The unimportant news thread

[Lethevich]

Every now and again I find a fun news story that doesn't merit its own thread. Perhaps we could collect a few here?

Con artists use fake $100 to rip off Girl Scouts

Court Finds Model Innocent Based on Breast Size

[BachQ]

Con artists use fake $100 to rip off Girl Scouts

"The [counterfeit $100] exchange eradicated the Scouts' earnings that day."   

[SonicMan46]

Every now and again I find a fun news story that doesn't merit its own thread. Perhaps we could collect a few here?

Court Finds Model Innocent Based on Breast Size

Lethe - LOL on the story above -    Maybe her 'prominent attributes' are deflatable? 

[Lady Chatterley]

Lethe - LOL on the story above -    Maybe her 'prominent attributes' are deflatable? 

Where's the hatpin!

[BachQ]

Minnesota Bars Beat Smoking Ban
By GREGG AAMOT – 22 hours ago

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) — All the world's a stage at some of Minnesota's bars. A new state ban on smoking in restaurants and other nightspots contains an exception for performers in theatrical productions. So some bars are getting around the ban by printing up playbills, encouraging customers to come in costume, and pronouncing them "actors."  The customers are playing right along, merrily puffing away — and sometimes speaking in funny accents and doing a little improvisation, too.

At The Rock, a hard-rock and heavy-metal bar in suburban St. Paul, the "actors" during "theater night" do little more than sit around, drink, smoke and listen to the earsplitting music.   The smoking ban, passed by the Legislature last year, allows actors to light up in character during theatrical performances as long as patrons are notified in advance. About 30 bars in Minnesota have been exploiting the loophole by staging the faux theater productions and pronouncing cigarettes props, according to an anti-smoking group.

[BachQ]

Student suspended for buying Skittles at school


NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Contraband candy has led to big trouble for an eighth-grade honors student in Connecticut.  Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo says the New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a districtwide school wellness policy.  Michael's suspension has been reduced from three days to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president.  He says he didn't realize his candy purchase was against the rules -- although he did notice the student selling the Skittles on February 26 was being secretive.

[Lethevich]

I wonder if the seller was working for the teachers undercover

[BachQ]

Tampa sued to collect on 147-year-old promissory note worth millions



TAMPA — In the early months of the Civil War, the city of Tampa needed ammunition and other supplies to defend against attack but apparently was short on cash.  So it issued a promissory note for $299.58 to storekeeper Thomas Pugh Kennedy on June 21, 1861.  Kennedy's great-granddaughter says the city never made good on its loan. Now, Joan Kennedy Biddle and her family are suing to collect the payment plus 8 percent annual interest.

The total bill: $22.7-million.

"Obviously we came at a bad time because the city seems like they're trying to cut their budget," she said. "On the other hand, they're building the Riverwalk."  Attorney James Purdy filed the suit in the Hillsborough Circuit Court last week. He did not return calls for comment.   Biddle wouldn't give specifics on why she decided to sue now, using as evidence a piece of paper that has been handed down as an heirloom for generations.  "This thing has been in the family since the date on the note, and it has never been repaid," said Biddle, 77. "My daddy told me, and I certainly believe him."

Tampa City Attorney David Smith said he doesn't consider the claim valid. In legal documents, Biddle's attorney argues that the statute of limitations doesn't apply in the case because at the time the note was issued, the state had no such statute on such documents. And Biddle pointed out that in the 1990s the federal government agreed to pay the Seminole tribe for land illegally taken in the 1820s.

But attorney John Grandoff said the city can defend against the case using the "doctrine of laches," which prevents claims from being made after an extraordinary passage of time. "It's kind of how the court feels about whether it's been too long or not," Grandoff said. "It's total discretion on the judge's part."
Rodney Kite-Powell, curator at the Tampa Bay History Center, noted that the Tampa of 1861 is not the same city that exists today — literally.

Tampa was originally incorporated in 1855, but was abolished in 1869 in part because residents had no money to pay taxes, and the city had no money to pay its bills, Kite-Powell said. It was reincorporated in 1887. At the time the note was issued, Tampa was a tiny town with about 800 residents, city limits that included just a portion of downtown. It also was home to Fort Brooke, where local Confederate soldiers were stationed.

Biddle's great-grandfather, Thomas Pugh Kennedy, was one of the city's most significant pioneers, Kite-Powell said. He operated a store with business partner John Darling. "Merchants are always important because they're the way people get stuff — from cannons to clothing and food," he said. "People really relied on these early merchants to supply people with what they needed."  Joan Kennedy Biddle grew up on Davis Islands and attended Plant High School. She moved to east Hillsborough in the 1960s and ran a lumber business with her late husband. She now owns a three-bedroom home in Brandon.  Biddle said she's known about the note since she was a little girl. "I showed it to the attorney, and he said it looked very interesting," she said. "It's strange that the thing has never been collected."

[pjme]

Belgium has a government. 

[BorisG]

McCain, Clinton, Obama. God bless us all.  0:)

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I think anything that happens in Canada qualifies.

Here, knock youself out: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/

[BachQ]

Starbucks ordered to pay $100M in tips

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered Starbucks to pay its California baristas more than $100 million in back tips and interest that the coffee chain paid to shift supervisors.  San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cowett also issued an injunction that prevents Starbucks' shift supervisors from sharing in future tips, saying state law prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee gratuities.

Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said the company planned an immediate appeal of the ruling, calling it "fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason."  The lawsuit was filed in October 2004 by Jou Chou, a former Starbucks barista in La Jolla, who complained shift supervisors were sharing in employee tips.  The lawsuit gained ground in 2006 when it was granted class-action status, allowing the suit to go forward for as many as 100,000 former and current baristas in the coffee chain's California stores.  It was not immediately clear how many current and former employees are affected by the ruling.

"I feel vindicated," Chou said in a written statement released by attorneys. "Tips really help those receiving the lowest wages. I think Starbucks should pay shift supervisors higher wages instead of taking money from the tip pool."  California is Starbucks' largest U.S. market, with 2,460 stores as of January 8, the latest count available. The Seattle-based company has more than 11,000 stores nationwide.  Starbucks employs more than 135,000 baristas in the U.S. The company did not immediately respond to a request for a head count in California.

The judgment comes as Starbucks is struggling to revive its U.S. business, where store traffic has slipped amid a sagging economy, rising energy and dairy costs, and growing competition from cheaper rivals.  The company's stock has slid more than 50 percent since late 2006, when it was trading close to $40 a share. Starbucks shares rose 3 cents to $17.53 Thursday.  Starbucks earned more than $672 million on revenue of $9.4 billion during its 2007 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. 

The judge ordered Starbucks to pay $87 million in back tips, plus interest of $19 million, bringing the total judgment to about $106 million.  The company said it planned to ask the court to stay the ruling while the appeal is pending.  "The decision today, in our view, represents an extreme example of an abuse of the class-action procedures in California's courts," O'Neil said.

The coffee company also took issue with the brevity of the judge's ruling, which was only four paragraphs, saying she failed to address the unfairness to shift supervisors.  "This case was filed by a single former barista and, despite Starbucks request, the interests of the shift supervisors were not represented in litigation," O'Neil said.

But attorney Laura Ho, who tried the baristas case, said the court's verdict follows state law.  "Starbucks illegally took a huge amount of money from the tip pool to pay shift supervisors, rather than paying them out of its own pocket. The court's verdict rightfully restores that money to the baristas," Ho said.

[Benny]

A woman in Boulder was fined $1000 for having a pink poodle.

[Benny]

Cat woman's daughter named to mediate disputes between Israel and Arab countries:

Berry names daughter
Updated: 11:18, Friday March 21, 2008
Halle Berry has proudly announced that her new baby daughter is called Nahla Ariela Aubry.

Maybe no name would have been better after all.

But regardless of her name, the little one sure has good DNA.

She is the first child of 41 year old Berry and model Gabriel Aubry - enough said.

The couple met while shooting a Versace commercial in Los Angeles two years ago. Berry has said she and Aubry do not plan to marry, but feel fully committed to each other.

[Sergeant Rock]

US BORDER PATROL REFUSES ENTRY TO FLAMBOYANT BRITISH AUTHOR

"I was dressed flamboyantly -- top hat, long velvet coat, gloves," Horsley said. "My one concession to American sensibilities was to remove my nail polish. I thought that would get me through."

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/21/author.deported.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[BachQ]

US BORDER PATROL REFUSES ENTRY TO FLAMBOYANT BRITISH AUTHOR

"I was dressed flamboyantly -- top hat, long velvet coat, gloves," Horsley said. "My one concession to American sensibilities was to remove my nail polish. I thought that would get me through."

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/21/author.deported.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

"We know you're a heroin addict, we know you're a crack addict, we know you're involved in prostitution."

[Ephemerid]

"We know you're a heroin addict, we know you're a crack addict, we know you're involved in prostitution."

'...being denied entry on grounds of "moral turpitude."' ??

[BachQ]

Marijuana Grower Busted by Cops After Reporting Pot Plant Stolen
Friday , March 21, 2008

SYDNEY, Australia  —

An Australian man's complaint of an break-in at his home went to pot Friday when police arrested him for growing marijuana.  The 35-year-old man in the central Australian city of Adelaide called police to report that six men had broken into his house through a window and stolen parts of his cannabis plants, South Australia Police said.  Police were unable to find the intruders but brought a drug warrant to search the home, where they found six large cannabis plants growing in two bedrooms, police said in a statement.  The man was charged with cultivating cannabis for sale.

"Members of the public are reminded that the growing of cannabis is not only illegal but can also attract other criminal activity such home break-ins and assaults," the statement said.

[BachQ]

Line Rage' at Disney Could Land Woman in Jail for 15 Years
ORANGE COUNTY, Florida. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) --

It's supposed to be the happiest place on earth. But one woman says her experience at Disney World was anything but.  Aimee Krause claims Victoria Walker cut in line last year then beat her up when Krause called her out.  Now it seems the alleged "line rage" could send Walker to jail for 15 years.  The incident happened in May of 2007, but because the victim is now suffering serious after affects prosecutors are going forward with the case. New charges have also been added because Krause claims her children were also attacked.  Court documents say Walker beat Krause because Krause supposedly skipped Walker in the Mad Tea Cup ride line.  "She came from behind just screaming," Krause said this week. "Next thing I knew she kicked me in my left leg, threw me to the ground and at that point I was pinned between the teacup and the saucer and she continued to beat up on my body."

[knight66]

"They knew more about me than I did," Horsley said Thursday in an interview from his London home. "They said, 'We know you're a heroin addict, we know you're a crack addict, we know you're involved in prostitution.' "

So why did it take eight hours of interviewing then for them to make up their minds? Was this about being fair minded I wonder?

Mike