Watercooler Stories

Ohio woman to pick punishment

CINCINNATI, July 31 (UPI) -- An Ohio woman faces a decision: Serve two years in prison for stealing DVDs from her local library or serve six months and pay back nearly $17,000.

Hamilton County Judge Ethna Cooper gave Maria Daniels a month to make her choice.

Daniels was convicted of sending her children into a Cincinnati library branch to heist DVDs using library cards with fake names. The Cincinnati Enquirer said the operation cost the library 837 disks valued at more than $16,680.

Daniels will decide her fate at an Aug. 30 hearing before the judge.

Trudeau voted worst-ever Canadian

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, July 31 (UPI) -- The late Pierre Trudeau topped a list of the 10 worst Canadians selected through a magazine's unscientific poll with three other prime ministers joining him.

The Beaver, published by the National History Society, said in its introduction to the list that it did not expect Trudeau to be first on the list.

"But top it he did, beating out an obscure punk rocker by a couple hundred votes -- a result that perhaps speaks as much about the perils of online polling as it does about the love-hate relationship Canadians have had with this paradoxical prime minister, who could wear a flower in his lapel while giving critics the finger."

The punk rocker, Chris Hannah of the band Propagandhi, apparently made the No. 2 spot through deliberate manipulation of the on-line survey. Others in the Top 10 included Henry Morgentaler, a doctor and advocate for legalized abortion, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, serial killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, pop singer Celine Dion, former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, serial killer Clifford Olson and newspaper tycoon Conrad Black, who annoyed Canadians by trading his citizenship for a British peerage long before he was charged with fraud.

Boy finds publicity helps lemonade stand

AURORA, Colo., July 31 (UPI) -- A Colorado boy's lemonade stand has brought in thousands of dollars to buy a medical alert dog for his diabetic younger brother.

Mark Rinkel, 12, of Aurora also has learned some lessons of business life -- sell a good product for a fair price and get lots of publicity. On Sunday, after a national television show aired a segment on Mark and his efforts, the stand brought in $3,906.

"Oh my gosh, at the beginning we had a line going all the way across the street," Mark told the Rocky Mountain News.

Mark has a secret recipe for lemonade, made from fresh-squeezed lemons. He charges $1.50 for 12 ounces and $2.25 for 16.

He said Sunday many of his customers simply handed him $5 and $10 bills and told him to keep the change. One Los Angeles woman with a son in Denver got him to make a $200 contribution.

The medical alert dog would be trained to alert Jason Rinkel or someone else in the family if his blood sugar spikes or dips dangerously.

Dutch dizzy over fake cigarettes

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, July 31 (UPI) -- An innocuous fake cigarette that looks real but doesn't contain tobacco is becoming a trendy accessory in Dutch cities.

Radio Netherlands reported the Belgian manufacturer of the SuperSmoker hasn't been able to keep up with orders for the device, which looks like a cigarette but delivers nicotine from a capsule and releases a harmless puff of condensation that looks like smoke.

"People ask if I can stay open late just so they can come pick up their fake cigarette," one Amsterdam tobacconist said. "There was even someone who wanted a SuperSmoker for a plane journey. That would be allowed, since there's no burning involved."

The reusable device is considered somewhat healthier than standard smokes because it's easier on the lungs. It also complies with new Dutch restrictions in smoking in public places since nothing is burning and there is no tobacco smell to offend non-smokers.