Category: Society

Society

Truffle Mania

Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

record-truffleAn auction for the largest known White Truffle, considered a high delicacy in culinary circles fetched about six percent of its estimated auction price of over one million dollars. This is based upon speculation with previous pre-auction inquiries from Asia and experience from previous auctions of record breaking examples.

The situation is perhaps a small echo from the Tulip Mania market speculative bubble that caused the crash of a segment of the tulip bulb industry in 1637 in the United Provinces (now The Netherlands).

Continue reading “Truffle Mania” →

Academia, Lawyering, Society

FAREWELL TO MARK LEE

MarkLee02_Courtesy-300x298-1

I am very sad to report the death of a GW law student and one of my past students, Mark Edwin Lee. Mark appears to have died on November 29th at his home in Washington, D.C. and the cause of death is not yet known.

To lose someone at such a young age is always a tragedy, but Mark was something truly special. He seemed to find the positive in any situation and any person. There are some people who can reduce stress and strife by just being themselves. Mark was one of those people. He was that rare combination of someone with a brilliant intellect and a warm and engaging personality. I saw Mark as the quiet type; a confident professional who would rise quickly in our profession. I not only thought the world of him but expected the world from him. His loss is truly our loss.

Continue reading “FAREWELL TO MARK LEE” →

Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Society

Stolen Valor Video: Airborne Veteran Confronts Man Falsely Claiming To Be Army Ranger At Mall

Screen Shot 2014-12-05 at 5.50.05 AMI was on BBC yesterday talking about the Stolen Valor Act and the video below that has gone viral after a man was confronted in a mall on Black Friday by a veteran who called him out as a fake. (Warning: the video contains bad language). The man, identified as Sean Yetman, 30, walked by a real veteran from the famed 101st Airborne Division who was not buying the uniform or claim that Yetman is an Army Ranger. He spotted problems right away, starting with the multiple Combat Infantry badges.

Continue reading “Stolen Valor Video: Airborne Veteran Confronts Man Falsely Claiming To Be Army Ranger At Mall” →

Politics, Society

Harkin: “We Should Have Either Done [Health Care] The Correct Way or Not Done Anything At All.”

220px-Tom_Harkin_official_portraitPresident_Barack_ObamaWe recently discussed the stinging criticism of Sen. Chuck Schumer who called Obamacare a colossal political mistake and something that was not a priority for the American people. It was a remarkable admission from the third ranking and one of the most liberal Senate Democrats. Now, perhaps the most liberal departing member has given his own departing shot at the White House and Democratic Leadership. Retiring Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa has gone public with criticism that the Affordable Care Act was badly written and should not have been passed. Like Schumer, he is not questioning the value of health care but said that the current law was not worth doing because of its inherent flaws.

Continue reading “Harkin: “We Should Have Either Done [Health Care] The Correct Way or Not Done Anything At All.”” →

Congress, Constitutional Law, Media, Politics, Society

Washington Post: Obama’s Unilateral Immigration Action Is “Unprecedented”

220px-Washington_Post_buildingPresident_Barack_ObamaThe Washington Post has published a hard-hitting editorial that not only accuses the Obama Administration of fudging the figures on its unilateral immigration changes but calls the action “unprecedented” and “indefensible.” The stinging editorial from a generally favorable newspaper amplifies the criticism of others, including myself, that President Obama is doing considerable damage to the separation of powers and, more generally, our constitutional system in these actions.

Continue reading “Washington Post: Obama’s Unilateral Immigration Action Is “Unprecedented”” →

Bizarre, Religion, Society

“I Actually Discovered the Cure for AIDS”: Arizona Pastor Reveals Biblically Based Plan For An “AIDS-Free World by Christmas”

Screen Shot 2014-12-03 at 12.26.44 PMA series of videos of Baptist pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona have gone viral as he talks about the solution of AIDS being the exterminations of all homosexuals and bisexual citizens. He explained that AIDS could be solved by Christmas with a simple holocaust for homosexuals. The videos are below.

Continue reading ““I Actually Discovered the Cure for AIDS”: Arizona Pastor Reveals Biblically Based Plan For An “AIDS-Free World by Christmas”” →

Bizarre, Society

Chinese Cook Videotaped Pounding Meat On San Fran Sidewalk . . . Restaurant Allowed To Stay Open and Given One Month To Take A Course

23AC9EB700000578-0-image-25_1417550052164

A YouTube video has gone viral that shows what is reported to be a cook at the Lucky River, a Chinese restaurant in San Franscisco’s Sunnyside neighborhood, slamming slabs of frozen meat on the sidewalk before cooking it. Media later inspected the area of the sidewalk and reported that it was covered with blackened gum, cigarette butts, and foot-tracked bacteria of all gut-twisting varieties.

Continue reading “Chinese Cook Videotaped Pounding Meat On San Fran Sidewalk . . . Restaurant Allowed To Stay Open and Given One Month To Take A Course” →

Congress, Society

New Jersey School District Produces Just 19 Students With College-Ready SAT Scores

SchoolClassroomThere is a truly alarming report out of Paterson, New Jersey that captures how far our educational system has declined. Only 19 kids in this large school district have SAT score that are considered appropriate for college. That means that less than a dozen score at least 1500 out of 2400 on the standardized test. This year, the average score was just 1,200. While meetings are held at the White House and across the country on Ferguson, I continue to believe that the greatest reform to benefit all races would be a greater commitment to our public schools. Too many families are trapped in a cycle of poverty with no real opportunities while our workforce becomes less and less competitive in the new economy.

Continue reading “New Jersey School District Produces Just 19 Students With College-Ready SAT Scores” →

Congress, International, Politics, Society

Bundling Diplomacy: Obama Places Two Fundraisers In Key Ambassadorships

President_Barack_Obama250px-Theboldandthebeautifullogo2004We have previously discussed how President Obama continues to reward donors with ambassadorships, including some with little background or known talents for the jobs. I have long been a critic of this practice and I remain astonished that the American people allow it to continue. However, fat cat friends are often given trivial ambassadorships like the Vatican or smaller nations. It is still not a good practice but the damage is limited. Obama however have been handing out major posts to those who give him or the DNC millions in bundled dollars. This week the Senate confirmed two nominees to Argentina and Hungary that should outrage people who believe diplomacy should be left to diplomats and do not believe that such posts should be handed out as favors to wealthy friends. It is a national disgrace but we have become accustomed to the effective selling of these government offices. It certainly conveys a truly insulting message to these two countries that neither they nor their problems amount to much of a priority for the United States.

Continue reading “Bundling Diplomacy: Obama Places Two Fundraisers In Key Ambassadorships” →

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

Can You Find The Crime In This Picture?

2014121174435504580_20If you guessed a woman driving, you are ready to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Loujain Hathloul has continued to defy the Saudi ban on female drivers. She was stopped at the border with the United Arab Emirates when she tried to drive back into the country. Our erstwhile ally is the only country to prevent women from driving in the name of Islam — making such medieval neighbors in the region like Iran look positively advanced in comparison.

Continue reading “Can You Find The Crime In This Picture?” →

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

Snowden Awarded Top Award In Swedish Parliament For Disclosing Threats To Democracy and Constitutional Rights

Stora_riksvapnet_-_Riksarkivet_Sverige228px-Picture_of_Edward_SnowdenThe debate in the United States continues over whether Edward Snowden is a whistleblower or a traitor. I previously wrote a column on that question. There appears to be less debate in Sweden where Snowden received standing ovations in the Swedish parliament after being given the Right Livelihood award for his disclosure of sweeping surveillance programs of the United States. The award honors Snowden “for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights”. This week, the new movie on Snowden also captured two more awards and critical acclaim.

Continue reading “Snowden Awarded Top Award In Swedish Parliament For Disclosing Threats To Democracy and Constitutional Rights” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Religion, Society

Canadian Woman Sentenced After Keeping Husband’s Body For Six Months While Family Prayed For His Resurrection

religious-symbols-on-vanThere is a truly bizarre cases at the intersection of religious beliefs and the criminal code in Canada. Peter Wald’s family truly believed he would rise from the dead. Kaling Wald, 50, has pleaded guilty to leaving her husband in their home for six months after his death because she and their family believed that he would be resurrected. They prayed over the corpse for months as it decayed until it was discovered. Notably, the husband died of an untreated illness because the family believed that he would also be healed by prayer.

Continue reading “Canadian Woman Sentenced After Keeping Husband’s Body For Six Months While Family Prayed For His Resurrection” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Society

Notorious Killer Denied Injunction Over Kosher Food On Death Row

1415900687791_wps_28_steven_hayes_2014_photo_jYou may recall the case seven years ago of the horrific rape, murder, and arson case out of Connecticut involving Steven Hayes. He and a friend raped and murdered a mother and two daughters in a savage home invasion. He is now on death row but Hayes is not happy with his meals. He is an Orthodox Jew and insisted that his kosher meals were not being prepared with sufficient attention to religious rules and thereby forcing him to “choose between following God and starving or choosing sin to survive.” A court has rejected the motion for preliminary injunctive relief.

Continue reading “Notorious Killer Denied Injunction Over Kosher Food On Death Row” →