UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Students told not to ditch for 'Twilight'

SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- School officials in California's Orange County said students were warned not to ditch school to see the new entry in the "Twilight" film series.

Officials with the individual school districts said students were told they would be marked truant if they were absent without a valid excuse and teachers have been instructing students to wait until the evening to see "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the latest entry in the film series based on the popular novels for teens, the Orange County Register reported Friday.

"I would think the best time to see the movie is in the evening, so it's a 'bad' idea to miss school," said Mark Eliot, the spokesman at Tustin Unified School District.

Administrators said school districts loses $20 to $40 in state funding for each student absence.

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Web site lists 'Great Airport Museums'

MANHATTAN BEACH, N.Y., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A California-based tourism Web site's list of "Five Great Airport Museums" includes destinations in San Francisco and the Netherlands.

VirtualTourist.com said the San Francisco Airport Museum topped the list with exhibits including Mediterranean pottery and an analysis of the evolution of eyeglasses in the 20th century.

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which was second on the list, has hosted works by renowned artists including Mondrian and Van Gogh. The museum also features a large museum gift shop.

The No. 3 spot on the list, Arizona's Phoenix Sky Airport, has a permanent collection, including mixed media, ceramic sculpture and fine-art prints as well as pieces on loan from other museums.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, chosen as fourth by the Web site, features aviation-themed exhibits including airline ashtrays from the mid-20th century.

Finishing off the list was the Albany International Airport Gallery in Albany, N.Y., which features innovative artwork including exhibits on everyday objects as art.

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Web sites blamed for sex industry slump

CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Experts said Australia's sex industry, which has experienced a 6 percent drop in revenue during the past year, is being hurt by online dating sites.

Edward Butler, a senior analyst for independent business information analysis firm IBISWorld, said Australia's $1.09 billion sex industry lost $67.6 million during the past financial year while the market for strippers and exotic dancers grew, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday.

Butler said the drop in revenue could be attributed to the growing popularity of online dating sites that make it easier for people seeking casual sex to find one another.

"The rapid growth in online services means it has never been easier for like-minded individuals to organize casual liaisons for little or no cost," Butler said.

Chris Seage, spokesman for the Adult Business Association of New South Wales, agreed that Web sites are likely negatively impacting the sex industry.

"It's a lot cheaper to hook on a matchmaker site, pay a much smaller fee and engage in casual sex that way. It's an emerging issue for the industry," he said.

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Carjacking brings debt to victim

ROSELLE, Ill., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman whose car was stolen and totaled by an escaped suspect says she is facing thousands of dollars of debt from the incident.

Domenica Saverino, 32, of Roselle, Ill., said she still owes $10,600 on the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta stolen Sept. 18 by Robert Maday, a bank robbery suspect who escaped from authorities as he was being taken to court Sept. 17. The carjacked vehicle was totaled at the end of a police chase, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald reported Friday.

Saverino said she has also received a $3,369 bill from a collection agency for a car damaged by Maday while he was driving the Jetta.

The woman said her insurance company agreed to pay $6,400 minus her $500 deductible toward the $10,000 she owes on the car. However, Saverino said she believes the car is worth more than the sum offered by Direct Auto Insurance Co. and has hired a lawyer to look into increasing the payout.