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In April the boat of Rolf Backer was found by officials in Key West, Florida, ransacked and bloody on a sandbar three miles from shore, with Backer missing and presumed murdered. His distraught wife failed to pay to have the boat removed quickly, and within three weeks officials had levied her $260,000 in various fines because the boat was an environmental hazard.
Last spring California veterinarians waged a vigorous campaign (which critics say included bribery) to persuade the state assembly not to change a law that makes it illegal for anyone other than vets to brush a dog’s teeth. The bill would allow owners and dog groomers to perform the brushings. The assembly postponed consideration of the bill while it investigated the bribery allegations.
The Chinese government, concerned about secrecy, recently had its entire telephone system rewired so that military officials can’t call, or be called from, outside the country. A New York Times reporter trying to confirm the story with China’s Bureau of Secrecy found the bureau’s phone number was classified. Researchers have reported being told that, among other things, the number of sheep in China and the number of potatoes grown every year are secrets.
Two years ago the Writer’s House publishing company in New York City was robbed, and though a man was later convicted of the crime and imprisoned, the stolen items–including an Oriental rug and an antique mirror–were not recovered. This spring, Writer’s House president Al Zuckerman received a collect phone call from the convicted robber offering to return the stolen goods if the company would consider publishing his manuscript.
