Bus Stops - September 23

Man Starts Fight With Bus Driver In Front Of Children In Killingly (Courant) 

(A 51-year-old man arrested on 27 counts of risk of injury charges said he physically assaulted a bus driver transporting children to school Thursday because the bus driver didn't wait at a stop long enough, state police said. Richard Doyle, of 4 Glen Road, Dayville, got on the bus and started hitting the bus driver in front of the children, state police said.)

Bus changes after child hustled off at wrong stop (King 5) 

(The mother of a five-year-old was able to see exactly how her son and another little girl were ordered off a school bus a mile and a half from their day care.
Donald Longerbeam, 5, ended up 13 blocks away after a substitute bus driver for the Renton School District hustled him and another kindergartener off at a stop. Thursday, his mother Reneee got to see surveillance video of the incident.)

Bus bandits nabbed by police (Cambridge Times) 

(Two 19-year-old Cambridge men have been charged with robbery with a weapon after allegedly following young passengers off the bus and robbing them.
A group of five to seven males in their teens to early 20s were seen getting off at a Cambridge bus stop Wednesday evening, following two young boys. After talking with the young passengers, the group of youths brandished a weapon and demanded cash and valuables. They took items from the youths and ran off. Later that evening, the same group of youths got back on a bus in the same area and again followed two teens off the bus. They threatened the teens with a weapon and stole cash and valuables.)

Can Talking Condoms Prevent Unwanted Pregnancies? (Wired) 

(The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has a problem: Seven out of 10 pregnancies among unmarried 18-to-29-year-olds in this country are unplanned. The organization also has an unusual potential solution: comedy. Unlike the organization’s work with teens, the goal is not to get the individuals in the young-adult demographic to abstain from sex. It’s about helping them understand and use birth control. Whereas 18-to-29-year-old women receive various messages in this regard, men in this age group remain largely ignored.)

Boy finds 30-year-old human fingers in jar (Reuters) 

(A French schoolboy has dug up a glass jar containing severed human fingers preserved in alcohol which police believe may belong to a local carpenter who lost four digits in an accident 30 years ago. The boy, aged seven, made the gruesome discovery on Monday when he was playing behind the gymnasium of his school in Chilly-Mazarin, just south of Paris, and noticed a jar poking out of the earth, a police spokeswoman said.)

Toronto bans the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores (City TV) 

(Toronto city council voted Wednesday to ban the sales of dogs and cats in pet stores, becoming the second Canadian city to do so. “You can no longer buy dogs in a pet store,” Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker told reporters. De Baeremaeker had proposed the bylaw back in May, arguing that many of the animals come from puppy mills.)

Police will take no action over cage fighting bouts involving children aged just 8 and 9(Daily Mail) 

(Police will take no action against the organisers of 'barbaric' cage fighting involving children as young as eight, it was confirmed today. Concerns were raised about whether two boys were put at risk by taking part in a bout at Greenlands Labour Club in Preston, Lancashire, in front of a 250-strong adult audience.But a spokesman for Lancashire Police said today the force had 'looked into this matter fully and there are no issues for us to pursue'.)

Three arrested in bungled beer heist in Covina (LA Times) 

(Three Covina men are behind bars after they allegedly stole a 30-pack of Tecate beer from a market and attempted to escape but crashed a car and hit an employee who chased them, then one ran through a car wash and another left behind his ID. Andy Huynh, Nicholas Kalscheuer and Nicholas Fiumetto, all 19, were arrested Wednesday on charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, according to a Covina police report.)

Denver man faces prison for putting raw chicken in ex-wife’s vents (Washington Post) 

(A Denver man convicted of placing raw chicken in his ex-wife’s heating ducts and other acts of vandalism could face up to 18 years in prison. KDVR-TV reports (http://goo.gl/bwR29 ) that 58-year-old Ronald Smith also poured an unknown substance into a baby grand piano and erased a hard drive on his ex-wife’s computer.)

Woman claims unfair TSA search over big hair (WSBTV) 

(A Dallas hairstylist traveling through Atlanta's Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport says she was unfairly singled out for having big hair. Isis Brantley was flying home to Texas when she said two TSA representatives dug down to her scalp checking for weapons and explosives.)

Kidnap victim files complaint, blasting feds' 'inexcusable' lack of oversight (CNN) 

(Jaycee Dugard filed a complaint against the federal government Thursday, seeking compensation for what she called its failures to track the man who held her captive for 18 years. The lawsuit was filed Thursday morning in the U.S. District Court for Northern California. This comes after the U.S. government "summarily rejected" two requests from Dugard "for private mediation in the case," according to a press release from Nancy Seltzer and Associates, a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that represents the long-time kidnap victim.)

City Councilman defends naming his dog 'Muhammad' (WJRR) 

(A city councilman in San Juan Capistrano, California, has come under fire by Muslims and local council members alike for naming his dog Muhammad and later announcing it during a city council meeting. Councilman Derek Reeve is not backing down, however, stating on Tuesday that the decision to name his dog Muhammad was not meant to be offensive but was rather abut his family exercising their freedom of speech.)

Woman says she heard voices from parallel universe (Times Call) 

(Police responded Friday night to the 300 block of Quail Road on a report of a woman who said she was hearing voices from a parallel universe telling her to hurt people, according to reports. The woman was placed in protective custody, and the case is closed. A 32-year-old Longmont man was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence after he failed to stay in a single lane of traffic and was reported as a possible drunken driver. According to officers, the man's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and the car smelled of alcohol. The man refused voluntary roadside maneuvers and a chemical test of his blood and breath, but officers found a receipt in his pocket that showed he bought four Bud Lights and two Jägermeisters about an hour earlier.)

Arkansas' lost moon rock found in Clinton's files (Reuters) 

(For years, Arkansas historians have searched for a valuable lunar rock from the Apollo 17 mission, one of the moon rocks NASA presented to each state in the 1970s. While other states also continue to dig for the rocks that came to be known as the Goodwill Moon Rocks, the mystery in Arkansas was solved Wednesday -- sort of -- when an archivist discovered it in former President Bill Clinton's gubernatorial papers.)

Elderly Italian couple take legal action to force son, 41, to move out of home (Daily Mail) 

(An Italian couple have resorted to legal action to get their 41-year-old son to pack up his bags and leave home. The elderly parents, who have not been named, have hired a lawyer after claiming that they are 'too tired' to carry on cooking, cleaning and ironing for their son - who has a well paid job of his own. He has now been served with a letter ordering him to leave the family home 'within ten days' or face a court hearing to ensure that he finally flies the nest.)

Man Posing As Female Prostitute Shot By Stun Gun (KCRA) 

(Monterey County sheriff's deputies said they arrested a 31-year-old Salinas man who posed as a female prostitute before getting into a fight on Highway 101. On Tuesday night, Bryan Oster offered to pay Misael Ruiz, who he believed was a woman, $60 for sexual acts, Deputy Nicholas Kennedy said. Ruiz agreed and got into the 36-year-old's 1986 Silver Nissan, authorities said.)

Anger as deaf people banned from taking flight (The Local) 

(A group of 22 holiday makers with hearing difficulties who were prevented from boarding an Air Méditerranée flight for "security reasons" will have their case reviewed by the state authority for defending human rights. The group, including 18 deaf people, three with hearing difficulties and one person without hearing problems, had already checked in their bags for the flight from Marseille to Bodrum in Turkey when they were told they would not be allowed to board.)

Feds Probe Possible Arabic-Type Markings On Southwest Jets (CBS LA) 

(Federal agencies were working with Southwest Airlines on Thursday to determine who has been vandalizing their aircraft with mysterious markings.
KNX 1070 investigative reporter Charles Feldman has learned that since February, several Southwest jets have been vandalized with mysterious writings that show up on the underbelly of their 737 passenger aircraft.)

Downed plane reported in Ohio just water park prop (AP) 

(A possible plane crash reported near an Ohio interstate turned out to be only a prop on the grounds of a water park. Media outlets report a passing motorist on Interstate 71 north of Cincinnati thought it was a downed plane and alerted authorities late Wednesday morning. Fire and emergency crews were dispatched to the scene.)

Sheboygan prison teacher accused of sex with inmate (The North Western) 

(A special education teacher at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institute was charged Wednesday with felony sexual assault for allegedly having sexual contact in her classroom with an inmate half her age. Nadine N. Minglana, 42, of Sheboygan, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison on a count of second-degree sexual assault by correctional staff.)

Burglar Caught While Making Breakfast (CBS) 

(Police in the St. Louis suburb of University City say a suspect in a string of burglaries was caught after a homeowner reported finding him frying bacon in her kitchen. Kenya Ealy says she returned home after an errand and found 36-year-old Damon Petty of St. Louis cooking breakfast.)

Nationality dispute after baby is born on flight to the U.S. from the Philippines in a cordoned off area of business class (Daily Mail) 

(The nationality of a baby is being questioned after a Filipino woman gave birth to her son while she was flying from the Philippines to the U.S. Aida Alamillo, 41, went into labour while on Philippine Airlines Flight 104 from Manila on Tuesday over international waters. She started to complain of feeling nauseous and alerted the flight attendants that she believed she was going into early labour.)

YouTube video goes Venti after singing Starbucks employee fired in Chowchilla (Mercedsunstar) 

(YouTube's latest rising viral star just lost his job. Christopher Cristwell, 25, is making national headlines after he posted a video of himself on YouTube singing about his job at the Chowchilla Starbucks.He was fired Tuesday. The video was picked up by a popular Starbucks blog last week, which quickly caught the attention of the corporate honchos. After several meetings with managers, he was sent packing.)

Portrait of the (f)Artist as a Young Man (Huffington Post) 

(​My most cherished responsibility as a bona fide indie filmmaker is to let everyone know the shot is always worth taking. It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential return is immeasurable. A song will cheer your mood. A movie will let you escape. A podcast will make you laugh. Nice dividends to a simple investment. Art can't save the world, but it can make the world a lot easier to take. You tell a budding artist something good about their work, or share with them the things you've learned, or show them how to advocate for their art themselves?)

Director Hates Stupidity, Hypocrisy and Critics (New York Times) 

(Apparently fed up with the traditional system of film distribution — and in particular with the critics who insist, out of spite or inertia, on reviewing whatever opens in theaters — Kevin Smith is taking his new movie, “Red State,” directly to its audience. The film, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival last January, has been available for home viewing since Sept. 1, via cable television, iTunes and other platforms. For those who insist on seeing it the old-fashioned way, on a big screen from an upholstered seat with a cup holder attached to the arm, there will be screenings in select cities on Sunday night, with Mr. Smith making an appearance to do what he does best, which is rant, tell stories and shoot the breeze with his fans.)

Gay-friendly filmmaker Kevin Smith Phelps-bashes with his satiric horror film ‘Red State’ (Dallas Voice) 

(Kevin Smith threw fans and critics a curveball with Red State, his horror satire about three teenagers kidnapped by a murderous Fred Phelps-esque religious fundamentalist and his virulently homophobic clan (Melissa Leo plays its matriarch). It represents a major stylistic and genre departure from Smith’s largely comic repertoire including Clerks and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Smith confounded the film industry with Red State’s distribution scheme, choosing to take it on a national roadshow tour (with premium ticket prices); it plays, with Smith participating in a live online Q&A, at the Texas Theater on Sunday.)

Kevin Smith's 'Red State' Rules The Minds Of The Weak (Star Pulse) 

(RED STATE director Kevin Smith really did away with what he’s best known for—the independent comedy scene. Remember his first flicks? CLERKS, DOGMA, MALLRATS… Well, yeah, the man we all knew and grew to admire has taken a dive in a direction which happens to be one that’s totally opposite and full of nooks-and-crannies when it comes to fragile minds, those who prey on it and disgusting results when merging both.)

The Suicide Bomber: The Implosion of Kevin Smith (Star Pulse) 

(This weekend, one of the year’s best films will play in 38 theaters across the country, and most of the general public will not see it — indeed, most will never even hear of it. The film is Red State, a potent and unsettling hybrid of horror, action, and socio-political commentary that echoes the Phelps family and the Waco massacre. It is the tenth feature film from Kevin Smith, the foul-mouthed auteur who burst onto the scene with the legendarily ingenious low-budget effort Clerks and who has spent the years since sharply dividing film fans, critics, and Internet commenters. Red State is 180 degrees from anything he has ever done; his filmography to date has been firmly comedic, with occasional seasonings of fantasy, romance, and action. Red State is deadly serious… and seriously disturbing. It is easily his finest film to date, but most moviegoers will remain completely unaware of it, because Smith has undercut its success at every turn with his own hubris, greed, or ignorance. Or, perhaps, all three.)

Unlike Humans, Chimpanzees Don’t Enjoy Collaborating (Wired) 

(When it benefits them, chimpanzees willingly work together. Otherwise, they can’t be bothered. For humans, collaboration is rewarding for its own sake, a behavioral split that may underlie key differences between human and chimpanzee societies. Primate researchers, working with semi-free ranging chimpanzees at a sanctuary in Uganda, found chimpanzees recruit a helping partner only if it gets them more food than they’d get alone. The study, described in Animal Behavior, Sept. 7, is part of a current trend in primatology to unpick how motivation and mental state affects an animal’s interactions.)

Blame it on the alcohol? Maybe not, study suggests (MSNBC) 

(It’s a trap that most of us have fallen into: making a rash or regrettable decision after a few cold Coors Lights. Blame it on the booze, right? A new study out of the University of Missouri College of Arts and Sciences sheds light on how the brain processes mistakes in the presence of alcohol. In a finding that runs contrary to previous thinking, it turns out we still know we are making mistakes when intoxicated. We just don’t care as much.)

Six coronal mass ejections in 24 hours (Physorg) 

(The sun let loose with at least six coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- solar phenomena that can send solar particles into space and affect electronic systems in satellites -- from 7 PM ET on September 18, 2011 until 1 PM on September 19. The ejections appear to come from points scattered over the surface of the sun. Two CME's dissipated quickly, but four continue to spread outward from the sun. NASA models suggest that the leading edge of one CME will pass by Earth at around 5 PM ET on Sep 21, at which point sky watchers should be on the lookout for auroras.)

Scientific breakthrough: Physicists at CERN have recorded particles moving faster than light (io9) 

(Looks like Einstein may have been wrong — An international team of scientists at CERN has recorded neutrino particles traveling faster than the speed of light.)

BALD BABY PENGUIN FINDS A HOME (Stylist UK) 

(A bald baby penguin who was abandoned at birth has been accepted back into his family thanks to the nurturing intervention of staff at an aquarium in China. The baby bird is completely featherless and was rejected by its family following its birth in Liaoning Province of China last month. "Its parents kicked it out from time to time, or even left it on the icy ground to let it die," a keeper at the aquarium said.)

Xbox 360 to stream live music concerts (TG Daily) 

(Xbox 360 owners will be able to have an exclusive stream of Clear Channel's upcoming iHeartRadio festival. Clear Channel, which operates many of the major radio stations throughout the country, is going all out this weekend with two nonstop days of concerts from such superstars as Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Coldplay, The Black Eyed Peas, Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler.)

Hackers Plan "Day of Vengeance" for Saturday (Mobile Data) 

(Hackers aimed once more to inspire street protests over online security breaches, as hacktivist group Anonymous announced a "Day of Vengeance" on September 24. The loosely organized collective, or someone claiming to speak for them, said it plans Saturday to instigate hacks and protests against Wall Street, major banks and the New York police department at "High Noon.")

Verizon’s female-targeted Android device with a bizarre charm indicator coming September 29th for $199.99 (This Is My Next) 

(And just like that, the long rumored HTC Bliss — herein known as the Rhyme — is official. Yep, after months of following the “lady phone” (our internal name for the handset), HTC and Verizon are finally announcing the details of their female-aimed Android smartphone. On the surface and in terms of raw specs, the Rhyme seems to be just another Android device — it packs a 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD display, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 (MSM8655) CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and a VGA front-facing shooter. (Nope, no LTE.) However, it’s the included accessories (and its plum color) that really give it the differentiation for the female set.)

Driverless car hits the streets in Berlin (Komo News) 

(It can talk, see, drive and no longer needs a human being to control it by remote. The car of the future - completely computer-controlled - is on the streets of Berlin. All summer, researchers from the city's Free University have been testing the automobile around the German capital. The vehicle maneuvers through traffic on its own using a sophisticated combination of devices, including a computer, electronics and a precision satellite navigation system in the trunk, a camera in the front, and laser scanners on the roof and around the front and rear bumpers.)

SONY SENDS MAN ITS BROKEN COMPUTERS (Short List) 

(Your laptop breaks. That’s annoying enough, but when the company that’s supposed to be fixing it then starts sending other people’s broken laptops to your house for you to fix… well, that’s just plain bloody rude. Joe Litwin was awaiting a box to return his broken Vaio to Sony, but instead started getting sent box after box containing knackered computers. He’s had seven in all, seemingly, and is expecting another five. He’s also getting phonecalls from irate computer owners wanting to know if he’s fixed their laptops yet. Well, he hasn’t, so stop calling.)

Facebook revamps site with 'Timeline' and real-time apps (CNN) 

(Facebook wants to hear your life story. Not satisfied with just being a repository for recent vacation photos, the company is revamping the profile pages on its website to better highlight the milestones in a person's life, executives announced at its annual conference for software developers on Thursday.This new version is based around the idea of a personal "timeline" rather than the standard profile pages that users have become used to.)

‘I'll Be Back'… in Print: Schwarzenegger to Pen Autobiography(TIME) 

(The 64-year-old former bodybuilder, movie star, and governor is writing a memoir, which will be released by Simon & Schuster in October 2012. The working title of the book is Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. From Schwarzenegger's upbringing in Austria to his realization of the American dream here in the U.S. (four Mr. Universe titles! international celebrity and fame! feuding with “girlie men” as California's Governator!), the book will chronicle the many incarnations of Ah-nuld.)

Could Taking Birth Control Pills Make Women's Memory More Like Men's? (TIME) 

(A new study shows that taking birth control pills can affect women's memory. Shawn Nielsen, a graduate student in neurobiology and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, conducted a study with 66 female students, half of whom were taking oral contraception and half who were not.)

Binge Drinking Is on the Rise Among Women (TIME) 

(The ladies of the Jersey Shore aren't the only females partaking in nights of endless drinking and debauchery. According to new research from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, women born after World War II are now binge drinking more than their ancestors, and almost as much as their male counterparts.)

Poisoned school lunch kills Peru children (BBC) 

(Three children have died and more than 50 others are seriously ill in Peru after eating a school meal contaminated with pesticide, officials say. The children were being fed by a government nutrition programme for the poor, at a remote mountain village in the north of the country.)

Have you heard of teapotting? It's the new planking (CBS) 

(First, there was planking, then owling, then horsemaning, then stocking, then batman-ing. Now, there's teapotting - which, if you think about it, is probably one of the more obvious ones of the list of viral photo memes. We're surprised this didn't catch on sooner. But now, there are many participating in teapotting.)

Blockbuster's Netflix rival will make streaming market even more confusing (CNN) 

(Cable companies were ticked off when "cut the cord" became a rallying cry in 2009, with disgruntled consumers vowing to cancel their expensive TV plans in favor of cheaper options -- namely, Netflix. But fast forward two years, and lots of Netflix rivals have popped up. They've each nabbed their own piece of the streaming video pie, fragmenting the market and making things complicated for consumers.)