Watercooler Stories

Calif. raffle winner skips house for cash

LOS ANGELES, July 27 (UPI) -- A California man says $600,000 in cash is a safer bet than the taxes and upkeep on the $1.5 million Beverly Hills dream house he won.

Recent father Nial Stimson said he and his wife, Laura, agonized since they won the four-bedroom home in last month's raffle by lender Century Housing, Culver City, Calif.

In the end, the marketing director of a Panorama City, Calif., hospital decided to take $1 million in cash rather than the house he said was more suited to a bachelor than his 8-month-old daughter.

"Now I can forge my own future," Stimson told the Los Angeles Daily News. "I just figured half a million dollars in the bank is better than a pile of bricks."

Of the roughly $600,000 after-tax dollars, Stimson said he had splurged on a 2006 CLS Mercedes-Benz for himself and paid off his wife's car.

He also plans to set up a college fund for his daughter while looking for a more affordable house.

New York mayor apologizes to Sikh tourists

NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized to British Sikh tourists pulled off a sightseeing bus as a separate bomb scare scattered other New Yorkers.

"It turned out that these ... people did not present any threat whatsoever," Bloomberg said of the five Sikh tourists who were detained, handcuffed and searched Sunday on a Gray Line tour bus amid heightened terrorism concerns.

"It's a shame, and I certainly apologize on behalf of the City of New York," Bloomberg said.

During his remarks Monday, a bomb scare prompted evacuations and street closures in Brooklyn. The package left on a fire hydrant contained a sewing kit and yellow dish soap.

The five Sikhs from Birmingham, England, were philosophic about the New York portion of their U.S. tour.

"These things happen, don't they?" a man who said his name was Jas told the New York Daily News. "We have no hard feelings. It certainly made our trip different, but didn't ruin it at all."

Park use fee irks dog owners

CHICAGO, July 27 (UPI) -- Chicago dog owners are howling at the prospect of paying a fee to allow their animals to use dog-friendly parks.

The city has about 10 parks and beaches where pooches can run leash-free, but beginning in September dog owners will have to pay for the privilege.

A park district official told the Chicago Sun-Times the proposed fee, which could reach $35 a year, was mandated by county officials. Many suburbs charge annual fees for access to dog parks and dog beaches.

Animal owners also would have to prove their dogs had their current shots before they would be allowed to romp with other animals

The fee would be in addition to city dog licenses, which cost $5 and $10.

Naples reports 'moving' Madonna statue

NAPLES, Italy, July 27 (UPI) -- A 63-inch statue of the Virgin Mary has reportedly been caught on a cell phone camera moving in a Roman Catholic church outside Naples.

Father Oreste Santoro of the church of San Pietro said he had not seen the statue move last weekend, but a number of parishioners had reportedly taken footage of it with their mobile phones. The phones were forwarded to the local bishop, Giovanni Rinaldi, who was to determine whether to refer the apparition to the Vatican for authentication, The Times of London reported Tuesday.

Parishioners in the town of Acerra, on the northern outskirts of Naples, recounted seeing the simple plaster and marble statue "become flesh" and move her legs "as if she wanted to approach us."

Meanwhile, Espedito Marletta, the mayor of Acerra, said he believes the "miracle" is a sign of the Virgin's anguish over recent terrorist attacks and a plea for peace.