After excerpts from Ahmed Naji’s novel Istikhdam al-Hayat, or Using Life, were published in a literary newspaper, a reader brought charges against the author and said that reading sexually explicit passages caused him distress and heart palpitations. An Egyptian court has now sentenced the author to two years in jail for public indecency. Notably, Naji was first acquitted by a court in Egypt on the basis of free speech, however the prosecution appealed. He was retried and convicted.
We recently discussed the difficulty faced by the lawyers for Curtis James Jackson III (aka 50 Cent). While claiming bankruptcy, 50 Cent posted an image of himself with piles of money spelling out the word “broke.” Just to make sure that the court did not miss the disconnect, 50 Cent also posted himself on a bed covered with piles of money. Judge Ann Nevin responded by ordering 50 Cent to appear in court to explain. Despite the court order, 50 Cent published a new picture that shows him in front of a tower of money while referencing his song “Too Rich for the B—h.”
While the Obama Administration has staked a great deal on moderates in the Iranian regime, it is hard to see much progress in the Islamic Republic. That was made clear this week with the news that forty state-run Iranian media outlets have jointly offered a new $600,000 bounty for the death of British Indian author Salman Rushdie. Ayatollah Khomeini, the First Supreme Leader of Iran, issued the fatwa against Rushdie on charges of blasphemy for his novel The Satanic Verses on 15 February, 1989. Ayatollah Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in 2005 in the hateful fatwa remains in full force not just against Rushdie but anyone associated with the book. The fatwa captures the continuing problem that Islamic countries have with basic free speech and free exercise rights.
Yesterday we discussed the Argentinians who thoughtlessly passed around two rare dolphins for selfies, killing at least one of the dolphins. Now a Florida man has outdone the callous disregard of those beachgoers but gleefully being filmed as he pulled a shark out of the water and then pinned it in the sand for photographs. The man shows absolutely no concern for the pain that he is causing the animal or the possible lethal exposure outside of the water.
Continue reading “Florida Man Pulls Shark Out of Water and Then Poses On Top Of It For Photographs”
I have made no secret of my dislike for monarchies — an illogical and wasteful system of government, including the maintenance of “figure head” royal families as in England. The lunacy of such systems was brought home with the visit of Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to one of Cambodia’s poorest areas (where sanitation is virtually unavailable). The government will spend over $40,000 to build her a luxury toilet for one night with silver railings, tile roofing, and air conditioning. It will them be disassembled after her departure. This is taking the concept of a hereditary throne too far.
A sex offender was sentenced this month in one of the more frightening criminal plans. Patrick James Fredericksen, 31, pleaded no contest to charges that he stole a school bus in Emery County, Utah and tried to pick up children.
Continue reading “Convicted Sex Offender In Utah Steals Bus And Tries To Pick Up School Children”
It is bad enough to represent a guy in a bankruptcy case named “50 Cent.” It is even more difficult when your client says that he is broke and then posts an image of himself with piles of money spelling out the word “broke.” Just to make sure that the court did not miss the disconnect, Curtis James Jackson III (aka 50 Cent) also posted himself on a bed covered with piles of money. It worked. Judge Ann Nevin and his creditors took notice and now 50 Cent has been called to court. Jackson seems to be competing with the bankrupt Kanye West for the world’s greatest certifiable numbskull. The pictures however raise a question of the significance of such pictures used to maintain the “bad boy” image of such personalities.
I have been a long critic of copyright and trademark claims that seem to be growing exponentially with companies claiming ownership over basic words and images in a feeding frenzy of claims. Despite growing objections of the civil and criminal sanctions imposed under such claims, lobbyists have had little difficulty in expanding these laws and regulations. Now a federal judge has shown just how fluid these claims can be. Because Skechers and Adidas both have classic white tennis shoes with green heels, the federal judge has enjoined Skechers to stop selling the shoe and two other styles “confusingly similar” to Adidas offerings. I see two classic shoes with similar heels. I fail to see why Adidas should be able to claim this “look” as its own property. The order is linked below.
Continue reading “Federal Judge Enjoins Skechers From Selling Shoes With Similar “Look” To Adidas”
We have yet another TSA agent arrested for theft this month. Daniel Ortiz, Jr., 39, was caught removing a $1,000 watch from a passenger’s bag during a security screening and putting it in his pocket at the Newark airport.
Continue reading “TSA Officer In Newark Caught Swiping $1000 Watch At Security Gate”
This disturbing picture shows one of two Franciscana dolphins that were pulled from the water by bathers at an Argentinan resort and then passed around for pictures and petting. The crowd continues to manhandle the dolphins until one died and was just discarded on the sand by these thoughtless swimmers and beachgoers. The Franciscana dolphins have been diminishing in number.
Continue reading “Rare Dolphin Killed After Being Passed Around For Selfies On Beach”
Cara L. Gallagher, Weekend Contributor
Last week, the internet of trolls solace public opinion melted for a few days grounding every other political story to a halt. Justice Scalia suddenly died and a confluence of voices, both allies and foes, shouted loud enough to practically awake him from the dead. Once they quieted, the memorials began. Moments and stories told by those who knew him, Scalia “best-of” lists, and the resurrection of “argle-bargle” – Just when I thought we’d finally buried that phrase – dominated the news cycles, stealing the spotlight from Donald Trump. So many charming Scalia moments pointed to the complexity of a man I myself had complex feelings about.
My Scalia moment happened in July of 2012, my first year working at C-SPAN. My boss and mentor, Brian Lamb, knew my affinity for the Supreme Court and invited me to join him at the taping of a Q&A interview with the Justice, who’d just written his book Reading Law. After the interview, Justice Scalia’s handler shot me daggers as I hovered outside the green room. Had Mr. Lamb not intervened by introducing us, the picture below would never have happened. Here’s how one of my greatest celebrity moments went down:
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral was held Saturday, February 20th, 2016 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Roman Catholic church in North America. We now feature the videography of his funeral service.
Continue reading “Justice Antonin Scalia’s Funeral Mass”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai expressed his worry of the waning of free speech rights in American. The suppression of dissenting speech on college campuses and Twitter he believes are prime examples.
“I think th[is] poses a special danger to a country that cherishes First Amendment speech, freedom of expression, even freedom of association. I think it’s dangerous, frankly, that we don’t see more often people espousing the First Amendment view that we should have a robust marketplace of ideas where everybody should be willing and able to participate.
Largely what we’re seeing, especially on college campuses, is that if my view is in the majority and I don’t agree with your view, then I have the right to shout you down, disrupt your events, or otherwise suppress your ability to get your voice heard.”
The text of the First Amendment is enshrined in our Constitution, but there are certain cultural values that undergird the amendment that are critical for its protections to have actual meaning.”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
A thirty-six-year-old man who suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a result of a use of force by a King County Washington sheriff’s deputy in 2009 has died as a result of his injuries, according to a Thurston County forensic pathologist. The coroner’s office determined the death to be caused by a homicide. This does not necessarily mean that the homicide was criminal in nature. It means that the death was caused as a result of a person and is not necessarily criminal nature. Such a determination is within the purview of the County Prosecutor’s Office.
I find the use of force to be troubling, however the deputy was cleared by both an internal affairs investigation and a review by the County prosecutor’s office. I do not agree with the findings of the IA but I recognize it would have been a difficult criminal case presented to a jury.
Continue reading “Man Dies After Being Slammed Against Concrete Wall In 2009 By Deputy Sheriff”
A Nigerian lawyer is testing the belief that you can never have too many lawyers. Prominent lawyer Rickey Tarfa is charged with the obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Justice Aishat Opesanwo was expected a robust defense but not a 90-lawyer team to show up in his court. Yet, as Oscar Wilde noted, “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”