Watercooler Stories

Fortress Sealand up for sale

HARWICH, England, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The Principality of Sealand, a self-proclaimed mini-state located on a World War II-era fort off the coast of England, is up for sale as a "country."

The Independent reported Tuesday that the turnkey "country" comes with its own passports, currency and stamps and is available for $126 million.

Sealand, much like an oil platform, is located some 7 miles off Harwich, a busy coastal town and international port located in northeast Essex.

The area has a rich history. The Independent reports that Sealand became an independent state after "Prince" Roy Bates set up a homestead with his family in 1967.

However, the story goes that the Royal Navy was sent to get him off the property but the feisty Bates met them with warning shots and the government decided not to press the matter. A judge later ruled that Sealand was outside Britain's 3-mile limit and thus not subject to British jurisdiction.

The micro-nation is listed with the Spanish real estate firm Inmonaranja. No word on any scheduled open houses.

How many Saddams to make a village?

LAKHANOW, India, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- There's not much to picking out a name for new sons in the village of Lakhanow in northern India -- all the boys are being named Saddam Hussein.

The BBC says the name hardly was ever used before the first U.S. war against Iraq in 1991 but now there are more than 20 in Lakhanow and 100 others in 27 adjoining villages, mostly populated by Sunni Muslims.

Since Saddam's execution last month, Lakhanow villagers have decided to name all newborn boys Saddam Hussein.

"This is our way to pay tribute to our leader. We want to carry on his legacy here at least in our village," Ejaj Alam told the BBC.

Villagers admit, however, having so many Saddam Husseins in one place can be a bit daunting.

"In the playground we have Saddam Hussein running after Saddam Hussein, behind Saddam Hussein who is ahead of Saddam Hussein but too far from Saddam Hussein ... it can all get a little confusing," he said.

Snap decisions sometimes better

LONDON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- London researchers say thinking too hard about something may lead to bad decisions.

Researchers at University College of London found subconscious snap decisions can be more accurate than those made after thinking things out. The conclusion is based on a test involving 10 volunteers who studied a computer screen with 650 identical symbols on it. One of the symbols was rotated.

When asked which side of the screen the rotated symbol was on, those who only saw the screen for a fraction of a second gave the right answer 95 percent of the time, compared with 70 percent of those who were allowed to study the images for more than a second.

"This finding is counter-intuitive," Dr. Li Zhaoping told the BBC. "You would expect people to make more accurate decisions when given the time to look properly.

The subconscious would have recognized the rotated symbol as different, whereas the conscious brain would have identified the symbols as the same, just positioned differently.

Psychologist Kim Stephenson said the subconscious fixates on anything out of the ordinary, which could help identify ways to escape from predators.

"Your subconscious mind is more useful for specific things, where you don't have time and need to react quickly," Stephenson said. "It's not to say that if you've got to make a decision you should make it in a fraction of a second -- that is daft."

Man in wheelchair wants to use drive-thru

WEYMOUTH, Mass., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts man with multiple sclerosis said he is thinking of suing a Dunkin' Donuts that refuses to serve him at its drive-thru window.

The store, at a shopping center in Weymouth, Mass., has no inside service, and the franchisee has decided that serving people in wheelchairs at the drive-thru is a safety hazard.

Donald Hayes said that his wheelchair is a motorized vehicle and that forcing him to cross a busy street to get coffee at another Dunkin' Donuts would be even less safe, the Boston Herald reported.

"It's discrimination," Hayes said. "I'm just defending my rights. I'm not looking for monetary compensation."

A spokesman for the chain said that individual franchisees decide on safety policies for their stores. Weymouth Police Chief James Thomas told the Quincy (Mass.) Patriot Ledger that he agrees with the franchisee about a potential safety problem.