Unusual News
New University of California Logo Is a No Go for Many
Designers of the new University of California logo are being schooled for creating a visual image that some think looks less like a symbol for an institution of higher learning than it does a “flushing toilet.” read more
Court Denies 1st Amendment Right to Label Sugar Packets as Anthrax
Marc Keyser of Sacramento wanted to be “provocative” and get a “reaction” from people when he sent them packets of sugar labeled “Anthrax” and a copy of his self-published book (on CD) about the deadly toxin he was promoting. read more
California on Record Pace for Gun Purchases
If FBI background checks are any gauge, Californians went on a holiday shopping spree in November, showing an intention to buy more guns than any other month this year and edging toward an annual record of more than 1 million purchases. read more
Military Dolphins Get Walking Papers as Drones Take Their Jobs
The Navy is developing an underwater drone shaped like a torpedo that can do many of the same tasks performed by dolphins. Once available, the drones can be built in much less time that it takes to train mammals, about seven years. By 2017, many of the Navy’s 80 dolphins will be reassigned to other jobs. Sea lion jobs are safe for now. read more
City Attorney in Bankrupt San Bernardino Warns Residents to “Lock Doors, Load Guns”
San Bernardino City Attorney James Penman had some words of advice at a community meeting last week for residents concerned about what effect the city’s bankruptcy might have on their day-to-day lives:
“Go home, lock your doors and load your guns.” read more
San Jose, Once America’s Safest City, Has Worst Homicide Record in 20 Years
Five years ago, independent researchers at Morgan Quinto Press rated San Jose the nation’s safest city among those with a population over 500,000.
Now, with a month to go in 2012 the city is about to top a two-decade high for homicides: 43. Eight murders in 11 days in August were a major contributor. Homicides reached 41 in 2011, nearly double the year before. read more
Even Higher Education: Humboldt State University Launches Marijuana Research Institute
Humboldt State University (HSU) launched a unique academic initiative this Fall that most people familiar with the school’s location, in prime California pot-growing territory, probably assumed already existed.
The newly-formed Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research is sponsoring a series of lectures and coordinating research to study various aspects of pot as it relates to various fields, including geography, politics, psychology, sociology and economics read more
$12.9 Million Class-Action Settlement Establishes Strippers Aren’t Contractors
New ground was recently broken in California when U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips, who ruled “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” unconstitutional in 2010, approved settlement of a $12.9 million class-action lawsuit for strippers who claimed they were illegally classified as contractors for the purpose of denying them proper pay and benefits. read more
74% of Surveyed L.A. County Seafood Stores and Restaurants Have Mislabeled Fish
Crawfish is not lobster. Pacific rockfish is not red snapper. Flounder is not halibut. And, frankly, “white tuna” only exists in sushi bars and Wikipedia.
But that doesn’t stop Los Angeles County grocery stores and restaurants from mislabeling them that way, often to their financial benefit and occasionally to their customers’ medical detriment. read more
Flash Survey Finds Twice as Many Weekend Partiers Driving High than Drunk
A survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has definitively proven that if you want to come up with scary numbers about drug and alcohol use among drivers, the best time to question them is on a Friday or Saturday night during roadside police checks. read more
Ancient Native American Petroglyphs Ripped from Eastern Sierra Cliffs
At least six ancient stone carvings known as petroglyphs―considered sacred by Paiute/Shoshone tribal members―were hacked, sawed and ripped from cliffs by thieves in the Eastern Sierra Mountains outside Bishop, California. Dozens of other petroglyphs were also damaged. read more
Ex-Psychologist Who Claims Interplanetary Connections Won’t Take School Board Seat
Richard Boylan won election to the Mother Lode Union School District Board in Northern California with the support of the Democratic Party, but it was his close affiliation with the High Council of Star Nations as Earth’s counselor that may have led to his decision not to take the seat. read more
Did Young People Deliver Prop. 30 for Jerry Brown?
The headline on the Associated Press story may have overstated the case―“Young voters turned the tide for Brown's Prop 30”―but the news service’s exit poll certainly gave proper respect to the youth vote for passage November 6 of the governor’s requested tax benefiting education.
Four days later the director of the Field Poll took the accolades down a notch, according to the Sacramento Bee. “It helped the margin of victory, but it didn't change the outcome,” Mark DiCamillo said. read more
Teenage Hacker Cosmo the God Unplugged
Cosmo the God―6-foot-7, 220-pound California hacker extraordinaire―is the mastermind who, with his group UG Nazi (short for Underground Nazi Hacktivist Group), pioneered computer techniques that allowed them to take down NASDAQ and CIA.gov, hack their way into user accounts at Amazon, BestBuy, Apple, AOL and PayPal, and wreak general havoc throughout the internet. read more
Boy Returns to School after Being Kicked Out for Having Cystic Fibrosis Gene
An 11-year-old boy in Palo Alto—banned for 11 days from Jordan Middle School for carrying the cystic fibrosis gene, although showing no symptoms—was allowed to return after school administrators reconsidered their decision. read more
City Is Asked to Put up Roadside Memorial for Fish that Died in Crash
An Orange County animal-rights activist, moved by the death of hundreds of fish in a freeway big-rig crash last month, asked the city of Irvine to post a memorial sign at the scene of the accident and was promptly smacked down. read more