Australia is upping the ante in the war on smoking. Previously we saw how some countries have put disgusting pictures on cigarette packages to discourage smoking. Now, Australia is set to require “ugly packaging” where companies are prevented from putting their logos on cigarettes and must use the least attractive color found in government research for smokers: dark green. (For the record, dark green is my favorite color and this move is likely to push me toward smoking).
Category: Bizarre
Maine lawmakers are addressing what appears to be a pressing public policy issue: one-armed people who want switchblade knives. A bill will allow one-armed persons to possess the currently illegal switchblades knives.
Continue reading “In the Land of the Armless Men, The One-Armed Man is Gang Leader: Maine Moves To Legalize Switchblades For One-Armed People”

President Barach Obama launched his reelection bid this week with a video announcement on the Internet — which generated fewer hits than a parody by the Republicans. Now, in his first major appearance since the announcement, Obama will be appearing with Rev. Al Sharpton and speak at the annual convention of the National Action Network which Sharpton founded. Sharpton’s history of race-baiting and demagoguery has made him one of the most divisive figures in American politics. Yet, the President is about to share a podium with him. For liberals who denounced Republicans for their association with Sarah Palin, the question is whether they will be heard with equal vigor in the association with Sharpton.
Continue reading “Obama Embraces Al Sharpton With Major Appearance”
Ryan James Stephens, 25, has been charged with the rather bizarre offense of harassing a police dog by barking and hissing at the animal.
Continue reading “Man Barks Dog: Ohio Man Charged With Barking At Police Dog”
Many people were a bit surprised when the Candie’s Foundation, a nonprofit group, selected Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol, 20, to be their national advocate against teen pregnancy. Now, the judgment of Candie’s Foundation officials has been put into even greater question with the disclosure that the nonprofit paid Palin $260,500 for this role.
Continue reading “Raiding the Candie’s Jar: Bristol Palin Paid $260,500 To Campaign Against Teen Pregnancy”
There is a bizarre lawsuit in Nevada alleging that Bar Executive Director Kimberly Farmer has subjected her employees to “screaming attacks” and abuse that led to mistakes in grading the February 2010 bar exam — mistakes leading to people who flunked the bar being admitted into practice.
Continue reading “Former Nevada Bar Officials Sued Executive Director Over Alleged “Reign of Terror””
Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to confirm this week one of the greatest fears for civil libertarians in the aftermath of the burning of the Qu’ran (Koran) by Rev. Terry Jones. With Muslims murdering innocent people as a protest to the book burning, Senator Graham has called for Congress to go hold people accountable for such acts. The message is clear and predictable: if someone’s exercise of free speech has caused problems, limit the free speech.
Continue reading “Graham: “Free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war.””
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

In honor of Major League Baseball’s opening day, here’s a little item from Irvin, Texas Lawyer Darrell W. Cook who’s a huge Texas Rangers fan. Last year when the improbable happened and the Rangers made it to the World Series Cook was taking no chances. Seeing a pretrial conference on his calendar which conflicted with Game 1, Cook filed this emergency motion for continuance excerpted here:
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Kipp Hagaman, an Ivins, Utah man, enters a Chase branch with $3 in his pocket and withdraws $2000, in cash, from his account. He takes the twenty $100 notes and goes to America First Credit Union to pay bills. A teller and the assistant branch manager at America First Credit Union tell Hagaman that one of his $100 bills is counterfeit.
Continue reading “Utah Man Claims Chase Branch Passed Him a Counterfeit $100 Bill”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Spanish police are still trying to figure out how alleged kidnapper Jose Carlos Serna twice escaped from jail on the authority of a fax. Serna was arrested after police discovered him hiding in a carved out sofa in his home in a Madrid suburb. The reputed head of a kidnapping gang, Serna was freed after jailers received a bogus fax purportedly from the regional court ordering his release. A call was even placed to the jail confirming the fax. Jail officials tried to verify the order with the court but their calls went unreturned.
There is a very disturbing first amendment case this week in Knoxville, Tennessee where a federal jury convicted Army Sgt. Franklin Delano “Dale” Jeffries II of threatening Knox County Chancellor Michael W. Moyers. The threat came in a juvenile song that Jeffries posted — raising very serious concerns over free speech.
Continue reading “Army Sergeant Convicted Of Threatening A Judge Due To One Line In A Song”
The Old Bailey appears to have radically changed notions of punishment in the criminal justice system. Satpal Kaur-Singh, 44, confessed to forcing his autistic son, Ajit Singh-Mahal, 12, to drink bleach to kill him. She succeeded in Barking, England. Her sentence: seven years — less than what you get in this country on some burglary charges.
In Benbrook, Texas, two teenagers were charged after a bizarre sacrificing of two chickens to enhance the performance of their baseball team. The teens, 15 and 16, were also barred from playing baseball for the rest of the season.
Continue reading “Two Texas High School Students Charged With Animal Cruelty Over Chicken Sacrifice”

