This and That

Benefits of a TSA Job.

2012-02-02T17:18:00.002-06:00

NYC agent arrested in latest TSA theft

NEW YORK (AP) — A Transportation Security Administration agent stole $5,000 in cash from a passenger's jacket as he was going through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said Thursday, the latest in a string of thefts that has embarrassed the agency.

Alexandra Schmid took the cash from a Bangladeshi passenger's jacket as it went along an X-ray conveyor belt Wednesday night in Terminal 4, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's police force.

Surveillance video showed Schmid taking the money from a jacket pocket, wrapping the cash in a plastic glove and taking it to a bathroom, Della Fave said.

The money hasn't been recovered, he said. Police are investigating whether Schmid gave it to another person in the bathroom.

The 31-year-old Schmid was arrested on a charge of grand larceny and suspended pending an investigation. Her attorney's name wasn't immediately known.

Schmid, who lived in Brooklyn, had worked for the TSA for 4½ years, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

"We do hold our officers to very high standards, and we have a zero tolerance policy for theft in the workplace," Farbstein said.

Wednesday's arrest came the same day that a federal judge sentenced former TSA screener Ricky German to eight months in prison for trying to steal a laptop from a passenger at the Memphis airport in December 2010. German was convicted of theft by a government employee, depriving a citizen of his rights and making false statements.

The cases are part of a series of recent theft allegations against TSA employees:

— Last month, an agent who worked searching checked luggage at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was suspended after the owner of a stolen iPad used the tracking feature on the device to locate it at the agent's home. Police found seven other iPads there.

—On Jan. 10, former TSA agent Paul Yashou pleaded guilty to stealing a $15,000 watch from a passenger's belongings at Los Angeles International Airport in May. He is awaiting sentencing.

— Two other former TSA agents at JFK were sentenced on Jan. 10 to six months in jail and five years' probation for stealing $40,000 from a piece of luggage in January 2011. The agents, Coumar Persad and Davon Webb, had pleaded guilty to grand larceny, obstructing governmental administration and official misconduct.

— Also in January, authorities charged an agent at Miami International Airport with swiping items and luggage and smuggling them out of the airport in a hidden pocket of his work jacket. He was arrested after one of the items, an iPad, was spotted for sale on Craigslist. Another TSA employee was arrested in July at nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after an airline employee reported that the man slipped an iPad into his pants.

— In December, police charged a TSA screener at New York's LaGuardia Airport with lifting a laptop after a Detroit-bound passenger left it behind at the security station.

— Earlier last year, a TSA supervisor and one of his officers pleaded guilty in a scheme that lifted $10,000 to $30,000 from passengers' belongings at Newark Liberty International Airport. A federal judge sentenced the supervisor, Michael Arato, to 2½ years in prison and his subordinate, Al Raimi, to six months of home confinement.

Nice people, frisking your grandmother wasn't good enough, so now there are better benefits to the job........

Cupcake Destruction wars....

2011-12-26T18:47:00.002-06:00

'Security Theater'? TSA Confiscates Woman's Frosted Cupcake

A Massachusetts woman who flew home from Las Vegas this week says an airport security officer confiscated her frosted cupcake because he thought its vanilla-bourbon icing could be a "security risk."

Rebecca Hains told ABCNews.com today that a Transportation Security Administration agent at Las Vegas- McCarran International Airport seized her cupcake, saying the frosting sitting atop the red velvet cake was gel-like enough to violate regulations.

The incident took place Wednesday.

Hains, a teacher, said the cupcake was a gift from one of her students. She was traveling with her husband and toddler, and thought her young son might get hungry on the long trip home.

The cupcake was packaged in a glass container with a metal lid, which was why it attracted the attention of the scanner in the first place.

The TSA agent didn't know what to do with the cupcake, so she called over her supervisor, Hains said.

"The TSA supervisor, Robert Epps, was using really bad logic - he said it counted as a gel-like substance because it was conforming to the shape of its container."

"We also had a small pile of hummus sandwiches with creamy fillings, which made it through, but the cupcake with its frosting was apparently a terrorist threat…I just don't know what world he was living in," said Hains, speaking of the TSA officer.

Hains said she had flown from Boston to Las Vegas with two cupcakes without any problems.

"The TSA at Logan Airport said the cupcakes looked delicious and told us to have a great trip. But in Las Vegas, they were dangerous. They shouldn't be delicious in one part of the country and a security threat in the other."

Hains called the TSA "security theater."

"You'd expect them to be consistent. If they're doing what they claim to be doing and actually protecting travelers, they would be applying their rules using critical thinking. He gave no indication that really thought the cupcake was a threat."

"This really isn't about the cupcake, it's about the bigger issue and it's indicative of the fact that broader reforms need to be made to the TSA because they are not keeping us safe," said Hains.

"In general, cakes and pies are allowed in carry-on luggage," TSA spokesperson James Fotenos told ABC News affiliate WCVB. Fotenos added that they were looking into why this cupcake was confiscated.

This TSA ust keeps getting better and better....

Own a Purse Go to Jail...........

2011-12-03T00:09:00.003-06:00

Florida teen detained by TSA for design on her purse

It's not unusual for 17-year-old to find themselves in hot water with the fashion police. But on a flight from Virginia to Florida, Vanessa Gibbs found herself detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) over the appearance of her purse.

And just to be clear, it wasn't the content inside the purse that the TSA objected to. No, agency officials took exception with the design of a gun on Gibbs' handbag.

"It's my style, it's camouflage, it has an old western gun on it," Gibbs told News4Jax.com. Gibbs didn't run into any trouble while traveling north from Jacksonville International Airport. But on her way back home, TSA officials at Norfolk International Airport pulled her aside.

"She was like, 'This is a federal offense because it's in the shape of a gun,'" Gibbs said. "I'm like, 'But it's a design on a purse. How is it a federal offense?'"

After TSA agents figured out the gun was a fake, Gibbs said, they told her to check the bag or turn it over. By the time security wrapped up the inspection, the pregnant teen missed her flight, and Southwest Airlines sent her to Orlando instead. The changed itinerary created no small amount of anxiety for Gibbs' mother, who was already waiting for her to arrive at the Jacksonville airport.

"Oh, it's terrifying. I was so upset," said Tami Gibbs, the teen's mom. "I was on the phone all the way to Orlando trying to figure out what was going on with her. It was terrifying."

Less terrifying is the actual design on the purse, which is only a few inches in size and hollow. "I carried this from Jacksonville to Norfolk, and I've carried it from Norfolk to Jacksonville," Vanessa said. "Never once has anyone said anything about it until now."

Nonetheless, the TSA says the design could be considered a "replica weapon," something that the agency has banned since 2002. Just imagine what would have happened if Gibbs had also been wearing stiletto heels.

Another reason not to step foot in an US airport.......IT is only going to get more nuts.....

Too bad homeowners didn't start a fire.

2011-11-16T09:58:00.002-06:00

Teen rescued after 10 hours in chimney of Ga.

Associated Press

NORCROSS, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta-area authorities say a teenage burglary suspect was pulled from a chimney by firefighters after being stuck there for more than 10 hours.

Police say the 17-year-old boy was taken into custody after being freed from the chimney around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home in Norcross, northeast of Atlanta.

Gwinnett County police Cpl. Jake Smith tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the teen was charged with burglary and giving false information to a police officer.

Smith said a neighbor heard someone yelling for help from her neighbor's chimney.

Authorities tell the Gwinnett Daily Post the teen was screaming when fire crews arrived and told the firefighters he had been stuck there since 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters freed him by lowering a rope from the top of the chimney.

Another Santa Claus wannabe.......

The only way to fly................

2011-11-13T14:08:00.000-06:00

Bay Area woman trapped in airport for eight days–all for lack of a $60 baggage fee

By Chris Lehmann | The Lookout

Sure, hurricanes and unseasonal blizzards can create major delays in air travel. And the ordinary air traveler faces plenty of exasperation via the heightened, and not always rational, security measures of the Transportation Safety Administration.

But Terri Weissinger, a native of Sonoma County, Calif., has suffered a new scale of airport indignity: Seeking to start a new life in Idaho, Weissinger was condemned to eight days in the limbo of the San Francisco International Airport--because she was unable to pay the fee her airline assessed for an additional piece of checked baggage.

As Michael Finney, a correspondent with the local ABC news affiliate KGO, reports, Wessinger, "was broke" when she left for the airport. (You can watch Finney's report in the video clip above.)

"She had nothing but an airline ticket and $30 in her pocket." She also hadn't traveled by air in the last five years--meaning that when she stepped to the ticket counter to check her bags, she was in for a serious case of sticker shock. The U.S. Airways agent checking her in told her that it was cost $60 to check both her bags. Weissinger offered to pay the fee when she arrived in Idaho, but the agent declined. She also offered to leave one bag there at the San Francisco Airport. That, the agent explained, would be in violation of security regulations.

Wessigner's next move was to try to scare up the full fee by calling friends in the area. She came up empty, and by the time she'd finished working the phones, she missed her flight. That's when things started to get truly Kafka-esque. To get a new flight "she'd have to pay her bag fees plus $150 in change fees," Finney notes. Without a place to stay nearby, Weissinger stayed the night at the airport. She awoke to more bad news: U.S. Airlines explained that, since she couldn't pay a change fee, she'd have to book a new flight from scratch. That would run about $1,000.

For the next week, Weissinger could do nothing but wander up and down the San Francisco air terminal. At one point, she says, she was treated for anxiety at the terminal's medical clinic; when she sought police assistance, she reports, she was nearly brought in on vagrancy charges. Her ordeal stretched out over eight days--and it only came to an end with the generous assistance of parishioners at a chapel called "The Airport Church of Christ." They gave her $210 that covered the original fee arrangement that Weissinger was able to restore with U.S. Air--the $150 change fee together with the $60 to check her bags.

Weissinger says that she never saw any baggage fee notification when she booked her flight on the online travel service Orbitz--nor did her travel itinerary carry any such notification. There is, however, one small silver lining in this whole grim Tom Hanks-style saga: Weissinger was traveling in April, and since then, federal rules have forced online travel services and airline reservation sites to feature prominent notification of baggage fees prior to booking a flight. As for U.S. Airways, an airline representative told Finney that "We have apologized to Ms. Weissinger, but unfortunately are unable to offer a refund. When you purchase a non-refundable ticket, you accept the terms and conditions. If a passenger cannot travel with their bags, they need to make other arrangements."

Translation: A U.S. Airways apology and $60 will get you two checked bags.

I guess I would be in Jail.....................

2011-11-09T10:06:00.002-06:00

Texas Mother Given 5 Years Probation for Spanking Her Daughter

June 20, 2011 at 11:21 am , by Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Rosalina Gonzales, a mother of three from Corpus Christi, Texas, was sentenced to five years’ probation, a $50 fine, and parenting classes after pleading guilty to spanking her two-year-old daughter on the rear-end last December under the charge of “Injury to a Child.” Gonzales did not use an object to spank her daughter, and the spank did not leave a bruise, but when the child’s grandmother noticed red marks, she took the child to the hospital.

The grandmother has custody of Gonzalez’s three children, though Gonzales is working with local Child Protective Services to regain custody.

At the sentencing hearing, 214th District Court Judge Jose Longoria admonished Gonzales that spanking is not acceptable in this day and age.

“You don’t spank children today,” said Longoria, “in the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don’t spank children. You understand?”

A Child Protective Services spokesperson told KZTV, a Corpus Christi station, that though the law does not forbid spanking, the practice is criminal when it injures a child.

What is your opinion of spanking as a form of discipline?

Being that I have not been a parent, but believe in strict discipline, I would have no problem is whacking my offspring on their butt, for disciplinary purpose.

If it was today, I guess they would haul Sister Mary Ambrose one of my teachers in grammar school, my Father, my Mother all off to jail.

Yes, I believe you shouldn't abuse your kids, but where does the govmint, get in creeping into our homes this much and telling you how to discipline your kids........

The wheels of Justice..........

2011-11-04T14:04:00.000-06:00

New York City cop imprisons college student without ID for two days

By Chris Lehmann | The Lookout

Note to tourists visting New York: Don't be caught out without your ID, or you could be caught in the city's penal system for days, if the recent experience of 21-year-old college student Samantha Zucker is anything to go by.

Actually, Zucker, barely qualifies as an out-of-towner, since she hails from the Westchester town of Ardmore. And the underlying charge that led to her tour in jail was a minor trespassing citation, dismissed by a presiding judge in no time.

But no matter: A vigilant NYPD officer deemed her a sufficient threat to public safety to have her handcuffed and jailed in two different cells across the length of Manhattan.

The whole ordeal began with a trip to Riverside Park, as Zucker recounts to New York Times columnist James Dwyer. Zucker is enrolled in a design program at Pittsburgh's Carnegie-Mellon University; together with 80 of her colleagues, she spent a long day on Oct. 21 scouting out prospective employment scenarios in New York's sprawling fashion industry. After pounding the pavement, she dropped off her bags at her West Harlem hotel. From there, she and fellow student Alex Fischer decided to stroll over to Riverside Park, to gaze out on the Hudson.

There was just one problem: The two park visitors arrived at around 3 a.m. on Oct. 22, and the park is officially closed to visitors as of 1 a.m. A police car pulled up, and the officers in it informed the two students of their trespass. Zucker and Fischer explained that they hadn't known of the park's curfew, and turned around to leave. By then, however, another NYPD car appeared, and the officer driving it announced he was citing them for trespassing, and demanded their IDs. Fischer produced his driver's license and was let go--but Zucker had left her identification back at the hotel, two blocks away. She apologized, and told the officer that she could have Fischer or another friend fetch it.

But no dice. "He said it was too late for that, I should have thought of it earlier," she told Dwyer. At that point, as Dwyer writes, the wheels of justice locked grimly into gear; Zucker was handcuffed and led into a surreal maze of detention:

For the next 36 hours, she was moved from a cell in the 26th Precinct station house on West 126th Street to central booking in Lower Manhattan and then — because one of the officers was ending his shift before Ms. Zucker could be photographed for her court appearance, and you didn't think he was going to take the subway uptown while his partner stayed with her at booking, did you? — she was brought back to Harlem.

It's not against the law, of course, to be out on New York's streets without identification--but the courts can detain people without identification in jail until their arraignment in lieu of issuing them a summons. As Zucker waited in her cell for her court appearance, she heard NYPD employees marvel that the arresting officer didn't permit her the opportunity to have a friend retrieve her ID. At another point, Zucker says, she heard two NYPD staffers say that the arresting officer--identified as Officer Durrell of the 26th District in Zucker's police records--had a "short fuse." When Zucker finally got her court appearance, the presiding judge dismissed her trespassing citation in less than a minute.

Durrell apparently worked off some tension by taunting his prisoner in her cell. "He was telling me that I needed to get a new boyfriend, that I should get a guy who takes me out to dinner," Ms. Zucker said. "He mocked me for being from Westchester." (For the record, Fischer is not Zucker's boyfriend.)

The officer also instructed Zucker--twice--to refrain from calling him a profane name that she did not in fact utter. "I said, 'Sir, I never used that word.' " Then again, projection is no crime--any more than being out in a park without an ID is.

Ahhh, maybe a little over-reaction?

2011-10-28T12:47:00.003-05:00

10 Greenville schools locked down for manhunt

AP – 1 hr 20 mins ago

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A gunman fired on a police officer in Greenville checking on a vehicle with a suspicious license tag Friday, causing 10 schools to go on lockdown.

The shooting happened around 10 a.m. at an apartment complex, Police Chief Terri Wilfong said. The officer returned fire, but it didn't appear anyone was hit.

The suspect was able to run into nearby woods and hasn't been seen since. Several dozen officers from a nearby training session rushed to help search, authorities said.

Four public schools, three private schools, two colleges and a special education center were placed on lockdown.

Officials said it was a precaution and none of the students or teachers appeared to be in danger. Schools began shifting to a partial lockdown, allowing some people into and out of the buildings after about two hours.

The shooting happened in a fairly densely populated area just south of Interstate 85.

One incident and 10 school get lockdown? What is happening to this country, what's next? Lockdown the city for one incident? Send in the National Guard?

Use your cell phone and get chased ...

2011-10-26T10:31:00.005-05:00

Cell-phone violation leads to police chase and fatal crash

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

10-26) 05:55 PDT CONCORD -- A man being chased by Concord police for driving while talking on his cell phone crashed his pickup truck into a second car, killing its driver, authorities said.

The incident began about 6 p.m. Tuesday when an officer saw a man in a white pickup truck talking on his cell phone without the required hands-free device and tried to pull him over, police said.

The man refused to stop and led the officer on a chase. The pursuit ended when the man crashed into a BMW on Solano Way near Highway 242, police said.

The driver of the BMW died as a result of the crash. The victim's name hasn't been released.

The suspect was arrested after a short foot chase. His identity was also withheld.

Yes , I know the guy should have stopped, BUT, at what point do you consider putting other peoples lives in danger? I was under the impression that most law-enforcement agencies allow officers to chase suspects in stolen cars or those wanted for serious crimes.

Over zealousness?

Police are getting worse by the day..........

2011-10-26T09:33:00.003-05:00

Umm, Sarge? We Arrested The Wrong Person… But Sarge, Her Name Was TERESA!

Associated Press
I get aggravated when my sandwich artist at Jersey Mike’s doesn’t take pride in his sandwich making- nothing bothers me more than haste and utter disregard to detail. If the following events had happened to me, I’d go absolutely ape shit. An Atlanta woman, Teresa Culpepper, called the Police after her truck had been stolen, but when Police arrived, their common sense had been stolen as well. The only thing they knew was that her name was Theresa, well, that, and the fact that there was a warrant out for the arrest of another Teresa for aggravated assault. “Her birth date didn’t match. Her address didn’t match. Her description didn’t match. Other than the name Teresa, nothing matched,” said Ashleigh Merchant, Culpepper’s attorney. Culpepper was jailed for 53 days because of idiocy alone. Too bad those police officers weren’t called to Teresa Guidice’s house. Now there’s a storyline that would be entertaining… something those Real Housewives of New Jersey could use.

According to Atlanta Police, an internal investigation has reportedly begun, but Merchant says that the city must settle or face a lawsuit.

I usually do not like people suing people and agencies , but in this case I hope she wins Gazillions of dollars.....there is no excuse for this kind of police malfeasance........

And they joke about chickens on the buses in Mexico

2011-10-14T08:41:00.003-05:00

Robert Vietze, JetBlue Passenger, Pees On 11-Year-Old Girl On Flight

by AOL Travel Staff

The teenager allegedly caught urinating on a young girl on a JetBlue flight last week was actually relieving himself on the floor, claims the girl's family.

According to The Oregonian, the family released a statement that Robert Vietze was actually peeing on the floor next to their daughter's seat – not on their daughter.

"While family members have cooperated with authorities in the investigation, they neither welcome nor encourage further publicity," The Oregonian reports. "The family's main concern is the welfare of their daughter."

After being taken into custody Wednesday, Vietze was issued a federal summons for misdemeanor indecent exposure. If convicted, he could face a $1,000 fine and up to a year in prison.

Before flying, Vietze admittedly consumed five to six beers and two rum and cokes before boarding his flight. The alcohol apparently "hit him" while in the air, and he walked to seat 15A (where the girl was sitting) and relieved himself. When confronted by the girl's father, Vietze said "he had an accident," reports the paper.

Flying is no longer a civilized mode of transportation. Nothing different from being a low class bus in the sky.
This person should be on the no fly list for having no class.
I'm glad that he got kicked of all his sports status.

Bye Bye Model Airplanes.....what's next?

2011-09-29T21:39:00.003-05:00

Could model airplanes become a terrorist weapon?

By JAY LINDSAY - Associated Press | AP –

BOSTON (AP) — Model airplanes are suddenly on the public's radar as potential terrorist weapons. A 26-year-old man from a Boston suburb was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives.

These are not balsa-wood-and-rubber-band toys investigators are talking about. The FBI said Rezwan Ferdaus hoped to use military-jet replicas, 5 to 7 1/2 feet long, guided by GPS devices and capable of speeds over 100 mph.

Federal officials have long been aware of the possibility someone might try to use such planes as weapons, but there are no restrictions on their purchase — Ferdaus is said to have bought his over the Internet.

Counterterrorism experts and model-aircraft hobbyists said it would be nearly impossible to inflict large-scale damage of the sort Ferdaus allegedly envisioned using model planes. The aircraft are too small, can't carry enough explosives and are too tricky to fly, they said.

"The idea of pushing a button and this thing diving into the Pentagon is kind of a joke, actually," said Greg Hahn, technical director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

Rick Nelson, a former Navy helicopter pilot who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ferdaus would have had to hit a window or other vulnerable area to maximize damage, and that would have taken precision flying.

"Flying a remote-controlled plane isn't as easy as it actually looks, and then to put an explosive on it and have that explosive detonate at the time and place that you want it add to the difficulty of actually doing it," he said.

Ferdaus, a Muslim American from Ashland, was arrested after federal agents posing as al-Qaida members delivered what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive, authorities said. He was charged with attempting to damage or destroy a federal building with explosives. A federal affidavit claims he began planning "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010 after becoming convinced through jihadi websites and videos that America was evil.

Ferdaus had a physics degree from Northeastern University and enjoyed "taking stuff apart" and "learning on my own," according to court papers.

The model planes Ferdaus eyed were the F-4 Phantom and the F-86 Sabre, small-scale versions of military jets, investigators said. The F-4 is the more expensive of the two, at up to $20,000, Hahn said. The F-86, one of which Ferdaus actually obtained, costs $6,000 to $10,000 new.

Ferdaus' plan, as alleged in court papers, was to launch three such planes from a park near the Pentagon and Capitol and use GPS to direct them toward the buildings, where they would detonate on impact and blow the Capitol dome to "smithereens." He planned to pack five pounds of plastic explosives on each plane, according to prosecutors.

James Crippin, an explosives and anti-terrorism expert, said that much C-4 could do serious damage — a half-pound will obliterate a car. But he said getting a stable explosive like C-4 to blow up at the right time would have been hugely difficult.

And there were slim prospects of causing any serious damage to buildings like the Pentagon and Capitol, which are undoubtedly hardened to withstand explosions, according to Crippin, director of the Western Forensic Law Enforcement Training Center.

"Basically, I think he's suffering from delusions of grandeur," he said.

Hahn said the heavier of the two models Ferdaus was allegedly planning to use could carry a maximum of two pounds of plastic explosive before malfunctioning. That's not including the weight of any GPS system, he added.

"It's almost impossible for him to get this done," he said.

Remote-controlled aircraft have been considered by terrorists before. In 2008, Christopher Paul of Worthington, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, pleaded guilty to plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe using explosive devices. Prosecutors said he researched remote-controlled boats and a remote-controlled 5-foot-long helicopter.

And after Sept. 11, federal agents asked the Academy of Model Aeronautics' 143,000 members to watch for any fellow enthusiasts who might be buying planes with bad intentions.

Well before the Massachusetts arrest, police in Montgomery County, Md., put out a terrorist warning to hobby shops to be aware of customers "who don't appear to be hobbyists" buying model airplanes with cash and asking how they can be modified to carry a device.

The Federal Aviation Administration is devising new rules for model airplanes and other unmanned aircraft, but the restrictions are aimed primarily at preventing collisions. Under current FAA rules, such planes are generally limited to flying below 400 feet and away from airports and air traffic.

Massachusetts prosecutor Gerry Leone, who handled the prosecution of would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid, said terrorists are always building bombs out of common, legitimate items, and imposing restrictions on buying model aircraft would not make sense simply because of this one case.

But he said law enforcement might want be more vigilant about such purchases.

Similarly, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said recent advances in model airplane technology could make them more attractive to terrorists. But he said the answer is better intelligence, not trying to regulate hobbyists and their toys.

"Kids have them, people fly them, groups are organized just to engage in this type of pastime activity," the congressman said. "It would be almost impossible to regulate the little engines and things, propellers."

Life was so nice growing up, we could build model airplanes, have chemestry sets without worrying about much..

Go to the bathroom, then to jail.................

2011-09-14T10:51:00.002-05:00

Passenger: Was cuffed, searched over 'appearance'

By JEFF KAROUB - Associated Press | AP – 11 hrs ago

DETROIT (AP) — A U.S. woman said Tuesday that she endured nearly four hours in police custody that included being forced off an airplane in handcuffs, strip-searched and interrogated at Detroit's airport on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks — all, she believes, because of her Middle Eastern appearance.

Shoshana Hebshi, 35, told The Associated Press she was one of three people removed from a Denver-to-Detroit Frontier Airlines flight after landing Sunday afternoon. Authorities say fighter jets escorted the plane after its crew reported that two people were spending a long time in a bathroom — the two men sitting next to Hebshi in the 12th row.

Hebshi said she didn't notice how many times the men went to the bathroom. "I wasn't keeping track," she said.

"I really wasn't paying attention," said Hebshi, a freelance writer, editor and stay-at-home mother of twin six-year-old boys who lives in a suburb of Toledo, Ohio. "I was minding my own business — sleeping, reading, playing on my phone."

The FBI has said the three didn't know each other. One man felt ill and got up to use the restroom and another man in the same row also left his seat to go to the bathroom. The FBI said they never were inside together.

Hebshi has written extensively on her blog about the incident, saying she felt "violated, humiliated and sure that I was being taken from the plane simply because of my appearance."

Hebshi, who describes herself as half-Arabic, half-Jewish with a dark complexion, told the AP after they landed, she noticed police first surrounding, then storming the plane. She said she was surprised when they stopped at her row and ordered her and the men to get up.

Her Twitter posts from Sunday bear that out. At one point, she wrote: "A little concerned about this situation. Plane moved away from terminal surrounded by cops. Crew is mum. Passengers can't get up."

Later she wrote, "I see stairs coming our way...yay!" Her last post said, "Majorly armed cops coming aboard."

It's then than she says the officers ordered her and the men, whom she described as Indian, to get up.

She said she was patted down and taken by car to a holding cell. A uniformed female officer eventually came in and told Hebshi to take off her clothes.

After the strip search, another officer who identified herself as a Homeland Security agent led Hebshi to another room, Hebshi said. There, a man who identified himself as an FBI agent asked her a series of questions while a female agent took notes, Hebshi said.

Hebshi said that when she asked what was going on, the male agent told her someone on the plane reported that she and the men on her row were "conducting suspicious activity."

FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said the three passengers were questioned but not arrested before the FBI determined there was no reason to suspect or hold them. She also said FBI agents who questioned the passengers were not involved in any strip searches.

"We received a report of suspicious activity on that particular plane," Berchtold said. "We did not arrest ... these passengers. ... We didn't direct anybody to arrest them."

Airport police are under the supervision of the Wayne County Airport Authority, which operates Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

In an email to the AP, agency spokesman Scott Wintner said airport police "responded appropriately by following protocol and treating everyone involved with respect and dignity. "

Wintner said the decision on how to respond was a call made by the Airport Authority's CEO, who he said is Arab-American.

Hebshi said that finally, after being fingerprinted and allowed to call her husband, she was told she and the men were being released and that nothing suspicious was found on the plane. She said an official apologized and thanked her for understanding and cooperating.

Hebshi said she received another call of apology from an FBI agent Monday, before she wrote her blog post.

"I can understand they were just doing their job," she told the AP. "My beef is with these laws and regulations that are so hypersensitive. ... Even if you're an innocent bystander, you have no rights."

AP left email and phone messages seeking comment Tuesday night with Frontier.

The flight was one of two for which fighter jets were scrambled Sunday after crews reported suspicious activity on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said. In both cases, it involved bathroom use. In neither case did authorities find anything to substantiate the suspicions.

On American Airlines flight 34 from Los Angeles, three passengers who made repeated trips to the bathroom were cleared after the plane safely landed at New York's Kennedy Airport.

Also Sunday, a GoJet Airlines flight bound for Washington was still on the runway in St. Louis when the pilot returned the aircraft to the gate and requested all passengers be re-screened after crew found paper towels stuffed in a toilet, according to a United Airlines spokesman. GoJet is a regional carrier for United.

Another reason why not to fly the friendly skies anymore.......

Or at least you would be better off by peeing in your seat. So now she was fingerprinted and held for hours....

I couldn't resist......

2011-08-03T09:48:00.001-05:00

Up against the wall Grandma......

2011-08-01T10:51:00.004-05:00

Grandmother strip-searched and jailed for 12 days in Canada after a jar of motor oil in her car was mistaken for heroin

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:22 AM on 29th July 2011

This senior-citizen's trip across the border lasted far longer than expected when authorities couldn't tell the difference between oil and heroin.

Janet Goodin of Minnesota was crossing the border to play bingo and visit family when border patrol guards mistook a container of motor oil for heroin.

'They handed me the jar and said. 'What's this?' I said 'Well, I don't know. I suppose it's oil or something left over," really not thinking too much about it,' she said.

Bound for Sprague, Manitoba, the 66-year-old couldn't believe it when the jar of brownish liquid in her car tested positive for drugs.

'They came over and said that the substance in the jar tested positive for -- well, she said some chemical term and I didn't understand.'

'So I asked her to repeat it and she said it tested positive for traces of heroin,' she said.

She told the authorities that it was actually oil that her son-in-law had used when he had recently done some work on her vehicle.

Nevertheless, she was handcuffed, interrogated and strip searched twice.

After that, she was placed in a remand centre in Winnipeg.

Police charged her with trafficking heroin, possession for the purpose of trafficking and importation of heroin.

And I thought only the US has bad days on the border.................

Only in America............never in Mexico

2011-07-22T15:31:00.003-05:00

Man Sues for pricking finger on purchased Roses.....

LAKE MARY, Fla., May 26 (UPI) -- A Florida man's lawsuit against Winn-Dixie Stores and a flower importer is seeking $15,000 in damages for a finger prick from a rose thorn.

Charles Imwalle, 41, of Lake Mary filed a lawsuit Monday against Winn-Dixie and Passion Growers LLC claiming he suffered pain, disfigurement, medical bills and lost wages after pricking his finger on a thorn from a rose he purchased from his local Winn-Dixie in February, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Thursday.

The suit states the roses should have been stripped of their thorns and the stems should have been wrapped more carefully. The litigation also claims anti-bacterial solution was not used in the display buckets.

Imwalle lawyer Paul Thompson of Altamonte Springs declined to comment on the case.

Sam Ferrara, founder of Passion Growers, said Imwalle's cut became infected and he blamed the roses, but the company sterilizes all of its flowers.

"We've been doing this 20 years," Ferrara said. "We've never, never had anything like this where anyone has gotten an infection by a thorn prick."

A Winn-Dixie spokesman declined to comment.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/05/26/Suit-seeks-15000-for-rose-thorn-prick/UPI-36511306422804/#ixzz1SrtF1uv1

Why would this even be accepted in filing?

Blow up a Doll.....Go to Jail!

2011-07-05T17:15:00.002-05:00

Teen faces prison after sex doll prank goes awry

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When 18-year-old Tyell Morton put a blow-up sex doll in a bathroom stall on the last day of school, he didn't expect school officials to call a bomb squad or that he'd be facing up to eight years in prison and a possible felony record.

The senior prank gone awry has raised questions of race, prosecutorial zeal and the post-Columbine mindset in a small Indiana town and around the country, The Indianapolis Star reported in its Tuesday editions.

Legal experts question the appropriateness of the charges against Morton, and law professor Jonathan Turley at George Washington University posed a wider question about Morton's case on his legal blog.

"The question is what type of society we are creating when our children have to fear that a prank (could) lead them to jail for almost a decade. What type of citizens are we creating who fear the arbitrary use of criminal charges by their government?"

A janitor at Rushville Consolidated High School saw Morton run away from the school May 31, and security footage showed a person in a hooded sweatshirt and gloves entering the school with a package and leaving five minutes later without it, according to court documents.

Administrators feared explosives, so they locked down the school and called police. K9 dogs and a bomb squad searched the building before finding the sex doll.

"We have reviewed this situation numerous times," Rush County Schools Superintendent John E. Williams told the newspaper last week. "When you have an unknown intruder in the building, delivering an unknown package, we come up with the same conclusion. ... We cannot be too cautious, in this day and age."

Morton was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and institutional criminal mischief, a felony that carries the potential of two to eight years in prison.

"I know there has been plenty of pranks done at that school," said Morton's mother, Cammie Morton. "I went to that school. When I heard what they was charging him for, my heart just dropped."

Joel Schumm, a professor at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, questioned the validity of the charges.

"Their reaction is understandable, but use the school disciplinary process," he said. "Don't try to label the kid a felon for the rest of his life."

The Rush County Prosecutor Philip J. Caviness told The Associated Press that he doesn't intend to seek a prison term for Morton, but said school officials acted appropriately and that the charges are warranted.

"I'm pretty comfortable with the charges that we've filed," he said.

Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts focused on Morton's case recently in his nationally syndicated column, suggesting that Morton's case was another example of unfair treatment for a black youth without a wealthy family.

Morton's father brushed off that suggestion when Pitts asked him about it, and Morton's mother declined to discuss that point with The Star.

Morton's attorney, Robert Turner, also downplayed race, suggesting that the size of the small blue-collar city an hour southeast of Indianapolis played a role.

"I don't think they do this sort of thing very often," Turner said. "Had this happened in Indianapolis ... they would not have had this kind of charge filed."

Morton's mother said Tyell Morton wants to attend college, but is worried about the case.

"It's stressful for Tyell," Cammie Morton said. "He doesn't know where his life is going to end up. He has been looking — I'll just put it this way: He's scared."

This is what the scared shit-less society is becoming........Sad......Truly Sad.....

Fast food joints, ahead of their time............

2011-06-18T17:42:00.002-05:00

Steak Made from Human Excrement: Is It Safe?

LiveScience.com livescience.com – Sat Jun 18, 10:10 am ET

The mere idea is stomach-churning: creating food from human feces.

But researchers in Japan say they have done just that. They have synthesized meat from proteins found in human waste, according to news reports.

While the concept of chowing down on steak derived from poop may not exactly be appetizing, we wondered: is this meat safe?

In theory, yes, experts say. But the meat must be cooked, which will kill any noxious pathogens before you eat it.

"In the food safety world we say, 'don't eat poop,'" said Douglas Powell, a professor of food safety at Kansas State University. "But if you're going to, make sure it's cooked."

The Japanese researchers isolated proteins from bacteria in sewage. The poop-meat concoction is prepared by extracting the basic elements of food — protein, carbohydrates and fats — and recombining them.

The meat is made from 63 percent proteins, 25 percent carbohydrates, 3 percent lipids and 9 percent minerals, according to Digital Trends. Soy protein is added to the mix to increase the flavor, and food coloring is used to make the product appear red.

The researchers came up with the idea after Tokyo Sewage asked them to figure out a use for the abundance of sewage in mud, Digital Trends says.

Powell is not familiar with the researchers' method, but said he guesses that they are first heat-treating the sewage before they reap its resources.

Powell said the idea is not all that different from eating plants that have been fertilized with manure or other excrement, because the nutrients in the poop become part of the plants.

"Theoretically, there's nothing wrong with this," Powell said. "It could be quite safe to eat, but I'm sure there's a yuck factor there," he said.

However, Powell said there is the potential for cross contamination in the laboratory where the poop meat is made. That's why it's a good thing the meat will eventually be cooked.

But what if the final product was not going to be cooked?

"I wouldn’t touch it, " Powell said.

Pass it on: Meat made from poop is safe, but you should cook it before you eat it.

Soylent Green time is coming.....thanks, but I'll keep growing potatoes and have some chickens running around.........

Back to the Police Academy Officer!

2011-06-04T09:54:00.002-05:00

Police shoot gator twice, then realize it's fake

By BILL DRAPER Associated Press

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Police responding to a rare alligator sighting in suburban Kansas City took quick action to dispatch of the beast, shooting it in the head, as instructed, while it lurked menacingly in the weeds leading down to a pond.

It wasn't until a second rifle shot bounced off the reptile's head that the officers realized they had mortally wounded a concrete lawn ornament.

A resident of a subdivision near the pond called police Saturday evening to report that his children spotted the alligator while they were playing in some nearby woods.

After consulting a conservation agent, who told them to kill the gator if they felt it posed a danger, one of the officers shot it twice in the head before realizing something was up, said Tom Gentry, an Independence police spokesman.

"It didn't move," Gentry said. "They inched up closer and closer and discovered it was a mock-up of a real alligator made to look like it was real."

In the officers' defense, it was growing dark when they shot the fake gator and it was partially submerged in the weeds.

The property owner told police that the gator was meant to keep people off his property, Gentry said. Officers told him a no-trespassing sign would have been wiser.

"Now he'll have to patch up his alligator," Gentry said.

Conservation agent Derek Cole said the department has received calls in the past about alligators that had been set free in populated areas, so there was no reason to believe the Saturday sighting wasn't valid.

"The department doesn't get involved in something like that," Cole said. "They asked if they could go ahead and dispatch it if it was a danger, and I said there's a kill shot on alligators, a small kill shot on the head. I said if they can get a shot like that, go ahead."

A no trespassing sign? When have you ever seen one of those work. I like the gator idea, too bad the cop can't tell the difference. I need to buy one of those and put it next to the gate....

Becareful Bloggers you never know.......

2011-05-31T01:00:00.001-05:00

Thailand arrests American for alleged king insult

By TODD PITMAN and SINFAH TUNSARAWUTH, Associated Press Todd Pitman And Sinfah Tunsarawuth, Associated Press – 56 mins ago

BANGKOK – Thai authorities said Friday they arrested an American citizen on charges he insulted the country's monarchy, in part by posting a link on his blog four years ago to a banned book about the Southeast Asian nation's ailing king.

The man is also suspected of translating, from English into Thai, portions of "The King Never Smiles" — an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej — and posting them online along with articles he wrote that allegedly defame the royal family, said Tharit Pengdith, who heads the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand's equivalent of the FBI.

The American has denied the charges, according to the Thai-language prachatai.com news website, which tracks cases of lese majeste, as the crime of insulting the monarchy is known.

The 54-year-old Thai-born man lived in the U.S. state of Colorado for around 30 years before returning recently to Thailand for treatment for high blood pressure and gout, the website said. If the allegations are true, the infractions would have been committed while he lived in America — where they are legal — raising concern about the reach of Thai law and how it is applied to Thai nationals and foreign visitors.

Tharit said the man's Thai name was Lerpong Wichaikhammat. Walter M. Braunohler, the U.S. Embassy spokesman in Bangkok, identified the American as Joe Gordon and said a consular officer visited him on Friday morning. He declined comment further, saying only that officials were following the case "very closely."

"We're still looking into what the exact charges are," Braunohler told The Associated Press.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy but has severe lese majeste laws that mandate a jail term of three to 15 years for any person who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the Regent."

Critics say the lese majeste laws — used with alarming frequency over the last several years — are often a weapon of political harassment and calls have grown recently to amend or abolish them.

Thai-based media routinely self-censor coverage of the royal family, but the Internet has tested the taboo. Thai authorities have responded by trying to block thousands of websites considered subversive, arguing that defending the monarchy is a priority.

Tharit said the man was arrested Tuesday and is facing charges that include inciting public unrest and violating Thailand's Computer Crimes Act. Gordon appeared before a Thai court Thursday, which denied him bail.

A DSI spokeswoman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said the American was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and is being held in a Bangkok prison.

Praachatai.com said police arrested the man at his home and seized a computer and cell phone.

Sensitivity over criticism of the monarchy has increased in recent years as the poor health of the country's 83-year-old king has elevated concern about a smooth succession. At the same time, sharp partisan political battles in the wake of a 2006 military coup have unleashed unprecedented questioning of established institutions, including the palace.

Thailand's freedom of speech reputation has taken a battering in recent years, as successive governments have tried to suppress the opposition. Its standing in the Press Freedom Index issued by the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders slid to 153 last year from 65 in 2002, when the ratings were initiated.

The number of lese majeste cases has grown dramatically in recent years. Between 1990 and 2005, an average of five per year made their way through the Thai court system. Since then, however, there have been at least 400 cases — an estimated 1,500 percent increase, according to David Streckfuss, an American scholar who wrote a recent book studying the harsh laws called "Truth on Trial."

In March, a Thai court sentenced Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul — the operator of an anti-government website — to 13 years on charges of defaming the monarchy and three more years for violating the Computer Crime Act. The 38-year-old ran a website affiliated with the anti-government Red Shirt movement whose aggressive street protests last year deteriorated into violence and were quashed by the army.

The 2007 Computer Crime Act addresses hacking and other traditional online offenses, but also bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or that causes panic. It carries a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 baht ($3,285).

Free speech costs a lot ....

When you think it couldn't get any more stupid ==overeaction....

2011-05-29T14:21:00.003-05:00

Alaska Airlines Toilet Paper Incident Forces Evacuation Of Plane

by Kate Auletta

Yes, the headline was written error-free: An Alaska Airlines jet was evacuated Friday afternoon after a 'suspicious powder' was found in the plane's lavatory. That powder turned out to be toilet paper.

A flight attendant discovered a tissue with "white dust" in the lavatory.

The flight, arriving from Seattle, was met with a hazardous material team upon landing at Orange County's John Wayne airport.

An airport spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the material in question was, in fact, the remnants of toilet paper.

All 151 passengers and six crew were evacuated from the plane as a precaution. The plane will be cleaned and returned to service.

This isn't the first questionable substance found on a plane in the last week: On Wednesday, it was revealed that a Delta flight had to be taken out of rotation and cleaned after rat droppings "too numerous to count" were found in the plane's food galleys.

Just imagine what would happen if they really found something really toxic.....like a turd on the floor........

And I thought the US was the only place to overreact

2011-05-26T20:04:00.002-05:00

Toy tiger causes UK police alert

The Associated Press

LONDON - Police scrambled helicopters and ordered tranquilizers to hunt what they feared was an escaped wild animal in southern England - but found that the tiger was a toy.

Hampshire Police say they responded after several residents called in to say they'd seen a white tiger in a field near a golf course in Hedge End, near the English coastal city of Southampton.

A tongue-in-cheek recorded message posted to the force's media line said that after "a brief stalk through the Hedge End savannah ... it became obvious that the tiger was a stuffed, life-sized toy."

A second message posted on Sunday emphasized police had a duty to take such sightings seriously. As for the renegade tiger, "it's being treated as lost property."

A helicopter, I wonder how much it cost for all that, you would think that a police car could have driven by and looked.

Just as bad as the story of the bomb squad defusing a bag of pork ribs on a park bench last year.

You gotta be kidding......................

2011-04-22T17:18:00.003-05:00

9-11 first responders to be checked on FBI terror list

Fri Apr 22, 11:15 am ET AP

It's the sort of legislative provision that "Inception" director Christopher Nolanâ€”or maybe paranoid sci-fi writer Philip K. Dickâ€”might dream up: Under the terms of last year's health compensation law for first responders to the 9/11 terror attacks, would-be beneficiaries have to submit to FBI background checks to verify that they are not themselves terrorists. The provision places applicants' names and personal information in a file to be cross-checked with the FBI's Terror Watch list before they receive any medical compensation.

The Huffington Post's Michael McAuliff reports that a last-minute amendment to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health And Compensation Law mandates that the government must establish that no first responders and 9/11 survivors are terrorists prior to assessing their eligibility for federal benefits.

Rep Cliff Stearns (R-FL) added the amendment during the bitter debates over the bill, which provides $4.3 billion in compensation to help workers who fell ill after the attacks. The bill also provides compensation for people who lived or attended school near Ground Zero. Senate Republicans initially blocked the bill.

Workers will be informed by their medical providers before July that they need to be screened to ensure they are not terrorists.

"It's comical at best, and I think it's an insult to everyone who worked on The Pile and is sick and suffering from 9/11," John Feal, an advocate for 9/11 workers and a former construction worker who lost part of his foot at Ground Zero, told The Huffington Post. "When cops and firefighters get this at home, they're going to hit the roof," he said.

But one first responder told McAuliff he had no problem with being screened. "How do you know if there were any terrorists there?" Anthony Flammia, a former NYPD Highway Patrol officer, asked.

Stearns says because the bill applies to people working in the vicinity, he wants to ensure no terrorists benefit. You can read the whole story here.

(Wendy Flammia holds a photo of John McNamara, a New York City firefighter who died August 9, 2009, as Sen. Charles Schumer talked about the first responders' bill last December: AP.)

I am speechless on this. First time in a long time......

The Europeans can have it but not North America.....WHY?

2011-04-15T13:01:00.004-05:00

The 55 MPG Ford You Can't Buy in the U.S.

Published April 06, 2011

| FoxNews.com

The 2012 Ford Focus is one of the most fuel-efficient compact cars on sale in the United States today, with a maximum EPA combined fuel economy rating of 33 mpg. Impressive, until you hear that Ford has introduced one in Europe that gets 55 mpg.

The Focus ECOnetic is the global automaker’s latest high-efficiency vehicle, returning 67 mpg on the European fuel economy test cycle. It’s a very different evaluation than the EPA test, which makes it difficult to compare the two directly, but extrapolating from the specifications of other similar vehicles that are sold both there and here that converts to about 55 mpg.

It does this by combining a highly-efficient turbo-diesel engine with stop-start technology, ultra-low rolling resistance tires, a hybrid-like kinetic energy recovery system for the battery and a more aerodynamic body style that includes shutters in the grille which can close it at cruising speed – a feature also found on the Super Fuel Efficiency version of the Focus sold in the U.S.

Just don’t expect the ECOnetic to join it in showrooms. Citing low demand, high federalization costs and the increasing fuel economy of its gasoline-powered cars, Ford has no current plans to offer any diesel-powered cars here. Instead it will concentrate on hybrids and electrics, like the Ford Focus Electric that will go on sale in 2012 with an efficiency rating that’s expected to be even better than 55 mpg of gasoline, because it doesn’t use any.

And as always, Americans get the shaft......in Spain last year we drove a VW that got 50 MPG, also not available in the US.....go figure. I guess they want us to buy lots of gas.

Rub my neck....Please

2011-04-01T10:33:00.000-06:00

Fake massage parlor inspector demands rubdown

The Associated Press

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A California man is charged with demanding a rubdown and $200 while pretending to be a massage parlor inspector.

Orange County prosecutors charged Edward Justin LaPorte with felony burglary and misdemeanor counts of impersonating a peace officer and firearm violations. The 47-year-old faces arraignment Friday in Newport Beach.

Investigators say LaPorte is a former police officer from Illinois. They say he was wearing a badge when he entered the Golden Spa massage parlor in Lake Forest on Jan. 31 and told the manager he was investigating a complaint.

Prosecutors say he then complained of back pain, and a masseuse gave him a back rub before LaPorte asked for a frontal massage, which was refused.

No phone listing could be found for LaPorte and court records don't list an attorney for him

Pay like everyone else!

Woman wants to waterski......NOT

2011-03-27T11:47:00.001-06:00

Woman Sued Carnival Claiming Cruise Ship Was Too Fast

AOL Travel News

An Indiana woman will not have her day in court, at least in her home state, on claims that as a cruise passenger she became ill because a Carnival Cruise Lines ship was going too fast.

Doris Beard sued Carnival claiming "due to the speed of the ship I became very sick, my body swayed terrible on the ship I had bleeding, which I had not has [sic] in three years. The ship was moving so fast everyone on board became sick, even the workers," according to a court document.

Carnival called for the case to be dismissed, arguing the venue for the suit should be changed to Florida, where the cruise line is based.

The cruise line's motion was denied by a small claims court in Lake County, Indiana. But the Indiana Court of Appeals said this week the small claims court "erred," and has reversed the decision.

Which Carnival ship Beard cruised on and where she took her cruise was not listed in the court document.

The woman first filed her claim in August 2009. The amount she is seeking was not specified.

Is there no end to what people can sue for? And they wonder why courts are tied up for years.....

Typical , Do as I say, not as I do.do....

2011-03-02T11:18:00.001-06:00

Former MADD Leader Arrested For Drunk Driving

Debra Oberlin. Photo via Gainesville Police Department.

If something hilarious yet tragically ironic is going to happen, chances are it will happen in Florida, men urinating on chicken at the grocery store notwithstanding. The latest of Florida's wacky produce: former Gainesville Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter president Debra Oberlin was arrested for, you guessed it, drunk driving in Gainesville.

Pulled over for veering across lanes of traffic at about 1:10 a.m., Oberlin had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, according to the incident reports. Oberlin failed a field sobriety test.

Oberlin's blood alcohol level was then found to be between .234 and .239 according to two Breathalyzer tests, though she says she only drank four beers before hopping--or more likely, stumbling--into her car.

Thank you, Florida, for your fantastic fruits. MADD: you got some 'splaining to do.

Surprising that this didn't hit more media........well not really.

So....cops never lie, not if their dead? Justice you bet!

2011-03-02T11:11:00.002-06:00

Baltimore Red-Light Camera Tickets Verified by Dead Police Officer

As readers of the Risk Factor know, blaming the computer for any and all technical glitches is a fairly regular and convenient excuse. One of the more unusual technical problems blamed on a computer was reported about a week plus ago by the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team in Baltimore, Maryland.

Apparently, some 2,000 Baltimore red light camera traffic citations which require a police officer to swear that he or she has reviewed the photos as indeed showing a traffic violation had a slight problem. It seems that all the verification signatures on the citations issued were from a police officer who had died in a car accident last year.

WBAL-TV said the error was discovered when a retired police officer acquaintance of a driver who had received a $75 red light camera ticket on 12 January 2011 noticed the signature on the citation was from the police officer who he knew was deceased.

A Baltimore police spokesperson, WBAL-TV said:

"... blamed the problem on a computer glitch, which is the fault of the company that operates the camera system, and he said the problem has been rectified."

Exactly how the deceased officer's name ended up on the tickets wasn't fully explained, but Baltimore police insist that internal police documents show that a live officer reviewed and approved the citations. Legal experts say Baltimore may have difficulty enforcing the tickets if they are challenged in court, however.

What Baltimore could (or should) do is follow the lead of Edmonton Canada's Chief Crown Prosecutor Steven Bilodeau who decided late last month that all persons who had received speed on green camera tickets at city intersections since November 2009 are eligible for refunds. Some 140,000 tickets worth about C$13 million are involved.

According to this story published in the Edmonton Sun, a speed on green ticket coincidentally issued on 12 January 2011 indicated that that a car had gone through a city intersection at 143 km/h, which, the Crown prosecutor said, was "obviously wrong."

This erroneous speeding ticket kicked off an investigation that resulted in the decision to dismiss all the speed on green tickets as a "matter of fairness," Crown Prosecutor Bilodeau said.

The Sun story says that the offending cameras would be pulled for at least a month, and that the cameras' problem could involve either hardware or software issues.

I can't find any update to this story, such as the confirmed cause of the glitch or when the cameras will be returned to operation. Anyone know?

I also haven't seen anything that indicates that Baltimore plans to drop all 2,000 tickets "as a matter of fairness," either. With a $150,000 at stake, I doubt the city will.

So I guess we are to believe that this is an isolated incident? At least in Mexico I can try and convince the perfectly alive police that I didn't do the bad deed and have the privilege of buying him a nice cool drink......

Awww come on, relax a bit..............

2011-02-27T15:18:00.002-06:00

2 men to be charged in Pa. cow's head prank

The Associated Press

EBENSBURG, Pa. - Police plan to cite two men who left a package containing a cow's head on the doorstep of some friends in Pennsylvania.

Ebensburg police Chief Terry Wyland tells the Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown that it was a "prank" that "went quite a bit over the top."

The chief says a couple returned home from a trip Saturday evening to find a large cardboard box with their name and address on it near their front door. Inside was the cow's head. The chief says it "caused the victims, especially the wife, stress."

Police say the pranksters came to police headquarters to confess Tuesday night. One of them has experience butchering cows.

The chief isn't naming the suspects. He plans to file harassment and disorderly conduct citations against them later this week.

Gee that sounds like stuff we use to do all the time, in my day that was called horsing around....

And now it's against the law..........

Give me a break!

Next thing they are going to outlaw, setting a paper bag of manure on your buddies doorstep on fire................

Let's Kill Santa.....

2010-12-10T11:44:00.007-06:00

Santa fired from Macy's store in San Francisco over jokes

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Santa Claus has been fired from a Macy's store in San Francisco for being a bit too jolly.

The San Francisco Chronicle says John Toomey, who played Santa at the Union Square store for 20 years, was told Saturday that his "ho-ho-hoeing" days are over because an adult couple complained about his jokes.

The 68-year-old Toomey says he asks older people who sit on his lap if they've been good. When they answer yes, he replies: "Gee, that's too bad."

If they ask why Santa's so jolly, Toomey says it's because he knows where all the naughty boys and girls live.

Toomey says he doesn't make such jokes with kids and he's asking Macy's to reconsider.

Macy's spokeswoman Betsy Nelson tells the Examiner that the store can't comment on personnel matters.

Well, this is where we are in history now, during the Christmas season, I would think you would need a smidgen of a sense of humor, some people lack it. What is really interesting is that instead of just kissing it off, someone actually complained about it. And whats worse, is Macy's actually fired the man.....

What a wacky world we live in, Political Correctness perhaps?

And they wonder why the courts are overloaded????

2010-11-19T15:49:00.000-06:00

Danville man one of two suing over 'exploding' escargot

By Gary Klien
Marin Independent Journal

SAN RAFAEL -- In the face of perceived injustice, few individuals have the gumption to fight for social reform. But two men are determined to make Marin County a safer place for escargot consumers, their families and generations of snail eaters to come.

Comes now in Marin Superior Court, small-claims division, the case of Chadwick St.-OHarra and Steve Righetti, who are suing the Seafood Peddler restaurant in San Rafael over an alleged incident of what their lawsuit called "exploding" escargot that marred Righetti's birthday dinner in June.

The plaintiffs allege the gastronomical gastropods burst from their plate when cocktail forks were applied, resulting in a spray of hot garlic butter on their faces and polo shirts.

St.-OHarra, a 59-year-old Danville resident, claims the butter got into one of his tear ducts, causing temporary vision impairment. Righetti, 59, a San Rafael businessman who lives in Sonoma, claims the side of his nose was squirted.

"I was humiliated," said Righetti, who owns an automotive shop near the landmark Canal area restaurant. "I thought, 'Do I need this on my birthday?'"

St.-OHarra says the incident caused "a sense of genuine outrage."

"I take my friend out to dinner, and this is the experience we have," said St.-OHarra, an information technology executive.

Still, he said, the alleged debacle need not have resulted in litigation, had restaurant personnel displayed sufficient remorse at the scene of the slime. They did not, plaintiffs allege.

"It was the indifference," St.-OHarra said. "It was the friggin' rudeness."

The plaintiffs concede they did not seek immediate medical treatment and continued on with their meal, a filet-and-lobster combo for St.-OHarra, the seafood medley for Righetti. Later, they filed a claim with the restaurant, but it was rejected by Seafood Peddler's insurer.

"Based on the information obtained through our investigation, we see no negligence on the part of our insured," Farmers Insurance Group said in an Aug. 4 letter. "No theory of liability has been established against our insured, and no documented evidence was ever provided to validate your injury."

That left Righetti and St.-OHarra, a former law student, with the option of litigation. Rather than pay thousands of dollars in attorney fees over a $7.99 plate of escargot, they filed a small-claims suit last month and are representing themselves.

The lawsuit names the restaurant and two supervisors as defendants, and St.-OHarra said he intends to put restaurant management on the stand. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 3.

Seafood Peddler's owner, Al Silvestri, laughed when he learned that St.-OHarra had contacted the newspaper about his lawsuit.

"This guy's a piece of work," Silvestri said. "He doesn't give up! Unbelievable. I told him, I don't care if the insurance company gives you a hundred thousand dollars, what do I care? But they didn't want to give him a dime."

Silvestri denies the allegations.

"We didn't do anything wrong," he said. "He made up this story. We sell thousands of escargot a year, I've never heard of anything like this."

Escargot explosion is a rare but periodic phenomenon, according to one industry veteran. Sean Canavan, executive chef at Left Bank, a French restaurant in Larkspur, said he does not know what causes the snails to burst, but he suspects that air bubbles get trapped inside the cooked mollusk.

"I saw that happen just this week," said Canavan, 40. "The thing actually explodes and the whole snail jumped out of the dish onto a lady. It's embarrassing, but I don't know how to prevent that." As of Friday afternoon, there was no litigation pending in connection with that incident.

"I think she took it with humor," Canavan said.

Too bad there is no way to curtail this kind of nonsense. What's next, you make a dinner reservation and you have to sign a non liability contract not to sue of your escargot explodes....

Up aganst the wall, you criminal!

2010-11-15T17:00:00.002-06:00

They hoped for sweet success and instead got a bitter brush with the law.

A bake sale hosted by two 13-year-old Westchester County boys was the icing on the cake for a fed up local politician incensed that the teens were peddling their sweets without a license.

Middle school students Andrew DeMarchis and Kevin Graff set up shop in a local park last month, selling cupcakes, cookies, brownies and Rice Krispie treats for $1 apiece, The Journal News reported.

When local Councilman Michael Wolfensohn spotted the pop-up stall, he called police and filed a complaint against the boys for operating a business without a license.

"All vendors selling on town property have to have a license, whether it's boys selling baked goods or a hot dog vendor," Wolfensohn told The Journal News.

The newspaper learned that Wolfensohn had filed the complaint last week after receiving the police report through a New York State Freedom of Information Law request.

The boys’ parents expressed outrage over the councilman’s handling of the situation.

"Kevin was so upset, he was crying all the whole way home. He was worried if he was going to get arrested or have a criminal record," said Andrew’s mother, Suzanne DeMarchis, who was called to the scene.

Politician calls cops on boys, 13, for running unlicensed cupcake stand

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/15/2010-11-15_politician_calls_cops_on_boys_13_for_running_unlicensed_cupcake_stand.html#ixzz15OYHRRbM

"These are good kids who haven't once gone to the principal's office," said Kevin’s mother, Laura Graff. "This was a very scary experience for them."

Kevin and Andrew started the bake stand with school pals Zachary Bass and Daniel Katz, who were not present when an apologetic police officer showed up to shut them down.

The boys hoped to sell the sweet treats for a few years, save up and then open a restaurant. They got off to a lucrative start, pocketing $120 on their first day of sales. They used half the bounty to buy a cart from Target and added a beverage list (water and Gatorade) to their menu.

After they’d been selling their sweet treats for about an hour on Oct. 9, a police officer showed up and said the boys would have to close because of a complaint.

In hindsight, Wolfensohn said perhaps he could have talked to the boys himself instead of calling in law enforcement, but at the time felt officers should handle the complaint.

"The police are trained to deal with these sorts of issues," he said.

As for the business-minded youths, for now their entrepreneurial dreams have been crushed.

"I don't get too many offers for baby-sitting, and we live in a development, so shoveling snow is not an option either," said Andrew. "We were being entrepreneurs, but now I feel a little defeated."

Meanwhile politicians are committing real crime in Washington

Again with the overreaction.....

2010-11-14T09:54:00.003-06:00

'Grenade' juggler gets police attention

(11-13) 19:05 PST San Francisco -- San Francisco police closed off a block near Fisherman's Wharf Saturday evening on suspicion a juggler was using a live hand grenade in his act.

Bomb squad investigators determined the grenade was a replica, but not until after police had shut down the 300 block of Jefferson Street at around 5 p.m., said San Francisco police Lt. Troy Dangerfield.

"You have to take all precautions because you never know," he said, adding the closed block was reopened around 6:15 p.m.

The performer, who has not been identified, was detained. Dangerfield said he did not know if the juggler was still in custody or whether or not he would be charged with an offense.

"If you're a juggler, and you're juggling something that looks like it could be dangerous, please have a big sign saying it's fake," he said. "Or just use bananas."

Almost as good as the bomb squad closing off the whole park for an abandoned box of BBQ ribs awhile ago.....

And they wonder why the state is broke.

2010-11-11T15:39:00.002-06:00

Hazmat crews clean up sour milk dumped in Proctor Terrace drain

Hazmat crews were investigating a sticky, white substance dumped into a Santa Rosa storm drain Thursday.

A Proctor Terrace youth admitted he dumped the results from his attempt to make moonshine into the drain on Geary Drive at El Camino Way, Santa Rosa police officials said.

The youth could possibly be fined for the dumping, Officer Alan Schellerup said.

“He said he dumped five gallons of milk that had soured and gelled,” Schellerup said.

The substance was dumped into a connecting drain, and not a main drainage pipe, and the substance didn’t make its way to any water source, Schellerup said.

Fire crews scooped the white slurry into bags and a water drum and would use a vactor truck to suck up the remaining liquid from the drain, said Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Mike Jones.

Nothing like calling out the hazmat team, cordoning off the street, stopping all traffic and deliveries, closing off the storm drains, testing the milk......

Call a cat...they could of told you, how many thousands of dollars did that cost?

President says recession is over!

2010-11-07T15:34:00.004-06:00

Let California know about it!

California borrows $40M a day to pay unemployment

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — With one in every eight workers unemployed and empty state coffers, California is borrowing billions of dollars from the federal government to pay unemployment insurance.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the state owes $8.6 billion already, and will have to come up with a $362-million payment to Washington by the end of next September.

The continued borrowing means federal unemployment insurance taxes are going to increase, upping the annual payroll costs $21 a year per worker.

California tops the list of 32 states that have borrowed a total of $41 billion to pay claims.

The state took out its first loan from the federal government early last year, to deal with rising payment of benefits and number of claims.

Well that makes me feel better knowing that the recession is over according to Washington....

Hey, That's not Fair........

2010-11-02T12:11:00.005-06:00

State bans welfare cards at pot clubs, massage parlors

California welfare recipients will no longer be able to use their state-issued debit cards at medical marijuana shops, psychics, massage parlors and many other businesses whose services have been deemed “inconsistent” with the goals of the program.

The Schwarzenegger administration sent a letter to county welfare directors on Monday announcing that ATMs and point-of-sale card readers in such business will be removed from the network that accepts California’s Electronic Benefits Transfer cards.

Monday’s letter announced that the cards, which access cash meant to help families pay rent and clothe their children, also will no longer work at bail bond establishments, bingo halls, cruise ships, gun shops, bars, racetracks, smoking shops and tattoo parlors.

Reached late Monday afternoon, Department of Social Services spokesman Michael Weston could not say how much welfare money had been spent or withdrawn from the businesses subject to the new ban. He also would not elaborate on how they were chosen. The letter said the businesses are “inconsistent with the intent” of the program.

In June, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated casinos and poker rooms from the network after The Times reported that more than half the licensed gambling establishments in California had ATMs that accepted the cards.

The casinos were listed on a Department of Social Services website that allows welfare recipients to search for addresses of ATMs where they can withdraw cash provided under the Temporary Aid for Needy Families program.

Last month, Schwarzenegger ordered casinos outside California removed from the network after The Times reported more than $69 million in welfare benefits had been accessed from machines outside the state since 2007 – including nearly $12 million in Las Vegas.

About $1.5 million had been spent or withdrawn in Florida, state records show. More than $16,000 had been accessed on cruise ships, including several that sail primarily from Miami.

Debit cards replaced traditional welfare checks and food stamps in 2000. The cards not only make it easier to distribute and track benefits, they also help reduce the stigma associated with being on public assistance because they look like any other bank card.

So, let me see if I get this straight......I can't use my welfare money for a massage?

That's not fair. What's next, I won't be able to by Marijuana with the money either?

Hey Dude, I'm ganna have to move from California then......

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000-06:00

Burglars leave notes thanking homeowners for loot

The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Two suspects face multiple charges after North Carolina police said they left a note thanking the homeowners for the $5,000 worth of electronics gear and food they stole. Fayetteville police spokesman Dan Grubb said Friday the pair left one note on a white paper napkin saying simply, "Thanks." Grubb said a second message etched into a wall Wednesday morning said the same thing, and added: "We love the stuff we got."

Police charged Dajuan Marquis Avant and Darrell Sturdivant Jr. with breaking and entering, larceny, and other charges.

Both 19-year-olds are from Fayetteville. It was not known if either had an attorney.

The homeowners told The Fayetteville Observer the stolen loot included a box of corn dogs, frozen chicken and beer.

I would love to see the mug shots of these gourmet heister's! Huuum... Box of Corn Dogs, Frozen Chicken and Beer...... Kind of tells you a little about these boys........

Now I know why the kids are obese and diabetic!

2010-10-29T18:03:00.002-05:00

Tenn. students complain about no ketchup, mustard

The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Students at Memphis City Schools are complaining there's no ketchup. No mustard, either. Calvin Jones, the interim head of food services, said the schools have plenty of bulk condiments, but not enough cafeteria workers to squirt them into little plastic cups. The schools are asking for individual packs .

The Commercial Appeal reported the school board approved $77,514 to buy little fast-food packs of ketchup on Oct. 18 and hopes to have it in the lunch lines next week.

In the meantime, French fries, corn dogs and chicken tenders go unadorned, unless students opt for hot sauce, barbecue sauce or mayonnaise.

Ok they have 77 thousand dollars to buy stuff in little packages but no one to put the stuff into little cups? So the poor kids will eat FRENCH FRIES, CORN DOGS AND CHICKEN TENDERS WITH ONLY HOT SAUCE, BBQ SAUCE OR MAYONNAISE???????

Something is wrong with this picture..... can't these kids squeeze there own mustard and ketchup? Why are the schools feeding kids this JUNK food. French Fries, Corn Dogs?

No wonder Johnny and Mary are fat slobs.......and I suppose they wash it down with Soda?

Eat a Burger, make Money!

2010-10-28T16:15:00.001-05:00

Judge: McDonald's must pay obese employee $17.5K

SAO PAULO – A Brazilian court ruled this week that McDonald's must pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds (30 kilograms) while working there for a dozen years.

The 32-year-old man said he felt forced to sample the food each day to ensure quality standards remained high, because McDonald's hired "mystery clients" to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.

The man also said the company offered free lunches to employees, adding to his caloric intake while on the job. His identity was not released.

The ruling was signed Tuesday by Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho in Porto Alegre.

Ghisleni said McDonald's could appeal the case, and the Brazilian headquarters of the chain said in an e-mailed statement Thursday it was weighing its legal options.

McDonald's also noted that it offers healthier food choices.

"The chain offers a large variety of options and balanced menus to cater (to) the daily dietary needs of its employees," the company said in the statement.

McDonald's headquarters is in Oak Brook, Illinois.

I wonder what caliber gun was held to this persons head forcing him to eat that stuff....????

Police use time wisley, so do the courts....

2010-10-15T10:06:00.002-05:00

Mass. man to be charged with toilet paper assault

The Associated Press

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - A Massachusetts man is facing an assault charge for allegedly hitting a town hall custodian on the back of the head with a roll of toilet paper because he was angry the cleaning man was whistling while he worked.

Framingham police say 55-year-old Allen Kerner was in town hall Wednesday using the bathroom. The custodian, who didn't realize anyone was in the restroom, whistled as he replenished toilet paper rolls.

The custodian told police he was in a stall when he was struck. Kerner yelled at him about whistling and fled. The custodian pursued him, and Kerner was apprehended by police outside.

Police tell The MetroWest Daily News that Kerner will be summoned to court to face an assault and battery charge. A phone number for Kerner could not immediately be located.

And they wonder why courts are backlogged and it cost so much to run them......

Man, No Woman sues, NO Man, No Woman......

2010-10-14T17:12:00.003-05:00

Transgender woman sues LPGA for birth rule

(AP) – 1 day ago

NEW YORK — A transgender woman is suing the LPGA over a requirement which states all competitors must be "female at birth."

The New York Times is reporting Wednesday that Lana Lawless, a 57-year-old who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2005, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco claiming the policy violates California civil rights laws.

Lawless won the women's world championship in long-drive golf in 2008, but was barred from competing this year because Long Drivers of America — which oversees the event — had changed its policy to mirror that of the LPGA.

She is seeking to prevent the LPGA from holding events in California until the policy is changed, as well as an unspecified amount in damages from Long Drivers of America and two of its title sponsors.

Now, the question is, does she ( he ) have a tee advantage?

Only in America..........

What about Chinese New Years????/

2010-10-10T21:22:00.001-05:00

Police say large firecracker caused LA blast

Associated Press Writer

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - A large firecracker caused a blast near a Los Angles-area harbor that sent police scrambling to evacuate the neighborhood and order bomb squads into a hotel parking garage early Sunday, authorities said.

An M-80 explosive device went off at around the same time an SUV was vandalized in the area, said Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Michael Downing. Investigators initially thought the vehicle was the source of the blast.

The bomb squad sent in robots, and officers throughout the area were placed on alert, but investigators now believe it likely was not a bomb that broke the window and created a small hole in the door of an SUV, Los Angeles Police Lt. John Romero said.

A caller reported hearing a blast at 7:30 a.m. in a commercial area of San Pedro. A short time later a patrol officer with the Port Police discovered the damaged Lincoln Navigator in the underground garage of the Clarion Inn.

"On closer inspection and using their training, bomb squad is confident the damage was caused by something other than a bomb. Based on what we know now, they're scaling the operation way back," Romero said.

Downing said investigators ruled out any connection to terrorism. No arrests were made.

Romero said the LAPD has classified it as a vandalism case and detectives will be looking at surveillance tape of the garage and impounding the SUV to search it for clues.

The Navigator is owned by Kent Whitman of San Jose. He returned Sunday from a seven-day Mexican cruise and found that the hotel where he left his SUV was evacuated, then learned that the evacuation was because of damage to his vehicle.

I can't wait for something really important or really serious happening.....

Waste.........what waste........it's only YOUR money.....

2010-10-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

72,000 stimulus payments went to dead people

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – More than 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each went to people who were either dead or in prison, a government investigator says in a new report.

The payments, which were part of last year's massive economic recovery package, were meant to increase consumer spending to help stimulate the economy.

But about $18 million went to nearly 72,000 people who were dead, according to the report by the Social Security Administration's inspector general. The report estimates that a little more than half of those payments were returned.

An additional $4.3 million went to more than 17,000 prison inmates, the report said. Most of the inmates, it turns out, were eligible to get the payments because they were newly incarcerated and had been receiving Social Security before they were locked up.

In all, the $250 payments were sent to about 52 million people who receive either Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, at a cost of about $13 billion. Other federal retirees also received the payments, but they were not part of the inspector general's review.

So we will see how the gov, runs the health insurance system.......

Finally the pool is finished....

2010-10-05T18:26:00.003-05:00

Man, you won't believe how long it took to get the pool done. After meeting with several contractors and architects months have gone by. Now I can finally swim. Come on over, bring your towel.

This is a picture of a home for sale, that of Ricky Martin.
He is only asking $ 18,900.000. for it, so you may be able to give him an offer.
The interior is only 9882 sq ft, so you may have to add some more rooms for the kids. It only has 5 bedrooms and 7 Bathrooms.....
Tiny, don't you think?

It is located in Golden Beach , Florida and has 108 feet of private beach and only 30,000. sq ft of total land......a tiny estate if you ask me.

Can you imaging the property tax and insurance on this thing.......

Must me nice,
Maybe not.

Why I don't drive real late at night in Mexico

2010-10-03T15:20:00.002-05:00

I only drive after 9 or so only if I really have to because you never know what you may find on the road.
Usually you will find cows more on the road than horses. A friend who drives down Baja to La Paz says it is not uncommon to find cows laying on the asphalt on the middle of the road at night because of the heat of the pavement.....

I just couldn't pass this by.............Jihad Joke

2010-09-27T19:44:00.001-05:00

Two Middle East mothers are sitting in a cafe chatting over a plate of tabouli and a pint of goat's milk. The older of the two pulls a bag out of her purse and starts flipping through photos. They start reminiscing.

''This is my oldest son, Mujibar. He would have been 24 years old now.''

''Yes, I remember him as a baby'' says the other mother cheerfully.

"He's a martyr now though" the mother confides.

"Oh, so sad dear'' says the other.

''And this is my second son, Khalid. He would have been 21.''

''Oh, I remember him,'' says the other happily,
''he had such curly hair when he was born.''

''He's a martyr too'' says the mother quietly.

''Oh, gracious me . . . '' says the other.

''And this is my third son. My baby. My beautiful Ahmed.
He would have been 18'', she whispers.

"Yes" says the friend enthusiastically, ''I remember when he first
started school''

''He's a martyr also,'' says the mother, with tears in her eyes.

After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Muslim mother looks wistfully
at the photographs and, searching for the right words, says . . .

"They blow up so fast, don't they?"

Another Day another Lockdown......

2010-09-14T22:46:00.002-05:00

Boy, 5, wanders into wrong class, prompts lockdown

The Associated Press

VANCOUVER, Wash. - A 5-year-old Vancouver, Wash., kindergarten student who wandered into the wrong classroom set off a school lockdown before he was located Monday. Vancouver police said Braiden Gonzalez arrived at Walnut Grove Elementary on the school bus as usual. The problem started when he played outside with some first-graders and then followed them into their classroom.

Braiden's mother realized he was missing when she arrived to pick him up from his half day of kindergarten.

Vancouver Public Schools spokeswoman Kris Stork said the boy sat at the desk of a new student in the first grade classroom - and responded to the teacher as if he was that student. District officials say the boy also didn't respond when his name was called on the intercom system.

Stork said Braiden was found around 1 p.m. after his photo was circulated among school staffers.

I guess the new generations will simply think that this is a normal way of life, and not even worry about it.

Not overreaction.....

2010-09-04T12:08:00.004-05:00

The irony of Jesse Jackson's stripped SUV

Henry Payne / The Michigan View.com

Add Jesse Jackson’s ride to prominent vehicles being stripped in Detroit.

Following the embarrassing news that Mayor Dave Bing’s GMC Yukon was hijacked by criminals this week, Detroit’s Channel 7 reports that the Reverend’s Caddy Escalade SUV was stolen and stripped of its wheels while he was in town last weekend with the UAW’s militant President Bob King leading the “Jobs, Justice, and Peace” march promoting government-funded green jobs.

Read that again: Jackson’s Caddy SUV was stripped while he was in town promoting green jobs.

Add Jesse to the Al Gore-Tom Friedman-Barack Obama School of Environmental Hypocrisy. While preaching to Americans that they need to cram their families into hybrid Priuses to go shopping for compact fluorescent light bulbs to save the planet, they themselves continue to live large.

“We need an economy that creates employment that can't be shipped overseas,” the Green Rev wrote for CNN about the march. “Home-grown American labor will be installing windmills and solar panels. A green economy is not an abstract concept.”

Interesting to see of how people tell you how to do it, but seldome do it themselves. Let me know if you need examples, I got tons......

2010-09-03T00:50:00.002-05:00

Arizona State University Forced to Stop Using Kindles Until They're Functional for Blind People

By James King

Arizona State University has made a deal with the Justice Department to stop using popular electronic readers like the Kindle until they are made functional for the blind.

ASU is one of three universities participating in a pilot program that gave Kindles to students to see how they would work -- as opposed to actual books -- in the classroom.

The program started in May, 2009, and by June, two different groups representing the blind got all butt-hurt and filed a lawsuit claiming that by using the devices, the universities were violating the Americans With Disabilities Act because they weren't accessible to the blind.

The problem, according to the blind, is that while the devices have a function that will put text into speech, the menu on the Kindles doesn't -- making it tough for someone who can't see to navigate their way through the functions.

"Advancing technology is systematically changing the way universities approach education, but we must be sure that emerging technologies offer individuals with disabilities the same opportunities as other students," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said in a statement. "These agreements underscore the importance of full and equal educational opportunities for everyone."

The agreement allows the universities to continue experimenting with the Kindles through the spring semester but says that after the spring, they will need to use a device that blind people can use, too.

Ever hear of books on tape?

Ahh, I have a question here, what is the difference between reading the Kindle and reading a book other than it is electronic. The blind can't read a book either, so what is the damn big deal?

Amazing.....

While we are on the topic of BEAVERTON.....

2010-09-02T09:36:00.003-05:00

Homeless man calls 911 from hot tub, seeks cocoa

The Associated Press

BEAVERTON, Ore. - A homeless man who called 911 from the hot tub of a suburban Portland home and asked for towels, hot chocolate and a hug got arrested for trespassing instead.

Beaverton police say Mark Eskelsen called 911 from his cell phone, identified himself as "the sheriff of Washington County," and asked for medical help. He later admitted he wasn't the sheriff but informed the dispatcher he'd been "yelling for about an hour and a half."

The man said in his Sunday morning call that he'd been in the water about 10 hours and his towels had gotten wet. As he put it, "I just need a hug and a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it."

The Oregonian newspaper says arriving officers arrested Eskelsen for investigation of second-degree criminal trespass and improper use of 911.

Bums , ( homeless ) when I was growing up hung around in and around, beneath the train trestle . They seemed to be more iniquitous , not demanding......

Society has obviusly made them more needy for the finer things in life......

Funny that Beaverton came up so soon.....

One inch at a time.....

2010-09-01T19:56:00.004-05:00

City of Beaverton Celebrates Mexico’s Independence: Is It Appropriate?

From the Portlander.

The city of Beaverton ask you to celebrate the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence with an evening of music, dancing and food in City Park (5th Street & Hall Blvd) on Thursday, September 16th from 6pm to 8:30pm. Come listen to Mariachi Viva Mexico, hear from guest speakers, including Mayor Denny Doyle, and enjoy a performance of a variety of native dances from regions across Mexico by Ballet Folklorico Sol Azteca.

“The city of Beaverton is fortunate enough to have one of the most diverse populations in the area and we’re excited to be a part of this cultural celebration,” said Mayor Doyle. “It’s an honor to recognize events like these that are so special to many members of this community.”

Two historic milestones in Mexico’s history occur this year. September 16 marks the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence movement from Spain and November 20 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Mexican revolution.

So Portland, what do you think: Is it appropriate for a city government in one country to celebrate the independence of another country?

And I thought that Berkeley in California was a wacko city, Beaverton doesn't celebrate the fourth of July, but spends money on this holiday.

I wonder if SMA will celebrate fourth of July.....

Yeah sure!

Nuts, absolutly wacko the Brits!

2010-08-30T21:06:00.004-05:00

Army hero who lost a leg in Afghanistan denied a disabled parking permit by council bosses 'because he might get better'

By Daily Mail Reporter

A hero soldier who lost a leg in Afghanistan has been denied a disabled parking badge three times by council bosses.

Lance Corporal Johno Lee has clocked up £800 in fines for parking in disabled bays in his home town of Newark, Nottinghamshire, on days when he uses a wheelchair or feels unable to walk very far.

When he first applied to Nottinghamshire County Council for a blue badge, he was advised he was young and 'may get better'.

'Sometimes the leg swells so badly I can't even get the prosthetic leg on. I then have to park in disabled bays otherwise I can't get into town, but then I get a ticket.

'If I live for another 60 years, am I expected to continue to have to struggle for all of that time?'

Lance Corporal Lee's applications are being supported by the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's' Association.

In a statement, the Council's Service Director Mr Paul McKay said: 'We are looking into the matter and have arranged for a member of staff to meet Mr Lee to review the situation. We will urgently assess whether he meets the criteria for a disabled parking badge as laid down by the Department of Transport.'

Mr Lee, a charity worker for the Armed Forces, added: 'A lot of people are coming home from Afghanistan severely wounded and are deserving of recognition rather than to be disrespected by the bureaucrats.'

When he was blown up, his heart stopped twice, once on the helicopter taking him to Camp Bastion and once on the operating table, but he was revived each time.

And just when you thought it was the United States that had lock of common sense.....merry Ol England beats the US anytime!

2010-08-18T14:16:00.003-05:00

American Airlines to charge for front-row seats

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — American Airlines has found another fee.

The Fort Worth, Texas, airline said Wednesday it's now charging between $19 and $39 for "Express Seats" — those spots in the first few rows of coach that include bulkhead seats.

The carrier, which is operated by parent AMR Corp., is following in the footsteps of several other airlines who already charge for special seats. UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit and AirTran all have some seats that cost extra.

American said the price of the seats includes getting on the plane in the first "general boarding" group of passengers. The seats that will cost extra are in the first two or three rows of the coach cabin, depending on the size of the plane.

The seats can only be bought at airport kiosks between 24 hours to 50 minutes before the flight for travel within the U.S.

American, the country's second-largest airline behind Delta Air Lines, still provides its elite frequent fliers those seats for no extra charge. American also charges fees for checked bags, priority boarding, booking on the phone or in person, "sleep sets," unaccompanied minors and pets.

Gee...what a novel idea, what are they going to charge for next? I thought they already charged you for a seat? How about putting token meters on the lavatory?

Or an filtered air you breathe surcharge?

Say Hello, Go To Jail!

2010-08-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

Court says California mall's chat policy illegal

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROSEVILLE — A Northern California appeals court has struck down a shopping mall's policy barring people from approaching strangers to chitchat.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal this week said the rules at Roseville's Westfield Galleria violate the California Constitution's free speech guarantee.

The mall prohibited people in its common areas from approaching people they didn't know to talk unless the conversation was about business involving the mall or its tenants. The case arose after mall officials issued a citizen's arrest of a 27-year-old pastor who tried to talk about his faith.

The appeals court says the policy effectively bars shoppers from chatting about the weather or offering directions.

A spokeswoman for Westfield says the mall is considering appealing to the California Supreme Court.

Just when you thought thigns could not get anymore wacko.........

How will it be in 10 years? Better you think?

Here, let me pick up that tab....

2010-08-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

Man sentenced for faking seizures at restaurants

The Associated Press

BALTIMORE - A Baltimore man has been sentenced to a year and a half in jail for faking seizures to get out of paying restaurant bills. City prosecutors said 43-year-old Andrew Palmer pleaded guilty last week to one count of theft scheme, and a judge agreed to impose an 18-month sentence - the maximum Palmer could have received.

Prosecutors said Palmer ate and drank at several restaurants between April and July, and when he couldn't pay, he would feign a seizure that required medical personnel to respond. The maximum penalty for each individual offense was 90 days in jail because the value of each meal was less than $100.

Court records show Palmer has a long criminal record that includes 40 convictions for theft and dozens more arrests.

I wonder if this qualifies as Yankee Ingenuity?

Crazy... Crasy? You tell me who's Crazy.

2010-08-01T10:43:00.002-05:00

Disabled advocates, band reach compromise over "lunatic" show

PressDemocrat.

A Sebastopol rock band and advocates for the mentally ill made peace Saturday night over a controversial show the advocates said mocked disabled people.

The band, Baby Seal Club, invited members of the National Alliance on Mentall Illness to distribute information at their show at the Hopmonk Tavern, billed “Lunatic Binge.”

NAMI members on Friday had criticized the event, which played on the theme of craziness and encouraged people to wear costumes such as straitjackets. Local leaders suggested they would demonstrate the show if it weren't canceled.

But only one picketer showed up Saturday night and advocates were invited to set up an information booth inside.

Hopmonk manager Jason Abrao said members of the band worked out the agreement with NAMI.

“They seem to be in good spirits,” Abrao said. “It's going to be an interesting evening.”

Only in America can a rock and roll band potentially piss off a group representing crazy people.

What are they going to do? Run in the streets screaming?

Who cares?

$787,000.00 too much money for a city manager? Small town, politics

2010-07-21T02:05:00.001-05:00

Can I have a raise?

Outrage is growing over revelations in The Times that the small city of Bell pays its top administrators some of the highest salaries in the nation.
Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), who authored a 2005 bill that limited some City Council salaries, expressed outrage over the salaries that Bell is paying top administrators.
“The president of the United States and other public servants who oversee much more complicated and sophisticated operations make much less than these city officials,” he said. “I think that makes it really clear these salaries are overdone.”
The City Council “is completely avoiding their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer,” he said.
The Times reported Thursday that Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo earns nearly twice the salary of President Obama, Police Chief Randy Adams gets paid about 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia receives more than the chief executive for Los Angeles County.
Rizzo makes $787,637, Adams makes $457,000, and Spaccia makes $376,288.
Bell is being investigated by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office over the compensation of its City Council members, who receive about $100,000 a year for their part-time positions. In a city the size of Bell, a council member is typically paid about $400 a month, according to state records.
Bell made headlines in recent weeks when the city of 37,000 agreed to take over operations of the neighboring city of Maywood, which fired most of its employees and disbanded its police department when it could not obtain insurance.

I should have just got a civil service job....This is amazing, I am surprised that there has not been more outrage on this!

Ripe for a law suit

2010-07-14T10:16:00.001-05:00

Police: Boy applies for job, steals from tip jar

The Associated Press

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Police said two teens were arrested when one of them stole money from the tip jar of a northwestern Indiana ice cream shop just after they put their names on job applications.

A clerk at Pat's Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Valparaiso told police the boys, ages 15 and 16, filled out the applications Friday afternoon. She said she went to file the applications when heard change clattering, then saw one of the boys grab the dollar bills from the tip jar and run out.

The employee told police she chased after the boy and he turned over $2.

Police reported one of the teens said he didn't steal, but gave the clerk his own money to avoid getting in trouble. Both boys were arrested on preliminary theft charges.

A good indication of a reason not to consider hiring either of these two. But then they could file a discrimination law suit.

Our Friend Passed Away

2010-07-13T10:46:00.003-05:00

Tragic Loss to All

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense.

Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons such as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; his son, Reason; and his sister, Accountability.

He is survived by two distant relatives; My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

2010-07-08T18:17:00.006-05:00

Buy a Hamster....Go to Jail!

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Jackson Galley, 5, plays with a guinea pig at the Animal Connection in San Francisco, which still sells pets.

Sell a guinea pig, go to jail.

That's the law under consideration by San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. If the commission approves the ordinance at its meeting tonight, San Francisco could soon have what is believed to be the country's first ban on the sale of all pets except fish.

That includes dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, lizards and nearly every other critter, or, as the commission calls them, companion animals.

San Francisco residents who want a pet would have to go to another city, adopt one from a shelter or rescue group, or find one through the classifieds.

The Board of Supervisors would have final say on the matter. But not before pet store owners unleash a cacophony of howling, squeaking and squawking.

"It's terrible. A pet store that can't sell pets? It's ridiculous," said John Chan, manager of Pet Central on Broadway, which has been in business 30 years. "We'd have to close."

'Terrible for our business'

Joe Taylor, bird manager of Animal Connection on Judah Street, called the proposal "ludicrous."

"What difference does it make if you get a parrot at the SPCA or a pet store? If it doesn't work out, in either case, you just bring it back," Taylor said. "This would be terrible for our business."

The idea originated about two years ago, when the commission began looking into a ban on dog and cat sales as a way to discourage puppy and kitten mills. But the city's animal control staff said that excess puppies and kittens are not the problem at the city shelter, thanks to the plethora of rescue groups. In any case, only one or two pet stores in San Francisco sell dogs and cats. The rest stick to small animals.

Gotta love the politician in that wacky city.................

Can't wait for the next decision.

obstruction of governmental administration,

2010-07-05T13:45:00.003-05:00

Eating champ leaves NY jail after hot dog fracas

By EVA DOU Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi, arrested at a July Fourth hot dog-eating contest, was freed Monday after a night in jail, looking a little weary and saying he was hungry.

Kobayashi, wearing a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" in green letters, was freed by a Brooklyn judge after he pleaded not guilty. The slim, boyish 32-year-old said he consumed only a sandwich and some milk in jail.

A contract dispute had kept Kobayashi out of Sunday's annual Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, but he showed up anyway.

"I was there as a spectator, just to cheer on my buddies," he said through an interpreter outside court Monday. Fans chanted for him, and "in the heat of it, I jumped on the stage, hoping they would let me eat."

His attorney, Mario D. Romano, said his client was waved up onstage after spectators began chanting "Let him eat!"

"Shortly after he got on the stage, he was grabbed from behind by officers," Romano said.

Kobayashi was charged with obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Kobayashi, who's currently living in New York, had refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating, the fast food equivalent of the NFL. On his Japanese-language blog, he said he wanted to be free to enter contests sanctioned by other groups.

But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the (Coney Island) event."

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., won by downing 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

After witnessing the drama involving Kobayashi, Chestnut said, "I feel bad for him."

Chestnut claimed the mustard-yellow champion's belt and a $20,000 purse but was disappointed with his own performance. The 26-year-old was aiming for a record 70 dogs in 10 minutes. Last year, he ate 68 dogs, four more than Kobayashi.

Major League Eating issued a statement calling Kobayashi's actions "inappropriate and unfortunate."

"Kobayashi was a great champion and we hope that he is able to resolve his current situation and move past this," the organization said.

Try to eat a hot dog.....go to jail.....

Exactly what the hell is "Obstruction of Governmental Administration"?

Sounds like definitely a capital offense, he deserves life in prison to say the least.

What has happened here? People are waaaay to serious about stuff.

2010-06-30T01:11:00.002-05:00

Granny shocked by police stun gun in bed sues

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY - An 87-year-old grandmother subdued by police with a stun gun while she was lying in bed hooked up to an oxygen machine is suing her Oklahoma hometown.

Attorney Brian Dell said Tuesday that he filed the lawsuit June 21 on behalf of his client, Lona Varner. He did not specify the amount she's seeking from the city of El Reno but said it's at least $75,000.

Varner's grandson called 911 on Dec. 22 and told the dispatcher his grandmother "wanted to end her life" and that he was concerned she had taken some unknown medicine.

Officer Thomas Duran says in a police report that Varner pulled a kitchen knife from under her pillow and threatened to stab and kill him if he tried to take her from her home.

The report says another officer used a stun gun on Varner.

What happened to the kind old policeman who would have snatched the knife out of the 87 year old granny's hand and the conflict would have been over?

Now it seem, that they tazer anyone at a blink of an eye, sometimes with deadly results.....

I long for a quieter gentler time of years ago..........

Kill the Monster!

2010-06-25T11:07:00.002-05:00

Tiny turtle causes taxiing plane to return to gate

Tiny caged turtle causes taxiing AirTran plane to return to gate, where sisters threw it away

Kate Brumback, Associated Press Writer, On Friday June 25, 2010, 7:45 am EDT

ATLANTA (AP) -- A caged, 2-inch turtle traveling with a 10-year-old girl caused a crew to turn around a taxiing plane, take the girl and her sisters off the flight and tell them they couldn't bring their pet along.

The sisters threw the animal and cage in the trash and returned to their seats crying Tuesday after AirTran Airways employees on the jetway said they couldn't care for the turtle while their father drove to retrieve it. Two days later, however, Carley Helm was reunited with Neytiri even though at first the family thought the pet was emptied with the trash.

Carley was heading home to Milwaukee after visiting her father in Atlanta with sisters Annie, 13, and Rebecca, 22, when the flap unfolded.

Rebecca said the three were led onto the jetway and told they'd have to get rid of the baby red ear slider -- named Neytiri after the princess in the movie "Avatar" -- if they wanted to reboard.

"I asked, 'What do you mean get rid of it?' and they said throw it away," she said. "I was very sad, and I felt bad for my littlest sister because it was her first pet and she was planning to take care of it herself."

While the sisters say they were told to put the animal in the trash, AirTran says they chose that themselves, despite an offer to fly later at no extra charge.

AirTran company policy bars animals other than cats, dogs and household birds in the cabin, said spokesman Christopher White. White cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that says the reptiles have been known to carry salmonella bacteria.

The sisters say they made it past security screeners and an AirTran gate agent before boarding. One flight attendant told them to stow the cage under their seat, they say.

But with the flight rolling toward its takeoff, an attendant told them the turtle wasn't allowed in the cabin.

Rebecca Helm called their father, and he began driving back to the airport. She asked an AirTran employee to make arrangements with her father to look after the pet until he could get there, but the employee refused.

"I basically had to make a really fast decision because the whole plane was being delayed," Rebecca Helm said. The bin wasn't very full and she thought the turtle could be found easily once her dad arrived, she said.

Rebecca twice declined the offer to take a later flight, White said.

"We don't have the personnel or the facilities to care for people's pets," White said.

Rebecca asked if throwing the pet away would allow for them to get back on the flight, White said. The gate agent did not tell the sisters what to do but said they could not get on the plane with the turtle, White said.

"At no time did any AirTran Airways crew member order or suggest that they put the turtle in the trash," he said.

Half an hour later, the sisters' father called, saying he wanted to come look through the trash, White said. The gate agent looked, couldn't find the turtle and assumed it had been emptied, he said.

The airline, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc. discovered Wednesday that the ramp supervisor had rescued the turtle from the trash "out of his own compassion" and given it to another crew member, who took it home for her 5-year-old son, White said.

AirTran told that crew member the original owners wanted it back, and the airline arranged for the turtle to fly as cargo to Milwaukee on Thursday, White said.

The sisters' mother reported what happened to animal rights group PETA, which sent a letter to AirTran demanding an investigation and disciplinary action.

For their part, Rebecca Helm says her sisters "are very happy to have the turtle back."

Thousands Line Up for new IPhone

2010-06-24T11:26:00.004-05:00

Associated Press

Apple Inc.'s newest iPhone was selling briskly Thursday as thousands lined up outside stores around the world to become among the first to own the device amid concerns of supply shortages.

The iPhone 4's launch began in Japan and sold out by early afternoon at the flagship store of Softbank, Apple's exclusive wireless carrier there. The launch moved across France, Germany and the U.K. before going on sale at 7 a.m. in each time zone in the U.S. Some stores abroad had midnight openings.

More than with past launches, there were worries about limited supplies after more than 600,000 people rushed to pre-order iPhones on the first day they were available, prompting Apple and its exclusive wireless partner in the U.S., AT&T Inc., to stop taking orders for shipment by Thursday's launch. On Apple's website, new orders weren't promised for delivery until July 14.

Sean Hill, 39, a Washington police officer who had pre-ordered his phone, smiled and proudly held the phone up for the crowd to see as he walked out of the newly opened Apple store in the Georgetown neighborhood.

"I'm like a kid in a candy store," Hill said. "I'm probably going to spend all morning playing with it."

Those who didn't place an iPhone 4 order had to line up outside Apple stores Thursday in the hopes of snagging one on a first-come, first-served basis. Apple wouldn't say whether it believes it has enough iPhones on hand.

"I am going to be very disappointed and upset if they run out before I get one," said Jasmine Cordova, 25, an administrative assistant in Brooklyn. "They have been advertising and hyping for months. They should make sure to stock enough."

Amazing, Absolutely Amazing!

These people have nothing better to do than waste time to get the latest electronic gadget. Mind you they already have a working cell phone, they just want to get the "newer, better, model"

I think the value system has gotten fritzed out. Instead of taking the time and effort to do this, how about reading a book or brusghing up on the latest news and facts that will impact their lives.....

Strangely you don't see any old folks there.

Naaaaw.

2010-06-18T17:31:00.003-05:00

Messy box of ribs causes bomb scare in Tenn.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A messy box of ribs left in a Clarksville parking lot caused police to call in the bomb squad and a bomb inspecting robot. The Leaf-Chronicle reports police blocked off the city's Public Square Thursday morning after someone noticed a box was found abandoned on a park bench.

Police spokesman Jim Knoll said the owner of the box was soon located. The woman told police she was from Chicago and had brought the ribs with her when she came to town for a family reunion. She had left the box in the parking lot to dry after she took out the ribs.

No charges were filed.

And who says there is no over reaction and humor in the world today. I wonder what the bill for that little police dispatch cost ?

Years ago, someone would have just picked it up and tossed it in the trash....my how times have changed.

2010-06-15T10:13:00.002-05:00

Arizona mom says she no longer wants her kids

The Associated Press

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Arizona police officers arrested a 29-year-old woman after she reportedly told police she didn't want her children any longer.

Police say they received a 911 call Friday from an 11-year-old boy who said his mother was packing and moving to California and wasn't taking him or his 6-year-old brother with her.

Police spokesman Sgt. Mark Ortega said the boy's mother, Christina Muniz (MYOO'-neez), came out and told officers that she was "sick of her children" and wanted the police to take them so she can "have fun and play."

Muniz was arrested and charged with child neglect, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Maybe there should be a requirement that you need to have enough brains in order to have children in the first place, and enough resources or family to raise them.

Hold the Pickle, Hold the Lettuce, Hold the CD

2010-06-14T00:31:00.008-05:00

Racy lyrics lead Wendy's to pull CD from kid meals

The Associated Press

ATLANTA - The fast food-chain Wendy's has pulled a disco CD included in kids' meals because of racy lyrics in one of the songs.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that one of the songs on the Disco Fever CD was Donna Summer's "Last Dance." The song has two sets of lyrics. One version includes the words "so bad." But some heard the alternative lyrics "so horny" on the CD, which had been marked as safe for 3 years old and up.

The Atlanta-based chain announced on its website Saturday that it would continue to put three other CDs in the kids' meals. Those CDs include the songs "ABC" by Jackson 5 and "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang. The website said Wendy's is "no longer offering" the Disco Fever CD but doesn't mention the reason.

Have they listened to the radio recently or maybe the videos on TV?

Donna Summar is kind of mild in comparison to that!

Your Order Please...............

2010-06-14T00:26:00.003-05:00

Police: Drive-thru order ends in food fight, brawl

The Associated Press

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Hamburgers, fries, punches and chairs all were thrown during a fight involving customers and employees of a fast food restaurant in Kalamazoo that ended with two arrests. Police said four customers in a vehicle at a Wendy's drive-thru lane midday Saturday claimed their order was incorrect. Police said they hurled drinks, hamburgers and fries at an employee inside.

Police said the employee then threw food at the vehicle, hitting it with a drink, ketchup and fries, and two people from the vehicle went inside the restaurant, where they fought with employees.

Two of the customers were arrested on charges of assault. The employee had scrapes and abrasions, but didn't need medical attention.

Police said employees blamed the fight on a "communication breakdown."

Judging at the skill level of the people in side, and the quality of the intercom systems, I find that totally understandable.

But that's just me!

Wow, what a nice set of..............

2010-06-05T10:17:00.002-05:00

Transgender men go topless at Delaware beach

The Associated Press

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Rehoboth Beach in Delaware isn't a topless beach - but a few transgender men caused a stir by treating it like one. Police say passers-by complained after the men removed their tops and revealed their surgically enhanced breasts over Memorial Day weekend. A lifeguard asked them to put their tops back on. The men initially refused, but covered up before police arrived.

Even if they hadn't, though, Police Chief Keith Banks notes the men were doing nothing illegal. Since they have male genitalia, they can't be charged with indecent exposure for showing their breasts. Banks says there's no need for a specific law to address the issue.

Rehoboth Beach commissioner Kathy McGuiness isn't so sure. She says the matter will be discussed at a town hall meeting next week.

How did the chief know they had male genitalia?

Could have been a woman with overly excessive facial hair......

I guess it's OK.......

2010-05-21T15:46:00.001-05:00

Md. man who stole, crashed plane to pay just $40

The Associated Press

FREDERICK, Md. - A homeless man caused about $12,000 in damage when he stole and crashed a single-engine airplane at a Maryland airport - but he'll pay just $40 in restitution.

Frederick County Circuit Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. expressed surprise Thursday upon learning of the small amount.

Dwyer asked: "Only $40?"

Prosecutors explained that insurance had paid for all the damage except for a $40 deductible.

Fifty-one-year-old Calvin C. Cox has served half of his nine-month sentence for the December theft. His lawyer has said Cox stole the plane because he was homeless and cold.

At sentencing in April, Dwyer authorized work release for Cox so he could earn money to pay restitution to the plane's owner, Mid Atlantic Soaring Associates Corp.

Gotta love justice......doesn't matter that the insurance claim is going to cause the premiums to go up, etc......

He was cold.....

The Sky is Falling , The Sky is Falling....

2010-05-07T18:40:00.003-05:00

.

Abandoned water cooler causes Times Square scare

By COLLEEN LONG and VERENA DOBNIK
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Police cleared streets around Times Square on Friday and called in the bomb squad after finding a cooler and a shopping bag left on a sidewalk about a block from where a failed car bomb was found over the weekend. They opened streets to traffic after finding out the cooler contained only water bottles.

A nearby shopping bag left in a flower pot had books and a gift wrapped in pink tissue paper.

Police had earlier cordoned off a pedestrian mall and nearby streets with yellow tape around 1:15 p.m., while yelling "Get back, get back" at onlookers and guiding bomb-sniffing dogs through the area.

The bomb squad X-rayed the soft-sided green cooler found on the pedestrian mall to determine, "in an abundance of caution," whether it posed a threat, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

Six NYPD officers opened the cooler, took out the contents and carried it off about an hour later, when the department said there was no threat. In responding, they noticed the second bag which in the flower pot which turned out to be full of books.

"It was exciting, but it seemed a little silly, after all — a cooler that somebody left there," said psychiatrist Thor Bergersen, of Newton, Mass., who watched the drama from the eighth floor of the Marriott Marquis hotel.

The department has had a 30 percent uptick in the number of suspicious package reports since the failed bombing in Times Square.

"This is something that happens fairly regularly," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Friday. "When you have a major event, the reports of suspicious packages will go up. I think to a certain extent, people are becoming more suspicious, more vigilant and that results in more calls."

Gotta love the paranoid people.....this is really quite funny......and sad that this is what is the norm nowadays.......

Doggie doo doo in your shoe.........SUE!

2010-04-02T20:43:00.003-06:00

Man sues, claims he fell after stepping in feces

The Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. - A Poquoson man who said he fell after stepping in dog feces at a PetSmart store has filed a $1 million negligence lawsuit against the company. Robert Holloway alleges in his lawsuit in U.S. District Court that he badly injured his back, struck his head and knocked out four teeth when he slipped in January 2009 at a Newport News PetSmart. He alleges that PetSmart and its manager should have protected him from a hazardous condition created when they allowed animals to defecate on the floor.

Gotta love the litigation crazy leeches up North.

Can you imagine this happening at any local store? They would laugh at you first, second it seems that personal responsibility for stepping in dog crap you would be ridiculed forever. But no, they will settle for big bucks, the attorney will make enough to by a new car or two.....

Amazing.......

Day Care Criminal

2010-04-02T17:08:00.001-06:00

Taser Used on 10-Year-Old; Policemen Suspended

David Knowles Writer

(April 1) -- Two police officers have been suspended for reportedly using a stun gun on a 10-year-old boy who had gotten out of control at a day care facility.

The incident occurred Tuesday, when a worker at Tender Teddies Day Care in Martinsville, Ind., called police to report that one of the children there was acting up and posed a potential threat to the kids, local news affiliate WRTV reported.

A spokesperson for the Martinsville Police Department told AOL News that Capt. William Jennings and Officer Darren Johnson arrived at the scene and found the boy to be "combative." Jennings then slapped the boy, and Johnson used his Taser to further subdue him, police said.

The boy, who weighs 94 pounds, received two marks on his arm where Jennings used the gun, WTHR news reported, but is believed to have suffered no lasting injuries.

While the day care center's owner, Heath Lancaster, did not comment on the case, police released a statement announcing that the officers had been placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.

"While the department will not condone the unnecessary treatment of any subject, regardless of age, in any apprehension situation, additional comments will not be made pending results of the final investigation," the statement read.

Separate investigations have now been launched by the Morgan County Sheriff's Department, the Martinsville Police Department and the Martinsville Department of Child Services.

"We need to look at it a lot closer because [the Taser gun is] not really made for 10-year-olds," Martinsville Police Chief Jon Davis said at a news conference.

While the police had been called to Tender Teddies Day Care on another occasion about the behavior of the same child, local resident Kenneth Frazier told WRTV that he thinks police went too far.

"I don't think that should have happened. I'm sure they could have detained him some other way," Frazier said. "They take big grown-ups down without tasing them ... why a 10-year-old?"

Filed under: Nation, Tech

The Grouch asks
I have one question...What good does it do to put anyone on paid administrative leave? Why not have them do paperwork or sweep the hallways instead of sitting home getting paid for it? Or am I missing something?

Calif. woman gets 6 months for fake breasts heist

2010-03-31T09:56:00.000-06:00

WESTMINSTER, Calif. - An Orange County woman's new breasts cost her six months in jail. Yvonne Jean Pampellonne was sentenced Monday in Westminster for using a fraudulent line of credit to obtain $12,000 in cosmetic surgery, including breast implants and liposuction.

The 30-year-old woman had pleaded guilty to burglary, grand theft and identity theft. She was sentenced to 180 days in jail and was placed on three years' probation. Restitution was also ordered by the Westminster judge, but the amount wasn't immediately clear.

Pampellonne used a line of credit established in another person's name to get the September 2008 procedures at the Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery in Huntington Beach.

The picture is not that of the fake breasts in the article, It appears that the certificate is the Guinness World Record, something or other. Either for the worlds largest breasts or the worlds larges sling.....

Now the comment:

Funny of how society in the states has changed... what happened to being happy with what you have?

Why you have to spell everything out.

2010-03-25T09:36:00.002-06:00

Today I was surfing one of the web pages of one of my web services providers. For some reason I clicked on their employment openings. I read a few of the descriptions and could not believe of what their HR person had to write to describe an open job.
Things sure have changed from the last time I looked for a job. I have highlighted some of the words that I found interesting. Or better yet, I am surprised that you have to spell everything out for the applicant I guess so that some lawyer doesn'tt sue the employer for not letting the employee know that what they wanted was someone who knew how to read etc......

Requirements

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to use HANDS AND ARMS AND TALK OR HEAR.

The employee requires dexterity in using telephone, computer keyboard, mouse and calculator while seated at a desk. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk and sit. The employee may frequently move to interact with fellow employees and/or clients. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: While performing duties of this job, the employee is required to read and comprehend instructions, correspondence and memos. The employee requires the ability to write effective and detailed correspondence and to effectively present information both in one-on-one and small group situations.

MENTAL DEMANDS: While performing duties of this job, the employee is required to deal with stress associated with a fast-paced work environment and multiple priorities/tasks. The employee will be required to make judgment decisions and adapt to changing work situations, grasp and apply new ideas, communicate with various personalities at all levels and have the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed instructions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: While performing duties of this job, the employee is required to work in an office environment, and the noise level is usually quiet to moderate.

What happened to persons who knew that this was a normal part of working for someone?????

No Soup for YOU!

2010-03-24T22:37:00.000-06:00

Man held in Mexico after spices mistaken for drugs

The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO - A Nigerian-born U.S. citizen spent two days in a Tijuana jail after Mexican authorities mistook the soup spices he was bringing to his nephew in Mexico for an illegal drug.

San Diego social worker Okoronkwo Umeham (oh-koh-RUHN'-kwoh oo-MAY'-ham) said Tuesday that he was detained while crossing the border on March 15 because inspectors thought he had five bags of khat, a stimulant popular in East Africa.

Umeham says he was bringing ingredients for ugu (oo-goo), a spicy Nigerian soup, to his nephew who lives in Tijuana.

He says he didn't speak Spanish and couldn't explain that the labeled packages were dried fish, spices and vegetables, not drugs.

Federal prosecutors in Tijuana say they had to test the substances.

Somehow this is believable...on both sides of the border.

All for the love of her grandson........Gee.

2010-03-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

Granny camps out 43 hours for grandson's ice cream

The Associated Press

STEVENS POINT, Wis. - Here's one Wisconsin grandmother who makes time for her grandson. Michelle Cuestas of Green Bay used two vacation days and camped out for 43 hours to make sure her grandson would be first in line for the 2010 opening of a Stevens Point ice-cream landmark.

Belts' Soft Serve opened for the year Friday at 11 a.m. Thanks to grandma, 6-year-old Brayden Banks placed the first order.

The Stevens Point Journal said Cuestas arrived Wednesday at 4 p.m. She planned to spend the night in her car but after locking her keys in the car, she instead slept in the Belts bathroom.

Brayden arrived Thursday morning. The two passed the last 24 hours playing games, reading and drawing.

Cuestas said the wait was worth it. She said making memories with her grandson is priceless.

Granny obviously has a lot of time on her hands.......I wonder if this will contribute to Brayden's later in life obesity?

The Mayor should be ashamed of himself.......

2010-03-07T18:16:00.002-06:00

Teen's bottom spray-painted as graffiti punishment

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY - A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging.

The mayor of San Juan del Rio in Queretaro state says police caught the 13-year-old tagging a wall last week and turned him over to the official. The official's job is to impose penalties for petty crime.

Mayor Gustavo Nieto said Thursday that he fired the official because he should have notified the boy's parents so they could pay for the damage, and not punish the teen personally. He did not identify the employee.

When polled the overwhelming majority express support for the employee that sprayed the culprits ass. He should be given a promotion not fired....... another example of too much feel good politics.

Wait for your turn, sir..................

2010-03-07T09:52:00.001-06:00

Woman charged in breast milk assault on jailer

The Associated Press

OWENSBORO, Ky. - A woman in jail for public intoxication was accused of assaulting a jailer by squirting breast milk at her. WYMT-TV reported that a 31-year-old woman was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. But as she was changing into an inmate uniform, she squirted breast milk into the face of a female deputy who was with her.

The woman now faces a felony charge of third degree assault on a police officer. Her bond was set at $10,000.

Now see that is gender discrimination.

As I see it , if the jailers where men, no charges would have ever been filed.......

And I will not post any pictures of this... or should I?

2010-03-02T19:18:00.002-06:00

Fla. man allegedly calls 911 more than 200 times

The Associated Press

AVON PARK, Fla. - Maybe he was bored. Maybe he just likes prank phone calls. But for some reason, a Florida man allegedly called 911 more than 200 times in a recent 3-day span. Highlands County sheriff's deputies said Timothy Todd Lawrence spoke only to female dispatchers, and made sexually explicit remarks to one of them. He told dispatchers he did not need emergency assistance.

Lawrence allegedly made 151 calls on Feb. 13 between 2 a.m. and 10:52 a.m. alone. He continued the calls over the next few days.

The 31-year-old Avon Park man was arrested Thursday. It was unclear if he had legal representation.

What did we do before we had 911?

Never had these problems.......perfect example of technology gone backwards........\

Damned if you do, and.......

2010-03-02T19:04:00.003-06:00

Calif. couple who removed lawn plead not guilty

The Associated Press

ORANGE, Calif. - A California man who tried to save water and money by removing his front lawn is being taken to court. Quan Ha pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor count for violating Orange city code. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Ha and his wife replaced their grass with wood chips in 2008. They said they'd just had a baby and began to think about her future.

At a time when Southern California cities fine people for overwatering thirsty lawns, the Has say they've saved hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and slashes their bill.

The city cited them for violating a law requiring live landscaping to cover 40 percent of the yard.

The couple planted drought-tolerant plants last year. The city says it isn't enough.

Local government is on a crusade for you to save water, green this, green that, but when you do something positive not to have a lawn that is purely for show......

Up Against the Wall XXXXXXXX

2010-02-24T18:07:00.002-06:00

Tampa man arrested for wearing clown mask, wig

The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa man faces charges after a deputy spotted him walking in a clown mask. According to jail records, the man was arrested Tuesday and charged with wearing a mask or hood on a public road over the age of 16 and resisting arrest without violence. The man, who turned 19 on Wednesday, has been released from Hillsborough County Jail on $750 bond.

The St. Petersburg Times reported that a deputy saw the man wearing a clown mask and bright wig as he walked down a street with two other people. The group fled when deputies tried to question them, but were later located.

Unbelievable, that in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, it is against the law to wear a clown mask walking down the street.

I guess the cops have absolutly reined in violent crime and stuff and now need to go after this?

No one asked me, for the solution to this!

2010-02-24T17:56:00.002-06:00

Pa. county at odds with toilet-clogging inmates

The Associated Press

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - A southwestern county prison board says a permanent solution to toilet-clogging inmates at the county jail could cost up to $200,000. The Fayette County commissioners, who head the prison board, say inmates clog the county jail's outmoded sewer lines by flushing sheets, pants and other items - even light bulbs - down the toilets in their cells.

A county engineer estimates it could cost $50,000 to $200,000 to install equipment that could grind up or screen out such obstructions. For now, such items must be removed by hand.

That's complicated by the fact that the prison was built in 1886 and has outmoded four-inch sewer lines.

The jail is expecting a $1,200 bill to fix clogs inmates caused by flushing debris on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

My solution would be to simply place a big piece of plastic on the jail cell, and keep the inmate there until he cleans it up, however long it takes.

Oh, and no food for him until he does.

Too simple?

2010-02-23T08:40:00.001-06:00

Forced to pay for 911 calls

How would you like to get the bill for calling police or an ambulance every time you had an emergency? Dialing 911 is going to cost some taxpayers in California hundreds.

Lawmakers in Tracy, California have decided to charge residents for calling for help. The fees will range between $50 and $400. Residents say they're outraged and they're taxes should cover those costs.

Greg Bidlack said, “It's a $300 fee. You don't want to be thinking about that while somebody is in need of assistance.”

California city leaders say it was a split decision but they needed to find a way to close a $9- million dollar budget gap.

How about looking at the ridiculous benefit packages that you allowed to get passed for union employees....like 90% retirement pay after only working for 20 years?

Breaking Point?

2010-02-23T08:18:00.001-06:00

Ohio man bulldozes $350K home to avoid foreclosure

The Associated Press

MOSCOW, Ohio - An Ohio man says he bulldozed his $350,000 home to keep a bank from foreclosing on it.

Terry Hoskins says he has struggled with the RiverHills Bank over his home in Moscow for years and had problems with the Internal Revenue Service. He says the IRS placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property and the bank claimed his house as collateral.

Hoskins says he owes $160,000 on the house. He says he spent a lot of money on attorneys and finally had enough. About two weeks ago he bulldozed the home 25 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

Messages were left for the bank and its attorney.

IRS spokeswoman Jodie Reynolds said individual taxpayer information is private and federal law prevents her from commenting.

One way to bring out your frustration.

You can not make stuff like this up........

2010-02-15T22:26:00.001-06:00

Daniel Rubin: Another case of TSA overkill

By Daniel Rubin

Inquirer Columnist

Just when I thought I was out of the Transportation Security Administration business for a few columns, they pull me back in.

Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?

Unfortunately, it's no joke. This happened to Bob Thomas, a 53-year-old officer in Camden's emergency crime suppression team, who was flying to Orlando in March with his wife, Leona, and their son, Ryan.

Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday.

The boy is developmentally delayed, one of the effects of being born 16 weeks prematurely. His ankles are malformed and his legs have low muscle tone. In March he was just starting to walk.

Mid-morning on March 19, his parents wheeled his stroller to the TSA security point, a couple of hours before their Southwest Airlines flight was to depart.

The boy's father broke down the stroller and put it on the conveyor belt as Leona Thomas walked Ryan through the metal detector.

The alarm went off.

The screener told them to take off the boy's braces.

The Thomases were dumbfounded. "I told them he can't walk without them on his own," Bob Thomas said.

"He said, 'He'll need to take them off.' "

Ryan's mother offered to walk him through the detector after they removed the braces, which are custom-made of metal and hardened plastic.

No, the screener replied. The boy had to walk on his own.

Leona Thomas said she was calm. Bob Thomas said he was starting to burn.

They complied, and Leona went first, followed by Ryan, followed by Bob, so the boy wouldn't be hurt if he fell. Ryan made it through.

By then, Bob Thomas was furious. He demanded to see a supervisor. The supervisor asked what was wrong.

"I told him, 'This is overkill. He's 4 years old. I don't think he's a terrorist.' "

The supervisor replied, "You know why we're doing this," Thomas said.

Thomas said he told the supervisor he was going to file a report, and at that point the man turned and walked away.

A Philadelphia police officer approached and asked what the problem was. Thomas said he identified himself and said he was a Camden officer. The Philadelphia officer suggested he calm down and enjoy his vacation.

Back home in Glassboro a week later, Bob Thomas called the airport manager and left her what he calls a terse message.

He was still angry enough last week to call me after I'd written a couple of columns about travelers' complaints of mistreatment by screeners at the airport.

"This was just stupid," he told me.

At the very least, it was not standard procedure.

On Friday, TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said the boy never should have been told to remove his braces.

TSA policy should have allowed the parents to help the boy to a private screening area where he could have been swabbed for traces of explosive materials.

Meanwhile.........back at the training ground......

Follow the money

2010-02-14T12:32:00.004-06:00

The Great American Bubble Machine

Ok, once you understand who and how politics works you might understand of how the machine is broken and us poor lonely souls are powerless to do anything about it. When you have entities that contribute gazillions of dollars to political campaigns what do you expect?

Ok, now you are going to spout, that this is a Republican hate piece, nope, and it is not even a Democrat hate piece. This is from the Rolling Stone......Ok....?

Check this out!
Click on the following line in the Rolling Stone Magazine.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/29127316/the_great_american_bubble_machine/7

Chicago ?

Naw, can't be.

Here is the next big money machine --- Global Warming...

Cost effective in this economy?

2010-02-12T17:55:00.002-06:00

Sebastopol plant thief pursued by police, deputies

Press Democrat- California

Police on Friday afternoon were chasing a plant thief who stabbed a Sebastopol homeowner with pruning shears.

The man was being chased on foot on the east side of the city by police and by the sheriff's helicopter, according to dispatchers.

The incident started at 8:40 a.m. when a homeowner confronted someone who was cutting off blooms from an ornamental plant, probably to sell or to propagate, police said.

The homeowner suffered minor wounds.

The thief ran, but later returned to his car and then led police on a chase through the city before blowing out a tire and stopping on Sebastopol Avenue and taking off on foot.

You would think they would just wait for him at his car....

Let's see, a helicopter thats about 1200 bucks an hour, plus a few cars, meanwhile back at the bank...........

I Don't make this stuff up!

2010-01-28T01:06:00.000-06:00

Burning bagel empties Portland City Hall

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. - An overdone bagel forced the evacuation of Portland's City Hall. The Oregonian reported that City Hall emptied for about 20 minutes Wednesday morning while firefighters dealt with the burning bagel in the break room of Mayor Sam Adam's office. There's no immediate word on who burned the bagel in the toaster oven or what type of bagel it was.

City commissioners were meeting at the time and joined those who took to the sidewalks. Adams apologized for the interruption after the evacuation.

Ok, lets see I wonder how many fire engines, ambulances, police cars and swat teams were called out on this......

What has happened with someone walking up to a toaster and flicking it out, stuff like this didn't happen years ago............

2010-01-27T11:48:00.001-06:00

PETA proposes robotic groundhog for Pa. festival

The Associated Press

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.

But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.

Deeley says PETA isn't interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.

With all the stuff going on, you would think their efforts would be better spent on doing more to educate people on taking care of their pets that get abandoned and abused......

Hard to make up stuff like this!

2010-01-25T19:03:00.001-06:00

Cops: Woman claims white powder came from doughnut

The Associated Press

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - East Tennessee police said a Knoxville woman who was later arrested for cocaine possession initially told an officer that she had been eating a powdered doughnut. The Maryville Daily Times reported that a 21-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday and charged with possession of a Schedule II substance with intent to sell or deliver. She was also cited for driving on a suspended driver's license, driving without proof of insurance, failure to maintain her lane of traffic and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to an Alcoa police report, a field test on the substance indicated that the white powder she put in her mouth as an officer approached the car was cocaine, not a sugary pastry.

She was being held in the Blount County Jail on a $12,250 bond pending a court hearing on Monday.

Gotta love the resourcefulness of spinning this whopper........

Epedemic Stupidity or Overreaction Again!

2010-01-22T21:24:00.000-06:00

Bag with Kermit the Frog causes school closure

The Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - Boulder authorities locked down a Lafayette charter school while they examined a duffel bag left at the campus parking lot that ended up containing a Kermit the Frog doll. Boulder County's bomb squad responded to the Peak to Peak Charter School after an employee there called at about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday to report the unattended bag. Authorities used a robot with movable arms and a camera to investigate the bag and then an officer inspected it to make sure it was safe.

Authorities cleared the scene at about 10 a.m. Students and staff were locked down until then in a campus building.

The charter school is for K-12 students.

What is the problem with these people? This is becoming epidemic and no longer funny. Sad.....truly sad.....

2010-01-21T11:41:00.000-06:00

Flight diverted to Pa. after confusion over prayer

By KATHY MATHESON Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA - A misunderstanding about an Orthodox Jewish prayer ritual led a US Airways Express captain to divert his Kentucky-bound plane to Philadelphia on Thursday, authorities said.

A plane is escorted by a law enforcement vehicle to a terminal at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. A spokesman for US Airways says a flight from New York to Louisville, Ky., has been diverted to Philadelphia International Airport because of security concerns. Spokesman Jim Olson says US Airways Express Flight 3709 landed in Philadelphia around 9 a.m. Thursday morning after taking off from La Guardia airport. He would not elaborate on the security concern. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A 17-year-old boy on Flight 3079 traveling from New York to Louisville was using tefillin, a set of small black boxes attached to leather straps and containing biblical passages, said Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore.

When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head.

"It's something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever," FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said.

The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members, but the captain decided to land in Philadelphia anyway, authorities said.

The flight left LaGuardia Airport in New York around 7:30 a.m.; it landed without incident in Philadelphia about 90 minutes later and was met by police and officials from the FBI and Transportation Security Administration.

Authorities said the plane was searched and passengers were questioned. The teen, who is from White Plains, N.Y., and was traveling with his 16-year-old sister, was very cooperative, Vanore said.

"They were more alarmed than we were," Vanore said.

Klaver said the teen and his sister were never in custody, and have been cleared to continue their travels.

Passengers on 50-seat regional jet, which was operated by Chautauqua Airlines, were rebooked on other flights, US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.

Add another overreaction story......Since you can't slaughter and cook a lamb on the plane as a religious ritual, they probably should ban all, except praying for your ass when the plane is going down.......

Bang bang, or your dead.

2010-01-20T14:44:00.000-06:00

Calif. man shoots his way out of sinking SUV

The Associated Press

ROSEVILLE, Calif. - A driver whose SUV plunged into a Northern California creek after he was startled by his hands-free cell phone device escaped the sinking vehicle by blasting out the window with a handgun. The 28-year-old man, whose name wasn't immediately available, is an armed security guard at Thunder Valley Casino, north of Sacramento. He sustained minor injuries in Sunday's accident.

A spokesman for the Roseville Fire Department said the man was traveling northbound on Industrial Avenue in Roseville when the cell phone device activated. The driver was startled and veered off the road through the guardrail. The SUV landed in Pleasant Grove Creek.

He used his gun to shoot himself out, then flagged down a passerby.

This is all fine and good but you have to realize that if it was anyone else, they would have been trapped in the vehicle or they would have been arrested for discharging a firearm and having one in the vehicle.......

Gee, he didn't write the other word.......

2010-01-18T16:40:00.002-06:00

Pa. man fined for 'dirty' words on state truck

The Associated Press

HERMITAGE, Pa. - A western Pennsylvania man has been fined $50 for using his finger to write derogatory words on the dirty cab of a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission truck. Charles J. Vranich, 33, of South Pymatuning Township, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct last week on a citation filed by Fish Commission Officer Jeffrey Giardina. Vranich wrote the words on the officer's truck when both happened to be at the same gas station in September.

Vranich wasn't immediately available for comment, but his father, Charles Sr., said Monday his son wrote "I suck" on Giardina's truck because his son was upset that the officer made him take an alcohol breath test - which Vranich passed - after boating weeks before.

Where are the expression of free speech advocates when you need them?

2010-01-17T15:56:00.001-06:00

SAN DIEGO

Science project empties school

A San Diego middle school was evacuated when a student's science project was mistaken for a bomb, the fire department said.

Department spokesman Maurice Luque said a vice principal's concerns prompted the evacuation of Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School on Friday.

An arson team took photos and X-rays of the empty plastic bottle with wires and determined it was harmless, Luque said.

The 11-year-old boy was trying to build a motion detector from instructions he found on the Internet and parts he bought online with help from his father, Luque said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/17/BAOU1BJ9HC.DTL#ixzz0cuR18Po9

This is not the first time, if it wasn't so sad, it would be funny!

2010-01-09T16:10:00.001-06:00

Man allegedly threatens neighbors with slingshot

The Associated Press

ORANGE CITY, Fla. - A Volusia County man has been charged with threatening his neighbors with a slingshot. Orange City police said a 65-year-old man got into an argument with another man in the laundry room of their apartment complex on Sunday. The resident told police that the suspect left the room, saying "You made a big mistake with me."

The suspect reportedly came back later and pointed a slingshot at the other man and his mother. The resident called police, who questioned him and arrested him. An officer reported finding a slingshot and four rocks in the man's pocket. The suspect told the officer that the weapon didn't belong to him.

The man was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest without violence. He was released Monday on $3,000 bail.

OK, Let me get this straight.....so if you have a slingshot and rocks you can get arrested?
Just think of all the kids , me included that should have been in jail.......

2010-01-09T11:19:00.001-06:00

Man who said he was 'massaging' meat gets 10 years

The Associated Press

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing an $80 slab of meat. The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reported Thursday that 51-year-old Mark Zachary of Orangeburg received the maximum sentence after jurors found him guilty Wednesday of shoplifting. Prosecutors said the sentence was justified because the Aug. 26 theft from Reid's grocery store in Orangeburg was his ninth offense.

Authorities said when a store manager approached Zachary about the missing New York strip and the big bulk under his shirt, he fled, right into the arms of an off-duty police officer.

Assistant Solicitor Glenn Justis asked jurors "Where's the beef?" in his opening argument.

Zachary testified he was "massaging" the meat, not stealing it.

10 years, So for an 80 dollar hunk of meat, the taxpayers are going to pay to house, feed and clothe this guy for 10 years?

Brilliant, simply Outstanding logic!

HEY, PULL OVER!

2010-01-08T05:05:00.003-06:00

Cops: Pa. man steals $50, flees on Walmart scooter

The Associated Press

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - Police say a Pennsylvania man in a hospital gown stole $50 from his ex-girlfriend at Wal-Mart, then tried to flee on a store-owned motorized shopping scooter.

Thirty-two-year-old Craig David Jr., of Smithfield, was charged Wednesday with robbery and disorderly conduct.

State police Cpl. Chuck Frey says David had just been released from a hospital for injuries in a domestic dispute Jan. 1. Frey says David had been hit with a frying pan and table leg.

David was still in a hospital gown Tuesday night when he met an ex-girlfriend who agreed to pay for his prescription medication. Instead, police say he grabbed $50 from her and scooted away.

David remained jailed Thursday. He does not have an attorney.

Glad they had a speed governor on this hot rod scooter......

Oh Honey you are so big!

2010-01-07T17:01:00.001-06:00

Callers to free tow number directed to porn line

The Associated Press

CARLSBAD, N.M. - Oops, wrong number.

Some New Year's Eve revelers in Carlsbad who had a little too much to drink got a surprise when they called a toll-free number for a free tow home.

Instead of assistance, they got instructions to call a second toll-free number that offered pornographic conversation.

AAA Texas and New Mexico acknowledged the mistake and blamed it on a typographical error. Spokesman Dan Roman apologized to anyone who called the number and wasn't able to take advantage of the tow offer.

Guess no one ever figured on testing the number just for the hell of it?