Watercooler Stories

Dog named Sandy back after storm

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A New York dog separated from his family during Hurricane Sandy -- a storm that shares the canine's name -- was reunited with his owners.

Sandy the golden retriever was reunited Friday with the Baron family in Queens after he went missing nearly two weeks ago when the storm blew open the doors of the family home, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

Harvey Baron, a New York City Transit electronics specialist, and his family said they searched for the dog, but were unable to find any trace of their pet. Police said an officer found the dog in the lobby at St. Johns Hospital and brought him to a Brooklyn Animal Care & Control Shelter.

Rescuers were able to identify Sandy's owners from a microchip, but they were unable to reach the Barons because their power, phone service and mail service were interrupted by the storm.

Phyllis Taiano, who works for the shelter, said she decided to drive Sandy directly to his home Friday.

"Out comes a gentleman and I announced who I was and asked if he had lost his dog; his eyes lit up and he said, 'Yes, where is he?' and he began to cry," Taiano.

Baron said finding the dog was particularly important to him and his children due to the recent death of his wife.

"He's part of our family and we missed him so much," he said.

Woman's $200 iPad really a mirror

ARLINGTON, Texas, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Texas woman said she was dismayed to discover the iPad she bought for $200 from a man at a gas station turned out to be a mirror with an Apple logo.

Jalonta Freeman of Arlington said a man approached her at a gas station with a load of "iPads and stuff" and offered to sell her an $800 model for only $200 and she took the deal, KXAS-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth, reported Monday.

However, Freeman said her sister later opened the package and discovered it was a mirror with an Apple sticker attached.

"If you turn it on the back, it actually looks like an Apple iPad," Freeman said. "And when you turn it to the front, it has the prices and stuff."

"That's so messed up," Freeman said. "That's so wrong. I would never do anybody like that. Get a job."

Arlington police spokeswoman Tiara Richard said no similar crimes have been reported in the area recently, but it's a common occurrence near the holiday season.

'Lucky' man run over by combine

BILLINGS, Mont., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Authorities in Montana said a man who took a nap in a cornfield is "lucky to be alive" after being run over by a combine tractor.

Yellowstone County sheriff's deputies said the man, whose name was not released, arrived in Billings via bus Wednesday and decided to take a nap in a cornfield while walking along a road, the Helena (Mont.) Independent Record reported Monday.

"He said that he stepped off the busy road and about three rows of corn into the field," sheriff's Lt. Kent O'Donnell said. "He said he didn't have intentions of sleeping, but fell asleep anyway."

"The farmer thought he had driven over a fence post or an irrigation pipe, but once he turned the machine off, he could hear a man screaming," O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell said the man's clothing was sucked into the combine's cutter and responders had to disconnect the equipment to free the man, who required stitches and may need skin grafts.

"For this situation, the man is incredibly lucky to be alive," O'Donnell said. "And that's about all you can say about that."

Pregnancy test joke detects cancer

TORONTO, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An Ontario man who was shocked to receive a positive result from a take-home pregnancy test discovered the stick had detected testicular cancer, a friend said.

A woman who posts to website Reddit under the name "CappnPoopdeck" created a comic strip about her male friend's unusual pregnancy test result and posted it on the website, where users posted comments explaining the test was likely detecting hormones from testicular cancer, the Toronto Star reported Monday.

The woman said the man went to his doctor and found a small tumor in his right testicle.

"Since it was caught early, it can be treated immediately," she said.

The woman said she and her friend wish to remain anonymous to protect their privacy.

"For the last few days, our lives have been revolving around the press demanding information about his testicle, which both of us are embarrassed and shy about talking publicly about," she said in an email to the Star.