Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

Last Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that prosecutors have the right to seek “so-called John Doe indictments” in rape cases. What this means is that prosecutors in the state will be able to indict the DNA profile of an unknown person in order to prevent the statute of limitations for charging an individual with a crime from running out. The justices concluded that a DNA profile is an “indelible ‘bar code’ that labels an individual’s identity with nearly irrefutable precision.’’

Continue reading “Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Rules on “John Doe” DNA Indictments” →

In a much-anticipated report issued last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) concluded that Virginia Tech acted too slowly to alert students and staff about the ongoing rampage of mass murderer, Seung-Hui Cho. The report found that VT officials violated the Clery Act by failing to alert students of a dorm room shooting that left two people dead about two and a half hours before Cho went to Norris Hall and killed 30 more students and staff.

Continue reading “Was VT Slow To Respond To Campus Threat That Left 32 Dead?” →

How’d that secession thing work out for you? Not so well? Want to get all the benefits of secession without any of the drawbacks? The Tea Party has your answer – nullification. Any law a state doesn’t like can be declared unconstitutional and poof, the state can ignore it. Want to ignore Brown v. Board of Education? No worries.

Only one problem, nullification is unconstitutional.

Continue reading “Nullification – Better Than Secession” →

Anthropologists in universities across the country are experiencing an unprecedented civil war over the very foundation of their field. The American Anthropological Association has decided to drop the word “science” from a associational statement — triggering outcries from science-oriented faculty who have long opposed the growth of anthropologists who study race, ethnicity, and gender from a more political perspective.
Continue reading “No Bones About It: Anthropologist Association Drops “Science” From Its Associational Statement” →

According to Huffington Post, Democrats in the Senate are demanding that a vote be taken later today on a bill that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. If approved, the procedural vote could pave the way for future debate on the subject.

Continue reading “Senate Democrats Call for Vote on Repeal of DADT” →

Birmingham Police Officers, employed as School Resource Officers in Birmingham City Schools, routinely use chemical weapons against schoolchildren to enforce basic school discipline. Mace was used against schoolchildren who were completely restrained and not a danger to themselves or anyone else. Adults taunted the children and celebrated their punishment.

The Birmingham City School System is 96% African American.

Continue reading “The Mace Case” →

We recently discussed Govenor Steve Beshear (D-KY) and his support, and $37.5 million in tax breaks, for a theme park devoted to a recreation of Noah’s Ark called Ark Encounter, here. Who owns Ark Encounter? A private LLC whose membership includes a subsidiary of Answers in Genesis, whose CEO is Ken Ham.
Continue reading “Answers in The Flintstones” →

The current, four decades old, organ transportation system uses an off-the-shelf cooler filled with ice to preserve the heart. With this method, transplantation should occur within 4 to 6 hours of harvesting. The longer the heart is on ice, the greater the chances of death or heart disease after the transplant.

TransMedics is going to revolutionize the organ transplant transportation methodology.

Continue reading “Beating Heart Transplants” →

We have previously discussed John Freshwater, a controversial teacher in Mount Vernon, Ohio, who used a Tesla coil to  brand crosses into the arm of a 7th grade student, here. The family of the student, Zachary Dennis, filed a civil suit against Freshwater and the school district. The school district settled. Freshwater filed a counter-claim asserting defamation and that it was his religious beliefs that were under attack, not the fact that he used a Tesla coil to burn students’ arms. His case had become a lightning rod for conservative Christians and their persecution complex.

On 6 April 2010, the judge issued a summary judgement on certain aspects of the case.

Continue reading “Branding For Jesus Update” →

The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University has acknowledged that it sent an email to its students with a warning that students refrain from making comments about the leaked diplomatic cables on social media sites like Facebook or via Twitter and from posting links to the documents if they ever hope to work for the State Department in the future. The email from an unnamed individual at the school’s Office of Career Services reportedly relayed a recommendation made by a school alumnus in a telephone call to the school. According to the email, the alumnus works for the State Department at the present time.

Continue reading “Wikileaks Warning Issued to Students at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs” →

It is a conceit of human nature to believe that only our species is capable of selfless devotion or incredible bravery under fire. In December 1941 on an island in the Pacific, a black Newfoundland dog laid that notion to rest. Attached to “C” Force of the Canadian Royal Rifles Regiment stationed on Hong Kong Island, Gander was the mascot to a besieged army of Allies surrounded by an overwhelming Japanese force bent its destruction. Gander had come to the Canucks on a parole basis. Christened “Pal,” the strong, loyal, and calm animal had been banished from his home for accidentally scratching a child during play.  The Rifles were based at Gander, so the name of the animal was a foregone conclusion. Gander became an instant hit and a morale booster for an army fearing the worst.

Continue reading “Gander’s Dash” →

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After being dumped by Amazon, WikiLeaks is now hosted on Bahnhof AB, a Swedish ISP, servers, located in a former nuclear bomb shelter carved out of solid bedrock in the Pionen White Mountains in downtown Stockholm. Although PayPal has ceased allowing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange is being sought for arrest by Interpol, the WikiLeaks documents are secure. However, the servers are still vulnerable to a denial-of-services attack. Would the U.S. launch a denial-of-services attack on an ISP of an ally?

H/T: Bahnof.

-David Drumm (Nal)

You have to click the link on the video and watch it on YouTube.

Parker Brothers Choppers, a Florida bike shop, has put together 10 custom-built, street-legal Tron Lightcycles. One could be yours for a mere $55,000. Looks uncomfortable for long rides but who cares, I want one.

H/T: Wired.

-David Drumm (Nal)