Bizarre, Politics, Society

“I’m Rapping Jesus Christ”: Conservative Dartmouth Students Become YouTube Hit

defaultDartmouth Students David Rufful and Josh Riddle have become the conservative versions of Snoop Doog and Willie D. “The Young Con Anthem” chas hit over 115,000 views. Known as Stiltz & Serious C, the students espouses conservative values for hard-right homeys. The video contains such serious ganstra wall street rap as “I don’t speak lies but I spit the facts/28% the new capital gains tax/Porkulus bill lacks a few stats/The more money we spend, the more mine is worth Jack.”

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Bizarre, Courts, International, Society

British High Court: Pringles are Potato Chips

200px-Pringles.svg125px-UK_Royal_Coat_of_Arms.svgIt’s official: Not only is pringles a food product, but it is a potato food product. That is the ruling of
Britain’s Supreme Court of Judicature which ruled with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and against Procter & Gamble U.K.. Just in case you thought this was small potatoes, the ruling means that Proctor & Gamble owes $160 million in taxes.

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Academia, Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

Cutting Out the Hurd: Tribune Uncovers Letters on the Admission of Unworthy U of I Students Sponsored by Politicians

0718Hurd,Heidi_w{55E09542-B3D1-4E1B-9D64-1A8FCA37BC8B}There has been a long controversy over “legacy” admissions and the politically well connected applicants in law schools. The University of Illinois law school has been entangled in this controversy with the release of an embarrassing email exchange between former Dean Heidi Hurd, Chancellor Richard Herman, and Illinois State Sen. Chris Lauzen on a student Hurd believed was unworthy of admission — but then accepted.

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Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Police Arrest Alleged Killer of Dr. George Tiller

George_Tiller_croppedA Kansas man, Scott Roeder, has been arrested for the murder of Dr. George Tiller (left), 67, who was shot while serving as an usher at his Wichita church Sunday morning. Tiller was one of the few U.S. doctors performing late-term abortions in the country and had previously survived a 1993 shooting outside of his clinic when he was shot in both arms. I discussed this case on this segment of Rachel Maddow Show.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Golden Child Goes Grunge

osel01There is another “gilded cage” story out of Tibet. This week, many people are talking about a Malaysian princess who fled a seemingly story tale life with a Royal family after alleged torture and abuse. Now, ,Tibetans are dealing with the flight of a man once worshiped as a God. Osel Hita Torres, 23, was selected by monks at five month old as the reincarnation of the recently deceased Lama Yeshe. At 14 months, he was taken from his parents and declared Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche. He fled and is now a film student in Spain who has denounced his treatment and stolen childhood. He can now be seen in his fully human glory in baggy pants, long hair, and loving life.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Gilded Cage: Malaysian Royal Family Accused of Drugging and Torturing Princess

100px-KelantanWith the world still talking about UAE Crown Prince Sheik Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan and is torture videos, another royal family has been accused of torture and abuses. Teenage model Manohara Odelia Pinot was only 16 when she was married to Tengku Temenggong Muhammad Fakhry, a prince of Malaysia’s Kelantan State. While in Singapore, she was able to escape with the help of police and tell an incredible story of being drugged, tortured, and confined by the family.

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Academia, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Politics, Society

Senate Prepares for the Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings

humorous-060_smallWith the virtual absence of any objective review of Sonia Sotomayor’s opinions or positions by members of Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee appears to be gearing up for another confirmation process with little substantive content. As noted previously with regard to the Roberts and Alito hearings, confirmation hearings have become little more than extended photo ops for Senators.
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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Military, Politics, Society

United Nations: U.S. Human Rights Record “Deplorable” — Including the Continuing Failure to Investigate Torture By the Obama Administration

225px-official_portrait_of_barack_obamatorture -abu ghraibThe United Nations has released a new report on human rights that has found the record of the United states to be “deplorable.” With the continuing refusal of the Obama Administration to investigate war crimes and to support the Bush policies in court, we have lost an opportunity to show the country has committed itself to change these policies and demand accountability for those who implemented them.
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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society, Supreme Court

Supreme Court Overturns Landmark Case Michigan v. Jackson — With The Support of the Obama Administration

225px-antonin_scalia_scotus_photo_portrait225px-official_portrait_of_barack_obamaThis week saw the demise of a landmark case in the area of constitutional criminal procedure: Michigan v. Jackson. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court rolled back on the protection of defendants that guaranteed that they had the advice of counsel before speaking with police at critical stages of a prosecution. In Montejo v. Louisiana (07-1529), Justice Antonin Scalia said that the protection was not worth the loss of confessions and only caused confusion. The Obama Administration supported the rollback on protections for criminal defendants and argued for Michigan v. Jackson to be overturned.
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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Media, Politics, Society, Torts

Italian Premier Accused For Trying to Suppress Photos With Young Girls

silvio_berlusconi_29-01-2008Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has previously threatened to crackdown on the media for reporting his regular gaffes and notorious conduct. Now, the media mogul is reportedly trying to block publication of pictures with young women after the media pursues allegations of affairs. His wife, Veronica Lario, sought a divorce due to Berlusconi’s, 72, alleged fondness for girls, including a particular 18-year-old Neapolitan Noemi Letizia.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Woman Goes to Hospital With Kidney Stones and Ultimately Loses Both Legs and Arms — and Lawsuit

gavel2The case of Lisa Strong is a tragedy at almost every level from her first encounter with the medical profession to her last encounter with the legal profession. Strong went to the emergency room with what she believed was kidney stones (she had a history of kidney stones). However, due to malpractice, she ultimately lost both legs and arms. Despite the admission of various mistakes by the medical staff, a jury ruled against her. In a rare move, Broward County Circuit Judge Charles M. Greene threw out the jury verdict and ordered a new trial.
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