With countries like Germany seeking to ban Scientology from their countries as a dangerous cult or criminal organization, the controversial church is facing new fraud charges in France. A French judge has ordered a trial on fraud allegations from a former member who charged that the church scammed her out of 20,000 euros.
Continue reading “Scientology Faces New Fraud Charges In France”
Category: Bizarre
Russia seems intent on making itself and its leaders into cartoon caricatures of late. Thus, it should be no surprise that the Russians are actually fighting cartoon characters in court. Russian prosecutors have filed an action against the South Park series after “experts” concluded that it “bore signs of extremist activity.” The prosecutors are seeking to ban the program.
Continue reading “Russians Move Against South Park; Kenny in Hiding”
Literature Professor Joy Ladin wants to put the she back into Yeshiva. Formerly known as Jay Ladin, 47, has returned to the school as a woman and was put on leave after an outcry from religious conservatives at the school. She has now been reinstated over the objections of some of the faculty.
Continue reading “Joy Returns to Yeshiva, But Some are Not Joyful”
Police in Washington Park, Illinois are searching for a driver and passenger who ran down a bicyclist at a gas station, as shown on the video below.
Continue reading “Shock Video: Van Filmed as it Runs Over Bicylcist”
Saira Nusrat Bibi has become the latest victim in the barbaric cycle of arranged marriages and honor killings in Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Forced into a marriage at age nine to a 45-year-old man, she had taken the extraordinary step to fighting for an annulment. She was winning in that effort, but (now 17) was denounced by many in the country as an heretic against Islam. Her parents have now killed her in the latest honor killing.
Continue reading “Honor Killing: Parents Kill Girl Who Sought Annulment After She was Forced to Marry 45-Year-Old Man — at Age 9”
New Jersey officials have been struggling to find the source of medical waste that has been washing up on its shores — closing various beaches. They now have the culprit: Dr. Thomas McFarland, who has reportedly confessed to the crimes.
Continue reading “Dentist Arrested for Dumping Needles and Medical Waste Off Jersey Shore”
Rebecca Nelson thought that she was helping the environment when she captured rainwater in a barrel and use it on her garden. Car dealer Mark Miller thought he was “greening” his facility with a cistern to use to wash vehicles. They were both violating the law in Utah where it is against the law to capture rain water. With California creating a “water bank,” one can imagine an expanded array of hydrocrimes, including bank robbery with intent to garden.
Continue reading “Inclement Crimes: Utah Cracks Down on People Capturing Rainwater”
Swaziland may be one of the poorest countries on Earth, but that did not stop its King Mswati III from throwing a massive birthday party for himself or send his various wives on a shopping blasts to Europe on private planes. Despite his control of the country’s finances, the King enjoys about $30 million was set aside for “royal emoluments.”
Continue reading “Swaziland Is For Lovers: Protests Over Consumption of Expanding Royal Family”
The ongoing sage of suspended Nevada District Judge Elizabeth Halverson just got stranger. On Thursday night, her husband Edward Halverson, 49, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and battery her with a frying pan. He has a long criminal record. Judge Halverson was known to berate and ridicule her husband in court, referring to him as “Evil Ed.”
Continue reading “Nevada Judge Halverson Allegedly Attacked by Husband with Frying Pan”
John McCain’s campaign is getting a lot of flak over showing a picture of Walter Reed Middle School, located in Los Angeles rather than Washington’s Walter Reed Medical Center. Of course, it was a lot better than Senator Sen. Lindsey Graham speaking about how successful the Administration has been with a backdrop of row after row of graves.
Continue reading “Walter Reed Middle School Becomes Political Backdrop and National Talking Point”
In the video below, Ivan Ukhov, a Russian high jumper, took a more literal meaning to the high jump when he alleged competed while drunk on vodka and Red Bull. Ukkov is shown ultimately missing the jump and then passing out under the bar. He apparently had more skill in finding a different bar before the competition. However, the incident will undermine Red Bulls’ slogan: “It Gives You Wings.”
Jordanian human rights advocates are fighting to raise awareness of not just the roughly two dozen honor killings in that country each year, but the fact that some of these killings are being falsely portrayed as motivated by religious values. Indeed, Jordan’s first female coroner, Israa Tawalbeh, has identified one 18-year-old girl named Maha who was killed by her brother when she refused to continue to work for him as a prostitute — he claimed to have killed her for his family’s honor.
Continue reading “Faith-Based Murder: Jordanian Activists Document False Honor Killing Claims”
In a controversial decision, California Superior Court Judge John S. Einhorn sentenced four friends involved in the death of professional surfer Emery Kauanui to relatively short sentences of between 90 and 349 days. All pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. A fifth individual, Seth Cravens, is awaiting trial. The five men were called the Bird Rock Bandits and alleged by prosecutors to be a gang in LaJolla, California. In the meantime, his mother (shown with the surfer) has sued the Bird Rock Bandits, their parents, and the bar (where the fight began) in a wrongful death action.
Continue reading “The Bird Rock Bandits v. The “Flying Hawaiian”: Four High School Friends Sentenced in Killing of Professor Surfer Emery Kauanui”
It appears that all of those billions of dollars for Homeland Security has paid off. The Administration has nailed two Canadians on our shores and protected the nation from the Maple Leaf hoard. Jason Haist took a rather novel way to sneak into the country: he almost drowned himself. The man who tried to rescue him was also arrested. After being released from a hospital, Haist sits in own of our jails awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge.
Continue reading “Canadian Jet Ski Attack Foiled: U.S. Jails Canadian Drowning Victim and Rescuer”
This is what Texas Gov. Rick Perry seems to view a close call. He has said that he is still mulling over whether the stay an execution of Charles Dean Hood for 30 days after it was disclosed the his judge, former District Judge Verla Sue Holland, and his prosecutor, former Collin County District Attorney Tom O’Connell, at trial had an affair — and a hearing on the issue is currently scheduled for after his execution. Despite the compelling evidence of ménage à trial, the issue appears to still be undecided despite requests from twenty-two former federal and state judges and prosecutors calling for the stay.