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Privacy Rules (2/19)
Joynal Abedin's family worried about him when he didn't return home from work. For more
than two weeks, they wondered where he was. Then they got a $17,000 bill from the Washington
Hospital Center in the District of Columbia. His wife rushed to the hospital to see if the bill
had anything to do with her husband. But citing federal privacy rules, the hospital
told her nothing.
A day later, after visiting the D.C. medical examiner's office, she found out he'd been killed
in a hit and run accident. The family wants to know why the police were unable to find them and
tell them, but the hospital was able to find them to send a bill.
When in France... (2/18)
As France prepares to ban the display in public schools of religious symbols, such as the
veils worn by some Muslim women, one official says the government could also ban
beards
if they are expressions of religious faith. "As soon as it becomes a religious sign and the
code is apparent, it would fall under this law," said Education Minister Luc Ferry.
Legal Tender (2/17)
Curtis Smith wants his money back. Smith was sleeping in his truck on a lot he owns, when St.
Louis police arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence. The police ultimately
did not charge him. But while he was being processed Mayor Adrian Wright saw police counting
Smith's money, which included a rare
$1,000 bill,
several hundreds
and a few $2 bills. Wright allegedly wanted the $1,000 note and got 10 $100 bills, which he
had police substitute for it when they stored Smith's money. Collectors typically pay between
$1,300 and $3,500 for such a bill, depending upon its condition. When Smith was released, he
was given $3,231 in cash, representing the face value of the money taken from him, but not his
$1,000 bill.
See No Evil (2/13)
France is considering a bill that will force Internet service providers to block material
that excuses crimes against humanity and promotes race crimes or face
legal sanctions.
It will also hold ISPs liable if their users illegally download or share intellectual
property. The bill is actually France's attempt to codify European Union directives on
electronic commerce. But ISPs say that any attempts to block prohibited material will
likely stop legal material from being transmitted too.
Alert and At Attention (2/12)
When someone placed a black plastic bag near the Washington Monument and left it, no one
paid much attention. They should have. It was a test by the Interior Department to see how
Park Police would handle a
suspicious package.
The bag was first placed at the rear of the monument for 20 minutes, then at a security checkpoint for 15 minutes. No one noticed it.
In fact, the only police officer around appeared to be asleep.
Top Secret (2/11)
The Greek Cypriot army is trying to find out how top secret ground plans for
military bases
wound up in a dump. A truck driver found the papers, which contain details such as
the technical specifications for weapons launch sites and the thickness of walls at
sentry posts on the island's cease-fire line with Turkey.
And You Thought Paddlings Were Bad? (2/10)
After a rumor started that a 13-year-old student at Okeeheelee Middle School in West Palm
Beach had a gun, police searched the boy. They found nothing, but principal David Samore
still wanted to question the student. He allegedly put a
toy gun
to the boy's neck. Samore says he was trying to show the student that even toy guns can
frighten people. Samore was suspended for 10 days without pay. When he returned to the
school, teachers welcomed him with yellow ribbons, balloons, flowers, and a plaque.
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign (2/9)
Trying to sell a home in Helena, Montana, has gotten a little bit more difficult. City law says
commercial signs can be no more than
four square feet.
But the signs real estate agents typically put up in yards push the six square foot mark. The
zoning commission has recommended allowing real estate signs of up to five square feet to be
placed in yards. The city commission is looking into the issue of real estate signs and mulling
changes in the law.
Judge Not (2/6)
Two teenage boys were having a snowball fight in the German town of Leuneburg, when an errant
snowball
hit a nearby home. A man emerged from the house with a shotgun and fired two rounds, striking
one of the boys. The shooter was a 55-year-old judge. Police have confiscated his shotgun and
are investigating the shooting.
Wired (2/5)
Five years ago, North Carolina started an effort to put all of the state's public schools
on one computer network. The state has spent $113 million so far, and it expects the tab
to total at least $150 million. But just
six of the state's 117 school districts
are now on line, and that's as part of a trial. And the teachers who are on the network say
it's difficult to gain access to the network or to do even simple things such as enter daily
attendance.
Who Guards the Guardians? (2/4)
Officials at the Pentagon's Defense Contract Audit Agency are supposed to uncover fraud and
waste in government contracts. But the agency is now charged with spending 1,139 man-hours
altering its own files
to pass an internal review. The agency actually brought in help from other offices to change
the files, costing taxpayers some $1,600 in travel expenses.
Strange Coincidence (2/3)
Michael Di Biase has been charged three times in the last 15 months with running a red light.
Two of the tickets were withdrawn after the York Region, Canada, police officers who wrote them
didn't show up for court,
even though police policy is that officers must show up in court for every ticket they write.
The third just disappeared. Di Biase is mayor of the city of Vaughn.
Stating the Obvious (2/2)
Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch has revealed the results of its seventh annual
Wacky Warning Label Contest.
The top prize went to this warning on a bottle of drain cleaner: "If you do not
understand, or cannot read, all directions, cautions and warnings, do not use this
product." Second place went to this warning on a snow sled: "Beware: sled may
develop high speed under certain snow conditions." Another award went to the package
for a five-inch fishing hook which told buyers it was "Harmful if swallowed."
Duty Minded (1/30)
Kentucky State Police got reports that a
drunken duo
in a law enforcement cruiser were making traffic stops. Meanwhile, officials
in Lewis County were worried because a jailer transporting a prisoner from
Knox County hadn't arrived. When the police finally caught up to the cruiser,
they found jailer Clarence Wilson and inmate Shawn Phillip Reynolds, both
apparently intoxicated. Wilson was charged with drunken driving, impersonating
a peace officer, unlawful imprisonment, and official misconduct. Reynolds, who
is serving five years for credit card fraud, and burglary, was charged with
intoxication.
Long Showers (1/29)
Chuck Richison's water bill usually runs about $55 a month, so he was a bit perplexed when
the city of Corpus Christi, sent him one for
$7,714,510.21.
"It was the 21 cents that got me," Richison says. City officials
said the bill was an error and promised to send one for the correct amount.
Sheriff Taylor Refused To Comment (1/28)
Five uniformed police officers and a trainee, about half of those who are typically supposed
to be patrolling Greenville, South Carolina's streets, were found
playing cards
in a court building. The police department can suspend an officer for up to five days
without pay. It can also recommend an officer be fired, but the Civil Service Commission
has final say. No word on what punishment, if any, these officers face.
Bathroom Break (1/27)
You'd better have a big bladder if you plan on flying from Australia, Asia or Europe to the
United States. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has
banned passengers from lining up for the bathrooms
during flights. Flight attendants are expected to police the toilets, looking for suspicious
packages and making sure people aren't trying to form a line. "Passengers are caught between a
rock and a hard place. On one hand, they are advised to move around an aircraft during flights
for health reasons; but now they are being told not to congregate. It doesn't make sense," said
Warren Bennett, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia. It
doesn't have to make sense, Mr. Bennett. It's part of the war on terror.
White Wedding (1/26)
Jacques Martin, mayor of the French city of Nogent-sur-Marne, has banned Muslim women from
wearing headscarves during civil
marriage ceremonies.
French couples must be married during civil ceremonies, but they may later also have a
religious wedding. "The state does not have to adapt to Islam today just as it did not
adapt to Judaism and separated itself from Catholicism 200 years ago," Martin, told
Le Figaro.
Proper Attire (1/23)
Malaysia's PAS party keeps telling non-Muslims they have nothing to fear. But everywhere
the Islamic party has taken power, it has imposed new Sharia-based regulations on private
behavior. Take the city of
Kuala Terengganu.
The PAS-dominated government there has placed new restrictions on what women—Muslim
and non-Muslim alike—may wear to work. Out are short-sleeved tops, tight jeans, skirts
with slits, or skirts cut above the knee. And Muslim women must wear a headscarf drawn
tightly across their face. The state government of Terengganu has imposed its own
restrictions, closing karaoke lounges and pool halls and barring Muslims from all places
alcohol is served.
People's Choice (1/22)
The Iranian government has
barred hundreds of reform candidates
from running in upcoming elections. Reformist members of parliament say more than 80 percent
of current reform-minded deputies have been banned from running by the council of guardians,
an unelected body of conservative religious leaders and lawyers. Those who have been told they
can't run include Mohammed Reza Khatami, brother of the current president, head of the biggest
reform party and current deputy speaker of parliament.
Jonas Salk: Infidel (1/21)
Muslim leaders in Nigeria have told their followers not to have themselves or their children
vaccinated for polio
because the vaccine is provided by the United States. The leaders told them the vaccine had
been laced with drugs that cause infertility or with the HIV virus. Some Muslim authorities
reportedly admitted they knew those charges weren't true; they just wanted to resist a U.S.-led
program. "People believe that America hates Muslims, and so whatever comes from the United
States, no matter how good it is, people will reject it," said Sheik Muhammed Nasir Muhammed,
chief imam at Kano, Nigeria's second-largest mosque.
Cuban Literacy (1/20)
Cuba has recently passed a law permitting only those who have government approval to
access the Internet
from home. Civil servants, Communist Party members and some select others will qualify.
The state-owned telephone company Etecsa will monitor home use to make sure the law is
complied with.
Gay for Pay (1/19)
Police in Victoria, Australia, will be
paid for marching in a gay pride parade
in uniform, whether they are on duty or not. Police commissioner Christine Nixon says its part
of an effort to reach out to gays and lesbians. The police force says that officers are already
paid to march in parades commemorating Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Women's Day.
They Don't Call Them Procurement Officers for Nothing (1/16)
Robert Neal and Francis Jones, former senior
procurement officers
in the Pentagon, were sentenced to more than 24 years each in federal prison for conspiracy,
extortion, money laundering, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The two were
found to have demanded cash, gifts and sexual favors from prostitutes sent by companies
trying to do business with the military. Neal and Jones were also jointly ordered to pay
$1.75 million in restitution.
Smarter Than the Average Politician (1/15)
A team of Israeli members of parliament finished in the middle of the pack in a televised
IQ quiz. They beat teams of models and bodybuilders, but finished behind high school students
and lawyers. But the models and bodybuilders may want to demand a rematch. The politicians
have admitted to
cheating
on the test. "Like children, we want to succeed, (because) the whole country is watching,"
said Haim Katz, a member of parliament from the ruling Likud Party.
Priorities, Priorities (1/14)
Ontario's provincial auditor says the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services received
about 4,000
complaints
and inquiries related to debt collectors last year, including 800 written, formal complaints.
But it conducted only 10 inspections of debt collection services. And 2,000 complaints about
motor vehicle repairs brought just six inspections. But eight complaints about adult video
stores—none in writing—prompted almost 1,600 inspections.
You Will Have a Good Time (1/13)
The staff at the US Army's Combat Equipment Battalion at Hythe, Great Britain, just
had to attend the office
Christmas party.
No, really. They were ordered by the base command to attend the party or face disciplinary
action. A memo from the base commander told them: "Let me make it clear that every employee's
duty on December 19 is the Base Christmas Party. All employees not on approved leave will
participate in the party... If you feel like I am trying to force FUN upon you, then you are
correct."
Big Loads (1/12)
Christmas almost turned out badly for some residents of Livonia,
Michigan. Postal inspectors spotted one employee apparently pulling
DVDs
out of the mail he was sorting and taking them to his locker. They
confronted William Wrack as he went to his car and found 16 movies.
Later, they searched his house and found 426 more DVDs. This is
reportedly not the first time Wrack has been caught stealing from the mail.
Forget Your Rubbers (1/9)
Islamic leaders in Somalia have declared
condoms
illegal under religious law. They say they will flog anyone caught using or selling
condoms. Sheikh Nur Barud, chairman of the Ulema Council, said the use of condoms
will increase adultery, and those promoting adultery deserve to be punished.
Life on the Streets (1/8)
Maryland State Police Superintendent Edward T. Norris has been charged with illegally
spending about $20,000 officials funds while he was the top cop in Baltimore. Norris
allegedly used the money to cover personal expenses, including those stemming from
affairs with several women.
His former chief of staff, John Stendrini, was charged with misusing police money and
is accused of obstructing justice.
LA Confidential (1/7)
Julie D. Nelson was arrested at a Hollywood police station for allegedly selling
pirated DVDs.
Police say they found hundreds of suspected bootleg films at her home and at the home of a
friend. Nelson is a patrol captain and a 28-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Don't Blame the Player. Blame the Game. (1/6)
New York City's
Human Rights Commission
is demanding that the makers of Grand Theft Auto remove the phrase "Kill Haitians" from the
game. If Take-Two Interactive Software doesn't do so, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, it would
be investigated for human-rights violations. The company has apologized and promised the
phrase will not appear in future games.
Perks of Office (1/5)
Thai politicians are hopping mad over a proposal that would bar them from keeping
mistresses
or visiting brothels. The ruling Thai Rak Thai party is considering such a ban, but one
lawmaker said the party would be able to field only about 30 candidates for parliament if
the ban is enacted. The party currently has more than 200 MPs.
Destroying the Business to Save It (1/2)
New Haven, Connecticut, has had a rash of robberies and shootings at convenience stores
and service stations. So it is going to beef up police patrols at those stores? No. Offer
firearms instruction to clerks? No. City officials have proposed
forcing the stores to close
at 11 p.m. and to open no earlier than 6 a.m. Officials say that will reduce the opportunities
for robbery and violence. Store owners point out that 20 percent of their business comes during
those hours, and the vast majority of customers don't rob or shoot anyone.