New Jersey Judge Explores the Meaning of Bestiality and New Jersey Criminal Law

Judge of the Day: James Morley


2009-09-25

Here's an interesting question. How do we know that animals involved in bestiality don't actually like it? This question was recently on the mind of one New Jersey jurist.

From the Philadelphia Daily News:

During a bizarre hearing [in Burlington County, NJ], a Superior Court judge dismissed animal-cruelty charges against a Moorestown police officer accused of sticking his penis into the mouths of five calves in rural Southampton in 2006, claiming a grand jury couldn't infer whether the cows had been "tormented" or "puzzled" by the situation or even irritated that they'd been duped out of a meal.

"If the cow had the cognitive ability to form thought and speak, would it say, 'Where's the milk? I'm not getting any milk,' " Judge James J. Morley asked.

Children, Morley said, seemed "comforted" when given pacifiers, but there's no way to know what bovine minds thought of Robert Melia Jr. substituting his member for a cow's teat.

"They [children] enjoy the act of suckling," the judge said. "Cows may be of a different disposition."

In its weirdness, this is all very Ally McBeal-ish (although too explicit for that show).

So how did the prosecutor feel about all this?

Burlington County Assistant County Prosecutor Kevin Morgan was certainly irritated by the ruling, claiming the grand jury didn't see the videos of the alleged incident, including one in which one hungry calf allegedly head-butts Melia in the stomach.

Should the alleged head-butt be construed as an expression of dissent? Or perhaps the calf just wished that Melia were more well-endowed?

"I think any reasonable juror could infer that a man's penis in the mouth of a calf is torment," Morgan argued. "It's a crime against nature."

Ah, but what is a crime against nature? Many sexual acts once viewed as "crimes against nature" are now perfectly acceptable. If at least some human beings enjoy administering fellatio, how can we say -- as a per se rule -- that all cows do not?

Here's the legal reason this matters:

Although a bill was introduced in 2005 to ban bestiality, New Jersey still has no explicit ban on the sexual penetration of animals, which is why the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office charged Melia with animal cruelty.
We're with Judge Morley on this. If New Jersey had a law on the books criminalizing sexual penetration of animals, then perhaps Melia would be guilty. But in this case, where Melia is charged only with animal cruelty, shouldn't the rule of lenity be applied? The ambiguous statute should be interpreted in favor of the defendant.
Morley said it was questionable whether Melia's alleged crimes against cows, although "disgusting," fit the definitions in the animal-cruelty statute.
"I'm not saying it's OK," Morley said. "This is a legal question for me. It's not a questions of morals. It's not a question of hygiene. It's not a question of how people should conduct themselves."

Indeed. Mouth-f**king a cow may not make you a model citizen. But should you go to jail for it -- especially if you live in a state that does not explicitly prohibit sexual penetration of animals?

Morgan, the prosecutor, said in court that the owner of the cows was "very upset" by the incident.

Trespass to chattels? Maybe. Animal cruelty? Surely not.
"If the cock doesn't fit, you must acquit."

Despite Bold Quest For Freedom - Bull Executed

"Herman," a doomed 1400-pound bull drags officers down New Jersey street in a brave attempt to escape death row

Sep 28 2009


Police say a 1,400-pound bull escaped from a northern New Jersey slaughterhouse, dragged officers with a lasso down a street and ran 10 blocks before being captured and sedated. Chief John DeCando, spokesman for Paterson Police's animal control division, said the bull was being unloaded at ENA Meat Packing Inc. when it broke loose just before 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Police tried to corral the bull by lassoing a rope around the animal's neck, but it dragged officers down the street instead.

DeCando said traffic was light during the bull run. He said the area where the officers were dragged was not residential or near a school.

Officers finally corralled the bull and DeCando was able to sedate it.

No injuries to the bull's captors were reported. The bull was returned to the slaughterhouse where it was willfully injured until dead.

Bulls really get the worst of these deals!

Beer Swilling Muslim Woman To Be Caned

Beer-drinking Muslim woman's caning to proceed

Sep 28 2009


A judge in Malaysia has upheld a court verdict to cane a Muslim woman for drinking beer, news reports said Monday, re-igniting a controversy over Islamic justice in this moderate Muslim-majority country.

The Star newspaper's Web site and national news agency Bernama said the chief Shariah judge of Pahang state ruled that a Shariah High Court's verdict against Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was correct and should stay.

If the punishment is carried out, Kartika would become the first Muslim woman to be caned in Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the 28 million people are Muslims. No date was immediately set for the caning.

Kartika, a former model and nurse, was sentenced in July to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for drinking beer in December 2007 at a beach resort in violation of Islamic laws. Islam forbids Muslims from drinking alcohol.

Kartika, who pleaded guilty, refused to appeal her sentence and was on the verge of being caned on Aug. 24. But the punishment was halted at the last minute following an uproar in the media and among rights activists.

Instead, the government asked the Shariah High Court Appeals Panel in Kuantan, the capital of Pahang, to review the verdict.

"I found that the High Court Judge had acted accordingly within his jurisdiction as provided" by relevant laws of Pahang state, Pahang Shariah Chief Judge Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahman told The Star.

"As such, the decision stays," he was quoted as saying.

He said it was now up to the Pahang Islamic Religious Department to implement the punishment. The department's officials, who are like morality police, routinely conduct raids to catch people violating Islamic laws but most perpetrators are usually let off with fines.

Kartika has said previously she is ready to be caned.

The caning would be done with a thin stick on the back and would be largely symbolic rather than aimed at causing pain, unlike the caning of rapists and drug smugglers with a thick rattan stick on bare buttocks that causes the skin to break and leaves scars.

But activists say even a gentle caning raises the broader question of whether such Islamic laws should intrude into Muslims' private lives and whether radical Islam is creeping into the judiciary.

Malaysia follows a dual-track justice system. Shariah laws apply to Muslims in all personal matters. Non-Muslims _ Chinese, Indians, Sikhs and other minorities _ are covered by civil laws, and are free to drink.

Only three states in Malaysia _ Pahang, Perlis and Kelantan _ impose caning for drinking alcohol. In the other 10 states it is punishable by a fine.

Holy Roller - Getting High On The Bible

Teen uses Bible page to roll marijuana cigarette

September 21, 2009

A 16-year-old boy who used a page from his Bible as a rolling paper for a marijuana joint was charged with drug possession, an Erie County sheriff deputy's report said.

The boy's mother called deputies at about 11:35 p.m. Tuesday, asking them to meet her at a car wash on Ohio 101.

The mother said she saw her son smoking in his bedroom and found a small bag of marijuana in his night stand, the report said.

The mother told deputies her son "was smoking a marijuana cigarette using a page from his Bible, taken from Exodus." the report said. A state psychologist said the boy may have chosen Exodus because he was thinking about running away from home.

The sheriff told the psychologist to shut up and go back to her cubicle.

Deputies confiscated the bag of marijuana but curiously left the Bible behind.

S.F. with ad-libbing by Jbo

Ugandan Gorillas Using the Internet - Fast Typists Say Professional Stenographers

Endangered Ugandan gorillas join Facebook, MySpace

Sep 26 2009 09:53AM CDT

By GODFREY OLUKYA - Associated Press Writer

(AP Photo/Stephen Wandera)

Film actress Kristy Wu, posed for a photograph with an artificial gorilla named Bart at the launch of the Friend a Gorilla campaign in Uganda's capital city Kampala on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Also shown is the photo of a live female gorilla named Desiree, taken in the wild. She's looking at a photo of Sinbad, a male gorilla looking for a mate.

He's hairy, his table manners are atrocious, he has severe body odor, but he wants to be Desiree's and your friend on Facebook.

No, it's not a singles dating site, it's Muhozi, an endangered Ugandan mountain gorilla, who's appearing online as part of a fundraising program the Ugandan Wildlife Authority launched Saturday to help save the species.

Around 340 mountain gorillas _ nearly half of the 740 remaining worldwide _ live in Uganda's lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and 40 more live in another Ugandan reserve. The rest live in the Virunga mountain range, which stretches from Uganda into Rwanda and the war-ravaged Congo.

Despite their size _ a male silverback can reach over 7 feet (2.1 meters) and weigh 400 pounds (180 kilogram) _ the gorillas are threatened by poachers who kill them for meat, farmers and charcoal-burners who encroach on their habitat, and the indiscriminate bullets of rebels on the run. They must be protected by rangers with automatic rifles. "Bush meat," the meat of wild animals, is favored by many Africans and the government is trying to dissuade its people from killing and eating wild animals.

The Wildlife Authority is hoping that gorilla fans will befriend a gorilla on Facebook or MySpace or follow it on Twitter in return for a minimum donation of $1. The money will be used to hire extra rangers to protect the gorillas and safeguard their habitat.

In return, gorilla friends will receive regular updates about their chosen gorilla, have their gorilla's picture on their home page and receive gorilla trivia _ like the fact that the name is derived from a Greek word, gorillai, meaning "hairy women."

Wildlife Authority spokeswoman Lilian Nsubuga said she hoped the program would give people who could not afford to travel to Uganda themselves the chance to feel closer to the animals.

About 10,500 tourists visit Uganda each year to see the gorillas. An entry permit for the park is $500 per person. Last year Uganda earned $600 million through tourism and more than 90 percent of the money was from gorilla tourism.

"Why visit Rome to see ruins or Egypt to see mere piles of stones called pyramids, yet you can go to Bwindi and see your next of kin?" asked Uganda's Minister of Tourism, Kahinda Otafiire, pointing out that gorillas share more than 95 percent of their DNA with humans.

Thomas Slater, the director of the gorilla Web site, said Internet users would be able to befriend any individual from one of seven groups habituated to human contacts.

"You will be able to learn more concerning the particular gorilla, its character, family and relationships," he said.

On the Net: Go there. Get your own gorilla for a friend.

http://www.friendagorilla.org

Hick Hatred of Federal Govt. Taken Out On Census Worker

Witness: Census worker's hanging body naked, bound

Sep 25 2009

ROGER ALFORD and JEFFREY McMURRAY - Associated Press Writer

(AP Photo/The Times-Tribune)

In this undated 2008 photo, Bill Sparkman speaks to a 7th grade class during a lesson about sound waves. A law enforcement official says Sparkman, a U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery, had the word ''fed'' scrawled on his chest, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago.

Authorities have also said the word "fed" was scrawled with a felt-tip pen across 51-year-old Bill Sparkman's chest, but they have released very few details about the case and said investigators have not determined if it was a homicide, suicide or an accident. (The investigators were fired for general incompetence immediately on release of their preliminary report.)

Federal, state and local authorities have refused to say if Sparkman was at work going to door-to-door for census surveys in the time before his death, but his Census identification tag was found taped to his body.

Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, told The Associated Press on Friday that he was among a group of relatives who made the gruesome discovery on Sept. 12.

"The only thing he had on was a pair of socks," Weaver said. "And they had duct-taped his hands, his wrists. He had duct tape over his eyes, and they gagged him with a red rag or something."

"And they even had duct tape around his neck. And they had like his identification tag on his neck. They had it duct-taped to the side of his neck, on the right side, almost on his right shoulder."

Two people briefed on the investigation said various details of Weaver's account matched the details of the crime scene, though both people said they were not informed who found the body. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. When their names were revealed to authorities by reporters they were terminated immediately for general incompetence.

Weaver said he couldn't tell if the tag was a Census Bureau ID because he didn't get close enough to read it. But both of the people briefed on the investigation confirmed Sparkman's Census ID was found taped to his head and shoulder area before they were fired.

Weaver said he could see something written on Sparkman's chest but he did not go close enough to read it.

While authorities confirmed for the first time Thursday that asphyxiation was the cause of death, even the details behind that were murky. According to a Kentucky State Police statement, the body was hanging from a tree with a noose around the neck, yet it was in contact with the ground.

Weaver, who works for a family topsoil business in Fairfield, said he was in town for a family reunion and was visiting family grave sites at the cemetery when he and family members including his wife and daughter came across the body.

The scene left Weaver without a doubt how Sparkman died.

"He was murdered," he said. "There's no doubt."

Weaver said the body was about 50 yards from a 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. He said Sparkman's clothes were in the bed of the truck.

"His tailgate was down," Weaver said. "I thought he could have been killed somewhere else and brought there and hanged up for display, or they actually could have killed him right there. It was a bad, bad scene."

"It took me three or four good nights to sleep. My 20-year-old daughter ended up sleeping on the floor in our bedroom." he said.

Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson declined to comment on the investigation because the department is only playing a supporting role but said patrols have increased in the Daniel Boone National Forest since the body was found.

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in the rural county pending the investigation.

Trooper Trosper, in a brilliant deduction, said it was clear this wasn't a natural death but said all other possibilities were being considered.

"This case has many facets," he said. "To investigate cases, you have to rule out different scenarios. We are not able to rule out many scenarios at this time, and that's what makes this a difficult case." Trosper was fired immediately for general incompetence after making this statement.

Although anti-government sentiment was one possibility in the death, some in law enforcement also cited the prevalence of drug activity in the area _ including meth labs and marijuana fields _ although they had no reason to believe there was a link to Sparkman's death.

"Now they're taking their meth lab operations into the rural, secluded areas," Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson said. "We've had complaints in the area, but not that particular location."

Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report. Alford reported from Frankfort.

(This version CORRECTS that Weaver did see writing on the body's chest, but he could not read it.)

New Fab Diet Guaranteed to Reduce Your Weight to Zero

All new total weight loss program unveiled.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Sep 23, 2009

If you've ever wished you could just lose all your weight and not have to worry about it ever again, this may be the diet plan for you. It isn't easy and it will cost a bundle but you will never have to look a scale in the face again.

Throw away all those calorie counters and tasteless substitutes for food. All you will need to do to lose all that excess weight, and more, is dig to the center of the earth!

That's right, with a good quality shovel, a rugged pick axe, a portable jackhammer, a box of dynamite sticks and detonators, a heavy duty insulated fire suit, and a bag of peanut butter sandwiches with a thermos of Kool-Aid, and you'll be on your way to a new, slimmer, healthier you. Here is the detailed plan.

First, you’ll dig 18 miles (30km) through earth’s crust (see illustration at the top of the globe above), then 1800 miles (3000km) through the rock mantle, (this is where the jackhammer and dynamite are really useful), then through 1200 miles (2000km) of molten iron and nickel,(thank your lucky stars for those fireproof coveralls), then 600 miles (1000km) through solid rock (the jackhammer and dynamite again) to reach the center, which is sort of like a giant sauna at temperatures of 8132°F (4500°C). By the time you reach your destination you already will have lost several pounds. But the real bonus is that at the center of the earth the forces of gravity will be equal on all sides of you, canceling each other, meaning you’ll weigh nothing. Good luck.

Taser-Crazy Cops On Rampage With Newest Police Toy

Did California police use a Taser on an unarmed, legless man in a wheelchair? | McClatchy

Shared via AddThis
Did CA Police Use a Taser on an Unarmed, Legless Man In a Wheelchair?

September 21, 2009.

Sure looks like it. Click on the video tape of the incident above. You be the judge.

McClatchy reports:

MERCED, Calif. The Merced Police Department's Internal Affairs Division is investigating whether an officer twice used a Taser on an unarmed, wheelchair-bound man with no legs.

The man who was Tasered, Gregory Williams, 40, a double-leg amputee, spent six days in jail on suspicion of domestic violence and resisting arrest, but the Merced County District Attorney's office hasn't filed any charges.

Williams is black, and the two main arresting officers are white, but it's unknown whether race played any role in the incident.

Williams, who was released from jail on Friday, said he was manhandled and Tasered by police, even though he said he was never physically aggressive toward the officers and didn't resist arrest.

Williams said he was humiliated after his pants fell down during the incident. The officers allegedly left him outdoors in broad daylight, handcuffed on the pavement, nude below the waist. Williams said the Sept. 11 arrest also left him with an injured shoulder, limiting his mobility in his wheelchair.

Child TV Star Claims She Was Raped, Then Had Consensual Sex With Her Dad For 10 Years!

Mackenzie Phillips says she and her dad, John Phillips, were long-term sex partners.

John Phillips was not available to comment due to his death. His former publicist denied everything for him, including his death.

Sep 23 2009


(AP Photo/File)

The March 5, 1981 file photo above shows John Phillips of the pop group 'The Mamas and The Papas,' left, and his daughter MacKenzie, right, shown during a taping of the John Davidson Show in Burbank, Calif. Phillips says she had a long-term sexual relationship with her father, John. People magazine says Phillips writes in her new book, ''High on Arrival,'' that she had sex with her father on the night before she was to get married in 1979. (Sidebar: Since they were not yet officially married, does this make MacKensie's husband a cuckold? What about idiot?)

Former child star Mackenzie Phillips said Wednesday her father, John Phillips, who was a leader of the 1960s pop group the Mamas and the Papas, raped her when she was a teenager and that her sexual relationship with him later became what she termed "consensual."

Mackenzie Phillips writes in her new book, "High on Arrival," that she had sex with her father on the night before she was to get married in 1979 at age 19, according to People magazine.

Phillips wrote in her book: "I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father."

She told "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in an interview that aired Wednesday that her siblings "definitely have a problem with this." Winfrey also read a statement from Genevieve Waite, John Phillips' wife at the time of the alleged abuse and Mackenzie's stepmother that said he was "incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, of having such a relationship with his own child."

Phillips, who starred on TV's "One Day at a Time," said the sexual relationship with her father lasted a decade and ended when she became pregnant and didn't know who had fathered the child. She had an abortion, which her father paid for, "and I never let him touch me again."

Phillips told Winfrey that she first tried cocaine when she was 11 years old. Her father did drugs with her, taught her to roll joints and injected her with cocaine. Phillips said she's been clean for a year after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine and entering a drug treatment program.

Phillips said the sexual relationship, although she believes it became consensual, was "an abuse of power" and "a betrayal" on her father's part. She said she forgave John Phillips on his deathbed.

"I can't be the only one this has happened to," Phillips said. "Someone needs to put a face on consensual incest."

Lousiana Woman Busted For Having Too Much Strength In Her Thighs

9-1-09

Lisa Newsome, 42, was arrested in Zachary, La., in August, caught trying to smuggle a 24-can case of beer weighing 20 pounds out of a convenience store. The heavyset, housecoat-clad Newsome was squeezing the case of brew between her thighs as she waddled from the cooler toward the front door. When police arrived, Newsome offered to pull up her dress to demonstrate how she carried the beer, but the arresting officer declined the invitation. "I told her, no thanks," said the officer.

The woman explained that the only reason she tried to steal the beer was because she was employed as a prostitute and drank a case of beer daily but business was slow because of the recession and she was out of money. "If I had the money I would have paid for the beer," she told police.

Japanese Black Bear Angered By Tourists, Attacks - Older Brother Arrives Too Late

Bear in Japan injures 9 at highway rest stop

Updated Sun. Sep. 20 2009 9:02 AM ET

The Associated Press

TOKYO -- A bear injured nine people at a highway rest stop in central Japan before being shot dead in a souvenir shop, a firefighter said Sunday.

The black bear seriously injured four men Saturday afternoon in Nyukawa, a small mountain town about 230 kilometres west of Tokyo, said firefighter Tomohiko Akano.

The 1.3-metre bear first attacked people at a bus parking lot and then entered a lodge where it was trapped in a souvenir shop and shot dead by a hunter, according to media reports.

No one suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, which lasted about an hour, reports said.

A photograph from the scene showed the bear mauling a prone person in a parking lot while a man attempted to scare it off.

The rest stop is on a mountainous road that is open during summer months only to licensed buses and taxis. The area is frequented by tourists for its scenic views.

The bears prefer the tourists leave the scenic views to them, the year-round residents of the area.

Akano said bear attacks are very rare in the area.

Shortly after the tourists departed on the bus, the shot bear's older brother showed up in search of his little brother. Enraged on finding his brother's corpse, the larger brother bear tore down the souvenir shop, taking many souvenirs with him for other bears.

Swiss Referee Disciplined for Giving Digital Salute (the "bird") to Hecklers

Highly Regarded Swiss referee temporarily suspended for insulting fans

Sep. 21,2009

Mr Massimo Busacca is more used to flashing red cards at players than flashing obscene gestures at fans.

But the official football referee has been given a three-match ban for insulting fans.

Massimo Busacca was pictured waving his middle finger at crowds during a match between FC Baden and Young Boys.

He had asked for a warning to be played over the public address system after Baden supporters ran onto the pitch.

Mr Busacca said he was provoked by the subsequent "verbal abuse" he received from the fans, but he apologised for his "unsporting gesture".

"I lost my cool," he said in a statement.

Mr Busacca was in charge at last season's Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United and is lined up to referee World Cup matches in South Africa in 2010.

The Swiss football association said he was the "best Swiss referee" but that the suspension was to go into force immediately.

Cheating Fiance Loses Face, Ring and Prospective Husband

Unfaithful woman seeks 2nd chance by wearing sign

Sep 20 2009


An Ohio woman who admitted to being unfaithful has chosen a very public way of asking her boyfriend not to break up their engagement. Jess Duttry, 19, stood

Probably not the real Duttry>>

outside a supermarket parking lot in northern Ohio this week with a handwritten sign that said "I cheated" and "Honk if I deserve a second chance." On the back, Duttry had scrawled, "I honestly love him."

She said she chose to stage her vigil Wednesday evening after her fiance took back his ring earlier that day when she confessed she'd cheated on him this summer. She said it was all just good, clean fun and she only did it because she was horny and her boyfriend was out of town. She said she just needed a lot of sex to stay happy.

It's not clear if her former fiance saw the message, but Duttry said dozens of people honked, and some got out of their cars to hug her and wish her well. Several men admitted to reporters they stopped to ask for her phone number, to see if she would like to have sex with them since it no longer would be cheating.

Bad News for California Potheads

Pot goes up in smoke in wildfire above L.A.

Sep 18 2009

By THOMAS WATKINS - Associated Press Writer

Blog Editor's Note:

In an unanticipated major loss for California marijuana growers and users, the wildfires that have raged in the hillsides above Los Angeles have claimed an unplanned victim, a large chunk of the state's pot production.

Dick Dopehead (an assumed name), President of the California Coalition for the Legalization of Just About Everything (CCLJAE), said he expected a major shortage in marijuana supplies in the state as a result of the fire losses. "It's a shame the L.A. Transit Authority didn't run buses up near the fires, so marijuana users could enjoy some free weed," said Dopehead. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime."

Dopehead also predicted a steep rise in pot prices as regular potheads and medical marijuana users competed for a limited supply of the happy grass.

What follows is a conventional, mainstream news article by a writer for the Associated Press, which comes down pretty heavy on the side of officialdom in its war against the public. See for yourself.

Mainstream News Story

The wildfire that has ravaged a national forest near Los Angeles has burned one plant species that authorities were happy to see go: marijuana, lots of it.

The fire destroyed an untold number of marijuana plantations in the Angeles National Forest, a growing hub for pot-growing operations in California.

Three marijuana cultivation areas identified just before the fire are believed to have burned, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Phil Abner said, and many more are assumed to have been destroyed.

Sheriff's officials don't know how many plants were in the three burned grow areas. Because marijuana is grown in a hodgepodge style and the plants are concealed by tall brush, it is hard to gauge from helicopters the size of each grove. Groves can host anything from several hundred to several thousand plants.

"I don't doubt that some burned that we hadn't identified," said Abner, who heads up a multi-agency force tasked each growing season with eradicating marijuana. "It could be one (growing area), it could be 50."

Cultivation of marijuana, often by Mexican drug cartels, is rife in California's national forests, and the steep, scrub-covered canyons only a short drive from Los Angeles are no exception. Even before the blaze, authorities had removed record amounts of pot with an estimated street value of more than $2 billion.

In the days the fire was burning most ferociously, several apparent pot plantation laborers were spotted spilling from the forest and walking down highways away from the flames, Abner said.

"With no clear explanation as to why they were," he said. "The educated speculation is they came out of the marijuana groves."

And it appears they are already starting to return to the forest.

On Saturday, a team of hotshot firefighters working near a popular and badly burned recreational area high in the rugged San Gabriel Mountains found singed water lines with new ones already lying alongside them. Fearing for their safety, the firefighters called the sheriff's department, whose deputies arrested a Mexican national found hiding out with a .22-caliber rifle, Abner said.

Before the fire, authorities this year had already yanked about 595,000 plants from the national forest and surrounding areas, an amount far exceeding previous years. With each plant thought to produce about $4,000 worth of marijuana, Abner estimated the street value of the haul to be about $2.4 billion.

Across California, more than 4 million plants have been pulled by authorities this year, almost entirely from public lands, said Michelle Gregory, a spokeswoman with the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

Aside from the obvious dangers associated with having armed drug growers roaming the countryside, authorities are also concerned about marijuana plantations' environmental impact.

Barrels of pesticides and herbicides can spill into the groundwater system, especially after a wildfire, and growers leave trash, gasoline and other camping equipment lying around while they spend weeks tending their crop, said Lt. Joe Nunez of the sheriff's narcotics bureau.

They've also been blamed for starting fires.

Marijuana growers with possible ties to Mexican drug cartels caused an 88,650-acre wildfire in Santa Barbara County last month, investigators said. That blaze was sparked by a cooking device left by suspected drug traffickers at an encampment.

The current fire is not thought to have been started by marijuana cultivation, and investigators are looking for an arsonist thought to have set the blaze next to a mountain highway. Because two firefighters were killed when their truck crashed down a ravine as they fled flames, the probe is a homicide investigation.

The fire has charred 250 square miles of national forest and more than 80 homes, but could be fully contained any day.

Abner said the marijuana-growing areas are manned almost invariably by Mexican immigrants, some of whom have been tricked into tending the plants. He said some claimed to have been standing outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles, looking for day labor, when a van pulled up and asked them if they knew anything about gardening.

"The next thing they know they are up there for five weeks," Abner said, afraid or unable to come down from the hillside and return to the city. "They often can't tell you who hired them. ... They just tell you they have been paid to put water on the weeds."

Woman Ignites Self in Florida Mall - Shoppers Pause to Take Photos & Videos But Don't Offer to Help

Photos Of Burning Woman Signal Underlying Problem
WEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4)

A woman just stood by taking pictures as Cecilia Casals burned inside the Mall of the Americas.


Cecilia Casals is in critical condition after purposely setting herself on fire at the Mall of the Americas. What is more shocking is that many people stopped and took pictures of her burning body instead of helping.

Still images and even video captured by cell phone cameras show the woman doused in flammable liquid and walking past stores.

"It looked like something out of movie," said John Torres, who actually stopped to help the woman.

However, dozens just gawked, and many pulled out their camera phones to capture the event.

Torres cut his hand as he bashed the glass in front of a fire extinguisher case. When the fire on her was out, the shoppers-turned-paparazzi didn't stop. CBS4 News asked why.

"Voyeurism is something that is a natural impulse. People get pleasure out of watching certain things," said Dr. Ewald Horwath, Chairman of UM's psychiatry unit.

Dr. Horwath told CBS4 fear may have played a major role in why people didn't help. Some overcome fear easier than others. However, the fact that more people went for cameras rather than extinguishers may be a sign of a defense mechanism.

"The camera or smart phone is another way of putting something between yourself and shocking frightening event," said Dr. Horwath.

"Instead of watching, participating, and getting emotionally involved in a way that might lead you to do something, you take a picture and it's a kind of distancing thing."

He believes your exposure to violence, whether in sports, violent reality TV or even the CBS4 newscast all plays a role in desensitizing our natural reactions. Had this happened in a small town, he says, the outcome may have been different.

"You have a lot of violent events that occur that maybe make folks in those urban cores a little more immunized to it," he said, "or reluctant to involve themselves."

Which means Torres isn't just a hero for putting this fire out, he's a rarity.

When asked if he'd do it again, Torres answered, "Yeah. Anyday."

CBS4 News spoke to the woman who took some of the pictures shown on air. She said it was her natural reaction to take them. She said her aunt thought it was a show promoting a product. She knew it wasn't though, because she could see the flesh burning.

Epilogue

Woman Who Set Herself On Fire At Mall Dies
(8/19/2009)

Things You Don't Give Much Thought To When Checking Into the Hospital For Surgery

Illinois woman dies after catching fire during surgery

Sep 17 2009

By JIM SUHR - Associated Press Writer


A southern Illinois woman died after being severely burned in a flash fire while undergoing surgery, a rare but vexing dilemma in operating rooms. Janice McCall, 65, of Energy, Ill., died Sept. 8 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., six days after being burned on the operating table at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Ill., (photo above) her family's attorney said.

Attorney Robert Howerton said he had requested medical records from the Marion hospital and that he had few details about what happened. He declined to say why McCall was having surgery.

The Tennessee state medical examiner's office said McCall died from complications of thermal burns and classified her death as accidental.

"The family is in shock and suffering their grief," Howerton said Thursday. "Every family has an anchor, and she was it. They're really just devastated."

Heartland said in a statement only that "there was an accidental flash fire in one of the hospital's operating rooms," injuring a patient before being immediately extinguished. The hospital didn't say how the fire started, but it said, without elaborating, that it was responding with "necessary and appropriate measures."

Heartland declined to comment further on the case, citing the family's request for privacy and federal laws barring the public release of patient medical information.

Surgical flash fires are most often sparked by electric surgical tools when oxygen builds up under surgical drapes. They occur an estimated 550 to 600 times a year _ a tiny fraction of the millions of surgeries performed in the U.S. annually _ and only kill about one or two people each year, said Mark Bruley, vice president for accident and forensic investigation at the ECRI Institute, a nonprofit health research agency.

Concern over such blazes waned after the 1970s, when highly flammable agents such as ether gave way to safer anesthetics.

But worries have mounted in recent years with increased use of electrosurgical devices and the replacement of cloth hospital drapes with those made of more-flammable, disposable synthetic fabric. Bruley's organization has recommended that anesthesiologists stop using 100 percent oxygen and deliver only what the patient needs, perhaps by diluting the oxygen concentration with room air when surgical tools such as electronic scalpels and cauterizers that could ignite a fire are in use.

"What we've been advocating for years is that the open delivery of oxygen under the drapes essentially has to stop," with some exceptions such as cardiac pacemaker surgery or operations involving a neck artery, Bruley said.

Crackhead Son Trades Dad's Wheels for $50 of Crack Cocaine

Man accused of trading dad's Lincoln car for $50 in crack.

Man in photo might not be the actual son but a substitute.

Sep 16 2009

Authorities arrested a man they said traded his father's car for $50 worth of crack cocaine. Deputies arrested the 39-year-old man around 4 a.m. Wednesday after his 74-year-old father reported that his Lincoln had been stolen. When deputies arrived at the father's home, they saw the son walking up the street. They determined that the car had been sold for drugs.

Deputies later saw someone else driving the Lincoln, and pulled it over. The driver fled the moving car, which then hit two parked cars.

Deputies caught the driver, who was arrested on suspicion of evading an officer and resisting arrest.

The son was arrested on suspicion of car theft.

Authorities did not release the names of those involved but did release a photo of the thieving son. (See above)

Hey, Guys....Take Your Time.....I'll Tell You When I'm Dead

Ohio inmate 'traumatized' after failed execution

Sep 16 2009

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS - Associated Press Writer


(AP Photo/Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation)

This undated photo released by the Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation shows Romell Broom. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland denied clemency Monday. Sept. 14, 2009, to the death row inmate who raped and stabbed to death a 14-year-old girl 25 years ago. Romell Broom, 53, was moved Monday morning from Ohio's death row in Youngstown to the death house in southern Ohio to await his Tuesday,Sept. 15, 2009, execution as two courts reviewed whether the lethal injection should be stayed.

The lawyer for an inmate whose execution was halted after an unprecedented two hours said trying to put him to death again in a week could be a disaster.

Romell Broom is still recovering from Tuesday's prolonged execution attempt and is physically and emotionally traumatized, his attorney, Adele Shank, said Wednesday.

"It went so badly when he was walking in without injured veins, to go forward so soon afterward just seems to be inviting disaster," Shank said.

Gov. Ted Strickland's decision to stop Tuesday's execution and grant a one-week reprieve appeared to be unprecedented since capital punishment was declared constitutional and the nation resumed executions in the 1970s.

Inmates in several states have experienced delays with the injection of lethal chemicals, but those executions have always proceeded the same day.

Shank said one option was to ask Strickland to consider a request for clemency and to commute Broom's sentence.

Strickland said he is reviewing the incident and consulting with prison officials and others about the next step.

"That does not mean there will be a review of the larger issue of lethal injections," Strickland said Wednesday. "That's been settled. Obviously yesterday demonstrated that we have a problem with this particular set of circumstances."

A prison log released Wednesday blamed Broom's past drug use for problems finding a usable vein.

The log indicates that executioners made the observation at 3:11 p.m., more than an hour after first trying to find a vein.

"Medical team having problem maintaining an open vein due to past drug use," said the log reviewed by The Associated Press.

Broom said at one point he was a heavy heroin user, but then said at another time that he wasn't, prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn said Wednesday.

Shank said she was unaware of any such drug use.

"If there's such a thing, it's got to be at least 25 years old," she said. "I don't think it should be having an impact at this late date."

Broom, 53, has been placed in a cell in the infirmary at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville where he is on close watch similar to the constant observation of death row inmates in the three days before an execution.

"It was the right place to keep him," Walburn said. "The less we can transport an offender, the better."

Death row inmates are housed in a Youngstown prison and executed in the death chamber at Lucasville. There's no precedent for housing an inmate whose execution didn't work.

The night before his scheduled execution, Broom told his brother over the phone that he was ready to die.

"He is tired of being in prison and having people tell him what to do everyday," according to the prison log.

Broom was sentenced to die for the rape and slaying of a 14-year-old Tryna Middleton after abducting her in Cleveland in September 1984 as she walked home from a Friday night football game with two friends.

Richard Dieter, director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, said he knows of only one inmate who was subjected to more than one execution.

A first attempt to execute Willie Francis in 1946 by electrocution in Louisiana did not work. He was returned to death row for nearly a year while the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether a second electrocution would be unconstitutional.

In 2007, the Georgia execution of inmate John Hightower was delayed for several minutes while officials struggled to find a suitable vein in his left arm.

Florida halted executions after the death of Angel Diaz in December 2006 was delayed for 34 minutes because needles were accidentally pushed through his veins, causing the chemicals to go into his muscles instead. Florida resumed executions in 2008 under new procedures.

In Texas in 2000, the execution of Claude Jones was delayed by about 30 minutes because of difficulties finding a vein in either arm to insert the drugs. Authorities used a vein in his left leg instead.

Problems accessing veins also delayed Ohio executions in 2006 and 2007.

In 2006, the execution of Joseph Clark was delayed for more than an hour after the team failed to properly attach an IV, an incident that led to changes in Ohio's execution process.

The state also had difficulty finding the veins of inmate Christopher Newton, whose May 2007 execution was delayed nearly two hours.

Since Clark, the state's execution rules have allowed team members to take as much time as they need to find the best vein for the IVs that carry the three lethal chemicals.

Ohio has executed 32 men since Wilford Berry in 1999, an execution slightly delayed also because of problems finding a vein.

___

Associated Press Writers Stephen Majors in Lucasville and JoAnne Viviano in Columbus contributed to this report.

Woman Steals Gas $37, Cheetos $1.89, Claims to Be Wife of Governor, Fakes Call to Fibbies and Leaves Without Paying

Cops: Woman who stole gas claimed to be N.C. Governor's wife

Sep 16 2009

Thief

Police say a woman who stole fuel and a bag of Cheetos from a Pooler convenience store claimed to be Gov. Beverly "Sonny" Perdue's wife.
N.C. Governor>>>


Pooler police say the woman pumped a little more than 15 gallons of gas, worth $37, into a white Ford Explorer at the Clyde's Market on U.S. 80 near Pooler Parkway around noon Friday.

Police say she went inside, got a bag of chips and offered a check and debit card, but both payment modes were declined.


That's when the clerk tells police the woman said she was the governor's wife, then started to whisper into the phone, pretending to speak to the FBI.

The woman then grabbed her purse and the chips and escaped before paying for the food or the gas. Police are investigating.

"Why Don't We Do It in the........ Dumpster?"

Kansas couple's trash bin tryst takes wrong turn

Sep 15 2009


A tender moment in a trash bin went all wrong for a couple who found themselves being held up at pocket knifepoint. Police said two 44-year-olds had climbed into a dumpster to have sex just after 6 p.m. Saturday when two men interrupted them and demanded their belongings. Officers said the man and woman were engaged in "an intimate moment" when they were robbed of their shoes, jewelry and the man's wallet.

Police said one of the robbers was a 64-year-old man who egged his 59-year-old companion on during the robbery.

The suspects were found a short time later and the stolen property was returned. The suspects were charged with aggravated assault, robbery and coitus interruptus.

It Was Just Sitting There, Unused - Why Not Me?

Bank Exec Who 'Just Moved Into' Foreclosed $12M Beach Home Loses House and Job

Sep 14, 2009
By Martha Neil & Unidentified Blogger

A senior vice president responsible for commercial foreclosures at Wells Fargo & Co. has lost her job after being accused of making personal use of an $12 million bank-owned beachfront California home over the summer.

The owners of the Malibu Colony home had to turn it over to the bank after losing money in Bernard Madoff's record-breaking Ponzi scheme. Neighbors said Cheronda Guyton used the home over the summer, and reported that guests arrived by yacht at a party there. Wells Fargo said an internal investigation showed that Guyton violated bank policies and has been terminated, but didn't explain what the claimed violation was, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Guyton could not be reached by the newspaper for comment but said through a spokesperson that if she could be reached she had no comment. The spokesperson refused to identify herself through her own spokesperson, who identified herself as an employee of 'Rent a Spokesperson, Inc.,' which has no listed phone number but reportedly does business from a P.O. Box in Tijuana, Mexico.

Dumb California Couple Go On National TV To Describe How They Made a Living By Shoplifting

CA couple who admitted shoplifting on TV charged

Sep 14 2009


A Southern California couple who went on national television to brag about making $100,000 shoplifting toys and selling their loot on eBay has pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy charges in San Diego.

A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Monday says authorities seized more than 500 boxes of stolen toys when they raided Laura and Matthew Eaton's home in San Marcos with a search warrant in March.

Might not be the actual couple but charged with something. Substitute for the real perps.

The couple was arrested Friday and faces at least 27 months in prison if convicted of conspiracy to transport stolen property.

The Eatons appeared on the "Dr. Phil" show and said they supported their three toddlers by shoplifting for six years.

The woman, speaking on condition of imbecility, said the couple did not realize they still could be charged with a crime if they publicly admitted it and no longer had the stolen property. "We've come clean and the money is all gone so why the big deal?" she told a reporter.

A federal public defender says both parents have gotten jobs since the March raid and the family is living with Laura Eaton's parents.

Respectful, Pretty Prison Officer Trashed By Male Co-workers

'Pretty' prison officer wins case


A former prison officer who said she was forced out of her job after being bullied because she was pretty has won her case for unfair dismissal.

Amitjo Kajla, 22, said she suffered the abuse at Brinsford Young Offenders' Institution near Wolverhampton.

Her tribunal heard how former dumbos questioned her behaviour with male inmates and suggested she rejected advice about the dress code.

The tribunal has now issued a written judgement backing her claims.

Ms Kajla, who lives in Wolverhampton, also won claims for age and sex discrimination against HM Prison Service (HMPS).

The hearing in Birmingham in July heard Ms Kajla describe how she had been effectively sacked by Brinsford in April 2008 despite having no problems in her previous job at Shrewsbury prison.

'Weak woman'

The written judgement said the tribunal accepted that under the circumstances, the treatment Ms Kajla was subjected to amounted to unfair dismissal.

In a statement, Ms Kajla said: "All I ever did was try to uphold the HMPS purpose statement, which clearly states that their duty is to 'look after prisoners with humanity' and I sought to apply that in my work by treating prisoners with respect.

"However, one officer didn't like my way of working, which was counter to the macho approach he favoured.

"I was seen as a weak woman who could be bullied."

A spokesman for the Prison Service, speaking on condition of not knowing anything about the case, said the Service was "disappointed" by the tribunal's findings and said it would study them "carefully".

The spokesman added: "The Prison Service takes all allegations of sexual harassment very seriously."

A hearing will be held in early November to determine how much compensation Ms Kajla should receive.

Teaching Ethics the Hard Way

Angela Simpson, 33, was indicted, but it hardly matters because she calmly confessed the whole murder on camera to Phoenix's KTVK-TV, patiently setting out her reasoning. She stabbed the wheelchair-confined man 50 times, pulled some teeth, beat him with a tire iron, drove a nail into his head, then partially dismembered the body and placef explosive in the mouth to explode the head. (Bonus: She did it all in front of a mirror so he would see as much of it as he could. We wonder if the man had enough time to see his own head explode before blacking out.) Reason? She wanted to improve the ethical standards of her neighborhood for her "family" and the "children." The man was a snitch, and that's what snitches deserve. Child molesters, too, but mainly snitches.

When reporters sought to interview the victim, a hospital spokeswoman, who spoke only on condition of inadvertent proximity, told reporters it was a polioy of the hospital not to permit the questioning of any deceased bodies. Information obtained from a corpse's atatement is not admissible in court and is considered hearsay because the decedent was not available for cross-examination. The condition of this victim made it especially difficult to expect any verbal responses to questions. KTVK-TV

Winston Outraces Internet

Carrier Pigeon Faster Than The Internet


September 10, 2009

In a bizarre turn of events a South African Internet carrier, ISP Telkom resorted to some ancient technology when it was unable to deliver a large data file from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in a timely manner. Instead, it was forced to rely on an 11-month-old carrier pigeon named Winston to deliver the file. Counting Winston's travel time and a download of the file, the transfer took about 2 hours. The Internet transfer, sent earlier, was only four percent complete after 2 hours!

The fact that Winston made the 50-mile delivery faster than the local ISP suggests it's a good idea to invest in a few carrier pigeons if you plan to do any serious IT business in South Africa. Winston deserves a large bonus.

Cops Don't Know About It Or Ignore U.S. Constitution - Charge Man With Free Speech

Man cited for speaking in public under 1887 local ordinance

Sep 11 2009
Winona, Minn.

A man was cited for speaking (cursing) in public under a local law created back in 1887. Police said a 19-year-old man was cited Wednesday after he yelled obscenities at officers who had earlier given him a ticket for underage drinking. Officers said they could hear the man cursing at them from a block away. Several neighbors said they also heard the shouting.

Police normally issue disorderly conduct tickets in similar situations, but Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams said officers use discretion to choose the most appropriate charge.

Violating Winona's obscenity law is a misdemeanor, with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The poor schmuck arrested by the hick cops probably doesn't know it either, or the judge who will sentence him, and he probably will have to pay a fine and do some jail time, but his arrest is unlawful and the law unenforceable.

___

Information from: Winona Daily News, http://www.winonadailynews.com

Woman Goes Postal Over Change Dispute

Cops: Woman pummels clerk after dispute over $20 bill

Sep 11 2009


Delaware State Police said a woman punched a gas station clerk in the face and held scissors to his throat in a dispute over how much money she had given him. The clerk at the Country Farms on West Newport Pike told police that a 26-year-old woman asked for $20 of gas, but only gave him a $1 bill. The clerk said the woman, certain that she had given him a $20 bill, screamed at him when he refused to give her $20.

Then police said the woman stormed behind the counter, punched the clerk in the face and held scissors to his throat. At that point, recalling an old school yard trick, he yelled King's X and cried uncle, while giving the woman two $10 bills.

Confused, the woman told the clerk she was not related to him and to stop calling her uncle.

As the woman drove away, police said she found the $20 bill in her purse and returned to the gas station, to apologize. Instead, police said she was arrested and charged with offensive touching and aggravated menacing. The clerk declined to press charges on condition the woman would go home with him when he got off work. She sized the young, well-muscled clerk up for a couple of seconds and agreed to the proposition.

Ever Wonder What Happens to Old Hurricanes That Don't Come Ashore?

Hurricane Claudette
Sep. 11, 2009

A Graveyard for Hurricanes?

We were wondering about this, too, so I decided to try to find out. This is what I learned. The great majority of hurricanes never reach land. They live their lives at sea and eventually die a slow death when the water temperature and the air temperature above are no longer appropriate to maintain the hurricane. Hurricanes depend on warm water (tropical) and colder air above. That's why they begin as tropical storms.

This explains why for a few days, Hurricane Claudette was all the rage, with constant weather reports about her activities. Then, quietly, Claudette disappeared from the news and everyone forgot about her.

The average life span of a hurricane is 10 days, only slightly longer than the life span of a common house fly, at 7 days. So in principle a fly caught in a hurricane would most likely live its entire life in the middle of a giant storm.

Flies probably have a shorter life expectancy when they are caught in a hurricane. They have to dart around continuously to avoid being crushed by a large raindrop moving at a great rate of speed, and they never get to land on a pile of fresh dog poop, to relax and enjoy a refreshing lunch.

Hurricanes that do come ashore lead much more exciting lives and can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. They also can make a place in history, like Katrina. Katrina destroyed the professional careers of several incompetent public oficials, which was okay, but she also tore up a lot of real estate and created the conditions for the deaths of about 1600 people, plus livestock.

The Nose Knows - For 5 Million British Pounds

Cheese expert insures his nose.



September 09, 2009

A master cheese grader, who relies on his nose to pick out quality cheeses, has had it insured for £5 million.

Nigel Pooley, has worked in the cheese-producing industry since 1963 and specialises in selecting good commercial cheese by sniffing samples.

Because of this, his bosses at Wyke Farms wanted to insure his nose and sense of smell and contacted Lloyds of London.

It will cost them £25,000 per year to cover the £5m payout … which is not a figure to be sniffed at. A spokesperson for Lloyd’s said: "The functional parts of key people in certain industries are often just as valuable to the production process as key pieces of machinery in manufacturing.

"Mr Pooley breaks new ground as our first cheese nose, but perfume and wine noses we have insured in the past justify similar quality control value."

A spokesperson for Wyke Farms added: "It may seem a bit unusual to go to such great lengths – something that’s typically reserved for celebrities, but then again, we’ve never been afraid to stray from the norm in order to produce the best farmhouse cheddar possible."

Dead Woman Found Lying in Street

Sep 9, 09

A dead woman was found lying in the street in St. Louis. Nearby residents said the woman had been lying there for 2 or 3 days and they were waiting to see if anyone would return and pick her up. "The first day we thought she was just sleeping off a big drunk," said Bessie Slaughter, who asked not to be identified. Yeah, right, Bessie. A police spokesman, Joe Blanton, who also asked not to be identified, said the police had received a call about a dead woman lying in the street. Police initially thought it was a prank call and continued playing pinochle. When they received a second call, the following day, they decided to go take a look. The woman in the photo above is what they found. The police incident report indicated there was no evidence of foul play and the woman was pronounced DRT, police shorthand for Dead Right There. Her name is listed on the report as Jane Doe.

Robber Returns To Ask Victim for a Date---- Way Cool

Police: Ohio robbery suspect asks victim for date

Sep 08 2009


Ohio police said a suspect in a robbery was arrested when he returned to the home about two hours later to ask the victim out on a date. Police say 30-year-old Stephfon Bennett of Columbus was among three men who robbed a couple late Sunday.

Columbus police Sgt. Sean Laird said the woman easily recognized Bennett as one of the robbers when he returned to ask her out. She said the robber had a very memorable face. She had a relative call 911.

Police said Bennett was arrested in front of the home. He was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of aggravated robbery and was being held in the Franklin County jail on $100,000 bail.

A public defender had not yet been assigned to Bennett's case.

Dummies' Attempt To Steal Chili's Giant Pepper Thwarted By Alarm

Group of Vermont morons try to swipe Chili's pepper sign

Sep 07 2009

Might not be the actual perps



A giant chili pepper on the roof of a Chili's restaurant in southern Vermont was a hot property _ police say four people have been caught trying to steal it.

Bennington police say the group ran 470 feet of extension cord across a four-lane road and through a Home Depot parking lot to power an electric drill used to detach the logo sign early Sunday.

Sgt. Camillo Grande says they also brought a hacksaw to remove the pepper sign, valued at $8,000.

An alarm went off at about 4:30 a.m., thwarting their plans to make their getaway in an SUV.

The four _ two college students, a recent graduate and one who is "between work and school" _ were cited for grand larceny.

A New Product for Penis Size Reduction?

Sep 7 2009
DFW. TX

Remember a couple of years ago when everyone (well at least all men) started to receive dozens of online ads promising to lengthen and thicken penises. Some ads actually made promises in numbers, like add 3 inches to your penis. I recall laughing and remarking that if you took up 3-4 of those offers you could have a 20" penis.

Most men, I assume, did not respond because they were certain it was impossible and was just another Internet money making scam.

Well maybe more men tried it than was imagined, and maybe it actually worked for them, in some instances too well, because today I received an advertisement for the product shown above. When you think about this product, assuming it works, what normal, sane man would buy it, other than some dude who got carried away and ordered the penis enlargements from several sources?

Hey, Mildred. Take a Look at This Hunk!

Gorilla girls given photos of a possible mate

Friday, August 28, 2009

Female gorillas at London Zoo have been given dating website style photographs of possible mates.

The Zoo's singletons, Mjukuu, 10, Effie, 16, and Zaire, 34 are set to be joined later this year by 20 stone male gorilla Yeboah, a 12-year-old who is currently in France. After hooking up with several French gorillas, Yeboah is ready to try out some British girls.

Keepers wanted to get a feel for how the female trio will respond to him and gave each a set of snaps showing him strutting his stuff. Only Mjukuu and Effie are depicted above. Zaire, the oldest and most shy, decided not to come out of her room for the photo op. She took her pics of Yeboah inside with her.

It is hoped this will mean the gorilla girls recognize him when he arrives and will be more likely to mate with him ... lets hope he hasn't made that mistake of using a 10-year-old photo taken before he put on weight and lost his hair.
Keepers visited Yeboah in France a month ago to observe his personality and decided the dashing male would get along perfectly with London Zoo’s female gorillas, who have lacked male attention since the death of silverback Bobby in December 2008.

Team leader Tracey Lee said: “Mjukuu was holding the picture as if she was reading a newspaper. We think Yeboah will go for her first because she's very pretty, very social and she's a terrible flirt.

"She used to hug Bobby and sit on his knee all the time while looking over her shoulder at the others."

“Yeboah is a very charming, fun loving and intelligent gorilla. I think it was love at first sight when the girls were let onto the island to look at the pictures – it was a very special moment.”

Yeboah has also been given pictures of the three London ladies and keepers believe that this will help familiarise the gorillas with each other before they meet.

Photo credit: Zoological Society of London

Broken-hearted Lover Hangs Self While ex-Girlfriend Watches

Man hangs self as horrified ex watches on Web cam

Sep 06 2009


Chilean police say a young man distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend hanged himself while she watched over a Web camera.

Deputy inspector Carlos Court says 26-year-old Simon Venegas was chatting with his former girlfriend when he pointed his camera at a tree in a courtyard of his house.

Court says Venegas hung a rope over a branch and told his ex, "Watch what I'm going to do" and "I love you, take care," before hanging himself.

The horrified 23-year-old woman called Venegas' friends to stop him, but Court says they arrived too late. The couple broke up a year ago.

The suicide happened Friday in San Felipe, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the capital of Santiago. Police announced it Sunday.

The Real Faces of War - Dead or Dying

Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard shortly after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. His injuries were fatal.

The publication of this photo has raised questions about the balance between respect for the families of fallen soldiers and the need for a public understanding of the realities of the ongoing wars. (Photo: Julie Jacobson / AP)

There is nothing disrespectful about showing the American people what war is really all about, young women and men dying in a dirt trench because some old men and women continue to think war is the answer to every political disagreement.

I'm sorry this young man's relatives feel aggrieved by the public display of their son dying. But maybe they can see it as an effort on their part as well to stop the killing of other young men and women.

Let the person(s) who would send young women and men to their deaths lead the way, physically, at the head of the charge. Only then will they find a way to end wars.

Your host,

jbo