August 2010

Blagojevich Convicted on One of 24 Counts

The jury in the trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has, after two weeks of deliberating, managed to agree on exactly one of the 24 counts alleged in the indictment.  The jury apparently agreed that Blagojevich lied to federal…



Laughing in Courtroom Leads to Felony Charge

There are occasionally times when laughing out loud in court is okay, but they are all too rare.  Importantly, the odds that it is okay to do this go way down if you are the only one laughing. A station…



Paris Hilton Sued for Wearing Wrong Hair Extensions

A company that makes hair extensions is suing Paris Hilton for $35 million, alleging that she breached an agreement to wear and promote its product.  Hilton was apparently paid $3.5 million to promote extensions made by Hairtech International Inc., but…


Patent No. 4,656,917: Eddie Van Halen’s Guitar Support

It's actually just called "Musical instrument support," but the inventor is indeed "Van Halen, Edward L.," of Los Angeles, California. The present invention relates in general to a stabilizing support for a musical instrument of the type having a body…





County Apologizes for Shutting Down Unlicensed Lemonade Stand

In the future, county health department workers should use "professional discretion" when enforcing permit requirements, said Jeff Cogan, county chairman in Multnomah County, Oregon.  He was responding to criticism over the department's decision last week to crack down on Julie…