Ever wonder why clowns are so creepy? I just saw this old commercial on Reddit and had to share it. It is guaranteed to produce not only a clownphobic response but an eating disorder in any child.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
For a bit of a break from this weekend’s topics on troublesome issues we bring you a new dawn in primate research. It is true, monkeys like horror movies.
Researchers in Kyoto, Japan were interested in if chimpanzees and their cousins bonobos could display the trait of long term memory through anticipating and predicting outcomes of two similar situations. To do this, the primates were placed watching a movie with an eye tracking device to gauge their interests and whether they would predict what would happen next. Just like in any human horror movie, when the teenage actor looks to the left, we anticipate the zombie will attack from the right.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The Internet Order company, known for its product “The Pimsleur Approach” language software sold online, has agreed to pay a one million dollar fine to settle charges by the Washington Attorney General who alleges the company violated consumer protection laws by engaging in what is referred to as a Negative Option Trap.
Negative option billing, is the business practice of automatically billing a consenting consumer for products or services of which the consumer must pay or cancel in advance of delivery. Washington State law treats deceptive Negative Option Billing as a violation of the consumer protection act and also considers unsolicited goods delivered to a consumer to be gifts and the recipient has no obligation to pay.
The investigation began after an advertisement program offering to sell consumers a language instructional CDs for the introductory price of $9.95. Consumers complained that afterward they were unexpectedly billed for additional language CDs every sixty days for in some cases reportedly $64.00 each.
Continue reading “Internet Order To Pay Million Dollar Penalty For Alleged Negative Option Trap”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
After a internal affairs investigation of several alleged actions of a Seattle Police Officer, Chief Kathleen O’Toole terminated the employment of Officer Cynthia Whitlatch following the detention and arrest of a citizens for Obstructing a Law Enforcement officer stemming from a claim, later ruled to be false, that the citizen swung a golf club at her. The termination, according to SPD, did not rely solely on this incident but was resulting from similar incidents involving citizen contacts and allegations of racially inappropriate statements during the internal affairs investigation.
The incident should serve as a reminder to those in similar positions of Ms. Whitlatch of the importance of proper discretion and of accepting one’s faults and not blaming everyone else for mistakes. Nevertheless the incident elicited an apology to the citizenry and the accused person for an incident that should never have occurred.
Continue reading “Seattle Police Officer Sacked After Questionable Arrest Of Man Carrying Golf Club”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The BBC presented an engaging and informative report concerning how the unprecedented demand for rare earth elements is leading to environmental degradation, especially in developing countries. It proposes that one of the ironic tragedies of manufacturing green technologies is that it is leading to concentrations of pollution in specific areas. This also brings forth the importance of having a conversation about advanced, consumer societies needing to engage in much self reflection on the causes of the insatiable appetites consumers have for top of the line electronics. Of which are designed with quick obsolescence as a business model.
Continue reading “Rare Earths Mining And Processing Leading To Much Pollution In The East”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The Internal Revenue Service made new policy that it will no longer accept checks greater than 99,999,999.99. That’s right, the IRS is refusing a payment method from large corporations or billionaires. With the public debt growing at worrying rates, one would think they would take any money they can get. They certainly are all the more willing to accept checks form lesser beings such as average citizens and small businesses. Your author, however, is still accepting very large checks from anyone wishing to make a donation.
Reportedly, processing equipment at the Federal Reserve is unable to handle checks of the prohibited value, requiring clearing by hand. Also, in memos between the IRS and the Treasury it is claimed that such transactions would be subject to fraud, error, and theft. Realistically it shows a flaw in the federal system and harks of outdated equipment and software.
Continue reading “IRS Will Refuse To Accept Checks Of 100 Million Dollars Or More”
We have previously discussed how anti-discrimination laws sometime collide with businesses that strive to maintain a certain look in its employees from newscasters to shop clerks to waitresses. This includes the recent judgment against Abercombie over an employee seeking to wear an Islamic cover over her hair. Now a business has prevailed in New Jersey in claiming the right to enforce appearance standards, including weight limitations, for its waitresses. Twenty-one servers sued Borgata Casino in claiming that they were objectified and demeaned by the casino in being forced to maintain slim figures in their role as “Borgata Babes.” A state appellate court ruled that the casino could impose the requirement so long as it is down fairly and equally. It remanded the case to determine however if there were otherwise acts that constitutes a hostile work place. The appellate opinion is available below.
We have been discussing the controversy over a man from Qatar who went on a dangerous high-speed chase in a yellow Ferrari and then both threatened a reporter and claimed diplomatic immunity. He informed the reporter that he could kill him with utter immunity from prosecution and topped off that threat by saying “F*** America.” It is now confirmed that this disgraceful thug is a member of Qatar’s ruling family: Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar’s ruling family. Al-Thani claimed immunity but does not actually have it. However, by some incredible sequence of events, Al-Thani was allowed to flee the country to avoid any accountability.
Continue reading “Qatar Prince Who Claimed Immunity In High-Speed Chase Flees The Country”
Today I leave (reluctantly) Utah and its immense beauty. After the final event at the the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University. I rushed back to the hotel and set off for a hike in the mountains around Sundance. As you have likely seen on television, the area has been inundated by rains that produced massive flashing flooding in some parts of the state. However, the rain abated in the afternoon and I took off for the trails. It was spectacular.
When the case of the shooting of a Chicago police officer in 2012 came to the chambers of Cook County Circuit Judge Thaddeus Wilson, the court saw something that it said was obvious to anyone who has done any practice in the criminal law: the statement of the mother of the suspect Paris Sadler was free of any corrections or edits. Since the mother Talaina Cureton said that she had edited and corrected the statement prepared by Assistant Cook County state’s attorney Joseph Lattanzio, it was a curious fact. However, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, long criticized for her policies such as prosecuting citizens who dare to video police in public, fought to block any effort to reexamine the statement and denied that her office omitted critical information. Now, it appears that one of those videotapes that Alvarez hates, existed showing Cureton editing the statement. Lattanzio has been fired. However, once again, without the videotape, Alvarez’s office would have likely succeeded in blocking the challenge and protecting the prosecutorial misconduct.
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, had thought that he had achieved something that would garner praise at at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. He had made a homemade digital clock from a pencil case. Instead, teachers called police and Ahmed was interrogated and taken to the police station on suspicion of a bomb hoax. UPDATE: some critics have expressed doubt over the clock as well as the narrative.
Continue reading “Texas Teen Named Mohamed Arrested After Making Digital Clock And Taking It To School”
We have previously discussed the myriad of discriminatory rules facing women in Iran under that country’s application of Islamic rules. Now one of those archaic rules has cost the country’s soccer team it’s captain. Niloufar Ardalan, 30, will not be competing in Malaysia because her husband refused to sign papers to allow his wife to renew her passport. The Asian Football Confederation Futsal Championship is set to run from Sept. 21-26.
A University of Kentucky law student, Peyton Wilson, 24, has been charged with wanton endangerment after allegedly flying a drone at Commonwealth Stadium just before the season opener game against Louisiana-Lafayette. It is the latest such case of drones harassing or endangering people on beaches, streets, or stadiums.
Continue reading “University of Kentucky Student Arrested After Crashing Drone At Football Game”
I have the honor today and tomorrow of speaking at the Utah Valley University’s annual Constitutional Conference sponsored by The Center for Constitutional Studies. The CCS, under Director Rick Griffin, has blossomed into an extraordinary center for intellectual exchange in Orem, Utah with figures regularly brought from all over the world to discuss a myriad of legal and policy questions. This conference is particularly fortunate to have a group of diverse academics and lawyers, including Judge Sir Christopher Greenwood, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Judge on the International Court of Justice. Sir Christopher will give a keynote address entitled “The Powers and Privileges of U.S. Presidents Abroad under International Law.” He is one of the truly towering figures in international law.
We have yet another child criminally charged for something that at one time would have been treated as a mere conduct issue warranting a note to a parent. In Pikesville, Maryland, a 13-year-old will be charged with second-degree assault for kissing a 14-year-old girl on a dare. This absurd case began with school officials calling police who pursued the minor on criminal assault charges.
Continue reading “Police Charge 13-Year-old Boy With Assault for Kissing Girl On A Dare”