Daily Drivel

Today in History: May 4 1970 Kent State. 28 Ohio National Guardsmen kill four students and wound nine others at Kent State University. The Guardsmen had read them the riot act, but the students refused to disperse. So they shot them.

-dailyrotten

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Link of the Day: http://web.mit.edu/adorai/timetraveler/ Time Traveler Convention! Whoo Hoo! It's slated for May 7^th (this Saturday). I've already been there and back, and let me tell you: it was/will be/is GREAT!

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Continuing to show his superiority, the incumbent Chief MidAtlantic Correspondent and Lord of All Else Mutter has contributed the following important information:

GreenPeace not so green?

A bunch of tree huggers floated out on their big old ship last July to protest logging efforts in Anchorage, Alaska. While they remembered their all-important signage and guilt throwing phrases, it appears that they forgot to file certain required paperwork detailing their spill contingency plans in the event they accidentally dumped their ship's 70,000 gallons of petroleum products into the water.

Law states that if operating a non-tank vessel larger than 400 gross tons, an oil spill response plan and proof of financial responsibility must be filed at least 5 days prior to entering state waters.

Citing ignorance of the law, Greenpeace representatives pooh-pooh the issue as a minor oversight.

Interesting that they argue that they didn't know about the law when in fact they agreed to stay anchored until such paperwork was filed. The state's attorney general only went after them when they purposefully broke said agreement and floated off without the paperwork being submitted.

Crying persecution for being tree-huggers, Greenpeace claims to be a victim. However, if the tables were turned and they found out about some industrial vessel doing the exact same thing THEY did, I'm certain they'd be the first gang out there protesting.

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Eat at Jo's

Australian eatery Jo's Brasserie is still open for business in spite of some truly gross out discoveries. So if you are in Australia and swing by the Oasis shopping center in Broadbeach, feel free to stop at Jo's as long as none of the below concerns you:

-- rather than removing the dead rat from the main food serving area, owner Theo Morris simply painted over it with thick red paint so it would blend with the rest of the floor.

-- a huge fungus growth complete with numerous cockroaches was discovered immediately under said serving area

-- rats, living and dead, and their fecal matter were seen all about the kitchen

Seems that patrons got somewhat peeved when they received plates with food that had been scooped up out of the trash bins. Another person got very fresh food -- fish so fresh, in fact, that it had not been gutted and cleaned prior to cooking. That person took the food home and froze it as a special souvenir of his time at Jo's.

Theo's been fined 25k personally and 5k on the business level. His shop is now reopened for business.

Mmmmmm yummy!

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Prim Pom Poms

In Austin, TX, high school cheerleaders soon may be restricted to old-fashioned cheerleading routines. Arguing that the now standard 'bawdy performances' by cheerleaders create a distraction that results in pregnancies, drop outs, and STDs, the House narrowly approved a measure that will disallow suggestive performances.

Of course, it doesn't define what the performances are, specifically. Stating that "Any adult that's been involved with sex in their lives, they know it when they see it," Dem Al Edwards sees no need to be specific.

The bill passed 65-56, and is now headed to the Senate.

Boo.

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Man hid turtle on his back

--straight from ananova

A Chinese man pretended to be a hunchback to smuggle his pet turtle on to a plane.

Wu, who is in his 60s, strapped the turtle to his back before boarding the plane to Chongqing.

He got through security but was then stopped by a guard who thought his hump looked odd.

A quick search uncovered the turtle which had a 20cm diameter and weighed about 5kg.

Wu, who was flying home to Chongqing after eight years in Guangzhou, said he knew he was not allowed to take live animals on board but was too attached to his turtle.

Finally, he changed plane and checked the pet in as baggage, reports the New Express.

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Fashion Police

Note to self: if robbing a store, do not wear the following ensemble:

Green check elastic-waisted trousers, a 'jazzy' tracksuit top, and an electric blue sleeveless T-shirt with "Criminal" emblazoned across it in luminous yellow.

It does tend to make one stand out in a crowd, and allows police and victims to easily recognize a suspect. Seems a dude in Bedford wore just such an outfit after robbing a local shop - the shopkeeper, Neil Primett, recognized him and had him arrested.

Says Neil: ""The top really stood out. He may have thought he was being fashionable but the clothes didn't go together at all. You certainly couldn't call him a trendsetter."