Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 11:36:00 PM

Baby Jessica Graduates From High School

(Midland, Texas) Last Friday, 18-year-old Jessica McClure graduated from Greenwood High School. To refresh everybody's memory, Baby Jessica fell down a well in October 1987 and it became a heart-wrenching international news story saturating all media over many days. A few words are appropriate.

Congratulations! You've come a long way, Baby!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 11:36:00 PM

Hatred Web Sites Increasing

According to the experts at SurfControl, the number of Internet sites spewing hatred and violence has increased by 26% since the start of this year to just under 11,000 total. The number of U.S.-based hate Web sites rose to 497 in 2003, a 12% increase compared with 2002. Not surprisingly,

Many sites disparage blacks and Jews, said Susan Larson, SurfControl's president of global content. But the company has noticed more anti-Muslim Web sites since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It's believed that relatively few people frequent hate sites, but they are considered a danger to impressionable children and teenagers. I think prudent individuals should be vigilant in making sure they don't add to the hatred. There's already much more than enough.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 10:44:00 PM

Policeman Claims Discrimination

(Chicago, Illinois) Police Officer Nail Majid, a Muslim Palestinian-American, claims he was discriminated against because other officers made derogatory comments towards him after September 11th. He has filed a lawsuit against the city and the police department.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that the events of 9/11 are worthy of a few derogatory comments. Unless there's a lot more to this story, I think that Officer Majid might be a bit too sensitively-natured for police work.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 10:04:00 PM

Drunk 14-Year-Old Girl

(Kittanning, Pennsylvania) Steven Frederick Fox, 43, and Shane Michael Dickey, 18, were arrested for sexually assaulting a drunk 14-year-old girl. The alleged incident occurred last Friday in the Five Points area of Washington Township, Indiana County.

Three individuals, alcohol, and no adult supervision.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 09:41:00 PM

Judge Frank Del Vero Quits

(Lansing, Michigan) Hounded by charges of sexual harassment, Michigan District Court Judge Frank Del Vero announced his retirement in a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm. He's been accused of making comments about sex and women's breasts in court hallways, in his chambers and in the clerk's office. One case brought against him by his former secretary, Susan LeuVoy, was settled out of court for $150,000.

Regarding his career, Del Vero, 61, stated that he has "many fond memories while serving."

My take is that the comments and behavior of Judge Del Vero would probably not have been considered harassment 40 years ago when he started his legal career. However, in the ensuing time, the rules of acceptable male-female interactions in the workplace have been revised dramatically. Frank Del Vero was probably playing by the old rules and got called on it.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 08:47:00 PM

Crime Spree

(Dearborn, Michigan) A big, 14-year-old boy was arrested for disturbing the peace after he yelled and swore at his mommy and a police officer.

To protect and serve.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 11:58:00 AM

Air America

According to this report, Air America is having persistent problems getting established. It's perilously near running out of reliable funding and some question whether it can survive past the November elections. Notably, the chief advertised on-air talent, Al Franken, is no longer receiving a paycheck.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2004 08:42:00 AM

N.M. Officials Face Drug Charges

(Albuquerque, New Mexico) Gov. Bill Richardson has expressed deep disappointment by the drug-possession arrests Saturday of State District Judge John Brennan and Patricia Mattioli, an official of the State Commission on Higher Education. They were apprehended after allegedly trying to elude officers at a DWI checkpoint and found to have cocaine powder in their possession. Brennan also failed a field sobriety test and was additionally charged with evidence tampering. Both Brennan and Mattioli have taken administrative leave from their government positions.

Since both the accused are chummy with the liberal governor, I suspect that the liberal media won't be giving the story much attention and that the charges will be downgraded to misdemeanors.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2004 11:52:00 PM

Greenie Dilemma

What to do? The cormorant droppings are killing the trees on Middle Island, south of Pelee Island in Lake Erie. Will the environmentalists tolerate the continued death of the pristine forest and kill the filthy murderous birds? Or, will they preserve the essence and beauty of nature's wild birds and allow the island's vegetation to vanish?

The problem has been taken under advisement.

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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2004 11:51:00 PM

Harry Potter Piracy Police

Staff at movie theaters in the UK will be using military-style night-sights to scan the dark for people making pirate copies of the new Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. It's reported that the pirates will be "hauled out of their seats and reported straight away to the police."

I suspect that this action will not be much more than an irritation to the bootleg DVD industry.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2004 09:57:00 PM

Best Restroom

For those people who like to spend their leisure hours in the bathroom, this story should be of interest. A restroom in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has been voted the best in America. I'm personally more of a pragmatist when it comes to restrooms, opting for raw convenience and short stay times over frills.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2004 08:26:00 PM

Sex Offender Re-offends

(Columbus, Ohio) Convicted sex offender Kenneth Dixon, 32, has re-offended. He's in jail on charges of rape, kidnapping and gross sexual imposition. Dixon allegedly followed a 5-year-old boy into a restroom and sexually assaulted him in a stall. If convicted this time, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

I'll wager this guy's back on the street in less than 5 years and he will continue following little boys into restrooms. The justice system has a demonstrated blind eye toward the danger posed by pedophiles.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2004 07:49:00 PM

Anorexic Black Teenager

As mentioned in a previous post, researchers studying eating disorders have been trying to accumulate data on a representative sample of anorexic black teenagers. Apparently, there's been no success. If anyone knows of recent findings, please leave comment.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 09:45:00 PM

Britney Spears on Tour

(Oslo, Norway) The critics saw BS perform and were not impressed.

Britney sang and pranced around for 90 minutes, but critics called it little more than "erotic aerobics." The reviews were so bad, that one critic claimed Britney would have been booed off the stage if she wasn't so famous.

The 8,000 fans at the Oslo Spektrum, however, apparently disagree. It's reported that they enjoyed themselves.

I'm sure BS is primarily interested in the satisfying the fans. The critics don't buy anything.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 08:56:00 PM

Prison Population

According to this Associated Press story, almost 2.1 million people or one of every 75 men is living in prison or jail. The report also states:

"The inmate population continued its rise despite a fall in the crime rate ..."

I don't know how to explain that distorted logic. The crime rate is falling BECAUSE the inmate population is rising. The criminals can't commit crimes when they are in jail.

Sheesh!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 06:38:00 PM

Justice Thomas' Father-in-Law

(Omaha, Nabraska) Donald Lamp's neighbors are complaining that he hangs an American flag from his balcony. Although he's the father-in-law of Clarence Thomas, I don't see this becoming a Supreme Court case.

Didn't I already see this on an episode of Frazier?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 05:51:00 PM

Medical Center Fined for Exaggeration

(Albany, New York) In order to improve the chances of 45 patients of finding suitable hearts for transplant, doctors at Albany Medical Center systematically misrepresented their conditions according to an investigation by the State Health Department. As a result, The Albany Medical Center has been assessed a maximum fine of $18,000 and two doctors, Dr. Lawrence Zisman, a transplant cardiologist, and Dr. Charles Canver, a transplant surgeon, have been suspended. The center's heart transplant unit has been shut down since October.

Hmmm ....
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 10:41:00 AM

Cincinnati Boots COPS Show

Some Cincinnati City Council members complained that the FoxTV Cops program filming would negatively portray the city and affect tourism. Consequently, Police Chief Tom Streicher asked them to stop after two days.

Interestingly, several neighboring communities (Covington, Hamilton, Norwood) immediately requested that the film crew tag along with their officers.

My take is that it seems the Cincinnati City Council wants to hide something.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2004 07:14:00 AM

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Sputtering

Within the past week, the prestigious Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that its vehicle sales for fiscal year 2003 shrunk by more than 33% in Japan and more than 50% in North America. Concurrently, MMC announced its plan to cut 11,000 jobs from the global workforce and to close two manufacturing plants, an engine factory in Australia and a car plant in Okazaki, Japan. To attempt to downplay the significance of these announcements by MMC would be disingenuous. The company's recent performance has been more than dismal and some have even suggested that MMC is trending toward collapse.

Naturally, one has to wonder how could a prestigious multinational corporation with a successful history be failing so miserably. The answer is an amalgam of inept, fraudulent, and, possibly, criminal decision-making. One incident, in particular, prompted MMC's performance to slope dramatically downward.

On Jan. 10, 2002, a wheel came off the hub of a Mitsubishi Motors trailer truck in Yokohama and hit a 29-year-old woman, killing her and injuring her two children.

The tragedy was blamed on inadequate maintenance by MMC. However, this is contrary to an internal MMC review which found that many similar failures had occurred, suggesting a generic defect in manufacturing. In fact, data showed that Mitsubishi hubs cracked despite the degree of abrasion, indicating they were inadequate to support the wheels. Instead of issuing a recall to inspect and correct the defect, MMC management allegedly compiled a false report to hide the defect. As a result,

Police arrested seven former senior Mitsubishi Motors Corp. officials Thursday for alleged professional negligence resulting in death and injury and the filing of false reports to authorities on vehicle defects related to a fatal truck accident in Yokohama in 2002.

It should be noted that MMC finally decided to recall trucks and buses for defective wheel hubs in March 2004, more than 12 years after the first reported failure in January 1992.

Compounding the negative publicity from hiding wheel hub defects and delaying their recall, MMC's reputation and sales had already suffered from a similar scandal in 2000 when it was discovered that the company for almost 30 years had been concealing customer complaints about vehicle faults that required recalls. In a nutshell, the public knew that MMC was selling a flawed product, hiding the deficiencies, and failing to correct the problems. So, naturally, sales plummeted.

Besides being responsible for poor sales, MMC's reputation has been soured to the extent that the company is also having great difficulty finding investment capital to implement its restructuring plan. DaimlerChrysler AG, MMC's biggest shareholder, nixed a plan to help fund a bailout and, subsequently, Standard & Poor's had MMC's credit rating lowered to CCC minus which is nine levels below investment grade.

In summary, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is closing manufacturing plants and laying off over 22% of its workforce. Sales figures are dismal, expensive recalls are ongoing, seven former company officials have been arrested, and no investment capital has been forthcoming to help the company restructure. If you currently own stock in Mitsubishi, it may be prudent to consider selling it.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2004 06:30:00 PM

Crackdown on Illegal Aliens

A standard has been established on how a democratic, free market nation should deal with foreign nationals that reside illegally inside its borders. The specific law that was passed yesterday has the following provisions:

- Illegal aliens who turn themselves in shall avoid detention, but shall be deported immediately.

- Illegal aliens apprehended shall face a potential fine in excess of $25,000.

The Japanese Diet enacted the law yesterday to address a rise in the number of crimes involving foreigners in Japan.

Of note is that the program to control illegal aliens in the United States is different. They are not systematically apprehended and deported, nor are fines imposed. The control program for illegal aliens consists of providing free education, free health care, food stamps, driver's licenses, social security pensions, and reduced or free college tuition. They also may soon be given voting rights in some jurisdictions.

Obviously, the Japanese achieve results that are significantly different from those achieved by the United States.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2004 01:51:00 PM

Victoria's Secret Admirer

A suspected panty thief, Remigio Abello III, 46, of Twinsburg, was arrested by Mayfield Heights Police after being seen stealing a laundry basket of women's underwear from an apartment building. He was charged with second-degree burglary and is in Mayfield Heights City Jail with bail set at $50,000.

For years a women's underwear thief has been burglarizing Mayfield Heights apartments and Abello is a strong suspect. According to Mayfield Heights Detective Sgt. Christopher Sonnhalter, a search of Abello's house found a cache of bras and panties, along with photographs that had been stolen during several recent burglaries.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2004 12:43:00 PM

PCRM Again

I've directed criticism toward the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in the past due to the fact that the group is disingenuous about their goals. PCRM portrays itself as a nutritional advocacy group. They are not.

There is nothing produced by the PCRM that is not directly related to the liberation of animals. PCRM is extreme by any rational standard and its findings are predetermined to support its goals of freeing all animals and mandating strict vegetarian diets for all people.

For the past year, PCRM has been going after the Atkins diet with the latest ploy announced yesterday. They are funding a lawsuit against Atkins Inc. by Jody Gorran of Delray Beach, Florida, who claims Atkins gave him high cholesterol and harmed his health. It's sure that the only purpose for the lawsuit is publicity, which the elite media gladly provides, to promote radical vegetarianism and animal rights.

Remember two things. One is that PCRM is devoted to freeing all animals (including pets) and eliminating all meat, fish, milk, cheese, and eggs from the human diet. Two is that PCRM doesn't give a hoot about the cholesterol level in any person's bloodstream.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2004 03:50:00 AM

The Blogger Addiction

(via Instapundit) Katie Hafner of the New York Times filed this report which profiles some generalities of blogging, with specific anecdotes about several bloggers. Her primary focus is the contention that blogging is an addiction or obsession that can have a dramatic, and sometimes harmful, influence on behavior.

I generally agree with Hafner with one comment. The people who are presumed to be addicted or obsessed with blogging probably exhibited those character traits prior to the advent of blogging. I wouldn't blame weblogs and the Internet for their behavior.

For bloggers, the article is worth a visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2004 12:51:00 AM

Discipline in Preschool

With three weeks left in the school year, 5-year-old Maia Honeywell was expelled from the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception School for lifting her shirt in front of another student. School officials also indicated that the girl would not be permitted to attend kindergarten next year.

"I really think she went overboard with this. Not even letting the kid finish out the last month of school is stupid. Do we think as a matter of law there is a violation? No. From what I've been able to gather I don't think this is illegal. Do I think it's wrong? Absolutely. Do I think it's unfair? Absolutely. And do I think it's ridiculous? Absolutely," said Julie Line Bailey Honeywell's Attorney.

While I'm not currently saturated with caffeine, I also think the school may have been somewhat harsh in their decision and would have let the girl finish the school year as a minimum. Of course, I only know what's published and the school has been tight-lipped about the whole situation. There's reason to suspect that the school officials have a strong case.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2004 11:55:00 PM

Wal-Mart Going to Chicago

By a vote of 32 to 15, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance to allow Wal-Mart to build one store and conduct business on vacant, blighted land on the West Side. The debate was emotional.

The anti-Wal-Mart forces included about a hundred noisy demonstrators. One outburst got an activist kicked out of the council meeting, where aldermen gave fiery speeches about Wal-Mart's reputation for mistreating workers, bullying suppliers, and destroying communities.

I'm not sure how Wal-Mart could destroy vacant, blighted land, but the protesters are sure it will happen. For some reason, they are very critical of their aldermen when they succeed in bringing new businesses to Chicago.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2004 09:42:00 PM

Misunderestimated

Mark of Weapons of Mass Discussion posted the following review of a new book by White House Correspondent Bill Sammon. It's titled Misunderestimated and, based on Mark's comments, I'm picking it up.

Misunderestimated is the newest book by White House Correspondent Bill Sammon. It details the Bush Presidency after 9/11, and through March 20,2004. Mr. Sammon has unprecedented access and takes us inside some of the amazing historical events during President Bush's watch, including the secret Air Force One trip to Baghdad on Thanksgiving, and the moves to go to war with Iraq. It is an outstanding read and provides a very fair look at the Bush Administration, with key interviews and quotes from the major players.

What is really interesting, is the indictment of the Press by Sammon, one of their own, for lying and refusing to admit their lies about both the Afghan War and the Iraq War. Mr. Sammon gives specific examples of the media wanting to "sex up" stories and then blaming the Bush Admin. when the media lies were revealed to be untrue. Case in point-Jessica Lynch. It was a pair of uberfeminist reporters who created the super GI Jane image of Lynch, not the Pentagon. Why? Because they wanted to support women in combat, so they erroneously reported that Lynch was firing machine guns and gritting teeth while being wounded. When Lynch's own story did not go with this falsehood, did the reporters admit their mistake? Nope, they claimed the Bush Admin was using Lynch as a hero for goodwill for the war! Huh? The Bush Admin poo-pooed all the uber-Lynch stories. Yet, the press refuses to take the blame. This book is an outstanding read, not only for taking you inside the White House during key events, but also the true story about how the Press has lied about this war for its own agenda from one of their own.

Good review. Thanks to Mark.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2004 08:19:00 PM

Giant African Land Snails

Ohioans are being asked to be on the lookout for Giant African Land Snails after they were found in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Toledo. They ravage all kinds of plant life and carry diseases that can infect people, most notably, meningitis. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a public alert. Anyone seeing a Giant African Snail should contact the Ohio Department of Public Health at (614) 469-2110, or to call the USDA toll-free at 1-888-703-4457.

The snails are brown, striped, and a little larger than an adult fist. Follow the link for a picture (free reg.).
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2004 05:08:00 AM

University Pornfest Canceled

(Bellingham, Washington) The public criticism was just too great. After 12 years, the seminars, films, forums, workshops, condom hunts, and self-gratification information booths of the annual Western Washington University Pornfest will now be things of the past. According to Hanako Lombardi, the Director of the Sexual Awareness Center at the university, the cancellation of the pornfest will cause the students to be deprived of the opportunity to learn more about sexuality.

Miss Lombardi, however, is being somewhat disingenuous since coincident with the cancellation of the pornfest was the Women Studies Program Student Colloquium which offered students ample opportunity to learn more about sexuality. Started in 1992, the colloquium gives students the chance to present papers on the results of their Women Studies research projects. These included presentations on radical feminist views on sex and the virtues of communism.

Western junior Sara Buettner-Connelly gave a speech addressing the purity of sex without emotional attachments, the one-night stand. She also advocated free love and having an open mind to homosexuality, masturbation and bestiality. Regarding bestiality, Buettner-Connelly said,

"Looking at bestiality, if the dog's consensual, why not?"

It sure seems the attendees were not deprived of learning more about sexuality as stated by Miss Lombardi. In fact, I'll frankly admit that I learned something. I was totally unaware that there are women in society who promote having sex without emotional attachments while, at the same time, being open-minded to consensual sex with dogs. If nothing else, this has got to be good news for the stray animal population.

Notably, Miss Buettner-Connelly also stated that many people don't understand what feminism represents.

"I think people need to know what feminism is really about. A general definition of feminism is that men and women have inherently the same worth," Buettner-Connelly said.

Sounds good, but I don't understand what "homosexuality, masturbation and bestiality" have to do with men and women having "inherently the same worth."

Another presentation of note was given by Western sophomore Joshua Evans on the goodness of communism. He showed video of happy children in Cuba, where he visited last summer. Consistent with promoting socialism and communism, he criticized capitalism and the United States. Lenin, Stalin, and Marx would be proud. Castro and Kim Jong-il are proud.

In summary, the annual pornfest has been canceled, but the amount of learning opportunities at Western Washington University continues to flourish. It seems there are enough deviants populating the campus to keep any student's notebook chock full of new stuff.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 09:48:00 PM

Student Sells Religious T-Shirts at School

(Berea, Ohio) It's probably safe to assume that we'll be hearing more about this story. Berea High School student Don Gaston is passionate about Christianity and shows it by selling religious T-shirts to fellow students at school. Thus far, school officials are not concerned.

"It's a non-issue because this is not a school sponsored activity, group or event," said Tammy Price, the school's Activity Director.

However, the issue prompted one Jewish student, Jack Reitman, to comment.

"I don't think pulling the Bible into it the issue of purity is a sound idea, especially in a public high school," he said.

Readers are encouraged to try and decipher what the hell that means.

Both Gaston and school officials have stated that they don't want the situation to become a political issue, however, I live fifty miles away from Berea and I can already hear the ACLU lawyers licking their moustaches.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 09:14:00 PM

God in Schools

(Columbus, Ohio) A bill to require schools to display "In God We Trust" and "With God All Things Are Possible" in classrooms, auditoriums, and cafeterias has been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives. Sponsored by State Rep. Keith Faber, R-Celina, the bill is expected to have a full floor vote next week.

I'm sure some leftists will complain. Hopefully, no one will listen to them.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 05:47:00 PM

Dead Dog

According to this report, a dog was found stabbed and drowned in a storm drain.

Real substantive news reporting, eh? What's next? The road kill report?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 05:03:00 PM

Spanky the Clown

(Jacksonville, Florida) Last October, the Jacksonville-based First Coast News staff was elated that one of its own employees, Thomas Riccio, had been selected by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey to join the circus as "Spanky the Clown." According to this report,

The staff at First Coast News wish Thomas the best and are happy he's worked so hard to achieve his dream. Just think how many thousands of children will smile because Thomas has the gift of making people happy.

The news team members were looking forward to seeing him when the circus tour went through Jacksonville. Unfortunately, it appears that Spanky has ceased traveling with the circus. While in North Carolina,

Thomas Riccio, 23, of Jacksonville, Fla., was arrested Friday by Fayetteville police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to face 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the federal agency said Tuesday.

Riccio apparently was implicated in an international child pornography investigation and police found that he possessed thousands of images on his computer, many involving young children participating in sexual acts.

Consequently, Riccio has stopped putting smiles on children's faces, but I suspect there'll be some smiles on parents' faces now that Spanky's in the slammy.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 06:57:00 AM

German Security Report

On Monday, German Interior Minister Otto Schily released the annual security analysis by the German domestic intelligence agency. It states that Germany is likely to become a target for terrorism as opposed to just being a staging spot for attacks in other countries.

The greatest danger is posed by radical Muslims, the report says. "Islamists identify Germany with the so-called crusaders, the helpers of the United States and Israel, and with its support of Afghanistan," the report says. In Afghanistan, German troops are part of the International Security Assistance Force trying to stabilize the country after the fall of the Taliban.

But the report says such extremists make up only about 1 percent of the 3 million Muslims living in Germany. It counted 24 Islamic groups in Germany with a total membership of 30,950, compared with 30,600 in 2002.

The perceived elevated threat level has many government officials concerned that security is too lax even as federal talks are underway in writing Germany's first immigration law. It seems that actions are being considered which are similar to those taken by the US after September 11th, only without the immediacy.

Since the radical Muslims have shown a hatred for everybody, it's foolish for any country not to prepare for the worst. Avoiding is much preferable to experiencing a major terrorist attack.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2004 05:03:00 AM

Doctors' Ties Collect Bacteria

During a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Dr. Steven Nurkin reported research findings which indicate that doctors' ties collect and potentially transmit infectious bacteria at a far greater rate than ties worn by other hospital workers. Almost half the ties worn by clinicians were found to harbor disease-causing bacteria, eight times the level found on ties worn by security personnel at the same hospital. The research results make a lot of sense since a doctor's tie is front and center during all patient examinations while customarily being an afterthought when it comes to doing laundry.

Because of the findings, some doctors believe that ties should not be required. I disagree. With cultural norms trending more and more toward informal and casual attire, doctors (and others with societal distinction) should maintain a minimum level of professional decorum. Wearing a tie is not too much to ask. Hopefully, frequently washing the tie is also not too much to ask.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2004 11:58:00 PM

The Nuclear Family

(Fayetteville, Arkansas) Mr. and Mrs. Jim Bob Duggar are celebrating the birth of their 15th child this past Sunday. Joining Joshua, 16; Jana and John-David, 14; Jill, 13; Jessa, 11; Jinger, 10; Joseph, 9; Josiah, 7; Joy-Anna, 6; Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 5; Jason, 4; James, 2; and Justin, 1, will be bouncing baby Jackson.

Let's see, that's 8 position players, 4 starting pitchers, and 3 relievers. So far. Jim Bob is only 39 and his wife, Michelle, is 38. They might have plans for more little ones.

Congratulations!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2004 07:45:00 PM

San Francisco Anti-Panhandling

The voters of San Francisco passed an anti-panhandling law last November and it became effective today. Mayor Gavin Newsom has indicated that the city has every intention of pretending to enforce the law.

Interestingly, the new law doesn't do much more than reiterate the provisions of existing law which wasn't being enforced. The city's commitment to "gently" enforce the new anti-panhandling law indicates that the residents can probably expect no changes on the streets.

Is it me or does anyone else get the feeling that laws don't mean much in San Francisco?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2004 05:16:00 PM

Priest Caught in Sex Sting

(Warren, Michigan) Rev. Shamaun Beas, 35, a Roman Catholic priest at St. Patrick's Church in Portland was caught in a sex sting by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's effort to crack down on Internet sexual predators. Beas traveled across the state to engage in sexual activity with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Beas faces eight felony counts, including child sexually abusive activity, using a computer to commit a crime and using a computer to distribute obscene material.

Chalk up some more evidence to indicate that the church is doing an ineffective job of policing themselves. Society needs to quit listening to the church's promises of reform and to start vigorously prosecuting these sexual predators.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2004 12:48:00 AM

Video Banned Over Nipple

(Dublin, Ireland) A video produced to encourage people to vote in next month's European elections has been banned in Ireland because it shows a bare breast. The video, made by the European Parliament's Audio-Visual Department, was intended to depict the elections as making choices by showing a baby deciding which breast to suckle. Although breast feeding is not offensive to most Europeans, it's considered inappropriate for the mostly Catholic Irish population.

In Britain, film advert regulators found the suckling shot racy, likening the image to "the sort of breast shot you would associate with a men's magazine".

A member of the four-man, four-woman Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) panel, which took the decision, said they found that they ended up looking at the breast and not the baby.

"It was literally the breast full screen size with an erect nipple side on and the infant gazing across at them," said Greg Lyons, a copy consultant at the CAA.

"The panel found themselves looking at something that was very difficult for them," he said. "The infant was contemplating the breasts in rather an adult way."

Now, how does an infant contemplate "in an adult way?" It seems like Mr. Lyons might be reading too much into a picture. Nonetheless, to me, the salient point to be made about this whole episode is the rather Freudian symbolism of having a political choice likened to choosing which breast to suck. How true it is!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2004 10:23:00 PM

Outsourcing

This report indicates that the United States is not the only country with notable outsourcing of jobs in North America. Mexico has been a major provider of hot, beautiful strippers to Canada.

More than 100 Mexican dancers have obtained Canadian work visas in the past five years, making Mexico the No.2 exporter of dancers to Canada after Romania . . ."

Oddly, I've heard no complaints from Canadian women about loss of job opportunities because of the influx of Romanian and Mexican strippers. It's also worth noting that Mexican politicians do not consider outsourcing of skilled workers to be a problem. There's a rumor that a long-term unofficial program for economic growth consists entirely of pawning their population off on other countries.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2004 06:57:00 PM

Vermont Listed as Most Endangered Place

According to this report, the entire state of Vermont has been placed on the 2004 Most Endangered Places List because a nonprofit preservation group doesn't want Wal-Mart doing business in the state. Mr. Richard Moe, president of the preservation group, said that Wal-Mart stores would cause Vermont's "special magic" to vanish.

It's assumed that prior to making the decision to list an entire state as historic, Mr. Moe consulted privately with Mr. Larry and Mr. Curly.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2004 06:25:00 AM

Blogger Fired by Senator DeWine

From a report in the Dayton Daily News, Senator Mike DeWine fired one of his employees for her weblog which "included alleged sexual exploits with a married political appointee and other men." In the lady's website, Washingtonienne, she's been blogging about sex in high places, specifically, Capitol Hill. Wonkette appears to be closest to the story and has identified the mysterious blogger as Jessica Cutler. When interviewed, Washingtonienne stated,

I'm not naming names. I'm not ashamed of anything I wrote in the blog. And people are sad if they're interested in such a low level sex scandal. I wrote that blog not to ruin people's lives. It was just for the amusement of me and my friends. And none of this has been exacerbated by me... I've been chillin'.... I was thinking, I'll get another job in Washington, but it's going to be fun, not something stupid like working on the Hill. Now I'm realizing I may have to go back to New York. In New York, they love this kind of thing. They'll ask what happened at my last job, and I'll say I was fired for a sex scandal!

According to the DDN, Sen, DeWine's office stated,

"On May 18, 2004, our office became aware of allegations that an employee had been using Senate resources and work-time to post unsuitable and offensive material to an Internet Web log. After investigating these allegations, our office has determined that there was an unacceptable use of Senate computers to post unsuitable and offensive material to an Internet Web log. Other inappropriate material was found in the employee's work area as well. The employee has been terminated."

DeWine's office declined to name the employee or elaborate on the case. On the other hand, Wonkette.com, aka Ana Marie Cox, is unreserved in its reporting. Interestingly, the DDN refers to Wonkette as "a sassy, often raunchy web log popular among Washington insiders" which is consistent with the remarks of others in the major media.

Anyone interested in the dirt in D.C. from an insider's perspective should follow the links.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2004 10:02:00 PM

Naked Roller Coaster Record

(Surrey, England) In cold, pouring rain, 82 students took off their clothes for a nippy, naked ride on The Nemesis Inferno roller coaster at the Thorpe Park theme park, establishing a world record. Pix and video at the link.

I guess congratulations are in order. Yeah!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2004 09:45:00 PM

Super Sized Baby

(Monterrey, Mexico) Because of a carbohydrate intolerance (?), a mother gave birth to a 13 pound, 6 ounce baby. Very large, but not the biggest. The record holder was a 24 pounder born in Ohio in 1879.

Being a guy, I don't have any first person knowledge, but I imagine that giving birth to a 13+ pound baby has got to be painful.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2004 08:38:00 AM

Homosexual Marriage - Technical Question

I'm intrigued by the question of how homosexuals consummate their marriages. Consummation would have to be defined differently than it is for heterosexual marriages which is a specific, recognized act of male-female coupling. The homosexual act of consummation would be something entirely different. But what would it be? Frankly, I'm not sure I really want to know.

Also, a female-female act of consummation would necessarily have to be different from a male-male act of consummation. They don't have the same equipment. Complicating things even more, I'm not sure there would be general agreement within the homosexual community on which specific acts of intimacy to use. Codification of homosexual consummation would also be troublesome.

The whole issue has me flummoxed.

Hat tip: All-Encompassingly
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2004 06:07:00 AM

SAT Scores Used in Hiring

(via Joanne Jacobs) Attention! High schoolers listen up. Those Scholastic Aptitude Test scores you're submitting as a prerequisite for college are now being used by some firms as a basis for hiring college graduates. So, the same SAT scores that get you into a college will also possibly count toward being hired after college.

In a tough job market, businesses have the luxury of being more choosy about whom they hire. Firms have always had the ability to request SAT scores, but some may be likelier actually to do so as a way to sift quickly through an ever-growing number of applicants.

The practice is not necessarily new. When asked how long Goldman Sachs has requested high school test scores, Aaron Marcus, head of campus recruiting, quips, "How long have they been around?" Mr. Marcus says they interview about 4,000 to 5,000 undergrads per semester, which doesn't leave a lot of time to ask detailed questions about how many calculus courses each one took.

Since Goldman Sachs takes students from any academic background, Marcus says math scores of 700 (out of 800) or higher indicate "whether they're comfortable with numbers." Applicants initially self-report test scores and submit a r�sum� that highlights leadership and work experience. An official college transcript is not reviewed until the company decides to make an offer.

I anticipate that some liberal group will protest the practice, stating that it puts too much pressure on the students. Personally, having been in the position of reviewing stacks of resumes, I would liked to have known the SAT scores of prospective employees. In that capacity, a person wants to know as much as possible about job seekers. However, under no circumstances could I see the SAT scores being used as any more than an additional data point, among many, about an individual when assessing his/her capability to do a job.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2004 03:24:00 AM

Walking in High Heels

Recently, I was watching a cable channel that programs fashion shows almost continuously and noticed that the long-legged models prancing in high heels seem to walk peculiarly. They stride as if they are walking on a line, one foot directly in front of the other, similar to a field sobriety test. Thinking this was an odd and a seemingly unstable way to walk, I asked my wife if high heels cause a person to walk that way. She said it was just models that do it.

My question is simple. Why? It looks to me like they're liable to fall at any moment.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2004 05:20:00 PM

International Football Challenge

There are some people on the other side of the world who are tossing insults at American football, the game and the players. One insult tosser states,

"[T]hey are such wusses they need to have two teams, one for offense and one for defence."

Another praises that statement as "such eloquence."

Such eloquence, hah! It's a challenge. It's Saddam Hussein warning of the Mother of All Battles. It's Gaddafi drawing the Line of Death across the Gulf of Sidra. It's a big, fat chip on the shoulder.

And, it needs a response. Therefore, I propose that the champion teams from both sports match up for a two game series, one with Australian rules, one with American rules. Final total scores from both games would be used to determine the winner. I'm fairly convinced that the contests would show the strength, intelligence, artistry and finesse of the American game and players are superior.

After it's been decided, the tossers will have to swallow their insults.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2004 03:45:00 PM

Revolving Door Death

(Tokyo, Japan) Within the past year, problems with automatic revolving doors have resulted in 32 accidents causing 10 injured people to be taken to the hospital and the death of a six-year-old boy. These incidents have prompted property owners to review current installations to make them more safe. One real estate developer, Mitsubishi Estate, has announced it decided not to use automatic revolving doors in new office buildings and is considering removing them from existing buildings.

Doors that eat people? What's in your nightmare?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2004 07:02:00 AM

Homosexual Quota for Democratic National Convention

Preparations are well under way for this summer's Democratic Party National Convention in Boston and it appears that the Democrats are aggressively courting the homosexual population. According to this report,

Democratic parties in 15 states and Puerto Rico are requiring that a specific number of their delegates be homosexual, bisexual or transgender.

Quota numbers and specific states are not identified, but one has to wonder why 35 states are excluded in this affirmative action requirement for assignment of delegates. Certain populations of homosexuals will be geographically discriminated against by not being included in the quota scheme. Within the Democratic Party, it appears that homosexuals in some states are more equal than homosexuals in other states.

Only a few sources have reported this story and, to my knowledge, none were the major media. Having observed the philosophical decay of the Democratic Party over the years, I have no reason to doubt the veracity of the story, however, it would be nice to see more information.

In my estimation, the Democrats at the grass roots level have to feel somewhat minimized in their importance when the national party dictates who they can have to represent them.

Hat tip: Between the Coasts
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2004 04:12:00 AM

Be Nice and Get Free Plane Tickets

(Atlanta, GA) Probably everyone has now heard of the novel promotional scheme introduced by Delta Air Lines to give away tickets to "nice passengers" on their cattle-car subsidiary SONG. How nice! Aren't they just a wonderful company?

Of course, Delta is not revealing its researchers' assumed development of a secret Nice-O-Meter to be used in determining who should get the free tickets. Without an impartial Nice-O-Meter, the selection of recipients for the free tickets would be made by regular human beings who tend to decide based on self-interest. Oh, let's say, fifty dollars! Someone gets a free ticket and a less-than-saintly flight attendant gets a job benefit.

All joking aside, if one analyzes the whole scheme, it makes some sense. With 5,000 round trip tickets to be given away at an assumed average cost to the airline of $400, the total expenditure for the program will be about two million dollars, or approximately the cost of one commercial ad during the Super Bowl. In return, the airline will get widespread publicity throughout all media for weeks and an infectious word-of-mouth buzz for months. Already, just due to the novelty of the initiative, news websites from around the world (see BBC and AsiaOne) have reported the story. The value of announcing the names Delta and SONG along with the words nice and free tickets throughout the US and the world is incalculable. From an advertising perspective alone, any reasonable cost-benefit analysis would conclude that the free ticket program is brilliant.

Nonetheless, some skepticism has arisen about whether the program will result in more ticket sales or not and about whether the dollars couldn't be spent more productively elsewhere. Industry expert Terry Trippler commented "it would make more sense to reward employees who are nice as an incentive for better customer service." I can't argue with that logic.

My take is that the program will probably be successful as an advertising gimmick. As for the nicety aspect, it's hooey. I refuse to believe that airline management cares much about whether their customers are nice or not. Delta's focus is to get as many paying customers as possible to snugly place their back pockets intimately adjacent to the airline's upholstery. That would be their definition of "nice."
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2004 12:16:00 AM

Putin Promises to Ratify Kyoto

Disregarding the advice of his own experts, Russian President Vladimir Putin has now promised to ratify the Kyoto Treaty in return for EU support for Russia to join the WTO. The Greenies are rejoicing.

Disturbingly, everything I've read appears to indicate that Putin still thinks like a communist.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/21/2004 05:43:00 PM

New York Illegals May Lose Licenses

In an effort to identify deadbeat dads, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles is conducting a review of records to assure that all holders of driver's licenses have a valid Social Security number on file. According to DOMV spokesman Joe Picchi, the process has already resulted in finding many false Social Security numbers being used to evade child support, to commit insurance fraud, and to obtain multiple driver's licenses. Coincidentally, an estimated 200,000 illegal aliens are expected to receive notices that their driving privileges are suspended because they don't have valid Social Security numbers, which, before 1995, were not required for licensing.

Of course, advocates for illegal aliens are disturbed and believe that the laws should be selectively applied to benefit non-citizens. Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta, for one, stated,

"This is a serious problem. . ."

"They will take thousands and thousands of immigrants off the street if they don't show a valid Social Security number."

To counter the DOMV actions, Assemblyman Peralta has introduced legislation to prevent the department from asking for SSNs. There's probably little chance he'll be successful since the Homeland Security Department is behind the program to verify SSNs.

I do tend to agree that there is a serious problem, but not the one the Assemblyman sees. The problem is what to do with all the illegal aliens once they are identified and apprehended.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/21/2004 04:41:00 AM

Vulnerable Tom Daschle

According to a report by Jim Lauck in the National Review Online, Tom Daschle is facing a strong challenge in his campaign to be reelected to Congress. Polling indicates Daschle is essentially even with former Congressman Jim Thune and some believe he's losing momentum. So, the very real possibility exists that Daschle may be defeated in November.

The loss of the election by Daschle would be best for South Dakota. Any reasonable analysis of Daschle's value system would indicate that it is the polar opposite of the amalgam of citizens of South Dakota, who deserve better representation.

Hat tip: Ipse Dixit
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 11:43:00 PM

Pigeon Bombers

(London, England) Recently released documents from the National Archives in the UK indicates there was a secret post-WWII effort by the War Office Intelligence Section, MI14, to use pigeons to fly into enemy targets carrying explosives or biological weapons. According to Wing Commander WDL Rayner,

"A thousand pigeons each with a two ounce explosive capsule, landed at intervals on a specific target, might be a seriously inconvenient surprise."

Really!

Unfortunately (or fortunately), lack of funding grounded the project during the discussion stage. Personally, I think the idea is absolutely reckless.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 10:14:00 PM

Vanity Plates on Getaway Car

(Kettering, OH) The robbery yesterday of the Provident Bank at the Woodland Plaza was uncommon. The robber raced off in a getaway car displaying easy-to-remember vanity license plates. Obviously, the heist was not well planned.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 05:12:00 PM

Two DUI Arrests in One Night

(Woodbridge, VA) According to Detective Dennis Mangan, Prince William Police arrested 29-year-old Reginald Williston Cook for driving under the influence twice in one night. Cook was first arrested at 2:10am, processed and released to the custody of a third party at 3:51am, and then arrested again at 4:20am by the same officer who arrested him the first time. Subsequently, Cook was held without bond and his car was impounded for 30 days.

Mr. Cook has been given the Abject Stupidity Award for today. Also, it seems the police should have confiscated his car keys when he was first arrested. Imagine the liability of the police if Cook had caused a fatal accident after being released. Lastly, it apparently is meaningless to release an offender to "the custody of a third party."
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 04:36:00 PM

Student Throws Pie at Principal, Gets Expelled

(Lakeside, OH) A 15-year-old sophomore at Lakeside Danbury High School was expelled for throwing a pie in the face of Principal Karen Abbott. The incident was part of an American Cancer Society charity benefit in which students bought chances for 50 cents to win the privilege of throwing the pie. Apparently, the principal didn't share the feeling of charity and imposed the expulsion. The case has been referred to prosecutors.

Principal Karen Abbott is probably not known for her sense of humor.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 10:09:00 AM

21st Century Ambulance Chasers

Thanks to Nick Genes, I was pointed to a post at EMedConcepts which describes a recent innovation by the malpractice legal parasites community to increase business. It consists of a mobile office parked outside the hospital for trial lawyers to easily recruit potential plaintiffs for medical malpractice lawsuits. These lawyers have traditionally been called "ambulance chasers" and now they can actually do it while also providing a fully functional law office right at the scene of the accident. There are pictures at the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 08:11:00 AM

Oregon Primary Election

(Portland, Oregon) For those who missed the results of this week's Oregon primary election:

Presidential candidate John Kerry added Oregon to his string of primary victories Tuesday as he easily defeated the last-gasp challenge of his only remaining Democratic rival, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. The Massachusetts senator was winning more than 80 percent of the vote, compared with about 16 percent for Kucinich, who spent a month campaigning in Oregon on the platform that the United States should quickly remove its troops from Iraq.

The fact that the presumptive Democratic nominee for president lost 16% of the voters to Dennis Kucinich must be at least a little troubling to the Kerry campaign. That bloc of Democratic voters will probably be easy pickings for Ralph Nader running as an independent candidate endorsed by the Reform Party.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 06:29:00 AM

Sarin Found in Iraq

According to a report in the Sidney Morning Herald, a bomb containing the nerve agent sarin exploded near an American military convoy in Baghdad.

"The Iraqi Survey Group confirmed today that a 155-mm artillery round containing sarin nerve agent had been found," said Brigadier-General Mark Kimmitt, the chief military spokesman in Iraq. "The round had been rigged as an IED (improvised explosive device), which was discovered by a US force convoy.

"A detonation occurred before the IED could be rendered inoperable. This produced a very small dispersal of agent," he said. The incident occurred two days ago, he said.

Interestingly, although it's big news in Australia, the report of finding evidence of a weapon of mass destruction apparently hasn't been very newsworthy in Ohio. A quick search of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Toledo Blade resulted in finding no mention of the story.

Maybe they just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Hat tip: G'Day Mate!

[Update] An excellent and detailed analysis of the major media burying the sarin story is posted at The Fourth Rail. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2004 02:07:00 AM

Stolen EMT Certificates

This story is somewhat troubling. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has found that someone stole 124 blank Emergency Medical Technician Certificates that, when signed, would certify a person as a basic EMT, authorized to conduct lifesaving procedures. The theft follows other recent embarrassments to the department, specifically, allegations of cheating and irregularities in test scoring. Taken together, the problems place the validity of Colorado EMT Certifications in question. There's more at the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 11:41:00 PM

Slay the Whales

(Oslo, Norway) Norway is planning on slaughtering more whales than previously because they negatively impact the fish harvest from the sea.

"We want to increase quotas," Fisheries Minister Svein Ludvigsen told parliament, which unanimously passed a non-binding resolution urging Oslo to raise minke whale catches "considerably" as soon as possible.

[ ... ]

Parliament's resolution said that seals and whales eat at least 5.5 million tons of fish and krill a year, double the tonnage caught by fishermen. Killing one minke whale could enable a five ton hike in catches of cod or herring, it said.

Needless to mention, the animal rights and environmental advocacy groups are upset. However, they won't raise much of a stink since the country of Norway is jam-packed with their socialist buddies and they wouldn't want to alienate them.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 11:10:00 PM

Freeze-Dried Pets

Here's something new for me. Apparently, for an expenditure of a couple thousand dollars, anyone can have his/her dead pet as a fixture by having it freeze-dried. According to Richard Schwenn, owner of Anglers Taxidermy & Freeze-Dry in Milan, Ohio, pretty much any animal can be freeze-dried. He personally has freeze-dried weasels, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, and more.

Pet owners ship their deceased pets to a pet-freezing company, along with a photograph that gives an idea of how the pet looked on a good day.

Some of the organs are removed and the eyes are replaced with marble replicas. Then the dead animal is injected with silicone and placed in a pose of the owner's choosing.

Finally, the animal is put in a freeze-drying vacuum chamber. After two to 15 months -- again, depending on the animal's size -- all moisture is removed from the body.

The owner can then take Fido's lifeless carcass home and place it next to the fireplace as a permanent reminder.

One has to wonder to what extent this process is being done on human carcasses and do any people currently have a lifeless relative propped up in a corner of the living room?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 05:54:00 PM

Fatal ATV Accident

(Grove City, PA) Supporting my contention that ATVs are essentially suicide machines, Randall Hanford, 49, hit a ditch while riding an ATV and died at 2:45 a.m. at Allegheny General Hospital of blunt force trauma to the head.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 11:34:00 AM

Hillary Clinton on Health Care

The overwhelming majority of what I've read about or heard about Hillary Clinton from the elite media is that she is the smartest woman in the world. However, my tracking of her words and deeds indicates that she's not even close. Whether it's the spontaneous materialization of Rose Law firm documents, the firing of the White House Travel Office staff, suspicious commodity trading windfalls, the mysterious hiring of Craig Livingstone, or other missteps, Hillary Clinton has repeatedly exhibited less than stellar judgment.

While supporting my contention that Mrs. Clinton's prowess is less than advertised, Thomas Boyle at CodeBlueBlog has analyzed her Health Care Reform Plan, concluding that her logic and ideas are flawed. His evaluation is engaging and convincing. Go visit here.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 11:01:00 AM

Racial Harassment at Avon High School

(Avon, OH) The NAACP is investigating complaints of racial harassment at predominantly-white Avon High School.

Juanita Rouse said her son, Adrian, 18, who is biracial, has been the subject of racially tinged comments since moving to the high school last year.

Some students suggested that Adrian be designated as the senior "Most Likely To Go To Jail," Rouse said.

Principal Chad Coffman believes the problems have been corrected and Superintendent Jim Reitenbach said they were isolated occurrences. To help avoid similar incidents, the senior class designations for "Most Likely To Go To Jail" as well as "Most Likely To Have Babies" have been eliminated. And, of course, there will be more diversity and tolerance training.

Since the harassment doesn't seem to have progressed to anything more serious than name-calling, I suspect it's isolated. After all, kids will be kids. Nonetheless, it's prudent to emphasize to the student body that harassment will not be tolerated.

Another suspicion I have is that, if at all possible, the NAACP will make this situation out to be a much greater problem than it is.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2004 09:48:00 AM

Class Shown Berg Beheading

(Perkins Township, OH) Officials at Perkins High School are investigating an incident where students in a current events class were shown the video of Nicholas Berg being decapitated. Superintendent Sherry Buccieri stated that the decision by social studies teacher Tim Obergefell to show the video will be reviewed in light of district policies concerning controversial issues. Curiously, no students nor parents have complained.

Am I the only person that thinks the Superintendent is digging for a basis to discipline Mr. Obergefell?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 11:56:00 PM

Cynthia McKinney Lawsuit Rejected

(Atlanta, GA) Still chafed from their candidate's loss in the 2002 Democratic primary, supporters of former Representative Cynthia McKinney have suffered another defeat. Their lawsuit, which claimed the reason McKinney lost was due to "malicious crossover" voting and discrimination, was rejected by 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Personally, I think that Cynthia McKinney is a poor choice to represent any person's interests. She's too angry a person to help her friends or influence her adversaries. In other words, all she does is make noise without any positive result.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 10:42:00 PM

Tony Randall, 1920-2004

Tony Randall, a fine entertainer with a long and productive career, died last night at the age of 84, leaving a 7-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son without a father.

Rest in peace.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 10:28:00 PM

Transsexuals To Compete In Olympics

(Lausanne, Switzerland) The International Olympic Committee has ruled that athletes who have undergone sex-change surgery will be eligible to participate in the games.

This decision will undoubtedly be controversial. In fact, one of the pioneers in the realm of sex changes, Renee Richards, has stated:

"Basically, I think they're making a wrong judgment here, although I would have loved to have that judgment made in my case in 1976," she said.

[ ... ]

"In some sports, the physical superiority of men over women is very significant."

I tend to agree with Richards. I also want to retract my previous statements concerning the appearance of Eastern European female shot putters. My contention was that they couldn't get any uglier. With the IOC decision, they apparently can.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 04:05:00 PM

Tipped Employee Wages

(Washington, D.C.) I thought this story was interesting and it supports a belief I have that people who pursue careers as waiters and waitresses should never be denigrated as unskilled, low wage earners. According to a nationwide survey, the National Restaurant Association announced recently that, with tips, the average hourly wage for entry level waiters and waitresses is over $17.00 per hour. Experienced workers can expect to earn an average wage over $22.00 per hour. On a regional basis, experienced wait staff on the West Coast earn an average of more than $26.00 per hour. According to Lee Culpepper, the National Restaurant Association's senior vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy

"These figures confirm what restaurant owners and employees already know � that wait staff positions are not just flexible, but well-paying as well. This underscores the fact that the restaurant industry is truly one of opportunity for everyone."

Other factors to consider are that workers in restaurants are customarily given their meals and, due to generally unexplained arithmetic malfunctions, workers usually benefit from not being taxed on all tips received.

Nationally, 1,000 restaurants, 763 of which were full service, were sampled in the March 2004 survey.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 06:26:00 AM

Twin Teen Girls Die In Crash

(Coventry Township, OH) Details are sketchy in the report of the deaths of twin 15-year-old girls, Bridgette and Brittney Abernathy. They were passengers in a speeding car, driven by 19-year-old Grant Rudd, that crashed head-on into a Cadillac Saturday night. Although a bottle of beer was found in the car, no charges have been filed. Occupants of the Cadillac suffered only bruises.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2004 06:02:00 AM

Champion of the Poor Sentenced

(Cleveland, OH) David Roth, founder of Cleveland Works, an organization which helped find jobs for the poor and the newly out of prison, faced a possible 160 years in prison on charges he used and sold cocaine and heroin. Under a very attractive plea deal, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Bridget McCafferty sentenced Roth to seven years in prison for organized crime and drug convictions. The defense was upset.

"David's credible contribution that rivals Mother Theresa, the last 30 years of helping the helpless and downtrodden in the community should have been considered for more," said Defense Attorney Nicki Schwartz.

Despite any perceived good done by David Roth, he committed major crimes. Comparing him to Mother Theresa is ludicrous. It's also questionable whether Roth, an admitted lifelong drug user and dealer, was helping more than harming the newly out of prison. The last thing ex-convicts need is an environment of substance abuse and drug trafficking in which to try and rebuild their lives.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 11:47:00 PM

Apple Martin

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin became the parents of a 9-pound, 11-ounce girl they named Apple Blythe Alison Martin.

The rumor is that they considered everything in the fruit basket before deciding on Apple. And, when will the apple turnover jokes start?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 11:44:00 PM

Nick Berg Video

Go here.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 06:33:00 PM

International Assistance Plea

In my email today:

I am , MUSA ABDUL the son of late CHIEF ABDUL USMAN My father was a very wealthy cocoa and gold merchant based in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast.He was wounded by the rebel on his way to a business trip to bouake and he was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Before the death of my father in Hospital here in Abidjan.,he called me on his bed side and told me that he has a sum of US$ 19,300,000 (NINTEEN MILLION THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) deposited in one bank here in Abidjan, that he used my name as the next of kin in depositing the money. My father told me that he deposited the money purposely for investment and he have never declared it to any body and he also explained to me that I should look for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose.

He then asks for help. Jeez! What should I do?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 05:54:00 PM

Always Lower Prices at Wal-Mart

Via this week's Carnival of the Capitalists I found an interesting site devoted exclusively to the best and worst news about Wal-Mart. Always Low Prices is worth a visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 03:45:00 PM

Kerry Rhetoric

(Topeka, Kansas) Presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president John Kerry spoke on the anniversary of the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Citing the fact that Hispanic and African-American students don't do as well in school as white students, Kerry followed with:

The answer, he said, was "letting America be America -- by reaffirming the value of inclusion, equality, and diversity in our schools and across the life of our nation."

Apparently to clear up the fogginess of Kerry's statement, DNC Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford said,

"John Kerry is more than political rhetoric."

Frankly, if I were assigned to reaffirm the value of inclusion across the life of America, I'd be lost. I honestly don't have any idea what his statement is supposed to mean. All I know is, thanks to Lottie Shackelford, that it's more than political rhetoric.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2004 03:09:00 PM

Powell Criticizes Arab Leadership

On a segment of Meet The Press yesterday, Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized the Arab world for their silence on the beheading of Nicholas Berg.

"There ought to be outrage. There is anger in the Arab world about some of our actions, but that is no excuse for any silence on the part of any Arab leader for this kind of murder.

"I would have liked to have seen a much higher level of outrage throughout the world, and especially the Arab world, for this kind of action," he said, calling the videotaped killing "unacceptable in anyone's religion, in anybody's political system that is a political system based on any kind of understanding and respect of human rights."

I'm afraid, Secretary Powell, that the leaders of the religion of peace disagree with you. They think killing Americans is okay, doubly so when the American is Jewish.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2004 08:47:00 PM

Oregon to Tax Vehicle Mileage

Proving once again that a primary function of government is the obsessive pursuit of finding new ways to bleed the public by confiscatory taxation, the State of Oregon will implement a program to tax the odometers on vehicles. According to the plan, the taxing of mileage will work by having high tech devices installed in vehicles communicating with GPS satellites to calculate distances driven. With this scheme, they believe that they can tax highway usage and not have to tax fuel. The program was initiated because revenue from the fuel tax alone continues to decline due to hybrid and higher-mileage cars consuming less fuel.

The idea might have some merit, but I don't believe for a second that there will be any attempt to change the existing fuel tax structure, other than to increase it. So, in reality, the mileage tax program is just another way for black-hearted politicians to get their sticky hands into the wallets of citizens. In the future, along with a tax on fuel, a separate tax on miles driven will be imposed. Note that the state denies that both taxes will be collected at the same time for the same vehicle. Their contention should be accompanied with a warning that it is an expensive mistake to believe any tax collection agency that states there will be no double taxation. History indicates that politicians and tax collectors have a particular fondness for double, triple or greater multiple taxation. I suspect that the sinister tax creation department is already allocating money for research to devise ways to tax the air used for combustion in automobile engines.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2004 04:26:00 AM

Danish Royal Wedding

(Copenhagen, Denmark) In a lavish ceremony, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark married Australian Mary Donaldson yesterday in Copenhagen. Afterward, in a speech to the new Crown Princess, Frederik said:

"The joy and the strength you give me is like the sun in the daytime which, with its radiance, melts all doubts and darkness on earth," he said at the reception dinner at Fredensborg Castle, 35km north of Copenhagen.

"And like the moon at night, you shine with a watchful and delicate beam of gentleness, which extinguishes the mischief and deceit used by the symbols of darkness."

He closed his speech calling for a toast from the 400 guests to his bride with the words: "I love you Mary. Come, let us go, come let us see. Throughout a thousand worlds, weightless love awaits."

This would seem to indicate that romance and chivalry do endure, contrary to the opinions of some. I'm personally not so sure about the weightless love, though. My experience is that you can count on about 10 pounds per decade of marriage. You can see it in the middle on men, on the hindquarters on women.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2004 11:35:00 PM

Finger Found at Jaguar Exhibit

(Albuquerque, New Mexico) According to this report, a 50-ish man has regularly visited the Rio Grande Zoo for more than a year to sit and stare at the cats and Manchas, a jaguar, in particular. On Tuesday, a groundskeeper thought he saw him run from the zoo with bloodied pants. The next day, a worker found a human finger outside the jaguar exhibit. Coincidence? You make the call.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2004 07:20:00 PM

Death From "Necromaniac Mutilation"

(Honolulu, Hawaii) Donald Marks, 40, has been charged with murdering prostitute Yoko Sanders, who was found by autopsy to have been strangled. Despite multiple stab wounds and her head in a plastic bag next to the rest of her body, the defendant's lawyer, Myles Breiner, contends that she died by accident during sex.

You know, I've read a lot of books about sex, but I sure don't recall any practice involving stabbing and decapitation. I think the defense has a solidly preposterous weak argument.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2004 06:41:00 PM

Reward Offered for "TB Tammy"

(Cleveland, Ohio) Crime Stoppers, (216) 252-7463, is offering up to $2,000 for information leading to the apprehension of a woman who goes by the name Patricia Johnson, but is known to the police as "TB Tammy." It's being reported that she's going around Cleveland intentionally infecting people with tuberculosis.

I doubt that she is, but I don't doubt the immediate need to check her.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2004 06:11:00 PM

135 Pairs of Stolen Shoes

(Westlake, OH) Police have accused Ann Bachna, 58, of stealing 135 pairs of shoes, valued at $6,700, from Stein Mart over a period of four months.

Weird!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2004 10:10:00 AM

United States vs. Greenpeace

(Miami, Florida) As discussed in a post last October, the United States Justice Department obtained a grand jury indictment against Greenpeace on a charge of violating an 1872 law that forbids the unauthorized boarding of "any vessel about to arrive at the place of her destination." The case is due to start Monday and should turn into an entertaining contest. The reason is that:

The last court decision concerning the law, from 1890, said it was meant to prevent "sailor-mongers" from luring crews to boarding houses "by the help of intoxicants and the use of other means, often savoring of violence."

This 1890 interpretation of the law doesn't seem to apply to the circumstances of the current case in which Greenpeace boarded a vessel to protest what they thought was a load of illegally obtained mahogany from Brazil. Greenpeace is expected to vigorously try to paint the case as malicious prosecution by the Ashcroft Justice Department while emphasizing the mahogany issue.

My take is that any organization that encourages its members to break the law should be held accountable. We'll just have to wait and see if the jury agrees with me. Jury selection begins Monday in the U.S. District Court in Miami before Judge Adalberto Jordan.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2004 11:55:00 PM

Buddha Snot

(Nara, Japan) Buddhist priests have not been able to stop a candy from being sold as "Snot from the nose of the Great Buddha" with packaging that carries a picture of Buddha picking his nose.

It sure is easy to understand why some people would be offended.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2004 11:41:00 PM

Japan Prepares to Defend Against Chinese Invasion

From The Japan Times comes this story describing Japanese Defense Agency plans. Documents were found (leak? negligence? intentional?) that indicate 7,200 ground troops will be deployed to protect Japan's southernmost islands from invading Chinese forces in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan.

The three southern islands targeted for invasion under the assumption are Miyako Island, Ishigaki Island and Yonaguni Island, according to the documents.

The documents reckon Miyako and nearby islands are likely to be targeted because an Air Self-Defense Force radar base and two airports are located in the area.

The office assumes China might invade Yonaguni Island, the westernmost part of Japan and 100 km from Taiwan, as a stepping stone to attack Taiwan.

It also assumes that China would attack the islands by sea and air, with marine forces landing from assault ships as well as airborne units and special forces attacking ASDF bases and airports, the documents show.

Sources said the documents were compiled in November as part of a shift in focus by the Ground Self-Defense Force to place more emphasis on security tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait.

The change in strategy will send a signal to the Chinese. It's unkown how they will respond.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2004 05:48:00 PM

Tobacco Control Act

I've been told that, in Ohio, breaking the law which prohibits the sale of tobacco to minors can result in a $500 fine. To my knowledge, the severity of the penalty has produced little complaint. For the sake of comparison, imagine the outrage if Ohio tobacco law was similar to the Tobacco Control Act imposed upon the native citizens in Northern Canada. According to a report in the Nunatsiaq News, the penalty for selling tobacco to anyone under the age of 19 is $150,000. And, if someone breaks up a pack of smokes and sells them individually, the penalty is $300,000.

Frankly, I just can't imagine that many eskimo shop owners would have the ability to pay that fine in a lifetime, even if it is Canadian dollars.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2004 10:23:00 AM

8th Annual Webby Awards

Two days ago, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) announced the winners of the 8th Annual Webby Awards honoring excellence on the Internet. The IADAS, or Academy, consists of 480 members who select the nominees and winners for awards in 30 categories.

Looking over the 30 categories, a few things stood out immediately. One is that I lacked familiarity with a good portion of the nominees and winners. I thought this was odd since I've been a frequent on-line interested participant of the Internet from the very beginning. Could it be that maybe I'm less informed than I thought or am I missing something?

After further study, I realized that I'm missing something. To wit, two of the five nominees for excellence in news reporting were Al Jazeera and the BBC. The members of the Academy picked the BBC to win. The other three news organization nominees were National Geographic, the Smoking Gun, and Rocket News. Being somewhat of a news hound, I was struck by the fact that I probably wouldn't have considered any of those five in listing the top Internet news organizations. The BBC has to be read with a keen eye to the leftist bias, Al Jazeera spews the Islamic party line, National Geographic and the Smoking Gun are limited in scope, and Rocket News is from Canada where a large portion of the population thinks they're French and everything leans left.

To further support the fact that I don't understand the Webby Award process was their selection of HealthOntario.com as the award winner in the Government and Law category. I guess HealthOntario was selected because it is an initiative of the provincial government of Ontario. But that's it. One would be hard pressed to look at the website and find any mention of government OR law. You'll find information on avoiding mosquitoes, getting rid of mold, and treating migraines but no "government" and no "law." Now, I have not formed an opinion about HealthOntario.com other than to notice that it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the category in which it was given the award for excellence in 2004.

A strong clue about my apparent lack of understanding was provided when I reviewed the list of judges for the Webby Awards. This compilation of people and organizations includes strong representation from the entertainment industry, the elite media, academia, feminist organizations, environmental groups, and public radio. I'm sure that I could find some conservative representation somewhere in the mix of judges, but, on quick review, they're hidden by the preponderance of liberals. Since it appears that liberalism is a predominant characteristic among the judges, the choices of the Academy make some sense. I shouldn't wonder why the lists of nominees and winners are devoid of any of my particular favorites.

Based upon my review and quick analysis of the Webby Awards, it seems there is an easily identifiable liberal bias. To me, that makes getting the award somewhat less special.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2004 05:10:00 PM

Reform Party Backs Nader

Founded by Ross Perot, the Reform Party, gasping for breath, endorsed Ralph Nader for president at a party leadership committee meeting yesterday.

"This endorsement shows that our independent campaign is receiving support from across the political spectrum from people upset with President Bush, and looking to shift the power back to the people so a solution revolution can take hold and solve many of the nagging problems and injustices in our society," Nader said in a statement.

A "solution revolution?" Hey, Ralph, don't you mean a "socialist revolution?"

Reform Party Chairman Shawn O'Hara said that if every nonvoting citizen votes for Nader, he'll be the next president. It's rumored he also stated that if every dead body springs to life, there would be no need for cemeteries.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2004 09:32:00 AM

Kitchen Manager Fired

(Lorain, OH) According to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer,

The kitchen manager at Lorain Southview High School was replaced after city health officials found mouse feces in a food-storage closet at the school. Inspectors also found feces in a food-storage closet at Hawthorne Elementary.

The manager worked for Aramark, a private food service company that has a contract with the Lorain School District to prepare meals for students.

It probably wasn't necessary to have a health department inspection to determine the presence of mice. Custodians stated that they regularly trap about 20 mice per week at the school. That fact alone would indicate there is a disturbing level of infestation.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2004 08:51:00 AM

Help Wanted - Scab Librarians

Excuse me for being flippant, but I had to chuckle at this announcement.

Wanted: temporary librarians.

Just in case - or make that in the likelihood - of a strike.

"We are expecting our union to go out on strike on May 18," says an e-mail from the Cleveland Public Library to students and graduates using an electronic employment network of Kent State University's library school. "We are interested in recruiting some temporary workers."

Hourly pay: $20.74 for librarians; $16.62 for assistants.

Benefits: none.

Pardon me, but do students need another excuse for not doing their homework?

The back story on this first ever library strike is kind of interesting. The union, Service Employees International Union District 1199, pushed a ballot measure last year that more than doubled the library's property taxes. The increased tax burden prevents the library from giving requested pay raises, so the union is threatening to strike. It seems to me that the problem is the union. If the union hadn't jacked up taxes, there would be funds for pay raises and no reason to strike.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2004 08:24:00 AM

John Kerry's Ohio Campaign

(Cleveland, OH) They're ripping down the Dennis Kucinich for President signs and posters at the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party headquarters and replacing them with John Kerry promotional materials. Some think it's about time.

"We are getting deluged with letters and phone calls from people who want to help, but it's hard to give them something to do without a field office here," said Cuyahoga County Party chairman Jimmy Dimora.

Although the Kerry campaign still has not named an Ohio campaign manager, paid staffers are setting up field operations in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron and elsewhere.

Kerry's hired mudslingers include Jennifer Palmieri, Ohio communications director and former staffer for Bill Clinton and John Edwards, veteran Kerry campaign worker Crystal King, and Beth Leonard, who led Kerry's field operations in Iowa. Apparently, there are no plans to hire any out-of-work volunteers from the Kucinich bait bucket.

The Bush-Cheney mudslinging team is headed up by state campaign manager Bob Paduchik.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2004 07:23:00 AM

Invasive Alien Fence

A $6.7 million electric fence is being planned for the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Its purpose will be to stop invasive alien carp from traveling from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. According to this report,

Asian carp eat up to 40 percent of their body weight daily, grow up to 100 pounds and have no natural predators. They are working their way up the Mississippi River, where they have displaced other fish and now represent more than five out of every 10 fish in the river.

Officials from the federal level on down want to contain the fish so it does not cross into the Great Lakes through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the only direct link between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. The carp escaped from fish farms during floods.

Construction on the fence is scheduled to begin next month. About 50 steel rails will be secured to the bottom of the canal and electrified. A demonstration fence apparently worked well enough to justify building a more permanent installation.

I'll go out on a limb and predict that the fence will only impede the Asian carp, not stop them. In five years, the Asian carp will be in Lake Michigan, in ten, all the Great Lakes.

However, I could be wrong and the electric fence may work. If it does, maybe the US Border Patrol could use a similar installation to keep invasive aliens from Mexico out of the US.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2004 11:34:00 PM

Baby with "Mermaid" Syndrome

(Lima, Peru) This is odd. A baby was born with sirenomelia, also called mermaid syndrome, where both legs are fused together to look like a fin. There's a picture at the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2004 11:07:00 PM

Roger Clemens

Last night, Roger Clemens won his seventh game this season, striking out 11 batters in seven innings. He's 7-0, 41-years-old, and retired from the New York Yankees. If anyone finds out what he eats and drinks (and Ricky Henderson, too), I'd like to know the secret.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2004 10:54:00 PM

Bank Robbing Grandma Sentenced to Prison

(Grand Rapids, MI) Margaret Ann Thomas-Irving, a 58-year-old grandmother, robbed four banks, two savings and loans, two restaurants and two Dunkin' Donuts shops before she was arrested. Yesterday, District Judge Gordon J. Quist sentenced her to 70 months in prison for robbing two Michigan banks while on a trip to visit her son..

"I've been incarcerated for almost a year and I've thought a lot about what I did and I feel very ashamed of it," she said at her sentencing hearing.

Probably also feeling some shame is her son, an officer with the Bath Township Police Department.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2004 09:34:00 PM

Levi Strauss Selling Dockers Brand

(San Francisco, CA) According to this report, Levi Strauss and Co. is suffering financially. The company is $2.2 billion in debt and has experienced seven consecutive years of decreasing sales and cost cuts resulting in thousands of layoffs. To inject some health into their sick balance sheet, the San Francisco-based company has decided to sell its Dockers brand of casual clothing.

The reasonableness of this decision is questionable since it appears it is only being done to provide a one-time infusion of revenue at the cost of losing a generally successful and productive division of the company. A substantial 25% of Levi's revenue will disappear by the sale of Dockers for no other reason than cash. Understandably, cash is nice, but it offers no apparent promise of future revenue generation. There is also no reason to believe that the problems which are at the root of Levi's financial troubles would be corrected or mitigated by the sale of Dockers.

Through many good and some bad years, the company appears to have become compartmentalized to the extent that individual departments don't communicate well with each other resulting in an ongoing inefficient and noncompetitive management style. All aspects of the business have been affected. Poor market forecasting, poor inventory control, manufacturing difficulties, supply chain problems, ineffective demand replenishment systems, and other weaknesses have all been blamed on the lack of information being available to Levi's executives. The net result has been an increase in the cost of doing business to a level whereby Levi's competitors have an advantage. Personally, I know people who quit buying Levi's years ago. There are many comparable products available for significantly cheaper prices.

The inefficiencies in management communications have caused a product price structure that is much greater than necessary or desired, however, there are other areas that contribute to the high cost of doing business. One is a glaring weakness in financial accounting and reporting. In fact, the recently announced financial results for last year specifically acknowledges the weakness.

"It was a tough year for the company, with both weak operating results and financial reporting missteps," said chief financial officer Jim Fogarty. "However, we have sufficient liquidity in the business, we are taking steps to improve our financial reporting, and our work with Alvarez & Marsal is well under way to strengthen the company."

Without accurate and timely financial data, company management is hindered from doing the best possible job. As a result, Levi Strauss executives have committed to strengthen the discipline.

The company is taking several actions to address this issue [material weakness in internal controls], including recruiting individuals with greater expertise in tax-related financial reporting and improving our internal communications.

Given that the success or failure of any business is determined by the counting of beans, Levi's promise to get better bean-counters is encouraging.

One other area that has a significant, albeit not easily quantifiable, impact on cost is Levi's business plan which de-emphasizes the selling of profitable products by putting strong emphasis on social programs and reforms. They do this within the company, within the community, and internationally. It's understandable and generally expected that any large multinational corporation will conduct business like a good neighbor, ethically and morally. In that regard, Levi's does a superb job. However, Levi's goes much further than being just a good neighbor. According to their Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines, Levi Strauss mandates specific and strict requirements on about 600 contractors in more than 60 countries. Conditions are imposed on hiring, working conditions, the environment, working hours, health and safety, discipline, union associations, education and apprenticeship programs, and more. Whether Levi Strauss should or should not be functioning as an international social reform organization is a question for the stockholders to answer. Agreed, some level of sub-tier vendor control needs to be established, but I doubt there would be general concurrence on the necessity to implement social reformation in foreign countries. Nonetheless, right or wrong, Levi's international social reform plan is expensive. Quite expensive. As a result, Levi's has put itself at a competitive disadvantage to companies that don't inflate their product prices to pay for social reform programs.

In summary, Levi Strauss and Co. has been performing poorly for a number of years due to management and financial/accounting deficiencies and expensive social initiatives. To improve performance, Levi's will sell one of its most successful product lines, the Dockers brand. Good idea? Hold all tickets until the results are tabulated.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2004 07:14:00 AM

Court Order to Avoid Conception Challenged

(Columbus, OH) In 2002, Sean Talty was convicted of not supporting three of his seven children by five women and sentenced to five years probation by Medina County Common Pleas Judge James L. Kimbler. According to a report in The Repository (reg. req'd), Talty was also directed to pay $150 weekly in back child support and to avoid fathering more children. Since procreation is considered a right protected by the US Constitution, the court's decision was appealed and subsequently upheld by the 9th Ohio District Court of Appeals in Akron.

Now the Ohio Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of the judge's decision to curtail the right of procreation for parolees and probationers. A ruling is expected by fall. Already, concerns have been voiced by members of the court.

"How in the world would a judge enforce this?" Justice Evelyn Stratton asked.

"Isn't the judge really trying to legislate morality?" Justice Maureen O'Connor said a few minutes later.

This is a tough situation for many judges deciding on cases of nonpayment of child support. If the court puts a deadbeat dad in jail, he can't pay child support. Alternatively, if the court sentences the deadbeat to probation, he can work and pay child support, however, he can also irresponsibly produce more children. Judge Kimbler opted to put Sean Talty on probation with instructions not to procreate.

Interestingly, a precedent was established in October 2002 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court when it held that the "no procreation" ruling is constitutional. It remains to be seen how the Ohio Supreme Court will decide.

A mention needs to be made of the fact that the "no procreation" ruling brings the justice system inches closer to the day that a court may impose forced sterilization as a sentence.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2004 11:50:00 PM

Congress Proposes Cell Phone Camera Law

A bill (S. 1301) has been proposed and passed by the US Senate to make it a federal crime to use a cell phone camera for "video voyeurism." Although secretly photographing or videotaping someone is illegal in many states, the variety of laws among the states sometimes allows perpetrators avoid prosecution. Officials believe a federal law will provide more effective protection for the public.

"No one should have to go through the embarrassment of being secretly taped by an electronic peeping Tom, or seeing those pictures turn up on the Internet," said Rep. Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, a former FBI agent who is an advocate for the bill.

Convictions under the law would be punishable by a fine and a possible one year in jail. The bill now goes to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2004 08:16:00 PM

John Ramsey Running for Office

(Lansing, Michigan) The father of slain child beauty contestant, JonBenet Ramsey, wants to be elected a Michigan State Representative. John Ramsey has filed papers to run as a Republican candidate in the Aug. 3 primary election.

"It's most unusual to have a celebrity -- however you want to characterize that -- running for the state Legislature in Michigan," said Craig Ruff of Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing think tank. "The national media will have a field day. So will state media."

Ramsey has been invited to hit some softballs on the Larry King show tomorrow night (CNN, 9pm EDT). Annotate your DayTimer accordingly.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2004 08:52:00 AM

Child Prostitution Ring Busted

(Oklahoma City, OK) Yesterday, federal law enforcement agents identified 19 individuals and charged them with child prostitution, sex trafficking of children, and pimping.

Pimps allegedly transported girls as young as 13 from Oklahoma to cities in Texas, Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Arkansas for prostitution, said U.S. Attorney Robert McCampbell.

"The prospect of a 13-year-old prostituting is not a hypothetical," McCampbell said. "It's been happening here in Oklahoma City."

McCampbell said pimps recruited young girls, many of whom were runaways, and then controlled them through violence, threats and intimidation.

Only scum would commit these crimes against children.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2004 05:16:00 AM

Chiquita Subsidiary Funding Terrorists

(Cincinnati, OH) According to a report in the Dayton Daily News, Chiquita Brands International Inc. informed the US Justice Department yesterday that its Colombian banana producing subsidiary made payments to foreign terrorist organizations. The company said it is cooperating with the Justice Department investigation. No information is provided concerning the connection between bananas and terrorism.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2004 08:01:00 PM

Million Mom March

(Washington, D.C.) Since the volume of news reports probably outnumbered the marchers, it's safe to assume that everybody has heard of the Million Mom March held yesterday in the nation's capitol. Estimates vary, but 2,500 seems to be the general consensus on the upper limit of attendees. The march was against guns. They don't like guns and they want everybody else not to like guns. Yada-yada-yada.

My question concerns the fact that there is no way to fudge the arithmetic to justify naming the event the Million Mom March. 2,500 is 0.25% of 1 million which is not even close. Now, agreed, this is not a major issue but, repeated often enough, someone will come to believe that a million moms showed up. So, why doesn't the media point out the obvious disparity? I don't know exactly, but it does appear the media generally gives liberal causes a pass on their estimates. For example, estimates of homeless populations, of date rapes, of homosexual populations, of abusive husbands, and many other groupings, frequently seem to be gross exaggerations when examined. No doubt that in many cases exact figures are unavailable but, even so, any ridiculous over or underestimation should be pointed out to news readers. Not doing so gives the outlandish number some credibility. That's wrong.

As a caveat, this inattention to arithmetic detail doesn't seem to apply when the media reports on human disasters. In those instances, there seems to be a blanket policy of reporting figures with disclaimers stating that they are unconfirmed or unverified.

Nevertheless, it seems the prudent posture is to be highly skeptical of any unsupported or unverified numbers reported by the media. Since public opinion and public policy are often influenced by the numbers reported, it's irresponsible for the media to report outrageous figures without question or comment. It's also sad. Too often, when arithmetic is involved, the media are not society's watchdogs.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2004 05:44:00 PM

African Clawed Frog Invasion

(San Francisco, CA) This report indicates that there will be no ethical treatment for the African Clawed Frog. With their large tongueless mouths, they'll eat anything, even birds. They also breed "like crazy" and spread quickly.

"They are a threat," said Dr. David Wake, an emeritus professor of integrative biology at the University of California-Berkeley. "They change the environment quite profoundly."

Another problem is that the African Clawed Frog exhibits a level of invulnerability to varying environmental conditions. It can live under ice, in salty water, and burrowed in the ground.

The frogs have been outlawed as pets, however, they are used in biological and medical experiments. It's theorized that researchers released the animals to the environment to save them from destruction.

I'm surprised that the Animal Liberation Front and PETA haven't weighed in on this situation. The frogs are animals used in gruesome and cruel experiments! Don't they have rights? Plus, it's said they're also cute. Where is PETA? Where's the ethical outrage? Where are the protesters?

To digress, some cartoonist should be putting together a Saturday morning animated program idea where African killer bees saddled on African clawed frogs are defending an imaginary kingdom. It would be a hit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2004 04:36:00 PM

ALAN KING, 1927-2004

Yesterday, comedian and versatile entertainer Alan King died of lung cancer in a hospital in New York. Rest in peace.

I personally enjoyed watching King, seeing him both in drama and comedy, and even met him once about twenty years ago on a trip to Las Vegas. I thought he was likable. My wife thought he was a jerk. Of course, we also disagree on the Three Stooges.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2004 04:00:00 PM

More SUV Killings

(Bangor, Maine) Here's another tragic story about SUV killings. Seven people died when the speeding SUV turned sideways, hit some trees, and flipped over. The SUV was a Ford Explorer and, according to the report, the killer.

My take is that there should be some action by society to remove the driverless killer SUVs off the road. It's kind of odd, though, that I've never seen an SUV on the road without a driver, but, somehow, news reporter after news reporter writes of accidents caused by the killer SUVs.

We should, however, thank the media for alerting us to the danger. I guarantee that if ever I see an SUV going down the road without a driver, I'm calling the cops.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 11:54:00 PM

Cat Dissection

(Santa Fe, New Mexico) The tree-hugging animal rights extremists at Santa Fe High School have convinced the rest of the student body that cats used in dissections for science classes are "stolen from the streets and even embalmed while still alive." Therefore, future cat dissections will be done by computer simulation.

Cats are definitely coming from the streets. According to this story, about 2,000 a year in the city of Akron, OH, alone. It's incorrect to say they are stolen, though. They're strays. And they're not embalmed, just killed and incinerated.

In mapping communities of knowledge, it seems that Santa Fe High School is located somewhere in the smoky suburbs of truth.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 10:36:00 PM

Unnamed Fetal Americans

(Little Rock, Arkansas) Here's a scenario to ponder. A pregnant Korean woman enters the United States on a visa, overstays the visa and decides to stay in the country permanently. At that point, the unviable tissue mass in her womb automatically becomes an unnamed fetal American, with all the rights and privileges of citizenship. The mother, however, remains an illegal alien.

Does this make sense? Not to me, but apparently the Arkansas Department of Human Services understands since it recently instituted guidelines defining citizenship in exactly that manner. I think.

In any event, we'll probably soon see a Fetal-American political lobby defending the rights of the unviable. Abortion advocates are already concerned.

Hat tip: Cracker Barrel Philosopher
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 09:42:00 PM

The Foreign Vote

David Janes posts on an International Herald Tribune report that Europeans are overwhelmingly anti-Bush and are frustrated by the fact that their support for John Kerry won't be translated into votes. From a Spaniard, speaking for others,

"People say, 'I'm very frustrated that I can't vote in the U.S. elections, because these are the ones that affect my way of life more than anything else,'" Ken Dubin, a political scientist at Carlos III University in Madrid, said in an interview.

My take is simple, Mr. Dubin. Just wait your turn. Efforts are in progress to get children the right to vote in California and we all have heard about dead people voting in Chicago. The motor-voter law was implemented to help put ballots in the hands of non-citizens and stories abound on how busloads of Mexicans frequently help in border state elections. I suspect some enterprising liberal politician is currently working on a way to have foreign nationals vote in US elections, either legally or illegally.

Ninja-style, Steven Den Beste chimes in on the subject with customary sage comments.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 03:07:00 PM

Religious Bias

(Chicago, Illinois) Emergency medical technician Stephanie Adamson, 30, has filed suit against her former employer claiming religious discrimination because she was fired after refusing to transport a woman to an abortion clinic. Superior Ambulance Services in Elmhurst dispatched Adamson to Mt. Sinai Hospital to pick up a patient for transport to a nearby clinic for an elective abortion.

"I just felt really strongly it was something that I couldn't do," said Adamson, a devout Christian who is adamantly anti-abortion. "It would be against everything that I believe in and everything that I support."

The American Center for Law and Justice filed the suit in U.S. District Court on Adamson's behalf.

This type of case creates a significant dilemma for businesses. They face lawsuits if they discriminate based on religion during the hiring process AND they face lawsuits if they fire people for not doing their jobs based on religious beliefs.

Of note is that the circumstances of Adamson's case are very unusual. Since her employer provides emergency services, incidents entailing the transport of patients to clinics for elective abortions have to be extremely rare. Given that, Superior Ambulance probably overreacted towards Adamson.

Nonetheless, even though the conditions of Adamson's case are unique and rare, I suspect there are many other similar instances in society where religious beliefs conflict with job responsibilities. A recent example occurred in New York where a Sikh police officer was fired for refusing to remove his turban while in uniform. In that case, a judge ruled that the firing was religious discrimination and ordered the officer reinstated.

I foresee a future with heaps more headaches for businesses and society while the trial lawyers explore a whole new universe of paydays. Let the lawsuits commence.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 04:43:00 AM

Judge Dismisses 51 Traffic Charges

(Washington, Pennsylvania) According to a report by Joe Smydo in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, E. Ronald Salvitti II had accumulated a 24-page record of driving citations and related violations from 1983 to the present.

By November 2002, Salvitti had been cited for speeding 20 times -- four times for traveling 80 mph or faster. His record showed 18 citations for driving with a suspended license and one citation each for following another vehicle too closely, a red light violation, driving too fast for conditions and driving without a license. His record included 48 instances of failing to respond to citations.

Salvitti's record of troubles indicates that his driving privileges are suspended until March 2031. However, it doesn't appear that any punishment for his irresponsible and criminal behavior has been effective. Salvitti continued to drive and commit additional violations while his license was suspended.

Since the justice system has been incapable of effectively dealing with him, Mr. Salvitti had his lawyer, Chester Dudzinski, petition the court to make everything go away. The court did. How nice!

Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky, with agreement from District Attorney John C. Pettit, dismissed 27 citations and 24 failure-to-respond violations. Salvitti is only required to pay court costs and do community service. Astonishingly, according to Mr. Smydo's report,

Pozonsky and District Attorney John C. Pettit said no special treatment was shown Salvitti, son of eye doctor and philanthropist E. Ronald Salvitti.

[ ... ]

Pozonsky and Pettit said Salvitti was given the same consideration as any defendant seeking a sentence modification.

Unbelievable!

Only a moron would buy that any defendant with 51 charges against them can walk into the Washington County Courthouse and walk away without even a slap of the hand. Schools should use this case as the quintessential example of the "appearance of impropriety." I suspect that there are lawyers who have been disbarred because of less offensive courtroom buffoonery.

In summary, Salvitti has been ignoring the law for over twenty years, dodging effective punishment, and now he's going to regain his driving privileges while the judge and prosecutor state that this is the way any defendant is treated in Washington County. Believable?

I don't think so. There must be other elements to this story that haven't been thoroughly pursued. For example, what impact is there on the administration of local justice when the defendant's daddy spends time being a local philanthropist?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2004 12:45:00 AM

Rewards Leads to Sasser Worm Creator

Informants provided investigators with the leads necessary to apprehend an 18-year-old unnamed German resident of Rotenberg for the creation of the Sasser worm. The worm is estimated to have infected millions of computers running Microsoft Windows. The arrest is considered to have resulted because of the large reward program offered by Microsoft.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2004 10:11:00 PM

Brigitte Bardot on Trial

(Paris, France) According to this report, Brigitte Bardot's best-selling book Islamicization of France has angered some people and she is now defending herself on charges of inciting racial hatred. The book discusses mixing of races and the "infiltration" of France by Islamic extremists. The 69-year-old legendary sex goddess said she didn't mean to hurt anyone, however, if she's convicted, she faces a possible one year in jail.

This case appears to be an act of political correctness. Islamic extremists are incited to racial hatred as a lifestyle. As long as the nonbelievers are breathing, they are hated by the extremists. As for the Islamic extremists, they incite hatred towards themselves by their actions. Does anyone think they are lovable for killing thousands of innocent people by homicide bombings? I don't.

With regard to Bardot's book, I don't think it could incite hatred when it already exists. She probably just wrote about it and that's politically incorrect.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2004 09:18:00 AM

Group of Eight Summit, Sea Island, Georgia

(Brunswick, Georgia) Mark your calendars! The G8 Sea Island Summit is only a month away and already security is tight. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have started patrolling sea, land, and island areas, questioning all individuals within a general security zone. Full security is to be implemented on June 5th for the June 8-10 summit. Under consideration is a plan to close all beaches and waters surrounding the island. Local citizens are also participating.

Police have asked the community to be their eyes and ears, and to report people and activities that seem suspicious. At the top of their list are people who photograph areas and structures that are not typical tourist attractions.

Even with extensive security, law enforcement officials are anticipating many arrests from a large number of aggressive protest groups. It's known that the Internet is being used to notify and recruit participants in planned demonstrations in Savannah and Brunswick. Accordingly, almost all city and county facilities will be used as staging and retention areas by law enforcement agencies during the G8 Summit.

Of note is that the usual protest groups will probably be less successful in recruiting participants than is customary due to the somewhat remote location of the summit this year and, also, due to the timing. For those habitual protesters that have jobs, this year's summit is inconveniently scheduled during the week so they'll have to take time off work. Also, the summer protest tour has another event scheduled on the West Coast at the same time as the G8 Summit. Scheduled for June 6-9, the BIO 2004 Annual International Convention in San Francisco will surely attract the bulk of summer protest fans from the western states.

As host, President Bush will ask the leaders from Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia to come to agreement on the issues of global terrorism, security, trade liberalization, freedom and democracy, and economic prosperity.

Due to restricted access to Sea Island, the protesters and the media will chiefly congregate in Savannah and, to a lesser extent, Brunswick, so there's promise that this year's summit will occur with minimal disruption.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2004 04:37:00 AM

Man Wants Prison

(Yakima, WA) Ruben Ramirez robbed the downtown branch of the Wells Fargo Bank and then waited for police to arrest him. He wanted to be sent to prison and, since he thought the robbery would be his third strike, he expected to get a life sentence. Sadly for him, Yakima County Superior Court Judge Susan Hahn only sentenced him to 8 1/2 years for the crime.

Clearly, Mr. Ramirez needs some counseling.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2004 03:51:00 AM

Kerry Education Plan

(Colton, CA) Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has announced his ambitious education plan which entails distributing $20 billion for higher teacher pay with the stipulation that poor teachers would be fired. Current plans are to pay for the program by rescinding President Bush's tax cuts to the rich, however, critics don't believe enough revenue would be raised. Nevertheless, Sen. Kerry was applauded for his spending plan while speaking at Colton High School in San Bernardino County.

I personally think that if Sen. Kerry is elected, he is more likely to become a Republican than implement a plan that fires one teacher.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2004 02:39:00 AM

The Unfavorable Perky Economy

The US Department of Labor reports that American companies added 288,000 workers to payrolls in April which follows a revised gain of 337,000 jobs in March. Added up, job gains since the beginning of 2004 total more than 850,000. Notably, these numbers exceed the experts' predictions while contributing to a decrease in the overall unemployment rate.

"The economy has gotten into a strong upward glide path," Treasury Secretary John Snow said in a Chicago speech. "There's still a lot of firepower left in the economy."

One would naturally expect there to be a general sense of optimism with such positive reports on the economy, however, that's not the case. Oddly, about the same time the Labor Department reports repeated job gains, the Gallup Organization releases polling data that indicates that the Bush administration's approval rating for handling of the economy sank to a record low of 41 percent. So, while economic indicators are swimmingly positive, Bush's approval rating is circling the drain.

Go figure.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2004 06:07:00 PM

Go-to-Jail Pot Law

(Medina, OH) Marijuana users should avoid Medina. According to a city ordinance, any person caught possessing the drug will face a mandatory three days in jail. The law also provides for a fine of up to $1,000 and classifies the crime as a first-degree misdemeanor which is comparable in severity to domestic violence. As such, offenders will have a criminal record for the rest of their lives.

Until recently, the law wasn't being enforced due to a court challenge that it was unconstitutional. However, last Wednesday the 9th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled that the city of Medina has the right to adopt local laws to address local problems.

The defense lawyers will ask the Ohio Supreme Court to review the case. In the meantime, all Ohio dope smokers that can read a map are urged to put a big red "X" on Medina when planning their itineraries.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2004 05:42:00 AM

FDA Bars OTC Morning-After Pill

(Washington) The Food and Drug Administration decided yesterday not to approve the use of over-the-counter morning-after birth control pills. The FDA stated they needed more complete information and still had questions. Women's groups accused the agency of bowing to political pressure.

I personally wouldn't fault the FDA for taking a conservative approach and I don't think their decision was political. For the sake of full disclosure, though, I'm not a woman.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2004 05:00:00 AM

Transsexual Cops

Somewhat related to a recent post where a judge ruled that cops can now wear turbans when in uniform comes this story from the UK regarding transsexual police officers.

A long-standing obstacle to transsexuals serving as police officers was removed yesterday when the law lords ruled against a chief constable's refusal to recruit a man surgically changed into a woman.

Five judges including Lord Bingham, the senior law lord, rejected a claim that police might be sued for assault if a male-to-female transsexual carried out a body search of a woman suspect.

It's prudent for me to take some time to mull this issue over because, frankly, there are many unexamined consequences that result when people decide to enter the foggy world of sex changes.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2004 04:32:00 PM

New Account Check Scam

A federal grand jury has charged 18 people with running a multi-state check scamming operation that's believed to have netted over $1 million over a four year period.

Detroit residents James Harris Bey, 36, Fred Kendrick, 30, Ralph Starr, 29, and others appear to be the ring's leaders who recruited more than 30 "passers."

The ringleaders would rent cars and drive to different cities. From there, passers would obtain a state identification card and a fake check, go to banks and open accounts.

[ ... ]

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Sasse said in documents that the passers then would open a checking account with a fake check worth about $1,200. The bank would give them instant credit, and they left. The next day, the passers would return, present a fake payroll check and pull out the money.

The thieves went to as many bank branches as possible, repeatedly pulling out funds. Cleveland FBI agent Dean Winslow investigated and ended the scam.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2004 03:29:00 PM

The Spanking Cop

(Warren, Ohio) According to a report in the Tribune Chronicle, a Trumbull County grand jury has indicted Fowler Township Police Chief James E. Martin on charges that he illegally punished juveniles and adults by spanking them. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned before Judge John Stuard of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. The indictment contains 52 charges, including:

20 counts of dereliction of duty, 11 counts of assault, 12 counts of using a sham legal process, seven counts of unauthorized photography - all misdemeanor charges, and two counts of theft in office, both felonies.

He is free on a $2,500 personal bond. The first pretrial hearing is set for May 25. The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Andrew Logan.

It's not clear what Chief Martin was thinking in implementing his spanking program since his job is to apprehend lawbreakers, not punish them. In any event, at some point Chief Martin should have questioned his own tactics. One has to wonder how many individuals went to him for spankings even though they had committed no crimes.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2004 02:31:00 AM

Law Angers Cat Lovers

(Akron, Ohio) Due to frustrated citizen complaints, in 2002 the Akron City Council added cats to the existing city ordinance on stray animal control. The complaints included free-roaming and stray cats which were scratching vehicles, damaging gardens, attacking fenced-in dogs, using children's sandboxes as litter boxes and running in front of vehicles. Since that decision, the number of cats being deposited at the Summit County Animal Shelter increased from an average of 100 per year to 2,000.

The practice of rounding up and euthanizing the strays produced outrage among cat lovers, in particular, a group known as Citizens for Humane Animal Practices (CHAPS). The group posted Internet notices which prompted angry email from around the world accusing Akron of being inhumane to the cats. CHAPS also challenged the city cat ordinance in court. On Tuesday, Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Brenda Burnham Unruh issued a summary judgment that the cat law is constitutional and that the city of Akron acted reasonably under its police powers. (As an aside, it's interesting to note that the cat lovers had no problem with the law when it applied only to dogs. CHAPS decided to challenge the law's constitutionality when cats were included. Maybe it takes a cat lover to understand that logic. To me, a stray is a stray.)

Personally, I think stray animals are a public health hazard in addition to being a nuisance and causing damage to property. It doesn't make a difference whether the stray is a cat or dog.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2004 01:30:00 AM

Wooden Computers

(Sollentuna, Sweden) A Swedish company, Swedx, is manufacturing and selling computers and computer peripheral components encased in finished ash, mahogany or beechwood.

The company is appealing to buyers who wants [sic] something distinguished from the plastic boxes sold in stores and online and may be concerned about the environmental dangers that tossed-out computer casings cause.

This will obviously give new meaning to burning up the keyboard.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2004 11:58:00 PM

Garlic Kills 11 Workers

(Beijing, China) According to this story, 30 Chinese workers were buried under a pile of garlic when 30-foot high warehouse shelving collapsed. Rescuers were unable to save 11 workers.

By the way, occupational safety is not emphasized in China.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2004 11:54:00 PM

French Pedophile Ring on Trial

(Outreau, France) Seventeen adults are being tried on charges of child rape involving eighteen children over a period of five years.

The six women and 11 men on trial have also been charged with "rape with torture" and "rape with barbaric acts". Some of their own children were named as victims.

The case came to the attention of prosecutors in December 2000, when social services alerted them to the possible sexual abuse committed by an unemployed couple against their own four children, AFP said.

The children, once they had been placed in foster care, told investigators they had been fondled, raped, coerced into performing sex acts and forced to watch pornographic films.

The ring allegedly included a bailiff, his wife, a taxi driver, and a priest. One suspect has already committed suicide.

This is just too horrible to adequately describe my thoughts.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2004 05:26:00 PM

School Has Baby Shower for Pregnant 8th-Grader

(Cicero, Illinois) In celebration of the pregnancy and impending birth by a 14-year-old, the 8th grade class at Our Lady Of Charity School is having a baby shower.

. . . Students are being asked to bring a gift. The school will use the shower to discuss teen pregnancy and try to help the young girl.

"Being a Catholic school, we believe in service. We want to help this girl and her baby and her family so that they can have good lives," said Sharon Schaffer, teacher, Our Lady Of Charity School.

Hopefully, the school's discussion of teen pregnancy will be sufficient to counter the giggly and envious chatter among the not-yet-pregnant teen girls while, at the same time, not impede upon the festive nature of the occasion. I suspect that the message of stupidity and ignorance of teen pregnancy will be lost in the cacophony of congratulations, good wishes, and gift-giving.

This story is an example of superficial thinking producing unintended results. And, one has to wonder, of the other girls, will any look at pregnancy more favorably because of the party? I think so. Popularity, however achieved, is exceedingly important to impressionable 14-year-old girls.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2004 07:38:00 AM

Ohio Lion Sightings

(Gahanna, OH) The search for a lion is continuing in this community on the northeast side of Columbus.

Authorities received reports that a 300- to 400-pound African lion had been spotted in the Gahanna area at least three times in less than 24 hours Monday night and Tuesday.

Three of eleven reported sightings are considered credible.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 11:19:00 PM

Banned on Campus

(Cleveland, Ohio) There's an interesting controversy simmering at Case Western Reserve University between school officials and a campus protester. The protester, Kristopher Waller, 22, of Bay Village, has been banned from the campus as a result of a harassment complaint filed against him for behavior during an anti-war protest in March.

In a letter sent April 15, Clay Barnard, assistant vice president for student affairs, told Waller, "As the result of a harassment report filed on March 18, 2004, where you verbally assaulted a Case student during an anti-war protest in front of the Kelvin Smith Library, you are hereby persona non grata on the campus."

Well, the letter was immediately interpreted as an attack on the right of free speech and a new protest was organized. Accordingly, Waller and about two dozen students and supporters gathered and tried to enter the administrative offices in Adelbert Hall before being stopped by university security.

"I was outspoken while a member of the student body, but now that I am no longer paying tuition, they banned me from the campus," Waller said before the protest. "This whole country is turning into a police state with the Patriot Act and Homeland Security designed to shut down protesters."

There's nothing particularly unusual about this "protest on campus" story since it happens all the time. However, a couple unique aspects are worthy of mention.

One is that, about three months ago, Case Western Reserve University awarded the protagonist in the controversy, Kristopher Waller, baccalaureate degrees in both history and religion. Contrary to the general assumption that a degreed individual would go and become a productive addition to society, Kristopher Waller instead returned to his alma mater as a protest leader and member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade.

One has to wonder on what basis was Mr. Waller awarded his degree in history. Since any rational study of the history of the world would indicate that communism requires implementing a police state and murdering a significant percentage of the population. In fact, in the 20th century alone, communist genocide has been credited with killing at least 100 million people. It doesn't seem to make a lot sense for someone to become a communist after having studied history to the point of receiving a degree. It also doesn't make sense for a religion major to become a communist since a goal of communism is to eradicate religion.

All in all, there is something awry when an individual decides to adopt a genocidal political philosophy immediately after completing a four year curriculum at a well-respected university in the United States. Quite possibly it would be prudent for the administrators at Case Western Reserve University to take a hard look at what they're teaching in the history and religion departments.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 09:01:00 PM

Weekly Linkfests

Carnival of the Capitalists is posted at Brain Brew Blog.

Bonfire of the Vanities is posted at Spectra.

Best of Me Symphony is posted at DramaQueen.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 07:14:00 AM

Police Are Too White To Stop Terror

According to this report, police officers in the UK are considered too white to be effective in stopping terrorists. Radical reform is being pondered to allow for positive discrimination in hiring and promoting ethnic minorities and women, which is currently illegal.

This is the first time I've seen affirmative action defined as discrimination. They call it 'positive discrimination,' but, nonetheless, it's discrimination.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 06:45:00 AM

Zoo Worker Mauled by Tigers

(Bangkok, Thailand) This story demonstrates that carelessness and ignorance can be deadly.

A teenage worker at a Thai zoo died on Saturday after being mauled by six tigers in front of more than 100 shocked tourists, an official said.

"She passed away in hospital," a spokeswoman from the Sriracha Tiger Zoo southeast of Bangkok said, declining to elaborate on the attack which took place on Thursday.

[ ... ]

The young worker was reportedly untrained to handle the dangerous animals, and was trying to make a tiger sit for tourists by hitting it with a stick when the attack occurred.

Untrained and hitting man-eating animals with a stick can be summed up in three words. Rest in peace.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 04:11:00 AM

Kevin Mitnick Busts Bomb Hoaxer

(River Rouge, Michigan) When River Rouge High School continued to receive bomb threats, police Detective Lt. John Keck enlisted the help of ex-hacker and current computer security consultant Kevin Mitnick to track down the perpetrator. Shortly thereafter, an arrest was made.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2004 03:09:00 AM

Russian Museum Displays Rasputin's Organ

(St. Petersburg, Russia) Founded by Igor Knyazkin, the chief of the Prostate Research Center of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, the Russian Museum of Erotica is proudly exhibiting the preserved 30-centimeter penis of Grigory Rasputin.

"Having this exhibit, we can stop envying America, where Napoleon Bonaparte's penis is now kept. Napoleon's penis is but a small 'pod' it cannot stand comparison to our organ of 30 centimeters," the head of the museum said.

Rasputin was a charismatic cult figure who was a major influence in the court of Czar Nicholas II. Because of this, he was murdered.

If I ever visit St. Petersburg, I think I'll pass on the museum tour.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 11:49:00 PM

Methodists Urged to Boycott Taco Bell

(Pittsburgh, PA) The General Conference of the United Methodist Church has decided to join a boycott of Taco Bell because of complaints from Florida tomato pickers that they don't make enough money and are treated badly. Every four years, the church leaders meet to discuss important issues and pass resolutions for action. Current action will be against Taco Bell. It's not clear which fruit and vegetable pickers will prompt the next boycott, but there are many to choose from. There's the banana pickers in Guatemala, the coffee pickers in Columbia and West Africa, the citrus pickers in the Rio Grande Valley, and so on.

Now, I'm no theologian but in my reading of the Bible, I don't recall any particular passages that advocated Marxist political tactics. Apparently, some leaders of the United Methodist Church have found the applicable Biblical verse that directs the proletariat to rise against the bourgeoisie.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 09:53:00 PM

Parole Hearing for Murderer of 6 Kids

(Rockford, Illinois) In 1978, Simon Peter Nelson murdered his six children with a mallet and a knife. Jenny, 12, Simon Peter III, 10, Andrew, 8, Matthew, 7, Roseann, 6, and David, 3, were mutilated as they slept. Nelson was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to 100 to 200 years in prison. Nelson will now meet with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board at Graham Correctional Center near Hillsboro in an effort to be paroled.

I really don't care about parole. My vote would be for execution, by mallet and knife.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 09:07:00 PM

Harry Coover Invented Superglue

(Akron, OH) Harry Coover will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in recognition of his invention of superglue. His invention was accidentally created while trying to make a clear plastic for gunsights.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 05:21:00 PM

Death in Portable Toilet

(Bluffton, OH) A construction worker complained of a stomach ache and went to the portable toilet where he died. An investigation is being conducted, but no foul play is suspected. Beaufort County Coroner Curt Copeland stated it was probably a natural death.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 04:27:00 PM

Brothels Must Hire Apprentices

(Berlin, Germany) Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government of Social Democrats and Greens plan to levy fines on German brothels if they do not hire one apprentice for every 15 workers. It's not clear what skills will be taught to apprentice prostitutes, but it is assumed that some women may satisfy the apprenticeship requirement through a period of home-study.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 04:01:00 PM

Pay Cut for San Francisco Homeless

Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, spearheaded a plan to cut the pay for the homeless. Called "Care not Cash," the plan used the savings from the cut in homeless pay to provide beds in city shelters, counseling and other services. By a comfortable margin, the voters approved the plan, thereby reducing the take-home pay for the homeless from a high of $410 per month to $59 per month.

Subsequently, in response to a complaint by homeless paycheck recipient Linda Pettye and Nora Roman, a nurse who wants the homeless to get large paychecks, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald Quidachay struck down the voter initiative, stating that city legislators, not voters, establish the rules for welfare.

Judge Quidachay's ruling was reviewed and overturned by a California appeals court. In the ruling, Justice Patricia Sepulveda wrote:

"We liberally construe constitutional and charter provisions in favor of the people's right to exercise their reserved power of initiative. Indeed it is our duty to jealously guard this power so as not to improperly annul its exercise."

So, the appeals court specifically stated that the San Francisco court couldn't act contrary to the will of the voters and the San Francisco homeless population can expect a pay cut. It should be noted that the reduction in pay may cause a downsizing in homelessness by outsourcing of individuals to more attractive locations, such as Key West which has recently adopted an alluring program of benefits for vagrants.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 08:12:00 AM

Al Franken Considering Senate Run

Liberal talk show host Al Franken has announced that he may challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota in 2008. He'll make a decision by the end of next year.

So, this means we've got Jesse Ventura "thinking" about running for president and Al Franken "thinking" about running for the Senate. Anybody wondering what Janeane Garofalo is "thinking?"
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 07:47:00 AM

Cab Fares Hiked in NYC

Effective today, cab fare in New York City is increased by 26 percent.

Last month, the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission approved an increase in the base rate for entering a cab to $2.50 from $2. The price for traveling every fifth of a mile will rise to 40 cents from 30 cents. City bus and subway rides cost $2.

Passengers will also pay a $1 surcharge to ride in cabs between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. an incentive to lure more taxi drivers onto city streets during the afternoon rush. The commission also raised the flat rate for a taxi traveling to Manhattan from John F. Kennedy International Airport to $45 from $35.

The price increases are attributed to increased cost-of-living for drivers and installation of new technology that lets dispatchers track cabs electronically and allow riders to pay with credit cards.

Just a thought, the way prices are trending, soon a plane ticket will be cheaper than the cost of a cab ride to and from the airport.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 07:02:00 AM

New Volkswagen Plant for China

In Lingang, a new industrial city under construction to service Shanghai's deep-water port, Volkswagen will build a new factory with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), the country's largest sedan maker. The deal was announced during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Germany.

VW remains the dominant foreign player in China's vehicle market, with a 30 per cent market share in the first quarter of this year. But its market share has been declining steadily for at least three to four years, from a high of more than 50 per cent, in the face of intense competition from other joint-venture manufacturers and a proliferation of new models.

Reports just continue to be posted on the exploding automobile market in China.

[Update] In a related report, DaimlerChrysler AG said today that it plans to manufacture Mercedes C- and E-class cars at a new production facility in Beijing with Chinese partner BAIC Ltd. The initial production of 25,000 vehicles will be built from kits shipped by Mercedes-Benz.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2004 06:47:00 AM

Botox

(Philadelphia, PA) According to this story, gastroenterologist Frank Friedenberg and others at Temple University Hospital are using Botox to allieviate the symptoms of a stomach condition known as gastroparesis. A person with the condition feels full after a small meal and experiences bouts of nausea, upset stomach and bloating.

Botox is injected into the muscle that sits at the end of the stomach. There, it goes to work. "The muscle relaxes and then there is more rapid emptying of the stomach for solids and for liquids," Dr. Friedenberg says.

Doctors use the mother of all needles to inject the Botox, but it's said not to be painful. I'm not too sure about that since I'm having some pain just reading about it.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2004 05:21:00 PM

Judge Okays Turbans for NYPD Cops

(New York, NY) Administrative Law Judge Donna Merris ruled that the NYPD discriminated against Jasjit Singh Jaggi, a Sikh, because of his religious beliefs. Jaggi had been forced to resign because he refused to perform his duties without wearing a turban or shaving his beard. Ruling on a religious discrimination complaint filed with the city Commission on Human Rights, Judge Merris ordered Jaggi reinstated.

Jaggi, 36, who has been working at a motel in Vermont, said on Thursday he was looking forward to returning to his NYPD job. He called the decision a "great victory for Sikhs."

The police department hopes to influence the commission to change their position.

Frankly, this makes no sense to me. I've always been under the impression that uniforms allowed the police to present a consistent, formal, and official image to the public. This decision by Judge Merris indicates that uniforms will henceforth not be required to exhibit uniformity. Also, one would have to assume that the door is open for cops with dreadlocks, yarmulkes, veils, and just about anything else that can be tied to religion.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2004 11:52:00 AM

DEA Agent Shoots Self in Leg

(Orlando, Florida) The Orlando Sentinel (free reg.) reports that a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot himself in the leg while giving a gun safety presentation to area children. According to Orlando Police Lt. Curley Bowman, the shooting that occurred at The Callahan Center, 101 N. Parramore Ave. was accidental.

This event would not have happened if he kept his bullet in his shirt pocket.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2004 11:06:00 AM

Robotic Traffic Cones

(Lincoln, Nebraska) Is this a good idea?

A University of Nebraska professor has developed robotic cones and barrels that can move out of the way, or into place, from computer commands made miles away.

They can even be programmed to move on their own at any particular part of the day, said Shane Farritor, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Nebraska.

The orange barrels and cones almost control the world now. Do we really want them to be able to march down the highway?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2004 05:30:00 AM

Parents Pay For Jailed Juveniles

(Hampton Roads, VA) The State of Virginia Child Support Enforcement Office requires parents to pay some of the cost of care for their incarcerated children. The monthly minimum is $65 which doesn't do much to defray the $57,599 a year it costs to house a child in a juvenile correctional center. But, with an average daily occupancy of over 1,100 children, the total amount in payments from parents represents a large sum.

If parents don�t pay, their wages can be garnished, their driver�s licenses can be suspended and their tax refunds can be intercepted. In rare cases, they are sent to jail.

[ ... ]

"You�re being asked to offset the cost that the state incurs for taking care of your child," said Stephen Pullen, a deputy director with the state Department of Juvenile Justice. "A parent has a responsibility for their child�s behavior."

I think this practice is generally a good idea. So many times, I've seen kids sent to jail because there was no adequate parenting provided so it's reasonable that they should pay. In fact, in some cases, I think the parents should be jailed instead of the kids. However, there are instances where the parents cannot be faulted and, when applicable, the parents should probably be given a pass.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2004 09:05:00 PM

Citizen Parking Ticket Writers

(Oxford, Ohio) To ease the workload of the Oxford Police Department, the city council has approved a measure allowing citizens to issue parking tickets. According to OPD Sgt. Jim Squance, the citizens will receive training and

"This is designed to free up officers and increase public safety," he said. "The volunteers are under direct supervision of the police chief. If there is a problem with overzealous ticket writers it will be weeded out quickly."

It's rumored that a citizen complaint writer group is forming just in case there is a need to counter unauthorized zeal.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2004 06:52:00 PM

Terminator Bobblehead

(Canton, Ohio) The owners of Bosley Bobbers are making and selling a smiling, rifle-toting bobblehead of action film star and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger without his permission. The Terminator sent his lawyers to tell them to stop.

"We're going to keep selling it until a court order says we can't," said Todd Bosley, president of the small family business. "We believe we're on solid ground."

It's safe to assume that the lawyers said they'll be back.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2004 04:16:00 PM

Job Growth in Ohio

In John Kerry's most recent campaign swing through Northeast Ohio, he pumped up the crowds with his promises of jobs, jobs, jobs while stating that the Bush administration's job creation record is the worst since Herbert Hoover. The gathered supporters were enthusiastic. It's understandable since Ohio is one state hit hard by loss of manufacturing jobs through relocations to foreign countries. However, the Bush administration has said that the economy is in recovery and new jobs will ultimately be created to replace those lost. Although it most likely won't be mentioned by the Kerry campaign, there is at least a hint in NE Ohio that the manufacturing job market is on the rebound.

Due to low interest rates in the recent past, one industry that has been relatively stable during the economic downturn has been housing and housing construction. In fact, the housing market is robust enough that there is increased demand for custom-made kitchen cabinets. As a result, an Ohio manufacturer, KraftMaid Cabinetry Inc., is planning to hire as many as 900 new production employees at their facilities in Middlefield in Geauga County and Orwell in Ashtabula County. KraftMaid, a division of Masco, has allocated $25 million to expand those plants to meet expected continued increase in demand for their products which has already jumped fourfold in the last seven years. The total number of employees doubled during that time and, with the additional 900, the workforce will total about 4,500.

The success story of KraftMaid would be understated without mentioning other aspects. First, besides offering good paying entry level positions, KraftMaid also relies upon their well-paid skilled workers and great craftsmen. And, the influx of revenue to several communities is noticeable.

[E]xpansion is coming as the Grand Valley school system is building a K-12 campus across from the Orwell cabinet factory, prompting plans to replace a wastewater collection system, build a new water tower and widen Ohio 45. The Ashtabula County Transportation System says it may add bus service from the northern part of the county to the KraftMaid plant in the southwestern corner.

So, it's easy to see a trickle around effect of KraftMaid's success. It's also interesting to note that the Middlefield facility alone currently employs more people (2,700) than live in the town (2,230) which means that many workers must commute from neighboring communities.

In summary, the job market in Ohio is not all doom and gloom. There is at least the success of KraftMaid to offer hope for more job creation and lend credence to President Bush's assertion that the economy is recovering.
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