Category: Bizarre

Who Will You Discover? Ancestry.com Search Leads To Fugitive Living Under Name Of Deceased Baby

ancestry-logoJon Vincent, 44, turned over a new leaf and the result could be a long stint in jail.  In a modern twist to a classic criminal tactic, Vincent is accused to adopting the name of a deceased baby to assume a new identity while on the lam from a prison escape.  However, the name Nathan Laskoski came up on an ancestry search of the baby’s aunt.  That “leaf” led her — and ultimately  the police — to the Pennsylvania man.  For her, the company motto of “who will you discover” is a bit more of a surprise than that second cousin twice removed in Pittsburgh.

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[Not So] Mature: Woman Arrested After Allegedly Choking Girl Who Blocked Her View At Disney World

Many of us have experienced the frustration of waiting to see the parade or fireworks at Disney only to be blocked by the crush of the crowd.  There are However, while some may entertain the idea of strangling people blocking you, Tabbatha Mature, 41, is accused of doing just that.  Worst yet, the alleged victim was a young girl.

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Claremont McKenna Protesters Disrupt Pro-Police Speaker

Claremont_Mckenna_College_SealWe have been discussing the alarming rollback on free speech on United States campuses with the active or passive support of university and college administrators (with the exception of schools like University of Chicago).  Students now treat free speech as itself a threat and seek to prevent other students from hearing from speakers with whom they disagree.  The latest such example is at Claremont McKenna College where students succeeded in preventing other students from hearing from Heather MacDonald due to her pro-police views.

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“Organic Mix”: Walmart Fresh Express Lettuce Found Containing Dead Bat

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Russia Bans Picture of Putin As Gay Clown

C8tOoLnUAAETTWdThe crackdown on free speech and dissent in Russia knows few bounds.  Vladimir Putin’s image or name are often treated as virtually sacred as when people were arrested for showing the authoritarian leader in underwear or spitting on his image in protest.  Now the Russian Justice ministry has banned this image of Putin as a gay clown as “gay propaganda” promoting homosexuality.  Of course, the greater concern may be promoting free speech in a nation rapidly replacing individual rights with a cult of personality.

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Muslim Cleric: Nine Year Old Girls Are “Physically and Spiritually” Ready For Marriage

The marriage of underaged girls remains a common abuse in Muslim countries. We have continued to follow the plight of girls and women in Islamic countries who face honor killings and child marriages. Some Islamic clerics have maintained that there can be no age limitation on child brides. They often note that Muhammad married Aisha when she was seven and consummated the marriage at nine years old. Indeed, some clerics have endorsed the notion of girls as “religious offerings” and rejected any age limitation The latest outrage over child brides has come with the “wisdom” of Malaysian MP Shabudin Yahaya who insisted that marrying off nine-year-old girls is perfectly acceptable and moral under Islamic law.

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California Woman Hit With $35 Million Bail . . . Friends Pony Up Roughly $70 Million

CBS may be the “Tiffany Network” but the Tiffany Li network appears far more flush these days.  CBS is reporting that Li was given a $35 million bail for her alleged murder of her husband, Keith Green.  That is an amount clearly intended to put release beyond the reach of anyone, but Li’s friends have ponied up the full amount. It just might be the largest bail of its kind.

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Did Dan Scavino Violate the Hatch Act?

Twitter LogoThe Trump Administration has proven to be something of a perpetual motion machine churning out novel ethical and constitutional issues from emoluments to nepotism.  The latest involves Dan Scavino, the White House social media director, after he went to his personal twitter account to call for the defeat of Michigan Rep. Justin Amash as a “liability” to the GOP. Amash was one of the conservative members of the Freedom Caucus to bar the effort to replace Obamacare.  The tweets have raised questions under the Hatch Act as a form of political advocacy from the White House — a position endorsed by Richard Painter, a chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush.  I am less convinced.

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Meddling Kids Score Journalistic Coup In Kansas

design_img__s3nlnc-Copy-8The Washington Post has an interesting story this week about a group of high school reporters who showed what true investigatory journalists are capable of.  Connor Balthazor, 17, and his colleagues at the Booster Redux at Pittsburg High School in southeastern Kansas began to dig into the background of their new principal, Amy Robertson.  They found discrepancies and Robertson resigned.

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Eric Trump: “Nepotism Is Kind Of A Factor Of Life”

Eric Trump may be a bit off script this week.  There are legitimate objections to President Donald Trump making his own daughter and son-in-law official advisors in the White House as the definition of nepotism.  I have long been critical of nepotism and, in my view, such hiring should be barred under federal law.  However, it is currently legal.  That does not make it acceptable for many so the comments of Eric Trump raised eyebrows when he said in a Forbes interview that “nepotism is kind of a factor [sic] of life.”

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Pennsylvania Man Arrested For DUI Wearing “Drunk Lives Matter”

Northern Arizona President Under Fire For Refusing To Commit To “Safe Spaces”

DrRitaCheng15_004MedNorthern_Arizona_University_logo.svgI previously wrote a column on the need for academics to rally around the University of Chicago, which has taken a courageous stand in support of free speech by rejecting speech codes and “safe spaces.”  Some schools have followed UChicago’s lead.  The latest is Northern Arizona University where President Rita Cheng decided to stand firm on the free speech foundations for our academic institutions. The result has been demands from students and faculty that she resign for her fealty to free speech and refusal to create “safe spaces”. It is another example of the rising intolerance and taste of speech regulation on our campuses.

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Comedian Under Fire After Abuse of Kangaroo in Detroit Captured On Video

A minor actor is in a major controversy after abusing a chained kangaroo on stage in Detroit.  Mike Epps, 47, who is primarily known for starring in juvenile “Hangover” movies, was captured on videotape with an obviously terrified kangaroo on stage.  Epps ran after “Skippy” hit him.  His handler Javon Stacks should have his licenses revoked for his shocking treatment of the animal.

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