UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Alors! Romney caught speaking French

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The latest ad from U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's campaign attacks rival Mitt Romney on a number of fronts, including speaking French.

Among other things, the ad, "The French Connection," tries to draw parallels to Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and the Bay State's U.S. Sen. John Kerry, a Democratic presidential nominee.

After showing a few seconds of Kerry speaking French, the ad immediately cuts to a clip of Romney speaking French when he ran the 2002 Winter Olympics committee.

With an accordion playing in the background, the voiceover called Romney a "Massachusetts moderate who ran away from Ronald Reagan."

The ad was posted to Gingrich's Web site Thursday.

"Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney -- he'll say anything to win. Anything," the narrator. "And just like John Kerry he speaks French, too."

Gingrich is working to gain on Romney, who won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary heading into the South Carolina primary Jan. 21.

Woman finds love letter from 1862

MORUP, Sweden, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A Swedish woman who discovered pages covered in handwriting while walking in the countryside said she was shocked to read they were from 1862.

Susann Bollo, 45, of Stockholm, said she was walking with her boyfriend, Roger Bengtsson, in a field outside of Morup when she came across the folded pages covered in handwriting, The Local reported Friday.

"I cried out to Roger that the letter was from '62," Bollo said.

However, she took a closer look and discovered the date on the letter, which was written by a woman named Lina to her "beloved," named Otto, and found it was actually dated July 24, 1862.

"The fields were frosty so the pages were completely dry. It must have come in with the storm, 'Emil,' the day before," Bollo said. "The letter was only a few meters from a water-filled ditch. It would have only taken a breath of wind to take it off into the water where it would have been destroyed."

"Of course, it makes you wonder who Lina and Otto were," Bollo said. "It would be really fun to find out."

2012 has three Friday the 13ths

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A University of Delaware professor said this year is unique for having three Friday the 13ths, each spaced exactly 13 weeks apart.

Tom Fernsler, a math professor nicknamed Dr. 13, said most years have two Friday the 13ths, but 2011 had only one and 2012 will feature three, the first taking place Friday, the next April 13 and the final one on July 13, The (Wilmington, Del.) News-Journal reported Friday.

Fernsler said 2012 is the first year since 2009 to have three Friday the 13ths and it's the first time since 1984 to have three occurrences spaced 13 weeks apart.

Swedish insurance company Trygg-Hansa said its figures found Friday the 13th isn't particularly unlucky, despite common superstition, Swedish news agency TT/The Local reported.

Johan Eriksson of Trygg-Hansa said the company recorded 7 percent fewer accidents on Friday the 13ths than on an average day.

"The reported accidents are even fewer than on other Fridays, by 3 percent," Eriksson said.

However, Fernsler said superstitions surrounding the date abound.

"I find that 95 percent of people in the world are superstitious about something, and the other 5 percent are liars," he said.

Alleged police car thief surrenders

KOUTS, Ind., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Indiana police said a man accused of stealing and wrecking a police cruiser while handcuffed surrendered to officers at his home.

Kouts Police Chief James Boyce said William Blankenship of Knox, Ind., was arrested on drug charges Tuesday after being pulled over for speeding and he managed to move his handcuffs to the front of his body and get into the driver's seat of the patrol car while the officer was searching his vehicle, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday.

Boyce said Blankenship drove away in the patrol car and used its radio to ask dispatchers where he could find the vehicle's cigarette lighter and keys to remove his cuffs.

The vehicle was found Wednesday morning "wrecked and submerged in water" in a drainage ditch, the Porter County Sheriff's Office said.

Boyce said a pair of Indiana State Police troopers went to Blankenship's home Thursday night and he voluntarily surrendered himself.

Blankenship was taken to the Porter County Jail.