Good Eats! (River's Inn)

Food is a "favorite thing" for me. (Just look at me.) There are quite few places I've visited that are great dining spots. So, I'm going to highlight some of these over time.

I'll start with a plug for this great restaurant, all of a mile from our house - The River's Inn.

They almost bought it in Hurricane Isabel. But it's a great place to go for a special occasion, or even a special lunch sometime. We also like to visit in the summer when the Crab Deck is open, and eat outside.

We've had several anniversary dinners here, including one I set up where the champagne was already chilled and at the table when we arrived. The menu is almost exclusively seafood, to no one's surprise, but there can be some other good things as well.

Whatever You Do, Don't Call the Police

So, you're asleep and are awoken to the sound of your 10-year old daughter screaming from the next room. What do you do?

Mark and Cheryl Hunsberger said Mark Hunsberger bolted into their screaming daughter's bedroom at 1:16 a.m. Feb. 2 to find Deputy J.A. Wood, in uniform, aiming a flashlight at the girl while another man tried to yank the bed covers off her.

"The child was terrified, and Mrs. Hunsberger spent some time comforting their daughter," ..."When Mrs. Hunsberger said something about calling the police, Deputy Wood responded, chillingly, 'I am the police.'"

And the reason for the police being there? In a little girls room, at 1am? Holding a gun, and trying to take down her covers?

Botetourt Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle said ... "We had a reason to be there, but I'm not going to say any more."

Oh, Sheriff Sprinkle, I suspect you're going to say a lot more. Well, he did say a little more.

"You're durned if you do and durned if you don't in this business," he said. "But I certainly can say we don't have anyone in this department who would intentionally do harm to anyone else."

"I don't believe Deputy Wood did anything wrong," the sheriff added.

Let's look at the alternatives, given that the police admit to being there, and in an official capacity.

1) They were in hot pursuit of someone nefarious. Well, I suppose they could have thought an escaped convict had broken into the house. Did they think he was under her covers? Maybe they thought she had a meth lab under there?

2) The family was the target, and the police action was completely on the up-and-up. You know, a warrant for probable cause naming the places to be searched and the things or persons to be seized, and all that legal stuff. If so, shouldn't someone have gotten arrested? Shouldn't they have shown their search warrant? Mr. Hunsberger ordered the men to leave, and apparently they did. If they had a reason to be there wouldn't they actually be quite happy to say why?

3) The police screwed up, and barged into the wrong house. Well, that happens pretty often it seems, and there never is an apology in these cases. If Sheriff Sprinkle (I just love that name.) thinks the next-door neighbors running the prostitution ring haven't been tipped off in the last three weeks, and are fooled by his "no comment" response, then he's even stupider than I think.

4) There was no warrant, there was no probable cause, there was no hot pursuit, it was pure harassment. At this early stage this sounds probable to me.

I'll leave out the fifth alternative, for now, which is that this was intentional and the Roanoke police are staffed by perverts, and Sheriff Sprinkle is the head perv.

Update (2/26): Now the state police are going to investigate what the local sheriff was up to -

Commonwealth's Attorney Joel Branscom said today that he asked state police to investigate the matter, which first became public last week in a lawsuit filed against the Sheriff's Office by Mark and Cheryl Hunsberger.

Branscom said that because some of the lawsuit's allegations differ from his understanding of what happened, he decided to call for an outside investigation. "I believe that public confidence in the sheriff's department will be best served by an independent investigation of the incident," he said.

Update (2/27): The papers have a criminal justice professor try to explain how and why the police might have felt duty bound to break into this house:

Generally speaking, police must obtain a search warrant before they enter a home or search a vehicle without the owner's consent. There are, however, exceptions. Among the ones cited by Burke: seizure of evidence within plain view, evidence seized within arm's reach immediately after an arrest, pat-downs of a suspect believed to be armed, and various "exigent circumstances," which could include a threat to a police officer's or citizen's safety.

With so little known about what happened in the Hunsberger home, Burke declined to speculate on whether one of the exceptions applied.

Well, let me help you. There was damn little plainly visible under this little girls covers in the middle of the night in her upstairs bedroom. No one was arrested, so there was no evidence at hand. No "suspect" was patted down as there has been no accusations that anyone in the house committed a crime. It is unclear what "exigent circumstances" might have endangered the deputy. Maybe her teddy bear? The only clear danger to a citizen's safety came when the homeowner unexpectedly came upon an armed man in his house.

The Hunsberger's attorney has a theory, but it is no more charitable.

According to that theory, a man -- possibly the one who accompanied Wood into the home -- had called authorities earlier in the night after his 16-year-old daughter did not come home on time. The man and Wood then entered the home to look for the girl. But it remained unclear under that theory why they believed she was in the Hunsberger home.

So the police broke into the house looking for a missing girl, and brought civilians to help? Since when do they do this?

Now That's a "Heavy Rain"

I think this must be the result of more than a heavy rain folks.

GUATEMALA CITY, Feb. 23 -- A 330-foot-deep sinkhole killed two teenage siblings when it swallowed about a dozen homes early Friday and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood.

Officials blamed the sinkhole on recent rains and flow from a ruptured underground sewage main. The bodies were found near the enormous fissure, floating in a river of sewage.

I'm sorry, but even a ruptured sewage main doesn't cause a hole 330 ft deep. Either this is a mine collapse, or given the nice circular shape the buildings were built over an incipient cenote (a "well" in a limestone formation).

Internet and the ACLU

A few years ago we had a dust-up here in Virginia about access to the Internet in public libraries. The question was, should librarians be using filtering software to protect kids from, shall we say, unsavory items on the Internet. The ACLU representative, Charles Rust-Tierney, suggested that filtering was inappropriate -

The ACLU urges the Board to apply the following important principles in crafting a now Internet Use Policy:

• Recognizing that individuals will continue to behave responsibly and appropriately while in the library, the default should be maximum, unrestricted access to the valuable resources of the Internet.
• The Internet is rapidly becoming an essential tool for learning and communication. Public libraries play a vital role in assuring that the Internet is universally available to all segments of the population on an equitable basis.
• Librarians can and should play a crucial role in educating all Internet users to engage in critical thinking skills when using the Internet, and to be careful about relying on inaccurate resources online.
• Libraries can develop lists of recommended online resources that they have reviewed and evaluated, to assist patrons in finding Internet sites that meet their interests.
• Parents should have primary responsibility for setting rules for their children regarding Internet access.
• Older minors should have access to resources appropriate for their age group, even if such materials may be considered by some parents to be unsuitable for younger minors.

America's libraries have always been the great equalizer, providing books and other information resources to help people of all ages and backgrounds live, learn, work and govern in a democratic society. The ACLU now urges the Board to adopt an Internet Use Policy that promotes the library's mission to expand universal access to information, and that recognizes the library's duty to uphold the First Amendment.

Well, Mr. Tierney is in the news again today. I guess that at the least you could say this story still includes the Internet, young minors, and inappropriate content.

Rust-Tierney admitted to investigators that he had downloaded videos and images from child pornography websites onto CD-ROMs, according to the complaint.

The videos described in the complaint depict graphic forcible intercourse with prepubescent females. One if the girls is described in court documents as being "seen and heard crying", another is described as being "bound by rope."

We can only hope that this individual behaved responsibly, and wasn't downloading this stuff in the library.

So, we'll soon have Mr. Tierney's address up on the sex offender databases.

UPDATE: Better still, as in many of these cases, it turns out the guy is a "youth sports coach."

Theft Retrieval

One of our local car dealers has an innovative new technology for auto theft retrieval.

Happy Birthday Puppies!

Two years ago this evening Miss Cinnamon gave us 8 beautiful little puppies, five boys and three girls.

Two (Coriander and Sweet Woodruff) we kept. Brother Basil went a couple counties south, and hasn't been heard from again. Blaze is a county away in Mathews. Cam (who we called Wasabi) is in N. California. Sister Polly (aka Ginger) lives only a few blocks away. Sister Silvie (aka Star Anise) lives up county. Sister Nutmeg lives in Michigan.

Happy Birthday everyone!

The traditional doggie birthday hamburger feast begins at 7.

Non-Controversial Fun at W&M

The College of William and Mary recently removed the cross from the college chapel because, it was alleged, it made some students "uncomfortable." This was made easier to accomplish by the college president being a former ACLU officer.

Instead, they found a more inclusive, less-threatening activity for the students than Christianity. They're hosting a Sex Workers Art Show. You'll recall that I had a link to a story about one of the participants last week.

WILLIAMSBURG — Topless women weren't the only thing keeping students at the College of William & Mary focused Monday night at the Sex Workers Art Show.

Sparkling nipple adornments, feather boas, bare bottoms, erotic dances, striptease music and sex toys entertained a crowd of more than 400 who were packed into the auditorium of the University Center. Another 300 were turned away. The show attempted to empower the actors by portraying the realities of their careers.

Well, this should provide quite an education of some type. I'm glad to know my tax dollars are being well used.

Kyoto Follies

First, the story...

VICTORIA–The B.C. government yesterday announced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent – a target that appears to go farther than those recently set by California.

By comparison, under the Kyoto accord Canada is committed to a 6 per cent cut in greenhouse emissions from 1990 levels by 2012. Ontario has no set targets.

The Liberal government's plan aims to reduce B.C.'s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 33 per cent below today's levels by 2020.

The target will place greenhouse gas emissions at 10 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo said in a throne speech dominated by the new environmental agenda.

So, a 33% cut will reduce their emissions to 10% below 1990 levels, the Kyoto baseline year. In other words, in the last 17 years their emissions have climbed 23%. What do you think their chances of success are?

Law & Order - Controversial in Canada

Only in Canada could a statement that you will appoint judges who will enforce the law be considered controversial.

Steven Harper is frankly admitting that he's looking for judges who will back his law-and-order agenda – and provoking cries from his opponents that he's trying to subvert the judiciary for political ends.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion suggested the mask of moderation that Harper put on for the last election has finally slipped from his face.

"He has a lot of difficulty to hide his neo-conservative, very right-wing agenda," Dion said in an interview "He tries his best to look centrist and moderate, but he's unable to hide it."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said he's still trying to figure out the precise impact of changes the Tories have made to the advisory committees in each province that have long vetted candidates for the federal bench.

But Harper's comments clearly give cause for concern, said Layton.

"You never know with this government. The way they have decided to choose judges certainly indicates that they are adopting a much more partisan approach to the whole question."

How is it partisan to want to enforce the law?

Traffic Cameras

In my office we use this site all the time to check on road conditions. It definitely gives you a good idea of what the weather is doing in places. My family could check on us in Hampton Roads or Richmond. I can check to see what it's like for my daughter in Minneapolis, my parents in Denver, or niece in Seattle.

So, go check out TrafficLand.

My Home Office

We were talking at work today about what kind of space we have to work in at home. Some of the guys that get to work from home a day a week note they are spending too much time in the refrigerator, as they sit with their laptops at the kitchen table.

I'm fortunate in having a nice home office workspace. And, it is mine, as Winnie has her own office a floor above mine.

Darwin Awards - IV

Well, at least this time it wasn't copper that killed 'em.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — An animal lover was mauled to death by cheetahs after entering their cage at a zoo in northern Belgium, authorities and zoo officials said Monday. Karen Aerts, 37, of Antwerp, was found dead in the cage, Olmense Zoo spokesman Jan Libot said. Police said they ruled out any foul play. Authorities believe Aerts, a regular visitor to the zoo, hid in the park late Sunday until it closed and managed to find the keys to the cheetah cage. "Karen loved animals. Unfortunately the cheetahs betrayed her trust," Libot said. One of the cats that killed Aerts was named Bongo, whom the woman had adopted under a special program. She paid for Bongo's food, Libot said. Animal rights group GAIA called for the immediate closure of the zoo, located 55 miles northeast of Brussels, saying it was unsafe for both visitors and the cats. Rudy Demotte, the Belgian minister responsible for animal welfare, sent a team to investigate.

No, the zoo is perfectly safe for people and animals as designed. It is when someone purposely subverts the security measures, as Ms. Aerts did (and some animal rights nuts are prone to) that the situation becomes unsafe.

Meanwhile, "the cheetahs betrayed her trust"? What, she had some sort of special agreement and understanding with them?

Burlesque

One of my coworkers pointed this article out to me, having previously seen my Hilda site. (Thanks Stu!) My immediate reaction was "Yummy! Too bad that's not a woman!" (Well, they do say most men are only about three beers away from performing an unnatural act.)

After checking out "her" website, I'm less sure. What does anyone else think? Is this a woman? Or another Divine wannabe?

Underage Drunk Driving - Part II

A few days ago I commented on how a discussion of laws which allow parents to give their children (and only their children) alcohol in their own home. The article continued into the side issue of a high school girl, who had been drinking, and caused a fatal accident. I wondered why every such discussion about alcohol use of any sort led to talk about underage drunk driving.

Now why are these paragraphs in the same article? Why not just remove the word "underage" from the whole article and admit you're trying to ban alcohol?

Well, it turns out it might as well have been that instead. Today we get this news about the crash "victim."

A bartender whose death in a New Year's Day wreck sparked an outpouring of concern about underage drinking was intoxicated at the time of the crash, his family said yesterday.

He didn't cause the accident, but he could have. As a bartender, he presumably knew the risks he was taking himself, and that he was imposing on others as well, but he did it anyway. I hate to call this a mitigating circumstance, but this girl faces 20 years in prison.

Leonard Nimoy

Almost as disturbing as the video of William Shatner that I posted earlier, is this one of Leonard Nimoy.

Brady Bunch - Collie Style

There are some absolutely adorable white-factored collie puppies available for adoption at Tri-State. Winnie wishes she could talk me into another girl, like "Cindy" here.

These little guys are only 8 weeks old, and six of them are in "rescue" already. Jeez, give a pup a break!

Darwin Awards - Part III

This time, from Texas. Copper gets them again.

The death of 28-year-old Michael Lee Williams Saturday morning is believed by law enforcement to have been caused by electrocution from copper wires he was allegedly stealing.

At the scene, Walker reported, he saw a pair of large red wire cutters tangled in the guide wires to the power pole. “It appears the deceased had attempted to use this guide wire as a ground for the wire cutters,” the report states. On top of the meter loop, he found a shoe print that matched Mr. Williams’ shoe, and a hat and glove were nearby. Walker’s report states “It was apparent from the cut wiring that the deceased had attempted to cut the copper wire from the power pole drop to the meter loop. During this endeavor the deceased had accidentally touched two hot wires together, causing the circuit to be completed, and he was electrocuted.”

Do you remember those copper bracelets that were supposed to cure your arthritis, and attract positive energy, etc.? Maybe what copper is attracting is just a mysterious force I will henceforth dub "stupid." As in "the 'stupid' really seem to be drawn toward this."

Copper, again

What is it about crooks and copper? OK, the price has been up. The copper in an (old) penny is now worth a nickel. But why go to such lengths to steal it when you hold just be hijacking cars instead?

Phone service had to be restored in late December to hundreds of people in the Cabin Creek area after thieves cut the telephone lines for copper.

Also in December, a man whose body was found in the downtown area appeared to have been electrocuted while trying to remove copper cable from a utility pole, Point Pleasant police said.

In September, ten adults and four juveniles were charged in a suspected theft ring that netted up to $200,000 worth of copper from four coal mines in Upshur County, including the Sago Mine.

Last August, two men had to be rescued from an abandoned mine in Mammoth, Kanawha County, where they got stuck after apparently going in to steal copper wiring.

Well, at least not all of these people wind up on my Darwin Award list, though it sounds like it was a close thing.

Rocket Man

This is just so very, very, wrong on so many levels.

Immigration Bills

Some immigration bills are wending their way through the General Assembly here. I think the provisions sound fairly innocuous, as they are mostly reiterations of "being here without permission is wrong", and "helping people who are not supposed to be here is wrong, too."

Naturally, some disagree. I'm willing to accept that some Americans think our immigration rules are too strict, but what should I think about this organization? I think their name says it all. -

Advocates of illegal immigrants in Virginia yesterday began four days of events at the state Capitol to draw attention to bills they believe will harm undocumented workers.

Nancy Lyall, legal director of Mexicanos Sin Fronteras (Mexicans Without Borders) said more than 40 bills are being considered by the General Assembly this session that target illegal-immigration issues.

One would require immigrants to produce documentation proving they are legally in this country before registering their children for public school.

Another would make it a crime for a citizen to provide shelter to an illegal immigrant.

Still others would allow state law-enforcement personnel to act as immigration officers.

"The Virginia Legislature is considering some of the most offensive bills in the history of Virginia," Lyall said during a news conference. "We're wondering where is the onslaught of mean-spirited and truly hateful legislation coming from?"

Mexicans Without Borders? So, y'all won't mind if I come down and carve out a little kingdom for myself around Cancun, huh?

As to "where this is coming from", I could get into discussions concerning the general illegality of the immigrant actions, costs to our society, and so forth, but why bother?

Let me leave it at this - "What damn business is it of yours what laws we have in our country? If you don't like it, you can go home. "

"We need Virginians to say, 'We will not be terrorized by laws that divide us against their neighbors and laws that make the immoral seem moral.'"

By, the way, that statement is not against the illegal aliens, it against the laws trying to "dis-invite" them. This is about the most incredible moral inversions I've yet encountered. Well, maybe not considering the state of the Democratic Party.