Category: Society

International, Society, Travel Blog

All Roads Lead To Rome: The Turleys Invade The Italian Peninsula

Hannibal3Today, Leslie and I leave for a 10-day trip to Italy and Sicily. I will be attempting to post daily travel blogs, but there will be fewer postings during this trip. We will start with three days in Rome followed by six days in Sicily and then one final day in Rome. I will be visiting the village of both of my grandparents Josephine and Dominick Piazza (I am half Irish and half Sicilian). The village of Cianciana is located about two hours from Palermo. We will also be staying at Syracuse and Catania in Sicily. Not since the likes of Hannibal and Garibaldi has a force in the field attempted such an ambitious campaign.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Society

Pennsylvania Legislature Moves To Pass Injunctive Law In Wake Of Abu-Jamal Commencement Speech

220px-Mumia03-1220px-Goddard_SealThere has been some predicable and understandable objections to the selection of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the convicted killer of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, as this year’s commencement speaker for Goddard College in Vermont. Faulkner’s widow and others have decried his recorded appearance from Mahanoy state prison in Frackville, Pennsylvania. However, as is all too often the case, politicians have responded to such good-faith objections with a highly questionable, poorly crafted law that allows victims to seek injunctions in future such cases.

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Academia, International, Politics, Society

Germany Abolishes Tuition For University Students

Coat_of_arms_of_Germany.svg220px-LinusPaulingGraduation1922Germany has long shown far greater foresight than the United States in the investment into science, infrastructure, and alternative energy — investments that are now giving the country huge returns as a leading economic system. With a decision of Lower Saxony, the German have now shown precisely how serious they are about keeping the country as one of the most educated in the world: they have eliminated all college and university tuition. The Germans view education as not just a right, but an essential component for continued growth.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Society

Nein Nachrichten: Germany Reportedly Considering Ban On Work Emails After 6 pm

Coat_of_arms_of_Germany.svg150px-(at).svgI have often praised Germany for its forward-leaning laws on the environment and other areas. However, Germany is following France in a move that I consider perfectly absurd: a ban on after-hours work emails. I will confess to attaining some Chicago school economic bias against certain forms of tax and regulatory policy. However, this is one area where the market should be left to its devices, literally.

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Society

MEET THE PATTERSONS: BEARS-PACKERS RIVALRY YIELDS A BECKERS WEDDING

photo 1Given the game last week, the long-standing rivalry in football between the Bears and the Packers has only become more intense. As the Bears growl and the Packers . . . well do whatever angry cheese does, there would seem little hope for a dénouement between the great powers. However, this weekend, hope emerged in the most unlikely of places. In Illinois, my niece, Jessica Turley, a die-hard Bears fan, and Matt Patterson, a die-hard Packers fan, got married. That’s right, before a large crowd divided 50-50 between Bears and Packers families, Jessica and Matt tied the knot in a beautiful wedding to the joy of both families. The whole Turley family from Virginia joined the rest of the Turley clan (despite having our flight cancelled the day before) for the event, which was a huge amount of fun in Oak Brook. Madie was the flower girl. Sure, there are some who do not believe that either family should “intermarry” but these two brought not just two teams but two families together. So Middle East negotiators, Russian-Ukraine diplomats, farmers and ranchers, Carnivores and Vegans, take note. Peace is possible.

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International, Religion, Society

Hundreds Of Cases Reported In Pakistan Of Infanticide Due To Illegitimacy

Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

pakistani-infantDeutsche Welle reports a frightening and disturbing practice within Pakistan where newborn children are murdered due to the stigma of illegitimacy.

Warning:  This article contains explicit information.

Adultery is often punished by vigilantism where family exact revenge against couples, often murderously.  The children and mothers more often are targeted.

Nurse Razia Zulfikar of a maternity hospital in Gujranwala, Pakistan states that hundreds of children are killed simply by reason of the status of having unwed parents; a social taboo of society.  The law provides a potential capital criminal offense stemming from pre-marital intercourse.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Justice, Society

Report: Justice Department May Shutdown Zimmerman Civil Rights Investigation . . . quietly

zimmermantrayon-martin-picture1When the Obama Administration sent in a team to investigate civil rights violations in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, some of us expressed doubt over the basis for such a charge as well as the timing of the federal move into the case. Indeed, I was highly skeptical of how the case was charged and prosecuted. Now the Washington Post is reporting that, after two years of investigation, Justice officials do not believe that they have sufficient evidence to bring federal charges.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Society

Activist Fired After She Posts Video Berating Family For Flying Mexican Flag
Screen Shot Youtube
Screen Shot Youtube

Recently I spoke at Utah Valley University about the private regulation of speech, particularly in businesses curtailing not just workplace speech but speech outside of the workplace. We have discussed such incidents where people were fired for YouTube videos or drunken scenes. This “little brother” problem falls outside of the first amendment which addresses government regulation of speech. As a result, businesses have wide latitude in punishing employees for private conduct, though some states have laws protecting some forms of speech and employment such as voting and political activities. We have a new such case involving a woman in Ontario who shot and posted a video of her berating a neighbor for flying a Mexican flag. The video caused many to be understandably angry with Tressy Capps, who didn’t seem to see how obnoxious she appeared in her own posted video. However, it has not escaped her employer, which proceeded to fire her.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Roller Coaster Decapitates Deer and Covers Riders In Blood

250px-white-tailed_deer250px-UltimateLifthillsNow this has the makings for an interesting torts lawsuit. Riders on what is billed as Europe’s longest roller coast in Ripon, England experienced an unexpected fearful element when their car hit a deer — covering the riders in deer blood. “The Ultimate” ride left many hoping for a bit less than the decapitation of a deer.

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Criminal law, Society

Former Louisiana Police Chief Given Probation After Alleged Sexual Assault Of Female Prisoner and Lying To The FBI

gavel2Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson has sentenced former Sorrento Police Chief Earl Theriot Jr. to probation with no jail time after he lied to the FBI about an alleged sexual assault of a woman under arrest. Theriot will have to pay just $2,500. No state charges have been brought thus far against Theriot for the alleged assault of the 42-year-old woman who was arrested for public intoxication.

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Bizarre, Science, Society

Farrakhan: United States Developed Ebola and Other Means To Kill Black People While Sparing White People

ebola250px-FarrakhanLouis Farrakhan has long been dismissed by most people as a race-baiting crank. However, Farrakhan’s latest missive to his Nation of Islam followers is particularly incendiary. He suggests that ebola and other diseases were developed by the United States to “depopulate” the world of black people. What is dangerous is that thousands actually believe Farrakhan’s conspiracy theories. Notably, this conspiracy is very close to the one being spread among remote villages of Africa where health care workers are being killed because they are viewed as spreading the disease or working for those who created it.

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Criminal law, Society

Elderly Man Asks Man To Stop Using Obscenities Loudly At Applebees . . . Young Man Allegedly Assaults 80-Year-Old Man

mikiesawyermugThis is Mikie Sawyer, 26, who is accused of being a demonstrably horrible person . . . and an accused felon. Harry Sander, 80, was at Applebee’s when he said Sawyer was speaking loudly with various obscenities. Sander reportedly asked Sawyer politely to stop the foul language in the family restaurant and Sander allegedly proceeded to cuss him out and punch the octogenarian in the face. Please promise me that this will make it to a jury. Hopefully, Sawyer will to take the restaurant’s new slogan literally: “See you tomorrow”.

Warning: this story contains foul language.

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Bizarre, Society

“Don’t Be Late And End Up In A Crate”: Airport Company Uses Man’s Death To Pitch Its Services

Doré_-_StyxI just saw this on Reddit and had to share it. A company issued a report of the death of a man at O’Hare airport, but it turns out that the company was using the death as a hook for more business. The company notes “[t]here could be many reasons for the cause of this man’s death but based on the story one possible reason could be stress. The process of arriving to the airport and boarding the plane can be very stressful.” The solution? The company of course. ParkSleepFly, which appears to be working on a new slogan: “Use Us Or Die.”

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International, Military, Politics, Society

The Obama Administration Finally Pressures Afghanistan To Allow Almost 10,000 Troops To Remain In Country

200px-Non_Commissioned_Officers_of_the_Afghan_National_ArmyWhile the outgoing Afghan President continues to denounce the United States and praise China and Iran, the Obama Administration has been pressuring Afghanis to allow it to keep roughly 10,000 troops in the country with the obvious commitment to spend billions and billions more on the war. The agreement has now bee signed. This is being heralded as a long-awaited success for the Administration – a curious achievement for those who want us out of the country and money spent on badly needed domestic programs of education, science, and infrastructure.

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International, Politics, Religion, Society

“Goodbye, Dear Mum”: Rayhaneh Jabbari Prepares For Execution (Updated)

eg2vZynW_400x400Over international protests, according to some new sites, Iran has already executed Rayhaneh Jabbari, 26. However, Fox News is reporting that the execution has been delayed. Jabbari claimed that a former Iranian Intelligence Ministry employee tried to rape her and that she stabbed in him the shoulder to escape. Despite the fact that a drink given to her was found to contain a date rape drug, the Iranian officials still wanted her hanged and they have now carried out their intent. As she was being led away to be hanged, a guard showed mercy and gave her his phone to type a final message to her mother. Her reported message below is poignant and tragic as a final goodbye to her mother. [Update: there are both reports that the execution has occurred and that the execution has been delayed. Amnesty is reporting that the execution is “imminent.”]

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