Deadbeat Dad Found Out by Facebook Wednesday, June 5

Christopher Robinson, 23, became just one of many recent suspects whose addiction to Facebook did him in. Robinson never made a single child support payment in the three years since a court order was issued in Milwaukee, Wis., and the case had …

Wand-wielding Fraud Wednesday, June 5

Briton James McCormick caused the deaths of hundreds of Iraqis after convincing a Baghdad police official his "electronic" wands could detect bombs at 400 security checkpoints (in spite of U.S. officials' many warnings that they were useless). In …

Nun Is National Security Threat Wednesday, June 5

Catholic nun Megan Rice, 83, and two other peace activists were convicted in May of breaking into the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., last year — with "intent to harm national security." Sympathizers lauded the activists' …

Backyard Barnyard Wednesday, May 29

The Department of Agriculture reported recently that in four of America's largest cities — New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Denver — nearly one home out of 100 keeps chickens either for a fresh egg supply or as pets, giving rise to chicken …

If It Rains Too Hard, We'll Tax Your Roofs Wednesday, May 29

"Consider all the ways we're taxed," wrote Maryland's community Gazette in April — when we're born, die, earn income, spend it, own property, sell it, attend entertainment venues, operate vehicles, and pass wealth along after death, among others. …

Festering Fees Wednesday, May 29

In April, The Washington Post reported the federal government is due to spend $890,000 this year to safeguard … nothing. The amount is the total fees for maintaining more than 13,000 short-term bank accounts the government owns but which have no …

California Compensation Calamity Wednesday, May 29

It's good to be the Alameda County administrator, on San Francisco Bay, south of Oakland. In March, The San Francisco Chronicle revealed Susan Muranishi somehow negotiated a contract that pays her $301,000 a year, plus "equity pay" of $24,000 a …

Helium Hullabaloo Wednesday, May 29

Congress established a National Helium Reserve in 1925 in the era of "zeppelin" balloons, but most consider it no longer useful (most, that is, ranging from Ronald Reagan to the Democratic congressman who in 1996 called it one program that, if we …

Jew in the Box Wednesday, May 29

The Jewish Museum in Berlin is currently staging what's become known as the "Jew in the Box" exhibit to teach visitors about Judaism — simply featuring one knowledgeable Jewish person who sits in a chair in a glass box for two hours a day and …

Popped Poop Wednesday, May 29

Hong Kong's April 25 weather wreaked havoc on American artist Paul McCarthy's outdoor, 50-foot-tall piece of "inflatable art" in West Kowloon Cultural District. "Complex Pile" (a model of an arrangement of excrement) got punctured, which mostly …