Where's the dramamine? Chapter Twenty Eight

Compare the headlines of the Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post today for two stories on foreclosures in Palm Beach County. First we have the Post-

Analysts wary of drop in foreclosure filings

Now the Sentinel-

Foreclosures accelerating in Palm Beach County

Just unbelievable, isn't it? Especially since both these newspapers share stories with the other and both articles cited the same report from a California firm. Does anyone actually read them?

In all seriousness, when will the South Florida media pick up on the outrage known as the 'Rocket Docket'? Judges, here in Palm Beach County it is mostly the work of Meenu Sasser and Roger Colton, are ruling on foreclosure cases in a matter of minutes.(Please read this court transcript carefully. Especially on page 8 where Colton asks 'Where are my lawyere?' when referring to plaintiff's counsel) Criminals get months in the courtroom before losing their liberty. A homeowner is lucky to get more than five minutes. Some but not enough judges in Florida are catching on to the fraud being done by banks and their attorneys in foreclosure filing. One day I expect a big expose to be written about it but it will probably be too late for thousands of homeowners.

Where's the dramamine? Chapter Twenty Seven

There was a fire Saturday night at a home very close to where I live. First WPTV Channel Five's coverage of the blaze.

Shortly before 9:00 p.m. Saturday, a fire raged downstairs in Lisa Poplardo's Lake Worth home.

"She got a call from one of the neighbors that the house was on fire. She came home and the whole house was engulfed in flames," said Mike Marzigliano, Lisa's brother.

She's been renting the home for a little less than a year, and shares it with her two daughters.

*****

"She had several animals, three dogs and nine cats, all perished unfortunately," said Marzigliano.

I'm a pet lover but twelve of them under one roof is a lot. What a tragedy for the family who ended up experiencing two fires in one evening. The second at a hotel the Red Cross put them up at.

Now the Palm Beach Post has their own version of what happened.

A two-story home caught fire Saturday, displacing two people and killing some pets, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia said.

The home, in the 6300 block of Lantana Pine Circle, had five cats and two dogs in a back bedroom, DeLucia said. He did not know if any survived.

Two people versus three, five cats and two dogs versus nine and three. How can two articles be so mixed up on the same story?

I make a bet the Palm Beach Post reporter Adam Playford never came to the neighborhood here and interviewed any of the neighbors. Leg work as a part of news reporting must not be taught at New York University anymore. Either that or Playford skipped or snoozed his way through those classes.

Below average

Did BBC’s Jennifer Pak ever study statistics?

Malaysian authorities are grappling with a growing problem of abandoned babies.

Sixty-five infants have been found so far this year, and many were dead by the time they were discovered.

The government fears that number will surpass previous totals – an average of 100 babies are found each year.-BBC

Now read the three parts in bold carefully. A growing problem, 65 infants and an average of 100 babies a year.

2010 is almost eight months old 8 divided into the total amount of babies abandoned- 8.125 a month

8.125 times 12 months equals 97 babies for a year.

The article claims an average of 100 abandoned babies are found each year. Average is the key word, not record high. So it seems to me based on what Jennifer Pak wrote, the number of abandoned babies is on about a normal level. 97 is less than 100, but its within the margin of error. The amount of abandoned babies is not increasing at all.

Does anyone at BBC understand basic statistics or do they prefer writing scary misleading articles and headlines?

Golf World sticks it to the LPGA Tour......again

Who is on the cover of the magazine this week? Is it Yani Tseng, the golfer who won her 3rd career tournament and 2nd Major Championship overall?

No, it's Anthony Kim for winning a Masters warmup.

What a joke this magazine is. The biggest on course story of the week doesn't merit a cover photo. It isn't the first time GW has done this either. In 2006 they featured Phil Mickelson for winning at Atlanta by 12 shots instead of Kraft Nabisco winner Karrie Webb who didn't just make a comeback after nearly two years of no victories, but holed out on 18 for eagle to force a playoff.

Before 2006, GW used to put the Players Champion on the cover over the winner of Kraft Nabisco. Pseudo majors are more important than real major championships in their eyes.

Lets not forget their disgraceful 2009 LPGA preview which came to some of their subscriber's mailboxes after the first tournament of the year was already completed. A golf architecture issue was more important than the LPGA to them also.

GW is a joke of a golf publication. The next thing I expect from one of their authors(Ron Sirak maybe?) is an article about how poorly placed the Kraft Nabisco is and that it doesn't get enough attention. What's a case of Chutzpah in comparison to their regular displays of journalistic stupidity?

Boca Raton News RIP

The daily newspaper is ceasing operations according to Bob at The Daily Pulp. It is said the News had become very poor in quality over the last twenty years, but it is always sad when a newspaper dies. I may criticize the media but they provide an essential service to the public that is often overlooked.

My parents lived in Boca Raton for 9 years(Actually my mother only lived there for five years. She died in 1985.) and subscribed to the newspaper. I sometimes would read it when I was home for a visit. Sometime in the early 1980's, there was a help wanted advertisement. It was placed by a bar or club and the ad listed the benefits that would come with working there. One of which was-

Free Hospitalization

I still LMAO when thinking of that advertisement. Rest in Peace Boca Raton News. If there are people who want to learn of the Boca Raton News history, I recommend reading this long feature article.

Will someone at ESPN please pick up the Red courtesy phone

Way to go the sports leader!

Sorry to pop your balloons up in Connecticut, but Michelle turned pro in 2005. She has played seven major championships as a professional. Wie has finished third in majors two times since 2005.

If you don't believe me, a quick glance at Wikipedia would tell you the truth. Not to mention that Wie is probably more press than any golfer than Tiger Woods in the last five years. You would hope a member of the media whose dedicated to sports would happen to know this player's history. If they don't, its a sad state of affairs up there.

As I've pointed out many times fact checking is optional when it comes to golf reporting. Just like it seems optional to ESPN to give the biggest golf tournament of 2009 so far its due.

He's back

For the second year in a row, Tiger won at Bay Hill in Orlando Florida by making a dramatic birdie putt on the 72nd hole. Last year Bart Bryant was the loser, this year it was Sean O'Hair.

With the win the talk of Tiger not being back to form will end. It will instead be replaced by golf journalists opining on what his chances are of winning the Masters. The first men's major championship of 2009 begins on April 9th.

Sadly another big golf tournament will get lost in the buzz of Tiger's win today and all the hype for the upcoming Masters. The LPGA Tour's Kraft Nabisco Championship begins this Thursday. A few years ago the tournament's dates were shifted so it didn't butt heads with The Players Championship any more. The TPC has since moved to May, but the Kraft still gets short changed. Golf writers and the Golf Channel rather talk endlessly about The Masters that hasn't started yet than a major championship that is under way.

Back to Tiger. He'll win at least one major championship this year. What a reckless golf prognosticator I am.

Time warp

Another addition to the media's bag of tricks- They can speed up time!



Why didn't anyone at AP or the Sun-Sentinel who actually had this on the front page of the website for a short time, notice the discrepancy before posting it? It's like about a manager signing a large amount of documents. Most of which he doesn't look at and someone slips in a joke among them or a check made out to themselves.

In late 2007, the Sun-Sentinel proudly proclaimed the winless Miami Dolphins as being 12-0 instead of 0-12. I got a screen capture of that too. Isn't Snagit wonderful?

I feel faint Part Three

For the second time in a little over five weeks I find myself in agreement with NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd. She writes-

Yet Obama is oozing empathy compared with his attorney general, who last week called us "a nation of cowards" about race.

Eric Holder, who showed precious little bravery in standing up to Clinton on a pardon for the scoundrel Marc Rich, is wrong. We have just inaugurated a black president who installed a black attorney general.

We need leaders to help us through our crises, not provide us with crude evaluations of our character.

Holder's statement is crude. Most people don't like talking race for one big reason- The slightest misstep can get you labeled a racist. So its safer to avoid the subject.

I won't say anything more. Look I am a coward too!

Cheap cuts

Apparently this robber never heard the saying 'If you're going to steal, steal big.'

Police have released surveillance camera images of a man they say swung a knife as he tried to steal two packages of steaks and a package of pork chops from a supermarket last Thursday.

A loss-prevention employee at that Publix at 303 S.E. 17th St. saw the man conceal the food in his jacket and walk to the exit without paying for it, according to an Ocala police report. When the employee and a store manager attempted to stop him, the would-be robber cursed at them and shoved the loss-prevention employee out the way.

The employee tried to grab the man, but he shoved the employee, took out a small knife and slashed at him. The employee backed off, and the man fled. The merchandise, valued at $16.52, was recovered, but the man escaped.

Three packages and pork chops for under $17. Why doesn't the Publix a mile away from my house have such bargains

Two packages of ground meat cost about $6. But that isn't really steak to me. Pork chops run about five to six dollars. Pork shoulder blades less than that. I supposed the paper could be right in their descriptions, but its kind of iffy looking.

I suggest the robber go for Winn Dixie's fillet mingeons next time. That is the best steak, especially when cooked medium rare.

Truly sick

Today's quote of the day comes from NY Times reporter Neil A Lewis. In an article about an agent who claims evidence was concealed in the case of former US Senator Ted Stevens, Lewis writes-

For example, a witness for both the government and defense, Rocky Williams, was sent home to Alaska by prosecutors who did not tell defense lawyers, an act that angered Judge Sullivan. Ms. Morris said the decision was made because Mr. Williams was gravely ill, not because prosecutors, after interviewing him, had decided he might help the defense case.

But Mr. Joy said a prosecutor, Nicholas Marsh, concocted the scheme to send Mr. Williams away after prosecutors held a mock cross-examination in which he did not perform well.

Still, there is considerable evidence that Mr. Williams was truly sick, including the fact that he has since died.

Where did Mr. Lewis get his journalism degree? A crackerjack box?. That last paragraph was insipid to say the least.

Hat tip- Ann Althouse

Not going the extra mile

A North Florida automobile dealer had one of its employees arrested this week.

Dude, where's my car? One woman found out her car, left at a Gainesville car dealership this week, reportedly went for a ride without her.

Police charged Paul Stephen Rogers, 20, of Gainesville, with grand theft auto after officers stopped him for speeding and driving without headlights early Wednesday. Police said Rogers told them the vehicle wasn't his and he shouldn't have been driving it.

Officers learned the car's owner had dropped the vehicle off at a dealership on N. Main Street Tuesday evening so it could be serviced, according to an arrest report. Rogers had been working at the dealership, police reported, and took the car "for personal purposes."

Totally unremarkable news but what I find interesting is what the article lacks. The name of the car dealership the car was borrowed from. A internet search shows twelve such businesses with a N. Main street address. Shouldn't local consumers be aware that one of these dealers was less than safe with their valuable property that had been trusted to them?

I guess protecting the advertising dollars the Gainesville Sun acquires from the one dealer is more important than reporting the entire story. Newspapers are a business, and only a naive person will believe important revenue streams wouldn't or couldn't affect reporting. Then I'd pose this question to the Gainesville Sun- By not identifying the one dealer, aren't you creating the possibility consumers will question if one of the other eleven dealers is a place to do business with? By protecting the one dealership, the newspaper has indirectly called into question the integrity of all the auto businesses with that street address.

One of whom may not be happy when it comes time to buy more advertising.

Oh Dykes

What is so controversial that golfer Anna Rawson felt a need to apologize? From the Sydney Daily Telegraph-

AUSTRALIAN glamour girl Anna Rawson said she was trying to promote golf in a radio interview in which she referred to past female players as "dykes".

*****

She came under fire for her poorly chosen comments aired by NOVA 5AA in Adelaide on Wednesday.

"The tour has got so much better with so many young stars and great players,'' Rawson told the radio station in an interview arranged by her father Jim. "But the mentality unfortunately amongst the media and the industry hasn't changed.

"They still think we're at 25 years ago when the tour was full of, you know, a lot of dykes and unattractive females nobody wanted to watch.''

Rawson is talking about how the media perceives players on tour. Why should she come under fire?

The word Dyke isn't considered a slur against a female homosexual. Many lesbians use the word to describe themselves and others.

"I could never be with a woman, because I'm just fascinated by what men can do with their bodies that we can't,'' she said before admitting: "This interview will definitely get me in trouble.''

*****

"I was making a reference to how I feel society sees women's golf as a whole. I don't believe that. I wouldn't want anyone to think that was my opinion and I am sorry I said that, definitely.

"I was making a reference to how women make seven times less than men on the course and 20-to-25 times less on the sponsorship front. It's amazing how women's golf has grown and we have many great young players out here, yet society and the media haven't really caught onto that.

"That's what I was talking about, I wasn't talking about my opinion at all.''

So she can't ever be a lesbian(I can't either) and she says the usually lazy media can't or won't portray ladies golfers correctly today and the differences in prize money. Was any of this off the mark? No, so why the controversy?

Political correctness run amok. BTW that really is Rawson in the photo above. If you want to see more, I suggest a google images search.

Book em Danno

Might be Steve McGarret's first order after reading the Honolulu Advertiser obituary on Hawaii Five-0 supporting actor Harry Endo.

"Hawaii 5-0" actor Harry Endo, who portrayed a cerebral medical examiner who belied a real-life, dry wit, has died of a stroke in New York at the age of 87.

It takes great skill for a newspaper and one of its writers to blow the first paragraph of a story but Dan Nakaso and the Advertiser do just that. Harry Endo's character, Che Fong, was not a medical examiner. He was a forensics expert, crime scene analyst. The Medical Examiner most often seen in the twelve-year run of Hawaii Five-0, was Doc Bergman played by actor Al Eban.

We're not talking an editorial written thousands of miles away about an obscure show but the local newspaper reporting on the television show that portrayed Hawaii to people around the world for 12 seasons and was popular in syndication for many years afterwards. For chrissakes Five-0 repeats are still broadcast weekdays by a Honolulu television station. Someone at the Advertiser should have caught Nakaso's goof.

I'd give Dan Nakaso and the Honolulu Advertiser the Knucklehead, but someone might say it was in bad taste. The mistake in the Endo editorial is just another sign of how newspaper journalism is slipping. Five-0 is a legend in the Hawaiian Islands, and Che Fong was a popular character on the show, the Advertiser couldn't even do an article correctly about them.

Back to Endo and Five-0. The catch phrase 'Book em Danno' is one of the things most remembered about the television show. I'd wager fifty dollars, that if you tallied how many times those words were said and count how many times the words 'What do you have for me Che' were also spoken by Steve McGarret, that the Che line would come out on top. Since Five-0 is only available on DVD and only up to season five at present, I'll have to wait a few years before being able to do that vital research.

RIP Harry Endo.

Endo had made a commercial for Territorial Savings Bank and HonFed Bank when he was selected to play the character of Che Fong as one of the original cast members of "Hawaii 5-0," which ran from 1968 to 1980 — making it one of the longest-running police dramas in television history.

"He was such a nice guy," remembered Doug Mossman, 75, of Mililani, who played several bit parts on the show before evolving into the character of "5-0" detective Frank Kamana midway through its television run.

"One of the things about Harry is that he was very studious looking," Mossman said yesterday. "He looked like a business guy. He worked for Territorial Savings and had that look — glasses, very studious. But he was humorous and funny, a quiet kind of humor."

Endo's daughter, Leslie Baker, told The Associated Press that her father was born in Colorado but spent much of his life in Hawai'i. He served in the Army in Europe as a radio operator, the AP reported, and was married for more than 60 years.

"Hawaii 5-0" featured its star, Jack Lord, playing the role of Steve McGarrett, the head of a fictional, elite unit that reported directly to the governor. The show cemented the image of Hawai'i as a gorgeous and exotic, multiethnic destination to millions of television viewers who still remember Lord's catchphrase to his fictional second-in-command, Danny Williams: "Book 'em, Danno."

On the show, Endo portrayed "the all-encompassing forensic genius, who was supposed to know everything about everything," Mossman said. "The rest of us actors were very happy we didn't have to have his dialogue with all of those $12 words. I'd look at the script and say, 'I'm glad I'm not saying that.'

"There were times he'd be a little nervous about the line coming up and anybody else would be shaky, too. Because Jack (Lord) was a perfectionist who wanted you to get everything right, that was a double whammy pressure to get the line right — not just for the line's sake but for Jack's sake."

Endo's death on Friday at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital follows the passing of Lord, Kam (Chin Ho Kelly) Fong, Richard (the governor) Denning, Herman (Duke) Wedemeyer and Gilbert (Zulu) Kauhi, among other actors on the show.

Endo is survived by his wife, Myrtle; daughter Leslie Baker of Brooklyn; and Scott Endo of San Diego,

Coming up short

Juan C Rodruiguez writes about last night's Florida Panthers game for the Sun-Sentinel-

Devils goalie Scott Clemmensen blanked the Panthers for nearly 50 minutes when the two teams met last week in Newark, N.J.

Wednesday, he came even closer. Jay Bouwmeester spoiled the shutout bid at 17:41, and David Booth got the equalizer with 7.2 seconds remaining, but the end result was the same.

Juan, I don't know where you learned to count but Clemmensen did shutout goaltending for over 50 minutes. So he didn't just come closer, but actually passed that mark. Maybe you're talking closer to 60 minutes of hockey, the trouble with that is the confusing way you write those two opening paragraphs.

The Sun-Sentinel normally employs Steve Gorten to cover the Panthers. I like Gorten and hope he's back REAL SOON.

Florida played rotten hockey but rallied last night before losing in overtime. Its more typical for the cats to give up when down by two in the 3rd period. Overall I won't read anything into last night's comeback. I still think it will be a long year for Panthers fans.

Nathan Horton was hurt in the 3rd period last night. No word as yet on Horton's condition. Florida is already banged up enough without having to lose one of their highest scorers too.

A blah effort

That best describes the Florida Panthers game against New Jersey last night. Florida out shot 24-19 but lost 3-1. Simple problem with the game- Florida let New Jersey control it. Some players looked like they were barely putting in an effort.

Sun Sentinel hockey blogger wrote-

He hasn't been able to get this team going on a consistent basis -- who can do it? -- and in particular Nathan Horton.

He tried to take the pressure off Horton coming into this season. He made him a center to give him more responsibility. Still, no response. There are times Horton hustles and there are times when he appears to be going through the motions.

Horton alternates between being a terror and invisible. Last night he was the later.

Against New Jersey, Florida faced a third string goalie who probably belongs in the AHL. Tonight they play again in Boston. No rest, and against a goalie in Tim Thomas, who is playing brilliantly but has had problems with the cats in the past. Which Florida team will show up?

What does Florida coah DeBoer think of his team so far this season?

Nearly one-fourth through the season, DeBoer said the Panthers' report card deserves a 'C.'

I'd say more like a C- or D+

Scott Burnside at ESPN has his own ratings-

Tampa Bay Lightning: D-plus
Firing coach Barry Melrose 16 games into the season illustrates the state of flux in which the Lightning find themselves. Ownership and management can't seem to decide what kind of team they want to be, both on the ice and financially, as the trade of minute-muncher Matt Carle to Philadelphia attests. There is plenty of time to turn this ship around given the talent in the lineup and the surprising play of netminder Mike Smith, but it won't happen if everyone isn't pulling on the same rope, which hasn't been the case so far. The immediate question facing the team is whether new rookie coach Rick Tocchet has the personality to make sure that cohesiveness takes place.

*****

Florida Panthers: D
New coach, new lineup, new promises … same results in South Florida for the bottom-dwelling Panthers. Rookie coach Peter DeBoer was hoping to rely on a rock-solid defense and goaltending to keep the young Panthers in the playoff hunt, but they're 16th in goals against per game and 28th in goals scored per game. The Panthers have yet to win more than two games in a row at any point this season. Jay Bouwmeester had not scored through 17 games and will become the elephant in the corner as GM Jacques Martin will have to decide whether to move the franchise defenseman. Bouwmeester can become an unrestricted free agent in July and has showed little inclination to sign on for the long haul in Florida (and why would he?).

Which I find peculiar for several reasons.

1- The records of Tampa and Florida so far

Lightning- 5-7-6
Panthers- 7-10-1

Florida is playing mediocre this year, but not much was expected of the team. On the other hand some hockey analysts thought Tampa was at least a playoff team or even a potential Stanley Cup contender.

2- Burnside hyped Tampa before the 2008-09 season began. How can give the dismal Lightning a better than Florida considering their under performance?

Broaden your horizons, increase your memory

Maureen Dowd has a very small world view. Writing why she feels Hillary Clinton would want to be Secretary of State if asked, the NY Times columnist says-

And why should the woman who made 18 million cracks go back to being junior to Chuck Schumer, if she could be toasted from Dublin to Dubai?

I'm not sure what the 18 million cracks Maureen refers to is supposed to be. Any guesses out there?

Dublin to Dubai? I guess Hillary won't be liked in Central and South America, Asia, Africa. If Maureen was more clever than she thinks she is, she may have written Dumaguete City or Darwin.

See I nitpick liberal columnists too, not just Mark Steyn. One other thing.

(Lincoln appointed a New York senator, William Seward, as his secretary of state. He promptly bought Alaska, known as "Seward's Folly," which ended up bringing us the folly of Sarah Palin).

Someone remind Maureen of how she wrote about a Hillary-Palin presidential debate in 2012 a few months ago. Maureen was probably mocking Ms. Palin, it is only fair if I mock her back.

Hat tip- Ann Althouse

They bite back

Leave it to the White Press corps to retaliate against Presidential pooch Barney after he bit one of their own.

BOSTON – Turns out that when it comes to biting White House visitors, President Bush's dog Barney is a repeat offender.

Boston Celtics public relations director Heather Walker said Friday that Barney bit her wrist and drew blood as she tried to pat the Scottish terrier in September after a White House ceremony honoring the team's 17th NBA championship.

"It was very strange. I didn't expect him to bite me," Walker told The Associated Press.

Last week, Barney bit Reuters reporter Jon Decker's index finger when he reached down to pet the seemingly docile dog. Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush, said jokingly then of Barney: "I think it was his way of saying he was done with the paparazzi."

McDonough said Friday she was unaware of the incident involving Walker and could not immediately comment.

It is untrue Barney hasn't made any comment since the notorious incident. A little more digging by the fourth estate would have found this video.



How about Barney for President?

Sign of the times

A Palm Beach County judge rejected a plea deal yesterday.

The victim, her family, the defense and prosecutor were prepared to bring the horrific rape case to a close on Thursday.

They agreed that Milagro Cunningham, accused of kidnapping, sexually battering and then trying to kill an 8-year-old girl in 2005 in Lake Worth, would face 25 years in prison and be designated a sexual predator.

But Palm Beach Circuit Judge Chuck Burton rejected the plea agreement.

"I certainly appreciate your feeling of wanting to protect your daughter," Burton said. "This is a horrible case. ... I don't turn down most agreed offers. I just think this is one I could not in good conscience accept."

I agree with Judge Burton. Twenty-five years is not enough for Cunningham. Exactly what was Cunningham's crime-

After the attack(Sexual assault), police say Cunningham tossed the girl into a 30-gallon recycling bin stuffed with 200 pounds of concrete slabs. The girl would have died, Belohlavek said, had police officers not found her. She was found because her hand and foot were left dangling outside of the bin. The girl's abduction sparked an Amber Alert and intensive search before dawn on Sunday, May 22, 2005, bringing together more than 100 officers from four agencies to search for her.

Cunningham is an animal. Twenty-five years is not enough.

Judge Burton hasn't ruled out accepting another plea deal. The victim of the mother doesn't want her daughter to have to testify. I don't blame her. Try again Palm Beach County prosecutors. Oh and isn't it incredible that a child rapist gets 25 years, where as County prosecutors tried to get a man sentenced to life in prison for defending himself against two gang members who threatened him? What's wrong with this picture.

Cunningham is in the US illegally. When he finishes his sentence in jail, if he isn't sentenced to life, he will be deported.

Here's a curious thing about this Sun-Sentinel article above. Three years ago I gave the Sun-Sentinel a Knucklehead award for their coverage of Milagro Cunningham's arrest.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not identifying the suspect or the victim because of their ages and the nature of the charges. Their relatives are also not being identified.

I understand not identifying the girl, but can someone please tell me why this paper is protecting the identity of her attacker? He is a minor but he commited rape and attempted murder! For christsakes the guy deserves to be hung by his balls for the heinous acts he did the paper feels he should be protected!!!!!!!

Don't you just love the South Florida news media. Once Cunningham became 18 it was all right to report his name.

Why I'm bringing all of this up is because two days ago there was a school shooting in Fort Lauderdale. How did the Sun-Sentinel report the story?

Police this afternoon charged a 15-year-old girl in the shooting death of one of her closest friends on the campus of Dillard High School.

Teah Wimberly, of Fort Lauderdale, is charged with first-degree murder and discharging a weapon on school property, police said. She is being held at the police station and is cooperating with investigators, officials said.

Its all right to report the names of underage murderers but not underage rapists. Someone please explain to me the difference between the two or tell me there are bunch of warped minds at Fort Lauderdale's biggest daily newspaper.

Badly shaken

Some TFM reader may think I'm nitpicking, but its news writing like this that helps to show that profession continues to sink.

THREE Grade 6 pupils have overdosed on prescription medicine apparently given to them by another student at their school.

The girls, aged between 11 and 12, were taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital on Thursday morning after the incident at Woodbridge School, south of Hobart.

Concerned parents contacted the Sunday Tasmania yesterday, saying they were shaken by what had happened.

It is believed the medication was given to the girls by another student.

Straightforward news story so far. What has me bugged. Its the sentence in bold when in use what caused these overdoses.

The drug is believed to have been a form of anti-epileptic medication.

Is Damien Brown and the Herald Sun in the habit of telling bad taste puns? I used to take anti-epileptic medications(Dilantin and phenobarbital) when I was a child. I outgrew them, my brother had a friend whose seizures got worse as he got older. Its not a laughing matter.