Watercooler Stories

Reportedly rare Beatles mementos are fake

LONDON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A British Beatles expert has proven a recently discovered suitcase filled with rare Fab Four memorabilia contains fake documents, BBC said Thursday.

Pete Nash of the British Beatles Fan Club examined the contents of a suitcase purchased last month at an Australian flea market, items thought to have belonged to former Beatles sound recordist Mal Evans, who died in 1976 and whose personal effects, including an extensive Beatles collection, were never recovered.

Instead of handwritten lyric sheets and rare photos, Nash found laser scanned photos from the 1990s, photocopies of music and no rare tapes.

"It's farcical, really," Nash said.

The discovery garnered headlines in July when the suitcase, purchased for less than $50, was thought to have been worth thousands because of its contents.

There also was no evidence the luggage or contents belonged to Evans, Nash said.

Peirsol disqualified, reinstated for gold

ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Aaron Peirsol won an Olympic gold medal Thursday night, lost it and then claimed it again to make it a big swimming evening for the United States.

Michael Phelps won his fourth gold and sixth medal overall and Amanda Beard triumphed as well as the Americans walked away with three of the four finals on the program.

Peirsol was the heavy favorite to win the 200-meter backstroke and did so comfortably for his second gold of the Games. He beat Markus Rogan of Austria by more than two seconds, but was then disqualified for an illegal turn at the 150-meter mark.

The Americans protested and less than 30 minutes later Peirsol was reinstated as the winner.

"It was a roller coaster," Peirsol said. "I really wasn't too worried."

Phelps led a 1-2 American finish in the 200 individual medley ahead of Ryan Lochte. Phelps has four golds and two bronzes with two events left to swim.

Beard won the 200 breaststroke for her sixth career Olympic medal.

The women's 100 freestyle was won by world record holder Jodie Henry of Australia. American Natalie Coughlin took bronze.

Report: Arnold to veto alien license bill

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to veto a controversial bill allowing undocumented aliens to obtain California drivers' licenses.

The Sacramento Bee said Thursday Schwarzenegger was dissatisfied with the measure's precautions against applicants using forged birth certificates or other fraudulent forms of identification.

The newspaper said some Latino lawmakers were miffed at what they saw Schwarzenegger reneging on an earlier pledge to sign the bill.

Proponents of the bill had argued that since scores of illegal aliens drive in California anyway, they should at least be licensed to ensure they know what they are doing and can obtain auto insurance.

But post-Sept. 11, 2001, concerns raised fears that terrorists could use a California license to get aboard an airliner.

E-flings: harmless fun or infidelity?

NEWBURYPORT, Mass., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The proliferation of online flings is causing couples across the country to ask whether such indiscretions are harmless fantasies or outright betrayals.

"It is a huge, huge issue. (The Internet) has changed the whole landscape of human sexual behavior. You've got this box on your desk that is accessible all the time with little or no effort. That just makes it too easy for a lot of people to communicate," author David Greenfield, who penned the recent book, "Virtual Addiction," told the Christian Science Monitor.

"People sneak down to their computers while their spouse is sleeping and engage in these behaviors. They don't have to meet someone at the bar."

A recent incident made front-page headlines in a small New England community when Brian Clancy, the husband of Newburyport, Mass., Mayor Mary Anne Clancy, assaulted a married gym teacher when he discovered their extramarital electronic fling.

Mayor Clancy, a mother of three, had exchanged several romantically oriented clandestine e-mail messages earlier this year with a married man, Jason Beauparlant, believing their exchanges would remain within the confines of her e-mail inbox and sent folder -- until her husband's attack brought their dalliance into full public view.