This glum fellow is Stephen Gidcumb who has been arrested for counterfeiting. What is interesting about the case is that Gidcumb used his personal computer to generate the $100 bill and the counterfeiting was discovered by a strip joint. Indeed, Gidcumb appears to have returned to the club not long after passing on the fake bill. Not surprisingly, the club is named Déjà Vu.
Continue reading “Déjà Vu: Michigan Man Arrested For Passing Counterfeiting $100 Bill To Stripper”
Muslim cleric Mallam Abass Mahmud in Ghana has explained the real cause of earthquakes. Never mind those pesky seismologists and tectonic plates. The real cause it appears are gays and specifically gay sex. It is not clear if the level of gay relations corresponds to the Richter scale in the intensity of earthquakes.
Continue reading “Muslim Cleric In Ghana Proclaims That Gay Couples Cause Earthquakes”
Iran this month reminded the world that it remains entirely committed to the medieval Sharia legal system. Over 30 college students participated in a graduation party but were arrested by Iranian police for participating in a mixed gender party. Each of the students was given 99 lashes under the Islamic law.
Patty Ris, 87, was in great peril when she began to choke on a piece of hamburger at the Hyde Park senior living facility. Fortunately, a 96-year-old man stepped out of the crowd and saved her in front of the 125 diners. She then learned that she was in good hands: it was none other than Dr. Henry Heimlich himself.
There is a tragic story in the hiking community this week with the discovery of the body of Geraldine Largay, 66, who became lost on the Appalachian trail in Maine. She left heartbreaking messages on her cellphone and a diary, including a request that “When you find my body, please call my husband and daughter.”
While the New York Times has reported that the “State Department’s inspector general sharply criticized Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email server” and “undermined some of Mrs. Clinton’s previous statements”, the report did far more than criticize and undermine. It directly contradicted Clinton’s assertions on a number of key points. It further indicated not only clear violations of the State Department rules, but rules that were made clear to Clinton and her staff. (The Washington Post took a more critical view of Clinton’s statements in light of the report). Moreover, while this report deals with State regulations and rules (as well as the Federal Records Act), it does have bearing on the ongoing criminal investigation to the degree that it shows knowledge or reckless disregard of the security protocols and rules. It does show precisely that.
Remember that “historic” vote to lift the statutory ban on 9/11 families suing Saudi Arabia? Senators lined up to vote unanimously with the 9/11 families and to reject the threats of Saudi Arabia to wreck economic havoc on the United States. However, it was revealed this week that Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. added a small amendment to the bill that gave the Administration the right to bar such lawsuits. Since the Administration opposes the changing of the law, its position is quite clear. Now many are objecting that the Senate vote was knowingly misleading given the Schumer amendment.
Adidas, the German maker of sportswear and equipment, is moving back to Germany after shifting its operations to Asia for cheap labor. However, wages are increasing even in Asia so Adidas has found workers even cheaper: robots. Adidas will be making shoes again in Germany by 2017 but will employ relatively few actual Germans.
The rapid decline of free speech in England accelerated further this month with a ruling of the British high court banning The Sun newspaper from naming celebrities involved in a sordid sex story despite the fact that all three names are widely known and discussed on the Internet and non-British newspapers. Indeed, papers like the Toronto Star have running virtually mocking accounts of Elton John, his Toronto-born husband David Furnish, and British businessman Daniel Laurence. Elton John is obviously the quintessential public figure who has participated in a wide range of stories and programs on his family life with Furnish and their children. It is a chilling example of England’s rollback on basic free speech and free press protections.
We have another example of how copyright and trademark laws are being using to bully and stifle individuals or small businesses. In Beulah, Michigan, locals enjoy their Blue Caribou Cafe and its quirky dishes like Hypocrite Omelet (a vegetarian omelet with your choice of meat.) However, if Caribou Coffee Company has the final say, Blue Caribou may no more. You guessed it. Caribou Coffee appears to believe that it owns Caribou-themed restaurants.
Continue reading “Thinning The Herd: Caribou Coffee Sues Small “Blue Caribou” Diner Under Trademark”
A 48-year-old taxi driver in England was facing a long prison sentence after Claire Emma Carr, 20, accused him of sexual assaulting her. The driver however turned out to have a camera system or he could have been convicted based solely on the testimony of Carr. While she was prepared to send him away for years and ruin his life and the lives of his family, she will be jailed for only 12 weeks.
Continue reading “English Taxi Driver Cleared Of False Sexual Assault Allegation By Videotape”
We have been discussing the bizarre situation of the two major parties nominating the two candidates with not just the highest, but unprecedented, negative numbers with voters. The presumptive nomination of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have renewed calls for reforms to challenge the control of a duopoly of power in the country. This week there are new polls showing not only that Trump and Clinton are roughly equal in the high rejection of the majority of the voters, but 58 percent say that they are considering voting for someone other than Trump and Clinton. That could be a huge boast to the Libertarian and Green candidates this election. It also may reflect the dangerous gamble of the establishment in the Democratic party in securing the nomination for Clinton.
Continue reading “Poll: 58 Percent Of Voters Considering Someone Other Than Trump or Clinton”
Daniel in the Lion’s Den by Peter Paul Rubens is a painting that has inspired millions in capturing the moment of faith dedicated in the Bible. The same cannot be said about the scene this week in Santiago, Chile where a man stripped naked and jumped into the lion enclosure at the zoo in what is believed to be a bizarre suicide attempt. In order to save the man, the zoo was forced to shoot and kill the two lions. (Warning: disturbing video shot from YouTube below.)
Continue reading “Man Strips Naked and Jumps Into Lion Cage . . . Zoo Kills Two Lions To Rescue Him”
United States District Judge Andrew Hanen issued a remarkable opinion yesterday that found that Justice Department lawyers not only lied to him and opposing counsel but “it is hard to imagine a more serious, more calculated plan of unethical conduct.” What is even more remarkable however is that, after finding such calculated and unethical conduct, Hanen ordered the lawyers to simply take ethics classes rather than refer them to the bar for suspension or disbarment. Many attorneys object that government lawyers routinely escape serious punishment for false or misleading statements. In this case, the judge found that the Justice Department misled him and opposing counsel in a case by Texas and 25 other states that sought to block President Barack Obama’s controversial immigration programs. Hansen blocked the program. Notably, the Justice Department is even opposing ethical classes as a sanction.
There is a bizarre story out of Barcelona where people are engaging in activity called “sex roulette” where people have unprotected sex knowing that one of the group is HIV positive. For some reason, this adds an element of danger for such people in not knowing if they will contract a lethal virus. Putting aside the deeply disturbing psychological element, there could be some interesting legal elements for anyone who wants to sue. Presumably, this is the ultimate case of an assumption of the risk and plaintiff’s conduct as a defense. However, the party organizers could also be viewed as creating a type of ultrahazardous or abnormally dangerous activity. While defenses could still apply, the question would be law suited from family members or third parties.
Continue reading “Health Officials Raise Alarm Over “Sex Roulette””