Weird News

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:29 am

What's with these parrots these days?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Foul-mouthed British parrot banished by embarrassed keepers Tue Jul 26, 3:36 PM ET LONDON (AFP) - A foul-mouthed parrot previously owned by a lorry driver has been banished from public areas in a British animal sanctuary after repeatedly embarrassing his keepers, they said. Barney, a five-year-old Macaw, is now kept indoors at Warwickshire Animal Sanctuary in Nuneaton, central England, when outsiders visit after abusing dignitaries with swearword-littered insults. "He's told a lady mayoress to f..(expletive) off and he told a lady vicar: 'And you can f... off as well'," sanctuary worker Stacey Clark said. Nor did the forces of law and order escape, she added. "Two policemen came to have a look at the centre. He told them: 'And you can f... off you two wankers'." Clark said sanctuary workers believed Barney either picked up the phrases from television or was taught them by his previous owner, a lorry driver who emigrated to Spain. "He does say 'Hello, big boy' and 'Thank you' when you give him a biscuit," she added. "But it's mainly naughty words and always to the wrong people. We're trying to teach him not to swear. Macaws are very intelligent birds."</td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 11:46 pm

Yukon's sasquatch hair turns out to be bison hair . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> DNA tests squelch Canadian sasquatch discovery By Scott Pattison Thu Jul 28, 4:44 PM ET EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - Big Foot will remain just a tall tale, for a while at least, after DNA hair samples thought to be from the mythic creature turned out to be bison hair. Researchers said on Thursday that a mysterious clump of hair found in the Yukon Territory is from a North American bison and not from he elusive ape-like sasquatch, or Big Foot, said to haunt the woods of western Canada. "The DNA profile of the hair sample we received from the Yukon earlier this week clearly matches reference DNA profiles from North American bison," said David Coltman, a wildlife geneticist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. "However, if you're a believer, we haven't disproved there is a Big Foot out there," Coltman said. Hair and large footprints were discovered by two witnesses who claimed to have spotted a large and furry ape-like figure dash through the bush this month near Teslin, a village about 100 miles east of the Yukon capital of Whitehorse. Coltman often works with Yukon wildlife officials and agreed to test the samples using a chemical solution to separate the DNA material from the hair shaft so that the gene sequences could be compared with the known sequences of other animals. "DNA is quite powerful at detecting new species. It's the genetic blueprint for a potential organism." The legend of an ape-like, or human-like, creature lurking in the mountains of western Canada and the United States goes back to a time before Europeans settled in the continent. The word "sasquatch" was derived in the 1920s from tales of the Chehalis Indians in British Columbia. Coltman's decision to test the hair drew media interest from around the world, although he had suspected from the beginning that the tufts came from a bison. "People want to hold on to these myths that something unknown is possibly living in their backyard," Coltman said. "I think it's highly unlikely that the sasquatch exists, however, it's not really scientific to disbelieve anything either. You must always maintain an objective mind," he said. Coltman has since turned down a request from a Wisconsin woman to analyze fur from a wolf/man hybrid creature spotted frequently in the badger state. The alleged Yukon sighting is not the first Big Foot report in Canada this year. A resident of Norway House, Manitoba, (525 miles north of Winnipeg) shot videotape in April of what appeared to be a large, hairy, two-legged creature walking along the shore of Lake Winnipeg. </td></tr></table>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Notwithstanding the disputed area, the Canadian foreign affairs ministry is allowing its cafeteria to sell Danish pastries as a goodwill gesture towards the Danish government and people."  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Canada's Arctic spat with Denmark hits Internet By David Ljunggren Thu Jul 28,12:41 PM ET OTTAWA (Reuters) - A spat between Canada and Denmark over a tiny Arctic island has moved to the Internet, where a Canadian man is dueling an unknown opponent over who really owns the disputed lump of rock. The two have placed online ads about which country controls the 1.3 square km (half a square mile) Hans Island, located between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland, which belongs to Denmark. Toronto author Rick Broadhead said he bought an advertisement on Internet search engine Google after spotting a Danish ad that said "Does Hans sound Canadian? Danish name, Danish island." That ad linked to the Danish foreign ministry's Web site and a copy of a protest letter Copenhagen sent Ottawa after Canada's defense minister visited the island. Broadhead's ad showed a large Canadian Maple Leaf flag, and it now carries the message: "Hans Island is Canadian." "To my knowledge this is the first time that a squabble has ever broken out between two nations on Google," he told Reuters on Thursday. Canadian newspapers are using the affair to generate summer entertainment -- one suggested Ottawa should set up a coffee and donut outlet on the rock, which is 1,000 km (620 miles) from the North Pole. But some observers say the dispute could turn nasty if it turns out that Hans Island is sitting on rich mineral resources. For the time being the two sides seem to have decided that a sense of humor is needed when discussing the matter. "Notwithstanding the disputed area, the Canadian foreign affairs ministry is allowing its cafeteria to sell Danish pastries as a goodwill gesture towards the Danish government and people," said ministry spokesman Reynald Doiron. </td></tr></table>

erikbarrett · Postby **erikbarrett** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:51 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: (VisibilityMissing @ Jul 20 2005, 09:58 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> He fought the law, and . . . well you know.  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Jul 20, 6:53 PM EDT After Chase, Man Ends Up in Own Courtroom YANKTON, S.D. (AP) -- An Iowa man who led officers on a highway chase that ended at the Clay County Courthouse Wednesday ran inside and tried to barricade himself in the courtroom where he was scheduled to appear, authorities said. <SNIP> Coover was arrested on charges including failure to appear...</td></tr></table>   </td></tr></table>  I don't really think that's very fair. After all, he went to all the trouble to get there in the first place! <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' />

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:11 am

She might need some remedial driver's ed . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Driver Chases Car After Falling Out Sat Jul 30, 5:03 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Opening up your door while driving isn't a good idea, especially on a busy highway. Robbin Doolin, 31, of the Kansas City suburb of Grandview, learned that Friday morning when she leaned out her fast-moving car to spit. She went tumbling out onto U.S. 71 in Kansas City, and to the amazement of other drivers, she hopped up and chased her car as it careened down an embankment toward a construction site. Doolin was recovering Friday night at a hospital, where she was treated for injuries to her leg, arm and head. "It's certainly not prudent to open your car door on a highway, especially when you're not wearing a seat belt," said Capt. Rich Lockhart, a police spokesman. Lockhart said the woman was embarrassed about the accident. Her explanation to officers: "I leaned out to spit and I leaned too far." ___ Information from: The Kansas City Star, <a href='http://www.kcstar.com' target='_blank'>http://www.kcstar.com</a></td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:05 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Surf's up for Australian rodents! Fri Aug 12, 9:41 AM ET CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia -- land of sun, sand and ... surfing mice? ADVERTISEMENT Australian Shane Willmott is training three mice, named Harry, Chopsticks and Bunsen, to surf small waves on tiny mouse-size surf boards at beaches on the country's Gold Coast. The mice are put through rigorous bathtub training and then some have their fur dyed when it is time to hit the beach. "Usually if he is surfing big waves, I usually color his hair up. Because he's white, when he gets in the whitewash it's hard to find him," Willmott told Australian television. Despite Willmott's training, Harry, Chopsticks and Bunsen -- who live in miniature custom-made villas and own specially made jet skis -- are proving no threat to world champion Kelly Slater just yet. </td></tr></table>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Cheerleader Chant Leads To Driver Involved In Crash Police Trace License Plate To Ann Arbor Man POSTED: 3:46 pm EDT August 5, 2005 A team of cheerleaders attending a camp in Ann Arbor did what came naturally after witnessing a crash on Wednesday afternoon. The Lincoln High School varsity cheerleading squad turned a license plate number into a cheer when a man driving a pickup truck involved in the collision fled the scene, according to the Ann Arbor News. "We just started to chant it so we'd remember it and help them get the guy," senior captain Kimmie Ostrowski told the paper. Police reports indicated that the man's truck hit the rear of a car stopped at a traffic light at Packard and Thompson streets, near the campus of the University of Michigan, according to the paper. The impact caused a chain reaction with two other cars. The cheerleading team's coaches tended to a 32-year-old woman who was injured in the crash, the paper reported. The woman was treated at the scene when an ambulance arrived. Officers traced the license plate number to the pickup truck driver's old home address, where they were able to obtain his new Ann Arbor address, the paper reported. Lt. Mike Logghe told the paper that the 30-year-old man said he did not think the damage was severe enough to stop. After later reconsidering, he said he was unable to return to the scene because of heavy traffic. The man was not arrested, but could face charges for leaving the scene of an accident. </td></tr></table>  <a href='http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/4815 ... t&psp=news' target='_blank'>Clicky</a>

Tom Flapwell · Postby **Tom Flapwell** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:42 am

1. Awww. 2. <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /> I guess cheerleaders are good for something.

Zaaphod · Postby **Zaaphod** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:48 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: (Tom Flapwell @ Aug 15 2005, 05:42 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> 2. <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /> I guess cheerleaders are good for something.  </td></tr></table>  *snrrk* I was going to say that! <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' />

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:30 am

Now, where did I leave that?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> The 'suspicious package' that wasn't Sources: Device was Secret Service contractor's training tool Monday, August 15, 2005; Posted: 12:15 a.m. EDT (04:15 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A training device mistakenly left by a Secret Service contractor at a Washington hotel was the "suspicious package" that prompted a building evacuation Sunday afternoon, law enforcement sources said. The FBI and Secret Service sent teams of investigators to the Mayflower Hotel, a few blocks from the White House, after the package was found. It was a hotel employee who discovered it, said Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman. Initially, a spokesman for Washington's fire and emergency management services department said the package appeared to be a hoax. "It appears to be a deliberate attempt to make people think it was a real device," said Alan Etter. "It was made to look like the real thing." The 300 people inside the landmark Washington hotel were evacuated. Etter said the device, which he would not describe, was taken to the basement after it was found. It was only later -- when a Secret Service contractor realized what had happened and called authorities to report the training device -- that its source became clear, the law enforcement sources said. It was not clear to these sources if the contractor was a guest at the hotel, was attending a meeting there or was there for another reason. CNN's Kelli Arena contributed to this story.</td></tr></table>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Russia: Land of the happy cows?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> But when they get the munchies, watch out! Tue Aug 16, 1:22 PM ET MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's long winter will just fly by for a herd of Russian cows which, a newspaper reported on Tuesday, will be fed confiscated marijuana over the cold months. Drug workers said they adopted the unusual form of animal husbandry after they were forced to destroy the sunflowers and maize crops that the 40 tonnes of marijuana had been planted among, Novye Izvestia daily reported. "There is simply no other way out. You see, the fields are planted with feed crops and if we remove it all the cows will have nothing to eat," a Federal Drugs Control Service spokeswoman for the Urals region of Sverdlovsk told the paper. "I don't know what the milk will be like after this." Drug use in Russia took off with the decline of the Soviet Union and police have been fighting drug smugglers -- often shipping heroin from Afghanistan -- for years. Such large hauls are relatively common, although they are normally burned. </td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:12 am

If you're going to be charged with indecent exposure, you might as well do it with some style. <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... iggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Port Townsend man arrested naked aboard boat in Sequim Bay 2005-08-17 SEQUIM -- A Port Townsend man was taken into custody by Sequim police Tuesday afternoon after a Coast Guard helicopter crew found him standing on the bow of his boat in Sequim Bay, naked, waving flares and making obscene gestures. The man's name was not immediately available because the investigation was ongoing, said Petty Officer Tom Winter, a spokesman for Coast Guard District 13 in Seattle. A Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles was flying over Sequim Bay at 2:32 p.m. when crew members saw what they thought was a possible boat fire. The helicopter circled back to the vessel to investigate and found a man on the bow of a boat waving distress flares while acting erratically and making obscene gestures. Response boat launched A Coast Guard 25-foot response boat was launched from Station Port Angeles to investigate. The crew of the Coast Guard boat found the man naked and screaming obscenities while hitting his head on the deck of the boat. ``When we see flares, we automatically think distress,'' Winter said. ``When they got there, they said, `Wait a minute, that guy isn't wearing any clothes.''' Coast Guard officials instructed the man to put on some clothes and then he was detained aboard the Coast Guard vessel. The man was taken to John Wayne Marina in Sequim, where he was turned over to Sequim police. He was then transported to Olympic Medical Center for further evaluation.</td></tr></table>

Zaaphod · Postby **Zaaphod** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:48 am

When one goes boating with Jack Daniels, these things tend to happen. <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... iggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:09 am

But the cat came back, the very next day . . . Kitty survives the Samsonite Test  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Aug 19, 4:07 PM EDT Lucky Kitty Survives Jolt, Fire, Fall GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) -- A stalking foray atop a power pole left a lucky feline jolted, frizzled and dazed but otherwise OK after he fell off the 40-foot pole and sparked a fire outside a fire house. The frazzled cat was discovered when paramedic-firefighters Andrew Chrzanowski and Jeremy Hall responded to the fire Wednesday morning after the lights went out at the Topaz Ranch Estates fire house. "When we got the fire knocked down we saw this burned cat close to the base of the pole," Hall said. They assumed it was dead until Chrzanowski noticed it was breathing. He put it on a blanket and gave it oxygen. "We both thought that with the amount of burns he had he wasn't going to make it, but then we started to look more closely and we saw it was all superficial," Hall said. "The fire just burned all his hair off." The firefighters believe the cat was on the pole, because a bird's nest was found on top and there was a large black spot where something had touched a relay switch on the 25,000-volt line. Animal Control officer Janet Duzan took the cat to Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital, where Veterinarian Steve Talbot said it should make a full recovery. "The doctor said it looks like he was in a flash fire and got singed from head to toe," Duzan said. The cat will be put up for adoption if it is not claimed by its owner, she said. --- Information from: Nevada Appeal, <a href='http://www.nevadaappeal.com' target='_blank'>http://www.nevadaappeal.com</a></td></tr></table>

Bocaj Claw · Postby **Bocaj Claw** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:18 am

Poor little bugger <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... ns/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' />

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 12:30 pm

More excitement for animal control . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Fugitive alligator becomes local folk hero By Dan Whitcomb Fri Aug 19,11:44 AM ET LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than a week after a man-sized alligator stunned authorities by surfacing in a murky Los Angeles lake, the fugitive reptile has already become a folk hero in the gritty neighborhood where he continues to outwit wranglers and elude capture. Dozens of residents gathered on the shore of Lake Machado on Thursday, sitting in lawn chairs or scanning the water with binoculars as park rangers with nets waited for the 7-foot (2 meter) alligator to rise out of the muck. "We're pretty confident we'll be able to catch him," park ranger Albert Jedinak said as he stared at the calm surface of the lake. "He was actually in the net once but unfortunately we didn't have the boat ready." Meanwhile one woman deployed her two young sons to work the crowd, hawking $10 t-shirts bearing an alligator drawing and the words: "Harbor City You Will Never Catch Me." The alligator -- who was chased around the 53-acre (21-hectare) lake for much of the week by a professional "gator wrangler" from Colorado -- did not make an appearance, having last been spotted on Wednesday night. The wrangler and his crew returned to Colorado on Thursday morning to secure larger nets but vowed to return next week and bag his prey. Still waiting for that moment was animal services officer Guillermo Perea, who sat in a pick-up truck designated to drive the reptile, imprisoned in a giant green box, to the Los Angeles Zoo after it was caught. Perea said he would not take part in the capture, adding: "I'm not that kind of guy. I get paid for dogs, not alligators." Authorities believe the alligator was probably once an exotic pet that was abandoned when it grew too large. Alligators are not indigenous to California. They say they were baffled to discover the reptile basking in the lake at the center of a city park, though they suspect it had been living there for about two months, dining on scraps left behind by fishermen and bread intended for the birds. Though the creature was originally thought to be a reptile called a Caiman, the professional wrangler has since opined that it is in fact an alligator. "I don't think you could say they didn't catch the gator for lack of effort," said local Paul Smith, who has spent much of the past two days watching the action at the lake. "They'll get him eventually. They'll figure something out." </td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:18 am

Midair mishaps, falling objects.  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Object falls from jet, cuts short city air show Thunderbirds' encore uncertain, Air Force says By Charles Sheehan and Lolly Bowean Tribune staff reporters August 21, 2005 Update (8:40 a.m.): The Air Force Thunderbirds unit will not perform Sunday at the Air and Water Show after part of a missile rail fell into Lake Michigan during Saturday's maneuvers. Two aircraft touched while in a diamond formation, said Lt. Col. Mike Chandler. No one was hurt and the fallen rail was not recovered. Aircraft damaage is still being assessed. "An incident like this one requires us to take a deeper look at what happens to ensure we can prevent any potential recurrence," Chandler said. "Once we're satisfied we've done that, we'll continue our season." People at the Chicago Air and Water Show saw a little more and a little less than expected Saturday when an object broke free from an Air Force Thunderbird jet, prompting an abrupt end to the performance. The object fell from one of six jets and splashed into Lake Michigan in an area closed off to civilian boat traffic far from the shore, Air Force officials said. "That is why we clear an aerobatic box, so that if anything were to happen, no one is injured," said Capt. Angie Johnson, spokeswoman for the flying unit. "The safety precautions worked exactly as they should have." The unknown object dislodged as four F-16s flying in a diamond formation banked to the left just after 3:30 p.m., according to the Air Force. The object crashed into the water about 2,500 feet off the shore of North Avenue Beach, police said. The performance was immediately suspended, ending the air show about 25 minutes prematurely, Johnson said. All six aircraft that make up the team returned safely to the Gary Jet Center, according to the Air Force. The show was expected to begin as scheduled on Sunday, but it was not known if the Thunderbirds would take part, Johnson said. The team travels with two spare F-16s. "We have to determine a cause, and the decision we make will be based on safety," she said. "That decision may not be made until Sunday morning." A Chicago police marine unit searched an area about half a mile offshore from North Avenue south to Division Street in an attempt to recover the object, said police spokesman John Mirabelli. The search was called off when it became too dark, he said. The Air Force has opened its own investigation, Johnson said. "Right now it's a maintenance issue. If it turns out that this is a bigger incident, we will bring in a team and open a safety investigation," Johnson said. "Right now, with incidents such as this, it is handled at the squadron level." The Thunderbirds travel with a maintenance crew of about 70 people, she said. There has been no similar incident in the recent past, Johnson said. City officials said they considered the shortened performance a minor incident. "It was a very successful day," said Cindy Gatziolis, spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office of Special Events. "Other than one unfortunate moment, we hope to have the same success on Sunday." Many who lined the shore of Lake Michigan did not realize the show had been shortened. Earlier, standing with his feet buried in the sand at North Avenue Beach, 3-year-old Julian Rivera reached his arms up toward the military aircraft that looked tiny from his viewpoint. "Ooooooh," he said as he watched a fighter jet dance across the clear sky. "Boom, boom, boom," he said, imitating the sounds of the loud aircraft before doing a little celebratory dance. "He loves airplanes," mother Selome Rivera said as she watched Julian. "When we go to the toy store, the only thing he wants are airplanes and trains. We know he likes them so we bring him here to see them." Julian was just one of the many Chicago residents who turned their eyes toward the heavens on Saturday. The event mainly showcases combat aircraft. Spectators get to see just how fast the planes are and the tricks they can do and learn how they are operated when used at war, event organizers said. But most come out to enjoy the free show and take in the sun, said John Trick, operations director for the special events office. "It's a beautiful area," he said. "We're at the lakefront. You can swim if you want. There are concessions. It's a great event." The highlight of this year's show was the newly designed F-22 Raptor, which made its air show debut Saturday in Chicago, Trick said. And many in the crowd come to see the Thunderbirds, flown by the finest Air Force pilots, Trick said. "These are planes civilians would never get to see," said Richard Douglas, who said he attends the show every year. "This is the only time that ordinary citizens get to see this type of flying. These maneuvers can only be done by military aircraft. You won't see any airliners doing flips like these." Not everyone at the lakefront on Saturday was seduced by the fancy fighter jets and bomber planes. Protesters from the group Southsiders for Peace carried signs objecting to the war in Iraq and said the show was a device to interest young people in the military. "We think this is a big advertisement for people to join the military," protester Lenora Wolf said. "We want to alert young people that they should not admire this and they should not join the military." "The kids in Iraq get this show every day," one protester shouted. "These planes look a lot cooler when they are not bombing you." Julian may be too young to fully understand all that he was seeing Saturday, his mother said. But as he watched the show, he played with his own wooden airplane trying to copy the moves he saw in the sky. He could think of only one reason why he liked the show. "Airplanes fly!" he said. ---------- lbowean@tribune.com csheehan@tribune.com </td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:54 pm

For post 600 on this thread, I've found a fitting story about Wal-Mart and manure. Be careful stealing Wal-Mart's manure . . . <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Aug 22, 7:52 AM EDT Wal-Mart Charges $175 for 'Stolen' Manure BROWNSVILLE, Ore. (AP) -- It could have happened to anyone: Charles Gastorf and his wife, Cheryl, forgot to pay the $10 tab for 10 bags of steer manure during a recent shopping trip to their local Wal-Mart. The two say that in the confusion of shopping on that March day they simply forgot to add in the cost of the manure. When the Gastorfs explained their forgetfulness to Lebanon City Attorney Tom McHill, he dropped shoplifting charges against them. That could have been the end of the story - except for the letter from the world's largest retailer that soon arrived in their mailbox, demanding $175 in civil damages. That's when the Gastorfs learned about a little-known Oregon law that allows retailers to pursue civil penalties regardless of whether a person is found guilty or innocent of theft. The Gastorfs - who live in a manufactured home and are retired - spoke to an attorney, who told them that challenging the action in court could cost them several thousand dollars, much more than the $175 civil claim. So the Gastorfs paid Wal-Mart the money. "We wouldn't want to embark on a life of crime at our ages and become manure thieves. I mean, if you were going to steal something, would you steal manure?" Gastorf said. But Shardon Weber, a spokeswoman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart, told The Albany Democrat Herald that the company has decided to refund the Gastorfs' $175. "It simply seems like the right thing to do," she said. </td></tr></table>

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