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Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-punishment/2011/03/elementary-students-hospitalized-cocaine-use#ixzz1GwczkmSj

President Obama slammed for March Madness bracket during budget, Japan, Libya turmoil

 Aliyah Shahid
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Originally Published:Thursday, March 17th 2011, 2:20 PM
Updated: Thursday, March 17th 2011, 4:14 PM

Conservatives are bouncing mad over what they called President Obama's obsession with March Madness, saying he's ignoring more pressing global issues.

The Palin Implosion

 

John Avlon

Call off the coronation—the media’s caught on to the slow motion implosion of Sarah Palin’s popularity, and with it her prospective presidential campaign.

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Palin’s approval ratings among Republicans had declined by double digits since October, while her “strongly unfavorable” rating reached 17 percent among the GOP and 28 percent among Republican-leaning independents. This shift in the conservative populist tide provoked a series of memorable (and frankly enviable) headlines like “The Incredible Shrinking Sarah Palin” from Politico and other outlets.

 

Sarah Palin pauses during a speech at a campaign rally for U.S. Senator John McCain at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona on March 27, 2010. (Joshua Lott, Reuters / Landov)

But the real story is the continued erosion of support for Sarah Palin. By the end of her three-month stint as John McCain’s VP nominee, 59 percent of American voters believed that Sarah Palin was not ready for the job, and 47 percent of self-described centrists said they were actually less likely to vote for McCain because of Palin’s presence on the ticket.

There was no doubt that she was beloved by the conservative base, but one year after the election, with Palin acting as voice of the opposition, 63 percent of Americans already said that they would “not seriously consider” her for president.

By April 2010, even 47 percent of Tea Party supporters said that Sarah Palin would not “have the ability to be an effective president”—while only 40 percent believed she would. At the height of Tea Party enthusiasm, Palin’s conservative populist base was saying “thanks, but no thanks” to a prospective presidential campaign. It was a judgment call by the people who knew her best.

Sarah Palin runs the risk of being little more than the thinking man’s Michele Bachmann.

But media fascination with Palin helped prop her up by keeping her in the public eye and in the 2012 consideration set. Her Tweets and Facebook posts made news, aiding her promotions for books and a reality TV show. Her undeserved omnipresence prompted comedian, Sirius radio host and fellow CNN contributor Pete Dominick to propose the “Sarah Palin Sneeze Rule”—a protest against shoe-horning her into political segments virtually every time she sneezed.

Beneath the enabled self-promotion was a startling lack of preparation for a serious presidential campaign. Quitting her job as the governor of Alaska after 32-months, certainly gave Palin the opportunity to cash in on her notoriety but it also gave her the opportunity to begin studying for the presidency. But she has so far declined to build the defined outlines of a campaign apparatus or participate in the usual conservative cattle calls like CPAC. One year’s absence could be seen as strategic, three years starts to look like a snub.

A revealing Des Moines Register poll from late last month found that likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers who had a “very favorable” opinion of Palin declined from 27 percent to 18 percent since November ‘09—while her “very unfavorable” numbers doubled from 5 to 10 percent. This trend is not her friend.

In the next primary stop, New Hampshire, Palin fares even less well. Fully 50 percent of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters view her unfavorably, according to a Granite State poll this February while only 33 percent view her favorably.

Any hope of avoiding a negative narrative tidal wave at this stage would have to come from a victory in conservative South Carolina or delegate-rich Florida. But Palin’s overall numbers are upside down in both states, with disapproval ratings in the high-fifties and approval ratings in the mid-thirties.

Even in John McCain’s home state of Arizona, Sarah Palin is trailing President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 general election match-up, 49 percent to 41 percent.

The clear portrait that emerges is of a conservative populist icon who has chosen celebrity over statesmanship, and is being judged accordingly. Palin has gone from being the most polarizing figure in American politics to an increasingly polarizing figure within the Republican Party. She was never likely to win a general election, but now there are statistical reasons to seriously doubt her ability to win the presidential nomination.

“She went from being a political figure to being a celebrity—all of which kept her popular. But in the course of those two years she added no substance,” says Ed Rollins, the legendary Republican campaign manager who traces his career from Reagan ‘84 to Huckabee ‘08. “People now judge her against other players in the next campaign—they might like her personally but think that she’s less serious, less ready to be president. Is that irreversible? Maybe not. But her books aren’t selling—the last one bombed.”

"Sarah Palin's numbers may be falling due to overexposure,” concurred nationally syndicated columnist and National Review Contributing Editor Deroy Murdock. “Also, and more important, she unfortunately seems to spend more time in the great outdoors with cable-TV cameras than in the great indoors with books and research papers on the serious issues that face this country and our world. Rather than well-reasoned policy addresses, she gives us breathless 'tweets.' Palin is charismatic and easily draws a crowd. She would have a lot more to offer, however, if it were not for her unbearable lightness of being."

It’s tempting to say that if Sarah Palin planned to side-step a 2012 presidential campaign all along, she has played her hand well. But the truth is that she has emerged from the past two and a half years considerably diminished. Palin is not taken seriously as presidential material, even by her fellow populist conservatives. In part, her support seems to have been eaten up by a more seasoned social conservative, Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa last time around. Palin’s schtick has spawned a legion of imitators who now compete to claim her mantle as the person most likely to inflame the base with calculated irresponsibility. Some of these pretenders may even be considering a run for president themselves. It’s a sobering prospect when you consider the full Republican field. Sarah Palin runs the risk of being little more than the thinking man’s Michele Bachmann.

John Avlon's new book Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America is available now by Beast Books both on the Web and in paperback. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and a CNN contributor. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.

 

It happened shortly after 8 p.m. on Wade Hampton Boulevard. 

Police said the woman called them complaining about a domestic situation. 

 

Investigators soon found out she was wanted on multiple warrants in North Carolina. 

 

They handcuffed her and put her in the back of a police car. 

 

Officers were waiting for the woman's car to be towed when she jumped out the back and took off, police said. They say she somehow got out of her handcuffs. 

 

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit helped track the woman down a quarter of a mile away at a restaurant. 

 

Police say she had called a cab and was waiting for it when police got there. She was then arrested again and taken into custody.

 

 

 

 

Man stopped for speeding leaves behind son, $80K and 7 pounds of pot

 

Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

11:38 a.m. Thursday, March 17, 2011

 

A man pulled over for speeding in Milton ran from police, leaving his crying 6-year-old son, seven pounds of marijuana and $80,000 in vacuum-sealed packages in his Dodge Charger, police said.

The wild incident began Tuesday night on Deerfield Parkway when an officer clocked LeBeau driving 49 miles per hour, 14 over the speed limit. The officer "could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle," the police report states, and asked LeBeau to step to the back of the car while it was searched. That's when LeBeau took off down Morris Road toward Morris Lake, the report says.

"When Mr. LeBeau ran from his vehicle towards Morris Lake, he left his six-year-old son in the back seat of the car unattended," the report states. "The child was not wearing a seatbelt and the door to the vehicle was left open toward traffic. The child was visibly upset and crying."

LeBeau, of Norcross, also left behind a backpack containing several vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, another backpack with loose bags of marijuana and a third bag with two vacuum-sealed packages, police said.

Those packages each held $40,000 in cash, a Dodge Charger vehicle guide and a Marijuana Grower's Bible, according to the report.

LeBeau was charged with obstruction, two counts of attempted robbery, reckless conduct, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, seatbelt violation, speeding and failure to maintain lane.

LeBeau was booked into the Fulton County Jail, and his son was placed with a relative, AM 750 andnow95.5 FM News/Talk WSB reported.

Noise, apparently, is in the ear of the beholder.

Consider this dispute between neighbors at a Lake Highlands condo complex.

Peter and Abbey Ure live in an upstairs unit at Woodlands II on the Creek with their tow headed 20-month-old son Sawyer — who, like most toddlers, seems to have Pavarotti-strength pipes and energy to burn.

Downstairs, an adult couple says the smashing and bashing is enough to make their recessed lights rattle.

This week — after months of phone calls, tense negotiations and a hearing before their homeowners association — the Ures received a letter from their association and a $1,650 fine for 33 alleged incidents.

The letter stated that Woodlands II was built as an adult community without play areas. Later, the letter stated the fine would be reduced to $250. But next time, if the noise continues, the Ures will be charged the full $50 per incident.

“They are making it unaffordable for us to live in our home because of our child and it’s going to force us to leave,” said Abbey Ure.

The young couple decided not to go quietly. This week, they made their case to reporters and refused to pay the fine.

“It got to the point where I was freaking out trying to stop Sawyer every time he ran across the floor,” she said. “I hated that because I feel like children need to move — not that they need to be crazy or rambunctious and disturb people. But I feel like it’s an important part of their development.”

The Ures purchased their two-story condo at the 104-unit complex about seven months ago. After the noise complaints, they moved Sawyer’s toys to the top floor of their home and attempted to pad their downstairs floor from noise.

The Ures, who have complained about cigarette smoke permeating their home from their neighbor’s condo below, suggested a structural problem may be responsible for the noise.

Bob Blend, an attorney for the Garland-based HOA, Alternative Management Group Inc., said the Ures will be sent a letter that offers to suspend the fine and hold another hearing. But he said that doesn’t mean the decision will be reversed.

“Everybody’s got to follow the rules and the question is, ‘Are the rules reasonable and are they fair and are they fair to both sides?’” he said. “That’s what the board has to decide.”

This is not the first time the HOA has produced headlines.

In 2009, the association sent a letter to Vietnam veteran Frank Larison, threatening to tow his car if he didn’t remove or cover up its Marine Corps decals. A letter from the management group described the bumper stickers as “advertisements.”

After Larison enlisted an attorney — and after a barrage of critical media reports — the HOA backed down.

The Ures’ downstairs neighbors said this case illustrates the opposite end of the spectrum: an association enforcing commonly agreed-on covenants.

They released a written statement but asked that their names not be used.

“We tried to resolve this in a neighborly fashion but all we ever received from the Ures was empty promises about controlling the noise level,” the e-mail read. “When moving into an HOA, everyone accepts the fact that certain concessions and sacrifices need to be made by everyone. …

“This is simply a case in which the Ures feel like they don’t have to abide by the same rules that everyone else does.”

Abbey Ure said the noise coming from their condo is reasonable. She called the association’s rules arbitrary and capricious.

“It basically states that you can be fined for anything annoying or disturbing or objectionable or harmful, which can basically be defined as anything they say,” she said.

Blend said the HOA is hoping for de-escalation.

“Everybody has to take the step of putting themselves in the other person’s shoes,” he said.

Sandusky man calls 911 from jail cell, said being held against will

ADAM MAWSON

Morning Journal

 

SANDUSKY — A 26-year-old Sandusky man talked himself into an extra charge when he called 911 on a cell phone from inside a holding cell at the Sandusky Police Department.

Joseph Walsh used his cell phone on Sunday to call 911 and told the dispatcher he was being held against his will, according to a Sandusky police report.

Walsh was in jail on accusations he tried to start a fight with patrons at the Water Street Bar, 101 E. Water St. Officers went to the bar around 3:18 a.m. where they saw Walsh arguing with other patrons. He was warned to calm down and several people escorted him across the street to a vehicle.

Officers heard Walsh continue to argue with his friends, who also asked him to calm down and when he shoved another man away from him, he was arrested, according to the report.

Before putting him into a cruiser, an officer searched Walsh and found a bag of cocaine and a rolled up $20 bill. On the way to the police station, Walsh was “belligerent and turbulent with officers,” the report stated. After being placed into a cell, Walsh screamed and pounded on the cell door. When he refused to stop he was handcuffed to the cell door in the back of the holding facility.

After officer left him, Walsh used his cell phone to call 911 and complained he was being held against his will. A disoriented Walsh said he was unsure where he was being held.

An officer went into the holding cell and took the cell phone from Walsh. An additional charge of misuse of 911 was added to the charges of possession of cocaine and persistent disorderly conduct while intoxicated and he was taken to Erie County Jail.

 

LINK TO PHOTO AND AUDIO TAPE: 

http://morningjournal.com/articles/2011/03/16/news/erie_huron/mj4255419.txt?viewmode=fullstory

• 

Washington

It has been a tough couple of days for former Alaska governor and Fox News commentator Sarah Palin.

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll, released Wednesday, found that Ms. Palin’s favorability ratings among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have dropped to a new low. Fifty-eight percent of those voters still view her favorably – not exactly shabby, by most standards. But compared with the 88 percent favorable rating she enjoyed right after Sen. John McCain picked her as his running mate in 2008 – and even the 70 percent positive rating she enjoyed as recently as October – Palin is definitely on a downward slide.

Even more troubling for Palin, especially if she harbors presidential ambitions, is that her negative ratings among Republicans are higher than those for other possible GOP presidential contenders. Thirty-seven percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners see Palin unfavorably, the ABC News survey said. That exceeds former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s unfavorable ratings by 11 percentage points, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s by 16 points, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s by 19 points.

Support among Republicans is especially crucial for Palin given her standing with the general public. An ABC News/Post poll in December found that 59 percent of all likely voters would not consider voting for her for president.

“The results indicate continued challenges for Palin in public opinion,” Gary Langer wrote on the ABC News blog The Numbers. Mr. Langer provides public opinion polling and analysis to ABC News.

The poll slippage comes at a time when Palin's fellow conservatives are taking political pot shots at her. On Monday, former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg wrote in The Hill newspaper that a presidential primary season in which there is no clear front-runner could help Palin. He added, “Although she is not viewed by most as strong enough to win, she is viewed by many as a person worth voting for to make a statement.”

In addition, several well-known conservatives criticized Palin in an article published Monday on the website Politico. Weekly Standard magazine writer Matt Labash told the website that Palin is "becoming Al Sharpton, Alaska edition" due to her "appeals to victimhood and group grievance." The same article quoted veteran conservative columnist George Will on Palin’s potential effect on an idea-driven conservative movement. Could the GOP remain the party of ideas if Palin were the presidential nominee? “The answer is emphatically no,” Mr. Will told Politico.

Woman injured after toilet breaks in South Side McDonald’s: lawsuit

 

Sun-Times Media Wire

Mar 16, 2011 02:30PM

 

An 11-month-old red Tibetan mastiff has become the world's most expensive dog after a Chinese coal baron bought the young pooch for a jaw-dropping $1.6 million.

The seller says the canine is named Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese. The identity of the multimillionaire owner and when the sale took place remains under wraps.

Red Tibetan mastiffs are rarely found outside of Tibet and have become something of a status symbol for the nouveau riche.

The breeder, Lu Lian, described Big Splash as a "perfect specimen" and said the extravagant price tag was "completely justified."

"We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay," Lian told London's The Telegraph, adding that the new owner could charge $16,000 each time Big Splash breeds with another dog.

Previously, the world's most expensive dog was another Tibetan mastiff named Yangtze River Number Two. That pup sold for roughly $600,000

Pepsi bottles introduced Tuesday are made from 100 percent plant material. Company plans to market test plant-based Pepsi bottles next year.

PepsiCo Inc. unveiled a new bottle Tuesday made entirely of plant material that it says bests the technology of competitor Coca-Cola and reduces bottles' carbon footprint.

The bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.

The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles, said Rocco Papalia, senior vice president of advanced research at PepsiCo.

"It's a beautiful thing to behold," he said. "It's indistinguishable."

PepsiCo says it is the world's first bottle of a common type of plastic called PET made entirely of plant materials. Coca-Cola Co. currently produces a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials and recently estimated it would be several years before it has a 100 percent plant bottle that's commercially viable.

"We've cracked the code," Papalia said.

PepsiCo announced the discovery Tuesday and said it plans to test the product in 2012 in a few hundred thousand bottles. Once the company is sure it can successfully produce the bottle at that scale, it will begin converting all its products over.

That could mean a switch of billions of bottles sold each year. Of Pepsi's 19 biggest brands, those that generate more than $1 billion in revenue, 11 are beverage brands that use PET.

Scientists said the technology is important innovation in packaging.

"This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics," said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council and director of its waste management project. "When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond."

Coca-Cola said it welcomed other advances in packaging, but noted that it has scaled up use of its own plant-based bottle since introducing it in 2009. It also says it has demonstrated a 100 percent plant bottle in the lab and is still working to ensure it is commercially viable.

There are other plant-based plastics available or in development, but Herskowitz said these are not environmentally preferred because they typically use plants grown solely for that purpose rather than using the estimated 2 billion tons of agricultural waste produced each year. And these alternative plastics cannot be recycled.

PET plastic is a go-to material for packaging because it's lightweight and shatter-resistant, its safety is well-researched and it doesn't affect flavors. It is not biodegradable or compostable but it is recyclable.

A completely plant-based PET could change the industry standard for plastic packaging. PET is used in beverage bottles, food pouches, coatings and other common products.

Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels, including petroleum, a limited resource that's rising in price. By using plant material instead, companies reduce their environmental impact.

Pepsi, based in Purchase, N.Y., said it has had dozens of people working on the process for years. While PepsiCo wouldn't specify the cost to research and design the new bottle, Papalia said it is in the millions of dollars.