Boy's Sax Banned On School Bus (The Boston Channel)
(A Raynham 12-year-old boy has been banned from taking his saxophone on the school bus. ndrew DiMarzio loves to play his tenor sax at home and at school, but the bus company said the case for his saxophone is a safety hazard aboard a crowded school bus.)
NJ man arrested for defrauding bus company (WGMD)
(Delaware State Police are looking to extradite a man from New Jersey who’s accused of defrauding a bus company. Arthur Gallagher of Highlands, New Jerseywas arrested on a fugitive warrant for charges of theft of over $100,000 and third-degree forgery.)
TTC considers random drug, alcohol testing (National Post)
(The Toronto Transit Commission is reconsidering a proposal to start conducting random drug and alcohol testing of employees. It comes less than a week after a bus driver was charged with criminal negligence causing death and possession of marijuana in an August accident that killed a 43-year-old woman and injured 13 other passengers.)
Willie Nelson’s Tour Bus Is Up For Auction In Toronto (Auto Guide)
(If you want to complete your Willie Nelson memorabilia collection, you’ve got to bid on a tour bus that was used by the country music star. Willie’s tour bus will be for sale at the Classic Car Auction of Toronto on October 21 to 23 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. It will take its place alongside cars and trucks from 1912 to 2010.)
Half of Americans favor legalizing pot, poll shows (Fox News)
(Half of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, according to a new Gallup Poll indicating record approval for the use of pot, which for now is only legal for medical purposes in 14 states and the District of Colombia. The survey shows a 4 percent surge since last year, when 46 percent supported the legalization of cannabis nationwide.)
Eye am for real: One-eyed albino shark-clops 'is not a fake', say experts (Daily Mail)
(A fisherman has discovered what appears to be a shark with a single eye in the centre of its face. The albino ‘cyclops’ fetus was cut from the belly of a pregnant bull shark caught in the Gulf of California this summer. The one-eyed shark has achieved cult status since Pisces Fleet Sportfishing published pictures of it in July, giving rise to rumours of Photoshopping or other hoaxes.)
Zombies and witches declare war in Salem (Boston.com)
(The series of events that culminated with the alleged assault on the zombies began when the Witch Mansion opened in the East India Square Mall, just in time for the huge Halloween season here. The Witch Mansion is a pretty standard haunted house; it is dark and it is loud and things jump out at you. It has some 3-D gimmicks and slow animatronics, but what’s interesting about the Witch Mansion is the very end, when you exit into the mall and there, directly across the way, is another haunted house.)
Beer in Space tour could be possible by 2013 (CNN Go)
(There's only one element in the universe that could possibly make the majestic view of the Earth from outer space even more god-like. That, of course, would be beer. That's the idea, anyway, behind a Beer in Space tour currently being planned by Australian pub tour operator Thirsty Swagman. Successful early "space beer" tests have the company hoping to get its tour buzzing off the launch pad by 2012 or 2013.)
Mum told sex disease lies about daughter's rival
(Stuff)
(A Queenstown mother has admitted falsely telling two prestigious schools that her daughter's rival applicant was a lesbian with a sexually transmitted disease. The 53-year-old cleaner was granted continuing name suppression yesterday when she admitted in the Queenstown District Court two charges of misusing a telephone.)
Won’t You Help The Man With The 100-Pound Scrotum? (Deadspin)
(The Las Vegas Review-Journal today brings us the heartbreaking story of one Wesley Warren Jr., who just three years ago possessed a scrotum as normally sized as yours or mine. (Click here for video.) But something happened, something doctors can't explain. Suffering from scrotal elephantiasis, Warren is now going public with his affliction in hopes of raising enough money to undergo a rare and risky procedure that might be his only hope of living a normal life.)
Los Angeles police "embarrassed" after gun cache stolen (Reuters)
(Los Angeles police officials searched on Monday for a stolen cache of submachine guns and semi-automatic handguns that disappeared from a SWAT training facility, and said they were embarrassed by the loss. More than 30 Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and M1911 pistols that had been stored at the training facility were stolen, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Karen Rayner said.)
Blue the Dog, Condemned Canine, Freed from Death Row in Daring Escape (Seattle Weekly)
(Back in May we brought you the tale of Blue the dog, a 4-year-old blue lacey who had been condemned to die under a highly contentious local ordinance. For a year now the dog has been housed in an animal shelter in Albany, Ore. awaiting his final days on earth. . . Until Sunday, that is. Now Blue is free, liberated (or stolen, depending on whom you ask), by a concerned supporter (or supporters) who scaled the fence of the shelter where he was held and spirited the pooch away from his approaching demise.)
Wife Tried to Decapitate Husband With Power Saw: Police (NBC)
(A Washington woman tried to saw her husband's head off with a power saw, according to police. "You tried to cut my head off," police said they heard the victim shout when they arrived at the Everett, Wash., home. "You're going to jail.")
Bellevue cemetery offers nation's first golfers-only section (Komonews)
(You can now be buried on the back nine. A funeral home is offering a first-of-its-kind lot in the nation -- a final resting place devoted exclusively to die-hard golfers. "The great beyond," said golfer Jim Conti. "Heaven certainly will have golf courses up there." But in case it doesn't, Sunset Hills Memorial Golf Park allows golfers to rest in peace on the greens. The cemetery offers golf course attributes, from the fountain to the fairway. Even the sand trap is gridded into spaces for urns.)
Russian governor promises $17,000 for furless chipmunk (Pravda)
(An award of 500,000 rubles ($17,000) has been promised to the person, who brings a bald chipmunk to the head of Russia's Altai Republic. Alexander Berdnikov, the head of the Altai Republic, made such a weird promise as he was commenting the information saying that the continual landing of rockets on the territory of his region contaminates the soil and causes serious damage to the ecology, Ded Altai news agency said.)
Canadian Man Completes 11-Year Round-the-World Walk (Fox NY)
(A 56-year-old Canadian man who left home after his business went bankrupt completed an 11-year walk around the world Sunday, and told a crowd of well-wishers his new goal was to promote peace. Jean Beliveau -- who arrived to a hero's welcome in Montreal from loved ones, lawmakers and supporters -- said his "real mission" was to lobby Canada and other governments to create "ministries of peace.")
'Tutan-Alan' Donates Body For Mummification (Sky News)
(A taxi driver from Torquay has become the first person in 3,000 years to be mummified. Alan Billis, who died in January, volunteered to undergo the procedure - which a scientist has been working on recreating for years - after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.)
The task of becoming a cult figure (The Australian)
(RED State begins simply enough, even predictably, as a trio of profane schoolkids reply to an online invitation for free sex. It escalates when the trio is lured into the captivity and deprivations of a fundamentalist religious group. RED State is not the kind of film many would have expected from former slacker wunderkind Kevin Smith. Nor was Smith the director Melissa Leo expected on the film.)
Kevin Smith on Red State, Lacking Talent, and ‘Kevin Smith Movies’ (NY Mag)
(With his supposed retirement around the corner, Kevin Smith has been busy promoting his horror film Red State, which opened to big, if not slightly manic, buzz at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The movie, which stars John Goodman and Melissa Leo and is out on DVD today, follows a group of hate-mongering Christian fundamentalists and their Fred Phelps–type leader (played by Michael Parks). We spoke with Smith about watching Phelps footage in the dark, bailing on Green Hornet, and “Kevin Smith movies.”)
Kevin Smith Goes Rogue With ‘Red State’ (Hollywood Outbreak)
(Available today on DVD and Blu-ray, RED STATE is a thriller about three promiscuous teens lured into a nightmare hostage situation by an obsessed fundamentalist cult hell-bent on teaching them a lesson. Heavily armed, the group readies for a battle when authorities discover the teens missing. Written and directed by KEVIN SMITH, the cast features MICHAEL ANGARANO, NICHOLAS BRAUN, MICHAEL PARKS, STEVEN ROOT, MARC BLUCAS and MELISSA LEO. A hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the film became even more controversial when SMITH sold the distribution rights to himself and announced plans to tour it around the country in conjunction with a live performance before eventually releasing it to theaters. During an interview we conducted during the summer, BLUCAS talked about his role in the film and voiced support for SMITH’S unique plan.)
A Peek at Kevin Smith's Red State (Shock Till You Drop)
(Kevin Smith's Red State arrives on DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment and we have a clip from the special features to share with you. Click on the player below to hear Kevin Smith's thoughts on casting John Goodman and the actor's take on who his character is. Goodman co-stars with Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Stephen Root, Melissa Leo and Michael Parks.)
Kevin Smith's self-consciously edgy 'Red State' lands on DVD; plus other new home-video releases (Nola)
(Seven months after director Kevin Smith brought his controversial "Red State" to New Orleans last March for a one-night-only screening, those who chose not to pony up for a $65 ticket get to see what the fuss was all about, as it lands today on DVD. A heavy-handed message movie disguised as a thriller, it tells the story of a trio of teenage boys whose search for sex lands them in the clutches of a fundamentalist Christian sect that has its own medieval ideas of justice.)
Curious releases Red State (Australian Creative)
(Red State, the 10th film by cult writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy) distributed in ANZ by Curious Film opened in Australia this week. The thriller vehicle for lead actor John Goodman is based on a story of three teenagers in middle America responding to an older woman's online invitation for sex. Their schoolboy fantasies then turn sinister when Christian extremists hold them captive in a compound.)
The predictably sad saga of Kevin Smith's "Red State" (SL Tribune)
(Red State, the 10th film by cult writer/director Kevin Smith (So this is how Kevin Smith's bluster ends - with his once-trumpeted thriller "Red State" essentially going directly to DVD. It seemed such a big deal in January, when Smith returned to the Sundance Film Festival (home of his early career triumphs "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy") with his first horror-thriller, "Red State." (Here's my review, written during Sundance.)
Kevin Smith to Start Filming Reality Series (NJ Patch)
(Red State, the 10th film by cult writer/director Kevin Smith (So this is how Kevin Smith's bluster ends - with his once-trumpeted thriller "Red State" essentially going directly to DVD. It seemed such a big deal in January, when Smith returned to the Sundance Film Festival (home of his early career triumphs "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy") with his first horror-thriller, "Red State." (Here's my review, written during Sundance.))When Dante Hicks arrived at the Leonardo Quick Stop early that fateful morning — on a day he wasn’t even supposed to be there — he found the locks to the shutters stuffed with gum. Unable to open them, the clerk instead erected a sign letting milkmaids and Chewlies Gum representatives alike know that the store was open.
'Batman' sentenced to probation, not to wear costumes (Petoskey News)
(Mark Wayne Williams, the so-called "Petoskey Batman," has been sentenced to six months probation and is not to wear any costumes during that time, including the one he was wearing when he was arrested in May. "Mr. Williams completely understands 100 percent why he's here," his attorney Bryan Klawuhn told the court during his sentencing hearing in Emmet County's 57th Circuit Court Monday, Oct. 17. Klawuhn emphasized that Williams did not intend to use the weapons he possessed the night of his arrest and never intended to harm anyone.)
'Batman might be coming to Occupy Wall Street (AV Club)
(The ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests have served as a loud, if cacophonous voice in the urban wilderness, crying out against the corporations and millionaires who for too long have exploited the lower- and middle-class population for its own purposes. And now it may play another, somewhat ironic role: Serving as a stand-in for the equally pissed-off denizens of Gotham City in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, which would thereby co-opt Occupy Wall Street's "gritty authenticity," save global media conglomerate Warner Bros. the cost of staging complicated crowd scenes that might otherwise add to the film’s $250 million budget, and essentially turn protestors into unpaid extras.)
What Former Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer Thinks Of Anne Hathaway — Does She Approve? (Hollywood Life)
(When most people think of Catwoman, they immediately envision Michelle Pfeiffer‘s iconic turn as sexy Selina Kyle 1992′s Batman Returns – so we were dying to get her thoughts on Anne Hathaway‘s upcoming portrayal in The Dark Knight Rises. ”I think [Anne] is going to be amazing,” Michelle told HollywoodLife.com exclusively Oct. 17 at Elle‘s Women in Hollywood event.)
Arkham City’s misguided crusade against used-game sales (Financial Post)
(Over the last few years developers and publishers have fought against two foes in the retail market: piracy and used-game sales. Neither of which do them any good. The new favoured way to combat these foes is through the inclusion of a unique, single-use download code included in new copy of the game that unlocks content.)
'Batman: Arkham City' videogame review: A dirty town, a grand adventure (Entertainment Weekly)
(While playing Batman: Arkham City, the kinetically entertaining new videogame from developer Rocksteady, I found myself thinking constantly about another game based on a decades-old media franchise: The Nintendo 64′s GoldenEye 007. When GoldenEye was in production, there was no reason to believe that it would become one of the greatest games in history. It was a first-person shooter, a genre that had never made the successful transition from computers to consoles — the whole FPS aesthetic seemed positively hard-wired into the specifics of PC gaming. GoldenEye was being designed by Rare, a company that had never worked in the shooter genre; they were known for frothy sidescrollers like Donkey Kong Country and for Killer Instinct, the fondly-forgotten third wheel of the Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter arcade era. Heck, in hindsight, it’s bizarre to even imagine family-friendly Nintendo doing a first-person shooter: By comparison, imagine discovering a lost Disney zombie cartoon from the silent era.)
Children, Not Chimps, Prefer Collaboration: Humans Like to Work Together in Solving Tasks -- Chimps Don't (Science Daily)
(Recent studies have shown that chimpanzees possess many of the cognitive prerequisites necessary for humanlike collaboration. Cognitive abilities, however, might not be all that differs between chimpanzees and humans when it comes to cooperation. Researchers from the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the MPI for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen have now discovered that when all else is equal, human children prefer to work together in solving a problem, rather than solve it on their own. Chimpanzees, on the other hand, show no such preference according to a study of 3-year-old German kindergarteners and semi-free ranging chimpanzees, in which the children and chimps could choose between a collaborative and a non-collaboration problem-solving approach.)
Climate change spawns the incredible shrinking ant (Reuters)
(Plants and animals are shrinking because of warmer temperatures and lack of water, researchers said on Monday, warning it could have profound implications for food production in years ahead. "The worst-case scenarios ... are that food crops and animals will shrink enough to have real implications for food security," Assistant Professor David Bickford, of the National University of Singapore's biological sciences department, said.)
Toxic Seaweed Poisons Coral Reefs on Contact (Wired)
(“Attack of the killer seaweed” may sound like a cheesy horror flick, but for many coral species, murderous multicellular algae have become real-life villains. A new study of reefs in the South Pacific suggests that some algae can poison coral on contact. This chemical warfare may be increasing the pressure on struggling reef communities worldwide, researchers say.)
Media profanity linked to teen aggression (UPI)
(Profanity in television and video games is linked to U.S. teen aggression, researchers at Brigham Young University found. Professor Sarah Coyne said the statistical modeling points to a chain reaction -- exposure to profanity is associated with acceptance and use of profanity, which in turn influence both physical and relational aggression.)
Age brings wisdom, scientists say (Telegraph)
(Scientists discovered that years of life experience makes older brains as effective when it comes to decision-making as much younger minds. Older people were found to be less bothered by making a mistake and used their brains in a far more efficient way, only engaging certain parts of it at the exact moment that they were required. The findings contradict previous theories claiming that our brains deterioriate with age, making us less able to make sound decisions.)
A shocking connection: film-maker uncovers Blood in the Mobile (The Guardian)
(Frank Poulsen's eye-opening new documentary exposes a link between the war in DR Congo and our mobile phones. We all love our mobile phones, and the smarter they get, the more we want them. There is, though, a dark side to this affair. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, our demand for phones has been helping to finance a civil war which has killed more than 5m people. There is, according to the title of Danish director Frank Poulsen's eye-opening documentary, blood in the mobile.)
Disney Channel Star Mitchel Musso Arrested for DUI (Time)
(And another one bites the dust. In just the latest of what seems like countless examples of "why Disney Channel stars can't follow the rules," another member of the Mouse House got busted for breaking the law this weekend. Mitchel Musso, better known as one of Miley Cyrus' sidekicks on Hannah Montana, current star of Disney's Pair of Kings and a voice for cartoon series Phineas and Ferb, was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of DUI, according to police.)
Amid Anger Over Grisly Collision, China Recognizes a Humble Hero (Time)
(If there is a bright note to the sad story of Wang Yue, the two-year old who was ignored by more than a dozen passers-by after a hit-and-run collision, it is 57-year-old scrap picker Chen Xianmei, who stopped to help the gravely injured toddler. The incident has prompted a vast outpouring of online anger and soul searching as to how so many people could be so callous towards the suffering of a child.)
Chime.in Social Network Lets You Earn Cash For Posts (Time)
(If you've ever found yourself frustrated at the thought that you can't share in the results of Twitter or Facebook's efforts to monetize social media, fear not: There's an app for that. The only catch? You'll have to join yet another social network. UberMedia, the company behind apps Echofon and Twidroyd, has created new social network Chime.in, which aggregates user posts—or "chimes," as they're being called—around interests, rather than a specific timeline. More importantly, it offers users two options to sell advertising for themselves and profit from their own content.)
Do We Really Need to Protect Children From the Internet? (Time)
(The Federal Trade Commission is recommending updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which sounds timely, wise, and worthy. But it is doing so blind to the impact and unintended consequences of its regulation. COPPA requires that sites serving children under the age 13 must give parents notice and get consent if they collect and use personally identifiable information — which is broadly defined — about a child.)
Cancer-stricken mother dies 23 days after giving birth to daughter she saved by refusing chemotherapy treatment (Daily Mail)
(Faced with the knowledge that only chemotherapy would save her from terminal neck cancer, newly-pregnant Stacie Crimm made the ultimate sacrifice. The 41-year-old, who had been told by doctors she would never be able to conceive a child, decided to refuse the treatment so her unborn daughter could live instead. Stacie was able to survive for five months before being forced to deliver Dottie Mae, weighing just 2lbs 1oz, by Caesarean section - and even managed to hold her on one occasion before succumbing to the disease three days later.)
Apple to close some stores during Jobs celebration (CNET)
(Apple will temporarily close some of its retail stores tomorrow to coincide with the celebration of late co-founder Steve Jobs, which is taking place at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.)
Finally, Kate Middleton Fashion Mania Dies Down....Kind Of (Time)
No comments:
Post a Comment