re: #183 eclectic infidel

OFF TOPIC:

Can anyone name a quasi-governmental/private agency that has the power to run a sting operation and shut down a restaurant for illegal activities (ones that violate health codes)?

Not really a health code violation, but:
Sting operation: Sushi restaurant accused of serving whale

The Academy Awards were on my mind because the sting was led — in conjunction with law enforcement authorities — by the documentary makers of The Cove, which took home the Best Documentary Oscar for its coverage of mass dolphin hunting in Japan .

The Times reported, “video of their meal shows the two activists, both vegan, being served what the waitress can be heard calling ‘whale’ — thick pink slices — that they take squeamish bites of before tossing into a Ziploc bag in a purse.” DNA evidence from the meat, a $60 course in the chef’s special menu, revealed that it was taken from an endangered Sei whale. The possession or sale of marine mammals is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and can lead to a year in prison and a fine of $20,000.

Reminds me of The Freshman.

Youtube Video