Eideard

Cripes! The headline is just about everything you need to know, right?

An Idaho judge on Wednesday set bond at $100,000 for a Boise woman police say posed as a physician and duped at least two other women into having their breasts examined by her at Boise-area nightclubs.

Kristina Ross, 37, remains in Ada County Jail in Boise on two felony counts of practicing medicine without a license…

As part of her ruse, Ross gave the women the telephone number of a real licensed plastic surgeon in Boise, the state capital, authorities said.

Staff at that medical office became alarmed at the number of calls they received from women in recent weeks attempting to confirm appointments or surgeries with a Berlyn Aussieahshowna, according to charging documents.

And, then, there’s this twist to the plot:

The suspect’s gender is unclear. Idaho court records show that Ross was arrested for petty theft in the spring and that the arrest warrant was issued to a Kristoffer Jon Ross.

The Idaho Statesman website reported that Ross has a previous criminal record as a man but identifies herself as a woman and was booked into Ada County Jail as a female…

Court appearance is set for December 1st and I can hardly wait.

Singing the U.S. hit “My Way” in a karaoke bar in the Philippines can result in death as part of a troubling trend across the country, authorities say.

The New York Times said Sunday while authorities do not have a definitive number of murder or assault cases involving individuals who sang the Frank Sinatra hit, at least six victims were reported by the media during the last decade alone.

Rodolfo Gregorio of the city of General Santos said while he enjoy singing karaoke, “My Way” remains one song he will never again attempt in public. “I used to like ‘My Way,’ but after all the trouble, I stopped singing it,” he said. “You can get killed…”

Within the last two years, eight people were killed by a man in Thailand because they sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

I worked with business firms in Asia for a couple of decades. Words can’t express the dread that filled my heart when someone said, “Let’s go to a Karaoke Bar!’

You think this is bad, you should see her when she got old.

Tobacco Industry’s Whine and Dine in North Carolina

North Carolina turns a new page at the start of 2010 in its long history as a tobacco-growing state as it implements a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.

“We are keenly aware of the history in our state, but now it’s just that — history,” said Betsy Vetter, chair of the North Carolina Alliance for Health, an independent state coalition that, among other things, works to reduce tobacco use.

The law exempts cigar bars and country clubs from the ban. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t include North Carolina on its list of 21 states plus the District of Columbia with 100% smoke-free laws — meaning smoking is prohibited in all workplaces, restaurants and bars.

Still, the law is a big step for the nation’s largest tobacco-producing state, which has long derived a hefty portion of tax revenues from that industry. The state has 255,000 tobacco-related jobs, nearly 40% of the nation’s total, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services….

Tobacco firms opposed the law, arguing that businesses should be allowed to decide whether to go smoke-free.

I get so tired of the tobacco industry’s “It’s not fair, mommy” rants.

Starting Wednesday, those carrying concealed weapons are allowed to enter Arizona’s roughly 5,300 establishments licensed to sell alcohol, as long as they don’t drink. If those bar and restaurant owners don’t want guns on the property, they must post a sign indicating that they are not allowed.

The law only requires one sign be posted in a “conspicuous” place, near the establishment’s liquor license. But Al McCarthy, owner of Duke’s Sports Bar & Grill in Scottsdale, put up three signs – one for each entrance to his property – “as soon as the bill passed” nearly three months ago.

“I want to make sure there’s no confusion as to where this business stands on the issue,” McCarthy said. “I have yet to have a customer to tell me they wish I hadn’t put up the sign.”

About a thousand official, laminated signs have been requested since they became available in mid-August, according to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, with the average establishment requesting four signs. Business owners also have been able to download and print their own signs from the department’s Web site…

There were 138,348 concealed-weapons permit holders in Arizona as of Sept. 1.

Opponents are concerned that the law could create unnecessarily dangerous situations or harm the local and state tourism industry…

I think the NRA crowd may have shot themselves in the foot on this one. Dimbulbs looking to celebrate this “victory” may behave for a few days – until they resume the egregious conviction they qualify as judge and jury.

This article is from the Arizona Republic – not exactly with a national reputation for progressive politics – yet 60% of the readership voted that it was a bad idea and bad things would happen.