ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Just in case it wasn’t clear: Weapons and drugs don’t make good charitable donations.

Albuquerque police briefly evacuated a Goodwill store Thursday after someone left a pistol, ammunition, a grenade and some marijuana in a collection box.

Police spokeswoman Nadine Hamby says the police bomb squad took the grenade away for demolition after determining tit was a World War II-style inert – or inactive – grenade.

The police report did not list what type of guns were in the box or the quantity of marijuana.

in response to calls for a crackdown on illegal immigration, the union is offering to train citizens to get food from field to truck to table. “We’re giving that opportunity to any American that’s unemployed right now, that really wants to see how it is to work in agriculture today,” says Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW.

But Rick Oltman with non-profit Californians for Population Stabilization says the program is a far cry from a real job training opportunity. “This is a political stunt,” he says, “that’s designed to continue to push the idea that we need to keep the borders open to allow illegal aliens to flood into our country.”

Union organizers say anyone is welcome to take them up on their offer– but few have, given the backbreaking labor and difficult working conditions. Rodriguez says he can understand why only a handful of people have shown interest. “The fact that you’re going to be working out in the hot sun, it’s going to be a hundred degrees plus, no air conditioning, often times no shade for the workers.. they’re not ready to tolerate those kinds of conditions.”

But critics argue those conditions and low wages are perpetuated by the influx of cheap Mexican labor. They say securing the border would result in a labor shortage, driving up wages and sparking competition to get even the toughest farmworker jobs.

“There are no jobs people won’t do, only wages that people won’t accept. If we saw some fair wages for farmworkers, we would probably see more americans lining up for these jobs, as we are in other industries where there are those very few job openings,” Oltman says.

Of course, “fair” wages would mean significant price hikes for American produce, leaving stores and shoppers to choose between cheap fruits and vegetables from south of the border, or higher priced goods picked by their neighbors. In this economy, the union says, that’s no choice at all. Critics insist it’s a small price to pay for putting Americans back to work, and securing the border.

“Some people raffle TVs and we decided to offer this. It’s an interesting prize and there’s a lot of interest,” Gustavo Rojas, an opposition candidate for a National Assembly position, told Reuters while campaigning in Caracas.

Cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement, is widespread in image-conscious Venezuela, whose beauty queens have won numerous international pageant titles.

Even a recession has not diminished Venezuelans’ appetite for cosmetic surgery, with many people taking out loans for operations.

Rojas, of the opposition First Justice party, said he was not too worried about potential feminist criticism or the medical details of his offer.

“The raffle is a financing mechanism, nothing else. It’s the doctor who will do the operation, not me,” he said.

“When someone raffles a TV, some people think it’s a good TV but others don’t like it. It’s the same. I’m not showing disrespect to anyone.”

Venezuelans vote on September 26 for a new parliament.

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Authorities say a man who was waiting with several friends for a “ghost train” from a North Carolina legend was killed when a real train came down the tracks.

Iredell County Sheriff Phil Redmond says 29-year-old Christopher Kaiser of Charlotte was killed about 2:45 a.m. Friday as he waited with friends at a railroad trestle. Redmond says witnesses said about 12 people were on the trestle hoping to see a ghost train when the real train rounded a bend.

Everyone but Kaiser was able to clear the tracks at the end of the trestle. The train struck Kaiser, who was thrown into a ravine.

The legend developed from a train wreck on Aug. 27, 1891, that killed about two dozen people and injured many others. Folklore Web sites claim the accident can be heard on each anniversary.

From cbsnews.com

Police arrested the suspected ‘Brownie Bandit,’ a man accused of repeatedly breaking into a bakery, stealing freshly baked brownies and leaving behind crumbs and broken windows. Gonzales police said Jamon J. Simoneaux, 18, had a bag full of brownies when he was arrested Thursday in Jumonville’s Bakery.

Bakery owner Lynn Jumonville told The Advocate he called police after the cost of broken windows and screens began to mount. He said the burglar would break in about 8:30 or 9 p.m.

Police booked Simoneaux on six counts of simple burglary and four of simple criminal damage to property.

Lynn and wife Pat Jumonville estimate that he took about 12 dozen brownies and about two dozen sugar cookies.

Simoneaux remained in the Ascension Parish jail Saturday and it was not clear whether he had an attorney. Bond was set at at $90,000.

Our artistic rendering of how stupid this mistake actually was.

After all of the budget cuts made by individual school districts, then statewide school budget cuts by Gov. Christie, teachers opting not to come back because they don’t want to  deal with the mess, New Jersey makes a $400 million “error” (as stated by a representative for Gov. Christie).  Nah, that’s not an error, that’s what we call an epic fail.  If the folks in charge of the school’s can’t follow instructions on an application, the situation is fearful for our children whom they teach.

There were nine spots available for the government Race to the Top grant of $3.4 billion and the one requirement of providing the budget for 2008 & 2009 lost N.J. the 4.8 points that could have landed us in that 9th spot.  Of course, that started the shit storm.  Gov. Christie fires the state Education Commissioner, Bret Schundler, the democrats cry foul and call for an investigation into it (think they heard opportunity knocking anyone?) and in the meantime, guess who really suffers?  Our kids.  You know, the ones who took to the streets in protest back in April of the already proposed budget cuts.

The way things went down with the application reviewer play outs exactly like a student that came in for a test unprepared.  They actually gave Schundler and crew a 2nd chance to provide the number later in the meeting.  There’s plenty of blame to go around, especially to Christie but that doesn’t get us that $400 million back does it?

Below From The Daily Record

A team headed by Education Commissioner Bret Schundler did not provide the correct state aid figures during an interview with the reviewers of the federal Race to the Top grant applications, according to a video released Thursday by the federal Department of Education.

The video contradicts Gov. Chris Christie’s claims on Wednesday that Schundler did provide the correct numbers for the state’s application, which was rejected by an independent panel of reviewers.

Christie said during his monthly “Ask the Governor” radio show on New Jersey 101.5 FM (WKXW) Thursday night that when he spoke on Wednesday he was passing on what he was told by his staff.

Christie said on the air that he will view the tape and then respond appropriately.

The application for the $400 million grant required a comparison of state education spending in 2008 and 2009. The state instead submitted budget figures for 2010 and 2011.

The error cost the state 4.8 points on 500-point scale. That was more than the difference between New Jersey and Ohio, which was the lowest-scoring state to be awarded the grant.

On the hour-long video, dated Aug. 11, a reviewer is heard telling Schundler and his panel that the numbers requested were missing. The reviewer then asks the panel to explain where the correct numbers can be found. Schundler looks to the others with him and one answers that she doesn’t know where the numbers are.

Later in the interview, the panel members are once again asked if they “had any luck” finding the numbers. A panel member sitting to Schundler’s left answers, “no.”

The flub set off a firestorm of criticism Wednesday, with Democrats in both the Assembly and Senate castigating the Christie administration for making such a costly mistake, and calling for hearings on how the error was allowed to slip through.

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Woman Locked Up for Low-Riding Pants

Ben Muessig

Ben Muessig Contributor
AOL News
(Aug. 26) — You could say she got caught with her pants down.

A state judge in New Orleans sentenced a woman to 10 days in jail because she wore low-riding shorts in a courtroom.

Kimberly Senette, 23, was held in direct contempt of court on Aug. 19 because her shorts showed off “[h]er panties and the top of her buttocks,” witnesses told NOLA.com.
Kimberly Senette
The Smoking Gun
Kimberly Senette was held in direct contempt of court on Aug. 19 because her shorts were riding low in a New Orleans courtroom.

Senette — who was wearing a T-shirt, sneakers and knee-length plaid shorts — went to the Jefferson Parish court to try to convince her younger brother to accept a plea deal related to charges of armed robbery and battery on a correctional officer.

But Judge Steve Windhorst put Senette on trial for a crime of fashion.

When the judge questioned her about her shorts, Senette said her pants were riding low because she had been forced to remove her belt while going through security at the court’s entrance, according to the Smoking Gun.

For Windhorst, that answer didn’t hold up. He had Senette cuffed and held in the jury box behind her brother, who accepted a 12-year sentence as part of a plea deal.

Senette was reportedly released from jail early.