Watercooler Stories

Vodka rules irk Swedish officials

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Swedish officials say new European Union regulations on the labeling of vodka are unnecessary and "simply silly."

The officials said the rules, aimed at giving consumers a better idea of what the bottle's contents are made from, are unnecessary as the Swedish word for vodka, brannvin, can only refer to a spirit made from potato or grain, The Local reported Tuesday.

"It's quite simply silly. We think that 'brannvin' is quite clear enough," said Rolf Eriksson, a senior aide to Agriculture Minister Eskil Erlandsson.

"A bottle of Renat brännvin will now need to be labeled 'spirit drink' on the back," he said. Erickson said the new rule is the fault of "meddlesome translators" in the European Parliament.

Sea lion headed for release

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Captain Hook, a 1,100-pound sea lion named for the 70 hooks found in him when he was rescued, is being taken to San Clemente Island, Calif., for release.

The sea lion was released off the coast of San Diego County, Calif., in November, but made his way back to the Newport Beach area, where he had been rescued in October, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Captain Hook was loaded Monday onto the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb for transport from Los Angeles to a new home on the uninhabited island.

Michele Hunter of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, Calif., said the animal was riddled with hooks the first time he was rescued.

"He had more hooks than I've ever seen in one animal," she said.

After his first release, the sea lion was rescued again -- this time with only one hook stuck in him, "but the lure was really large," Hunter said.

Pinups hid jail escape plans

ELIZABETH, N.J., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A pair of New Jersey jail inmates used pictures of bikini-clad women to hide holes they used to escape from their cells, prosecutors said.

Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, escaped Saturday, leaving behind a note reading, "Thank you officer -------- for the tools needed, you're a real pal, Happy Holidays," CNN reported.

Union County prosecutor Ted Romankow said the pair used a wire to scrape out mortar between cinder blocks, creating an 18-inch hole through which they escaped. As they worked, they hid the damage behind pictures of bikini-clad women, reminiscent of a scene in the 1994 movie, "The Shawshank Redemption," and then left dummies made of sheets and pillows in their beds to delay discovery, Romankow said.

Espinosa is facing a sentence for manslaughter, and Blunt had been held on weapons and robbery charges.

An $8,000 reward has been offered for the fugitives' capture.

'Two bits' men's shave now runs $45

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The 1899 expression "Shave and a haircut, two bits," meaning 25 cents, is now up to $45 just for the shave in Washington.

The old fashioned barbering skill is seeing a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. capital, where the warm, moist towels, facial massage and hot creamy face-scraping is once again being offered, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The revival of the skill is due largely to the Art of Shaving chain, based in Miami, which recently opened a Washington "barbershop spa."

At the competing Grooming Lounge, men pay $115 for a 90-minute haircut and shave in rooms of dark wood and black leather where they are provided free beverages.

"It's just getting bigger and bigger," said Charles Kirkpatrick, executive director of National Barber Boards of America, an association of state licensing groups. "Some states had talked about doing away with the (exam) shaving requirement, but the shave is coming back in spas."