Thursday, April 01, 2010

Bottom of the News… Friday, April 2, 2010

Good morning my fellow Rotarians. Today our news features some of the strange, but yet true news that do not make the headlines…

London Times: Britain's biggest marijuana-importing operation was exposed in March following the conviction of its three managers. The operation earned over $300 million just in this past year, up nearly 40% over their previous year. The three partners apparently were unable to spend all of their earnings. Despite buying real estate, jewelry and expensive cars, a Scotland Yard inspector said they found "moldy" cash "rotting” away, hidden under floorboards when they searched their marijuana headquarters. Experts say increase in business might be an early sign of an improving economy.

Falmouth, MA: Police hired John Yarrington as an informant/drug dealer setting him up with $100 in marked bills to make a cocaine buy from another dealer. Yarrington did his job for police, completing the deal and then left the scene. However about 15 minutes later, before police had even left the scene of the first deal, Yarrington returned and attempted to buy more cocaine on his own. Police promptly arrested him along with the first dealer he set up as an informant.

Canada: Two-time convicted bank robber Mark Turner filed a lawsuit against the Canadian Parole Board in 2001 claiming they released him too early from prison in 1987. He claimed that the board should have kept him inside until that sentence ran out seven years later. Not long after getting out in ’87 Turner robbed another bank and claimed it was the board's fault, not his. He said if they would have kept him in prison, that by 1994, he would have been more mature and would not have robbed another bank. And for the parole board's error, he sued for payment of $1 million. Hmmm, where is the real robbery? Canada just finally settled this case for an undisclosed amount earlier this year.

London Daily Telegraph: The day before British army chef Liam Francis, 26, arrived at his base in Afghanistan, the Taliban shot down the helicopter bringing in food rations and Francis realized he had to make do with supplies on hand. All he had in his pantry were seasonings and hundreds of tins of Spam. For six weeks Francis prepared "sweet and sour Spam," "Spam fritters," "Spam carbonara," "Spam stroganoff" and "stir-fried Spam." He told the Daily Telegraph that he was proud of his work but admitted that "morale improved" with his unit when fresh food arrived. This puts a different slant on ‘war being hell…’

And there you have it, real but strange news as our Bottom of the News on this Friday, April 2, 2010. ###

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