Watercooler Stories

Cheney's iPod makes news wait

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- News stood still this week, so to speak, when Vice President Dick Cheney used an outlet aboard Air Force Two to recharge his iPod for the journey.

Reporters returning with Cheney from his four-day Middle Eastern swing had to wait to file their news stories because the vice president's iPod took priority and there are only two outlets on the plane, ABC News reported on its Web site.

An administration spokesman said Cheney has mostly country and classical music stored on his iPod. He also listens to standards from the 1940s and 1950s and Johnny Cash is a heavy favorite.

President Bush told Fox News last week that his iPod Shuffle includes music from the Beach Boys, the Beatles and Aretha Franklin.

School makes radical holiday changes

BOSTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts middle school ordered children to ditch religious songs in Friday night's concert and refer to Christmas trees as "magical trees."

Students at Medway Middle School were even told to purge the red from their elf hats.

The flap has made Medway the new battleground for the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, a group backed by evangelical Christian minister Jerry Falwell that has waged a nationwide war to protect Christmas.

Liberty Counsel President Matthew Staver called the action "ridiculous and an act of stupidity."

Medway Superintendent Richard Grandmont told the Milford Daily News and Boston Herald that the decisions to pull "Jesus Christ Superstar" songs from the sixth-grade holiday pageant and have the kids switch the red in their elf hats to white is, in fact, the district's way of embracing diversity.

Jack, Jessica top British names for 2005

LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Jack remains the most popular boy's name in Britain, although it is starting to slip, while Jessica has ousted Emily at the top of the girl's list.

The Office of National Statistics reports that for boys Jack was in the top spot for the 11th straight year, followed by Joshua, Thomas, James and, entering the top 5, Oliver. For girls, Jessica was followed by Emily, Sophie, Olivia and Chloe.

Two names that have moved up significantly in popularity from parents looking for a touch of Hollywood glamour are Keira as in Knightly and Scarlett as in Johansson. Keira rose 13 places to 38 and Scarlett 25 places to 47.

Leo, the name of Prime Minister Tony Blair's son, was a new entry for boys in the top 50, replacing Alex. The girls' list tends to be more volatile. Anna, Courtney and Abbie dropped off the top 50 list.

House of Commons bar packs 'em in

LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The amount of beer, wine and liquor consumed by the Mother of Parliaments in London is starting to drop but the bar remains a busy one.

The average consumption on every sitting day between April and November was 792 pints, the Times of London reported. That's more than a pint for every one of the 641 members of the House of Commons but includes liquor consumed by reporters, visitors, police officers and staff.

Last year, 78,485 liters (20,733 gallons) of alcohol was served in the Commons, at bars, restaurants and receptions. That's down from 82,037 liters (21,672 gallons) a year earlier -- possibly because a new schedule means fewer evening sittings of the House.

The House released its drinking statistics in response to a question from Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat member of parliament, who thinks the numbers are too high.

"It looks like MPs spent the year having a trial run of 24-hour drinking," Baker said. "I was surprised by the sheer volume. They have been doing their best to prop up the brewing industry."