Bus Stops - November 7

GWAR guitarist found dead in tour bus (Times of India) 

(He was 34 years old and had been playing with the band since 2002. Though no official statement regarding the circumstances and cause of Smoot's death have been revealed, founding member and vocalist of the band Dave Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus, posted on their official online forum that "It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their longtime guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred")

Bus rant witness was afraid for passenger's safety (CTV) 

(The man who took the video he said shows an OC Transpo driver threatening a mentally ill passenger said he started filming because he thought a crime was about to happen. The man, who goes by the YouTube username DartPak, said he took the video on route 96 in Kanata early Thursday morning when there were only a few people on the bus. He said this passenger was rambling, appeared mentally ill and tried to apologize to the bus driver who repeatedly swore at him and threatened violence.)

Bus crash in Hurghada, Egypt, kills Hungarian tourists (BBC) 

(Eleven Hungarian tourists have been killed after their bus overturned in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, officials say. The driver is believed to have lost control as he drove at high speed along a ring road leading to Hurghada's airport, the Mena news agency reported. The crash also injured 27 Hungarian tourists, including four children.)

Box Office Report: Holdover 'Puss in Boots' Wins in Shocking Upset over Brett Ratner's 'Tower Heist' (Hollywood Reporter) 

(The 3D toon grosses $33 million, nearly as much as its opening, while "Tower Heist" debuts to a subdued $25.1 million; "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" launches to $13.1 million, behind last title in franchise. In a dramatic weekend of highs and lows at the domestic box office, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's Puss in Boots purred its way to a $33 million second weekend--a mere 3 pecent drop from its $34.1 million debut--while Brett Ratner's Ben Stiller-Eddie Murphy broad action comedy opened to a disappointing $25.1 million.)

Star Wars fan killed his wife after 'she smashed his toy collection' (The Mirror) 

(A STAR Wars fan was yesterday jailed for life after murdering his wife in an alleged revenge attack for smashing up his cherished toy collection. Rickie La-Touche, 30, told a court that his Thai wife Pornpilai Srisroy, 28, had damaged his precious Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker memorabilia. He later suffocated her during a row and then ran sobbing to his mother who lived nearby.)

Alberta dentist buys John Lennon's tooth for $32,000 (Toronto Sun) 

(Here's one tooth a Canadian dentist won't be chucking away. BBC News reports that Michael Zuk, a dentist from Red Deer, Alta, bought one of John Lennon's teeth for more than $32,000 at an auction in Stockport, England, on Saturday. The site says that the late Beatle's molar, which Lennon had given to his housekeeper Dot Jarlett in the late 1960s, eventually came into the possession of Alan McGee, who co-founded Creation Records. The hugely influential British independent label's roster included acts like Oasis, Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine.)

Oregon man prepares to pilot lawn chair over Baghdad (LA Times) 

(Some men see lawn chairs in the sky and ask, "Why?" Some, though, imagine attaching the chairs to hundreds of balloons, strapping themselves in the seat, donning oxygen masks and flying straight over Baghdad. Kent Couch, who runs a gas station in Bend, Ore., is such a man. Couch boarded a flight to the Middle East on Thursday, setting out on an adventure that involves becoming the first lawn chair balloonist to traverse the now-more-or-less peaceful skies over Iraq -- and raise money for Iraqi children.)

Florida teens suspended for hugging (RAW Story) 

(Two 14-year-olds in Palm Beach, Florida weren’t expecting to be sent home from school when they greeted each other with an innocent hug. Nancy Crescente was shocked to find out that Palm Bay Southwest Middle School suspended her son, Nickolas Martinez, and his friend. “I thought it was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard,” Nancy Crescente told WOFL. “We’re a cultural family and this is what we do.”)

Gay high school student, 16, suspended by principal for wearing make-up in class (Daily Mail) 

(An openly gay 16-year-old high school student was given a three-day suspension for wearing make-up in class. Kasey Landrum was censured by the principal at Lexington High School in Tennessee after being told he had violated the school's dress code. 'The principal walked into the school and immediately started yelling at me for it, and told me to get outside,' Kasey told WBBJ-TV.)

Avril Lavinge 'attacked by 5 people' (Stuff) 

(Reality TV hunk Brody Jenner had to experience last night how fast a beautiful night can turn ugly. The step brother of the Kardashian sisters and boyfriend of singer Avril Lavigne tweeted yesterday, "Having the best night with the love of my life @AvrilLavigne so happy right now!!" But mere six hours later he followed up with "Interesting Saturday night... Just got of the hospital with a new scar on my face.. Charges/chargers!!!".)

French satirical newspaper firebombed after prophet Mohammed announcement (Telegraph) 

(The offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo have been destroyed by a petrol bomb, a day after it named the Prophet Mohammed as its “editor-in-chief” for this week’s issue. The fiercely anti-clerical magazine said the move, which included renaming the publication “Sharia Hebdo”, was intended to "celebrate" the victory of Islamist party Ennhada in Tunisia's election.)

Russia holds suspect over theft of women's skeletons (BBC) 

(Police investigating Russian grave robberies are holding a man after the remains of at least 20 women were found in his flat, Russian media report. Mummified remains of 27 women were found in the flat in Nizhny Novgorod, a police source told government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The suspect, 45, is a local historian, Russian news agencies say.)

Wife Pleads Not Guilty To Stabbing Husband While Wearing Bubble Wrap (KSBW) 

(A Los Altos woman pleaded not guilty on Thursday to stabbing her estranged husband in what a prosecutor describes as a carefully plotted attempt to kill. Laura Jean Wenke, 50, is charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a stun gun.)

Duo stole meatball sandwich from boy at gunpoint (News Lite) 

(Police in Pennsylvania say two men have been arrested after stealing a teenager's meatball sandwich at gunpoint. The dopey duo apparently robbed a 13-year-old-boy by threatening him with a gun and telling him to empty his pockets. But they then proceeded to take just his tasty meatball sandwich before fleeing in a nearby car.)

Man Pays Off Mother's 1954 Parking Ticket (My Fox NY) 

(A parking ticket issued 57 years ago in southeast Nebraska has finally been paid off. The fine: a dime. York Police Chief Don Klug says a man walked into the station Tuesday with the ticket and payment — mounted and framed. Klug tells the York News-Times that the man said he found the ticket among his mother's things and wanted to settle the debt.)

Bringing in the big guns? Batman arrives at the scene of Occupy Wall Street protests (but it's only to film new movie sequel) (Daily Mail) 

(After six weeks of protests, perhaps the Occupy Wall Street crowds decided it was time to bring in the big guns. But sadly for the protesters, Christian Bale's Batman was only on hand for filming in the Wall Street district New York, rather than coming to the aid of America's '99 per cent.' However, the film cast of The Dark Knight Rises did get involved in a fair bit of action on the set yesterday.)

Batman Needs Help To Change The Flat On His Lamborghini Gallardo (Top Speed) 

(In the Philippines, "Bahala na si Batman" - translated, it means: "Leave it to Batman" - is a popular phrase people say when they’re in a conundrum. The whole premise of that quote is that whatever pickle we find ourselves in, Batman always has a solution. What we found out earlier today unfortunately shattered that myth because even the Caped Crusader has no answer when it comes to changing a flat tire on his Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.)

Mock Mars Mission Crew 'Return To Earth' (Sky) 

(Six men who simulated a mission to Mars by spending 520 days inside a network of windowless modules have emerged safe and well. The all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese man,have lived at the research cenre in Moscow since June 2010. They emerged in good spirits from the experiment, which was designed to simulate the confinement, stress and fatigue of interplanetary travel.)

Dinosaur may have acted like showy Vegas diva to attract mates (MNN) 

(A dinosaur best known as an egg thief may have also been a showy diva with a feathery tail like the fan of a flamenco dancer, a new study finds. Oviraptor dinosaurs lived in the late Cretaceous Period, about 75 million years ago. They got their name, Latin for "egg thief," because the first specimen was found near a clutch of eggs as if the beast were stealing them; later discoveries revealed that the eggs were likely oviraptor's own, though the dinosaur's diet, and whether it included eggs, is mostly unknown.)

You gotta have friends? Most have just 2 true pals (MSNBC) 

(If asked how many friends you have, some may have trouble distinguishing between the lengthy list of Facebook friends and those close pals you confide in. Well, it turns out, Americans' lists of the close type has shrunk to two, down from three confidantes 25 years ago, a new study suggests. The study also found that the number of us who have zero confidantes, or the socially isolated, has not increased over these decades, as scientists had suspected based on a 2006 study showing a near tripling of Americans' social isolation between 1985 and 2004.)

Brain cells responsible for keeping us awake identified (Xenophilia) 

(Bright light arouses us. Bright light makes it easier to stay awake. Very bright light not only arouses us but is known to have antidepressant effects. Conversely, dark rooms can make us sleepy. It’s the reason some people use masks to make sure light doesn’t wake them while they sleep. Now researchers at UCLA have identified the group of neurons that mediates whether light arouses us — or not. Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and colleagues report in the current online edition of the Journal of Neuroscience that the cells necessary for a light-induced arousal response are located in the hypothalamus, an area at the base of the brain responsible for, among other things, control of the autonomic nervous system, body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue — and sleep.)

Google To Index Facebook Comments As Search Results (CBS) 

(If you’re finding it tough to stay off of Facebook, you may soon find it even harder to keep your words off of Google.The Internet’s most popular — and powerful — search engine will soon expand its search index to include user comments on Facebook as part of Google’s traditional search results.)

Students need lessons on where to find their facts, study finds (Washington Post) 

(A new analysis of “unoriginal” writing by the anti-plagiarism site Turnitin finds that college students aren’t much better than high school students at choosing their sources. A growing number of college presidents and faculty are concerned about student plagiarism in the Internet age. But the questions raised by this analysis go beyond ethics. Wouldn’t professors be disheartened to learn that a significant share of students are harvesting their facts not from an old-fashioned encyclopedia but from Yahoo Answers? Wikipedia is the most popular source of borrowed text on the Internet in both high school and college, according to the Turnitin analysis of 33 million student papers.)

Detroit Football Fans Petition to Replace Nickelback for Halftime Show (Time) 

(Sometimes you just have to take a stand against music you don’t like. The announcement that Nickelback will play at the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers did not sit well with some Detroiters. And as of the time of this post, more than 21,000 people have signed an online petition to have Nickelback replaced.)

5.6-Magnitude Earthquake, Strongest on Record, Strikes Oklahoma (Time) 

(It wasn’t just the Cowboys fans rocking the stadium after Oklahoma State’s 52-45 win over the Kansas State Wildcats. A day of earthquakes culminated in the state’s strongest quake on record, a 5.6-magnitude temblor that was felt in all corners of the state and into parts of neighboring Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. The region is prone to earthquakes, as the New Madrid Fault has proven to be a volatile one in recent years. And Saturday was bookended by quaking for many Oklahomans, beginning with a 4.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted residents awake at 2:12 a.m.)

Scammers Pose as Soldiers Online, Stealing Women’s Hearts — and Money (Time) 

(Think twice before falling for that hot soldier stationed in Iraq, says the U.S. Army—especially if you met him on a dating website. It’s rather easy to spot and avoid those Nigerian-prince email scams, but hundreds of women have been falling prey to this more sophisticated “romance scam,” reports Jezebel. In this type of plot, thieves take on the identities of actual servicemen based in Iraq or Afghanistan, grab a couple photos off the Internet of said soldier, and go to work scamming on social media based dating sites.)

Woman Reportedly Burns Down House After Facebook Un-Friending (Time) 

(A recent house fire at the Iowa home of Jim and Nikki Rasmussen has been traced to an unlikely source: an un-friending on Facebook. According to the Des Moines Register, the Rasmussen family homestead went up in smoke in the early morning hours of Oct. 27. The fire department suspected arson and when the family was asked by investigators if anyone would want to harm the family. Both husband and wife agreed there was only one suspect: Jen Harris. Detectives have since arrested Jennifer Christine Harris, 30, of Des Moines, on a charge of first-degree arson.)

Leaving behind a legacy of words, Andy Rooney dies at age 92 (Washington Times) 

(Andy Rooney’s death at age 92 has rightfully generated an outpouring of accolades being published about his impressive career in journalism. The reason Andy Rooney’s death matters is less about the man, and more about the substance of the profession he represents. Rooney proved that words still matter, and that writing with skill and elegance still matters. The story matters, and the story prevails.)

'Smokin' Joe Frazier faces toughest fight of all as his family pray for a miracle (Telegraph) 

(‘Smokin'’ Joe Frazier, the 67-year-old former world heavyweight champion, diagnosed just over a month ago with liver cancer and in hospice care in Philadelphia, "needs a miracle" according to his agent. Doctors have not yet told him how long he has to live. "We have medical experts looking into all the options that are out there," explained Leslie Wolff, Frazier’s manager, on Sunday.)

Schoolgirl, 7, forced to work as nightclub dancer to support her disabled parents (Daily Mail) 

(Meet tragic little Huang Doudou. At the tender age of just seven she is forced to work four nights a week as nightclub dancer to support her disabled parents. While her schoolmates are tucked up warm in bed, Huang dons a leotard and high heels to perform in front of guests at the seedy club near her home in Urumqi, Mongolia.)

Bail denied in girl's slaying: 'There are no words to describe how horrific it is' (Chicago Tribune) 

(NA and at least three witnesses link a parolee with a lengthy criminal record to the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old girl who walked in on a burglary at her home in Indian Head Park last week, prosecutors said today. John L. Wilson Jr., 38, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Kelli O'Laughlin as she arrived home from high school, then using her cell phone to send taunting text messages to her mother. He was finally arrested as authorities tracked the phone.)

The fantasy of a cheating wife (Salone) 

(You don’t say that you’re turned on by the thought of your significant other cheating on you, so I’ll direct my answer to the “some people” that you speak of. These folks, who are not you, are lucky because there is a wealth of fascinating theories on the topic. This particular kink is called cuckoldery, courtesy of female cuckoo birds known for laying eggs in other birds’ nests. )