Friday Around the Water Cooler 7/29/2011

While you might be aware of some of the most frequently reported  news stories this week such as the  on-going negotiations to try to raise the debt ceiling and  the record breaking heat wave that has most of the country sweltering, perhaps you have missed some of the more obscure news.   We can't have that.

Here are a few of this weeks stories that you might of missed.

He's Dead, oh..not so fast

A man in South Africa woke up to find himself in the morgue.  Not only was he in a morgue but had been put in the  morgue's fridge. 

The morgue owner, Ayanda Maqolo said that the family of the "deceased" called him to pick up the body of their loved one after he collapsed due to an asthma attack.  According to Maqolo, the morgue employee that retrieved the body checked for a pulse.  The dead guy was hauled back to the morgue and put in the drawer.

After almost a day (21 hours) employees at the morgue heard shouting from the fridge and thought they had a ghost on their hands.  (this is what the article said...I am not making this up)

The morgue employees did what all people that are afraid of ghosts do: they called the cops.  Maqolo was quoted as saying he was glad the police had guns in case something wanted to fight with them.

Is it just me or do these morgue employees sound like morons?  They put a live guy in the cooler, think they hear a ghost calling out to them and think that cops with guns will in some way be effective against spirits.

Another interesting aspect to this particular article is that it concludes that the "dead" guy's family is happy to have him home. 

I am thinking he better watch is back.  His loved ones are pretty quick with the "I now pronounce you dead".


Because this story smacks of something that I would just make up..and you have justification to be jumping to that conclusion.  Alas, this one isn't one of my "stories".  For the article click here

Another Dead Guy

A former Chicago commodities broker  that disappeared in 1979 and was since declared LEGALLY dead has been found living under a false name and working at a Las Vegas casino.  Authorities say that Arthur Gerald Jones disappeared from Highland Park, IL to escape large gambling debts and trouble with organized crime.

Seventy two year old, Arthur was arrested Tuesday on felony identity theft and fraud charges.
Turns out that Art has been going by the name Joseph Richard Sandelli ever since he went missing.


Doesn't look dead

An Illinois court declared him dead in 1986 which allowed his wife and three children to collect his social security benefits.

OH OH, some one is in trouble.  Who, I am not sure.  Is it Arthur?  No Art can't be in trouble.  He is dead after all and has been since 1986.  I am sure Mrs Art Jones wants him to stay dead as she would be on the hook for a whole bunch of social security payments that were paid in error.  Is Joseph responsible for Art's problems?  If so does Art have to be resurrected from the dead?  This could be complicated.


South Carolina Woman To Go To Trial..Oh nuts!

A South Carolina woman will face a jury trial over a $445 ticket written to her after a police chief deemed her "truck testicles"  hanging on her vehicle violated  the local obscenity laws. 

Virginia Tice, 65, was issued the ticket earlier this month after being pulled over by Bonneau Police Dept. Chief Franco Fuda, Fuda had eye "balled"  the Truck Nutz hanging off of Virginia's 2004 Dodge.

The actual violation was recorded as an obscene bumper sticker.  Obviously there isn't an actual violation that includes the words Truck Nutz.   The obscene sticker charge covers "displays" that the community could find offensive which can include sexual acts, excretory functions or parts of the human body.

The trial is scheduled for late August.  Time will tell if a jury of her peers deem novelty balls to be obscene.

**shaking my head**  Oh, Virginia tsk tsk. While I concede to your right to freedom of expression, do you really think that this is the classiest adornment you could put on your ride?  Nothing says "high class" quite like plastic testicles.

Get out of jail card

Finally a criminal with some intelligence.  Mind you, he isn't using his IQ for the greater good or anything but still...

An inmate in a central Florida jail used a glitch in the facility's phone system to raise his bail money. 

The Lake County Sheriff's office says that 32 year old Larry Stone discovered that the phone system at the jail credits the accounts of  the inmates for calls they make if the phone call doesn't connect to the party being called.  The glitch is that it not only credits the accounts but it credits the inmates account twice for every one call made. 

Larry kept making calls and hanging up before making any connection until he reached $1250.00. That is the amount he needed to bond himself out of jail.

Stone only remained free for a couple of hours as officials became suspicious when other inmates started duplicating the trick. Stone is being held on a property damage charge.

I wonder if Larry lost his phone privileges? 

The Good for the Day... I haven't been pronounced dead this week or been in jail.

The Bad for the Day...the ongoing "talks" about the raising the debt ceiling.  Let's have less talk more action.

The Weird for the Day...

While I was roaming around the Internet looking for the lesser reported news for the week, I found some rather interesting mug shots over at Smoking Gun.



This guy was exposing himself which is why he is getting his
picture taken.  At the time of his arrest he was wearing a blue
dress.  Not surprised are you???





She beat up her boyfriend.  Doesn't she look totally clueless?



This guy is having an identity crises His other problem seems to
be not handling his anger issues.  He was arrested for domestic
violence.