For many, Army Pfc. Joseph Dwyer was the face of the United States invasion of Iraq: captured in a famous picture carrying an Iraqi child to safety. He has now become the face of the tens of thousands of walking wounded. This week he was found overdosed in an apartment after spending years struggling with post traumatic stress syndrome and poor military health care.
Continue reading “Walking Wounded: Soldier Made Famous in Iraq War Picture Dies of Overdose”
An interesting little article has revealed that the Vatican has been using its sovereign status to conduct actual trials, including one of a fake priest trying to hear confessions in the Vatican and a drug case. Who knows a television executives might soon discover “Vatican Court” and the new reality based program.
Going on a date with Robert P. Farnam is generally fun until the very end. That is when the check arrives and he has a heart attack. Indeed, cab rides can be equally stressful (so you might want to drive). According to Wisconsin police, Farnam is a habitual faker of heart attacks — timed to avoid having to pay for cabs, dinners, or other services.
In a long-delayed piece in Village Voice, Tony Ortega reveals the details of the tactics and loss of the Church of Scientology in a case against former member Lawrence Wollersheim. After allegedly blocking access to public documents and filing retaliatory lawsuits, the church finally paid $8,674,843 to cover the $2.5 million judgment and the interest it had accrued. Among the court documents that the Court sought to withhold was this picture of Scientology leader David Miscavige, in his full Sea Org outfit, the most secret part of the secretive organization.
Continue reading “Details of $8.7 Million Court Loss of Scientology Revealed”
In Jonesboro, Georgia, Chaudry Rashad has been arrested for allegedly kiled his 25-year-old daughter, Sandela Kanwal, after she said that she was unhappy with an arranged marriage. Sandela had had no contact with her arranged husband in Chicago for three months.
The discovery of a three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew is causing a controversy. The tablet speaks of a messiah rising from the dead after three days. That would seem to confirm the account of Jesus’ resurrection except for the fact that the tablet was written decades before his birth. It is likely to trigger quite a debate among the entire religious and non-religious communities. Given today’s other entry on the survey of intellectuals on religion, here, this should make for some interesting debates.
Continue reading “Discovery of Ancient Stones Cause Controversy Over Biblical Account of Jesus”
It is unclear whether it is a demonstration of his own disregard for human rights or the new power China holds on the world, but President George Bush has decided that he will go to the opening of the Olympics. Various human rights groups encouraged Bush not to attend — a modest show of opposition to China’s crackdown on Tibet and a wide array of dissidents.
In Hebron, a mob of Israeli settlers are accused of attacking 30-year-old teacher, Midhat Abu Karsh, from the southern West Bank village of As-Samu. They allegedly dragged him to a nearby settlement outpost where he was tied to an electricity pole.
Continue reading “Settlers Accused of Assaulting Palestinian Teacher and Then Tying Him to Post”
A British researcher, Richard Lynn, claims to have found a correlation between intelligence and relgious scepticism. In a study spanning 137 countries, Lynn found that high intelligence produced an extremely high likelihood of the rejection of religious faith.
Continue reading “Researchers Link High Intelligence with Atheism”
Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips has declared that Islamic legal principles can be applied by courts to resolve certain family, marital, or contractual cases. In a speech at an East London mosque, Lord Phillips said that Sharia can be applied so long as it does not conflict with English law.
Continue reading “Lord Chief Justice Endorses Use of Sharia Law in Some Cases”
There is an unexpected dust up over the nomination of George Mason law professor (and former Senate Judiciary Committee chief counsel) Michael E. O’Neill. The former aide to Sen. Arlan Specter has been accused of plagiarism in his legal publications and now may failed in his confirmation bid.
Continue reading “Bush Judicial Nominee and Law Professor Accused of Plagarism”
In Pinellas Country, Florida, 53-year old Jack Q. Brown used a leash to drag his 1 1/2 year old male bichon-yorkie mix named Riley down the road with his car. Despite going under the car and bouncing off the sides, Riley survived and Brown is now in a jail for animal cruelty.
Continue reading “Florida Man Drags Dog With Car Down Road: Dog Survives; Man is Caged.”
In Greenwood, Indiana, an Indianapolis Metro police officer, his wife, and a former Marion County Sheriff employee have been arrested in a prostitution bust. Lori Vernon-Lee, 36, is accused of recruiting the women and running the business out of her home. Her husband, Jeremy Lee, 30, has been fired from the force in the wake of the charges.
In the wake of the recent Supreme Court victory over the Second Amendment and a new Florida law, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking on the mouse. Disney is refusing to allow employees and guests to bring guns to their parks — claiming a rather stretched exception to a Florida law allowing citizens to take their guns to work. Universal Studios has also refused to comply. SeaWorld, however, has said that it will allow its workers to pack and play. The NRA is irate over Disney’s effort to keep guns out of “The Happiest Place on Earth.” It seems that if guns are outlawed in the Magic Kingdom, only the Pirates of the Caribbean will have guns.
It appears that after destroying their own environment and poisoning their own food system, the Chinese government has been reduced to luring tourists with actual paper tigers. Chinese “netizens” on the Internet showed that a recent picture of a South China Tiger was actually a poster propped up in the forest. A farmer, Zhou Zhenglong, has now been charged criminally and some officials fired. Yet, it is not the first faked nature scene to come out of the Chinese government.