REFUGEES IN THE REGION More than 4 million refugees from Syria (95%) are in just five countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt: Lebanon hosts approximately 1.2 million refugees from Syria which amounts to around one in five people in the country Jordan hosts about 650,000 refugees from Syria, which amounts to about 10% of the population Turkey hosts 1.9 million refugees from Syria, more than any other country worldwide Iraq where 3 million people have been internally displaced in the last 18 months hosts 249,463 refugees from Syria Egypt hosts 132,375 refugees from Syria The UN humanitarian appeal for Syrian refugees is just 40% funded. Funding shortages mean that the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon receive just $13.50 per month or less than half a dollar a day for food assistance. More than 80% of Syrian refugees in Jordan living below the local poverty line. CONFLICT IN SYRIA Around 220,000 people have been killed and 12.8…
Syria’s Refugee Crisis in Numbers
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Arizona’s Nipple Double Standard
It is the dog days of summer here in Phoenix, Arizona where the weather seems endlessly hot. There are a variety of ways that people try to beat the “dry heat” where temperatures commonly near 120 degrees. Sometimes going topless can be the refreshing answer to the heat. The problem is only men are truly … Continue reading Arizona’s Nipple Double Standard → The post Arizona’s Nipple Double Standard appeared first on Arizona Common Law.
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Motorcycle Accidents in NH on the Rise
Motorcycle Accidents in NH on the Rise Summer weather in New Hampshire brings motorcycle rides out in full force. With an abundance of spectacular scenery, NH offers motorcycle enthusiasts great destination rides. Start a day in the White Mountains, travel through the Lakes Region and end your day at the Seacoast. NH offers motorcyclists some wonderful adventures. Despite the joy and freedom associated with motorcycling, there has been an increase in motorcycle accidents and fatalities in New Hampshire lately. During the month of July alone there have been a handful of serious and or fatal accidents involving motorcycles. Such collisions have occurred throughout the state including Manchester, Nashua, Concord and other communities. Nashua, NH for instance, was voted Best City to Live in America which is quite a feat for any U.S. city. It certainly deserves the title given its ideal bedroom community setting amidst dozens of shopping…
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Clerk Refuses to Issue Marriage Licenses
Attorney Page Pate talks with DeMarco Morgan of 11 Alive News in Atlanta about Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was charged with contempt and jailed for refusing to issue… read more → The post Clerk Refuses to Issue Marriage Licenses appeared first on .
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Revenge Porn Bill – A “Hardcore” Assessment of the Law
It may be time for scorned lovers living in Florida to back off from toying with the idea of posting on the Internet, evidence of their once-heated moments. That practice should completely be done away with as the state’s governor, Governor Rick Scott, has already signed into law the Revenge Porn Bill, which makes it unlawful in the state to post “revenge porn” images and videos on the Internet. Florida became the 18th US state criminalizing the said offense. Currently, 23 states in the US have revenge porn laws. First Amendment People have different takes. To some, the bill allows encroachment into people’s business and privacy, particularly on the part of the violators. Furthermore, the bill may be limiting free speech enshrined in the First Amendment. Others think that the bill is good enough to limit harmful acts against unsuspecting ex-partners, stating that such acts can have longtime emotional, reputational, and psychological effects on the part…
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Card Skimmer Amateurs Filmed at Bank of America in Cooper City
Have you used an ATM in Cooper City, Florida lately? How about pretty much anywhere in South Florida? For the past couple years, some mildly tech savvy crooks have used a semi-sophisticated method to get your credit card data. With the use of card reader, referred to as “skimmers”, thieves steal your data when you unwittingly swipe your credit card or debit card into one of their readers. Until last week, many of these crooks remained anonymous. But with the help of an ATM surveillance camera, detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office captured some nice data of their own – face pics. At approximately 6:45 pm on September 1, 2015, these two yutzes were filmed on surveillance cameras placing the device on a Bank of America ATM machine. The bank is located at 5504 S. Flamingo Road in Cooper City. One crook installed the skimmer while the other stood by, most likely as a look-out. This video marks a huge break in the…
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New Haven Man Released After Murder Conviction Vacated
A Connecticut Innocence Project client was released from prison Friday after nine years in prison for a murder he did not commit, according to the Associated Press. Bobby Johnson, 25, walked out of New Haven Superior Court after a judge vacated his murder conviction at the request of prosecutors. Johnson was convicted in 2007 of the murder of 70-year-old Herbert Fields, who was fatally shot in an apparent robbery as he sat in his car. Johnson, who was 16 years old at the time, was interrogated without his parents present. He was told there was physical evidence linking him to the crime, even though there was none. Police records from local murder cases which resembled that of Fields and which were all committed by another perpetrator were not disclosed to Johnson’s trial attorney. Officers told Johnson he would face the death penalty if convicted and promised him probation if he confessed. He pleaded guilty in July of 2007 and was sentenced to 38 years in prison. …
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"The Pointless Banishment of Sex Offenders"
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Video Footage Shows Deputies Shooting a Man Dead in Bexar County, Texas
In 2015 most people have easy access to videos and cameras on their cellphones. The change has meant police and deputies face unprecedented scrutiny from the public over their methods. A case in point is a report this month that authorities in Texas are examining two videos recorded by members of the public that show sheriff’s deputies in Bexar County, ... Read More The post Video Footage Shows Deputies Shooting a Man Dead in Bexar County, Texas appeared first on .
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“Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
That has to be one of the World’s most Ironic Quotes Ever. It came from Rodney King, who was in the middle of two of the most notorious violent episodes in the 90’s. First, his own videotaped beating at the hands of some of LAPD’s finest. Second, the riots caused when those same cops were acquitted of that beating and South Central Los Angeles erupted in violence. But who better to ask the question? Why CAN’T we all just get along? I ask that question in the context of blogging and online comments. I guess I am officially a blogger in some people’s minds at this point. Who knew? But here I am, writing and drawing fire from strangers and indirectly contributing to the negativity online just by blogging. So I guess for me to ask why people can’t just get along is a bit ironic too. When I first got into this whole blogging thing I made some rules for myself. I hated the way most…
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What if the Police Lose Evidence That Could Have Helped Me?
In Minnesota, the police and prosecution have an obligation to preserve evidence that might help the defense in some way. That rule applies in every criminal investigation, including driving while intoxicated (DWI) cases. What happens if the police lose that evidence? In the best-case scenario the case against you gets thrown out of court, but that is not guaranteed. You need an experienced DWI attorney like Doug Kans to fight for you. In criminal cases, information that tends to help a defendant is called exculpatory evidence. The prosecution has a … [Read more...] The post What if the Police Lose Evidence That Could Have Helped Me? appeared first on Minneapolis DWI Lawyer Douglas T. Kans.
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Walter Investment Management pays $29.63 to settle allegations of fraud in reverse mortgage servicing
On September 4, the Department of Justice announced that Walter Investment Management Corp., based in Tampa, Florida, had agreed to pay $29.63 million to settle a whistleblower’s allegations that the company’s reverse mortgage subsidiary had submitted false claims for debenture interest. According to DOJ’s press release: The Justice Department announced today that Walter Investment Management Corp. (WIMC) has agreed to pay $29.63 million to resolve allegations that WIMC, through its subsidiaries, Reverse Mortgage Solution Inc. (RMS), REO Management Solutions LLC and RMS Asset Management Solutions LLC, violated the False Claims Act in connection with their participation in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) program, which insures “reverse” mortgage loans. WIMC, through subsidiaries such as RMS and Green Tree Servicing LLC, provides business support to the residential…
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Kim Davis, George Wallace, and the Ghosts of Racist Past
Most sane people who love America know the Kim Davis – Mike Huckabee spectacle is nothing short of unconscionable. However, unless you are really well read or survived the first year of law school, you may not know the actual legal reasons why their behavior is so utterly reprehensible. Its time to get schooled. In today’s session, we will be learning about the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution and our history of assholes who think they can ignore Federal law to discriminate against others. Kim Davis and Mike Huckabee are nothing more than replays of what happens every time this country expands Civil Rights to include another group of people. Some Examples Before I delve into the educational part of today’s session, let me share with you some outstanding accomplishments made possible in America because we have the Supremacy Clause and the concept of Federal preemption: Due Process Emancipation Suffrage The Dollar Bill Desegregation…
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Federal Jury Convicts Windermere Man Of Stealing More Than $2 Million From A Former NBA Basketball Player
A federal jury found a 40-year-old Windermere man guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud and 4 counts of filing a false tax-related document. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 3 years’ imprisonment for each false document charge. The man’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 19, 2015. He was indicted on April 9, 2015. According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2006 through 2012, the accused was employed as the personal assistant to an NBA basketball player, who has since retired from professional basketball. During calendar years 2008 through 2011, the man apparently stole approximately $2,188,170 from the ball player by making unauthorized online banking money transfers from one of his bank accounts into three different bank accounts that the man controlled. The man spent these funds on his own personal expenses, including mortgage payments for his home in Windermere, and the purchase of a…
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Start to win back your Michigan Driver's License Now!
In many of the driver's license restoration articles on this blog, I talk about my staff, often mentioning that they are by far the friendliest and most helpful people you will find no matter how many offices you call. Ann, my senior assistant and Ashlee, my paralegal, are the front line people who pick up the phones and answer the questions we hear everyday. I may be the driver's license restoration lawyer in my office, but Ann and Ashlee are, without a doubt, the directors of first impressions and most responsible for everyone feeling good after calling my office. Having seen every aspect of license appeals from just about every possible angle, they not only know what they're talking about, but they also pick up on what people are most often concerned about. They see patterns. The article that starts below this paragraph, about when to start thinking about and preparing to get your license back, was written by Ann, my senior assistant, and is based upon…
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Warrantless Use of Cell Phone Location Data by Police Remains Controversial
The use of cell phone location data by police to establish a suspect’s approximate location at a particular time continues to raise Fourth Amendment and privacy concerns. The Stored Communications Act (SCA), 18 U.S.C. §§ 2703(c) – (d), allows police to obtain this information from cell phone service providers with a court order, but it does not require a search warrant. Courts around the country have reached different conclusions on the issue, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Texas, has held that obtaining cell phone location data with a court order, but no warrant, is not “per se unconstitutional.” In re App. of the U.S. for Historical Cell Site Data, 724 F.3d 600, 602 (5th Cir. 2013). More recently, the Eleventh Circuit ruled that a warrant is not necessary in United States v. Davis, No. 12-12928, slip op. (11th Cir., May 5, 2015). The defendant in Davis was charged with multiple counts of robbery and other…
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Supreme Court Reverses Conviction for Threats Made on Facebook, Finding Statute Requires Intent to Intimidate
A threat to cause imminent harm to another person could be subject to criminal prosecution in certain circumstances, despite the First Amendment’s free speech protections. Transmitting a threat across state lines could result in federal charges. The “true threat” exception to free speech has been the subject of much litigation and judicial interpretation. In Elonis v. United States, 575 U.S. ___ (2015), the Supreme Court considered the appeal of a defendant convicted of sending threats through interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 875(c). It rejected the government’s argument that a negligence standard, which considers whether a reasonable person would find the defendant’s statements threatening, should govern the case. Instead, the state must prove that the defendant intended to convey a threat. In general, the First Amendment does not protect statements and other actions made with “intent to intimidate” that are “likely to…
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FBI Use of Unmanned Drones for Aerial Surveillance Raises Fourth Amendment Concerns
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is operating a “small air force” of airplanes and unmanned drones around the country, according to a report published by the Associated Press (AP) earlier this year. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), reportedly uses these aircraft for a variety of surveillance activities, often without a warrant. The U.S. Supreme Court first ruled on warrantless aerial surveillance decades ago, but new technology brings different Fourth Amendment concerns. Rather than mere visual observation by law enforcement officers from helicopters or planes, today’s unmanned aerial drones can possess far greater surveillance capabilities. They can also stay in the air as long as they have enough fuel to stay there, and someone on the ground to control them. The AP’s June 2015 report identified 13 fictitious companies used by the FBI as fronts for aerial surveillance activities, as well as 100 flights all over the…
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News Scan
20% of Illegals Caught at Border Have Criminal Records: One out of every five illegal immigrants apprehended along the southern border in 2014 had a criminal record, according to the president of the National Border Patrol Council, Brandon Judd. Stephen Dinan of the Washington Times reports that Judd testified to the House Oversight Committee that compared to the 486,000 total illegal immigrants caught by Border Patrol in 2014, only 91,000 were deported, and nearly half of those deported had aggravated felonies on their records. He estimates that, based on what he is told by his agents, that the U.S.-Mexico border is 40 percent under operational control "if we're lucky." Shots Fired at Police within Hours of Threat: Shots were fired at police officers on Tuesday in Aurora, Colorado four hours after someone called 911 and made death threats against law enforcement in Denver and Aurora. Bob Price of Breitbart reports that the…
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Corrado on Avoiding Either Retribution or a Purely Therapeutic Approach
Michael Louis Corrado (University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - School of Law) has posted Preserving the Good Elements in Punishment and Avoiding a Purely Therapeutic Approach: An Outline on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The question is...
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