In an unusual undercover operation, Delgado posed as a pedestrian on a busy street while fellow officers waited for drivers to barrel past her in violation of a law that requires them yield at crosswalks, even if there is no stop sign.

In Chicago, most drivers were puzzled to find themselves pulled over.

Roland Sapitula said that stopping was simply not an option. “It was too late for me to get on the brakes,” he said.

Louis Ramirez, 84, said he didn’t see Delgado — and he wouldn’t have stopped for her if he had. “There’s no sign out there,” he said. “I (do) not have to stop.”

Officers gave motorists a brief lecture about the law, then sent relieved drivers on their way. But police understand that the only thing more effective than a lecture from a police officer is a lecture and a ticket.

“If there’s really no threat of getting a ticket for it, you’re not going to really pay attention,” said officer Chuck Trendle, who was working with Delgado.

I think crosswalks are the one place where cars should absolutely stop. And it’s true, if it’s not enforced no one cares. If you’re jaywalking then I can understand why a car would not stop for you, but crosswalks should be sacred.

Damn straight. Solving the AIDS crisis via circumcision is like removing your tonsils so you won’t get the flu. We hear a lot about the ignorance of Africans in regards to AIDS. Well the elders of this village are contradicting that. They know better.

Elders from Kenya’s Luo community in western Kenya have refused to endorse a plan to promote male circumcision to curb the spread of HIV/Aids.

Traditionally, the Luo community does not practice circumcision, unlike some other Kenyan communities.

About 2.5 million of 32 million Kenyans are currently living with HIV/Aids.

A high prevalence of HIV/Aids has been recorded among the Luo community and experts blame this on cultural practices, such as the practice of wife inheritance.

According to the custom, a widow is remarried by a brother-in-law or a suitor chosen by village elders.

Policy

The BBC’s Muliro Telewa in Kisumu says the elders are not convinced that circumcision lowers the risk of infection.

The elders are afraid that some men will think that being circumcised is an alternative to using condoms, which will put them at a higher risk of infection, our correspondent says.

I take that back; the elders are brilliant!

I just have this horrible idea that years from now when some of these men start to realize the effects of adult circumcision, they’re going to be pretty mad at the people who maimed them in the name of religion disguised as science. I would be.

A friend asked me for bar recommendations for some out-of-towners.

I have a very particular pub/bar aesthetic. Things I don’t like are corporate outfits or suffocatingly trendy places. I go more for the quirky places with interesting decorations. For instance, some of the places below have elk heads, crew boats, and clowns on the wall. That goes a long way with me. I also like my beer in plain pint glasses. Glass is a must.

I prefer it if the pub I go to has the option to go up to the bar to order instead of being waited on. Only having table service makes me feel dependent on the will of my server. It’s also nice to go to order at the bar when you don’t want the hassle of splitting a check at the end of the night.

In Seattle, there is no need to worry about having local Northwest beers available. That’s true for just about every place. If you’re coming from outside the U.S., the Northwest beers may taste a bit homemade to you. But that’s the way we like it. Northwest beers are more complex than smooth and the popular varieties are pale ales and india pale ales.

I’ve chosen to detail my favorite places by neighborhood, because one thing that is very important about America is that it is not generally walkable so you’ll want to plan your pub crawls by neighborhood. Bus service tends to be good although service ends before the bars close. So you may have to cab it home. Most of the places I’ve listed below, I have not eaten at. These recommendations are for drinking only.

This is an abbreviated list for the out-of-towner with little time on their hands to go to every cool spot in town.

Capitol Hill

By far my favorite drinking neighborhood, Capitol Hill is home to some of my favorite small music clubs Neumo’s and Chop Suey so this is the place to go to drink before and after concerts. The links above take you to their music calendars.

The Comet - Grunge is alive and well at the Comet. Right across from Neumo’s, this is a great no-nonsense pub.

Linda’s Tavern - It has that je ne sais quois with an elk head on the wall. Great patio in the back.

Purr - quickly becoming my favorite pub in Capitol Hill, Purr is a great gay bar with the best staff. What I like about Purr is that everyone is friends with each other. It’s truly a community.

The Redwood - a bit off the beaten track, but a nice laid back place.

Fremont

Fremont used to be a quirky neighborhood, but it’s getting more trendy every moment. However, if you’re in the neighborhood to see Lenin or the Troll there are two places I recommend.

The Dubliner - Irish only in name, this pub has great beer specials and is a fun place to hang out.

The George and Dragon - I go there every week for trivia, the G&D is a true British pub: sticky bar, unexcitable straight-talking owners, no table service and greasy British food. Where else can you get a chip butty in Seattle?

Belltown

Like Fremont, Belltown is very trendy. However, it’s proximity to downtown and the following places make for a fun crawl.

Cyclops - Like Linda’s, it has that je ne sais quois.

Lava Lounge - Luau place with lots of tiki.

Shorty’s - Next door to Lava Lounge, it has clowns. Lots of clowns.

Ballard

Ballard is a little far from the city center, but it has a wealth of pubs. Music wise, Ballard has The Tractor Tavern for blue grass, folk, etc. and The Sunset Tavern for indie rock.

Lock and Keel - lots of decorations to go with the name.

Conor Byrne - Irish bar with music.

Hattie’s Hat - a fun bar with good food.

Photo via Gak on Flickr.

I’ve just been listening to a segment on NPR detailing the rent-controlled luxury apartments of the nation’s senators and representatives.

Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told Capitol Hill reporters Thursday how he feels about the rent-stabilized studio apartment he uses as a study and poker den: “I love it. I mean, I really love it. The rent is right.”

It’s on the 16th floor of a luxury high-rise in Harlem, adjacent to two other rent-stabilized apartments he also occupies, and six floors above a fourth rent-stabilized unit he’s been using for a campaign office. The rent Rangel pays for all four units is about $40,000 a year less than what he’d pay were they not rent-stabilized.

For the past two days, I’ve spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms reading Us and People magazine where they have these sections called Celebrities They’re Just Like the Rest of Us. In these photos, celebrities eat ice cream cones, pay for groceries, and put sunscreen on their children — all to show us readers how celebrities are normal people.

Maybe they need to have a section called Politicians - They’re not like the rest of us. My examples would be:

1. They pay lower rent than us

2. They get better treatment when flying the airlines

3. They don’t know the price of gas.

Yesterday, I was stuck in the waiting room of a Dr.’s office. So many magazines, so many interesting topics, none of which I can link to because they were in magazines. And there was no internet access in the hospital despite the fact I brought my computer. I truly have become a junkie.

What were some of the interesting things? I read about the bison rancher industry. Bison are apparently better for the environment, they can defend themselves from predators and ranchers prefer to raise them as they consider it more manly than raising cattle which they associate with ConAgra. Go ranchers.

It makes me incredibly nostalgic thinking that there are still these incredible creatures in the wild 143 years after the invention of barbed wire. According to this Newsweek feature, the horse population doubles every four years so the animals must be rounded up so they don’t destroy the environment. While I don’t know any of the facts, I am resistant to thinking that the only option is to round up and sell these amazing creatures.

I’ve known about Suicide Food for some time. Suicide Food shows art of animals that desire to be eaten. This is a photo I took in Japan. Is the pig working out for your tasting pleasure?

The definition of fun.

My mom emigrated to country from Thailand over thirty years ago. She is a Buddhist, and yet she has quite a bit of an obsession with money. She invests in stocks and she loves watching the Nightly Business Report on PBS. This morning I talked to her about the possibility of Washington Mutual going under. She encouraged me to check out the Nightly Business report online because they explain the rules of FDIC, the insurance created after the 1929 stock market crash that insures depositors up to $100,000. The number of accounts and the number of individuals on the accounts affects how much coverage you have, so you could actually have more than $100,000 coverage depending on the details. FDIC is certainly confusing to me. There is an online calculator to assess how much coverage you have.

My mom gave me a chuckle when she brought up It’s a Wonderful Life in order to explain to me why banks fail. It’s the people rushing to take their money out, she says. You know like the Building and Loan in It’s a Wonderful Life, she says. And of course now it makes a lot more sense to me. Thank god for It’s a Wonderful Life.

First of all, he wishes. Second of all, Ian McKellan’s portrayal of King Lear will air on PBS possibly with full frontal nudity:

Ian McKellen’s acclaimed performance in “King Lear” is coming to PBS, but a public TV executive was coy Saturday about whether his on-stage nude scene will be exposed on air.

PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, who saw the play during its brief run in New York, said she was impressed by the production and recalled thinking, “This is the kind of thing people should have a chance to see.”

Really? The jury is out.

Charlotte Rampling of course is the fabulous 62-year-old actress who seems to be appearing more nude than not in film lately. Swimming Pool, Under the Sand, Heading South…I could go on. I guess if you still have got it you might as well flaunt it. As for McKellan, we’ll see.