Animals, Bizarre, International

Eagle At Bird Show In Australia Attempts To Fly Off With Little Boy

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There is an interesting question of liability raised in a frightening encounter of a wedge-tailed eagle and a little boy at a wildlife show in central Australia.  The eagle tried to fly away with a terrified boy at a popular wildlife show in central Australia at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Fortunately the boy only suffered superficial injuries.  The question in torts is one of animal liability, though the laws in Australia are different.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?

5731fa44dded0.imageIf you guessed, assault with a prosthetic arm, you are a detective first class. If you guessed that he is a recidivist for this particular crime, you are a genius. That’s right, Joshua Stockinger is charged with hitting a woman with his prosthetic arm — the same act that he allegedly committed in an assault on a police officer just last May.
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Uncategorized

GINSBURG ISSUES STATEMENT OF “REGRET” FOR TRUMP ATTACK

225px-ruth_bader_ginsburg_scotus_photo_portrait495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreAssociate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has issued an apology over her tirade against GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.  A statement was issued today stating

“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them. Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.”

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law

Yale Dishwasher Destroys Stained-Glass Window Depicting Slaves

1468338874154We have been discussing the effort of protesters to strip universities of references and images connected to segregation or slavery, including the names of Framers. Now, a dishwasher has taken it upon himself to smash a stained-glass window at Yale University because it depicted what he considered a racist scene. What is interesting is that, even though Corey Menafee was fired, Yale was already planning to remove the windows as part of a new initiative to remove such images.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

“Satisfy The Evil Urge”: New Head Rabbi Of The Israeli Defense Forces Reportedly Justified The Rape Of Muslim Women

DSC_7420-e1468249982627-635x357Israel is in the midst of a growing controversy over the replacement of chief rabbi, Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz, of the Israeli Defense Forces. His replacement will be Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim, who has been denounced for suggesting that Israeli soldiers are morally justified in raping Muslim women during wartime as well as other misogynistic statements.
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Criminal law, Free Speech

Lena Dunham Encourages People To Tear Apart The Movie Posters Of Other Artists

Unknown-1Fresh from declaring her support of Oberlin students in claiming the serving of sushi is cultural appropriation, actress Lena Dunham (creator of HBO’s “Girls,” is supporting producer Tami Sagher’s effort to get people to deface the posters for the Jason Bourne movie. The objection is to the inclusion of a gun. So Dunham and Sagher are calling for the work of other artists to be defaced because they disagree with the content. They are doing so without a hint of recognized hypocrisy. Despite the attack on free speech, the response has been muted from HBO and Hollywood figures to an actress and a producer calling for the vandalization of the work of other artists.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

God Was My Co-Pilot: Woman Crashes Into Home While Praying With Eyes Closed

UnknownRuqiyyah Abdur-Raqeeb-Sadiq, 28,had a curious defense after she ran her car into the side of the home of Mary Ester in Florida. She said that she was praying at the time . . . with her eyes closed. It appears that faith alone was not enough for Abdur-Raqeeb-Sadiq and, while God may be her co-pilot, he cannot be charged with the offense.

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Academia, Bizarre

Oberlin Students Push To Bar Serving Sushi As “Cultural Appropriation”

Formal_Seal_of_Oberlin_College,_Oberlin,_OH,_USA.svgWe have seen students rise in protest over what they believe is “cultural appropriation” in schools offering yoga or students wearing dreadlocks or serving Mexican food. Now students at Oberlin are fighting to stop the school from offering students sushi. Now, with the support of celebrities and alumni like actress Lena Dunham, the students have denounced the practice and want the school to stop students from eating sushi as “insensitive” to Asian students.  The sushi controversy arises at the same time that Oberlin has seen the protests from students demanding sweeping changes to the faculty and curriculum as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.  It is a sad statement of our times that common complaints about bad college food must now be stated in the language of racial or cultural victimization. It is not undercooked rice (a complaint by Oberlin students) but the appropriation of their culture or a “micro aggression” as it was labeled in 2015 at Oberlin by students.

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Environment, International, Politics, Society

Hague Ruling: China Has No Basis For Its Expansive Claims To The China Sea

5784b53bc3618806448b4594The growing tensions in the South China Sea just got more tense. A tribunal in the Hague has ruled that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. With a huge investment in the construction of artificial islands, China has responded by simply dismissing the arbitration ruling on international law. China boycotted the proceedings before the five-member panel from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Many felt that the boycott reflected the weakness of the Chinese claims, which were unanimously rejected by the panel. Immediately after the ruling, China issued a statement that said that China “solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it.”

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Animals, Bizarre, Criminal law

The Chihuahua Did It: California Man Charged After Pet Tests Positive For Meth

la-dog-methamphetamines-20160711Isaiah Nathaniel Sais appears to be the latest hapless man undone by the “erratic behavior” of Jack Sparrow. In this case, Jack Sparrow is a Chihuahua who was exhibiting strange behavior so his owner Sais took him to the veterinarian. Jack Sparrow tested positive for methamphetamine and the police were alerted and Sais eventually was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.

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Politics, Society

ABC/WASHINGTON POST POLL: 56 Percent of Voters Believe That Hillary Clinton Should Have Been Charged After FBI Investigation

Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_BenghaziIn a surprising poll by ABC and the Washington Post, a majority of Americans disapprove of the FBI’s recommendation not to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime over her mishandling of emails as secretary of state. Moreover, a majority say that the scandal has left them uncertain and worried about her ability to be president.

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Bizarre, Society, Uncategorized

Authentication-By-Litigation: Famed Artist Peter Doig Sued For Denying That He Painted A Work Purchased In 1975 For $100

There is a fascinating case in in Chicago where famed artist Peter Doig is being sued for millions of dollars. The reason? He had the audacity of denying that a painting is his own. That’s right. Doig denied that a painting of a landscape was done by him as a young man in Canada. With past Doig paintings going for as high as $25 million, a former correctional officer Robert Fletcher, 62, wants a legal determination that Doig either can’t or refuses to acknowledge his own work. Fletcher, who bought the painting for $100 in 1975, is pulling Doig into court and a federal judge has scheduled the matter for adjudication. I have never seen such an attempt at authentication-by-litigation lawsuit.

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Criminal law, Society

The Rise Of The Machines: Killing of Cop Killer Johnson May Be The First Lethal Use of Robot

220px-ANDROS_F6AOne of the least discussed aspect of the killing of cop-killer Micah Xavier Johnson is that it appears to be the first police killing via a robot. Rather than risk officers in a further fire fight, the police used an explosive ordnance disposal robot to carrying a small amount of C4 explosive into the room and detonate the C4 on an extension next to Johnson. The robotic killing raises some interesting questions under Tennessee v. Garner.
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