Bus Stops - August 25

Bus driver critical after Turnpike accident (My Central Jersey) 

(The driver of a tour bus was in critical condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick late Wednesday afternoon following an accident between a bus and two tractor-trailers just north of Exit 8A on the southbound side of the New Jersey Turnpike, the New Jersey State Police said. The bus was traveling from New York to Washington, D.C., police said.)

Artists turn bus stops into mini homes in banks protest‎ (The Mirror) 

(YOU wait ages for a bizarre bus stop protest – then two come along at once. Artists turned these Manchester shelters into mini houses to highlight how families may lose their homes to banks in the financial crisis.)

Bus School bus plunges into river, kills 14 kids‎ (Times Live) 

(The 35-seat African Express bus was transporting 56 pupils to Rheenendal Primary School at about 8am when it careered off a bridge and plunged into the swollen Kasatdrift River. The river, normally a trickle, was close to bursting its banks after heavy rains. Police spokesman Captain Malcolm Pojie said the children, aged between six and 16, were trapped when the vehicle sank front-first into the river.)

Residents say Site of Bus Crash is an Unsafe Road (WTVM) 

(The fatal car accident that claimed the life of 17-year-old Casey Hearn isn't the first wreck on that stretch of Highway 169 in Russell County. Several crashes have happened there, and some involved other school buses. People who live on Highway 169 say with all these crashes, they want something to change soon. In May, a bus collided with a car at the intersection of Highway 169 and Highway 431, and in 2006, a school bus full of children barely missed a crash involving a semi-truck and a moving van.)

Rock throwing may cancel Hobart bus routes (Herald Sun) 

(A SPATE of rock-throwing incidents may force Hobart's public bus operator to cancel routes in the city's northern suburbs. Metro Tasmania said buses travelling through Bridgewater and Gagebrook have been hit and damaged by rocks in the past few weeks.)

Bus passengers catch man who fondles student ‎(Malay Mail) 

(Several passengers of a bus caught a man who had allegedly hugged and fondled a female college student in the vehicle in an incident on Tuesday. The 35-year-old man, who did not have any identification document on him, is being remanded under Section 354 of the Penal Code, said Sandakan police deputy chief Supt Fadzil Mohd Ali.)

Parent Concerned School Bus Stop Located Near Registered Sex Offender Home ‎(WSPA) 

(Tammie Simpson is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her 11-year-old son safe, especially since South Carolina's sex offender registry shows 42 sex offenders live in a two mile radius of her home. "I have actually showed my son hey this is a sex offender remember that face," said Simpson.)

Trainee bus driver on phone kills riders (India Telegraph) 

(Three passengers, including two students, died this morning when a bus’s cleaner learning driving and speaking on a cellphone simultaneously lost control of the vehicle, causing it to careen of the road and plunge into a ditch.)

Lucky escape for bus passengers (Times of India India) 

(It was a providential escape for 40 passengers of a Volvo bus when it was stuck in swirling waters in Kurnool district, while a couple died of lightning as heavy rains lashed Guntur, Kurnool, Nellore and some other districts on Wednesday. The bus passengers were rescued by locals and police by pulling them to safety with the use of ropes.)

Funeral home accused of losing woman's body (Reuters) 

(The daughters of an Alabama woman who died in 2010 sued the funeral home on Tuesday that handled her burial, saying it lost the body and couldn't find it even after digging up several graves. The three daughters of Jimmie Lee Scott said in their lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County that after their mother died, her body was handed over to Ross-Clayton Funeral Home Inc.)

Take shark-fin soup off the menu (LA Times) 

(The loss of a cultural tradition is regrettable, but the loss of a species is tragic and the upset of the oceans' environmental balance could be catastrophic. That's why a California bill banning the possession and sale of shark fins should be pulled out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file Thursday and sent to the Senate floor, where it should be passed.)

Rodney King charged with DUI (Washington Post) 

(Rodney King has been charged with driving under the influence stemming from an arrest in Southern California last month. District attorney spokesman John Hall says King was charged with two misdemeanor counts Wednesday alleging he was driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and that his blood-alcohol level was higher than the legal limit when he was pulled over in Riverside County’s Moreno Valley.)

Cyndi Lauper Opening Safe Haven For LGBT Youth In Harlem (Gothamist) 

(Cyndi Lauper's been relatively quiet these days (barring the occasional rent dispute), but it looks like she's been using that downtime to devote herself to a good cause: helping the city's homeless LGBT youth. Lauper is putting the finishing touches on the appropriately-named True Colors Residence, the first permanent, supportive housing facility for LGBT youth in New York State, set to open on West 154th St near Frederick Douglass Blvd on Sept 1.)

NJ Parents Sue Newark Over $100 Million Facebook Donation (Care 2) 

(Just about a year ago, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a $100 million gift to the public school system of Newark, New Jersey’s largest, and long troubled, city. Newark’s schools have been under the control of the state government; the city’s students are some of the state’s lowest performing, with about half not graduating from high school and low standardized testing scores. I’ve had a number of students from Newark’s public schools and all have struggled in college classes: It’s not that they lack the ability and motivation, but the education they did (or didn’t) receive while younger often impedes their studies in college. Zuckerberg is originally from West Orange, a well-heeled suburb of Newark.)

Clark Gable's grandson charged with shining laser at police chopper ‎(CNN) 

(Cyndi Clark James Gable, 22, the only grandson of legendary actor Clark Gable, was playing with a laser when police arrested him, charging him with a felony this week, his manager told CNN Saturday. Gable is accused of pointing the laser inside the cockpit of a Los Angeles police helicopter flying over Hollywood, authorities said. A friend of Gable, whom the manager said was driving the car Gable was in, is facing the same felony charge, police said.)

Rare spider crab re-discovered after 99 years ‎(News Lite) 

(A rare miniature spider crab, which was last recorded in Cornish waters back in 1912, is set to on show after being re-discovered. The 'Gibb's spider crab' was netted by Newquay fisherman Dan Gilbert earlier in the summer and has now been donated to the local Blue Reef Aquarium.)

Brazilian Woman Uses Wall Of HIV-Tainted Needles To Scare Away Burglars ‎(Huffington Post) 

(Now this is a bizarre way to scare away burglars. Most people use scary dogs or high-tech home alarm systems to protect their homes. But a doctor in the Federal District of Brasilia, Brazil decided on an unusual alternative: HIV-tainted needles.)

Rampaging cows attack hikers (Herald Sun) 

(A HERD of rowdy mountain cows are on the rampage at a popular Alpine vacation spot. The moo-dy bovines seem to have a beef with anyone coming near their newborn calves,The Local Switzerland warned overnight.)

Swedish Retiree Chows Down on 70-Year-Old Brisket (Fox NY) 

(A Swedish retiree has finally eaten a cut of beef his family stashed away for more than 70 years, The Local Sweden reported Wednesday. Eskil Carlsson, 70, revealed the piece of brisket had been preserved in a glass jar since World War II.)

Arizona man accused of stuffing snakes down shorts (AP) 

(Police say an Arizona man stole several baby albino boa constrictors at a pet store by stuffing them in his shorts. Eric Fiegel was arrested Tuesday after police reviewed surveillance footage from Predator's Reptile Center in Mesa. They say a July 30 video shows the 22-year-old man entering the store, removing several snakes from their cage and placing them in the pocket of his shorts before exiting the store without paying.)

Arizona Electrician 'inflated' by pressurised air which 'shot up his bottom' in bizarre factory accident (The Telegraph) 

(Dad-of-one Gareth Durrant, 26, was wiring a caravan at the factory where he worked when the large pipe - carrying compressed air at around 300lbs per square inch - shot up his back passage. He was rushed to hospital where scans revealed a six-inch tear in his bowel and severe damage to his intestines. He then faced hours of emergency surgery to save his life while wife Sarah, 25, waited anxiously with their toddler son Daniel, three.)

Lady Gaga and Beyonce on China song blacklist (BBC) 

(Hits by Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Take That are among 100 songs that have been placed on an internet blacklist by China's culture ministry. Music websites have been given until 15 September to remove the offending tracks, which officials say harm "national cultural security".)

Simon Cowell Wants to Be Frozen When He Dies (People) 

(Well, he is known for having an icy demeanor! Simon Cowell says he wants to be frozen when he dies in a process known as cryonics. The idea is that he'll thaw in the future when medical technology is available to bring him back to life and treat whatever it is that ends the life of The X Factor" head honcho.)

Calling All Psychics: Prove Your Worth for $1 Million(TIME) 

(The $1 million treasure just sits there for the taking. Quite literally. The nonprofit organization The James Randi Educational Foundation has $1 million tucked in an escrow account for any celebrity psychic able to prove their “powers” in a controlled atmosphere. This seems about as safe as offering to fling money at any WWE wrestler who takes down an MMA fighter, or telling your local bar's karaoke star you'll pay them top dollar when they have a record top the Billboard charts.)

Christian Bale: Batman Wrapping, New Role Options Abound (Huffington Post) 

(Fresh off an Academy Award for his frenetically brilliant performance in "The Fighter" and the dark dual life of Bruce Wayne in one of the biggest film franchises of all time, Christian Bale won't have to look hard for new big screen opportunities.)

Jon Hamm Is Batman (Ology) 

(Actor Jon Hamm was recently mistaken for being Batman while he took a stroll back to his car outside the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood. At first, it looks like some of the paparazzi are just trying to get him all hot and bothered (yes, please) but it turns out that they are just IDIOTS. Literally mistaking him for most likely, Christian Bale.)

New Batman movie cars pass through Tri-States (Connect TriStates) 

(Pieces of Hollywood passed through Quincy Wednesday. Quincy truck driver Terry Woodcock stopped to get some tires Wednesday during his cross country trip to haul three vehicle props to a undisclosed movie set location.)

End of an Era: Apple's Steve Jobs Steps Down (Time) 

(And just like that, Steve Jobs has stepped down from his throne as CEO of Apple and handed the scepter to the current chief operating officer, Tim Cook. You can't say no one saw it coming. Jobs has been on a medical leave of absence since January 17, 2011 for undisclosed reasons (he had a liver transplant in April 2009 after battling pancreatic cancer for years).)

Mobile phones could soon be 'powered by walking' (BBC) 

(Taking a stroll may soon be enough to re-charge your mobile phone, after US researchers developed a way to generate electricity from human motion.
Placed in a shoe, the device captures the energy of moving micro droplets and converts it into electrical current. Kinetic charging is already used in some low power devices such as watches and sensors.)

Facebook may raise risk of teen substance abuse (SF Gate) 

(A New York research group released a study Wednesday claiming American teenagers who spend time on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as likely to smoke marijuana.)

iPhone 5 rumor roundup (CNet) 

(As we wait for the official announcement of the next iPhone, we only can guess about what we're going to see. Apple, after all, always generates a ton of gossip in the absence of real details about upcoming devices. Some of the rumors about the new handset contradict each other--one camp suggests a minor update with an iPhone 4S, while another predicts a big update with an iPhone 5--but disagreement, after all, is often what the rumor mill is all about.)

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Demo Now Available For PS3, Xbox 360, PC (Cinema Blend) 

(The demo for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is now available on all platforms. The free sample of the third-person action game debuted on Xbox 360 and PC yesterday and arrived on PS3 today. Space Marine's demo has two part. In the first section, the player fights off Orks outside a munitions factory. This battle will give you a taste for the game's ranged and melee combat. The second section of the demo takes players to the skies above. They'll fly through the sky with a Jump Pack and unload on enemies below.)

Baby tossed from Calif. hospital has died (USA Today) 

(A 7-month-old baby boy who was tossed from the fourth floor of a hospital parking structure died Wednesday, the same day his mother made a first court appearance on charges of attempted murder and felony child abuse, a police spokesman said.)

Virginia nuke plant shuts down after 5.8-magnitude earthquake (DVICE.COM) 

(If you live on the east coast in the U.S., you may have felt a little shaking today. An earthquake originating in Virgina and clocking in at a magnitude of 5.8 also happened to occur less than a dozen miles from the state's North Anna nuke plant.
It's difficult to get a clear profile of North Anna amidst the flurry of breaking news surrounding the quake. For instance, plenty of news sites such as the Wall Street Journal are reporting that the plant's two reactors were "automatically taken off line by safety systems around the time of the earthquake.".)

Canada Sells out of $99 HP TouchPad, U.S. Still in Luck (IB Times) 

(HP's fire sale on its TouchPad tablet computer this week has led to inventories to be replenished in Canada, but there is still hope for U.S. consumers waiting to get in on the bargain. Following last week's dismal earnings announcement, HP said that, among other things, it would shed its PC and tablet computer division, and subsequently started liquidating all of the TouchPad inventory on Saturday.)

Small Va. towns regroup, reassess after earthquake (USA Today) 

(If the epicenter of an earthquake can have an epicenter, then Roundabout Road in Louisa County, Va., may have been it.A day after a magnitude-5.8 earthquake shook cities along the East Coast, residents up and down this meandering rural road near the town of Mineral, the epicenter of the earthquake, were sizing up the damage to their homes. They were looking to repair toppled chimneys, sagging foundations and sunken carports.)

Small Tony Bennett to honor Amy Winehouse at MTV Video Music Awards (LA Times) 

(Tony Bennett will lead a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, the network announced Tuesday. Winehouse teamed up with the iconic singer to record the duet “Body and Soul” for his upcoming "Duets II" album, and Bennett will make his first appearance on the VMA stage since 1993 to pay homage to the singer. Bennett will introduce the segment, which is set to include footage from their recording session together.)

Craig Ferguson calls anthrax scare frightening (LA Times) 

(Someone out there sure seems to have something against CBS. Just days after death threats against David Letterman, an envelope containing white powder arrived at the L.A. offices of Craig Ferguson's show on Tuesday. Two of Ferguson's staffers were exposed to the contents of the envelope, which was mailed from overseas, the Associated Press reported. The powder was purported to be anthrax but later proved to be harmless.)

Noel Gallagher Admits Lying About Oasis Split(Rolling Stone) 

(Noel Gallagher has admitted that he lied about some details of Oasis's breakup in 2009. In a Facebook webchat with fans on Monday, the singer conceded that his brother Liam was suffering from laryngitis when the band canceled what would have been their final concert at the Chelmsford V festival. Liam announced last week that he was suing his brother over comments made in the press at the time alleging that he had dropped out of the gig due to a hangover.)