What A Strange World We Live In

Sometimes we get caught up in our regular routine of going to work and coming home, and get the idea that life on this earth is pretty boring. But that is far from the truth. Just take a look at some of these backpage news items, and you'll see that we do live in a very strange world.

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In Orem, Utah, a policeman roughed up a 70 year-old woman and then jailed her. What was her crime? Her lawn had not been watered and was turning brown!

An Orem policeman noticed the woman's "sadly neglected and dying landscape" and decided it violated the city's guidelines -- so he decided to give her a ticket. The woman said she didn't understand what the policeman wanted, so she turned to go into her house and call her son. That's when the crap hit the rotary blades.

The officer tried to restrain the 70 year-old, and the woman said he hit her on the nose with a pair of handcuffs. The officer said she just fell. Whatever happened, she was taken to the hospital to treat a cut on her nose, AND THEN JAILED.

She was released a few hours later "when police realized there were other ways of finding out her identity". The policeman has been placed on administrative leave. Did he forget that the "protect" part of "protect and serve" was referring to people and not Bermuda grass?

Sounds like the police in Orem could use a bit more training.

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In southern Alabama, police tried to stop a speeding car. But when they flased their lights the car sped up, taking them on a high-speed chase topping 100 miles an hour.

The car finally sideswiped another vehicle and flipped over. Police rushed to the car only to find that the driver was a drunken 11 year-old girl. The girl was uninjured except for minor scrapes and bruises, and was released to her family (thank heavens she wasn't driving in Orem, Utah).

The car belonged to a relative, but police are still trying to figure out where she got the alcohol. She's been charged with speeding, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless endangerment.

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The employees of a bank in Manchester, New Hampshire were victims of a very odd bank heist on Saturday morning. They were robbed by a tree -- or at least a robber disguised as a tree.

The robber walked into the bank with leafy tree limbs duct-taped to his head and body (you can fix anything with duct tape). Without showing a weapon, he walked up and demanded cash -- and received an undisclosed amount!

But in spite of his ingenious (?) disguise, he was recognized from bank camera footage and arrested the next day. He may not have any talent for crime, but at least he was creative. (picture above)

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The herpes virus is something that most people spend their lives trying to avoid. But it turns out that it may actually be good for some people!

A German biotech company called MediGene AG is using the live herpes virus to fight some forms of cancer (the cold sore herpes, not the sexual herpes). They have genetically altered the virus so that it attacks and kills cancer cells, but leaves normal cells alone. So far, the treatment shows great promise.

What's next -- e coli treatments?

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But perhaps strangest of all, the Amarillo Globe News (my local newspaper that's just to the right of Fox News and Ghengis Khan) would like its readers to believe its news and opinion pages are not slanted. Now that is unbelievable!