Monday Morning Links

Yes we still blog! Now, on to the links...

Definition of rape widened in Maryland.

The state's highest court ruled yesterday that a man can be charged with rape if he ignores a woman's calls to stop - even if she had previously consented to sex.

With this expansion of the legal definition of rape, Maryland joins seven other states whose courts have determined that a woman can revoke her consent after intercourse begins.

Further down in the article we find the world's greatest pick-up line, guaranteed to get you into the pants of women everywhere:

First, Wilson had sex with the woman while Baby was outside the car. Then, police said, Baby told her it was his turn.

"[So] are you going to let me hit it?" he said, according to police. "I don't want to rape you."

You won't see that line in Picking Up Women for Dummies.

Gangs push back against police in the Southwestern district of Baltimore:

For months, police in the Southwestern District have focused on dangerous gangs, using aggressive tactics to engage suspected offenders displaying gang colors and signs.

And, police say, frustrated gang members and criminals seem to be pushing back. In six weeks, three officers have either been shot or shot at, including Tuesday's gun battle near a city school that left an officer and suspected gang member seriously wounded.

Yesterday around 9:30 a.m., blocks from a city school, more gunfire erupted, leaving a 15-year-old shot in the head, which forced authorities to lock down two schools, one of them for the second consecutive day.

South Carolina parents report son to police after suspicious delivery:

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Schallenberger was arrested over the weekend. His parents called police after 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate was delivered to their home. They also found a disturbing journal, which police say spelled out his plans for a suicide attack, and included maps of the school.

Yeah, that may set of a few alarm bells.

Is the pain over yet? Bank of America reports a 77% drop in income. Earnings per share drop to .23 cents, missing expectations.

If you find yourself stopped by police in Central Park at 4:30 am with a bag of meth in your pocket and a rope tied to your neck and scrotum; word of advice: Don't tell them that you have meth in your pocket.

Congrats to TtP's favorite governor on her newborn baby. It's hard I know, but all good things must end. Goodbye hot pregnant governor.

Friday Links

So my rapidly expanding mid-section is a life saver...Excellent! More meat for me!

New weapon in the arsenal of drug warriors: Your dope may have shit and pubic hair on it.

US Postal Service defends $13,500 dinner at Ruth Chris, provides all of us with a great joke in the process:

McKiernan said the dinner was intended to help woo corporate clients of the U.S. Postal Service, which competes with carriers such as UPS and FedEx for business. "It was just the opinion of the GAO that the cost was excessive," he said.

"Competes" insinuates that they are in the same league with FedEx and UPS, that people sometimes choose the Postal Service, when given the choice. Never happens. On the other hand customers will always ask to have their purchased product sent via Fed Ex or UPS on their own dime. Postal Service blows.

Bad news from the street.

Pre-Lunch Links

Zimbabwe update.

Who knew fax machines were such an important component of diplomatic relations on the Korean Peninsula?

Meanwhile, South Korea's Defense Ministry sent a fax message to the North Korean military asking it to stop trying to rile its neighbor. The North's moves came after the South's top military officer said last week the country could strike suspected North Korean nuclear targets if there were signs of an imminent atomic attack.

Meanwhile South Korea also complained that North Korea "never sends confirmation of receipt" of their faxes, and always "claims that the fax never went through, even when we (South Korea) have a confirmation on our end".

That's so 1995 Koreas. Word is, South Korea would have sent an email to North Korea's Hot Mail account, but their e-mails always get marked as spam so it is faxes or ICQ messages for the neighboring country.

Sen. Jim DeMint makes a lot of sense when he says the tax-code makes no sense:

[...]a change in the American tax code two years ago that has raised considerably the tax burden facing many American expatriates - and which, in turn, often makes it more expensive for U.S. companies operating abroad to keep Americans on their payrolls.

"It makes absolutely no sense," said Senator Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, of a system that makes the United States the sole developed country to tax income earned by its citizens abroad.

He is sponsoring legislation to remove the limit - currently $82,400 - on the amount of foreign-earned income exempt from taxation.

I've come to like Jim DeMint much more than I thought I would when he was running for Fritz Hollings's open Senate seat in 2004. I happened to be living in South Carolina at that time and was forced to listen to him say relatively (for the state he was running in) crazy things during a tight race like, "gays and unmarried woman shouldn't be allowed to be school teachers". In fairness to him he said even crazier things like "I will work to get rid of the IRS". He hasn't accomplished that goal, but I'd give him 2 out of 5 stars for his efforts against excessive government spending and taxation. That's practically an A+ in the Senate.

Best Buy beats expectations in the 4th quarter, and helps to confirm what the mall parking lot has been telling me for some time.

April 2 (Bloomberg) -- Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, said fourth-quarter profit fell less than analysts estimated as the company sold more higher-priced items including laptops and video-game consoles.

'Cause you know, X-boxes, VIAOS and Mac Books are important things to have during an economic depression.

Friday Links

After a long hiatus Friday links return, slightly directionless, and as useless as ever. On to the links!

It's not just a shitty game show with Howie Mandel any more, it's also now a fact of life in America. 1 out of 100 Americans now resides in prison. We need more reactions like this:

Some Maryland lawmakers said they hope the report will spur reforms in drug-sentencing laws.

"We've been pounding the governor and chairmen of committees with this information for almost five years," said Del. Curtis Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat who has sponsored several bills that would lower maximum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. "The fact that somebody else is saying it and it's a national report might help us wake them up to this issue."

Probably not. It makes headlines for a week or so then everyone goes back to their previous mindsets that allows them to be OK with living in a country with a higher incarceration then a place that is so evil that I can't even visit the place, let alone buy their cigars.

Mayor of a California town found passed out on the sidewalk next to his car and a pool of vomit. No word yet on whether alcohol was involved or not.

Shocking news out of New Zealand. Man admits to "attempting" to fuck a sheep. From the article:

Sergeant Lisa Goodson said the man admitted taking the goat to the back of the property, attempting to have sex with it before doing up his trousers, patting the goat and walking away. "He was contrite but said he was unable to stop the behaviour," said Goodson

If I'm at the point where my pants are down, the sheep is in the ready position and my cock is out, I complete the job. Clearly you've come this far -- would you feel better about yourself if you stopped at that point? Like you have such a strong moral fiber to keep yourself from actually sticking it in, but not from taking off your pants and preparing the sheep? I don't get it...

Study: Fertile married women dig single men. From the piece:

Given these realities, one strategy for a female is to develop a long-term relationship with a lower-quality male while secretly breeding with single high-quality males. The only problem then is getting caught. Long-term partners will often attack an adulterous female in the animal world. In humans, the penalties can be equally stiff.

I like that term, "high-quality male". So all it takes is a tryst or two with a married woman and I'm considered "high-quality". Good, I have a new line for this weekend.

Michelle Obama comforts lower-middle class women in Ohio, by telling them that she spends $10,000 on piano and dance lessons, along with a lot of other worthless and pretentious shit that her kids don't really need. Byron York in NRO:

But not everyone has a close relative living nearby. And not everyone can afford to keep it all together, especially here in Muskingum County, where, according to the census, the median household income in 2004 was $37,192, below both the Ohio and national average. Out of that, there’s the mortgage. And child care. Health care. Education. Lessons. “I know we’re spending — I added it up for the first time — we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we’re spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth,” Mrs. Obama tells the women. “And summer programs. That’s the other huge cost. Barack is saying, ‘Whyyyyyy are we spending that?’ And I’m saying, ‘Do you know what summer camp costs?’”

With all those concerns, one might wonder whether the women should be comforting Mrs. Obama, but she assures them that she’s really O.K. “We don’t complain because we’ve got resources because of our education. We’ve got family structure,” she says. “So I tell people don’t cry for me.”

Yeah, wipe those tears off your faces folks. The Obamas are going to make it after all...

Congress threatens a Federal drug testing law for all professional sports. Voters who gave the Democrats a majority in Congress collectively shrug and say, "I'm sure this is connected to getting out of Iraq. Really, its gotta be. Any time now. I can feel it. Troops are coming home. You just watch Harry Reid do his thing."

Google Keywords of the Day

It what is continuing to be a TtP holiday feature, I'm proud to bring back our Google Keywords of the Day as selected by Rob. For a twist on this -- the blogging equivalent of a lazy, sitcom clip-show -- I've decided to choose the searches that might have led the particular reader(s) to an answer to their (mostly sexual) question, or a solution to their (mostly sexual) problem. As always, the search keyword is followed by the TtP page reached. Enjoy!

• pube free men ---Answer: Brazilian Wax for Men
  
• i have a pregnancy fetish --- Solution: Alcohol Label
  
• best street for prostitute in baltimore --- Answer: Prostitution Label
  
• why make a sex tape? --- Answer: Sometimes Making a Sex Tape is Not Such a Good Idea
  
• not showering --- Answer: I'm Not Showering Any More
  

And the winner, for -- "Keyword That I Need to Do Something About Before the Feds Break Down My Door".........

• hot 12 yr. olds --- Rob Label
  

Friday Links

Don't forget to celebrate the birthday of one of history's great drunkards, Edgar Allan Poe. Metromix gives you a few local bars to toast the man in, some with a connection to the write, some not. Off the list, I'd go with Maggie Moore's and/or The Horse You Came In On. The Horse is supposed to be where Poe had his last drink, before dying in a Baltimore alley. I've never seen his ghost there, but it does usually have a healthy selection of desperate older women on the prowl most nights.

Bobby Fischer dies.

Golf Magazine tries to calm down the Tiger racial controversy by putting a noose on their most recent cover. Ask the editor how that worked out for him. Just don't use his Golf Magazine e-mail to do that, because he no longer works there.

Preview of the Jones-Trinidad fight this Saturday.

Mark Wahlberg promises to do his best Johnny Depp impression, and will star in the Hollywood version of the (pretty good) Cocaine Cowboys documentary.

Surprise, surprise.

HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif.—A police officer who was on a federal drug task force has been arrested on suspicion he conspired to sell cocaine and marijuana he stole from drug dealers, officials said.

Huntington Park Police Sgt. Alvaro Murillo, 44, of West Covina, is accused of using his job to recruit informants in the drug world, then using them to help him steal narcotics. He then allegedly made arrangements to sell the drugs.

Weekend Links

* Man sues the Yankees for "fraud" based on the alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. The amount he's suing for? $221. I think I've spent that on beer at a baseball game before. If I was going to sue the not-so-strapped-for-cash Yankees, I'd go for at least 8 digits. By the way, good luck proving that case.

* In Pennsylvania, a man was charged with disorderly conduct for writing "fuck" on the memo line of a check used to pay a parking ticket fine. The article claims the charges were filed because the comment was obscene. And, upon the charges being dropped, the police chief is quoted as saying "He was contrite enough to offer an apology, and I think that satisfies the people who were insulted by it". Is insulting someone grounds for a lawsuit? The article doesn't say. The Bill of Rights does.

* Dog damn nearly gets hit by lightning.

* One more reason to love YouTube: Amateur blues guitar.

Drug Inspired Friday Links

Cigarettes, pot, crack, and coffee. What more could you want in one cafe?

Bound to make your skin crawl and your temper flare. Prepare yourself for a DEA reality show coming to Spike TV this year. From producer Al Roker:

Television viewers will get the same unprecedented access to the inner workings of the DEA as our camera crews – the raids, the risks and the danger," said the show's executive producer, Al Roker. "This series is the real deal, exposing elements of the illegal drug trade that you could not imagine. When you watch DEA, you will feel like you have gone undercover."

"Exposing elements of the drug trade that you could not imagine." No, I can pretty easily imagine what they are going to show. I'm guessing it will be nothing like Traffik, and completely like Dallas Swat.

Don't worry Amy; they make me give DNA samples just to enter other countries. Or I think they do...Come to think of it, that "nurse" under the stairs at BWI Airport did kind of look like a homeless troll. Not a "Government Testing Official" like his name tag read...I really didn't think a stool test was necessary for trip to Europe.

Let's wrap this post up with some typically dramatic drug stories from the British press. 1) A user who suffers a heart attack from meth sues her dealer.

“I have gotten sober. I think that’s taking responsibility for my actions. I don’t think I should have to take responsibility for both of our actions. I think he should meet me half way. That’s what this lawsuit is about,” she said.

2) Pot puts 500 a week in hospital.

Doctors say cannabis abuse can contribute to mental health problems including forms of psychosis, paranoia and schizophrenia. There can be harmful physical side-effects, disrupting blood pressure and exacerbating heart and circulation disorders.

Oooooooo scary....

Thursday Links

I know its primary season....but shouldn't we be hearing more about this?

Afghanistan tires of younger brother Iraq getting all the attention and says, "What about our country? You know the one you invaded first." Welcomes a US plan that would boost the American military contingent to 30,000 troops.

I love Tiger Woods. The world's greatest golfer, of all times, and a special kind of classy. I'd like to sit down for a burger and beers with him and his wife. Mostly his wife.

He found himself in a situation that he could have allowed to explode into another Don Imus moment. What did he do? Well, he didn't overreact and instead worked to defuse a situation that everyone knew was an unfortunate slip of the tongue when Gold Channel announcer (Kelly Tilghman) jokingly said that the world's top young golfers should, "Lynch him in a back alley". It sounds bad, I know. God, that sounds bad. But in context, it really wasn't. Sometimes people just say stupid things without any meaning behind them. She apologized directly to Tiger after the tournament coverage, and he accepted, saying publicly that the matter was closed, and that he considers Kelly a friend. Still, though I don't need to defend her choice of words, because it has nothing to with me. Right Reverend Al? Nothing to do with me....or you at all.

Before her suspension was announced, Sharpton spoke earlier on CNN's "Prime News" and continued to push for her firing, saying he wanted to meet with Golf Channel because the comments were "an insult to all blacks."

Go away, and leave us all alone. Please.

And finally, Tim Cavanaugh has the must-read piece on Ron Paul's newsletters. Read it.

Ben's Friday Links

Pakistan is disintegrating in the aftermath of the assassination of Bhutto. The Washington Post

Kenyans go to the polls. Financial Times

Paul Krugman displays his grasp of simple economics on why trade with developing world hurts the U.S. economy, but in a free-market sort of way. The New York Times

Ethiopia and Eritrea are close to fighting another war, again. UN News

The MLS SuperDraft in Baltimore is quickly approaching, here is a look at the top defensive prospects. Soccernet

Friday Links

It's back! Full of drugs, it's the Friday links..

A classic Robert Redford movie I caught during solid AMC programming over Thanksgiving. Especially with what they have been showing lately.

Obama tells kids: "Fun is bad." Naturally, everyone takes notice.

Amy Winehouse might want to find a new sponsor.

Doherty helps Winehouse quit drugs
Amy Winehouse speaks to Pete Doherty every day in a bid to help her quit drugs.

More here.

On the lighter side...

Murder rate is at its lowest level ever in New York.

John Howard involved in a tight race in Australia.

I agree. It doesn't matter what she is saying, I take her side in any disagreements. If she wants her job back, give it to her. Same with money. She can't be wrong.

The French railroad workers go back to work. Or everyone thinks they do...It can be tough to tell...

Scary.

SIXTH-FORMERS at a top school were tested for drugs on Monday using a super-sensitive detection device.

Slough Grammar principal Margaret Lenton arranged the checks in a bid to reinforce the school's strict anti-drugs policy.

The tests were conducted at the Lascelles Road school using a drugs itemiser machine which can detect the tiniest traces of drugs on the palm of people's hands.

Read the full article.

Weekend Reading

India's strengthening Rupee hurting the export sector. Washington Post

Glasgow to host 2014 Games Commonwealth Games. BBC

Rough week for the global markets and things aren't looking any brighter. Financial Times

Rising street prices for drugs leads U.S. government to believe they are winning the war. LA Times

Tony Blair can't charm the Chinese. Guardian Unlimited

Oil discovery in Brazil could make it one of the world's largest producers. CNN

Quick Hits

Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington continue the pattern from last year and are releasing three free podcasts before the end of the year. First one was out yesterday on iTunes.

Westboro Church ordered to pay 10.9 million in damages to family of dead Marine.

One-legged wonder Heather Mills has lost more than her balance.

I'm out of pocket in Seattle for the next week. Excuse the light posting over the next week. I've got some co-bloggers around here somewhere...

Around the Papers

Yikes. Detailing the economic impact of the impending writers strike. It's not pretty for LA County.

Looks like someone may be getting a kidney back. Here's hoping it works out for my favorite Socialist mayoral candidate.

Massive protest (or as the organizers were calling it, a "lie-in") fails to be massive. Organizers had planned to match the total number of murder victims (246ish) with live protesters lying down on the ground wearing "No More Murders." Unfortunately no one seemed to care and only about 175 total showed up, including not one elected official. Here are the organizers on the seeming irony of the situation. The Baltimore Sun:

"Apathy, alienation and cynicism have taken root in our community - But we believe that these weeds can be removed before they spread further," reads the Web site for Justice Maryland, the group that planned the event.

Asked whether yesterday's attendance shortfall was evidence of the very issue she was trying to combat, Kimberly Haven, executive director of Justice Maryland, said, "We don't know why people didn't come.

Ahhh. That's right, we just need to believe. Is it possible to believe that I could be even more cynical?...

Friday Links

No jokes here. 18 year old arrested for the rapes of two Baltimore women, ages 88 and 73. The 88-year old is also a cancer patient. With youth like this, how could one be pessimistic about the future of our fine city. Remember folks, just Believe!

I betcha this Anne Arundel County (MD) judge knows how to have some fun.

But Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Paul Harris, in a decision that has victims' rights advocates crying foul, acquitted the man charged with second-degree assault after he was accused of striking his girlfriend three times in the face. The judge said that without the woman's testimony, he could not be sure that she hadn't consented to the attack

[...]

And in a comment that has riled victims' advocates and prosecutors, Harris added, "You have very rare cases; sadomasochists sometimes like to get beat up."

Cameras no longer enough to police the mean streets of London. Say hello to street level listening devices, intended to "infiltrate gangs of youth."

I really don't like David Brooks. Never have -- but now I've developed the nearly unstoppable urge to face-fuck the douche, in his itsy-bitsy mouth, while he's wearing his overtly homosexual turtle-rimmed glasses. Is it just me? From today's Brooks column on the chances of a Huckabee win. I know, I know, I too was guessing he was talking about checkers, or some game involving guessing the number of jellybeans in a jar, because obviously he couldn't be talking about any type of electoral win, whether it be in Iowa or any other state. I was wrong.

[....]Second, each of the top-tier candidates makes certain parts of the party uncomfortable. Huckabee is the one candidate acceptable to all factions.

Third, Huckabee is the most normal person running for president (a trait that might come in handy in a race against Hillary Clinton). He is funny and engaging — almost impossible not to like. He has no history of flip-flopping in order to be electable. He doesn’t seem to be visibly calculating every gesture. Far from being narcissistic, he is, if anything, too neighborly to seem presidential.

Whoa. I should have saved this for a separate post, but quickly -- First, "Huckabee is the one candidate acceptable to all factions". Huh? That GOP tent has gotten so big that they had to push us libertarian leaning, limited government types out of the tent to make room for all those compassionate, social conservatives. Enjoy the circle jerk fellas. [I've made substantive arguments against Huckabee, just click through the Huckabee tag] As for this line, "Huckabee is the most normal person running for president." Do I need to reiterate that this is the guy who said it his religious beliefs are not important to the question of whether he could or should be president? Even if his religious beliefs claim that the earth was created 3,000 years ago, and that evolution is just a silly guess made by some guy named Darwin. Or that kids in elementary schools should be weighed by the state. If this is the "most normal person running for president" then we have some serious issues as an electorate.

Last, but certainly not least, one of the last two brewpubs in Baltimore -- and the closest one to me -- is looking to leave the city. It's part of a disturbing trend that has brewpubs fleeing high-rent, urban areas for the spacious suburbs. I'll end it with my quote of the week, from the above article:

"It's sort of like the melting of the ice caps," said Dominic Cantalupo, a 46-year-old Catonsville resident and president of the Chesapeake Bay branch of the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood. The society promotes beer brewed with traditional methods.

Weekend International Reading

John Locke’s assertion of life, liberty and property, well at least property to be essential for rising incomes. World Bank

Oil hits $90 a barrel because of weak dollar. BBC

Romney shows he knows nothing about the U.S. role in the United Nations. MSNBC

Les divorce du Sarkozy et l’impact politique. Le Monde

Pakistan recovers from suicide attacks during Bhutto’s arrival. New York Times

Sunday Reading

Your favorite football squad having a rough day? Its ok, I have some compelling international reading for you! These stories are sure to clear your gray skies!

Angola’s oil wealth is not improving the lives of its poorest citizens. New York Times

Israel claims their attack on Syria was to disrupt a nascent nuclear program. International Herald Tribune

SPLM withdraws from Sudan’s Unity Government, heightening fears of a renewed North-South Civil War. UN News

Pakistan is the premiere training ground for international terrorists. Los Angles Times

Now don’t you feel a little bit better?

Weekend International Links

In attempt to broaden the appeal of To The People I have decided to post a story from the erudite USA Today. It looks as if President Musharraf will retain power in Pakistan pending final election results and a Supreme Court ruling.

China becomes the land of opportunity for Chadian citizens to dream about. The Washington Post

German Chancellor Merkel endorses 2010 World Cup preparations in South Africa. The Mail & Guardian

The Orange Bloc, lead by minx Yulia Tymoshenko, has gained control of the Ukrainian Parliament. The BBC

Mexican authorities seized 10 Tons of cocaine in Tampico. The LA Times

Whoopi Suggests 3-Way with House Speaker and Husband; The View Gets Attention, I Get a Boner

I don't even know why I just wrote that. Maybe because there's nothing out there for a perverted blogger to blog on. I'm desperate. Really, it's bad out there right now. I mean, I'm making Whoopi Goldberg jokes. In 2007. Not even very good ones. And the story involves Barbara Walters, and The View. I'd be more current if I was making fun of MC Hammer. Or Chrystal Pepsi.

Since I have nothing else for you guys, I'll throw some links out there that have been building up in Rob's link que.

Newsflash: Government workers waste taxpayers' money on extravagant travel.

Baltimore City officials pin their hopes on something that hasn't happened in decades...A population increase. Even if it is just a 900 person gain.

Some not-so-good news from Afghanistan.

Clarence Thomas links from NRO and Richard Minter.

For the 300th time in the last 3 months, the ONDCP touts the current cocaine crunch in the US as a good thing. Claims War on Drugs is having "the best results in 20 years."

Asian gangs in the UK are using child slaves to run their cannabis production centers. I'd imagine a lot of growing and packaging. As the Drug Czar's blog says.."Marijuana: Harmless?" Well, when you put it that way...If only we'd ban the damn substance...

Happy Hour Link Edition

Let's dive right into them....

Massachusetts slowly marching on a path of soft paternalism to banning smoking in homes. Globe reports:

"For a lot of people now, they go to their workplace, and the workplace is smoke-free, and then they go home and they realize they're being exposed to secondhand smoke," said Eileen Sullivan, director of policy and planning for the state of Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

[...]

A leader of the Massachusetts Rental Housing Association, a trade group, Hebert enthusiastically endorsed the prospect of a registry listing smoke-free apartments in Massachusetts.

"There are still people who smoke; they have to live somewhere," Hebert said. "But if I'm a nonsmoker and I detest smoking and the person next door is smoking like a chimney, why should I have to put up with it?"

But there's no slippery slope involved with smoking bans...None at all...

The benched US Women's goalkeeper Hope Solo tore into her coach and replacement goalkeeper in the Brazil game, Brianna Scurry, saying "I would have made those saves", and much more. Video of it when you click through the first link. Should Solo have kept her mouth shut? Maybe. Probably. But this was such a boneheaded move by her coach that I can understand her reaction. In a way she earned it. And correction from my previous post. She had a scoreless streak of over 300 minutes. Not bad.

DEA shut down, and arrest the owners of yet another pot-candy/food company. Classic quote from a DEA agent:

"These items could have harmful effects on a user, especially the unsuspecting ones," DEA agent Javier Pena said. "We will continue to shut down these production lines, one marijuana-candy factory at a time."

I don't think you can read much into this article on increased marijuana farming in Afghanistan. I think they are still doing their part for the global heroin supply, but this paragraph made me chuckle:

But around the ancient citadel of Balkh, in fields where pink poppy flowers stood last year, jagged green marijuana stalks poke above other crops and in places whole cannabis fields produce a pungent aroma strong enough to be picked by passing motorists.

The farmers are still cautious. "They are not my fields," said Shamseddin, surrounded by head-high cannabis plants in full flower. "I don't know who they belong to," he said, dropping a sickle to the ground and nudging it away with his foot

That image makes me laugh every time.

Enjoy the weekend, we'll do our best to make the work on the site go as smoothly as possible.

Friday Links

The next GOP debate will be held in Baltimore, at Morgan State, and will address minority issues. That is if they can actually get any of the legitamite GOP candidates to actually show up. Here's looking forward to a Paul, Hunter, Tancredo debate come Sept 27th!

Who thinks Marylanders don't pay enough taxes? Governor O'Malley, that's who.

Stadium cleaners get what they want, and will be part of the $11.30 living wage bill in Maryland. People who pick up trash for 81 days a year now coming dangerously close to my salary...

The story that I couldn't escape on my last trip abroad takes a predictable, but yet interesting twist, as the British parents of the missing Madeleine McCann are officially named suspects by the Portuguese officials.

Teacher facing 105 years in prison after being convicted of having sex with students in a motel, behind a restaurant and in a park.

Speaking of rape (what a segway), I heard this piece of advice around the worst selection of donuts I've ever seen in the office lunchroom. A middle-age mom telling another middle-age mom--"I tell my daughter, if you have to drink, get shots, that way no one can slip anything in your drink." Brilliant! We -- and by we I mean Cicero and Rob -- need more mothers out there telling their college age daughters to get fucked up and to get fucked up quicker. I love irrational fear!

Friday Links

American Cancer Society stops looking for cure to cancer. Would rather throw more office parties instead.

EZ Passes are easy. But if you're fucking your secretary in a seedy motel off the Jersey Turnpike, or just disposing of your dead husband's body, maybe you should just pay the toll in cash. No receipt.

This can't be good for iTunes.

Horrors! The scourge of underage drinking.

Late Afternoon Friday Links

Retrosexual? Or just homosexual?

Measuring 6 feet 3, with chiseled pecs and a bushy beard, George seemed like a model of manliness. Yet two years ago the 47-year-old Virginia businessman (who declined to give his full name to protect his privacy) decided he didn't look quite macho enough. So he went to see Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a Miami hair-restoration surgeon, to have 3,000 hair follicles ripped from his scalp and transplanted into his face, chest and belly.

Amy Winehouse might have a drug and weight problem. In other shocking news; I like pot and I'm going to try and bone my female roommate tonight.

Depending on which count you go by, Baltimore has surpassed 200 murders for 2007. Baltimore Crime has 204 (although they note it is not definitive), Murder Ink has it at 198 (once you add the 2 murders since the 15th). Who knows what the Sun has it at; I couldn't find a count anywhere on their site.

Finally, a reminder for any TtPers in the Seattle area. Hempfest is this weekend. The Seattle PI has a glowing profile of Rick Steves, who is a outspoken critic of US drug policy, and is speaking at Hempfest. From the piece:

Off camera and off mike, so many people who interview Steves on radio and TV whisper "Right on!" to him but only a few celebrities and high-profilers risk saying it out loud. "We're embracing a lie in a country based on truth and freedom," Steves said. "And it hurts the credibility of parents and teachers and the police. If I were a kid, I wouldn't listen to any of them."

Around the Horn

Nevermind that inflatable armbands can save young swimmers' lives. They can lead to a case of the sniffles and so must be banned!

A Dartmouth professor's really cool web page devoted to exploring the history of digital tampering. (Via AJR.)

Chris Reed thinks fiscal conservatives can work with nanny staters. Strangely, I agree.

Disney, a longtime smoker, will quit, but only when it feels like it.

During Clay Aiken's recent appearance on her show, Tyra Banks really did refer to herself as a "Clayfrican American" and described Asian American fans of Aiken as "Claysians". Admittedly -- and I'm not too proud to admit it -- I actually saw this.

Around the Horn (Actual Baseball Content Edition)

Everyone wants a secret lair, but this guy had it. [LAT]

Battle over placenta ends after birth. [WTOP]

Hunk of metal from woodchipper, not UFO. [Philly]

Chuck Klosterman, looking like a bearded Bill Gates circa 1977, apparently came to DC recently. [Washingtonian]

Red Sox dud Wily Mo Pena has broken the heart of Manny many. [Boston Herald]

Who sported the best baseball fro ever? [Bugs and Cranks]

Around the Horn

Singer Bobby Brown worried Osama will off him in Oz. [Herald Sun]

Paper sets up John Edwards to get offed, or to kill woman by driving drunk off pier and then have head gradually triple in size. [Chicago Tribune]

He's not the head of Al Qaeda in Iraq, though he does play him on TV. [Herald Sun]

The Police rock Rock City. I'm seeing them tomorrow night Philadelphia. [Detroit News]

Speaking of Philly... "Soon no one in Philadelphia will be safe from the 15 or so people who are strongly against foie gras." [Philadelphia Will Do]

Around the Horn

Avoid Scranton, SC (population 932) like the plague. In a little over a month, the new police chief "has written 400 tickets and arrested 17 people," all while claiming that "the general public’s disrespect for law enforcement officers truly annoys him." [SCNow]

Taras Grescoe is a self-described former libertarian and author of the pretty good food travelogue The Devil's Picnic, in which he eats all sorts of risky and illegal foods around the world. Grescoe, a Canadian, wants to remove the risk from our lives, though, via a stronger and better-funded FDA. [NYT]

A few of the dumber remnants of Massachusetts's Blue Laws. [Boston Globe]

This brings back memories of the worst meal I've ever eaten (at a Lebanese joint on Paris's Left Bank in 1994). [The Age]

One cool obit. [Seattle PI]

Friday Links

I've just spent the last 2 days shitting, vomiting, and whimpering in the fetal position as I've done my best to overcome the effects of reduced-sale oysters from Wal-Mart. Oysters....From Wal-Mart? They were like 15 for $4...Try getting that deal at a market or any raw bar.

Enough of my complaining, on to the links!

No set up needed for this story:[emphasis mine]

PALMETTO -- A 63-year-old man who authorities say twice pushed his entire arm into a horse's vaginal cavity was jailed Tuesday on a felony-level animal cruelty charge.

Manatee County sheriff's deputies said the man, Bradenton resident Leslie M. Gee, who is not a veterinarian, caused "unnecessary pain and suffering" to the horse, a bay mare named Bella, stabled in the 2500 block of 29th Street East in Palmetto.

Palmetto, Florida....In case you were unsure..

David Beckham has arrived; did you miss the coverage? Hopefully he can squeeze a game or two in between all those steamy photo shoots and interviews...

The folks at Bureaucrash had some fun with the "Yes Men" outside of the Cato Institute. Check the video out.

McCain actually has less cash on hand than previously reported. How about a paltry $250,000 after you subtract the $1.75 mill in debt that the campaign currently holds.

It's stories like this, and days without cicero that make me feel alone and shamed at TtP:

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - A former Ku Klux Klan leader sexually assaulted his 15-year-old adopted sister to punish her for sloppy housekeeping and rowdy behavior, the girl testified in court Thursday.

Around the Horn (Sort of Sports-Centric Edition)

China's popular baozi steamed buns are 60% cardboard.

Keith Hernandez: Best. Mustache. Ever.

Real cop busts fake cop who tried to bust real cop.

SI.com writer Ian Thomsen's weird but earnest correction of hi