There is a reason there are limits. We could cite recent suicides tied to bullying or go for the more literary (slightly) Lord of the Flies . You are right to note that "race" as such does not exist in the ways originally understood. The fabric of humanity is much more complex with shifting ethnic and social boundaries, genetic predispositions towards certain traits (sickle cell anemia is tied to a positive genetic issue primarily impacting people of African descent, etc.). It is a problem when kids go beyond name calling to organized, pre-planned attacks on people's character. It is for this reason he was charged--and likely he was charged in order to deal with a larger problem or potential problem at the school (he gets to be the example).

I am not advocating high tolls (I am troubled that the toll proposal has gone forward in the Dallas area, particularly in light of recent legislation at the state level against foreign toll management which tends towards higher tolls for some reason), but having major highways change over to tollways with only minimal tolls would help provide the state with missing revenue as more and more switch from gas to electric hybrid to electric, etc.

Yep--and I am glad that the article discusses an idea that was just a debated idea that didn't make it too far (or at least hasn't made it too far yet--ideas have a nasty way of coming back). Tolls look like they are the way of the future for money raising--having higher taxes for gas guzzlers is already present in many states through increased registration fees and initial purchase fees. The only problem, though, is that toll raising is typically left in the hands of private companies--often foreign companies with oversight by the government not always working effectively (this is part of why the NTTA in the Dallas area lost its bid on the new project to a company from Spain).

...or bad power--there are places I've been in Europe that plugging in to a wall, even with a powerstrip / ups, was dangerous--the electricity was just too unstable for electronics to survive long.

And yet, anyone who drives on a tollway already does this. In fact, it is what the government is going to have to do. Big energy won't take kindly to direct taxation more than they already are and as everyone switches from gas to electric (and that will likely happen barring a better handling of other alternative tech), the government will lose out on the gas tax (because no one but truckers, trains, boats, and airplanes will use the stuff--and there's far fewer of these than of passenger SUVs). They've already started this in Dallas with a new expansion project for one of the main freeways turning the HOV lanes into a $.75 / mile tollway (variable on traffic, no max after 6 mos.--and this is extreme considering the other tollways in the area currently charge ~$.14/mile).

How can the government do anything else given the "rube goldberg tax" scenario otherwise?

I am all for someone starting in on buildings designed so well that they don't need maintenance very often. As a point towards the possibility of this goal, it was only in the last few years that they've had to start blocking vehicular access through the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain--pollution and vibration from vehicular traffic was damaging it. It carried water up into the modern age but had sections destroyed in the Napoleonic wars. I'm sure it had some maintenance, but we could do with more designs like that which allow for something to last with largely original material and no mortar for nearly 1800 years.

Try all across the South / South East and much of central america (not in the link): http://www.ajtmh.org/content/vol78/issue6/images/large/962fig1.jpeg

The main risk is actually for those who have (1) eaten armadillo, (2) lived in Mexico proper, and (3) also eaten rabbit from Mexico. Why are these three connected? I have no idea, but http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/6/962 offers more info.

Washing off the tire would be a good idea because the bacteria survives well, particularly in soil/sand/etc. If you run over the armadillo and then park in your garage, there's a good chance the little m. leprae are going to still be alive. Washing the tire off won't remove that possibility entirely, but it will get rid of most of them, reducing your risk significantly. And even if they do have a cure, I'd hate to have symptoms (irreversible) before they realized the need for treatment.

More importantly, this is fairly old news: Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Yes, but the extant damage it has caused is not easily cured. They are just now getting into nerve transplantation and even then, it doesn't always take. Artificial nerves, as we saw earlier this week, are developing nicely, but we are still a long way off from practical usage.

No, it has to be flavored with something to make it taste awful--otherwise it wouldn't be effective at deluding people into thinking it was real. High levels of alcohol in the water might be part of the scam.

What they don't know, won't hurt the rest of us. I'm all for more effective treatment of DUI issues (as long as doctors are a little more clear when prescribing extra strength cough syrup that it isn't just recommended that you don't drive when on it... it's illegal to drive when on it).

They break down doors because they feel that knocking would increase risk of harm to the arresting officers or of flight of the suspect. They do not simply break down doors for fun. If the police came to my house and suspected I had a meth lab or something else dangerous, I would hope they'd come crashing in--but if they had the building surrounded and knew I would come quietly (and I would... why risk harm to home or property while whatever I might be charged with was sorted out and I was shown to be wrongly suspected--as I would be... no sense breaking the law in a country where all the laws I come up against are fairly reasonable), they would likely knock.

Wouldn't it be traceable? Couldn't we determine if a bot put the pics (or whatever) on someone's computer versus the user himself/herself? I had a friend who had the misfortune of being a Muslim around 2001 in the US (they had a great deal of difficulty in the community and still do to a certain extent). His computer was a zombie and the FBI took him in for a fairly lengthy interview... and also looked into his computer. Was he involved in doing "bad things"--no, but they were quickly able to determine that.