Brickbats

Remember when the FBI warned that a Yemeni man and more than a dozen associates might be plotting terror attacks against U.S. interests at home and in Yemen? The bureau alerted all domestic law enforcement agencies of the threat. It held a press conference to warn citizens. It did everything except alert the U.S. embassy in Yemen. Fortunately, the embassy has CNN.

The European Union has banned the live performance of Beethoven and Mozart—almost. If proposed workplace regulations are enacted, musicians say it will be impossible to play orchestral works. At issue is a rule limiting noise in the workplace to 83 decibels. A single trumpet can hit 130 decibels. "This will make classics unplayable," says one occupational health specialist. The E.U. says orchestras should give musicians ear plugs.

Doctors at Norway's national prison have prescribed Viagra to at least two prisoners serving time for sex crimes. One of the prisoners later raped his son in the prison visiting area. Medical officials are unapologetic. "If they have a problem, they have the same rights as anyone else to get help," says chief medical officer Anders Smith.

The Los Angeles Unified School District upheld a Tarzana school's expulsion of a second-grader for carrying a toy gun to school. It did agree to change the recorded reason for his expulsion from "knife/explosive/dangerous object" to "disruption/willful defiance," so that there's no mention of a weapon in his permanent record.

First they went after the Second Amendment. Now they're after the First. The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence wants the state to forbid magazines, newspapers, and other publications to display classified ads offering firearms for sale. Gun rights groups say the law would effectively ban many of the nation's most popular hunting and outdoor magazines.

British police are building a database of children they think might grow up to be criminals. Kids as young as 3 can be listed, and they don't have to have committed a crime: Being disruptive at school or being considered a neighborhood nuisance will suffice. Police, teachers, and social workers can add names to the list. Blacklisted children won't be alerted, but they will be tracked and watched by authorities.

Safiya Hussaini Tungar-Tudu sits in a jail cell in Nigeria facing a death sentence. What was her crime? She was raped and is now pregnant. Under Islamic law, that means she committed adultery, although she's divorced. She has been sentenced to death by stoning, but there's still hope. The Koran says a pregnancy can last up to seven years. So she has appealed the verdict, arguing the child is actually her ex-husband's.