DES MOINES, Iowa - Ed O'Neill's bank account just got a lot bigger, thanks to a co-worker who told him some "idiot" hasn't claimed an $800,000 Powerball lottery prize.
O'Neill, 58, who works for the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, bought the ticket for a Jan. 6 Powerball drawing. He told Iowa Lottery staffers he didn't think to check the results until a couple days afterward when a chamber receptionist pointed out an article in the local newspaper.
"She said, 'Read this article about the idiot that hasn't claimed his ticket.' So I read it and noticed where the ticket was bought," O'Neill said. "I thought, 'Gee, I better look at my ticket.' That's when I said, 'I think I won.'"
Then he called his wife, Diane, 58, who thought he was pulling a prank.
O'Neill said his wife told him to "quit horsing around. I'm watching Oprah."
O'Neill countered: "No really, Diane. I won."
Hysteria soon ensued as Diane realized he wasn't joking.
On Monday, the couple cashed in the ticket at the lottery headquarters in Des Moines, but not before meeting with an accountant and planning how to handle the winnings.
"There's a lot of responsibility that comes with that kind of money," O'Neill said.
O'Neill won by matching five white balls in the Powerball game. He also had purchased the Power Play option, multiplying a $200,000 prize by four.
After taxes, the couple will get about $560,000 - much of which will go to pay off their mortgage, pay off their children's mortgages and save for retirement.
There will be a little left for fun, too. O'Neill said he and his wife are planning a trip to Ireland.
They also plan to donate money to Prince of Peace Catholic Parish in Clinton to help pay for construction of another church.
Two Newfies, Archie and Harry, were driving down the road drinking a couple of beers. The passenger, Harry, suddenly said, "Lord tundering jaisus... up ahead -- it's a police roadblock!! We're gonna get busted fer drinkin' dese here beers!!" Don't worry," Archie said. "We'll just pull over and finish dese beers, then peel off the label, stick it on our foreheads, and trow the bottles under the seat."
"What fer?"
"Jist let me do de talkin', OK?"
So they finished their beers, threw the empties out of sight and put a label on each of their foreheads. When they reached the roadblock, the police officer took a long look at the two of them and said, "You boys been drinkin'?"
"No sir," said Archie, pointing at the labels. "We're on the patch."
The first two are from our last night in FL. The third is the sunset we came home to on the mountain across the street.
Collecting prehistoric sharks teeth has been a favorite pastime of visitors and residents of the Venice area for years. They may be black, brown, or gray, depending on the minerals in the soil in which they have been buried. They range in size from one eighth inch to three inches, and on rare occasions more.
Sharks of all species continually shed their teeth and grow new ones. They have 40 or more teeth in each jaw. Behind the functional rows or teeth are seven other rows of teeth developing into mature dentures to replace teeth as they are shed or lost. In ten years, an average Tiger shark can produce as many as 24,000 teeth.
Besides sharks teeth, fossils of other marine creatures are also found in this area. Because millions of years ago most of Florida was under water, many fossils are found inland as well as on the beaches. State law prohibits digging without a permit however.
LEMON
CARCHARODON
The largest and most impressive of extinct sharks
DUSKY
SAND SHARK
BULL SHARK
Bull, Dusty, and Black-tipped are abundant, however they are difficult to distinguish from each other and from Lemon Sharks
EXTINCT MAKO
SHORTFIN MAKO
Mako teeth range from 0.25" to 2" long and are one of the more plentiful finds
EXTINCT TIGER SHARK
ANOTHER TIGER SHARK
Tiger shark teeth are usually less than 1"
SNAGGLETOOTH
Identification of sharks teeth, which come in many different shapes and sizes, is relatively easy. All of the teeth in the mouth of a single type of shark are the same shape. They vary only in size. The shape of the teeth of each species is distinct.
Grampy took a moment to mentally prepare for th
e trip to the beach.
