Selfie Leads To A Conviction For Arson in California’s King Fire

UnknownWe have previously discussed how people seem incapable of resisting selfies even at the scenes of disasters or while driving (before accidents) or during environmental tragedies but some selfie are not just inappropriate but incriminating. That is the case with Wayne Huntsman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to starting the King Fire in 2014, which burned a dozen homes and nearly 100,000 acres in the central Sierra Nevada. The key evidence was the selfie taken above at the origin of the fire.

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Risqué Rompe: Teacher Fired After Winning Dance Contest While On Vacation

3306FB1400000578-3532399-image-m-15_1460287039373I have previously written about the increasing monitoring and discipline of teachers for conduct in their private lives.  A new case this week highlights this trend.  A Mexican elementary teacher has been fired after she was seen on a video twerking in a dance contest in Cabo San Lucas.  The 24-year-old identified only as “Miss Clarissa” on the film won the top prize of $260 but then lost her job.  The teacher won the contest to the  beat of Daddy Yankee’s “Rompe.”
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Saudi Religious Police Stripped Of Power To Arrest

125px-Coat_of_arms_of_Saudi_Arabia.svgWe regularly discuss horrific reports from Saudi Arabia of beheadings and floggings under its medieval Islamic Sharia law system. Finally, there is a chance to report on a positive development out of the Kingdom. The Saudi cabinet has approved a major change related to the infamous religious police, or Mutawaa. The religious police will now longer have the power to arrest citizens and must report all alleged crimes to the police instead. Of course, the reform falls short of the obvious and most meaningful reform: getting rid of the roaming religious police entirely.

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Lawmakers Pressure The Obama Administration To Release 28 Pages From The 9-11 Report That Reportedly Implicates Saudi Arabia

Abdullah_of_Saudi_ArabiaPresident_Barack_ObamaThe 9-11 Report was criticized by many as crafted by the Commission to avoid any real criticism of individuals in prior administrations. Carefully selected by the two parties, the Commission was composed of highly reliable and connected individuals that avoided assigning responsibility despite the obvious intelligence indicating a pending attack. There was one section of the Report however that was notably sealed and kept from the public. Twenty-eight mysterious pages that the Bush and Obama Administrations did not want the public to see. It was reportedly a section containing incriminating informative linking Saudi Arabia even more closely to the 9-11 terrorists. The government refused to let the public know the degree to which one of our closest allies bore responsibility for the worst attack on U.S. soil in our history. Now, thirteen years later, Commission members are finally pushing for the release of the 28 pages against the resistance of the Obama Administration, which has one of the worst records in modern history in barring public access to information.

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Abu Dhabi Arrests U.S. Woman For “Insulting The United Arab Emirates”

220px-13-08-06-abu-dhabi-airport-16The media is still trying to learn details about the latest arrest of a Westerner in the Middle East for the exercise of free speech. The 25-year-old woman was reportedly arrested in Abu Dhabi for insulting the United Arab Emirates. This allegedly occurred while waiting for a taxi at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

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Report: 80 Percent of China’s Northeast Now Unsafe For Drinking

130px-Mao_Zedong_portraitWe have been following the environmental meltdown in China from lethal levels of air pollution to “cancer villages” from industrial waste. The latest report comes from the water ministry and, while some are questioning whether there is full disclosure of water contamination, the official position is shocking enough. According to the report, more than 80% of rural wells in China’s north-east contain water unsafe for drinking. It is the safety of water in urban areas that is being questioned but the government insists that the water is fine.

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Missouri Lawyer Suspended After Using Confidential Information Obtained By Husband Who Guessed Estranged Wife’s Password

Seal_of_Missouri.svggavel2There is an interesting decision out of the Missouri Supreme Court where lawyer Joel Eisenstein has been suspended with leave to file for reinstatement in six months. Eisenstein used information obtained by his divorce client by guessing his wife’s email password, including confidential information given by his wife’s lawyer. It is equally incredible to see how Eisenstein was found out.

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Norwegian Politician Gives Controversial Interview Discussing His Rape By Somali and Feelings of Guilt After The Rapist Was Deported

karsten_main_2787531aA story in Norway has attracted international attention after Karsten Nordal Hauken, a male leftist politician, stated how he was racked with “guilt and responsibility” that his rapist, a Somali man, was deported after serving time for his rape. In a documentary series entitled “I Against Me,” Hauken describes how he felt relief at the news that the Somali man was to be deported but then also felt guilt that he was the cause of the deportation.

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WiFatwa: Islamic Regulators In Dubai Issue Fatwa Against Using Neighbor’s WiFi

200px-Wifi_logoThou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s WiFi. Dubai’s Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department has issue a fatwa or religious edict that using WiFi from your neighbor without permission is unIslamic. The common practice is a sinful act of stealing according to the Islamic experts, even if the neighbor has not locked out other users.

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TENTH CIRCUIT REVERSES SISTER WIVES DECISION

ad611-sister-wives-season-4This afternoon, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued its decision in Brown v. Buhman, No. 14-4117, reversing the decision striking down the cohabitation provision of the Utah polygamy law. The opinion of the panel is attached below. The panel ruled entirely on standing grounds and did not address the merits of the constitutional violations committed in the case. As lead counsel in the case, I have been going over the opinion with our team including our local counsel, Adam Alba, as well as the Brown family. We respectfully disagree with the panel on its interpretation of the governing law and we will appeal the decision.
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Blackhawks Sued After Loud Drunk Falls Two Rows And Crushes Another Fan

200px-ChicagoBlackhawksLogo.svgWith the Blackhawks heading into the playoffs for their eighth constitutive season, I am again in pigs heaven (though a bit nervous about starting with Duncan Keith in a roller coaster season after his thuggish conduct and well-deserved suspension). Yet, the post-regular season Blackhawks period before we play the Blues will not be without hockey action to watch. Fan John Cooke is suing the team after being crushed by a falling drunken fan at United Center on May 23rd. While widely ridiculed in Chicago, I think that the lawsuit raises some valid issues of negligence and could present an interesting case for issues like proximate cause. Judging from the complaint (which is admittedly one-sided), the “At Your Service” security contractor may be the ultimate misnomer for fans.

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Kentucky Derby Party Cancelled For “Recreating An Antebellum South Atmosphere”

250px-Derby220px-Dartmouth_College_shield.svgWe have been discussing the battle over free speech on colleges and universities, particularly with the rise of protests and/or sanctions over “microaggressions” and speech deemed insulting or disparaging to any group. The latest such controversy is at Dartmouth College where a Kentucky Derby party hosted by Kappa Delta Epsilon was cancelled after protests that it was a racist demonstration. The objections however seem disconnected to the historical record of the race.

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