Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by a vote of 68-31. I discussed the confirmation on this segment of Rachel Maddow. Notably, Senator Mel Martinez (R, Fl) was one of nine Republicans to vote in favor despite a campaign against Sotomayor. Today, he announced that he would not run for reelection. Sen. Kit Bond (R., Mo.) is also on his way out after this term.
This may be a first. George Vera, 25, found one advantage in being an “oversized” male. Vera was charged with possessing or selling unlabeled recordings. However, at 500 pounds, he successfully hid a 9mm handgun between the folds of his skin despite multiple searches. He was then charged with possession of a firearm in a correctional facility.
Continue reading “Texas Inmate Succeeds in Hiding Gun in His Own Fat Folds”
John Quincy Adams is tweeting. The Massachusetts Historical Society has begun posting daily tweets from Adams’ diary that he began 200 years ago when he went to Russia as the first U.S. Minister. As a line-a-day diary it is perfect for Twitter.
Continue reading “NFW! John Quincy Adams is Tweeting Me”
The first thought that comes to mind with this video from Israel is the call of a teen to his parents, “it was a horse, I swear.”
Continue reading “Video: Well, I Was Driving Along . . .”
There is an incredible story out of Pakistan concerning the plight of what are called “eunuchs” in that country. The term is used broadly to refer to transsexuals, transvestites, or hermaphrodites. These marginalized individuals are forced to live in colonies and become prostitutes in a country that shuns and abuses them.
Continue reading “Pakistani Eunuchs Fight For Recognition and Rights”
<img src="http://jonathanturley.wordpress.com/files/2009/08/180px-herbal.jpg?w=150" alt="180px-Herbal” title=”180px-Herbal” width=”150″ height=”130″ class=”alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13524″ />A study of pipe stems and bowls from the homes of William Shakespeare by the South African Police Services Forensic Science Laboratory in Pretoria has made an interesting discovery: traces of cannabis and possibly cocaine. The report by the South African Journal of Science suggest that Shakespeare might have tripped the light fantastic like a seventeenth century Hunter S. Thompson.
Continue reading “The Bawdy Bard and “The Noted Weed”: Researchers Find Traces of Cannabis and Cocaine in Pipes at Shakespeare’s Homes”
Former Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Milstein, 41, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to community service for his harassment of a neighbor. He resigned the day before his sentencing.
Continue reading “Washington State Assistant Attorney General Pleads Guilty to Telephone Harassment of Neighbor”
The government of Tulare California narrowly averted a health emergency this week when it finally tracked down and shutdown Daniela Earnest, aka “the lemonade girl.” Earnest, 8, was running an illegal lemonade stand to raise money “for Disneyland” (probably street slang for heroin).
The Washington Post weighed in on the expanding controversy over the alleged misconduct of the Office of D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles and his staff in the litigation over the mass arrests during the World Bank/IMF protests of 2002. The Post is calling for the Court, rather than the City Council, to investigate the case.
Continue reading “Washington Post Raises Need for Judicial Investigation into Destruction of Evidence and Misconduct by District’s Office of the Attorney General”
Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana was convicted Wednesday on 11 of the 16 corruption charges against him in Alexandria federal court. The conviction follows years of litigation and controversy – including an unconstitutional raid on a congressional office by the Bush Administration.
Continue reading “Former Rep. William Jefferson Convicted on 11 out of 16 Counts”
We have another taser incident at a sporting event. It is unclear why the man was approached. Some reports suggest that he was in the wrong seat and was not obeying the commands of the officers.
Continue reading “Shock Video: Man Tasered at Baseball Game in Oakland”
Broward Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Bleiweiss, 29, has been arrested on charges of using his position to coerce sex from illegal immigrants in Florida. The arrest has shocked the gay community, which saw Bleiweiss as a pioneer as one of the first openly gay officers on the force.
Continue reading “Florida Police Officer Arrested for Coercing Sex From Illegal Aliens”
The latest craze in Brazil is a push to get people to pee in their showers. The effort is designed to conserve water by reducing the use of toilets. Of course, kids have been saving the planet for years.
Continue reading “A Wee Little Idea to Save the Planet: Brazilian Campaign Calls for People to Pee in the Shower”
Despite the recent outcry over the massive increase in travel by members, these thinly disguised publicly paid vacations have not only continued but the House of Representatives has now approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy elite Gulfstream jets to add comfort to their travels. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been singled out for much criticism in the increase of such vacations, but appears so unconcerned that the Democrats are pushing through an expansion of the fleet for the members to enjoy at public expense.
Isabella Kern, 4, was playing in the sprinkler in a playground in Queens when she ran barefooted on to the black rubber matting. She almost immediately suffered severe burns that required a week in the hospital. Her family’s lawsuit against the city should be an obvious matter of negligence — it is obviously foreseeable for kids will run from the sprinkler area on to the matting. However, the city is now suing the parents and alleging that they were negligent.
Continue reading “Four-Year-Old Girl Burns Feet in City Park With Improper Matting So City Sues Her Parents”