THIS is TRUE #820: 28 February
This is True
HAVING TROUBLE subscribing to TRUE's new free feed? For info, please see
http://www.thisistrue.com/trouble.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU ARE ON TRUE's OLD FEED! This old list will be going away SOON. To
continue getting TRUE's free edition, please go to TRUE's web site and
subscribe to the NEW feed, which has MUCH less problem getting
delivered (if you've been missing issues, that's why). It only takes a
moment: go to TRUE's web site -- http://www.thisistrue.com -- and
subscribe again to be on the more reliable feed.
If you're getting TWO copies for any reason, you're on both the old and
the new lists, so THIS ONE is the one to delete. Use the unsubscribe
link at the bottom.
o o o
SINCE 1994 and reaching more than 106,000 subscribers in over 200
countries, this is the 820th weekly issue of...
THIS is TRUE: 28 February 2010 Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
HERE, HOLD THIS: Rachael Greer, a 7th grader at River Valley Middle
School in Jeffersonville, Ind., says she was in the locker room before
gym class when another girl walked in with a bag full of pills and "she
put one in my hand," Greer said. "I was like, 'I don't want this', so I
put it back in the bag and I went to gym class." She learned the "Just
Say No" response from the school's DARE program. But later that day,
she was pulled out of class by the vice principal and suspended for
five days for "possession" of drugs under the school's zero tolerance
anti-drug policy. Greer "gave the pill back," confirmed district
spokeswoman Erin Bojorquez, "but it is in our policy that possession
[includes] handling. She was punished because she handled the pill."
(Louisville Courier-Journal) ...If school officials have no more
ability than the school janitor, how come they're paid more than the
janitor?
CAN'T STOP: Within an hour of bailing out on burglary charges, Andrew
Bawden, 36, was out committing burglaries again, ripping off cars,
houses, and a church, police in Bendigo, Vic., Australia, say. How do
they know? Investigators say they found Bawden's police charge sheet at
one crime scene where he dropped it. At another break-in, they found a
DVD officers had given him with a copy of his police interrogation.
Dawden pleaded guilty to 30 counts of burglary, and remains in custody.
"We appreciate people who leave this evidence for us," said a police
spokesman. "You get crooks sometimes who leave one thing that's stupid.
Both things are extraordinary." (Brisbane Courier Mail) ...Yeah, he
sounds like an extraordinary citizen.
----------==========**********O**********==========----------
Your Spouse is Into Tools
...and you have no idea what to buy.
Tool Wonk will help you get up to speed quickly and
not look stupid to salesmen when buying tools,
parts, supplies and accessories.
New articles: http://www.ToolWonk.com
----------==========**********O**********==========----------
ALL IN THE FAMILY: An unidentified 21-year-old man told police in
Milwaukee, Wisc., that he was just "trying to be funny" when he snuck
up behind his mother as she returned from the store at 9:00 p.m. He
said he pretended to rob her, but the also-unidentified 37-year-old
woman pulled a .357 magnum revolver and fired several shots, hitting
him at least twice and wounding him in the groin. He was hospitalized
in serious condition. Police are investigating the man, thinking that
he was probably really trying to rob his mother, a spokesman said; he
has prior drug and weapons arrests. His mother, meanwhile, was arrested
on weapons charges. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) ...Let's just say the
cycle of familial violence will probably end here.
SHOCKING! Hookers in Lugano, Switzerland, are being trained how to use
defibrillators after heart attacks killed several elderly men as they
were ...uh... utilizing their services. There are 38 brothels in
Lugano, with more planned to handle the influx of Italian men traveling
over the border to visit. "Modern defibrillators are becoming
increasingly quick and easy for the lay person to use," says the
British Heart Foundation. One brothel owner said the machines are
necessary, since "Having customers die on us isn't exactly good
publicity." (London Telegraph) ...And when she says "die on us," she
means that quite literally.
NEAT TRICK: "Man Shot in Chest, Leg Knocks on Door for Help" -- Dayton
(Ohio) Daily News headline
DID YOU FIND an error? See http://www.thisistrue.com/errata.html
SEVERAL PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS were "shocked" that I didn't "comment on" the
quote in the last story. Hey: putting the quote there in the first
place IS my comment -- why else would I include it? It doesn't
otherwise add anything, really. I don't need to point out *every* joke,
do I? Besides: how can anyone top that particular juxtaposition?!
AS PROMISED LAST WEEK: A new "Get Out of Hell Free" special will run for
ONE WEEK. It's $64.50 worth of THE most popular GOOHF goodies,
including a Jumbo Pack of cards, for just $45 -- INCLUDING shipping!
(Outside USA/Canada, there's a $15 charge, which gets you airmail.)
That's more than 30 percent off. Fair warning: you have to be a Premium
subscriber to get the deal, but your savings on the GOOHF goodies
nearly pays for it, and haven't you really wanted to stop missing half
the stories anyway? https://secure.thisistrue.com/goohfpack only
through next Friday evening (March 12).
JUST WHEN I THINK I've seen the most outrageous example of ZT policy
idiocy, they punish the one kid who actually learned the "Just Say No"
thing from DARE. Silly me! Of COURSE the idiocrats and obliviots
haven't reached the pinnacle of shame yet! Heck, with that realization
I'm surprised the kid in the first story isn't being worked to death in
a gulag by now.
My favorite comment on recent ZT stories is from Guilherme in France,
posted* today: "Thank you once more for your commitment in this matter.
Not only in the US is it important to confront this mindset, and not
only in schools. Your reference to Orwell would almost appear too tame,
given some real situations."
*(On the http://www.thisistrue.com/blog-1984_in_2010.html essay.)
Guilherme is right: it's not just an American problem. The U.S. may
have pioneered ZT, but it IS spreading to other countries, and not just
in the British Commonwealth. May they understand how slippery the ZT
slope is, and not let it destroy their children like it's destroying
ours. And funny about Orwell: my first thought when writing the tagline
was "Orwell didn't have a very good imagination." But I revisited his
work before I went with that, and was reminded that his imagination was
indeed pretty dire. If you haven't read "1984" lately (or at all!) it's
worth a revisit. But yes, I think we'll outstrip his imagination yet.
And as expected, Premium subscribers complained that I was being unfair
to janitors. They're right: unthinking school administrators should be
paid LESS than janitors.
o o o
I GOT A QUESTION* this week, wanting to know what is the "point" (or
"mission") of my new site, Mug Shot Museum. Like TRUE, it's not simply
"entertainment" -- it goes a lot deeper than that. (No surprise, eh?)
Like "This is True", the thrust of the site is social commentary.
Virtually everyone featured made choices that led to their arrests --
bad choices. It's difficult for people to learn from other's mistakes,
but I believe it's possible to do so -- with enough repetition. Thus,
it's my fondest hope that readers find a story about someone JUST LIKE
THEM, or a story that is JUST LIKE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, so that they
can identify with the person they're reading about and, just maybe,
reconsider their actions before they're caught and get their own mug
shot taken. In that way I hope to improve the world a little bit at a
time -- a process I know works since readers have told me so!
* (Actually, it wasn't a question: it was a ranting spew about how the
site can't POSSIBLY have ANY redeeming social value, and I should be
"ashamed" of it. "Edward" promised never to read any of my stuff ever
again -- he certainly didn't want anyone to challenge his narrow point
of view or get in the way of his self-righteous indignation. He only
wanted to scream as he ran away with his eyes and ears covered. So much
for my main mission in life: to get people to THINK more and REACT
less. *sigh*)
SO, WHILE I'M ON the subject, the funniest *mug shot* is in "Come on Get
Happy"; the funniest *story* is "Meet Lorenzo" -- written by my
assistant, Becky. You'll find those and many, many more at
http://www.MugShotMuseum.com
EVERY WEEK YOU MISS GREAT STORIES! This week it included the story of an
IDIOT graffiti artist. A lawsuit against a school for doing something
dumb. Another school justifying the EXACT SAME THING that the first
school did, even though they knew about the lawsuit. And more. A full
issue is 7-9 stories, but the free edition only has 4: you miss half
the stuff! Premium issues aren't longer: more stories, no upgrade
pitches or outside ads = same size! Premium subscriptions help TRUE
survive. With the bad economy, many have had to drop their Premium
subscriptions. We need YOUR help: please upgrade and help keep TRUE
going: http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html
AND AMONG THE LATEST postings to Jumbo Joke: World's Easiest Test (only
takes 30% to pass!) http://www.JumboJoke.com
----------==========**********O**********==========----------
YOU CAN WAIT FOR THE iPAD...
OR you can get the iPod Touch NOW, and for LESS than what it
costs at an Apple store (AND get free shipping!)
3rd Generation models shipping now: http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-itouch
----------==========**********O**********==========----------
TOP ON GROXX TODAY: "Kentucky Deputy Tries to Shoot his Way Out of Cell"
-- he was claustrophobic, the sheriff says, and accidentally locked
himself in. He was fired. Submit stories and vote on what submissions
are best, register for free at http://Groxx.com
TEN YEARS AGO IN TRUE: Just how bad has crime become in Argentina? Their
national Congress is robbed: http://thisistrue.com/7055
And don't forget http://i.thisistrue.com for a new story every day on
your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, or other web-enabled phone!
BONZER WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: http://www.OddThingsIveSeen.com -- O.T.I.S.,
or Odd Things I've Seen. As a fellow afficionado of oddities, I can
relate to J.W. Ocker and his mission to bring write-ups of ...well...
the odd things he sees as he travels through life. Like the solitary
headstone marking a mass grave of 400+ victims of the Jim Jones
"People's Temple" suicide. Or the Vasquez Rocks, named for a bandit
fleeing justice, and so close to Los Angeles that it's been the site
for multiple Hollywood shoots (such as Star Trek planetscapes). Or the
Mythic Creatures exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston. And plenty
more, all written up in entertaining style and well illustrated with
photos.
-- Bonzer Sites archive: http://www.BonzerSites.com
THIS WEEK'S HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE goes to Robert McCall, an artist hired
to capture humanity's greatest technological achievements in
exploration. For the full story and a sample painting see
http://www.HonoraryUnsubscribe.com/robert_mccall.html
THE FULL HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE is included in the Premium edition -- you
don't have to click to a web site to read it. Support the publication
that brings it to you! http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html
HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE: http://www.HonoraryUnsubscribe.com
YOU CAN REALLY HELP TRUE: Send this issue (in its entirety, please) to a
friend with your personal recommendation. A friend told YOU about this
newsletter, right? Pass the favor on! Thanks.
TIRED OF BEING TOLD WHERE TO GO? "Get Out of Hell Free" with our popular
and (in?)famous cards, created in response to a reader telling Randy he
was doomed. http://www.GOOHF.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS to "This is True" are free at http://www.thisistrue.com
Published weekly by ThisIsTrue.Inc, PO Box 666, Ridgway CO 81432 USA
(ISSN 1521-1932). TRUE is available to newspapers as a regular feature
column. "This is True" is a registered trademark of ThisIsTrue.Inc
COPYRIGHT 2010 by Randy Cassingham, All Rights Reserved. All stories are
completely rewritten by Randy Cassingham using facts from the noted
sources. ALL broadcast, publication, retransmission to e-mail lists,
WWW or any other copying or storage, in any medium, online or not, is
STRICTLY PROHIBITED without PRIOR written permission from the author.
MANUAL FORWARDING by e-mail to friends is allowed IF 1) the text is
forwarded IN ITS ENTIRETY, from the "Since 1994" line on top through
the end of this paragraph and 2) NO FEE is charged. We REQUEST that you
forward no more than three copies to any one person -- after that, they
should get their own FREE subscription. We ALWAYS appreciate people who
report violations of our copyright to us.
TO COMMENT to the author, mailto:ar...@thisistrue.com -- Please include
your first name and location.
Distribution sponsored by Lyris Technologies, Inc. <http://www.lyris.com>
This copy sent to: [peta...@gmail.com]
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, DO NOT reply to this message! Simply click this URL:
http://wood.lyris.net/u?id=2639436.24544e78a46cf96f20e7c82621fac850&n=T&l=this-is-true&o=14173424