The Arizona Senate has overwhelmingly passed the so-called “wrongful birth” bill — a piece of legislation that not only strips citizens of core torts protections but is based on a legal mythology of abusive litigation. The law would prevent lawsuits against doctors who withhold information on health problems of a fetus — even withholding the information intentionally.
This is a video from this week in the Brazilian Congress. This is reported to be a congresswoman who has an extraordinary voice. As much as I loved the performance, it is worth noting that this is a religious song where members express their faith — a practice that raised concerns with those in Brazil who believe strongly in the separation of church and state.
Continue reading “The Opening Legislative Prayer — Brazilian-Style”
We have been following a trend toward firing or disciplining public employees for their activities in their private lives, including statements made on Facebook or associations with unpopular groups. One group of employees are teachers and school employees who previously worked in the pornography industry (here and here). Shawn Loftis, 36, faced the same barrier to teaching due to his work as a gay porn actor as well as the director and owner of his own company, World of Men. After a campaign against him and a decision to bar him from teaching, Loftis secured a ruling that he could in fact return to teaching last Friday. He holds a master’s degree in public administration.
Continue reading “Former Gay Porn Star Secures Right To Pursue Florida Teaching Certificate”
It is not quite Boys From Brazil, but the discovery of a long-forgotten diary of an English soldier has led to a rekindling of the theory that Adolf Hitler fathered a child . . . and the little Führer was French. The diary adds support to claims that Jean-Marie Loret was the son of Hitler — conceived when Hitler lived in France as a corporal in World War I.
Continue reading “English Soldier’s Long Lost Diary Supports Claim Of Hitler Child”