Watercooler Stories

Japanese biker leaves leg behind

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A Japanese motorcyclist's lower right leg was sliced off when he hit a highway median but he apparently rode more than a mile before he realized it.

Another motorcyclist traveling with the 54-year-old man drove back up the highway to pick up the severed limb, Mainichi Daily News reported Tuesday. Police said Kazuo Osada apparently was focusing on the strong pain he felt from the impact with the median but didn't realize his leg had been cut off a few inches below the knee, the Japanese newspaper said.

Osada, who was riding with a group of about 10 motorcyclists Monday, and his limb were taken to a hospital.

Former tallest flagpole comes down

LONDON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The former world's tallest flagpole was a victim of woodpeckers and rot, say the steeplejacks that began dismantling it in London Monday.

The Kew Flagpole in Kew Gardens, London, was taken down because it was deemed unsafe for flying a flag, the BBC reported.

The wooden structure already had been shortened several times since it entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1959, when it stood 225-feet tall.

There are many metal flagpoles now that exceed this height.

"Sadly our historic flagpole, once the tallest in the world, is no longer safe for flag-flying," said David Holroyd, head of estates at Kew. "Woodpecker action and decay have made it unsafe, so we have no alternative but to dismantle it -- and it will be a major operation."

Missing koala still at large in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Residents of West San Jose, Calif., are all on the lookout for “Elvis” the Koala bear after his owner put up “missing” signs in Saratoga Creek Park.

Duct taped onto a park utility shed, the sign simply reads: "Missing. Koala Bear `Elvis.' 2 years old. Very friendly, likes dogs," the San Jose Mercury News reported Monday.

“I've been looking for it," says Bob Yamaguchi, who brings his dog to the park several times a day. "I think everybody's looking for it.”

"Definitely not something you see every day around here," said Allen Velton, who saw the poster while walking his dog through the park.

It is not entirely clear whether Elvis the Koala is a real missing pet an unusual prank, but calls to the phone number on the flier weren't returned Sunday.

The Web Site of the Australian Koala Foundation said it is illegal to keep a koala as a pet anywhere, even in Australia.

Still, the sign and a promise of a "hefty reward" if the animal is found, has Saratoga Creek park-goers buzzing.

Poet to serenade rail passengers

LONDON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A British train company’s decision to hire a poet to soothe stressed riders is being scorned by a commuter group, it was reported Monday.

The money spent by First Great Western to hire a poet for the platform would be better spent improving services, said Susan Westlake of Ox Rail Action. Passengers stressed over train delays are unlikely to be impressed by poetry readings, Westlake said.

Great Western has hired poet Sally Crabtree, 42, to give daily performances on platforms at eight stations including Oxford, the Daily Mail reported.

Crabtree will read from under a portable copper tree decorated with objects related to her poetry and songs. Passengers will be invited to choose an object and hand it to Crabtree, who in turn will serenade the passenger, the Mail reported.