Bus Stops - September 22

The students, the books and the bus driver (Grand Forks Gazette) 

(When school bus driver John Nykiforuk took over the Blewett run outside Nelson a few years ago, the behaviour of some of his young passengers was “well, pretty bad.” During the up to 45-minute run, boredom would result in disruptive and unruly antics. But one day, Nykiforuk read about a driver in the U.S. with a similarly lengthy route who started a reading program on her bus.)

Photo sent from Manchester bus death man's stolen phone (BBC) 

(Police investigating the death of a man who was hit by a bus as he chased a thief say a photo was sent from his phone days after he died. David Mark Schofield, 21, died when he was hit by the bus in Oxford Road, Manchester on 10 September.)

Satellite the size of a school bus falling from the sky (Up North Live) 

(A defunct satellite is expected to fall to the earth sometime this week, the time-frame was moved up due to the sun being more active, which accelerated the process. NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite weighs six-tons and is the size of a school bus. It's expected to fall to earth sometime between Sept. 22 and 24. The location of impact is also a large area, with experts saying it could land anywhere from Canada to South America.)

Dozens of Pilgrims on Bus in Pakistan Are Shot to Death (New York Times) 

(Gunmen in the southwestern province of Baluchistan attacked a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Iran on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and wounding 6 more, local police officials said. The bus driver said that 8 to 10 attackers ordered the pilgrims off the bus and opened fire on them, the police said.)

Mother shares details about 
son being left on Batavia bus (Kane County Chronicle) 

(Gunmen in the southwestern province of Baluchistan attacked a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Iran on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and wounding 6 more, local police officials said. The bus driver said that 8 to 10 attackers ordered the pilgrims off the bus and opened fire on them, the police said.)

Jedi kittens wield lightsabres in online hit (News Lite) 

(A series of videos featuring cute kittens recreating scenes from Star Wars and waving lightsabres have become an online hit -- how could they not. It all started when 21-year-old Zach King from LA recorded the first 16 second video of two kittens doing lightsabre battle on his sofa, until he asks them to cut it out. The video was watched millions of times online and King decided to make his second instalment of Jedi kittens a bigger production. This time Jedi Kittens Strike Back, sees the cats chasing each other down a corridor in X-Wing and Tie fighters before crashing in a music studio and whipping out their own lightsabres.)

Is Nicolas Cage a vampire? (The Province) 

(When Nicolas Cage took on the role of yuppie literary agent-turned-nightstalker Peter Loew in 1989's Vampire's Kiss, many critics praised his unhinged performance (see video below for ample proof). Nearly two decades and a Twilight franchise later, the truth about the Oscar winner's preparation has come to light. According to antique dealer Jack Mord, a Civil War-era photograph of a man from Bristol, Tenn., bearing an eerie resemblance to the Oscar winner, proves that the actor is, in fact, a vampire.)

AK-47 prize in children's competition run by radio station (The Mirror) 

(A KIDS’ competition run by a radio station featured hand grenades and AK-47 rifles among the top prizes. Children as young as 10 were eligible to enter the contest organised by terror group al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda.Al-Shabab official Mukhtar Robow said at the prize-giving ceremony: “Youths should use one hand for education and the other for a gun to defend Islam.”)

Man wins dumpling eating contest, then dies (Yahoo) 

(A 77-year-old Ukrainian man won a jar full of sour cream for coming first in a dumpling eating contest and then promptly died, local media reported on Wednesday. Ivan Mendel ate 10 dumplings in half a minute to win first place and a one-liter jar of sour cream in the contest held in the town of Tokmak in the southeastern Zaporizhya region on September 18, Fakty I Kommentarii newspaper said.)

Man sues Starbucks over restroom camera (Reuters) 

(A U.S. man is suing Starbucks Coffee Co after his 5-year-old daughter allegedly found a video camera pointed at the toilet in a bathroom in one of their cafes. William Yockey, of Virginia, is asking for $1 million in the civil suit on four counts, including breach of privacy, his lawyer, Hank Schlosberg, told Reuters on Tuesday. Yockey and his daughter went into a Starbucks in downtown Washington to use the restroom during an April sightseeing trip, he said.)

This Toddler Won’t Eat -- and Never Has (Yahoo) 

(If you think you've got problems because your toddler "won't eat anything," you should talk to Lisa Tesoriero of Sydney. Her 19-month-old son Alex won't eat anything and never has. The little boy is fed through a tube in his stomach. After hearing Lisa's story, your own picky eater might seem almost flexible. Tesoriero told Fox News her son was born prematurely and had an oxygen tube covering his face for a year. As a result, he has developed a psychological aversion to touch in his mouth area and refuses food.)

Kangaroo at exotic-animal farm attacks Ohio man (AP) 

( An 80-year-old man is in fair condition after a kangaroo attacked him for 15 minutes at an exotic-animal farm in central Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Marion County sheriff's office received a 911 call Tuesday from a woman saying her father-in-law was hurt. Maj. Jeff Cline says the injury happened at Kokas Exotics in Green Camp.)

Woman's Car Crashes Into House ... Again (WTAE) 

(Mike Stocke, who owns the house, told Hardway that the same woman has crashed a car into his home once before. "First time it happened, my daughter's car was parked right there," Stocke said. "The same lady actually ran into the car and knocked it halfway off the wall.")

800-Pound Gator Caught By Tim Stroh, Florida Teen (Huffington Post) 

(Forget the catch of the day -- this is the catch of a lifetime. Tim Stroh, a 19-year-old Florida student, managed to reel in a 12-foot, 3-inch, 800-pound alligator while boating on the St. Lucie County Canal on Sept. 16, WPTV reports. Stroh, his parents, and a regular customer at the Stroh family taxidermy shop took out a boat after getting a tip about a giant gator, the Treasure Coast Newspapers report. Within an hour, they encountered a gator that might very well be the Moby Dick of Hobe Sound.)

Man builds stunning ‘hobbit house’ for just £3,000(Huffington Post) 

(A man has built a hillside home reminiscent of a hobbit house from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings — on a budget of just £3,000. Dale constructed the woodland home for his family in Wales, taking only four months to fully complete the project with help from his father-in-law. Built with "maximum regard for the environment" it contains a cosy living room, an open-plan kitchen and a split-level bedroom area. The home is also adorned with fairy lights and wooden furniture to complete the look.)

(From Emma on the ViewAskew boards)

College golf tourney attacked by bees (SF Gate) 

("The final round of a college golf tournament has been called off because of an unusual hazard at the 18th green: bees. Texas-Arlington's UTA/Waterchase Invitational was canceled Tuesday after a limb from a tree holding an estimated 70,000 bees fell and exposed a beehive at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas.)

Man details sexual relationship with dolphin in book (3news) 

(Zoophilia comes from the Greek words for "animal" and "friendship" or "love". Animal love. Now an American man has written a book about it - a first-hand account. We all love dolphins, from Flipper to Opo – they are a friendly face to the human race. But Malcolm Brenner, had a friendlier relationship than most.)

Man Threatened Taco Bell Employee with Shotgun after Forgetting Hot Sauce (My FOX DC) 

(An order error at a fast-food restaurant almost cost an employee his life. A man placed an order at a Taco Bell in Missouri last Saturday then drove home and noticed he hadn't been given his hot sauce.)

Father and son rescued after being left dangling from broken rollercoaster (Telegraph) 

(Mr Zhang and his son were the only two riders when the rollercoaster suddenly came to halt just as it was about to plunge from its highest point, leaving them dangling precariously. The situation at the amusement park in Shandong became increasingly desperate when local firefighters' attempts to rescue the pair were hampered by recent rainfall. Neither a bulldozer or cherry picker brought in to free the stranded thrillseekers could be deployed due to the sodden ground.)

Man blames Viagra for lewd acts (WTSP) 

(A Bridgeport man has been placed in a probation program after blaming an erectile dysfunction medication for lewd acts in public that got him arrested. Twenty-three-year-old Jean Leconte was granted psychiatric accelerated rehabilitation Monday by a Bridgeport Superior Court judge. If he successfully completes the treatment program, authorities could dismiss charges including fourth-degree sexual assault, breach of peace, public indecency and obscenity.)

Disney, Cameron to create theme-park "Avatar" (Reuters) 

(Moviegoers pining for a return to the lush moon of Pandora in James Cameron's film "Avatar" will finally get their chance -- first-hand. Walt Disney Co is teaming with the Oscar-winning director and News Corp unit Fox Filmed Entertainment, to mimic the thriving green landscape depicted in the highest-grossing movie of all time in a section of its Orlando, Florida, theme park. Under their agreement, Disney won exclusive global theme park rights to the "Avatar" franchise. It will begin building from 2013 and will eventually take Avatar "lands" beyond Orlando's Disney World.)

Virginia may declare Sudafed more dangerous than date rape drug (Watchdog) 

(Virginia lawmakers on a Crime Commission Panel came out against a plan aimed at curbing meth-use that could have Virginians with too much allergy medication in their medicine cabinets facing stiffer penalties than those who possess “date rape” drugs. A proposed law, sponsored by state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville, would re-classify household allergy medicines, such as Claritin-D and Sudafed, as Schedule III controlled substances — on par with addictive painkillers, such as Vicodin, and one step above Rohypnol, a powerful sleeping pill sometimes used by rapists to knock out their victims.)

Baby Squirrels Rescued After Nest Disaster (Sky News) 

(Curled up together in a blanket, these squirrels catch up on some sleep after a traumatic start to life. The five-week-old kittens were tossed from their nest in Northumberland when the aftermath of Hurricane Katia struck Britain. Winds reached up to around 70mph in the north of England last week as the remnants of the weather system moved over the UK.)

Colorado woman who ran Chihuahua next to car faces animal cruelty charges (Washington Post) 

(A dog-sitter’s shortcut led to criminal charges for a Colorado woman who ran a Chihuahua alongside her car at 10 to 15 mph. The Daily Camera reports (http://goo.gl/Te7pH ) that 29-year-old Joan Renee Zalk of Boulder faces animal cruelty and felony menacing charges after witnesses confronted her Friday morning for running the pup alongside her Toyota Camry.)

Iran frees US hikers held as spies (Guardian) 

(Iran has freed the two Americans held as spies for over two years on bail of $1m after Iraq and Oman mediated for their release. The country's judiciary confirmed on Wednesday that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, had been released only a month after a court sentenced them each to eight years in jail for espionage and illegally crossing the border into Iran. The two men are reportedly preparing to return home.)

Legislators seek to end state's butter-only law for restaurants, prisons (JS Online) 

(Twelve legislators have decided a decades-old Wisconsin law is spread too thin. So they're co-sponsoring a bill to repeal the law that makes it a crime for restaurants, prisons and schools to substitute margarine for butter unless a customer requests it. Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) calls the bill prohibiting margarine substitution for butter "silly, antiquated and anti-free market.")

Kevin Smith Holds Two Miami Q&As for First Horror Flick, Red State (Miami New Times) 

(​Over the past 17 years, Kevin Smith brought gross and disgusting conversation to film and created intimately personal stories about the rigors of being a convenience store clerk and a mythical adventure about a distant descendant of Jesus.)

Mayhem in the name of God (Miami Herald) 

(The startling Red State proves that everything you knew — or thought you knew — about Kevin Smith is wrong. Ever since the writer-director exploded onto the independent film scene with the no-budget, beloved comedy Clerks, Smith has amassed a body of work that occasionally ventured into daring territory (the controversial Catholic satire Dogma) or earnest drama ( Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl).)

Film Review: Red State (Film Journal) 

(I’ll say this for Red State: Despite its many flaws, it’s the most provocative and least predictable movie that Kevin Smith has made in years, at least since Dogma way back in 1999. Perhaps not coincidentally, this one also wrestles with a topic that’s often the third rail of American movies—religion. Dogma, of course, approached the subject in a decidedly comic way, with Smith concocting a faith-based road movie that sent its motley crew of characters—which included a few angels and demons in addition to the central belief-challenged humans—on a mission to rescue God him…uh, actually make that herself. While more dramatically complex than, say, Clerks, Dogma was still obviously A Kevin Smith Picture, showcasing the filmmaker’s distinct brand of irreverent, pop-culture-savvy humor and one of his typically optimistic, even sweet resolutions.)

Filmmaker Kevin Smith to do interactive Q&A following screening of controversial 'Red State' (Mlive) 

(Kevin Smith's controversial film, “Red State,” will come to Southwest Michigan with the screening followed by an interactive Q&A with the filmmaker of “Clerks” fame.
“Red State,” released in March by SModcast Pictures, is about a group of teenagers “from Middle America who receive an online invitation for sex, but soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.”)

'Red State' Movie Review (About) 

(Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) has made his name writing and directing comedies -- occasionally sprinkled with drama or action -- so when he announced that his next film would be a horror movie, optimists and pessimists alike were no doubt equally curious as to what the outcome would be. And thus we have Red State, a unique, offbeat hybrid pic that could perhaps only come from Smith.)

'Batman: Year One' Clip: The Dark Knight Strikes! (MTV) 

(Every hero has a beginning, and every hero has an end. For the purposes of "Batman: Year One," the next direct-to-video film from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line, we're going back to start. A brand new clip from "Batman: Year One," based on the critically acclaimed comic book run from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in the late 1980s, has arrived online via Comic Book Resources. And true to the spirit of the Caped Crusader, the clip reveals that criminals can never rest easy — not even during dinner!)

Batman: Arkham City: Leaving the Asylum proves a breath of fresh air
(CVG) 

('What does it really mean to be Batman?' we ask ourselves while standing on a rooftop overlooking the streets of Arkham City. The scope of the stunning Gotham skyline overpowers us and for a few moments we let our mind wander to our experiences with Rocksteady's stellar opener. Arkham Asylum is often touted as the best superhero game ever, but the towering metropolis that is Gotham City coupled with the sprawling, menacing streets of its newly created Arkham district puts the first game into perspective. Turns out, Arkham Asylum wasn't a very faithful representation of Batman.)

Cancer patient meets dog receiving same vaccine (USA Today) 

(A brain cancer study is giving new meaning to man's best friend. Piper, a 14-year-old golden retriever who was diagnosed with brain cancer in May, is one of 60 dogs being treated with an experimental vaccine made from her own cancer cells. The vaccine trains Piper's immune system to attack the tumor. Three years ago, Batman, a shepherd mix, was one of the first dogs to try this vaccine.)

Preemies may face higher death rates as adults (Reuters) 

(Health problems are common among premature babies, who are more likely to die than their full-term peers during the first few years of life -- and they may also face slightly increased death rates as young adults, a study said. "This is an entirely new finding," said Casey Crump of Stanford University, whose findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.)

Robotic fish test the waters for safety risks (Xenophilius) 

(Scientists have gained a rare glimpse into the sex life of the mysterious deep-sea squid. By studying footage taken by underwater vehicles, US researchers have found that this rarely seen creature will often engage in same-sex mating. They believe this is because encounters with potential mates in the dark depths are rare, and the squid may be unable to tell the sexes apart. The study is published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.)

Light shed on bisexual and promiscuous deep-sea squid (BBC) 

(Scientists have gained a rare glimpse into the sex life of the mysterious deeScientists at Michigan State University are designing and studying robotic fish to be made to swim in schools in order to monitor environmental signs such as accumulations of algae and oil spills. Through the use of sensors and wireless capabilities, the fish can travel in water to collect information. But why go to all that trouble to simulate real fish if other underwater devices can be deployed for the same purpose?p-sea squid. By studying footage taken by underwater vehicles, US researchers have found that this rarely seen creature will often engage in same-sex mating. They believe this is because encounters with potential mates in the dark depths are rare, and the squid may be unable to tell the sexes apart. The study is published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.)

Marijuana blocks PTSD symptoms in rats (News AU) 

(MARIJUANA administered in a timely fashion could block the development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in rats, a new study has found. The study, which was conducted by researchers at Haifa University's psychology department and published in the Neuropsychopharmacology journal, found that rats treated with marijuana within 24 hours of a traumatic experience successfully avoided any symptoms of PTSD.)

Guys' deep voices help women remember (MSNBC) 

(Pssst! Guys, if you want that hottie sitting beside you to remember your stunning good looks long after you’ve left, lower the pitch of your voice when you turn on the charm. Lower voices seem to stick better in women’s memories, scientists now say. In a study published in this month’s Memory & Cognition, British researchers reported that women were more likely to remember something if they heard it from a man with a low voice than one with a higher pitch. The theory is that women are hard-wired to pay better attention to a potentially superior mate.)

Twitter begins selling political advertising (LA Times) 

(Twitter has officially approved political advertising for the first time. Twitter has already claimed a major role in the nation's political discourse. Now it's betting that political advertising -– including a 2012 presidential campaign that could top $1 billion in spending -- will amount to a major windfall for its nascent advertising business.)

Yahoo Appears To Be Censoring Email Messages About Wall Street Protests (RSN) 

(Thinking about e-mailing your friends and neighbors about the protests against Wall Street happening right now? If you have a Yahoo e-mail account, think again. ThinkProgress has reviewed claims that Yahoo is censoring e-mails relating to the protest and found that after several attempts on multiple accounts, we too were prevented from sending messages about the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations.)

Facebook changes see the social network trying to be more social (The Guardian) 

(Mark Zuckerberg must have something big up his sleeve for Thursday's f8. Facebook on Tuesday night unveiled the third – and biggest – update to the social network in 10 days, with a real-time "ticker" that you might have read about in the Guardian on Monday.)

OnStar Tracks Your Car Even When You Cancel Service (Wired) 

(Navigation-and-emergency-services company OnStar is notifying its six million account holders that it will keep a complete accounting of the speed and location of OnStar-equipped vehicles, even for drivers who discontinue monthly service. OnStar began e-mailing customers Monday about its update to the privacy policy, which grants OnStar the right to sell that GPS-derived data in an anonymized format.)

West Hollywood Sets a New Trend: Banning Fur Sales (Time) 

(For a city known to be fashion-forward, West Hollywood is doing little to further its reputation. In fact, its city council members are looking to create a new reputation for the trendy, celebrity-dotted area neighboring Beverly Hills. In what council members say they hope sets a national trend, West Hollywood passed an ordinance Tuesday that forbids the sale of fur exempting leather and fur used in furniture, the New York Times reports.)

The Hungry Brain: Why Food Looks Tastier on an Empty Stomach (Time) 

(It's common knowledge that you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you're hungry, because you're more likely to buy junky, fattening foods. Now a new brain scan study shows why: your brain craves junk food more on an empty stomach. The study led by Yale University and University of Southern California researchers involved 14 men and women — some were of healthy, normal weight, while others were obese. The researchers hooked up the participants to a device that controlled their glucose levels intravenously, in order to approximate hunger and fullness, and then sent them through a functional MRI (fMRI) scanner.)

14-year-old it gets better filmmaker commits suicide after endless bullying (Unicorn Booty) 

(14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer struggled with coming out for much of the past two years. Not that he or his loved ones had a problem with his sexuality, per se. Rather, it was the incessant tormenting of bullies at Jamey’s WIlliamsville North high school that led to his depression and thoughts of suicide. Inspired by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Jamey even made an It Gets Better video to help empower others in his shoes back in May of this year. It’s difficult not to get choked up watching his assurances that he no longer struggles with suicidal thoughts in the video knowing today how his story will eventually play out.)

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 (What Culture) 

(First thing’s first- I have to admit something. And it’s not something I’m proud of. In fact, I often lie to others in order to protect myself from the shame of this great, terrible secret. I, Dean Threadgold, some one who is not just a comic book aficionado, but also someone who aspires to be a comic book writer, have actually never, ever read a single issue of Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man run. Yes- you read that correctly. Despite loving Bendis’ work on other titles (his Daredevil run is one of my all time faves) USM slipped me by until it was well into the double figures and, by that point, it seemed like too much hard work to catch up with the character.)