A 17 year old girl in Pennsylvania was using her cell phone in school and it was taken away. The principal found on her cell phone inappropriate pictures of the girl who owned the phone and turned it in to the police. Now she is suing because she believes that her rights were violated. There seems to be a growing epidemic of students taking or being in possession of inappropriate pictures. Recently I had a discussion with my 16-year-old son making him aware that if he was ever sent a naked picture of a minor, he could be charged for … Continue reading →
Are you familiar with Knut, the baby polar bear born on December 5, 2006 at the Berlin Zoo in Germany? His mother rejected him and his twin brother at birth. (His twin died four days later.) Knut spent the first 44 days of his life in an incubator. During that time his life hung in the balance. It was similar to another famous polar bear abandonment scene. On November 6, 1994, Klondike and Snow were also abandoned at birth by their mother at the Denver Zoo. They were given only a 50/50 chance of surviving. But survive they did, and … Continue reading →
Prom is not cheap. Dressing for prom will drain your wallet even more. So, what happens when you find an affordable prom gown that flatters your figure, but you can’t wear it to the big dance because of a new school dress code? That’s the dilemma facing eighth grade girls at Readington Middle School in New Jersey. The school principal recently decided to ban strapless dresses from the year-end dinner dance, but did so after some parents had already forked over a pretty penny for their daughters’ fancy shoulder-baring frocks. Dozens of moms and dads are now taking to social … Continue reading →
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It is now official. There is a law in California that protects businesses from so called “predatory” lawsuits filed under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The purpose of this law is to protect the finances of business owners. It is not designed to protect the rights of people who have disabilities. This week, California Governor Jerry Brown has signed SB1186, the bill that was made by Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, (who is a Democrat), and Senator Bob Dutton, (who is a Republican). The law is going to protect businesses in California from what has been referred to as “frivolous” or … Continue reading →
Burma is a country in trouble. The economy isn’t good, the government is new, and it is under sanctions by many countries for human rights violations. To add to all that, many of the countries soldiers are children. Although Burma is a country trying desperately to clean up its act, problems remain. Child Soldiers International, a non-profit United Kingdom organization, is reporting that both military and civilian “brokers” search for children on the streets. When they find ones that can have their papers forged to show they are 18, they make these vulnerable children soldiers. How do you leave the … Continue reading →
I love Facebook. I have liked certain sites and every once in a while, a status gives me insight into things I either don’t know or haven’t thought of. Yesteday, it was a Mental Floss article about “modern” antiques, i.e. things today’s children have never seen. Boy, did I feel old when I saw #1 was a 45-rpm record adapter! However, today’s “Ah” moment on Facebook was not amusing. United to End Genocide posted that Burma has more child soldiers than any other country in the world. As a citizen of country where the majority of people try to protect … Continue reading →
Blue Shield Life and Health company wanted to close most of its individual insurance plans. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones disapproves of this closure, and says that it does not comply with state law. The insurer says that it will work with the Insurance Department before any rate hikes are imposed. In California, Blue Shield has stated that it intends on closing most of the individual health insurance plans that it currently offers. This is creating some controversy. The decision would affect around 248,000 people who live in California. To me, it sounds as though the insurer wants to get … Continue reading →
Recently, 43 Catholic organizations filed about a dozen lawsuits against the federal government. The groups feel that the federal requirement that all health insurance plans must cover birth control violates their religious freedom. This argument has no legal merit. There has been an ongoing battle regarding birth control. The federal government defines birth control as part of women’s preventative care. All preventative care must be covered by a health insurance plan without cost to the policyholder. Not long after this requirement was made, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops led several Catholic organizations in a series of complaints about … Continue reading →
This week saw two high-profile activist actors in the news. Alec Baldwin decided to join PETA in the organization’s plea for Americans to boycott circuses, such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, which uses elephants in their acts. If you’ve read any of my previous PETA blogs, you know Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey have previously come under attack before for its alleged mistreatment of elephants. This dates all the way back to 2009 when PETA conducted undercover, multi-state investigations on animal handlers. The owners of the circus, Feld Entertainment, paid $270,000 last year for being in violation … Continue reading →
