Wal-Mart Recalls Donkey Meat In China As Containing Fox Meat

225px-New_Walmart_Logo250px-Donkey_1_arp_750pxNormally, a product containing donkey meat would be the reason for a recall. However, in China, it is the lack of donkey meat that has caused a scandal. The Chinese have found that a produce called “Five Spice” donkey meat contained traced of meat from other animals, particularly fox meat. We previously saw scandals involving rancid or rat meat being sold in China. However, from a Western sensibilities standpoint, this is a rather novel claim that donkey meat was contaminated by non-donkey meat.

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Federal Prosecutors Charge White Man With Hate Crime After “Knockout” Game

conrad-alvin-barrett.jpg.siThe Justice Department has decided to charge Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, with a hate crime in the “knockout game”-style attack against a black victim in Katy, Texas. The victim was a 79-year-old black man. The prosecution — and heavy punishment — of Barrett is clearly warranted if found guilty of the attack. However, the intervention of the Obama Administration is being questioned and is likely to add to preexisting concerns over the use of hate crimes to federalize state criminal actions and the standard for such prosecutions.

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Indian Police Hijack Hearse Of Gang Rape Victim To Take Body For Forced Cremation

India flagWe have been discussing of the continuing rape epidemic in India, including repeated rapes by police officers in that country or efforts by police to shield rapists. Police in Kolkata reached a new level of abuse in actually hijacking the hearse of a victim who was gang-raped and dumped at at a hospital for nine days with fatal burns. The police then tried to force the family to agree to an immediate cremation.

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Australian Court Rules Widow Entitled To War Pension After Husband Dies 64 Years After World War II Service . . . From Salt Consumption

chow_on_the_beach220px-Salt_shaker_on_white_backgroundThere is an interesting ruling by an administrative appellate court in Australia this week awarding an Army widow a pension after the death of her husband in July 2012. Clement Hutton had hypertension and Shirley Hutton argued that he became addicted to salt while serving in the Australian army in World War II.

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Sotomayor Grants Last-Minute Stay In Obamacare Challenge From Catholic-Related Groups

250px-Sonia_Sotomayor_in_SCOTUS_robe220px-New_Year_Ball_Drop_Event_for_2012_at_Times_SquareMany of us stayed up to midnight last night and watched the ball come down in Times Square. If you were still sober enough to notice, the person triggering the dissent was none other than Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. It turns out that that was not the only thing that she was doing on New Year’s Eve. Late Tuesday with only hours to go before January 1st — and the activation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — Sotomayor granted a stay requested by Catholic-affiliated groups to prevent the implementation of part of the ACA to require them to supply contraceptive services to employees in violation of their religious beliefs. The decision follows a refusal of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to issue a stay. The stay order by Sotomayor was requested from Catholic nuns running the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged in Denver and now joins a stay issued earlier by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

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Meet Thomas Mooneyham, Chicago’s Hottest Bartender

10e2f63f65ce63ee8e1c306237cef2c0Through the years, I have taken great pride in the success of two of my nephews as leading bartenders in Chicago. Jason Turley was previously the subject of a blog entry and I cannot resist bragging about my nephew Thomas Mooneyham. Thomas Mooneyham has become the rage in Chicago as the hottest bartender in the city. He is the lead bartender at The Gage restaurant and he has been featured in variouspublications. Having heard about the rave reviews of Thomas’ new drinks, Leslie and I went to the restaurant last week to find out for ourselves. They were honestly some of the best cocktails that I have ever had. Truly.

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Nevada Commission Finds Judge Guilty In Unethical Relationship With Prosecutor

gavel2Nevada Suspended Family Court Judge Steven Jones has been found guilty of unethical conduct in his romantic relationship with former Deputy District Attorney Lisa Willardson. Willardson appeared before Jones. Jones was also accused of retaliating against two deputy district attorneys who helped expose his relationship but that charge was not proven.

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Are You or Have You Ever Been a Member of the ASA? New York Legislators To Move To Ban Funds To Schools Associated With Israeli Boycott

Unknown-2Unknown-1We previously discussed how the American Studies Association joined a growing boycott of Israeli institutions, which is part of an even broader boycott of Israeli goods in many stores. There are good points to be made on both sides, including the absence of such boycotts for Chinese institutions and those of other abusive nations. However, we should all be able to agree that the response of New York legislator Dov Hikind is excessive and absurd. Hikind is showing his support for Israel by pushing legislation to cut off money to colleges involved in American Studies Association. He ignores the fact that the ASA resolution is non-binding and an expression of opposition to Israel’s policies as opposed to an enforceable ban. However, he wants to cut off whole institutions for even a loose association with a group that has condemned Israel. It is precisely the type of unhinged reaction that has distorted the debate over Middle East policies. He is being joined by Jeffrey Klein (right), another Democrat.

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New York Shelter Worker Arrested For Allegedly Taking $500 To Care For Dog And Then Throwing Her Into Dumpster

3117659_GPapinimugshotFor animal rights advocates, Michael Papini, 30, could be the ultimate fallen angel is allegations against him are proven. The Suffolk County SPCA says that it was a videotape of Papini throwing a plastic bag into a dumpster that they say contained the female Lhasa Apso shown above. He is being charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty, animal abandonment, and other related charges.

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Hare And Hype: Iowa Professor Resigns After Admitting To Faking AIDS Vaccine Research

IowaStateUniversitySeal220px-Whiterabbit86-300Iowa State University professor Dr. Dong-Pyou Han has resigned after admitting he falsely claimed results to suggest a breakthrough in a vaccine for the AIDS vaccine.  Han received a $19 million grant after reporting that rabbit blood could be turned into a vaccine. Turns out it was just hare and hype.

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India Muslim Party Reportedly Calls For Homosexuals To Be Executed

India flagRainbowFlagWe recently discussed the Indian courts reinstating the criminalization of homosexuality in that country.  Now, the Indian National League, a Muslim political party, has reportedly launched a public campaign calling for all homosexuals to be killed under the nation’s death penalty. The posters appearing around the country also claims that freedom of expression is being abused by gays and lesbians in advocating their cause. This story has appeared on a couple of gay rights sites covering India but has not appeared in the mainstream press.

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Scandal Rocks Utahans Utahns In Sister Wives Case

240px-sister_wives_tv_series_logoScandal gripped the Sister Wives case last week with the statement released on this blog. In my statement responding to the decision to appeal the decision striking down the criminalization of cohabitation, I included the following line: “these are not Utahan rights but American rights.” I consciously used “Utahan” rather than “Utahn” as preferred by many in the state. This results in a couple news sites running the quote with a correction for a misspelling: Turley wrote. “Nevertheless, these are not Utahan (sic) rights but American rights. It will be an honor to defend this decision, and the rights of the Brown family, in Denver.” I stand by my decision in the use of Utahan as correct despite the disagreement from many of my Utahn friends.

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