Brickbats

The signs in North Hempstead, New York, say the fine for not picking up your dog's poop is $250. That was an error: The actual fine is just $25. Rather than correct all of the signs, local officials are working on increasing the fine.

The British Advertising Standards Authority has ordered Urban Outfitters to remove an ad for women's polka dot mesh briefs from its website. According to the agency, the model's "thigh gap" indicates that she's too thin, so the photo could fuel anorexia and body image problems.

In Beloit, Wisconsin, the police chief is asking residents to volunteer to let his officers search their homes for guns. He says they should think of gun violence as an infectious disease and home inspections as a vaccine.

Burmese police have charged three people with violating the nation's religion law. The accused own a nightclub that allegedly had an image of the Buddha wearing headphones on its Facebook page. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

Since starting in Norway last year, men's underwear maker Comfyballs has introduced its product to Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with no problem. But when it applied for a U.S. trademark, the government refused to grant it, ruling that the company's name is vulgar.

Think there's a problem in South Pittsburg, Tennessee? Keep it to yourself. The City Commission has banned all city officials, employees, vendors, contractors, volunteers, and anyone else with any connection to the local government from posting anything negative about the city or its employees online. Commission members explain that they're tired of people asking them about things they read about the town on the Internet.

Just 19 of the 594 students in Paterson, New Jersey, schools who took the SAT this year scored at the level considered college-ready by the College Board. Last year, just 26 students had a college-ready score on the test. The school district has responded by saying they'll no longer use SAT scores to measure a student's success.

Japanese prosecutors have charged artist Megumi Igarashi with distributing "obscene data"-computer code that would allow 3D printers to create a kayak shaped like her genitalia.

Llanfynydd Primary in Wales has no students. The last of its 11 pupils departed months ago. But it is still open and has most of its staff. The Welsh government requires a formal review before any school can be closed, and that process is expected to take a few more months.

At 2 a.m. on Christmas morning, a D.C. police detective knocked on Karen Robinson's door and asked to see a photo of her son Raymond. After studying it, he told her Raymond had shot at police officers and they'd returned fire, killing him. At around 10 a.m. that same day, Robinson got a call from Raymond, who evidently wasn't dead. Police have apologized for their mistake.

Charles Oliver