We're very happy to have Debbie Fletcher as our "guest blogger" today. Debbie is at the heart of the story "News To Me" brought you last weekend: The mystery surrounding the fate of the Attakulla Lodge that was submerged under 300 feet of water when the Jocassee Valley in South Carolina was flooded as part of a dam project. The Attakulla belonged to her family and holds too many childhood memories to count. Click the pic below to watch Eric's interview with Debbie.

Now, keep reading as Debbie picks up where our story left off and sheds some light on the lives of the men who were among the first to dive to the bottom of the lake:

Debbie Fletcher poses with "Team Attakulla."

As I watched the Jocassee story this weekend on "News To Me," many emotions surfaced once again. Some were happy memories of a carefree childhood; others were sad, realizing again that the valley is lost forever under what I used to refer to as a death shroud. It’s natural to want your family and friends around you to share your memories. That’s part of life: laughing and crying, living and dying. During the show, my husband Dave got up out of his chair and knelt down beside me as we watched together. He held my hand as I cried (and just between you and me, he was crying a little, too). My husband is a great source of strength for me, but he knows that as much as I love him, I have three other wonderful men in my life. I lovingly refer to these unassuming men as "my heroes." They are the divers who brought Jocassee back to me: Bill Routh, Charles Johnson, and Jackie Smith.

Bill Routh is the one with the vision – the one who contacted me about beginning our search for Attakulla Lodge which I thought was gone forever. If not for Bill, this new chapter in my story would never have taken place. Bill is also my dive instructor who had the patience of a saint during my dive lessons. Diving, shall we say, did not come naturally or easily for me.

Diver Charles Johnson

Another is Charles Johnson. I met Charles on August 4, 2004, a beautiful Saturday morning at Jocassee. He and his dive partner Jackie would be the first two divers to brave the deep, dark, cold waters of Lake Jocassee in hopes of locating my family homestead. Charles and I just "clicked" the first minute we met. He had a keen sense of the importance of this to me, and he was grateful to be a part. Charles is the diver who, when bottom time was running out, was intently searching for some token of the Lodge to bring me. On his way back to the line to begin his ascent, he saw a long, architectural item sticking out of an upstairs window. He pulled it out and managed to loop it on his arm and began his 1.5-hour trip back to the surface. What Charles had found was the sidelight that was part of the Lodge’s front door. It is now proudly displayed in my house and is my Jocassee treasure.

The third "other" man in my life is Jackie Smith. Jackie was known around the world for being a "gorilla diver" – the term given to divers who routinely do hard-core diving, well beyond the recreational and even technical limits of diving.

Diver Jackie Smith

Jackie had previously dived to a depth of approximately 450 feet. To say that Jackie was quiet and unassuming is an understatement. He was not a man to draw attention to himself but was more comfortable in letting others have the limelight. It was a sad day in early 2006 that I received a phone call from Charles saying that Jackie was dead. Team Attakulla had lost one of its finest men. He was so proud to have been a part of finding the Lodge, and he looked forward to many years of exploration – years that he would not have. I invite you to visit the memorial to Jackie that is on my website at JocasseeRemembered.com. Just click on the red and white dive flag on the home page. I believe you will then understand what a treasured friend he was to many.

Each time they dive on the Lodge, Jocassee emotions flood my mind, stirred as easily as the silt on the bottom of the lake. A mere flick, and poof! they swirl around like a powdery cloud, taking its time to settle once again. I thought that locating Attakulla Lodge and placing my book on the front porch would signify the end of this chapter in my life. I’m just now beginning to see that it will never end, and I don’t want it to. There is so much more to explore – so many questions yet to be answered. Attakulla Lodge is inviting us in . . . this adventure is really just beginning.

Debbie Fletcher

So... "News To Me" the Vegas edition. What did you think? Would Sinatra approve? It was a pretty big undertaking getting an easily distracted Eric Lanford all over town and through the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show. Luckily we had help.

Zach Honig from PCMag.com became a de facto part of the HLN/CNN team in Las Vegas. Whether he liked it or not! That's him in the photo above. No, not the gorgeous spokes model. Look over on the left... with his hand on his chin... in the background. That's Zach... and that is where Zach spent his time at CES... in the background. Making the rest of us look good, which is a much harder job than you might imagine. We thought that he might be a good "neutral party" to write today's blog post:

For a “print” guy, I’ve spent a lot of time around TV people in recent months. Between the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Beijing Olympics, I feel like I just can’t get away from the hustle and bustle of cable news. I’ve been able to stay behind the camera most of the time, and luckily, CES was no exception.

As the product reviews coordinator for PCMag.com, I spend much of the year meeting with a range of tech players, including home entertainment reps, iPhone game designers, and of course, computer manufacturers. But many of those meetings take place in NYC hotel suites or one of our conference rooms, last an hour or more, and are largely focused on a PowerPoint presentation—nothing like what I experienced at the world’s largest consumer electronics show, where booth visits often last less than a minute.

I’ve always wanted to cover CES, walking well over a million square feet while soaking in the latest tech exhibits. Having the show in Vegas doesn’t hurt, but that’s really not what the week is all about. This year, I finally had my chance to see it all, while meeting the teams that helped create the gadgets we covered during the week and throughout the year.

For the first full week of January, I left my reporter hat in the Northeast and became a full-time TV producer, tasked with selecting and securing gadgets for PCMag.com Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff's [HLN/CNN] segments (with a few appearances on *cough* the other networks). Most of my time was spent with CNN—I even took over one of the [HLN/CNN] workrooms for the week. During the show, Lance often wandered away from CNN’s booth in search of other hot gadgets to feature on his segments while I stayed put to research and receive product loans at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Lance and I worked closely with CNN.com producer Dan Wright and anchor Nicole Lapin, but I later had several opportunities to talk tech with HLN producer Grayson Thagard and “News To Me” host Eric Lanford. One afternoon while Lance was out and about, I headed to the Sands Convention Center with the HLN crew to check out some of the wackier gadgets at the show. From the second we stepped on the floor, Eric was in the zone, scanning the room for his first victim. Our first stop was at Mattel’s booth, where Eric played with the Mattel MindFlex, an electronic game that raises a small ball higher the more you concentrate.

I had my eye set on one other gadget at the Sands, so I tried to get Eric to head straight to the back of the hall after we left Mattel. It wasn’t nearly that easy: Eric stopped for a few minutes at the very next booth, and a third time after barely leaving the booth neighboring Mattel. Eric is a lot of fun, but man [he] loves to wander. Grayson (Eric’s producer) and I were joking that he would even stop to check out [something as mundane as] a water ionizer a few booths up. Grayson said he wouldn’t put it past him, but I was surprised when he actually stopped at the booth: “Whoa — what’s this do?”

From what I could tell, the Mattel MindFlex seemed to be a hit with Eric, as was the Liquid Image scuba mask video camera that we saw later that afternoon. Some of my “best of show” gadgets were the Palm Pre, the Powermat home power concept (think wireless power on every surface in your home), and the Samsung OLED displays that we featured on some of Lance’s CNN.com segments. Post CES, I’m back to playing with a never-ending parade of gadgets at PCMag.com, but I hope to be back with the HLN crew at CES 2010. Until then, enjoy the warm(er) weather in Atlanta while I freeze my butt off in NYC!

Ciao,
Zach Honig – (twitter.com/zachhonig)

A very cool guest blogger for you today. You met him just briefly in last weekend's edition of "News To Me." He was pretty hard to miss actually. Did you see the the 27 inch tall mohawk? It's attached to his head! Sure, he's in a punk band called "The Filthy Few," and he hangs out with the guys from "Bloodcow" and "Cordial Spew," but Eric Hahn isn't the angry rocker you might expect...

Check out Eric Hahn and his record breaking Mohawk on "News To Me"

Eric Hahn lets his hair down

Eric Hahn lets his hair down

It's pretty simple. I was sick of my hair. It had become a pain in the rear, and I wanted to cut it off. I am a bit of a procrastinator, so I didn't do it right away. I guess being lazy and putting things off can sometimes be a good thing, because after a few months of NOT cutting my hair, this is what happened.

One day I came across a clip of the guy with the world's tallest Mohawk on the Ellen Degeneres Show. I gotta say I was a bit surprised at the length of the tallest Mohawk, only 24 inches. I thought it would be taller. "Well...I can beat that..." I thought. I did some research, and found that indeed the record was still officially 24 inches, and had not been challenged since 2004. That's when it sank in; I could really become a world record holder, at least for a while. I was cutting my hair anyway. Now there was no choice. If it can be done, it must be done! I put my application in to Guinness, and waited for their response.

This is when I started to notice something that determined the course I took to breaking this record. I work at Universal Information Services, a media monitoring company in Omaha, scanning newspapers from all over the country. I saw articles about world record attempts, and not just in one paper here and there. One attempt would be covered by news all over the country. This could possibly grow some legs; get some attention. Not only that, but I knew that Todd and Jim Murphy, owners of Universal Info, could help insure that it got some attention with their 40+ years in the business. They ended up being instrumental.

Ok, now my brain went into overdrive. I have to put on a show with my band, The Filthy Few, and sport the Mohawk on stage. And it has to be for charity, Locks of Love was the obvious choice. I wanted to do get a local charity involved as well, and I had already known about Project Nightlights here in Omaha. I need a stylist, and a good place to hold the event. It must have a tall ceiling. I need to promote this. It's going to cost some money. I am broke. I need a website, and a venue. I need some bands. I need to do some research. I need money. I need help!

I found that it was going to be very difficult to bring Guinness to Nebraska, or go to one of their conventions, due to money constraints. This was definitely going to be a grass roots effort. My only hope was sponsorship. I approached Todd Murphy with Universal, and he liked the idea. Next was Smitty at Big Brain Productions. Having broke a world record himself for most piercings on one person, he was eager to help. Then, I went to Scott McCaig at Capitol School of Hair Styling, and I am glad I did! The stylists Elliot and Katie were skilled and professional, and it was a perfect place to hold the press conference. I called some old friends who are local business owners: Ed at Paradigm Gardens, Mark at United Services of America, and Nikki at Hebe GB Tattoo. I also made some new friends who supported the cause at Capes Comic Book Lounge, Omaha Fight Club, Paparazzi by Appointment, The Reader, 89.7 The River, 1% Productions, and The Waiting Room. I needed someone to record this whole ridiculous venture. Wayne Brekke had just documented a local Zombie Walk (which also aired on CNN), and It was clear that he was the man for the job. Finally, the bands: Bloodcow, Cordial Spew, Live Wire, and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. All of these people contributed in a big way, and they more than deserve the recognition I gave them here. I would like to add Bobbi Lovejoy, who made the banner, and my girlfriend Allyson Richard, who helped with design and had to put up with my relentless obsession towards the final outcome.

It all came together on November 14th, 2008. I broke the world record [with a 27 inch tall mohawk], the benefit show raised over $850 for charity, and this got way more attention than I ever thought it would. Thanks to CNN [Headline News], "News To Me," and Eric Lanford for commenting that my world record hair just might have made me the coolest person in the world. Of course, he is wrong. Everyone knows that Lanford himself… is the coolest person in the world!

Cheers!
Eric Hahn

This week's guest blogger is someone who is uniquely qualified to offer up his thoughts on the last episode of "News To Me." In fact, he is one of the people who is responsible for making sure the rest of us can see the show every weekend. His name is Jim and he's a Master Control Operator, one of the unsung heroes of the networks of CNN. Without getting too technical, Master Control in Atlanta is the last place a show goes before it leaves CNN Center on the way to your house, and the people who run those control rooms are captive audiences to everything that happens on our air. Master Control Operators make sure that shows like "News To Me" run on time and look good on TV.

As you might imagine, because they watch so much CNN, Master Controllers have very strong opinions about what's ON CNN. Jim is no exception. Jim also comes to work every morning at 5, which tends to make him a little edgy and sarcastic (a lot sarcastic actually), so keep that in mind while you read the following:

James Argendeli manning Headline News Master Control in Atlanta, GA

During the week of Thanksgiving, I received an interesting request delivered via e-mail. Among the countless contest-winning, new-job, meet-your-perfect-mate offers and all those OTHER "personal enhancement" emails (you know the ones I mean) – was a request to write a blog [entry] for the CNN Headline News show "News To Me." My first reaction was that somehow this had been mailed to me by accident. [Or] maybe [associate] producer Grayson Thagard had lost a bet and had to pick the most unlikely person to write a blog [entry] about this show.

I'm considered part of the technical crew, at least by title. In Master Control – the nerve center of the network - I run a replay of "News To Me" on Monday morning at the ungodly time of 5:30 a.m.

I used to moonlight at CNN.com where I wrote a column reviewing some amazing writers such as F. Paul Wilson, Stephen King, and Simon Clark.

Yes, that must be it. My words of wisdom were missed by the millions of people who bought those books by the aforementioned writers!

So I thought here is my chance for more worldwide fame.

"News To Me" with everyone’s favorite host Eric Lanford is the most awesome show ever!!!!!!!!!!!

That is it. It is all I have. I mean come on folks what do you want from me? Think about it. "News To Me" is a 21st century version of that 80’s NBC show "Real People." Except ["Real People"] had more hosts. In this modern day economy, I suppose Headline News can only afford one host. You [do] remember that show "Real People." Who am I kidding? Most of you who watch "News To Me" weren't even born by 1980.

Some of the video [on "News To Me"] showing actual news footage such as natural disasters and human-interest stories [is] important. Eric does seem interested in some of the people who put themselves [in the action] for their fifteen minutes of “free/unpaid” fame.

If you’re wondering how some of the lighter weight videos ever made it to air on a cable news show, just imagine the ones that didn’t. You think the "American Idol" wannabes sound bad. You should see what the producers have to sift through every day. They could come up with a whole other show [and] call it "People who have nothing better to do with their time."

I do not mean to come across as angry. After all, it is the time of year to put aside these thoughts and think of good will toward people. All right, I’ll try. Help out your community by volunteering at a food bank, clean up a community park, visit with an elderly home-bound, or even call your parents, and while you are at it spread the word to everyone you know to watch "News To Me."

And keep in mind that every Monday at 5:30 a.m., yours truly will be making sure all the technical planets are properly aligned and "News To Me" makes air yet again… while Eric is sleeping the dreamless sleep of a TV personality. Happy Holidays!

-James Argendeli

You think your commute is tough!? Musician Amy Sanchez had the drive of her life en route to a concert recently. We featured Amy and her drive through the flames that scorched Southern California on "News To Me" last weekend. She not only made it through the fire, but...

You know, I should really let Amy tell her story... it's a good one, which is why we asked her to be this week's "News To Me" guest blogger!

Not just another gig...

As a freelance musician in Los Angeles, traffic and distracted, multi-tasking drivers are a common hazard in driving from gig to gig. It's just part of the job. And sometimes having to allow 3 hours between the last lesson you're teaching and the concert that evening, even though it should only be a 1 hour drive... that's just part of the job, too. You never know "in traffic". What's not part of the job, however, is carpooling with friends to a concert and literally driving into a wall of flames on the freeway!

Click above to watch the story featuring Amy and several other citizen journalists who faced the flames.

The recent fires throughout Southern California were devastating to many families. I'm sure anyone who found themselves near the fire quickly realized they were powerless in it's path. I was lucky, in that I just passed through the fire – it wasn't threatening my home or family. In light of my good fortune, the whole experience was amazing to witness, and surreal at the same time. I don't envy those who lost their homes and now have to rebuild their whole lives – for them, a surreal situation has become very real.

I was on my way to perform with the Riverside County Philharmonic (I play the French Horn) , carpooling with 3 other musicians from Long Beach. We had been following the fires on the news all morning, knowing that the Yorba Linda fire wasn't far from the 91 Freeway we were planning to take to Riverside. The winds were very strong, gusting up to 80mph, and were blowing embers all over, which in turn, started new fires. We allowed extra time to travel in case we ran into road closures and had to find a route around the fires, but the Eastbound lanes of the 91 remained open. As we headed closer to the fires, the smoke blocked out the sun and colored the sky in menacing reds and oranges. That's when I pulled out my camera, which I try to keep with me – you never know what you're going to want to remember... The thick black smoke at the center of the fires looked like a war-zone, and we were headed straight for it... but traffic was still moving, right? And you don't stop in traffic. Until, all of a sudden, the cars in front of us did stop and it seemed no one knew what to do. At this point, we clearly saw spot fires on the opposite side of the freeway and realized that the fire was crossing the road ahead of us. Drivers at the edge of the fire must have stopped when flames and smoke whipped across the road directly in front of them. Deciding it a better option to get past the fire than sit directly in front of it, trapped on a freeway, these cars started darting through the smoke to get out of danger. So traffic was moving again, and it was our turn. All cars were squeezing into lanes as far away from the fire as possible, and as we drove through the black smoke, bits of flames and embers hit the car and can be seen flicking up the windshield. The fire in the Anaheim Hills Apartments had just started on the opposite side of the freeway. Aside from our amazement at what we had just experienced, the rest of the drive was uneventful – and we even made it to the performance on time. Traffic is never an excuse to be late to a gig...

Life as a freelance musician can be interesting, as almost everyday is different, and your "office" is rarely in the same place! It may not be the most stable line of work, but for me, it is worth it to do what I love. I've had the opportunity to perform throughout the United States and across the world, with different ensembles and in varying genres of music. And often, these types of crazy situations present themselves – whether it be climbing Mt. Fuji in the middle of the night in Japan, traveling to the West Bank in Israel, floating in the Dead Sea, or almost being hit by another vehicle while packed in an auto-rickshaw in India! I've performed with a touring Broadway production throughout the US, Canada and Japan, recorded for a Bollywood film in India, played an opera in Israel, toured with a wind ensemble in India and Ireland, and had tons of random gigs in Los Angeles. I've played with everything from rock bands to church choirs to jazz bands, done studio recording for film and television, and even played in the orchestra for "The Hour of Power" at the Crystal Cathedral. Not to mention the countless orchestral concerts... So, yes, I'd have to say I enjoy life as a freelance musician. I've begun to document my travels and experiences on my website, and I've included music that I've written and performed. I'm constantly looking for the next opportunity, so if you've ever wanted to collaborate with a horn player, check it out – you can contact me from the site. And you can be sure I won't be late for the gig... flames or not.

I would like to thank Eric and "News To Me" for including my video in their fire coverage. ["News To Me" Coordinating Producer] Mike Kane was especially helpful and fun to work with on my part of the segment. It has been a crazy week full of unanticipated media attention for something I had originally just planned to show to family and friends, so you can imagine my excitement at being part of a CNN [Headline] News production! Guess I'll chalk this one up to just another day in the life of a freelance musician...

-Amy Sanchez
www.amysanchezmusic.com

Today's entry was written by Allison Lodish, the creator of womenagainstfantasysports.com. Eric talked to Allison about her site and fantasy sports addiction last weekend on "News To Me".

Allison Lodish on "News To Me". Click to play.

I Thought I Was Your Fantasy!

Everyone has fantasies. Is yours winning the lottery [or] quitting your job (if you still have one) and traveling around the world? What does ‘fantasy’ mean to me? Well, it used to evoke daydreams of chocolate, champagne and Daniel Craig and I in our private cabana in St. Barts. Alas, that word now represents something far more pathetic – Fantasy Sports.

The latest statistics indicate that 28 million people are playing fantasy sports and it is now an $800 million industry. Hmmm… our country’s financial state is in the toilet but the fantasy sports industry is still making money… Is it a coincidence that the stock market crashed near the start of the football season & it's evil twin...fantasy football? I think not!! Millions upon millions of work hours and productivity are lost by people at work (mostly men) who would rather be focusing on their fake fantasies…as if they are the second coming of Bill Parcells – Who are they kidding?!? If that’s what “fantasy” is about…well…maybe it’s time to seek some help.

Since the launch of our website womenagainstfantasysports.com, one of the questions I get all the time is “how is your husband’s team doing?” My response, “which one?” And ready for this? He actually has a team that he created “for me”, except for the fact that he manages it “for me”! The best part of this is, apparently I’m not doing that well – but HIS team, which is in the same league, is doing GREAT!!!

Many people say I should cut him some slack… let him enjoy himself. They tell me I should get a hobby. Well folks, I have news for you… I did! It’s called Women Against Fantasy Sports. Many thanks to Eric and the team here at "News To Me" for the awesome piece! As you have seen, we have created a site for people whose spouses or significant others who have crossed to the ‘dark side’. You can come and read some unbelievable stories (check out: Evacuation Day from Hurricane Gustav – it’s a winner for sure) and share some of your own. You can also purchase WAFS apparel. I like to wear the “#1 Draft Pick” to remind him of who he picked before LaDainian Tomlinson. Of course the underwear that say ‘Closed for the Fantasy Season’ is a good choice as well – remember everything has its consequences!

There are so many of us “Fantasy Widows” out there. It may be football, baseball, basketball, hockey or even fantasy fishing (yes it actually exists), but we can all understand feel the pain… You are not alone…

Coming soon to the site:
- “Top 10 ways to survive the Thanksgiving Fantasy Football Weekend”
- “How to point out how lame fantasy football REALLY is when your ding-dong spouse or significant other is out of the fantasy playoffs”

Stay tuned!
[Allison Lodish]

*Note – Today's post was written by Dr. Joseph Neimat. He's the surgeon who performed the operation that allowed bluegrass banjoist Eddie Adcock to play again. Eddie and Dr. Neimat were both featured on last weekend's episode of "News To Me"! We are very excited to welcome him as our first guest blogger:

I'd like to thank CNN [Headline News] and Eric for taking an interest in our story. I was very pleased with the way the story was presented and I'm excited to be taking part in this blog to share ideas and hear people's impressions.

We considered Eddie's case a special challenge. Most patients with tremor want to regain the ability to drink from a cup, or write legibly. Eddie wanted to regain a degree of dexterity that perhaps only a few expert musicians possess. We didn't know going in if the stimulator could suppress the tremor and maintain the precise control that Eddie would require. The fact that it has worked so well has been exciting for all of us.

Awake brain surgery may seem to have come from the pages of some science fiction novel. In fact there are hundreds of these procedures being performed annually. The fact that the brain itself has no pain receptors allows us to do this surgery with minimal discomfort. For surgeries such as Eddie's, where we are trying to correct very subtle mis-firings in the brain, wake surgery lets us observe and adjust the effects of our surgery in real time. So we can see how our stimulator will affect the patient's ability to drink from a cup, write their name, or even play the banjo.

The procedure holds real hope for patients with Essential Tremor, Parkinson's disease, and other movement disorders. We find that many patients could be helped by the surgery but too often patients, and even their primary doctors, are unaware that these surgeries exist and could be helpful.

On a personal note I just want to say how much I have enjoyed working with Eddie and getting to know him. As you could tell from the "News To Me" segment, he is a tremendously energetic and charismatic individual. I have the greatest respect for artists who have such passion for their music. It was a pleasure working with him to restore his ability to play again. It’s his expertise and dedication to his craft that make this story unique. He's taken a surgery that we perform all the time, and made it special through his art.

Thanks,
Joseph Neimat, MD, MS
Department of Neurological Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center