Category: International

Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Environment, Free Speech, International, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Supreme Court, Uncategorized

If The TPP is Such a Great Idea, Why Keep it a Secret?

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

The Obama Administration has been pressuring members of Congress to pass the bill that will give President Obama the “fast track”  authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement without any debate in Congress.  Fast track authority would not allow for any amendments and the bill would remain secret until just before it is voted on.

“President Obama is currently pressing members of Congress to pass Fast-Track authority for a trade and investment agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If Fast Track passes, it means that Congress must approve or deny the TPP with minimal debate and no amendments. Astonishingly, our lawmakers have not seen the agreement they are being asked to expedite.” Nation of Change Continue reading “If The TPP is Such a Great Idea, Why Keep it a Secret?” →

Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Society

Erdogan Is Becoming A Control Freak

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By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

The bizarre world that churns inside Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s presidential palace reached a new zenith with the unveiling of surveillance control rooms inside, giving him unprecedented ability to personally spy on seventy seven million Turkish citizens. In a feat of technical engineering rivaling that of George Orwell’s Big Brother, the president will certainly enjoy the spectacle of his new spyglass.

According to Al-Monitor, the system has 143 displays that allow President Erdogan to tap into closed-circuit television systems in the streets of eighty one of Turkey’s provinces along with its government’s Mobile Electronic System Integration (MOBESE) and those used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

With the system about to become live, Erdogan will now be able to personally watch all public demonstrations, city life, military and police operations, and other events he finds of concern.

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Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Religion

Saudi Arabian Court Sentences Man To Death For Renouncing Islam and Insulting Mohammad

250px-Dira_SquareThe Saudi Arabian courts have a new judicial atrocity this week to their credit. A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Islamic faith along with other reported acts of blasphemy. The man was subject to multiple crimes even carrying death under the medieval Sharia system followed in the Kingdom. Those capital crimes included renouncing Islam, ripping up a Koran, cursing Mohammad, and hitting a koran with a shoe. One death will apparently suffice in “Chop-Chop” Square (shown above) for the man engaging in what would constitute protected speech in the United States.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

ISIS Reportedly Demolishes Second Ancient Site

Hatra_ruinsFlag_of_the_Islamic_State.svgIslamic State militants have continued their scorched earth campaign to wipe out anything considered non-Islamic. After destroying art and artifacts in the Mosul Museum and then the priceless ruins at Nimrud, ISIS is now destroying the ruins of the large fortified city at Hatra, one the capital of the first Arab kingdom. The site has withstood attacks since 116 with the Romans, but ISIS is using modern explosives and bulldozes to eradicate the 2000-year-old site.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Media, Society

Two California Women Carve Their Initials Into Colosseum and Then Take Selfie

B_gm58PUYAA1H37.jpg-largeWe recently discussed the case of a Russian who was arrested for carving his name into the ancient walls of the Colosseum. Now, due to the actions of two California women aged 21 and 25, we must bear the shame of such a despicable act. The women used a coin to carve large letters of J and N into the site. We have also discussed stupid acts, including by Americans, where art has been damaged by accident. However like the graffiti by the Chinese tourist, on the Luxor temple, and the Russian tourist who carved a K on the Colosseum this was an intentional act of thoughtless destruction. He was not a stupid teenager, but a 42-year-old man.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Iran Blinds Defendant Under Sharia Law’s “Eye For An Eye”

220px-Eye_iris125px-Flag_of_Iran.svgThe brutal character of Sharia criminal law was evident in Iran this week after a man was forcibly blinded in one eye after being convicted for an acid attack that blinded another man. It was the literal application of the concept of “an eye for an eye.” We discussed the Iranian judicial ruling on blinding people for such crimes ten years ago. In this case, the man was blinded in his left eye and will later be blinded in his right eye unless “blood money is paid.”

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Bizarre, Free Speech, International, Media, Society

Bank Of Canada: “Stop ‘Spocking’ Our Currency”

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By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

The Bank of Canada moved to protect its economy from a sudden spike spock in its currency.

The Canadian Dollar spocked in value following the death of Actor Leonard Nimoy a week ago. Currency traders marked the five dollar notes and in turn succeeded in initially increasing its value. This was then followed by a run on the bank notes prompting the Bank of Canada to intervene to protect the dollar’s value.

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Academia, International, Military, Religion, Society

Islamic State Bulldozes Ancient Nimrud Site

285px-Portal_Guardian_from_Nimroud._British_MuseumFlag_of_the_Islamic_State.svgThe systematic destruction of art and historical and religious sites continued this month with another crime against humanity by Islamic State militants. The extremists reject images of the human body as violations of Islamic teachings and despise earlier civilizations that were not based on their Islamic traditions. So, after destruction priceless artifacts and art in the museum in Mosul, IS destroyed the the ancient Assyrian archaeological site near Mosul. The loss is truly incalculable for humanity.

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Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

India Ministry Moves To Block Airing Of Documentary On Rape

tfi_a374ada7f4d26fb1c8aba2084f645c7aWhile China is moving to block the airing of a documentary on pollution, India is moving to block the airing of a documentary on the scourge of its country: rape. India has long been accused of having a rape culture where women are blamed for their own victimization and the caste system (and poor legal system) continues to frustrate efforts to hold rapists accountable. That dire situation for women led to the much acclaimed documentary by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin, “India’s Daughter.” The Indian government is so opposed to letting its citizens hear about such abuses that it is now threatening the BBC for airing the banned documentary.
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Environment, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Clearing the Air: China Moves To Block Airing Of Documentary On Dangers Of Smog

Screen Shot 2015-03-05 at 7.56.54 AMChina has a different approach to clearing the air. We have discussed the record pollution measured in Beijing and the past efforts of the Chinese government to prevent people from talking about the shroud of pollution choking its population. Now the government censor have blocked the airing of a documentary on China’s smog — the 104-minute film Under the Dome by well-known former news anchor Chai Jing. While it has been viewed by more than 200 million times online, the censors are cracking down to prevent others from learning about the dangers of the smog levels in China.

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Academia, Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Saudi Arabian King Gives Controversial Islamic Cleric Top Award

220px-Dr_Zakir_NaikSaudi Arabia has long been criticized for its extreme religious beliefs as part of its devotion to Wahhabism. Now the Kingdom has generated more controversy by giving one of Saudi Arabia’s most prestigious prizes to Zakir Naik, an Islamic school who said that the Koran (Quran) “allows Muslims to have sex with female slaves” and seemed to support Osama Bin Laden, at least to the extent to which he was “fighting the enemies of Islam.” Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman gave Naik the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) 2015 personally.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Society

American Posts Criticism Of His Company In United Arab Emirates On Facebook . . . Company Brings Criminal Charges And Has Him Arrested Upon His Return To The UAE

AR-150309877We have previously discussed the common criminalization of speech found in Muslim countries (and the increasing criminalization seen in the West). The most recent victim is Ryan Pate, a civilian helicopter mechanic who was arrested for a derogatory comments made on Facebook in the United States toward his employer in the United Arab Emirates, Global Aerospace Logistics. After he returned to the United Arab Emirates, he was promptly arrested at the request of the company. This again is one of our closest allies that denies the basic protections of free speech not only to its citizens but even to Americans speaking in the United States.

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

American Blogger in Bangladesh Hacked To Death By Islamic Extremists

Avijit_RoyAnother blogger has fallen victim to Islamic extremists. Avijit Roy, a Bangladesh-born U.S. citizen, was hacked to death during a walk with his wife in Dhaka as both were returning from a book fair at Dhaka University. How did he insult Islam? No, it wasn’t a cartoon or a satirical poem. He wrote about religious intolerance so they hacked him to death.

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Animals, Bizarre, International, Media, Society

South African App Helps Calculate Price Of A Bride

lobola-calc-1By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

If you have wondered how many cows your hand in marriage is worth, a new app may provide you with some important information–and more importantly, can you command More Cow (wedding) Bell.

Robert Matsaneng, a 26-year-old South African software developer, developed an app to measure how much Lobola the bride may expect from her potential suitor. Lobola is a custom in the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi cultures where the bridegroom pays the family of the bride for her hand in marriage. Payment is made in the form of currency and live cows. The family of the bride sets the initial price.

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