Mother given parking ticket "for reviving her severely disabled son"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/5028721/Mother-given-parking-ticket-for-reviving-her-severely-disabled-son.html

JERKY BOYS: Drinkin Problem

Metro bus driver takes bite out of McGruff the Crime Dog, police say

http://wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1614794

McGruff never saw this one coming.

McGruff the Crime Dog, the stern but beloved police mascot who teaches children how to stop crime before it happens, became a victim himself this weekend when a Metro bus driver punched him in the face as a stunned group of children watched, authorities said.

McGruff, who is played by D.C. Police Officer Tyrone Hardy, was passing out fliers to children at the corner of 14th Street and Spring Road in Northwest Washington around 2:30 p.m. Saturday when a Metrobus pulled up to the curb.

The bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, climbed out of the bus, adjusted both side-view mirrors and then slugged McGruff in the face with his closed fist, according to a police report. Because the huge McGruff head offered little visibility, Hardy didn't see the punch coming, one officer said.

McGruff staggered, children screamed, and the crime dog's attacker jumped back into the bus and drove off, police said. A call of an assault on a police officer went out over the police radio while passengers on the bus yelled at Brim.

D.C. police working with McGruff hopped in their cruisers and pulled over the Metrobus three blocks away. Brim, 38, later told a supervisor that he was trying "to be funny," Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith told The Examiner on Monday.

"But nobody here finds it funny, believe me," Smith said. "That kind of behavior is not tolerated."

Hardy was left with a swollen right cheek but refused to be taken to the hospital by D.C. paramedics. Hardy called in sick Monday.

"He was in good spirits but seemed more concerned that the attack upset the kids," police Lt. Alan Thomas said.

Brim was charged with simple assault. His arraignment had not been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.

Brim, who has been employed by Metro since 2003, will undergo drug and alcohol testing by Metro officials, and his future with the agency is under review, Smith said. Brim has a history of arrests in the District of Columbia, including on suspicion of prostitution on Oct. 30, 2006, possession of PCP in 1994 and possession of a gun in 1990, according to court records. In each case, prosecutors declined to file the charges in court.

All Metro transit employees go through background checks when hired, Smith said. Metro applicants are not eligible for hire if they have one felony conviction within the last three years or two within the last 10 years. Applicants with multiple arrests or convictions for lesser crimes will be less likely to be hired, Smith said.

House comes down hard on CEOs

Panel sneers at their use of private jets, asks if they would be willing to take $1 yearly salaries.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081120/AUTO01/811200390/1409

WASHINGTON -- During two days of hearings filled with tense exchanges, one of the most uncomfortable moments took place when Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., asked the chief executives of Detroit's Big Three to raise their hands if they had flown to Washington commercially to ask for financial aid.

No hands went up.

Then he asked if they would be willing to sell their corporate jets and book commercial flights home as a show of good faith. Again, none agreed.

"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in a high hat and tuxedo," quipped Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. "Couldn't you have downgraded to first class or something, or jet-pooled or something to get here?"

Ralph Nader asks if Barack Obama will be an Uncle Tom

North Idaho woman faces hard time over spilt soda

Federal prosecutors have charged a North Idahoan with 2 offenses after a dispute over the price of a pop at the Boise VA hospital.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/506395.html

Charles Barkley vs. Angola

While the Angolans idolized the Americans, it’s safe to assume the opposite wasn’t true. This much was admitted by a U.S. scout, who admitted “all we know is that they qualified for the Olympics and they are from Africa.”

In the end, the Americans demolished the Angolans by a final score of 116-48, and for as bad as that sounds, the game was actually more of a blowout than the score indicates. To be precise, there was actually an insane 13-minute run where they outscored Angola 46-1, but it’s that one point that created a whole lot of temporary trouble for the Dream Team.

More over, the point wasn’t as important to the game as was the play that caused it. For anyone that’s forgotten, it was a free throw that came after a flagrant foul on Charles Barkley, who decided to deliver a message to Herlander Coimbra in the form of a right elbow.

Naturally, there was mild outrage from the fans in attendance. In addition to that, the international media covering the event immediately began referring to the Dream Team as “Ugly Americans” and “bullies,” which got a fair amount of play in the ensuing coverage. The American media was also embarrassed, and even Karl Malone took a shot at Sir Charles, saying “I don’t think we need to go out and do anything that would degrade anybody.”

As for Barkley, his response was quick and to the point, as he simply said “You hit me, I’ll hit you; even if it doesn’t look like he’s eaten in a while.”

http://www.theloveofsports.com/index.php/site/comments/1992_dream_team_versus_angola/