Archive for the ‘Government, Politics, Law and Order’ Category

The three Midwest advertising men pooled their talents to create a heartwarming tale for kids, that featured the dog, “Santa Paws,” and copyrighted their work in 1992.  In 2009-2011, Disney distributed its films “Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws” and “The Search for Santa Paws.”  The three ad guys, after seeing Disney’s “direct to video” films, researched their records and found that in 1996 Disney had expressed interest in their story to their agent, the William Morris Agency, Inc.

The three have filed a lawsuit against  Disney, et al in U.S. Dist. Court in St. Louis alleging copyright infringement and related state claims. Writes the plaintiffs’ barrister Albert Watkins, “It is my clients’ genuine hope the true spirit of Christmas will prevail and the defendants will do the right thing for all who believe in Santa and the magic of Christmas.”

A very Happy Birthday on Dec. 20 to former Mo. U.S. Sen. and First Lady Jean Carnahan, who is graying graciously – and writing about it.  Jean’s latest book, due Feb. 1 from Vantage Point Press, is, “A Little Help From My Friends. . .and Other Hilarious Tales of Graying Graciously.”  From the publisher: “Too many older adults look upon their lives as a shrinking island to which they retire surrounded by their aches and pains, regrets, disappointments, and fears. But not Jean and Edna. They are two gutsy septuagenarians with a hearty outlook on life. Like ancient seers, they have found the answers to the perplexities of daily living and they are eager to share our insight.

In addition, they review various products they have discovered that lessen “senioritis” or, at least, make it more tolerable.  In these thirty-some, laugh-out-loud essays, Jean and her friend Edna are opinionated and vociferous.  They react to everything from malls, manners, and makeup to birthdays, beauty secrets and bras.”

Here’s a nice salute to certain veterans with Missouri license plates denoting specific military honors.  The Columbia, Mo. City Council approved an ordinance allowing free parking at city-owned facilities and parking spaces for those vets with tags honoring Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, P.O.W., Silver Star and Bronze Star recipients.

The holiday Grinch in all of this? The University of Missouri, which told the city it will continue to collect parking tolls from the veterans despite the special honors for their bravery and sacrifices. Apparently Mizzou wasn’t satisfied that qualifications to receive the special honors plates must be approved by both the Missouri Dept. of Revenue and the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.  Maybe the powers that be forgot that the centerpiece of campus life, the Gothic Memorial Union and its clock tower, was dedicated as a memorial to Mizzou people who gave their lives in military service.

Thomas Hill, CEO of Summit Materials, and Thomas Dunne, Sr., continue to sharpen their pencils on a possible acquisition of some or all of Earth City-based Fred Weber, Inc. Summit has a $1 billion credit line with Blackstone Capital Partners VLP. . .The Rev. Larry Biondi is rarely spotted outside his own campus, unless a meal is involved.  Thus, a rare personal appearance Monday to testify in front of the St. Louis Preservation Board marked the seriousness with which St. Louis University’s president regarded a request to demolish four historic structures near the university’s medical center in order to accommodate a new $75 million outpatient center.  Biondi won approval to demolish two of the structures, but will have to return next year with a different plan (or find a willing judge to throw out the decision) if he wants the two other structures – an office building and a smokestack - demolished.  All four structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. . .To address what she calls “the growing speculation about whether Rep. Jamilah Nasheed will seek the newly redistricted 5th Senatorial seat” – speculation that she herself is fueling – Nasheed has sent out a media advisory announcing that she will make an announcement about her plans on Jan. 3.  In the meantime, we can only – speculate.

A disclosure by the University of Missouri Curator Craig Van Matre has folks up in arms at UMSL, Mizzou, Kansas City and Rolla.  Van Matre, a Columbia lawyer appointed by Guv. Jay Nixon, disclosed to the Columbia Daily Tribune that the field of four finalists for the university president included “a candidate currently in academic management, a woman and a minority candidate.” None of this was publicly known, of course, because the Board of Curators picked the new president, Timothy Wolfe, in a process shrouded in secrecy worthy of the College of Cardinals winnowing the field for St. Peter’s Throne.  Wolfe is a white businessman with a bachelor’s degree from Mizzou, and he had been unemployed since last summer. He’s succeeded another white businessman, Gary Forsee, who was also unemployed before his hiring as president, because he was sacked as the CEO of Sprint. In an op-ed for the Columbia Missourian, Mizzou emeritus prof William “Gene” Robertson admonished, “Scrutiny of decision making is an inherent element that is prized at universities.  That process is assumed to be instrumental to educating future leaders.  Secret behaviors lead to notions of deviousness, which should not be considered at the beginning of new president’s tenure.”

Local GOP big shot Sam Fox, who heads Mitt Romney’s Missouri finance team, is expressing some trepidation about his candidate’s short term prospects. “I would feel much better about the outcome of this campaign if the primary were three months off rather than three weeks away,” Fox says in today’s N.Y.Times. Asked bout stoppingNewt Gringrich’s rising popularity in the days ahead, Fox admits, “I don’t think there is much that (Romney’s campaign) can do.”

State Sen. Jason Crowell, known as a brick wall on two spindly legs for his filibusters in the Mo. Senate when he opposes legislation, is term-limited, winding up his last year of legislative service and he is not seeking another office. So – why did Noranda Corp.of New Madrid donate $10,000 this week and two previous donations of $10k donations earlier this year – bringing to a haul of $30k from the aluminum smelter he has been protecting in the lagislatture? Not bad for a country lawyer from Cape Garagedoor. For those keeping score, Noranda is the largest consumer of electrical energy in the eastern half of Missouri – yet it pays a dramatically lower industrial power rate,even lower than the poorest customers of Ameren.  It’s probably a coincidence that Sen. Crowell’s filibusters historically blocked any legislation that could have  raised Noranda’s electric bill.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Tolen has been disbarred. by the Kansas Supreme Court. Tolen had been sentenced to 65 years in prison for 34 counts of second degree sodomy for which he was convicted and one count of witness tampering.