Watercooler Stories

Bed bugs allegedly bite at London hotel

LONDON, Jan. 17 (UPI) - A hotel in London's Hyde Park is being sued by a New York couple who allege they were bitten by bed bugs while staying there last year.

The Daily Mail reported New York lawyer Sidney Bluming and his wife, Cynthia, are suing the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group over the alleged attack, which left them covered in itchy swollen bites.

The couple's suit, that is seeking millions of dollars from the hotel group, also alleges the Blumings were then forced to fumigate their home and dispose of numerous belongings due to the attack.

"People associate bed bugs with more of a lower end class of hotel. Clearly, that is not the case here," said Michael Weinstein, the couple's lawyer. "The Mandarin is as premier and luxurious as any hotel could make themselves out to be."

The hotel chain, that is facing charges ranging from fraud to negligence, has confirmed that an incident of infestation did indeed occur in May 2006 at the time of the Blumings' visit.

Parents try to rein in birthday excess

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A group of parents in St. Paul, Minn., is trying to turn down the volume on out-of-control children's birthday parties.

Their group, "Birthdays Without Pressure," was to be launched Tuesday with a talk by Bill Doherty, a University of Minnesota professor, who cautions parents against giving their children everything to excess.

"It seems parents are starting to celebrate children's birthdays at an earlier age," said Julie Elhard, the mother of a 6-year-old. "Already by 4-years-old, a child will have a party with 10 to 15 kids and each one of the kids will bring a $10 to $20 gift."

Doherty says the excess has a bad effect on both hosts and guests, like the 10-year-old who complained a party was a "rip-off" when he found out guests were not getting gift bags.

He cites the $10 million one rich New York man spent on his son's 13th birthday. Guests received $10,000 gift bags and were entertained by Aerosmith and 50 Cent. Parents of more modest means may emulate the couple who sent a stretch limo to pick up party guests.

Some hosts are too young to feel the pressure, like the baby who slept through two hours of gift opening at his first birthday party -- a gathering attended by 60 guests.

Fans bartering services for Bears tickets

CHICAGO, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Devoted Chicago Bears fans have begun offering various services, such as home financing or free tiling, for tickets to this week's NFC championship game.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports many Bears fans are so desperate to see their team take on the New Orleans Saints Sunday they have begun posting classified ads using their various trades as bartering tools.

Chicago mortgage banker Michael Tyrikos explained why he has offered any takers his home financing services for tickets to the NFL playoff game.

"I would absolutely love to see the Bears live instead of on television, but it is a somewhat irrational 'want,' and I'd probably feel bad about spending a thousand dollars on attending any sporting event," said Tyrikos, who valued his services at nearly $2,000. "However, (I) wouldn't flinch at all to essentially donate some of my time through doing a free refinance."

With the average ticket price to the game sitting at $750, perhaps an unidentified man's offer of his floor and tiling services for four tickets isn't such a strange move after all.

Salmon season delayed on Scotland river

PERTH, Scotland, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The official opening of salmon fishing season in sections of Scotland's river Tay has been delayed due to warm temperatures.

The delay, the first since the start of the salmon season, was set for the middle of January 150 years ago, is a result of a warm winter that threw the fish's breeding into confusion, The Independent reported Tuesday.

"We've got a lot of fish in the river due to mild water temperatures but they have not had the big nudge from Mother Nature yet to get about their business," John Monteith, head ghillie for the Newtyle section of the river, said of the salmon, which typically start breeding with the first hard frost of winter.

"For the past four or five years, about 60 percent of the fish caught on the opening day and subsequent weeks are fish that haven't spawned. It is clearly related to climate change and warmer water temperatures."

Monteith said he wants the Tay District Salmon Fishing Board to designate February as the beginning of the season from now on.