Talk about a housing bubble

When a small ranch house in Valparaiso, Indiana is assessed at 400 million dollars, things have gotten totally out of hand….. Apparently, someone accidentally accessed the computer system and changed the value. Local officials didn't notice, though and badly overspent tax revenues as a result. Now the local government is saying there may be layoffs as a result… I hope I never open a tax bill like that poor guy got. Apparently, they asked him for $8 million!

Something sounds fishy

A conservation group says it has found a Japanese website that advertises whale meat for use as dog food.

While I’m not a big fan of whaling in general and don’t for one minute believe the Japanese “scientific research” explanation for their activities, this sounds, well, fishy. I find it a bit hard to believe single issue advocates in general, but this is too convenient. It sounds like something specifically produced to raise outrage.

I wonder if it gives the dogs a shiny coat, though…….

Do you have that in a size 11?

Residents of the Dutch island of Terschelling found a container of athletic shoes washed up on the beach. Apparently, several containers were lost from a cargo ship passing nearby. Police were guarding the containers but allowed locals to get a few pairs of shoes.

No word on how many wooden shoe industry workers have lost jobs…..

Heads up!

So a woman returns from a trip to Haiti. Custom officials check her luggage and find a package containing a human head. Apparently the head was needed to protect her from evil spirits. She is arrested and charged with a variety of offenses. This line caught my eye:

It was unclear who Severe’s attorney was, but the prosecutor’s office said bail
was set at $100,000 during an initial appearance

So far the head isn’t talking…….

Say, pardner…..

We hang rustlers in these parts….

Even mushroom rustlers! These guys were caught with detailed records of how many mushrooms they had rustled over a period of time.

Memo to self: do not keep detailed records of crimes laying about for the police to find….

This is appalling

Ok, I think it’s official. Death penalty opponents are completely out of touch with reality. Being opposed to it is fine, they have that right. What they do not have the right to do is produce faked letters asking for clemency.

Lawyers for a convicted rapist/murderer sent falsified letters supposedly from jurors in the original trial.

Being a zealous advocate does not include lying or forging documents. The lawyers should be disbarred.