The sale of organs taken from executed prisoners appears to be thriving in China, an undercover investigation by the BBC has found.

Organs from death row inmates are sold to foreigners who need transplants. One hospital said it could provide a liver at a cost of $94,400, with the chief surgeon confirming an executed prisoner *could* be the donor. China’s health ministry did not deny the practice, but said it was reviewing the system and regulations.

One official said that the prisoners volunteered to give their organs as a “present to society”.

He said there was currently an organ surplus because of an increase in executions ahead of the 1 October National Day.

[Read](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5386720.stm “Read the Story”) (BBC)

Virginia Beach Police are looking for a man who reprogrammed a gas station ATM to give out four times as much money as it should. Surveillance footage showed a man walking into the gas station on Aug. 19, swiping an ATM card and punching in a series of numbers, breaking the machine’s security code. The ATM was reprogrammed to disburse $20 bills but record it as a $5 debit. The card was prepaid and can be purchased at several locations, so police are not sure who the man was.

[Read](http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=110889&ran=223062 “Read the Story”) (The Virginian-Pilot)

As part of “Operation Air, Land & Speed II”, Virginia State Police along I-95 and I-81 handed out **6,000 tickets** in just 48 hours last weekend, but there were zero fatalities.

[Read](http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=888510) (WTOP)

Residents of Turner, Maine are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for the last 15 years. The animal was found near power lines along a highway Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat.

Fox News has 2 photos of the animal.

Read (AP via Fox News)

This reminds me of the movie Ginger Snaps. The movie had a “beast” that killed and ate the town’s pets, and the “beast” was struck by a vehicle while chasing its prey.

A bear cub drew a crowd of spectators at a Lake Tahoe neighborhood as it munched on barbecue-chicken-and-jalapeno pizza in the back seat of a vintage red Buick convertible. It washed the meal down with a swig of a Jack Daniel’s mixer, an Absolut vodka and tonic, and a beer taken from a cooler.

[Read](http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/04/D8ILE03G1.html) (AP via Breitbart)

A Czech man ate frogs and other small animals for four days after he was trapped on an island cut off by flooding.

[Read](http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=11759182&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews) (Reuters)

Police say Jerry Garcia’s commode was stolen recently from a driveway along with three other toilets and a bidet. Police have no suspects or leads.

[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2006-04-02-garcia-toilet_x.htm) (USA Today)

Residents of a neighborhood in Fairfield, CT have been terrorized by a crazy cat. The cat has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw. The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady.

[Read](http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/03/29/crazy_cat_terrorizes_connecticut_town/ “Read the Story”) (AP via Boston.com)

A student who defecated in a lunchroom bowl triggered a series of events that culminated in the recent walkout by four workers in the [Fort Defiance High School](http://www.augusta.k12.va.us/fortdefiancehs/site/default.asp) cafeteria.

It all began Feb. 9 when two Fort students – including a guidance counselor’s son – bet a third student $15 he would not defecate in a bowl.

That student took the 5-ounce Styrofoam soup bowl to the bathroom and returned to the cafeteria, then placed the excrement-filled bowl on the conveyor belt that hauls empty dishes to the kitchen.

[Read](http://www.zonebbs.com/boards.php?t=8688) (The News Virginian via The Zone BBS)

When suspected Somalian pirates opened fire on two small Navy [rigid-helled inflatable boats (RHIB)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigid_Hulled_Inflatable_Boat “Widipedia”) that belonged to the [USS Gonzalez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gonzalez_%28DDG-66%29 “Wikipedia”) just after dawn March 18, the captain of the cruiser [USS Cape St. George](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cape_St._George “Wikipedia”), waiting a few hundred yards away, had his gunners lay down covering fire long enough to allow the Navy crews to escape. The pirates were then wounded and captured, and their boats were seized.

[Read](http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=101727&ran=12500) (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)