Anyone Includes You

EASTON, Md. (AP) - For only the third time in five years, Easton police have ticketed someone for going topless in public. Sean Cephus, 18, was cited June 4 when police say he was spotted without a shirt on South Street near Hanson Street. He was also cited for failing to obey a lawful order to stop for police.

A town ordinance adopted in 1974 forbids anyone from going topless in public buildings or on public streets and sidewalks. Possible penalties are a fine of up to $100 and up to 10 days in jail.

Easton Police Lt. Gregory Wright said people without shirts are considered a public nuisance. He said three citations have been issued since 2003. (From wtop)

Strange law, but it is what it is.

Too Smart To Work Here

A Federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a man who was barred from the New London police force because he scored too high on an intelligence test.

In a ruling made public on Tuesday, Judge Peter C. Dorsey of the United States District Court in New Haven agreed that the plaintiff, Robert Jordan, was denied an opportunity to interview for a police job because of his high test scores. But he said that that did not mean Mr. Jordan was a victim of discrimination.

Judge Dorsey ruled that Mr. Jordan was not denied equal protection because the city of New London applied the same standard to everyone: anyone who scored too high was rejected. (Full Story at nytimes)

I don't think any comments are necessary for this one.

Back From The Dead

THE case of a man whose heart stopped beating for 1-1/2 hours only to revive just as doctors were preparing to remove his organs for transplants is fuelling ethical debates in France about when a person is dead.

The 45-year-old man suffered a massive heart attack and rescuers used cardiac massage to try and revive him without success before transferring him to a nearby hospital.

Due to a series of complex circumstances, revival efforts continued for longer than usual for a patient whose heart was not responding to treatment, until doctors started preparations to remove organs.

It was at that point that the astonished surgeons noticed the man was beginning to breathe unaided again, his pupils were active, he was giving signs that he could feel pain -- and finally, his heart started beating again. (Full Story at news)



There are already people who claim that if you are an organ donor many hospitals will pronounce you dead quicker to get your organs. I don't know the veracity of the claim (I'm an organ donor and I'm not all that concerned) but this will certainly cause a stir for some folks - maybe even a lawsuit or two?. . .

A Blind Sherlock

ANTWERP, Belgium: Sacha van Loo, 36, is not your typical cop. He wields a white cane instead of a gun. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes.

Van Loo is one of Europe's newest weapons in the global fight against terrorism and organized crime: a blind Sherlock Holmes, whose disability allows him to spot clues sighted detectives don't see. . .

When police eavesdrop on a suspected terrorist making a phone call, van Loo can listen to the tones dialed and immediately identify the number. By hearing the sound of a voice echoing off of a wall, he can deduce whether a suspect is speaking from an airport lounge or a crowded restaurant. After the Belgian police recently spent hours struggling to identify a drug smuggler on a faint wiretap recording, they concluded he was Moroccan. Van Loo, who has a "library of accents in his head," listened and deduced he was Albanian, a fact confirmed after his arrest. (Full Story at iht)

Cigarette Prices In NYC

"New York has traditionally had the highest cigarette taxes in the nation," said Patrick Fleenor, chief economist at the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan tax research group in Washington, D.C. "It's also the state with the most significant smuggling problems."

The state tax on a pack of cigarettes jumps today from $1.50 to $2.75, making it the highest tax in the country. In Central New York, a typical pack of smokes will cost about $7.

New York City charges an additional $1.50 excise tax, so the cost of a pack of cigarettes there will hover around $9.

At those prices, experts predict that many smokers will try to find ways to buy cheaper, untaxed cigarettes. Historically, when taxes surge, so do black-market cigarette sales. (Full Story at syracuse)

I'm not for people smoking; its just a bad idea in general. That said, I have a serious problem with the government policing my choices. They aren't banning smoking in NYC, but the tax is a round about way to force people to quit. Add to this the fact that they are knowingly creating a black market and this just becomes a ridiculous tax.

By the way, if you are looking for a new business opportunity you can start trafficking cigs to NYC along with your moonshine (ethanol via home pump).

Seriously, Don't Mess With Vets

KINGSTON, Pa. (AP) - The young woman probably thought the 71-year-old Korean War veteran, whose friend was in a wheelchair, would make an easy target. She was wrong.

Harry Kopenis (ko-PEN'-is) chased and tackled the 22-year-old woman he says robbed him at an ATM in northeastern Pennsylvania. Then, with help from his friend in a wheelchair, he held her until police arrived.

"Maybe she thought I was easy prey. She didn't think I was going to get her. Well, senior citizens aren't easy prey," Kopenis said.

Police charged Erin Vanmatre, of Kingston, with robbery, harassment and other offenses. Vanmatre, who was on probation for conspiracy to commit theft, was locked up on $10,000 bail. It wasn't clear if she had an attorney.

Kopenis said he's not sure how he was able to catch Vanmatre, considering he suffered a stroke five years ago and is on various prescription medications. (Full Story at wtop)

Never Touch The Shell Casings

Researchers in the University Department of Chemistry and the Police's scientific support unit have developed the method that enables scientists to 'visualise fingerprints' even after the print itself has been removed. They conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance – after firing– a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.

Dr John Bond, Honorary Fellow at the University of Leicester and Scientific Support Manager at Northamptonshire Police said: "For the first time we can get prints from people who handled a cartridge before it was fired."

"Wiping it down, washing it in hot soapy water makes no difference - and the heat of the shot helps the process we use.

"The procedure works by applying an electric charge to a metal - say a gun or bullet - which has been coated in a fine conducting powder, similar to that used in photocopiers.

"Even if the fingerprint has been washed off, it leaves a slight corrosion on the metal and this attracts the powder when the charge is applied, so showing up a residual fingerprint.

"The technique works on everything from bullet casings to machine guns. Even if heat vaporises normal clues, police will be able to prove who handled a particular gun." (Full Story at eurekalert)

First DNA testing and now this. How is a crook supposed to make an honest living these days?

Chicken Wings Are Serious

A 7-year-old South Florida boy facing grand theft auto charges is now accused of beating up his grandmother at a Wal-Mart after a dispute over chicken wings.

Vikkita Stratford told WPBF-TV in Palm Beach, Fla., that her grandson beat her up Monday after he ordered chicken wings without her permission at a Lake Park Wal-Mart.

""He just started hitting me — just started hitting me in front of the whole Wal-Mart," she told the station. "Everyone in there was upset." (Full Story at foxnews)

You really can't ask for a better opening line.

Genetic Discrimination

President Bush yesterday signed legislation into law that will bar health insurance companies or employers from denying or canceling coverage, hiking premiums or making decisions on hiring, firing and compensation based on genetic test results. (Full Story at sciam)



This very much reminds me of Gattaca. It also brings up some interesting questions. If it became cheap and easy to analyze someone's DNA, don't you think this could start being a problem? Clearly I'm a cynic, but I just don't think people tend to be all that honest when money is in the equation.

Changed to The Same Thing

On October 5, 2007 Kristin Lucas succeeded in legally changing her name from Kristin Sue Lucas to Kristin Sue Lucas.

In Alameda County Court, the presiding judge who granted the request said: “So you have changed your name to exactly what it was before in the spirit of refreshing yourself as though you were a web page.”

The artist receives a government-issued refresh. Documentation includes a certified name change form, newspaper clipping, sketches from court hearings, and a transcript of a philosophical debate between the artist and the presiding judge over the perception of change. (Art and Story at 169.pair)

Interesting.

Sick Day

ARLINGTON, Wash. -- A former Washington state social worker has been accused of faking brain cancer to avoid work.

Theft charges were filed Tuesday against 40-year-old Sandra Dee Martinez, formerly of Mountlake Terrace, who was employed by the Department of Social and Health Services in Arlington.

According to investigators, Martinez presented fake letters that appeared to be from doctors saying she had malignant brain tumors. Prosecutors wrote that she received $21,000 worth of paid leave and took advantage of sick days donated by co-workers last year. . .

Arlington Police Chief John Gray said Martinez has moved to another state and won't speak with investigators. (Full Story at kmotv)

Wow. What do you say to something like that?

Extreme Consequences

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Texas woman who caused her lover's shooting death by falsely crying rape was convicted Friday of involuntary manslaughter.

Tracy Denise Roberson, 37, cried a bit when the verdict was announced. The punishment phase was set for Monday, and she faces two to 20 years in prison.

In late 2006, Darrell Roberson came home from a late-night card game to find his scantily clad wife with another man in a pickup truck in the driveway. Tracy Roberson was with her lover but cried rape, and her husband fired four shots into the truck as Devin LaSalle drove off, killing him. (Full Story at nbc)

I'm curious as to what the wife wanted to happen in the trial. Did she want her husband to take the fall?

Smiley Face Killings

At least 40 young men who drowned may have died by far more sinister means — serial killings at the hands of a national gang that revels in murdering young men and leaving smiley-face markings at the scene, a team of retired New York City police detectives and criminal justice investigators said Monday.

They believe the victims, including University of Minnesota student Chris Jenkins and Fordham University student Patrick McNeill, didn't accidentally drown but were actually killed by members of the so-called "Smiley Face Gang," according to KSTP-TV, which first reported the story.

A smiley-face symbol was found painted at some of the drowning locations — in Ohio, Pennsylvania,Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, the station said.

"They're telling you here that they're into evil, they're very happy as most serial killers are," retired NYPD Det. Kevin Gannon said at a press conference Monday. "They're content with their work and what they're doing and the fact that they're thwarting the police." (From fox)

I wonder why we haven't heard more about it until now. I suppose it's just because I don't live in that part of the country. Either way, that's some messed up stuff.

Maybe He Should Read About What Happend Last Time

Federal authorities said a South Carolina teen accused of plotting to blow up his high school told police that he wanted to die, go to heaven and kill Jesus, according to federal authorities.Prosecutors argued Tuesday that Ryan Schallenberger, the teen accused of plotting an attack at Chesterfield High School, needs a psychological evaluation. (Full Story at wyff)



I'm with the prosecutors. That man is a few cupcakes shy of a party.

Eco Bootlegging

A company banking on drivers' weariness of skyrocketing gasoline prices unveiled a home refinery device on Thursday offering another option: Ethanol. E-Fuel Corporation says its EFuel100 MicroFueler can produce up to 35 gallons (132 liters) of ethanol a week that consumers can pump directly into their cars and trucks. There is no combustion inside the device, which runs on a standard household 110- to 220-volt AC power supply (consuming about 150 watts per day) and uses a membrane system to distill the sugar, yeast and water solution required to make ethanol rather than combustion heating elements, as commercial ethanol producers do.

Interested drivers in the U.S. can put in their orders now for their own EFuel100 MicroFueler at the company's Web site with a $3,000 down payment toward the total $10,000 tab; the first units are expected to ship some time this fall. . .

Ethanol fuel is made from a combination of water, yeast and sugar, Tom Quinn, E-Fuel founder and CEO, said at the press conference, adding that the process was no more complicated than what is taught in "third-grade science." (Full Story at sciam)


I often look for system flaws that would allow nefarious activity (not to exploit mind you), but this one seems rather obvious to me. Ethanol, if you did not know, is alcohol. Not only that but it's the alcohol that folks consume (opposed to something like Methanol). What this thing produces is close to 200 proof (as strong as it gets) vodka. I looked through the article to see if there is anything in the process that makes it harmful to consume, and it doesn't mention a thing. The company website also omits any information about human consumption.

On their site they do, however, proclaim that one of their goals is to keep Ethanol down to less than $1 a gallon. Keeping that in mind, after you cut the straight ethanol to drinkable levels you are looking at a gallon of vodka for about 25 cents. I'll let you do all of the rest of the math for yourself. Also, don't think that bootlegging isn't still around. I'm just saying this little machine would make it easy and lucrative for anyone to bootleg. Not to mention you wouldn't have to worry about hiding it.

Pistol Cam

Cops in Washington DC could soon be compelled to fit their pistols with cameras that would record gunsight video in every situation in which the weapons were drawn, according to reports.

Gun camera technology is relatively simple to make, and is already available off the shelf. Most modern semi-automatic pistols have mounting rails beneath the frame allowing accessories such as tactical lights or laser sights to be attached, and cameras can easily be fitted to these. Typically the camera is set to start recording both sound and video as soon as the weapon is drawn from its holster - a rare event for most American police officers, other than on the firing range. (Full Story at theregister).

I think this is a fair idea. What do you think?

Shoot Yourself in The Foot

RIVERDALE, Utah (AP) - The police chief who shot himself in the ankle was waving a loaded pistol and being careless, according to two students who were attending his class to qualify for a concealed-weapons permit. "We were told the gun is the chief's personal sidearm, but it looked to me like he didn't know anything about the gun," Lewis Walker said.

Bart Ulm, another student seeking certification to carry a concealed weapon, said he was surprised Chief Dave Hansen was using a loaded gun to show how it worked.

"Right then, I was very leery, because there's no need to have live ammo in a gun in the class. But I figured he's the chief, so he must know what he's doing," Ulm told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.

Hansen held the Glock 40 under a table to disassemble it when a bullet fired, Walker said.

The chief cried, "I'm hit," and fell over. Students who were screaming "Officer down!" were urged to call 911. (Full Story at wtop)

Nice.

Big Brother

Massive investment in CCTV cameras to prevent crime in the UK has failed to have a significant impact, despite billions of pounds spent on the new technology, a senior police officer piloting a new database has warned. Only 3% of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images, despite the fact that Britain has more security cameras than any other country in Europe. (Full Story at guardian)


Look, if you aren't doing anything wrong it shouldn't really matter anyway, but there is something to be said about privacy. Not to mention your tax dollars are going to something that lessens your freedoms with virtually no benefit. Just ask yourself this: Would Any Griffith use cameras? I rest my case.

What If. . .

Jeff Peckman is back at it, and this time he is bringing little green men along for the ride.

The Denver man, who sponsored an offbeat ballot initiative that would have required the city to implement stress-reduction techniques, now wants to ask voters to create a commission dealing with space aliens.

"It is important because if you're driving down the highway and you saw a crash of a small spaceship and a car or a bus full of kids, you really wouldn't know what to do," Peckman said Thursday. "Do you wait for the hazardous materials experts to show up because of potential contaminants from another solar system? What do you do? People really don't know."

Peckman, 54, who is single and lives with his parents. . . (Full Story at rockymountainnews)


I think that last line pretty much puts everything in perspective. I wonder if i can find some video of this guy somewhere.

Hard Lemonade

The 47-year-old academic says he wasn't even aware alcoholic lemonade existed when he and Leo stopped at a concession stand on the way to their seats in Section 114.

"I'd never drunk it, never purchased it, never heard of it," Ratte of Ann Arbor told me sheepishly last week. "And it's certainly not what I expected when I ordered a lemonade for my 7-year-old."

But it wasn't until the top of the ninth inning that a Comerica Park security guard noticed the bottle in young Leo's hand.

"You know this is an alcoholic beverage?" the guard asked the professor.

"You've got to be kidding," Ratte replied. He asked for the bottle, but the security guard snatched it before Ratte could examine the label.

... it would be two days before the state of Michigan allowed Ratte's wife, U-M architecture professor Claire Zimmerman, to take their son home, and nearly a week before Ratte was permitted to move back into his own house. (From boingboing)

Really people, this is just insane. I don't even care if he did know that it was an alcoholic beverage. This is where the government clearly overstepped their bounds.