Zut Alors!

Judge dismisses case of woman who says veil cost her claim - MKII

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:53:03 -0700

5/13/2008, 3:20 p.m. EDT
By JEFF KAROUB
The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — A lawyer representing a Muslim woman who sued a judge for dismissing her small-claims court case after she refused to remove her veil said he's prepared to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It's an unfortunate ruling," Nabih Ayad said of U.S. District Judge John Feikens' ruling Monday against Ginnnah Muhammad's claims that her constitutional right to freedom of religion and civil right to court access were violated.

Hamtramck Judge Paul Paruk requested she remove her niqab — a scarf and veil that covers her head and most of her face — during an October 2006 hearing.

"One could easily see the ... continuous litigants that are going to step into district court with this (veil) on," Ayad said Tuesday. "This issue is going to come up over and over again."

She was contesting a $3,000 charge from a rental-car company to repair a vehicle she said thieves had broken into. She offered to remove her veil before a female judge, but Paruk is the only judge in the district court in Hamtramck, a city surrounded by Detroit.

Feikens wrote that while Muhammad could not appeal Paruk's decision based on state law, she could have received state court review and filed a counter claim to the company's suit against her.

Ayad said state law also prevents cases under $3,500 from being filed in the state's general civil division.

"She can't file in state court," he said. "It is, basically, an appeal."

Ayad said Feikens' ruling circumvents the constitutional violations, and would appeal within 30 days.

"I feel the judge's ruling really left a citizen of this community feeling that her belief in the justice system has been stripped from her," Ayad said. "I always felt that this is a decision that ... has a very good chance of going to the appeals court, maybe even the Supreme Court."

Michigan attorney general spokesman Rusty Hills said the AG's office was pleased by the ruling.

Assistant state attorney general Margaret Nelson, who represented Paruk, argued during last month's hearing before Feikens that the case should be dismissed because his decision wasn't based on religion. She said he needed to "fully observe" Muhammad to properly determine the facts.

"It was a temporary, necessary, limited action (that had) only incidental impact on the practice of her religion," Nelson said.

The state said the case was a contract dispute between Muhammad and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The company countersued her later in October 2006 and ultimately won a judgment of $2,083. Muhammad has appealed that decision in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Feikens wrote the U.S. Supreme Court has found that governmental actions that substantially burden a religious practice must be justified by a compelling interest. But the high court later modified the standard, explaining the right to free exercise of religion doesn't relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law that is generally applied.

Feikens wrote that determining if Paruk observes a valid and neutral policy would require a detailed examination of how he manages his courtroom. And, Feikens wrote, that kind of review would "increase friction in the relationship between our state and federal courts."

"I find, therefore, that respect for the relationship between our state and federal courts weighs heavily against exercising jurisdiction over Muhammad's declaratory judgment action for violation of her right to free exercise of religion," the opinion said.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Judge dismisses case of woman who says veil cost her claim

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:51:23 -0700

May 13, 2008 1:08 PM EDT

DETROIT (AP) -- A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed the case of a Muslim woman who sued a judge for demanding she remove her veil in court.

The judge ruled Monday against Ginnnah Muhammad's claims that her rights to freedom of religion and court access were violated.

Judge Paul Paruk requested she remove her veil during a 2006 hearing in the town of Hamtramck. She was contesting a $3,000 charge from a rental-car company to repair a vehicle she said thieves had broken into.

Paruk told her he needed to see her face to judge her truthfulness and gave her a choice: Take off the veil or have the case dismissed. She kept it on and sued the judge last year alleging he violated her religious and civil rights.

Stupid cow.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

NY man sues US airline over flight spent in toilet

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:02:47 -0700

by Edith Honan
May 12, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man who says he was denied a seat on a five-hour jetBlue flight and was instead told to "hang out" in the plane's bathroom has sued the airline for $2 million, saying he suffered "extreme humiliation."

When Gokhan Mutlu arrived to check in for a jetBlue flight from San Diego to New York in February he was told the flight was full, according to the lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court.

But Mutlu was allowed to board after a jetBlue flight attendant agreed to give up her seat and travel in an airline employee "jump seat." It was not clear in the lawsuit whether the flight attendant was working.

However 90 minutes into the flight, the pilot told Mutlu the flight attendant was uncomfortable and he would have to give up his seat and "hang out" in the bathroom for the remainder of the flight, the lawsuit said.

The pilot "became angry at (Mutlu's) reluctance" and said Mutlu "should be grateful for being onboard," the lawsuit said. When Mutlu volunteered to sit in the "jump seat," he was told it was reserved for airline personnel.

At one point, the airplane experienced turbulence and Mutlu sat on the toilet seat without a seat belt, causing him "tremendous fear," the lawsuit said.

JetBlue was not immediately available for comment.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Woman fired for giving 16-cent treat to toddler

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:31:54 -0700

by Claire Sibonney
Thu May 8, 2008

TORONTO (Reuters) - An attendant at a Canadian restaurant who was sacked for giving a bite-sized doughnut, worth 16 cents, to an agitated toddler was given her job back on Thursday after the case received wide media attention.

Nicole Lilliman, a single mother, said she was dismissed from a London, Ontario, outlet of the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut chain after video cameras captured the 27-year-old giving a Timbit to a toddler.

"It was just out of my heart, she (the toddler) was pointing and going 'ah, ah...' I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy," Lilliman told the Toronto Star newspaper.

Tim Hortons said on Thursday that the firing was a mistake.

"It was the unfortunate action of one manager who unfortunately made an overzealous decision, and thankfully we were able to rectify the situation," said company spokeswoman Rachel Douglas.

Douglas said the company, a Canadian icon with stores on virtually every high street across the country, told Lilliman that she could have her job back, and Lilliman had accepted.

A single Timbit sells for 16 Canadian cents (16 U.S. cents), but most shoppers buy boxes of 10, 20 or 40 of the deep-fried goodies, which come in a variety of flavors.

Douglas said Tim Hortons had received a number of complaints. "Thankfully we're able to go back to them and say we were able to fix the situation," she said.

It is my sincerest hope that "manager who unfortunately made an overzealous decision" lost its job and won't be asked back.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Civilise the City

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:07:27 -0700

London, October 2004

A large band of tweedy revolutionaries toasted Mr. Beau Brummell with their hip flasks at his memorial on Jermyn Street, SW1, before proceeding northwards, with a pause to admire the fine wares in the windows of Jermyn Street's stores. Reaching the Oxford Street, they sought to draw attention to the appalling lack of gentlemanly services available on Britain's high streets. Several operatives entered the premises of Mr. R. McDonald, where they requested devilled kidneys, kedgeree and vintage champagne. Needless to say, they left empty-bladdered.

Other flashpoints were Starbucks (where pots of oolong and china cups were not forthcoming); Specsavers (no monocles); All Bar One (cocktails off the menu); the final straw was when an operative entered an emporium named Carphone Warehouse, and found that it was neither a warehouse nor did it sell telephones for cars. Even a simple request for a walnut encasement for the telephone in an Alvis Speed Twenty was met with a blank stare.

The band of protesters then sauntered down Regent Street, where their spontaneous hat doffing and jovial greetings to all and sundry were much appreciated. The only exception were the constabulary, who for some reason saw several dozen polite, immaculately dressed Chaps and Chapettes as a threat, and by the time the party had reached Piccadilly Circus, the number of officers outnumbered the protesters.

At tea time, Piccadilly Circus was declared a Doffing Zone. Anyone entering hatless or sporting unsuitable headwear was gently offered doffing instruction; curious tourists wearing baseball caps were offered more dapper alternatives such as trilby, fedora and homburg. Afternoon tea was served in delightful china cups on the steps of the statue of Eros, while more advanced techniques, such as moustache growing, were demonstrated to curious members of the constabulary, who failed to see the connection between hirsute constables and a happy citizenry.

The very foundations of vulgar society and homogenized chainstore Britain were not brought to their knees, and Parliament did not call an emergency meeting to deal with the situation. However, the Chaps all had a jolly good time, no-one was hurt, and, who knows, perhaps the likes of Mr. Starbucks really will consider putting some loose leaf teas on his menu, purely to entice a more civilised customer in future.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Japanese official demoted for 780,000 hits on porn sites

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:21:14 -0700

Friday, May 2, 2008

TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese civil servant was demoted for logging more than 780,000 hits on pornographic Web sites on his office computer over nine months, an official said Friday.

The man, a Kinokawa city government employee in western Japan, visited porn sites from June 2007 to February 2008, city official Tomiko Waki said. The man's name was withheld.

City officials said the number of hits discovered on his computer's internal log was so high in part because one click on certain types of pornographic sites registers multiple hits.

Despite his frequent porn viewing, none of his colleagues noticed his activities, which he apparently conducted throughout the workday.

"Each desk is set apart from each other," Waki said, adding that the man logged 170,000 hits on porn sites in July alone.

The man's supervisors discovered his extensive porn site visits after his computer became infected with a virus, prompting officials to examine his Web browser's history.

Along with the demotion, he received a 20,000 yen ($190) monthly pay cut, Waki said.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Police: Texas man trying to cash $360 billion check arrested

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:40:22 -0700

Friday, May 2, 2008

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company.

idiots_check.jpg

The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business, authorities said. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious - perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off, according to investigators.

Fuller, of suburban Crowley, was arrested on a forgery charge, police said. He was released after posting $3,750 bail.

Fuller said his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to start a record business, but bank employees who contacted the account's owner said the woman told them she did not give him permission to take or cash the check, according to police.

In addition to forgery, Fuller was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon and possessing marijuana, Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Henderson said.

Officers reported finding less than 2 ounces of marijuana and a .25-caliber handgun and magazine in his pockets, police said.

Fuller couldn't be located for comment by The Associated Press on Friday because there were no phone listings for him in the Fort Worth area.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Manhole Fires Close Harvard Square

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:21:15 -0700

No Serious Injuries Reported

May 2, 2008

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard Square was closed and five buildings evacuated early Friday when several manholes exploded and burned in Cambridge.Crews were called to the scene near Massachusetts Avenue and Dunster Street about 2:30 a.m. after a cable malfunction sparked the explosions and electrical fires.

Flames roared out of several manholes and smoke was seen coming from three other manholes nearby. The immediate area was closed as part of a safety precaution as the thick black smoke billowed high into the air above the square."We're checking the surrounding buildings ... no smoke or any carbon monoxide readings have been found in the MBTA, so that's why we're letting that stay open," a Cambridge fire chief said.There were no immediate reports of any injuries, but the university's Holyoke Center, which includes an infirmary, was evacuated. Three patients were transferred."We were just trying to do our work, do our duties to get out of here and the fire alarms went off," one worker said.Au Bon Pain restaurant was kept closed, as was Cambridge Savings Bank.Pedestrians watched the fireworks in amazement."This is a little scary. Really scary," one woman said."This is crazy. The morning commute is totally thrown off," another bystander said.Fire crews could not douse the flames. They said they had to wait for the fires to burn themselves out."It's too big of a risk because electricity does follow water," a firefighter said.Officials ended up cutting the power that was feeding 13,000 volts of electricity to underground cables, fueling the blazes.NStar said 700 customers were without electricity as a result of the blasts. Most of the businesses around the square were closed.The manhole fires had a significant impact on morning traffic, with road closures on JFK Street, Brattle and Mt. Auburn streets and delays on Memorial Drive.Buses were detoured around Harvard Square for most of the morning, but were allowed to resume their regular routes at about 10 a.m. The MBTA continued to run Red Line trains through the square after it was determined that it was safe to do so. MBTA officials reopened the main entrance to Harvard Station at about 10 a.m.Motorists were advised to seek alternate routes.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Police say Florida boy, 7, stole SUV and left path of damage

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:32:37 -0700

Saturday, April 26, 2008

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) -- Police say a 7-year-old Florida boy faces grand theft auto charges after taking his grandmother's sport utility vehicle for a joyride. The eight minute trek left a swath of damage in his Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood Friday. The boy smashed mailboxes, hit parked cars and signposts. He was unhurt.

Police say he literally drove until a wheel fell off. The right front wheel, to be exact, which broke off after the boy hit a sign.

Police spokeswoman Ellen Lovejoy says the boy is unlikely to be prosecuted. They arrested him so he can get some help, noting the excursion was "unusual behavior for a 7-year-old."

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

LASERS

nobody@vox.com(Xtine) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:23:15 -0700

Capitol Launches Intra-Office Laser War?

12:53 PM on Fri Apr 25 2008
By Jim Newell

Thanks to Wonkette laser operative "A." for sending this photo from outside the House office buildings today. Apparently everyone on Capitol Hill is going to stop pretending to "fix the country" and play Laser War all afternoon instead.

Wonkette rocks.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend