Boris Yeltsin got so drunk during a 1995 visit to Washington that Secret Service agents found him a few hundred feet from the White House clad only in his underwear and trying to hail a cab — because, he explained, he wanted a pizza. 

The encounter and near international incident involving the former Russian President was revealed yesterday in a new oral history of Bill Clinton’s presidency, based on 79 taped interviews between Mr Clinton and the historian Taylor Branch during late-night visits to the White House. 

The taped conversations took place between 1993 and 2001 — the year Mr Clinton left office — and were the former President’s idea, because he wanted an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective on his White House years as they were happening.

Mr Clinton also confided that his affair with Monica Lewinsky occurred when he felt sorry for himself and that “I cracked; I just cracked” under the pressure of personal and political setbacks, including the death of his mother and the loss of Congress to the Republicans in 1994.

Mr Clinton had at first been reluctant to talk about the Lewinsky affair because he feared that the tapes might be subject to subpoena and exposure and used against him. Yet, according to Mr Branch, in August 1999 — six months after he had survived the Senate impeachment trial — an emotional Mr Clinton opened up.

In an interview with USA Today, Mr Branch said he believed that Mr Clinton “had once strayed more often than that and made a big resolution not to do it in the White House because there was too much at stake”. He added: “From his point of view, he succeeded 99 per cent, but then felt sorry for himself and lapsed.”

Mr Branch, who shared a flat with Mr Clinton when they ran George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign in Texas, has turned the tapes into a 707-page book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President, to be published next week.

The Yeltsin incident came after one of the former Russian President’s late-night drinking sessions. On the night in question, he was staying at Blair House, the guest quarters for foreign leaders visiting Washington, which sits directly across from the White House in Pennsylvania Avenue.

He managed to give his Secret Service detail the slip. Frantically looking for him, they found him in his underwear on Pennsylvania Avenue trying to get a taxi. He explained in slurred words that he wanted a pizza.

Mr Clinton recorded all his conversations with Mr Branch and kept the tapes hidden in a White House sock drawer. They also reveal a two-hour argument between Mr Clinton and Al Gore after the latter had lost the 2000 election to George W. Bush.

Mr Clinton told Mr Gore that the election could have been won if he had been dispatched to campaign in Arkansas and New Hampshire, states where Mr Clinton was popular.

Mr Gore responded that Mr Clinton’s affair with Ms Lewinsky had been a “drag” that had plagued him throughout the doomed campaign. The two “exploded” at each other in mutual recrimination, according to Mr Branch.

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(Wellford, SC)—The Mayor of Wellford is defending her policy which bans police officers in that city from chasing suspects. Sallie Peake says the policy also includes vehicle chases along with pursuits on foot. 

A memo issued on September 2nd from Peake to all Wellford officers reads:

“As of this date, there are to be no more foot chases when a suspect runs. I do not want anyone chasing after any suspects whatsoever.“

WSPA first reported the mandate on Wednesday after an anonymous citizen faxed a copy of the memo to our newsroom. Peake was out of town and unavailable for comment. On Friday, reporter Chris Cato caught up with her in her office and questioned her about the origin of the policy. Peake says she issued the mandate because several officers have been injured during chases, driving up insurance costs for the town.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“The officers are costing us more money on insurance than most citizens here in the city of Wellford are even earning,“ says Peake.

She says the city is paying out $20,000 annually in workers’ compensation claims, much of it due to the police force. In July, two officers wrecked their cruisers while chasing suspects and had to go to the hospital for minor treatment. The police chief says three officers have been injured during foot chases in the last two years.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright says the policy prevents police from upholding the law—a direct violation of their constitutional oath.

“If a bank robber or a drunk driver or a shoplifter or somebody with a warrant runs on foot, it’s our obligation to do what we can do to bring them to justice,“ says Wright.

But when we asked Peake about her order impeding an officer from stopping a crime in progress, she became defensive and irate. The conversation went as follows:

Reporter: “Are you telling your officers if they witness a crime – they witness someone commit a crime on someone else and they’re ten yards away – they can’t go stop that person?“

Peake: “Is that in there?“ (referring to policy)

Reporter: “It says no chases whatsoever.“

Peake: “Well, that’s what I said, no chases, didn’t I? I didn’t say nothing about a crime. If you see a crime, this that and the other -“

Reporter: “Well, that’s what a chase is – “

Peake: “Well, I told them no chase on foot, and (the police chief) know exactly what I mean, so you’re trying to twist what I -“

Reporter: “No, I’m not. You said no chases. No chases means no chases.“

Peake: (claps hands) “You got you a story, thank God! You are so sweet! You got you a story on a woman in Wellford! Hallelujah! I’m so proud of you, Mr. Cato!“

Wellford Police Chief Chris Guy has told his officers to abide by the policy. He says they can still protect the public.

“Just because a suspect may run does not mean we can’t identify them, sign warrants, and catch them later,“ says Guy.

But Sheriff Wright says when a suspect gets away, there is always the chance he could hurt someone before officers catch up with him.

Peake says that won’t happen in Wellford.

Here’s hoping the arm of the law really is long.

Sheriff: Wow, those cops are good, or that mayor is VERY stupid. But hey, we all elect stupid people from time to time huh.

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From News 9 – Oklahoma City

What the heck are they doing in School?

OKLAHOMA CITY — Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.

 The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.

 Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know. 

The Oklahoma City-based think tank enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students’ basic civic knowledge.

 ”They’re questions taken from the actual exam that you have to take to become a U.S. citizen,” Dutcher said.

 A thousand students were given 10 questions drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services item bank. Candidates for U.S. citizenship must answer six questions correctly in order to become citizens.

 About 92 percent of the people who take the citizenship test pass on their first try, according to immigration service data. However, Oklahoma students did not fare as well. Only about 3 percent of the students surveyed would have passed the citizenship test.

 Dutcher said this is not just a problem in Oklahoma. He said Arizona had similar results, which left him concerned for the entire country.

 ”Jefferson later said that a nation can’t expect to be ignorant and free,” Dutcher said. “It points to a real serious problem. We’re not going to remain ignorant and free.”

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Germans angry as tins of Heinz ‘have fewer baked beans’

Fans of baked beans in Germany and Austria were furious yesterday after it emerged that tins of Heinz contained fewer beans than cans sold in Britain.

European fans of the product, which for decades has been sold with the slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz”, were outraged after the British variety was declared superior to its European counterpart.

Heinz Baked Beans - who has less beans?

Tins in Germany and Austria were also found to have a more watery and less tasty sauce than the British equivalent.

An Austrian newspaper conducted a comparative study of the British beans with those sold locally after receiving complaints from its readers following the launch earlier this year of Heinz Gebackene Bohnen, a version of the British original destined for the German speaking world.

“The readers were correct,” said David Rogers, editor of the Austrian Times. “We did a poll which found that many people felt the German Heinz baked beans were substandard and when we tested them we had to agree.”

The English language newspaper based in Vienna asked 20 fans of the Heinz product to carry out a taste test. “Our testers reported that the German baked beans were a pale copy of the original.”

Susana Vega, a British student in Vienna who took part in the study, said: “If you shake the tins the contents of the German tin sloshes around which it doesn’t with the British tin.

“The sauce when you pour it out is a lot more watery and it’s a much paler, watery looking colour than the thick tomato colour of the British beans.”

Labelling on the British Heinz tin states it is more than half full with beans – while the German version contains less than half.

British beans also have five per cent more tomato in their sauce than the German product, which contains more water, sugar and salt instead.

Heinz Joseph from Germany said he was disappointed with the new product. “I was a student in London and bought them because they had the same name as me and I really grew to love them.”

“I was delighted when they went on sale in Germany but then I realised they just don’t taste the same. I think it’s very unfair to German bean lovers.”

A spokesman from Heinz said: “The subtle blend of Heinz spicing, sauce and beans can vary slightly in different countries depending on local tastes and consumer preferences. Quality is always paramount.

“The UK is the baked bean capital of the world and we sell 1.5 million cans of Heinz Beanz a day. They are simply part of the British diet.”

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PARIS (Reuters) – A drunk French teenager narrowly escaped death on Sunday after falling asleep on a railway track and slumbering undisturbed as a high-speed train roared over him, police said.

The 19-year old, whose name was not released, remained fast asleep face down on a stretch of track near Saint Nolff in southern Brittany, as the Quimper to Paris train passed, leaving only a few grease stains on the back of his jacket.

The driver saw the body lying on the tracks and slammed on the brakes, but was only able to stop a few hundred meters further on.

“It was his unconscious state that saved him really, as he lay there completely still like a dead body,” said a spokesman for the local police force, adding that the clearance under the train is only around 20 centimeters.

According to the spokesman, the teenager was making his way back from the Saint Nolff music festival when he stopped to take a nap on the railway line.

Roused by police and fire fighters who attended the scene, the young man gave a one-fingered salute before rolling over and going back to sleep.

He was subsequently transferred to a nearby hospital where police say he is still recovering from his alcohol binge.

“He’s not really aware of what happened,” said the police spokesman.

(Reporting by Vicky Buffery, editing by Paul Casciato)

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WATERLOO — The family of a Waterloo man who was killed by police early Saturday said he was unarmed and had just been shocked by a Taser when he was fatally shot.

“The cops pulled up and 30 seconds later he was dead,” said Keith Shimp, father-in-law of Eric Timothy Rule, 31.

“He was stolen from us. This is a huge loss,” said Rule’s wife, Bethany.

Rule, the father of two who worked as a supervisor for Martinson Construction, died in the dirveway of his home at 611 Keystone St.

Rule died shortly after two officers were called to what authorities said was a domestic dispute at 2:18 a.m.

According to the police account, a struggle ensued.

“During the struggle, the officers used a number of control techniques that were ineffective,” acording to a statement relased by the Waterloo Police Department.

When Eric Rule attempted to overpower one of the patrolmen, the officer managed to draw his handgun and shoot him in the chest, according to police.

The names of the officers involved have not been released.

Unarmed - tasered and Shot by Police

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to investigate, which is a standard procedure for officer-involved shootings. Jeff Jacobson, DCI special agent in charge, said an autopsy has been scheduled for 9 a.m. today at the medical examiner’s office in Ankeny.

Jacobson declined to give details of the incident or to comment on the family’s statements that one officer used a Taser on Eric Rule seconds before the other officer shot him.

Shimp, who was at the scene and witnessed the incident, said Rule’s wife had called him to come over and phoned officers. She wanted them to get Eric Rule to go to another house for the night or to take him to detox.

“She told him not to come home drunk. He came home drunk,” Shimp said. He said there was no physical violence between the couple, and the wife had locked Eric Rule out of the house.

Shimp arrived at the house and was talking with Eric and Bethany Rule outside when police pulled up, according to Shimp’s account.

The officers separated the two, and one patrolman began to walk Eric Rule down the driveway. That is when Rule pulled out his cell phone.

The officer reached over to keep him from making the phone call, Shimp said.

“Eric said, ‘get the (expletive deleted) off me. This is my driveway,’” Shimp said.

The officer attempted to take Rule to the ground, and they both ended up on the lawn with Rule — more than 6 feet tall and 260 pounds — on top facing down, Shimp said.

The second officer raced over and started hitting Rule in the head, Shimp said.

“They never tried to put handcuffs on him,” Shimp said. “I’m trying to drag him out here, away from the officers,” Shimp said, motioning back toward the driveway.

While the first officer remained under Rule, the second officer stepped back, and Shimp saw “metal beads” — apparently probes from a Taser — strike Rule.

Rule then tensed up once from the shock of the electrical device, Shimp said.

“He stiffened up and then ‘pop, pop’,” Shimp said, mimicking the wound of gunshots.

Rule turned to look at Shimp, who saw blood coming from his chest.

Shimp said no warning proceeded the use of the Taser or the handgun.

He said other officers arrived soon afterward, but no one attended to Rule.

Rule died at the scene. The officer was fired the gun was taken to Allen Hospital where he was treated for injuries. The second officer was not hurt.

Shimp questioned why officers had tried to take Rule to the ground and why they shot him.

“The cops murdered him,” Shimp said.

Because of the ongoing investigation, Waterloo police and the DCI are not able to comment on Shimp’s account.

EARLIER STORY

Neighbors, some who asked not to be identified, said they were surprised to still see Rule’s covered body lying in his driveway when they ventured out of their homes Saturday morning. Many said they were not aware of the severity of the incident until seeing the white sheet used to create a makeshift tent over Rule’s body.

A four-home stretch of homes adjacent to and across the street from the Rule home were blocked with yellow crime scene tape when Helida Valla left for work about 7 a.m. Valla, of 603 Keystone St., said she didn’t even realize there had been a disturbance until her daughter woke her up shortly after 3 a.m.

“I bought this house 15 years ago and things like this just don’t happen in this neighborhood,” said Valla, who was watching the scene unfold from her car. “And I certainly didn’t hear any gunshots last night.”

A Martinson Construction truck, two police cars, and another truck were parked on the street in front of the home. Dolan said Rule had worked at Martinson for several years.

Authorities did not remove the body from the scene until shortly after 7 a.m.

The nearby hostas, which lined the driveway, appeared to have been damaged in the struggle.

According to court records available online, Rule had run-ins with police in the past but has not been cited since 2004.

In 1997, Waterloo police charged Rule with assault on a peace officer, interference with official acts and public intoxication. He allegedly refused to get into a squad car and kicked an officer. He was given jail time, but the sentences were suspended and he was placed on probation. In 1999, the court revoked Rule’s probation and he served six days in jail.

In 2001, Waterloo police charged Rule with interference with official acts. He pleaded guilty and paid a $250 fine for refusing officers’ orders.

Between 2000 and 2004, police in Waterloo and Cedar Falls cited Rule multiple times with public intoxication, loud music, operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license and failure to have financial liability insurance.

Despite his repeated run-ins with the law, Dolan said his friend, who he had known since second grade, was a good guy. He described his friend’s marriage as normal.

“We were just together last night,” he said, his eyes brimming with tears. “We’d had a few beers, but he isn’t the violent type. He had the softest heart. Everyone got along with Eric. I don’t care if he was drunk or not, this went way too far. This never should have happened.”

from the Waterloo, Iowa Courier – http://www.wcfcourier.com ”Cedar Valley’s Home Page”

Comment by the Sheriff: Yep – been to Iowa. Met some cops who stopped me for having NY Plates, no other reason. Was driving my daughters to school – as we were living there temporarily. Office approched my car with hand on gun, asked for license and registration, then asked my daughters if they were ok, and if they knew me! My girls just laughed – and told the officer politely “Yep he’s our dad. But sometimes he pretends like he doesn’t know us. and they say New Yorkers are bad???? – you too “Have a Nice Day Ossifer”

I asked a friend in the office when I got to work, if this type of thing was normal. He said I was lucky that they didn’t take me from the car at gunpoint for having the kids make a joke like that! 

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Mom Leaves ND Hospital With Wrong Newborn

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – A hospital in northwestern North Dakota is investigating how the mother of a newborn went home with the wrong baby.

Officials with the Mercy Medical Center in Williston say the mistake was discovered within an hour and the mother was quickly reunited with her own child.

Mercy Chief Financial Officer Kerry Monson would not release details about how the mix-up happened or what families were involved.

She said in a statement that hospital employees are disheartened by the incident. She says officials are reviewing policies and procedures and will take appropriate action.

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CANBERRA (Reuters) – Exhausted Australian doctors have been told to drink up to six cups of coffee a day to stay awake during extended shifts, building pressure on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to seize control of state-run hospitals. 

Big Coffee

A document on fatigue management released by health officials in Queensland state recommended doctors ingest 400 milligrams of caffeine to stay awake on the job, or the equivalent of six cups of coffee, after warnings that patients were dying.  

“For management to just say go and have a cup of coffee and get over tiredness, it cheapens the whole issue,” Australian Medical Association Vice President Steven Hambleton told Reuters.

“We are talking about serious issues here, and this is not just a serious suggestion at all. It can’t be a weakness to say you’re dog tired,” he said. 

The recommendation followed warnings from a union representing Queensland doctors this week that public hospital patients were dying because dangerously tired medics were being forced to work up to 80 hours without a break.

Australia’s national center-left government is under pressure to seize control of the nation’s ailing public hospital system, currently managed by state governments with federal funding support, in a $20.5 billion takeover.

With fresh elections a year away, repairing the health system was a key promise that helped underpin the 2007 victory by Labor over rival conservatives, with Rudd campaigning tirelessly on health and promising to fix public hospitals.

Rudd last month delayed a decision by six months, but said the option of a “full monty” takeover was still on the cards.

In advocating the use of caffeine by doctors, the health department document said that compared with other psychoactive drugs, such as the prescription-only stimulant modafinil, caffeine was more readily available and less expensive.

Salaried Doctors Queensland, representing medicos, countered that pumping doctors full of caffeine was not an effective way to deal with fatigue and doctor shortages, often filled in Australia through recruitment overseas.

Queensland Labor Health Minister Paul Lucas said the state was aiming to train more doctors and cap hospital work shifts at 12 hours over the next two years, but had no immediate solution to fatigue and staff shortages.

“If the doctors are not there, we can’t do it,” he said. “We can’t say we’d rather not have it as it is and create doctors out of the air.”

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence/Reuters)

(Further Editing by by nyctech/stupidpatrol.com)

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idiot award in the weightlifting class!!

The rather shocking photo attached snapped in November 16th of last year by a spectator at the collegiate power lifting championships at Penn State. The unfortunate competitor, who expressed a plea to remain anonymous, remembered to surgeons that he was ” stuck” at the bottom of a personal best attempt in the squat lift when he “sort of pulled his stomach in and pushed extra hard, at the same time as trying to complete the lift.”

He remembers a loud popping, splattering noise then a fierce stabbing pain and then not being able to move from the squat position. He remained in this position for about half an hour, since trying to stand caused him overwhelming agonizing pain. Paramedics arrived and applied anesthesia on the spot and carried him to an ambulance. He was rushed to surgery, where surgeons described the trauma as an explosive and aggravated prolapse of the bowel”. Meanwhile it was revealed that the weight was removed from his shoulders at the time of the incident by two “spotters” on either side of the lifter. The third spotter who was standing behind the lifter was unfortunately sprayed with fecal matter at the time of the incident. This spotter promptly fainted when he realized the extent of of the injury to the lifter, who was a personal friend.

This compounded the task of first aid officers who were at a loss as to how to treat the injury to the lifter in any case, who remained in the squatting position moaning in pain much to the consternation of the helpless audience. The hapless lifter had successful surgery to relieve the prolapse, but remained immobilized with his feet elevated in stirrups for 2 weeks to ensure “internal compliance with the surgery and that the organs retracted successfully”.

Do not lift more weight than you should, this can happen to you!

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