January 2012

Letters of Note: To My Old Master

Here's a remarkable letter that was posted yesterday at the very interesting blog Letters of Note. The letter was written in August of 1865 to Col. P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, by Jourdon Anderson, one of his former slaves. At…


Florida Man Calls for Backup in TV Gunfight

A man in Pasco County, Florida, called 911 at about 1 a.m. on January 24 after he heard a commotion and then gunshots in his living room. Hiding behind his bed after grabbing his own gun, Alan Benz told dispatchers he…



Inmate Sues Himself for Violating His Civil Rights

Here's another example of autolitigation, which like the story in yesterday's post is not new but is worth adding to the archive. Unlike the story in yesterday's post, however, in which it was not inconceivable that there might have been some…


Attorney Sues Himself

This one isn't new — in fact, it happened in 1936 — but I wanted to add it to my archive of such things.   Appeared in, e.g., the New York Times and the Evening Independent on Aug. 9, 1936…



Penguin Defecates in Kentucky Legislature

I don’t know about you, but I for one am sick and tired of these penguins befouling our nation’s halls of government. Seems like everytime you turn around, there’s another penguin pooping in a legislature. Can the candidates take this…


Balloon Stolen

Have you no sense of decency, Minnesota balloon thieves? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? A smiley-face balloon, no less. Not since someone stole two bags of juggling equipment and a unicycle during the 2006 Flatland…



If Pajamas Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Wear Pajamas

I guess that slogan does work better for guns, probably because that's something people might conceivably care about. At least, until recently it honestly hadn't occurred to me that the wearing of pajamas, even in public, could cause any controversy….