Bus Stops - December 16

Officer comforts woman pinned by Utah bus (Sacramento Bee) 

(A Utah police officer who held the hand of a frightened 24-year-old woman pinned under a bus with crushed legs said he promised not to leave her until she got out alive. A photo captures West Valley City officer Kevin Peck wedged between an icy street and the undercarriage of a commuter bus Monday, his blue latex-gloved hands clutching the hands of a badly injured Aryann Smith.)

Qld teen charged with punching bus driver (MSN) 

(A teenage boy has been charged with assaulting a Gold Coast bus driver. The 30-year-old bus driver was punched in the face, possibly over a fare dispute, on Tuesday as the teenager got off the bus on Surfers Paradise Boulevard, police say.)

London bus workers 'could strike' for Olympics pay (BBC) 

(Bus workers in London have said they want a £500 payment for being on duty during next year's Olympic Games. Trade union, Unite, has written to bus operators on behalf of up to 28,000 employees raising the threat of industrial action if a deal is not agreed. It said £500 would be in line with what other London transport staff will be receiving for working during the Games.)

Portland police arrest man after alleged 'Star Wars' light saber assault at Toys R Us (Oregon Live) 

(Police arrested a man who allegedly assaulted three people with a blue light saber at a Hayden Island Toys R Us Wednesday night. A 9-1-1 caller reported the incident about 9:50 p.m. and said the man was inside the store, 1800 Jantzen Beach Center, swinging the "Star Wars" weapon of choice at customers, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau. While the caller was on the phone, the man then left the store — light saber in hand — and walked out to the parking lot.)

Woman's Breast Implant 'Swallowed' by Her Body During Pilate (Fox) 

( A 59-year-old U.S. woman's breast implant was "swallowed" by her body during a Pilates stretching exercise -- forcing her to go under the knife to have it retrieved and reinserted. The woman, a cancer survivor, had undergone a double mastectomy and had then gotten breast implants. Her ribs had also been weakened after a heart operation. During a Pilates stretching exercise known as a Valsalva maneuver the woman reported that her "body swallowed one of the implants," according to the account published in the New England Journal of Medicine.)

Sleeping bear found in NJ basement by cable man (Digital Journal) 

(A cable man reported to a customer's house yesterday to perform routine scheduled repairs. When he entered the basement to access the equipment, he made an unexpected discovery. When he entered the Hopatcong, N.J. home, a 550-pound sleeping bear was in the basement, reported NBC New York.)

Vermont fraternity suspended over rape survey (CNN) 

(The University of Vermont's Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity is under investigation after a survey surfaced online asking fraternity brothers whom they would rape. The national Sigma Phi Epsilon organization said in a statement that "the fraternity has instructed the chapter to cease all operations, pending further investigation." It added that "any behavior that demeans women is not tolerated by the fraternity.")

Report alleges Victoria's Secret linked to child labor (CNN) 

(The company that owns Victoria's Secret vowed a full investigation Thursday after a report said cotton used in some of its products is grown using child labor. "We are very concerned," parent company Limited Brands said in a statement, noting that the cotton in question, which comes from the West African nation of Burkina Faso, is "used in a small portion of our Victoria's Secret panty styles.")

"Batman" star roughed up in bid to visit Chinese blind (Reuters) 

(Hollywood actor Christian Bale was roughed up by Chinese security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry, CNN reported on Friday. Bale, who plays crime-fighting superhero Batman, and the camera crew from CNN were jostled by men in plainclothes from Dongshigu village in eastern Shandong province, where activist Chen Guangcheng has been under house arrest for 15 months, according to a video released by CNN on its website.)

Tom Cruise Owes Batman A Favor (Comic Book) 

(Tom Cruise isn’t the box office powerhouse that he once was. His last two movies, Knight & Day and Valkyrie, failed to cross the $100 million mark at the box office. While Tropic Thunder did hit $110 million in 2008, Cruise only had a supporting role in that film. To find the last film that Cruise headlined that crossed $100 million, one must go all the way back to Mission Impossible III in 2006.)

Pasco school resource officers use Facebook to connect with students (WTSP) 

(Unlike teachers, who have a few classes of students to get to know, school resource officers have an entire school full of students. "We build relationships one-on-one here at school," said Corporal Kathleen Ferguson, school resource officer at River Ridge Middle School in Port Richey. A new tool is helping make that relationship building easier.)

Police ask for end to checkstop tweets (CBC) 

(Edmonton police are asking people not to tweet the locations of checkstops set up to catch impaired drivers. "Putting lives in danger based on the fact that you want to have more followers on your Twitter account is pretty disappointing," said checkstop co-ordinator Const. Ian Brooks.)

British Toy Store Scraps ‘Sexist’ Sections for Boys’ and Girls’ Toys (Time) 

(Hamleys, the famed toy store on London’s ritzy Regent Street, has stopped grouping toys by gender. My Little Pony, meet your new neighbor, Transformers 3 Cyberverse Commander. This month, the 230-year-old toy store confirmed that it has dispensed with its pink “girls” and blue “boys” floors. From now on, toys will be organized around types like “Soft Toys” and interests like “Outdoor” and “Arts & Crafts” with gender-neutral red and white signage.)