Heavenly Signature

Election rumours have been rife for some time now in Singapore, but one registered Republican in the United States won’t be able to vote in the next election unless he appears at an Elections Board to explain the signature on his registration form. The man is registered as Paul S Sewell, but his form is signed ‘God’. His solicitor said Sewell claims his ‘God’ signature is merely a legal mark like the ‘X’ used by people who are illiterate.

Sewell has explained his strange choice: ‘As the owner of a bail enforcement agency, whenever I arrest somebody, they say, “Oh, God, give me another chance. Oh, God, let me go. I’ll turn myself in tomorrow.”’ He is of the view that his designated mark is legal. It has been accepted on his driver’s licence and credit card.

Quick Hit Business Cards

The business cards received a response, but surely not what their owner had in mind when he had them printed. Police said they heard Sylvester J Williams, 21, of Leavenworth, USA, was selling drugs. Then, they got an unexpected tip that he was handing out business cards and gave him a call. The business card had an image of what appeared to be an alarm clock being hit by a boxing glove and said: ‘For a quick hit on time call the boss.’ Williams was charged with possessing crack cocaine with the intent to sell it. Said the police, ‘It makes our job considerably easier when they advertise and let us know where to get a hold of them.’

No Monkey Business (2)

Suíça, the chimpanzee, who died on 27 September 2005 at the Salvador zoo, has become part of Brazilian legal history: she is the first animal to be recognised as a ‘legal subject’, in a petition for habeas corpus. Suíça and her companion, Geron, arrived in the Salvador zoo four years ago. Since May, when Geron died of cancer, the 23-year-old chimpanzee began to display unusual behaviour, until she was found dead in her cage on the morning of 27 September 2005.

In his first ruling on this topic in 24 years on the bench, Judge Edmundo Lúcio da Cruz declared that he was certain to get the attention of jurists by changing the manner this issue is discussed, and thus creating reasons for ample discussion: ‘It is well known that the penal right to due process is not static, but rather subject to constant change, where new decisions must be adapted to modern times. I believe that with the death of Suíça, this subject will endure in continuous debates, principally in law school courses.’

The decision was celebrated by lawyers bringing the petition: ‘The ruling is historic, there has never been a case in which an animal has been admitted to a legal action. I think that the justice system has established an important precedent for the protection of animals.’