Dr. Sharad Shripadrao Pandit in Birmingham, England was accused in Coroner’s Court this week in an extraordinary case of alleged malpractice. The parents of Alina Sarag reportedly called the GP more than 50 times about her ailing over four-and-a-half months. They testified that Pandit accused them of mollycoddling the girl and said that her symptoms were the result of being “lovesick.” She then died for tuberculosis.
Continue reading “Meet Dr. Sharad Shripadrao Pandit, The Love Doctor”
The Florida Board of Education has a curious way to combat poor passage rates for students on writing exams — they lowered the passing scores to engineer success. Two-thirds of students in Florida failed to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test exam — a sharp drop from the prior year. This was an effort to force high performance but it backfired with widespread failures.
There is an interesting criminal case out of Stockholm, New York where Shawn Mossow, 25, is charged with shooting a man. Nothing remarkable there, but the victim admits that he begged Mossow to shoot him in the leg to see what it feels like to be shot. That is perfectly legal. Shooting your friend with a .22 caliber rifle is not.
The evidence for the trial of George Zimmerman is slowly taking form. Yesterday, a medical report was disclosed by the family physician of George Zimmerman where the doctor found a “closed fracture” of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Trayvon Martin. While this is the family physician, it would still constitute important evidence in claiming self-defense, particularly when combined with accounts from the paramedics that found injuries to Zimmerman. An autopsy report released today also revealed bruises on Martin’s knuckles, consistent with a fight (though they could be bruises sustained in self-defense). In the meantime, the Justice Department has indicated that it may bring hate crime charges against Zimmerman — charges that would be questionable on the current evidence that has been made public in the case.
Continue reading “Medical Report On Zimmerman Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations, and Back Injury”
Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland appears to have been successful in every aspect of his life: as a Navy fighter-pilot, a top prosecutor, and the father to two twin children. With bipartisan support he would have appeared a shoe in for a state judgeship. However, he was denied in a vote of 33-31 by the Virginia House of Delegates because of one other fact — Thorne-Begland is gay. For gays and lesbians, the state seal (which is my favorite among the states) now has a more sinister meaning.
Continue reading “Virginia Blocks Gay Prosecutor From State Court”
Homeland Security is closely monitoring the increase in squirrel anarchists in occupy movements across the country. Some have been seen taunting authority, as here.
This story is so breathtakingly stupid, I had to confirm it a couple times to be sure it was not a hoax. A Detroit groundskeeper, John Chevilott, found a loaded handgun in the weeds while working and waited for the police to drive by to turn it in. When they didn’t show up, Chevilott took the gun home and handed it into his local police station where he was commended for his actions. He did this with the full knowledge and approval of his supervisor. According to news reports, that was then fired by the Department of Public Services for possession of a gun.
Continue reading “Detroit Groundskeeper Finds Loaded Gun, Turns It Into Police . . . And Is Fired For Possession Of A Firearm”
The New York Court of Appeals has released an important decision that viewing online child pornography is not illegal under New York law. The ruling has triggered an outcry and demands for legislative reforms. However, the opinion is worth reading and raises a broader issue on the required level of intent and knowledge for these crimes.
As Greece continue to careen toward the financial abyss, European leaders are preparing for the departure of Greece from the European Union. However, I was struck by a recent interview with Greek Deputy Prime Minister, Theodoros Pangalos, who not only raised concerns of the rise of “fascists” in Greece but added the following factoid: Greece “after the Soviet Union and Germany itself, [had] the biggest percentage of [Second World War] casualties in its population.” As many of you know, I am a military history nut and was surprised by the statement, which (like the Greek economic recovery plan) appears to be based on more rhetoric than reality.
Continue reading “Is Greece Fudging The Figures . . . On World War II Casualties?”
In a case with some similarities to the George Zimmerman case, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ashley Moody has denied the use of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law in a shooting in September 2010 where an older man wrestled with a younger man on a basketball court. As with Zimmerman, Trevor Dooley, 69, had a gun permit and insisted that the younger man, David James, started the fight. In this case it was a black man shooting a white man, though the case has not generated the attention or controversy of the Zimmerman. Dooley is charged with manslaughter in James’ death.
Continue reading “Zimmerman Preview? Florida Man Denied Use “Stand Your Ground” Law”
We have been discussing how mean=spirited and nasty the presidential campaign has already become on both sides. With Republicans called Obama a socialist and a Muslim, Democrats are saying Romney would not have killed Bin Laden . . . and now that he is vampiric.
Continue reading “Better Red Than Undead? Obama Ad Calls Romney a “Vampire””
This seems like something ripped from the pages of The Onion, but the Government Accountability Office just completed its study of a study ordered by the Pentagon into studies ordered by the Pentagon.
Continue reading “Government Completes Study of Study of Studies”
Police in Freeport, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh have finally tracked down Katelyn Jageman aka “The Bookkeeper.” Jageman has been living on the lam with a collection of overdue library books and an outstanding overdue book bill of $81. That is until the library dispatched police to hunt her down like a reference book in the learning aisle. It is notable that Jageman started her life of crime a year earlier than Hailey Benoit, the notorious bibliophile from Massachusetts.
Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue of North Carolina raised some eyebrows in the South when she not only lashed out at her own citizens for an anti-same-sex marriage ban but adding that the measure made the state “look like Mississippi.” People in Mississippi were understandably put out by the notion that they are now an interchangable synonym with “backward,” “prejudiced,” and “frighteningly homophobic.”
Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
I have to admit that I was not aware that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as its detractors call it, mandates that the insurance companies who don’t spend at least 80% of premium money on actual medical care expenses, must send rebates to policy holders. “But the rebate provision of the law — the fruits of the so-called “80/20 rule” — is about to kick in big time, as millions of Americans receive rebate checks or premium reductions from insurance companies who have failed to spend enough on patient care. This cash could be a true game changer in public attitudes about whether the law actually is beneficial and good public policy. The rebate provision of the law has been known and discussed in health care policy circles for months, but has largely flown below the radar in the political world and for voters—until now.” Time Continue reading “Health Insurance and Rebate Checks”