Odd News: June 2011

[Bungleau]

U.S. police shoot fake alligator KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters Life!) – Police in a suburb in the state of Missouri recently encountered one tough alligator -- or so they thought. Officers in Independence, a Kansas City suburb, responded to a call on a Saturday evening about a large alligator lurking on the embankment of a pond, police spokesman Tom Gentry said Thursday. An officer called a state conservation agent, who advised him to shoot the alligator because there was little that conservation officials could do at that time, Gentry said. As instructed an officer shot the alligator, not once but twice, but both times the bullets bounced off -- because the alligator was made of cement. The property owner told police later that he placed the ornamental gator by the pond to keep children away. But residents had little to fear. "There are no alligators around here, we are too far north, it's too cold," said Bill Graham, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Gentry acknowledged the incident is drawing a lot of attention. "In hindsight, it's humorous," he said. "But we have to take every call seriously." (Writing and reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Greg McCune)

I'm looking at that state conservation agent, the one who said, "Alligator? How in the !@#$! am I supposed to know what to do with an alligator? This is Kansas, for pete's sake! Shoot the !@!!%#$ thing, why don't you?"

[Bungleau]

17-year-old sells his kidney for iPad 2 By Mike Wehner Apple lovers are known for their somewhat radical devotion to any new products the company introduces, but selling body parts to afford them is definitely something new — and scary. According to Global Times, a youngster in China's Anhui province wanted a new iPad 2 tablet so badly he was willing to part with a kidney to be able to afford it. The student, a 17-year-old high school student named Zheng, told a local newspaper "I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it. A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan." The "broker" was true to his word, and after the operation was completed on April 28, Zheng received his 20,000 yuan, which equates to a little over $3,000. The young organ donor carried out these plans without the knowledge of his mother, who was surprised to see her son awash in new, expensive electronics. After discovering what Zheng had done, she promptly alerted authorities, who have been attempting to track down the buyers ever since. Global Times via The Next Web

What would he do for a Klondike bar?

[VulcanRider]

I bet he runs out of organs before Apple stops making new gizmos. I hope he doesn't have a little brother...

[Bungleau]

Bank of America Gets Pad Locked After Homeowner Forecloses On It Written by Kelly Heffernan-Tabor Collier County, Florida -- Have you heard the one about a homeowner foreclosing on a bank? Well, it has happened in Florida and involves a North Carolina based bank. Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff's deputies foreclose on the bank. It started five months ago when Bank of America filed foreclosure papers on the home of a couple, who didn't owe a dime on their home. The couple said they paid cash for the house. The case went to court and the homeowners were able to prove they didn't owe Bank of America anything on the house. In fact, it was proven that the couple never even had a mortgage bill to pay. A Collier County Judge agreed and after the hearing, Bank of America was ordered, by the court to pay the legal fees of the homeowners', Maurenn Nyergers and her husband. The Judge said the bank wrongfully tried to foreclose on the Nyergers' house. So, how did it end with bank being foreclosed on? After more than 5 months of the judge's ruling, the bank still hadn't paid the legal fees, and the homeowner's attorney did exactly what the bank tried to do to the homeowners. He seized the bank's assets. "They've ignored our calls, ignored our letters, legally this is the next step to get my clients compensated, " attorney Todd Allen told CBS. Sheriff's deputies, movers, and the Nyergers' attorney went to the bank and foreclosed on it. The attorney gave instructions to to remove desks, computers, copiers, filing cabinets and any cash in the teller's drawers. After about an hour of being locked out of the bank, the bank manager handed the attorney a check for the legal fees. "As a foreclosure defense attorney this is sweet justice" says Allen. Allen says this is something that he sees often in court, banks making errors because they didn't investigate the foreclosure and it becomes a lengthy and expensive battle for the homeowner. CBS News

Heh... turnabout's fair play :evilgrin:

[VulcanRider]

That's great. Now I can start the day with a smile...

[Bungleau]

Was thinking last night... would I accept a regular check? Or would it need to be a cashier's check? Or other form of payment the bank couldn't cancel or stop?

[Bungleau]

Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies By Claudine Zap No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies. The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted. But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it. West isn't alone in the ranks of penny protesters. A wise guy in Frederick, Maryland, showed up at the county clerk's office last summer with bags of cash to pay off his tax bill with $966.86 in change. And a New Jersey school district a few years back punished 29 students who paid for their $2 school lunches in pennies--possibly as a prank--with two-day detentions. After parents protested, the students were pardoned. The school explained that the use of the small change slowed down the lunch line. (David Zalubowski/AP)

I think he'd have gotten off if he hadn't thrown them on the counter....

[Timber Loftis]

Lawyers can do good... film at 11.


Or not (just not sensational).

[Timber Loftis]

But, seriously, WTF...

We get a bad rep all the time, and most all the time it seems I'm trying to help someone in need of me.

/frustrated

[Bungleau]

Guess it takes a banker to make a lawyer look good...