Double Take: Ohio, smoking, crime pays …

141255_01

OHIO remains keen to make Geelong a sister city, if the Toledo Blade thunderer is anything to go by.
Blade columnist, former editor and vice president Tom Walton has raised the issue twice in as many weeks following the lead of Geelong expat Lindsay Smith.
“Toledo already has 12 sister cities. Geelong has just three, none of them especially active. They need us,” he penned.
Lindsay has put the case to Australia’s ambassador in the US, an old friend from his foreign service career days.
“So is establishing a sister-city relationship in Australia an idea whose time has come?” says Tom.
“Does it have a fair go? Or are we all figuratively out in the woopwoop for discussing it? We can yabber about it or we could give it a birl.”
Hmmm, looks like the vernacular language barrier might be one of the first things to tackle.

IT’S AN odd sight, that’s for sure – several bollards along the Geelong waterfront with plumes of marijuana smoke wafting from their mouths. And lifesavers at that.
The good folk at legalisegeelong.com have utilised a little photoshop to promote their campaign for a dope-led recovery for Geelong’s economy.
“Weed culture’ is huge in Amsterdam,” the website says. “Geelong can take that same kind of vibe, give it an original Geelong flavour and become one of the most famous, free and best towns in the world.”
It would be a munchies-led recovery, too.
“There are so many great places to eat around Geelong at the moment … there are also countless pubs and hotels that do great meals.
“With cannabis being legal and available in Geelong the number of people frequenting these types of local businesses would skyrocket. Let’s face it, food tastes even better while stoned right?”

THE CRIME Statistics Unit, which supplies details of wrongdoers across the state, has relieved Victoria Police of some of the burden of collating data.
The agency provides a data consultancy service, offering specialist data requests for clients requesting different breakdowns of data not offered in regular statistical releases.
As of 8 July the agency will begin charging customers for customised data requests.
Who says crime does not pay?