Watercooler Stories

Birthing farmer says 'Holy cow' 3 times

POOLE KEYNES, England, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- An Ayrshire cow in England gave her farmer-owner a Christmas Day surprise he'll never forget -- three newborn calves instead of one.

Alan Timbrell told The Telegraph his 9-year-old pedigree cow, Penelope, delivered the first calf by herself about 10 p.m. on his 150-acre dairy farm in Poole Keynes.

"But there was clearly still something in there and I wondered if it could be twins," he said.

He said he delivered the second calf an hour later, and then the third 10 minutes after that.

The 40-year-old said he has only seen triplets born once before, but all were premature and died.

While the two new bulls and a heifer each weighed about 55 pounds at birth, rather than the normal 84 pounds, they are healthy and have joined Timbrell's herd of 150 cows.

Veterinarians say bovine triplets are as rare as a woman having quintuplets, the report said.

Fire chief scores new truck on Internet

VICTORIA, Prince Edward Island, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The fire chief of a village in Prince Edward Island is all pumped up about saving $200,000 on the purchase of a used fire truck using the Internet.

Victoria Fire Chief Dale MacDonald said it was only by chance he discovered the Web site for Firetec, a Bridgewater, Vt., company that claims to be the biggest used fire truck dealer in the United States.

MacDonald had been fretting about the $250,000 cost of a new pumper, and then spotted a used one on the site for $18,000. He told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. the 1983 GMC looked in perfect condition, and only had 14,000 miles on the odometer.

He contacted the site, and then took a leap of faith, the report said.

"They told us how good it was and we didn't even drive down to Vermont and look at it because they assured us," he said.

MacDonald said the truck arrived at Christmas and has been used since, performing perfectly.

Having saved all that money, MacDonald is reportedly eyeing another one of the department's 1956 Chevrolet trucks, the report said.

Noted chef's restaurants cited

LONDON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Britain's celebrity chef and cleanliness czar Gordon Ramsay reportedly got a dose of his own medicine after two of his restaurants were told to clean up.

Information released under the Freedom of Information Act showed food inspectors found minor hygiene problems at two London restaurants of Ramsay, who is known to come down hard even over a speck of dirt, the Evening Standard reported.

Ramsay's attacks against unclean kitchens are seen in his TV program "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares."

The Standard reported at one of the three Michelin- starred Gordon Ramsay restaurants, a food inspector found the freezer needed to be cleaned "thoroughly."

At another restaurant, inspectors noted a washing sink was too close to where food was prepared. The ladies' restrooms also were reported to be missing soap.

Ramsay currently is in the United States for the opening of his first U.S. restaurant. A spokesman said he took kitchen hygiene "enormously seriously."

Ex-school chief leaves luxury lease behind

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The Minneapolis School District had a luxury SUV on its hands Tuesday, which the ex-superintendent turned in as part of her settlement, a report said.

District officials were examining the lease for the Cadillac SRX, with a monthly payment of $534, to determine how to get out of the contract that runs until 2008.

Thandiwe Peebles, who resigned under pressure last week and will get a $179,500 settlement, turned in the luxury vehicle Monday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

State Auditor Patricia Anderson renewed her ongoing criticism of Minnesota school districts for too-large vehicle allowances.

"The chickens have come home to roost," Anderson told the newspaper. "It was a bad deal for the taxpayers at the time, and now the district is stuck paying for one of the most luxurious SUVs on the market."

New Minneapolis Superintendent Bill Green said he has no plans to drive the SUV and will stick with his 1996 Camry.