News of the Weird

[bezerker]

Christ joc !

[FreeSpirit]

Wow...


Raw Foodists Charged with Smuggling Chocolate
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 10. 8.08
Business & Politics (news)

Absurd but true – Ron Obadia and Nadine Artemis, two owners of the Toronto-based raw food and beauty care company Living Libations were arrested last month at the US-Canadian border on their way to Arizona, after drug-sniffing dogs found their 2.5 pounds cache of raw, unrefined chocolate – which officials mistook as hashish. After hours of intimidating interrogation tactics and threats of “life in jail” by Canadian enforcement authorities, a drug test returned a false positive, identifying the raw chocolate as hashish.

After ... other dishonest tactics used by law enforcement to try to get them to "admit" to drug trafficking, they were finally released on bail. Their baby son was returned to them, and they went home. For the next 30 days, they were subjected to surprise visits by Children\'s Aid employees (the Canadian version of Child Protective Services), who were told by law enforcement authorities that Ron and Nadine were drug smugglers.
Over this 30 day period, as felony drug trafficking charges were pending against them, Ron and Nadine managed to connect with legal help. Their lawyer, Marcy Segal, was able to persuade the Crown Attorney to send the chocolate "hashish" sample to a proper lab for testing. And wouldn\'t you know it: The test showed that chocolate is chocolate, not hashish.


But that’s not all – after being cleared by the lab tests, the couple attempted to travel again – they do a lot of business in the US – but this time it was US customs that stopped them:

Their lawyer had contacted U.S. authorities in advance, advising them that Ron and Nadine were bringing chocolate through their security checkpoints as they crossed from Canada to the United States. "Watch out, it\'s chocolate!"
They were told everything was understood, and the chocolate would be allowed through. Imagine their surprise, however, when Ron and Nadine were once against arrested at the airport and accused of -- guess what? -- smuggling hashish disguised as chocolate!

U.S. law enforcement authorities boost their careers when they take part in big drug busts, and 2.5 pounds of hashish was a huge bust by anyone\'s accounting. So they had every incentive to try to make this bust stick.

Desperate to prove themselves right, the American drug enforcement police ripped though Ron and Nadine\'s luggage and clothing, opening every vial, asking questions about all the "strange" things they found there.

What kind of strange things? Sea salt. Zeolites. Tea tree oil. Essential oils. Hemp seeds. Probiotics. Raw cacao nibs. You know, dangerous superfoods and supplements.

They were questioned at great length about all these "strange" substances. Apparently, law enforcement personnel have actually never seen superfoods! Subsisting on a diet of processed foods and diet soda, they apparently believe real food is a foreign substance... a criminal substance, in fact. It is a strange world, indeed, when those who claim to uphold the laws of the land have zero familiarity with food harvested from the land...


The couple now face $22,000 in legal bills, even though they have done nothing wrong. They plan to sue the Canadian government for false arrest. Maybe raw chocolate is so good that it is criminal?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/200...e-smuggling.php

[davepeck]

Bank robber uses Craigslist to help rob a bank  

In an elaborate robbery scheme that\'s one part The Thomas Crowne Affair and one part Pineapple Express, a crook robbed an armored truck outside a Bank of America branch in Monroe, Wash., by hiring decoys through Craigslist to deter authorities.

It gets better: He then escaped in a creek headed for the Skykomish River in an inner tube, and the cops are still looking for him. "A great amount of money" was taken, Monroe police said, but did not provide a dollar value.

It appears to have unfolded this way, according to a Seattle-based NBC affiliate: Around 11:00 a.m. PDT Sept. 30, the robber, wearing a yellow vest, safety goggles, a blue shirt, and a respirator mask went over to a guard who was overseeing the unloading of cash to the bank from the truck. He sprayed the guard with pepper spray, grabbed his bag of money, and fled the scene.

But here\'s the hilarious twist. The robber had previously put out a Craigslist ad for road maintenance workers, promising wages of $28.50 per hour. Recruits were asked to wait near the Bank of America right around the time of the robbery--wearing yellow vests, safety goggles, a respirator mask, and preferably a blue shirt. At least a dozen of them showed up after responding to the Craigslist ad.

"I came across the ad that was for a prevailing wage job for $28.50 an hour," one of the unwitting decoys, named Mike, said to the NBC station. As it turns out, they were simply placed there to confuse cops who were looking for a guy wearing a virtually identical outfit.

Authorities eventually found the getaway inner tube (a getaway inner tube!) and suspect that accomplices may have picked up the robber in a boat. According to the NBC affiliate, police hope to track him down by figuring out who posted the Craigslist ad in the first place.

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark was not immediately available for comment.

http://tech.msn.com/news/articlecnet.aspx?cp-documentid=11018138>1=40000

awesome.

[freddiewaht]

Hemet, CA) -- Police arrested two Hemet men in what may be one of the easiest drug busts ever. The "Riverside Press-Enterprise" reports police officers were browsing the popular classified ad site craigslist.org when they found someone advertising two ounces of "high grade" marijuana for sale. The cops made couple of phone calls to set up a buy, then visited 36-year-old Ronald Gray at home. They searched the home, allegedly found a small indoor marijuana growing operation, three-quarters of a pound of pot and an unloaded rifle. Gray and his pal now face multiple felony charges. Hemet police say it\'s the first time they\'ve found anyone trying to sell drugs on the Internet.

[FrankZappa]

From FOXsports.com (do NOT credit)

Olympic table tennis medalist Wang Hao will undergo team-mandated counseling after reportedly getting into a fight with a security guard who was trying to stop him from urinating outside a karaoke club.
"I am the famous Wang Hao! I am the world champion! Does it matter if I beat you?" the 24-year-old said, according to one witness.
A Chinese table tennis team spokesperson downplayed the incident, saying it was only a heated exchange of words.
"There was no drunkenness or brawling. There was just an argument," China national team manager Huang Biao was quoted as saying in Monday\'s Shanghai Morning Post.
"Because Wang is a celebrity, the story has been amplified."
Wang, a two-time Olympic singles silver medalist, recently won a gold medal in the team competition at the Beijing Games.

[derickw]

From FOXsports.com (do NOT credit)

Olympic table tennis medalist Wang Hao will undergo team-mandated counseling after reportedly getting into a fight with a security guard who was trying to stop him from urinating outside a karaoke club.
"I am the famous Wang Hao! I am the world champion! Does it matter if I beat you?" the 24-year-old said, according to one witness.
A Chinese table tennis team spokesperson downplayed the incident, saying it was only a heated exchange of words.
"There was no drunkenness or brawling. There was just an argument," China national team manager Huang Biao was quoted as saying in Monday\'s Shanghai Morning Post.
"Because Wang is a celebrity, the story has been amplified."
Wang, a two-time Olympic singles silver medalist, recently won a gold medal in the team competition at the Beijing Games.

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[SlimPickens]

CLARK COUNTY
Student Arrested For Terroristic Threatening Says Incident A Misunderstanding
 
 A George Rogers Clark High School junior arrested Tuesday for making terrorist threats told LEX 18 News Thursday that the "writings" that got him arrested are being taken out of context.

Winchester police say William Poole, 18, was taken into custody Tuesday morning. Investigators say they discovered materials at Poole\'s home that outline possible acts of violence aimed at students, teachers, and police.

Poole told LEX 18 that the whole incident is a big misunderstanding. He claims that what his grandparents found in his journal and turned into police was a short story he wrote for English class.

"My story is based on fiction," said Poole, who faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge. "It\'s a fake story. I made it up. I\'ve been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about zombies. Yes, it did say a high school. It was about a high school over ran by zombies."

Even so, police say the nature of the story makes it a felony. "Anytime you make any threat or possess matter involving a school or function it\'s a felony in the state of Kentucky," said Winchester Police detective Steven Caudill.

Poole disputes that he was threatening anyone.

"It didn\'t mention nobody who lives in Clark County, didn\'t mention (George Rogers Clark High School), didn\'t mention no principal or cops, nothing,"
said Poole. "Half the people at high school know me. They know I\'m not that stupid, that crazy."

On Thursday, a judge raised Poole\'s bond from one to five thousand dollars after prosecutors requested it, citing the seriousness of the charge.

Poole is being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=2989614

[tyzack]

CLARK COUNTY
Student Arrested For Terroristic Threatening Says Incident A Misunderstanding
 
 A George Rogers Clark High School junior arrested Tuesday for making terrorist threats told LEX 18 News Thursday that the "writings" that got him arrested are being taken out of context.

Winchester police say William Poole, 18, was taken into custody Tuesday morning. Investigators say they discovered materials at Poole\'s home that outline possible acts of violence aimed at students, teachers, and police.

Poole told LEX 18 that the whole incident is a big misunderstanding. He claims that what his grandparents found in his journal and turned into police was a short story he wrote for English class.

"My story is based on fiction," said Poole, who faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge. "It\'s a fake story. I made it up. I\'ve been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about zombies. Yes, it did say a high school. It was about a high school over ran by zombies."

Even so, police say the nature of the story makes it a felony. "Anytime you make any threat or possess matter involving a school or function it\'s a felony in the state of Kentucky," said Winchester Police detective Steven Caudill.

Poole disputes that he was threatening anyone.

"It didn\'t mention nobody who lives in Clark County, didn\'t mention (George Rogers Clark High School), didn\'t mention no principal or cops, nothing,"
said Poole. "Half the people at high school know me. They know I\'m not that stupid, that crazy."

On Thursday, a judge raised Poole\'s bond from one to five thousand dollars after prosecutors requested it, citing the seriousness of the charge.

Poole is being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=2989614

Wow, how much the world has changed.

I remember when I was in 7th grade on a bus trip to NYC, a kid who was already on the wrong side of the law, skipped school that day, then called in a bomb threat on the bus.

The bus pulled over at a McDonalds in CT. We were not allowed off the bus for 30 minutes while the school figured out it was this deliquent kid.

He was expelled (no criminal charges).

There was no police response.

[Gordo]

What dogshit. This may just cultivate Poole\'s future actions against authority. Idiots. Not to mention his grandparents. They probably think Obama is an "ay-rab" and found a pin with his face on it in Poole\'s bookbag. We should all look out for zombies with bombs now. Heads up for "bombies" .info, I smell a national red alert.

[gitCHu ONe.]

hopefully just the image and association of "hendrixized merch" will help steer some kids to his music and all that was that scene in rock and roll history.....

Dude, I work with a girl who hasn\'t had any exposure to music outside of hiphop.  Not even a little rock or 80\'s pop.  As F.Waht would say, "Sad Really".

I have this Jimi Hendrix action figure dealio...



and my friend and his girlfriend were sitting on my floor, when the girlfriend looks up, sees this sitting on top of my tv and annouces, "Jimi Hendrix is black!? I didn\'t know Jimi Hendrix was black!" All of our jaws dropped to the floor. My roommate was walking down the hallway when this occurred and from the distance you hear him say, "WTF!?" She\'s lucky we didn\'t kick her out of the house right then and there for being so dimwitted. Needless to say, my friend broke up with her shortly thereafter.

[Gordo]

Not nearly as bad as the Hendrix bit, but I was with two kids from my class last night and started singing along with "Fu-Gee-La" and they thought I was strange for knowing the tune. I asked them, "The Fugees? No. Lauryn Hill? Sounds familiar. Wyclef Jean? Heard of him, I think.. Wy what?"  I was shocked, they\'re in their 20\'s.

[FrankZappa]

"It didn\'t mention nobody who lives in Clark County, didn\'t mention (George Rogers Clark High School), didn\'t mention no principal or cops, nothing,"

I think this high school has bigger problems than creative literature on it\'s hands. :sigh:

[SlimPickens]

"It didn\'t mention nobody who lives in Clark County, didn\'t mention (George Rogers Clark High School), didn\'t mention no principal or cops, nothing,"

I think this high school has bigger problems than creative literature on it\'s hands. :sigh:

Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing while reading that article.

[Me!]

Motorist stunned by dashboard porn
Dalson Chen, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, October 24, 2008

When Windsor motorist Dikran Ohanyan bought a rear-view camera system for his car, he never suspected that its monitor would pick up unwanted broadcasts -- like hardcore pornographic video.

"It\'s not for kids to see," said Ohanyan, 52, from the driver\'s seat of his SUV while an oral sex scene flickered on the dashboard-mounted monitor.

The explicit images only appear on Ohanyan\'s monitor when he drives on Forest Glade Drive in the immediate area of Esplanade Drive.

Ohanyan -- who operates a Naples pizza parlour -- said he first noticed the phenomenon a couple of weeks ago when making a delivery in the area.

A few days later, it happened again when he drove down the road with his twin nine-year-olds in the backseat. "I was really afraid that they\'d see it."

"Luckily, they did not notice," Ohanyan said.

Ohanyan said no one believed him at first, including his wife, so he took a picture with his cellphone camera the next time it happened. "She said, \'Oh my God\' when I show her."

"You put passwords at home for the kids not to see, but now here, on the street, you see."

Ohanyan bought the wireless rear-view camera system about a year ago from Canadian Tire. He installed it himself. Normally, the monitor only activates when Ohanyan backs up, receiving a signal from a rear-facing camera.

While Ohanyan recalls the manual mentioning it\'s possible for the monitor to receive outside signals, he\'s stunned that pornography is being broadcast so carelessly.

"How does this come out without any securities?" Ohanyan said. "I don\'t blame the technology, I blame the person who is supplying it."

At car electronics specialists Factory Auto Sound on Tecumseh Road East, owner Darren Fuhr and sales representative Andy Lech couldn\'t help but chuckle at Ohanyan\'s predicament.

"I have never heard of that in my life," Fuhr said.

Fuhr said it\'s unlikely other drivers with rear-view camera systems will be able to see the things Ohanyan sees when they drive in the area.

According to Fuhr, what\'s probably happening is a residence in the neighbourhood has a satellite dish hooked up to a transmitter, and the television sets in the home are equipped with wireless receivers. It just so happens Ohanyan\'s monitor operates on the same frequency as the private transmitter.

Fuhr said Factory Auto Sound only sells wired rear-view camera systems. "All the systems that we use are hard-wired and self-contained in the vehicle, so there\'s no possibility of a signal intruding," Fuhr said.

"Any time you use something wireless, you obviously have the possibility of losing signal, or in this case -- which seems to be pretty unique -- gaining a signal you maybe weren\'t looking for."

Ohanyan said he\'s not personally bothered by pornography, but he\'s worried for his children\'s sake. "If I have my kids, I don\'t go around there."

He\'s also concerned that the graphic sexual images might distract other drivers who have the same system as him.

"It\'s a safety issue, in my opinion," Ohanyan said. "I can imagine cars rear-ending each other over there."

and right outta good ole Milford....

Conn. police arrest driver on trip to meet Beyonce
Oct 21, 2:50 PM (ET)

MILFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut police say a Detroit-area man was arrested after driving erratically and nearly hitting a police car, saying Beyonce was waiting to meet him. Officers say a 33-year-old Michigan man was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Police said he nearly hit a police car early Sunday, asked the officer for directions to Detroit, then drove over a sidewalk and grassy area.

A police spokesman said the man - who had flowers and teddy bear in the car - also asked if the officers were escorting him to New York City, saying the singer agreed to meet him at the George Washington Bridge.

The man was charged with reckless driving, speeding and other traffic offenses.

He is scheduled to appear Nov. 4 in Milford Superior Court.

[skalnbyc]

How S.F. may, uh, honor George W.: Measure would rename city\'s sewage plant

Lincoln has a tunnel. Washington a monument. Even Hoover has a dam.

What about George W. Bush?

In San Francisco, "W" may soon stand for "wastewater." On Tuesday, voters will consider commemorating the 43rd president\'s legacy in a less than exalted way: renaming the city\'s Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant as the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

In a city where only 9 percent of voters are registered facists, organizers of the tongue-in-cheek idea had little trouble gathering 12,000 signatures to put Proposition R on the ballot.

"People were lining up to sign it," said Brian McConnell, a phone systems designer who hatched the idea last year in a Mission District bar with friends. "One way to look at a sewage plant is in terms of its contents — what we got stuck with — the Iraq war, a $10 trillion debt and a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up."

The measure needs only a simple majority to pass.

In a brand of civics you won\'t see as part of festivities in say, Lubbock, Texas, the Yes on R news conference at City Hall on Election Night will be hosted by a drag queen named "Peaches Christ."

And as part of the official ballot arguments, supporters offered a haiku:

Need Bush memor\'l?

Sewage plant available

How appropriate

Needless to say, the city\'s beleaguered facists are not embracing the methane memorial.

"I don\'t think it is funny. It\'s a waste of time. It\'s a waste

of money," said San Francisco facist Party Chairman Howard Epstein.

"It\'s disrespectful to the office. Are we going to name a brothel in Nevada after Bill Clinton? If you don\'t like George Bush, OK, you don\'t like him. But this has gone too far."

City leaders say if the measure passes, it will cost about $50,000 to put up new signs and change all the stationery and letterhead. At first, managers of the city-owned plant said the election was disrespectful to the hardworking employees of the plant. But then their union, the SEIU, endorsed it.

The fecal fracas has gained worldwide attention.

"I just don\'t think it dignifies a response,\'\' said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino in June when asked about the president\'s position.

Supporters plan to commemorate Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 with a synchronized flush of hundreds of thousands of San Francisco toilets, an action that would send a flood of water toward the plant, as Bush leaves the throne of power.

In recent weeks, they have asked San Francisco shop owners to tape posters in their windows that feature a picture of Bush emerging from a toilet, Alfred E. Neuman-like, with the words: "Help put the #1 guy on the #2 building."

McConnell says if the sewage plant — which sits along Ocean Beach near San Francisco Zoo and treats 17 million gallons of effluent a day — is renamed, it will become a tourist attraction and a fitting memorial for the man he considers the worst president in history.

"The contents of the facility represent the quality of what we got in the last eight years," he said.