This video was posted by a family who says that they were terrified when Georgia DeKalb Sheriff deputies came to their home around 1:30 am and virtually tore down their door. It turns out that this is all about an unpaid civil fine by the mother, Natania Griffin, who was 15 days late in paying $1,000. What is notable is the deputy repeatedly threatening the man while referring to his videotaping them.
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There was a national controversy created recently when a rodeo clown, Tuffy Gessling, put together an act involving a President Barack Obama mask at the Missouri State Fair. The announcer reportedly called out “This bull’s going to get’cha, Obama! He’s gonna get’cha!” The reaction was fierce. Gessling was given a lifetime ban and the announcer, Mark Ficken, resigned. All clowns will now have to go through a “sensitivity training” course after the incident. However, The President of the Missouri Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Mary Radliff is calling for the prosecution of the key players for a hate crime. Radliff’s statements shows how broad this controversial crime has become and how it can now threaten free speech principles.
The Louhe City Zoo in People’s Park advertized a real African lion to pull in visitors. However, when the lion had to be sent off for breeding, the zoo was short an attraction. So, the operators went and got a large Tibetan mastiff and told people it was a lion. They did the same with wolf exhibit where a dog played the role of a white fox. In the leopard exhibit visitors were actually watching a common white fox. It all worked swimmingly well until the lion started to bark.
This week we got another insight into the focus of the security agencies in the United States. Documents revealed that the U.S. Secret Service kept free-information activist Aaron Swartz under close watch until he killed himself following an abusive prosecution by the Administration. At the same time, the CIA reportedly zeroed in on famed MIT linguistics professor Noam Chomsky despite earlier denials. The prior investigation of Chomsky and the more recent investigation of Swartz shows little has changed in how civil libertarians are viewed by the government.
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Jesse Jackson, Jr. was sentenced yesterday to 2 1/2 years for his crimes while a congressman from Illinois. His wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson was sentenced to 12 months in prison for her role in the crimes. The couple was shocked by sentence, even though average citizens often go away for much longer periods for a fraction of the money stolen by the Jackson family. In this case, the Jacksons misappropriated $750,000 but will spend less than three years in jail. This is not an inconsequential sentence. However, the reduction of charges and credit for “cooperation” by the prosecutors is a bit of a surprise given the long course of misconduct and evasion by Jesse Jackson Jr., who publicly claimed credit yesterday for “manning up” to his responsibilities.
Continue reading “Jackson Given Less Than Three Years For Stealing $750,000”
Surgeon Emmanuel Labram is facing misconduct charges this month after a woman came forward with an allegation that he told her that had successfully removed her brain tumor when he had not. Labram allegedly encouraged her not to seek further treatment after her surgery at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland. (picture shows brain scan from different case)
Buying vehicles at government auctions can come with obvious perils that range from past damage to poor maintenance to wear and tear. However, the Duarte family appears to have discovered another peril when they unwittingly smuggled drugs from the U.S. to Mexico. Sergio Torres Duarte, 18, and his 19-year-old friend Julio Cesar Moreno were arrested after being stopped on their way to a soccer match near the resort city of Mazatlan and police found 2.2 pounds of cocaine beneath the dashboard of their blue 2004 Toyota Sienna. While we do not see many cases of people smuggling drugs from the United States to Mexico, the teens were arrested despite their pleas of innocence. Torres Duarte’s father, also named Sergio Torres, did some research and found that the van was seized in a drug raid and police found drugs, but apparently missed some before sending the vehicle for auction. Nevertheless, the boys remain in a Mexican jail.
For those who follow the Big Bang Theory, one of the most curious accomplishments of the character Sheldon Cooper is luminescent fish. Now, scientists from universities in Turkey and Hawaii have done Cooper one better: luminescent rabbits. That’s right, bunnies that glow in the dark. They have also produced glowing cats and cockroaches.
Continue reading “Lepus Lumina: Scientists Develop Glowing Rabbits”
President Barack Obama was widely ridiculed last week for his latest effort to quiet public unrest over his massive warrantless surveillance programs. As we discussed, Obama made statements on the program and Snowden that were disengenuous at best and viewed by civil libertarians as facially dishonest. His main “reform” was the rather laughable suggestion that his Administration, once again, would review itself and he would create yet another hand-picked committee to monitor his unchecked authority. While some of us said that Obama’s comments showed almost open contempt for the intelligence of the public and the independence of the press, nothing prepared us this week for his announcement on who would head the review: National Intelligence Chief John Clapper. That’s right. Clapper, the man who admitted to lying before Congress on these programs and has been protected by Congress and Attorney General Eric Holder from a perjury charge. The White House announced Clapper’s selection on Monday and Clapper issued a statement announcing his intention to find a way to preserve national security while “maintaing the public trust.” On Tuesday, the outcry over Clapper’s selection led the White House to try to backpedal and explain this insulting appointment. The White House now says that Clapper will not “lead” the panel and that it will remain “independent” even with his looming presence.
There is a tragic case out of Michigan that could present a novel controversy under the “one free bite” rule for dogs. A 33-year-old man tried to “befriend” a pit bull by putting his face up to the dog and sticking his tongue out. The pit bull proceeded to bite off the man’s tongue, or at least a significant part of it.
The New Mexico Supreme Court has attracted considerable attention this week with its ruling in the State of New Mexico v. Samora where it ruled that courts could not exclude jurors who did not speak English. Michael Anthony Samora was charged with first-degree murder and other crimes for the bludgeoning death of his girlfriend and a subsequent robbery and stabbing at an Albuquerque convenience store. He appealed on the grounds that a juror was excluded because he could not follow the proceedings in English. The Court agreed but found that the error did not deny him a fair trial.
I saw this picture on Reddit and marveled at the obsessive-compulsive thinking that goes into the spoon scoop. My question is whether the drawer of spoon scoops has a scoop scoop itself. I made me wonder what is the most obsessive rule or sign in your work place. I was once at an office where someone put zip lock bags to secure and seal used coffee filters before discarding them.
Continue reading “The Spoon Scoop And The Scourge of Drawer Contamination”
I have previously discussed the curiosity of California’s Democratic leaders in Congress leading the fight for massive warrantless surveillance and attacks on privacy. California Senator Dianne Feinstein has long been viewed as hazard to civil liberties from her knowledge of the torture program to consistent support for the expansion of a security state system. Feinstein is now back in that ignoble role this week, fighting to limit the meaning of journalist to prevent bloggers and others from being able to claim protections from surveillance or compelled testimony. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has joined Feinstein in seeking to define most people out of protections for media.
It is inevitable that, as more states recognize same-sex marriage, a host of collateral conflicts will arise over the use of such marriage licenses. One is at the heart of a controversy in Kentucky. Geneva Case, 49, has invoked spousal privilege to shield her from testifying against her spouse. It just so happens that her spouse is another woman: making this the first known spousal privilege claims for a same sex couple. The privilege is being invoked in a murder trial in Kentucky.
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Now this could make for an interesting tort lawsuit. Detroit police officers were surprised this week to get an email from a Commander Dwayne Love that listed the names of female officers and their bra sizes and weight. The email dealt with bullet proof vests and the information was mistakenly included. The question is whether such information could be used as a basis for a tort action.
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