Shark Attack

"Magic Carpet Ride," a statue of a surfer in Cardiff, California, is a target of much mischief. The locals call it the "Cardiff Cook" and regularly dress it in seasonal attire.

The most recent prank was to have a shark eat the surfer.

The best part is that the shark circled the statue before moving in for the kill. Paper mache shark fins appeared on the other side of the highway, and then moved closer to the statue over a couple of days. Locals have started a "Save the Shark" campaign to keep the shark, which they feel is a dramatic improvement to the statue. However, city officials plan to remove it this week.

Entertaining legal opinions

Today Google Scholar is highlighting entertaining legal opinions. Apparently, some U.S. judges have time to write their opinions in verse, sometimes even to the tune of LeAnn Rimes songs.

My favorite is from a case where a man sued the woman who wrapped a car around his oak tree:

We thought that we would never see
A suit to compensate a tree.
A suit whose claim in tort is prest
Upon a mangled tree's behest;

A tree whose battered trunk was prest
Against a Chevy's crumpled crest;
A tree that faces each new day
With bark and limb in disarray;

A tree that may forever bear
A lasting need for tender care.
Flora lovers though we three,
We must uphold the court's decree.

--The Honorable Judges Bronson, Brennan and Gillis of the Michigan Court of Appeals, January 10, 1983.

Ugly Sofa Contest

Quick, take a picture of your sofa and submit it for this contest. The winner of the Ugly Sofa Contest gets a free sofa. Runners-up get 50% off a sofa. The deadline is July 31, 2010.

108-year-old Woman Wants a Baby

This article is so priceless, I'm going to quote it word-for-word:

"A 108-year-old woman and her former drug addict husband want to adopt, and they'll even take an out-of-wedlock child. They sound like ideal candidates, no? Good luck to them."