Weird News Thread ....

[Jolie Rouge]

Ouch! Lisa Marie Presley Rips Into Jacko

If there is one thing that really appalls Lisa Marie Presley, it is this: Michael Jackson owns the rights to some of her father's songs. Never mind that Jacko was her second husband. She can't stand the fact that he has control over part of Elvis Presley's music. In the September issue of Jane magazine, the daughter of the King says: "I saw a Velveeta commercial, and it was playing, I think, 'Burning Love.' [Jackson] had approved it. That's something we can't control. He can do whatever he wants with the songs he owns to make money, and that got under my skin."

On her love life: While she may be rich, sexy, and single, Lisa Marie told Jane that her love life is currently "nowhere."

On Nicolas Cage, husband No. 3: Want to get her almost as mad as she gets when you mention Jacko owns some of Elvis' songs? Then mention that Cage married her just because she's Elvis' daughter. And then stand back. At that very thought, Lisa Marie told Jane: "[Nicolas] is so [expletive deleted] talented and he's got an Academy Award, but no, he's got to be downcast to be an Elvis fanatic, you know? It's demeaning and completely unfounded."

Got it.

[Jolie Rouge]

Americans Are Fleeing These Two States
Pack your bags, load up the car, and get the heck out of Dodge! That's what the good citizens of New York and California are doing in droves, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The decline in population due to domestic migration from one state to another was greatest in New York and California than any other states, reports Newhouse News. New York is down 874,000, and California lost 775,000. Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania also lost more residents than they gained. (Note: When foreign immigrants are counted, California's population actually rose by 4.1 million people between 1990 to 2000, but this new Census report is focusing on domestic migration trends between states.) And where are all these folks going? These states had the top increases in population with more people moving into the state than leaving it: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada.


Two big surprises:

1. People are leaving California. Demographers suspect the reason is two-fold: soaring housing prices and sprawl. The state of choice to which Californians flee? Nevada. Some 190,000 have settled there.

2. People are moving to South Carolina, which saw a gain of 132,205. There was a time when almost everyone who lived in South Carolina was born in South Carolina. By 2000, 64 percent of South Carolinians were born in the state, a drop from 69.4 percent in 1990.

Welcome to the New Sun Belt, which comprises these 13 states and accounts for 20 percent of the U.S. population and 79 percent of the total growth of the nation's white population in the 1990s: Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, Delaware, Utah, and Idaho. "These growing, suburban-like New Sun Belt states have high amenities, a relatively low cost of living," William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution in Washington told Newhouse News "People can have a lot of space and live a suburban lifestyle in the classic 1950s sense where they can't in the now overly congested, expensive suburbs in and around Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and other highly urbanized states."

[Jolie Rouge]

97% of Drivers Are Distracted By This

It's not a cell phone.

The top driving distraction--and it seems to affect virtually all drivers--is leaning away from the steering wheel to reach for something in the vehicle. Fully 97 percent of us do that at one time or another while we're driving. In addition, 91 percent of us fiddle with the radio controls, and 77 percent have conversations while driving. That's the word from a new study by AAA and the University of North Carolina that tracked the in-car actions of 70 drivers. Only 30 percent of the drivers used their cell phone while the vehicle was moving.

For this study drivers had miniature cameras placed in their cars for a week, reports The Associated Press. Researchers randomly selected three hours to view their behavior while driving. Here's a disturbing finding: Drivers were distracted 16.1 percent of the time their vehicles were moving. "People may not realize how distracted they are," Peter Kissinger, president of AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety, told AP. "Talking to a passenger seems quite safe, but even something that simple takes away from the road."

Blame it on all that multitasking we do at home and in the office just to get everything done. We keep multitasking while we're driving. "We never have taken seriously that we need to be 100 percent attentive to our driving," Jim Champagne, a former Louisiana state trooper who heads that state's highway safety commission told AP. "You can tell people that they shouldn't eat and drink while they're driving, but the bottom line is we're Americans, and we think we can do five or six things at a time."

[Jolie Rouge]

Rumors Swirl: J.Lo & Ben On the Rocks



Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are splitting up?

At first the rumors were limited to the pages of the tabloids, but they seemed too outrageous to be true. Now the gossip is hitting other media, including PEOPLE and USA Today and even newspapers in Australia, Canada, and Britain. The whispers are growing louder and getting hard to ignore.


The embarrassing failure of "Gigli" and Ben's alleged romp in a strip bar in Vancouver were apparently too much for J.Lo. According to The New York Post, she shed her 25-carat diamond and platinum engagement ring--said by some to have cost a whopping $1 million--and fled the set of her next movie in Winnipeg, Canada to head to the privacy of her Los Angeles home. Then she reportedly hit the bars with 15 friends, including the rapper Q-Tip and "rang up a $9,000 bar tab," says the Post. "Jennifer kept talking about the 'drama, drama, drama,' and told several people she was single before hitting the dance floor for the rest of the night. She was not wearing the engagement ring," the unnamed source dished to the Post's "Page Six" gossip column. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Australia Herald-Sun reports that J.Lo told a friend, "It's over between me and Ben. He's made me a laughing stock."


Where was Ben through all this?

He was in Vancouver on the set of his next movie where he also got caught carousing in an exotic nightclub in mid-July along with Tara Reid, Christian Slater, and Slater's wife, Ryan Haddon. The next day, Ben was too sick to do an interview with "Entertainment Tonight."

[Jolie Rouge]

Amazing Find In Drought-Stricken River

As the mighty river Danube has fallen to its lowest level in more than a century due to one of the worst droughts to ever hit Europe, something strange has poked up from the water's surface: old German warships. About 130 ships were sunk in horizontal rows across the width of the Danube by the Germans in an attempt to slow the advancing Soviet forces in World War II, reports Reuters.

The wreckage of the old battleships was sighted near a remote area of eastern Serbia called Prahovo that is near the Romanian border where the water is only about three feet deep. "You see, when Germans make something it's for eternity," quipped fisherman Dragan Curovic to Reuters. The ships are more than 60 years old. They were dynamited by the retreating Nazis so they would sink, and they've been rusting underwater ever since. One ship in particular is still in pretty good shape boasting a rotating canon platform and metal holders for the shells, as well as electric cables that still work.

The biggest problem is this part of the river Danube, which flows through 10 countries, is a major waterway in Europe so sailors have to carefully navigate through it to avoid hitting the German warships. What a difference a year makes. Last summer was the year of the floods and in some parts the river reached its highest level in decades. But this summer's prolonged heat wave and drought have changed that and the river has dried up to its lowest level in 115 years.

See it for yourself ! Click to see the wreckage of a WWII
German warship sticking out the of river Danube.

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news...fs=&floc=wn-nn

[Jolie Rouge]

Oldest Black Sea shipwreck found
size=1]Thursday, January 16, 2003 Posted: 3:01 PM EST [/size]


SOFIA, Bulgaria -- It's the oldest shipwreck ever found in the Black Sea with relics from between the third and fifth centuries B.C. containing clues to the diet of ancient Greeks.

Explorer Bob Ballard -- best known for finding the remains of the Titanic -- announced the discovery this week in the United States.

A team headed by Ballard, working with the Bulgarian government, discovered the wreck in August.

"This discovery provides historians with the first look at an actual wreck from a key era of trade in the Black Sea known previously only through written records," said Ballard, president of the Institute of Exploration at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.

The wooden ship itself was gone, having rotted away through the millennia. But its scattered contents remained on the sea floor in testament to the ship's sinking.

Dwight Coleman, chief scientist on the expedition, said three Bulgarian team members in a submarine spotted the wreck on August 1, the final day of the expedition.

The Bulgarian government supplied the submarine that located and retrieved some of the artifacts.

"The Bulgarians reported up to the ship's control room that they were seeing amphorae (large containers used to store wine or olive oil) down there, and when I heard the translation, I got really excited," Coleman said. "I knew they'd be ancient."

By analysing the contents of one of the amphorae, scientists were able to pin down the approximate time frame in which the vessel sank.

The clue came in the surprise find of bones of freshwater catfish in one of the containers.


Ballard is best known for locating the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.



Researchers said the bones were butchered and indicate the fish had been filleted like modern fish steaks and preserved in salt.

They believe this was not a delicacy but a common, well-preserved food that may have fed the Greek army and the general population.

Archaeologist Fred Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania analysed one of the amphorae and said he thought the ship was headed for the Mediterranean, where dried fish steaks -- called tarichos in ancient Greece -- were a common food for the masses.

Hiebert said he believes the ship may have started its voyage in Turkey and stocked up on fish in Crimea, southern Ukraine, as it headed north.

His theory is that the ship was on its way to Greece when it sank off the Bulgarian coast.

"The Black Sea was a vibrant crossroads of trade that was cut off from the world at the end of the Ottoman period, early last century," Hiebert said.

"Since then, the Black Sea has been rather mysterious and difficult to study because of global politics. We're finally getting a chance to piece together what happened there over many centuries."

Ballard, who has been studying the Black Sea since 1997, previously found evidence of settlements off Turkey in shallow areas that were once above sea level.

Some have suggested the rising sea levels that swamped these settlements may have given birth to the great flood stories in many cultures of the region.

Ballard said he plans to return to this and three other shipwreck sites in the Black Sea next summer and expects the latest finds will not be the oldest Black Sea artifacts for long.

"It is the oldest ship found in the Black Sea, but there is evidence of earlier sailing there. It's only time until an older shipwreck is found," Hiebert said.


-- CNN Science Correspondent Ann Kellan contributed to this report

[Jolie Rouge]

The frozen watches that came ashore with the bodies of the dead were stopped at 9:15. Was it a.m. or p.m.? The sea gives up one of its ghosts when the S.S. Portland was found off the coast of Massachusetts.

Legendary steamship Portland located in marine sanctuary off Massachusetts
August 30, 2002 Posted: 2:40 AM EDT (0640 GMT)



The still complete hull of the steamship Portland lies on the ocean floor in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off Massachusetts.


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BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The frozen watches that came ashore with the bodies of the dead were stopped at 9:15. Was it a.m. or p.m.? That, like so much of the last hours of the steamer SS Portland, remains in dispute.

In a few fateful hours, somewhere overnight between November 26 and 27, 1898, decisions were made that led to the worst maritime disaster in the history of New England.

For more than 100 years the Portland was missing, resting on the floor of the Atlantic somewhere off New England, victim of a vicious storm that killed the steamship and everyone on board.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO
Watch the NOAA video of the discovery of the 1898 wreck of the SS Portland in a marine sanctuary off Massachusetts (August 29)


Play video




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CNN's Bill Delaney says U.S. researchers have found the 1898 wreckage of the SS Portland off the coast of New England (August 29)


Play video




GALLERY
Historical images: The Steamer Portland





No longer.

Specialists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the steamship's location had been found Thursday, at an undisclosed spot in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and showed the first pictures of the wreck.

"We are excited to be able to bring some closure to one of New England's most mysterious shipwrecks," said Craig MacDonald, NOAA's superintendent of the marine sanctuary.

"The story of the Steamship Portland and its fatal last run from Boston to Portland, Maine, has intrigued maritime historians for years due to the wide-ranging reported sightings of the ship during the storm. This mission allows us to start putting some answers to the questions about its loss."

Questions abound about the Portland. Even the exact number of fatalities in the wreck of the 7 p.m. Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine, steamer is a matter of dispute, as the only complete passenger list sank with the ship, but estimates put the death toll around 190.

Blame for the tragedy is also a matter of debate among historians, but some facts are clear.


This is a view of the rudder assembly of the Portland. Recent estimates are that 192 people died in the sinking, but no passenger or crew manifests were left ashore so precise numbers are unknown.
As the Portland prepared to set out to sea, a powerful storm, swirling out of the Gulf of Mexico, headed up the East Coast. It would fatally combine with another storm heading from the Great Lakes, a deadly mix which would ultimately produce hurricane-force winds and wreck or sink 140 vessels and devastate New England coastal communities.

But on India Wharf as passengers began to arrive for the night steamer, unusually busy following the Thanksgiving holiday, there was no sign of what was to come.

Throughout the day, warnings of the impending storm were passed from the Boston weather bureau to the Boston agent of the Portland Steam Packet Company, C.F. Williams, but preparations to sail continued unchecked.

Some say that the Portland -based general manger of the line, John Liscomb, was so fanatical about his steamers leaving on time that none dare contradict him, though it is known he tried to get a message to Boston to delay departure by two hours. But he could not get through.

Some say the captain, Hollis H. Blanchard, thought he could outrun the storm to Portland.

For whatever reason, at 7 p.m. the whistle of the Portland sounded and she headed out to sea.

It was the last confirmed time she was heard.

The stately Portland was a beautiful, luxurious 281-foot steamer with 42-foot beam, but with a draft of only 11 feet, the vessel was cruelly unsuitable for the heavy seas it met that night.

Once the storm set in, the steamer was driven ahead of the wind, and unconfirmed sightings from other captains battling the storm that night put it well south of Boston.

Eventually, it went down into the storm-tossed ocean.

Bodies wash ashore
In the days after the storm, debris from the Portland's bridge -- and the bodies of 38 victims -- washed up along 30 miles of Cape Cod beach.

That, together with the lack of an exact time of its sinking, left its final resting place a mystery until 1989, when the initial sightings of the wreckage were made by John Fish and Arnold Carr of American Underwater Search and Survey.

They announced their find but could not produce photographs of the wreck.

The new pictures show the Portland rests upright on the floor of a marine sanctuary near the tip of Cape Cod, NOAA researchers said Thursday. Their announcement capped a month-long mission to photograph the vessel.

Video taken by a remotely operated vehicle shows the ship's hull intact on the ocean floor, with much of its superstructure missing. The rudder and elements of the ship's paddle wheels are visible, allowing researchers to identify the wreck positively as the Portland.

The mission also took side-scan sonar images of the ship.

The Portland disaster, known to some as the "New England Titanic," led to changes in maritime practice in the United States: The wreck hastened the end of the era of side-wheel steamers, which were commonly used for short coastal trips in the late 1800s and shortly after the wreck, laws were passed requiring all passenger ships to leave passenger lists ashore before departing.

"We are excited to be able to bring some closure to one of New England's most mysterious shipwrecks," said Craig MacDonald, NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. "The story of the Steamship Portland and its fatal last run from Boston to Portland, Maine, has intrigued maritime historians for years due to the wide-ranging reported sightings of the ship during the storm. This mission allows us to start putting some answers to the questions about its loss."

The location of the wreck within the sanctuary's boundaries provides special legal protection from bounty hunters. Sanctuary regulations prohibit moving, removing or injuring, or attempting to move, remove or injure any submerged cultural or historical resources, including artifacts and pieces from shipwrecks, a NOAA statement said.

"While the Sanctuary has been most associated with whales and whale watching, it also serves as a steward of the submerged historical and cultural resources within its boundaries," said NOAA's MacDonald. "We are extremely proud that our first dedicated mission to search and explore has produced such exciting results."

Congress designated the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in 1992 as "an area of special national significance." Virtually the size of the state of Rhode Island, the sanctuary stretches between Cape Ann and Cape Cod in federal waters off of Massachusetts. The sanctuary is renowned as a major feeding area for marine mammals, particularly humpback whales, and supports an ecosystem of diverse wildlife, the NOAA statement said.

[Jolie Rouge]

Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty in $1.5 mln theft


BOSTON (Reuters) - A former FBI agent who once investigated white-collar crimes pleaded guilty Monday to taking part in a scheme to steal $1.5 million from the company he worked for.

M. William Potts, of Windham, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston to one count of mail fraud in connection with the scheme.

Potts faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He was due to be sentenced in November.

Federal prosecutors accused Potts of writing 20 checks totaling $1.5 million to cover margin calls on his investments while he worked for Jelmoli Holdings, Inc. in 2000.

When the value of the securities purchased with borrowed money drops, a margin call requires the investor to pay more money to the lender.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said that Potts caused false entries to be made on Jelmoli's books and records, identifying each of the payments as an "investment" to conceal his personal use of the funds.

Potts was a consultant for Jelmoli and helped in the sale of its stock ownership of Johnny Appleseeds, a retail clothing business.

Earlier in his career, Potts worked as a special agent and supervisor for the FBI, prosecutors said.


08/04/2003 18:59
RTR

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinoisans who want to look a little more reptilian will have to go through medical personnel or face jail time.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday signed into law a measure that restricts the practice of tongue-splitting.

Some people are taking piercings and tattoos another step by getting the end of their tongues split in half. The result is a forked tongue like a snake's.

The legislation would bar anyone but doctors and dentists from performing the procedure. Offenders could face up to a year in jail.


Some who have had the procedure done say they do it for shock value, while others say it's a spiritual experience.

But supporters of the new law say the practice is dangerous and could lead to infection.

Rep. David Miller, a Chicago Democrat and a dentist, predicted few professionals will perform tongue-splitting. He said he understands the value of individual rights but thinks many people don't understand the risks, so officials will choose "safety over cosmetics."

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Man Caught Driving Bus Drunk


Aug 6, 10:58 am ET

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Ever get the feeling you're still drunk at work the morning after a heavy-drinking session and everyone around you can tell?
Police in the Czech town of Jihlava said they arrested a drunk bus driver after a suspicious motorist spotted him zig-zagging along his route with 16 passengers aboard.

A routine breath test showed the driver had what doctors say is roughly the equivalent of at least 10 premium lager beers and several liquor shots sloshing around inside him.

"The driver said he drank all night and left at 4:00 a.m. to begin his 4:10 a.m. shift," said officer Jaroslav Bilek. "I have served for many years but I have never seen anybody driving a car this drunk, let alone a bus with passengers aboard."

The 54-year old driver faces a jail sentence of up to one year.

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DETROIT (Reuters) - A Connecticut woman with no known criminal record has been charged with robbing two banks near the Michigan town where her son works as a police officer, authorities said on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Margaret Ann Thomas-Irving, who turns 58 this week, was arraigned on Monday on charges she pulled off back-to-back bank jobs in Lansing on July 29.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Meyer said in both cases Thomas-Irving handed tellers notes that read: "Be quiet. Act normal and no one gets hurt. Give me all the money you have. We have explosives and if anything goes wrong it's curtains for us all."

Meyer said Thomas-Irving, who was arrested soon after the second robbery, stole $2,700. She is a resident of Hartford and has no criminal history.

Thomas-Irving's state-appointed lawyer and her son, a policeman in Bath Township, Michigan, could not be reached for comment.