Saturday, May 28, 2016

Mars from Earth without a telescope.

May 27, 2016
By Peter Becker
...Every 2.1 years (click here) the planet passes Earth, but it isn’t always very bright. Because its orbit is rather elliptical, it varies considerably in how close it comes. To get the general public’s attention, it needs to stand out, and this year is one of those times.
   Before we go any further, note that this is nothing to worry about. Mars is only close astronomically-speaking. It is still more than 46.7 million miles away on May 30. It can get as close as approximately 35 million miles, and that’s still no reason to duck. I mention this because of some fanatical emails that have been passed around in recent years spelling and conjuring thoughts best left for science fiction.
   We are probably more educated about our nearest planetary neighbor than ever thanks to the astounding success of recent Mars landers and orbiting spacecraft sent by NASA as well as other nations’ space programs. The discovery of thousands of planets orbiting other stars in recent years, all the while homing in on possible earth-like worlds makes it all the more exciting....

So much for sentencing reform.

A judge that has made up his mind before he has heard the facts put before the court by a defendant's attorney is nothing short of corrupt.

May 28, 2016
By Matt Ferner


A Las Vegas judge (click here) this week ordered a deputy public defender to be placed in handcuffs and seated next to inmates in court, saying he wanted to teach her "a lesson" about courtroom etiquette. But legal experts say it's the judge who may actually need a lesson in decorum.
On Monday, an irritated Justice of the Peace Conrad Hafen told Clark County Deputy Public Defender Zohra Bakhtary to "be quiet" as she tried to defend her client and keep him from serving a six-month jail sentence for violating probation, the Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported. As Bakhtary continued speak out in defense of her client, Hafen exploded and ordered a marshal to place Bakhtary in handcuffs and seat her in the jury box next to inmates....

Sentencing reform has occurred under President Obama with the assistance of his Attorney Generals. There is going to be an undertone of politics throughout the Judicial System simply because there are elected individuals to the criminal justice system. I would imagine there are going to be far more referrals to the Lawyers' Associations in the country for ethics violations.

Justice Conrad Hafen is a good place to start.