So Nutella really isn’t nutritious after all. Nutella isn’t as healthy as its makers held it out to be. That’s what consumers learned after years of being told that Nutella was the smart way to get their kids to enjoy a healthy breakfast. Apparently, Nutella had about as much nutritional value as a candy bar. And as a result, the parent company, Italy’s Ferrero Group, found itself on the bad end of a class action lawsuit....
A nationwide outbreak of salmonella has sickened at least 400 people in 43 states, and a number of peanut butter products linked to the same salmonella strain have been recalled. The reported infections of Salmonella serotype Typhimurium began between September 3 and December 31, 2008, with most illnesses beginning after October 1st, and 18 percent of reported cases requiring hospitalization, according to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Press Release being periodically updated....
Last year, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of an immigrant minor’s request that she be permitted to obtain an abortion, though she was in federal custody. Although the teen has since gotten the procedure, turned 18, and been released, the Supreme Court today vacated that decision, meaning it can no longer be used as precedent in future cases. What did the Court actually say regarding the matter?...
If you’ve been following the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, you’ve probably heard about George Zimmerman’s 911 calls. Between January 2011 and February 26 of this year, the neighborhood watch captain called local police forty-six times. Nine of those times he reported someone suspicious. The others, he reported small disturbances, break-ins and windows left open. The number still seems a bit outrageous. Isn’t it illegal to call 911 that many times in just over a year?...
A man who claimed he accidentally penetrated an 18-year-old woman when he fell on her was acquitted of rape charges by a British jury. After brief deliberations, millionaire Ehsan Abdulaziz was found not guilty, despite some very strange explanations of what happened, according to the New York Daily News. Then, he offered them a ride home in his Aston Martin. They ended up at his apartment for a drink instead. The two women – one 24 and the other 18 – stayed the night....
An upcoming California case called Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has video game makers, as well as the comic book industry concerned about First Amendment rights. Legal analysts are keeping a close eye on the case, as this week the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief arguing that the law in question “would undermine more First Amendment principles…than any decision in living memory.” Many other prominent trade organizations and guilds in the industry signed on as well....
Given that carrying and using a cell phone is pretty much a requirement of participation in modern society, and that the amount of data phone companies can collect via the towers our phones are constantly “pinging” for a signal, the location data of our phones can provide quite the window into our daily lives. And if law enforcement wants to peek through that window, they need a warrant according to the Supreme Court....
When can police conduct a body cavity search? A body cavity search is one of the most invasive and humiliating kinds of intrusion a suspect can be subjected to, so the constitutional right to be free of these searches is at its zenith. However, there are a few situations in which, despite Fourth Amendment protections, the police may conduct a reasonable body cavity search. Here’s a general overview of what you need to know:...
#Justice4Caitlyn. Have you heard of Caitlyn? No, I’m not talking about Caitlyn Jenner. I’m talking about Caitlyn the adorable 15-month-old chocolate Staffordshire bull terrier mix who was victimized by her last two owners. Her first owner, tired of the responsibility of caring for an active puppy, dumped her on a stranger to net a $10 (or $20 according to some reports) profit. Her second owner, William Leonard Dodson, of North Charleston, South Carolina, thought it would be funny to tape Caitlyn’s mouth shut with electrical tape....
Most people want to be able to stay young, and while some people turn to surgery to stop the aging process, others use various creams and serums that promise anti-aging properties. Unfortunately, not all anti-aging products actually stop or reverse the aging process. The Problem with the Company’s Anti-Aging Claims The company claimed that their products not only stopped the aging process, but reversed it. More specifically, the company said that “TA-65MD prevents and repairs DNA damage, restores aging immune systems, increases bone density, improves vision, and prevents or reduces the risk of cancer....
President Obama commuted prison sentences for 46 drug offenders on Monday, noting that their long sentences (lifelong in 14 cases) didn’t fit their crimes. The commutations reflect a trend at federal, state, and local levels of relaxing harsh minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses. These commutations also reflect Mr. Obama’s view of America, which he called “a nation of second chances.” As The New York Times pointed out, this brings the President’s commutation total to 89, the most by any president since Lyndon Johnson, and more than the last four presidents combined....
New federal data suggests that blacks are approximately four times more likely than whites to be arrested for charges involving marijuana. These findings stem from a recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union, which compiled data from police records in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., reports The New York Times. What do these numbers mean, especially when it comes to the enforcement of drug laws? The ACLU study makes a number of interesting findings, including that although black and white 18- to 25-year-olds use pot at about the same rate, the arrest rate for marijuana possession is 3....
There’s a reason freedom of speech is in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – it’s pretty central to the essence of being American. So, if that freedom starts to erode, you can bet we’re going to hear about it. One group feels that their First Amendment rights have been violated in the form of online censorship. Conservative Prager University sued Google for discrimination regarding their YouTube videos. However, the judge disagrees with those claims....
Identity theft is a serious risk for online shoppers, and Cyber Monday scams are one way that shoppers are targeted. There are lots of ways to prevent identity theft and becoming a victim of consumer fraud, but knowing what kinds of sales are likely to be scams makes it easier to shop smart. A scam isn’t just a phony email, it can also be a shady way of doing online business....
Dr. Dre has about as much in common with a real doctor as Snoop Dogg has with Snoopy, or Eminem has with the delicious chocolate candy. But that didn’t stop the famous rapper from trying to block a gynecologist from trademarking the name “Dr. Drai” as part of his medical practice. After a court battle, a judge has decided the real doctor is free to use his chosen moniker. Dre v....
Not only are autopsy photos private, but the deceased’s family has a constitutional right to bar the release of such photos even when taken as part of a criminal investigation. Or so says the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Marsh v. County of San Diego. The court was tasked with deciding whether a former San Diego prosecutor violated Brenda Marsh’s constitutional right to privacy when he released autopsy photos of her 2-year-old son....
The tour group responsible for a fatal bus crash in Texas on August 8th has been shut down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the agency has temporarily stopped issuing licenses to new bus companies, until it can ensure that entities ordered to cease operations aren’t merely forming new transportation companies under different business names. On August 10, the FMCSA issued an “Operations Out-of-Service Order” to Angel Tours, Inc....
Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in federal court Thursday as being a violation of constitutional rights, though the decision won’t take effect immediately. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle found that Florida’s prohibition on same-sex nuptials infringes on the “fundamental right” to marriage under the 14th Amendment’s Due Process and Equal Protection clauses. Hinkle stayed his own ruling, pending the outcome of gay marriage decisions in several other states, including Virginia, where the U....
A Florida court has dismissed a libel lawsuit against NBC filed by George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012. In the suit, Zimmerman accused NBC of causing him to appear racist by editing the audio of a 911 call he made the night he shot Martin. The editing omitted a 911 operator’s question to Zimmerman about Martin’s race, making it appear that Zimmerman had brought up the topic himself....
If Halloween’s Monday date isn’t enough to deter you from getting your party on, it’s definitely not enough to stop police from getting their checkpoint on. As is tradition this time of year, police departments across the country are planning Halloween DUI checkpoints. They’ll be out in full force to protect the little ones, and nab the drunken ones. This likely includes the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before, so don’t get any scary ideas....
