Watercooler Stories

Man fights ticket for blowing nose

PRESTWICK, Scotland, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A Scottish motorist who was ticketed for blowing his nose while his car was stopped in clogged traffic said he will take the charge to court.

Michael Mancini, 39, of Prestwick, said he was in stationary traffic with his parking brake on when he reached for a handkerchief to wipe his runny nose, leading police Constable Stuart Gray to issue him a $97 fine because he was "not in control of his vehicle" while blowing his nose, the Daily Mail reported.

"It's beyond a disgrace," Mancini said. "Surely it would have been more dangerous to drive with a blocked nose?"

Mancini said he will not pay the ticket and is now likely to face a criminal trial later this year, the newspaper reported.

"I am really angry. I made sure it was safe to blow my nose. It's doubtful I'll get legal aid so this could potentially cost me thousands of pounds in legal fees," he told the Daily Mail. "But I won't be paying the fixed penalty."

Gray previously made headlines last year when he issued an $80 littering ticket to a man who accidentally dropped a 10-pound ($16) note in the street.

Supermarket bans pajamas, bare feet

CARDIFF, Wales, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A Welsh Tesco supermarket has become the first in the country to introduce a dress code, banning customers from shopping in pajamas or bare feet.

Staff at the Cardiff Tesco said they posted the signs at the entrances to the store after increasing numbers of shoppers, particularly young women, were seen browsing the aisles in their night clothes, the Daily Mail reported.

"To avoid causing embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted)," the signs read.

A store spokesman said the ban was put in place in case

"We do not have a strict dress code but we don't want people shopping in their nightwear in case it offends other customers," a store spokesman said. "We're not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome. We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns.

"This is to avoid causing offense or embarrassment," he said.

Man banished as part of sentence

CLARK, Mo., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A Missouri man who paid a youngster to destroy a World War II monument has agreed to banishment from town as part of his punishment.

Rex Barstow Sr., 57, who was convicted in December of paying a 14-year-old ne'er-do-well to knock over a monument to Clark native Gen. Omar Bradley and spray paint a city fire department shed, was sentenced Jan. 20 by Howard County Circuit Judge Scott Hayes to serve 60 days in the Randolph County Jail, The Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune reported.

Barstow is to serve four years of probation "and by agreement, stay out of Clark." He was also ordered to pay $7,563 restitution.

"From those in town that I've talked to, they seem to be well pleased" with the sentence, said Clark Mayor Homer Colley, who was a witness at the trial.

Italy: Don't use 'f-word' to neighbors

ROME, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Italy's highest court ruled Thursday the infamous "F-word," a frequent subject for the court, should be avoided with neighbors to maintain "mutual respect."

The Cassation Court said the word -- a four-letter synonym for fornication -- was not insulting because of how common it has become, but it should not be used in discussions with people living near one another "because neighborly relations must be marked by greater mutual respect," ANSA reported.

"Otherwise, it would be impossible to get along," the court said in finding an Ancona man guilty of "offending the honor" of neighbors by using the word during a dispute about parking in 2009.

The ruling amended a 2007 decision that ruled the word was not offensive because it has become "common usage."

The court has previously amended the ruling, including a 2007 decision stating employers could not use the word toward workers and a 2008 ruling giving mayors permission to use the term when speaking to contractors.