Wrecking Havoc

If we ever have a plan, we're screwed....

2008-06-11T14:26:00.007-04:00

He was born in Shaker Heights OH in 1925, an Aquarius and instead of staying there to run his family's sporting goods store in Cleveland OH, he headed for the Yale School of Drama. He gained critical acclaim for his 1953 Broadway debut as Alan Seymour in William Inge's "Picnic" and Warner Bros hired him. Paul Newman, with his devestatingly blue eyes and good looks has been on his own path through life since those days.

He and his wife Joanne Woodward, who he married in January of 1958, have quietly lived their lives together in Westport CT, for the past 50 years. Today comes word that Newman has also, quietly, turned over the entire value of his ownership in Newman's Own, to charity. The transfer was completed over a two year period in 2005 and 2006 and the entire amount of his donations to Newman's Own Foundation Inc comes to approximately $120 million dollars.

"He's a fighter. He's going to keep on fighting," stated one of his close friends on Tuesday.

The tip off about Newman, 83, came with reports that had been leaked that he had been seeing an oncologist and in late May, he announced that he wouldn't direct a production of "Our Town" later this summer at the Westport Country Playhouse. His neighbor, Martha Stewart posted pictures of Newman on her Website from a recent party she hosted and they showed Newman gaunt but smiling that devilish grin of his. His friends state that Paul shouldn't be written off as dying and it may be that Newman is just making time for his own life after all these years of living publically. He had announced last year that he was retiring from acting at age 82.

Most know Paul Newman from his long history in film beginning in 1954 with the film "The Silver Chalice" and the great films, "The Hustler", "Hud", "Cool Hand Luke". "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Color of Money." His interest in auto racing began after he played an Indy-car driver in the 1969 film "Winning" and it continued throughout his life. His first victory on the track came at Thompson Motor Speedway in Thompson CT, when he drove a Lotus Elan to victory in 1972. He won SCCA's national title and top amateur honor, the President's Cup in 1976 and turned pro in 1977.

He has continued to race and became the oldest driver to win the 24 Hours of Daytona when he co-drove a Ford Mustang GTS-class to victory in 1995. In 1983, Newman and his patner, Chicago based businessman Carl Haas, bought into the open-wheel CART class cars and have sucessfully raced their Newman-Haas team there for years. Newman has slowed his racing as well as his acting career but he is still a very staunch supporter of the Champ cars style of racing over the Indy cars that split off from them in the 1990's. Their team has won six titles including two season titles in a row.

The 1980's also saw Newman founding Newman's Own Inc along with his friend, writer A E Hotchner. For several years, Hotchner and Newman had been cooking up batches of homemade salad dressing in Newman's basement and giving them out to friends when they went Christmas caroling in their Westport CT neighborhood. Their dressing was a hit with friends and became a very sought after item in the neighborhood gourmet shops.

The two of them decided to give marketing their dressings a go and invited friends over to sample the recipes and choose their favorite. They saved themselves the projected $400,000 they could have spent on test marketing and in 1982, Newman's Own put out their first product, Olive Oil & Vinegar Salad Dressing. They put Newman's picture on it as a joke and Newman decided then to give all after-tax profits away to charity, since he didn't need the money from the business.

They continued to grow and add dressings and then expanded to other products. Each year the company showed increased earnings and grossed $36 million by 1988. The next year, the company the company realized a pre-tax profit of 16 percent, about five times the 3.4 food industry average. Even with their steady groth and increasing success, they remained fully committed to charity. Newman and Hotchner would sit down each year and review the applications and split the profits between educational and charitable organizations they felt most needed assistance.

In 1988, Newman's Own founded The Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Ashford CT, which is now part of a charitable organization that operates six camps for gravely ill children. Named after the outlaw characters in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", they are a nonprofit residential camp for children with cancer and other serious diseases. The original camp is tucked away in the acres of woods and is much like the movie sets Newman worked on for years, from the fron it looks like a western style town with shops but behind, there are state of the art facilities that can accomodate almost any illness a child may suffer from.

In 1990, Newman's Own sponsered it's first recipe contest which required that each entry use a Newman's Own product. The top prize of $50,000 was given to the charity of the winner's choice and it was entertaining to watch Newman, Hotchner and sometimes Woodward, personally tasting all the finalist entries. As early as 1993, Newman's Own had given aid to 460 applicants, the highest number in a single year for the company.

Newman's third daughter, Nell brainstormed the idea and sold it to her father for Newman's Own Organics: The Second Generation, a divsion that would develope products that used certified organic ingredients. They have also become the focus of a course at Fairfield University School of Business in Fairfield CT and particpate with them hands-on. Teams of students are invited to brainstorm new products and plan marketing strategies for the Westport company along with the help of management, finance and marketing professors. At the end of the term, they have to report their findings and the top two teams have $2,500 to their favorite charities.

In November 1999, the announcement was made that Paul Newman had passed the $100 million dollar mark in charitable giving since his company had begun. Over 2,000 charitable and educational organizations have benefitted from his donations. Oprah Winfrey made notice of Newman's donations as well in an April 2000 show of her "Angel Network." She announced the establishment of a weekly "Use Your Life " award of $50.000, funded in part by Paul Newman.

"If we stop having fun, we're closing up shop," stated Paul Newman.

While Newman may now be facing health issues as well as choosing to slow down in life, he is still very involved in the company. His daughter's division, run with her business partner, Peter Meehan contiues to grow and expand, adding new products to their line as well. Paul Newman has proven that Hollywood doesn't create monsters of all it's stars and those in his hometown and those touched by his advocacy and charity, will remember him as much more than a good looking, wisecracking actor with devastating blue eyes.

Chicken nuggets?

2008-06-10T14:02:00.003-04:00

Monday, in Simsbury CT, there was the beginnngs of an odd event. A motorist on Powder Forest Dr there, noticed a whole raw chicken lying on the side of the road at about 9 am. I know, it sounds a bit odd but it evidently gets even more odd. While it isn't exactly common to find a whole chicken lying on the roadside, it is very uncommon to find it stuffed with a pipe bomb.

The road was closed off while the Hartford Police Department's bomb squad came and did what any bomb squad does..... they blew up the bomb and the chicken hiding it. According to Police Capt Matthew Catania, it was large enough to cause harm to a person if it went off.

I do wonder though, was the chicken large enough to cause harm if it had "gone off" to roost on another street, did he mean that the bomb was large enough, was it simply a case of attempted suicide by a now embaressed and naked chicken and lastly... how does one actually notice a chicken lying on the side of the road at 9 am?

According to police, no one was injured and no arrests had been made by Monday night and there was no word on what became of the exploding chicken.

All monsters, no dwarfs.........

2008-06-09T13:28:00.005-04:00

The setting is a suburban primary school, the stage has been set and the lights are lowered. The audience of parents are much like those in many other school districts, patiently awaiting their chance to see their child perform in the school play. This year, they are waiting to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but they probably should have just ordered a Woody Allen film from Blockbuster. This particular presentation has been altered ever so slightly.... okay, it's been changed in a major way. There are no dwarfs, no wicked witch, no chorus of "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go." The entire cast is composed of 25 Snow Whites.

The children at this primary school in Japan are the offspring of a new generation there aptly dubbed "Monster Parents." They had bullied, heckeled, nuisance phone called the school until the teachers gave in and admitted to the "injustice" of selecting just one girl to play Snow White. Teachers across Japan have been reporting similar changes in the character of parents, after years and decades of respectful silence, they have become what is described as an army of super-aggressive complainers.

Japan's media has chosen to demonise them and shows the monster parents as a symptom of a society that has lost all respect for it's decorum and traditions. The parents believe they are champions of basic consumer rights but either way, few deny that parents there have switched from supporting the rigid education system to attacking it. Previously, parents apologised to a teacher when their child was in trouble, today they try to get them fired for anything that may be seen as a disadvantage to their child.

Dozens of educators have been forced to resign when faced with the fury of parents there now. Yoshih Morotomi, of Meiji University, has written a new book that lists hundreds of incidents from parents secretly placing cameras in their child's classroom to them demanding that sports results be changed to reflect their wishes, not the actual results.

"The monsters are created in family restaurants and coffee shops - places where the mothers meet each other to talk and relax. Simple chats spiral into emergency meetings." stated Morotomi.

Professor Morotomi goes on to describe what he feels is the worst category of monster parent currently in Japan, a group he calls the "teacher hunters." Those are parents who conspire in small groups and may even use the tactics of physically mobbing their victim near the school grounds and screaming abuse until a letter of resignation is signed on the spot. He believes that what were once small complaints by parents have now spiraled into more emotional and radical methods by the parents to get what they feel is best for their children.

This sudden switch many believe, is a symptom of deeper social troubles at the heart of Japan, troubles that began during Japan's long ecomomic downturn in the 1990's and are only now begining to surface. Unfortunately, this isn't a new behavior for parents in the United States it seems as more incidents of parents bullying teachers and school systems are reported.

In 2001, Christine Pelton, a Piper High School teacher in Kansas, decided to flunk 28 of her students for plagiarizing their biology project. She had noticed almost identical material in their papers. At least three patents then complained to the school board and demanded that the grades be changed but few felt that the fact that their child had been caught cheating was a large issue. The school board gave into pressure and changed the failing grades to give them partial credit for the project.

"It's not going to benefit the kids to go back and change their grades," stated Pelton.

After the school board meeting that reversed the grades and then upheld the decision, Pelton stated that she felt that they had undermined her as a teacher. She added that it was too late to restore the grades that had been left as failed until a final decision was made. Pelton had resigned from her teaching position there, rather than change the students grades to suit the board and the parents. Principal Mike Adams, who supported Pelton in her decision to fail the students, planned to leave the school after the academic year as well.

At Bardswell High School in Kentucky in 2001, 118 seniors were caught copying and pasting copying and pasting from the internet, sometimes including entire stories. The punishment was to write one essay on the evils of plagiarism. No members of the National Honors Society had their memberships pulled and one of those caught cheating remained the class valedictorian. Teachers throughout the United States report that even when they catch students cheating, they and their parents don't think it is a big deal.

"It's naive to think that once a student has a high school diploma or a Harvard diploma that all of a sudden they become an ethical person. Where that leads you to is a very ugly society in the future," stated John Barrie, a Berkeley biophysic's graduate.

It would almost seem that the United States has managed to export the idea that we are a very privilaged society and that no child should have to face "damage" of failure or being left out. What they do face though, is the loss of the opportunity of actual achievement it would seem, of succeeding on their own two feet.

Photo is of Christine Pelton

A tipping point?

2008-06-07T14:54:00.009-04:00

"Tell the truth and then they have an easier time adjusting to it. The city is out of control. There is no law. There is no consequence for people's actions. The whole attitude of ' Me first and to heck with my neighbor' has become the status quo here, and it is a serious problem," stated J Stan McCauley.

McCauley, a former mayoral candidate and cable access television personality, compared Hartford CT to an alcoholic, whose first step toward recovery should be to acknowledge a problem. That acknowledgement by Hartford Police Chief Daryl Robert's and his public declaration that Hartford has become toxic in it's level of incivility has sparked anger, questions and introspection among many in the state. Both leaders and resident now wonder if the capital city has reached a tipping point with the events of the past week.

On Friday afternoon, May 30 2008, the hit-and-run accident that left Angel Arce Torres, 78 paralized and lying in the middle of Park St, was caught on tape and was in full view of both passing motorists and onlookers. On Monday, a savage beating and robbery left the former Deputy Mayor Nicholas Carbone in the hospital with severe head injuries and facing the possibility of surgery. Two days later, on Wednesday, police discovered the badly decomposed body of a man in the basement of a recently foreclosed home.

Roberts reacted to those recent incidents with anger on Wednesday, saying the acts were inhumane, that the city had lost it's moral compass and had a toxic relationship with ourselves. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez held a press conference on Thursday, in what he called a show of solidarity and called on the help of citizens to help solve the crimes in the past week. The critics of Perez have accused him of concentrating on selling the city and it's dropping crime rate and not focusing on owning up to it's real problems.

Angel Arce, Torres' son attended that conference and stated that he has refused to watch the video of his father being hit. He did ask for justice for his father though. Roberts has stated that he doesn't believe that anyone called 911 after the accident but Perez countered with a statement that said that he believed that within a minute of the accident, there were four calls to 911. Those calls according to him were for an ambulences, described the cars involved and where they were heading.

Perez went on to say that he felt Robert's had reacted to the graphic images of the video and he felt that the resident's of the city have morals and a resevoir of goodwill. Robert's didn't speak at that conference but did answer a reporters question about his earlier statements by backing off of them. stating that he had been very angry the day before.

Many however feel that Robert's comment on Wednesday were the first candid ones about the situation in Hartford in camparison to what they feel was Perez's sugar coating initial response. Steve Harris, a neighborhood leader in the North End and a former councilman stated that he first felt angry that "we have become so uncaring and desenitized that we allow this stuff to go on." Harris goes on to state that he has confidence in Robert's who grew up in the city but he added that Hartford has many quality of life issues that need to be dealt with. He felt that Perez spends too much time trying to convince people that it is safe to eat and play in the downtown area and little time listening to the average citizen in Hartford.

"I think government provides infrastructure for maintaining law and order but government doesn't make people behave properly. The only way we can make that happen is if people make that their standard," stated Robert Painter.

Painter, a former Republican city councilman, stated that he felt Robert's had hit the issue right on the head. He did agree that no one wants to hear "spin" from city hall that crime is down, rather they want their politicians to respond in a way that is realistic. Painter went on to state that he felt that the problem wasn't in a breakdown of goverment but in a breakdown of family and community.

For those who commute into the city of Hartford to work, there seems to be a wall around the downtown area that isolates them from the rest of the city and it's problems. Most who had been interviewed there on Thursday stated that they rarely linger there after work is out. Some felt that maybe the youth today were becoming desensitized to the "gore factor" and as a result, aren't sensitive when it happens to real people. Many of those interviewed did add that they only become concerned about the level of violence in the city when it comes into the downtown area where they work.

The city of Hartford hadn't even recovered from the shock of watching the video of Torres being run down on Park St when news came that former Deputy Mayor Nick Carbone had been brutally attacked while on his routine walk to breakfast in the city's Frog Hollow. Carbone, 71, of Park Place in Hartford apparently struck right between the eyes by his attackers on Monday while walking in the section of the city he had helped to revitalize in the 1980's and which has long been his home.

Carbone was found bloody and bruised at about 9:15 am Monday on a stone path that is used as a short cut from Laural St to Capital Ave and his wallet had been stolen. Because of the injuries to his face, doctors suspect that his attacker or attackers may have kicked him in the forehead. He is in stable condition and they are waiting on the report from the neurosurgeon as to whether he will need brain surgery but they do expect that he will have reconstructive facial surgery.

Carbone's son Michael described his father, a cancer survivor, as a man who refused to move from the city he loved. Carbone grew up in the South End and joined the city council in 1969 and was elected majority leader in 1971. While in city hall serving a decade as the deputy mayor, he spearheaded construction of roads, schools, garages and a police station. Under his leadership, the city filed lawsuits and administration challenges to utility increases, discriminatory sububan housing practices and the state property tax system.

Carbone has never left politics in the city, still serving on the city's Democratic town committee and he has long been involved in a federal court dispute between city officials and citizens who have complained about police brutality.

"He was proud of his city. He was never scared. It was 9:15 am, not three o'clock in the morning. We've passed the threshold. It has reached a level of lawlessness. We need to do something. I don't think city hall or the police department understands the nature of violence in this city. We're in bad shape," stated community activist Carmen Rodriguez.

Marilyn Rossetti, who served on the city council and now runs Hartford Areas Rally Together stated that she takes two messages from Carbone's assault: First, violent crime doesn't only happen at night and second, no one is immune from random acts of violence. The police are still searching for the two vehicles involved in Torres' hit-and-run and and an unknown number of suspects in the beating of Carbone. They have asked for the help of the community in solving these cases, the same public who seemed to not care when they happened.

Sadly, it seems to be true of both incidents in Hartford................... no one is immune from random acts of violence, though one can work to make sure that a victim isn't left to lie in the road like a piece of garbage anymore. Hartford CT is no different than many cities across the United States, we may well have become a society of "me first and to hell with helping my neighbor in trouble."

For the video, go here.

Photos include, map of the accident scene, stills from the video and photo of Nick Carbone.

pieces uncovered, pieces in place..........

2008-06-05T12:24:00.004-04:00

The investigation into the Greystone crash that claimed 5 young men's lives is still continuing and more has been revealed. On Wednesday, June 4 2008, the FHP released an 88 page report in relation to the accident.

They noted that the BMW was traveling at 120 mph when it hit the trees at the end of the 7,550 foot runway. Their conclusion was that Ammirato was traveling well in excess of that speed before he hit the brakes and left 219 feet of skid marks on the runway and grass before going airborne 166 feet to impact with the stand of trees. A car traveling 155 mph will travel the length of football field in almost the blink of an eye and even at 120 mph, it took less that two seconds from the time Ammirato hit the brakes until the car hit the tree.

The report goes on to state that they believe that Ammirato, unfamiliar with the runway, basically overdrove his headlights at that speed. They also state that tests showed that only one passenger, Natalie Thayer's boyfriend, Isaac Rubin, 20, had alcohol in their system. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.103 and the legal limit is 0.08. The FHP is confident that Ammirato had not drank that night but they did add that the other young men could have drank earlier in the evening.

Other points that are noted in their report is their confidence that there was no second car at the runway that night, even though there had been reports that there was. They stated that they based that on a lack of any evidence found proving there was a second vehicle. Their investigation also found that some of the young adults at an earlier party had decided to move their group to the party to Jumbolair. About 15 people gathered at the pool house there to drink and play cards and the FHP found that they had all been given the gate code to get to the pool house. The investigation found though, that all but the five young men left around 3 am and they also noted that they have a video shot by a surveillance camera of the BMW racing down the runway. That video shows only headlights racing by and ends before the car began braking and crashed.

Two arrests have also been made in connection with the crash that night. On Tuesday, Jolane McAlister, 43, was charged with six misdemeanors in connection with providing alcohol to underage drinkers, most between the ages of 16 and 20, at two January keg parties. One of those parties was held hours before the crash and when that party wound down, the 15 moved to the pool house to continue.

The report details the alleged keg party which was held at her Tara Stables farm in the Cherokee River subdivision. Numerous witness reports state that McAlister was seen several times at the party before at least three kegs ran dry by 12:30 am, approximately three hours before the crash. One witness, Christopher C Whitehurst stated that he arrived at the keg party to find about 300 kids and 4-5 kegs of beer there and Colin Brennan's mom ( McAlister), handing out plastic cups.

The second arrest came late day on Wednesday, when Natalie Thayer, 20, was arrested and charged with providing false statements to law enforcement. Natalie had told the FHP that she was asleep in the hours leading up to the January crash but the investigators had found out differently. Natalie had held the after keg party gathering at her family's Jumbolair Aviation Estates pool house and then lied about her whereabouts.

Several witnesses reported that Thayer was at the pool house, which is near her apartment at Jumbolair, which her parents, Jeremy and Terri Thayer own, in the hours before the crash. It is believed that Thayer was the one who gave the access code to the gate to the pool house partiers. Thayer had told authorities through her lawyer, that she would turn herself in on Tuesday but she didn't and by Wednesday morning, she was considered a fugitive. She did finally show up by noon on Wednesday and was booked on the misdemeanor charge that is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. She left jail about two hours later, escorted by her lawyer, Bill Ramputi and a private investigator, Jamie Sheppard. She covered her face when she left and stated, finally, that she had no comment.

Assistant State Attorney Rick Ridgway stated that it is possible that there will be more arrests, but he wouldn't say whether they are definate. He did add that the mostly likely person, if anyone, to have been charged with direct criminal responsibility for it, would be the driver who died along with his four friends.

While both of the women charged may not have directly involved with the crash, what they did shouldn't be viewed as "nothing" either. McAlister is alleged to have allowed more than a few teens to share a couple six-packs at her house, the witness reports state that there were kegs of beer and several hundred underage drinkers on her property

Thayer did more than lie to the police about being asleep during those hours, she allegedly gave out the code so that the young people, including the five who died later, could enter the gated community. To add to her record of telling the truth, it seems that she still has difficulty with it........ first telling the police when she would turn herself in on Tuesday and then, not sticking to that truth. I do believe that there will be more pieces of the crash puzzle to be revealed in the future, but we may never know why Ammirato chose to race down that runway with four of his friends in the car.

For earlier posts, go here and here.

photos are of Thayer leaving jail and McAlister's booking photo.

2008-06-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

What I thought would be a brief break from writing, evidently became much more than brief as life and the weeks rolled by. I have returned to see what havoc is left to create........

Dancing too close?

2008-03-18T00:53:00.002-04:00

Stephen Chang, a New York City NY securities trader, evidently was enjoying a night away from his wife at the Hot Lap Dance Club when he suffered an injury. He has now filed suit because of that injury at the club near Madison Square Garden in Manhattan's Supreme Court.

A man who identified himself as the club manager stated that he was unaware of the accident or the lawsuit and the club's lawyer, Stephen Ateshoglou, didn't return a call for comment. Chang though, stated that he was injured by one of the dancers in the club while she was giving him a lap dance.

Before you bust out laughing when you imagine what his injury could be, please be advised that it isn't ...... that. He claims that when the stripper was giving him a paid lap dance, she swiveled and smacked him in the face with one of her heels. The heel of her shoe hit him in the eye and caused him serious injuries at approximately 1 am on November 2 2007.

The club describes itself on it's own Web site as the "Playboy Mansion of Manhattan party lofts" and is located at 38th and Nineth Ave. The cost of admission is a "paltry" $50 plus a $10 one-time newcomers fee. They also list the cost of lap dances as being around $40 but it isn't clear what type of dance Chang had purchased. What could be telling is the description of it's dancers on the site...... they are described as being hand picked and have killer bodies and are 18 to 29 years old.

One has to wonder though.... what exactly was the dancer doing that involved both Mr. Cang's lap and his eye and will Mrs. Chang also have to sue for any loss of life because of her husband's injuries.

Cute as a button.....

2008-03-16T20:25:00.004-04:00

The sound of you firing up the 3-cylinder, 70 horsepower engine won't cause anyone to jerk their head around to stare at a driver. It's ever so cute look though, seems to cause both pedestrians and drivers to give it a second look or at the very least, right of way most times.

The "SmartforTwo" car has entered the "elite" gang of miniature cars now being offered in an attempt to save gas. One recent review of it's ride though left me wondering what were they thinking when they developed this teeny weeny shoebox of a car.

It seems that when the car is driven in automatic, it can't decide what gear it really wants to stay in but it does manage to tell you which one it has chosen with a very noticable jerk. The driver can choose to use a clutchless manual mode with paddle shifts on the steering wheel to convince the car of which gear you wish, though somehow, I can't really see why paddle shift technology would be a good choice for 3 cylinders. The driver reported that he usually left it in second gear for a tiny bit more power even though the engine screamed it's protest.

The other major issue mentioned was the less than comfortable ride it offered, though it was roomy enough to make you forget that you were driving a shoebox. Every bump, crack and pothole is more than announced to anyone inside and you either take to swerving your way along the road or settle for "bump, ow, bump, ow" for your whole trip.

There are some advantages to the "Smart" car such as it's ability to squeeze into small holes in traffic and for parking curbside. No one will take it seriously if you think you can try and drive it aggressively in traffic but around town, it gets quite a lot of goodwill. There is even a convertible model, to give you a breath of fresh air while driving your tuna can.

One can choose to save money, ease congestion in the world and save on fuel usage with the "Smart" car or one could always just take to driving one of those tiny cars in the circus as well. The "Smart" car is priced at $16,000, far more than the Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris and isn't anywhere as well built as those two entries in the tiny sardine car class.

For a related post, go here.

What a fine mess Yogi

2008-03-15T00:07:00.001-04:00

"It attacked the beehives again," stated Zoran Kiseloski.

That attack in Bitola, Macedonia came after the generator failed for Kiseloski and he filed a complaint with the courts there. He evidently was running lights and was playing Serbian turbo-folk music loudly in hopes of thwarting the attacks.

Kiseloski's generator ran out of power and the music stopped though and that is when he stated, his beehives were attacked again....... by a bear. Easy to add up really, beehives + honey + bear equals a loss of income for the beekeeper. what isn't so easy to understand is that the courts brought the bear up on the theft charges.

Zoran Kiseloski told the court how he attempted to prevent the bear from attacking his hives to steal the honey and how he had failed. More difficult to even understand is that the court found the un-named bear guilty of the honey thefts. They also determined that the bear had no owner and it is a protected species, so they ordered the state to pay 140,000 denars ( USD 3,545 ) for the damage to Kiseloski's hives.

It seems that the bear may also be unaware of his guilt, since it was excused from appearing in court and at last report, it's location is unknown. I do understand the need to have the funds to repair the hives but to bring an unknown bear into court to face the music for what comes naturally..... it's probably a good that Yogi and Boo Boo don't live there.

Contraband?

2008-03-14T00:21:00.003-04:00

For years we have been fighting a war on drugs, trying to keep our children from the lure of gangs and the dangers of the streets. Now I see that there is even more proof that we may not be doing enough to keep them from the dangers that lurk in darkened hallways in their schools.

Michael Sheridan, an honors student in New Haven CT has been stripped of his title of class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended from school after his violation of school policy. It seems that he had been caught buying contraband from a fellow student, something parents may fear their children may be enticed to do in some situations.

School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo stated that his purchase violated a 2003 ban set in place within the New Haven school system as part of a districtwide school wellness policy. Sheridan though didn't get caught purchasing drugs, steroids or even stolen property....... he was caught buying a package of Skittles candy on February 26 2008, from another student. The New Haven schools it seems, have banned candy sales as part of wellness policy.

The eighth grader Sheridan stated that he hadn't realized that his buying the candy was against school policy but he noted that the student selling it was a bit "secretive" in offering it up for sale to him. Sheridan has had his suspension reduced from three days to one day and in what may be a response to public knowledge of his case, he will be reinstated as class vice president and his record will be expunged of the suspension. The "candy dealing" fellow student will also have their record expunged of their suspension.

I understand the need for rules and penalties for violating them but in comparison to the crimes that take place in and around our nation's schools....... three days suspension for a bag of candy? That almost makes me afraid to ask what the penalty there would be for something serious.

Now that's warm

2008-03-13T23:52:00.001-04:00

It may have been the call of nature or the outside temperatures on Feb 27 2008 that led a Yorktown NY man to order coffee as he did. John Greco, 46, of Croton-on-Hudson, used the drive-through lane at a local Dunkin Donuts shop that day and an employee there saw more than they wanted to.

Police state that they aren't sure how he took his coffee that day but they do know that he didn't have his pants on when he took his order from the window. The worker there saw Greco's exposed genitals and made a note of the make of his car and his license number for police.

Greco is now charged with misdemeanor public lewdness after his arrest last week and he is due in court on March 27. Greco stated by telephone that he had no comment about the police report.

I am only going to take a guess here but the temps in late Feb in NY would have to be somewhere around the range that he certainly would have noticed that he had run out of the house pantless accidently. Of course, that may be why he needed a coffee to warm up a certain area of his anatomy.

Pretty in pink......

2008-03-12T00:51:00.003-04:00

"Cici will be pink until they kick us out of the city of Boulder," stated Joy Douglas.

The officials at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley CO, issued Joy Douglas, owner of the Zing Salon, a ticket on March 1 2008 for violating Section 6-1-14 of Boulder's city code. She is now facing a $1,000 fine for dying her miniature poodle Cici, pink.

That code titled "Dyeing fowl and rabbits" is the center of her court battle now, since she claims that she didn't break that law. She colored her dog with beet juice and occasionally used Kool-Aid and therefore, only stained her dog. She stated that she has done this to raise awareness for breast cancer and makes for a good opportunity to talk to people about it.

Douglas has had her day in court postponed now that she has hired an attorney to help her fight the charge. She had brought Cici to court with her but was forced to leave her outside the Boulder County Justice Center. Douglas has a new court date of April 7 and she plans to take her fight to the end since she believes that her staining has done nothing to harm or abuse her pet.

With all the abuses being heaped on abandoned pets and involving dog fighting out there.... I would think that the Humane Society can find better uses for it's money than fighting pink poodles.

We won't pay!

2008-03-10T00:25:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a small revolt forming in Rockville MD these days. In at least eight months of 2007, motorists haven't been paying the $40 speeding tickets that are due from being caught on camera speeding.

The motorists who haven't bothered to pay their tickets are police officers who were clocked going more than 10 mph over the speed limit. Supervisors have dismissed 76 of the 224 tickets issued to officers after it was determined that those officers were responding to calls or had valid reasons for speeding.

With a bit of simple math though, that leaves 148 who didn't have an excuse and two thirds of those haven't been paid yet. The police union claims that the owner of the vehicles should be paying the ticket and that would be the county. I wonder why they think that the officers should be allowed to use that excuse when I am sure that owners of civilian vehicles probably have already unsuccessfully tried that path in court to escape a ticket they didn't incur.

Police Chief Thomas Manger has stated that he doesn't buy that argument and that officers aren't above the law. It's nice to hear someone take that stand but Manger added, those officers who continue to not pay "might" be disciplined. They might be disciplined? I would expect that they should face the same penelties that any other driver faces for not paying their fines because they aren't above the law.... they should be an example of following the law if they think they are going to arrest civilians for the same crimes.

Two posts that aim for my funnybone.....

2008-03-10T00:19:00.003-04:00

A thank you to Mike at the Lamplighter for digging up a few posts that travel the same path as my choices at times.......... kind of makes me wonder what the world would do without these people.

Check out these posts, here and here.

Which way to Vegas?

2008-02-28T22:47:00.001-05:00

Some of the residents of The Legends community in Middletown NJ may very well be asking that question now. The Middletown police arrested three people after a stakeout and raid recently at a home on Little Circle.

The police surveillance operation began there after they had received several complaints about various parking violations in the area of the home. What they discovered was that the parking situation was the tip of the iceberg. The home was hosting illegal poker games and sports betting.

This evidently wasn't the ordinary beer and chips friendly weekly game either. Police state that on occasion, there were barmaids serving booze and topless dealers at these games. They added that they seized gaming tables, computers, a list of players and a credit card machine.

William "Shane" Anderson, his wife Laurie and Matthew Balotin were all charged with advanced gambling, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child. It seems though that their "patrons" will have to manage to get there thrills in another town and hope that they can get that friendly, down-home service from topless dealers elsewhere.

O J should be proud......

2008-02-27T22:52:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, Stephen Ray Castor, 53, made his first appearance in Vancouver WA and he is set to appear again, this Friday. The question looming before the court though, is what constitutes a motor vehicle?

"I thought, 'This did not just happen!' " stated Jason Taylor.

Casotr of 818 W 24th St, began the day's events by allegedly cursing out Jason Taylor and the proceeded to drive through his fence and smashed a window of his house with a lawn chair. He then rode across West Fourth Plain Boulevard and then kept going south on Harney St.

This led to the kind of police chase that would make O J Simpson look like a speed demon. At 5 pm that evening, Castor led the police on a 3 mph chase while he tried to escape on his riding lawnmower. On Harney St, Officer Hibbard stopped his police car, jumped out and ordered Castor to stop. Castor though contined on towards the officer who managed to sdiestep the mower at the last moment and several other officers managed to grab Castor and pull him off the mower.

Castor is now being held on a $40,000 bail and may be charged with third degree assault and criminal mischief. They are also investigating if he will be charged with DUI, though this depends on whether Washington state law, RCW 46, would cover operating a lawnmower while under the influence... as driving drunk.

That certainly would be something of a "rep" to brag about in jail... dragged from his mower by several officers while "driving drunk." For his first court appearance, Castor again was at the wheel. This time though, he was in a wheelchair.

A parent's example.....

2008-02-26T00:35:00.002-05:00

"I'm not totally happy with the outcome. It was a bit of a slap on the wrist," stated Stephen Wines.

Anthony and Donna Alvino paid their $4,600 in fines and court costs Monday after they pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges. They were spared jail time under an agreement with the Cattaraugus County District Attorney's Office and the felony charges against them were dropped.

The Alvino's son was sentenced to 36 months in jail in January for striking Wines daughter, 19 in Storrs CT and then driving off. She died two days later. The Alvinos admitted that three days after the Jan 2007 accident, they drove from their Lindenhurst home to St Bonaventure University to retrieve the SUV driven by their son. They each pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and attempting to tamper with evidence.

The "bit of a wrist slap" includes the fact that they didn't have to admit to allegations that they encouraged their son and his passengers to cover up the accident or that they had considered having the SUV repaired to cover up the damage to it. Raymond Perini, the Alvinos attorney, stated that the punishment was appropriate. He added that there were two days of indecision but that they sat down, got counsel and then did everything right.

I find that difficult to believe, since it was weeks after the accident when they finally made the state police in Connecticut aware that they had possession of the vehicle involved and still later before they turned over their son. It was more than an allegation that they encouraged their son and his friends to be quiet..... four young people shut their mouths for weeks as to what had happened that night.

This was not a pair of parents who agonized for a couple of days as to how best to helptheir son, these are two parents who went to great length to try and help their son to evade responsibility and dragged his witnessing friends into that plan. The Wines family has lost a child forever and their son received a fairly light sentence... now his parents skip going to jail and collect $200 it seems. The only one left with charges pending is their son's former girlfriend, Michelle Hall. Sadly, in light of the sentences given out already, I think she also will get not too severe a slap on the wrist as well.

For an earlier post, go here.

Rock, paper, scissors?

2008-02-25T00:55:00.000-05:00

For the second time in several months, the Subway restaurant on Boulevard in West Hartford CT was robbed. The suspect was described as a tall, thin male in his early 20's.

He robbed the restaurant on December 30 2007 in the evening and the employee gave him the money after they were threatened with a weapon. This latest robbery involved a similar threat and weapon. It seems that this young man only implied that he had a gun....... he did use a visable rock though. The employee in Dec was threatened with a rock as well.

No mention was made as to how large this rock was and whether it had really sharp or dangerous edges to it. It does possibly mean that this young man hasn't managed to save enough money for even a fake gun.

I do wonder though....... if they were different rocks used in both robberies and he tossed them aside after running from the store....... how exactly will the police find and determine which rock was the weapon used?

Ridiculous revisited

2008-02-24T01:54:00.002-05:00

"It's a ridiculous number. I had to come up with a number that was significant enough that might force them to pay attention to me," stated Raelyn Campbell.

Raelyn Campbell, 37, filed her lawsuit Nov 16 2007 in Washington Superior Court against Best Buy Co. Campbell, a Washington D C resident claims that the Richfield-based company failed to immediately notify her of the posibility of identity theft and she also wants to ensure customer privacy protection in the future. She claims that Best Buy lost her laptop computer while it was in for repairs and then tried to cover up the disappearance.

What makes up the majority of the ridiculous number she is sueing for is based on what she claims are the cost of her computer, expenses for identity theft protection and punitive damages. A Best Buy spokesman stated that the company had already given Campbell $1,110.35 for the cost of the laptop and warrenty along with a $500 gift card.

Campbell acknowledges that sometime in October, the $1,110.35 credit appeared on her credit card and she didn't know why it had but kept it to pay her expenses. She added that she tried to return the giftcard and when that failed, she donated it.

This all began when Campbell brought her one year old laptop in to have a power switch worked on. The $1,000 14-inch computer was about a year old and she claims that it was "stolen" while in their care sometime after May 25 but she wasn't informed of that until Aug 9 2007. She posted in her blog that Best Buy had upped it's offer to $2,500 with nondisclosure and non-liability provisions. It would seem that Best Buy, even though they lost her computer, had tried to offer a reasonable amount of money to cover her expenses.

Evidently, Campbell has taken a few notes from Roy Pearson in D C, since she is now sueing for $54 million. It's those darn punitive damages in Washington that just seem to add up so quickly. Maybe she could look into hiring Pearson for her lawsuit, since his lawsuit has failed miserably and he doesn't have a job or his $54 million pants from the dry cleaners yet.

For related posts, go here and here.

Houston, the "Fins" have landed......

2008-02-23T00:15:00.001-05:00

"They were very happy, I think they want to have another flight," stated Professor Reinhard Hilbig.

On Thursday, it wasn't the "Fins" that took to flight but a small group of Germans from a launch pad in northern Sweden. German researchers sent them on a ten minute rocket ride to study the effects of weightlessness on the group of seventy-two during that short flight.

Hilbig stated that the German team hoped the experiment could explain why some people experience motion sickness and others do not in similar situations. To find that answer, the thumbnail-sized cichlids were chosen for the space flight. He added that the mechanisms for motion sickness are similar in fish and humans.

The cichlids were filmed as they swam around weightless in small aquariums during the unmanned space flight. The researchers will now study that film to find if any of the fish swam around in circles during the flight, since that is what they do when they experience motion sickness.

The fish all landed safely and appear to be in good health. Cichlids were chosen since they believed that they would have the best chance to survive the stress of the space flight. Goldfish it was explained, are a bit too messy and fat to have been good candidates for the short mission in space.

I am not sure though.... would the messy part come from their collision with the sides of the tanks from G-forces and has it been proven that they circle from the motion sickness or from their search for a fish sized barf bag?

Whew, Mickey!

2008-02-22T16:48:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, U S District Judge Gregory A Presnell dismissed a suit that had been filed against Walt Disney World in 2007. That lawsuit was aimed at forcing the company to allow disabled guests to use two-wheeled Segways in it's theme parks.

"We asked for dismissal and the court agreed it was appropriate. We provide a variey of accomodations to guests with disabilities, which allow them to fully enjoy our theme parks," stated Disney World Acting Vice President Jacquee Polak.

Judge Presnell dismissed the suit from the U S District Court for the Middle District of Florida after he agreed with Walt Disney World's contention that none of the three who had brought the suit had shown any intention of visiting the parks in the near future. The two men from Illinois and a woman from Iowa had contended that Walt Disney World violated the had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by forbidding the use of Segways within the park.

The three had been seeking to gain a class-action status with their suit which could have potentially opened the suit up to thousands of Segway users nationwide. Disney on the other hand, had claimed that they offer adequate accomodations for the disabled and they had no way of determining if users of the Segways had been trained properly in their use in large crowds. They had stated that they had serious concerns as to the safety of their other guests in the park from Segways being used in the often large crowds.

While this may settle the immediate concerns raised by the lawsuit that had been filed, I am sure that it may be revisited in the future if the use of Segways by disabled persons were to increase. Disney has valid concerns and they as well as SeaWorld Orlando will continue to ban the use of them in their parks for now.

For an earlier post, go here.

It wasn't worth the money

2008-02-21T02:07:00.001-05:00

In June of 2007, Charles Chambers, 33, was arrested on drug charges and had $2,000 seized from him by the police. He recently decided to return to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office in Anderson SC to see if they would return the money to him.

Chambers evidently felt that demanding the return of his money would work but the deputies felt differently then. They told him to leave the office on Tuesday and while he left, an officer noticed that the car he got into, matched the description of a stolen car. That car had been stolen only three hours earlier and when another officer pulled him over and stop the car, he noticed that Chambers had to use a screwdriver to shut off the engine.

It seems that the ignition key switch had been removed and Chambers was using the "universal" key to drive it. To add to his predicament of driving a stolen car......He was charged with driving under suspension, a tag violation and possession of a stolen vehicle.

It would seem that Chambers will need more than his seized $2,000 now to help pay for his stupidity.

Move it, or it's towed

2008-02-20T02:22:00.003-05:00

"I pulled one blanket and that's when I saw my daughter's leg. I saw her leg and her toes," stated Tracy Ponce.

Relatives of Eileen Orta, 22, of Pomona CA had reported her missing several days before and the police had a missing person's report, complete with a description of her vehicle. On Friday, they were called to come remove her minivan from a parking space where it was illegally parked.

That minivan had been discovered parked in a spot reserved for a police official at the Pomona Superior Court and her reletives were informed that if they didn't come down and remove the van, it would be towed and impounded. Tracy Ponce stated that she moved one of the blankets that were piled in the van and that was when she saw her daughter's leg. In fact, her daughter was dead and hidden under the blankets.

The police stated that there was no way that they could have known that her body was in there according to Pomona Police Chief Joe Romeo. He added that they didn't have the authority search the vehicle or break windows to get into it.

Ponce though stated that the windows were rolled down in the minivan when they arrived at it and although the police may have had no authority to search an abandoned vehicle, they had a missing person's report that included that vehicle. She questioned why it wasn't searched because it should have been found that it belonged to a missing person. She added that she would like to know if her daughter may have been found alive if it had been searched when it was found.

Orta was pronouced dead at the scene and an autopsy revealed that she died from a stab wound to the neck. Police admit that in hindsight, they could have gone over the van better than was done.

Eileen Orta may have already been dead when her van was found but to think that her family was the one to find her after being told to come get her van..........that sounds like a bit more than just an oversight.

A little out there

2008-02-19T01:43:00.001-05:00

A 35 year-old Fontana CA man was a robbery victim at around 9:15 pm Sunday night. He did escape with his wallet and money but lost what may have been dinner for the evening.

The man had just purchased $20 worth of tacos from a stand at the corner of San Bernadino and Fontana avenues and was riding his bicycle home with them when the robber sneaked up on him. Fontana police Sgt Jeff Decker stated that the robber approached the man saying 'Give me your tacos', grabbed the bag of them, punched the man in the face and began to run away.

The victim, who was on Hawthorne Ave, east of Catawba Ave when it occured, demanded his bag of tacos back from the robber. The suspect then pointed what appeared to be a black handgun at the victim. Only about five feet seperated the victim and the suspect when he threatened to kill him and took off running with the tacos.

The suspect is described as 25-30 years old, white, 5 feet- ten inches tall and 190 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt at the time of the robbery. Decker stated that it is more common to have a pizza delivery person to be robbed of food and/or money. An armed robbery for tacos and nothing else is a little out there in the crime world.

One has to wonder though......... if they do catch the suspect, will he be able to enjoy tacos in jail while he is enjoying the room and board there in the near future?

That guy Bob.....

2008-02-18T01:10:00.000-05:00

They held a Valentine's Day recommitment service in Grove City OH at the Grove City Methodist Church. Sheila Smith had thought that she would serve only as the matron of honor for four of her friend's there.

It seems that even though she had wanted to participate, her husband Bob had to go away on business and that left only one half of the couple. With the help of her friend's though, Sheila was able to be one of the 19 couple's who recommited their relationships.

Her friends surprized her by bringing Blow-up Bob, a life-size inflatable doll. They dressed in a shirt, tie and dress pants and added the "sweet" touch of taping a headshot of the real Bob Smith to the doll's head. Sheila had to call her husband to tell him about his air-filled alter ego and between wiping tears, told her friends that Bob was laughing so hard at their effort that he was speechless.

Sometimes friends have a way it seems, of finding the one thing that will mean so much to someone they care about................ even if it isn't the most serious of gifts.

Axe me how......

2008-02-16T02:45:00.000-05:00

"I had to bang the glass four times with the ax before the it broke," stated Geraldine Palmer.

Geraldine "Gerry" Palmer, 90, of Durango CO, accidently got herself locked outside her own home recently. She had gone outside to rearrange some things that had gotten wet on her patio and the sliding glass door locked behind her. It would seem that the easy thing to do would be walk to the front of the house or a neighbor, but the snow had formed a 7 foot high pile and blocked her from getting to her yard.

Using what must be "old fashioned" common sense, instead of panicking, Palmer did what she could. She picked up an old axe she had once used to chop wood and broke into her own home. Palmer didn't give up after the first swing either..... as she stated, she had to hit the door four times before she broke the glass and could reach in to unlock the door.

In these days of what seems to be the attitude of calling for help with a cellphone, Gerry Palmer quietly saved herself with determination and using her brains.

Peek-a-boo..... what the .....?

2008-02-15T00:11:00.002-05:00

"I was in bed laying with my girl (and) I heard something rumbling underneath my bed. I thought it was my dog." stated Jeremy Lynn.

Jeremy stated that he did the next logical thing in his Greensboro NC home, he looked under the bed. He expected to see his dog looking back at him but instead, he saw eyes staring back at him that he didn't recognise. He added that he realized it was another man hiding under there and he proceeded to drag him out, sling him around, uppercut him and beat him.

Eventually the police were called and they arrested Donei Zabedra-Ilario, 20 and probably prevented him from receiving a more severe beating. Lynn stated that when he pulled Donei out from under his bed, his pants were undone the "whole nine yards."

Zabedra-Ilario told the police that this was the first time he had broken into a home, in hopes of seeing a woman naked but it wasn't the first time he had peeped. He has confessed to peeping into eight other homes in Greensboro and he is considered a suspect in a string of cases involving homes along Merritt Dr, Creek Ridge Rd and West Florida St. He is also suspected of spying on women in a Wal-Mart bathroom on Wendover Ave.

Jeremy Lynn ended his short career in the apartment along Pineland St, which according to police, was a good thing, since Donei had stated that he had planned on hiding there through the whole night. The police are in the process of notifying the other victims and they expect that more charges will be made against Donei.

One has to wonder though, with all the porn that is readily available......... what would make someone think that hiding in an apartment for a peek, was a bright thing? For a few dollars, he could have had one lap dance for him probably.

Fun on four wheels

2008-02-14T00:35:00.000-05:00

It seems that the fun that can be found while driving hasn't lessened any among drivers. Winter brings a whole new opportunity to explore what can be done with a vehicle.

On Monday, Feb 4 2008, drivers in Manchester took to off-road fun in the late hours. They began by driving through a four-foot embankment of snow and proceeeded out onto the public ice rink. It had to look pretty cool and feel awesome to be out there with a vehicle sliding around and doing donuts for everyone else to watch.

Unfortunately, the still unknown participants did so much damage to the very popular ice rink, that it has had to be closed for the season. Officials are hoping to have the financing in place to be able to repair it and have it ready for the public to enjoy ice skating on in 2009.

Lindsey Ann Robbins, 24, of Bristol found another way to enjoy a motor vehicle on Feb 7. She evidently really needed to take a late night drive and didn't want to let a small problem with what could be considered a non-essential piece of equipment stop her. It may also have been a touch of alcohol that led her to not notice the she was dragging a very noisey and sparking bumper behind her car.

East Hartford police managed to track her down and pull her over, possibly by following the brightly lit trail she was leaving down the roads. Robbins also failed the field sobriety test and was arrested.

It does seem that American's love of cars still is going strong, whether it be on the roads legally, or creatively.

Look Boris.... not just flying squirrel

2008-02-13T00:51:00.003-05:00

"They can fly and they can land. Just not very well," stated Howard Peterson.

Howard Peterson, the swing-shift Alaska State Trooper based in Girdwood was driving on the Seward Highway Feb 2 2008 when something big and black came falling from the sky. It landed about 20 feet from his car that night and he stated that all he could think of, was that it was a falling rock. He braced himself to steer clear of it if it bounced his way on the road.

When the rock didn't shatter or bounce though, his mind could only come up with one crazy image........ falling moose? The moose landed on the road only a few feet from his car and he estimates that it fell about 150 feet off the roadside cliff. Then he stated, he began to wonder...... had the moose jumped?

"How would you say it -- moose-icide? He probably thought he was the only moose, with all those sheep around," stated Peterson.

Most likely though is that something spooked the moose and it just misstepped. Wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott stated that moose don't usually jump but he does feel that it may have just slipped of stepped too close to the edge and the snow gave way under it. Sinnott has seen many and heard many ways that moose have found to die from falling through ice and off small banks, jumping off railroad bridges at the sound of a train and even has seen two bull moose who died while rutting because their antlers became hooked together with a strand of barbed wire. He doesn't believe that they jump off 150 foot high cliffs.

Peterson though thinks they may have to add a new sign to that stretch of highway.... "Caution - falling moose." The moose didn't die in vain though, Peterson snapped a few pictures of it and then contacted a group that salvages road kill so that it was donated to charity.

Evidently, Rocky has lost his partner Bullwinkle, all because he chose to not pull a rabbit out of a hat, but instead..... wanted to see what it was like to fly.

Lawn ranger: the finale

2008-02-11T00:51:00.000-05:00

"She ends up with a sentence that is very minimal and shouldn't intrude terribly on her day-to-day life. For the most part, it accomplishes what we set out to accomplish from the very beginning," stated prosecutor Andrew Peterson.

This past Friday, Betty Perry, 70, of Orem Utah, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and agreed to pay a $100 fine in order to resolve her pending case. She was set to trial on Monday on a more serious charge of resisting arrest but now faces sentencing that could be up to six months probation.

This all stemmed from her neglecting to water her yard last year. Prosecutor Peterson stated that they had been planning to drop the lawn neglect charge because she had begun to water her lawn as the town of Orem had demanded under their ordinances. He added that it was very important for the city to get a conviction for Perry's "dangerous and violent" actions when officer Jim Flygare had gone to arrest her last year.

She had refused to give her name to Flygare, accept the citation or allow herself to be handcuffed on her front steps. During the struggle to arrest her, Perry injured her nose, had rolled onto her stomach and put her hands under herself to avoid being handcuffed.

I still wonder.......... if this is the length that Orem Utah will go to arrest such a violent criminal, what exactly will they do if they are confronted with a criminal most anyone else would consider dangerous... such as an armed robbery suspect. Would they lockdown the town roads and call in the National Guard?

For my earlier post, go here.

Land of liberty?

2008-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

"We're going to be swabbing people we arrest," stated Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood.

The police in Daytona Beach FL believe they have a serial killer in their midst. In the past couple of years, four women have been murdered in similar circumstances. While their diligence in trying to solve the cases is more than appreciated by the general public, their newest plan to assist their search has come under fire.

In hopes of finding a suspect, the police in Daytona Beach and several other surrounding agencies will soon be asking men who have been arrested, for a DNA sample. They will be asking men who have been arrested for violent crimes, drunk driving and what few people realize...... any crime they can imagine. That woulsd include any arrest that allows the police to put handcuffs on a suspect from violent crimes to indecient exposure, trespassing, jay walking or littering.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood has stated that he is anxious to establish a strong DNA database within their department to help in solving crimes. This plan could aid in solving the four murders as well as future crimes and he feels asking suspects for a swab will rapidly expand their database.

Public Defender James Purdy has stated that regardless of whether arrested suspects give their permission for a DNA swab, the plan is outrageous. He feels that the stress brought on by an arrest can cloud a person's ability to distinguish between a requirement by law and a request by an officer.

Purdy stated that the perception by most people is that if they don't voluntarily give DNA or anything else an officer requests, they could be percieved as guilty. He added that the Legislature states that DNA can only only be collected for certain violent crimes.

"Your right to privacy is more important than the government's need to know," stated James Purdy.

It may sound like a good plan or even a needed plan in view of the unsolved murders of four women but where exactly will the Daytona Beach police draw the line? Some question how many arrests for minor offenses will be made in an effort to expand their database. Will this new plan allow and encourage the police to come knocking on the doors of "suspects" that their neighbors have called in tips about or will there be a sudden surge in jay walking tickets?

I have always believed that the U S was founded on basic freedoms and liberties....... this plan sounds like another dark extension of what used to be the methods of other countries. Many of these new restrictions being applied to us as citizens are being spoon-fed to us under the guise of "homeland security", such as a national driver's license, a need for a passport........ what next? Will we need special papers to travel between states? I agree with James Purdy.... we can't let a rush to solve criminal cases trample our liberites.

Of note, additional resource: "Arrested? Guilty or not, police want your DNA" by Lyda Longa @ news-journalonline

Time for a new outfit?

2008-02-09T00:16:00.000-05:00

"It's unsettling, and either he's going to get hit by a car or he's going to cause somebody to have an accident," stated Sheriff Mark Dion.

The Cumbrland County Sheriff's Department in Standish ME initially thought that it was a college prnak but the incidents have continued and may be escalating as well. On Sunday, a woman reported to the police that a man passed her while driving and cut her off before jumping out into the road. The woman got a good look at the man and provided police with enough information for a composite sketch.

He is described as being white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, is in his late 20's or early 30's, has a thin build, brown hair and a mustache. The police are also positive that it is a man who has been involved in all the described incidents of late. The first report came in April on Warren Rd in Standish and the latest one occured on River Rd in Standish. The police have a total of six similar reports of the man and are hoping that someone may recognise him from the composite picture, since they have all happened in a rather small area.

In all the reports, the man has pulled in front of female driver who are alone and he has jumped out in front of them. Many of the women have had to swerve to avoid the man and police fear that if it escalates, someone may be injured in an accident in the future. They are describing the man as a "person of interest" right now and state that he had been driving a black sedan and more recently, a red pickup truck, possibly a Toyota.

The man isn't your garden variety "thrill seeker" though. He apparently enjoys wearing black thigh-high stockings, a garter belt and camisole as well as black high heel boots. His choice of clothing isn't the issue in criminal terms, rather, it is his apparent need to leap out in front of women drivers that causes concern.

It may be that he has a need to try and scare the women or maybe he just feels the need for another woman's opinion of his outfit before going out on that next big date. Myself, I would suggest losing the mustache........ it may take away from whatever effect he is trying so hard to achieve.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 774 1444 ext 2112

One stop shopping

2008-02-07T01:36:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, January 17, John Tacinelli proved that trying to offer his customers "peace of mind" and save them the hassle of running around, wasn't the best of ideas. The 56 year-old Plainville resident and insurance agent had been combining two forms of "peace of mind" it seems.

Tacinelli was arrested after investigators found several bags of marijuana in his car. They soon discovered that not only was he selling the pot out of his home, but he had been selling it out of his insurance office as well. He has been charged with intent to sell, possession and various other charges.

I guess that I was buying my insurance from the wrong office all these years......... I could have been relaxing with the peace of mind that i was covered for any kind of accident and covered for the next time i wanted to just "chill."

To grandmother's house we go.....

2008-02-06T01:21:00.000-05:00

The Broward County Sheriff's Office conducted a raid recently in Oakland FL. They searched the home of Henrietta Corvin Daise, 62, and ended up arresting nine people.

The drug raid netted that officers, marijuana, $1,000 in cash, four grams of cocaine powder and and twenty crack cocaine rocks. They also discovered powder cocaine where they probably hadn't expected to......... stuffed down Henrietta's bra.

Daise evidently had the home that her grandchildren enjoyed hanging out at, since of the eight others arrested on Friday at or near her home, were her grandchildren. They face various charges including probation violations, marijuana possession and possessing and intent to sell cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church.

Henrietta herself is said to have posted a $7,500 bail on Saturday. I'm wondering though, was she planning to be home in time for entertaining the grandkids again this weekend?

...............120 mph

2008-02-05T00:01:00.003-05:00

While the investigation continues into the recent tragic crash in Ocala FL, the Florida Highway Patrol has released the first of it's reports on it. They stated that they are still interviewing dozens of people who may potentially have information in regards to the incident and added that the Dision of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco has been asked to aid in the investigation.

FHP spokesman Lt Mike Burroughs stated that the BMW that Joshua Ammirato, 18, was driving was traveling at a minimum of 120 mph when the driver hit the brakes. He braked for 2 to 3 seconds and the car veered sideways. The BMW rotated clockwise as it left the end of the paved runway, overturned and went airborne. It then sailed over an 85 foot dip towards trees that were 200 feet away.

The car first struck a wire fence and a tree the investigators reported. The right side of the BMW then struck a second tree, shearing the car in two and the rear section struck a third tree. The reports states that all four passengers and the driver were ejected and the vehicle's pieces and the victims came to rest in a vacant lot in the 1400 block of Northeast 95th Street.

The FHP is still awaiting the results of a toxicology report and while they had originally stated that only the driver would be tested for alcohol, they added now that they may test all four passengers. The report does state that they have found no evidence that there was another car on the runway at the time and they have ruled out racing as a factor.

Just as in the Bailey Goodman accident in 2007, this report states that both young men in the front seats had been wearing seatbelts but the three passengers in the rear had not. Burroughs did decline to comment on the rumor that there is a pre-crash videotape of the car on the runway.

James Hime, 54, of Orlando FL and the father of James Hime stated that the specifics of the crash don't concern him anymore. His only concern now is that the crash may convince other young drivers to slow down. Hime is represented by two Orlando lawyers who specialize in wrongful death cases and Hime added that he doesn't blame the driver, Joshua, he does blame the parent.

It will be weeks or months before all that can be investigated, has been completed but in the meantime, the loss of these five young men will be felt within the community. It would be nice if James Hime wish were to come true...... even if it saves one young driver, someone elses child from the fate of his son.

For my earlier post, go here. For the latest post, go here.

Update: Feb 13

The FHP continues to ask possible witnesses to the events preceeding the accident, to step forward. Several have in the past weeks and those leads are being followed up on in an effort to get a much more complete report of that night.

The Star-Banner has learned that Joshua Ammirato had planned in the hours before the accident, to join other BMW M5 drivers at an un-named airstrip in South Florida for a future high-speed run. He responded with the comment of being "in" for it in an online post to an M5 message board, after reading posts from other members planning it.

Witnesses have stated that they saw two sets of headlights on the runway that night as well, suggesting that others had witnessed the accident but left before the police arrived. George Borger stated that he had heard cars running up and down the runway and the noise had woken him up. He added that he had also saw them on the runway, two cars at least, going very fast on it. His statement is consistant with the statement of another anonymous witness who stated that they had seen two sets of headlights at the south end of the runway and skid marks in the grass at the southend afterwards.

Ron Zupanic, 46 and an employee of John Travolta, stated that he had seen the firetrucks responding at about 3:45 am Jan 26 and followed them down to the accident site. Later that morning he found the remains of what he believes was a party held that night. He states that he found alcoholic beverage bottles scattered around the Jumbolair's clubhouse/reception area and pool area and others thrown in the trash cans on the south end of the runway.

Two other people who had access to the pool are but wish to remain anonymous, stated that they also saw the bottles and one had taken pics of them bagged as evidence by the FHD and sent those pictures to the Star-Banner. Jeremy Thayer, one of Jumbolair's owners stated that he didn't know of any party held on the property and added that it has always been a hotbed of rumors. He added that he only knows that the five had gained access to the airstrip somehow. The FHP would make no comment as to whether they had in fact bagged bottles as evidence, citing their obligation to protect an ongoing investigation.

Don't worry, be happy......

2008-02-04T01:43:00.000-05:00

There seem to be some times when taking on the "island motto" could do more than give you a chuckle during the day. It might very well keep you from being arrested.

On January 24 2008, Waterbury resident Arthur Rivet Jr, 30, had a bit of difficulty on Interstate 84 in Hartford CT. He felt that a trucker sharing the road with him evidently slighted him in some significant way. Rivet reportedly wouldn't allow the truck to pass him and then slowed his vehicle down so that he could throw bottles at the trucker.

There are some who would think that Rivet could have just chosen to calm down, put on some soothing music and took a few hits off his favorite weed and it all would have just drifted on by him. Rivet himself may now think that it would have been a good choice as well, since it seems that he wouldn't have had to go too far for the pot.

Police found a half pound of marijuana in his car when they pulled him over after the incident. He has been charged with possession along with several other charges. And to think......... he could have just sat the day out in a purple haze and avioded all the drama.

Don't be a victim......

2008-02-03T01:46:00.000-05:00

"We don't want you to become a victim of your own device," it
stated.

Homework for some students at Kent University School of Architecture in southeast England became more than a bit uncomfortable recently. Their assignment was supposedly an attempt to sensitize them to the principals of ergonomics, the science of reducing fatigue and discomfort.

A copy of the assignment - entitled "Torture, was carried on the Website for The Architect's Journal. It showed a diagram of a Gestapo electric torture and invited the students to "look on the dark side of ergonomics." It went on to describe how the proposals have to be realizable in 2008 and not be something based in Sci-Fi imagination. They must also be built for the purpose, robust, well thought out and effective.

It added that they should try and use recycled materials and avoid using electicity, lest the builder face the risk of becoming a vicitm of their own creation. The assignment was written by Kent University tutor Mike Richards and only one former president, Paul Hyatt had commented on it so far. He stated that he was appalled by the topic that was assigned.

I am still trying to understand how creating a torture device, so long after the Medevial practitioners had invented some of the most creative and effective devices, teaches someone how to avoid discomfort. My submission might be a simple one........ the IRS tax forms......... pure torture to understand.

It was a drive-thru?

2008-02-02T00:34:00.000-05:00

Tanya Coccia recently discovered that driving near a beef farm in the Boston MA area can lead to strange things. The aftermath of her drive-thru encounter was even stranger though.

It seems that two of the cattle had wandered loose from the nearby farm and gotten onto the road. That is where Tanya and her 14 year-old daughter "encountered" them with her car.

"It was alive and kicking and trying to right itself," stated
Coccia.

When emergency crews arrived they found that they had to euthanize one of the cows but the second wasn't seriously injured. It had landed in the back seat of Coccia's car after it crashed through the rear window. To make the return to the farm a bit easier for all involved...... they towed her car, with the cow still in it, back to the farm.

I would guess then, that when they state, drive on up and get you quarter pounder, they don't usually mean the whole burger, on the hoof.

Just not right.....

2008-02-01T00:37:00.000-05:00

In Hamilton NJ, a civilian State Police employee has been accused of having a bad habit. That habit has led to his arrest on Wednesday of this week.

Wednesday morning, a custodian at the Grace St Paul Episcopal Church discovered one of the members doing a bit of after hours and misdirected worshiping. Evidently, Thomas G Findler had been sneaking into the church at night for the previous three weeks. The custodian chased him out of the church, stright into a nearby police officer.

Findler, who works in a local office for the state police was evidently sneaking into the church to view pornography on a nun's computer there. He has now been charged with theft and burglary after his late night "worship hours" have been discovered.

I can almost understand the need to view porn but come on......... on a nun's computer. It just seems so very wrong there.

Tarnished ring of blue

2008-01-31T00:52:00.000-05:00

The prosecutors stated that they believed the ring of thieves conducted about 40 robberies from 1999 to 2001. They added that they would steal cash and drugs in Los Angeles CA , and then sell the drugs on the streets for more cash.

On Wednesday, William Ferguson, 35, was found guilty of 13 charges and acquitted of five counts. His brother Joseph, 33, was convicted of three counts and the jury was deadlocked on 18 other counts. They were convicted on charges including conspiracy to deprive people of their rights under color of law and conspiracy to possess marijuana and cocaine. Fifteen others involved in the ring pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

What is not so surprizing anymore is that the brothers were cops. William is a former Los Angeles policeman and his brother Joseph is a former Long Beach officer. The suspected ring leader, former LAPD officer Ruben Palomares had pleaded guilty and testified against the brothers at trial. Both William and Ruben had worked in the Rampart Division until they were both fired in 2003.

I am not sure how people are supposed to trust the men and women in "blue" anymore when it seems that they are more the criminal than the person living next door these days.

Lightbulbs are brighter.......

2008-01-30T00:32:00.000-05:00

McMinn County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Shadrick pulled into the Sweetwater TN church parking lot early Saturday morning. He spotted a car parked near the building and decided to investigate it.

He found Jennifer Hunt, 35, walking out from behind the building. When questioned, she claimed that she was there to go to the bathroom. Her story fell apart though when she began walking to her car to get her ID.

It seems that she may have a bit of difficulty "going to the bathroom" with a crowbar in her pants. Shadrick was there to witness that same crowbar drop from her pants while she was walking to her car. After searching her, he also found a screwdriver on her and further investigation showed pry marks on the church door.

Hunt is now charged with possession of burglary tools and is being held on $2,000 bond pending her arraignment on Tuesday. It seems that she will have a few days in which to work on her future fashion statements.

Suffolk County Police in Ronkonkoma NY encountered another not so bright individual when they were responding to an alarm at M & J Auto at 1:55 am Tuesday morning. They found Jason Thompson, 17, hiding in a dumpster there.

After a bit of investigation, they found that not only had he burglarized the shop that morning but he had also stolen a "General Lee" replica Dodge Charger on Jan 23 at Continental Car Care in Lake Ronkonkoma. That car though had been found hours later when it was noticed parked nearby.

Thompson was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary in the third degree. Fortunate for him, he won't be charged with lack of brains or skill for thinking that no one would notice the "General Lee", even if it were only a replica of the car from the "Dukes of Hazzard"............... maybe down south it could hide in plain sight but not so easy on Long Island.

Just messing around

2008-01-29T01:20:00.000-05:00

"I decided to try it because I thought all of the TV shows were lies, but it turns out I was wrong," stated Gavin.

The popular movie "A Christmas Story" exposed another generation to the thrills and humiliation of flag poles. It seems that some didn't think that it was anything more than fiction.

Gavin Dempsey and James Alexander, two fourth grade boys in Chesterton IN had seen the stunt in the movie but James' mother didn't belive that they would actually try and test it's truth. Friday morning though, while both were serving on flag duty at Jackson Elementary School, they put it to the test.

They did find out for themselves that toungues do really freeze and stick to cold metal. Billie Dempsey, Gavin's mom, stated that the school nurse had called her to say that the boys tongues were bleeding . She added that the nurse had asked them who had double-dog dared the other.

James stated that he planned to nurse his injured tongue with ice cream afterwards. One would think that both these boys would be doing whatever they could to stay away from anything cold.

Take anything but her.....

2008-01-28T00:29:00.000-05:00

"There was an heirloom ring in the apartment, a camera and family silver. But they took the one thing that's most precious to me," stated Willke.

Wednesday evening, Pam Willke returned to her Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn NY apartment to find the front door ajar. What she found inside was even worse than she could have imagined.

Her belongings were strewn all over the two bedroom apartment after the criminals broke in through a rear window. They had rifled through her jewelry and personal documents but evidently chose to steal something even more valuable to her.

The break-in took place between 9 am and 7 pm while Willke, 47, a senior administrative assistant, was at work. They stole a bright yellow dog crate from the 16th St apartment as well as Willke's 8 year old Maltese named Samantha. Contractors working in an apartment next door stated that they didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary during the day.

Willke has plastered the neighborhood with posters of Samantha and has offered a reward for her return but so far, no one has come forward. The police are investigating the break-in as well as the theft of Samantha and have stated that they believe it is an isolated case. They added that they don't know yet if stealing the Maltese was the only reason they broke in.

On October 26 2007 though, Molly the Boston Terrier was snatched from outside a Brooklyn NY laundry. Stacey Grant was able to get Molly back though, only after she paid the reward money to several men who sounded as though they had stolen her just to ransom her for money. Unfortunately, it sems that the officers haven't looked far enough back in their records to find a link to stolen daogs and a "need" for cash it seems.

One can only hope that Samantha is unharmed and will be returned out of the goodness of someone's heart and not in a theft for cash plan.

For a related post, go here.

Racing through life......

2008-01-27T00:18:00.001-05:00

Florida Highway Patrol Capt Jeff Succi stated that there were yaw marks at the end of the runway, indicating that the car turned sideways before launching over an embankment. It then went through the air about 200 feet before slamming into a large tree. The FHP believes that the car traveled over the 80 to 85 foot embankment at the end of the airstrip and impacted the tree about 15 above the ground. It was also reported that the force of the crash left parts of the car imbedded within the tree and no report has been released yet as to what speed they estimate the BMW was traveling at when it left the runway.

The grey 2008 BMW split in two on impact, ejecting three of the victims and partially ejecting the two others in the accident that was reported at 3:47 am Saturday, January 26, and all 5 were pronounced dead at the scene between 3:55 and 3:56 am. At this time, authorities were unable to state whether any of the young men had been wearing seatbelts or where any of them, besides the identified driver, were sitting. One of the victims though had been reportedly found approximately 100 feet from the oak tree the BMW had hit.

Joshua D Ammirato, 18, of Fairfield FL, was driving his father's $80,000 BMW north on Runway 36, a 1.5 mile long Greystone airstrip adjacent to Jumbolair Aviation Estates when he went airborne. The four passengers and friend's of his were identified as James Devon Hime, 19, of 10660 NE 47th Ave, Ocala FL, Dustin J Dawe, 19, of 13040 NW 80th St Rd, Fairfield FL, James Casey, 19, of 4245 SW 20th Ave, Ocala FL and Isaac Rubin, 20, of 45 Pecan Run Pass, Ocala FL.

The demolished BMW came to rest in flames near the home of Augustine and Kristina Berenguer in the 1400 block of Northeast 95th St. They stated that they were awakened by the sound of the crash and Kristina called 911 after Augustine went outside to investigate the flames. George Borger who lives next to the airstrip stated that he was woken up by the sound of car engines on the airstrip at 3:30 am Saturday morning. He added that he saw them going up and down the runway and they were going very fast.

Hime, Ammirato and Dawe all were former students of North Marion High School, Rubin attended Forest High School and Casey graduated from Trinty Catholic High. North Marion High School principal Kathy Quelland described her three former students as popular and involved students who also wrestled for the school. Rubin had also been a wrestler and Casey had played football in high school and was a defensive back for the Jacksonville University Dolphins.

Alainya Frauenshuh, a senior at North Marion High School was friends with the young men and stated that they had attended a Trinity High School basketball game and then went to a party at a friend's house. They had been celebrating Dustin Dawe's 19th birthday she said. The FHP is still interviewing people but they have stated that the accident may be alcohol related. They will not be certain though, until the toxicology results are returned to them.

Residents in the area have reported that local teens regularly sneak onto the runway through an entrance in a nearby, ungated subdivision. Jeremy Thayer, co-owner of Jumbolair Aviation Estates, where John Travolta lives, was contacted at about 8 am about the accident. He stated that they didn't hear anything unusual in the morning hours and while they chase kids off the runway when they spot them, they added that kids can get out there if they want to badly enough.

The owner of Greystone Airport, James Garemore, stated that the teens didn't access the runway from their property and feels that they had to have gotten onto it from the Jumbolair side of the property. The Garemore's have battled with Travolta since 2001 over a verbal agreement he stated he had that allowed him to access the runway for his own use when he purchsed property there. The accident may bring the safety and access concerns to a forefront again.

Sadly, 5 young lives have been cut short in what seems to be another example of how something that seemed so much fun at the start, ended up tragically, a very poor choice.

Of note: go here for a slideshow.

Update: Jan 27

What hasn't been determined as of yet in the accident investigation are the answers to the following questions: where any of the occupants wearing their seatbelts, how fast the car was traveling when it left the end of the runway, whether there were any other cars on the runway at the time, though there is no evidence of that at this tme and while it it known that they young men had attended a party where alcohol was served, it is unknown at this time who had provided it and lastly, it hasn't been determined how they had accessed the runway.

A memorial service will be held at 6pm Monday at the Central Florida Community College Klien Center. Counselors will be available and Dr Fred Miley, with the Marion County community Crisis Response Team will lead the event on Monday.

A memorial service is planned for Casey at 10:30 am in the gym of Trinity Catholic High School as well.

Photo of the victims from left to right: Dustin Dawe, Justin Casey & James Hime.
bottom row: Joshua Ammirato & Isaac Rubin

For a recent post, go here and a related post, go here. For the latest update, go here.

Update: Jan 29

"Please remember the good, not the bad. Please don't bring anyone hurt," stated Samantha Hall.

Monday was the first chance for many to share the pain and tears they had for the five young men lost in this Saturday's crash. A crowd of about 1,000 attended the memorial for the five this evening. Samantha Hall, Joshua's girlfriend, spoke to the crowd and asked that they not blame him and that they not take their anger over the tragedy out on anyone else as well.

The mayor and speakers from the Ocala Police Department and others spoke as well, giving the audience advice and offers of support. Josh Torch, a graduate of North Marion High asked that everyone sign a petition to get the story of the five out for people to know who they were. He was especially upset by blogger Michael Crook for calling the boys names and making assumptions about their personalities.

Among the parents and families present, Art Dawe was the most outspoken. He stated that he took comfort in that he had hugged Dustin and told him he loved him the night before the crash. He repeatedly told the audience to not be afraid to hug your children and tell them that you loved them.

Earlier in the morning, classes were suspended at Trinity Catholic High School for a mass held in the gym. Each of the five were remembered in prayer there and a poster board with pictures was posted. Casey's framed jerseys from football and baseball bearing the "number 2" were also on display.

Rev Patrick Sheedy spoke about the full life that Casey had led that went beyond football and baseball. He had loved outdoor activities including hunting and rodeo events. A video presentation at the end of the mass of various pictures of Casey growing up was more than some in the audience could handle.

In another developement today, the FHP has backed off their initial statement that alcohol may have played a part in the accident. There are conflicting reports about what the young men did after the basketball game. Rubin's girlfriend, Natalie Thayer, whose parents own Jumbolair Estates, stated that she had dropped off Rubin at the home of Joe and Jolane McAlister and their son Colin Brennan. She stated that she arrived around midnight and didn't see alcohol at the party and it was fairly small and low-key.

None of the five lived in the estates and Thayer stated she didn't know how they got on the runway, she hadn't given any of them the access code. The McAlister's refered questions to their lawyer and stated that there wasn't alcohol available at the home.

Another of Rubin's friends, Andrew Raymond, had a very different story of the events of the evening. He stated that Rubin called him around 12:30 am when he was leaving the McAlister home to tell him they were leaving to go to the store and then meet some friends at the runway. He added that Rubin told him that several of the others had been drinking and commented that he had a bunch of drunk people with him.

The FHP stated that it may take up to 60 days for the toxicology results to be returned and they are backing off the intial statements as they sort out the differing stories they have right now.

It has also been reported that less than twelve hours before the accident, Ammirato had logged onto M5board.com, as he had done on both Thursday and Friday, to ask for advice on how to shift the 500-horsepower BMW M5. He told forum members that he had only had the car for three weeks, though the car is registered to his father Santo Ammirato and he was interested in advice for smoother shifting and if turning off the stability control would give him higher performance.

Forum members advised him to slowly learn the car and showed genuine concern for his safety in learning to drive it. Many echoed the same concerns for not "draggin" with it but to learn how to handle the car gradually first. Ammirato last posted at 9:02 pm Friday night in the forum, thanking them for their advise.

The M5 was described by writer Michael Joran in Automobile Magazine as a "fearfully intimidating machine" and they found that the SMG transmission left the driver feeling that they more a victim of speed than the master of it.

Another memorial service will be held Thursday at 5:30 pm in the back parking lot of the Ocala Speedway, 9050 NW Gainesville Rd. There will be a bonfire and a flatbed truck for bands to perform on available. Everyone is invited and free drinks will be provided by Pepsi. Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments as well.

Update: Jan 30 ....... funeral plans

The following funeral arraingements have been released:

Visitation for James Devon Hime, 19 will be at the Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 5740 S Pine Ave, Ocala, from 2-4 pm and 6-9 pm Friday. The funeral service will be held at 11 am Saturday at Marion Technical Institute, 1614 Fort King St, Ocala.

Visitation for Joshua D Ammirato, 18, will be held Tuesday from 4-8 pm at the Roberts Funeral Homes, Downtown Chapel, 606 SW 2nd Ave Ocala. There will also be visitation on Wednesday and Thursday from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. The funeral will be at 11 am Friday at the funeral home.

Visitation for Dustin J "Smiley" Dawe, 19, will be held from 5-8 pm on Wednseday at the Hiers Funeral Home, 910 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. The funeral will be held at 3 pm Thursday at Oak Griner Baptist Church, 6422 NE Jacksonville Rd, Ocala.

Visitation for Jacob J Casey, 19, will be held 6-8 pm on Tuesday at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. The funeral will be held at 2 pm Wednesday at the church at 5 SE 17th St Ocala.

Visitation for Isaac J Rubin, 20, will be held from 3-4 on Thursday and followed by a celebration of his life at 4 pm, at Heirs Funeral Home, 910 Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala.

The Star-Banner has set up a guest book for those who wish to leave their condolences and comments will be reviewed before they are posted. The address for that is: www.ocala.com/questbook. Comments and rememberances are also being posted on the special page of Now We're Talking blog.

Update: Feb 3

The Florida Highway Patrol investigators plan to meet with and discuss the findings of their accident report before the details of it are made public. They plan to give them a copy of the report and go over it with the families and answer whatever questions they can about it as well.

The expect that the report will be released to the public sometime on Monday. It is expected that the report will include the events that led up to the accident that night as well as a more indepth report later which would consider the toxicology reports. It has been stated that the FHP may be trying to analyze data that may have been recorded by the BMW. That has been countered by reports that there really is no "black box" in the car and if there were, the data wasn't very accurate.

The FHP has stated that no one has been subpoenaed to testify yet, that they also have found no proof yet of a possible second car that may have been racing Ammirato and that they are still working on how the car gained access to the runway. A report released also stated that Ammirato had been ticketed in the past for speeding but upon reading that report, none of his tickets showed him "racing."

Update: Feb 4

Once again, the reporting of a very public accident that has claimed the lives of five young people in both the media and on blogs has been called into question. Readers to online forums have accused many of breaching both ethics and decency and suggest that the families be left to grieve on their own.

The accident in Ocala recently, as well as last year's tragic accident that claimed the lives of Bailey Goodman and her four friends were very public incidents. Family and friends visited the accident sites and left memorials, grieved together in very public services and participated in public rememberances. These are all events that can and should be reported responsibly.

The funerals and posted rememberances of all ten involved, exposed the public to who these young people were in life. The job of a responsible media and blogger is to report the facts, though we are also human and hold our own opinions as do readers. Rumor abound in both print and verbally after such tragedies and it is through the media that the truth and facts can usually be found. A failure to report those things would leave only the rumors existing and not allow those who didn't personally know the victims to see and understand how well these young people lived their short lives.

I agree that failing to report all that is involved in the accidents, fails to allow the tragedy of their deaths, to teach those who live........ how to possibly live our lives better or how to avoid a tragedy such as these to occur in the future.

While the possibility of alchohol being involved in the choices the five young men made that night will be proved or disproved in the very near future, there were other choices made that night. It would be nice to ignore and bury the facts involved but the will still exist and many will be curious as to what those are, instead of accepting rumors.

"If you want a fast car, you want it for a reason," stated Fred
Rich.

Fred Rich, 62, a retired drag racer who hasn't raced in 12 years, knows what is like to race a quarter mile in seven seconds. He also knows the pull that speed and the adreniline rush from it has had on him his whole life. He stated that even though he is 40 years from his fast youth and has crashed or rolled numerous times, he continues to love the speed factor.

At some point though, Joshua Ammirato's father placed the keys in the hands of a young driver. Those keys were for a vehicle that was registered in his name and was a car that not only allowed the driver to adjust how fast the shifts would be, how much horsepower could be applied..... it allowed the driver to "max it out" as Ammirato evidently was seeking to do when he posted on the m5 board.

His father had purchased a BMW that had a V-10 engine and a gearbox that is derived from a Formula-1 race car capable of going 200 mph. While the manufacturers of such vehicles shouldn't be blamed for offering them, drivers should use caution in using what they purchased.

Young men have been shown in repeated studies to love adventure and being able to show that they can handle problems. They also tend to drive beyond their abilities, whether knowingly or unknowingly. All of the five who died were well within the demographic of those most likely to die in a speed related accident. A recent study by AAA concluded that men ages 16-20 are 26 percent more likely to die in traffic accidents than women of the same age.

While the need for speed is not a dangerous thing, nor do I advocate banning it, I do believe there are plenty of venues available for speed addicted drivers to safely "max out" their cars. I also believe that parents can always learn by the choices made by others who are involved in tragedies like this and the Goodman accident. In both cases, a parent and owner of the vehicle placed the keys in the hands of their child who may not have been mature enough to handle the responsiblity of driving at that time.

Low overhead, high profits.....

2008-01-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

"They were just that good at what they did," stated Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

The investigation began over seven months ago after two people were caught shoplifting $4,500 in merchandise from a Publix in Mulberry FL. Several law-enforcement agencies were involved before the arrests weremade this week.

Eighteen people suspected in taking part in the theft ring now face racketeering charges, including Kerry A Coburn, 39 and Steven Lee Coburn, 46 of Lake Mary FL. Authorities state that they believe the Coburns headed the operation that may have stolen up to $100 million worth of health and beauty products from grocery and retail stores in the past five years.

"They were so good at what they did, you could literally watch them steal and not be aware of what they were doing," stated Judd.

Judd stated that the detectives were shocked when they learned of the magnitude of the thefts. The theft ring involved more than a dozen "boosters" who paired up to systematically take products off the shelves at Target, Wal-Mart and various grocery chains. Judd added that the "boosters" would hit eight stores a day and within three minutes, grab about $4,000 in merchandise.

They would grab specific items and hide them in specially designed purses to conceal their thefts. Detectives watched surveillance video from various stores and in one case, a supermarket supervisor walked down the aisle past the "boosters" while they were stealing. Judd stated that the suspects were just that good at stealing.

The stolen merchandise was sold on the at Florida flea markets and on the internet through a site called sale awaysavings.com. According to state records, Steve Coburn is the director of that company, which sells drugstore like products. He is also listed as the director of Suncoast Liquidation of Lake Mary FL.

Judd stated that the Coburn's did not deal directly with the 13 "boosters" who they describe as relatives or friends of each other. Authorities state that Theresa Parrish, 44 and Ronald Parrish, 41 of Tampa dealt with them. Teresa reportedly gave the "boosters" shopping lists of what products were to be stolen.

On Thursday, 92 law-enforcement officers involved in "Operation Beauty Shop" served warrents at homes and business warehouses throughout Central Florida and Tampa Bay. The Coburns and most of the suspects were placed in custody. Authorities are not sure how many stores were robbed over the five years but they feel that the thieves hit almost every supermarket in Central Florida.

Once again, people have shown us how to make a tidy profit............ keep your overhead low and the profit margin widens immensely. Unfortunately, others suffered the loss for their gain over the past five years.

"Green" getaway

2008-01-25T06:45:00.000-05:00

"That just wasn't too bright," stated Sandy Springs police Lt Steve Rose.

It seems that the woman who went into a bank shortly after 1 pm Wednesday in Sandy Springs GA, hadn't thought out her robbery plan completely. She may also have planned on helping the environment while helping herself to some "free" cash.

Channel Monae Gaskin, 22, entered the bank and demanded money but didn't show a weapon there. She was given a bag of cash and authorites state, she ran across the street into a restaurant parking lot. While she was there, you probably have guessed, a dye bomb exploded and she and the money was sprayed with orange colored ink.

Thinking quickly, she ran from the restaurant parking lot and tried to stash the dye-stained clothes and money in a bathroom at a nearby grocery store. Lt Rose stated that she apparently managed to change her clothes as well and then went to the bus stop behind the grocery store.

Gaskin was arrested while she was waiting for the bus there and was taken to the Fulton County jail after she was charged with robbery. While many probably are scratching their heads as to why she would think public transportation is a great idea for a getaway car, Gaskin had a good answer.............. she admitted that she had robbed a bank on Jan 15 in DeKalb County and made her escape on the bus then as well.

Gaskin certainly does seem to believe the advertisment....... "Leave the driving to us."

It's no dud

2008-01-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

A museum in Cumberland MD, which is a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, recently found that they had more that what they planned on displaying. They notified the Allegany County authorities when they suspected trouble on Wednesday.

It seems that the 48 inch by 2.75 inch Mark 1 rocket they were displaying may not have been a dud. The rocket that is similar to the ones used on helicopter gun ships during the Vietnam War had been donated by a local veteran.

The Maryland State Fire Marshall's office and the FBI confirmed that their "dud" rocket was far from that. It was found to be very alive and it was removed and rendered safe. They are now investigating how the man came to possess the live ordinance.

Maybe I am a bit odd in my thinking but I would expect that a Veterans museum would have at least someone on staff that was capable of determining if a rocket that size was "safe" to display.............. long before it was put on exhibit.

Stick to fuzzy dice

2008-01-24T05:45:00.000-05:00

State Del Lionel Spruill introduced a bill on Tuesday that may cost drivers $250 and he admits, it may also make him a laughingstock. He feels though that it is a bill that must be introduced.

Spruill, 61, stated that he will not let the fact that his "droopy drawers" debate embaressed him and he will move forward with a show and tell if he has to. His bill would charge drivers who display replicas of human genitalia on their cars, liable for a fine up to $250 for the misdemeanor charge.

He was spurred to enter the bill after a constituates daughter spotted a pair of $24.95 trailer testicles on a truck's trailer hitch and they didn't know how to explain it to her. Spruill stated that he feels adornments like that distract other drivers and create a driving hazard.

I have seen some crazy things adorning cars but I haven't noticed that they affected my driving adversly......... unless you call a chuckle, adverse.

Kitty vacation?

2008-01-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Hi, you're not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth Texas and I accidently picked up your luggage," stated Rob Carter.

Kelly Levy, 24 of Palm Beach Gardens FL dropped her husband and his bag off at the airport and when she returned home, she found the bottom step empty. Her ten month-old cat, Gracie Mae usually sat there waiting for her.

Levy tore apart her home looking for the cat and when she didn't find her, posted "lost cat" signs over the neighborhood. She even had her father remove some bathroom tiles and part of a cabinet to check a crawl space for Gracie Mae.

Tuesday, she received the odd phone call from Rob Carter about her husband's luggage that he had accidently picked up as his own and taken home. He told Levy that when he opened the bag and saw the clothes, he knew it wasn't his bag. Before he could close it though, a kitten jumped out of it and ran under the bed.

Carter, of Fort Worth TX, added that he screamed like a girl when it happened but he eventually got the cat to come out from under the bed. He found Levy's number on her collar and called her to let her know he not only had the bag, but he had their cat as well.

Gracie Mae evidently snuck into the bag when they were packing, went through the x-ray machine, was loaded onto the airplane, thrown onto a baggage claim conveyor belt and was carted to a new home accidently. Carter stated that he would have kept her if he hadn't found her home. Gracie Mae was delivered home though, safe and sound by Carter after another 1,300 miles and an $80 ticket.

It would seem that our "improved" luggage handling at the airports missed a stowaway cat but fortunately for Gracie, she was claimed by someone who cared enough to make sure she returned safely. No word was stated as to whether the Levy's were just as excited to get the clothes back as well.

Drive-thru criminal

2008-01-22T00:13:00.000-05:00

The Clearwater FL police must be very desperate for criminals to flood thier system lately or else, they really are strict on upholding the law. This weekend, they managed to haul a 75 year-old woman off to jail, for breaking the law.

Jean Merola, a grandmother of eight was waiting at the drive-thru of a McDonald's for her cup of coffee and fries when the police officer asked her to move her car. She stated that the employee had told her to park there while she was waiting for her order.

Police state that she refused to move forward with her car, so they found another solution for getting her out of the way. They charged her with disorderly conduct, handcuffed her and took her to jail. She was released an hour and a half later on her own recognizance.

There was no word as to why it would take so long for an order of fries and coffee to be completed, nor if she ever did receive it.............. and I found no report as to why the police officer was in such a hurry to get her out of his way in the drive-thru. It does make me wonder how desperately that officer needed a cup of coffee possibly, to dunk his donut in, or did he need to up his arrest numbers for the month that badly?

Leading by example?

2008-01-21T01:14:00.000-05:00

Alexander Sepulveda, 28, of Elmont NY was driving his 2004 Nissan on Linden Place in Hempstead NY this past week when he evidently forgot what example he should make of himself.

Authorities state that he pulled his car over and got into a fight with another driver. He then got back into his car and drove through a stop sign on Linden Ave. Nassau County detectives finally pulled him over and they then noticed a marijuana odor in the car.

After the detectives searched his car, they found four bags of marijuana and three partially smoked marijuana cigarettes. They also discovered that he had his three month-old daughter in a car seat in the back seat.

Sepulveda was arrested on the charges of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possesion of marijuana in the fifth degree. They gave custody of the baby to her mother after the arrest.

It would seem that he didn't really think that his example of fatherly behavior was inappropriate in front of his daughter.............. but then, maybe he wasn't thinking all that clearly then.

Cheap trade

2008-01-20T00:02:00.000-05:00

"As for my information, I'm gonna need a nice warm-up suit and a pair of white tops, OK?" stated Green.

His wife Sandra, described her husband as "a very good cop" who left a hospital orderly job to join the NYPD about 11 years ago because he wanted to help people. Sgt Roosevelt Green evidently did just that in recent years, while working for the NYPD..

Green was arraigned in a federal court Friday on charges of making false statments to investigators and unlawfully using a computer. Wiretaps had captured Green discussing a license-plate scheme with the alleged leader of a Wyandanch crack cocaine ring. The investigators state that he had been using the NYPD computer to check the license plates of cars the alleged drug dealer thought were following him.

Some of the plates that Green checked were on undercover Drug Enforcement Administration vehicles that were keeping an eye on the accused dealer. He was arrested in a May 2007 raid that picked up a dozen suspects who now have drug charges against them pending.

Green claims that he paid for the clothing he received from the accused dealer and that he neither gave him information or received the clothes for free. Authorities state that he has been suspended without pay and if convicted, he could face up to 10 years in jail.

If he was willing to risk his job for so little......... a track suit and sneakers, I have to wonder what he would have done if he had been offered a new SUV? Given them the keys to the police station, maybe? I guess his wife was correct in stating that he wanted to be a cop to "help" people as well.

Daily double

2008-01-19T02:11:00.000-05:00

It would seem that "hitting the daily double" is a good thing most times, at least on some game shows and at the track. Unfortunately, some people have found that it is far from lucky when they do it.

Stacie Warren, 31, of Lyndonville VT found that out recently for herself. According to Vermont State police Trooper Callie Field, Warren had been arrested for bigamy in 2007. That would involve her marrying one man and then moving out on him to marry another shortly afterwards. She evidently didn't pass go and get a divorce or $200 before she married the second man though.

Both she and her second husband were charged with bigamy because it seems, he also forgot to get divorced before he married Warren. Just last week though, Warren was hit with a second charge of bigamy. According to Field, she went out and married Fred Gray in 2007, just two months after she was charged the first time.

Field added that neither of Warren's first two husband seemed to care either way after they learned of the bigamy. She pleaded guilty in the 2007 case and faces up five years in prison for the felony bigamy charge. It would seem that Warren may have thought that double or nothing was a fairly good rule in marriage, as well as her second husband.

The Pullman WA police a WSU student this week for his successful attempt at a daily double as well. The 20 year-old student was arrested along with two others while smoking marijuana in a parking lot.

They were fingerprinted, cited and released shortly after midnight. Less than two hours later, an officer saw three men passing around a pipe in a pickup truck and arrested them. One was the same WSU student arrested earlier, although this time, they were charged with possession of marijuana.

The local police commander stated that he hoped that the student isn't kicked out of WSU, since it is apparent that he needs more education. It seems to me that there is an almost mystic connection with the number two and police arrests in these cases...... or maybe they just have 2 as their "lucky" number.

So much for 100......

2008-01-17T07:16:00.000-05:00

"Of course that's not the norm, but it has happened before." stated Parrish.

This Monday, police in Harlington TX made what seemed to be a routine traffic stop for an expired tag and they uncovered much more than that. They stopped the woman on the 2300 block of East Harrison and she identified herself as Valerie Sanchez. The officer then asked the dispatcher to run her for arrest reports and the dispatcher then asked to verify the driver's name. It was then that they learned that her married name was Ortiz.

Having that for a married name isn't a crime but evidently, having 76 outstanding warrents and $18,986 in unpaid fines dating back to 1998 is. Ortiz, 31, was arrested on charges of having an expired registration, driving on an expired license and having no insurance and appeared in court Tuesday. Municipal Court Judge Valerie Garicia set bond at $1,000 for driving without a license and $1,500 as a minimum payment on the warrents.

Ortiz did get a break from Garcia, as she dismissed some of the warrents because they dated back so far. She left Ortiz with $15,696 in fines and fees to be paid. Sgt John Parrish stated that it is possible but unusual that someone could have that many warrents.

Evidently, in order to arrest someone on a municipal warrent, the officer must have a hard copy of it. If the arrest is made after court hours, they won't be able to get that copy and if they have made prior arrangements to pay off the fines and haven't done so, the warrents would have to be reissued.

Ortiz also had her license suspended on December 16 after she had been charged with driving while intoxicated. She will remain in the Cameron County Jail until she can come up with the minimum payment or the judge can decide to allow Ortiz to get credit for time served already. If she is able to make the minimum payment, she is expected to be released and make arrangements at a later date to pay off the remaining amount due.

At the rate that the police seem to have been unable to catch up with Ortiz when she is free from jail......... it may be a long time before they ever see the rest of that money from her possibly.

Aim high

2008-01-16T00:11:00.000-05:00

It seems that a loaded gun really is a dangerous item to handle. In Kokomo Indiana recently, Derrick Kosh, 25, found that to be true while robbing a convenience store.

He entered the Village Pantry on Tuesday morning with a gun and demanded money and a pack of cigarettes. While the clerk was turned to get to smokes for him, she heard his gun go off. Police state that they could see the discharge on suveillance cameras, as Kosh tucked his gun into his waistband.

They added that they found him a short time later, at home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg. Kosh was expected to have surgery at a hospital and be charged with armed robbery.

Carlos Tabor, 36, found that out as well recently as he was driving to a New York City shooting range. Tabor works at one of the jails on Riker's Island and has worked for the Department of Corrections for nearly three years and should be well versed in handling guns.

It seems though, while driving himself to the Bronx NY firing range Tueday afternoon, his gun discharged and he was shot in the left leg. Tabor as well was treated at the hospital for a non life-threatening injury.

It seems that aiming high would be a good course of action to take when handling a gun...... it may prevent leg injuries and in the case of Kosh, that new unbalenced feeling he may have now.

Holy smokes

2008-01-16T00:08:00.000-05:00

Monday, a German man learned that mixing his drinks could lead to more than a hangover. The 56 year-old man grabbed the wrong bottle and realized immediately that he hadn't grabbed his favorite drink.

He evidently had grabbed a bottle of gasoline and taken a swig of it, which he then spat out. The gas hit a lit cigarette and started a fire that lit up his apartment according to authorities. Police haven't released the name of the Gross Godems man but they did state that he was being treated for serious burns.

It certainly seems that drinking doesn't mix with many activites well and he will have the reminders of not carefully checking what he was drinking. I do have to wonder though, why would you have gas stored in a similar bottle to your favorite drink?

Some kind of day

2008-01-15T05:45:00.000-05:00

Some days are very good ones, others the deck seems to be stacked against you. Last Friday was certainly one of the latter for a New York family.

Dr. Herman Weiss, 37, of West Hempstead NY awoke around 3 am to the sound of smoke alarms and flames climbing up the outside wall of his Long Island home. The obstetrician managed to get his wife and six children to safety and then was paged.

Weiss went to the hospital and delivered an infant at around 6 am that morning. His day didn't stop there though, building inspectors were out to his home to study it and ended up citing him for discrepencies. The family had been living in the home that didn't have a certificate of occupency and there was a discrepency in the plumbing plans.

According to Weiss, they had hired a lawyer to handle the certificate and get one. To add to his already rough day, they have been ordered to tear down the home now and Weiss hopes that they will be able to rebuild on the same lot.

Some days certainly just aren't your best day................ and maybe there are a few days when you just wish it had been skipped on the calender.

A costly mistake

2008-01-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

One truck was driven outside a Kodiak Alaska seafood plant and 22 paid with their lives recently because of an oversight........... the retractable fabric cover had been left open.

When the truck loaded with fish waste was left open outside, fifty or more bald eagles swarmed in for a free meal. The birds became too soiled to either fly or clean themselves and with the temperatures near the mid-teens, they began to freeze to death. Others became too weak to struggle free and were crushed in the pile of refuse.

The truck was then brought back into the processing plant and the contents dumped out onto the floor when what was happeneing to the birds was realized. Some of them scattered and tried to escape but they were soon rounded up by the U S Fish and Wildlife Service.

The eagles were then washed off with dish soap in tubs of warm water to remove the slime and oil from their feathers. They were then taken to a heated fish and wildlife warehouse to recover, though some were reportedly in critical condition. Those that are strong enough will be returned to the wild when they are ready.

The birds that didn't survive will be shipped to a U S Department of Interior clearinghouse where their feathers will be available to Native American groups. Those groups can apply to be given the birds or their feathers for ceremonial purposes.

It was stated that requests for interviews from Ocean Beauty Seafoods officials were not returned. I doubt there is much that they can say that will explain how the cover on a truck was left open, that will make up for the loss of so many bald eagles...........especially after so much has been done to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

They did it in the movie....

2008-01-14T00:08:00.000-05:00

Once again someone has proven that what may have looked pretty cool on film or in their mind, wasn't exactly that. The unknown man in Hollywood CA last night was the latest to prove this point it seems.

Authorities state that he had attempted to slide down the banister of an escalator when he lost his balence. That wouldn't have been too serious a mistake if he had fallen back onto the escalator. He fell instead several stories down to another escalator and died.

Police quote his friends as saying that the man had been drinking "quite a bit." The mall is in the same complex as the Kodak Theatre, which holds the Academy Awards.

The police haven't released the name of the man yet. I am sure that he won't be winning any awards for his attempt to banister slide but maybe he can discourage someone else from deciding to let the drink decide how to look cool for your friends.

Sardines on the go......

2008-01-13T00:49:00.000-05:00

"It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family," stated Ratan Tata.

Tata Motors unveiled the answer to that question in New Delhi this week. The tiny "Nano" is priced at $2,500 and is being advertised as the affordable alternative to scooters and motorcycles for families in India.

There will be about 250,000 of these cute, more than tiny, 4-seater cars available for sale in India this years and Tata Motors has plans to market the cars in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America in the next few years. Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata had observed numerous families balenced precariously on two wheelers and haddeveloped the "Nano" in hopes of providing a cheap, safe mode of transportation for all weather.

In order to further lessen the cost of the "Nano", less materials were used in it's manufacture. Instead of having two windshield wipers, there is only one and Tata Motors states that their car meets all safety norms and all environmental criteria.

Critics state that you won't be seeing these tiny, toy-like cars on U S streets anytime soon, even if they manage to run at 54 mpg. They add that it is very doubtful that it could meet U S safety and environmental standards, partly because they feel that much has been left out of the car during manufacture. Even if it does meet some standards, environmentalists wonder how putting more cars on already congested roads would be helping the environment.

The "Nano" is listed as the "People's Car" in India, much as the Volkswagon Beetle had been designed during the days of Hitler. He had stated that he wanted a car that could carry two adults and three children at about 60 mph and was to be inexpensive, costing no more than a motorcycle.

In 1949, the "Beetle" came to the U S and had an expanded, 1131 cc engine capable of 25 mph and started without a crank. By 1961, the beloved "Beetle" had and engine capable of producing 34 hp, the speedometer had increased to 87 mph, a windshield-wiper washer system became available and a gas gauge had been added.

The cute "Nano" is listed as having a two-cylinder, 623 cc engine jammed under the hood which is almost comparable to the 2008 Honda Four Trax Rincon. That isn't Honda's new entry into the tiny car category, it's an off-road, 4 wheeler that has a four-stroke, single cylinder 675 cc engine powering it. Imagine then, taking that 4-wheeler and draping some fancy aluminum around it and then cutting out doors on it...... yup, that might just be a "Nano" !

While the "Nano" may be cute, easy to squeeze into a parking space and more affordable than most motorized modes of transportation............... it sounds far too much like a sardine can on wheels and possibly may be smaller than the keychain you could keep it on.

They still get freebies.......

2008-01-12T00:02:00.000-05:00

"It's flawed because the numbers do not explain the social situation these women are in. It's not just a business transaction," stated Samir Goswami.

A draft report of a yet to be published study had been presented last week at an economics convention in New Orleans LA and it seems that there already are critics of the conclusions made. University of Chicago professor and author Steven D Levitt and Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia University studied street level prostitution for two years in three Chicago IL neighborhoods.

Prostitutes from Chicago's Roseland, Pullman and Washington Park neighborhoods were paid $150 a week to participate in the study. They reported an average of $20,000 a year income from prostitution, slightly more if they had a pimp. Not surprizingly, Friday was their busiest working day and Monday their slowest.

Other things noted in the draft were the differences in cost to patrons, whites and Hispanics paying more, blacks and repeat customers paying less. The woman also reported being beaten at least once a month and about 3 percent of them reported they performed "freebies" for the Chicago police to avoid arrests.

The full draft of the paper is on the University of Chicago's website and the authors expect that they will have the completed report released in April. While some may dispute parts of the study and how accurate it is........... it doesn't surprize me that police departments are still in line for "freebies" when they can get them.

Make it special delivery

2008-01-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

It seems that laptop computers may have been on the top of at least one employee of FedEx recently. A recent internal audit of undelivered parcels by FedEx personnel revealed that at least nine packages containing laptop computers had been re-routed to an employee's home address.

The discovery led to the arrest of Jin Hui Wu, 20, of Hicksville NY, on charges of grand larceny. The audit found that the nine re-routed packages had ended up at Wu's home between Nov 26 and Dec 31 2007. All of those packages had contained laptops and were worth about ten thousand dollars total.

Only four of the computers had been recovered so far and the investigation is said to be ongoing. Evidently Wu didn't think the entire plan out too well......... did he really believe that nobody would be albe to figure out where he had the "missing" packages sent to?

It's no bull.....

2008-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

"My client did step over the line here, but one can certainly understand his frustration, given that the victim was carrying on an affair with my client's wife," stated Hiles.

It seems that Jason Michael Fife, 31, of Hunker PA has discovered that in a civilized society, his method of "warning off" his wife's lover wasn't the best of choices. He began with threatening words and pictures but his action in June 2006 was what sent police to his doorstep.

Authorities in Lower Pottsgrove PA state that Fife had been sending threatening messages and pictures to his wife's lover from May through September 2006. In June 2006, he found a bloody package on his doorstep and police traced it back to Fife.

He had purchased a cow's head at a butcher shop, telling them that he wanted to dry the skull and use it as a decoration. Instead, he froze it to hide the packages contents from the delivery company and sent it out as a much bolder threat to the man. The package arrived on his doorstep frozen but a day in the warm sun left it a bloody mess.

Police tracked both the package and e-mails to Fife and he was arrested on charges of terroristic threats, disorderly conduct, harrasment and stalking. This past Friday he was sentenced to a first time offenders program in which he must serve two years probation and do 50 hours of community service. If he is successful, his record will be cleared of the charges.

The message evidently must have worked in some way..... Fife realizes he went a bit too far in warning off his competitor and he and his wife have also reconciled. No word was said as to where that leaves the former lover in this love triangle, although I bet he is glad the package had been sitting on the porch and not in his bed.

Sticky fingers of the law

2008-01-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

It seems that one officer is going to pay more than a few dollars for his execution of a warrent in 2003. He did though add his name to the never-ending list of police who manage to think that they are above the law.

In February 2003, officers of the Monmouth NJ Prosecutor's Office and the Asbury Park Police Department executed an arrest warrent on a fugitive in an Asbury Park apartment. They raided the home where the fugitive's mother lived and while it wasn't reported if they found the fugitive there, the mother reported that a diamond watch valued at over $2,500 was now missing.

On Monday, U S District Chief Judge Garrett E Brown sentenced former Asbury Park officer Phillip Montgomery, 45, of Ocean Township, to two years in jail and as well as pay a $6,000 fine. It seems that Montgomery had been the one who helped the missing watch leave the raided apartment.

While it isn't any mother's wish I would think to have a child a fugitive, I don't think many of us would expect a police officer to steal valuables from us while they are executing a warrent. At least Montgomery will have a bit of time to think about how dumb he had to be to think that no one would notice the watch was missing.

They'll never notice....

2008-01-07T23:32:00.000-05:00

When it came to a recent arrest made by the Lakehurst NJ police this past Saturday, the officers didn't have to travel all that far it seems. It began with the sharp nose of an officer who was leaving work to head home early.

Sargent Ronald Heinzman asked some other officers to come outside and take a whiff according to authorities. He had thought that he smelled the distinct odor of marijuana while outside in the police parking lot. Police state that they not only smelled the offending smoke but they overheard a conversation that mentioned the irony of smoking pot next door to a police station.

Officers then proceeded to the house on the other side of the chain-link fence and knocked on the door. At that point it seems, Benjamin Gordon, 18, of Farmville VA was arrested.......for being a bit too blatent in his pot smoking that night. The irony may be that Gordon's friends wouldn't have to go too far to bail him out that night either.

and the golden potato goes to.......

2008-01-05T06:20:00.000-05:00

This past week, one more of our nation's important competitions took place in New York City, NY. The ESPN Zone Ultimate Couch Potato Competition was held at the ESPN Zone restaraunt in Times Square and the victor was crowned after a mere 29 hours.

Stan Friedman, a Manhattan librarian outlasted his three rivals to take home the coveted prize. All four of them were seated in recliners in front of dozens of televisions to watch continuous sports programs and allowed to order anything to eat or drink. They weren't allowed to sleep or run to the potty except during their allotted breaks every eight hours.

Friedman won after Nate Lopez dashed off to the bathroom before their break and for that, he was awarded a $5,000 prize package that included a recliner, a huge TV and a trophy with a potato on it. Since he only has a 350 square foot apartment, he is going to have a tough time fitting the TV in but he stated that he would make certain he would find the space for the recliner.

I am not sure that I would call 29 hours of non-stop TV grueling............. I bet there are a few mothers who would find that a rather easy thing to pull off in comparison to their grueling daily scheduales.

Mighty expensive bacon.....

2008-01-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night brought cold temperatures to much of the state of Florida and residents were warned to care for their plants and pets. A resident of St Augustine FL took the warning seriously and made what seemed to be a good plan to keep his pet warm during the night.

The St Johns County Fire-Rescue department was called to his Francis Ave home at around 10:20 pm though with the report of a house fire in progress. Firefighters state that the fire destroyed the home's back porch and gazebo and it had spread to the eave and attic before they were able to get it under control.

They later discovered that the homeowner had brought his pig onto the back porch and set a space heater out there to keep it warm in the below freezing temperatures that were reported to be due. The pig evidently knocked over the heater and started the fire. They added that everyone managed to escape the home unharmed......... except for the pig, who died in the fire.

The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the home and just guessing that the pig may have weighed 100 pounds......... that would work out to approximately $500 a pound.

Hot pants

2008-01-03T05:51:00.000-05:00

"Clearly it depends on what size you are - but I don't want to go there," stated a spokesman for the Cleveland Fire Brigade.

Last Sunday it seems that larger was certainly better in the case of a kitchen fire. John Marsey and his cousin Darren Lines were frying bread in Jenny Marsey's Hartlepool England kitchen when the pan caught fire. Darren's quick actions saved the kitchen but definately put his aunt in the news.

Lines grabbed the first thing he found in his aunt's laundry basket and ran it under the faucet to wet it. He then tossed it onto the fire to smother it on the stove. An official from the fire department stated that it is sound thinking to smother a grease fire whenever possible with a large wet cloth.

Marsay agreed as well, stating that she was thankful for the boys quick thinking. The small grease fire could certainly led to a much greater fire and danger to them all. As for the wet cloth, nothing was stated about the condition of Marsay's powder blue, size XL underpants that saved the day.

That does leave me a bit curious as to how large XL really is and what may have happened if they had been thongs he grabbed first.

It's a whole new year.......

2008-01-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

It would seem that a few people wanted to send off 2007 with a moment to really remember, although, they may not want to really remember it in the coming months. In fact, both of the recent participants in the news-worthy exploits are unidentified.

On a ranch just north of Phoenix AZ, Monday evening, a 75 year-old man decided to saddle up and possibly ride into the new year on his family pet. He did get to ride, just not around the acreage. He was flown to a Scottsdale hospital after the "incident" in rural Cave Creek with non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities state that he saddled up his pet buffalo for a ride but was bucked off and then mauled. They added that people do have buffalos on their property but it is rather rare and more rare to be called to a riding accident involving one. They didn't state though, whether he had made it to the 10 second buzzer on his ride.

The other, "creative" rider was out in Paw Paw Township MI on Monday night. She evidently ran a stop sign and hit a cable supporting a utility pole with her truck. That seems to have caused the pole to become unsupported and it fell along with the wires attached to it.

That wasn't enough to stop the driver, as she was reported to have backed up into the roadway again and continued driving. It is easy enough to understand that if it were just a minor scratch and dent kind of accident. This wasn't the case though, according to Trooper Rick Carlson. She didn't stop until she was forced to stop........ by the flames that had engulfed the truck.

Carlson reported that an ambulence did manage to catch up to her and she was taken to the hospital for burns to her hands and head. Her pug also was burned in the accident but will survive. No word had been released as to how far she drove as a flaming beacon in the night but I am betting that it was easier to spot for the ambulence crew.

Not gift-wrapped

2007-12-26T11:13:00.000-05:00

"It was the worst Christmas eve I ever had," stated Robert Schoff.

Schoff, 77, of Des Moines Iowa had what would seem to be the holiday evening that definately stunk. He began by working on a small house project that included digging a small hole near his septic tank. When he got it deep enough, all he had to do was reach in and dislodge a clog that was there.

That was when the 5 foot- 5 inch, 135 pound Schoff lost his balence and became wedged in the opening of the septic tank. Now that may seem to be enough of a rough spot in a "home fix-it" project but Schoff went a bit further, he couldn't free himself from the opening.

He screamed and yelled he stated, hoping that his wife Toni would hear him and be able to help him out of his bind. She did finally notice his kicking feet an hour later and ran out to try and pull him out. When she was unable to do that, she called 911 to have her husband rescued.

Two Polk County deputies arrived and yanked him out of the opening. As for Robert, he stated he is glad that his wife found him when she did, since he didn't think he could have survived there much longer. I would have to agree with almost all of that.... that had to be a Christmas eve that really stunk, though it didn't end up tragic......... just one more tale to add to the family history perhaps.

Did you know?

2007-12-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child you've delivered, will soon deliver you?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know, that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God?

Did you know, that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?

May the star that guided so many on that Christmas eve continue to lead in these days that seem so difficult for many.

Peace on Earth to all........... and to all, the simple, heartfelt joy in giving the best of yourself from within......

Happy Holidays.

Those darn gifts...............

2007-12-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

It seems that the holiday season can bring out some of the strangest ideas about gifts. Some I am sure that you have seen and shook your head at, asking yourself, "What were they thinking?"

In Pensecola FL last week, that had to be the question running through a few people's minds when they were confronted by a couple in a local PetSmart praking lot. Robert G Ellingson, 23, approached two people there and offered them a beer, which they refused. He then offered to sell them his baby for $30. The couple first thought that it might just be a prank or joke but the mother of the child chimed in. Maghen Duvala, 25, yelled from across the parking lot that they were indeed trying to sell her baby and at this point, someone came to their senses and called the police.

Authorities state that both of them have been charged with four counts of child neglect and are being held at the Escambia County Jail. They added that the couple had tried an hour earlier to sell their baby in the parking lot of a bank a few blocks away. The Department of Child & Family services has taken custody of the child and the couple is due in court this week. Evidently, when they failed to entice anyone at the bank to buy their baby, they must have thought that someone with a pet, might want a baby as well?

In Rock Springs WY this past week, it again was a present that led to the bit of trouble for a couple. Shawn Johnson,34, called 911 around 1 am Wednesday, to report that his wife had stabbed him. He stated that she and him had started arguing about his opening a present early.

As the argument escalated, Misty Johnson, 34, accused him of having an affair and at some point, she stabbed him in the chest. Shawn was treated at a hospital for a wound to the chest and Misty was arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery and aggravated assualt and battery. Police didn't state who the present Shawn allegedly opened too early was for. It definately seems though, that traditions in the new Johnson family should be strictly observed.

With gift ideas like these though, I believe I may take another look at the "Clapper" and the "Chia Pets" down at the local store.

To heck with sending flowers.....

2007-12-21T09:05:00.000-05:00

There still seems to be a few young men who don't believe in the "old fashioned" method of winning a girlfriend back. Unfortunately, they may have plenty of time to discover practical methods of saying their sorry in the near future.

James Walcott, 24, of Columbia CT, evidently felt that flowers and candy wouldn't do the trick for him when his girlfriend broke up with him. For some reason, he felt that breaking into her home, attacking her and her boyfriend and threatening to kill both of them would get her to realize that he needed her back. To top off his "romantic" attempt to win her back, he deliberately crashed his car into the new boyfriend's.

It's not too surprizing that he is now charged with a home invasion, multiple assault charges, the motor vehicle crash and a couple of death threat charges to round out his romantic attempt to win back his "fair maiden." It hadn't been reported if she fell for Walcott's strategy but I am willing to bet that it didn't convince her of anything other than getting as far away from him as she possibly can.

Mark Simmons, 21, of Enfield CT, seems to have taken note of some of Walcott's romance tips this past week. Rather than calmly discuss things or try to win her back with chocolate and flowers, Simmons allegedly threw a chair at her, punched through a mirror and threw shards of glass at her. He evidently felt that those things may not have been enough to convince her, so he threatened to slit her throat and drag her behind his truck.

She decided to leave in the face of what was very misguided "romance" and Simmons followed her in traffic until he could cut her off. He slowed his car to two miles an hour and then left his car to approach hers with clenched fists.

Not too surprizingly, Simmons may be able spend a bit of time trading dating tips in the future with Walcott.................. he now faces multiple felony charges and a protective order has been issued for his former, and I expect.... never to be again, girlfriend. Possibly, the schools may want to slip in a dating ettiquette class amongst all the other "specialty" classes they now offer?

Eye for an eye.....

2007-12-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Many people may have had similar thoughts as to what a 32 year-old Gresham OR driver felt recently. It seems that the driver of a tow truck was a bit upset about a recent ticket he had received and felt that taking matters into his own hands would solve it.

Authorities stated that he hooked his tow truck to a marked police car that was responding to a domestic call and attempted to tow it away. They added that he did finally release the vehicle after another officer ordered him to but he then locked the doors of his truck and refused to cooperate.

He evidently was upset about the response that he had received because the truck driver then proceeded to call the police station from inside his truck. According to the police report, he was unsatisfied with the police response when he tried to tow a marked police cruiser.

The manager of the towing company was eventually brought out to the scene and managed to convince his employee to exit the truck and surrender. That driver is now under arrest on charges of unlawful use of a vehicle, interfering with a peace officer, criminal mischief and obstructing governmental administration.

It would seem that the idea of retribution, possibly formed over coffee and a donut, only led to a few more tickets to add to this drivers collection.

Signs, signs.... everywhere a sign

2007-12-17T11:47:00.001-05:00

"Predatory lawyers know they can file ridiculous lawsuits against innocent
product makers and blackmail them into a cash settlement - even in cases in
which a user has ignored common sense," stated Bob Doringo Jones.

Last week the winners of the 11th annual "Wacky Warning Label" contest were announced. The contest is sponsered by the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch and tries to show the effect that lawsuits have on the warning labels we find on our everyday products.

This year's winning entry, selected from a list of finalists and chosen by the listeners of WOMC-FM's Dick Purtan show, was submitted by Kevin Soave of Farmington Hills MI. He won $500 with his entry of the warning label he found on a small tractor......... it simply stated "Danger: Avoid Death" which i suppose would be common sense but evidently, some need to be reminded of it.

The second prize of $250 went to the entry of Turin's of Greensburg PA for their entry of a warning label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer. That simply read... "Do not iron while wearing shirt." Richard Goodnow of Lancaster MA, earned the $100 third prize with his entry. He found the label on a baby stroller that featured a small storage pouch. The pouch had the warning, "Do not put child in bag."

The contest organizers state that their contest shows how broken America's civil justice system is. The honorable mentions in the contest continue to back up that theory as well. Cyndi LaMonde of Traverse City submitted a warning label the accompanied a letter opener that stated : "Caution, safety goggles recommended." Ann Marie Young of Filmore NY, received an honorable mention as well with her entry that stated "The Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used a signing instrument for checks or legal documents."

It would seem that not only are companies now blackmailed into being overly cautious....... it looks as though simple common sense has gone out the window as well. It is a wonder that we don't have constant signs posted to remind us to blink our eyes and breath.

For more "wacky warnings" , go here.

There was running water....

2007-12-16T00:22:00.000-05:00

David Leggat, 55. recently got to put his survival course lessons into practice. His adventure began when he went to use the toilet at the Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling Club in Aberdeen England. The adventure ended after four long, dark and cold days.

The unmarried bowler knew that he was trapped when the interior handle of the toilets jammed and the outer handle had fallen off. He also knew that he was in for a very long wait, since the club isn't used that much this time of year.

He stated that he hadn't brought anything to eat so he sipped cold water from the sink during the four days. He also remembered a tip from his survival course and said that he kept running a basin of hot water to soak his feet in. That wat he could heat his whole body during the long cold hours.

Cathy Scollay, the cleaner, heard his cries for help and contacted the club secretary, Bob Ewing, who came and set Leggat free with some quick screwdriver work. Leggat stated that he was fortunate to have a toilet there but he would have prefered being locked behind the bar for an ordeal like that.

The article didn't state what prompted Leggat to use the toilet there but it could be a fair punishment for letting the door shut on him, when he could see the outer handle was missing.

Throw away the key?

2007-12-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

"I've never seen such a harsh punishment recommended for a non-violent crime," stated James Clapp.

District Judge James Hayes sentenced the Missoula MO man, who was out on parole after serving 9 years in prison for rape on Tuesday December 11 2007. He gave him 75 years for each felony count and added that they were to be served consecutively.

Robert Stearns, 45, had been found guilty by a jury in October of confronting three women in two Hamilton MO parks, then exposed himself and masturbated. At the time of his arrest, he was on probation for two counts of exposing himself and one count of intercourse without consent in 1997.

Judge Hayes had remarked that Stearns had not been able to divert and that he had gone to the parks knowing what he faced from his behavior. Stearns was then sentenced to a total of 225 years in prison on the three felony counts.

Clapp, Stearns's attorney, had stated that not only was this a harsh sentence for a non-violent crime but it also amounted to locking up his client and throwing away the key. He added that it wasn't a fair result in light of the crimes commited.

I do believe that what Stearns did to get arrested isn't the nicest of crimes but to get 225 years in comparison to what some armed robbers and killers get for sentences........ I do think it is far over the line. Just the cost alone of keeping Stearns in jail for what could be maybe 40 more years, should be enough to expose this sentence as being over the top.

Deck the parkway

2007-12-15T00:17:00.000-05:00

The mystery began a bit before Thanksgiving this year and it continues to deepen. What had begun with a simple pair along the Garden State Parkway NJ has slowly expanded, as if elves have been working a bit of overtime.

It began with a pair of glass ornaments hung along the southbound side near the Pinelands. A shiny red ball the size of a canteloupe and a smaller oblong one with glitter swirls hung from the limbs of some large pines there. Whether the elves were busy or if that pair was a mated, breeding pair of bulbs isn't known but in the following weeks, more decorations have appeared.

There aren't any homes nearby that would lead on to think that is may the work of a nearby resident hanging them. By this monday though, the various, large bulbs have taken homes in the trees on the northbound side as well. The authorities believe that it is the work of someone who has a lot of holiday spirit but too much free time at night, since no one has admitted seeing who may have hung the ornaments.

They admit though, that it may be a frustrated husband whose's wife had said enough to the home decorations and he is now spreading his holiday cheer further from home. It doesn't seem to be much to worry about though, the ornaments are harmless and no one is hurt by what cheer they may spread. Myself though.......... I think there are many possibilities, from elves to the bulbs have found a safe nesting ground to maybe even Bigfoot.........it is a nice mystery though.

Rustle up some diesel

2007-12-14T00:06:00.000-05:00

Once again it seems, Florida police have rounded up some enterprizing businessmen. The newest group of thieves include a father-son team as well in what seems to be a growing problem with fuel rustling.

"We're not sure how long it's been going on for , but I'm sure there are that there are other times that they have done this," stated Orlando Police officer Rob Everett.

The owner of Quick Fuel Fleet Services told the Orlando police that he had been tracking fuel truck driver Lino Franco, 43, of Kissimmee and found that he had been making unschedualed stops. One stop in particular, on an access road just north of the John Young Parkway was where he had observed Franco unloading hundreds of gallons of fuel.

Officers waited at around 11 pm in a nearby business and watched Franco unload fuel in two pickups that had large tanks installed in their beds. Amado Frias, 46 and Barbaro Batista, 32 were driving the pickups and Amado's son Edrey Frias served as the lookout. The police moved in and arrested the tanker driver and all three men from Orlando after they had finshing siphoning the fuel.

All the men were booked into the Orange County Jail and face charges of third degree grand theft and are being held on $500 bond each. Officials believe that they have been doing this for some time and selling the fuel for their own personal profit. They had managed to siphon off several hundred gallons of fuel that was headed for the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.

Franco stated that he didn't believe he committed any crime because he hadn't sold the gas and he hadn't received any money for it either. Batista stated that he may have done wrong because people don't usually give away something of value like fuel.

It seems that with the rising costs of fuel in the past months, theives are going where the profit can be made........ the fuel trucks and storage tanks. They are also showing a bit more creativity in their thefts as well.

For related posts, go here and here.

Like fish to water......

2007-12-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

"It just looked like a meadow to him, and he stepped on the ice," stated Janet Waite.

Jet, a 6 year-old took a stroll in Dorset VT recently and ended up taking an icy swim. He walked out onto the ice on an inground pool, broke through 6 inches of ice and became trapped in the 3 1/2 feet of water.

Several rescue attempts had failed and Jet was visably shaking by the time a passerby had flagged down Vermont State Police Cpl Gary Shuhart. The rescuers finally managed to break the ice in the corner of the pool and pulled Jet to safety with a rope around his neck. He was wrapped in blankets and headed off to the local veterinarian with Janet, his owner,for a check of his health and a cut on his left rear leg.

"I didn't realize what it was until it took a leap and jumped up on the side of my hot tub," stated Marlene Todd.

It seems that water attracted a visitor to Todd while she was enjoying her Deadwood SD hot tub recently. She stated that she heard a rustling in the needles near the tub and she thought it might be her cat. It was a cat, just not her housecat as she had thought.

Her visitor was a cougar that was now trapped by the deck stairs and it had only one direction to escape in. It leaped up onto the hot tub, stared her in the eyes and then leaped off it to freedom. Todd called the police about her early morning visitor and they surmised that it had probably been hunting deer in the neighborhood when her tub attracted it.

Todd added that she now knows what a golfish feels like when a cat stares at it in the fishbowl. I would think with winter rapidly approaching, strange tales of water adventures would be slowing down in the northern regions.......... evidently, they are just getting a bit more odd.

Making sure it stays fast food......

2007-12-12T04:33:00.000-05:00

A spokeswoman for McDonald's has recently commented on a new policy that they have in force at their British restaurants. She added that signs and leaflets explaining the policy have been posted and given out as well.

It seems that too many people aren't comprehending what "fast food" is and are lingering in their parking lots while eating. To combat this, they have placed a 45 minute limit on staying in the parking lot and it is being enforced by a private company that manages their lots now. The company, Civil Enforcement manages the lots for several other companies as well and is using number plate recognition cameras to log when people enter and leave.

The company obtains information about the registered owner of the vehicle from the DVLA and they then send off a letter. The owner is fined 125 pounds for a first offense, 75 pounds if it is paid off quickly but if they refuse to pay, the fine rises and they are threatened with court action.

Civil Enforcement operates approximately 700 parking lots and states that they issues a considerable number of tickets a year. Those tickets have included an elderly couple who evidently took too long doing their Christmas shopping at the grocery store and Jamie Thomson, who spent too much time enjoying his meal and coffee one day.

He was surprised to receive a letter in the mail that he had violated the 45 minute parking limit at a Gatwick England McDonald's recently. When he asked for photographic proof of his offense, he was told that he would have to pay for the photo. He contacted the DVLA as well to ask why they had released the information to a private company and was told that they would do that for a company that had a reasonable cause to ask for it.

McDonald's though seems to have washed their hands of the outrage by stating that Civil Enforcement profits from the tickets, not the restaurant. They added that tickets are only issued in extreme cases of overstaying the parking limit.

Thomson's fine has risen to 213 pounds now and he has been threatened with court action over it. It doesn't surprise me though that he states no one in his family will eat again at a McDonald's restaurant because of this policy.

It seems to me that they have come upon a rather strange way to improve their customer service.............. take your time and enjoy our meal, just not on our property.

Brush with stupidity

2007-12-11T04:18:00.000-05:00

On July 14 2007, Andrew Ogden, 21 decided to show off in front of his friends. His antics may have thrilled him and his buddies but it caused an unsuspecting man to be traumatized enough to need to have a week off from work.

Ogden, from Astley Village, Chorley England, was captured on CCTV cameras at the Ryeland level crossing in Chorley. He decided to thrill his friends evidently by striking a pose on the tracks, in front of an oncoming train. His other three friends had continued to cross while Ogden stood in front of the Northern Rail 20.48 Manchester Airport to Blackpool service train bore down on him at 10 pm.

He jumped out of the way at the last possible moment as the train sped by at 50 mph. The driver of the train had no way of knowing that he had missed Ogden and had to continue working that night before he could take medical leave for a week. The film shows just how close Ogden was to getting hit by the train and has left the driver very visably upset.

Ogden was arrested and pleaded guilty to obstruction without intent and will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court January 7 2008. He has been released on unconditional bail pending that court date.

What may have seemed like a good scare for his buddies, left someone else traumatized and very narrowly missed tragedy. Playing chicken with a train though, one traveling at 50 mph, isn't the way to get that thrill maybe.

Bait & switch

2007-12-11T04:12:00.000-05:00

The bait it seems was set out on craigslist.com recently. The switch came when the buyers showed up to hand over their payment and take their new purchase home.

The newest bait seems to be Porsche's that are advertised as being for sale on craigslist. The latest victims made a deal to purchase a 2002 Porsche that was listed for $44,000. They were told to bring $22,000 in cash when they went to Baldwin LI to pick up the car.

Nassau County Police Dectective Lt Karl Schoepp stated that when the victims arrived a group of five men, one with a gun, beat the two victims. They surrendered only $50 though in the attack before getting away. Police added that a Pennsylvania couple was assaulted in a similar fashion last month. That couple had driven to Freeport to finish a deal on a Porsche as well that they had spotted on craigslist.

It would seem that the same old scams have been given new life with the help of online shopping.

For a related post, go here.

Beg, borrow or sue

2007-12-10T04:17:00.000-05:00

One almost has to love the creativity that some New Yorkers have these days in finding the funds they think they need to live their daily lives. While most of us are toiling away at our regular jobs, struggling with the bills and trying to budget for those Christmas gifts we would love to purchase for loved ones, some people have found an alternative.

It seems that one of those families was spotted placing an ad in New York magazine, begging to receive the funds they feel they need to stay living where they wish to live. Now that may sound like a very common problem many in the city face without the benefit of rent control or a high paying job. This family though feels that begging in an advertisement for $1 million isn't such a bad thing.

Their ad states that they need help, in the form of $1 million in order to purchase an apartment on the Upper West Side. They add that they are a wonderful family that contributes to their UWS neighborhood and wants to remain there rather be forced to moved to the suburbs. They also mention that they can afford only $600-700K for that purchase, so anyone would understand their predicament.

They may well be a very nice family and contribute to the neighborhood but I find it difficult to understand how they could feel that their needing to go $400,000 over their budget is a worthy donation. If the $1 million were donated instead to an organization that provides help to the working families that are struggling to stay in their tiny apartment, pay the heat or electric bill, it would help many more , nice neighbors in the city. Many people are forced with choices in life and having the income to even think of affording something in the price range they state they can afford, gives them many choices as to where to live.

Last week, Zamfira Sfara, 48, filed suit to gain some of her former employer's millions. She claims that Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble, repeatedly mauled her in 2004 and she is seeking now a large part of the $12 million the dog inherited.

Trouble was whisked out of New York City NY this past fall to escape the death threats that were aimed at her when she was at Helmsley's Connecticut home. She evidently has been spotted enjoying the good life in Sarasota FL recently, a life that costs approximately $300,000 a year for upkeep and security.

Sfara filed suit against Trouble in 2005 and that suit was thrown out of court then. The millionare pup is expected to be back in New York in January for a high-security press conference about Helmsley's charitable trust. It may be then that officials get get a statement from Trouble in regards to Sfara's claims of being mauled.

It seems to me though, it is just another grab for some free money from someone who feels that a dog shouldn't have more money than them. Considering the size of the dog and what others who have been mauled by much larger dogs have recieved for settlements....... Sfara may only be looking at enough money to buy groceries for a week.

I am sure both these people feel that they are very deserving of the money but in comparison to what others in this country face each and every day................... they seem to be begging for "free" money and just forgetting to shake the cup in their hand when they do.

It may be politics....

2007-12-10T04:05:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential candidate has recently fired the landscaping company that had been hired to work at his home in Belmont MA. This was not the first time that he had the same issue with Community Lawn Service of Chelsea MA though.

The former Massachusetts governor has been repeatedly asked for his plans to solve the nation's illegal alien problems and he has stated his solutions publically. Romney would like to develope a three-point plan that includes building fences along the U S-Mexico border, develope a tamperproof ID card for legal immigrants and cutoff federal money to what have been called "sanctuary cities" for illegal immigrants.

During a recent debate, Romney pointed out that he felt that Guiliani had continued to provide a safe haven within New York City while he was mayor for illegal aliens. Guilani countered that remark by stating that last year, The Boston Globe had reported on Romney's landscaping company employing illegal aliens as workers. It was a recent follow-up to that story that led to the firing of the landscaping company.

The Boston Globe asked Romney why he contiued to employ a company that had illegal aliens working for them. Romney stated that he had given the company a second chance after it was first revealed last year but that he had told them that they would have to be in compliance with the law for him to continue to employ them. He added that as soon as they were found that workers at his home were not of legal status, he drafted a letter informing the lawn service of their termination.

Ricardo Saenz recently spoke to FOX25 News and speculated that it was the heated presidential race that led to his company being fired, rather than his employees status. He claimed that Romney never had asked about his workers, only what price he had bid for the job, a job they have held for 11 years. Saenz also insisted that his workers were of legal status but he declined to show the Globe reporters their papers.

While I do feel sorry that Saenz has lost an account that he had for 11 years, working on Romney's home, I don't believe it was just politics that led to that firing. It matters little that one of his clients is now running for president, what matters is that he is breaking the law. It has long been argued that illegal workers take the jobs that Americans don't want, yet I am sure that Saenz isn't paying his workers his a competive wage....... he can become the low bidder on jobs by paying illegal workers who won't talk, less money than those who are employing legally documented workers.

Trade it with a smile

2007-12-09T03:16:00.000-05:00

It seems that San Francisco has joined the ranks of many other cities nationwide in offering to trade gifts for guns. In a city that has seen 89 murders already, they felt that this may help remove guns from the streets or even homes where they may be stolen and used in a crime.

They held their first event in July and held their second on Saturday. California law makes it illegal to own an assault rifle and the program, Gifts for Guns allows anyone to turn in a weapon and the police will not ask any questions as to it's origins.

The event in July brought in 117 handguns and 2 shotguns and this Saturday, San Francisco police collected about 100 guns which included 4 assault rifles and two sawed-off shotguns. Once they guns are in police hands, they will be checked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to see if they have been used in a crime previously or are stolen. Those that are stolen will be returned to their owners and the rest, about 99 percent, will be destroyed.

When Orlando held their event earlier this year, they offered a choice of a giftcard or sneakers. San Francisco offered giftcards on a sliding scale, depending on the type of gun turned in. Those turning in guns were offered a $100 giftcard for rifles and shotguns, handguns brought a $150 giftcard and assault-type rifles were exchanged for a $200 card.

Not everyone felt that it was a very good idea though. Peter Buxtun, a 70 year-old gun advocate turned in two worthless handguns and walked away with $300 in giftcards. He stated that you can buy a junk gun for $10 and then turn it in, then use the gift card to purchase another gun. He added that he felt that the officers would have done better to be out patrolling rather than handing out giftcards.

Buxton does have a point and it seems these days that almost anything can be traded or bartered for another. Getting guns off the street and out of closets though, I think is not such a bad thing for the few hours spent at the event. I do have to wonder though, on San Francisco's sliding giftcard scale........ what would a missle launcher like Orlando received be worth in gift cards?

For a related post, go here.

You're the Daddy......

2007-12-09T03:05:00.000-05:00

"You can't be half a father, and half not, under the law," stated Melissa Brisman, reproductive lawyer.

That is the conclusion as well of Nassau County Family Court Judge Ellen Greenberg when she made her ruling on November 16 2007. The father, who is anonymous, will now have to meet with a support magistrate to determine what, if any support he is responsible for until the child is 21 years-old.

According to the man's testimony, he was a physician in the same Nassau County hospital as the child's mother worked in the late 1980's. He learned that the woman and her female partner wanted to have a baby, so he donated sperm for that purpose. The woman gave birth July 26 1989 and the man, who was married at that time, agreed verbally to not have any rights or benefits in raising the child. That agreement was never put in writing, though he did allow his name to appear on the child's birth cetificate because he felt it was in the child's best interest to have an identity.

The man also had contact with the child as it was growing up, that is until 1993, when the mother, her partner and the child moved to Oregon in 1993. He also sent the boy gifts, money and cards and letters signed "Dad" or "Daddy." up until then. After the move though, he has spoken to the child by phone only seven times in 15 years and met him once for several hours three years ago.

Jeffrey Herbst, the attorney representing the child's mother, stated that while there isn't any genetic evidence that the man is the boy's father, he feels that contact that had been made forms a parental relationship. He also cited the statement that the child had known no-one other than that man as his father to be proof of the relationship.

Deborah Kelly, attorney for the man, acknowledged that the man is named on the father on the birth certificate but she feels that his trust has been abused. Her client had been told that things would be one way and had been that for 18 years and now he has been told very differently. Her client had requested a paternity test since there was no concrete evidence that he was the father but the judge felt it would have a traumatic effect on the child and didn't allow it.

To protect the child from any trauma is what the court's should be doing but the father in this case is facing a traumatic effect as well. He has very little contact with his son in the past fifteen years and now, when the child is 18 years-old and college-bound, he is hit with a lawsuit seeking child support from the friend and her partner he had helped long ago.

While there are two sides to this debate and the laws have not kept up well with all the changes in what constitutes a "family" these days I do wonder why the mother is seeking support now. She has a partner, who she chose to have the child with and that partner should have adopted the child. I can understand wanting to keep someone who may have been a very good role model for a young boy but I don't feel that the "father" is liable for child support this late in the game. He did do them a favor and while there may not have been everything in writing, it would be fair to assume that both the mother and her partner are responsible for that child's support until age 21.

Blind eye of the badge

2007-12-08T02:46:00.000-05:00

On Thursday he was charged with producing child pornography and the next day November 30 2007, he was set to appear before federal judge at 2:30pm. His wife, while she has been placed on administrative leave, hasn't been charged in regards to the case.

Atlanta police Sgt Tanya Crane's husband Terrill was charged after investigators recently received photographs taken from 1999 to 2002 of Terrill. They show him having sexual activity with at least 11 different girls, all of whom were minors at the time. Authorities state that he befriended the young girls, took them to his home or truck and gave them cash to engage in sexual conduct. He also offered them $50 for each new girl that they could bring to him and Crane sometimes took photos or directed them to be taken during that activity.

A photoshop employee had contacted the Atlanta Police Department in 2000 because he was concerned about the content of the photos that had been developed for Crane. The photos that were given to the police over the next two years contained about 50 sexually explicit photos. They showed girls who appeared to be between 12 and 15 years-old, engaged in sexual conduct with Crane. Those photos weren't turned over to the FBI until October 16 2007.

"This is a very disturbing case, for many reasons," stated U S Attorney David Nahmias.

Authorities state that Terrill's wife Tanya learned from an unidentified person at the Atlanta police headquarters in 2003, that they had the photos of him. She then burned some photos and negatives that she found in her house. Terrill was still trying to have sex with young girls then, telling a young girl he had exploited years earlier that he would give her $50 for each young girl she brought him.

The department spokeswoman, Judy Pal, stated that she didn't know had happened to the phots from 2000 to 2007. She added though, that the chief had been alerted to them by other staff and he immediately had contacted the FBI but made no further statements due to the internal investigation.. Police Chief Richard Pennington stated that he wouldn't tolerate the alleged actions and any purported failure to take action by his officers.

I am sure that many people would not ask the department many questions about integrity if they hadn't known of the photos existance. They did though and for several years, nothing was done to stop an officer's husband from preying on young girls. Someone was nice enough to warn his wife and rather than uphold the law as her badge symbolizes, she evidently tried to cover up his crimes as well. Cases like these are certainly making it difficult for the public to trust and respect the police, when they themselves are doing a good job of breaking it themselves.

For a related post, go here.

It's certainly not a goldfish

2007-12-08T02:35:00.000-05:00

This Sunday, December 9 2007, you have the opportunity to add to your room decor and it is a one of a kind that you won't find at IKEA. Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles CA will be handling the sale and they expect to get approximately $400,000 for the centuries old piece.

The Bonhams catelog describes the Mosasaraus baugei as a swift and graceful predator that dined on mollusks, fish, turtles and shellfish. The 70 million year old, 30 foot long lizard ruled the oceans possessing a huge skull lined with sharp teeth almost a yard wide.

This three dimensional mounted skeleton of the mosasaur is in remarkable condition and one only a few that have ever been found. This particular fossil was found near a mining area of North Africa. The mosasaur or Meuse lizard was named after the Meuse River in Holland where the first of these mosasaurs was discovered in 1780.

The auction house has also suggested that you make special arrangements for transporting home your prize if you should win the bidding, which I guess means that you shouldn't think you'll slide it into the bed of your pickup truck for the drive home.

We're teaching the lesson young.....

2007-12-07T04:21:00.000-05:00

"This is a local program in Seminole County FL, that promotes academic excellence and rewards academic achievement," stated William Whitman.

The rewards offer that is printed on report card envelopes in nine Central Florida counties, offers a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior or attendence. It replaces a program that was sponsered by Pizza Hut for ten years. The school district stated that it isn't advertising in their public schools and they gain nothing more that McDonald's paying the $1,700 for the envelopes and printing.

The promotion offers a free Happy Meal to any student that has no more than two absences, no bad marks in behavior or has all A's and B's on their report card. Susan Pagan stated that she was apalled at that offer on her fourth grade daughters report card and questioned the school district about it. She felt that she was being made to be the "bad guy" by refusing to give her daughter the free meal she qualified for. Pagan rarely takes her daughter to fast-food restaurants and doesn't like the school encouraging her to do so.

Objections have also now been raised that the envelopes are promoting fast food while families and others are trying to battle a serious rise in childhood obesity. Many school systems are taking steps to offer much healthier school lunches and teaching children how to make better choices about the food they eat.

There have been other food offers for free grades slipped in with good report cards in the past in some Orange County schools which include free ice cream and coupons for Ale House and Steak 'n Shake. Coupons for Aloma Bowling and offers from banks that have been linked to report cards or good grades seems to be better choices than free fast-food.

What I do wonder though, why the outcry of it being a fast-food meal the children are being rewarded with? Why not an outcry over the lesson it is teaching children at such a young age? There was a time when getting good grades was worth just knowing that you had achieved, received verbal praise for doing what was expected of you and in rare occasions, you may have received some reward from your parents. It seems that the "new" system includes tying an actual reward to any kind of achievement and possibly teaching children that the effort to do well should only be tied to gaining that reward...........not tied to the satisfaction of doing well for themselves.

Just grab the gal

2007-12-07T04:15:00.000-05:00

The co-owner of the Naughtie Novelties store at 6011 Highway 51 in Madison WI reported a break-in on November 10 2007. Police used the surveillance tapes to observe a large man get out of a distinctive General Motors car, smash through a front door, grab some items and drive off.

About 10 days later, a Dane County Sheriff's Office detective noticed a car with similar distinctive features parked behind the Truckers Inn at 6162 Highway 51. They stopped the car that was missing a hubcap and had a taped-up front passenger window a short time later. The driver, Jose A Sandoval, 26, first denied committing the buglary but then began crying. He then told the detectives that the items he had stolen were hidden away and led them to an abandoned semi-trailer truck behind the Truckers Inn.

They found the items that were missing that included thong underwear, lotions and some sex dolls. Evidently, Sandoval managed to get himself a rather high class date as well. One of the dolls was a Linn Thomas talking love doll, shaped to look like the porn star of the same name. The $269.99, 5 foot-3 inch doll is described as not only being able to vibrate but she blurts out pre-recorded words of encouragement to the user.

I think that she may be the "perfect" woman as long as you keep her away from sharp objects.

You got the lucky bag......

2007-12-06T04:12:00.000-05:00

"It made me feel like a criminal, like I did something wrong. The look on [the cop's] face, it was like he knew I was already arrested," stated Carlos Alayo.

The freelance photographer stated that he was late for a business meeting when he spotted a wallet lying abandoned on a subway bench. Alayo picked it up and put it in his bag, hoping to later find it's owner as he rushed to board the 6 train at Grand Central Station, New York City NY, Wednesday. Just as he was boarding the train, he felt a hand on his shoulder and the undercover officer asked him where the wallet was.

Alayo, 32, had just become the latest New Yorker to be caught in the NYPD's crackdown on thieves in their operation called Operation Lucky Bag. After he handed over the wallet, he was frisked, made to stand with his hands against the wall and wait for police to run a check of his criminal history. Alayo, an immigrant from Peru, not only had to listen to the officer repeatedly tell him not to lie and admit how many times he had been arrested but he stated that he was red from embaressement.

He added that he has been in the U S for 17 years and had never felt discrimination until that day. The decoy operation he had been caught up in has the NYPD planting puses, backpacks, wallets and shopping bags around the subway. The items used to contain only a few hundred dollars but they now also include real American Expres cards issued to the Police Department. Theft of a credit card is an Class E felony and anyone the police believe was stealing the card will face up to four years in jail.

While their program has made numerous arrests of repeat offendors it also may have the effect of discouraging good samaritans from turning in the lost items. I can see the point to that as well, in these days of combatting terrorism, New Yorkers may choose to leave an abandoned bag alone and not risk arrest and in doing so, leave the opportunity for a terrorist to leave an item anywhere they choose.

As for Alayo, he was let go a week later when police found that he had no warrents or that there was an reason for arresting him. I wouldn't doubt that the next time he thinks he will do a good deed like that, he may well just walk on by the lost item.

Tumbling down......

2007-12-06T04:05:00.000-05:00

"This thing has destroyed our lives forever," stated Maggie Cosmillo.

On January 9 2007, Angela Cosmillo was home alone caring for her 1 year-old son Joey when he slipped out of the house and fell into the pool. She jumped in, pulled him out and carried him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom and then called 911. Joey was unconcious and not breathing and she told the 911 operator that she thought he may be dead.

Sgt Andrea Eichhorn, 36, of Chuluota and a 12 year veteren of the police department, was the third rescuer to arrive at the house. She slipped on a puddle in the hallway near where they were performing CPR on Joey. Eichhorn fell down but got up again and had a co-worker take her to an emergency outpatient clinic later that day. Doctors there told her that she had broken her kneecap. The city or it's insurers paid all of her medical bills and in the two months she was out of work, she didn't lose a single day of pay.

It is what Eichhorn chose to do, even though her police chief had advised against it, that outraged people. After spending months trying to get money from the Cosmillo's, she chose to sue them for an undisclosed amount, stating that she felt negligent and allowed their home to become unsafe. Eichhorn saw herself as the victim and stated that her knee aches, it will likely develope arthritis and she feared that she could become a burden to her family.

She filed suit on October 1 2007 and on October 10, the Orlando Sentinel published an article about the suit. The public flooded the police department and city offices with their outrage over the suit. Eichhorn was said to have ben in tears on the day the article appeared and went home. That same day, police Chief John Pavlis placed her on paid leave of absence and called for an internal investigation. Eichhorn then dropped her suit on October 12.

The Cosmillo's had ignored the suit and pleas for a settlement from Eichhorn and with good reason. Richard and Maggie, their grandson's legal guardian, were told that Joey probably wouldn't survive more than a few hours after his arrival in the hospital. For the first two months, Maggie remained at his bedside, never once going home.

Joey, now 23 months old, lives 5 miles away from them now, in a nursing home where he can get 24 a day care. He suffers from severe brain damage, breaths through a tube and is fed by another tube. He can't sit, eat or swallow but he can smile and seems to recognise music now. His grandfather Richard has hopes that he will be able to learn to do even more than that in the future.

Pavlis informed Eichhorn on November 19 that he planned to fire her and removed both her badge and gun then. While he had previously described her as a good officer, he cited that the internal investigation had found that she had broken at least five department rules in filing her lawsuit, including bringing public ridicule to the department. Her lawsuit also could have caused citizens to question whether they too could be sued by officers responding to a 911 call.

Richard Cosmillo stated that she had gotten what she deserved and she wouldn't have lost her job if she hadn't filed the lawsuit. I do have to agree with him....... Eichhorn is worried that she may develope arthritis and become a burden, there is no proof that she will develope it nor will she be anymore of a burden than the thousands of people who suffer from it without slipping on a puddle. As for her leaving work in tears...... what did she really believe people would think of her lawsuit?

The public was correct I believe, to be outraged by the lawsuit, the Cosmillo's are facing huge medical bills and a struggle to give their grandson the best life he can have.... Eichhorn lost not a single dollar for having slipped, fallen and strangely, wasn't injured enough to want immediate medical help, but waited until later in that day to have her knee checked.

You can pay for our fun

2007-12-05T04:25:00.000-05:00

"They were like a parasite that infected the building," stated Detective Terry Sweeney.

They were a young, fun loving and jet-setting couple with a $3,000 a month apartment in Philadelphia PA. Authorities charge that they used their neighbors to support their high styles and spending though.

Police began investigating Edward K Anderton and his girlfriend Jocelyn Kirsch, 22, after a neighbor on their floor reported to police on November 19 2007 that she believed that her identity had been stolen. The next day, she was contacted by a local UPS store that she had a package waiting to be picked up. She hadn't ordered anything from the British retailer that had sent it and police waited to see who did pick it up.

Kirsch and Anderton walked in the store to claim the package and police arrested them. A weekend search of their apartment uncovered two printers, four computers, a scanner and an industrial machine that makes ID cards. They also found $17,500 in cash, credit cards, fake driver's licenses and keys to open many of the apartments and mailboxes in their Rittenhouse Square building.

The police don't know how they came to have to keys and they also believe that they have been running the scheme for at least two years. They recovered both a book and an article that are related to their scheme from the apartment, a scheme that police believe made them at least $100,000 in the past year. Anderton, a University of Pennsylvania graduate had recently been fired from his job as a financial analyst and Kirsch, a Drexel University student evidently enjoyed trips to London, Paris and Hawaii as well as spending their stolen money on personal items.

Both Kirsch and Anderton have been charged with unlawful use of a computer, identity theft, forgery and a long list of other related charges. Police have identified at least five victims, one of whom lost at least $30,000 and they expect to find more victims as they continue to investigate.

It seems that both of these young people used the gifts they had in life not to work for their own dreams but to steal other peoples dreams. It may have been that the money they were stealing wasn't being handed over the counter at gunpoint but that doesn't make it less of a crime.

Her house, her rules.....

2007-12-05T04:10:00.000-05:00

Justin T Veal, 18, stated that he always kept an eye on the clock so that he returned home before the 1:30 am curfew his mother had imposed on him. It seems though that the rules his mother raised him had much importance to him than some of the other rules out there.

Veal was jailed last week after being arrested in a liquor store holdup and now faces a felony robbery charge. He told Indianapolis IN police that he had robbed about a dozen businesses this year of approximately $10,000. Veal stated that he needed the money for gas, to buy jewelry, fix up his car and to keep up with everyone else. Even though he had just been hired for two jobs, he told officers that he was desperate for money.

It seems though that Veal did try and follow his mother's rules. Now only did he make sure that he returned home before his curfew, he also did not attempt any hold ups on Thanksgiving or on Sundays, when he went to church with his mother. Police added that while Veal was armed during his hold ups, no one was ever injured.

I am not sure that making his curfew will do anything to lessen his sentence but at least we can rest easily knowing that he does know how to follow some rules... a few years in jail may help improve his skills in following others possibly.

They've all just "run off"

2007-12-04T04:07:00.000-05:00

"I love too much my wife. Many things I am thinking....... I don't know why she is doing this. She has not called me," stated Kultar Goraya.

She isn't the young, blonde housewife but Rupinder, 34, was reportedly last seen on October 2 2007 and has been missing since. If you believe her husband Kultar, she has just "run off" in much the same way that Drew has claimed his fourth wife has.

Kultar and Rupinder have been married for five years, in an arranged marriage. They along with their 3 year-old handicapped son Sam, moved to Florida from India's Punjab state last year. Rupinder was participating in a nursing exchange program but was currently on leave from Southwestern Florida Regional Medical Center. She had recently had a hysterectomy performed after having a diagnosis of cancer.

In May 2007, Kultar had been arrested for allegedly choking his wife in a drunken rage. Police state that he had threatened to kill her but they later reconciled but Kultar admits, his marriage was shakey. Kultar has stated that he was asleep on the couch that day when she came in and kissed him on the forehead and told him she was flying from Orlando to New York to visit a hospital where she hoped to work.

Rupinder's cellphone calls and credit card activity all stop on that day and she missed a doctor's visit. Even after she didn't come home, Kultar didn't report her missing, her coworkers dod report her missing on October 19. Four days before they reported her missing, Kultar abandoned his job and took Sam back to his native India. He returned almost as quickly when his relatives there were angry with him when he couldn't explain where his wife was.

Kultar claims that his wife was having affairs with two different men and speculates that maybe she ran off with one of the men or she is with friends. He has been unable though, to provide credible names for the people he said she knew so well and the one phone number he produced was answered by a woman who claimed she didn't know Rupinder.

Friends and relatives do not believe Kultar's stories that she had run off. They don't believe that she would leave her son and they found personal items in the apartment that she would not have left behind. Detectives have stated that his stories changed significantly in the two times the interviewed him and even though they don't believe him, they have no grounds for arrest yet.

Neighbors and relatives of the couple have described a couple that didn't seem right. Rupinder is described as a sweet lady who was outgoing and friendly while Kultar was described as distant and unpredictable. None seems to believe that she would just run off and leave her son behind either.

The detectives fear the worst even though they have no solid evidence that she has met with foul play. Kultar is also their only "person of interest" in her disappearance, a disappearnce that looks suspicious to them.

I do wonder why her disappearance has not brought the national attention that Stacy Peterson's has. It certainly looks as if there is some special place that all of these women are running off to with the men their husbands state have "stolen" them away. I myself find it difficult to believe that these women would leave their children behind, especially after hearing how involved they were with them.

For related posts, go here and here.

Just moving some cash

2007-12-04T03:50:00.000-05:00

"I will like to know if the above item is still available for sale and I will like to buy this item so pleas do withdraw the advert from craigslist. I will also like you to know that I will be paying via check," read the first typo-ridden reply Choi got.

Miriam Choi had decided to move to Kentucky to be with her parents and leave Brooklyn NY. She wanted to sell some of her furniture before the move and placed an ad on the free site, craigslist.org. Choi, a 31 year-old interior designer, was trying to sell bar and cabinet set for $725 when she received that first e-mail.

The site does warn users not to trust buyers from out of town who wish to pay by check, so Choi was skeptical of the buyer, who she only knew by the e-mail name "Heady Heady." The check, issued from City Bank of Florida and signed by someone named John Edwards arrived shortly. Instead of it being for $725, the check from Edwards, whom her buyer explained was his financier, was for $3,050.

Choi was wise enough not to ship the items until the check had cleared her bank and "Heady Heady" had told her to wait and then send whatever was left to his movers. After it had cleared, Choi did just that but after the money had arrived for the movers, the buyer contacted her again and stated he didn't want the item. He asked her to wire back most of the money and keep $135 for her troubles.

She was disappointed that she hadn't made the sale but she did figure that she had at least come out ahead by his giving her that money. Two weeks later though, Choi found out how really lucky she was, he bank contacted her to tell her that the check was counterfeit. Even worse was that they told her she was responsible for the full $3,050.

According to federal law, banks must make the funds available within two days but it may take several weeks to examine a check and find the forgeries. If Choi hadn't withdraw the money, her buyer may have complained angrily but she wouldn't have been responsible. She isn't alone in being scammed, both craigslist and Ebay state that scams abound out there and if you are in a hurry, you may not be as careful as you should be.

If the scammers are not extremely good with computers, large losses of money in these scams can be investigated through the use of the IP address that is on every e-mail sent out. The Internet Service Provider is not likely to give that information to the seller but in case of large theft, the police can be involved in the investigation.

As for Choi... she has listed the set two more times on craigsliat and both inquiries sounded like the same scam that she fell for the first time. It seems that some have discovered how to get trusting individuals to do their money laundering for them.

Nobody wanted to listen then.......

2007-12-03T00:06:00.000-05:00

When Dr George E Reardon was fighting the loss of his medical license in the early 1990's, his lawyers and hospital officials dismissed the accusations against him as meritless. Now that the thousands of photographs victims had claimed he took have been found, the West Hartford CT police have been flooded with calls from all over the nation.

Most of those who called and spoke to the detectives just want someone to believe them and listen to what nobody wanted to listen to or believe back then. Several of those who called stated that they had molested when Reardon took them to a cabin in New York. Investigators are now going to visit the cabin he had owned on Brant Lake in Horicon NY in hopes of talking to residents who knew or observed Readon when he brought the boys there.

Dennis Malanchuk, 90 and a neighbor of Readon then had stated that he remembers the boys that Readon brought up there. He added that there were never any women that came along either, no secretaries or nurses while Readon had the boys there fishing and boating. The cabin was sold for $91,000 by his estate after he died.

Reardon had never married and lived at his mother's home on Griswald Dr, that she had bough in the 1950's. After her death in 1982, Reardon took in two brothers and became their legal guardian. He dated their mother and gave her money to pay her bills and she died of a drug overdose in 1983.

One victim, Dr C, has spoken in length of the horror of his time with Reardon. Dr C, a father of four and a pharmaceutical researcher outside Boston, wonders when investigators will find the evidence of his shattered life in the thousands of photos that have been discovered. He still vividly remembers the terror of climbing into Reardon's Cadillac DeVille, Reardon's slicked back hair and the smell of the almost constant cigarettes he smoked on that Sunday 40 years ago.

Dr C managed to bury those memories until he was 30 and had his son and they then returned as nightmares. He had spent hours locked in Reardon's St Francis Hospital office while Reardon fondled his genitals until they hurt, wait for him to clean him off and then had him pose for hundreds of pictures. He remembers that Reardon acted like he had nothing to hide as he brought the then 12 year-old past security guards and up to his office. Twice he was there alone and the third time, Dr C stated that there were two other boys there and he posed them as if they were having sex with each other. Before he took him home, Reardon gave him a gift, of real laboratory equipment since he had been interested in science even then.

Dr C didn't trust his own memories nor did he trust many people through his adult life. He has battled depression without knowing why and he turned to drugs and alcohol to try and quiet the demons. His marriage fell apart but by 1992, he was sober and ready to take action. Today, he is remarried and while he still battles depression, he is reliving his childhood through his children. The one piece of his life that is still unresolved though is his mother's insistance that it had all been his fault.

His dream is that his parents accept what had happened and accept him as he is. A simple wish to soothe what has been lifetimes of doubt and pain........ all because of one man, George E Reardon.

For a related post, go here.

Photos of the cabin in NY & the Griswald Dr home in 1994.

Update: December 13

Just when the West Hartford Police may have thought they were getting a handle on the case of Dr Reardon, the case took another twist. One of his victims states that not only did Reardon photograph him but he also raped him from the time he was 10 until he was 13. He added that he had been raped at the hospital and at other locations..

The new lawsuit brings the total to 18 that claim that the hospital is also responsible for their abuse. They all tell similar stories and St Francis Hospital so far is claiming that they were under the impression that Reardon was conducting a legitimate study and they had no idea of any wrongdoing.

A few victims had received compensation from Reardon's estate but these new lawsuits are the first that name the hospital in connection with his wrongdoing.

She's Precious

2007-12-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

She is the third for Bai Yun and Gao Gao, the San Diego Zoo residents since 2003. After waiting the traditional 100 days, their newest baby panda was named Zhen Zhen, meaning Precious.

This particular pair of pandas, on loan from China, already have had Mei Sheng, her big brother, born in 2003, who was returned to China this year to finish growing up and become a part of their breeding program. In 2005, her big sister Su Lin was born to the prolific pair and she too will eventually be returned to China.

Zhen Zhen, who was born August 3 2007 is still kept away from public view with her mother but they can both be watched on the zoo cam. Their website also keeps continued updates as to her growth and developement... an online babybook.

These rare and loveable bears may be finally making headway in preventing extinction with the loan programs from China and the years of study and captive breeding of them. As sad as it may be for them to be returned to China, it is part of a program to ensure that they are kept as genetically diverse as possible and hopefully continue on for generations to enjoy.

For the zoo website, go here.

Sweating yet?

2007-12-02T03:31:00.000-05:00

Two of Michael Vick's co-defendents were sentenced today and I would hope that what they received has Vick beginning to sweat a little. For weeks it seemed until Vick finally made his plea deal, the sentences being tossed around were a mere 6 months to maybe a year in jail for him.

Quanis Phillips of Atlanta GA, was facing a recommended 18 to 24 months because of his more extensive criminal record and he received 21 months. Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach VA, had faced a recommended 12 to 18 months and he was sentenced to all 18 months.

The prosecutors had recomended that both be sentenced on the low end of the scale but U S District Judge Henry Hudson stated that the crimes were callous and cruel and sentenced both men on the high end of the recommendation.

Michael Vick has also pleaded guilty of all the charges but the ones that included gambling. According to the court papers, Vick had financed the Bad Newz Kennels entirely and had participated in killing several underperforming dogs. He entered custody on November 19 to begin serving his sentence early and will face Hudson on Dec 10 to learn his entire sentence. Tony Taylor of Hampton VA, will be sentenced on Dec 14.

I would expect that Vick will face much more than 12 months in jail, in view of what his co-defendents just received. The evidence showed that Vick bankrolled the entire operation and participated in it as well.......... it will be a bit difficult to try and paint himself as not having any knowledge of what he was financing on his property.

For related posts, go here.

Update: December 10

Michael Vick will apparently have a few months of "quiet-time" to contemplate how to resurrect his football career. He has been sentenced to 23 months behind bars for his guilty plea in bankrolling the dogfighting operation that was run out of his property.

While there many who felt that Vick would walk out of court with possibly a 6 month sentence, it has become more apparent in recent weeks that he wouldn't. Vick had faced up to 5 years in prison and the sentencing guidelines had suggested one year to 18 months for his guilty plea. U S District Judge Henry E Hudson has been known to be tough in his sentencing and the time two of Vick's co-consiprators just received should have made him start to sweat a bit.

Vick had managed to test positive for marijuana which was a violation of the terms of his release and he was then subjected to a curfew and electronic monitoring. He had insisted that he was innocent of any of the charges but he did suddenly change his plea after the other three arrested had pleaded guilty.

I would expect that Tony Taylor, schedualed to be sentenced on Friday, may walk out of court with the lightest sentence of the four. Sadly though, Vick only managed to grab a couple extra months of prison time over Philips..... even though he was the one who bankrolled the entire operation. All four of them still face charges state dogfighting charges in Virginia and the prosecution has stated that Vick seems to be a lot short on available cash ;ately. If Vick finds that he has no career after this is done, it is through no fault but his own.