Steel and coal from the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage from the English port of Southhampton to New York City in 1912, has been transformed into a line of luxury wristwatches.
Swiss watch company Romain Jerome SA says that the watches from their new "Titanic-DNA" collection were made from a 3-pound piece of the Titanic's hull, purchased in 1991. To make the watches, which range from $7,800 to $173,000, Romain created an alloy using slab from the actual Titanic and steel from a Titanic replica.
The black dial faces of the watches are made of lacquer paint that includes coal recovered from the debris field of the Titanic wreck site, offered for sale by US company RMS Titanic Inc.
The company will make 2,012 watches to coincide with the centenary anniversary of the Titanic's sinking in 2012.
While one might say that these watches are gimmicky and in bad taste, Romain CEO Yvan Arpa disagrees, of course, advertising that the watches not only provide a really good story, but "a message of hope, of life stronger than death, of rebirth."
To add further insult to irony, the watches will be waterproof.
Nucor uses billboard to deflect blame for bad smell
While many Tuscaloosa, AL residents may blame Nucor Corp. for the infamously unpleasant smell that wafts along the banks of the Black Warrior River every morning, Nucor has put up a billboard to clear the air, reading:
"Smell something? It's not us. Steelmaking is odorless, just like steel."
Nucor Tuscaloosa's VP and general manager Randy Skagen told press about how he is trying to change the widely-believed misconception that the company is responsible for the smell, "Anytime I come in contact with someone, I tell them that the odor is not ours. People assume that the smell is from us because they see the steam that is coming from our plant, but it's odorless."
So who is responsible? Ron Gore, head of the air division for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) told press that the smell is most likely coming from local asphalt-making business, Warrior Asphalt. Residents agree that the odor is reminiscent of asphalt.
Warrior Asphalt does concede that they may be responsible for The Smell, which Ron Gore says is made worse in the early morning and late evening from topographic and atmospheric conditions, but Curtis Bale, general manager of Warrior Asphalt, insists that the smell is not dangerous and that the plant is under ADEM compliance. He also says that while Nucor doesn't smell, it does make a ruckus.
"I thought about renting the other side of that billboard and have it say, 'Hear the noise? It's not us. Asphalt is quiet,'" he said.
Real cars have curves
This month, the Phoenix Museum of Art launched the "Curves of Steel" exhibition - a showcase of what the museum calls "22 of the rarest and most stunning cars ever to be presented in one show."
Models from American and European car makers from the 1930's to the present day will be displayed, but the majority of the cars are from the 1930's, when designers started to incorporate a "streamlined" design.
The museum says that the cars on display "demonstrate the influence of aerodynamic testing and how it changed the look of the automobile from a rectangular 'horse-less' carriage into the sleek modern automobile that embodies speed and efficiency. They exemplify the beautiful, sweeping lines, elegant details and perfect proportions where science and style intersect."
Click here for more information about the exhibit and to order the 192-page, 200-photo book on the exhibit: http://www.phxart.org/exhibitions/curves.asp.
The exhibition will be open through June 3, 2007.
Bethlehem, PA says goodbye to steel, hello to slots
The 130-year-old Bethlehem Steel plant that provided armor for hundreds of US warships as well as the beams for the Golden Gate Bridge, Madison Square Garden and other famous landmarks is about to undergo a major metamorphosis: Las Vegas Sands, the company which bought the property, plans to demolish the old buildings to open a $600 million casino complex in the steel mill's place.
While many are sad to see the iconic plant go (though it hasn't made steel in over a decade), historians and former steelworkers are glad to see that some of the historic artifacts are being preserved. Sands said it will save over 20 buildings as well as a 60-foot long, 187,000-pound gun from a WWII battleship and the last piece of armor plate made in the United States.
Also staying put are the 20-story blast furnaces that have been part of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's city skyline for over 100 years. Sands will install architectural lighting to spotlight these testaments to Pennsylvania's bygone steelmaking era.
"These buildings are really important and we have to preserve that story," said Robert DeSalvio, president of Sands Bethworks Gaming LLC, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands. "The community wanted to make sure that the history of what was done here was not forgotten and we're going to honor that commitment."
By the end of 2008, Sands will have installed a casino with 3,000 slot machines. A 300-room hotel and 50,000-square-foot convention center will be open three months after that, and a casino addition with another 2,000 slot machines will open in summer 2009.