IDoSugar -- Meant to be.

Stevens Guilty of Felony Charges

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:23:32 -0700

Stevens Guilty of Felony Charges Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Senate Republican in history and patriarch of Alaska politics, was found guilty of felony charges for making false statements. The verdict could spell the end of a 40-year Senate career for a man who rose to be one of the most dominant figures in the upper chamber and who helped transform Alaska in its 50 years of statehood. The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated since Wednesday and found the 84-year-old senator guilty of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts from Bill Allen, the former head of Veco Corp., and other friends.

BYU Yanks Degree From Men on a Mission Calendar Maker

CitizenSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:00:40 -0700

Ding-dong! And that's in the metaphorical and literal sense, I suppose. A whole calendar of Mormon missionaries shirtless? Yes — though the hotness of the bell-ringing men depicted has landed its creator in some hot water with his alma mater, Brigham Young University.

Chad Hardy graduated from BYU and created the calendar called "Men on a Mission" aimed at shaking up the boring or cookie-cutter stereotype of the LDS lads. After selling more than 11,000 copies featuring the missionaries in shirtless beefcake poses, last month Hardy received a letter saying that there had been a nonacademic hold placed on his degree. He'd been excommunicated from the church, and that "If in the future you are reinstated as a member of the church in good standing, you are invited to contact my office regarding your possible eligibility for the awarding of a degree." He plans to fight the decision "tooth and nail."

Reasons for the excommunication include the calendar as well as failure to pay tithing and other religious obligations. The 2009 version is on sale now. The controversy is all well and good, but want to see the missionaries sans shirts? Then without further ado,

Dubai: Pumping Sewage, Jailing Lovebirds, and Growing

CitizenSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Dubai is everywhere. Well, not everywhere, it's specifically on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates and the most populous city of the UAE. On the plane to the RNC I read Ben Mezrich's new book, Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil From Wall Street to Dubai. It's excellent and piqued my interest for this rapidly expanding city blending western ideas deep in the heart of the Middle East. Then my dad forwarded a photo taken from the top of the construction of the world's tallest skyscraper being built there. Seems like Dubai is a glittering paradise?

Sort of. To see what I mean,

Court Case Against God Tossed Out For Lack of Address

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:00:55 -0700

Ernie Chambers, A Nebraskan State Senator has been issued a setback in his lawsuit against God. That's right. God. He says the Lord Almighty has made threats against him and his electorate in Omaha and is responsible for "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants." His setback however, hasn't come in the form of a lightning bolt or a plague of frogs but rather from the court itself. It turns out that the judge has thrown out the suit because no home address could be furnished.

The lawsuit, Senator Chambers says, was filed to make the point that all persons should be able to have access to the courts regardless of wealth. Regardless of the reason, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk was steadfast: "Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice." Not being dismayed by the law . . . or reason (?) Chambers believes he has a hole in this ruling: "The court itself acknowledges the existence of God. A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience. Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Source

9/11 Guantanamo Defendants Denied Access to the Internet

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:00:40 -0700

Five defendants, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, are being denied Internet access as they prepare for their death penalty trial. The men are being held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval base for the 9/11 attacks on the United States and are facing charges from conspiracy to terrorism. The no-net ruling was handed down by a US military judge siding with prosecutors who argued at a pretrial hearing last month that providing these “high value” defendants access to extra-prison communications would pose a security risk.

Among the other items refused to the inmates by their captors were printers and the ability to speak with their families by telephone. They were, however, given laptops installed with a legal dictionary, the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions. Three of the five awaiting trail are representing themselves although the Pentagon is providing standby counsel should they wish assistance.

Is the ruling fair? Can they fairly and adequately prepare without Internet access — or is even considering giving it to them, ridiculous?

Source

Front Page: Fed Cuts Interest Rate, Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo, Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:58:30 -0700

Fed Cuts Interest Rate:
In an effort to shore up the global market slide, the Federal Reserve and six other major banks worldwid cut interest rates. The Fed downgraded from 2 percent to 1.5 percent. Banks in the UK, China, and Canada followed suit after five days of tumbling stocks. The Fed's action will reduce borrowing costs immediately to US borrowers whose home-equity loans are tied to the prime interest rate.

Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo:
A federal judge ordered the Bush administration to free 17 Guantanamo Bay detainees by the end of the week, the first such order in seven years of disputes over the detentions. The 17 men have been held since 2002 and are members of a western Chinese minority. The judge says, “I think the moment has arrived for the court to shine the light of constitutionality on the reasons for detention."
Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out:
Russia says its troops are leaving the so-called "buffer zone" around South Ossetia and five of the six checkpoints have been dismantled. Under a ceasefire deal, Moscow has to pull troops out of other areas around South Ossetia by Friday, though they will keep 8,000 troops in areas they've recognized as independent states. The move is part of the deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in August.

Source

Guilty Simpson On Own in Jail, Focused on Coming Appeal

CitizenSugar — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:53:11 -0700

After being found guilty of kidnapping and robbery, OJ Simpson is being being held away from other prisoners for his own safety, and is planning a motion for new trial. He's waiting to see if he'll be released on bond pending that appeal, a move considered unlikely due to the seriousness of the crimes he was convicted of. His attorney said Simpson will be alone, is planning not to do media interviews and is allowed to see only family members and a few friends.

Simpson will be held in Clark County Detention Center until his early December sentencing, then it's thought he'll be transferred to state prison. His lawyer says, "He is in isolated custody and being protected from other inmates. The jail is taking very special precautions to make sure he is safe." Surprised at the guilty verdict? Do you think it was payback by the jury? Are you into the OJ saga — or is the juice just not worth the squeeze?

Source

Judge Throws Out Case Against "Ladies' Night": Right Call?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:15:54 -0700

A judge in New York City has thrown out a lawsuit alleging that "Ladies' Night" pricing at bars and nightclubs discriminates against men. The lawsuit was brought by an attorney known for his fight against gender-specific constructs like suing Columbia University for its Women's Studies department. (Have you heard the one about the Men's Studies department? It's called "History." But I digress.) Now the gender-equalizer is taking his fight to the $3 cosmo. The judge tossed the case saying that bars and nightclubs have a right to price their product any which way they'd like because they're not acting as representatives of the state. The attorney's case tried to prove that through the state-run liquor license program, it does just that. After losing, he called the judge a feminist and said that the toss-out was right on par with the deeply embedded gender discrimination in tons of American institutions. It makes one wonder if this crusading lawyer has ever gotten his hair cut or clothes dry-cleaned. I reckon he makes back the difference in "Ladies' Night" at the bar right there . . . Does any gender preference signify discrimination? Drinks aside, is the lawyer fundamentally wrong? Source

Judge Throws Out Case Against "Ladies' Night": Right Call?

Yes. Private institutions can deal with gender as they see fit.

It's tricky because the case seems silly, but the argument really isn't. I don't know.

No, the lawyer's right. How is preferential gender treatment OK, but the reverse isn't?

Other. Is it "Ladies' Night" in the comments? I'll head in there.

Front Page: Bin Laden Driver Sentenced, 13 Dead in Texas Bus Crash, Iraq Proposes Timetable

CitizenSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:54:43 -0700

Bin Laden Driver Sentenced:
A panel of military officers have sentenced the convicted former driver of Osama bin Laden to five and a half years in prison. Ignoring the prosecution's pleas for a strict sentence, the 66 month decision means that the first detainee convicted of a war crime in court could complete his punishment by the end of the year. The military judge said he had already planned to give credit for the 61 months the detainee has already served.

13 Dead in Texas Bus Crash:
A charter bus carrying 55 church members rolled on its side killing 13 instantly and sending 24 to the hospital. A blown tire caused the bus to run off a highway overpass. The passengers had been on their way to a religious festival honoring the Virgin Mary.

Iraq Proposes Timetable:
Iraqi negotiators have decided on October, 2010, as the deadline when combat troops will have left the country. US troops will begin to withdraw from the streets in the middle of next year, and be gone by 2010, though some support units would stay on. If agreed upon by President Bush, the schedule will be close to the proposal of Barack Obama.

Source

Courtroom: Flight Attendant Says Osteen's Wife Pushed Co-Worker

CitizenSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:25:01 -0700

Courts: Flight Attendant Says Osteen's Wife Pushed Co-Worker The wife of renowned evangelical pastor Joel Osteen got physical when her demands that a small spill on her seat be cleaned up were not immediately met, a flight attendant testified Thursday at a civil trial over the incident. Brown is suing Victoria Osteen, alleging that she threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast before the start of a 2005 flight to Vail, CO.