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LIAM NEESON NOW US CITIZEN, CITES FAN SUPPORT
Irish actor Liam Neeson said he opted to become a U.S. citizen after receiving an outpouring of support from Americans following the shocking death of his wife, Natasha Richardson. "That is partly the reason why I've recently become an American citizen," Neeson said on ABC's "Good Morning America" today. "I've been living here for 20 years and America's been very, very good to me." "I'm still a proud Irishman, of course, but I've become an American citizen -- I'm very proud of that." (NBC Washington)
DENVER POT PANEL CALLS FOR $1 FINES
Denver's marijuana policy review panel agreed Wednesday to send a letter to the presiding judge of Denver County Court urging a $1 fine as penalty for possession of marijuana of less than an ounce. The current fine schedule indicates a $50 fine for such offenses, plus a $100 drug surcharge required by the state of Colorado and a $10 "bureau fee." Mason Tvert, a member of the panel and the executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, which has pushed decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, said state law requires the surcharge and the $10 bureau fee. (Denver Post)
CANADA CROSS-CHECKS FACEBOOK PRIVACY POLICY
Facebook has vowed to overhaul how personal information is shared with third-party applications after Canada's privacy Czar scolded the social website for its promiscuous policies. The site has also agreed to retrofit its privacy terms to better explain why Facebook collects personal data, make the distinction between deactivating versus deleting an account more clear, and provide consent to have profiles "memorialized" after death. The changes - which are to be rolled out over the next year - were spurred by an investigation from the office of Canada's Privacy Commissioner found that Facebook's data handling was in violation of Canadian law. (The Register)
POLICE STRUGGLE TO ID BURKA-CLAD BANDIT
British police say they're on the trail of a burqa-clad bandit, or bandits, who robbed three different locations in the past two months. Police said Tuesday that three armed men, one wearing a full-body veil, stole tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) worth of watches from a jewelers in Banbury, 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of London. Monday's theft follows two incidents in which an assailant wearing a black burqa robbed travel agents in the English towns of Dunstable and Luton, both about 45 miles (70 kilometers) away. (MSNBC)
