Watercooler Stories

Men not as fixated on skinny women

VILLANOVA, Pa., July 25 (UPI) -- U.S. men are not as fixated on women being thin as most women believe, a study found.

Charlotte Markey of Rutgers University-Camden and her husband, Patrick Markey of Villanova University, study what couples find attractive.

Most U.S. women, even skinny women, think they should be thinner because they feel they would be more attractive to men, but that's not the case, the researchers reported.

They studied 104 couples. All the women were in their 20s and none were significantly over- or underweight, reported U.S. News and World Report.

In separate rooms, the couples were asked to choose photos of women in bikinis that look most like the woman in the partnership. They were also asked to choose a photo of what body type they or their partner would most want to look like.

Women chose drawings larger than average to represent themselves, while the men saw their girlfriends as thinner than average. The body type the women desired was significantly underweight, while men chose a body type close to how they saw their partners now, the New York Daily News said Sunday.

Spray helps catch and convict burglars

LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- British police are testing a new Welsh product -- a spray that leaves indelible marks on burglars, making it simpler to catch and convict them.

The science-based security system, sold as RedWeb Sentry, combines conventional alarm systems with a conspicuous biosynthetic substance called "i-powder" that cannot be removed for several days. The powder carries a uniquely-traceable DNA code to the owner's property.

Police say recent trials in three U.K. locations have resulted in 100 percent conviction rates, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

Each batch of spray contains a durable red dye and a powder containing strands of DNA, that can irrefutably link a burglar to the scene of the crime.

The spray was devised by Liz Williams, a former interior designer.

Writer tops dream job in Britain

LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- Writer tops the list of dream jobs for British adults, followed by teacher and landscape gardener, a study finds.

Doctors, nurses and veterinarians beat out occupations such as sports stars, dancers and pop stars in a poll to find out what Britons most wanted to be when they were children.

More than 30 percent of Britons specified some type of creative career as their dream job in childhood, but just 11 percent of the respondents have managed to achieve these career ambitions.

Almost 40 percent say they changed their minds about future careers as they grew up, and 25 percent admit they never pursued their dream because they thought it was unrealistic.

The survey of 2,000 employees by Creative & Cultural Skills, an industry-led organization to improve career choices people, also found 65 percent of Britons would like the chance to be more creative in their work, but 61 percent think their bosses are unaware of their creative talents.

Pet restraints could prevent accidents

LANCASTER, Pa., July 25 (UPI) -- Studies indicate that nearly 1 percent of all U.S. auto accidents are caused by animal distractions, insurer Allstate says.

Almost 15 percent of drivers report that animals have nearly caused them to crash, but a $20 pet restraint could mean the different between summer fun and summer tragedy.

Pets should be strapped into the back seat with a simple pet restraint, Allstate says. This ensures that a family pet would be kept from flying through the air if the driver has to stop short, as well as the animal from distracting the driver.

A bill in Pennsylvania would mandate that pets riding in vehicles must be restrained in a crate, a seat belt or a barrier separating the dog from the driver.

A co-sponsor of the bill, Republican legislator Tom Creighton, a physicist and engineer by training, is supporting the bill because of "science."

"If you have a head-on collision and that dog is loose ... it's a projectile," he told the Lancaster (Pa.) Newspapers.