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  • The end of Muffy.

    If you are a cat lover, or those who think PETA is doing the right thing, please read no further. Otherwise, read on.

    This sighting comes to me from an old college friend who swears up and down it's true. He's a lawyer, so I doubt he'd lie...bend the truth maybe, but lie?

    Kidding aside, I myself first heard this story when working for Lowe's. They gave it to us as a horror story of what can happen when you don't properly explain the workings of a machine to a customer. (names are made up, story is real)





    Mrs. Johnson was the type of woman who thought her husband needed to always be out doing something. Sure, it didn't matter that he was half disabled from an accident at work; if he wasn't out of the house working, she wasn't happy. Mrs. J also had a habit of hers. She loved to buy yard tools. It didn't matter the type, or the kind. If it was new and whistled, she wanted it. Had to have it really.

    One day, while wandering through her local home improvement store, Mrs. J happened upon something she had never seen the likes of before. It was small, squat and the cutest red color she had ever seen. Turning to the employee, she beamed. "Why that's the cutest little thing. I must have one." The employee blinked, but shrugged and sold it to her. The thing, was the latest woodchipper. Not those kinds you buy off of that TV commercial. Oh no, this thing was a real chipper. Big enough that it took up the whole of her little shed. The lawnmower and tractor would have to be out in the rain, since this thing needed the space.

    We don't know how he felt at the time, but we can suppose that Frank (her husband of thirty years) wasn't pleased to see this thing. No, that chipper meant more work. Unless, maybe he could happen to break it. That was a tactic that had worked in the past for him, but this time he wouldn't have a chance. No, Mrs. J was on to his tricks and had planned to stand right there with him while he used it for the first time.

    The first load into that chipper would be some pine cones. Now, have you ever seen what a chipper does to a pine cone? Typically, you end up with pine cone dust. Every so often, one will get stuck in the chipper, spinning around some and making this odd whackity sound. You get two options then. Cut the machine off and reach down to get it out, or grab a big stick and poke at the cone till it goes into the machine. God forbid should you miss and poke the blades, because the machine will beat you half to death. Oh, and don't be so stupid as to reach in there with the blades turning. That would be bad. Very bad.

    (For those that have guessed what happens next, please sit still and don't tell the others.)

    The big day come and the machine was running swimmingly. Pine cones of all sizes and shapes were going into the machine, along with a ton of other bits and pieces of yard trash. At some point, a tin can went into the machine, producing a rather nice shredded aluminum effect as it blew in the wind. Picking up a bit more yard trash, Frank tossed it in just as the cat came by and ran around his legs. The next thing anyone knew [CENSORED FOR GRAPHIC NATURE]. By the time they realised what had happened and tried to turn the machine off, it was far too late. Muffy was gone, only a few hairs left wafting in the wind to tell of her passing.

    Muffy was a simple little cat, pure bred persian with the papers to match. When it came to life, Muffy had everything she wanted and then some. Usually at the cost of her owner's husband. To say Frank hated the cat, well that'd be putting things mildly. Twice, Frank had found a reason to carry the cat off and drop it out. Both times, Muffy foiled his plot by returning a few days later. Yes, Muffy was what some call a smart cat, until that one fateful day...

    So what exactly happened? In her brief, Mrs. J claimed that the machine had murdered Muffy, and that it was the store's fault. No one had warned her how dangerous the machine the machine was, and how nothing should be put in it that they didn't want in it. Plus, they should have warned her that if anything living had gone into the machine, it sure as heck wasn't coming out that way.

    Supposedly, the same day she filed that case in court; she also filed for divorce claiming that Frank had quote "Never liked the cat in the first place."


    -----------------

    yeah, I've embelished the story a good deal. The original account was that a customer bought a wood chipper, and through a freak accident, killed their cat. They then tried to claim that the accident (wholly a freak that would not likely have happened if the lady hadn't held the cat too close to the machine when it was on) was the store's fault and then sued for damages. Supposedly, she actually won the case.
    Last edited by repsac; 03-06-2007, 02:01 AM.
    Learn wisdom by the follies of others.

  • #2
    Sheesh. How do those idiots end up on juries?

    Oh wait, now I remember. They're too stupid to get out of jury duty!

    I bet from now on the manufacturer has to put a warning on all of its woodchippers, advising people to keep their pets and children away from the chipper while it is running.
    Last edited by Irving Patrick Freleigh; 03-06-2007, 04:09 AM.
    Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

    "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

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    • #3
      Quoth Irving Patrick Freleigh View Post
      Oh wait, now I remember. They're too stupid to get out of jury duty!
      Exsqueeze me?! I happen to think it's a duty to serve if at all possible when you're called! And no, I'm not "too stupid" to get out of it. And neither are my parents, thank you very much. My mom is on now even though it might cause conflicts with the WAC Tournament that they have tickets for. I was disappointed the last time I was called, I never even got to go up to a court room.

      If you want to help prevent stupid verdicts, maybe you should think about serving the next time you get a summons!
      It's floating wicker propelled by fire!

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      • #4
        I see sarcasm obviously is lost on some people....
        Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

        "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

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        • #5
          Quoth Irving Patrick Freleigh View Post
          I see sarcasm obviously is lost on some people....
          Or misuse of emoticons....

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          • #6
            This sounds like a snopes story to me.
            People who don't like cats were probably mice in an earlier life.
            My DeviantArt.

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            • #7
              I have been called to jury duty 4 times and empanelled twice. With that said, if I EVER have to go to trial for ANYTHING, even a parking ticket, I am waiving my right to a jury, and requesting a bench trial.

              The majority of people who end up on juries have NO knowledge of the law, and rule strictly on emotion.
              The only words you said that I understood were "His", "Phone" and "Ya'll". The other 2 paragraphs worth was about as intelligible as a drunken Teletubby barkin' come on's at a Hooter's waitress.

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              • #8
                this is a famous piece of true legal lore. scribbled on the wall on the gents toilet in the Crown Court in London is the phrase "I'm about to go and be tried by 12 people too stupid to get out of jury duty" It has beent here for years and no one has ever washed it off.

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                • #9
                  Quoth Banrion View Post
                  The majority of people who end up on juries have NO knowledge of the law, and rule strictly on emotion.
                  Many of these same people have no common sense either. I have *no* sympathy for people who get hurt or killed for doing stupid things. Yet, many times, juries actually *reward* it!

                  For example, several months back, on Trains.com, someone posted a story about two idiots who were hurt while trespassing on railroad property. They ignored the "no trespassing" signs along the right of way, climbed atop a boxcar...and were promptly fried by the overhead wires, which supplies current to the locomotives. Anyone want to guess what happened? The railroad lost, simply because there wasn't a sign alerting them to the dangers of the wires.

                  Um, are you fucking kidding me? These are overhead *electric* wires, which put out some *serious* voltage! The only reason that one got tossed, was that most jurors apparently felt that they "had to send a message" to big corporations. Last I heard, the case was still pending an appeal.

                  Another example...A stupid driver sees the crossing gates coming down, and decides to drive around them. His car gets stuck, and then hit. Even though a train cannot stop on a dime, nevermind the driver was stupid, guess who takes the blame?

                  Many times, it's the fear of getting sued over stupidity, that makes companies put those funny warning labels on things. They have to protect themselves, since someone, somewhere, *will* use the product in a manner it's not intended for.
                  Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. --Enzo Ferrari

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                  • #10
                    I've done jury duty once. Spent most of the day reading and watching movies in the courthouse basement. Went up to the courtroom for one case, they picked their panel before they even got to me, went back to the basement and lounged a couple more hours til they sent us home.

                    Back on topic, Snopes came up with nothing (I put in "wood chipper" and only one thing came up, on the movie Fargo (No, it's not a true story, the intro to the movie notwithstanding). Did a quick Google search but too much comes up and I'm at work
                    I don't go in for ancient wisdom
                    I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
                    It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

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                    • #11
                      Quoth repsac View Post
                      yeah, I've embelished the story a good deal.

                      Well, I, for one am shocked.

                      Embellish, indeed.

                      Next thing you know we will find out this isn't the first time.

                      I kind of wondered about embellishment when I caught this part
                      It was small, squat and the cutest red color she had ever seen. Turning to the employee, she beamed. "Why that's the cutest little thing. I must have one." ...Big enough that it took up the whole of her little shed. The lawnmower and tractor would have to be out in the rain, since this thing needed the space.
                      So, was it small and squat and a cute little thing, or was it so big that it took up the space of both a tractor and a lawnmower?
                      See, just some advice, when spicing up a story, continuity is important.
                      Last edited by Ree; 03-07-2007, 03:24 AM.
                      Too tired of living and too tired to end it. What a conundrum.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Lace Neil Singer View Post
                        This sounds like a snopes story to me.
                        I was thinking the same thing too but bookstoreescapee beat me too finding out if it's on Snopes website. However, I decided to do a more intense search using "wood chipper" but also include "cat" to it and didn't come up with anything. For some reason I decided to use the word "death" but it didn't work either.

                        Many times, it's the fear of getting sued over stupidity, that makes companies put those funny warning labels on things. They have to protect themselves, since someone, somewhere, *will* use the product in a manner it's not intended for.
                        Why does this remind of a classic customerssuck.com story? Actually, this could mean many cs stories but there is one in particular that has become a legend in its own right and in is really unbelievable that actually did happen.
                        Last edited by rdp78; 03-07-2007, 04:22 AM. Reason: added something
                        Yours truly, Robyn unless your an SC
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                        • #13
                          I got called to Jury Duty, about 4 times now, and everytime, I do not have to go at all. I do want to serve once, to find out how it truly is. I also think like Pagen, and that it is a Duty.
                          Under The Moon Paranormal Research
                          San Joaquin Valley Paranormal Research

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                          • #14
                            Duty or not, here's a little cautionary tale. Back when I was younger, money was kind of tight. And when I say tight, I mean I was lucky if I had 5 bucks to buy gas for my car at the end of the month. If I hadn't had family close, I would have starved. One unexpected expense was enough to cause a financial disaster.

                            So I have to go to jury duty the same week I am to start a new job. This is a week long thing, this is not traffic court. I had given my two weeks to the previous job a long time prior, and had every thing planned out to make my pay periods come out nice and even. Then the jury duty thing came up.

                            So I ended up having to start my new job a week later. Yeah, I missed the entire first week of a new job, which was on a two week pay cycle. This means I don't get paid for three weeks after I start.

                            So yeah, my civic duty cost me a week's pay, something I could NOT afford. I would have ended up living under a bridge if I didn't have family to help me out closeby. And yeah, the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

                            Oh, I left out that you do get paid for your valuable time. I made a big seven bucks that week. Nice.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth RecoveringKinkoid View Post
                              So yeah, my civic duty cost me a week's pay, something I could NOT afford.
                              Here in Canada, all you have to do is tell them that jury duty will cause undue financial hardship, and they dismiss you. You don't even need to provide much in the way of proof.
                              This happened to a friend of mine. She just said, "Look, I'm supporting myself on a minimum wage job. Even taking the morning off to show up and explain this to you is going to mean that I'll be missing a meal or two next week." And she was dismissed with the thanks of the court.

                              If you have to ask, it's probably better posted at www.fratching.com

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