Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Behind Closed Doors
Some things are private, right?
Like what you do inside the bathroom of your own hotel room?
Not if the EPA has its way.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants hotels to start monitoring how long you spend in the shower.
Seriously.
The agency is in the process of creating a device to track how much water you use.
Then it wants you to use that data to convince you to clean up quicker.
Quote -- "Hotels consume a significant amount of water..." the grant to the University of Tulsa states, "...This device will wirelessly transmit hotel guest water usage data to a central hotel accounting system."
From there the data can be sent to your smartphone -- a report card of sorts -- for how responsibly you showered.
Not Just For People Anymore
A Nevada lawmaker thinks medical marijuana should not be limited to just human consumption.
Democratic State Senator Tick Segerblom is proposing a bill to legalize pot prescriptions for pets.
The measure would allow owners whose dog, cat, bird or other companion has a chronic ailment to buy the drug for their animal if the vet says it could help them.
Segerblom says he's worried some animals might experience side effects, but -- quote -- "you don't know until you try."
Cautionary Tale
And, finally, a cautionary tale for those of you who run your office March Madness pools.
What started out as a fun and friendly wager with his colleagues ended up ruining a New Jersey man's life.
John Bovery started running a football pool at his Wall Street firm back in 1990.
It quickly spread to basketball and exploded to include 8,000 participants with $837,000 at stake.
It all went downhill when a reputed mobster, whom Bovery had never met, won $90,000 and when that check was cashed, the feds came calling.
They tore Bovery's home apart, handcuffed him and questioned him about his ties to the Genovese Crime Family.
He was also in legal trouble since betting pools are technically against the law and Bovery had started making a profit.
He served a 25-day jail sentence, now he can't get a job.
The Feds seized all the money in the pool along with Bovery's life savings.
He says he never knowingly broke the law and he is appealing.
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