Civil

School Partially Lifts Ban on Playing With Balls

The Canadian school that banned everything but "nerf balls or sponge balls" from its playground last month after a parent was hit in the head with a soccer ball has backed off, but not by much. After a meeting with parents…


Playground Covered in Pillows for Safety Reasons

Not quite, but one parent suggested this may be the next step in a Toronto school’s stupid, stupid plan. Phase one was to limit the children to “sponge or other soft balls” because things like baseballs, soccer balls, footballs, and…



Judge: Feds Don’t Have to Pay for Wrecked Ferrari

According to this report, the federal government will not have to pay for the Ferrari F50 that one of its agents wrecked in 2009. See "Insurer Sues FBI for Crashing Ferrari," Lowering the Bar (Mar. 3, 2011). The joke then, which…


Dismissal of “Bad Mothering” Lawsuit Affirmed

Ladies and gentlemen, over the years we have seen some horrifying examples of man's inhumanity to man. Also man's inhumanity to woman, woman's inhumanity to man, and woman's inhumanity to woman, plus at least some examples of man's inhumanity to…


Man Gives Ex-Wife a Boulder for Her Birthday

Saying his ex-wife Isa had always wanted a "big rock," Dany Lariviere of Montreal gave her one last weekend for her birthday. She will not be wearing it on her finger, though, because it weighs about 20 tons: Bonne fête, Isa…


Three Follow-Ups

Let's return to some prior stories and see how things have developed. I. Escape Proves Temporary In 2009, I reported that repeat offender Ronald Tackman had escaped from a holding area in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he was awaiting trial,…