Law Times

PAGE 16 u BIZARRE BRIEFS By Viola James POLICE PROTEST BEARD BAN CAIRO — Dozens of Egyptian police officers suspended from work in February for growing Islamic beards protested outside the Interior Ministry recently and called on President Mo- hamed Mursi to secure their reinstatement. The police officers had sought to challenge WOMAN MUST WEAR SIGN WARNING ABOUT IDIOTS CLEVELAND — Is this what alternative mea- sures look like in the United States? According to the Associated Press, a wom- an unwritten rule that stopped members of the security forces from growing beards during the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak, who used the police to crush Islamist groups he saw as enemies of the state. Mubarak was swept from power in February 2011. Propelled to office by the Muslim Brother- hood, a mainstream Islamist movement, Mursi had said during his campaign he had no objec- tion to members of the security forces growing beards. Mursi himself has a beard. "Nothing in the law prevents us growing November 12, 2012 • Law Times u The INSIDE STORY an caught on camera driving on a sidewalk to avoid a school bus that was unloading children will have to stand at an intersection wearing a sign warning about idiots. Court records show a Cleveland municipal court judge ordered 32-year-old Shena Hardin to stand at an intersection for two days next week, the Associated Press reported. She will have to wear a sign saying: "Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus." According to the Associated Press, the judge ordered her to wear the sign from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. both days. Hardin' beards," said Hany Maher, one of 64 suspend- ed officers who were referred to a disciplinary court aſter growing their beards in what they described as a statement of faith, not politics. Four of the officers challenged their dismiss- al in the courts and secured rulings that obliged the Interior Ministry to reinstate them. But the court orders haven't been implemented. Mohamed Fadly, one of the dismissed offi- cers, described the ministry's refusal to reinstate them as an effort to "appease secular powers." Sporting any kind of beard during Mubarak' rule precluded Egyptians from holding any senior state job. But today, top officials including the prime s minister have beards. Many Muslims grow their beards to emulate the Prophet Mohammad. "Why does the ministry reject the teachings of the prophet?" read a banner held aloſt in the protest. Another unwritten rule from Mubarak' was broken aſter Mursi came to office when state television put three veiled anchorwomen on cam- era. It was unthinkable in Mubarak' many Egyptian women wear headscarves. — Reuters s era, though s era 30 days. She also has to pay $250 in court costs. It sounds like the type of sentence Judge Judy would likely approve of. s licence was suspended for BOY, 3, TICKETED FOR PEEING ON LAWN PIEDMONT, Okla. — The mother of a three-year- old boy is facing a $2,500 fine aſter he urinated in the front yard. According to News 9, Dillan' bathroom break that may cost his mother $2,500. "Dillan pulled down his pants to pee outside, s a Ashley Warden, said. "I said, 'Really? He is three years old. department, according to News 9. They have a court appearance set for next month. The Wardens filed a complaint with the police LT s in public view." CIVILITY EVENT NEXT MONTH A slew of legal heavyweights will present their views on the civility debate at an upcoming event that will raise funds for Toronto lawyer Joe Groia' Law Society of Upper Canada. The event takes place on Dec. 6 at Heen- Canada will feature panellists Ian Binnie, a former judge of the Supreme Court of Canada; criminal lawyer Ed- ward Greenspan; Thomas Heintzman, counsel at McCarthy Té- trault LLP; and University of Calgary law professor Alice Woolley. Heenan Blaikie partner George Karayannides will moderate. For more information on the event, contact Bryan Jones at bjones@ an Blaikie LLP at 333 Bay St. in Toronto. The debate on the future of advocacy in heenan.ca. IP LAWYER JOINS NORTON ROSE Intellectual property lawyer An- thony de Fazekas has joined Norton Rose Canada LLP's To- ronto office. De Fazekas leaves Miller boy unzipped while outside as he wasn't near the bathroom. But before he could pee, a Piedmont police officer stopped him, News 9 reported. It' s mother said the government has yet to take action. LAO GOES WIRELESS Legal Aid Ontario is going wireless. I guess, and the cop pulled up and asked for my licence and told me he was going to give me a ticket for public urination," the boy' said it doesn't matter," said Dillan's grandmoth- s mother, ' And he er, Jennifer Warden. "[He said], 'It is public uri- nation.' I said, 'We are on our property' and he said it' Thomson LLP to take a posi- tion as partner at Norton Rose. His work focuses on all areas of information technology law and includes the formation of intellec- tual property strategies, develop- ment of patent applications, pros- ecution of patents, and licensing. " standing combination of IT and corporate expertise to the firm," said Allyson Whyte Nowak, regional chairwoman of Nor- ton Rose' Anthony brings an out- property practice. "He knows what it takes to help s Ontario intellectual mid-sized and startup clients suc- ceed. His proven track record in the innovation sector will be a tre- mendous benefit to our clients in the area." POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. According to the poll, 83 per cent of respondents think it's time a year-long pilot project at the courthouses in Brampton, Ont., and Durham Region to look at how wireless devices can help staff improve their work. Working on a secure network, LAO staff will use laptops and tablets with the goal of improving communication and achieving efficiencies. LAO says it has confirmed the This fall, LAO will launch devices won't interfere with exist- ing courtroom technology. Cur- rently, resources such as research materials, precedents, certificate status, and client history are only available on wired computers. NEW LAW TAKES EFFECT A new law affecting drug crimes took effect last week. The targeting serious drug "In my opinion, the most desirable revision to the Provincial Animal Welfare Act of 2009 would be to speed up the service in this dump!" Recruiting? Post your position on GREAT RATES. GREAT REACH. GREAT RESULTS. Contact Sandy Shutt at sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com for details. www.lawtimesnews.com JobsInLaw 1-8 pg 5X.indd 1 2/15/11 4:12:27 PM for the province to introduce a special law to deal with strategic litigation against public participa- tion. The results come as an On- tario Superior Court master took former Aurora, Ont., mayor Phyllis Morris to task for her ac- tions in a defamation matter dur- ing the 2010 municipal election. The court ordered Morris to pay costs aſter she withdrew litigation against a number of people she alleged had defamed her shortly before the election. A panel appointed by the prov- ince has already called for legisla- tion to deal with SLAPPs, but the crime component of Bill C-10 has come into force, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson an- nounced last Tuesday. The law targets gangs and other organized crime groups that participate in the drug trade. It makes jail time mandatory, for example, for of- fences carried out for the pur- poses of organized crime. The law also tackles cases of drugs sold to youth or in areas near a school. Besides the drug law, the House of Commons also passed Crimi- nal Code amendments toughen- ing protections for seniors. The protecting Canada' would make evidence that an of- fence had an impact on victims due to their age an aggravating factor in sentencing. The bill now moves to the Senate. s seniors act LT s costs in his proceedings with the Joe Groia

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