South America....NOT on my vacation list anymore

Glad my family got to go there as a port-of-call on a cruise as a kid.  Caracas, Venezuela is definitely OFF my vacation list forever.  From CNN:

"Foreign Policy magazine said in September that Caracas tops the list of five murder capitals of the world, with an official tally of 130 homicides per 100,000 residents. The city, which is Venezuela’s capital, has about 4 million inhabitants."

Of the top five, only one U.S. city made the list: New Orleans.  :)

Drug busts...going to the dogs.

Sorry, couldn't resist the post title above. But really, is it worth busting down a door and shooting the mayor's dogs for some pot?

"Police officers stormed the house after Calvo picked up the package -- containing 32 pounds of marijuana -- off his front porch and walked inside. Officers fatally shot his two Labrador retrievers, Payton and Chase, and detained him and his mother for questioning for hours."

Turns out his wife was a victim of identity theft...and now also a victim of the Prince George's County police.  I know there are cops who do a good job out there, but there's no way to compensate the family in this case.  Better make sure you look at your mail a little closer.  Big Brother is watching it too.

(U.K version of the story gets an honorable mention for artichokes: "Seeing the masked gun-toting officers, Porter, who was in the kitchen cooking artichokes, screamed.").  Dramatic British reporting.  :)