Having watched the Al Smith dinner last night, I have to cast my vote with Mitt Romney as the better delivery and jokes though President Obama had some good material as well. You decide, but let’s put ideology to side and for once just focused on what matters: the jokes. While we are not selecting the comedian in chief, at least we have a common measure of success in a roast.
Continue reading “The Al Smith Dinner: I Have To Give This One To Romney”
I just saw a rather bizarre story out of Anderson, Indiana where middle school students were using a school-issued Apple iPad in class when a picture of their topless teacher suddenly popped up. The students, who did nothing but use the device, were suspended and are threatened with expulsion while the teacher has been subject to unspecified action by the school.
Alburtis Councilman Kyle A. Bower has gotten an early start as a politician in trouble with the law. The Democratic city councilman has been arrested for allegedly stealing GOP campaign signs and damaging a farm field. Such violations would usually result in bail but he is on probation for other charges.
Last Sunday, I published a column on “The Death of Free Speech”, highlighting the continuing threat of blasphemy prosecutions around the world. This week we have yet another such disturbing case. Well-known Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say appeared in court on Thursday on charges of offending Muslims and insulting Islam in brief Twitter posts. Say is a celebrated artist who has appeared with both the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and will now face 18 months in jail for making a joke on Twitter. Continue reading “Leading Pianist and Secularist Charged With Blasphemy In Turkey”
Gary Raub, 63, can claim that he was arrested by a true “gum shoe” detective by the homeless man was tricked to give up his DNA in a fake chewing gum survey. Raub was arrested in Seattle in the death of Blanche Kimball, a 70-year-old retired dental technician in 1976.
We have another dog shooting by an officer who went to the wrong house on a call. Albert Morales and his brother Hector Serna were awoken by a San Antonio officer banging on a window of their home before dawn. The officer was at the wrong house in responding to a call about a deceased person. As almost an afterthought, according to Morales, the officer said that he might want to check out his dog.
Continue reading “San Antonio Officer Goes To Wrong House On Call And Shoots Family’s Pet Dog”
We have yet another outrage by a devout Muslim who believes that she should not only require others to follow her views of morality but is willing to punish children deemed immoral. In Southern Egypt, a teacher in Luxor forced two 12-year-old girls to hold their hands above their heads for two hours and then cut off some of their hair in front of the class to punish them for not wearing Muslim headscarves or hijab.
Continue reading “Egyptian Teacher Cuts Hair Of Girls Who Failed To Wear Muslim Headscarves”
Richard III may be the Rodney Dangerfield of sovereigns. He “got no respect” by Shakespeare (in my favorite play, Richard III) and appears to have gotten even less respect in his burial. Indeed, if a recent human skeleton recovered under a parking lot proves to be Richard III, he came close to be dug up and thrown out by a construction crew in the nineteenth century. Indeed, the Queen mother’s words to her hated son in the play appears to have been an omen: ““Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end; Shame serves thy life and doth thy death attend.”
While President Barack Obama again heralded his keeping his promise to pull out of Afghanistan, news accounts this week revealed that the Administration is again discussing the extension of U.S. troops in that country past 2014. The Administration is determined to stay in a country where U.S. citizens are increasingly attacked not only by the Taliban but Afghan troops. Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated inclinations toward the Taliban and harsh treatment of women. Then there was Karzai’s recent position that women are worth less than men — presumably even those American women keeping Karzai and his corrupt family and friends in power.
There is an interesting ruling in Nashville this week where U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled that ABC and the producers of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” are protected by the First Amendment right in making casting decisions — even in the face of discrimination claims over the failure to cast minorities on the television series “The Bachelor.”
Continue reading “ABC Wins Major Discrimination Challenge Over Casting Of “The Bachelor””
The largest distributor of magazines in Britain will now require people to show identification to confirm their age to purchase a new category of magazines that will join hard porn as potentially harmful to children: hunting and shooting magazines. After a campaign by animal rights groups, the retailer has agreed to restrict access to such magazines despite the fact that children can hunt and shoot in England.
Tulane researchers have confirmed that mice can match the pitch of other mice to blend their voices in singing. This may open up a whole new horizon for mouse music promoters.
Continue reading “Mouse Menudo: Study Finds Mice Can Sing In Unison”
French President François Hollande has attracted considerable international attention in his new tax policies including a 75% tax rate for super wealthy citizens. Now, Hollande is moving to eradicate another inequity between wealthy and non-wealthy families: homework. Hollande believes that homework exacerbates the unfairness since wealthier parents have greater ability to work with their children at night than do average working parents.
Continue reading “French Government Moves To Ban Homework To Achieve Social Equality”
Republican Senator Tom Coburn has issued a report on waste in government — a two hundred page report of excessive spending in the millions and as small as $300. As a former intern for Sen. William Proxmire (D., Wis.) who used to issue his Golden Fleece Award, I always find such reports interesting. However, one small item caught my eye: $30,000 to the University of Washington and Cornell University for a study that proved that “Gaydar” actually exists. Of course, you might ask why the government has an interest in such a study but do not be surprised if the next DoD budget has $30 billion in research and development of a stealth gay project for the evasion of Gaydar.
Continue reading “Waste Study Cites Academic Research Proving The Existence of “Gaydar””
On Sunday, I ran a column in the Washington Post detailing how free speech is dying in the West. That column featured cases from England prominently as have many stories on this blog. Now we have yet another free speech case to add to our collection from our cousins across the pond. Barry Thew, 39, was arrested after he wore a handmade tee shirt with offensive anti-police words. He was given four months for his exercise of what should be protected free speech.