Four women bared their chests in downtown Eugene, Ore., in December, protesting society's use of child-unfriendly pesticides (and in favor of legalized hemp). And "hundreds" of women bared their chests in Lusaka, Zambia, in January, protesting the allegedly fraudulent election victory of president Levy Mwanawasa. And in a protest in Helsinki, Finland, in April, "hundreds" of women publicly vowed to refrain from bearing children for four years unless parliament stops authorizing nuclear power plants. [The Oregonian, 12-10-01] [South African Press Association-Agence France-Presse, 1-8-02] [Reuters, 4-5-02]

In May, Trenton Veches, 31, resigned from his job with the Newport Beach, Calif., after-school recreation program when he was arrested on multiple counts of sucking the toes of boys age 6 to 10. Police said as many as 45 kids may have been involved, with several appearing on videotapes recovered from Veches' home. There was no evidence of anything beyond toe-sucking, but any touching of a child for sexual gratification is a crime in California. [Los Angeles Times, 5-7-02]

Police in Slidell, La., were looking for Henderson Stephen Palmer, 23, and Brian Parker, 24, suspected of a drive-by shooting in March that badly missed the target house, with half of the bullets hitting only the interior of their car and one shattering the kneecap of Palmer's sister, who was in the back seat. Police said the suspects fired as Parker sped down the street (perhaps not realizing that when professionals do a "drive-by," they actually stop the car in front of the target so they can aim better). [Times-Picayune, 3-19-02]

Still more information on beneficiaries came out on the federal farm subsidy program mentioned four months ago (and which Congress voted to expand substantially in April). It has already been widely reported that generous subsidies go to non-needy "family farmers" such as Enron's Kenneth Lay, newsman Sam Donaldson, basketball's Scottie Pippin, and the nonstruggling Ted Turner and David Rockefeller. In March, the Associated Press reported that major league baseball player Kevin Appier has received several thousand dollars in subsidies for his farm in Kansas, which he bought because as a kid, he always dreamed of playing baseball and being a farmer. "I have no idea why I wanted to have a farm," he said. "I wasn't raised on a farm or anything. I just always thought it would be neat." [New York Post, 3-27-02]

According to a Los Angeles Times story, a handful of school districts in six states have banned dodgeball, intending to save kids from the violence and hurt feelings that result from humans throwing objects at other humans (March). People who watch TV and relate to the characters tend to believe they have more friends and a more lively social life than they really do, according to a study by a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (May). A 20-year-old suspected holdup man, fleeing police in Baton Rouge, La., while holding his 18-month-old son, tossed the kid at a police dog in an effort to buy a few more seconds in his escape (May). [Los Angeles Times, 3-18-02] [New Scientist, 5-8-02] [Baton Rouge Advocate, 5-7-02]

Eight British tourists were sentenced to three years in jail after being caught practicing their hobby of "plane-spotting" (similar to bird-watching) in Greece because authorities would not budge from their belief that anyone writing down airplane numbers must be a spy (Kalamata, Greece). Police sought a man who was making offers to women to clean out their septic tanks in exchange for sex or guns (Camden, Ark.). The director of the New Brunswick (Canada) Symphony was refused airline boarding until he baggage-checked his $120 (U.S.) conductor's baton (a blunt-ended, flexible wooden instrument with a cork handle) (St. John, New Brunswick). A 46-year-old man, under orders to clean the junk off his property, instead created a giant sculpture of a bare human torso, bent over, with the back end aimed at the street, but was then arrested for disorderly conduct (Altamonte Springs, Fla.). [New York Times, 4-28-02] [Associated Press, 5-10-02] [National Post-CP, 4-23-02] [WKMG-TV (Orlando), 5-9-02]