Nothing better than catching up on some sleep on a long flight,huh? Isn't that what most travelers hope for? BUT...maybe you aren't hoping for the pilot to be the one taking the snooze.
A captain and his co-pilot on the packed 325-seat Airbus A330 had decided to take turns in having 20-minute naps during the journey on August 13.
But less than two hours after take-off, both were reportedly asleep, leaving the plane cruising on autopilot with no-one to take control in the event of an emergency.
A recent poll showed that 9 out of 10 people preferred pilots that aren't exhausted.
They admitted what had happened to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), blaming longer shifts over the peak holiday season, which left them unable to get more than five hours’ sleep in the preceding 36.
The watchdog has declined to name the airline concerned for fear of deterring other pilots from reporting problems.
It confirmed the carrier was UK-based but would not say where the plane had departed from or where it was heading.
Last month a survey of more than 2,000 adults commissioned by the association suggested that nine out of 10 people would be worried about being in an aircraft flown by a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours.
The airline's name has since been released but I decided not to throw the plane under the bus. British pilots are allowed to sleep in the cockpit under certain conditions so neither the pilot or the co-pilot are being disciplined. I find this pretty amazing, British pilots not only can fly planes but they can do it in their sleep.
Duck Discrimination
A duck used by insurance company Aflac was let loose inside a subway station in Manhattan, angering PETA and the MTA. (seems the TA TAs are aren't happy.) Aflac employees followed the little guy/duck around taking pictures and tweeting to a Twitter account for the sake of some publicity.
The website Gothamist reported that commuters on an undisclosed N and R train subway posted images of
the duck, but it found out that it was Aflac’s doing.
“Ducks don’t belong on the subway, especially waddling through stations, and especially not when they’re used as part of a publicity stunt that makes it harder for our customers to get around,” spokesman for the MTA, Adam Lisberg, said in a recent statement,
He added: “We did not know about this stunt, we did not approve it, and we’ve made clear to Aflac that it was improper. New Yorkers know that animals are only allowed in the subway when they’re enclosed in containers that will prevent them from annoying any other passengers.”
The duck is calling fowl on the blatant discrimination on NYC subways. BTW...Here at TAOBC we aren't promoting ducks taking public transportation. It is true that it might not be the safest option for them. Note to Ducks: Next time ask Aflac to call a limo service for you.
Bike Love
A 55-year-old nurse in England named Eileen Remedios was visiting a patient's house recently. And when she went to leave, she couldn't because someone had stolen her bike while she was inside
Eileen obviously wasn't happy about it, but she kept her sense of humor and taped a note to the lamppost she'd leaned the bike against. The note said, "Please return my bike. It is old but loved, and will be frightened without its owner."
Now, obviously Eileen never REALLY expected to see the bike again. But when she returned to the patient's home the next day, the bike was chained to the same lamppost.
And the keys to the lock were under the doormat, taped to a note that said, quote, "A great big fat SORRY from the reformed bike thief." Then at the bottom, the person assured her that they hadn't mistreated the bike in any way.
Eileen ended up writing ANOTHER note thanking them, and letting them know the bike was "happy" to be home. No word yet on whether or not they've responded again.
Am I being harsh in thinking if you are going to be a thief...even a considerate thief...you should know the "i before e except after c rule". If you can't spell it don't be it.
Have you followed the news story concerning the mega party that a group of approximately 300 teens had in the vacant home of ex-NFL player, Brian Holloway?
If you haven't let me catch you up to speed.
On August 31st, a mob of an estimated 300 teenagers broke into the Stephentown, New York home of former pro football player Brian Holloway and trashed it, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
At the time, Holloway was in Tampa, Florida where the family currently resides, but learned of the party as it was happening because many of the kids there sent out tweets about it! (some of the reports say that one of Brian's sons saw all the tweets and called his dad about it.)
At first Holloway thought the whole thing was a joke, until he saw photos of the damage on the Internet.
Holloway described what he was seeing on Twitter in an interview with Fox News, saying, “We started reading all these tweets of people tweeting ‘I can’t believe Holloway’s house, this is awesome. We are trashing the joint. I can’t believe it. We can’t wake this girl up. You know who cares. This is the best party of my life. I can’t believe there is this many cool drugs.’”
By the time police arrived, windows and doors were kicked in, holes had
been punched in the walls, and all of the carpets had been destroyed by
beer, vomit, and urine. Thought Number One: Fighting Fire With Fire
So what is a guy to do when he realizes that an out-of-state property that he owns is being trashed? In this case, Brian created a website called HelpMeSave300. Interesting reading, especially if you want to
find out all the ways to misspell bad words.
I am positive that Crabby Pants, had nothing to do with it.
Anyway,....On the website, Brian and his family started posting all the pictures and tweets from the party to point out those responsible for "hosting" the party, those attending and all the resulting damage. He issued an invitation for those that attended to come forward and take some accountability. At that point, there was more a tone of trying to give the kids a chance to make amends without charges being filed. (a few more current revisions aren't sounding quite so friendly.)
BUT...of course, that's when things got problematic. The parents of the kids that have their partying little trespassers exposed on a website, are not happy. NO THEY AREN'T HAPPY AT ALL. They have had their lawyers tell Brian to take the website down or they will file suit. The parents say that Brian has no right to hurt their children's reputation and possibly cause them future problems such as having trouble with college admittance.
Brian's lawyers on the other hand, say the kids posted the pictures to public spaces for all to see and they have no right to insist that they are private.
AND YET THERE IS MORE....Now TMZ reports that the Brian was behind in his mortgage payments and the house potentially was going to go into foreclosure. They went on to say that there was some disrepair there anyway. There is a barn on the property, for example, had some graffiti prior to the party. The family does say that is true, but it was just friend and family names, not the huge amount of obscene graffiti that the party goers left.
So...have we got it right? The kids are being defamed, according to
the parents. Oh, and their little darlings didn't do all the damage because the house wasn't being cared for properly. I am so confused!!! So if you get behind in your mortgage payments,your house is open territory for 300 drinking, partying teenagers that can tweet their little asses off and not be held accountable?
Thought Number Two: When Will The Time Come When Victims Quit Being Victimized
I don't really see how the condition of the house, prior to the party matters. Nor does it matter if Brian was defaulting on the loan. The fact remains that about 300 kids had an unauthorized party, with underage drinking, illegal drugs and now have parents that are sheltering their kiddos from taking some accountability.
Watch out if you take things of ours, Crabby Pants is looking for a fight.
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You might be the type of person that quickly can size up the "what wrong with this picture". Yes, I am sure that there is a percentage of you that can zero in on the "dark side" with the accuracy of a short range missile looking for an enemy target. (I throw in those phrases so the Internet tracking systems looking for keywords have something to read this morning.)
Anyhow...as I was saying...for some of you...you have less of the capacity to see the good in some of these odd news stories. I am here to help.
The Good News: Grumpy Cat has a Paying Job.
Yes, we can rest easy that the perceptually sad, Grumpy Cat is off the feline unemployment line. Maybe that is what was keeping him grumpy. Or maybe not.
The frowny-faced Internet kitty, who's real name is Tardar Sauce, is now the "spokescat" for a Friskies brand of cat food, Nestle Purina PetCare announced Tuesday. The St. Louis-based company didn't release terms of the deal.
Photos of Grumpy Cat, her brown and white face in a constant scowl, have become a constant presence on Facebook and other social media, often accompanied by crabby messages such as "I don't like days that end in Y" or "I'm listening, I just don't care.
Even with her new job, Grumpy Cat seems...well...grumpy. But the Friskie people are trying to win her over. Friskies spokeswoman Julie Catron said. "The first thing she'll do for us is receive the lifetime achievement award."
Catron isn't kidding. The feline will receive the award Oct. 15 in New York as Friskies honors the best cat videos of the year as chosen through an online vote. Unfortunately, it appears that Grumpy Cat is still grumpy... even with a paying job. Seems the announcement is not cheering up Disappointed Cat, either. Disappointed Cat (AKA Foo-Chan) seems to be disappointed by the news. Maybe cats have a harder time seeing silver linings.
The Good News: There Really Are Super Heroes and They Know CPR
It was Batman to the rescue, really, when a cat became stuck in a house fire over the weekend in West Virginia.
Batman and his partner, Captain America, were entertaining children and veterans at an American Legion event in Milton, W. Va., Saturday afternoon. Batman is actually, John Buckland who is the founder
of “Heroes 4 Higher,” a West Virginia-based company that provides superhero characters to children’s events with a message that kids can, “Be The Hero’ to their community.”
At the site of billowing smoke coming from the house, Batman and Captain America, who in real life is Troy Marcum, took off right into the fire. The two Super Heroes knocked down a door and broke a window to get into the home. They made it just a few feet into the front room before they were forced to retreat due to the smoke, but not before Batman was able to pull a cat from the home to safety, even performing CPR on the animal to save its life.
“When that cat woke up, it immediately started swatting and hissing at me. In an interview, John Buckland said he didn't blame the cat. “It had a giant bat in its face, so I couldn't fault him."
What a nice Super Hero that would say "I don't blame the cat" instead of saying "Damn cat, I could of let you burn."
The Good News: A Gift is a Token of a Generous Spirit
A teacher's assistant in Providence is facing criminal charges after he allegedly gave a bag of marijuana to a middle school principal as a present last Thursday afternoon.
Christopher Sheehan was arrested at an Everett Avenue home Friday and charged with unlawful delivery of marijuana in a school zone, according to a police report obtained by WPRI.com.
Police say Sheehan, who works with special education students at Nathanael Greene Middle School on Chalkstone Avenue, handed the school’s principal an envelope, calling it a “gift” for winning the city’s principal of the year award.
When the principal opened the envelope, she saw a sandwich bag with two smaller bags that contained the marijuana. The principal immediately contacted the police and her supervisor, according to the police report.
Sheehan was placed on leave without pay, according to Christina O’Reilly, a spokeswoman with the Providence School Department. She said district policy is to not comment further on the incident.
Sheehan was due in court Monday.
Giving a gift is usually a good thing. It was the choice of the gift that seemed to backfire.
I happened to be reading another online poll and, as usual, find the results implausible. Many of you that have read my blog for awhile, know I can be skeptical....especially concerning polls or studies. For the most part, I tend to believe that most are just a hit-and-miss in terms of accuracy because there is no absolutes when you are dealing with a random group of test subjects. Anyway...as I was saying there is an online poll done by the Harris Research people that says: Age 50 is the perfect age. (click here to read about the poll)
Not to be a naysayer (or a total bitch...call it what you will) I am not sure that I believe that FIFTY could possibly be the perfect age. For that matter...could any age be considered perfect??? Thought Number One: Flawed Poll
First of all nothing about the numbers add up for me. According to the article younger people chose younger ages, while the older respondents chose ages somewhat younger than their current chronological age.
The Y Generation (Echo Boomers), ages 18 to 36, thought the perfect age was 38. Gen Xers, ages 37 to 48, wanted to stay put at 49. Baby boomers, ages 49 to 67, thought 55 was pretty awesome. While mature adults, ages 68 and older, were happy to hold steady at 67.
Additionally, on average men wanted to be younger than woman. Men chose the age 47 as their ideal over the 53 that females chose. People that had children at home seemed to think 45 was the magic number.
SO EXACTLY WHERE DOES THIS PERFECT AGE OF 50 COME INTO PLAY????
According to the article, Barbara Becker Holstein, a psychologist supported the research and concedes that age 50 is the "sweet spot" as far as aging goes. She is quoted as saying:
“You have almost every opportunity. You’re young enough to be famous or start an organic farm and still have the muscle tone to work eight hours a day. You’re old enough to have wisdom but young enough that your parents are still alive so you have a generational experience. If you’re tired, you can ask the young man on the bus to get out of his seat for you. Or you can date the young man. The more I think about it, the more appealing it is.”
“I really think 50 is the new 30 to 35,” she says. “For a woman, you can stay stylish and fit and maybe get your hair dyed or just do a little [cosmetic] tune-up and feel, ‘Wow, this is great.’ In terms of childbearing, you can basically say forget it or if you want a baby at 50 or 53, you can get your hormones juiced up and go for it.”
Does anyone out there, other than me think that Barbara must be younger than 50 and she is possibly crazy.
OK...maybe that was harsh on my part. While clearly, I have never, actually asked a younger person to vacate their seat on public transportation, I don't think the fact I am a Baby Boomer would save me from getting a really dirty look and some serious eye rolling. AND I don't think I am overstating it that MOST women don't feel that they "would go for it" in considering having a new baby in their 50's.
Let me, also state...There is NO WAY IN HELL that 50 is the new 30-35. I have been 50 and it was not all that long ago....yes, I remember it vividly. I might add that, I still have fairly accurate recall...and I am telling you that 50 isn't at ALL like 30 or 35.
Thought Number Two: Optimism versus Reality
Now that I have spewed all my negativity concerning how that study is flawed, I probably should clarify a few things. I don't think any age can be tied to good or bad. Perhaps a 100 year old in good health, living a nice life is happier than a 40 year old that is struggling with physical or mental issues.
I have had a real wake-up call this week.
Last Saturday, my friend, Christi, who has had some health issues needed to get out of the house. (This friend has been struggling with some health issues for the last year or so and a few months ago, was placed on the donor list as she need her lungs replaced) Anyway, Saturday, I went over and loaded her car with her oxygen tank as she can no longer step high enough to get into my SUV. We had a nice Saturday afternoon driving around town just doing nothing. Driving and talking. Talking about how nice it would be when she got the call that there were lungs for her. It really is just a matter of time we commiserated more than a few times...as we have been doing for the last 3 months.
At about 3:00 PM, I took her home, made her some iced tea and talked about getting together early next week.
Sunday morning, my phone rang. The caller ID tells me it's my friend calling. I immediately think, "Christi got her call that there are some donor lungs available." ...Yes, she is going to go get her lungs...I am sure of it.
But it isn't Christi's voice over the phone. It's her husband. Her husband tells me "She's gone".
I am confused. Why is my friend not telling me that she is on her way to the hospital?.... I question him. "You mean Christi is on her way to get her transplant. She's left for the hospital???? Why aren't you with her?"
"No, Cheryl...she's gone" I am numb It is a huge mistake. Clearly someone has made a mistake.
I know it should of occurred to me but it never did. Not once. Fifty-nine is too young and we had plans to meet early in the week.
SOOOO...Here is what I think the perfect age is....
It's when you still can spend quality time with your friends and family.
It's when you can make amends for the things that need to be amended.
It's when you still can feel gratitude for the life you've been given.
It's when you can still find joy in your life and the lives of those you care about.
It's when you can make plans to see your friends tomorrow and be around to make the date.
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Ahhh...here it is Friday, and in place of an odd news roundup this week, I am just doing a short little post about tattoos. Unfortunately, I am pressed for time this week. It may or may not be that I am on my way to get inked with a message that is so profound that I feel the need to have it permanently displayed on my body.
AND YES this was a BBBIIIGGG week in the world of tattoo enthusiasts. Huffington Post posted an article on Wednesday titled " Head-To-Toe Body Tattoos Make Clothing Optional. (click here to read the article in it's entirety)
I am sure we can all agree that it is a major inconvenience to have to put clothes on everyday. In fact, it could be that there is no one out there even reading blogs today as you are all down at the local tattoo parlor deciding on your own pictorial legacy. However, I remain hopeful that some of you remain at your computer so TAOBC can offer you some inspiration to cover your body in art so that you, too, might enjoy the freedom that goes with not having to clothe yourself.
Matt Gone, better known as the Checkered Man, has 98% of his body covered in tattoos. What originally started as getting a few tattoos to cover up some muscular anomalies caused by Poland Syndrome grew into a full blown tattoo addiction. "I would like to marry a heavily tattooed woman who works a real job," he said in an interview with Big Tattoo Planet.
I think maybe Matt has Gone too far. What if checks go out of style?
But...wait...if Matt isn't your tattoo inspiration...what about Isabel Varley? Isobel Varley is a British woman who has 93% of her body covered in tattoos, giving her the Guinness world record for the most tattooed senior citizen at 75 years old.
See.... even age isn't a deterrent for turning your body into a giant canvas? Feel free to send me a thank you for planting that image in your brain.
And who doesn't aspire to look like Maria? Maria Jose Cristerna, a 35-year-old former attorney from Guadalajara, Mexico, is better
known as the "Mexican Vampire Woman" thanks to her full-body tattoos and titanium horns implanted in her skull.
Cisterna was immortalized in a full body cast form thanks to Ripley's Believe It Or Not. "It's my vampire dream to be immortal!" she told HuffPost Weird News through a translator.
Poor, delusional Maria. It's one thing to aspire to be a Vampire but the odds of her being immortal are about as likely as the odds of her tats aging well. BTW, is being a Vampire a bettergig than being a lawyer?
Not all the tattoo news this week was quite as "over the top" as those that no longer require clothing (although, let's request that they do).
Right here in Kansas, we are hearing about how our own Miss Kansas is going to compete in the Miss America contest.
As an active member of the military, Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, that is.... Army National Guard Sgt. Vail - may just have a slightly different take on world peace than the typical Miss America pageant contestant.
Ms. Vail is an expert marksman who apparently knows her way around an M-16. She raced motorcycles as a teen until she broke her fingers. She is fluent in Chinese (she has a 3.8 GPA at Kansas State University) and likes to skydive and bow-hunt for deer. She's working on a hunting series in production for the Outdoor Channel. (She will be the host.)
Also, Vail, 22, competing this week in the 2014 Miss America Pageant, is the first contestant ever to sport visible tattoos. Sure, other contestants have had tattoos - tiny, hidden ones, according to pageant officials.
But Vail's big bold tat, of the Serenity Prayer, flanks her entire right midriff. She also sports the insignia of the Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder. The university senior aspires to be an Army dentist.
So there it was, the big tattoo, when she competed Tuesday night in the swimsuit portion of the three-night preliminary competition. She didn't win, wearing a bright-red bikini and the tattoo, done in scrolly vintage lettering.
But she apparently scored one for the atypical beauty queen crowd.
click to enlarge
Oh and just to let you know...Rabat is the capital of Morocco.I didn't make up a town in my effort to put a classy tattoo on my little Crabby Pants' body.
Crabby is now officially prepared for the next pageant that comes her way.
I probably need to clarify my title to any one that is snooping around online looking for infidels. When I say going "underground" I don't mean in the subversive kind of way...I am talking about "under the earth" kind of way. This week I have caves on my mind. Yes.....I realize there is no logical pattern to my thoughts. Anyway...as I was saying....caves are what I am talking about. Here in the middle of the country we have lots and lots of caves. Missouri has the lion's share of natural caves with around 6300 caves. Here in Kansas many of the caves are man-made as a result of removing limestone or mining salt.
Right here in Kansas City, many of those underground spaces contain businesses. A huge amount business is housed underground. There are underground warehouses, storage facilities, retailers, and various other businesses that prefer to be subterranean. More than 10 percent of all the industrial businesses in our area are housed underground. It's not just limited to industrial and storage, there are also, retailers and the government stores historical materials in the National Historical Archives as well. I am talking about more than 20 MILLION square feet of space.
company loading dock
some underground roads are lighter and brighter than others
One of the first caves in Kansas City was developed by A.N. Brunson, founder of Brunson Instrument Company. The complex he started in 1955 and finished in 1960. This complex is still operating.
Two of the biggest underground complexes in KC are Geospace and Hunt's Subtropolis in north Kansas City, with the Subtropolis being the largest in the world at 5000+ acres.
Thought Number One: Shopping Underground
Most of my regular readers are aware of my disdain of shopping. Typically, I don't shop much...unless, I am desperate...as when I am in
dire need of food or any of life's necessities. (including but not
limited to, in no particular order, allergy medicine, toilet paper, Diet
Coke, cleaning supplies and tea bags)
As far as my list goes, did you notice the blaring absence of floral supplies? Yep, botanical supplies or orchids normally wouldn't entice me to go shopping but some friends thought it would be fun to go shopping in the caves. I admit that part of my reasoning was due to the fact that it has been consistently hotter than the surface of the sun here as of late, so I was a little more inclined to go just for the "cool". One of the wonderful things about cave shopping is it hovers around 68 degrees any time of the year. Doesn't matter what the weather is doing "up top".
First impressions aren't always an indicator of what lies ahead
So, a group of my gal-pals and I go over to Bird's Botanicals to see the 10,000 or so orchids that David Bird has growing in his shop. Bonnie Anderson, the company's biologist gave us a tour and told us why orchids thrive in an underground habitat. Pretty interesting that such gorgeous flowers grow in a place with no sun, no heat and no air conditioning. There are overhead lights to provide the 12 hours of light and fans to control the humidity. Additionally, the orchids there are dirt cheap. Considering an orchid takes about 10 years before it blooms the first time, it seems like it should cost more than $14.00-$24.00 (depending on the variety and sizes, of course, they can cost more)
Entrance to Bird's Botanicals
just one of the many orchid varieties
a grow room for orchids...remember this is underground
Thought Number Two: Compared to This Guy, I Am an Optimist
What goes around, comes around.
I had hardly gotten out of the flower-shop-in-a-cave, when I see an article in the Kansas City Star talking about a business that is getting ready to open in one of the cave systems about an hour from here. A California man, Robert Vicino has purchased a large portion of an old U.S Army storage facility in Atchison, Kansas. He is creating what he calls the largest private underground survivor shelter utilizing a complex of limestone caves that were dug more than a 100 years ago beneath the rolling hills overlooking the Missouri River.
According to Robert this would be a perfect place to ride out Armageddon. BUT, before any global catastrophes or world-wide pandemics strike, you can buy a spot in Vivos Survival Shelter and Resort.
Again according to Robert....you can vacation and learn survival skills while you are waiting around for whatever world-wide doomsday that awaits.
A resort???
The Kansas caverns are 100 feet to 150 feet below the surface and have a constant natural temperature in the low 70s. They are supported by thick limestone pillars six times stronger than concrete and will have blast doors built to withstand a one-megaton nuclear explosion as close as 10 miles away, Vicino said.
Other than being surrounded by more than a mile and a half of 6-foot-high chain-link fence topped with sharp rows of barbed wire, the land above ground isn't distinguishable from expanses of hills and trees that surround it. The proposed shelter's entrances — nondescript concrete loading docks tucked discretely into the wooded hillside — are easily defensible against any potential intruders provided there's not a full-scale military attack, Vicino said.
The shelter will have enough space for more than 1,000 RVs and up to about 5,000 people. Members will be charged $1,000 for every lineal foot of their RV to purchase their space, plus $1,500 per person for food. That means a person who plans to park a 30-foot vehicle in the shelter with four people inside will pay $30,000 for the space and $6,000 for food.
According to a press release there will be a host of amenities such as spas, gyms, kitchens, lounges, hair salons, bakeries, and theaters and a variety of activities such as golfing and rock climbing.
But don't get ahead of yourself, actual sales won't begin until a "critical mass" of reservations are received and processed, Vicino said, which hasn't happened yet at the Kansas shelter. Vicino is cautioning people, though..."I've heard people say, `I will just show up at the door,'" he said. "Our response is, `great, where is the door?' At our secret shelters, you don't know where to go, and your cash will be worthless at that time."
So now that you have the scoop on "the resort"...here's the 2nd thought part....
Call me a skeptic. I can't believe this is the way to ride out Armageddon. I would need to know where the food, I am paying for is going to come from. I am assuming if everyone at ground level is not able to survive,
better pick out your spot..space is limited
we won't be able to count on them for home delivery. I remain hopeful that Papa John's is working on his Doomsday Survival Plan. As for the $1499 package of survivalist's food you can purchase from Costco, I am not aware of any subterranean Costcos.
Oh...and how does Robert plan on handling dumping stations for those RV's? I would prefer not to spend my time in a sewer waiting for our little band of survivalists to repopulate the earth. Which brings up a whole host of other problems...for me. As I am not, personally, capable of doing any of the repopulating, does that make me the "bad neighbor" down there. Perhaps, they won't write me off entirely as I can be the resort's babysitter.
OOPS...I had an after thought...Does this count as 3 thoughts for Tuesday? Are there penalties for that?
Speaking of the END...reminded me of the old Tom Lehrer song...We'll All Go Together When We Go...of course, that would be with the exception of the people at the Vivos Resort residents
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This week while going through the odd news of the week, there were a number of reports that added a few lines as to how the person handled their situation. As luck would have it ....at least as far as my theme today goes....some didn't handle the situation well.
Who Ya Goin' Call?
If you are this car-less, careless, clueless guy, that person would me MOM.
Authorities in Florida said a man called his mother and confessed to buying drugs and possessing a crack pipe while a deputy stood nearby.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said the deputy spotted a man riding a bike without any lights around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and the man seemed to ride faster when he spotted the deputy, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.
The deputy activated the flashing lights on his patrol car and the man appeared to drop something onto the grass, the arrest report said.
The man, identified as James Leo House, of Bradenton, was ordered to sit on the ground and deputy found a burnt glass crack pipe in the area where the man seemed to drop an object.
House asked to call his mother while the deputy was waiting for backup, the sheriff's office said.
"I'm in trouble for buying dope and I had a crack pipe on me," House allegedly told his mother on the phone.
The sheriff's office said House has been arrested 15 times since 2005.
This might not be the first time his mom has heard from her boy...late at night...concerning drugs.Cautionary note: If you must tell your mother EVERYTHING, don't do it in front of people that have the power to arrest you.
Bad Date
A first date ended in a dramatic police chase when a man snatched a woman's phone as compensation after she refused to go Dutch on drinks.
Southwark crown court heard that Kishore Nimmala, spent a total of about $84.00 on drinks and was furious when Fakhara Sultana told him she thought men should pay on a first date.
The Daily Mail reports that Nimmala then continued to follow her and pester her for money as the first date which was arranged online went sour.
When she tried to make a call on her BlackBerry, he snatched it and ran off.
Prosecutor Helen Thomas said: "Ms Sultana screamed and ran after him. Two passing policemen joined the chase and eventually caught him." Nimmala, who threw the phone away during the chase, claims he took it thinking Ms Sultana would then pay her share of the bill at the bar in London's Leicester Square.
Are we pretty safe in assuming there won't be a second date?
Don't Call...Tweet
The collegian who provided a giddy Twitter tick-tock of her arrest for drunkenly trying to rush the field during Saturday’s University of Iowa football game, wasn’t so ebullient when posing earlier for her mug shot.
After bonding out of custody, Samantha Goudie, used her Twitter account--@Vodka_samm--to trumpet
details of her public intoxication collar, including her blood alcohol level, which was more than four times the legal limit.
“Just went to jail #yolo” and “I'm going to get .341 tattooed on me because its so epic,” were two of Goudie’s tweets Saturday. She also reported, “Girl waiting for court with me goes ‘I wish I knew the girl who blew a .341’ I said hi.”
However, as seen in the above mug shot, a teary Goudie appeared less boastful when posing for a University of Iowa Police booking photo.
Goudie’s Twitter account, which included a profile photo of her flashing two middle fingers, appears to have been deleted.
Sounds like she loves being a celebrity of the drunken jail bait crowd.
Cat Burglar
Apparently someone is having some remorse after waking up to find he has a new room mate. A man in Chico, CA posted an ad on Craigslist that says in part:
If anyone is missing a cat named Django (pronounced Jango, the D is silent) I stole him last night. Not on purpose. I was extremely intoxicated and thought he was just some random stray I was rescuing. It was not until this morning when I was haphazardly going for a glass of water that I remembered I took the cat and noticed his collar. .....So please feel free to get back to me and get your cat back. Thanks! And sorry for stealing him (on accident).
When a conversation has the auspicious start of "Is is just me?" or "I don't mean to offend." or even a "You might not agree with this but...." you probably know that something is about to be said that will come across as offensive.
So...perhaps it is a bad idea to start my post today begging you to not take offense. Let me explain myself before you start getting yourself all worked up. I happened to hear the on-air program of Rush Limbaugh, as he was trying to explain (in his pompous, egotistical way) that he didn't REALLY call Oprah fat ...but even if he did he would be justified because HE, himself is fat. His theory being that if you are part of a group you can use the words that you find comfortable to describe that group.
(DISCLAIMER: Not huge fan on Mr. Limbaugh, but he occasionally he surprises me with moments of keen observation only to lose me in his absurd ego-driven rants. )
Anyway, as I was saying....This brouhaha started after Oprah said a Swiss salesperson made a comment to her implying she couldn't afford a $38,000 dollar handbag. Oprah was quite vocal that she perceived the comment to be racially motivated. Rush, supposedly, made a comment that perhaps, the comment wasn't made because of ethnicity but because of negative stereotypes related to her weight. Well...as one might expect this started a sh** storm of people being offended.
Thought Number One: When Stating Your Opinion Becomes Politically Incorrect
There is hardly a day that goes by without someone accusing someone else of being non-PC, biased, racist, insensitive or a combination of all of those things. Yikes, it's a verbal mine-field out there.
It's not only that many of the words that are not offensive to some may, indeed, be offensive to others.... but it's also, how does one know which words are now taboo. (sorry if anyone out there finds the word taboo objectionable because of it's religious roots.) See!!!! Even there, I am probably trashing someone's religious beliefs.
Take for example: This year I have noticed a lot of marketing about sales revolving around the Dog Days of Summer. There is an absence of the term " Indian Summer". Actually, as of late, nearly anyone that is consciously trying to avoid being labeled "insensitive" wouldn't use the word 'Indian' at all. To be politically correct, you really should use the term 'Native American'.
Cheryl P. family tree
But am I allowed to use the word Indian? My mother's grandfather was Cherokee. He is the one and only non-Irish or non-Scot that worked his way into our family but still...doesn't that allow me to use the word Indian as I am part Indian. Let's not over-think the minimal amount of Indian I am. I am not trying to get into a tribe. I am just looking for the right to sing "one little, two little, three little Indians without being labeled as a bigot.
Thought Number Two: No Wonder We Are Confused
It seems that there are so many contradictions out there. I would suggest that we are all being challenged as to what exactly is politically correct.
Saying someone is fat is considered offensive and, most cases rude. However, there are new rules classifying obesity as a disability. So we can recognize that people can be disabled by fat but not say the word in relationship to an individual person...well unless you are talking about celebrities and politicians being fat, then you can have them on talk shows to discuss it. The whole country seems to be comfortable with calling a certain politician fat to the point they would be labled bullies if they were still in grade school and no one seems to be having a problem with that.
We can't pray in school or put religious symbols in our government office buildings but we put "In God We Trust" on our money or have witnesses swear on a Bible in a courtroom to assure everyone of their honesty.
We can hear and say offensive racial slurs in song lyrics and in movie dialogue but not say those same slurs in public without consequences in both your reputation and your pocketbook.
There are laws that make it illegal to yell "FIRE" in a public place (if, in fact, there is no fire) but it's within the rights of abhorrent people to yell hateful slurs at a soldier's funeral.
A Pastafarian won the right to wear his
colander for his state ID
OHHHH...See ...I knew it....I am getting into trouble here aren't I? I am not endorsing using racial slurs or
thinking it is kind to call people fat...what I am saying is that the lines are blurred. Is is more PC to wear a pasta strainer on one's head as the most recent case of a follower of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster won the right to do, than it is for someone to pray a prayer in a public school?
So for my part., I am avoiding all words that hint of any kind of bias. No longer will I say the word Indian, even though I have half of a drop of Indian blood. I won't use the term Indian Summer. Instead I will use the the term "Dog Days of Summer."
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Middle-aged (if I become a centenarian) living a middle-class life in the very middle of the country and continually struggling with the pros and cons of every topic. Seriously, conflicted.
And the keys to the lock were under the doormat, taped to a note that said, quote, "A great big fat SORRY from the reformed bike thief." Then at the bottom, the person assured her that they hadn't mistreated the bike in any way.
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