Grapevine: Monkey business at India's government buildings

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Wasted Time

It's often said that idle hands are the devil's workshop.

And now it turns out excessive downtime is the excuse for some bad behavior by federal workers.

The Washington Times reports documents show one bored employee viewed more than 13,000 pornographic images.

Investigators found, the Treasury Department employee knew it was against the rules -- quote -- "but he often does not have enough work to do and has free time."

And he was not the only person surfing not safe for work websites.

One GSA employee -- quote -- "Sometimes became bored during these long hours at the computer and would often use the computer for personal use to pass the time."

Investigators estimate at just one agency $4 million was paid to employees for time wasted this way.

Monkey Business

The problem in India is monkeys.

India's parliament and government buildings have a history of being overrun by monkeys who have been known to attack staff, tear up files, and chew through cables.

In the past, officials tried to deter them with these larger langur monkeys, but had to stop when animal rights protests began.

The government is now hiring 40 men to imitate big monkeys -- apparently by mimicking their sounds -- and scare the smaller ones away.

The official website mentions actual monkey disguises. But an official tells the Wall Street Journal that is a misunderstanding.

Hugger-in-Chief

Finally, a touching moment at the White House during a Special Olympics tribute last night.

President Obama gave a shout out to one Olympian, Tim Harris who owns his own restaurant.

And the most popular item on the menu? Tim's hugs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: You know, presidents need some encouragement once and a while too. And that felt really good. That was nice. Thank you, Tim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The president hailed the Special Olympics for teaching everyone about overcoming obstacles with love and kindness.