Scholarship Application: Pyotr Pavlensky
Johanna Lohman My activist Pyotr Pavlensky is a thirty-one year Russian performance artist and political activist. He studied at the St. Petersburg Art and Industry Academy. He has gained worldwide attention in the last three years for his outrageous public performances, which usually involve some type of self-mutilation. The performances are intended to draw attention […]
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Illegal Gambling
Online Fantasy Sports Constitute Illegal Gambling in New York In the state of New York, Article 225 of the Penal Code addresses crimes related to gambling. Gambling is defined to include risking something of value upon the outcome of a future contingent event that is not under your control with the understanding that something of […]
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Criminal Impersonation in New York
Valbona Yzeiraj, an office manager in New York, appeared before a judge last week to answer to charges that she impersonated a dentist while the real dentist was away. According to prosecutors, Yzeiraj seriously injured patients while pulling their teeth and performing root canals on them. Yzeiraj told the judge that she had been trained […]
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Foreign Banks Turning in Customers for Tax Fraud
The United States government has strict requirements when it comes to offshore bank accounts. Not only are accountholders required to report and pay all income earned from offshore investments, but accountholders are also required to file an annual Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Many accountholders are not even aware of FBAR requirements, […]
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Jamar Pinkney Sr. Shoots his teen son over alleged sex abuse of toddler
A Michigan father, Jamar Pinkney Sr, 37, is accused of killing his son after learning the 15-year-old teen may have sexually abused a 3-year-old toddler. The father played both judge, jury and executioner in this bizarre real life story. Jamar Pinkney Sr was enraged after learning his teen son Jamar Pinkney Jr. had, “inappropriate contact” […]
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The Cato Debate Continues: Caulkins on Prohibition Alternatives
Jonthan Caulkins has a post up at Cato Unbound today responding to the essay on responsible psychoactive use I noted yesterday. It’s a defense of the status quo around drug law, but it’s quite thoughtful. Even so, I don’t think Caulkins is making a sincere effort to consider the alternatives to prohibition. He notes that […]
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People v. Timms: CA 2d on Voluntary Intoxication
California Penal Code section 22, which “sets forth the general principle in this state that a criminal act is not rendered less criminal because a person commits the act in a state of voluntary intoxication,” does not violate a criminal defendant’s right to due process, the California Second District Court of Appeal held Monday in […]
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Expunging Criminal Records May be Impossible for NY Defendants
When you are arrested and convicted of a criminal offense, you face immediate penalties. The consequences could include fines, imprisonment, community service, probation, or a host of other penalties. Unfortunately, for many defendants, the immediate consequences of a conviction are not the end of the problems they face. Once you have a criminal record, you […]
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Of Alcohol Inhalers and Strong Marijuana
What do “alcohol inhalers” – devices that allow individuals to inhale alcohol vapor, and thereby get drunk without experiencing any hangover – have to do with the much touted increasing strength of marijuana ? Just this: that our society has been able to draw a distinction between the legal and responsible use of alcohol, which […]
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Eyeing a Permanent Beach Alcohol Ban in San Diego
I’ve got two reasons for being interested in the possibility that San Diego voters will make permanent a one-year beach alcohol ban in this year’s election. The personal reason is that I’m originally from San Diego and still go down to the beach there all the time to surf. It’s been interesting to listen to […]
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