"'Isn't having a smoking section in a restaurant kind of like having a peeing section in a pool?' "
00:31 Posted by David
:Thu Sep 25, 4:04 PM ET
By JULIE E. BISBEE, Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY - U.S. District Judge Lee R. West's telephone has not stopped ringing since he sided with telemarketers seeking to block a popular national do-not-call list.
Egged on by talk show hosts and angry Web sites, people have flooded West's office and home with calls and faxes, apparently trying to show him why they wanted to ban unsolicited sales calls.
"They are just calling to tie up our lines," said Rick Wade, operations manager at the district clerk's office. "They just keep calling to harass us, like the telemarketers harass them, I guess."
The phones at the federal courthouse were jammed Thursday morning and voicemail boxes were stuffed with messages blasting West's ruling that the Federal Trade Commission lacked authority to create and operate the registry.
West's home and office telephone numbers were posted on the Internet, and consumers angry with the ruling were encouraged to call. Calls by The Associated Press to West's home seeking comment were blocked by busy signals.
The ruling even made late-night television talk show host Jay Leno 's monologue Wednesday night.
"The judge says the telemarketers can call you whenever they want," Leno said. "You know what we should do? Let's all call this judge tonight at home during dinner."
West did please some businesses with his ruling Tuesday. Telemarketers say the list would devastate their industry and lead to the loss of thousands of jobs.
Rick Ratliff, president of U.S. Security, Inc., one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the list, said his company laid off half of its 600 employees because of restrictions on telemarketing.
"U.S. Security does not sell anything over the phone," he said. "We simply ask for the opportunity to tell someone about the lifesaving benefits of our security and fire systems in a face-to-face meeting."
The do-not-call registry appears that it will go forward after all. The House approved legislation Thursday intended to ensure the list goes into effect next week. After less than an hour of debate, which included potshots at West from both parties, House members voted 412-8 to approve the bill.
___
On the Net:
National Do Not Call Registry: http://www.donotcall.gov
00:25 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Even Drivers with Cell Phones Back Ban: "Thu Sep 25,10:14 AM ET
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Everybody dislikes people who talk on cellular telephones while driving, even those guilty of the practice, a new survey suggests.
In New Jersey, 84 percent of voters who own cell phones told Quinnipiac University pollsters that they support a state ban on the use of hand-held cell phones while driving.
Such a ban is being considered by state lawmakers.
However, 42 percent of cell phone owners also acknowledged using the devices 'very often' or 'sometimes' while driving, though slightly more than half of them said they used hands-free cell phones when they were behind the wheel.
The overwhelming majority of New Jersey voters -- 83 percent -- said they believe banning cell phones would make the state's highway system safer. But only 38 percent believed such a ban would be easy to enforce.
The Quinnipiac survey, conducted by telephone Sept. 18-22, surveyed 968 registered voters and had a 3.2 percent margin of error. "
23:59 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Cyprus cabbies told bin the chest wigs: "Wed Sep 10, 5:26 AM ET
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus wants its taxi drivers to bin their medallions, cover up hairy belly buttons and ditch flashy rings to project a cleaner image among tourists.
The island's licensing authority plans etiquette classes for its cabbies after surveys conducted among holidaymakers showed some grooming was needed, Alithia newspaper reported on Wednesday.
'Thick gold chains around the neck, sovereign rings on three of the five fingers...all this has got to go,' the daily quoted an official at the licensing authority as saying.
Explicit tattoos, shorts exposing hairy legs and flip-flops were also in for the chop, the official added.
About 2.5 million tourists flock to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus every year, over half of them from western Europe. "
23:54 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Inmate Falls Into Judge's Chambers: "Tue Sep 9, 7:41 AM ET
DECATUR, Ga. - An inmate found himself before a judge sooner than he expected when he fell through the courthouse ceiling into the judge's chambers while trying to escape, police said.
Ben N. Rogozensky, 31, was one of about a dozen inmates awaiting hearings Monday when he was taken to the empty jury room to speak with his attorney.
The inmate asked to go into the adjacent restroom and from there climbed into the ceiling crawl space, DeKalb County sheriff's spokeswoman Mikki Jones said.
State Court Judge J. Antonio DelCampo was in the courtroom when the barefoot Rogozensky fell through the ceiling and landed near the judge's desk in his chambers.
A technician who was fixing the judge's computer called for security officers, who grabbed Rogozensky in the hallway.
Rogozensky was arrested Sept. 2 and charged with obstruction of officers and giving false information. "
23:52 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Motorist caught playing flute at 80mph: "Wed Sep 10, 6:27 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - German police have caught a man playing the flute with both hands as he sped through traffic at 130 kph (80 mph) on a busy highway.
'He was leaning back in the seat and steering the car with his knees and feet,' said Johann Bohnert, a spokesman for police in the town of Traunstein near the Austrian border. 'He looked like he'd had practice.' He now faces a fine of 50 euros (35.2 pounds).
The 52-year-old from Salzburg in Austria, birthplace of Mozart, the composer whose works include the opera 'The Magic Flute', told police he was not actually blowing the instrument. 'He said he was just practising fingerings,' said Bohnert. "
23:52 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Alabama Fire Truck Burns Down Own Station: "Wed Sep 10, 4:08 PM ET
IDER, Ala. - A fire truck that had just returned from the scene of a blaze caught fire itself at its station, destroying the building and the vehicle.
The engine of the truck had been turned off, but some malfunction, possibly a gasoline leak, caused a fire under the hood, firefighter Brad Hannah said.
Ider, a town of about 670 people in the rural northeast corner of Alabama, has two other fire trucks. Assistant Fire Chief Ronnie Cloud said Wednesday. Those trucks were out on calls during the fire. "
23:50 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Four Fined for Faking Death to Buy Fuel: "Wed Sep 10, 9:24 AM ET
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe police arrested four men for faking a death to get preferential treatment on the sale of fuel, state television reported Wednesday.
An acute shortage of hard currency since 1999 in Zimbabwe has resulted in erratic fuel supplies and the problem has worsened since a deal with Libya collapsed last November.
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said police arrested and fined four men after suspicious attendants at a Harare garage offering priority to bereaved families found one of them hiding inside the coffin aboard a vehicle seeking petrol.
The latest report follows a local newspaper story in July, which said police arrested two mortuary workers for renting out corpses to motorists looking for a way to jump the long queues at the pumps. "
23:49 Posted by David
Yahoo! News - Easy Come, Easy Go: $50 Million Jackpot Gone: "Wed Sep 10, 9:23 AM ET
MIAMI (Reuters) - It's too late. It was a lottery ticket worth $50 million and somebody had it in their pocket and didn't claim it and now it's too late.
Florida lottery officials say the person who bought a quick pick ticket at a Miami-area food market for the March 12 draw let the 180-day deadline pass on Tuesday.
'Somebody didn't get their $50 million,' lottery spokeswoman Sheila Griffin said. 'There is no second chance.'
It was the largest of 19 unclaimed jackpots in the 15-year history of the Florida Lottery. Winners have missed out on nearly $123 million.
'Our thought is that it was someone who was on vacation who went home and never checked their numbers,' Griffin said.
The previous highest unclaimed prize was $15 million in 1991.
The $50 million returns to the lottery, which uses it for special promotions that ultimately boost sales, Griffin said.
The winning numbers were 22-23-35-45-50-53. But they're just numbers now.
No one has ever tried to claim a prize after the deadline. If they did, it wouldn't do any good.
'Too late,' Griffin said."
23:44 Posted by David
KTVU.com - News - Girls Call For Pot, Ring Sheriff's Cell Phone: "Girls Call For Pot, Ring Sheriff's Cell Phone
Sheriff Sets Up 'Dupe' Drug Sale, Busts Teens At Scene
AUSTIN, Minn. -- When two Wisconsin girls called to buy marijuana, they sure dialed the wrong number.
The teenagers dialed the cell phone of Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi. After Amazi said she was the sheriff, the caller said she was sorry and hung up.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again. This time, Amazi let a deputy answer. The lawman, who called himself 'Dupe,' arranged to meet the girls at a convenience store.
Police say the girls were busted at the scene with money to buy the pot and some drug paraphernalia. Amazi said it is amazing the girls didn't know what 'duped' means."
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