Kristin in the Wild West

'Raunchy' Christmas deer light display brings complaints

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:35:00 +0000

'Raunchy' Christmas deer light display brings complaints
By Amber Weston, Standard-Examiner correspondent

HARRISVILLE -- It's a redneck Christmas on Larsen Lane where Isaac Oberg has created a unique outdoor display.

Oberg, a self-proclaimed redneck, has three lighted Christmas deer in his yard. One deer is hanging from a tree with red lights representing flowing entrails, and two are stacked on top of each other simulating copulation with red lights representing male genitalia.

Oberg said he wanted to do something different for Christmas and the idea just popped into his head.

"I get a lot of humor out of it," said Oberg. "All last year I heard people all over ask, "Hey, you see that deer over on Larsen Lane?' "

The city began receiving complaints about the deer last year when Oberg first built the display.

"People are mostly concerned that kids might see it," said City Recorder Jennifer Morrell.

Several complaints have come from North Ogden and Harrisville, but city officials aren't going to ask Oberg to remove the display.

"Although I find it a tasteless Christmas decoration, I would not condone the government entering someone's private property and violating their constitutional rights and removing the Christmas decoration," said City Administrator Bill Morris. "This is Harrisville. We're not Tehran, Iran."

Harrisville City Attorney Mike Junk echoed Morris's statement and said that although he finds the display to be raunchy, it is not a prosecutable criminal act. Junk also pointed out that Harrisville boasts a large deer hunting population.

"You can go out in the nature and see it, why not here too?" said Oberg. "Just about everywhere you look you can see it goin' on."

Oberg said that when his 4-year-old nephew asked what the deer were doing, the boy's mother told him they were playing piggyback.

Oberg doesn't know whether any of his neighbors find the display offensive. Most haven't spoken with him about it, and the ones who have find it humorous.

Last year he was afraid the city would ask him to remove the display, but since they haven't he plans to add to the display next year. He says the display isn't so much about Christmas as it is about doing something unusual.

"I figured it was something I wanted to do to be different," said Oberg.

Happy New Year 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:46:00 +0000

New Year Prayer
Dear God,
My prayer for 2011 is for a fat bank account
and a thin body.
Please don't mix these up like you did last year.
AMEN

The Eagles Have Landed! Farmington Bay Bird Refuge, Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:57:00 +0000

The eagles have landed! This is an album created from a visit to the bird refuge on Farmington Bay, Great Salt Lake. Eagles congregate here annually.
The only road into the refuge winds along the top of a dike, passing numerous small marshes and ponds. Most times of the year these contain waterfowl and shorebirds wading and foraging in the shallow waters. If there is not much traffic, you can pull to the side of the road and scan these flocks; this is a good way to find some of those more unusual migrants, especially the shorebirds. Many of the official pullouts are situated to provide views of these marshes. Specialty birds: Clark’s Grebe, American White Pelican, Bald Eagle (winter); Sandhill Crane; Marbled Godwit.
Nearby City: Centerville (approx. 25 miles south of Ogden, Utah)
Season: Year-round, best during spring and fall migrations
Top Elevation: 4,200 feet

The Mormon Church's Helpful New Sidewalk Rules for Adults Who Want to Make Out

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:21:00 +0000

The Mormon Church's Helpful New Sidewalk Rules for Adults Who Want to Make Out

When Matt Aune and Derek Jones were detained, and cited for trespassing, in July for kissing(!) on a pathway owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a whole helluva lot of controversy was started over whether the men were targeted because they were gay, which, duh, LDS doesn't appreciate. So how to keep future homo scofflaws off church property? Erect a sign!

Along Salt Lake City's Main Street Plaza, visitors will begin seeing signs like the above, reminding visitors they are on church property. And everyone from City Prosecutor Sim Gill (who opted not to charge Aune and Jones) to the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah is pleased with the move, since it'll provide clarity to passersby.

But the church still allows pedestrians on the pathway, and does not explicitly state what the rules are when on church property.

Gay incident reopens Salt Lake City's Main Street plaza wounds
Religious divide boils over again on church-owned square.
By Rosemary Winters

The Salt Lake Tribune

It's the wound that won't heal. The rift that won't close. And earlier this month, two gay lovers' purportedly innocuous late-night kiss -- though LDS Church officials insist it was far more amorous than that -- ripped it wide open.

Utah's simmering religious divide boiled over -- once again -- at the geographical and philosophical intersection of church and state: the Main Street Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City.

Matt Aune and Derek Jones say they held hands, kissed and then squabbled with security guards on the LDS Church-owned square. Salt Lake City police issued a ticket for trespassing. In protest, supporters of the couple staged a "kiss-in" last Sunday outside the plaza and plan another such demonstration today.

The LDS Church -- a faith to which 60 percent of Utahns belong -- defended its right to regulate "inappropriate behavior" on the plaza.

"What we're seeing now is a manifestation of what should have been obvious from the very beginning," says former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. "This block of Main Street never should have been conveyed to the LDS Church. It was a recipe for ongoing resentments between the LDS Church and those who are not members."

The church bought the strip of Main -- from North Temple to South Temple -- in 1999 . But the controversy burned for five more years as federal courts were asked to settle the prickly issue of whether the church could govern expression on the plaza and whether the city could retain a public right of way (as outlined in the original deal).

"It was meant to be for everybody," Eyer says. "Where people come and go their constitutional rights go with them."

In the end, he agreed to trade the public easement for cash and LDS land to build a west-side community center.

"What we were really swapping was a major division that wouldn't go away," Anderson says, for "the opportunity to really improve the lives of a lot of people over generations through the services and facilities that would be available at the [Sorenson] Unity Center."

"People, in general, have many more similarities than they do differences," says Elise Lazar, who is Jewish and has participated in bridge-building groups with Mormons and members of other faiths since 2004.

"Our guidelines have always been that we are not there to change anybody, but to understand each others' positions," she says. "We're friends now."

Still, she says, LDS views on homosexuality and efforts to thwart gay marriage remain among the "thorniest" issues.

"It's been hard for us to get past," she says. "I have respect for many of the values of the LDS Church, but this [plaza trespassing] incident highlights one of the most flagrant inconsistencies -- love thy neighbor, but only if he or she is heterosexual."

The LDS Church, in a statement, says Aune and Jones were asked to stop "behavior deemed inappropriate for any couple on the plaza," alleging the couple had been drinking (Aune and Jones acknowledge that) and engaged in "lewd language," "passionate kissing" and "groping." (Aune says there was nothing "pornographic," just a show of affection.)

"We hope the plaza will continue to be an asset to the community and enjoyed by the many that cross it each day," the church statement says. "We want it to be a place of beauty and serenity in downtown Salt Lake City for everyone."

Legally, there is not much anyone can do about the plaza, Anderson says. The Main Street sale is history.

"But certainly in terms of community dialogue, there's a lot that the mayor could, and I think should, be initiating," Anderson says. "You don't just let these things fester."

The Rev. Tom Goldsmith, leader of the First Unitarian Church, one of the plaintiffs the ACLU represented in the lawsuits, wants to see the issues of church and state, gay and straight discussed on a "grander scale."

"I would like to see dialogue not only among neighbors, but I'd also like to see the dialogue elevated more amongst community leaders and religious leaders."

For now, he hopes the LDS Church "lightens up" on plaza enforcement.

"The LDS Church responds very effectively to very overt cases of human pain and suffering," such as Hurricane Katrina or poverty in Africa, Goldsmith says. "For some reason, they just don't see the pain and suffering of people right here on their very doorsteps, people who are prevented from having their civil rights honored, their human integrity honored."

"The LDS Church responds very effectively to very overt cases of human pain and suffering," such as Hurricane Katrina or poverty in Africa, Goldsmith says. "For some reason, they just don't see the pain and suffering of people right here on their very doorsteps, people who are prevented from having their civil rights honored, their human integrity honored."

A still from LDS Plaza security camera footage shows security guards confronting Matt Aune and Derek Jones on July 9. The two were apprehended and arrested on suspicion of trespassing on the plaza. They claim they were harassed because they are gay and they had kissed on the plaza. The Salt Lake County District Attorney s Office did not charge the two men.

Springtime Shmingtime - We're getting NAILED by a blizzard!

noreply@blogger.com (eMajor Marketing) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Current weather: 29°F/-2°C with Freezing Fog & Snow. Windchill: 18°F/-8°C
Winter weather advisory in effect. A combination of heavy snow and strong winds will result in local white-out conditions, as well as rapid snow accumulations along area roadways. Caution: Windy with areas of blowing snow. Snowfall totals of 10-16in/25-40cm expected with local amounts of up to 20in/51 cm possible.

Wonderful views from the local weather cams:

Salt Lake City: White-out

American Fork, Utah: White-out

Huntsville, Utah

Park City, Utah - Canyons Resort

Riverton, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah - Solitude Resort

West Jordan, Utah

World of Warcraft game gets UGLY

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Your Daily Jury Duty
"In America, a person is presumed innocent until the mug shot is released"

R. Lavern Davison, 48, charged with convincing a 13-yr-old girl in Centerville, Utah, to hop on a bus and come see him. (She assumed he was a World of Warcraft pal; he wanted you-know-what.) The crime's ugly, but we must be fair and observe Davison on the perp walk before we judge him.

The 48-year-old, also known as ‘Bear’, likes to play World of Warcraft. In June 2008 he started chatting with a 13-year-old girl during game play. The chatting then moved to instant messaging, where it became more and more sexual. Eventually, Davison sent the girl a cell phone and communicated with her that way.

When the girl’s mother called police to report her daughter didn’t make it to school one day officials learned she was planning on going to California to live with her boyfriend. It was then that the FBI and Utah’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force got involved. Agents performed a scan on her computer and cell phone and found that Davison was engaging in sexually explicit conversations and intended to have the girl travel to California for sexually related purposes.

On a hunch, detectives headed for the Greyhound bus station. They arrived just in time…the girl was to board the bus in less than an hour. It then became obvious the girl had been fooled. When shown a real picture of her ‘boyfriend’ the kid freaked out.

Officers wanted to reel in Davison…they picked up where the girl left off and continued to chat with him. Centerville Police said the chats became more sexual in nature. ‘The things he wanted to do to her were graphic and violent.’ FBI agents arrested Davison.

Davison was transported by the US Marshal’s Office to his Utah court appearances where he was ordered detained until trial. Robert Lavern Davison Jr. faces one count of coercion and enticement, which carries a potential maximum penalty of life in federal prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

Oh, and if you're wondering what that nasty, festering sore on his stomach is? It might be a large and inoperable hernia on the verge of bursting. Or, it *could be* ... a desk sore! Maybe he got it from sitting for hours and hours, days and days, his belly rubbing up against the edge of the desk while playing WoW and chatting up the girls?

Dog Shoplifter - Murray, Uah

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:56:00 +0000

Dog Shoplifter Steals Rawhide at a Murray, Utah Grocery Store.
surveillance camera video

Press play to start video

A Blizzard for Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:34:00 +0000

25 Dec 2008 UTAH (U.S.) WINTER STORM:
STRONG WINDS & HEAVY BLOWING SNOW.

Temp: 34.0 °F / 0°C
Blowing Snow / Fog
Wind-chill: 25 °F / -6°C
Wind Gust: SSW 60

Storm total accumulations of 20 to 30 inches/50.8cm-76.2cm of snow expected through Fri evening.
Very strong SW winds, in excess of 80 mph/128.7 kph near ridgetops will create blowing & drifting snow thru Thursday afternoon.

Ogden: Whiteout

Salt Lake City:Whiteout

Monticello: Blizzard

Oakley

Oak City: winter storm moving in

Orderville: near blizzard conditions

Park City: heavy blowing snow

Riverton: blowing snow

Zion Canyon: snow & fog

Autumn in Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:38:00 +0000

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." -Albert Camus

Photos from a late afternoon drive in Northern Utah, near my house.

Steeple at the end of the corn field

The last of the summer sunflowers

Let the fall colors begin!

Roadside red ivy

Horse herd, from Antelope Island's Fielding Garr farm, heading for the barn at sunset.
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, covering 28,022 acres. It is home to bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, upland birds, and waterfowl.

Photos © Kristin Samet

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:28:00 +0000

Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
-Shakespeare, "Macbeth"

Convenience store candy display

My new cauldron

This flyer was left on the windshield of my car last week.
At first glance it seemed normal, then I remembered I'm in Utah....

For Mormons, masked balls are associated with immoral behavior. The purpose of the mask is to conceal the identity and to deceive and provide cover for sinful acts.

Grocery store pumpkin display (real pile 'o pumpkins below PumpkinHead

Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch is at the foothills of the Western edge of the Rocky Mountains

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come with me All Hallow's night/ We'll frighten everyone in sight/Such pranks for once, are justified/And fun and frolic amplified.
-19th Century Halloween postcard

First Snow 2008 (Doo doo doo, Lookin out my back door!)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:40:00 +0000

the barns

From First Snow 2008

Leaves haven't changed yet, but trees are covered with snow!

From First Snow 2008

the barns and backyard tree

From First Snow 2008

Missing Case of M16s found at Hill Air Force Base

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:20:00 +0000

Note to self: after returning stolen rifles, turn yourself in, get a free pass to the unemployment office, a dishonorable discharge, or both. Other charges optional.
also in this story: WHAT A DUMBASS - LEAVING A NOTE! Let the handwriting analysis and fingerprinting begin (on the weapons, the pay phone and the note of apology)! Is everyone in Utah STUPID / BRAIN DEAD? In Miami, those rifles would already be on a boat headed toward South America! Here in Utah, they not only return them, but leave a NOTE OF APOLOGY!
Major Smith's comment about "return these weapons back" makes the grammar police in my head CRINGE. In addition, The AP story itself (which was written in Utah) contained a typo.

Case of rifles missing from Hill AFB found

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AP) - Hill Air Force Base says a missing case of M-16 assault rifles has been found.
In an 11:30 press conference, officials said that an anonymous person calling from a Layton pay phone said that the rifles were back on that base at the horse stables.
Officials said the person likely had a change of heart. They thanks [sic] the media for the many reports on the story.
“I cannot thank you enough,” said Col Linda Meddler. “What you did in getting our story out, we really think made the difference in getting these weapons back to our installation. “We think that he saw these news reports and decided the best thing to do would be to return these weapons back,” said Major Shannon Smith.
Officials believe the case fell off a government truck while the vehicle was moving on the base Tuesday.
“This was a simple mistake,” said Smith. Someone forgot to put the tailgate up on the HUMV.”
The suspect is believed to have access to the base and has base credentials. They say the suspect left a note of apology.

“This gentleman has taken the first step to making this situation right but we really want to take this opportunity to tell him to take the next step and turn himself in,” said Smith.

No Bikinis allowed in Kanab, Utah city pool

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:36:00 +0000

from the "i suppose the nude mud wrestling is out, then?" dept:

AP NEWS RELEASE: KANAB, Utah - The Kanab city pool wants you to come swimming, but leave the skimpy swimsuits at home. The soon-to-open pool will prohibit bikinis, cutoffs and even Speedos. The measure is drawing fire from some locals, who say city officials have gone too far in promoting a pro-family atmosphere. Kanab Councilwoman Nina Laycook says the city will likely modify the rule, saying it was originally intended to outlaw thongs and similar styles of dress.

Here are some "appropriate" swimsuits for LDS women from Wholesome Wear

Extended Slimming Swimmer suits extend to the midarm (between the elbow and the wrist) and cover down to the lower leg (between the knee and the ankle). The outer garment is joined at the zipper to a Spandex under garment. The suit snaps between the legs for in water use and unsnaps for a modest out of water look.

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY! NOT!!!!!!!

Hmmmm.... these remind me of something - ah yes, the "Burqini"

A burqini (or burkini) swimsuit is a swimsuit for Muslim women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (enough to preserve Muslim modesty), whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for Muslim women who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits. It looks like a full-length wetsuit with built-in hood, but somewhat looser and made of swimsuit material instead of rubber.

Woman Calls Orem Police To Free Her From Her Locked Car

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:44:00 +0000

from the "I'm a Utah Blonde" dept:

Automatic car features are supposed to make life easier for motorists, but they may be leaving some people without the know-how to do things the old-fashioned way.

That’s what happened to a driver in Utah County who became trapped inside her own car.

A woman called Orem, Utah police Friday afternoon needing help because her battery died and she was locked inside her car.

When police arrived, they found the woman sitting in the car, unable to get herself out. She couldn’t hear the officers instructions through the rolled-up windows so she motioned to them to call her on her cell phone, according to police.

Once officers were able to talk to the woman on the phone, they were able to tell her how to manually operate the slide lock mechanism on the inside door panel to open the door and free herself.

“I'm just glad she had a cell phone to call for help,” an officer said.

Story from KUTV.com

They make 'em TOUGH in Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:11:00 +0000

From the: "you took that picture yourself?" dept:

Medical personnel stabilize Ogden Standard-Examiner photographer Ryan McGeeney's leg after he was pierced by a javelin directly below his right knee while covering the Utah state high school track championships at Brigham Young University's Clarence Robison track stadium in Provo, Utah. McGeeney was transported by ambulence to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where the javelin was removed. He received 13 stitches, but suffered no serious damage to any ligaments or tendons. McGeeney took the photo himself.

(AP Photo/Ryan McGeeney)

Standard-Examiner photography intern Ryan McGeeney (right) poses for a picture with Provo High School athlete Anthony Miles, who is holding a cutoff section of the javelin that he threw, piercing McGeeney.

Poopy Prank Raises a Stink at 7-Eleven

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Prank? Or editorial comment on 7-11 food? You decide!

SANDY, Utah -- A trio of teen pranksters could face felony charges after allegedly putting human feces in a microwave at a Sandy 7-Eleven store.
The boys entered the 7-Eleven store at 2200 East and 9400 South and put a 1-gallon plastic bag full of human feces in the microwave, police said. The microwave was then activated with a cooking time of ten minutes.
The store was closed down while the foul odor dissipated. 7-Eleven was forced to replace the microwave at a cost of $3,500.
If you recognize any of the boys in these pictures, call Sandy police at (801) 568-7200.

7-Eleven Surveillance Photos

Make sure to water your lawn in the desert!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Water conservation? We don't need no stinkin' water conservation!

70 Year Old Grandmother Arrested for Not Watering Lawn
Sam Penrod Reporting

A widow and grandma spent the morning in jail, arrested for refusing to give a policeman her name when he tried writing her a ticket for failing to water her yard. The woman hasn't watered her lawn in more than a year, and the condition of her yard violates an Orem zoning ordinance.

Tonight, the woman says she is traumatized and shocked that she was hauled to jail, just because she says she can't afford to water her lawn.

Betty Perry says, "I never thought they would ever do anything like that to a person that is 70 years old. I've never bothered anybody, I've never hurt anybody."

She says the policeman who brought her home tonight was very courteous, even held open the door for her. But there were no gentlemen there when she was taken from her home this morning and booked into jail.

When Betty Perry heard a knock at her door and saw a police officer standing outside, she never imagined she would end up in jail. That's what happened, though, when the officer tried enforcing Orem's nuisance ordinance against neglected yards.

"I didn't want to tell him anything until I talked to a lawyer or my son. I wanted to see what he'd tell me to do. I've never had any experience before with the law, ever in my life," she said.

As the enforcement officer started writing her a ticket, she tried going back in her house. That's when the officer tried to handcuff her for refusing to give her name and resisting the ticket. She tripped on the steps, scraping up her nose and elbows, leaving blood on her door, her porch and her clothes. Perry was handcuffed, fingerprinted and put in a jail cell, where she sat for more than an hour.

"I laid down in there. I never seen the inside of a jail before. I didn't know how it looked, I was really scared," she says.

When police brass learned what happened, she was immediately released.

Orem police spokesman Lt. Doug Edwards said, "Every officer in his career has situations they find themselves getting into, at the end of it they scratch their head and say, ‘gosh, how did this happen?' Today, I think, was one of those days. Clearly there were some other options available."

After being arrested, Perry is now scared of the police. She says, "Don't ever say no when the police tell you do to something. You better do what they tell you no matter what, even if you don't have anybody to help you. You've got to do what they tell you or they will hurt you."

The officer was sent home for the day and placed on paid administrative leave. Police are not pressing any charges against Betty Perry for either neglecting her yard or resisting the ticket.

Spencer Gifts vs. Wal-Mart: Which is more dangerous?

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Police raid Spencer Gifts novelty shop inside Layton Hills Mall
Deseret Morning News
news story by Ben Winslow comments in red by BluezMama

It was a full blown raid as Layton(Utah)Police searched a Spencer Gifts novelty gift shop inside the Layton Hills Mall on Tuesday, February 13, seizing 15 boxes of items they said were sexually explicit. They took hundreds of items they say are against the law because they were sold in the plain view of minors.
(offending items pictured below)

The raid happened Tuesday morning just as Spencer Gifts was opening for business. Police said a search warrant was drafted, seeking numerous items that may violate Utah laws on dealing materials harmful to a minor.
"It's based on several complaints we've received over the last year or so," said Layton Police Sgt. Mark Chatlin. "People complaining about the material they're selling."
While none of the items in the shop are illegal, authorities allege Spencer may have run afoul of the state statute by having sexually explicit items available for purchase and display to minors. Police were vague in their descriptions of the items seized but acknowledged seizing games, food items and items that could be described as "sex toys."
"A lot of game-type related things depicting sexual conduct," Chatlin said. "General items in the shapes of genitals."
"Over the last year, two years, we've received, at the Police Dept and at the City Attorneys, a number of complaints," said Layton Police Sgt. Mark Chatlin.
So, detectives went to the mall and staked out Spencers to see if minors came and went and to see what materials they had access to. After several warnings, police served a search warrant and started pulling things off the shelves on Tuesday.
Police think they have a case. Utah code says that anyone who 'deals in material harmful to minors...knowing that a person is a minor' is committing a third degree felony.
Officers say Spencer's violated a Utah statute by not verifying shoppers' ages at the register for sales involving adult novelties. They say the store sells items like genital-shaped candies and other sexually oriented merchandise in plain view.
The warrant authorized seizure of any item depicting nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement. And they didn't just take a few things, they took literally hundreds of things, boxes and boxes of items they think are too inappropriate for young eyes to see.
No one was arrested, and the case is now being referred to the Davis County Attorney's Office to screen for possible charges or civil action.

Here are some of the dangerous things for sale at Spencer's for Bachelorette parties:

the 24 inch "inflatable willie". Boy, when the kids see the REAL THING, they're going to be sorely disappointed!

"Lusty Lickers Willie Pops". Someone's going to be in for a huge surprise when the real thing doesn't taste like this!

Interestingly, I recently photographed the following items on the lower set of magazine racks at a nearby Layton, Utah Wal-Mart store. These magazines were displayed about 3 feet off the floor - just at toddler eye level.
I'm not saying the police should't have raided Spencer's, but at least they should be consistent when protecting the minds of the innocent youth of today.

"Build Your Own Belt Loader!"

Two Cool Graves: Logan City Cemetery - Logan, Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:22:00 +0000

Logan City Cemetery was established in 1865. The cemetery has 53 acres of land. There are 1,280 burials per acre. About 45 acres are occupied with a little more than 8 acres remaining. In 2002, there were 227 burials, average is still about 220 per year. Current capacity is 41,324 with 17,600 burial spaces currently occupied.

Russell Larson’s (12/16/21-1/26/83) stone provides a colorful and humorous verse instead of the traditional somber prose. This poem is a familiar one to cowboy poets.

Charles Wilson Nibley was born 5 February, 1849, the sixth of eight children. He was the fifth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1907 and 1925 and a member of the church's First Presidency from 1925 until his death in 1931.
Nibley, a devout Mormon, entered into plural marriage. In 1869 he married Rebecca Neibaur. In 1880 he married Ellen Ricks, and in 1885 he married Julia Budge. By his three wives he fathered seventeen children, twelve of whom were born on the "underground," that is, while the church was being prosecuted for its practice of polygamy.

The Charles W. Nibley plot provides a look into a polygamous family. Notice that the wives’ stones are identical.

Fun in Draper: Killing Endangered Species for Conservation

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:35:00 +0000

Note: It's a sad world in which killing a rare animal is justified on the grounds that it is helping conserve the species. The Monte Bean Museum is looking to increase attendance and bring in more revenue. I have a suggestion that won't harm the human species one bit, and that will be sure to attract large crowds to the museum: mount Morris and Skip and put them on display. Both could be mounted full body. Or just their heads on the wall would be fine. Please write the museum and ask that this disgusting practice be stopped at their campus.

Hunter, who trekked to Africa to bag rhino for Brigham Young University says trophy will help conserve the species
By Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune

Although he kills wild animals, Fred Morris said he is motivated by a desire to conserve them. "The hunted animals of the world are thriving because that's where the money goes," Morris said. "The white rhino I shot probably isn't for it, but the rest of the population is cheering."

Fred Morris, a Draper businessman and prolific trophy hunter, took part in a safari to South Africa last year to kill a southern white rhino whose skin is now being mounted for display at Brigham Young University's Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. The exhibit highlights an ironic situation in which rare wildlife is killed for the sake of educating the public about endangered species and raising money for their conservation.
Last year, the museum recruited Morris, one of its benefactors, to hunt a white rhino at South Africa's Mkuze National Park in Natal province.
"They deemed they had some surplus rhinos or they never would have harmed any of them," said Wesley "Skip" Skidmore, the museum's vertebrates collection manager.
"I also want a hippopotamus and a life-sized giraffe. We already have an elephant," Skidmore said. The museum was interested in the rhino because it was available and it could rely on Morris to go out and get it. "We don't have the money to buy one," he said.
Museum officials are confident the regulated killing and export of Africa's rare animals poses no threat to these species. The museum hopes to acquire more skins of large animals from Africa. Mkuze National Park sells three or four rhino tags a year for $30,000 each. Only large mature males, which are too massive to move out of the park, are targeted. The proceeds underwrite South Africa's program to populate other areas with Mkuze's excess rhinos, according to Morris.
"It was a privilege, but it is expensive. It's a way to put money into wildlife and know that it really does something," he said.
The recovery of southern Africa's white rhinos, among the world's largest land mammals, is a conservation success story and Mkuze played a central role, according to Skidmore. Hunters and farmers nearly eradicated these animals by the 1900s, but in the decades since the numbers of southern whites in the wild have rebounded to more than 11,000. The northern white subspecies, however, remains critically endangered.
Over the next two or three months, taxidermists will mount Morris' rhino skin on an expandable polyurethane form as part of an ongoing exhibit at the Bean museum. Visitors will be able to observe Skidmore work the skin in the central atrium.
Because Skidmore didn't have access to the full carcass, he had to pick a form out of a catalog. Meanwhile, the skin is at the museum in a freezer, where it has been folded up to the size of a suitcase.
Skidmore's taxidermy project will be on display through January. Later, the rhino will join an elephant that Skidmore mounted two years ago in a new savanna water hole exhibit. A different donor collected the elephant skin from Botswana.
Morris hunted on the last of three permits issued at Mkuze last year. The first hunter was killed by his quarry and the second was gored. "It's not a test of your manhood to kill a white rhino with a high-powered rifle. It was exciting, but it was never dangerous. It just so happened that the hunters who hunted the two permits before me made some mistakes," Morris said. He dropped his rhino with a .375-caliber H&H magnum rifle shot after stalking the animal for two days.
Morris has applied to buy a $250,000 permit to hunt a rare black rhino in Namibia's Etosha National Park. But even if he gets lucky and wins the permit, he still would have difficulty exporting the skin to the United States to donate to the Bean because black rhinos are listed as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also called CITES. "I will not hunt it if it can't be imported for public viewing," Morris said.
He has hunted in 160 countries and has filled his Draper residence with 400 birds and animals he has shot. "Many of them you may never see except here," he says.

Fred Morris, of Draper, sits in his home surrounded by more than 430 animal mounts. Morris has been trophy-hunting for more than 30 years in more than 160 countries, recently killed a white rhino that will be on display at Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at BYU. (photo: Jim Urquhart/Salt Lake Tribune)

BYU's Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum 645 E. 1430 North, Provo 801-422-5051
Contact Link: http://lifesciences.byu.edu/home/contact.aspx?to=Monte+L+Bean+Museum

also, please consider writing to CITES:
(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

CITES Secretariat
International Environment House
Chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41-(0)22-917-81-39/40
Fax: +41-(0)22-797-34-17
Email: info@cites.org

Operation Hamburger Helper

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:50:00 +0000

If you were a cow, wouldn't you run? Cows flee after seeing McDonald's

WEST HAVEN, Utah - McDonald's? The burger joint? Stampede!

Eight cows escaped from a trailer when the rear gate opened as the driver pulled into a McDonald's.
It took about two hours to round them up Monday.
"Maybe they were going to ... hop in the freezer, save the middleman," Weber County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Creager said.
Lt. Kevin Burns had another theory: "They didn't like their future."
The roundup was called "Operation Hamburger Helper."
A nearby resident even hopped on his horse.
"I thought my eyes were lying," said Wayne Sanders, who was at a truck stop next door.
"I don't know where they came from, but I'd say they'd have to weigh 800 pounds apiece and they were on a pretty good trot."

Kinky Hay Slide

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:42:00 +0000

What kind of message are the extraterrestrials trying to send? Unfortunately I couldn't find an aerial picture of this crop formation. (Crop circle seems like the wrong word.)

Corn-circle hoax no joke to family

By Jens Dana, Deseret Morning News
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — An obscene crop circle in a Utah County corn maze is more likely a hoax perpetrated by prurient-minded vandals, the owners said, rather than the work of extraterrestrial visitors.
In any case, Hee Haw Farms owners Kyle and Chalise Smith certainly aren't hee-hawing about the prank.
"Somebody thought they'd be funny," Kyle Smith said. "But we're not laughing.
Two strategically positioned circles, each measuring 36 feet in diameter, and a 100-foot-long rectangle appeared near the maze entrance in the southwest portion of the nine-acre corn field over Labor Day weekend. From the ground they appear random, but from above the shapes' placement appears more strategic, not to mention anatomically correct.
"If I told you what it was, you couldn't print it in the newspaper," Kyle Smith said.
He said a corn maze employee noticed the unusual patterns in the corn field and brought it to his attention Sept. 6. It appears a group of vandals sneaked into the field under the cover of night and used two-by-fours to stamp down the corn stalks to make the crop circles, he suspects.
"It just irritates you," he said. "It's no different than someone pouring a gallon of gas into your back yard and lighting a match."

Kyle Smith carries daughter Chloe through a circle of trampled corn in the middle of his 9-acre maze at Hee Haw Farms in Pleasant Grove. (Jason Olson, Deseret Morning News)

The Smiths estimate they lost $1,000 in crops, but the pranksters could have cost the family much more than that. The vandalism could have cost Hee Haw Farm a large sum of revenue generated from thousands of people who frequent the maze.
"They don't realize this is a business," Chalise Smith said. "It's something more than a patch of corn."
Pleasant Grove police don't have any leads yet, Kyle Smith said, but he's certain something will surface eventually.
"You know how kids are," he said. "Someone will start bragging sooner or later."
In the meantime, the fifth-generation owners of the 147-year-old corn field intend to open the maze for its seventh season on Friday, as previously scheduled.
"We're not gonna let them do this to us," he said.
The Smiths won't be able to completely repair the damage made by the crop circles, so they'll work around them and include some extra features.
Chalise said they will use the rectangular area to build a 30-foot hay slide. They may also set up an area for younger children to play while older people wind their way through the maze. She said they've also been thinking of setting up alien scenes in the two crop circles along with information about similar occurrences across the world.
"I don't think it was aliens who did this," she emphasized.

Reader comments

Anonymous | 9:32 a.m. Sept. 21, 2007
I cannot think of what two circles and one rectangle could make that would be so obscene that a newspaper couldn't print but if someone out there figures it out please let me know.

ROSWELL JUNKIE | 9:39 a.m. Sept. 21, 2007
It was aliens for sure.

Pat | 10:14 a.m. Sept. 21, 2007
The clue is 'Anatomically Correct'. And way to make the best of a not-so-good situation.

Paul | 12:17 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
I am not sure how this costs them over $1,000 in loss. I also don't see how this will affect there business THAT much. Granted if I was in his shoes I would be upset. But don't you anticipate that this is going to happen at some point, not the 'anatomically correct' sketch but someone doing some crop drawing. You hear about these stories all the time. Join the list buddy. There are vandals in every business. Sad but true. Keep your head up, you just got a load of free publicity. I will pay to come check it out and hit your maze. I am sure that will make up for your $1,000 loss.

soandso | 12:19 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
Maybe they should refocus their business - surely kids would pay money to come party at a giant 'anatomically' correct field party :)

DBG | 1:10 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
Couldn't two circles and a rectangle be like a face? Two eyes and a mouth??

RangerGordon | 1:28 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
What's so obscene about this ancient fertility symbol? During prehistory, people carved this symbol all the time into rock walls, giant earthworks and shrines to ensure the harvest. It's certainly not akin to pouring gasoline into the backyard and lighting a match. I bet they'll have a bumper crop next year.

Typhoid Mary | 5:43 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
Let the punishment fit the crime -- death penalty.

Pictures? | 7:16 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
Pics or it didn't happen

foodlion | 9:05 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
yeah they're right I wanna see pictures

E.T. | 12:06 a.m. Sept. 22, 2007
Aliens Again, my brotha

Wondering | 12:05 a.m. Sept. 23, 2007
Why, if this vandalism occurred on Sept. 6, is this story appearing in the paper two and a half weeks later at a time that coincides with the opening of the corn maze to the public? Is this just a publicity stunt?

Note: if you've read this far, you might as well go see Hee Haw Farms at: Hee Haw Farms : "one of Utah County’s favorite fall and Halloween destinations and the home of Leroy, our famous 1200 pound pet pig."

Flunk Math & Write City Code

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:45:00 +0000

Every month I am the lucky recipient of the Clearfield City Monthly newsletter ... "In your mailbox every month!". It's filled with all the latest events in town, and the September 2007 issue has a new feature called "City Code of the Month", described as follows:

Each month we will feature a city code ordinance relevant to recent citizen inquiries or seasonal timeliness. To view a complete listing of Clearfield City Ordinances please visit http://www.clearfieldcity.org, under "Government" click on "Municipal Code".

City Code of the Month

Code 6-1C-3 Number of Dogs and Cats Per Residence

No person at any one residence within this jurisdiction shall at any one time own, harbor, license or maintain more than a combination of three (3) dogs and/or cats in any combination, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. For example: a person could own one dog and two (2) cats, or two (2) dogs and one cat, or two (2) cats and no dogs or two (2) dogs and no cats. (Ord. 2006-05, 4-25-2006)

Testicle Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:31:00 +0000

at least the veterinarian has a sense of humor... but i hope the "20 percent off" refers to the PRICE, not the procedure.

Photo © Kristin Samet

Beer for Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin Samet) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:05:00 +0000

If you're going to lie around the house and drink beer all day, you've got to start early in the morning.

There are only three states left that have 3.2 percent alcohol level beer laws: Kansas, South Carolina and Utah. In the Land of Zion, the maximum alcohol content for beer and malt beverages is four percent by volume, or 3.2 percent by weight. Packaged beer is also available at supermarkets, grocery, and convenience stores. There are also lots of time restrictions and old Blue Laws still in effect here.

Recently, I stopped at a convenience store on my way home from buying some Mexican take-out to get a Corona. It was the middle of summer, and the temps were in the 90s at night. An ice cold Corona with my Macho Taco sounded great.
The first thing that stuck me as odd was when I attempted to open the door to the beer cooler at the store and found it was locked. It was rather late at night and I thought perhaps they had it locked for security reasons. I approached the counter and asked the clerk if she could get me a beer from the cooler. She seemed confused at my request and asked the other clerk if they could sell me a beer.
He replied, "No, sorry, it's Sunday and we can't sell you any beer tonight". Heck, I didn't even know what day it was, so I said, OK, "Could I just buy some cigarettes, then?" which they were happy to sell me. (Guess it depends upon the sin, as to which one they'll let you commit).
As he was ringing up my smokes, he said "Sorry about the beer, but we can't sell any beer until 7 am".
I started laughing and replied "Oh, ok, so it's cool to have beer for breakfast, but not with my late night taco?". He and the other clerk finally laughed, but I'm sure as soon as I left the store they began to pray for my heathen soul.

Just two months later, Utah has a whole new slew of anti-alcohol legislation being proposed. The only place to get "real" alcohol here is from Utah State-Owned liquor stores. There are a number of these stores cleverly hidden throughout the state. They are closed on Sundays, holidays and other designated times. Lack of competition keeps the selection severely limited. Prices for wine and liquor are fixed with a minimum of 61% mark-up over cost, plus high state taxes. For real beer, the mark-up is 75% plus taxes, making the retail cost of some six-packs well over $10. Because of all this, the small community of Evanston, Wyoming (located about 70 miles east of Salt Lake City just over the Utah border) enjoys a busy economy based on the large number of retail liquor stores located along Interstate 80.

Today, the Utah Attorney General made a presentation to the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board regarding flavored malt beverages. He is proposing changes to the law so that malt liquors are sold only in state liquor stores and insists the drinks should be taken off grocery store shelves even though none of the beverages contain more than 3.2 percent alcohol, the same requirement for beer sold in grocery stores. The Utah Attorney General said "Experts are telling us that girls are favoring these products as opposed to beer. Many say they don't like the taste of beer, but the watermelon and other fruit flavors they do like." He explained that flavored malt beverages, or so-called "Alcoholpops," do not get their alcohol from the fermentation process like beer, but from alcohol-based flavorings that are added in. He said it's the manufacturers' way to avoid classifying these drinks as "distilled spirits," as in hard liquor.

One of the main issues with the drinks is how they look. "Mike's Hard Lemonade," for example, looks like lemonade but has an alcohol content of 3.2, just like beer.

"In one study it showed that over 40 percent of all ‘alcoholpops' produced are consumed by underage drinkers," said the chairman of the Utah Alcohol Policy Coalition. "These fruity flavored, soda pop-like beverages are teaching our kids how to drink," said the chairman of the citizen group Alcohol Policy Coalition, and called the flavored beverages "alcohol on training wheels".

Currently, beverages such as Mike's Hard Lemonade are treated like beer by the state. That means as long as the brewed beverages contain less than 3.2 percent alcohol, they can be sold outside state liquor stores and are taxed at a lower rate.If commissioners succeed in moving the beverages to the state's 38 liquor stores and 100 package agencies, with the markup of the beverages in state controlled stores being 86 percent, it would nearly double the cost of the beverages.

The Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission will also decide whether to require retail stores to post more signs and warnings about alcohol contained in beverages such as Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and Jack Daniel's Original Hard Cola and energy drinks including Peels and Tilt. Restrictions also would make it illegal for taverns to sell the drinks, said the owner of B&B Billiards of Brigham City, who added "it's the only alternative to beer that I've got."

The state liquor warehouse and retail outlets don't have enough room to stock low-alcohol malt beverages. The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said it lacks refrigerated shelf space in its stores to handle the alcoholic colas, lemonade and fruit-flavored drinks, and its warehouse can't keep the perishable potables cold enough. "The first thing I wondered when I heard the attorney general's proposal was, 'Where are we going to put it? We don't have space in our stores.'" the ABC director said.

Many of the residents in the tourist town of Park City in Utah are unhappy with the passage of still more anti-alcohol laws by the state. “I’m mortified” said a Park City council member. “It’s just one more thing about Utah to laugh at. It’s embarrassing.” Another resident said the negative laws reinforce the perception that Utah is a “cultish state outside of mainstream America.” He said the problem is caused by teetotaling legislators regulating something they know nothing about. “It’s like finding someone who doesn’t know how to swim and asking them to organize a swim meet.” A resident of Salt Lake City said the State’s “out-of-touch laws are born in a fantasy world,” and are ineffective in imposing abstinence.

"What we're talking about here is fraud," the Utah Attorney General said of the malt-based beverages, created by taking much of the alcohol out of beer and substituting alcohol-based flavorings. One wonders about where the fraud is occuring, though. The fact is that alcohol sales through the state liquor stores provide a major source of income to the state's general fund. Recently, gross sales totaled $138 million with a net profit of $28 million. This profit was contributed to the general fund to "support state government operation". Isn't that exactly what writes the attorney general's paycheck? By moving the malt beverages from the grocery stores to state liquor stores it will increase the State of Utah's alcohol sales revenue even more. Hmmm...

Kristin in the Wild West

'Raunchy' Christmas deer light display brings complaints

Happy New Year 2011

The Eagles Have Landed! Farmington Bay Bird Refuge, Utah

The Mormon Church's Helpful New Sidewalk Rules for Adults Who Want to Make Out

Springtime Shmingtime - We're getting NAILED by a blizzard!

World of Warcraft game gets UGLY

Dog Shoplifter - Murray, Uah

A Blizzard for Christmas!

Autumn in Utah

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." -Albert Camus

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2008

Convenience store candy display

My new cauldron

This flyer was left on the windshield of my car last week.At first glance it seemed normal, then I remembered I'm in Utah....

Grocery store pumpkin display (real pile 'o pumpkins below PumpkinHead

Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch is at the foothills of the Western edge of the Rocky Mountains

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Snow 2008 (Doo doo doo, Lookin out my back door!)

Missing Case of M16s found at Hill Air Force Base

Case of rifles missing from Hill AFB found

No Bikinis allowed in Kanab, Utah city pool

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY! NOT!!!!!!!

Woman Calls Orem Police To Free Her From Her Locked Car

They make 'em TOUGH in Utah

Poopy Prank Raises a Stink at 7-Eleven

Make sure to water your lawn in the desert!

Spencer Gifts vs. Wal-Mart: Which is more dangerous?

Two Cool Graves: Logan City Cemetery - Logan, Utah

Fun in Draper: Killing Endangered Species for Conservation

Operation Hamburger Helper

Kinky Hay Slide

Corn-circle hoax no joke to family

Reader comments

Flunk Math & Write City Code

Testicle Festival

Beer for Breakfast

This flyer was left on the windshield of my car last week.
At first glance it seemed normal, then I remembered I'm in Utah....