Teen scoops up 3-foot carp

Human Interest News   —   Posted on May 19, 2014

Ohio teen scoops 3-foot carp from flooded street

A northern Ohio teenager is reeling in attention for a big catch after he spotted a 3-foot carp swimming in receding floodwaters on his street and scooped it into his arms as his mother caught the scene on video.

North Royalton resident Jake Sawyer, 16, waded through more than ankle-deep water as he stalked the big fish in the dark Monday night and eventually trapped it.

First he tried to throw a towel over it to stun it. He said when that didn’t work, he tried to push it toward a curb.

“I just slowly put my hand on it, and then once it got comfortable with me, I just kind of bear-hugged it and lifted it up,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Sawyer said heavy rains that day had caused flash-flooding as high as his mailbox, and he suspects the large grass carp slipped out of a nearby pond as the water rose.

He said he wanted to ensure the fish didn’t become trapped and die in the street, so he carried it back to the pond. He estimates it weighed 40 pounds.

“I think our only option was to put it in the pond,” he said. “I mean, I could’ve put it in my pool, but it would’ve died.”

The result, he said, is one fishing tale he’ll never forget.

That’s no excuse!

In a survey of 400 hotels asking for the most bizarre complaints, a hotel in London reported that a customer was upset that his room had no ocean view. London is not near the ocean.

Japanese men baldly go into new Tokyo restaurant, with pride

Bald is beautiful at a new Tokyo restaurant, where follicularly challenged customers are welcomed with open arms and offered discounts not available to their hairier brethren.

The Japanese-style pub in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, not far from the central government offices, encourages customers to embrace their loss of hair, not hide it.

“Baldness is a very delicate issue in Japan, but in Hollywood there are a number of stars who completely ignore their hairless state and proudly carry out their work,” said owner Yoshiko Toyoda.

“I thought it would be nice to foster that spirit here.”

Baldness is not as prevalent in Japan as in the West but it still affects 26 percent of men, says Aderans, a leading Japanese hairpiece maker. Genetics plays a major role, but stress among the nation’s chronically overworked corporate “salarymen” is also blamed.

“When you first start to go bald, it’s a huge shock, no question,” said Shiro Fukai, 48, as he enjoyed a drink.

“Japanese businessmen have it really tough. The stress accumulates, then your hair begins to fall out.”

Easing this stress was Toyoda’s original inspiration for “Otasuke” – “Helping Hands” – which features the Japanese pub fare loved by middle-aged men, such as grilled chicken on skewers and stewed tripe, at low prices.

“I was thinking of some way to help support salarymen, but without a theme the idea was lame,” Toyoda said. “Then one day I was walking downtown and kept seeing bald guys. That was it.”

Each bald customer gets a 500 yen ($4.92) discount, with the rewards increasing along with the number of bald customers in each group. If five go drinking together, one drinks for free.

Posters on the pub’s walls feature bald trivia. (Which nation has the highest rate of baldness? Answer: The Czech Republic, with 43 percent, followed by Spain and Germany).

“Be bald, be proud,” proclaims another sign, a sentiment echoed by fearlessly furless customer Fukai.

From The Boston Herald and The Chicago Tribune.