Feeling Alienated

May 22, 2008

When Yusif Osman collapsed with chest pains, his cellmate at the Otay Mesa immigrant detention center called for a guard. Instead of coming into the cell to check on Osman, the guard called the nurse and asked if Osman had any medical problems. The nurse said no. So the guard walked away. The cellmate yelled again and another guard came by. Again, he called the nurse. This time, she asked they bring him to the center clinic. It took guards 40 minutes to get a wheelchair to Osman's cell. He was barely alive when he got to the clinic and died soon after. Doctors who reviewed his case said he might still be alive today if he'd received prompt treatment for heart failure.

Blow This

May 21, 2008

The French government plans to force all clubs and cafes open until 2 a.m. to require patrons to complete a breathalyzer test before they leave. Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo says the plan has already been tested in 350 bars in western France and will be extended to the rest of the nation by the end of the summer.

Think of Judy Garland

May 20, 2008

Ponce De Leon High School principal David Davis admits he barred students from wearing clothing or symbols that promote equal rights for gays. And he says he even barred them from wearing clothing or stickers featuring rainbows because he thought it would cause students to automatically picture gay people having sex. The ACLU brought suit against the Florida school, and a federal judge ruled that the clothing ban was an unconstitutional abridgement of students' freedom of speech.

Biting Wit

May 19, 2008

In Tift County, Georgia, the school board suspended paraprofessional Vivian Hightower for five days without pay after she allegedly bit the finger of a kindergarten student. She was also transferred to a job answering phones at the bus shop and, after publicity about the case, fired. Hightower denies biting the child.

Smile for the Camera

May 16, 2008

When Randy Dean Sievert saw Manatee County, Florida, sheriff's deputies executing a search warrant in his neighborhood, he pulled out his cell phone and took a photo. A deputy spotted him and demanded he destroy any photos of the officers and their vehicles. Sievert refused. He also refused to step away from his car when ordered, so deputies threw him to the ground and arrested him for obstruction. They later destroyed a photo he'd taken showing two undercover vehicles.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

May 15, 2008

When Victoria Modise lost her ID card, the South African government demanded she be fingerprinted before issuing a new one to her. That proved to be a major problem, since Modise has no arms. Only after local media reported on her plight did the government relent and issue her an ID.

Put Them on a Map

May 14, 2008

The Chinese government has launched investigations of online mapping services, including Google Maps, for breaking state secrecy laws. Officials say they want to get rid of online maps that don't accurately show the country's boundaries, i.e. don't show disputed areas as part of China, or that may reveal military secrets.

What a Country!

May 13, 2008

Froylan Camelo says he and other students took Mexican flags with them to Idaho's Minico High School to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. But Camelo says teacher Clint Straatham took his flag from him, threw it in a trash can and taunted him. Straatham denies taunting Camelo. He says he took the flag from him to keep white students from hurting him. And what about tossing it in garbage can? Straatham says he had no other place to put it.

Greasy Fingers

May 12, 2008

California mechanic David Eck wanted to do his part for the environment by converting his cars to run on vegetable oil. But when state officials found out what he'd done they threatened him with big fines for not having a diesel fuel supplier's license, for not paying California fuel taxes on the oil he burned, for removing used grease from local restaurants without a license and for not having a state license to burn fat.

Fly the Unfriendly Skies

May 9, 2008

Federal air marshals say some of their members have been harassed at airports, even kept from boarding planes they are scheduled to guard, because their names match those on the federal no-fly list. The government acknowledges the problem but says it's taking steps to fix it. One agent says he's been having trouble for six years and it hasn't been solved yet.

Sit On It

May 8, 2008

Dozens of people were sitting on the granite ledges at Montreal's Emilie Gamelin Park. People sit on the ledges all the time. So why did police give Brendan Colin Jones a $628 ticket for sitting on the ledge? Well, maybe it was because he just photographed them talking to some people drinking alcohol nearby and refused to give them his camera when they asked.