Who Is That Masked Councilman? Wednesday, May 15

The Oita, Japan, city council refused to seat a recently elected member because he refused to remove the mask he always wears in public. Professional wrestler "Skull Reaper A-ji" said fans wouldn't accept him as authentic if he strayed from …

Holy Handguns Wednesday, March 27

One of the many decisions greeting Pope Francis, as Salon.com pointed out, is whether to officially recognize a Patron Saint of Handgunners — as urged by a U.S. organization of activists …

Teflon Defendant Defeated Wednesday, May 1

Corey Moore, a Washington, D.C., "street legend," according to The Washington Post, for beating arrest after arrest on murder and firearms charges, was finally convicted in February and faced at least 15 years in prison. The case was broken by a …

Politician Blows It Wednesday, May 15

At a Jan. 8 public meeting, Cooper City, Fla., Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi, annoyed with local activist (and former commissioner) Gladys Wilson, told her (according to video and audio of the meeting), "blow me." Wilson, 81, said later she didn't …

Defending Free Speech About Drugs Wednesday, March 27

Americans may feel safe that the Food & Drug Administration approves a drug only for certain specific uses, but in December, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York ruled drug company salespeople …

Pornographic Pixies Wednesday, May 15

Passive possession of child pornography is not a victimless crime, authorities say, because by definition a child had been abused in the creation of the image, but that reasoning was no relief for New Zealander Ronald Clark, sentenced to three …

Inaccessible Accessibility Complaints Wednesday, March 27

Denials of disability allowances in Basildon, England, near London, are handled at Acorn House courthouse, on the fourth floor, where afflicted people who believe they were wrongly rejected for …

Pushy Prisoner Wednesday, May 15

John Leopold, former Anne Arundel County, Md., executive, serving 30 days in jail for illegally forcing his government security detail and another employee to run personal errands, apparently wasted no time in March showing a similar attitude toward …

Lock-picking 101 Wednesday, March 27

Among the helpful civic classes the Oakland, Calif., city government set up earlier this year for residents was one on how to pick locks, supposedly to aid folks who'd accidentally locked themselves …

Guessing Where Gangs Will Grapple Wednesday, May 15

California street gangs stage fights whose locations can be accurately predicted using the same algorithm anthropologists use to predict where lions and hyenas will fight in the wild to protect their territories. A UCLA researcher, using the …