As we continue to spend billions every week in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, states continue to cut basic programs for lack of funding. The latest is Illinois, which just cut all funding for drug and alcohol abuse treatment in the state and Michigan which has ordered Detroit to close half of its schools (driving class size to 60 students). What is striking is the lack of any connection drawn between these states which are short hundreds of millions of dollars in their budgets and the expenditures of billions each week in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Continue reading “Illinois To End Funding of Alcohol and Drug Programs While Michigan Orders Detroit To Close Half of Its Schools”
Afghan women and public interest groups are opposing an effort of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take over all of the shelters for abused and battered women. You may recall Karzai’s earlier feminist agenda when he initially support the legalization of rape. The new move is viewed as a way for the government to satisfy hardliners in blocking access to some women to shelters. The government is also expected to close some shelters entirely.
Continue reading “Karzai Moves to Take Over (and Shutdown) Women’s Shelters”
Texas Tech University seems to be sending a rather curious message about its priorities. Faculty members are objecting after the administration froze faculty salaries for the entire university but then gave Texas Tech football coach Tommy Tuberville a $500,000 a year raise.
Continue reading “Texas Tech Freezes Faculty Salaries While Giving Its Football Coach a $500,000 Year Pay Increase”
I just saw this on Reddit and thought it was a bit of a curious sales pitch for Florida State University. I note that they do not give the same assurance of “mostly sober” for their faculty.
Continue reading “FSU: The S is For (Semi-)Sober”
Dallas Police Sr. Cpl. Cat Lafitte has become the latest victim of the enticement of Facebook. Lafitte reportedly posted an assortment of shocking comments on her accounts, including bragging about cutting a hospital worker’s face when he tried to get her to stop screaming profanities into her cellphone.
Continue reading “Dallas Officer Suspended Over Facebook Postings”
Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s only surviving child Dannielynn (and therefore the heir to her large estate), is threatening legal action against the Royal Opera House over its opera “Anna Nicole.” Birkhead is insisting that the portrayal of Smith is not flattering or respectful — leading to some interesting questions of how (even if Anna Nicole were living) such an opera would defame a former stripper and reality television star who courted controversy in her life.
Continue reading “Birkhead Threatens Legal Action Against Anna Nicole Smith Opera”
Remember when Obama energy advisor Carol Browner assured the public that the oil from the BP spill has miraculously disappeared after criticism of Obama’s opening up the pristine areas of Eastern coast to exploration? Well, the Administration is still at odds with scientists who insist that the damage is devastating.
Continue reading “Scientists (Again) Criticize Obama Administration Over Claims of Recovery of Gulf After BP Spill”
Dog bites are the bread and butter of thousands of lawyers. One of the greatest secrets of the personal injury lawyers, however, is that a large portion of the bite business comes not from big dogs but little lap dogs. The secret is now out. New York health officials have released the 2010 data showing that the Chihuahua and Shih Tzu are two of the top five menacing breeds in the city.
Continue reading “Meet Your Greatest Nightmare: New York Data Reveals Most Dangerous Breeds”
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
You may have missed this story in the corporate media. It is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. It seems that a Federal Judge has dismissed a case brought by Jose Padilla and others against Donald Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials, for a very interesting reason. Continue reading “Judge Disallows Padilla Torture Suit Because He Was Tortured?”
Mike Appleton (guest blogger)
A Florida circuit judge has issued an administrative order virtually certain to result in a court battle pitting the right of free speech against the duty of courts to protect the integrity of jury deliberations. The order prohibits “the dissemination of all leaflets and other materials to summoned jurors, as well as approaching a summoned juror for the purpose of displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education or counseling with information tending to influence summoned jurors on any matter, question, cause, or proceeding which may be pending, or which may be brought, before him or her as such juror… .”
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
There’s been a lot going on in Wisconsin in the past week. I hope most Americans are aware of the reason why so many Wisconsinites have converged on the state capital to hold demonstrations.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, claims that the state is in financial trouble. He’s asking teachers, plow drivers, janitors, nurses, garbage collectors, and other public sector workers to contribute more to their pensions and to pay a larger amount of their health premiums. It appears many of those workers are willing to negotiate with the governor and to consider having more money taken out of their paychecks for their pensions and health insurance. What those employees are not willing to do is relinquish their right to collective bargaining.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Steve Martin’s character, Navin Johnson, has nothing on two West Virginia residents hell-bent to rescue a relative with car trouble. Hearing the plea for help, but without sufficient funds to finance the 34 mile trip from Somerset, PA to New Stanton, PA, cousins Michael Allen Graham, 37, and John Edward Barry, 35, got resourceful. Believing they could “live off the land,” so to speak, the Milton, WVa duo began an alleged shoplifting spree at gas stations and auto parts stores in the general direction of the disabled motorist.
Continue reading “Politics of Contraband: Jerks Smuggle Jerky to Finance 34 Mile Trip”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
One hundred twelve pound Cassie Herkelman is a historic figure in Iowa high school sports. Though Iowa has allowed girls to compete against boys in wrestling for two decades, Cassie is the first to win a match in Iowa’s legendary state wrestling tourney. The problem, for some, is that she won by forfeit.
Continue reading “Religion Grapples With Sportsmanship In Iowa”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The Constitution’s text on the issue states “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.” The problem arises due to a pesky comma. Does the clause “at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution” refer only to “a Citizen of the United States” or to both clauses including “a natural born Citizen?” It turns out that according to accepted rules of grammar in 1787, the pesky comma means that “at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution” refers to both antecedent clauses.
Continue reading “Forget About Obama, Was Washington Constitutional?”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
DreamWorks has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit. Jayme Gordon filed his lawsuit in federal court in Boston claiming that DreamWorks is infringing on his copyrights on the idea of a chunky panda with kung fu prowess, as well as several other animal characters.
The complaint alleges striking similarities between Gordon’s work and DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda. The image at left is from the complaint and lends credence to that allegation.