They Are Crazy in Florida!

My seventh installment of "They Are Crazy in Florida!"

Cops: Teacher taught bomb-making
One of his students set off a bomb at a golf course and videotaped it, the Sheriff's Office says.

By Amy C. Rippel | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 16, 2005

A 42-year-old Freedom High School chemistry teacher was arrested Monday after students told authorities he taught his class how to make explosives, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

David Pieski, a teacher at Freedom for two years, used an overhead projector in class to give students detailed instructions in bomb-making, including advising them to use an electric detonator to stay clear from the blast, according to an arrest report.

Authorities said in Pieski's classroom, they found information, including the chemical breakdown, for an explosive predominately used by Middle East suicide bombers.

One student said he set off an explosive device at Hunter's Creek Golf Club on Jan. 6 and videotaped it, according to Pieski's arrest warrant. The videotape shows a fiery explosion, and the voice of a young man shouting an expletive can be heard.

"[The student] said Pieski approved of the explosion and stated 'cool' when he observed it," the arrest warrant said.

The Sheriff's Office was called to the golf course after residents heard the loud explosion and saw a fireball on the fifth hole.

Investigators found a charred coffee can perched on two concrete blocks and a small piece of burnt wick nearby.

A month later, authorities were called to a home at a Hunter's Creek subdivision, near the golf course, because of a report of an acid bomb. There, investigators talked to two juveniles on the scene. One mother said her son told her he had been working on a chemistry project for school.

A youth told investigators that Pieski showed students in class how to make the explosive device, the arrest report said.

On Feb. 8, sheriff's investigators interviewed Pieski at the school. He told investigators he detonated chemicals in a coffee can by a ball field four times for his students. He said he did this as a chemistry project to show a reaction rate, the arrest report said.

"Pieski admitted to me that he observed [the student's] video and approved of his successful results," the arrest warrant said. "Pieski disagreed with the project being an explosion."

School officials told investigators that Pieski had previously been told he was not allowed to have any form of explosive on campus.

Pieski guided investigators to an unlocked metal cabinet in the back of a classroom, where there was "a can of black powder stored next to other chemicals."

"Earlier, Pieski stated he was aware he was not supposed to have the black powder on property," the report said. Pieski also provided Sheriff's Office investigators the "electric detonator he used to set off the devices on property."

Investigators also found a book marked "Demo," containing information, including the chemical breakdown, about an explosive known to be used by suicide bombers in the Middle East, according to the arrest report. It is unclear if the information was shared with students, the arrest report said.

"This explosive does not burn but detonates at 17,389 feet per second," according to the arrest report. "This explosive, which the intelligence community attempts to keep secret, is one of the explosives of choice for foreign terrorists. This explosive is extremely unstable yet easy to produce."

School district area Superintendent Judy Cunningham said Pieski was reassigned late last week to a desk job in her office after he was interviewed by the Sheriff's Office. He is the focus of an internal investigation, Cunningham said. He is still earning his salary.

He was arrested at Cunningham's office Tuesday morning on a charge of possession or discharging of a destructive device and culpable negligence. Pieski, who was booked into the Orange County Jail on Monday afternoon, declined to comment. He was later released from jail on $1,000 bail.

Amy C. Rippel can be reached at arippel@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5736.

If I ever have kids, they sure are not going to a public school in Florida! You want to learn how to make bombs? Graduate high school and join the Army!

Gizmodo : Wacom Cintiq 21UX Touch Screen Flat-Panel

Gizmodo : Wacom Cintiq 21UX Touch Screen Flat-Panel

It doesn't get much hotter than this: a 21-inch LCD flat-panel display with an integrated, touch-sensitive Wacom integrated overlay. The new Cintiq 21UX is shipping in March for just $2,500—really a pretty amazing price, considering what you're getting.

Yummy!

Tuesday can't come soon enough!

Singles at the Crossroads - Albert Y. Hsu, pg 170

Valentine's Day is another case. Singles don't need to be reminded that February 14 can be one of the most difficult days of the year. In face, more suicides occur on Valentine's Day than any other day of the year except Christmas.

Few People realize that this day is named after a Christian, Valentine, who lived in Rome in the third century. Tradition has it that he was both a priest and physician who sent about doing good deeds in imitation of Christ. He was arrested during a persecution of Christians, and the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus handed him over to a magistrate. While in custody, Valentine healed the magistrate's blind, adopted daughter, and the entire family was converted to Christianity. Upon hearing this, the emperor had Valentine beheaded--on February 14. From then on Christians commemorated that day in memory of valentines life of selfless service and ministry.

Nevertheless I still feel depressed. I know I'm not suppose to, but I do. I'll be fine on Tuesday. Tuesday can't come soon enough!

They Are Crazy in Florida!

My sixth installment of "They Are Crazy in Florida!"

Woman Makes Up Story About Tossed Baby

Feb 11, 4:09 PM (ET)

By CURT ANDERSON

(AP) The newborn boy, believed to be hours old, who was thrown from a car onto a street, is shown in the...
Full Image

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A woman who claimed to have witnessed a newborn being thrown from a moving car was the baby's mother and concocted the story as a way to abandon the child and conceal her pregnancy from her family, officials said Friday.

That's crazy!

Do You Ask or Beg?

Do You Ask or Beg?: It's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

It's an interesting thought. Maybe I'll try it out. Might change that mood over on the right to something other than frustrated.

They Are Crazy in Florida!

My fifth installment of "They Are Crazy in Florida!"

Wrestlers Accused of Hog-Tying Teahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifmmate, Zapping Him With Grill Igniter
DELTONA, Fla. -- Three high school wrestlers face expulsion based on accusations they hog-tied a learning-disabled teammate and zapped him with a grill igniter.


10-Year-Old Accused Of Raping Classmate
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- Officials said the alleged attack happened on the grounds of Sanders Park Elementary School.
A 10-year-old boy has been suspended from a Pompano Beach elementary school amid allegations he raped an 8-year-old classmate.

The Drudge Report has these to storys labled as "FLORIDA FREAKS:" and he's right!!

Update - And now this: Children Tortured, Toenails Pulled Out With Pliers

TAMPA, Fla. -- Authorities in Tampa, Fla., are searching Friday for a couple accused of torturing seven children by pulling out their toenails, shocking them and hitting them with a hammer, according to a Local 6 News report.

Investigators say some of the children show signs of physical injury, including missing toenails, which were reportedly ripped out by pliers. Other children told deputies they were also tortured by electric shocks.

Update - Officers injured while on patrol on Jacksonville river

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Two police officers patrolling the St. Johns River to prevent Super Bowl terrorism were seriously injured when their boat crashed into a bridge support.

Umm... Oops?

More ThugBall

ThugBall, Brawl Ball, no matter what you call it the Thugs will show.

PRATTVILLE, Ala. — A fight broke out in the stands of a girls' high school basketball game, prompting police to fire Tasers to stop it and clear the gym, authorities said. Eleven people face charges.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146267,00.html

Sounds to me like your average ThugBall game with your average Brawl Ball fans. They only show up for the fights you know, and if the "players" (translation = THUGS) don't fight, they will.

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas coach Bill Self wants the profanity-laced chants that come from the student section at Allen Fieldhouse to stop.

Some Kansas players brushed off their fellow students' potty-mouthed antics.

"Some people think it's just part of the game," senior guard Michael Lee said. "...when it's Missouri and Kansas, I guess that brings out the best..."

The college game prepares "players" for the National Brawl Ball Association (NBA) game. If the students can't cuss out the "players" then the "players" will be unprepared for the professional level of thughood that they will need to literally survive.

Thank You Hollywood!

The advertisements feature the faces of liberal Hollywood icons Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Martin Sheen, Chevy Chase, Barbara Streisand, and Sean Penn, and offer thanks to Hollywood their help getting President Bush reelected.

Heh. See the ads here and here.

Custom Tailor A Web Browser Just for You

Custom Tailor A Web Browser Just for You

January 27, 2005

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.

IT used to be that Internet Explorer, the one-size-fits-all Web browser bundled with every copy of Microsoft Windows, was enough for most people. It worked well and cost nothing. Who needed anything else? That attitude is fading these days as consumers begin to realize that other browsers offer more features, better security and greater freedom. Bells and whistles, perhaps, but some of them can be surprisingly useful.

The number of competitors to Internet Explorer is surprisingly large and diverse. The most commonly mentioned alternatives are Mozilla and its cousin, the recently released Firefox 1.0, two browsers descended from Netscape, the early Internet company that is now part of AOL. Firefox is a Web browser pure and simple. Mozilla uses the same basic core (known as Gecko) and adds tools for reading e-mail, chatting and composing Web pages.

Both are open source tools freely distributed and subject to modification by programmers worldwide.

If you are considering making the leap to a different browser, there are other choices, too. A Norwegian company, Opera, is selling its browser (though a free version that displays advertising is available as well). Apple has Safari, which builds on one called Konqueror, from the world of Linux.

If that's not enough to choose from, there are dozens of browsers out there like Amaya and Dillo that cater mainly to people with particular interests (''Star Trek'' fans, for example).

There are also hybrids like Netcaptor, Phaseout and Avant that use Internet Explorer's core and add new features. Microsoft encourages software developers to revise and extend Internet Explorer, and maintains a catalog of such offerings at www.windowsmarketplace.com . Some, like Netcaptor, which offers a popular feature called tabbed browsing and sells for $30, cost extra, but many are free.

This mix-and-match nature is echoed by Mozilla and Firefox, which also help users create their own features, known as extensions. There is a large collection of extensions at the Mozilla update site (update.mozilla.org), including tools that add weather forecasts to the margins of the Web browser, let you control the music playing in the background, or make it easy to look up a word in a dictionary.

In general, all of these browsers display the images and text from Web sites in much the same way. (There are some exceptions, mainly because some Web designers do not test their sites on all browsers. In cases where the layout is mangled or the page simply behaves oddly, the solution may be to use another browser.) Which one is right for you may come down to personality, aesthetics, security concerns and your work environment. Here are some of the major distinguishing characteristics.

Features

One of the most popular new browser features displays multiple Web pages behind different tabs. The idea is so simple -- it is similar to the tabbed dividers in a binder -- that it might not seem like much of an innovation, but devotees wonder how they got along without it. A set of tabs at the top or bottom of the window allows you to switch among open pages.

The big advantage comes when browsing Web sites with many links, like the headlines on newspaper sites. If you hold down a key -- usually Control -- and click on interesting links, the browser will load the stories in pages behind the one you are reading. By the time you are done skimming the main page, the images and text for the next stories will be ready for reading. Clicking on the correct tab takes you there instantly.

Opera was one of the first to offer tabs; now Mozilla and Firefox do. Internet Explorer does not offer the feature, but it can be purchased by installing Netcaptor.

Web search is another area in which browser makers have sought to distinguish themselves. Nearly everyone relies on search engines like Google, so browser designers have tried to make this job as painless as possible. In Firefox, Opera and Safari, there is a search field at the top of the main browser window next to the field holding the address of the site you're visiting. Type in search terms and hit return, and the results appear immediately. There is no need to go to the search engine's main page.

Opera takes this one step further and offers other fields for a price search of stores or a direct search of Amazon. Mozilla has a special sidebar dedicated to displaying the search results where you can see them while you browse through the recommended Web sites in the main part of the window.

Internet Explorer users can get some of the same capabilities with a third-party toolbar from Google (toolbar.google.com). Firefox enthusiasts have duplicated the Google toolbar for Firefox (addons.mozilla.org).

Security and Privacy

The last year has been difficult for the team responsible for the security of Internet Explorer. There has been a stream of reports of loopholes and backdoors in the Microsoft browser that could expose users to data theft or the loss of control over their computers. Microsoft has dutifully fixed the holes, but some computer professionals have observed that fewer such holes affect other browsers.

Some of these professionals suggest that users could increase their security by choosing another browser and that alternatives are built with more attention to detail.

The authors of Mozilla, for instance, argue that contributions from the open-source community help eliminate loopholes. Microsoft, by contrast, maintains tight control over Internet Explorer and relies on its own programmers to fix problems.

(Others counter this by pointing out that all software is flawed and that attackers choose Internet Explorer because it is dominant. If other browsers become more popular, the argument goes, they will become targets.)

Blocking outside attacks is just part of the challenge. Many Web browsers help users by storing information like addresses, passwords and lists of recently visited Web sites. In the past, clearing this information out of your computer required navigating to several menus, making it harder for people to use public machines, share home machines or donate them to charities.

Apple's Safari was one of the first Web browsers to offer a single button, prominently displayed, that gets rid of stored information. Mozilla, Firefox and others now incorporate similar cleanup features.

Safari, Mozilla and other browsers also offer compact tools for examining and, if you want to, deleting the small tracking files called cookies that are stored on computers by Web sites. Mozilla's (also found under Tools, Options, Privacy), for instance, lets the user select from among various policies for managing cookies and also examine the data hidden inside them. This is one area where Microsoft has been a leader, and Internet Explorer offers an extensive system for cookie management.

Customization

Many browsers are adding features that give users some power to customize the display of Web sites. Opera's extensive View menu will soon include a feature known as Fit to Window that will automatically shrink a page that is too big to fit on your screen until there is no need to scroll to see it. If this leaves some parts too small, another feature lets you zoom in on one region.

Opera also lets users substitute their own layout guides for pages known as Cascading Style Sheets. This powerful feature can create outlines, change colors, eliminate large images and give general control over the look of the page.

Safari, Mozilla and Firefox take a more limited approach and let you change the size of the fonts used to render the page, a nice feature if the fine print is a bit too fine. Holding down the control key while pressing the plus or minus key activates this feature.

The new browsers also offer tools to block parts of Web sites. Opera, Firefox, Mozilla, Safari and others can prevent a Web site from opening new windows, which often contain advertisements.

There are hundreds of other tweaks and enhancements fighting for attention. The open platform offered by many of the browsers encourages any programmer to convert an idea into a working bit of code.

Some of these enhancements are practical. MapIt, an extension for Firefox, for example, lets you select an address on one page and immediately find a map of that location.

Some are fun. One called Gnusto lets you play games in Firefox.

And some cannot be classified. If you want to track the current color of the threat level announced by the Department of Homeland Security, one extension for Firefox will monitor the announcements and display an icon in the margins.

The Competition

Tired of Standard Issue? Some Options

A selection of alternatives to Internet Explorer. Free, except where noted.

Firefox www.mozilla.org
For: PC, Macintosh, Linux
Simpler version of Mozilla. Plug-ins are at www.mozdev.org .

Mozilla www.mozilla.org
For: PC, Macintosh, Linux
Adds a mail reader and Web-page designing tool to the Firefox core.

Opera www.opera.com
For: PC, Macintosh, Linux
Claims to be the fastest browser. $39, or free with advertising.

Konqueror www.konqueror.org
For: Linux
Built on a popular graphical interface for the Linux core.

Safari www.apple.com/safari
For: Macintosh
Apple's adaptation of Konqueror for the Macintosh platform.

Amaya www.w3.org/amaya
For: Windows, Linux
Developed by the Web organizing group W3.org to display new technology like tools for displaying math formulas.

Dillo www.dillo.org
For: Linux
An extremely small browser useful for old computers, smart phones and other devices where resources are scarce.

Netcaptor www.netcaptor.com
For: Windows
A hybrid that adds features like tabbed browsing to Internet Explorer. $30.

I recomend FireFox. It works on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Its automatic popup blocker and tabbed browsing makes it much better than IE.

They Are Crazy in Florida!

My fourth installment of "They Are Crazy in Florida!"

Dad's A Real Stunner

JANUARY 27--Meet Douglas Dycus. The 40-year-old Florida man was charged yesterday with felony child abuse and domestic battery for allegedly using a stun gun to discipline his 14-year-old son.

And now for the bad pun... Sadly this isn't shocking behavior from someone from Florida.