In another disgraceful move related to environmental damage, the Australian government has stripped out any reference to the Great Barrier Reef, the Northern Territory’s glorious Kakadu national park and Tasmania’s forests in a report on climate change. Equally disgraceful was the willingness of Unesco to knuckle under to any country that objected to such references in the report entitled “Destinations at Risk: World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate.” The massive “bleaching” of the Great Barrier Reef has horrified people around the world as we watch the loss of this natural wonder to climate change and poor governmental policies, as we previously discussed.
Continue reading “Problem Solved? Australia Succeeds In Stripping All References To The Great Barrier Reef From Climate Change Report”
A Saudi husband’s view of the strict Islamic code led to his shooting a doctor despite the successful delivery of the man’s son. The doctor was also a man and the husband was irate that a female was not asked to deliver the baby in accordance with Islamic values. Muhannad Al Zabn, delivered the baby at the King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh and was later treated for his own gun shot wounds.
We recently discussed the tragedy in Chile where a man sought to commit suicide by jumping into a lion enclosure at the zoo — resulting in two lions being shot and killed to protect him. Now in Cincinnati, a parent failed to properly supervise her 4-year-old son who fell into gorilla enclosure. Even though the lowland gorilla did not seem to be trying to hurt the child, he was nevertheless killed to guarantee the safety of the child. Many commentators have called for the parents to be prosecuted for the loss of Harambe.
Any Iraqi migrant spotted a t-shirt that seemed to capture the feelings of many Muslims who face assumptions that they are dangerous or unhinged. The 23-year-old wore the t-shirt reading “I’m Muslim, Don’t Panic” back to his asylum home in Berlin and was promptly almost beaten to death by three Muslim refugees who decided that the t-shirt was anti-Islamic.
This glum fellow is Stephen Gidcumb who has been arrested for counterfeiting. What is interesting about the case is that Gidcumb used his personal computer to generate the $100 bill and the counterfeiting was discovered by a strip joint. Indeed, Gidcumb appears to have returned to the club not long after passing on the fake bill. Not surprisingly, the club is named Déjà Vu.
Continue reading “Déjà Vu: Michigan Man Arrested For Passing Counterfeiting $100 Bill To Stripper”
Muslim cleric Mallam Abass Mahmud in Ghana has explained the real cause of earthquakes. Never mind those pesky seismologists and tectonic plates. The real cause it appears are gays and specifically gay sex. It is not clear if the level of gay relations corresponds to the Richter scale in the intensity of earthquakes.
Continue reading “Muslim Cleric In Ghana Proclaims That Gay Couples Cause Earthquakes”
Iran this month reminded the world that it remains entirely committed to the medieval Sharia legal system. Over 30 college students participated in a graduation party but were arrested by Iranian police for participating in a mixed gender party. Each of the students was given 99 lashes under the Islamic law.
Patty Ris, 87, was in great peril when she began to choke on a piece of hamburger at the Hyde Park senior living facility. Fortunately, a 96-year-old man stepped out of the crowd and saved her in front of the 125 diners. She then learned that she was in good hands: it was none other than Dr. Henry Heimlich himself.
The annual GW charity competition between torts and contracts was held yesterday and I am saddened to report that contracts prevailed on the field of paintball. Each year, the students bid for positions on the two teams and all of the money goes to support public interest work by our law students at George Washington. (The Contracts team is in front with Professor Greg Maggs in the middle; the Torts Team is standing in the back).
This is the fifth year and contracts now has a 3-2 lead. This year was particularly challenging with a bright sunny day in Virginia at 96 degrees. The heat index moved the temperature to around 103 and it was punishing. This is the hottest day that we faced in the competition. We had to choose between protective layers and heat stroke. I have four impressive welts that indicate my choice. Throughout the day, many of us remarked how the day brought home the incredibly harsh conditions that our troops have to face in places like Iraq (carrying full packs and fighting in such hot weather). On a Memorial Day weekend, it gave all of us pause to think of an actual operation in the Middle East for our military personnel. We only had to compete in a fun competition with breaks and water for a couple of hours — and no one trying to actually kill us.
Continue reading “CONTRACTS DEFEATS TORTS IN THE FIFTH ANNUAL PAINTBALL COMPETITION”
Hillary Clinton agreed to a brief interview on the stinging rebuke found in the Inspector General Report that we discussed yesterday. The interview lacks questions on most of the contradictions that we discussed and Clinton insists that the report actually vindicates her — a truly breathtaking spin. Unfortunately, the reporter seemed to move as quickly as possible away from the report to turn to Donald Trump — with no follow up questions. However, there is a far more intriguing issue raised by the emails discussed in the report. Some of the emails revealed that Clinton believed that her personal, unsecure server had been hacked and she stated her desire to use a separate system to protect her personal emails from review — both serious contradictions to prior statements. Yet, the November 2010 reportedly was not among those turned over to the State Department. Indeed, at least three emails had not been seen before. Clinton previously insisted that all work related emails were turned over while her staff deleted personal emails.
There is a tragic story in the hiking community this week with the discovery of the body of Geraldine Largay, 66, who became lost on the Appalachian trail in Maine. She left heartbreaking messages on her cellphone and a diary, including a request that “When you find my body, please call my husband and daughter.”
We have been discussing the meltdown at our nation’s airports as people wait for hours due to continued incompetence of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While the media reported that TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger was “fired”, it turns out that he was placed on paid administrative leave. No other terminations or discipline has been announced despite the utter chaos and huge costs associated with the TSA’s inability to function at minimal standards. Now, a new report states that caused more than 70,000 American Airlines (AAL.O) customers and 40,000 checked bags missed their flights this year.
We often take note of what not to wear for your mugshot. This is lesson #122: do not wear a “Stop Domestic Violence” tee shirt when you are arrested for domestic violence. That was a lesson brought to us by Emily Wilson, 38, in Maine.
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Woman Is Charged With?”
While the New York Times has reported that the “State Department’s inspector general sharply criticized Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email server” and “undermined some of Mrs. Clinton’s previous statements”, the report did far more than criticize and undermine. It directly contradicted Clinton’s assertions on a number of key points. It further indicated not only clear violations of the State Department rules, but rules that were made clear to Clinton and her staff. (The Washington Post took a more critical view of Clinton’s statements in light of the report). Moreover, while this report deals with State regulations and rules (as well as the Federal Records Act), it does have bearing on the ongoing criminal investigation to the degree that it shows knowledge or reckless disregard of the security protocols and rules. It does show precisely that.
We have previously discussed the erosion of free speech on college and university campuses as students and faculty are punished for expressing views deemed offensive to any group. In the meantime, we have also seen protests by Black Lives Matter and other groups that silence other students with little response from university administrators. The videotape below captures this problem vividly. Conservative Milo Yiannopolous is often a lightning rod for such protests. However, it is not enough to protest outside. Students increasingly struck down events to prevent opposing views from being heard. In the case, two students shutdown the event as university security (paid by the event organizers) stand by and do nothing. It is a shocking scene for a university as student prevent a speaker from being heard because they disagree with what he has to say.