Sunday paper tidbits

Just a few...

- Many states on the Atlantic coast are sinking old subway cars in an effort to create artificial reefs for marine life. But some recently sunk stainless steel cars, thought strong enough to last 30 years, have already begun collapsing off the Atlantic City shoreline after only a few months. No one knows the cause, and environmental groups were more supportive of these cars than earlier "Redbird" cars that were carbon-grade steel and thought to not be able to last very long. But the Redbirds are still standing up, while the new stainless ones haven't. It is too cold for the Department of Environmental Protection to dive for inspections of more sites, so it is unknown if the problem is due to durability of the cars or something else such as deployment difficulties, damage by commercial fishing trawlers, or something else. A spokesperson for the New York MTA says "We're looking at anything and everything, including Godzilla" as to why the cars collapsed.

- Apparently the police blotter for Dutch Harbor, AK, is an entertaining read for people all over the world. As any of you Deadliest Catch fans know, Dutch Harbor is a fishing port off the Bering Sea, and the weekly police report details what happens when thousands of fishermen from around the world come together in one tiny town for shore leave. Written by a former wildlife biologist from Texas who is now a police sergeant up there, it looks like I may need to add this to my weekly "must reads" on the internet.

- So A-Rod is outed by Sports Illustrated as testing positive for steroids in 2003. Of course it's a big story up here since he now plays for the Yankees. But sadly there was a sidebar in the Star-Ledger highlighting "Team Tex-tosterone" detailing the six MVP-caliber players on the early-2000's Texas Rangers team under what are at least clouds of suspicion with steroid use. My poor Rangers - just can't get no respect (at least up here in Yankee land).

- Tonight is the Grammy Awards. And for as much as I miss my dear husband who is still out of town, unlike his wife he is not an awards show fan. So I'll get to look at all the pretty (and not-so pretty) dresses tonight without driving him crazy. Yay!