Watercooler Stories

Livonia, Mich., top speed trap

WAUNAKEE, Wis., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Livonia, Mich., ranked No. 1 and Windsor, Ontario, came in second in the National Motorists Association's list of speed traps.

The Waunakee, Wis., group, established in 1982 to fight the 55-mph speed limit, said Livonia has 27.9 speed traps per 100,000 residents, while Windsor has 17.6.

Orlando, Fla., came in third with 17.2 speed traps per 100,000, followed by Las Vegas with 11.1, Denver with 10.9, Reno, Nev., with 10.4, Tampa, Fla., with 8.9 and Colorado Springs, Colo., with 7.2. Rounding out the Top 10 were Austin, Texas, and Sarasota, Fla., with 6.1 each.

The association sent out its list in advance of the travel-heavy Labor Day holiday to caution drivers to "safely anticipate, rather than suddenly react to, ticketing operations."

Chinese-printed Korans filled with errors

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Copies of the Koran printed in China and imported into Iran have been found to be littered with spelling mistakes, an Iranian official says.

Import companies should refuse to bring the error-ridden copies of the Muslim holy book into the country from China, Ahmad Haji-Sharif, director of the Department of Evaluation on Publication of the Holy Koran, said in Tehran Monday.

He said customers should prefer to purchase an Iranian product with better quality and bearing no mistakes, the Mehr news agency reported.

Iran enjoys high-quality printing presses, he said, with almost 1,000 Koran publishers working in the country, "so why should we send our publications outside Iran?"

"I must admit also that the holy Koran has been inscribed with over 60 different types of inscriptions by Iranian masters of calligraphy, which is rare in the world," he said.

"There are also over 100 different translations available inside the country."

Boy gets noise complaints playing outside

HULL, England, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Officials in an English town told a couple their 4-year-old son may have to be "monitored with digital equipment" after complaints he's been too noisy outside.

Simon and Pippa Lansdell of Hull said they received a letter from the Hull City Council's environmental health team saying their son Alfie may have to be "monitored with digital equipment" if he continues to garner complaints while playing in his garden, Express reported Tuesday.

The letter said the "noise-nuisance" allegations related to a "child screaming/playing in garden."

"When I first opened the letter I was shocked, then fuming. Alfie can be noisy and boisterous, but he is just a normal 4-year-old," Simon Lansdell said.

The parents said the letter also informed them they could be fined more than $8,000 if complaints continue.

"Legally, we have to investigate any noise complaints we receive, regardless of the source of the noise," the Hull City Council said in a statement.

Eateries accused of sneaky gratuities

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A New York restaurant and a city bar are being accused by customers of improperly charging automatic gratuities.

A customer who dined at La Birreria on Fifth Avenue complained to Web site Eater.com that a waiter counted two babies, one in a stroller and one in a high chair, as diners to bring the total to six and qualify for an automatic 20 percent gratuity, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"Is a tip supposed to be something that just lines the pockets of the staff for just being there and smiling, or is it something that is supposed to be earned and, hence, serve as a reward? I say the latter," the customer said.

A La Birreria manager was unavailable for comment, the Post said.

A patron at another business, the Cuban-themed Cienfuegos bar on Avenue A, said he and two friends ordered drinks and later joined a larger party at another table. He said he was charged the automatic 20 percent gratuity despite he and his friends being on a separate tab.

A Cienfuegos manager said the 20 percent gratuity is automatic for any parties of six people or more, even if they request separate checks.