Watercooler Stories

Bagpiper calls for new Scottish anthem

GLASGOW, Scotland, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A prominent Scottish bagpiper says his country should find a better anthem than the "Flower of Scotland" before the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Donald Glass, who runs the Scottish Bagpipe Composition Co. and previously led Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities Officers' Training Corps to victory in the World Pipe Band Championships, said the "backward-looking and depressing" song should be replaced with an "uplifting" piece of music to better reflect modern-day Scotland, The Scotsman reported Monday.

"Flower of Scotland" was written by Roy Williamson of the folk group The Corries in 1967. It concerns Robert the Bruce's defeat of Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314.

Robert Wallace, principal of the College of Piping in Glasgow, said he agrees with Glass.

"'Flower of Scotland' is politically embarrassing. In particular, the words 'Proud Edward's army' have political overtones which are out of date," Wallace said. "If we are to have a new anthem it has be a good tune with a rousing melody, played firstly on the bagpipes, Scotland's national instrument."

'Eccentric' dogs popular in Britain

LONDON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Experts say an increase in the popularity of "less attractive" dogs in Britain has to do with owners who are "making a statement."

The experts said the rise in popularity for the aesthetically challenged breeds, including the largely bald Mexican hairless and Chinese crested breeds, in recent Kennel Club statistics can partially be attributed to owners seeking out the breeds for their hypoallergenic qualities and lack of shedding hair, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

However, Paul Keevil of British Heritage Dog Breeds, which promotes traditional, native British breeds, said many owners of "eccentric-looking" dogs are "making a statement -- whatever that statement is."

"There is certainly a growing appeal for these breeds, who seem to be, shall we say, a less attractive bunch," Keevil said. "It is a desire for the bizarre. People want something that looks a bit usual, a bit striking. The dog is to make some kind of fashion or lifestyle statement. Maybe it makes the owner more beautiful. They say that people look like their dogs, but perhaps it doesn't apply in these cases."

Frozen Dead Guy Days has new owner

NEDERLAND, Colo., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The organizer of the Frozen Dead Guy Days winter festival in Nederland, Colo., said she purchased the event to keep it in town.

Amanda MacDonald, who has organized the event for the past four years, said she bought Frozen Dead Guy Days from the Nederland Area Chamber of Commerce during the summer.

MacDonald said she wanted Nederland to keep the event, which celebrates the 1994 discovery of Grandpa Bredo Morstoel's cryogenically frozen corpse, The Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera reported Monday.

"The chamber really wanted to keep it local, and they did make it affordable for me [to buy the event], I think, with this kind of understanding: that rather than some promotion company from Denver [taking it over], I wouldn't really change it drastically," MacDonald said. "Honestly, I just wanted to see it stay in town. It's really Nederland's event."

MacDonald said the March 2-4 festival will include a hearse parade, a coffin race, a salmon-toss, frozen turkey bowling a frozen T-shirt contest, polar plunges and live music. More information is available at the event's Web site, frozendeadguydays.org.

Juror kicked off for Facebook request

SARASOTA, Fla., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A Florida man removed from a civil trial jury after sending a Facebook friend request to a defendant was "very close to going to jail," an attorney said.

Senior Circuit Judge Nancy Donnellan removed Jacob Jock of Sarasota from the jury Dec. 13, one day after he sent the Facebook request to Violetta Milerman, one of the defendants in the personal injury lawsuit from a traffic accident case, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Monday.

Jock said he accidentally sent the request while browsing the Facebook pages of the defendants to see if he knew any of the involved parties.

Damian Mallard, an attorney in the case, said Jock was "very close to going to jail for all of this." He said Jock appears to have sent the request only 20 minutes after the judge instructed jurors not to contact anyone about the case or perform independent research online.

Jock was released with an admonishment from the judge for failing to follow her instructions.