UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

5,000 pose nude in Australia

SYDNEY, March 1 (UPI) -- A photographer said about 5,000 people stripped nude on the steps of Australia's Sydney Opera House for a photo shoot.

Spencer Tunick, a U.S. photographer famous for his group shots of naked people, said his photography project, The Base, drew 5,000 nude participants Sunday morning, including professional rugby players and a woman expected to give birth to twins later in the day, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.

Tunick said the project, part of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, is designed to promote equality and diversity.

"My biggest challenge was to fill up this large space and make a 'base' of gay, lesbian and straight individuals to make a fabric," he said. "I think I did that. I think I accomplished what I set out to do artistically.

"I'm just very honored to be part of the Mardi Gras -- the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras -- and bring the straight community of Australia together with the gay community," Tunick said.

Dillinger, Capone memorabilia in auction

CHICAGO, March 1 (UPI) -- A Chicago auctioneer said it is selling off John Dillinger and Al Capone memorabilia that once belonged to a famous local collector.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers said bidding will open March 16 for part of the collection amassed by Harold Rubin, a collector who died in 2007 and was once known as the "king of Chicago pornography," the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

The items include a bulletproof vest purported to have been worn or stolen by Dillinger, a plaster mold of the gangster's death mask and Al Capone memorabilia including prohibition documents, room keys, poker chips and photographs.

Mary Williams, head of Leslie Hindman's rare books and manuscripts department, said Rubin admired Dillinger as a "Robin Hood" figure and was fascinated by Capone's power.

Rubin was famous for running Weird Harold's adult bookstore, massage parlor and nude modeling studio, a business that frequently landed him in court, Williams said.

Cold War bunker for sale on eBay

DERBY, England, March 1 (UPI) -- Online bids for a British nuclear bunker dating back to the Cold War era are approaching $30,000 on eBay.

The underground bunker, constructed in 1959 as a Royal Observer Corps post to monitor nuclear fallout, is advertised on eBay as a "rare opportunity the acquire a piece of Cold War history," The Telegraph on Sunday reported.

Bidding for the Derbyshire, England, bunker reached $29,525 Monday after 39 bids.

"The bunker is in a perfect location on farmland and offers the freedom of having your own land and bunker, but with the security of being on private land which is fenced and securely gated," the auction's description reads.

Bidding closes on the property March 7.

Man, 84, awarded high school diploma

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 1 (UPI) -- A Texas man who missed his senior year of high school to fight in World War II said he has finally received a diploma at the age of 84.

Orange Cunningham of Fort Worth said he was drafted into the army in 1944 and found himself too busy with family and work after returning to civilian life to finish his education, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Monday.

Family members said Cunningham never gave up his dream of someday obtaining a diploma and he was awarded an honorary document Sunday during a ceremony at Hope of Glory Kingdom Ministries. The ceremony was co-organized by state Rep. Marc Veasey, a Fort Worth Democrat, the Buffalo School District and the Texas Education Agency.

Cunningham wore a black cap and gown with a purple and gold tassel, the colors worn by Buffalo High School, which education officials said Cunningham would attend if he were a student today. He was presented with an honorary diploma.

Veasey said Cunningham was aided by a program aimed at helping veterans obtain diplomas.

"It wasn't unusual for veterans to make this sacrifice," Veasey said.