Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Name change halts citizenship process EL CAJON, Calif., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Kurdish refugee Alan Rauf just wanted to sound more American when he changed his name from Alladdin Abdul Nagshbandi; too bad the new name was on an FBI list. Advertisement Rauf works as a contract interpreter for the U.S. Army in Iraq and was on his way to becoming a U.S. citizen when the FBI interrupted the process. His old name won approval just fine, but apparently there's more than one Alan Rauf and the FBI wants to make sure the 37-year-old interpreter isn't a security threat. Rauf's attorney said the name is pretty common and the FBI likely has records on several people. Rauf is suing the Department of Homeland Security, hoping to speed up the verification process. "Once there is a hit, it can sometimes take years to resolve the problem. Because of Alan's importance to U.S. forces in Iraq, we felt a lawsuit was warranted," attorney Cheri Attix told Copley News Service. Advertisement Developer offers $1M for each trailer BRINY BREEZES, Fla., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A developer has offered to pay more than $1 million each for the 488 mobile homes in Briny Breezes, Fla., most likely to build another condominium complex. Some residents jumped at the opportunity to sell mobile homes that fetched $150,000 three years ago, but others -- including Mayor Jack Lee -- oppose the sale to the unnamed developer. "It'd be like selling my hometown," Lee told The Washington Post. "We're already living a millionaire's lifestyle -- even without the millions." "We used to be an embarrassment," said retired New York insurance agent Tom Byrne. "Now it turns out we're quaint." Ironically, the $500 million offer would buy the corporation that was set up to prevent developers from secretly buying individual properties as high-priced condos have swept the Florida coast. Said retired Maine optometrist Bill Tolford: "The money is good, but is it enough to buy another place this close to the beach? Not these days." Church giving away house for New Year LA MARQUE, Texas, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- New Year's Eve may never be the same at Abundant Life Christian Center in La Marque, Texas: At the end of the night, one parishioner will have won a new home. Advertisement The one catch is that the winner has to be on hand to claim the prize -- a $120,000, three-bedroom bungalow near Mainland Medical Center, the Galveston Daily News reported. Twenty names will be drawn at random during Saturday night's service and placed with the names of 100 people who attended regular church services throughout the year. Twelve finalists -- a hats-off to the apostles -- will be selected and each will be given a key. Whoever has the key that fits the house's lock wins. "The reasons for doing this are two-fold," the Rev. Walter Hallam told the newspaper. "It encourages people to come to the service, and it helps keep people off the street (on New Year's Eve) with all that revelry going on." Last year, the church gave away a houseful of furniture and the year before offered a PT Cruiser and a Harley. Hallam said he expects attendance to top the usual New Year's Eve crowd of 2,000. Thank you cards the latest U.S. casualty NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The handwritten thank you card -- something first lady Jackie Kennedy raised to an art form in the 1960s -- is nearly a lost art in the United States. Advertisement While 70 percent of people in a 2001 Emily Post Institute survey said sending thank you cards is appropriate, few do so today. The trend reflects short attention spans, busy lives and the rise of electronic communications to make the United States a pretty ungrateful nation, USA Today reported. Even electronic thank you cards do not cut the mustard, etiquette experts told the newspaper. The trend prompted Anna-Marie Ganje of Minneapolis to include thank you notes in Christmas gifts she sent to her nieces and nephews plus a handwritten note. "If I do not hear a reply from you on receipt of this package, do not expect another gift" ever, she told the newspaper. Ganje said she had not received a single response and does not expect to get any.
