Important Update Below
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Sundays are writing day around here: it’s the day I write This is True each week. This week, I had the usual line-up of stories about stupid people doing stupid things (or, as the case may be, smart people doing stupid things!) when I came across the story of Mark Rimkufski from the weirdest state in the union, which is of course Florida.
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Out My Window: a Golden Eagle
I just love my job. Even though I “have to” work Sundays, I really have a gorgeous view out my window, and I sometimes see the most amazing things.
Honorary Unsubscribe Choices
It’s quite a search sometimes for Just The Right Person for the Honorary Unsubscribe. Sometimes I have to choose one person over another when both would be great. Sometimes it’s a struggle to find someone I think really should get the honor.
Mug Shot = 1,000 Words
One of the stories in this week’s column is notable for two reasons. One of them is the guy’s mug shot.
Zero Tolerance Trick, No Treat
Zero Tolerance is insidious. An abdication of common sense and professional ethics, in schools it seeks to apply one punishment — suspension, usually leading to expulsion — to any level of “crime.”
Visiting the White House
I mentioned in my post last week that being in Washington D.C. was “more surreal than usual” because it was election time. Well, imagine being inside the White House just two days before the election! Because indeed, that’s where I was.
Library of Congress
I had a pretty full weekend — I’m writing this while sitting in the airport, waiting for my plane to get me the rest of the way home. I had a very interesting trip to Washington D.C.; election time makes the town even more surreal than usual. My report next week will get into that a little bit more.
Udderly Ridiculous Photos
[Updated] Sometimes the photo that goes with a story is funnier than the story. Sometimes the story is pretty good all by itself. This one, from the 19 October 2008 issue, is a toss-up: I’m not sure which part is funnier. But then it happened again, and then again! We start with the first story:
One Strange Fetish
I just had to post this guy’s mug shot after a subscriber wrote to say he thought it was odd that the woman so quickly thought the man was suspicious. First, here’s the story:
School Bus Plunge (On Purpose)
I spent most of the day Sunday working at the scene of a school bus that plunged (buses always “plunge”!) over the side of a steep embankment on Ouray County’s famous “Million Dollar Highway” below Red Mountain Pass.
Men and Balloons
What is it with men who want to fly under balloons? I don’t mean hot air balloons, I mean toy balloons. This one’s a priest — he just wanted to get closer to God, I guess. From True’s 27 April 2008 edition:
Two Teen Tales
Two stories this week have photos to go with them. First, the dangerous desperado and the dual damsels:
Beauty and the Beast
Two stories this week have photos: the sexy mayor of Arlington, Ore., and the idiot robber using a bottle of cologne as a weapon.
First, the moron.
A Lingering Image
Another one of those stories that just begs for a photo. From True’s 9 March 2008 issue:
Barbecued Biker
A tagline on a story this week is a homage to a popular subtype of humor email I get from friends from time to time: photos of (usually) Chinese people carrying impossibly huge loads on little motorbikes.
Lolita Midsleeper Combi
I thought many readers would like to see the photos that go with a story from the 10 February 2008 issue, and maybe you will have examples of other “inappropriate” products, especially for children. First, the story:
Kumari Fulbright Mug Shot
Stories in True can almost always stand on their own, without illustration. But now and then, a photo really adds to the story. In the case of a so-called “beauty queen” law student who allegedly committed a major crime, it is definitely enhanced by a couple of photos.
The Big Picture
Sometimes newspaper editors do their work mechanically, not paying any attention whatever to what they’re printing — even on the front page. And I have the photos to prove it. From True’s 23 December 2007 issue:
Duct Tape Robber
In last week’s issue there was the story of an alleged robber who wrapped his head in duct tape as a disguise. But I forgot that I had photos of this brain surgeon to show you! But first, the story, from the 9 September issue:
Got Wheels?
I have a photo of the guy in the wheelchair, still stuck in the truck’s grille, from the story in this week’s issue. But first, the story: