The People's Princess: 15 Years After Diana's Death

Thousands of admirers returned to the grounds of Kensington Palace in London today to leave flowers to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the death of the beloved Princess Diana.

The scene was more quiet and serene than on that day fifteen years ago, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered—in complete and total shock—to mourn the loss of the beautiful and vibrant "People's Princess". The nation—and indeed the entire world—mourned her death, as the streets outside of Diana's home in Kensington Palace overflowed with loving floral tributes.

It was a far more sedate scene today, but thousands of people arrived to leave flowers as well as personal notes and photographs as a tribute to Diana, who would have been 51-years-old this year. Her death in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being pursued by the relentless paparazzi cut short the life of a once shy young Lady Diana Spencer who had transformed into one of the world's most admired and beautiful women.

She seemed to have discovered a deeper determination in the years after her marriage to Prince Charles had dissolved, and many of her closest friends believed she had found love again with Dodi Al-Fayed, the son of Harrod's department store owner Mohamed Al-Fayed. Their whirl-away romance ended tragically, before Diana could find the happiness she deserved at long last.

She left behind two young sons, whom she loved and cared for so very deeply. It was obvious that William and Harry were her life, and they were shattered by her tragic passing. Diana would be incredibly proud of her two sons, and William has spoke of how he missed his mother immensely on his wedding day to Kate Middleton in April 2011. Diana would no doubt stand firmly behind Harry after his recent "nude" follies in Las Vegas. Or perhaps he would never have been involved in such follies at all had Diana lived, as he was only twelve when he lost his mother.

No one has replaced Diana in the years since her death, and that might be a good thing. Prince William's bride, the lovely Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been adored and pursued by the press, but it seems with less intensity and ferocity as the attention that followed her mother-in-law wherever she went in the world. No one could possibly recreate that sparkle, that sometimes forlorn, sometimes shy little smile or that naughty and playful little twinkle in her eyes when she was having a good time and enjoying herself, which was not always.

There are no planned events in London to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Princess Diana's passing, but for the hundreds of millions of people who adored and loved her, she will be remembered forever in our hearts.

The video below contains the moment from Diana's funeral that has forever been seared into my memory. As the horse-drawn cortege carrying the body of the Princess drew closer to the gate of Kensington Palace where tens of thousands of people had gathered, the crowd could hear the hooves of the horses hitting the pavement, knowing that the cortege was about to emerge from behind the gates. You can hear the crowd reacting with deep anguish. Once the cortege emerged from behind the gates, there is an unearthly chorus of wails of deep sadness, with voices crying out "Diana! Diana!". Those cries of grief have remained in my memory for these past fifteen years, and I know I will never forget them...

Up Chuck Gold: Boy Finds Whale Vomit on Beach Worth $$$

Photo courtesy the Daily Mail

A boy in the UK has made an unusual discovery on a beach that could be worth a fortune: the vomit of an endangered sperm whale!

Eight-year-old Charlie Naysmith made the discovery on a beach in Hengistbury Head, near Bournemouth, England. He picked up what he initially believed to be an unusual beige rock with a waxy finish. The lad's parents were baffled by what the strange object was, so they decided to do a bit of investigating. As it turns out, the object was not a rock at all, but the rarely-found substance known as ambergris, which is vomited or excreted from mammoth sperm whales.

After apparently decades of floating in the ocean and sun exposure, the vomit has transformed into a smooth lump of compact rock that feels waxy to the touch and carries an oddly sweet odor. Traditionally, perfume manufacturers have coveted the substance to add to their scents, as it prolongs the smell of perfumes and colognes. A pound of the excrement can bring in as much as $12,000!

The Ancient Egyptians burned the rare substance as a form of incense and in modern-day Egypt it is used to scent cigars and cigarettes. It was also used during the Middle Ages as the Black Death swept across Europe claiming millions of lives, as people mistakenly believed the sweet scent could ward off the air-born germs and bacteria they believed carried the Plague. 

The material is shunned by perfume makers in the US, as the material is banned because it comes from an endangered species, but other countries allow for its sale.

The "rock" Charlie discovered could be worth as much as $60,000, which just might pay for a year of university studies by the time he is of college age....

Man Run Over & Killed While Pretending to Be Bigfoot

A Montana man has died after apparently donning a suit and being run down by two vehicles while trying to make passing motorists call in a "Bigfoot" sighting.

Police in Kalispell, Montana, believe that 44-year-old Randy Lee Tenley was wearing a military-style Ghillie suit (also known as a yowie suit or camo tent) and was walking near a busy roadway in an effort to convice passersby that they had witnessed seeing the mythical creature Sasquatch.

Tenley was standing in the roadway when he was first struck by a car driven by a local teenager. Moments later, a second car also ran over him as he lay injured in the roadway. Police and paramedics state that Tenley died at the scene due to massive trauma and blood loss. Local media reports that Tenley's friends believe he was playing a prank in order to get people to report they had seen the legendary Bigfoot creature.

"He was trying to make people think he was Sasquatch so people would call in a Sasquatch sighting," stated Montana State Trooper Jim Schneider. "You can’t make it up. I haven’t seen or heard of anything like this before." The police believe Tenley was standing in the middle of the right lane in an area of the road where it is difficult to see anything in the road from a long distance. Authorities also believe that alcohol may have played a role in the accident and are awaiting toxicology reports to see if the deceased was drunk at the time of his death.

Ghillie suits are a type of full-body clothing made to resemble heavy foliage and used to camouflage military snipers. They are also often used by hunting enthusiasts to prevent being spotted by wild game in the forest. 

Real Life Australian Robinson Crusoe May Be Forced to Leave Island Paradise

 

A real life version of the famous castaway Robinson Crusoe from Daniel Defoe's classic novel has been told by the Australian government he will have to leave the island paradise he has called home for over twenty years.

David Glasheen was once a high-flying businessman in cosmopolitan Sydney, until bad investments and the 1987 stock market crash cost him over $10 million. He decided to give up the hectic rat race and settled on the formerly uninhabited Restoration Island on Queensland's northern coast. Glasheen has lived the past twenty years on the island paradise, with only his dog Quasi for company.

Occasionally, he is visited by passing yachtsmen, kayakers and groups of organic farmers. He keeps a female mannequin with him—dressed in appropriate attire. The mannequin was used as a gimmick to draw a real female companion to the island for Glasheen. The trick worked, temporarily, as the young lady found the solitude of island life far too difficult and departed after only six months.

Now in his mid-60s, he has survived on the island by eating coconuts, growing his own fruits and vegetables as well as brewing his own beer.

Now, the Australian Supreme Court has decided it is time for Glasheen to vacate the island, as he has failed to live up to his part of the lease he initially signed with the Australian government to be able to stay on the island. Glasheen and a business partner agreed to lease Restoration Island from the government for some $20,000 a year—provided they build a resort on the island as well as develop fishing facilities—something they have not done in 20 years.

Glasheen remains philosophical about his possible eviction from the island, stating "I have no idea. I live on now. Tomorrow I might be dead."

I Vant to Be Alone: Greta Garbo Memorabilia Set for Auction

Personal items once belonging to the late film goddess Greta Garbo are set to go to auction in Los Angeles this December.

The Swedish-born Garbo was as famous for her eccentric, recluse behavior as she was for her iconic roles in such classic films as Ninotcha, Grand Hotel, Anna Karenina and Camille. Her incredible natural beauty and detached, aloof European attitude made her one of the greatest stars of Hollywood's fabled Golden Age. She was nominated four times for an Academy Award, although she never won.

She abandoned Hollywood at the height of her fame in 1941 after making the film Two-Faced Woman, never to grace the Silver Screen with her presence ever again. She retired to an apartment in New York City, where she lived out the rest of her life in relative seclusion, occasionally being photographed near her residence in Manhattan, wearing large glasses and hats to conceal her identity.

She will forever be associated with her line in the film Grand Hotel, "I vant to be alone".  Garbo was never married or had children, but had several famous lesbian romances, including a practically lifelong, volatile relationship with author and poet Mercedes de Acosta. There were also rumored dalliances with actor John Gilbert and author Erich Marie Remarque, who was also involved with another European film goddess Marlene Dietrich. Garbo died at the age of 84 of pneumonia and kidney failure in New York City in 1990.

Now, Garbo's great-nephew Derek Reisfield is set to auction off many of his great-aunt's mementos at Julien's Auction house in Los Angeles on December 14-15. Many of the items are as quirky as the star herself, including an inflatable snowman once kept in her living room to entertain her nieces and nephews. Also going under the hammer are salt and pepper shakers in the shape of geese, a vintage waffle iron, a cymbal playing chimpanzee toy, as well as a pineapple-shaped table lamp.

Other personal items expected to bring top dollar include Garbo's American passport (She became a naturalized American citizen in 1950). Also included in the auction are pieces of her glamorous wardrobe, with designer haute couture gowns by Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo along with a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk. 

For more information about the auction, you may visit Julien's website here. 

 

Contents Unknown: Mysterious Norwegian Package to Be Opened After 100 Years

A mysterious, wrapped parcel is set to be opened in Norway after 100 years.

The package was left with explicit instructions that it not be opened until the pivotal year of 2012. The parcel was sealed in 1912 and left in the care of the council in Otta, a small village 180 miles north of the Norwegian capital of Oslo, with the instructions for it not to be touched for a century. 

After enduring two world wars, the Great Depression and a world transformed by incredible advances in technology over the past century, the enigmatic parcel is set to finally be opened today, revealing its mysterious contents. 

The package was left in the council's care in 1920 by Johan Nygaard, a former chairman for the council in Otta, who had wrapped and sealed the parcel eight years earlier on the anniversary of the legendary Battle of Kringen, a conflict that took place five hundred years ago between Norwegian peasants and Scottish mercenaries, with the unskilled peasants claiming victory. It is thought that the contents of the package may have a connection with the fabled battle.

The package has been in the care of a local museum for several decades, although it was almost lost and forgotten in the 1950s during a renovation of the council. Local residents have pondered what the contents will reveal, with a press conference and official celebration convened for the unveiling. 

"It could be historical documents, or maybe the Blue Star Diamond from the Titanic which sank in 1912," guessed museum curator Kjell Voldheim. 

She Went Out Laughing: Phyllis Diller Dead at 95

Legendary actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller has died in Los Angeles at the age of 95. No cause of death has been announced as of yet.

The self-effacing comic with the instantly recognizable laugh and outrageous attire became a household name after ditching the constrictive lifestyle of a housewife in the 1950s to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. She quickly made a name for herself, donning colorful outfits and garish wigs, along with her signature cigarette and white gloves. She paved the way for countless comediennes who followed in her wake, from Joan Rivers and Roseanne to Ellen Degeneres and Chelsea Handler.

She had a lifelong friendship with the equally legendary Bob Hope, who was her co-star in several movies as well as countless television specials. After divorcing her first husband Sherwood Diller—who had encouraged her to get into show business in the first place—she married entertainer Warde Donovan, only to separate and divorce after a few months together. She began to famously refer to her "husband" as the mysterious "Fang", which would remain a permanent part of her act, along with her wardrobe and that highly distinctive laugh that set her apart from every other entertainer of the day.

She worked tirelessly over the years, intent on not retiring completely from show business or slowing down, although she did announce her retirement from acting in 2002. She appeared as a popular character on the world's most watched soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful as well as writing a memoir (titled Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse) and working with her favorite charities. She was also a huge advocate of plastic surgery, admitting to going under the knife countless times over the decades in her quest to transform from "that homely woman" she joked about seeing in the mirror and into an ageless Hollywood icon.

Diller suffered a heart attack in 1999 and was fitted with a pacemaker. She also fell and broke a bone in her back in 2007, which forced her to cancel an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in honor of her 90th birthday.

She leaves behind a rich and unforgettable legacy of laughter. Say hello to Fang for us, Phyllis. We'll miss you...

Atlantis Rising: Drought Reveals Submerged Indiana Town

The devastating drought that has afflicted a large portion of the American Midwest has also revealed  several ghost towns in Indiana that were submerged over forty years ago to create a reservoir.

The town of Monument City, Indiana, was lost forever when the Salamonie River in Huntington County was damned to create the Salamonie Lake Reservoir in 1965. The US government had forced the local residents to relocate to nearby towns, which was a highly controversial decision at the time. The once flourishing small town disappeared beneath the murky waters of the new lake and was all but forgotten with the passage of time.

Fast forward forty-seven years, with the current record-breaking drought that has parched most of the nation over the course of the summer. The waters of the important reservoir have receded more than twelve feet over the past several months, revealing the foundations and mortars of homes, churches and the abandoned school of the once proud community. The eerie ghost town is now caked with several feet of drying, cracking mud, like the specter of a long-forgotten apocalypse.

After locals and visitors alike began to flock to the area to view the former Atlantis, the Department of Natural Resources have begun to offer organized tours to the site for reasons of public safety. The Salamonie River was actually damned to save a host of other communities along its banks from the effects of recurrent and  devastating floods, with three of the towns sacrificed for the benefit of other, larger towns.

The latest, long-term weather forecasting predicts that the intense drought will continue for the area for the foreseeable future, with no appreciable break in the dry weather conditions until at least November.

Taking It on the Chin: Jay Leno Lays off Staff/Takes Pay Cut

Talk show host Jay Leno has taken a massive cut in pay, as TV executives have given pink slips to approximately 25 employees of the NBC chat fest.

Leno, 62, offered to take a huge deduction in his salary—estimated to be around $25 million a year—in an effort to keep more employees from losing their jobs. Leno also earns up to $20 million a year from endorsement deals as well as his hectic personal appearance and concert schedule.

NBC announced the cuts this week, even though The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is consistently the top ranked night time talk show, normally besting rival David Letterman in the ratings by several percentage points. Insiders say that other staff members were forced to take a pay cut—or they would lose their jobs as well.

Leno took over the hosting position after the legendary Johnny Carson retired from the show in 1992. Leno created his own controversy after handing over the reigns of the show to fellow host Conan O'Brien in 2009 to host his own prime time, weekly talk show. After the show failed to catch on with viewers in the ratings, Leno requested his old job back, which forced out the affable O'Brien, who did end up collecting a hefty $40 million severance package.

This is just the latest "controversy" facing the Peacock Network in recent weeks. The network was widely criticized for broadcasting portions of the London Olympic Games on a tape delay—including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies—as well as the unceremonious firing of popular Today show anchor Ann Curry. 

Under the Sea: Artificial Islands Planned as Maldives Sinks into Ocean

A series of artificial islands are in the works to save the Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, as the destructive force of runaway climate change continues to place the country in peril.

The Maldives is comprised of some 1,192 islands with a population of around 330,000 citizens. The country has an average elevation of only five feet above sea level, making it the lowest in the world. In recent years, rapidly rising sea levels due to indisputable climate change have threatened the nation's very existence. The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami cataclysm nearly washed the islands away, and the residents have watched as their beloved homeland—long a popular tourist destination with over two million visitors a year— has begun to be reclaimed into the Indian Ocean.

A Dutch construction company has now announced an ambitious plan to save the nation from extinction by building a series of artificial islands that will be attached to the seabed floor with cables or mooring piles. The islands will be designed and constructed in India or another location in the Middle East and then towed to their new home in the Maldives.

The first "island" to be constructed will be a mammoth, $600 million, 18 hole golf course (obviously, the most important thing to the people of a nation facing eradication would be a golf course...). The plan would include the construction of an additional 41 islands, which would give the first entire nation victimized by the effects of climate change a chance at remaining in their homeland.

Development on the golf course is expected to begin later this year, and it should be ready for play by the end of 2013 ahead of a full launch in 2015, so no tourists will have to fear they will lose any precious time on the greens...

Author/Editor Helen Gurley Brown Dead at 90

Former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine and bestselling author Helen Gurley Brown has died in New York City at the age of 90.

Brown became an instant sexual liberation icon with the publication of her bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl in 1962, which proclaimed that unmarried women could—and indeed did —enjoy sex without the benefit of marriage. Her book would pave the way for so-called "women's lib" fiction, including Jacqueline Susann's iconic bestseller Valley of the Dolls. She would later be appointed as Editor-in-Chief of Cosmpolitan magazine, which had been struggling for many years to find its audience. She quickly turned the magazine from a money-losing rag into the top-selling women's magazine in the US.

The magazine would break all the rules, featuring scantily-clad supermodels photographed by famed photographer Francesco Scavullo, with provocative article titles (normally about sex or orgasms) blazed across the cover. Brown would remain as Editor-in-Chief from 1964 until stepping down in 1997.

She was an unabashed feminist, believing and championing for women's rights at every opportunity. She was married to film-producer David Brown from 1959 until his death in 2010. She was also a champion of plastic surgery for women, freely admitting that she had multiple facelifts and other surgeries over the years to fight back the ravages of time.

This year  Brown donated $30 million to Columbia and Stanford Universities, both of which Mr. Brown had attended, to create the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation. She remained childless—by choice.

Not My Cup of Tea: Archeologists Find 900-Year-Old Cups of Tea

Archeologists have discovered that Native Americans enjoyed a nice cup of vomit-inducing tea almost a thousand years ago!

Ancient clay mugs were recently uncovered in the ancient Native American settlement of Cahokia, outside of modern day St. Louis, Missouri. Scientific tests performed on the residue left in the cups concludes that the people of the region enjoyed partaking in a tea-drinking purification ceremony. The tea used was made from the shrub Ilex vomitoria, a species of holly and was consumed from ornate ceremonial cups.

Interestingly, the shrub is not native to the region, which means that the Native Americans must have conducted  trade with other tribes further south to obtain the leaves and berries to make the concoction. The Yaupon holly shrub once grew approximately 250 miles to the south of Cahokia.

The leaves of the shrub make a good tea—but can induce vomiting if consumed in large amounts, hence the name. The tea brewed from the leaves also contains high amounts of natural caffeine, which would have given people consuming the drink vast amounts of energy to dance and sing during the intense purification ceremonies, which would have lasted from sunset to sunrise.

The ancient settlement of Cahokia sprang up on the banks of the Mississippi River and once boasted over 15,000 inhabitants, making it the largest Native American settlement north of Mexico at one point in history.

Earth Changes: Mass of Golf-Ball Sized Volcanic Rocks As Large As Belgium off New Zealand Coast

A mass of golf-ball sized volcanic pumice stones as large as the European nation of Belgium has been discovered floating off the coast of New Zealand.

The mass of stones was first spotted by New Zealand Air Force planes approximately six hundred miles northeast of Auckland. The incredible rock formation stretches over 10,000 square miles, making it larger than Belgium.

A navy ship took scientists to the rock formations yesterday. Naval Lt. Tim Oscar says the rocks appeared a brilliant white under a spotlight, resembling a large ice sheet. Lt. Oscar stated the formation was the "weirdest thing" he's seen during his 18 year career at sea.

The pumice stones are believed to have risen up from the depths of the sea from an as-yet-undiscovered underwater volcano. As the pumice stones are lighter than water, they float to the surface and do not pose any hazard to ships.

At present, scientists do not believe the underwater volcano is related to another New Zealand volcano, Mount Tongariro, which erupted this week for the first time in over one hundred and fifteen years. The eruption was both spectacular and powerful, with an ash cloud thrown over four miles into the sky causing disruption to air as well as ground travel and ruining the plans of thousands of tourists visiting the area on holiday.

The seismic activity follows a disastrous series of earthquakes that struck the South Island city of Christchurch in 2010 and 2011. The city was almost decimated by the powerful February 22, 2011 earthquake, that left several hundred dead, with tens of thousands of homes and businesses damaged beyond repair, including its famed namesake cathedral. The city has seen a mass exodus of nearly half of its former population in the aftermath of the quakes, as strong aftershocks continue to jolt the long-suffering citizens.

Addendum: Could this be a "hit" for the Webbot Project's "New Land Rising" linguistic trend, which began surfacing in the data stream several years ago, along with the much-dreaded "Global Coastal Event" cataclysm that the software has predicted for our current time frame? Time will tell, but it is curious how so much of the specific wording from the various predictions has been incorporating into our everyday lexicons as time progresses...

Web Bot Project Takes Scary Look into Our Collective Future

The Truth Is Out There: Are David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson a Couple?

Longtime fans of paranormal television drama The X Files just might have reason to rejoice that there is a real life reunion between the beloved characters Dana Scully and Fox Mulder!

Rumors are coming out of La-La Ville that actress Gillian Anderson—who only this week announced she had separated from her longtime boyfriend—has moved in with her former co-star, hunky Californication actor David Duchovny, at his luxurious LA digs.

The onscreen pair sizzled with amazing chemistry together for nine seasons of the spooky hit drama, which also inspired a hit big screen adaptation. Duchovny is at present separated from his wife, Deep Impact actress Téa Leoni. The couple were married in 1997 and originally separated in 2008 when Duchovny checked himself into rehab for sex addiction. They reunited—albeit briefly—only last year before separating again this year. No divorce arrangements have been finalized. The couple have two children, daughter Madelaine West and son Kyd Miller.

Anderson  revealed this week she had split with Mark Griffiths, her partner of the last six years. The former couple share two children, Oscar, five, and Felix, three. Duchovny's press agent denies that there is any romance between the two erstwhile co-stars, stating that the pair remain very close friends after years of working together. 

Exit Crying: Joan Rivers Escorted Out of California Costco

Can we talk?

Home Shopping Guru, former talk show hostess, comedienne and bestselling author Joan Rivers has probably pulled off the year's biggest publicity stunt promoting her new book by having her well-heeled behind tossed out of a Burbank, California COSTCO department store.

Seems LaJoan was upset that the behemoth retail outlet was not selling copies of her latest opus, I Hate Everyone, Including Me on store shelves. She made an impromptu visit to the store, schlepping copies of her tome and hawking them outside the entrance. She merrily signed autographs and posed for photographs with fans before deciding to take the party inside the store.

Apparently, she thought she needed a megaphone to amplify her grating voice, while telling everyone who would listen in the store, "Costco, who sells condoms by the pallet, who sells Paula Deen books and - which is not good for their customers' health - they decided to ban my book."

She continued her rant, saying, " This is a First Amendment violation. You're banning a book because it says a funny quote by Marie Antoinette? Where is this going to lead us to? This is a store that sells 300 rolls of toilet paper at the same time, and I say any customer that buys 300 rolls of toilet paper deserves a funny book to sit on the toilet and read!"

It wasn't long before store management had called the local authorities, who promptly arrived and asked Joan and her entourage (who conveniently filmed the entire escapade) to leave. No charges were filed, but you know this story will make all the news outlets in no time flat, which should nudge Joan's book a bit higher on the bestseller lists!

Here's the Story: CBS Green Lights Brady Bunch Reboot

CBS has given a green light to a reboot of the classic 70s sitcom The Brady Bunch.

The original series ran on the ABC network from 1969-1974, and featured actor Robert Reed as Mike Brady, a widowed architect with three young sons who marries Carol (Florence Henderson), who has three young daughters. Feisty maid Alice was also an integral part of the family.

The updated version will focus on one of the original characters, Bobby Brady, who will be a divorced father with children who marries a divorced mother with children as well. The series will be set in contemporary times and tackle current, relevant family issues.

Lloyd Schwartz, the son of the original series' creator Sherwood Schwartz, will serve as the show's executive producer along with Vince Vaughn and A Christmas Story actor Peter Billingsley. As of now, no casting decisions have been announced.

The original series has been in continuous syndication since its initial run, and has become a pop culture icon over the decades. The series also inspired two popular big screen versions during the 1990s, as well as various reunion specials featuring the Brady clan. 

Tidy Whitey Cliffs of Dover: Nearly Naked Image of David Beckham on English Landmark

 

English football superstar David Beckham is now the new face...on the famed White Cliffs of Dover!

Many people tear up upon hearing the fabled World War II song  "(There Will Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" about the famed white chalk cliffs along England's Channel Coast. Now, tourists and gawkers alike can stare at the half-naked, well-tattooed body of Beckham as they cross the Channel by ferry boat.

Giant images of the sexy athlete wearing nothing but tiny H&M skivvies were projected onto the white cliffs in a gigantic advertisement for the fashion design firm. There were some complaints that the images were "offensive" and "irresponsible", but they certainly got the hearts of others racing. Unfortunately, the images are only to be temporary.

The impressive illuminations were part of  a new promotion for Beckham's line of designer body wear, which debuted last February.

They DO Move in Herds: Australian Billionaire Planning Real-Life Jurassic Park

A controversial Australian billionaire just might be planning a dinosaur theme park–featuring real life dinosaurs–just like in the mega-blockbuster film Jurassic Park.

Speculation is that mining magnate Clive Parker–who has already announced plans to rebuild the doomed ocean liner the Titanic– will announce plans to recreate a dinosaur theme park during a press conference in Brisbane, Queensland, tomorrow. Online reports are claiming that Parker is already working with the team responsible for creating the first sheep clone Dolly in 1997.

Parker recently purchased a super-resort in Coolum, with speculation that he will construct his theme park there. Parker has kept mum about details, but a local newspaper claims it received a tip-off from a source who provided details of towering hotels and a giant Ferris wheel, similar to the London Eye, at the resort.

A spokesperson for Parker has confirmed that a press conference will be convened tomorrow for a very important announcement. Plans to recreate the Titanic are already in place. 

Yes, we know how well it all turned out in the movies...

 

 

Left Behind: Priceless, Forgotten Violin Returned

A Stradivarius violin – possibly worth several million dollars – has been returned to a Swiss lost and found office after a hapless musician mistakenly left it on a train. 

The frantic owner had lent the priceless musical instrument to a friend who accidentally left the violin on the train after disembarking in Bern, Switzerland. Train station staff conducted a massive search for the instrument, which turned up nothing. Reviews of surveillance video showed an unidentified passenger carrying the violin at a different train station.

The violin has since been returned to the grateful owner, who will definitely think twice before lending the instrument to less responsible people in the future. Only 600 violins made by the Italian master craftsman Antonio Stradivari are known to exist in the world. One such violin sold for almost $15 million at an auction last year to raise money for victims of the horrific Japanese earthquake and tsunami. In 2008, a Stradivarius worth approximately $4 million that was left by a musician in a New York taxi was returned by the cabbie.