We have previously discussed (and here and here)the liability issues associated with eating competitions. This week we have see two deaths in pancake eating and doughnut eating competitions. Caitline Nelson, 20, died at a fraternity and sorority event at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Travis Malouff, 42, died in a giant donut competition in Denver, Colorado.
Continue reading “Two People Die in Separate Eating Competitions in Connecticut and Colorado”
Hairdresser Annette O’Connor has been awarded for something that has happened to many diners. When O’Connor was shown a table in The Mullingar Park Hotel restaurant, she sat down and hit her knee on the leg of the table. Since the leg was not covered by the table cloth, Justice Mary Faherty upheld the prior damages and increased it to €20,000 and costs for the hidden danger.
Continue reading “Irish Court Awards €20,000 Damages To Woman Who Bumped Knee On Restaurant Table”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
In a surprise reversal of a District Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in what is likely to be a landmark decision ruled that the H1B Visa Program, a temporary worker policy of the United States Government, enacted to allow relaxed work permits of needed high-tech foreign workers, violated the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The act disparaged workers by forcing tech-workers to labor exceedingly long hours for below-market wages under legal coercion. The Court further held that employers held undue influence and subjected foreign workers to be bound to a particular employer or else face cancellation of their Visa after termination.
The software industry likely will be one of the largest segments to undergo sudden changes to their hiring practices. Yet, the decision likely will be a boon for the Trump Administration in that the hiring of lower-cost foreign workers will reduce and recent citizen graduates of technical colleges and universities could have greater job opportunities.
Continue reading “Ninth Circuit Rules H1B Visa Program Violates 13Th Amendment”
Ellie Catchesides, 28, is as lucky as she is dishonest. The mother of three sold thousands of dollars worth of fake Disneyland tickets to friends. Yet, she will not be going to jail for her disgraceful betrayal of people who were seeking to take their families to Disney in Paris.
Continue reading “English Woman Guilty Of Defrauding People With Sale of Fake Disney Passes”
We recently discussed the shocking effort by a California Democratic legislator to curtail free speech in a reckless effort to combat “fake news.” Now the Democratic California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has brought an equally chilling criminal case against two anti-abortion activists responsible for the videotapes that triggered national protests against Planned Parenthood. The 15 felony counts against David Daleiden and Susan Merritt are breathtaking and even warranted a rebuke from the Los Angeles Times. The prosecution could represent a radical shift toward prosecuting activists from environmentalists to animal right activists to pro life/pro choice protesters in their effort to record alleged abuses or violations.
Iran’s infamous morality church has reportedly turned its attention to a segment of the population that appears distinctly non-Islamic: Christians. The police stopped women outside of churches like the medieval Holy Savior Cathedral in Isfahan to enforce the requirement of veils under the country’s Islamic modesty laws. So Christian women are expected to dress Islamic in church. That captures the lunacy of these Sharia-based legal systems that are so insecure about their values that they must force others to follow them at risk of arrest and imprisonment.
The teachers and administrators at McLauchlin Elementary School in North Carolina have prevented a major security breach with the apprehension of the notorious Caitlin Miller, 5. Miller shocked her teachers by using a piece of wood like a gun in a fantasy game with her friends. A teacher whisked her off to the principal for summary suspension. It is another towering victory for the moronic use of “zero tolerance” policies.
Iran is again showing the world the true meaning of Sharia law as a medieval system enforcing religious doctrine and orthodoxy. Sina Dehghan, 21, has been sentenced to death for criticism of Islam on social media. He was charged under article 262 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code for ‘insulting the prophet’ of Islam.
Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, 21, is facing an extraordinary set of charges of three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. The men killed were actually her accomplices in an attempted burglary. None of the them had a gun but one had a knife and one has brass knuckles. The homeowner’s son however did have a gun and shot and killed all three men. Prosecutors then charged Rodriguez with the deaths even though she was only the getaway driver.
There has been an outcry against Iowa State University over a short essay assignment for International Studies students. It is a firestorm that most faculty hardly expect with regard to a singe essay assignment of a minimum of 500 words. However, students were told to “Write a paper that gives a historical account of 911 from the perspective of the terrorist network. In other words, how might Al-Qaeda or a non-Western historian describe what happened.” There have been calls for action by the state legislature. I hope that the state legislature will consider the impact of such action against the values of academic freedom. Faculty often try to force students from looking at issues from different perspectives, particularly in the area of international studies. That does not mean that the school favors Al Qaeda or belittles 9-11.
We often discuss the dilemma of clients in deciding whether to smile and appear callous on mug shot or not to smile and look guilty. Most people try to thread the needle with a neutral expression. Texas teacher Sarah Fowlkes went for the full smile option and has triggered a backlash of people saying that she cared little about her charge of having relations with a 17-year old student at Lockhart High School.
Continue reading “Smiling Mug Shot Produces Backlash Against Texas Teacher”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Adding another example to the list of government debacles, the City of Federal Way, Washington spent over a year and sixty-two thousand dollars for a new logo design that the city council promptly sent to the bit bucket.
The mayor in an interview says he still believes the money was well spent.
Continue reading “City Pays $62,000.00 For A New Logo Then Tosses It Out The Window”
Various charges might come to mind for Jeremy Putman who was walking around in this make up with a sword, but he was actually charged with . . . .
The Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles was adamant. The license plate reading “GRABHER” was deemed “misogynistic and promoting violence against women.” It was a surprise to Lorne Grabher who simply wanted a license plate with his family’s name.Continue reading “Canadian Barred From Using Family Name on License Plate as “Misogynistic” Message”
University of Minnesota law professor Edward S. Adams is facing an astonishing criminal indictment over millions of missing funds from investors in his companies. The indictment says that Adams perpetrated an elaborate fraud on investors and fellow partners. According to the indictment, from 2006 to 2013, Edward S. Adams stole more than $4.38 million from investors and paid more than $2.54 million to his own law firm.
What is astonishing is that Adams is the second faculty member to face criminal charges on the Minnesota law faculty. Continue reading “Minnesota Law Professor Charged With Massive Criminal Fraud”