March 27, 2004

"I believe in individual initiative. In other words, that each of us has a responsibility to take some action as an individual in our own part. But I also know that unless that is brought together in collective action in a group working together, in a group agreeing on goals and objectives and then implementing those, that you are not going to produce change. And, I suppose, change is what I believed in all my life."
--Millie Jeffrey

March 26, 2004

Joe Thompson, a Republican lawmaker in New Mexico, was recently charged with drunk driving. The police pulled him over after watching his car roll into an intersection at a red light. When Thompson was approached, he reeked of alcohol. He also failed the breathalyzer test.

It should be noted that Thompson was arrested just hours after attending a bill-signing ceremony to highlight the state's decision to crack down on DWI offenders.

That 13-year-old girl you're talking to may not be who she says she is. She might not be a cop, either. If she's a volunteer for Perverted-Justice.com, your name, phone number, photo and chat transcript is about to be published on the Web.

Since 2002, Perverted Justice has made 600 Internet busts of pedophiles trolling chat rooms for gullible children.

March 25, 2004

Billy D'Onofrio, a 21-month-old toddler in Brewster, N.Y., just paid for his own college education. He opened his family's TV remote control and found a battery worth $100,000.

That's the advice from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Apparently, well-meaning parents buy baby ducks and bunnies as pets for their young children and then discard them a few months later. Come summertime, animal shelters are inundated with these unwanted animals.

To stop this cycle, the ASPCA suggests putting a chocolate or stuffed bunny in your kid's Easter basket. If the youngster is still determined to have a live rabbit for a pet, read through a book on rabbit care and consider the responsibility for a couple of weeks. Then, visit your local shelter or rescue group to adopt your baby bunny.

March 22, 2004

A freelance assignment from The New York Times has monopolized my time for the past six days, so I won't be posting a column this week. Look for a new installment next Monday. I'm sure I'll be able to have a coherent thought after I get some sleep!

Zombies Push Jesus From Top of North American Box Office
--Reuters

The lead of the story was pretty good too: "The combined might of Jesus and Mel Gibson was no match for a plague of ravenous zombies at the weekend box office in North America."

You know the reporter, Dean Goodman, had fun writing that.

• Judy Calheiros - 3/22/55
• Mariam Akabor - 3/26/84

Past Afterthoughts