Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction may have been embarrassing but it pales in comparison to Santa getting his beard in a knot while repelling down a rope in front of a crowd of children and their parents. Children and parents had to watch as this Santa stripped while dangling from a rope at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall.
Continue reading “Santa’s Wardrobe Malfunction”
Category: Society
There is an interesting defamation case that has been filed in Texas. Dakota Meyer, a former U.S. Marine who received the Medal of Honor is alleging that BAE Systems OASYS defamed him to a prospective employer by saying that he has a drinking problem, poor work habits, and is mentally or emotionally unstable.
Continue reading “Medal of Honor Recipient Sues Defense Contractor For Defamation”
We recently saw how the leading California physicians group has called for the decriminalization of marijuana as no more harmful as alcohol. Now a new study suggests that legalizing medical marijuana has resulted in a nearly nine percent drop in traffic deaths and a five percent reduction in beer sales.
It appears that British medical schools are facing a growing problem of Muslim medical students and doctors walking out of courses in protest when evolution is taught as part of biology. The students and teachers believe that Darwin’s theories conflict with the Koran, as do many Christians (and apparently most — but not all — GOP presidential contenders) believe in the United States. The view is a bit more unsettling when future doctors refuse to even hear about evolution as a blasphemous subject.
Continue reading “British Medical Schools Facing Backlash Over Evolution From Muslim Students”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, with its rover Curiosity, successfully blasted off from Cape Canaveral yesterday. Arrival at Mars is scheduled for August 2012. Curiosity is like previous rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, on steroids. Curiosity will help determine whether Mars has, or had, an environment capable of supporting microbial life.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
America’s newest national holy day is upon us — Black Friday. It seems we’re all co-opted into getting multinational retailers like Wal-Mart out of the red and into the black just in time for Christmas bonuses to their execs. Quite the achievement. The blog has chronicled the holiday spirit on display with one pepper spray assault by an exuberant shopper getting the best bargain available. All this despite the New York Times telling us that our friendly, apron-clad senior citizen’s employer might be holding back on the deals.
Continue reading “A Black Friday For A Nation of Spectators”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
America has the world’s highest rate of incarceration, currently 738 per 100,000. Our nearest competitor for this dubious distinction is the Russian Federation with 607 and Cuba with 487. “The US incarcerates at a rate 4 to 7 times higher than other western nations such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany and up to 32 times higher than nations with the lowest rates such as Nepal, Nigeria, and India.”
http://www.nccd-crc.org/nccd/pubs/2006nov_factsheet_incarceration.pdf Despite possible protestations that this is because we have the best law enforcement, my sense is that the reasons lie more in the system, than those who enforce it. No one ever lost an election in America because of the perception they “were tough on crime”.
“Race: Black males continue to be incarcerated at an extraordinary rate. Black males make up 35.4 percent of the jail and prison population — even though they make up less than 10 percent of the overall U.S population. Four percent of U.S. black males were in jail or prison last year, compared to 1.7 percent of Hispanic males and .7 percent of white males. In other words, black males were locked up at almost six times the rate of their white counterparts.” http://www.nccd-crc.org/nccd/pubs/2006nov_factsheet_incarceration.pdf
Despite possible protestations that this is because we have the best law enforcement, my sense is that the reasons lie more in the system, than those who enforce it. No one ever lost an election in America because of the perception they “were tough on crime”. “Race: Black males continue to be incarcerated at an extraordinary rate. Black males make up 35.4 percent of the jail and prison population — even though they make up less than 10 percent of the overall U.S population. Four percent of U.S. black males were in jail or prison last year, compared to 1.7 percent of Hispanic males and .7 percent of white males. In other words, black males were locked up at almost six times the rate of their white counterparts.”
http://www.laprogressive.com/law-and-the-justice-system/boiling-hot-mad/.html
These two sets of statistics when viewed together tell a terrible tale of how racial oppression still exists in this country despite our Black President and Black Attorney General. This Administration hasn’t caused of this problem, but they don’t seem to have made any progress dealing with it. We do know that there has been a widespread effort to play down the racial division that continues to plague this country. This continues despite Civil Rights Laws, Martin Luther King’s Birthday and TV beer commercials that always include at least one black male friend enjoying the camaraderie. Clearly there is a disconnect between how we Americans want to see ourselves and the reality for many Black males. Continue reading “The Incarceration of Black Men in America”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
We have previously discussed the foreclosure firm of Steven J. Baum and the offensive Halloween party where employees mocked foreclosure victims. The firm has filed notifications with government agencies stating their intentions of shutting their doors. The firm employs 89 full- and part-time workers who have to find another source of income to pay their mortgages.
The annual holiday scenes have appeared at stores with the commencement of Black Friday and the holiday shopping savagery.
Continue reading “Deck the Halls: Black Friday Begins with the Usual Legal Holiday Cheer”
They don’t call it Black Friday for nothing. A woman in a Los Angeles Walmart hit the store at 10:20 pm to grab the holiday deals only to find other customers rushing toward the items that she wanted. Police say that, as the coverings on the items were removed, she pepper sprayed the other customers. Twenty people were injured.
Continue reading “California Woman Pepper Sprays Other Customers To Get “Upper Hand” in Black Friday Deal”
George Hinnenkamp, 89, can be forgiven for being as “surprised as hell” in being sued recently by two passengers involved in an accident in his car. First, he was not driving the car at the time. Second, the driver was the man who stole his car.
Continue reading “Oregon Man Sued After Thief Steals His Car and Crashes Weeks Later”
As many of you know, I am lead counsel in the Sister Wives case challenging the constitutionality of Utah’s statute criminalizing plural or polygamous marriage. I also served as legal expert in the challenge to a similar law in Canada. The court has now ruled in that case and upheld the law in the decision below. While I strongly disagree with both the legal and factual conclusions of the Court, it is a decision that is worth reading. The decision can now be appealed to the higher courts in Canada.
Continue reading “Canadian Court Upholds Polygamy Law”
I wanted to wish all of our virtual family at the blog another Happy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving remains my favorite holiday and I hope that each of you will have a great time today.
Continue reading “Happy Thanksgiving!!!”
In celebration of Thanksgiving, I give you our annual Turkey Torts of a few potential and actual lawsuits from this holiday. From deep-fried Turkeys to salmonella salads, the holiday gives personal injury lawyers a great deal to be thankful for. This year we have an array of Thanksgiving-related litigation to report from copyright to torts.
We previously followed the horrific story of an elderly man knocked unconscious by a teenager while his friends laughed and mocked the man at a CTA station. He is Scotty Strahan, 18, who does appear to be the man in the widely viewed videotape on YouTube.
Continue reading “Chicago Police Arrest Alleged Attacker in YouTube Video”