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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Two adipose Oklahoma women have been accused of trying to steal $2,600 worth of goods from a T J Maxx store. The would-be robbers, Ailene Brown, 28, and Shmeco Thomas, 37, used the folds of their skin and body fat to hide the shoplifted articles—which included three pairs of jeans, gloves, and a wallet. In an attempt at mammary malfeasance, one of the women is said to have tried to smuggle three pairs of boots out of the store underneath her breasts. A booty boob job that was a bust!
Sarah Palin’s new book, America By Heart: Reflections On Faith, Family and Flag, repeats the debunked myth that George Washington, at his first inauguration, added the phrase “So help me God” to the oath of office. The myth was started by Washington Irving and repeated by Rufus Wilmot Griswold in his 1854 book The Republican Court, or, American Society in the Days of Washington.
Washington Irving told the story of how he was present at the first inauguration.
Submitted by -David Drumm (Nal) — guest editor
Tuesday of this week I was to appear at the Travis County Court House for possible jury selection. Along with 45 others, I was number 28, I filed into the court room for voir dire from the attorneys representing the plaintiff and defendants. I had already filled out a basic questionnaire on-line. The judge explained that this was a civil trial and twelve of us would be selected.
Nigeria will file charges against former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and officials from Halliburton Co. and four other companies in a bribery case involving $180 million. It is rather ironic that Cheney can go around bragging about torturing people, but will be charged criminally with a bribe in Nigeria. I will be discussing this and the Wikileaks case tonight on Countdown.
It is that time of the year for our annual blawgletting — the ABA top blog competition. We have once again been selected as one of the top 100 legal blogs (of over 3000) and nominated for the IMHO (opinion) category and it is time to release our minions upon the field of blog battle. Vote here to defend our way of life and the future of the planet.
Some of you may remember Dirty Dog!: A Sunday Pooch Poetry Post about my daughter’s yellow Lab Jack who is a bit of a rascal. Jack is frisky. He loves to chew on all manner of objects. It’s doesn’t matter whether the objects are edible or not.
Jack has a younger brother—a cat named Rudy. Rudy is also “out of control” at times…just like his elder sibling. Rudy loves to tease Jack in a number of ways—including hiding behind walls, waiting for Jack to come around the corner, and then swatting Jack in the face with his paw.
Deon Williams, a 19-year-old from Brooklyn, was caught shoving a 12-pound Boar’s Head turkey breast down his sweatpants on a store surveillance video. The teen then waddled out of the Fine Fare Grocery in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Alerted by cashier Michelle Benjamin of the teen’s “fowl” deed, the store butcher, Sergio Marte, chased after the poultry poacher and demanded that he return the turkey. Williams dumped the filched fowl and then punched the butcher in the jaw when he bent over to retrieve it.
Continue reading “A Fowl Idea, A Furtive Glance, A Little Turkey Down His Pants”
