Do you remember the Batman movies where the Penguin took control Gotham City using his umbrella gun?  The police in a town near Philidelphia must have thought that the Penguin was taking over Upper Dublin High School earlier this week.  Apparently a high school student brought an umbrella to school for a science experiement and was walking around the hallway between classes with the umbrella over his shoulder as he was a soldier and the umbrella was a weapon.  Administrators saw this and freaked out, calling the police.  The principal paniced, announced over the loudspeaker that the school was in lockdown and that police were on their way.  Students and parents began freaking out in light of the Newtown Conneticut tragedy.  When police arrived at the school and confronted the student they learned that he did not actually have a gun.  The boy was not charged or arrested but he was disciplined.  Brendan Spaar thinks the police over reacted and does not think the student should face any punishment.  In a shocking statement to a local newspaper, Deputy police Chief Lee Benson said it was "poor timing" on the students' behalf to carry out the project in the days after the Newtown tragedy.  So high school students everywhere should stop doing their homework and postpone their projects out of respect for the victims because they have control over their due dates afterall.  Just tell your teachers that you are following strict police orders.

Source:  http://articles.philly.com/2012-12-17/news/35871221_1_lockdown-security-camera-umbrella

Shoplifters had better think twice before trying to steal from Wal-Mart in Dekalb County Georgia.  Last month, a man decided to create his own Black Friday sale by (allegedly) shoplifting two DVD players from a Wal-Mart in Lithonia, GA.  Brendan Spaar thinks if you make it to the parking lot with items that you did not pay for, you no longer allegedly commited a crime.  As the man reached his car with the stolen DVD players, store employees identified as Phille Roberts, Michael Burton and Jaiviere Pruitt approached him and an altercation broke out.  The Wal-Mart employees apparently beat the life (literally) out of this man.  When police arrived they found the shoplifter unresponsive and bleading from his nose and mouth.  I know that theft costs stores money but at some point the employees need to let the police do their job.  There is probably video of the man stealing the DVD players as well as video of him leaving the scene.  If he gets away then he will probably be identified and arrested.  The employees, by persuing this man, put their own lives in danger.  What if he would have had a gun?  There have been cases of employes being fired for detaining shoplifters.  The store is insured for the loss of merchendise.  You should never put your life in danger over any amount of theft, let alone DVD players with a total value of less than $500.

Source:  http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/alleged-walmart-thief-dies-during-confrontation/nTFNN/

If you thought crazy people were only in the United States then this story will prove otherwise.  This guy in Britain wasn't expecting children to drop by trick-or-treating this Halloween so he was unprepared when his doorbell rang.  He panicked and dropped whatever was in his pocket into their bags and sent them on their way.  After he closed the door he realized that he had actually dropped bags of cocaine worth over 200 British pounds.  To make matters worse, these weren't ordinary children.  Their father was an off duty police officer who immediately recognized the drugs and sent the police back to the guy's house to pick him up.  Brendan Spaar remembers something similar happening on the Charlie Brown Halloween special.  In this special, Charlie Brown kept complaining about getting a rock at each house that he visited.  Somehow I don't think this was what he was talking about.  Luckily the police found the drugs before the officer's boys and girls tasted it thinking it was sugar or candy.

Source:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/19/police-children-cocaine-mistake

It's hard enough being a high schooler these days with bullying and peer pressure.  Students in Minnesota have something else to worry about:  Fashion police.  One high school has sent home a letter warning parents not to let girls come to school with tight fitting leggings and short tops.  Apparently this is a fashion trend that the school is trying to stop.  Brendan Spaar wonders why the administrators are so concerned about the dress code.  Some schools have a policy against hats, baggy jeans, and wild hair colors that would be distracting to other students.  Calling a fashion trend distracting is one step toward conformity and uniformity in education.  Is this a step toward controlling thoughts and expression?

Source:  http://www.startribune.com/local/west/179141451.html

Brendan Spaar has been known to score a good deal at thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army but this one is beyond belief.  Would you believe that someone dropped off a piece of art signed by famed painter Salvador Dali at a Goodwill store in Tacoma Washington?  Well it happened.  Someone dropped off a rare framed etching signed by Dali complete with a certificate of authenticity.  Now you may be wondering how such high value items end up at Goodwill.  It could be that this piece of art was part of a deceased family member's estate and the easiest thing to do was to donate it all to Goodwill.  This is far from the first time something like this has happened.  People are finding money and jewlery in coat pockets.  The article points out that an original sketch painting by Andy Warhol was picked up at a garage sale in Las Vegas.  This just goes to show that the saying "one man's trash is another's treasure" is actually true.

Source:  http://q13fox.com/2012/11/15/dali-art-piece-found-at-federal-way-goodwill/

We have all seen the fundraisers where children beg you to buy their candy or popcorn so that they can go on a field trip or their school can buy something.  Joey Funderburk decided to take fundraising to a whole new level when he found out that his insurance company, BlueCross BlueSheild of South Carolina, wouldn't pay for the prosthetic limbs that he needed.  Joey has setup a stand in front of Starbucks selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts with the proceeds going toward paying for the $120,000 legs.  This effort along with his website, JoeysLegs.org, has raised some serious dough so far.  While he is still a long way away from reaching his goal, you have to give the guy a lot of credit for not giving up and raising the money on his own.  Of course, after the story hit the news, BlueCross BlueShield decided to approve 80% coverage for the limbs, something they wouldn't do without media coverage.  Brendan Spaar recommends everyone take to Twitter, Facebook, and blogs when a company won't do the right thing.  Never take no for an answer.  Joey Funderburk should be an inspiration to all of us.

Source:  http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/man-sells-doughnuts-pay-prosthetic-legs-110101422--abc-news-savings-and-investment.html