Category: International

International, Society

Some of India’s “Untouchable” Citizens Continue To Be Relegated Into Disposal Of Human Waste

Submitted By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

manual-scavengingWe have discussed the sad plight of the low castes of Indian society and their removal from the benefits of India’s emergence in the world. In particular is the notion of certain human beings are considered to be untouchable. Examples include being last to be rescued during floods (HERE), a case of doctors refusing to treat an untouchable woman in labor resulting in she and her child dying (HERE) Children suffering horrific acts of violence (HERE) Child Rapes (HERE) and others.

Deutsche Welle recently published an interview with Meenakshi Granguly, the South Asia Director for Human Rights Watch who co-authored a study titled “Cleaning Human Waste: ‘Manual Scavenging,’ Caste, and Discrimination in India.” The study focused on “Manual scavenging” – the cleaning of human waste from open roads and dry pit latrines by communities considered low-caste – [that] is still being practiced by hundreds of thousands of people in India” The report was released August 25th. It is one of sorrow and deep social injustice.

Continue reading “Some of India’s “Untouchable” Citizens Continue To Be Relegated Into Disposal Of Human Waste” →

International, Military, Religion

Second American Dies Fighting For The Islamic State After Abandoning His Nine Children

xjidhadi-pic-isis-pagespeed-ic-8jv64o2crt1-e1409314714373A second American has died fighting for the terrorist organization ISIS, or Islamic State — a group that is so extreme and bloodthirsty that even Al Qaeda leaders have stood against it. The latest American to die is Abdiraaman Muhumed from Minneapolis, who notably left behind nine children to seek paradise in martyrdom as a terrorist.

Continue reading “Second American Dies Fighting For The Islamic State After Abandoning His Nine Children” →

Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Religion

Campaigning on Hope and Change? Italian Politician Asks For Exorcism By Pope

200px-Calderoli1Deputy Senate Speaker Roberto Calderoli (and Senator from the The Northern League and once Minister of Reforms under the center-right government of Silvio Berlusconi in 2006) may not appeal to many Italians. He is viewed as xenophobic and racist. He insults groups with remarkable frequency and . . . oh yes . . . he says that he is possessed. That’s right, Calderoli believed that he has been hexed by the father of the the Minister of Integration and wants an emergency exorcism from the Church.

Continue reading “Campaigning on Hope and Change? Italian Politician Asks For Exorcism By Pope” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Was Billy Crystal’s Tribute To Robin Williams Racist?

screenshot (YouTube)
screenshot (YouTube)
Many people have now watched the touching tribute giving by Billy Crystal to Robin Williams at the Emmy Awards ceremony (I actually detest awards shows and show the clip below after the controversy arose). It appears that there has been a torrent of criticism of one of the clips as racist. We have been discussing the rising limits on speech deemed racist or hateful, including cases brought against comedians (here and here). This controversy highlights the subjectivity over the meaning of such a joke in my view.

Continue reading “Was Billy Crystal’s Tribute To Robin Williams Racist?” →

International, Media, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized

Allah Wants Slow Connectivity? Iranian Grand Ayatollah Denounces Fast Internet As Immoral and A Threat To Good Muslims

Facebook
Facebook
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is no issues that cannot be resolved by the Koran, or at least Muslim clerics, as a moral imperative. Thus, after complaints that Iran has one of the highest rates of Internet use and one of the slowest average speeds, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a prominent Shia scholar, stepped in to denounce fast Internet connections as immoral and dangerous. He also specifically denounced 3G — third generation mobile communications technology — as morally corrupt and unacceptable for good Muslims.

Continue reading “Allah Wants Slow Connectivity? Iranian Grand Ayatollah Denounces Fast Internet As Immoral and A Threat To Good Muslims” →

International, Politics

Have It Your Way: Burger King Reportedly Close To Canadian Acquisition and “Inversion”

Burger_King_(1955-1968)Burger King is close to a deal that would acquire Tim Horton’s (Canada’s huge corporate version of Dunkin’ Donuts). It is more than a corporate expansion however. The move would allow Burger King to justify a “tax inversion” where an American company merges with a foreign company and then reincorporates abroad to fell under a more beneficial corporate tax rate. So long as shareholders of the Canadian companies end up owning at least 20% of the shares of the new parent company, you can escape the high corporate tax rate. I have previously criticized the corporate tax rate — and tax policies in general — as irrational in light of the lower rates in nearby countries. During the last campaign, even Obama admitted that our corporate tax rate is too high but there was never action to reduce it. The White House however recently asked for legislation to stop the inversion maneuver while Senator Sherrod Brown is calling for a boycott of Burger King.

Continue reading “Have It Your Way: Burger King Reportedly Close To Canadian Acquisition and “Inversion”” →

Environment, International, Military, Science, Uncategorized

Report: China Developing Supersonic Sub

250px-Chinese_Kilo_in_serviceChina appears to be close to one of the greatest technological breakthroughs in military history: the supersonic submarine. I know that that sounds ridiculous but it is possible. As a military buff, I had to share the story. The submarine is based on “supercavitation” technology that was used earlier on torpedo technology but the Chinese have reportedly used to envelop an entire submarine that could theoretically allow it to cover the distance between Shanghai to San Francisco in less than two hours. If that (likely hyperbolic claim) is attainable, it would constitute less time than it sometimes takes to just get through the security line at Dulles International airport (of course some international flights seem shorter than TSA lines these days). It is not clear what the submarine would look like (this is a conventional nuclear Chinese submarine).

Continue reading “Report: China Developing Supersonic Sub” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, International

Ocean’s Two: Diamond Industry Releases Video On How To Steal A $160,000 Diamond For A Worthless Piece of Zirconia

Screen Shot 2014-08-25 at 8.11.57 AMThe Israeli Diamond Industry has released an interesting video on how thieves were able to switch massive diamond worth over $160,000 for a worthless zirconia. It is hardly the stuff that Ocean’s Eleven is made of, but it got the job done for these two thieves.

Continue reading “Ocean’s Two: Diamond Industry Releases Video On How To Steal A $160,000 Diamond For A Worthless Piece of Zirconia” →

Criminal law, International, Media, Military, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized

I$I$: Europe Funding The Islamic State Through Ransoms That Have Already Reaped Millions for the Terrorist Organization

james-foley-beheadingIntelligence officials in the U.S. and Britain believe that they are closer to identifying the terrorist who beheaded American journalist James Foley in the grotesque video released by the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS. The U.S. continues to follow a policy against such ransoms, though many have charged that the Obama Administration broke that policy in the controversial trade of five Taliban leaders for Bergdahl in addition to violating federal law. Europe has long rejected the policy and, according to media reports, has sent millions to fill the coffers of ISIS, which then uses the money to fill coffins around the world. France alone paid $13.2 million for four of its citizens and Islamic State is now known to have special kidnapping squads looking for Westerners. While we often discuss the financiers of terror in places like Saudi Arabia, we may have to start to look closer to home in the West.

Continue reading “I$I$: Europe Funding The Islamic State Through Ransoms That Have Already Reaped Millions for the Terrorist Organization” →

Animals, Bizarre, International, Justice, Lawyering, Science, Society

Biting The Hand That Cooks You: Severed Cobra Head Bites, Kills Chef

By Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor

VIDEO Snakes Revenge As Severed Head Bites And Kills ChefEating habits in Guangdong Province, China are likely about to change. There, the Indochinese spitting cobra is a prized delicacy. The preparation of the serpent is a time-honored tradition but yesterday something went terribly wrong for Chef Peng Fan of Foshan. Disposing of the head of the snake that had been killed twenty minutes before, Fan was fatally bitten and died before the anti-venom could be administered. Spitting cobra venom contains  one of the world’s most powerful neurotoxins that kills within hours of injection by suppressing involuntary muscles which control respiration.

Continue reading “Biting The Hand That Cooks You: Severed Cobra Head Bites, Kills Chef” →

Congress, Free Speech, International, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

Economic Patriotism or Treason?

300px-Microsoft_building_17_front_door

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw)- Weekend Contributor

We have read in recent weeks and months about the continued movement of corporate profits by US corporations to their overseas subsidiaries in order to avoid paying taxes here on those profits.  Walgreens almost went that route recently but they decided to not do what is called an “inversion” to avoid taxes.  At least for now.

You may be wondering what the picture is all about.  The building in the attached photo is one of the main buildings on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington.  And Microsoft has also been busy working on their taxes.

Microsoft, made news recently, by admitting that they have stashed $92 Billion dollars overseas in an attempt to avoid paying $29 Billions in taxes!  While Microsoft has not officially “inverted” its profits, they have done the next best thing.

Many large US corporations have complained that they have to move profits overseas because they cannot be competitive in the world market without a lower tax base.  Just how true is that claim? Continue reading “Economic Patriotism or Treason?” →

International, Politics, Religion, Society

A Sigheh Before Sex: Iranian Government Discovers Young Iranian Are Having Sex . . . Proposes “Temporary” Marriages To Make It Islamically Correct

250px-flag_of_iransvgWhen following the news from Iran, it is often hard to tell the difference between a news story and a really good joke. The latest story on the Islamically correct lifestyle, according to the Iranian government, involves a study that found that young Iranians were having sex, even homosexual sex, in rising numbers. The 82-page report, issued by Iran’s parliamentary research branch, is alarmed at the findings and recommends that the government push for the use of “temporary” marriages that may last no longer then the tryst itself. It is something akin to a Vegas marriage for good Muslims. Marry, have sex, and then divorce. You are happy. The Mullah is happy. Everyone is happy.

Continue reading “A Sigheh Before Sex: Iranian Government Discovers Young Iranian Are Having Sex . . . Proposes “Temporary” Marriages To Make It Islamically Correct” →

Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Nigerian Preacher Responds To Ebola Outbreak By Sending 4000 Bottles of His Patented Holy Water

iseecrash2011Nigerian Christian preacher Temitope Joshua is a multi-millionaire wannabe messiah with a devoted following in Africa. Joshua has decided to act to help the desperate situation in Sierra Leone. He sent a private jet to deliver 4,000 bottles of his patented holy anointed water and $50,000 in cash to defeat Ebola. Just what these ebola villages need, holy water from Brother Joshua.

Continue reading “Nigerian Preacher Responds To Ebola Outbreak By Sending 4000 Bottles of His Patented Holy Water” →

Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Saudi Court Orders Woman Flogged For Insulting Morality Police

300px-fomfr_whipThe Saudi Sharia system has again made headlines with its perverse view of justice. The latest victim is a businesswoman who will receive 50 lashes for merely insulting the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, or the Saudi morality police. Of course, the Saudi morality police is widely ridiculed and denounced as a group of religious fanatics upholding a medieval system of religious law.

Continue reading “Saudi Court Orders Woman Flogged For Insulting Morality Police” →