Blake Elfstrom, 22, of Maplewood, was driving his girlfriend home late Sunday morning. He was the fourth car at a stop sign before turning onto westbound Minnesota 36 from northbound McKnight Road in North St. Paul.
That was when he spotted a shabbily dressed, middle-aged man wearing glasses that seemed too big for his face. The man, who turned out to be Maplewood cop Paul Bartz, was holding up a sign — "Will work for food" — as he approached and looked inside the line of waiting vehicles.
Elfstrom was pondering whether to roll down his window when he saw the cars moving ahead of him. He entered the on-ramp, only to be waved to the side of the road moments later by one of several uniformed cops standing near a line of patrol cars.
He asked the cop why he was being pulled over. The officer told him his girlfriend was in violation of a 9-month-old law that gives Minnesota law enforcement the authority to pull over drivers and occupants for not wearing seat belts.
"How in the world did you know?" Elfstrom asked the ticketing officer.
"That homeless guy back there? He's an officer," the cop replied.
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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
How the US sent $12bn in cash to Iraq. And watched it vanish
The US flew nearly $12bn in shrink-wrapped $100 bills into Iraq, then distributed the cash with no proper control over who was receiving it and how it was being spent.
In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tonnes, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US contractors
The staggering scale of the biggest transfer of cash in the history of the Federal Reserve has been graphically laid bare by a US congressional committee.
In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tonnes, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US contractors
The staggering scale of the biggest transfer of cash in the history of the Federal Reserve has been graphically laid bare by a US congressional committee.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Drive to Eliminate Social Security in America
“His [Ryan’s] privatization scheme would allow workers under 55 to place more than one-third of their current Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts, with the ultimate goal of shifting most of that money into the stock market.” (February 17, 2010).
Wall Street Took Your House and Your Retirement, Now They're After Your Social Security
Wall Street Took Your House and Your Retirement, Now They're After Your Social Security
Ever met a Republican not Owned by the Insurance Industry?
---Weiner then asked unanimous consent to substitute remarks, and after withdrawing the initial ones, said “Every single Republican I have ever met in my entire life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry!”
Republicans again asked for the words to be taken down.
Republicans again asked for the words to be taken down.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
New floating garbage patch found in Atlantic Ocean
Researchers have found a high concentration of plastic debris is floating in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean, months after concerns were raised over a vast patch of rubbish floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns the fourth largest stake in News Corp — the parent company of Fox News
Because Prince Alwaleed has publicly acknowledged that he has forced Fox News to edit its coverage he disliked, conservative activists have attacked the business partnership as “really dangerous for America.”
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Boycott FedEx--If you have to send packages do not be a scab. Send it with UPS or the U.S. Postal Service. They have unions.
A list of the Top 10 most trusted brands in the U.S. consumers ranked Amazon.com and FedEx no. 1 and no. 2 because of the high degree of trust and reliability they’ve come to expect from these brands
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
SubTropolis: Largest Underground Business in Kansas City
I use to go there as a teen and drive around in them. There was a few pools of standing water and cars junked out in them.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
After a century of business the former Stinson seafood plant in Prospect Harbor closing, leaving 128 workers without jobs after 100 years
Melody Kimmel, a spokesperson for the San Diego-based Bumble Bee Foods, confirmed the announcement Wednesday.
Kimmel said a reduction in the federal limit on herring was the main reason behind the company’s decision. In 2004, the federal limit on Atlantic herring was 180,000 metric tons, but this year it is only 91,000 metric tons, she said. With such catch restrictions, the plant is no longer economically viable, she said.
Kimmel said a reduction in the federal limit on herring was the main reason behind the company’s decision. In 2004, the federal limit on Atlantic herring was 180,000 metric tons, but this year it is only 91,000 metric tons, she said. With such catch restrictions, the plant is no longer economically viable, she said.
The eternity puzzle was a geometric puzzle with a million-pound prize, created by Christopher Monckton, who put up half the money himself
---The puzzle's inventor said at the time that the earlier-than-expected discovery had forced him to sell his 67-room house to pay the prize.
In 2006 he revealed that the benefits from the sales had more than covered the prize, that he was going to sell the house anyway, and that he had made up the story to boost up sales.
In an article for The American Spectator entitled "AIDS: A British View", written for the January 1987 issue of The American Spectator, he argued that "there is only one way to stop AIDS. That is to screen the entire population regularly and to quarantine all carriers of the disease for life. Every member of the population should be blood-tested every month ... all those found to be infected with the virus, even if only as carriers, should be isolated compulsorily, immediately, and permanently." This would involve isolating between 1.5 and 3 million people in the United States ("not altogether impossible") and another 30,000 people in the UK ("not insuperably difficult").
Now he is the spokesman for the climate disinformation machine.
In 2006 he revealed that the benefits from the sales had more than covered the prize, that he was going to sell the house anyway, and that he had made up the story to boost up sales.
In an article for The American Spectator entitled "AIDS: A British View", written for the January 1987 issue of The American Spectator, he argued that "there is only one way to stop AIDS. That is to screen the entire population regularly and to quarantine all carriers of the disease for life. Every member of the population should be blood-tested every month ... all those found to be infected with the virus, even if only as carriers, should be isolated compulsorily, immediately, and permanently." This would involve isolating between 1.5 and 3 million people in the United States ("not altogether impossible") and another 30,000 people in the UK ("not insuperably difficult").
Now he is the spokesman for the climate disinformation machine.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Police have made their first arrest using a remote-controlled hover drone complete with thermal-imaging equipment.
And wait until they start arming these things
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
The financial minister of Greece announced that from 1/1/2011 all financial transactions of sums above 1500 euros in cash, will be banned.
For any transaction above 1500 euros, only credit cards and checks will be legal.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Congressman Grayson: 20% Of Our Accumulated Wealth From 2 Centuries! Gone In 18 Months!
In the last 18 months of the B*sh Administration America lost $12 trillion of net worth, that's 40,000.00 for every person, and no one anywhere has been held accountable
"British criminals should soon prepare to be shot at from unmanned airborne police robots.
Coming to a neighborhood near you soon
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
BAE admits wrongdoing after US justice department lays out how British firm used intermediaries to hide money
And this explains why the Swiss backed out of their agreement to go public with investors records--In the UK, the SFO launched its own inquiry in 2004. Its investigators started to get close to the Saudi royal family, uncovering evidence of huge sums being paid to Swiss bank accounts linked to middlemen including the well-connected billionaire Wafic Said.
In September 2006, the Swiss were preparing to disclose the bank records to the SFO. The firm and its lobbyists started a public campaign warning that huge numbers of arms-manufacturing jobs could be lost."
In September 2006, the Swiss were preparing to disclose the bank records to the SFO. The firm and its lobbyists started a public campaign warning that huge numbers of arms-manufacturing jobs could be lost."
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The top 10 Super Bowl ads of all time
Monday, February 01, 2010
The Crystal Grotto at Beaver Creek
The Crystal Grotto at Beaver Creek is said to be North America’s only performing arts center created from ice and containing instruments carefully hand-crafted from ice.
Among the instruments concert goers will see played are a guitar, xylophone and cello.
Among the instruments concert goers will see played are a guitar, xylophone and cello.
Cass Sunstein: Agent of COINTELPRO
The Obama administration is merely one more in a line of bought and paid for actors in the theater of the absurd that is politics today.