Articles Posted in Extra Pulp

I’m sure you’ve heard that the California Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. So June 17 is the first day that same-sex couples can legally marry in California. Well, as reported by the Los Angeles Times,

… the Kern County [California] clerk will stop performing all civil marriages before June 17 …

Just a coincidence?

The clerk, Ann Barnett, cited financial concerns and space limitations. But e-mails and other records obtained by the Bakersfield Californian suggest that the decision stems from her personal discomfort with gay and lesbian unions.

I guess it’s her call on whether or not to obey the law as interpreted by the California Supreme Court. Ms. Barnett, do your job, or take your “discomfort” elsewhere – i.e., quit! Here’s the Los Angeles Times article.

Vietnam veteran and court reporter Ronald Tolkin was in the right place at the right time. That place was a courtroom in Brooklyn, New York. Others present: prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny, defendant Victor Wright, Judge Block, and U.S. Marshal Alvarez. As reported by nymag.com, after lunging at Ms. Pokorny with a contraband razor, “[Wright] was tackled first by … Tolkin, who later reconstructed the incident based on digital recordings. His unofficial transcript, first leaked to AbovetheLaw.com, is excerpted below.”

(Time noted: 3:30 p.m.)

(Whereupon Judge Block takes the bench.)

Can you say that on TV in Australia? Hell yes. Chef Gordon Ramsay, of “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” in Australia (and “Hell’s Kitchen” in the U.S.) drops some serious f-bombs. Per The Daily Telegraph,

… celebrity chef Ramsay slipp[ed] in the f-word more than 80 times in one episode.

Shazam! Should the government get involved?

[Australian] Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi said the dropping of the “c-bomb” during a recent 9.30pm episode had gone too far.

Do not mess with a man with a bunch of knives, or the network that broadcasts his show.

Channel 9 hit back yesterday, saying 1.5 million viewers would know better than “one person in Parliament” about what they wanted to watch on TV.

So what does Senator Bernardi want? ” … a study of the effectiveness of the broadcasting code of conduct.” Good luck with that, considering chef Ramsay’s other program “The F-Word,” was reviewed by the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, and received just an “M” for moderate coarse language. For more, click here.

For those of you in the United States who are worried about the steady erosion of privacy rights (count me in), transplant yourself to the United Kingdom for a moment. As reported in The Guardian, here’s a suggestion from Britain’s most senior police forensics expert:

Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life.

Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five.

Five years-old! And if you’re thinking that this could never happen, consider this:

Last week it emerged that the number of 10 to 18-year-olds placed on the DNA database after being arrested will have reached around 1.5 million this time next year. Since 2004 police have had the power to take DNA samples from anyone over the age of 10 who is arrested, regardless of whether they are later charged, convicted, or found to be innocent.

So DNA samples of innocent 10-year-olds are alreadly being collected! And when he reads this, I’ll bet President Bush (yes – he’s a big fan of the Juice – especially the “Get A Life” entries) will be envious beyond words:

Concern over the issue of civil liberties will be further amplified by news yesterday that commuters using Oyster smart cards could have their movements around cities secretly monitored under new counter-terrorism powers being sought by the security services.

Oh, and the Juice is monitoring your activities, too. For example, he knows that, right now, YOU ARE NOT WORKING. GET BACK TO WORK! Here’s The Guardian article
.

Yes, “right to dry,” not “right to die,” though some people may jump off their condo balconies if, heaven forfend, Project Laundry List, and some New England legislators get their wish. What do they want? Per The Boston Globe:

If successful, the measures in Vermont and Connecticut would be the first in New England, and among the first in the country, to protect the age-old custom of air-drying laundry. (The proposal in New Hampshire died in committee, but proponents say they plan to try again next session.)

And why is this a good idea?

Just ask Vern Potter. Seems old Vern was wanted for insurance fraud relating to a personal injury claim from an automobile accident. Obviously he didn’t get enough to retire on, because he took a job with a roofing company. Just recently, he was up on the roof of an elementary school, shoveling snow off, when a photographer from the New Hampshire Union Leader took his picture. Well sir, it made the papers, and was seen by a Corcord, New Hampshire policman, who recognized Vern. So the police went to the school and got their man.

Pubes! “According to the [police] complaint, a second kitchen worker told police [the cook] put a slit in the steak and pushed something inside, then stated, “These are my pubes,” referring to pubic hair.” (The cook said they were facial hairs. Huh?)

Why would a cook do this? He was pissed that the customer said the first steak was “medium,” not “rare” per his order. What happened to Ryan Kropp, the cook?

Kropp, 24, of West Bend, was charged Wednesday with a felony of placing foreign objects in edibles, carrying up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a signature bond.

Damn! A felony? Up to 3 1/2 years?

Over the 14 years Noel “Nutsy” Campbell and Miss Jasmine were involved (I can’t say “together” because at one point, she left him for 4 years!), she left him 13 times. He always took her back. So why did he finally decide he’d had enough? He was tired of the beatings Miss Jasmine inflicted on him, among other things.

She used a machete to beat me all over my body. I ran into my van to get away from her. I managed to get into the van. Nicholas and Noel Jr (his sons) ran me down … and began beating me in my head. I drive away and left them.

She attacked me with a machete that gave me a cut to my right finger on my right hand. I ran out of the house. I went into the van and was reversing. (She) used a stone to hit out the windshield and she also broke my rear view mirror.