Bus Stops - November 17

Ottawa driver allegedly abandons bus (Vancouver Sun) 

(The same day an Ottawa bus driver was fired by the city for swearing at and threatening to punch a passenger, another driver is alleged to have abandoned his still running bus and its passengers. The city says it is investigating the Monday incident, which involved a driver of an OC Transpo No. 5 bus.)

20 killed as nine-seater bus, carrying 64, crashes in China (National Post) 

(Twenty people, 18 of them children, were killed in a head-on collision between a hugely overloaded school bus and a truck in northwestern China Wednesday, local authorities and state media said. The small nine-seater bus, from a local kindergarten, was carrying 64 people when the accident happened on Wednesday morning in Gansu province, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities.)

Drunken teens accused of breaking bus driver's nose (The Province) 

(The campaign to get drunks off the road is pouring them onto buses - and putting transit drivers at risk. A West Vancouver bus driver will be off work for at least a week after his nose was broken in a Saturday night assault for refusing to let two drunk teens board. The driver was on the night's last run of the municipality's Blue Bus service to Vancouver when the teens tried to board at a stop in the 4900-block Marine Drive.)

School bus cameras would be used only to catch violators, sheriff says (Herald-Mail) 

(If Washington County officials decide to put cameras on the outside of some school buses to catch drivers who illegally pass the buses, only the captured images of those violations would be kept, Sheriff Doug Mullendore assured school board officials Tuesday night.)

Woman keeps 'alien' in fridge for two years after it crash-lands outside her home (Mirror UK) 

(Here’s a chilling tale of a monster from outer space… A woman claims she has kept an alien in her freezer for two years after its module crash landed outside her house. Marta Yegorovnam wrapped the two-foot long body with a huge head and stick-like arms in plastic and hid it away.)

Teenager's 60ft painting of penis on parents' roof spotted in space (The Guardian) 

(When I was at school there was a craze for scrawling penis graffiti on the chairs. Hapless teachers would look around the class to work out what all the sniggering was about, only to find a cartoon cock and balls between their legs. Now this classroom humour seems to have spread to outer space.)

(SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Lapointe)

'Situation' sues Abercrombie over ad campaign (MSNBC) 

("Jersey Shore" star Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino on Tuesday sued retailer Abercrombie & Fitch over what he claims was a publicity stunt to sell clothes using phrases associated with the reality TV actor. The complaint, filed by Sorrentino and his company MPS Entertainment in federal court in southern Florida, stems from an offer Abercrombie & Fitch publicized in August to pay cast members of the hit TV show not to wear the company's apparel.)

Teen rescued after 10 hours in chimney of Ga. home (AP) 

(Atlanta-area authorities say a teenage burglary suspect was pulled from a chimney by firefighters after being stuck there for more than 10 hours. Police say the 17-year-old boy was taken into custody after being freed from the chimney around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home in Norcross, northeast of Atlanta. Gwinnett County police Cpl. Jake Smith tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the teen was charged with burglary and giving false information to a police officer.)

More cats than inmates at Fla. prison set to close (SF Gate) 

(Authorities say dozens of cats that snuck into a South Florida prison will be found new homes before the facility closes next month. As many as 80 cats have burrowed under fences and taken up residence at the state-run prison in Belle Glade. Prisoners have been feeding the animals, even though rules prohibit that.)

Dog that survived gassing finds new home in NJ (CBS) 

(The dog that survived an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber has found a permanent home in New Jersey. Daniel, a beagle mix named by animal control workers in Alabama after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den, joined four other rescued dogs last Thursday at the home of Joe Dwyer and his family in Nutley, about 10 miles west of New York City. "He's in extremely good shape, especially in light of what he went through," Dwyer said Wednesday after returning from a trip to the veterinarian. "His attitude is just incredible.")

Big Lake man charged for attacking snowplow with ax (ADN) 

(An ax-wielding man attacked a snow plow truck in Big Lake earlier this month, apparently because he was angered by a snow berm blocking in his car, according to charging documents. The truck's driver, James Ross, told Alaska State Troopers a man with a "maul-style ax" ran in front of his truck on Saquonee Street in Big Lake the afternoon of Nov. 6, forcing Ross to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the man, according to a trooper affidavit filed in court. The man, later identified as 44-year-old Vernon Logan, swore at Ross while asking what Ross was doing, the court papers say.)

American Atheists Holiday 'Myth' Billboards To Go Up In New Jersey, Ohio, Florida (Huffington Post) 

(American Atheists are planning to put up more holiday "Myth" billboards this year. Last year, the atheist organization's "Myth" campaign featured billboards with phrases such as: "You Know It's A Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason," the Christian Post reports. But this year, the group's planning to erect signs featuring images of Santa, Jesus, Poseidon and the devil next to the message: "37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them.")

Wife of Iraq war Vet 'hired hitman to kill her husband... but the "assassin" knew his target and warned him' (Daily Mail) 

(The wife of a disabled Iraq war veteran has been accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill her husband. Amber Hursey offered to pay the contract killer life insurance money she would receive when her husband James was killed. But the 'killer' turned out to know James Hursey and tipped him off about the murder for hire plot in Laurel County, Kentucky.)

Wife of Iraq war Vet 'hired hitman to kill her husband... but the "assassin" knew his target and warned him' (Daily Mail) 

(The wife of a disabled Iraq war veteran has been accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill her husband. Amber Hursey offered to pay the contract killer life insurance money she would receive when her husband James was killed. But the 'killer' turned out to know James Hursey and tipped him off about the murder for hire plot in Laurel County, Kentucky.)

House GOP Classifies Pizza As A Vegetable To ‘Prevent Overly Burdensome’ School Lunch Regulations (Think Progress) 

(Earlier this year, the USDA made an attempt to bolster the nutrition guidelines for the federal school lunch program. Under the new guidelines, for instance, school lunches would be limited to one cup of starchy vegetables a week and the ability of schools to count tomato sauce on pizza towards their fruit and vegetables requirement would be scaled back. But House Republicans, in a new spending plan unveiled yesterday, have done away with those changes...)

'Bubble man' bids to end tumour misery (The Sun UK) 

(THIS man's skin has been so badly ravaged by tumours he is known as The Bubble Man. Chandra Wisnu, 57, is thought to be one of the few people in the world with a rare skin disease which causes large, bubble-like lumps to develop all over his body. The married dad-of-four, from Indonesia, rarely leaves his house and when he does he is forced to cover his face with a balaclava and wear sunglasses for fear of frightening or being ridiculed by others.)

Zombie Boot Camp teaches zombie-survival skills (Newslite) 

(A new course has launched in the UK which promises to teach zombie apocalypse-fearing folk everything they need to survive an undead uprising. Zombie Boot Camp -- which runs in Driotwich, Worcestershire and costs £59 -- has been specially created in order to help train and prepare people for the eventuality of a zombie invasion. The experience day sees would-be zombie battlers take part in training from expert military instructors before being kitted out in helmets, safety goggles and Kevlar body armour.)

Can’t keep Kevin Smith away (Halifax Metro) 

(It was going to be a short trip for the man in the long jacket, but Kevin Smith is coming back to Halifax. Halifax fans thought the Nov. 7 show was the last they’d see of the filmmaker and actor for a while, but come December, Jay and Silent Bob will strike back in Halifax after last week’s sold-out appearance.)

Teens staging online predator stings dressed as Batman draw RCMP attention (National Post) 

(Mounties are investigating three B.C. teenage boys who posed as underage girls online, lured men to meet them for sex then confronted the accused sexual predators dressed as superheroes. The shenanigans were videotaped and posted in recent weeks on YouTube, under the title To Troll a Predator. One video features what the boys describe as a 44-year-old male who was seeking to perform oral sex on a 15-year-old girl. The video shows screen grabs of the online chat, dated Nov. 5, and the agreement to meet at a Tim Hortons.)

How to unlock Big Head mode in Batman: Arkham City (MK Gaming) 

(Some clever person has found a secret Easter egg in Batman: Arkham City, simply titled Big Head Mode. This mode, as you can probably guess, makes heads big. It works for Batman and all of the other skins you can unlock, as well as every other character in the game. All the enemies will have big heads as well as Catwoman, however, it doesn’t work in challenge maps apparently.)

Liam Neeson excited about Batman movie (Film News UK) 

(Liam Neeson can’t wait to see the new Batman movie as he hasn’t “a clue” what it’s about. The actor portrayed the superhero’s nemesis Ra's Al Ghul in the 2005 movie Batman Begins. With the third and final instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises, due out next year, there has been speculation about whether Liam will be appearing.)

Batman-obsessed Jersey boy brought his hero to the silver screen (Shore News Today) 

(As a kid, New Jersey native Michael Uslan fell in love with comic book heroes, especially Bruce Wayne, the wealthy playboy who battled crime in the guise of Batman. Uslan’s fascination with the Caped Crusader never faded, and though as a young man he bent to his mother’s will and earned a law degree, ultimately he chucked the conventional life, became a comic book writer, and went on to produce some of the most successful films in Hollywood – including “Batman,” “Batman Returns,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman Begins,” and the second-highest grossing film of all time, “The Dark Knight,” with Christian Bale as the titular superhero.)

How PTSD took over America (Salon) 

(In the past 30 years, post-traumatic stress disorder has gone from exotic rarity to omnipresent. Once chiefly applied to wartime veterans returning from combat, it is now a much more common diagnosis, still linked to traumatic events but now including those occurring outside the battle zone: the death of a loved one on a hospital bed, a car crash on the highway, an assault in the neighborhood park. Many would argue that this is a good thing: greater recognition of psychologically distressing events will lead to more people seeking treatment and a decrease in the preponderance of PTSD – a win-win.)

One in five U.S. adults takes medication for a mental disorder (LA Times) 

(Medications to treat mental health disorders is soaring among U.S. adults, according to data released Wednesday by Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy benefit manager. Twenty percent of all adults said they took at least one medication to treat a mental disorder. Among women, 25% said they took such medication and 20% said they were using an antidepressant.)

Is cheese better than butter for heart health? (MNN) 

(Doctors and nutritionists have long recommended avoiding all animal fats to trim cholesterol, but some researchers say cheese may not be so bad. Doctors and nutritionists have long recommended avoiding all animal fats to trim cholesterol, but Danish researchers say cheese may not be so bad, and probably shouldn't be placed in the same category as butter.)

Xbox and a decade of innovation – interview with Chris Lewis (The Guardian) 

(It's Xbox's 10th birthday this week. That's not bad going, is it? Yeah, I know. Wow! Ten years! That is a long time. We were actually looking back on some of the launch pictures of the first console in the UK, and um … I suppose my hair loss since then does betray the timeframe, but it really does feel like a very short time ago.)

Facebook: Attack identified, most spammed porn removed (CNN) 

(Facebook says a hack that exploited some Web browsers was responsible for a flood of porn, violent images and other graphic content that spread across the site over the past couple of days. Spokesman Frederic Wolens said Facebook's security team had been working to identify the cause of the spam and that, by Tuesday afternoon, "we have eliminated most of the spam caused by this attack.")

Black Friday Thursday: Will Shoppers Really Show Up at Stores on Thanksgiving Night? (Time) 

(One of the biggest stories to emerge this holiday shopping season is the expansion of Black Friday. In years past, retailers pushed the envelope by opening at 4 a.m., or even 3 a.m. the morning (if you want to call it that) after Thanksgiving. That’s just not cutting it this year, when many stores will open their doors to Black Friday shoppers at midnight, or, in the case of Walmart, at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.)

Bullet Hits White House Exterior Window (Time) 

(A bullet hit an exterior window of the White House but was stopped by ballistic glass, and the Secret Service was investigating Wednesday whether the incident is connected to shots fired nearby last week. An additional round of ammunition was found on the White House exterior. The bullets were found Tuesday morning.)

Cat-astrophe: British Prime Minister’s Feline Can’t Catch Mice (Time) 

(Is this the Downing Street cat’s Neville Chamberlain moment? Some are calling on No. 10’s Larry the cat to resign after a mouse was seen scampering across the floor during a recent prime ministerial dinner. The Prime Minister David Cameron resorted to chucking a silver fork at the mouse, while cabinet member Iain Duncan Smith said: “Where’s Larry when you need him?”)

'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Karl Slover dies at 93 (Access Atlanta) 

(Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," has died. He was 93. The 4-foot-5 Slover died of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon in a central Georgia hospital, said Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley. According to friends, as recently as last weekend, Slover appeared at events in the suburban Chicago area.)

Mike McQueary, key witness in Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case, changes story about shower incident (Penn Live) 

(Mike McQueary is supposed to be the prosecution’s star witness. His testimony is key in all three criminal cases stemming from the indictment of Jerry Sandusky. His eyewitness account of the alleged rape of a young boy could be damning to Sandusky. And grand jurors opted to believe him over former athletic director Tim Curley and former Vice President Gary Schultz, directly leading to charges of perjury and failure to report filed against the Penn State University officials. But McQueary’s story is changing.)

Victim Says Penn State Officials 'Rejected' His Claims That a University Professor Allegedly Molested Him (ABC) 

(A new victim is claiming another member of the Penn State faculty sexually abused him years ago, and he said when he brought his abuse complaints to university officials, he was turned away. Paul McLaughlin, who is now in his mid-40s, told ABC News that now-retired Penn State professor John "Jack" Neisworth, who is a nationally acclaimed voice on child development, sexually abused him in the late 1970s to early '80s when he was between the ages of 11 and 15.)