Watercooler Stories

U.S. Marines in Iraq carry culture cards

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- When it comes to etiquette, the U.S. Marine Corps has its own answer to Emily Post for members stationed in Iraq.

Called a "Culture Smart Card," the primer warns Marines how to do everything proper from shaking hands to what to say in particular situations, The Washington Post reports.

The latest version of the primer, which came out in May, warns Marines to always use the right hand when shaking hands to greet someone or say goodbye, and to make sure they do it gently.

It also tells them never to point with one finger because it is a sign of contempt in the Iraqi culture.

The latest smart card for Marines also contains a simple history lesson, the Post said.

"Sunnis blame Shia for undermining the mythical unity of Islam and they view them as less loyal to Iraq," the card says. "Shia blame Sunnis for marginalizing the Shia majority and resent Sunni attempts to question their loyalty to Iraq."

As for the Kurds who populate the northern part of Iraq, the card describes them as "openly hostile toward Iraqi Arabs," the Post report says.

Self-timing eggs to debut in Britain

LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Self-timing eggs will be making their way to supermarket shelves in Britain this fall.

It seems not only are the British quite particular about their cooked eggs but they are also at a loss for doing the job properly, the London Telegraph reports.

In order to achieve a perfect boiled egg every time, "thermochromic" inks that become visible at certain temperatures will be used.

Marked on the eggs, the inks will turn dark at three minutes for boiled, at four minutes for medium and after seven minutes for hard-boiled.

Shoppers will be able to buy the eggs of their choice in cartons marked "soft," "medium" or "hard."

The star of a British cooking show prompted a national debate in 1998 when she demonstrated before a television audience her own precise technique for boiling an egg, The Times of London says.

Though one chef dismissed the program as insulting, egg sales increased by 54 million during the series.

Last year, Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine asked five chefs how to boil and egg and got five different answers.

Headache remedy becomes pop culture phenom

PLANTATION, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A homeopathic migraine headache remedy is becoming a pop culture phenomenon, thanks to its simple, repetitive TV commercial.

The commercial for non-prescription HeadOn shows a woman applying it like a glue stick to her forehead as an announcer hypnotically repeats three times: "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead."

The commercial, which says nothing else, has become an in-joke, with parodies now appearing on Web sites such as YouTube.com, USA Today reports. Rapper Lil Jon loops the announcer's voice into a musical riff. The technophile magazine Make describes how to turn it into a ring tone.

"We did not intend to make a joke out of this or a parody," says Dan Charron, a vice president of HeadOn's maker, Miralus Healthcare of Plantation, Fla.

The new campaign was spawned by the unintentional help of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, whose National Advertising Division challenged a claim in an earlier spot that HeadOn provided "fast, safe, effective" headache relief.

So HeadOn decided to make no claims -- just repeat its name and tell viewers what to do with it.

A previous campaign included the phrase, "Should I know about HeadOn?"

Romance novel follows state candidate

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A 1990 romance novel written by a current candidate for Texas comptroller is a non-issue, her campaign office says, despite what her opponent claims.

Republican Susan Combs, the state's agriculture commissioner, wrote "A Perfect Match" when she was between jobs. Her Democratic opponent, Fred Head, has brought the book up in his campaign, calling the steamy tale pornography, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

"Would you vote for a candidate who wrote a trashy, pornographic romance novel that glorifies premarital sex and seeks to arouse sexual interest as your State Comptroller of Public Accounts?" Head asks in a campaign flier.

The out-of-print novel tells the story of Emily Brown, a cryptanalyst for the National Security Agency, who finds passionate love in super-spy Ross Harding.

"It's a non-issue," Combs spokesman Reggie Bashur told the Express-News.

For his part, Head -- whose war chest is zero compared with Combs' $3.4 million -- says the "right-wing bunch that has supported her all these years, when they learn about this book, they're not going to be able to hold their noses tight enough to vote for her."