What Would You Do For $20?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 13 Sep 2006 11:58 PM Various television shows give you a glimpse at what people are willing to do for money. From sticking their heads in a bucket of live maggots to bungee jumping off of 125 story buildings to living with tribe mates on a desert island... oh and lest we forget, living in a house with strangers while dozens of cameras are filming their every move. But, TV aside, what would you be willing to do for $20? Or, perhaps a better question may be; how far are you willing to go, physically, to get 20 bucks? For a Florida man the answer is simple-anything. Mark Giorgio figured a 50-foot fall was worth $20. According to news reports, the 47-year-old was counting his money while walking across the U.S. 41 bridge over the Manatee River in Palmetto, Florida when a $20 bill blew out of his hand and flew over the rail. Now, let's assess this situation: you're counting bills and one happens to fly into the water 50 feet below where you are standing... what do you do? Personally, I would kick myself for counting paper money in the open on a windy day and then I would watch helplessly as my $20 floated away. Perhaps, I would hope that someone who needed it more than I did found it... eventually. Okay, that's what I would do. But, that's not what Giorgio did. Nope, he followed his money into the water-plummeting 50 feet into the river. And, that's not all. He then swam about 100 yards to fish the bill from the water. "I got my money back," Giorgio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "Twenty bucks is a lot of money when you're broke." According to the paper, Giorgio was fished from the water by a passing Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer. And, get this, officers told the paper that Giorgio, who said he was already suffering from a broken collarbone, refused treatment for cuts and scrapes he suffered in the fall. Maybe he can use the money to buy some aspirin? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  Megan Bayliss (3586) 24 Sep 2006 03:42 AMOh dear - find out his address and I'll forward him a gourmet food parcel to celebrate his sheer tenacity. I do remember though what it was like to be so broke that $20.00 was a fortune. Those were hard days that I have little desire to return to.  Michele Cheplic |
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