Black Licorice Halloween Hazard! Don't Eat Too Much Warns FDA (South Asian Mail)
(Halloween is the biggest candy eating holiday in the US, and many Americans will be stashing up on licorice: but in a timely update to consumers issued this week, the Food and Drug Administration asks: do you realize that you can overdose on licorice? Eating too much (for instance 2 ounces a day for two weeks), especially if you are aged 40 or older, can land you in hospital with irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia). The FDA advice is, no matter what your age, don't eat too much licorice.)
Mormons Ban Cross-Gender Halloween Costumes (Radar Online)
(A Mormon Halloween party for kids in Sandy, Utah has caused an uproar after banning the wearing of "cross-gender" costumes. The Thursday night event, held at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints' Crescent 16th Ward in Sandy was advertised via hand-made posters taped to every door in its neighborhood.)
(Marin animal care workers are warning about the dangers of sticky Halloween decorations after an owl was found caught in an artificial spider web in San Rafael.The quarter-pound western screech owl was found alive by a resident Tuesday morning, caught in the strands of a fake greenish-white web strung from a tree in a yard on Riviera Drive in East San Rafael, said Carrie Harrington, a spokeswoman for the Marin Humane Society.)
(Break out your Bibles, Halloween’s coming. That’s the message from a Calgary pastor, promoting an initiative called Jesus Ween that aims to turn standard Oct. 31 activities on their head. “I don’t believe Halloween represents anything close to God or close to Christianity,” says Paul Ade, who has been doling out Bibles instead of sugary treats since 2002.)
(Halloween time is not all fun and games. Authorities are warning parents about marijuana-laced candy that could end up in their trick-or-treaters' bags. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department wants to raise awareness about the types of items sold at marijuana dispensaries. They're zeroing in on pot-laced food items, so they don't end up in the wrong hands this Halloween.)
(Candy shaped like marijuana leaves that's showing up on store shelves doesn't get kids high, but parents and anti-drug activists say the sweets represent a new low. The "Pothead Ring Pots," ''Pothead Lollipops" and bagged candy are being distributed to about 1,000 retailers around the country, including some in Buffalo, N.Y., where an irate parent asked city officials to fight back against the candy.)
(Emergency crews were confronted with alarming scenes when they were called to an accident on a film set in Toronto. The actors, injured when a high platform moved suddenly, appeared to be covered in blood and gore, reports the BBC. But it turned out that most of it was make-up - they were dressed as zombies for the latest Resident Evil film.)
(Hardware store manager Mike Dowling wants to be clear: His shovels might slow an attacking zombie, but you'll to need something else to put the final nail in the creature's coffin. "I wouldn't say it's for killing zombies," the veteran Omaha store manager said. "But it's helpful for cleaning up if you ever have to." In a pop-culture world of zombie marches, video games and television shows, one regional hardware chain has taken the novel approach of actively marketing power tools and garden implements as protection against the undead.)
(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.)
(A Halloween display of a skeleton hanging by a noose has caused controversy in a small Virginia town. According to a report on WVEC.com, a Franklin lawmaker and some residents say the decoration is racially offensive. "You can show black people a noose and it's gonna' immediately, immediately slavery registers hanging, lynching," said Councilman Greg McLemore according to the report.)
(A Mansfield dentist is offering cash and prizes in exchange for sweets. This Halloween, trick-or-treaters can bring their excess candy to the office of Craig Callen in Mansfield and receive $1 per pound (5-pound limit per child) and free toothbrushes. There also will be a drawing for two free children's bikes.)
(A strange gooey substance - similar to that which inspired the alien horror movie The Blob in the US - has invaded the Lake District. Walkers have been left baffled by the quivering, translucent mass, nicknamed Star Jelly because it reputedly fell to Earth from meteors. Four police officers in Philadelphia first came across a huge blob in 1950 and their discovery led to the 1958 sci-fi film, reports The Mirror.)
(With just a few days left to buy that perfect Halloween costume, perennial favorites like “Casper the Friendly Ghost” and the “Wicked Witch of the West” continue to lose out to the newest celebrity lookalikes and stars of best-selling movies and videogames -- with a little TV fantasy thrown in.)
(The story out there is as controversial as it is ghoulish. Back in 1912 — so the well-known plot goes — Charles W. Hillegas, son of a prominent Naperville family, dug up his wife, dead and buried for 18 years, because he believed he’d figured out a potion that would bring her back to life.)
(For most of the year, Salem, Mass., looks like many other historic New England towns. Come October, though, the streets are packed with portable toilets, fried dough vendors and carnival rides. It's a major tourist attraction thanks to its infamous 17th-century witch trials.)
(A woman who took part in a bizarre vampire-style attack on a teenager has been granted a discharge without conviction. Xenia Gregoriana Borichevsky, 20, had pleaded guilty on the morning of trial earlier this year to injuring with intent to injure after the victim, whose name is suppressed, was bitten on the chest and arms, breaking the skin and causing him to be hospitalised with an infection.)
(About 350 children showed up last year for Halloween at Jeffrey Lewinski's house on Washburn Street in Lockport, where the 39-year-old man and some friends put on a show called "Night Terrors," a temporarily constructed haunted house. Lewinski had expected an even larger cast to put on the free show again Monday. But that was before parents in the community realized that Lewinski is a registered sex offender.)
(Heidi Klum is trying to prove that she's the Queen of Halloween by starting a costume war with Kim Kardashian on Twitter, and Snooki recently showed off her purrfect costume. So which celeb's outfit is better? Heidi already teased everyone with a sneak peak of her costume, dubbed the "visible woman" because it makes it appear like only her skin is invisible. The body suit covered with blood veins and muscles was spooky enough, but Heidi recently tweeted a photo of her face that is definitely disturbing.)
(IT’S a topic most people would assume has too little bite for the attention of high-minded academics. But several of Edinburgh University’s brightest social scientists will speak in London this week at a conference set up to discuss how vampires are portrayed in contemporary pop culture.)
(Meet the grey squirrel who’s going nuts about Halloween... It is fascinated by Vicky Freeman’s hollowed-out pumpkin, trying to work out whether it’s a treat to get its teeth into or a mere trick suspended by a piece of string. For minutes on end, it jumps inside the pumpkin, then out again.)
(The party is the firm’s big annual bash. Employees wear Halloween costumes to the office, where they party until around noon, and then return to work, still in costume. I can’t tell you how people dressed for this year’s party, but I can tell you about last year’s. That’s because a former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year’s party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.)
(Last week, Beavis and Butt-Head sought to become vampires or werewolves in an effort to woo women. That vampirism is on the collective mind - a mind oft represented by a blinking overhead light bulb - of the pop culture parodying duo suggests the sun may soon rise on the vampire phenomenon.)
(Snoopy taking first flight as a World War I ace. Charlie Brown taking grief as rocks pile up in his Halloween bag. And Linus taking to his patch as he awaits the mighty Great Pumpkin. The scenes are so deeply poignant and richly imagined that “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” still resonates 45 years after the holiday classic first aired on CBS to high ratings.)
(Sixteen-year-old Alex Simpson has always loved dancing to legendary pop star Michael Jackson's music, and yesterday, he and dozens of other people took to Target, and busted a move to the Halloween-themed "Thriller" to raise money for cancer research. At exactly 9 a.m., Simpson donned the iconic red leather jacket and led about 20 area residents of all ages - all decked out in zombie attire - in the epic choreography, while amused shoppers stood by and watched. The event was part of "Thrill the World," an annual global flash mob event that this year featured 227 groups in England and across the U.S. simultaneously busting out to the dance.)
(Halloween is already a hectic day for parents, thanks to costume stress, sugar overdoses and scared children. Now, a Yale University study suggests many pregnant women want to keep their child’s birthday out of that mix. The study found a significant decrease in births on Halloween — both spontaneous and by Caesarian section — in the United States over an 11-year period. It found an increase in births on Valentine’s Day.)
(Strange Manor Haunted House certainly has everything one would expect to find in a Halloween haunted house at this time of year. Actors in costumes and makeup, eerie and echoing soundtracks, a variety of special effects, and throngs of patrons who come to participate in this traditional holiday ritual of fear. But this haunted house may just have more of a scare to offer, as it is widely believed to be truly haunted.)
(Nearly 36 million children will dress up and go trick or treating. Halloween is big business and keeps getting bigger every year. One-hundred-sixty-one-million people in the US plan to celebrate Halloween. That's the highest number since the National Retail Federation began surveying people about Halloween nine years ago. And when you add up the prices of the costumes and candy and everything else, Americans will spend six-point-eight billion dollars on Halloween.)
(A professor at Purdue University in Indiana says psychology is behind the longevity of vampire myths, the university said. "Vampire stories have been around for thousands of years. Even before biblical times there was evidence that people believed in vampire-like creatures," says James Nairne, a professor of psychological sciences at Purdue.)
(“Why do people choose to pay people to scare them?” asks Leisure & Travel Week. “The Haunted Attraction Association (HAA) sheds some light on this age-old question and the results might surprise you. ‘In all forms of entertainment, the common goal is to elicit emotions. Haunted attractions excel at exploiting the emotion of fear in a fun way and offer a huge adrenalin rush not found very often in today’s overly cautious world. Haunts ultimately take people out of their comfort zones and create an experience that can’t be felt sitting at home on the couch,’ said Patrick Konopelski, HAA president.” The weekly notes: “The Haunted Attraction Association serves as the voice of the haunt industry. The organization’s mission is to promote a network of haunted attractions. … The association also advises the industry on haunt safety standards to protect customers.”)
(Fourteen dancers from the South Jersey region gathered in Mullica Hill to support Thrill the World, a world-wide attempt to break the world record for the largest simultaneous dance to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ Dorothy McElwee, the event organizer for the Mullica Hill group of Thrill the World, said the team originally got interested after seeing the idea online and starting learning the steps to the dance themselves. They started practicing the dance at a wedding back in January and actually performed a 4-minute version of the dance in New Orleans earlier this year.)
Couple Faces Criminal Raps For Sex On City Bus (Smoking Guns)
(A Pennsylvania couple is facing an assortment of criminal charges for having sex on a city bus, carnal activity that was captured by the vehicle’s surveillance camera. According to a police criminal complaint, Amanda Confer, 24, boarded the bus on a Friday afternoon in late-August. She was “accompanied by her infant daughter,” a detective reported.)
Bus Operator Denies Discriminating Against Women (New York Times)
(A bus company that transports primarily Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish passengers between Williamsburg and Borough Park in Brooklyn has denied that it discriminates against female passengers by compelling them to sit at the rear of the bus. The denial came in a letter from a Private Transportation Company executive, Jacob Marmurstein, to the city’s Department of Transportation, which had asked the company to provide any complaints filed about its practices and to show what the company was doing to prevent discriminatory practices.)
Cops fired for protecting Paris Hilton (Stuff)
(Protecting Paris Hilton on the side could put you in danger of losing your real job. Three Polish police commandos will lose their posts in an elite anti-terrorist unit for serving as bodyguards for the controversial celebrity during a recent visit to Poland.)
Woman, 60, Stabs Boyfriend Over Alleged Cheating During Monopoly Game (The Smoking Gun)
(A New Mexico woman repeatedly stabbed her boyfriend after accusing him of cheating during a Monopoly game early yesterday, according to police. Laura Chavez, 60, and her boyfriend were playing the popular board game at her Santa Fe apartment when the dispute occurred.)
Atheists' billboard quote isn't Jefferson's (OC Register)
(A New Mexico woman repeatedly stabbed her boyfriend after accusing him of cheating during a Monopoly game early yesterday, according to police. Laura Chavez, 60, and her boyfriend were playing the popular board game at her Santa Fe apartment when the dispute occurred.A group of atheists called Backyard Skeptics is planning to unveil a billboard at 1545 Newport Blvd., Wednesday afternoon with a quote from Thomas Jefferson bashing Christianity. The quote reads, "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology." There's one problem: There's no evidence Jefferson ever said it. The Jefferson Library Collection at Monticello lists it on a page of spurious Jefferson quotes.)
Alien abductions are 'just dreams': Researchers train people to meet ETs in their sleep (Daily Mail)
(Anyone wanting to make 'first contact' with alien life might be best-advised to eat large amounts of cheese before bed. Researchers found that they could 'train' volunteers to meet aliens in their dreams - ranging from little green men to seven-foot-tall robots - simply by focusing on a half-dream state and 'seeking out' ETs with their minds.)
Swede shocked by backyard elk 'threesome' (The Local)
(A man in western Sweden was greeted by an unusual sight on Wednesday morning when he saw three elk engaged in what appeared to be group sex in his backyard.)
Lesbian Wall Street protester who was pepper-sprayed starts romance with the male medic who treated her (Daily Mail)
(An Occupy Wall Street protester who was pepper-sprayed by police has started a romance with the demonstrator who helped treat her. Robert Grodt, 24, a volunteer medic, rushed to help Kaylee Dedrick, 24, after she was temporarily blinded by the spray on September 24. Miss Dedrick, who calls herself gay on social networking sites, has now reportedly found romance with the male fellow protester.)
Prep boys' scavenger hunt risqué (Omaha.com)
(Creighton Prep officials threw a penalty flag when they learned that about 50 members of the school's football team had planned a risqué scavenger hunt. The players' goals included "a group photo with a topless chick," "a pic with a fat chick," "steal a yammaka from a Jewish synagogue" and "get into a yelling fight with a stranger in public." Some of the players were photographed in front of Dr. John's Lingerie Boutique.)
Man Vows To Masturbate In Every Starbucks Bathroom In NYC, Document Results (Gothamist)
(Good morning! As we all know, it's important to have goals in life. An area man who calls himself Mister PeePee has dedicated himself to exploring the unlimited erotic potential of the Starbucks bathroom. Starbucks Gossip says this gentleman has made a podcast [since removed?] describing his mission to masturbate in every Starbucks bathroom in New York City, and rate the results. That's over 298 rub outs! So which Starbucks is the best one for self-pleasuring? And why are guys so gross?)
Two men who divorced their wives, came out as gay, became transgender lesbians, now MARRY after one has a sex change (Daily Mail)
(A pair of transgender lesbians today told of their joy at becoming man and wife, and also wife and wife, on the same day - after one had a sex-change. Jenny-Anne Bishop, 65, formerly called Paul, and Elen Heart, 68, who was once named Alan, initially got together as a male gay couple in 2004. The pair, who are both divorced and have five grown-up children between them, lived together in Clwyd, Wales, for six years as transgender lesbians.)
'Adolf Hitler' baby's parents lose custody of their children (The Mirror)
(A COUPLE who named their son Adolf Hitler and daughter Aryan Nation have been banned from bringing up their kids in their Swastika-decorated home. Five-year-old Adolf and his sisters Aryan and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie, both three, have been in foster care since being removed from parents Heath and Deborah Campbell in January 2009. The parents were yesterday cleared of child abuse but an appeals court ruled against them getting their kids back from foster carers.)
'Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Kidneys in New Jersey (Wired)
(The price was steep. As much as $160,000 to secure a donor willing to give up a human kidney for transplant. And Levy Itzhak Rosenbaum — who told neighbors in Brooklyn he dabbled in construction and real estate — bragged on surveillance recordings that he had participated in many such black market deals.)
Kevin Smith Offered Ten Grand To Review New Jersey Filmmaker's Movie (Cinema Blend)
(Kevin Smith hasn't always had the greatest relationship with movie critics. While his earlier films such as Clerks and Chasing Amy earned plenty of praise, the response to movies such as Jersey Girl, Cop Out, and Red State has occationally been brutal. Now a fan of Smith's is asking the Man Who Was Silent Bob to step to the other side of the fence for a moment. Movie City News is reporting the story of New Jersey filmmaker Jim Riffel, who is offering Smith $10,000 to review his feature film, a "midnight movie"-style comedy with the carpal-tunnel-straining name of (deep breath) Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating, Crawling, Alien, Zombified, Subhumanoid, Living Dead -- Part 5.)
Bieber pulled over in Batman custom Cadillac (The Province)
(Justin Bieber was pulled over by police in Los Angeles this week. The 'Baby' hitmaker was driving in his 'Batman'-customised Cadillac in the city – flanked by a Range Rover and a Rolls Royce – when he cut off an officer and was asked to stop driving, gossip website TMZ reports.)
'Dark Knight Rises' to be filmed in Newark for two days next week (NJ.com)
(Gotham may be modeled after New York City but for two days next week Batman will be fighting crime in Newark. "The Dark Knight Rises," the third film in the popular Batman remake, will film on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 including one day in City Hall, according to a city official.)
Men quickest to say 'I love you' (Telegraph)
(Men are three times more likely to be the first one to say "I love you" in a relationship, according to study that overturns the myth of reluctant male romantics. Previous research indicated that women are more expressive about how they feel - and tend to be ones who fall in love first.)
People would rather an iPad than world peace (News Lite)
(If they were granted one wish, more people would ask for an iPad 2 than world peace… a rather depressing study has found. A poll of 1,200 Brits found that while the most popular wish would be for one million pounds, it was closely followed by an Apple iPad 2. Wishes for world peace came in third, followed by being famous, cosmetic surgery and a new sports car.)
Battlefield 3 brings tanks to streets of London (The Mirror)
(London commuters were treated to the bizarre sight of tanks rolling over Westminster Bridge this morning. No, the Russians hadn't invaded. And it also wasn't celebrity tank owner Vic Reeves popping down to the shops for a bottle of milk. Rather in a publicity stunt for Battlefield 3, one of the year's biggest video games, publishers Electronic Arts sent a fleet of Tanksis onto the capital's streets to ferry lucky Londoners about their business.)
US Gov't Getting Snoopier and Snoopier, Says Google (Tech News World)
(Requests for information about Google users from U.S. government authorities jumped 29 percent in the first six months of the year, according to a recent report issued by the online search company. "Google does a better job in a lot of ways than most companies about receipt of government process," the EFF's Matt Zimmerman told TechNewsWorld. Nevertheless, Google could be more transparent, he noted.)
Bus driver acquitted after punching cyclist (Nine MSN)
(A bus driver who punched a cyclist in the face after he called him fat and stupid in a peak hour road rage incident has been acquitted in a Brisbane court. Leon James Zahnow, 36, admitted punching 57-year-old Gregory Ralph Jardine, snapping his glasses in two and leaving him bleeding, in the inner-city suburb Paddington on December 10, 2009, the Brisbane Times reports.)
Bus drivers seek legal advice over secret cameras on buses (Vancouver Sun)
(Metro Vancouver bus drivers are seeking legal advice as to whether Coast Mountain Bus Co. breached their privacy when it installed secret cameras in their coaches, allegedly to catch a vandal. Don MacLeod, president of the Canadian Auto Workers Union 111, said that in June, unbeknownst to bus drivers, a second lens was hidden inside the housing of security cameras in 11 coaches in Vancouver and three in Richmond.)
NY Company Unveils Electric School Bus (My Fox Phoenix)
(The U.S. education system is about to be electrified. At least the trip to school is. New York-based bus manufacturer Trans Tech Bus has unveiled a battery-powered school bus that it plans to start selling next year.)
Phuket bus crash driver blames brake failure (Phuket Gazette)
(The driver of the Phuket tour bus full of Russian tourists that ran off the road on a steep curve heading into Patong this afternoon told police that brake failure caused the accident. “The brakes failed. That’s what caused the crash,” said Nakrob Tiewtrakul, 42, from Ratchaburi, who suffered a deep cut on his forehead when the bus plowed into the side of a building under construction, ripping a gaping hole in the side of the bus.)
SINGER REFUSES TO PAY $1M REWARD FOR LAPTOP (Short List)
(Now, we understand the motivation. If we lost our laptop, we'd be tearful, angry and willing to do whatever it took to get it back. Sure, we may even offer up some money as a reward. Our grief-stricken mind may even cause us to suggest an amount that we probably can't easily afford....R&B singer/producer Ryan Leslie had his MacBook stolen while on tour in Germany and he originally offered up a $20,000 reward. The laptop in question had material for an upcoming album, hence the stress. After falling deeper into a pit of sadness, Leslie decided to up the reward to $1 million.)
Man Claims Prostitute Turned Into Donkey (My FOX NY)
(A man caught having sex with a donkey told a court in Zimbabwe the animal was actually a prostitute who turned into a donkey in the night. Sunday Moyo, 28, was found by police officers performing a sex act on the donkey, who was lying on the ground tied to a tree, just after 4:00am local time, a court in Zvishavane, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) south of the capital Harare, heard.)
Worst California biker feud in decade erupted at Starbucks (Yahoo)
(A turf war between the Hells Angels and a rival motorcycle gang that erupted outside a California Starbucks shop last year has left several men dead, wounded or missing in three states, stirring fears of more bloodshed. Ranked by law enforcement as the most severe clash of two California-based biker groups in nearly a decade, the spate of violence turned deadly last month when it spilled into Nevada with a brawl and shooting among members of the Hells Angels and Vagos motorcycle clubs.)
SeaWorld performing killer whales are slaves, group says (MSNBC)
(A federal court is being asked to grant constitutional rights to five killer whales who perform at marine parks — an unprecedented and perhaps quixotic legal action that is nonetheless likely to stoke an ongoing, intense debate at America's law schools over expansion of animal rights. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing the SeaWorld parks of keeping five star-performer whales in conditions that violate the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. SeaWorld depicted the suit as baseless.)
Man who climbed into hollow tree trunk gets stuck, then rescued (LA Times)
(A public service announcement from L.A. Now: If you think you might not fit into something, don't try it. Earlier, we posted a story out of the Bay Area, where a guy was stuck for nine hours in a park's baby swing. He squeezed into it on a $100 bet. And now, the Orange County Register is reporting that firefighters Tuesday morning rescued a man stuck inside the hollow trunk of a tree.)
Man thought to be Gacy victim found alive in Fla. (Yahoo)
(Siblings who feared their brother was one of serial killer John Wayne Gacy's eight unidentified victims were amazed and overjoyed to learn that he's been living in Florida for decades. Tim Lovell and Theresa Hasselberg hadn't seen their brother, Harold Wayne Lovell, since he left their family's Chicago home in May 1977 in search of construction work. At the time, Gacy was trolling for young men and boys in the area. He was a contractor, and he lured many of the 33 young men and boys he killed by offering them work.)
Christian radio host warns that lesbian nurses can make kids gay (Wisconsin Gazette)
(Radio host Linda Harvey of Mission America went on an anti-gay rant during her “Christian” radio show yesterday, warning parents to keep their children away from LGBT healthcare professionals. Her implication was that exposing young kids to LGBT people in a medical setting could turn them gay.)
Man banned from owning more than 10 avocados (News Lite)
(A judge has ruled that a US man can never own more than 10 avocados after he was found to have stolen an estimated 1,000lb of the fruit. Barron Stein is now banned from being in procession of more than 10 of the soft green fruits after admitting the theft.)
Rite Aid ad groped by sex offender (Berkshire Eagle)
( A convicted sex offender admitted he kissed and fondled a cardboard cutout of a woman, which was part of a North Street pharmacy's advertising display. Charlie J. Price, 57, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty to a single count of disturbing the peace, subsequent offense, and was ordered to pay a $200 fine by Central Berkshire District Court Judge Fredric D. Rutberg. Saturday around 5 p.m., Price, who was allegedly intoxicated, walked into the Rite Aid pharmacy, "grabbed hold of the sunglass display, hugged it tightly and then began to lick and kiss the face of the female party on the display," according to a Pittsfield Police report.)
Edmonton store bans girl's service dog twice (CBC)
(An Edmonton woman has filed a human rights complaint after her autistic nine-year-old daughter and service dog were told to leave the west-end Winners for the second time in three months. "I don't believe that anybody should feel like a second-class citizen in any place ... and especially as a child," said Alison Ainsworth, Emily's mother.)
Exposé gets Valley mom banned from McDonald's (AZ Fmily)
( An Arizona State University professor's campaign against dirty restaurant playgrounds got her banned from several McDonald's in the Valley. Dr. Erin Carr-Jordan, a mother of four, started recording and posting videos of trashy playgrounds, and quickly built an international following. Her lab tests, which revealed dangerous bacteria on the equipment, have been featured on network broadcasts and in major national newspapers.)
Schools want children to trade in scary costumes for ‘caring’ ones (Canada.com)
(Children wanting to wear scary, violent or blood-drenched costumes will have to trade them in for more caring and community friendly outfits at two public elementary schools this Halloween. The principal of Colonel Walker and Ramsay schools said her staff has chosen to use the day normally known for scares and frights as an opportunity to teach community values.)
Radioactive Used Cars Being Sold in Japan (NBC LA)
(Cars that were contaminated by radiation during the March nuclear meltdown in Japan are finding their way into the reeling nation's used car market. Vehicles from the area around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which suffered a series of meltdowns after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, were supposed to be destroyed.)
Man reports date as burglar when girlfriend shows (AP)
(Colorado Springs police say a man's girlfriend unexpectedly came home just before another woman was due to visit, so he called police to report his new acquaintance as a burglar. The Gazette reports that 24-year-old Kevin Gaylor was cited with a misdemeanor of false reporting to authorities.)
Jason Mewes Talks About Jay and Silent Bob, Working with Kevin Smith -- and His Roofing Job (SF Weekly)
(Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith have been playing and talking about their fictional weed-dealing duo Jay and Silent Bob for 17 years, starting with 1994's Clerks through to 2006's Clerks II. For the past few years, they've presented a live podcast Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, which stops at the Castro Theatre on Friday (Oct. 28) as a double-feature with Smith's freaky new horror film Red State (in which Jay and Silent Bob do not appear).)
In 'Red State,' Kevin Smith Sees Red: The 13 Days of Halloween 2011 - Day Six (Commercial Appeal)
("Show me how Popeye do." Those words, printed here on this page (posted here on this screen?), don't mean much. They may seem like nonsense. But as spoken in "Red State" by actor Michael Parks to a little kid who proudly jumps up from his church-pew seat and flexes his skinny arms, they're amazing, hilarious -- yet frightening, too. Because Parks has been cast as Abin Cooper, a God-fearing, gun-loving preacher who has taken the ugly anti-homosexual stance of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church to psychopathological and even homicidal extremes. And that little kid will be encouraged by Cooper to use his pride and strength to promote hatred, and to kill. "Show me how Popeye do." The less than three seconds it takes to speak those words make up one of the most memorable moments of the movie year.)
Batman collection of slain Florida millionaire set to be auctioned in Beverly Hills (Washington Posst)
(An extensive collection of Batman memorabilia once owned by a slain Florida millionaire will be auctioned next month. Heritage Auctions said Wednesday it expects the sale of Ben Novack Jr.’s collection to generate more than $1 million. It will be held Nov. 15-17 in Beverly Hills, Calif.)
Original 1942 Batman cover art featuring The Penguin expected to bring $300,000+ at HA (Art Daily)
(The original 1942 Jerry Robinson artwork from Detective Comics #67, one of the earliest Batman covers still known to exist - consigned by the legendary Golden Age artist himself - is being offered for the very first time at auction and is expected to bring $300,000+ when it comes across the block on Nov. 15 as part of Heritage Auctions' Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature(r) Auction in Beverly Hills. The cover art is one of three Treasures from the Robinson Collection being offered in the auction, all of which have been tucked away in Jerry Robinson's personal collection for almost 70 years.)
'Dark Knight' Rising in Newark Next Week? Officials Won't Say (Westward Patch)
(Newark may become Gotham City for two days next week. Officials in New Jersey's largest city started informing residents and visitors Wednesday of expected traffic delays downtown Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 because of what appears to be the filming of the next Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises.")
Strawberries protect the stomach from alcohol (Medical Xpress)
(In an experiment on rats, European researchers have proved that eating strawberries reduces the harm that alcohol can cause to the stomach mucous membrane. Published in the open access journal Plos One, the study may contribute to improving the treatment of stomach ulcers.)
Gaining weight knocks women's confidence most (News Lite)
(Putting on weight is the number one thing that will knock a women's confidence, a study has revealed. Feeling like the're carrying an extra few pounds is closely followed by having a bad hair day or having bad skin for having an effect on how women feel.)
A woman’s walk tells a lot about how comfortable she is in the bedroom (Sun Times)
(It is not uncommon for men to slyly watch attractive women as they walk down the street, especially in a city like Chicago where beautiful women are at every turn. However, a recent study out of Belgium suggests that a woman’s walk is more than just a tempting way for her to strut her stuff. It also is a way for keen observers to detect her orgasmic history. According to the researchers, a woman’s walk gives off subtle clues that can belie her sexual experience.)
French study reveals hard facts about penis size (News Lite)
(Boffins in France have published details about the size of the average French penis -- so garlic munching men don't worry about the size of le tackle. Researchers at Paris-based National Academy of Surgery hope the study will curb a recent rise in penis enlargement surgery.)
Pain levels measured in brain using MRI (UPI)
(British scientists say they have for the first time developed a way to use brain scans to objectively measure the levels of pain felt by patients. Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have found distinct differences between the brains of people who are experiencing pain and those who are not. That means doctors may have a way to measure suffering based on something other than asking patients how they are feeling, The Sunday Times of London reported.)
Taiwanese man sues after Facebook ‘like’ button click (OZ Soap Box)
(Proving yet again that the idiotic cultural concept of ‘saving face at all costs’ and defamation are dangerously incompatible, the latest legal ridiculousness to come out of Taiwan is a defamation lawsuit that revolves around someone clicking a Facebook ‘like’ button. Featured on hundreds of millions of websites, the Facebook’s ‘like’ button allows users to publicly recommend content they agree with and/or support.)
Copyright bill revives Internet 'death penalty' (CNET)
(Hollywood's lobbyists have launched a bold new anti-piracy offensive in Washington that will face strong opposition from Internet companies and users who worry it goes too far and jeopardizes free speech rights. A dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives today announced they've jointly introduced a new bill intended to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.)
YouTube faces dilemma over "man boobs" (CBS)
(Nearly seven years after its founding, YouTube employees still fiercely debate where to draw the line between titillating content that may or may not be acceptable. Including videos of man boobs.)
NYC performance artist gives birth in art gallery (AP)
(A performance artist who said giving birth is the "highest form of art" has delivered a baby boy — inside a New York City art gallery. The Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn said Marni Kotak gave birth to a healthy infant, weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces, and 21 inches long.)
Moammar Kadafi's family reportedly will sue NATO (LA Times)
(The family of deceased Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi reportedly plans to file a war-crimes complaint against NATO for the role they believe the international military alliance played in the former leader’s death, a lawyer for the family told Agence France-Presse news service.)
Newton couple gets lost in Stow apple orchard (Wicked Local)
(A walk through an apple orchard proved to be no picnic for a Newton couple that got lost at Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow. Andrew Martin, who owns the orchard at 144 Sudbury Road with his sister, Julie Martin-Sullivan, said it was getting dark out when the couple wandered across the orchard.)
The end of the world is nigh - or is it? (Telegraph UK)
(All things going to plan, tomorrow will be the end of the world. As the “plan” was set out by some looney tune who lives in a Swedish backwater, I wouldn’t count on it. But just in case Carl Johan Calleman has somehow alighted on the truth, I should at least mention his claims so that you can’t say I didn’t warn you (not that you’ll be able to say anything at all, it being the end of the world). Calleman believes that the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar is October 28, 2011, and not, as was previously thought, December next year.)
Rider wants answers after bus driver walks off (CBC)
(A North Vancouver man is demanding answers from the Coast Mountain Bus Company after a driver allegedly walked off a bus, leaving passengers in the lurch. Greg Robinson says he boarded the 239 Capilano route bus on Oct. 20. The bus was already running 20 minutes behind schedule, Robinson said, and a driver changeover was taking up more time.)
Bus drivers protest working conditions with 'sick out' (CBS)
(About 26 of the more than 600 Palm Beach County school bus drivers did not show for work Monday in protest of working conditions. Drivers tell CBS 12 they are overworked and underpaid. Some of the disgruntled drivers claim that they make less than $12 an hour. They say that is not enough for the amount of kids they have to move around the district.)
25 die in Himachal bus accident (Hindustan Times)
(At least 25 passengers, including five women, were killed and more than 30 people injured when an overloaded Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus rolled down a gorge near here on Monday evening. Police said the toll was likely to go up. The accident occurred at 5.30pm when a bus that was headed for Bandla village developed a snag 4 km from Bilaspur town.)
Dog walker dies at Middlesbrough Bus Station (Gazette Live)
(A YOUNG dog walker has died after he was hit by a bus at a busy bus station. The man suffered fatal injuries after he was struck by an Arriva X66 bus at Middlesbrough Bus Station at around 7.45pm yesterday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.)
Teens charged with assault for bus incident (Daily Interlake)
(Two freshmen at Glacier High School have been charged with misdemeanor assault for their alleged roles in a Sept. 12 incident on a freshman football bus. Charges were filed Friday in Flathead County Youth Court against Logan Robert Jones and Charles Victor Calobeer, both 15.)
Leno joke preceded fatal collision (Glendale News Press)
(Moments before two Love Ride participants were killed Sunday in a freeway traffic collision, the event’s grand marshal, “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, told a crowd of bikers that he wanted to see “somebody go down.” “Every year, [the organizer] says ‘Drive safe,’” Leno told the crowd in kicking off the 28th annual Love Ride in Glendale. “I’m gonna say, ‘Don’t drive safe.’ I wanna see somebody go down. So it’ll be fun. I want it to be in front or behind me and see a whole row of bikes go down. Get drunk, fall off the road. We’ve all become too damn polite…we haven’t had one incident.”)
Stuff yourself for free at Japan's Burger Kings (CNN)
(Some days, it’s undeniable that there’s little more satisfying than a sizzling slab of meat in a bun, so why not rock up to one of Japan’s 37 Burger King stores and double down with the company’s gluttonous eat-all-you-can Whopper offer? For two weeks from November 1, the flame-grill specialist will let anyone unsatisfied with just one Whopper (661 calories, BTW) grab a second for free. And a third, fourth and fifth if there’s room.)
Ky. offers free bridge, will even deliver it, but new owner must re-erect and maintain it (Washington Post)
(Kentucky transportation officials are offering a bridge to any taker who will preserve it. The three-span steel truss bridge over the Kentucky River in the state’s southeastern corner would be free and is available after a new bridge is completed next year to carry Ky. 80.)
Man can't get arrested by police (Chicoer)
(Orlando Robinson II couldn't get arrested Saturday, although he tried his best. The 28-year-old transient walked into the Orland Police Department about 3 p.m. and told officer Sean Johnson he wanted to be arrested because he had nowhere to live. Robinson said he was on parole from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and was wearing an ankle bracelet.)
Ritch Workman, Florida Lawmaker, Says Yes To 'Dwarf-Tossing,' No To Gay Marriage (Huffington Post)
(Rep. Ritch Workman is a regulation-chopping Republican lawmaker who says yes to liberty, personal freedom and "dwarf-tossing," but no to gay marriage, medical marijuana and other libertarian causes. The Florida state representative is battling Big Brother in some, but not all of its forms. In his quest to eliminate what he describes as unnecessary Sunshine State laws, Workman has exposed himself to controversy this month by pushing to legalize "dwarf-tossing.")
Man Gets Stuck in Baby Swing for Nine Hours (My Fox NY)
(A California man became stuck in a baby swing for about nine hours after a wager went horribly wrong, police said. After making a $100 bet with friends, the 21 year old lubricated himself with laundry detergent and squeezed into the swing, the Times-Herald reported.)
Dirty, sexy money: people saw sex toys, religious symbols on plastic cash (Winnipeg Free Press)
(Canada's new plastic money may give you a little more bang for your buck. New documents show a focus group mistook a strand of DNA on the $100 bill for a sex toy. Most people also thought the see-through window on the new polymer notes was shaped like the contours of a woman's body. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney holds a new $100 bill as he unveils the new polymer bank notes in $50 and $100 denominations at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa on Monday, June 20, 2011.)
TV company ridiculed for planning to fly newborn babies to Afghanistan (Mirror UK)
(A TV company was yesterday ridiculed for planning to fly newborn babies to Afghanistan to “surprise” their soldier fathers. Princess Productions unveiled the idea on the British Army Rumour Service website, describing it as a mix of Surprise Surprise! and the flashmob phenomenon. But one user hit back: “I have a mucker who’s serving. Perhaps you could throw his newborn out of the back of a plane? I bet he would be really surprised.”)
Beardo: The hat which gives you an instant beard (News Lite)
(There is no denying that facial hair can help you keep warm in the winter. And while not everyone can grow a full bushy beard… they could buy this hat. The Beardo is a Canadian-designed beanie which has become an instant fashion hit since it went on sale online -- because it includes an instant beard. Makers say the hat-beard-combo is "always guaranteed to be full, perfectly coiffed, and super soft" and that you don't have to worry about itching or scratching.)
Birmingham Prison Loses Set Of Keys (Huffington Post)
(The inmates are locked up, but where's the key? A Birmingham Prison officer's set of keys has gone missing and now every lock at one of the country's largest prisons must now be replaced, a union official said Friday. Terry Fullerton of the Prison Officers Association said he's been told the set went missing a couple days ago and an investigation is under way.)
60 Elvis impersonators flee fire alarm (Telegraph)
(The lookalikes were attending a charity function in Rochester, Kent, when the fire alarm sounded late on Saturday night. It is believed that it was set off by a faulty smoke machine that formed part of the Elvis act at the fundraiser. Guests leaving the hotel were stunned to see a group of around 60 impersonators, dressed in wigs and full rhinestone costume, gathered in the car park.)
Giant Lego Man washes ashore in Sarasota (WTSP)
(Siesta Key, Florida -- Maybe he was coming to visit the newly opened Legoland Florida. Beachcombers on Sarasota's Siesta Key made a rather unusual find Tuesday morning, after a giant Lego Man washed ashore.)
New On Netflix: Red State (Heavy)
(Kevin Smith writing and directing a horror movie? Why, that's so crazy, it just might work! And work it does, as Smith puts the View Askewiverse far behind him with this stark, mean-spirited modern day morality tale about why you should keep those hormonal urges -- and, on the flip side, fanatical religious beliefs -- to yourself. Three high school kids answer an online ad from a woman looking for hot sex, which is actually just a trap to lure "sinners" into the lair of Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), the God-fearing leader of an extremist religious group known as the Five Points Church. A series of (increasingly unfortunate) events leads to an all-out Western-style gun fight between the members of the Five Points and a group of ATF agents led by the unflappable Special Agent Keenan (John Goodman).)
Kevin Smith & Red State At Art Theatre Wednesday (Long Beach Post)
(Kevin Smith is a celebrated 'indie' film maker, actor, and writer who's work has not been without controversy. His hilarious first film, Clerks, was made with a shockingly low budget of $25,000 and, despite crude language and off- camera necrophilia, continues to rake in the cash while delighting a whole new generation of viewers.)
Batman: Arkham City sells 2 million copies in first week (LA Times)
(Batman is swinging to the top of the sales chart. Warner Bros.' new video game Batman: Arkham City sold 2 million copies worldwide in its first week, the studio said Tuesday. That puts it among the industry's fastest sellers, though still short of blockbuster franchises such as Call of Duty, whose last sequel sold 5.6 million copies on its first day.)
'Dark Knight Rises' Prologue To Play Before IMAX 'Mission: Impossible' (MTV)
(It is almost certain now that the Dark Knight will be rising sooner than expected. As MTV News reported last week, there was a rumor circulating that a six-minute prologue to the upcoming Christopher Nolan Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," would play before IMAX showings of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." The presentation was, in theory, supposed to be similar to the Joker's reveal that played before IMAX screenings of "I Am Legend" in 2008.)
'Dark Knight Rises' not shooting at Occupy Wall Street (Entertainment Weekly)
(If you were hoping that you might see Batman join the fight with Occupy Wall Street, don’t go looking for the bat signal just yet. In fact, you would probably have better luck holding out for Spider-Man swooping in from Broadway’s Turn Off The Dark to save the day.)
Batman’s Workout Routine Revealed! (Mens Fitness)
(Sleep, apparently, is your first casualty if you’re the defender of Gotham. The Batman Files, available now, highlights the first 50 issues of Batman’s existence, as well as loads of extras, including weapons schematics, maps, newspaper clippings, and—of particular interest—Bruce Wayne’s training regimen.)
Daily smoking linked to depression (DC 101)
(Previous depression, smoking and a lack of control over life circumstances are risk factors for repeat episodes of depression, Canadian researchers say. Dr. Ian Colman of the University of Ottawa and colleagues identified risk factors associated with a long-term prognosis of depression.)
Premature Orgasm Affects Women Too, Study Suggests (Live Science)
(Men aren't the only ones who might find themselves peaking too early in the sack. According to a new study, a small percentage of women also experience premature orgasm. The research, a survey of Portuguese women, found that 40 percent occasionally came to orgasm faster than they intended during sex. For about 3 percent of women, the problem was chronic.)
Pot Can Mimic Brain Changes Seen in Schizophrenia (US Health)
(Marijuana causes disruptions in concentration and memory similar to those that occur in people with schizophrenia, according to a new study. U.K. researchers measured the electrical activity from hundreds of neurons in the brains of rats given a drug that mimics the effects of cannabis, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.)
Travel makes us happy: Here's why (CNN)
(At the conclusion of a recent Intelligence Squared Asia debate on whether “Money Can’t Buy Happiness,” the audience was split -- 49 percent agreed and 49 percent disagreed, with 2 percent undecided. But when it came to travel, there was one very obvious winning premise -- travel makes us all happy.)
Wall Street protesters get 'Getting Arrested' app (AP)
(Occupy Wall Street protesters now have a free app to alert others if they're about to be arrested.The Daily News says the creator of the "I'm Getting Arrested" app is Jason Van Anden, a Brooklyn software developer. It's available at Android Market.)
The Feeding Tube: How Food Television Changed the Way We Eat (Grub Street)
(Back in the distant, quaintly mannered era of Jacques Pépin and Julia Child, cooking shows were a guilty pleasure, enjoyed by a handful of high-minded home cooks and the occasional obsessive, fatso schoolboy (like me). But in the last fifteen years, that equation has dramatically flipped. It’s the non-cooks now who tune in to see Emeril Lagasse's latest recipe, then rush out by the millions to purchase the latest signature frying pan endorsed by Bobby Flay. More people on average watch the Food Network than CNN, and when you throw in other hit food shows (No Reservations on the Travel Channel, Top Chef on Bravo, Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC and its American spinoff on Fox), you have an audience that dwarfs almost anything outside of ESPN.)
U.S.'s Most Powerful Nuke Being Dismantled (Time)
(The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs — a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima — is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War. The final components of the B53 bomb will be broken down Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.)
Man shot to death at his own surprise party (Sun Times)
(It was supposed to be a surprise birthday party — complete with friends, family, music and a hired stripper. But 23-year-old fork lift truck driver Harry Rodriguez’s special day ended instead in blood and gunfire when a masked gunman burst into the party and fatally shot him in the early hours of Sunday. Shouting “Cobra lovers!” as he opened fire in an apparent reference to the Spanish Cobras street gang, the gunman fired three shots from a rear porch at Rodriguez’s home on the 2000 block of North Leclaire shortly before 2 a.m., relatives said.)
Authorities trying to identify body found in freezer (Reuters)
(Maine investigators were working on Monday to determine if a body found in a storage unit freezer is that of a woman who went missing 28 years ago after a fight with her boyfriend, police said. The storage unit was rented by Frank Julian, 80, who died earlier this month, and was believed to be the last person to see Kitty Wardwell, his girlfriend, alive in the summer of 1983, state police spokesman Stephen McCausland said.)
Pregnant Brooklyn mother dies shielding children from rooftop sniper (Eaminer)
(A 33-year-old Brownsville, Brooklyn, mother made the ultimate sacrifice Friday, giving up her own life and that of the child she carried to save a group of schoolchildren. The slain woman, identified as Zurana Horton, was the mother of 13. She had just retrieved one of her children, a student at P.S. 298, when a gunman on a nearby rooftop opened fire. Horton instinctively threw herself in front of a group children, who had congregated on the sidewalk, receiving a fatal gunshot wound to the head.)
Inquest: Singer Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning (CNN)
(Singer Amy Winehouse's death this summer was the result of alcohol poisoning, an inquest ruled Wednesday, as it reached a verdict of "death by misadventure." A pathologist told a coroner's court in north London that alcohol toxicity was the cause of the 27-year-old's death, with her blood-alcohol levels measured at more than five times the legal limit for driving.)
Autopsy: Qaddafi was killed by shot to head (CBS)
(An autopsy confirmed that Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi died from a gunshot to the head, the country's chief pathologist said Sunday, just hours before Libya's new leaders were to declare liberation and a formal end to an eight-month civil war to topple the longtime ruler's regime. The declaration starts the clock on a transition to democracy that is fraught with uncertainty and could take up to two years.)
