TresSugar

Teacher Throws Kid's Mexican Flag in the Trash - Kid To Sue

CitizenSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:08 -0700

Cinco de Mayo may have left more than a tequila hangover and a fridge full of leftover nachos for one teacher in Idaho. A simple act of confiscating a flag from a student might put him on the receiving end of a lawsuit from the ACLU.

The student in question said he was changing into gym clothes at his high school on Cinco de Mayo and holding the Mexican flag when his teacher told him, "Give me the flag." The student claims he asked what the problem was, and his teacher said, "'The problem is that we are in the United States and not in Mexico.' He grabbed it from me. He threw the flag in the garbage can." The trouble worsened after school when the student went to retrieve his flag - he says the teacher taunted him and refused to give it back.

The teacher remembers the event differently, to see how, and how the ACLU is getting involved, read more.

The teacher says the student was waving the flag around and that he "had to confiscate it so it wouldn't escalate any problems in class. We're worried about that stuff all the time. We always have kids saying stuff to each other, and we have a lot of fights between kids." He says he stored it in the trashcan because there was no other place to keep it.

The ACLU has contacted the student who's now considering a lawsuit against the teacher. The school superintendent said this of the incident, "We believe in nondiscriminatory practices and cultural sensitivity. We train for that and talk about that. If there is a teacher making derogatory comments we don't approve of that. We also don't approve of a student disrupting the classroom." About a third of the student body is Hispanic.

Was the teacher right? Is it easy to judge decisions well after the fact? Should the ACLU get involved, or could this be a case of being too sue happy?

Source

Week in Weird News: Spider-Man Saves Boy in Thailand

CitizenSugar — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:00:34 -0700

Fireman Dresses as Spider-Man to Save Boy - After an autistic boy in Thailand climbed to a third-floor balcony and dangled his foot off the edge, a firefighter put on a Spider-Man costume to rescue him.
Toilet Chef Causes Prison Evacuation - An inmate in Washington state decided to cook sausages in his stainless steel toilet, only to cause a fire. The unit was evacuated.
Woman Arrested Three Times in Three Days For DUI - A woman vacationing in Wisconsin was arrested three times in three days for drinking. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $3,000.
Young Russians Want a Job at Kremlin - According to a new poll, Russian youth would rather work in government than in high-tech or international companies.
Teacher Sells Ad Space on Exams - Every worksheet or exam in one Idaho high school teacher's class reads "MOLTO'S PIZZA 14" 1 TOPPING JUST $5" at the bottom. The principal decided to allow the ads, saying it could highlight topics like the Great Depression.

Source

Who Will Be the Next President? Watch the Results With Us!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:21:46 -0800

Election Night is finally here! We've followed the 2008 Presidential campaign trail from primaries, conventions, debates to every hilarious and unexpected moment in between. East Coast polls have started to close, and we'll be here updating you on the electoral votes as they come in using predictions from pollster and major networks. Join us as we wait for the next American president!

Senator Barack Obama

338

Senator John McCain

156

You can check out all the major headlines of the night right here, and I'll be filling in the results for each state as they come in. To see results, read more.

State	Electoral Votes	State	Electoral Votes
Alabama	9	Montana	3
Alaska	3	Nebraska	5
Arizona	10	Nevada	5
Arkansas	6	New Hampshire	4
California	55	New Jersey	15
Colorado	9	New Mexico	5
Connecticut	7	New York	31
Delaware	3	North Carolina	15
D.C.	3	North Dakota	3
Florida	27	Ohio	20
Georgia	15	Oklahoma	7
Hawaii	4	Oregon	7
Idaho	4	Pennsylvania	21
Illinois	21	Rhode Island	4
Indiana	11	South Carolina	8
Iowa	7	South Dakota	3
Kansas	6	Tennessee	11
Kentucky	8	Texas	34
Louisiana	9	Utah	5
Maine	4	Vermont	3
Maryland	10	Virginia	13
Massachusetts	12	Washington	11
Michigan	17	West Virginia	5
Minnesota	10	Wisconsin	10
Mississippi	6	Wyoming	3
Missouri	11

Connecticut Court Grants Gay Marriage Rights

LibertySugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:03:00 -0700

Same-sex couples now have a right to marry in Connecticut. The state's Supreme Court ruled today that under the equal protection clause of Connecticut's constitution, civil unions discriminate against same-sex couples. Thus, gay couples must have the same rights as straight couples.

In a close 4-3 decision, the majority held:

Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice. To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others.

Essentially arguing that the constitution must stay relevant to the times, the court said Connecticut's "understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection."

California's Supreme Court came to a similar conclusion this year, but voters will have a chance to amend the constitution to make same-sex marriage explicitly unconstitutional. To find out how religious people from out of state are working to pass the ban, read more.

Elders of the Mormon church went on church broadcasted-TV Wednesday to share a week-by-week plan to pass the California ban on same-sex marriage, including increased efforts to call Californians, and register like-minded voters. The message aired in California, Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho. The outcome of the California initiative may reveal whether the people share these state courts' tendencies toward marriage equality.

Source

Don't Call It Do Nothing Congress! Passed 1,900 Symbolic Bills

LibertySugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:57 -0700

Congress is on track to pass the least amount of public laws than any other Congress in the two decades of record keeping. So far, the 110th Congress has 294 laws to its name. On the other hand, the House and Senate have passed 1,900 symbolic resolutions.

It may not have ended the war in Iraq, but this year Congress has:

Recognized the Idaho Potato Commission's 70th Anniversary
Recognized soil as an essential natural resource
Designated May 5-9 as National Substitute Teacher Recognition Week
Set July 28 as the Day of the American Cowboy

Shoot! I missed the Day of the American Cowboy. The Wall Street Journal reports that Congress spends one-quarter of its workweek debating and passing such symbolic measures. Congressional Democrats, emphasizing the quality over the quantity of actual legislation, point out that since 2007 they have enacted the largest expansion in college aid in 60 years, increased the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years, increased unemployment benefits, and implemented the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Do you think the Democratic Congress should have a chance to further prove itself with a President on its side, or is it time to symbolically kick these lawmakers to the curb in November?

Source

Here Come the Winners!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:18:20 -0800

Almost every state in!!! Here's what we've been waiting for all day! Our exclusive state-by-state winners chart! Updated as soon as races are called - to check out the winners and comment on the outcomes, read more!

State	Democrats	Republicans
Alabama	Obama	Huckabee
Alaska	Obama	AK R TBD
Arizona	Clinton	McCain
Arkansas	Clinton	Huckabee
California	Clinton	McCain
Colorado	Obama	Romney
Connecticut	Obama	McCain
Delaware	Obama	McCain
Georgia	Obama	Huckabee
Idaho	Obama	NA
Illinois	Obama	McCain
Kansas	Obama	NA
Massachusetts	Clinton	Romney
Minnesota	Obama	Romney
Missouri	Obama	McCain
Montana	NA	Romney
New Jersey	Clinton	McCain
Montana	NA	MT R TBD
New Mexico	NM D TBD	NA
New York	Clinton	McCain
North Dakota	Obama	Romney
Oklahoma	Clinton	McCain
Tennessee	Clinton	Huckabee
Utah	Obama	Romney
West Virginia	NA	Huckabee

News to Me: America's Sexiest Cities

DearSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Following on the heels of America's most depressed states, a new study published in Forbes.com reveals America's most lustful cities, and they may not be what you were expecting. I was expecting to see San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, or even Miami, but in fact those famous cities don't even make the list! Surprisingly, Denver, Colorado takes the number one spot; maybe it's all that cold weather. Forbes explains:

Residents of these metros enjoy vigorous sex lives--at least their condom and contraceptive purchases at grocery and drug stores indicate as much.

While they contend that using results based off purchases of contraception is not fault proof, it does give a general understanding of which cities get downright physical the most.

To check out the top 10 read more

Denver, Colorado
San Antonio, Texas and Portland, Oregon
Seattle, Washington
Salt Lake City, Utah
Boise, Idaho
Washington, D.C.
Cincinnatti, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio
Baltimore, Maryland
Buffalo, New York
Rochester, New York

For those of you who want your city to make the cut next year, you better head to your local drug store and start stocking up for the winter!

Source

News to Me: Most Depressed States

DearSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0800

Depression is a serious condition that affects 16 percent of the US population. Genetics play a large role, but so could where you live.

A survey produced by Mental Health America named the most depressed states. Here are the top 10:

Utah
West Virginia
Kentucky
Rhode Island
Nevada
Oklahoma
Idaho
Missouri
Ohio
Wyoming

Want to know which states are the least depressed? Then read more

South Dakota
Hawaii
New Jersey
Iowa
Maryland
Minnesota
Louisiana
Illinois
North Dakota
Texas

Check out the article called Ranking America's Mental Health: An Analysis of Depression Across the States to see the full list.

This study, funded by Wyeth pharmaceuticals, was not conducted to point fingers or to say that just because you live in one of the top 10 depressed states that you are automatically predisposed to depression, rather it's meant to bring attention to the high need for people to have access to mental health services and preventative treatments.

Dear's Advice: If you are suffering from depression, talk to someone so you aren't dealing with these sad feelings on your own. Tell a friend, relative, or your doctor, so they can help you get the treatment you need.

Source

Breaking News: The Phantom Pooper

GiggleSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

They call him "The Phantom Pooper" and they call this "A Stinky Situation." Who are they? The poor TV journalists over at KIDK news who have been reduced to reporting about a local shit-and-run artist. This unknown offender has been defecating (and finger painting!) all over an Idaho Falls town for unknown reasons. As one Denny's employee astutely points out, "When you have to go, you know a little while in advance, I mean, hello..." So why not use a toilet, Phantom Pooper? WHY?! (Thanks, eBaum's World!)

Muppets + Senator Craig = Awesome

GiggleSugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:56:53 -0700

For those of you who don't follow the news, Idaho Senator Larry Craig was busted for making hand signals in a men's bathroom. To the person who nabbed him (what a weird job he has!), this meant he was soliciting sex from other men. Just kinda funny, right? Add the muppets from the musical Avenue Q to puncuate Craig's subsequent "I'm not gay" speech? Very, very funny.