FireUpChips10

FireUpChips10's Journal

April 29, 2014

Guy uses potato in attempted robbery

Providence police have arrested a man who allegedly wielded a potato disguised as a gun during a robbery attempt last week.

WPRI-TV reports (http://bit.ly/QCQan7 ) 34-year-old Gary Deming of Cranston was arrested on robbery charges. Authorities say he pretended he had a gun when he demanded money from a convenience store and dry cleaner April 21.

The convenience store manager chased him off with a baseball bat. A dry cleaner employee gave him a fake $20 from a decoy register.

The station reports Deming is also accused of breaking into his sister's home on the same day as the alleged potato incidents. She told police he took a purse, debit card and $100 in cash.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/28/potato-robbery-gun-arrest_n_5228488.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

April 29, 2014

Florida man throws urine on code enforcement officer

The owner of a Siesta Key rental property accused of scamming customers threw a bucket of urine on a code inspector Monday morning, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Craig Siegel, a local chiropractor and operator of Siesta Resorts LLC and Siesta Vacations Inc., came under investigation after numerous people reported renting a five-bedroom home in the 6500 block of Sabal Drive that was advertised as having 12 bedrooms, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

After a fire at the property, Siegel, 44, reportedly began construction on the home's lower level in 2013 without proper permits.

The Sarasota County Code Enforcement officer, who Siegel allegedly doused with urine, went to the home at 7:20 a.m. Monday to order Siegel to dismantle the modifications.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20140428/ARTICLE/140429671/2416/NEWS?Title=Man-accused-of-throwing-bucket-of-urine-on-inspector&tc=ar

Sir, I know this pisses you off, but urine charge of your own behavior.

April 28, 2014

NLRB: Adjunct professors at Catholic university can form union

The National Labor Relations Board ruled April 17 that adjunct professors at Seattle University have a right to form a union and the Jesuit school is not exempt from the board's jurisdiction based on religious freedom protections under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The university received the decision Thursday.

The Seattle case is the fourth from a Catholic college or university to go to the NLRB. The other three Catholic schools -- Pittsburgh's Duquesne University in 2011, followed by Manhattan College in New York and Saint Xavier University in Chicago -- are fighting the regional NLRB's decisions, arguing that separation of church and state bars the governmental agency from exercising jurisdiction over the Catholic institution.

Georgetown University, a Jesuit school in Washington D.C., opted to remain neutral when its adjunct faculty voted to affiliate with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in 2013. The faculty overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the union. Contract negotiations are now underway.

A spokeswoman for Seattle said Thursday that no decision has been made on whether the Jesuit university will join the fight.

http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/labor-board-adjunct-professors-catholic-university-can-form-union

April 25, 2014

The Surprising Humor of John XXIII

Even at that early stage of my Jesuit training, I had already heard John’s most famous joke. When the pope was innocently asked by a journalist how many people worked in the Vatican, he deadpanned, “About half of them.”

But my favorite story in Fesquet’s delightful book was of John XXIII visiting a hospital in Rome called the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, run by a group of Catholic sisters. As Fesquet tells the story, “The mother superior, deeply stirred by the papal visit, went up to him in order to introduce herself”:

“Most Holy Father,” she said, “I am the superior of the Holy Spirit.”

“Well, I must say you’re very lucky,” replied the pope. “I’m only the Vicar of Christ.”

http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-surprising-humor-of-st-john-xxiii.html

April 21, 2014

Jacksonville man (you know which state!) shoots son-in-law in dispute over remote control

An 89-year-old Jacksonville man has been charged with aggravated battery following a Saturday shooting in a dispute over television, police said.

During the argument, Kenon Lee Ferguson told his 59-year-old son-in-law “you don’t own anything in this house,” a police report said.

Joel Edward Perry responded, “do something about it,” the report said.

A witness told police Ferguson went to his bedroom and returned with a .38 caliber handgun. The argument heated up and Perry was shot in the right leg. The injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

http://members.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2014-04-21/story/tv-dispute-ends-89-year-olds-arrest-jacksonville-shooting-case

April 19, 2014

Is Pope Francis resurrecting organized religion?

Many religious leaders claim to speak for God and believers, but without a clear mandate from either. Humanity confronts with notions of infallibility. A bit of humility thus goes a long way in convincing at least me that perhaps one has a touch of humanity. Pope Francis in his first crucial year has exhibited a degree of humility that has given hope to masses and challenged the orthodoxy of a comfortably numb establishment.

Claims of shepherding the whole of humanity are part of the form of organized religion, and can be foundations for shared empathy or in the alternative religious discord. Whether we emphasize shared vulnerability or largely superficial differences, we may establish the foundation for interaction between cultures and individuals. Faced with an ever more dominant technology that increasingly defines peace and conflict, spirituality is a necessary complement if we are to avoid so many potential abysses. Many of us mistrust organized religion for its judgmental impositions, most applied toward the other. It has become a common charge that religion has inflicted conflict even as it has preached peace. Read: "Is Religion Cause for War?"Found here.

Pope Francis's common touch was evident from the outset when ritually washing the feet of common sinners, but this symbolic act also seeks further substance. His track record of inclusiveness dates back even before his tenure as Cardinal of Buenos Aires. He initiated a more active inter-faith effort within Argentina, including Jewish, Islamic, Protestant and Orthodox groups (following the Abrahamic traditions). In 1994, he was the first to sign condolences and demand justice after the bombing of a Jewish Community Center. In remarks made by his immediate predecessor perceived by many Muslims as incendiary, he stated that such statements would "destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last 20 years."He has been one of first to recognize the humanity of atheists and not directly link goodness only to Godliness.

This inclusive approach has carried over to Pope Francis' more prominent role in the swirling arena of international relations, from the Syria conflict to the broader respect for diversity and human rights. The influence of religion in waging peace as well as war is still prominent. From Syria to Myanmar, to the Central African Republic, to Ukraine, religion has been employed as rationale for conflict, killing and, frequently, ethnic cleansing/genocide.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ambassador-muhamed-sacirbey/is-pope-francis-resurrect_b_5159814.html

April 19, 2014

Economist: The Pope as Turnaround CEO

BUSINESS schools regularly teach their students about great “turnaround CEOs” who breathe new life into dying organisations: figures such as IBM’s Lou Gerstner, Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne and Apple’s Steve Jobs. Now Harvard Business School needs to add another case study: Jorge Bergoglio, the man who has rebranded RC Global in barely a year.

When Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter as CEO, just after being appointed, the world’s oldest multinational was in crisis. Pentecostal competitors were stealing market share in the emerging world, including in Latin America, where Francis ran the Argentine office. In its traditional markets, scandals were scaring off customers and demoralising the salesforce. Recruitment was difficult, despite the offer of lifetime employment in a tough economy. The firm’s finances were also a mess. Leaked documents revealed the Vatican bank as a vortex of corruption and incompetence. The board was divided and weak. Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, was the first pope to resign for 600 years, amid dark rumours that the founder and chairman, a rarely seen elderly bearded figure whose portrait adorns the Sistine boardroom, had intervened.

In just a year, the business has recovered a lot of its self-confidence. The CEO is popular: 85% of American Catholics—a tough audience—approve of him. Footfall in RC Global’s retail outlets is rising again. The salesforce now talks about a “Francis effect”. How has a septuagenarian Argentine succeeded in galvanising one of the world’s stodgiest outfits? Essentially by grasping three management principles.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21600980-about-take-over-crisis-ridden-company-demoralised-workforce-turn-roman-case

April 18, 2014

Guy urinates in reservoir, forcing Portland to discard 38 million gallons of water

Portland, Oregon is flushing 38 million gallons of drinking water down the drain because a 19-year-old man urinated in an open reservoir early on Wednesday morning, city water officials said.

Three teens were observed at the reservoir in a Portland park at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, Portland Water Bureau spokesman David Shaff said, and one of them was filmed urinating through an iron fence into the water.

The other two tried to climb the fence and one got into the secure area around the reservoir, but Shaff said it is not clear what he did then.

The 50-million-gallon reservoir was taken off line and was tested for possible contamination and the results will be known Thursday. But in the meantime, the city has decided to "discard" 38 million gallons of water and clean the reservoir, Shaff said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-rt-us-usa-water-portland-20140416,0,5979943.story

April 16, 2014

Florida man claims to be Canadian Mountie; threatens to arrest people; gets arrested himself

A man was arrested for disorderly intoxication at the Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix over the weekend, after a witness told a deputy the suspect insisted he was with the Canadian Mounted Police and that he was going to arrest people.

A Charlotte County Sheriff's deputy made contact with 48-year-old David Tersigni, who reportedly said he was not allowing people into the north entrance of Englewood Beach, unless they had a blue band.

Tersigni was wearing a green volunteer shirt and was asked by the deputy to leave the beach. Tersigni allegedly became disorderly by yelling and cursing, at which time the deputy could smell alcohol on his breath.

He was then arrested for disorderly intoxication. Tersigni was handcuffed and searched, at which time the deputy reportedly found 1.2 grams of marijuana and rolling papers on him.

http://www.winknews.com/Lights-Sirens/2014-04-14/Witness-Man-says-hes-Canadian-Mounted-Police-at-boat-races#sthash.gcIklPUW.dpuf

April 16, 2014

"FOOD! I want FOOD!" (Florida)

A Lake Worth man is in the hospital after investigators said he went on a violent rampage through a grocery store, damaged property and assaulted a young woman.

Greenacres Police said they were called out to the Monterray Supermarket on Thursday at the 5100 block of Lake Worth Road about a "combative man."

When the officer arrived, he found Noel Torres, 35, on the ground screaming, "FOOD! I want FOOD!"

Officers said his veins were bulging from his neck when he began fighting with police with strength that appeared to be "inhuman."

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/greenacres/police-arrest-man-with-inhuman-strength-who-went-on-a-violent-rampage-through-a-grocery-store

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Hometown: Kentwood, MI
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