Sophia, that's crap. Unless you stained the carpet, cleaning the carpet is an ordinary expense that a landlord incurs for a new tenant. And how much did it cost? Ask to see a bill.

what Vortex said, Sophia. Also, what Jesse said.

No need for me to type at all, really.

The thing is, I know it is wrong, but I do not have the energy to pack by Friday, be pushy with the new landlord AND do that. I only have so much pushy energy in me.

Sophia, how long have you been there? That's cracked. Cleaning the carpets is a normal part of changing occupants. It's not like they had to replace them.

OK, this is v. cool:

Lions rescue beaten Ethiopian girl - - - - - - - - - - - - by Anthony Mitchell June 21, 2005 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -- A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.

The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.

She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said.

"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said.

"If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage," he said.

Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who corroborated Wondimu's version of the events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the girl against her wishes.

"Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle, because normally the lions would attack people," Wondimu said.

Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural development ministry, said the girl may have survived because she was crying from the trauma of her attack.

"A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they didn't eat her," Williams said.

Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black manes, are the country's national symbol and adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a recent crackdown, Hunters also kill the animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000. Williams estimates that only 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.

The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was "shocked and terrified" after her abduction and had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings, Wondimu said.

He said police had caught four of the abductors and three were still at large.

Kidnapping young girls has long been part of the marriage custom in Ethiopia. The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction, practiced in rural areas where most of the country's 71 million people live.

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

At this moment I feel that everyone in my city except for my friends M and K are jackholes.

Sophia, I have some pushy energy I'm not using. Should I send it your way?

Because I am angered by the asswads, and desire them to get a sound beating.

The thing is, I know it is wrong, but I do not have the energy to pack by Friday, be pushy with the new landlord AND do that. I only have so much pushy energy in me.

I totally feel you on this. It's no help now, but I do feel like security deposits are given back or not based solely on the whim of the person writing the check. I've not gotten money back because I didn't clean the oven in a shared house, and I've gotten it back with interest when I didn't clean a goddamned thing on my way out of town. I figure, it kind of all comes out in the wash eventually?

I almost didn't pay my rent for the last month because I had a feeling they would hang on to my security deposit, and I already had the new apartment, and I only had ONE MONTH notice to move.

But I did and I sort of regret it.

On the plus side, I guess this means I do not have to clean at all when I move out.

That might just be worth it.

Wild party time, Sophia. Possibly with paintballs.