Pastor John Renken's Xtreme Ministries,located in Clarksville, Tenn., is one of a reportedly growing numberof churches that use "mixed martial arts" to recruit wayward youngmen to the Christian gospel. Typically, after leading his flock in solemnprayer to a loving god, Pastor Renken adjourns the session to the backroom forfights. In February, a reporter for TheNew York Times found Renken shoutingencouragement for violence at a fight event in Memphis. "Hard punches!" Renkenyelled. "Finish the fight! To the head! To the head!" One participanttold the Times that fight nightsbring a greater masculinity to religion, which he said had gone soft in recentyears.
Government in Action!
- Michael Hicks, age 8, frequently travels on airplanes with his mother.While the mother is seldom noticed by airport screeners, "Mikey"almost always receives extra attention because he shares a name with someone onthe enhanced-security list, which is one level below "no fly" (Mikeyis one of at least 1,600 people named Michael Hicks in the United States).Mikey's mom told The New York Timesin January that Mikey has been patted down by security since he was 2 yearsold.
- Better Late Than Never? Eight days after the Christmas Eve demolitionof Minneapolis'historic Fjelde House (because it had been deemed unsafe following a fire lastSeptember), the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission awarded the site"interim protection" for its historic value.
- In February, aspirants for taxicab licenses in Portsmouth, England,were officially informed by the City Council that application forms areavailable in "audio," "large print" or "Braille."
Political Finger-Pointing
- In February, legislator Abel LeBlanc was suspended from Canada's NewBrunswick Assembly for three days after giving middle-finger salutes to twocolleagues, calling one a "punk" and declaring himself ready to"walk outside with any one of yas here. Don't ever laugh at me," hecontinued. "Yes, I gave you that [the middle finger]. And I'll give youthat again. And [to another colleague] I'll give you this [the finger] if youwant to go outside."
Great Art!
Just after Christmas, the Anglican Church ofSt. Peter in Great Limber, England,unveiled artist Adam Sheldon's 6-foot-high representation of the crucifixionconsisting of 153 pieces of toast. Sheldon browned the bread himself, thenpainstakingly either scraped (to lighten) or torched (to darken) each piece tofashion the tableau.
Names in the News
Arrested in January in Memphis, Tenn.,and charged with having carnal knowledge of an underage girl: Mr. KnowledgeClark, 29. Arrested in January in Hellertown, Pa., and charged with cashing astolen check: Richard Fluck, 47, and Bryan Flok, 47. Arrested in Denver in February andcharged with using another person's driver's license as identification: Mr.Robin J. Hood, 34. Arrested in Kingston, Pa., in January and charged withcocaine trafficking: Carlos Laurel, 31, and Andre Hardy, 39. Arrested inFebruary in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and charged with possessionof crystal meth: Crystal Beth Williams, 21.
Pervo-American Community
At the 2008 Preble County (Ohio) Fair,following complaints about a peeping Tom, police spotted Coty Heltsley, 20,"looking around, acting nervous" near a row of portable toilets. Overthe course of a few hours, Heltsley reportedly moved empty toilets closertogether and frequently went in and out of one of the stalls. He was eventuallyconvicted of voyeurism for peeping at a female using the facility. In December2009, a state appeals court rejected Heltsley's defense that police hadviolated his right to privacy with their surveillance.
Now, Which One Is the Brake?
Elderly drivers continue to have lapses ofconcentration, accidentally confusing the gas pedal for the brake pedal: An89-year-old man crashed through the front of Sussex Eyecare opticians in Seaford, England(June). A driver "in her late 80s" crashed into the Buttonwood Bakeryin Hanover Township, Pa. (September). An 86-year-old man crashedinto the Country Boy Family Restaurant in Dunedin, Fla. (October). An 82-year-oldman crashed into the Egypt Star Bakery in Whitehall Township, Pa.(November). A 78-year-old woman drove off of a 30-foot cliff (but the car'splunge was halted when it lodged against a tree) near Hannibal,Mo. (August).A 92-year-old man crashed into the Biscuits 'N' Gravy & More restaurant inPort Orange, Fla. (January), but was not deterred amid the rubble he created,as he calmly went inside, sat down and ordered breakfast.
A News of the Weird Classic
In August 1994, Sanford, Fla.,Judge Newman Brock picked up hair clippers and went to the local SeminoleCounty Jail for his biweekly haircut from his longtime hairstylist, RickThrower, who was serving 45 days for DUI violations. Said Thrower, "(Thejudge is) a very loyal customer."
© 2010 Chuck Shepherd