Category: Society

Bizarre, International, Politics, Society

Report: United States Wasted $1.4 Billion on Abstinence Education in Africa

200px-US10dollarbill-Series_2004AWith states and cities struggling to support schools, infrastructure and other basic necessities, our government continues to spend wildly and wastefully with little political accountability. The latest such example is the $1.4 billion dollars spent on abstinence-only education as an effort to reduce the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa from 2004-2013. A new study shows that the program never showed any success and yet the government continued to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into Africa because the program was politically attractive.

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

Iranian Police Confiscate 100,000 Satellite Dishes To Protect Public Morality

160px-SatelliteDishes-5375The infamous Iranian Basij militia cracked down on the use of satellite dishes by confiscating 100,000 dishes in Tehran.  Iranian prosecutors insisted that dishes expose families to UnIslamic influences and are “morally damaging.”  The dishes were destroyed in a triumphant ceremony before General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, head of Iran’s Basij militia.  Most people view Naghdi’s crackdown as a pathetic and laughable example of religious orthodoxy that still strangles Iranian society.  However, Naghdi heralded the latest achievement of his extremist forces.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

The Democratic National Convention Reportedly Bars Two Male Delegates From Vermont And Orders The Substitution Of Female Delegates

2016_Democratic_National_Convention_LogoThere is a little reported story out of the Democratic National Convention where two Sanders delegates have been barred from attending the event. The problem was not their credentials or their conduct. State Sen. Tim Ashe (right below) and Ken Dean are men and the DNC ruled that there were simply too many of that kind in the delegation. Vermont was ordered to replace them with women, any women, so long as the delegation was equal. Ashe and Dean have filed challenges for good reason.

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

Erdogan Warns The United States That It Would Be A “Big Mistake” Not To Turn Over His Critic

220px-Recep_Tayyip_ErdoganWe have followed the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has single-handedly destroyed Turkey’s secular traditions and rolled back on civil liberties. With the support of Islamic parties, Erdogan used the recent failed coup to complete his work in arresting his critics, forcing the resignation of thousands of secular academics, and suspending all civil liberties in a proclaimed state of emergency. The United States helped create the tyranny rising in Turkey in its support of Erdogan as he systemically dismantled the only secular, free country in the Arab world. Now, Erdogan is threatening the United States that he wants his greatest critic, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, delivered to him and that a failure to yield to his demands would be a “big mistake.” Now, one could easily dismiss this threat as the ravings of an egomaniacal, delusional dictator with a persecution complex. However, Erdogan already forced German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reject basic free speech rights to appease him.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Saudi Arabian Muslim Clerics Issue Fatwa Against Pokemon Go

Pokemon-Go_logo.svgSaudi Arabia’s top Islamic clerics have renewed a prior religious edict or fatwa that warns against playing Pokemon in order to expressly denounce the playing of the wildly popular mobile phone application Pokemon Go as UnIslamic and evil. This will come as a shock to my kids and their cousins who recently coerced me to drive around the neighborhood to bag a few Pokemon (while correctly me that it is not pronounced “pokeMAN.”) One would have hoped that with Sunni following the Saudi Wahhabi sect beheading people and enslaving girls, Pokemon Go would seem fairly low on the list of “to do” subjects for clerics.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

The Luckiest Place On Earth: Family Of Dead Toddler Decides Not To Sue Disney Over Alligator Attack

16alligator_web1-master768-v4Yesterday, we discussed how the case against Disney in the death of two-year-old Lane Graves seemed to be getting worse for the company by the day with a new controversy over a poster instructing employees to mislead tourists asking about the risk of alligators. Many of us felt that Disney richly deserved to be sued and that such a lawsuit could produce valuable deterrence for Disney and other companies in the future. However, to the surprise of many, Matt and Melissa Graves of Elkhart, Nebraska have announced that they will not sue Disney for the death of their son in the lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Florida’s Walt Disney World.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Society

Twitter Accused (Again) Of Anti-Conservative Bias After Permanently Banning Milo Yiannopoulos

Cnxluz-XEAAcIQqWe have previously discussed the troubling efforts to bar conservative speakers from college campuses and social media, particularly Breitbart Tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos who has become something of an icon for young conservatives. Twitter has long been criticized for banning or harassing conservative figures, including repeated suspensions against Yiannopoulos. Now, the company is under fire for permanently banning Yiannopoulos — just 20 minutes before his “Gays for Trump” event takes place at the Republican National Convention.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Walt Disney Accused of Firing Intern Who Objected to Sign Telling Employees To Deny Risk Of Alligators At Florida Property

We previously discussed the tragic death of Lane Graves, 2, at a Disney resort after an alligator attack. Things are already pretty bad for the company, but there is yet another twist. A Walt Disney World intern was fired after she posted objected to a sign advising employees to tell guests that they do not know of any alligators in the waters. After an outcry, the company has rehired Shannon Sullivan. The question remains whether such evidence could be introduced to show the company’s alleged continued misrepresentation or concealment of the risks associated with the alligators.

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Religion, Society

Openly Gay Bishop Elected To United Methodist Church’s Western Jurisdiction In Defiance Of Church Law

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

united-methodist-church-logoA fortnight ago we featured an article reporting that the The Pacific NW Annual Conference voted to not enforce church law proscribing homosexuality. Now, The Western Jurisdiction Conference elected the first openly-lesbian United Methodist Bishop.

The Rev. Karen Oliveto, senior pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco was elected on the 17th ballot which included The Rev. Frank Wulf, another openly gay candidate.

Such ordinations are in direct contravention to The Book of Discipline which reads as follows:

304.3 Qualifications for Ordination

“While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.

1. “Self-avowed practicing homosexual” is understood to mean that a person openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee of ordained ministry, board of ordained ministry, or clergy session that the person is a practicing homosexual.

With several Annual Conferences adopting non-conformity to enforcing bans against gay individuals, the election of gay bishops I believe certainly shows evidence of effective inertia toward acceptance of our gay community members

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

“Satisfy The Evil Urge”: New Head Rabbi Of The Israeli Defense Forces Reportedly Justified The Rape Of Muslim Women

DSC_7420-e1468249982627-635x357Israel is in the midst of a growing controversy over the replacement of chief rabbi, Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz, of the Israeli Defense Forces. His replacement will be Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim, who has been denounced for suggesting that Israeli soldiers are morally justified in raping Muslim women during wartime as well as other misogynistic statements.
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Environment, International, Politics, Society

Hague Ruling: China Has No Basis For Its Expansive Claims To The China Sea

5784b53bc3618806448b4594The growing tensions in the South China Sea just got more tense. A tribunal in the Hague has ruled that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. With a huge investment in the construction of artificial islands, China has responded by simply dismissing the arbitration ruling on international law. China boycotted the proceedings before the five-member panel from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Many felt that the boycott reflected the weakness of the Chinese claims, which were unanimously rejected by the panel. Immediately after the ruling, China issued a statement that said that China “solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it.”

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Politics, Society

ABC/WASHINGTON POST POLL: 56 Percent of Voters Believe That Hillary Clinton Should Have Been Charged After FBI Investigation

Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_BenghaziIn a surprising poll by ABC and the Washington Post, a majority of Americans disapprove of the FBI’s recommendation not to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime over her mishandling of emails as secretary of state. Moreover, a majority say that the scandal has left them uncertain and worried about her ability to be president.

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Bizarre, Society, Uncategorized

Authentication-By-Litigation: Famed Artist Peter Doig Sued For Denying That He Painted A Work Purchased In 1975 For $100

There is a fascinating case in in Chicago where famed artist Peter Doig is being sued for millions of dollars. The reason? He had the audacity of denying that a painting is his own. That’s right. Doig denied that a painting of a landscape was done by him as a young man in Canada. With past Doig paintings going for as high as $25 million, a former correctional officer Robert Fletcher, 62, wants a legal determination that Doig either can’t or refuses to acknowledge his own work. Fletcher, who bought the painting for $100 in 1975, is pulling Doig into court and a federal judge has scheduled the matter for adjudication. I have never seen such an attempt at authentication-by-litigation lawsuit.

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Criminal law, Society

The Rise Of The Machines: Killing of Cop Killer Johnson May Be The First Lethal Use of Robot

220px-ANDROS_F6AOne of the least discussed aspect of the killing of cop-killer Micah Xavier Johnson is that it appears to be the first police killing via a robot. Rather than risk officers in a further fire fight, the police used an explosive ordnance disposal robot to carrying a small amount of C4 explosive into the room and detonate the C4 on an extension next to Johnson. The robotic killing raises some interesting questions under Tennessee v. Garner.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Free Speech, Media, Society

Cleveland Browns Running Back Isaiah Crowell Removes Post of The Slitting Of A Police Officer’s Throat After Public Outcry [UPDATED]

Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell, 23, is under fire for a grotesque image posted on Instagram showing a man dressed in all black slitting the throat of a police officer. It is a disgusting image that few of us would have even contemplated showing to another person, let alone posting on social media. Yet, Crowell posted the image with a statement “Mood: They give polices all types of weapons and they continuously choose to kill us…(hashtag)Weak” After an immediate outcry, Crowell removed the image and insisted issued a long statement that sounded like it was the product of a room of panicked NFL and Browns lawyers. The question is now the response of the NFL to the posting.  Update: Notably, the first black Miss Alabama was suspended on Tuesday for calling Micah Johnson a “martyr” for killing the five police officers.

Warning the image below is graphic and disturbing.  

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