Boa Bondage: Argus Johnson, whose boa constrictor...

Boa Bondage: Argus Johnson, whose boa constrictor swallowed a neighbor’s pet Chihuahua in August, has turned to the World Wide Web to try to raise the $220 he needs for licenses to keep the 9-foot snake and take it out in public. On the Web site, Johnson says animal control officers unfairly have “incarcerated” the reptile, adding: “Alissss . . . usually sleeps under my pillow.” His Web page Saturday registered 170 hits.

* SONIC BOOM: Edwards Air Force Base, the dry lake bed that became the nation’s premier site for developing military jet aircraft, this week celebrates its 50th birthday, as well as the 50th anniversary of the first supersonic flight. Chuck Yeager, the first to break the sound barrier, will re-create the event at an air show next weekend that will also feature a flyover and landing of the SR-71 Blackbird, picture above. B1 and B3