Cropmarks, 'Shrek fish,' and Goats on a Rail: Buzz Week in Review
by Mike Krumboltz
Some people say there's nothing new under the sun, nothing left to see that hasn't already been seen. Well, phooey to that! This week, the weird and wild took over the Web. There were unusual cropmarks, an ogre-like fish, and a couple of goats who clearly took a wrong turn while out for a stroll. Check out those stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.
Cropmarks surface
The crop markings turning up in England don't come from aliens, but their story is arguably just as interesting. A buzzy article from the BBC shed some light on the strange story. Thousands of years ago, there were settlements across the English countryside. In the many years since, crops have grown where the buildings once were. Here's where it gets cool. Aerial photos "show marks made when crops growing over buried features develop at a different rate from those nearby." It's a bit like looking at a blueprint from thousands of years ago, and it hasn't happened since 1976. Check out the photos here.
'Shrek fish' makes waves
Shrek, that green ogre of animated movie fame, may have a long-lost relative. This past week, some footage made its way on to the Web that shows an unfortunate-looking fish with a striking resemblance to the swamp-loving grouch. Featured on morning news programs as well as many other outlets across the Web, the footage helped to cause a serious surge in searches for "shrek fish," "asian sheepshead wrasse," and "fish that looks like shrek." Below, you can check it out for yourself. Footage courtesy of WYFF.
Goats on the rail
Our third and final entry for "Things You Don't See Every Day, but You Did This Week," is a pair of goats who, somehow, wandered onto the thin rail of a bridge. Stuck up there for two days, the pair was finally brought back down to the ground. The bizarre incident took place outside Billings, Montana, and authorities are currently trying to figure out where the goats came from. According to an article from the AP, people have already offered to adopt the pair, should the owner not come forward. May we humbly suggest someone with a fenced yard?
Also buzzing this week...
? Hankering for some cinematic ultra-violence? Get thee to a showing of "Machete."
? Jerry Lewis has little sympathy for Lindsay Lohan.
? Big Ben's NFL suspension was cut to four games.
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Axl Rose: Tour Tantrums Leave Sour Note
by Claudine Zap
Here's some advice for any rock star wannabes. Show up to your shows on time. Axl Rose and his Guns N' Roses band made the mistake of arriving an hour late at their latest gig in Ireland. They were greeted by flying water bottles and boos. And these are fans.
Rose told the crowd to shape up or they would take off. The crowd didn't, so the band did. But once the Dublin audience settled down ? and after concert organizers turned up the lights and told attendees to go home ? G N' R came back on stage and performed till 1 a.m. ? to a mostly empty house.
The concert was such a disaster that Irish politicians got pulled in ? demanding ticket refunds for confused audience members who left the building and missed the show.
The band leader has seemed a bit grouchy lately. The veteran performer ? who has been tardy on many legs of this summer's European tour ? was 35 minutes late for the Leeds Festival in Northern England last week and had the sound cut off before he could finish the set. That move resulted in Rose launching into an expletive-laced tirade at police and concert promoters. Paradise City, it was not.
Still, fans don't seem put off by the performance. Searches on Yahoo! for "axl rose" have soared over 3,000% in the last day. Lookups also included "axl rose pictures," "axl rose news," and "axl rose dublin."
The tour may have been doomed from the start. Axl Rose's Twitter account was hacked by a user who announced the concert schedule had been canceled. Not true. But for a rock star returning to the limelight after decades as a Malibu recluse ? not helpful. Axl, welcome to the jungle.
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Double Rainbow Guy Goes Corporate
by Mike Krumboltz
Online videos go viral all the time. But rare is the case that an unintentionally funny clip can lead to a paying gig. That's exactly what's happened to Paul "Bear" Vasquez, better known as "Double Rainbow Guy."
Anyone who spends more than five minutes online per day probably remembers Mr. Vasquez's video, in which he captured footage of the elusive double rainbow outside his home near Yosemite. While the video of the double rainbow is impressive, it's Mr. Vasquez's commentary ? in which he laughs, weeps, and questions the cosmos ? that made the clip a classic.
Somebody at Microsoft was apparently a fan, because the company hired the rainbow-worshiping maniac to star in a commercial. In the ad, Vasquez takes photos of a double rainbow (of course) and then edits them together using Windows Live photo editing software, while mumbling some of his best-known lines.
An official blog from Windows explains how the Seattle company contacted Vasquez and explained their ideas for the ad. Not surprisingly, Vasquez was "ecstatic" at the idea of doing a "Double Rainbow Redux." So, he flew to Seattle, they shot the video, and celebrated with a feast of Vietnamese food (the star's favorite).
The commercial is a nice clip, but in our humble opinion, it can't match the original. It's just ... so intense!
The advertisement ...
?Double Rainbow? ? Windows Live Photo Gallery @ Yahoo! Video
And an interview that includes clips from the original ...
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Danny Trejo: From San Quentin to Star
by Claudine Zap
In the movie "Machete," Danny Trejo stars as a tough-guy gun for hire. In real life, the character actor started out as an actual criminal who did hard time in San Quentin.
The cartoonishly violent romp of a movie stars Trejo as a former cop from Mexico turned vengeful vigalante out for blood. He'll go after bad cops, bad politicans, and bad drug dealers. The movie features over-the-top mayhem that includes "beheadings, skewerings and kill shots to the head by the dozen." It also features some serious star power: Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jessica Alba.
If you've never heard of Danny Trejo, trust us, you've seen him. The L.A.-born actor has had a prolific career -- including a stint as the star of the fake trailer for "Machete" in the campy movie "Grindhouse" four years ago. But you can catch him in many action flicks, from "Con Air" to "Predators" to "Spy Kids."
The spoof "Machete" trailer led to the full-length movie with Trejo at the lead. This would not seem the obvious path for a drug-addicted kid in and out of jail for 11 years. Sent to San Quentin for drug offenses and armed robbery, Trejo turned to boxing and a 12-step program, which began his turnaround.
And here is where the story goes Hollywood: Once on the outside, Trejo spoke at a 12-step meeting, and a young man called him for support. Trejo met him on the set of "Runaway Train." A fellow ex-convict recognized him, and offered him a gig training one of the stars, Eric Roberts. When he did so well with that, the director offered him a feature role in the movie. And Trejo was on his way.
The tattooed Mexican-American landed a role in "Desperado," and has served as a muse for director Robert Rodriguez ever since, appearing in 8 of his movies and leading him to the starring role of "Machete."
Though Trejo's star is soaring, one of his fellow "Machete" actors -- who has also had real-life troubles -- should be happy to have a bit part: Lindsay Lohan.
See a video short of Trejo returning to his childhood neighborhood in East Los Angeles as a conquering hero.
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Searches Soar on Hurricane Earl
by Mike Krumboltz
Hurricane Earl has been brewing over the Atlantic Ocean for several days, and is now swirling toward America's East Coast. People who fear they may be in harm's way are going online for the latest on the storm's path and destructive power.
Over the past 24 hours, online lookups for "hurricane earl path" have more than doubled. Related queries on "hurricane earl tracker" and "hurricane earl pictures" have also soared.
The Category 3 hurricane, which is as large as the state of California, is projected to approach North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Gov. Bev Purdue was quoted as saying, "We're very ready, as ready as anybody can be." By Friday night, experts predict it will hit parts of southeastern New England.
In North Carolina, where Earl poses a particular danger, searches are especially high. Lookups on "hurricane earl 2010 track" are up 146% and "hurricane earl path" surged 64%, placing the term among the state's top 75 overall lookups. There is also massive Web interest in "hurricane earl wind speeds." According to CNN, the sustained wind is around 125 mph, with gusts up to 165 mph.
While there is tremendous search interest in things like "hurricane kits" and "storm shutters," people are most interested in tracking the hurricane. A buzzy article from the AP explains that predicting a hurricane's path is getting easier to do, thanks to high-tech computers.
You can follow Earl via The Weather Channel's easy-to-read map. The National Weather Service, a government-run site, includes a "5-day forecast cone" and coastal watches.
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Photo-Sensitive Issues: Ansel Adams vs. Uncle Earl
by Vera H-C Chan
Is it Ansel Adams or Uncle Earl?
Back in July, a man named Rick Norsigian claimed the photographic find of the decade at a Fresno, Calif., garage sale, where he paid only $45 for long-lost glass negatives from renowned photographer Ansel Adams. The story made international headlines, but naysayers, including Adams' own kin, immediately accused Norsigian of being an Adams groupie on a decade-long "obsessive quest" to have the negatives declared the real thing.
Now experts are trickling in to dampen the claim for good, including a reversal from an art consultant that Norsigian originally hired to authenticate the work.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust filed a lawsuit on August 23 over trademark rights violations.
This week, the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona put out a statement saying "We have no reason to believe that these negatives are, in fact, the work of Ansel Adams."
Robert C. Moeller III, a former curator at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts says he made a mistake, and opting for the Uncle Earl Theory, named after Earl Brooks, the man who may have shot the Adams' lookalikes.
The Ansel Adams Uncle Earl theory
Who is Earl Brooks, and how did his name surface? After Norsigian's press conference in July, an 87-year-old woman named Marian Walton stepped forward and declared to CNN that the image belonged to her Uncle Earl, who had lived in Fresno in the 1920s. Why was she so gosh-darn sure? Walton said one picture matched exactly the one hanging in her bathroom. And it was looking at Walton's collection that made Moeller backtrack on his authentication.
Uncle Earl, according to The Canadian Press, was born 1897 in Visalia, Calif. He attended Stanford University, drove an ambulance in France during the Great War, then moved east in 1926 and opened a Delaware photography studio. There, he took portraits for moneyed folks who could afford this newfangled luxury during the Depression, and one of his clients included the Du Ponts.
He never did profit from his nature photos (National Geographic sent him a rejection letter), although his 90-year-old stepdaughter's sure the comparison to Adams would be flattering. Uncle Earl later moved back to California, and lived in Fresno.
Sticking to the Adams claim
Meanwhile, "Team Norsigian" has been hard at work disputing the doubters. Norsigian's attorney, Arnold Peter, points out the University Arizona center has never seen
the negatives. As for the reversal, a press release on Norsigian's site says the shift reflects Moeller's "opinion."
As for the Uncle Earl Theory, a peculiar August press release claimed proof lay with the garage sale dude himself: Norsigian tracked down 81-year-old Irving Schwartz, who said he bought the negatives in Huntington Beach. The press release also went on to say that Schwartz wouldn't say another word without "being 'compensated for information.'" (Maybe he was still smarting over selling the negatives for $45, instead of the $75 he was asking.)
Then again, Norsigian hasn't been hedging his bets, either: His website ($1,500 or $7,500 for a precious print) has a sold as-is disclaimer if the pics weren't shot by Adams.
Adams vs. Brooks on exhibit
A side-by-side comparison seems the best solution. Attorney Peter told the Los Angeles Times that he has been trying to get permission to bring independent experts to the Center for Creative Photography. In the same article, the center associate librarian said anyone can make a research appointment.
People who fancy themselves as Adams experts can judge for themselves in a California roadtrip. Norsigian's photos will be on display at a Beverly Hills gallery called David W. Streets on Sept. 25, while Walton's prints will be appearing at the Scott Nichols Gallery in San Francisco.
And if these are indeed negatives from Brooks, how much could they sell for? Estimates Moeller, about $25. With 65 glass negatives, that's still a tidy profit from a $45 garage-sale buy.
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'Shrek Fish' Makes Waves
by Mike Krumboltz
And you thought Shrek liked hanging out only in his swamp. Turns out there's a fish that greatly resembles the green ogre swimming off the coast of Japan.
A buzzy video shot by a scuba diver made its way to WYFF in Greenville, South Carolina. The station explains that this particular fish is an Asian Sheepshead Wrasse, and it is relatively common. What's less common is that this particular fish, estimated to be about 30 years old, bears a startling resemblance to the grouchy ogre. The head, the chin, the beady eyes ? it's all there. Alas, no sign of Donkey or Fiona.
[ Photos: Dog that looks like a panda bear, and other animal double-takes] The fish are well known for having odd protrusions on their heads, but ol' Shrek is something else entirely. You can check out the fish in the video below, courtesy of WYFF.
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Other popular stories on Yahoo!:
? Golfer's wild swing sparks 25-acre wildfire
? Tennis players collapses, is wheeled off court at US Open
? Stars, politicians, who passed on "Dancing with the Stars"
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Crop Marks Emerge on English Countryside
by Mike Krumboltz
There's something odd going on in the United Kingdom. Unusual crop patterns are surfacing near Bradford Abbas, Dorset. But unlike most crop circle stories, this one doesn't involve rumors of visitors from another planet. This time the circles come from civilizations past.
The BBC hosts an intriguing article that helps to make some sense of the mystery. Thousands of years ago, there were prehistoric and Roman settlements across the English countryside. In the years since, crops have grown where the settlements used to be. Thanks to the crop marks, the settlements are never really gone.
English Heritage, an organization that "promotes and protects" the nation's historic environment, has remarked that these discoveries are being aided by this year's dry weather and the Icelandic ash cloud from several months back.
English Heritage senior investigator Dave MacLeod explains that "Cropmarks are always at their best in dry weather, but the last few summers have been a disappointment." This is the best summer since the drought of 1976 for viewing the marks.
Aerial photographs "show marks made when crops growing over buried features develop at a different rate from those nearby." Up close, they're impossible to see. But from the air, a pattern emerges.
Photos: See images of the crop marks.
Of course, the "discoveries" are really nothing more than faded lines, but they do offer a long-lost look into English history. Some crop marks reveal an outline of what was once a "lightly built defensive enclosure." Others reveal livestock enclosures, trackways, and field systems.
Other popular Yahoo! stories:
? Washington Post suspends columnist for Twitter hoax.
? Tiger Woods snaps up NYC bachelor pad.
? Plans for Gettysburg casino stir outrage.
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Recalls, Rescues, Reversals: August 2010 Buzz
by Vera H-C Chan
Not everything was what it seemed this August, and we're not even talking about the Iraqi drawdown or the annual Mars hoax. Everyday staples like eggs harbored sickly bacteria, romantic vows became untangled, a "folk hero" regretted his actions, and a booted CEO found profit in disgrace. Even the groundswell of support for miners trapped 2,300 feet underground may not be what it seems. Below, the news that, by all appearances, triggered some further online digging.
Recalling the recall
As reported in an earlier post, 2007 may have been dubbed "year of the recall" too soon. These days, bad eggs sent searchers on Yahoo! scrambling for recall lot numbers to see if they harbored any infected products in their refrigerators. That wasn't the only call-backs, as warnings came out on tainted beef, too-hot GPS devices, and unhealthy medicine. After years of restraint, however, federal agencies now are being pumped up to crack down on companies with too many violations ? perhaps starting on the offending egg farms with 8-foot tall manure piles.
Miners in limbo
In a year of workplace disasters, the Chileans miners' situation is at once good news and nightmarish. The good was that the 33 men survived a copper-gold mine collapse that trapped them 2,300 feet in the earth. The nightmare is how much longer these men must stay ? at most optimistic two months, most realistically four months. By most accounts, including the miners' own, they are holding up as best can be expected, and one took the opportunity to propose a formal church wedding to his longtime partner. Yet as the world looks on upon this rescue effort, the miners and their families may suffer another survival issue: The San Esteben mining company, with its license suspended, says it can't afford to pay their salaries and the Chilean mining minister says labor laws prevent any government payouts.
No take-backs here
Three more case studies in the reversals department: Case One: Days after Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston (+3,613% in searches) announced their engagement, a hidden baby mama surfaced and ended the union. Now Johnston wants to take back his apology to his almost mom-in-law, and Palin will follow the Melissa Rycroft jilted route and work issues out on "Dancing with the Stars." Case Two: JetBlue attendant Steven Slater flirted with folk hero status after an on-the-job meltdown and emergency chute escape, but actually he really wanted his job. The JetBlue CEO may beg to differ. Case Three: The HP board made CEO Mark Hurd resign, after he settled a sexual harassment case, for dodgy expense reports. Disgrace so far has so far earned a $12.2 million exit package plus much more, and possibly another $30 million in stock sales.
Yahoo! August 2010 Web-Hot Searches
Search Terms with the Biggest Percentage Changes
Egg Recall (off the charts). See above.
Earnest Borgnine (+32.086%). The 92 year old actor will get a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Girlfriend (+20,702%). His ex is Karina Smirnoff, but his newest dance partner will likely be Kirstie Alley.
Maia Campbell (+18,127). A camera caught the "In the House" actress and daughter of the late novelist Bebe Moore Campbell possibly under the influence. She's currently in the same rehab facility as Lindsay Lohan .
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2010 (+18,119). Celebrating No. 70 with a Rock'N'Rev Festival with bands like Guns N'Roses, Wolfmother, and Daughtry.
Patricia Neal (+16,858). The Oscar winner, who starred in pivotal movies such as "Hud" and "A Face in the Crowd," died at age 84.
Ms Universe 2010 (+16,397%). What can we say ? it's officially Miss, but some prefer Ms.
Salmonella Symptoms (+12,335%). With bad eggs and meat, people are sensitive about feeling queasy.
Craigslist Killer (+12,047%). Philip Markoff, accused of killing a masseuse, committed suicide on August 15; now Lifetime wants to do a telepic.
Prop 8 (+10,847%). A federal judge ruled the same-sex marriage ban in California as unconstitutional.
Biggest Search Terms
Lindsay Lohan
Miss Universe 2010
Britney Spears
Miley Cyrus
Angelina Jolie
Megan Fox
Lady Gaga
Elin Nordegren
Kim Kardashian
Jessica Simpson
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Prep Is Back: New Handbook for a New Age
by Claudine Zap
Brace yourselves: Prep is back. Prepare to put on that frayed Polo shirt, don the duck boots and grab your L.L. Bean tote. But instead of "The Official Preppy Handbook" to guide you, there's the new, updated version: "True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World."
The author, Lisa Birnbach, has waited 30 years since her last publication on prepdom to teach the latest generation about the ways of the preppie. This time around, WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) do not rule.
The new millenium prep is way more inclusive than the old prep. Michelle and Barack Obama are, after all, preps. At least according to the new book. So are the movie director M. Night Shyamalan and New York deli king Eli Zabar (both prep school grads). Who knew that Stephen Colbert, (yes, that Stephen Colbert) went to the preppiest college in the country, Hampden-Sydney. That might explain his uniform of Brooks Brothers suits.
What's new since 1980? One big update: The introduction of synthetic fleece to the prepster's wardrobe. (Think Patagonia.) The old handbook was all about natural fibers (usually with little critters printed on them). Also, brands like Tory Burch and J. Crew, which didn't exist back in the '80s, are featured this time around.
Relax, fans of the old prep: The classics are still included, like Lacoste, Sperry Top-Siders, and Ralph Lauren. And probably can be dug out of a deep closet. (In fact, the chapter on fashion is called "I Just Found It in My Closet.")
Prep etiquette is also refreshed for the new realities: How to remarry, dress for a funeral, when to text (not at the table).
Speaking of new technology, preps-in-training are hitting the Web to look up the new, old look. Searches on "true prep" skipped up Yahoo! with a 400% one-day increase. Lookups for "preppy handbook," "preppy clothing," and that "preppy look" also shot up.
In case you don't quite appreciate what's old as new again: The original preppy handbook, which went for $4.95 back in the 1980s can be had ? new ? for upwards of $149. Muffy would be proud.
You can check out a behind-the-scene video of the making of "True Prep" fashion chapter here.
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Keeping Tabs on Hurricane Earl
by Mike Krumboltz
Hurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona have some people worried. Web searches on "hurricane earl tracker" have soared an astounding 1,505% in the past 24 hours. Related lookups on "hurricane earl path" are up 408% and "hurricane earl forecast" searches have spiked 725%.
Clearly, people are concerned that they might be in the storm's path. Fortunately, there are a variety of online resources to help folks follow the hurricane, monitor its strength, and prepare for any worst-case scenarios.
Follow its path
The Weather Channel offers constant updates, and an easy-to-read map on Earl's projected path. Keep in mind that this is subject to change, so check back often.
The National Weather Service, a government-run site, is another excellent resource. As on Weather.com, the maps here are updated as quickly as news warrants. Visitors can also check out the glossary of disaster terms if, for example, they want to know the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon.
Monitor its strength
It's hard to beat the National Weather Service here. The site lists hurricane wind speed probabilities for up to 120 hours out. There is also a chart of probable maximum one-minute wind speeds.
Want a closer look at Earl's strength and path? Stormpulse offers larger, and perhaps easier-to-follow, maps.
Be prepared
In the several days since Earl became a very real threat to those on the East Coast, Web searches on "hurricane preparedness" have soared nearly 200%. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers tips and guidelines on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.
FEMA.gov also hosts a section on how to prevent hurricanes from causing excessive damage to your property. And the agency has a handy chart on how to respond in the event of an evacuation.
Rule number one: Keep a full tank of gas in your car if you think a hurricane is likely. Gas stations shut down during storms.
How hurricanes are named
Hurricanes are given regular-sounding names so they'll be easy for people to identify and follow. FEMA explains that "the World Meteorological Organization uses six lists in rotation. The same lists are reused every six years." When a storm is particularly deadly, as was the case with 2005's Katrina, the name is retired. Katia replaced Katrina.
For a list of all the possible hurricane names for both the Atlantic and North Pacific, check out the National Hurricane Center.
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Why the Miner Rescue Takes Months
by Mike Krumboltz
The Chilean miners have been trapped 2,300 feet underground for nearly four weeks. The specific cause of the collapse isn't yet clear.. According to estimates, the 33 miners won't be rescued until sometime near Christmas, four months from now. The drilling is now underway, but many Web searchers are wondering why the process takes so long. Here's the layman's explanation.
There are two main problems that make an underground rescue like this such a long and tedious endeavor. The first is that the miners are buried under solid rock. This isn't dirt, so it's not as simple as getting some construction equipment and digging. The rock itself can't be moved, so it must be drilled through. Even for experts with top of the line resources, this takes a long time.
The second problem comes from the miners' end. As the rescuers drill down, rock will inevitably fall on the trapped men. An AP article on USA Today explains that miners will have to "aid their own escape" by "clearing thousands of tons of rock that will fall as the rescue hole is drilled." If the miners don't keep the bottom clear of debris, the rescue hole could fill up. That would delay the rescue even further, an outcome nobody wants.
Experts seem to think there is little risk that the rescue attempt could put the miners in greater danger. What's troubling is whether the miners can stay healthy, both mentally and physically, given their incredible circumstances. Already, just several weeks in, the miners are showing some health
issues. According to experts who have watched videos of the miners below
ground, some are showing signs of skin problems, and others are
suffering from depression.
To help combat the mental fatigue, the miners have assigned themselves jobs. For example, one miner named Yonnie Barrios has been assigned head of medicine. Others workers collect safety supplies from the surface, while another group works on fortification. The men are sending up urine samples so doctors can do their best to monitor their health.
There is also considerable Web interest in "Plan B," an accelerated plan for freeing the miners. Plan B would take about two months, and has the backing of many. But, according to CNN, the country's mining minister quickly cautioned against setting what he called 'unreasonable expectations.'
The AFP has some specifics on the drill being used to rescue the miners. "The giant Strata 950 machine will bore a 33-centimeter (13-inch) pilot hole that must then be widened by a special drill bit." Once that hole has been made, the special drill bit will widen the hole to somewhere between 60 and 70 centimeters (or about two feet).
The hope is that that hole will be wide enough for the rescuers to lower a kind of escape pod. One by one the miners will be lifted up to the surface.
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