Watercooler Stories

Cocaine, heroin found in USPS package

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said they arrested the intended recipient of a U.S. Postal Service package containing cocaine and heroin.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Division said the package was intercepted as suspicious and investigators who contacted the intended recipient, Lisa Robinson, 50, of Panama City Beach.

Robinson told police the package, which had been sent from New York, contained cocaine and heroin. The individual packages of heroin were stamped with "Overdose," the distributors logo, police said.

Robinson was arrested Oct. 30 and charged with possession of heroin, possession of crack cocaine, unlawful use of a two-way communication decide and introduction of a controlled substance into the state of Florida.

Fla. mayor irked by poor pronunciations

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The mayor of Boca Raton, Fla., says her desire to hear people properly pronounce her city's name may lead to slapping an "e" at the end.

Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel said she cringes when she hears someone pronounce "Raton" as if it rhymes with "baton" instead of "ra-tone," the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday. An ordinance in 1982 attempting to halt the mispronunciations failed to pass.

"Maybe we should pass another ordinance, saying 'We'll put you in jail like Al Capone if you don't say it like 'Boca Raton,'" the mayor joked.

Whelchel said the city's name was originally spelled "Boca Ratone" when it was incorporated in 1924, but the "e" was dropped the following year. She said officials may consider bringing the "e" back to ensure people get it right.

The pronunciation violators include CNN's Candy Crowley, moderator of the second presidential debate, who said the name of the city wrong when announcing it as the location for the third debate.

Bars spar over traditional flat caps

CHORLEY, England, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A British bar responded to a rival's ban on traditional flat caps by putting up a sign to welcome the headgear, along with "clogs and whippets."

Danny Howell, owner of Trader Jacks in Chorley, England, said his bar put up signs to welcome flat caps after they were banned by newly opened nearby rival Pearsons, The Mirror reported Monday.

"We do not discriminate against flat caps. Clogs and whippets also welcome," the sign reads.

"Some think they hide people's identity. We welcome them," Howell said. "We've had a lot of people moaning about it who come in. So my business partner Johny wrote on the window and put a bit on Facebook and everyone's having a laugh about it. Someone told us to put clogs and whippets on too. It's mainly because lots of places don't allow caps anymore."

Gary Roberts, operations director at Amber Taverns, owner of Pearsons, said the ban is about manners.

"The main background is when any gentleman used to go into anyone's home they normally remove their hat," Roberts said. "It's just something we've always done."

"And if they don't take their hats off, they won't feel the benefit when they go outside," Roberts said.

Charity calls for end to Christmas lists

LONDON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Christian charity in England is calling for an end to "commercialized" Christmas lists in the form of letters to Santa Claus.

The Mothers' Union is calling for an end to the "commercialized" tradition, which it said pressures parents into creating the largest-possible "present pile" for Christmas morning, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

The charity said its research indicates about 46 percent of parents have taken out loans or landed in financial trouble trying to please children during the holidays.

"We wouldn't want to spoil the traditions of Christmas but we are asking parents to consider ditching the Christmas list specifically to help reduce this sense of disappointment at what should be a time of happiness for all the family," said Reg Bailey, chief executive of Mothers' Union.

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, is supporting the initiative.

"There's a steady pressure on us as parents to buy things for our children. It's a pressure that comes from our children and it often reflects the sheer volume of marketing that they are exposed to on a daily basis," Williams said.