Curses, Foiled Again
Sound of Green
Frito-Lay announced it was dumping biodegradable bags for five of its six varieties of Sun Chips snacks and returning to the original plastic packaging because consumers complained the compostable bags were too noisy. (Associated Press)
n At least a dozen of the 250 new wind farms opened in the United States in the past two years have generated significant noise complaints. In almost all cases, the complaints are directed against the noise of the turbines’ steel blades, which are well over 100 feet long. Similar complaints are being made in Canada and Britain, and in Rennes, France, an appeals court recently ordered an eight-turbine wind farm to shut down between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so residents could get some sleep. (The New York Times)
Role Models of the Week
Way to Go
When Guns Are Outlawed
When a masked man walked into a gas station in Cave Junction, Ore., and demanded cash, clerk Dan McLeod, 75, said the robber threatened to kill him, then pulled out 6-inch wrench — “a dinky little thing,” McLeod said. He responded by grabbing a broomstick handle and hitting the man several times, sending him away empty handed. (The Oregonian)
Home-Invasion Scenarios
Neutered and Spayed All at Once
Sharon Blechinger donated $1,165 to perform gender reassignment surgery on a Pomeranian puppy born with male and female sex organs. Veterinary specialist James Felt performed the 90-minute surgical procedure in San Bernadino, Calif. (The Press-Enterprise)
Insensitivity Alert
After rescuers saved a 14-month-old girl from drowning in Marshall, Texas, the community decided to hold a fair to raise money to help her family pay the massive medical bills involved in her recovery. One of the featured events was a dunking booth. (Longview’s KLTV)
Why They Call It Dope
Sheriff’s deputies arrested four people at a home in Carson City, Nev., after they found fliers in the neighborhood advertising marijuana for sale at that address and announcing, “Looking for new clients, always a good supply.” When deputies went to the address, they saw a camera in a window pointed at the street and a note advising visitors, “If you don’t call first we won’t answer the door.” The deputies knocked anyway, and a man and woman opened the door. (Nevada Appeal)
Too Close to Ground Zero for Comfort
Town officials in Sidney, N.Y., said they would seek a court order to force a local Muslim group to dig up a 650-square-foot cemetery on its property and never bury anyone there again. Although neither state nor local laws cover cemeteries on private land, Bob McCarthy, supervisor of the upstate town, population 5,993, insisted the cemetery is illegal. He admitted, however, “I don’t know what the exact law is.” (The Huffington Post)
Second-Amendment Follies
When a 31-year-old man spotted a skunk at a friend’s house, he grabbed a .22-caliber rifle, placed the butt end on the ground and started to load it. He didn’t know there was already a round in the chamber, according to sheriff’s officials in Manatee County, Fla., and when he accidentally hit the trigger, the round fired, going through the fingers on his right hand and through his left cheek. (Bradenton Herald)
Compiled from mainstream media sources by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.