Going to see Santa at the mall is a holiday ritual for millions of children. But instead of Santa asking your child if he’s been naughty or nice, perhaps you’d better ask Santa that question. Turns out, the bar for who gets to wear that cheap department store costume isn’t as high as you might hope.
The trend of shacking up instead of, or at least before, marriage is likely one reason divorce rates are falling. When these couples break up there are no lawyers and no divorce. Sounds easier and less expensive, right? In fact, the lack of a clear legal process can make it very challenging for an unmarried couple to untangle the financial threads they have woven together.
Californians finally have the option to seek assistance in choosing to end their lives: the state passed a right-to-die law called the End of Life Option Act in this November’s election. But as big a step as this is, the law leaves much to be desired.
Here’s a ruling the Supreme Court would probably like to appeal: according to a Gallup poll, more people now disapprove of the Court than approve. Jokingly known as the Supremes, the highest court in the land is less popular than ever before. Where does the discontent come from?
In divorce proceedings, child custody is often one of the biggest issues, but pet custody is becoming almost as contentious. More than two-thirds of US households are home to a dog or cat, and with Americans spending more than $60 billion a year on their four-legged companions, it’s clear that pets are important members of the family. So how do you go about getting custody?
If you’ve never been called for jury duty or you’ve been notified but ended up not having to go, you might wonder about rules and requirements. Although the rules do vary by state, the basic requirements of jury duty are the same wherever you are. First rule? Don’t blow off the summons.
The cake sits in front of you, candles glowing. “Happy birthday to you…,” everyone sings, and then you make a wish and blow out the candles. But have you ever noticed that you almost never see people singing that song in TV shows and movies? There’s a reason: the song was under copyright, and using it meant paying royalties (totaling about $2 million per year). Indeed, many restaurants won’t even allow their employees to sing the song to customers, which has resulted in the spread of some interesting alternative songs at popular chains.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been around since 1967. This law gives U.S. citizens the broad right to access information from all federal government agencies. What interesting info can you get your hands on?
Pope Francis announced that he has changed the Catholic Church’s annulment process, making it easier for Catholics to obtain annulments. What does this mean for Catholics getting divorced in the United States?
Issue can be taken with the way the law enforcement authorities handled the incident. They didn’t evacuate the school or bring in a bomb squad, which begs the question: Why did they handcuff and fingerprint the boy if they weren’t really concerned it was a bomb? There are real and serious reservations about the conduct of the police and how they treated this young man. However, these were all actions (or lack of actions) taken by the police, not the school. All the school did was report there was a potential bomb. Was there anything wrong with that?