Category Archives: A piece missing
Zoey the Cool Cat to inherit millions!
I’m pretty sure most of my readers know that I have a cat. Her name is Zoey the Cool Cat. I’m pretty sure that most of my readers also know that I really do like my cat. I don’t love her because I reserve love for people, not animals or inanimate objects. But I do really, really, really, really like her.
However, if something happens to me, I don’t have her in my will. Maybe I should? After all, others have put their pets in their wills:
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Trouble, Leona Helmsley’s dog, inherited $12 million in 2007.
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Tommasino, a stray cat in Italy, inherited $15 million in December 2011 from real estate mogul Maria Assunta.
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Kalu, an Australian chimpanzee, inherited $60 million in 2010.
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Gunter, a German shepherd, inherited $140 million in 2000.
I realize people are allowed to do with their money as they please, but I also wonder if there’s a piece missing in people who leave money like that to one pet rather than, say, founding a pet sanctuary for unwanted animals, or creating an endowment for a women and children’s abuse shelter…. or endowing a soup kitchen to feed the hungry…. or endowing a homeless shelter…. things that might actually improve the world and the lives of those in it.
Maybe if I had millions of dollars like, say, Mitt Romney, I might leave a few to Zoey the Cool Cat! Would the pet inheritance tax be more than what Romney pays in taxes each year? [Ooops. This last paragraph is sneaking into the realm of politics..............lol]
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
I made a college once
I have always taken pride in my command of the English language, but I quit being a Grammarian a couple of decades ago, even before Twitter. However, I still find humor in some of the stuff I find, such as this notice on a community bulletin board (edited slightly for privacy and embarrassment):
That was a clean copy underneath a corrected copy:
It gets funnier. Someone came along and put up a pink sheet offering grammar and spelling lessons for James:
Look at the bottom of the pink sheet, though, where another person has added a comment:
I made a college once…………..
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
Ya just can’t make this stuff up
I have been wanting to start this new series for several months. Finally………
I learned the saying “a piece missing” from my wise old grandmother, as in “He’s got a piece missing.” This series touches on those stories — unverified by me, simply hearsay — that make me think aloud, “He’s got a piece missing.”
First, the case of the $65 million bald eagle, dead and stuffed:
Preface: We all know that the Internal Revenue Service of the United States is always correct.
Facts:
1 — Robert Rauschenberg is an American painter and artist who died in 2008.
2 — Rauschenberg’s work titled Canyon includes a stuffed bald eagle.
3 — Two federal laws make it illegal to buy or sell bald eagles, dead or alive.
4 — Ileana Sonnabend was an art dealer who died recently, leaving an estate with, uh, art in it, including the stuffed bald eagle by Rauschenberg.
Hearsay: The IRS levied taxes on the estate of Sonnabend as if the bald eagle were worth $65 million. Sonnabend’s estate is fighting the taxes based on auction house appraisals stating that the stuffed bald eagle is worth exactly nothing. Zip, zero, zilch…. nothing, because the two federal laws prohibit its sale. The IRS, however, says that since there is a black market for stuffed bald eagles, there might be a billionaire recluse in China willing to buy the stuffed bald eagle.
My wise old grandmother’s opinion: Someone at the IRS has got a piece missing.
Next, the case of the early bird getting the worm:
Facts: In the United States, it is illegal to drink alcohol if one is under the age of 21.
Hearsay: A Mr. Bittar who resides in Eugene, Oregon, turned 21 this past March 15. Since he was proud of his newly conferred and legal privilege of drinking alcohol, he had his first drink at midnight. Just 1½ hours later, he was in jail charged with DUI, reckless driving, and criminal mischief, and his car had been impounded. To top it off, he crashed his car into an alcohol rehabilitation center…. I think that might be the DUI and reckless driving charges….
My wise old grandmother’s opinion: He’s got a piece missing.
Ya just can’t make this stuff up.
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray (that’s me!)
