New York hotels and stores continue to experience an outbreak of bed bugs. The most recent is Victoria’s Secret, which was forced to close for a de-bugging.
Continue reading “Victoria’s Secret? Bed Bugs”
Category: Society
In Gaza, police are cracking down on the latest public scourge: women smoking water pipes (or shisha or hookahs). Citizens were handed an announcement that the Hamas government was now banning women from smoking water pipes because it leads to divorces.
Continue reading “Hooked on Hookahs: Hamas Bans Women From Smoking Water Pipes”
The irony of this Politico story is hard to miss. Politico is reporting on a dust up between the Palin and Romney camps after an aide for Mitt Romney stated anonymously that Sarah Palin is “not a serious human being.” A Palin aide immediately charged forward to denounce aides speaking anonymously to criticize his boss — the aide of course insisted on anonymity.
In a surprising move, Montreal officials have barred this campaign using Pamela Anderson’s picture marked up like a butcher shop diagram display. The city has denied permits for the display with the caption "All animals have the same parts. Have a heart — Go vegetarian."
Continue reading “Montreal Bans Pamela Anderson’s Body Parts”
Divers have found a cache of the oldest known champagne from the 18th century — believed to be Veuve Clicquot champagne from between 1772 and 1785.
Continue reading “Aged and Chilled: Divers Find Oldest Known Champagne at Botten of the Baltic”
We have been following cases of citizens arrested for videotaping police officers — often during abusive arrests. Now, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D. N.Y.) has introduced a resolution to denouncing the arrests. While it is refreshing to see at least one member who is motivated to take action in the face of these abusive arrests, the resolution will have no binding impact on these departments.
Continue reading “Rep. Towns Introduces Resolution Condemning Arrest of Citizens Filming Police Officers”
A Norfolk teacher has resigned after it was confirmed that she was rubbing “holy oil” on students and their desks during school at Jacox Elementary School.
Continue reading “Teacher in Norfolk Resigns After Complaints Over Her Rubbing Holy Oil on Students”
ESPN star Erin Andrews has filed an interesting torts lawsuit against various hotel chains after a man was able to videotape her in her hotel room. Michael David Barrett was sentenced to 30 months after pleading guilty in a harassment case in federal court in Los Angeles. Now Andrews is claiming negligence against these hotels for their lack of privacy and security.
Continue reading “Erin Andrews Sues Marriott and Radisson Hotels Over Peeping Tom Videos”
A leading partner at a Toronto law firm has filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against former associates Adrian Jakibchuk, a fourth-year lawyer, and Sarah Diebel, a second-year lawyer, after they accused him of sexual harassment. The firm, Mathews, Dinsdale & Clarke, advises companies on sexual harassment claims and David Cowling, the partner, has sued two junior lawyers, who have left the firm, for defamation and intentional interference with economic relations.
Continue reading “Partner Accused of Sexual Harassment Sues Accusing Associate Lawyers”
The Russian media is reporting that Dmitry Kazachuk, 4, died during an exorcism in the Primorye region. Doctors believe the boy had pneumonia. No one by the shaman was present with the boy when he stopped breathing.
Alana Newhouse has an interesting op-ed in the New York Times about a move in the Israeli Knesset that would give the Orthodox rabbinate control of all conversions in Israel. The authority (extending to matters of all Jewish births, marriages and deaths) would allow ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi rabbis) to define who is Jewish under standards that could exclude a significant portion of the population.
In an interview with Raw Story, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) denounced President Barack Obama for blocking any investigation or prosecution of torture under the Bush Administration as inviting ‘tyranny.”
Continue reading “Nadler Denounces Obama’s Failure to Prosecute Bush Officials For Torture”
In an astonishing concession under pressure from the Catholic Church, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission has agreed to remove language from a draft report that simply stated that New Zealand is a secular state and that religion was only for the “private sphere.”
Continue reading “Human Rights Commission To Remove Language Referring to New Zealand as Secular State Under Pressure From the Catholic Church”
The French Parliament has voted to become the second country (Belgium) to ban full burqas. The lawmakers voted to make it illegal for women to wear a full burqas or nijab in public. It is a direct assault on religious freedom from a nation that helped define the basic rights of all humans.
Continue reading “France Parliament Votes to Ban the Burqa”
The Church of Scientology has launched a campaign against Anderson Cooper for his coverage of controversies surrounding the church. The church has released a glossy magazine on Cooper entitled “History of Lies.”
Continue reading “Scientology Targets CNN’s Anderson for Coverage on Church”