Watercooler Stories

Long-lost rings found in toilet

CAPE COD, Mass., June 30 (UPI) -- A Cape Cod, Mass., 10-year-old reached into the family toilet and pulled out two wedding rings that the owners said had been lost for 12 years.

Cameron Delonde, 10, said he dropped his toothbrush into the commode and when he fished the item out he discovered two diamond rings, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported Monday.

Delonde and his father enlisted the help of a real estate agent to track down the daughter of the former owner of their home, Mary Trainor, who died five years ago.

Trainor's daughter said she and her brother had searched for the heirlooms for years and were delighted to have them back in the family.

World's oldest chimp stages comeback

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., June 30 (UPI) -- The Palm Springs, Calif., owners of a chimp who played Tarzan's sidekick in the 1930s and 1940s said the 76-year-old animal has a DVD and book on the way.

Dan Westfall said Cheeta the chimpanzee, who is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living simian in the world, has a memoir, "Me Cheeta," due out in February and a song, a cover of 1976 country tune "Convoy," will be available for download on iTunes, the New York Post reported Monday.

A music video for the song starring Cheeta will also be available for purchase.

Westfall said Cheeta, whose last movie role was as Chee-Chee in 1976's "Doctor Dolittle," suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he doesn't shy away from the treatments.

"When he sees the needle, he holds his hands out," Westfall said.

Westfall said the chimpanzee has also created a number of abstract paintings that have been auctioned to benefit primate shelters. Some of the paintings have sold for as much as $10,000, he said.

He also makes abstract paintings that have raked in as much as $10,000 at auction. The money goes to primate shelters.

Adults receive bike-riding lessons

SOMERVILLE, Mass., June 30 (UPI) -- A Somerville, Mass., woman says enrollment in her adult bicycle riding class has nearly doubled since 2006.

Susan McLucas, 59, said the Bicycle Riding School she has operated since 1985 in a barn behind her home is aimed at turning adults who never learned to pedal the two-wheeled vehicles into full-fledged bike riders, the Boston Globe reported Monday.

"It's part of getting rid of cars," she said, "and making bikes rule the world."

McLucas said she has taught nearly 2,000 people ranging in age from 5 to 82 to ride bicycles, and recently enrollment in her four-class programs and requests for one-on-one lessons have been rising sharply.

"I used to consider it kind of a sideline, but it's almost a full-time job now," said McLucas, an activist who in 1997 founded the Healthy Tomorrow non-profit to combat female genital mutilation.

McLucas said students of her class, which is offered through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, pay $25 for a single 90 minute lesson or $92 for the full set of four lessons.

Hot dogs learn new tricks

BOCA RATON, Fla., June 30 (UPI) -- Hot dog makers in Florida and across the United States have been introducing new sausage creations ahead of the traditionally dog-heavy July Fourth weekend.

Burt Rapoport, owner of the Opus 5 bistro in Boca Raton, Fla., said his $14 Kobe beef hot dog, which is topped with chef-created sauerkraut, has turned curious customers into frequent consumers, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported Monday.

Meanwhile, gourmet brand D'Artagnan has begun selling "Duck Dogs," made from the meat of water fowl, at $8 for a pack of four.

Big name hot dog manufacturer Oscar Mayer has introduced Premium Beef Franks, which it says are made from "high quality cuts of beef and a flavorful blend of unique spices," while competitor Ball Park Franks is marketing Angus Beef Franks that it describes as "a fresh new twist on the classic."

Experts said the trend of offering new twists on the classic hot dog is tied to the approaching July Fourth holiday weekend, during which an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed in the United States, and the Washington-based National Hot Dog & Sausage Council's recent announcement that wiener sales slumped by 4 percent in 2006.