Watercooler Stories

Clotheslines focus of environmental debate

DENVER, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Some Coloradans who prefer to dry their clothes on clotheslines are at the forefront of a growing environmental debate on the age-old practice.

While hundreds of thousands of U.S. homeowner associations have opposed the practice, Coloradans like Amy Nuernberg have suggested the traditional drying method is environmentally friendly, The Denver Post reported Saturday.

"I recycle. I take my own bags to the grocery. I refuse to buy my veggies in plastic containers. We are building an energy-efficient house. And a few weeks ago, I thought, 'Why on Earth am I putting my clothes in a dryer?'" Nuernberg said.

Statistics from Project Laundry List indicate the more than 88 million clothes dryers used in the United States account for 6 percent of all U.S. households' electricity usage.

The technological marvels may make clothes drying easier, and in some cases more efficient, but they also come with a cost to users and to the environment.

Overall, U.S. dryers create an estimated 2,224 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, the newspaper reported.

Costumed pit bulls help fight for rights

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Proud pit bull owners dressed their canine friends up in costumes during the weekend and marched them through Indianapolis to demand the animals' rights.

While pit bulls have typically been portrayed as potentially dangerous animals, those putting their animals up for public display in downtown Indianapolis feel the breed has been misrepresented, The Indianapolis Star said.

"I just want people to see these dogs are wonderful animals, not the monsters people think they are and the media sometimes portrays them to be," pit bull owner Andy Needham said during Saturday's Luv-A-Bully March. "It's important for people to see they are loving, sweet animals."

March officials said the event was aimed at urging authorities not to embrace breed-specific legislation being proposed in various U.S. cities.

The Star said Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson had previously considered implementing such legislation, but has tabled it for now.

Real-life lawsuit born of Second Life acts

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Six Internet retailers are suing a New York man for allegedly offering versions of their products for sale in the online universe, Second Life.

Although the alleged activity occurred in the online virtual community where users can fly or slay monsters, the lawsuit in New York federal court is very real, The New York Post reported.

There are more than 10 million registered Second Life users, who are all able to spend actual money to purchase virtual goods in the online universe.

The lawsuit alleged that 36-year-old Thomas Simon copied the retailers' Second Life virtual goods, and in doing so violated both copyright and trademark regulations.

The retailers' lawyer, Frank Tanney, said that while the suit may seem odd, Simon's alleged acts violated his clients' intellectual property rights.

"This is not a joke," Tanney said. "This is not a game. This hurts them."

Simon, on the other hand, is taking a different approach to the lawsuit.

"They can say whatever they want to say," he told the Post. "It's a video game."

Tattoos not enough; branding latest craze

LONDON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Searing permanent designs onto one’s body is emerging as the latest trend, as tattoos and body piercing become more commonplace in England.

The process involves cauterizing pens or branding irons heated to almost 2,000 degrees to sear designs onto the skin.

Branding of livestock is illegal in England, but there is no ban on the activity for humans, The Times in London reported.

The procedure was used as a form of torture in some countries such as Iraq and was historically used to brand slaves and dangerous criminals.

However, one owner of a tattoo parlor told The Times that some Muslims are turning to the procedure as Islam forbids tattoos.

Graham Martin -- a parlor owner and president of the Tattoo and Piercing Industry Association -- told the Times he averaged about one branding a year in 2002, but now does more than one a week.

One man who underwent the procedure said it was painful, but quite an experience.

"The adrenaline rush masks the pain," he said.