Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2008 August 1-31

Tom Kleven thought he'd prepare for a triathlon by swimming across Minnesota's Lake Nokomis. But a lifeguard ordered him back when he was about halfway across. And when he got back to shore, Minneapolis Park Police cited him for swimming too far.  He faces a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail if convicted, and since Kleven is a doctor, he'll have to report the incident each time he applies to have his medical license renewed.

A fight broke out when Beijing residents lined up for Olympics tickets, and foreign reporters on the scene did what reporters do, they tried to cover the melee. That prompted Chinese police to do what they do. They detained the reporters and demanded they delete any photos of the scuffle.

First the Montreal city government ordered shopkeepers and building owners to sweep the sidewalks in front of their buildings and fined them if they didn't. Now, a labor arbitrator says that ordinance violates the city's collective agreement with its workers. Sidewalk cleaning can only be done by city employees, according to the arbitrator. City officials say they will appeal that ruling to the Quebec Supreme Court.

Dwaine Copeland was walking down the street one night when a Bradenton, Florida, police car pulled up, and an officer told him to use the sidewalk. Copeland got on the sidewalk and continued walking, but the officer still wasn't satisfied. He got out and asked Copeland to stop. When Copeland refused, the officer grabbed his arm, and the cops say the two started to wrestle. Copeland was then arrested for assault on an officer and resisting arrest. After looking at the evidence, prosecutors declined to press charges. But by that time, Copeland had spent a month in jail.

Hamas has ordered the main telecom company in the Gaza Strip to block access to adult Web sites. The Ministry of Communications says telecommunications company Paltel has agreed to the censorship.