In a remarkable admission from the Chinese government, a Chinese health official has said that China’s lethal levels of pollution is the reason that a baby is born with defects every 30 seconds in the country. Jiang Fan, vice-minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) made the shocking admission at a conference in Beijing.
Continue reading “Chinese Official: Baby Born Every 30 Seconds With Birth Defect Due to Pollution”
Michael Phelps may have a bit more to worry about than losing some of us promotional contracts, he could lose his freedom. The 14-time gold medalist was shown smoking marijuana from a pipe. In both real estate and criminal law, the key is always location, location, location. This was not a good location to go for the Acapulco gold. South Carolina prosecutors are looking into charges and in Richland County, Phelps could get as much as 30 days — though jail is rare in such cases.
Continue reading “Going for the [Acapulco] Gold: Phelps May Be Criminally Charged Over Pot Pictures”
Michael Hecht, a new Washington state judge in Pierce County Superior Court, has a docket that most judges would relish: virtually no substantive cases. The reason is that country prosecutors are refusing to try cases before Hecht, who has been charged with soliciting prostitutes and then threatening a 24-year-old male prostitute. Hecht ran in part on his work in building stable and moral families.
Continue reading “What the Hecht? Prosecutors Boycott New Judge Accused of Prostitution Offenses”
A Harvard Law School student has lost his job with the District Attorney’s office and faces criminal charges after an embarrassing encounter with the Boston Police Department. Charles C. Simpkins, a third-year law student has been charged with two counts, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Todd F. Sanders, 45, a Virginia lawyer and George Washington adjunct law professor was shot last night through his office window in Loudoun’s historic district. He was released after treatment for a non-life threatening wound.
Continue reading “Virginia Lawyer and Adjunct GW Law Professor Shot in Office”
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that pet owners in the state cannot be prosecuted for shooting and killing their pets. The appellate court overturned the conviction of Wendy Colleen Kneller who, in 2006, shot her 6-year-old pit bull-chow mix, Bouta. The state anti-cruelty statute was deemed too ambiguous to sustain such a charge.
Continue reading “Shoot the Pooch: Pennsylvania Court Rule that Owners Can Shoot Their Pets”
Hungarian spokeswoman Bernadett Budai became dizzy in the middle of a press conference, bumped into the Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and collapsed . . . only to be caught by the PM and carried from the room. The incredible video is below.
In the amazing video below, New York police officers are shown ransacking a bar and smashing gambling machines . . . and pocketing cash. The November 14, 2007 raid on a bar called Beer Googles. One officer is seen counting cash from a smashed machine and handing it to another officer, who peels off some for himself and pockets it.
Give them the shoe appears to be replacing the boot as a standard in politics. In a scene reminiscent of the Iraqi shoe thrower and George Bush, a protester at Cambridge University threw a sneaker at at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and called him a dictator. As if to prove the dictator point, the Chinese media was promptly ordered not to mention the incident in any coverage to keep the Chinese people in the dark about the story. The video of the incident is below.
Continue reading “Shoe Politics: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Gets the Shoe Treatment at Cambridge”
It has taken eight years, but Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus are heading to a non-jury trial over cruelty allegations related to its treatment of its elephants. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and other plaintiffs allege that company’s use of sharp tools called bullhooks and the prolonged use of chains on the Asian elephants. The case is an interesting use of the federal Endangered Species Act rather than the usual animal cruelty statutes.
If you think that American flight attendants have become a bit heavy handed, be grateful that you don’t fly Saudi Arabian Airlines flight. A man who refused to put his cigarette out on a flight to Jeddah was sentenced to 30 lashes.
Continue reading “Un-Lucky Strikes: Saudi Arabia Sentences Man To 30 Lashes for Smoking on a Flight”
Legislators in Arkansas do no want to have to chose between god and guns. They are pushing legislation to allow citizens to pack heat in the house of God. Grant Exton is a gun owner and president of the state’s Concealed Carry Association insists that they are simply trying to give all churches the right have armed congregationalists. Gun owners can then lock and load for Jesus.
Continue reading “Guns and God: Arkansas Legislators Move to Armed the Faithful in Church”
The Canadian courts are facing an important issue involving a free press — and they seem to be failing the test. The Quebec Court of Appeal this week refused to remove a gag on Daniel Leblanc, a Globe and Mail reporter ,who was barred from disclosing facts about negotiations in a civil lawsuit. It is a prior restraint by Justice Jean-François de Grandpré that would be viewed as an outrage in the United States.
Kenneth Heller has earned the reputation as “New York’s most obnoxious lawyer” and his record is hardly improving. A New York appellate court has upheld a finding of contempt and sentence (30-day in prison and $10,000 fine) after Heller refused to turn over his files in a wrongful death case.
Continue reading “Court Rules Against “New York’s Most Obnoxious Lawyer””
A nurse is facing disciplinary action for simply offering to pray for the recovery of an elderly patient. While the patient did not object, Caroline Petrie, 45, is facing sanctions or even termination. Petrie is a serial prayer. She was suspended previously for breaching the “code of conduct on equality and diversity.” She has now been suspended again.