laws

Tats on tots? Tattoos are a divisive aesthetic on adults; the thought of a child actually getting their sweet lil skin permanently inked is a pretty unpleasant idea, to say the least. Yet that's exactly what 10-year-old Gaquan Napier did with the full support of his mother Chuntera. According to the law in Georgia, where the family lives, it's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to get tattooed — with or without parental consent, a fact that Napier claims to have been unaware of when she granted her child permission to permanently mark his body.

This story sounds pretty black-and-white — what was she thinking? — until we learn more details of the reason behind the tattoo. Two years ago, Gaquan was with his older brother Malik when he was struck and killed by a teenage driver at the heartbreaking age of 12. When Gaquan went to his mother and asked her permission to get a tattoo in memory of his deceased brother, Napier said, "It made me feel good to know that he wanted his brother on him."

Napier is currently in custody and facing a charge of misdemeanor child cruelty. In several other states, a child getting inked with the parents' permission is perfectly legal, so do you think this mom deserves to serve time for allowing her son to create a memorial to his big brother?

I've legitimately been pulled over for speeding a few times in my life (OK, three), but there are those stories told by friends who know someone who was pulled over for speeding but legitimately was under the limit. What follows is a day in court to battle the ticket, waiting, lines, a missed day of work, and most likely traffic school since it's you vs. the law.

However, GPS smartphone apps may prove to be more helpful than just finding directions — they may also help you beat a ticket. In fact, one app helped a man do just that, since it records your speed, route, and location. The app was meant to be used for tracking your runs, but since he had it open and was recording his drive, he was able to get his case tossed out because the app recorded a max speed of 26 miles per hour in a 25 zone, vs. the supposed 40 miles per hour as the traffic cop claimed. Want one of these apps for yourself? Check out a few of them after the break.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new nutrition labeling system for meat products. Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, 40 of the most common cuts of pork, poultry, beef, and lamb will list the typical nutrition facts. Calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, protein, cholesterol, and vitamins will be found on each cut of meat; if they are not readily listed, they will be available for consumers when purchasing. With the government's focus on fighting obesity, this law comes as no surprise. It's another way of informing carnivores about the meat they eat.

What do you think of the news? Do you read nutrition labels?

Believe it or not, sex by surprise is actually not an euphemism for rape. It is sex without a condom after a woman requests it — even if the sex is consensual — and it's fine-able in Sweden by 5,000 kronor (about $715).

This is what WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, is actually accused of, and not rape. Though the rape charges were dropped in August, accusations of rape have been popping up since he became America's most wanted tattletale last week for releasing classified State Department documents.

That drama aside, I am intrigued by sex by surprise. Guys go back on condom promises all the time; if he isn't forcing himself on a woman, isn't she equally at fault?

Alabama is the only state in the nation to still have a sex toy ban on the books, but now Pleasures, the one-stop romance shop, is challenging the law. Turns out, there's a loophole: Alabama law makes an exception on the sale of items designed for the "stimulation of human genital organs" for "a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial, or law enforcement purpose."

Law enforcement purposes?!? Anyway, I'm not here to parse archaic sex laws or insinuate sex toys are used for torture (except, I can't think of anything else?). Instead, let's talk about how entirely retrograde it is to buy a sex toy like it's medical marijuana. Customers must fill out a health questionnaire describing why their physical condition requires a Doc Johnson i-Vibe Rabbit Vibrator.

I'm guessing the drive-through might just be a novelty, because Pleasures is located in a former bank. Yet it's there for those who want privacy but can't wait two days for express delivery. On that note, does anyone know if sex toys can be legally shipped to Alabama? You can log out and tell us in our anonymous, drive-through comments.