The "Naked Wizard" - Did the Police Use Excessive Force?

I first noticed this story on Huffington Post, about a guy dressed in a wizard costume at a music festival who decided to take off his clothes. He was encountered by three police officers who tried to convince the guy to put his robe back on. When he refused, it got ugly. After unsuccessfully trying to take the guy down and cuff him, they took out the taser.

Whether or not nudity should be against the law is a whole other argument, but the fact remains, it is illegal.

My personal experience with police at festival-type situations like these, is that they are primarily concerned with keeping things from getting out of hand and not out to arrest people if they don't have to.

The police here appeared to give this guy ample opportunity to put his robe back on and go on his way. They only arrested him when it got to the point where they had no choice.

Now, I think three able-bodied police officers should have been able to take this guy down without tasering him, but they were correct in arresting him. He was clearly trying to provoke them.

If I were one of these cops, as obnoxious as this guy was, I may have been tempted to smack him in the head with my nightstick. Not sure if I would want to tase him. I'm not sure whoch is worse.

So, do you think the police were justified in tasering this guy? If you were one of these officers, what would you do?

Here is the link to the video (warning - disturbing to watch)

http://vimeo.com/4273363

Why Do I Find Bratty Kids So Amusing?

I was at the ATM machine this morning, in the bank lobby. There was a woman with a young bou, about three years old. He kept screaming that he wanted a lollipop. His mom kept saying "no", and with each "no", the kid threw himself on the floor, while his mom grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him back up to a standing position. The tantrums got so bad the mom pulled the kid outside the lobby to try to get him to calm down.

For some reason, I found this hilarious. I guess it's funny when it's someone else being embarrassed by a bratty kid.

When I was done, they went back into the ATM lobby, with the kid still screaming for a lollipop. I would bet anything that she eventually took him into the bank and got him a lollipop, which she probably should have just done in the first place.

Area Man Can't Shut the Fuck Up About His New Cell Phone

WASHINGTON TWP, NJ - Local resident Jeff Pickens is now the proud owner of a T-Mobile G1 Android 3G Smartphone, and can't stop telling everyone how great it is. Pickens, 52, suddenly found himself in the market for a new phone this past weekend when his other phone suddenly ceased operating.

After a fight with the asshole at the Clementon, NJ T-Mobile store after the asshole made no attempt to determine what was wrong with the old phone, Pickens, consumed with rage, expelled a string of expletives and walked out of the store. "The guy was such an asshole, I had to get out of there before I did something violent", recalled Pickens, visibly shaken.

Pickens then decided to try another T-Mobile store. "The guy at the Deptford Mall store, Mike, was the exact opposite of the asshole at Clementon", he said. "I really intended to get just a regular phone, but when Mike showed me the G1, and some of the cool things you can do with it, I had to have it. Mike was a great salesman".

Now, Pickens has been singing the praises of the G1 to anyone who will listen, much to the annoyance and embarrassment of his family and friends. "One of the coolest features is 'My Location' on the Maps feature", he gushed. "It shows you exactly where you are by putting a blue dot at your exact location, with mind-blowing accuracy".

"He showed me the map thing" said a family member, who only spoke on condition of anonymity. "He showed me the blue dot, in one room of the house. Then he made me walk over to another room. the dot moved over to the exact spot in the house where we went. I think that's just plain creepy".

Pickens is still exploring the vast array of functionalities and applications available with the G1.

He has yet to make an actual phone call with it.

Philadelphia Walk MS - Please Support My Niece's Walk

Philadelphia Walk MS
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Philadelphia Museum of Art

A MESSAGE FROM SAMANTHA BORDEN:

Every hour of every day, another person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. We need to take action now to help the growing number of people who experience symptoms such as fatigue, numbness, loss of vision and partial paralysis. This is why I will be participating in Walk MS this spring to help the 11,000 local people and their families living with MS.

Today, there is no cure for MS, but we're fighting to change that.

Please help by making a donation http://walkpae.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/PAEWalkEvents?pg=pfind&fr_id=10987
to fight MS. To make a donation to my fundraising campaign, click on the ePledge button, then indicate my name in the fields provided.

CLICK HERE-->
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=4725747&pg=personal&fr_id=10987 to get to my personal page and make a secure, online donation.

Or, why not join me on the day of the event http://walkpae.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WLK_PAE_Register

Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.

Walk MS is a key fundraiser of the National MS Society, the leading provider services and programs for people living with MS and their families. The Society also invests more money in MS research than any other volunteer-driven organization in the world.

When you donate to Walk MS, you become part of a powerful movement that will end MS forever. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sincerely,
Samantha Borden

To send a donation: Make all checks payable to: National MS Society. Please email Samantha at borden7047@philau.edu for the mailing address.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society http://www.nationalmssociety.org/

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).

iReport Finally Picked Up By CNN - Update

UPDATE:

I got a call Saturday afternoon from CNN, who finally saw an iReport of mine that they liked and wanted to use on CNN.com. The question was, would you sell a prized possession due to hard economic times? The answer for me was no, not the Brooklyn Dodgers autographed baseball. Besides the fact that its not mine to sell (it's my mother's), I consider it a priceless family heirloom and would never sell it.

It's been a while since CNN picked up one of my iReports. So far, I'm disappointed in the number of views (no longer - see update) but this should pick up with the new visibility (it has).

Final tally as of 5:30PM 3/2/03 is 8,081 views which is about where I expect it to level off.

Read all about it here:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-221357

Oven "Fried" Chicken

Great news for those of you out there who made a New Years resolution to try to be more like me. From time to time I will post some of my best recipes (cooking suggestions may be a better description).

Installment #1 was my Red Beans & Rice.

And now, Oven "Fried" Chicken, which I made last week, with the assistance of my colleague Ian S., for the families at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, NJ. Sort of like a home-made Shake n Bake.

OVEN "FRIED" CHICKEN

Ingredients:

• Chicken parts (with or without skin, your choice)
• Bread crumbs
• Corn meal
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Optional seasonings: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 3 parts breadcrumbs with 1 part cornmeal in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and other seasonings as you like. The amounts will depend on how many chicken parts you are cooking. It is not an exact science.
Thoroughly mix the breadcrumb/cornmeal/seasoning mixture. Wet the chicken pieces under a running faucet and place them, a few at a time, in the mixture. Make sure each piece is completely covered with the mixture and place on a large cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Check for doneness before removing. You may also want to raise the temperature for a few minutes at the end to brown the chicken pieces. Just remember to take them out before you burn them.
That's it - a simple way to make very delicious chicken.

The Bong Hit Heard Round The World

So, Michael Phelps did a bong hit. His real crime was being dumb enough to let someone photograph him doing it.

Luckily, thanks to the Super Bowl, the economic crisis, and the Octuplet Lady, this non-story has been for the most part below-the-fold, but still, talking heads are pontificating about Mr. Phelps having made a "mistake", and whether or not we should forgive him (as if any of us had that power).

Let's take this opportunity, however, not to debate whether or or not Michael Phelps made a mistake, but the fact that our prisons are filled with non gold medal winners who made the same "mistake". Let's take a re-look at our idiotic drug laws, and their draconian penalties, and the inconsistent way they are dished out to the haves vs. the have-nots. It goes like this: the "haves" get to apologize, go into re-hab, and get their records expunged, while the "have-nots" get thrown directly into the slammer, Do Not Pass Go.

So, as long as we are so forgiving of Michael Phelps and his mistake, I propose that every Governor issue an immediate unconditional pardon to any non-violent marijuana user (that almost sounds redundant) now doing time for possession, and that President Obama do the same thing for those who are doing time under Federal law.

Of course, Michael Phelps should not go to jail for doing a bong hit.

But neither should anyone else who makes this "mistake".

The Super Bowl, uh, I mean, the "Big Game"

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and that means anyone who has coughed up the dough will be allowed to call it the Super Bowl. Everyone else must call it the "Big Game".

Since the Super Bowl will be broadcast on NBC this year, NBC news has the opportunity to turn the Today Show and all their other "news" shows into Super Bowl infomercials. They have already started Saturday morning with on-site reports from Tampa featuring Jenna Wolfe and Al Roker. Keith Olbermann has been broadcasting "Countdown" from Tampa all week.

MSNBC will be featuring the "Predator Bowl", a marathon Doc-Block of "To Catch a Predator". I must admit Predator is one of my favorites, and I will probably be catching a few episodes while I'm smoking my ribs and waiting for the Big Game to start.

I don't have much interest in who wins. I don't like either team, but to give credit where credit is due, I watched in reluctant amazement as the great Larry Fitzgerald tore up my beloved Eagles in the NFC Championship game. So I will be leaning toward Arizona, if only to see what Mr. Fitzgerald can do to the Steel Curtain.

I do not look forward to listening to John Madden prattle on about how great the Cowboys are, as he always does, no matter who is playing.

On the menu: baby back ribs, buffalo chicken tenders, other assorted snacks. Check my iReport page later in the day for a full report.

I am hoping the The Boss, during the half-time show, brings out the legend, Pete Seeger, to do an encore rendition of "This Land is Your Land", with ALL the lyrics, like they did at the Lincoln Memorial before the Obama inauguration.

Enjoy the game!

"Pay It Forward" - Not a Bad Idea

I was in Dunkin Donuts this morning, buying my weekly two bags of whole bean coffee, that I brew every morning in my Cuisinart grinder and coffee maker.

The woman behind the counter, as she was ringing me up, told me I was entitled to a free medium coffee. I turned to the guy behind me on line, and asked him if he wanted the free coffee.

It was just a cup of coffee, and it didn't cost me anything, but the guy couldn't thank me enough, and the Dunkin Donuts people were gushing about that God will do something good for me today.

Anyway, I walked out of there feeling pretty good. So, when you get a chance to help somebody, no matter how small it may seem, do it. You'll feel pretty good.

Red Beans & Rice - a New Years Day Tradition

Do you smell that? It's ham hocks, son. Nothing else on the world smells like that. I love the smell of ham hocks in the morning!

It is a New Years Day tradition for me to make Red Beans and Rice. Southern tradition calls for black-eyed peas and some form of pork and greens to bring good luck in the new year. I have nothing against black-eyed peas, but I like red beans better, so that's what I have stuck to for the past few years. Substitute rice for greens and I have my very own tradition.

My recipe is derived from the Prudhomme Family Cookbook and includes red kidney beans, smoked ham hocks, andouille, and what the great Justin Wilson used to call the "holy trinity" - uh-yuh, sell-ray, and green peppah. Until recently, andouille was not easily available in New Jersey, sow in the past I had to substitute kielbasa, but thanks to Emeril and Johnsonville, I can now use the real thing. New Orleans natives may not agree to the validity of Johnsonville andouille as "real", but where I live it will have to do.

It's a fairly simple process, soak the beans overnight, dice and sauté the onion, celery, and peppers. When the vegetables are cooked, combine with diced andouille, beans (drained), and ham hocks. Cover with just enough water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about two hours. Remove ham hocks, separate the meat from the bones, put the meat back in the pot and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture reaches your desired thickness. Serve over rice.

Your kitchen will smell amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWyf3k-2oI

What are your New Years Day food traditions?