Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Ready for today's Friday fun from our favorite intern, Kennan Neuman? Read on! And if these snippets of all things random aren't enough for you, don't forget to check out "Snippets and Soundbites" on page 38 of this month's (and every month's) issue of ec!

• Get that Gator, Son
Brandon of Jackson, Mississippi, was taking out the trash when he saw something unusual sticking out from underneath his grandma’s car. It was a snout. “I kept my distance,” Brandon said. “Momma didn’t raise a fool.” The snout belonged to a very large alligator, which somehow found himself three miles from the nearest lake. Local police were able to remove the 8-foot unwanted reptile. The uncommon sight surprised neighbors. However, 300 to 400 alligators are captured and relocated in the state every year. I guess you never can be too careful … at least when taking out the trash in Mississippi. Read more here.

• You threw that away?!?
An Israeli woman thought she was showing her mom a nice gesture when she replaced her bed mattress. What she didn’t know is that her mother had been using the old one as a bank … storing her life savings totaling about $1 million! The woman has been searching for the money in garbage dumps in Tel Aviv for days. The owner of the landfill (where the mattress was among 2,500 tons of garbage in a single day) has heightened security to keep thieves out. The woman said of her mistake, “People have to take everything in proportion and thank God for the good and the bad.” So remember to ask permission before you throw away your mother’s old mattress. Check out the whole story here.

• Queen of the Swiss Alps
Every summer in the Swiss Alps, cows fight for the title of “queen.” It’s a tradition passed down through generations of cow owners. The Herens breed of cow is a naturally aggressive competitor, so fighting high in the mountains comes easy. There’s only prize money if the winner should choose to sell his “queen” cow. However, a local man said the winner’s owner is “king of the village for the year. He’s more respected than the mayor.” With the pride of a job well done and a fighting cow, it might be nice to be Queen for the year. Learn more here.

• Missing: Hundreds of Shoes
A forest worker solved a small-town mystery. He found hundreds of stolen shoes (belonging to locals) near a fox’s den in Foehren, Germany. The small town began to realize a shoe thief was on the loose, but had no idea who was the culprit. “It seems a vixen (a female fox) stole them for her cubs to play with,” said a police spokesman. Locals happily reclaimed their shoes even though many were missing laces. So next time you’re wearing “righty” and looking for “lefty” ask the friendly neighborhood vixen. Read the whole story here.