It appears that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has found the secret to winning the hearts and minds of voters: invade their territory and install a corrupt pocket government. In the midst of widespread allegations of voting fraud by Putin’s United Russia and massive protests against the authoritarian Putin, the government has announced that United Russia secured a whopping 99.48 percent of the vote with 99.51 percent of the citizens voting. Of course, the chances of Putin discovering votes in Chechnya is about as likely as finding two ancient artifacts lying in the open on the ocean floor in his first scuba diva.
Continue reading “Chechnya Loves Putin: Russian Government Announces 99.5 Percent of Chechens Voted For Putin”
The Washington Post has an interesting article on “The Aging Brain” this week. I was particularly drawn to one observation . . .
Continue reading “The Aging Brain and the Torts Professor”
Riding high from his mention by the ABA Journal in its Top Blog competition, my son Benjamin brought me this gem from Russia.
Continue reading “I Give You The Demonic Russian Cat”
I have previously criticized Virginia Tech for its well-documented failures in the massacre of its students and faculty in 2007 while commending the actions of individuals like Professor Liviu Librescu who surpassed the school’s negligence with their own selfless heroism. One of the most outrageous aspects of the aftermath of the massacre was the use of ridiculously low liability caps of $100,000 in Virginia to deny recovery of reasonable damages by the families — and avoid full accountability over the school’s negligent conduct. Now the school is challenging a mere $55,000 fine for its negligence — a pittance in terms of the millions that it avoided through liability caps. While the school motto is Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), it views that in strictly non-monetary terms.
Continue reading “Virginia Tech Challenges $55,000 Fine For Negligence in 2007 Massacre”
Mark Curran is a presumed sexual harasser under investigation in South Boston. Nothing strange there. There are unfortunately a great number of sexual harassers in every city, but Mark Curran is seven. Officials at South Boston elementary school have informed his parents that Mark is the subject of a sexual harassment investigation after he kicked another boy in the crotch.
Continue reading “School Investigates Seven-Year-Old Boy For Sexual Harassment After Kicking Another Boy In The Groin”
We have been watching the national and international campaign by leaders against atheists, who appear to be fair game for hateful, ill-informed rhetoric. Even Newt Gingrich (who has been criticized for violating two oaths to God in having affairs while married) has campaigned on the need for any candidate to be faithful. Recent polls show these statements are playing to the majority bias against non-believers. Now, researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Oregon have released the results of a study that shows that religious people would just as soon trust a rapist as they would an atheist or non-believer.
Continue reading “Poll: Atheists Trusted As Much As . . . Rapists”
For fans of Breaking Bad, Professor Irina Kristy, 74, would seem to walk right out of central casting. The math professor from Boston was arrested with her son and accused of dealing methamphetamine from her home.
Continue reading “Meth Math: Massachusetts Professor Arrested For Allegedly Dealing Drugs From Home”
For those of you having trouble getting out of the bed, this film of destruction of the dam at the White Salmon River in Washington state should help motivate you.
Continue reading “Your Morning Motivator: The Condit Dam”
There is an interesting potential tort lawsuit in the making in the movie “Breaking Dawn.” The Maryland-based Epilepsy Foundation issued a warning on Facebook to roughly 11,000 followers that the movie may cause seizures and should be avoided for those prone to certain types of seizures.
Continue reading “Is The Movie “Breaking Dawn” Harmful To Your Health? Foundation Issues Seizure Warning To Potential Moviegoers”
NewsMax succeeded against all odds this month in finding a way to actually lower the standard of American politics even further with an invitation to Donald Trump (reality television star and professional uber-egotist) to moderate the next presidential debate. Not surprisingly, only two candidates immediately declined on the grounds that the presidential office demands a modicum of dignity: Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman. These two men continue to try to bring some level of principle to the debate and have been rewarded by being continually marginalized by the media. Newt Gingrich just accepted the invitation.
Continue reading “The Presidential Apprentice: NewsMax Selects Donald Trump To Moderate Next Presidential Debate”
The Senate of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has passed a new law that will impose 14-year sentences on citizens found to be homosexuals. In addition, anyone who aids or “abets” same-sex unions will face 10 years in prison. The latter provision seems directed at human rights groups that work to help gays and lesbians who often face violence and discrimination in the country.
Continue reading “Nigerian Legislators Pass New Law Imposing 14-Year Sentences For Homosexuality”
In Nanuet, New York, parents are irate after a second-grade teacher reportedly told her 7-year-old students that there is no Santa and that their parents leave the presents under the tree. In Chicago, the FOX Chicago news anchor Robin Robinson decided to make the case to a bigger audience and proclaimed on the news show that Santa was not real and parents should tell their kids that the presents come from them.
Continue reading “Santa Slips: Teacher and Reporter Under Fire Over Santa Comments”
As the class prepares for finals, I thought I would share the ultimate curve breaker. This woman guesses one letter and solves the entire puzzle on Wheel of Fortune.
Continue reading “Wheel of Fortune Savant”
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
A lot of interesting news stories have broken since I last posted at the Turley Blawg nearly a month ago. I’ve kept a running list of them. The story I decided to post about today is one that I placed under the heading “Asinine and Inane Ideas of the 2012 Presidential Candidates.” Now, truth be told, I had a plethora of stories from which to choose…so it wasn’t
easy. I finally selected one about the new Republican frontrunner, a man who has worn many hats—former professor, author, ethically challenged Speaker of the House, serial adulterer, historian, covert lobbyist, king of bling—the one and only Newt Gingrich!
I have often heard talking heads on television refer to Newt Gingrich as the “Ideas Man” and the “intellectual” of the Republican Party. It may be true that Newt has a lot of ideas—but I have to question whether the talking heads consider all of his ideas to be good ideas. I admit that even I was surprised when I heard Newt’s recent pronouncement that child labor laws are stupid when he spoke at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. I was truly taken aback when he suggested that school janitors should be fired and that poor kids should clean the schools that they attended.
Continue reading “The Republicans’ “Ideas Man” & The Junior Janitors of America”
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
I have watched the Occupy Wall Street marches and protests and the recent protests in Wisconsin and Ohio with great interest. In my opinion, these protestors are on the front line in the battle to protect our First Amendment rights. As we have seen, some of them have paid a heavy price when they have been beaten and gassed and eventually arrested. Some States and cities are now attempting to raise the cost of defending your First Amendment rights by charging protestors for the cost of police “protection” and the use of city services! In Wisconsin, the embattled Governor, Scott Walker, has issued new rules that may actually take this trend of restricting our First Amendment rights to a new low. Continue reading “What Price Would You Pay For Your First Amendment Rights?”