Watercooler Stories

Porn pic scandal stings Thai Parliament

BANGKOK, April 24 (UPI) -- Investigators say they think a Samsung smartphone or tablet may have been used to post a lewd photo a big-screen television in the Thai Parliament.

Kamphi Ditthakorn, deputy secretary-general of the House of Representatives, who is heading up the fact-finding team investigating the scandal, said technicians had determined the brand of electronic device capable of sending data to the display screen in Parliament without having to use a password, and will try to find the phone number used, The Nation reported.

It was expected to take a couple of days to come up with the number, the Bangkok newspaper said.

Kamphi said about 86 people were found to have used mobile devices on April 18, the day the picture of a partially unclothed woman was displayed on the House chamber's WiFi-equipped TV screens during a televised debate of a constitutional amendment.

Lower House Secretary-General Pitoon Pumhirun said he didn't know technology allowed images to be sent wirelessly to a TV screen without a password or authorization. He said he would consult with experts to ensure there isn't another such incident, whether it was intentional or accidental.

It's the second instance of a sex photo turning up in Parliament recently. Member of Parliament Nutt Bantadtan was photographed during a recent session looking at an image of a scantily dressed woman on his phone. Paijit Sriworakhan, chairman of the House Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, said the panel would meet Thursday to discuss that matter.

Nutt said a friend had posted the photo to his social network account and he was trying to delete it.

Phuket not sinking

BANGKOK, April 24 (UPI) -- The resort island of Phuket will not sink into the sea, says Thailand's Environmental Geology Bureau, which blames real estate speculators for the false claim.

The rumor that Phuket will sink into the Andaman Sea Saturday was squashed Monday by the director of the bureau, the Bangkok Post reported.

"Phuket island is on a large granite rock mass foundation, which is as deep as 27 kilometers [16.8 miles] below the ground surface. Whether a big earthquake or an atomic bomb occurs, it will definitely not sink," Lertsin Raksasakulwong said.

The rumor claiming Phuket would sink after an earthquake is believed to have been started by people trying to lower property values on the resort island for the sake of investment opportunities, Lertsin said.

Lottery ticket ends 35-year friendship

VILLENEUVE-SUR-LOT, France, April 24 (UPI) -- A pair of French men said their 35-year friendship has ended due to a dispute over a $1.3 million winning lottery ticket.

Messouad Boudissa, 79, and Cheikh Guendouzi, 73, from the village of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, said they ended their friendship following a dispute about the winnings from a $26 lottery ticket. Guendouzi said he loaned Boudissa the money to buy the ticket in July 2011, with the understanding that they would share any winnings, The Local.fr reported Monday.

Boudissa said there was no such agreement and he felt "betrayed" when Guendouzi took him to court.

"I won, just me. I bought the ticket and I won. No one else was playing with me," Boudissa said.

Half of the winnings have been seized from Boudissa's account pending the outcome of an appeal.

Group: 'Laziness is not a disability'

NORDMALING, Sweden, April 24 (UPI) -- A Swedish town's Disability Council wants to post "laziness is not a disability" signs at local designated handicapped parking spaces.

Members of the council in the northern town of Nordmaling said they want Sune Hoglander, the town's community development officer, to have the signs erected at handicapped spaces across the city to reduce the amount of able-bodied drivers using the spots, The Local reported Monday.

"People don't respect disabled parking signs," council member Margareta Gustavsson said. "They seem to think that laziness is a disability, but it's actually not at all."

Gustavsson said the Nordmaling community center has agreed to put up one of the signs in its parking lot.

However, Hoglander said he has no intention of putting the signs up around the town.

"It's just a fun thing they've got for themselves, but I don't think that those kinds of road signs will be found in our catalogue. Signs must be accurate, factual, and not emotive," he said.