Most Ridiculous: ‘Happy’ Dancers Sentenced to Lashes, Jail Time
A group of Iranians face 91 lashes and jail time for dancing in the streets to the pop-hit song “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams.
The sentences, though, were suspended, according to this Rolling Stone piece and will be contingent upon the seven Iranians finding no additional legal troubles during the next three years.
The lashes are to punish the dancers for “ignoring Islamic norms," and the jail time for participating in dance, posted to the Internet, in the first place. Iranian officials were unhappy with the young men and woman and cited them for being “vulgar” and “hurting public chastity” for participating in the making of the video.
Most Attentive: European Drug-maker Ponies Up $56.5M After Claiming Adderall Could Cut Crime, STD’s
European drug maker Shire agreed to pay $56.5 million in a settlement regarding claims about the attention deficit disorder medication Adderall, alleged to be unsubstantiated by clinical data, according to a New York Times article.
The Justice Department announced that from January of 2004 to December of 2007 the drug maker touted its superiority over its competitors without being able to back the claims up. However, Shire has not admitted any wrongdoing with respect to their marketing.
The company was also said to have advertised the drug could prevent bad grades, job loss, crime, car crashes and STD’s, that also were not grounded in data.
Most Shocking: First Ever Conviction for Va. Gov.
Virginia’s 71st governor, Robert F. McDonnell, and his wife Maureen were found guilty of 20 corruption charges between them, much to the surprise of Virginians of every walk of life.
This Washington Post story enumerates the polarizing conviction of McDonnell, who governed a state prided on its reputation of clean government. A popular figure in the Commonwealth, his guilty verdict left many pundits, politicians and regular people saddened and surprised. One of the former governor’s milestone achievements was securing the voting rights of convicted felons, who ironically have added the conservative to their ranks, the Post story, notes.
Most Terrifying: Two Convicted for Conspiring to Join Al Qaeda
A U.S. District Court jury in Riverside, Calif., found Sohiel Omar Kabir and Ralph Deleon guilty of a number of al Qaeda related offenses, as reported by this Reuters story.
Both were found guilty for “conspiring to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda and conspiring to kill officers and employees of the U.S. government,” while Deleon was also found guilty of “conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping or maiming overseas.”
A February sentencing could land both of them in prison for the rest of their lives. Prosecutors said the case is evidence that the reaches of dangerous extremist ideology can, in fact, extend into the U.S., and require perpetual vigilance.
Most Homicidal: Pistorius Guilty of ‘Negligent Killing’
South African Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled Olympian and amputee Oscar Pistorius is guilty of culpable homicide in an incident involving the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, according to an Associated Press article on NJ.com.
However, the Valentine’s Day incident did not yield a guilty verdict for a charge of murder. Attorneys battled over if the shooting was intentional, or as Pistorius contended, a matter of a mistaken intruder, A former sprinter with no legs, he faces up to 15 years in prison, although could be sentenced to no jail time.
Steenkamp's family recently spoke out expressing dissatisfaction with the ruling, claiming the former runner may not “pay properly for killing our lovely daughter,” according to an International Business Times article.