RANDOM STORIES OCTOBER

WHAT WOULD YOU PAY ME?

When Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in New York City last week for meetings at the United Nations, he not only arranged to have the Warwick’s “Murals on 54” restaurant closed for the whole week for his personal use, but paid people $1500 each to dine with him.  The “dollars for dining” practice occurs every year during his annual visit to address the UN. 

I talked about this on Mancow’s Sunday night radio show that airs on WABC in New York.  I said that Jews should offer to eat with, as my friend Linda calls Mahmoud,“I’m a Dinner Jacket,” and then donate the $1500 to a Jewish Organization.  I thought it would be a good prank to pull on the guy.

The story also made me wonder the opposite.  What would someone pay to have dinner with me?  I am taking bids.  The money will go to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.  Just e-mail me or post a comment on the blog, and I will respond.

THE MAN NEEDS HELP!

Anthony Porter was a death row inmate who was within 48 hours of his scheduled execution, when his legal team filed an appeal in 1998, on the grounds that he was incapable of understanding his sentence because he had an IQ of only 51.  But then, ironically, his conviction was overturned in 1999.  A future investigation conducted by two Northwestern University School of Law professors and students from the Medill School of Journalism unveiled Porter’s innocence.  His case was what ultimately led to Illinois Governor George Ryan’s abolishing the death penalty in Illinois.

Porter is back in jail for shoplifting.  He stole four Dove deodorants from a Walgreens drug store on the south side of Chicago, just a few blocks from where he lives.  He is being charged with felony retail theft.  With an IQ of 51, he does not have the mental ability to understand what he has done.  He stole deodorant.  The poor man is not evil.  With such a low IQ, I wonder whether he even understands the concept of money.  He suffered for years on death row, and I doubt there are many jobs he can hold with his diminished intellectual capacity.

The State of Illinois incarcerated him for decades for a crime he did not commit.  Where is the social service agency that can help him now?    It probably cost the state about $100,000/year to house Porter on death row.  How about throwing him $25,000 to keep him minimally alive?

STAMP OF APPROVAL

The U.S. Postal Service is dropping the rule that required a person to be dead at least five years before their likeness went on a stamp.

“This change will enable us to pay tribute to individuals for their achievements while they are still alive to enjoy the honor,” said Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General. “These remarkable individuals — through their transformative achievements in their respective fields — have made enduring contributions to the United States of America. Honoring living individuals expands the interest in stamp topics and keeps our program timely, relevant and contemporary.”

A press release on the USPS web site  quoted Stephen Kearney, manager of Stamp Services, as saying, “Engaging the public to offer their ideas is an innovative way to expand interest in stamps and the popular hobby of collecting them. We are inviting our customers to submit the top five living individuals they would like to see on stamps through Facebook and Twitter. As always, you can mail your suggestions to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Development, Room 3300, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington DC 20260-3501.”

How ironic that the post office is asking for suggestions via Facebook and Twitter and throws in as an afterthought that a person can snail mail the name of their candidate. 

The Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) receives about 40,000 suggestions for stamp designs every year and issues about 50.  The USPS is losing billions of dollars a year.  Now that living humans can be depicted on a stamp, why not sell the rights to earn income?  Think how much Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would pay!