Shades of Inspector Clouseau—Last we heard, French cops were frantically hunting for a plastic bomb unwittingly stowed on a plane departing from Paris. The explosive (no detonator) was planted in a passenger bag to test police sniffer dogs. One dog sniffed the bomb. Police fetched a second dog to further the test. Meanwhile, they lost sight of the bag. The minister of the interior blasted the episode as “reprehensible and scandalous.” The minister of police responded that he appreciated “the deep uselessness of the [interior minister’s] remarks.”

With an organic woof—San Diego’s Petco Park and the St. Louis Busch Stadium are planning to peddle “organic” beef franks in the coming baseball season. The prez of the outfit, which has a lock on chomps at stadiums, said this will be the first time folks will be able to taste organic food at a ballpark. And, he might have added, fans with organic leather wallets will need only to remove $4 for a hot dog.

Taking, not repaying, is their thing—The United Kingdom’s banks have 14 million accounts with transactions via the internet. Now, swindlers in growing numbers are accessing the accounts and lining their pockets. Initially, banks compensated people for their losses, but now, with the amounts ballooning, the response of the banks is “tough situation.” Some cops have advised people to stop using the on-line service.

Upsets the bosses?—A monument was stolen from the United Auto Workers local, AFL-CIO, at General Motors in Flint, Michigan. The stolen monument commemorates the historic 1936-37 sit-down strike at the GM plant. The strikers wrested a ground-breaking contract from the company. The victory had a major impact, spurring the unionization of the auto industry.

P.S.—For a vivid account of the Flint sit-in, check out the Pathfinder book Labor’s Giant Step, by Art Preis. It also includes the role of the fighting women’s auxiliary that rallied invaluable support for the strike.

Capitalism, wherever there’s a $—The University of California, Los Angeles, sponsored a panel titled “Homeland Security, Intelligence and Investment.” Speakers included professors, anti-terror officials, and members of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s and Police department. The program didn’t say who would lead the workshop on investment. The several police panelists might qualify.

Not to worry, but…—“The federal agency that ensures the private pensions of 44 million workers said that its problems worsened this year, falling deeper in the red as it picked up the pensions of more failing companies.”—News item.

Lethal and prospering—Taser doing brisk business—Taser stun guns are being used by cops nationwide and in Canada—plus by U.S. troops in Iraq. Meanwhile, Amnesty International reports that the high-voltage stun guns have killed at least 74 people in the past four years. The gun is also being marketed to the public at a retail price of $999. The Taser company says the guns are not sold to felons or those whose names appear on terrorist watch lists.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home