Mewes News #7: News from the Mewes Studio

London’s Big Ben to be renamed Elizabeth Tower (Toronto Sun) 

(It’s one of the most famous names in the world, up there with the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty - but now London’s Big Ben clock tower is to be renamed Elizabeth Tower to mark the queen’s 60th year on the British throne. The announcement on Tuesday followed four days of celebrations earlier this month to mark 86-year-old Queen’s Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.)

Apes, monkeys are more social, smarter than previously thought (Baxter Bulletin) 

(The more we study animals, the less special we seem. Baboons can distinguish between written words and gibberish. Monkeys seem to be able to do multiplication. They plan. They make war and peace. They show empathy. They share. “It’s not a question of whether they think — it’s how they think,” said Duke University scientist Brian Hare. Now scientists wonder whether apes are capable of thinking about what other apes are thinking.)

Bullied grandma in N.Y. bus video stunned by generosity (CBC) 

(A Toronto man's online fundraising campaign for a 68-year-old upstate New York grandmother is nearing $450,000, after a video showing the woman being bullied to tears by children on a school bus went viral. The victim of the deluge of taunts, insults, slurs and threats of violence was Karen Klein, a school bus monitor in the Rochester, N.Y., suburb of Greece.)

This Is What iOS 6′s Passbook Will Look Like in Action (Gizmodo) 

(The next great iPhone software is still in beta right now, but we’re already excited about digitising some of the crap in our wallets via Passbook — and for frequent travelers, it’ll be a godsend. Check out the future: The video experiment above comes from PassK.it, a company that hopes to make money helping other companies create cards for your iPhone wallet — gift vouchers, airline passes, loyalty cards, sandwich of the month clubs, etc. Passkit’s lead developer (and his adorable daughter) gave the system a spin by replicating boarding passes for Thai Airways in the hopes that no old fashioned paper documentation would be needed to fly.)

Apple retina MacBook Pro: review (Guardian) 

(I'm typing this on a Macbook Pro with a "retina" display, and it's breaking my heart. Having used it as my main machine for the past fortnight, in a few hours' time I'll have to wipe the hard drive, find the cables, and send it back to Apple. The world is going to go fuzzy again. Is this what it's like for people who wear glasses when they lose them?)

Mewes News #7: News from the Mewes Studio

Sharp's 90-inch smart TV: hands-on with the world's largest LED TV (The Verge) 

(When Sharp broke its own record for the world's largest LED TV with a Wi-Fi-enabled 90-inch behemoth, many were skeptical: would a nearly bed-sized television really be viewable in only 1080p resolution? At a recent Pepcom showing, we were able to put Sharp's smart TV to the test.)

Microsoft Surface tablets: High-end hardware but better be cheap (ZDnet) 

(The Microsoft secret event that unveiled the new company-branded tablets sent a wake-up call to the PC industry. The folks in Redmond were no longer happy to let OEMs release me-too PCs to showcase the revolutionary new Windows 8. Microsoft is making a statement that it is in it to win it, but it may run into the same hardware pricing quandary its partners have faced for years.)

1976 Apple Computer Sells For $375,000 (The Indy Channel) 

(Think the iPad's price tag is steep? One famed Apple product, the original Apple I, sold for $374,500 on Friday. Auction house Sotheby's sold a 1976 Apple I Computer -- which still works! -- in New York on Friday, after a bidding war broke out between two potential buyers.)

Aiming for Seamless Surfing and Streaming at 30,000 Feet (NY Times) 

(At first, being able to get an Internet connection on an airplane seemed like one of life’s modern miracles. Soon enough, though, passengers got a little jaded and started complaining about how slow that connection could sometimes be. Now the companies offering in-air Wi-Fi say they are trying out ways to speed things up and broaden the service’s availability.)

Verizon raises FiOS bills, adds higher Web speeds (Reuters) 

(Verizon Communications is raising prices for some FiOS customers as it offers higher speeds, a move that one analyst says will potentially lead to higher prices from cable rivals such as Cablevision Systems Corp. The telephone company said it expects the majority of its FiOS Internet customers to have to pay $10 to $15 more per month to avail of new offerings, but it noted that they could change their television package to keep their monthly fee unchanged.)

'Nuns on the Bus' taking America by storm (AFP) 

(Signing autographs along the way, a group of Catholic nuns is taking a road trip across America to stand up for the poor. The media-savvy "Nuns on the Bus" tour kicked off in the midwestern state of Iowa on June 17 and is making a slew of stops around the country to convey concern about social injustice. "Our bus is about a policy conversation ... to say we the people of the United States, we can be a better union," organizer Simone Campbell told AFP during a stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where the sister on Thursday hailed a historic US Supreme Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.)

Jellyfish sting? Peeing on it only adds insult to injury, experts say (Houston News) 

(Home remedies for jellyfish stings, including meat tenderizer, baking soda, alcohol and even urine – may be less effective at relieving pain than plain hot water and lidocaine, according to a recent paper. “Some of the remedies promoted by word of mouth and online, such as vinegar, actually make the pain worse with certain species of jellyfish,” said lead study author Dr. Nicholas T. Ward, of California San Diego.)

Mewes News #6: Trending with Mewes

GloZell's Reality Show Life

More of what Jay checked out at E3:
FIFA 12
NHL 12
Pro vs GI-Joe

Happy Birthday Jason Mewes!

Mewes News #5: Mewes Invades E3!

Things (and people) Mewes checked out at E3:
Guardians of Middle-earth
Jorge Garcia
Alienware
Tekken Tag Tournament
http://na.wargaming.net/
End of Nations
Call of Duty ELITE
Activision
LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES

Mewes News #4: Moving Day

Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones (AFP) 

(Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead. Actors posing as the living dead were unleashed here and in Manhattan ahead of the "Zombie Swipeout" launch. The hordes enticed humans with free "blood pops" -- hibiscus and mint popsicles promising the "fleshiest" ingredients.)

Resistance: Burning Skies Review (ING) 

(Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead. Actors posing as the living dead were unleashed here and in Manhattan ahead of the "Zombie Swipeout" launch. The hordes enticed humans with free "blood pops" -- hibiscus and mint popsicles promising the "fleshiest" ingredients.)

Field Report: Batman Arkham City - Harley Quinn's Revenge (Shack News) 

(Harley Quinn's Revenge is everything Batman fans have been waiting for from Arkham City DLC. This isn't a collection of costumes or challenge maps, but a honest-to-goodness expansion of the campaign. With voice acting, to boot. Taking place immediately after the events of the main story of Arkham City, it places you in the shoes of both Batman and Robin--an enticing proposition that should make the $10 asking price "worth it.")

Top 10 Tech This Week (Mashable) 

(It was a momentous week for tech, where commerce met spaceflight, a popular smartwatch faced off with a wily competitor, a futuristic way to compute turned into reality, and a commonplace inconvenience was suddenly eliminated with an ingenious idea.)

Mewes News #3: Fresh Prince

N.J. mom didn't know son was put in washing machine (Entertainment Weekly) 

(A New Jersey woman whose 1-year-old son made national news when a video went viral of him trapped in a tumbling washing machine says she had no idea what happened until police showed her the video Wednesday, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill reports. Sakia David said her son, Saimier Bush, was taken to the Federal Laundromat in Camden on May 11 by his baby-sitter. Police alerted her after learning of the incident from news accounts.)

Will Smith slaps reporter who tries to kiss him in Moscow (Toronto Star) 

(Hollywood star Will Smith slapped a male television reporter who he said tried to kiss him on the lips as he walked down the red carpet for the Moscow premiere of “Men in Black III.” The reporter from the Ukrainian television channel 1+1, Vitalii Sediuk, made headlines at the Venice Film Festival in September when he presented a bouquet of clearly unappreciated purple hydrangeas to Madonna and called her “my princess.”)

CBS axes 'CSI: Miami (Toronto Star) 

(David Caruso has whipped off those sunglasses for the final time: CBS has cancelled veteran drama series “CSI: Miami,” as well the freshman dramas “Unforgettable,” “A Gifted Man,” “NYC 22,” and the comedy “Rob.” The star of “A Gifted Man” took to Twitter to vent about the news. “CSI: Miami,” which premiered in 2002, is the first series in the network’s “CSI” franchise to be cancelled. “CSI” has aired since 2000, and underwent a revamp this season with the addition of Ted Danson to the cast. “CSI: NY” is also expected back next season.)

Kevin Smith on his new Hulu film-appreciation show 'Spoilers': 'It's a weird dream come true' (Entertainment Weekly) 

(Kevin Smith may be retiring from making movies, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the world of movie making any time soon. Further expanding his online empire beyond his popular podcasts (excuse me, Smodcasts), Smith and Hulu are teaming up for Spoilers, a cinema-appreciation show where the Clerks director tells EW he and his guests “won’t review movies, but revere them.”)

Cable companies to expand free Wi-Fi (CNN) 

(If you buy Internet access through your cable provider, your subscription is about to get much more mobile. Five of the nation's largest cable providers, including Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC, Fortune 500), Cablevision (CVC, Fortune 500), Bright House and Cox, announced on Monday that they will allow customers of any of the other four services to use their free Wi-Fi hotspots when traveling outside their home network area.)

Top 10 Tech This Week (Mashable) 

(The futuristic tech we found this week was so radical, it was getting hard for us to separate fantasy from reality. The week was swarming with future cars, efficient aircraft, brand-new Windows 8 screenshots, yet another peek at the iPhone 5 with its almost-confirmed bigger screen, and even a sexy new way to take a shower.)

Mewes News #2: World Record!

Man Sets Fist-Pumping World Record (Time) 

(Put your hands in the air for James Peterson. While some people climb mountains, run long distances, save lives or launch companies that make billions of dollars, the 34-year-old Ohio man has made his mark for posterity by creating and setting a world record for fist-pumping.)

Facebook CEO turns 28, IPO could be $100B gift (Yahoo) 

(He famously wears a hoodie, jeans and sneakers, and he was born the year Apple introduced the Macintosh. But Mark Zuckerberg is no boy-CEO. Facebook's chief executive turned 28 on Monday, setting in motion the social network's biggest week ever. The company is expected to start selling stock to the public for the first time and begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday. The IPO could value Facebook at nearly $100 billion, making it worth more than such iconic companies as Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.)

Log out of Facebook before committing robbery (The Inquirer) 

(TWO MEN HAVE LEARNED THE LESSON about not signing out of personal accounts when using public computers. They have been arrested. Not because they were stupid enough to not protect their own privacy, well not directly at least, but because they chose not to sign out before refusing, with some violence, to pay their tab.)

Angry Birds Maker Posted Revenue of $106.3 Million in 2011 (New York Times) 

(Brightly colored birds are not just good for blowing up evil pigs. They are also proving profitable. Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the Angry Birds franchise, racked up revenue of $106.3 million last year and posted earnings before tax of $67.6 million. “The strong growth in revenue clearly demonstrates the popularity of the Angry Birds brand,” Mikael Hed, Rovio’s chief executive, said in a statement. “The heavy investments made in 2011 to all business areas will be seen in future products.”)

iPad mini to debut during second half of 2012? (CNET) 

(Apple has reportedly already tagged LCD suppliers for an iPad mini, with an eye toward launching the tablet in the second half of the year. This latest scuttlebut comes courtesy of Taiwan news outlet Liberty Times (English translation). Citing the usual, vague "market rumors" but also a report from Japanese securities firm Macquarie, the Liberty Times said the iPad mini could start shipping by the end of the third quarter with a goal of 6 million units.)

TOP TEN TECH
#1. Instagram Socialmatic
#2. Brookstone Portable Fuel Cell Charger
#3. Audi Electric Bike
#4. Auto Hop
#5. Unbreakable Smart Phone Screen
#6. iPad Mini
#7. One Wire Monitor
#8. Dual Tap Faucet 
#9. Space Taxi
#10. Russian satellite

Mewes News for Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Matt Groening's Star Unveiled on Hollywood Walk of Fame (Hollywood Patch) 

(Matt Groening, whose crudely drawn cartoon strip for an alternative newspaper led to the creation of The Simpsons, received the 2,461st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday. Hank Azaria, who supplies the voices of Springfield Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, bartender Moe Szyslak and several other Simpsons characters, Yeardley Smith, who supplies the voice of Maggie Simpson, and Nancy Cartwright, who provides the voice of Bart Simpson, were among those joining Groening at the ceremony at 7021 Hollywood Blvd., near the star for The Simpsons.)

Man jailed 5 days without water seeks $20 million (Emirates 247) 

(A California university student left handcuffed in a federal holding cell for nearly five days without food or water has filed a claim for up to $20 million in compensation, saying he suffered kidney failure and nearly died as a result. The five-page notice, a precursor to a lawsuit against the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, was sent Wednesday to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration by a lawyer for the student, Daniel Chong, who has said he was forced to drink his own urine to stay alive.)

'Avengers' Box Office: Can Anything Compete? (Hollywood.com) 

(This weekend, the summer movie season got off to a massive start, with the The Avengers taking in an unfathomable box office gross — $207 million by the time Walt Disney Pictures was done crunching the numbers. Today, the Marvel's superhero epic breached the $700 million worldwide mark, making it a clear success in only its first week in American theaters. At first glance, 2012 may already have its clear winner for biggest box office success of the year.)

(BUS DRIVER NOTE: In case you didn't hear, The Comic Book Men are coming back for a 16 episode Season 2!) iPhone 5 due in September? (PC Authority) 

(Apple’s iPhone 5 should go on sale this September with an expected announcement at the Apple WWDC on June 11th. Pegatron, an Apple manufacturer, has just received orders for the new iPhone 5 with a launch date of September. We’re hoping to see it on June 11th but it looks like getting our own might take a little longer than expected.)

Activision Blizzard says Black Ops II may be the biggest Call of Duty ever (Venture Beat) 

(Activision Blizzard said that the fan reaction to the initial disclosure about its upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops II video game suggests it will be the biggest game in the history of the franchise. That’s a big expectation, considering that last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was a huge hit. But pre-orders for Black Ops 2, a sequel in terms of storyline to 2010′s Call of Duty: Black Ops, have set new records, the company said in an analyst call today.)

Happy 1st Birthday SIR!!

Bus Driver Note: Mewesnews.com returns with some changes next week. Instead of posting random news stories we will be archiving the stories Jay and Kev chat up on the new SIT show Mewes News perhaps with a few extras kicked in. Stay tuned!

Bus Stops - April 25

Four-year-old Saudi boy kills father over PlayStation (Rawstory) 

(An angry four-year-old Saudi boy shot and killed his father for refusing to buy him a PlayStation, Saudi media reported on Monday. The Asharq daily, citing police in the southern Jizan area, said the child, aged four years and seven months, grabbed his father’s pistol and shot him in the head.)

21-year-old 'Real-life Barbie doll' seeks international fame... But does she even exist? (Daily Mail) 

(Most little girls grow up playing with Barbie dolls. Some even want to look like them. One 21-year-old has become one, or so she says. Valeria Lukyanova has become an internet sensation in her home country of Russia, claiming on her blog to be the most famed woman on the Russian-language internet. Her doll-like features, long blonde hair and ‘perfect’ body make her look like a real life Barbie.)

Mystery surrounds deaths of 877 dolphins washed ashore in Peru (CNN) 

(Environmental authorities are investigating the deaths of more than 800 dolphins that have washed up on the northern coast of Peru this year. The dolphins may have died from an outbreak of Morbillivirus or Brucella bacteria, said Peruvian Deputy Environment Minister Gabriel Quijandria, according to Peru's state-run Andina news agency. Speaking to CNN, he said he expects test results to be ready within the week.)

Teacher Arrested for Firing Blanks at Students (Newser) 

(A high school teacher in Virginia has been arrested for what appears to have been a bizarre attempt to get his class to pay attention. Police say Manuel Dillow, 60, lined up a dozen students from his welding class in front of a garage door, pulled a handgun from his waistband, and fired a gun loaded with blanks up to 10 times in their direction, the New York Daily News reports.)

LI mom fired after donating kidney to her boss (New York Post) 

(Yeah, but what have you done for me lately? A “kind and generous’’ Long Island mom donated a kidney to save the life of her boss — who then turned around after she got what she wanted and helped fire the poor woman, according to an explosive new legal complaint. “I decided to become a kidney donor to my boss, and she took my heart,’’ Debbie Stevens, a 47-year-old divorced mother of two, sobbed to The Post.)

Jay and Silent Bob Get Old @The Enmore Theatre, Sydney (Faster Louder) 

(Jay and Silent Bob are at the centre of the View Askewniverse (the somewhat fictionalised, alternate, universe based around the New Jersey neighbourhood we first saw in Clerks). Jay is sometimes rude, generally crude, and almost always verbose. Silent Bob is, as his name suggests, small on words but large on wisdom, except at the times he is not. These are the film characters at least, but what will they be like in real life. In the films they have a fascination with drugs, sex, and pop culture, and that is perhaps not too distant from their real life counterparts, friends Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith.)

Comedian Jon Lovitz calls Obama a 'f***ing a**hole' in shocking profanity-laced tirade (Daily Mail) 

(Former Saturday Night Live funnyman Jon Lovitz has targeted Barack Obama in an obscenity-peppered tirade where he calls the president a 'f****** a**hole' - and it's no joke. The nasally-voiced comic launched the tirade during an episode of the ABCs of SNL podcast he hosted with Clerks director Kevin Smith before an packed audience.)

Tour bus features porn star, free breast exams (FOX) 

(An industry known for selling sex is doing its part to save women’s breasts – as well as their lives. Porn star Bree Olson, who is also the ex-girlfriend of Charlie Sheen, used her assets to raise awareness for breast cancer by hosting a breast exam bus tour around New York City on Tuesday. The “Save Our Boobs Bus,” decked out in pink and leather, also featured the Boob Bus Nurse Brigade and free breast cancer screening exams by a board-certified plastic surgeon. The bus was sponsored by Pornhub, an adult entertainment website.)

2nd patron falls ill at Las Vegas Heart Attack Grill (AZ Central) 

(The owner of a hospital-themed Las Vegas restaurant known for its high-calorie menu says another patron has suffered an apparent medical episode there. Heart Attack Grill owner Jon Basso told KVVU that a woman had been eating, drinking alcohol and smoking before she fell unconscious Saturday night. It was unclear whether her medical issue was related to the food.)

Bus Stops - April 23

Coca-Cola Habit Cited In Death Of Natasha Harris (Huffington Post) 

(Experts say a New Zealand woman's 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit probably contributed to her death, a conclusion that led the soft-drink giant to note that even water can be deadly in excessive amounts. Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mother of eight from Invercargill, died of a heart attack in February 2010. Fairfax Media reported that a pathologist, Dr. Dan Mornin, testified at an inquest Thursday that she probably suffered from hypokalemia, or low potassium, which he thinks was caused by her excessive consumption of Coke and overall poor nutrition.)

Teller of Penn & Teller Breaks Silence To Sue Over Magic Trick (Hollywood Reporter) 

(Teller of Penn & Teller fame is suing Dutch entertainer Gerard Dogge for allegedly ripping off his copyrighted magic piece called Shadows. Dogge, whose stage name is Gerard Bakardy, has showcased his own illusion called The Rose & Her Shadow in a YouTube video and allegedly offered to reveal the secrets for $3,050. Teller says he realized that it was a copy of Shadows, called Dogge on the phone and offered money if Dogge didn't disclose the mechanics of the illusion. The two couldn't come to an agreement, however, so Teller is now suing in a case that could help determine the level of protection that magicians have over their tricks.)

Drunk Driver Made to Wear Sign Saying He Killed a Man (Classic Hits and Oldies) 

(A man from Houston who killed a man while driving drunk has been ordered to wear a sign saying, “I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell while driving drunk.” Michael Giacona, 39, ran a red light and hit 20-year-old Pennywell last June. Giacona spent 90 days in prison, but in addition to the prison sentence, Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Michael R. Fields ordered Giacona to wear the sign during four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the scene of the crime.)

Liquid concrete floods upscale New York hotel (UPI) 

(Workers at an upscale New York hotel said the facility was flooded with liquid concrete from a construction project next door. Hotel staff at Le Parker Meridien, which costs an average $600 per night, said concrete began to flow into the hotel from a 29-story construction project next door around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.)

‘She-Hulk’ collars alleged T creep after lewd act (Boston Herald) 

(A strap-hanging MBTA heroine said she went into “She-Hulk” mode to single-handedly collar a man who exposed himself on a crowded B-Line trolley — dragging him off the train and holding him until cops arrived. The 24-year-old Allston woman, who did not want to be named, said the man boarded one stop after she did on her ride home from her marketing job Thursday. She immediately noticed him staring.)

Texas teen arrested after faking cancer, collecting $17,000 in donations (New York Post) 

(A Texas prom queen who raised more than $17,000 after telling classmates she was dying of cancer was arrested and charged with theft-by-deception. Angie Gomez, 19, told her family, friends and fiance in January 2011 that she had six months to live after battling leukemia since childhood. The Horizon City teen set up her own charity foundation, called "Achieve the Dream," and raised $17,000 from fundraisers, checks, gift cards and in-kind donations, the El Paso Times reported.)

Gay Porn Interrupts Canadian News Show (Fox NY) 

(Canadians watching a Friday morning TV news broadcast were shocked when the program was replaced on their screens with hardcore gay pornography. The unscheduled change in broadcasting -- which affected CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario -- was due to an error by a cable provider, the National Post reported.)

Video camera installed on school bus after parents allege driver spat on students (Ottawa Citizen) 

(A video camera has been installed on a yellow school bus for elementary students at an east Ottawa French school in response to accusations that the driver has grabbed children by the throat and spit in their faces. The move comes nearly a year-and-a-half after a dozen parents of students at Marie-Curie School signed a petition detailing the alleged aggressive behaviour of the number 4 school bus driver.)

Good news for Batman fans - maybe: Dark Knight Rises trailer to play in front of The Avengers (News AU) 

(AS IF fanboys didn't have enough to geek out over, Warner Bros has confirmed that the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises will play in front of The Avengers. Although Batman and the Avengers live in different universes and are owned by rival companies, Warners has clearly realised that much of its audience would be lining up to see Iron Man and the Hulk go ten rounds with an invading alien army.)

Fla. woman going on trial in 2009 Novack killings (WSJ) 

(Sneaky breast implants. Naked amputees. The Batmobile. There are plenty of bizarre elements in the murder case against Narcy Novack, 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But they're unlikely to overshadow the grisly killings of her millionaire husband and his mother, which Novack is accused of orchestrating to get her hands on the family estate. It also mentions a roomful of Batman collectibles. Ben Novack's collection of Batman memorabilia, including a replica Batmobile, was estimated to be worth more than $1 million.)

Texas Boy Battling Leukemia Becomes Batman for a Day (ABC) 

(Kye, 7, has leukemia. He has always dreamed of being in a Batman movie and wanted to hang out with Batman. With the help of a local non-profit organization, and the police department and fire departments in Arlington, Texas, this wish came true.)

Shia LaBeouf writing and drawing own comic books (Digital Spy) 

(Shia LaBeouf has taken a step into comic book production, writing and drawing his own material as a way to relax. The Transformers actor, who is not returning for the fourth installment of the Michael Bay-directed franchise, was spotted displaying his work at a convention in the US last weekend.)

Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July (AP) 

(For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer. Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system is to be shut down.)

Bus Stops - April 12

On the trail with Bigfoot-hunters (BBC) 

(Not since footage emerged of a giant, ape-like figure in the California woods in the late 1960s has there been so much interest in proving the existence of Bigfoot. So how do you go about finding a creature most people believe to be a myth? It could be a human footprint. Let's not rule that out. Kentucky Bigfoot investigators pride themselves on their scientific rigour.)

Radioactive particles from Japan detected in California kelp (LA Times) 

(Radioactive particles released in the nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami were detected in giant kelp along the California coast, according to a recently published study. Radioactive iodine was found in samples collected from beds of kelp in locations along the coast from Laguna Beach to as far north as Santa Cruz about a month after the explosion, according to the study by two marine biologists at Cal State Long Beach.)

The man who sold his life on eBay (Stuff) 

(It's a dream many of us have – to throw in the job, sell the house and set off into the great unknown with just a passport and a thirst for adventure. Usually, reality gets in the way. But not for Ian Usher, the Perth man who made international headlines when, during a midlife crisis, he decided to auction his entire life – including his house, job, car and even friends - on eBay.)

Children Find Live Bazooka During Easter Egg Hunt In Germany (Huffington Post) 

(Easter egg hunters in Somerset, England, were shocked on Sunday when a preschooler found a live hand grenade during his search. Now, reports have surfaced that children in Germany happened upon a World War II-era bazooka while on their own Easter egg hunt that day. Police were called to a wooded area in the town of Holzminden in northern Germany on Sunday after a group of children discovered a rusty but apparently still functional bazooka under a pile of leaves, Spiegel Online International reports.)

Family finds old stock certificate, says Coke owes them $130 million (MSNBC) 

(If the first way Americans believe they will get rich is through sweat, perseverance and hard work, the second is probably finding a winning lottery ticket in an old coat, or something similarly lucky. The family of Tony Marohn is seemingly in the second camp.Marohn’s family in California is in a legal battle with Coca-Cola, saying a stock certificate he bought at an estate sale in 2008 is worth $130 million in stock of the soft-drink maker, Reuters reported. Marohn died in 2010.)

Cow escapes NJ slaughterhouse, will be spared (Newsday) 

(A cow that escaped from a New Jersey slaughterhouse will be spared. The black-and-white bovine was running through the streets of Paterson sometime after 8 p.m. Tuesday. Animal control officer John De Cando tells The Record newspaper it was like "Dodge City" with police cars trying to corral the 750-pound animal. But the cow managed to break loose.)

Bride Who Faked Cancer to Score Dream Wedding, Honeymoon Is Charged (ABC News) 

(A generous New York bridal shop owner never questioned the heartbreaking story of a woman who claimed to have cancer and wanted to marry before she died. The bride's story opened the hearts and wallets of her community who donated thousands of dollars to pay for her wedding and honeymoon. But months after the wedding, it was revealed that Jessica Vega, 25, lied about her terminal illness and had duped everyone. Now, she has been arrested and charged with six felonies and one misdemeanor and could face up to four years in prison for each felony charge.)

US kindergarten boy brings heroin to show and tell (GMan Network) 

(A five-year-old boy brought packets of heroin to a show and tell at his Connecticut kindergarten, leading to the arrest of his stepfather, police said on Tuesday. The child was proudly displaying packets of a powdery substance to his kindergarten classmates in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Monday when his teacher noticed what he was holding, Detective Keith Bryant of the Bridgeport Police Department said. "He was waving it around," Bryant said, adding that the teacher collected the packets and immediately notified her supervisors.)

Comic duo gets serious, for laughs (The Australian) 

(THE first time cinemagoers laid their eyes on Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith was in Clerks, a 1994 feature film that depicted a day in the working lives of two frustrated store clerks stuck in dead-end jobs. Mewes and Smith played the bit-part characters of Jay and Silent Bob, respectively. Their introduction occurs seven minutes into the film, when Mewes -- a tall, wiry youngster -- takes up his regular post outside a convenience store (where Smith, then 24, worked as a clerk during the day). Jay drains a beercan, spits out its contents, then announces, "I need some tits and ass, yeah!" He does a little dance, then adds, "I feel good today, Silent Bob!" before expressing in detail his desire to copulate "with anything that moves".)

Boy saves bus as driver passes out (Winnipeg Free Press) 

(A dozen students in this northeastern U.S. town may not have been looking forward to school on the first day back after spring break, but they knew what to do when their bus driver slumped over the wheel unconscious. Surveillance video shows 13-year-old Jeremy Wuitschick rushing down the aisle and grabbing the wheel on Monday morning. Wuitschick had noticed the driver was shaking and his arms were flailing as the bus started to pull into Surprise Lake Middle School in Milton, about 48 kilometres south of Seattle.)

Bus bombing in southern Philippines (Newsday) 

(Suspected extortionists bombed a bus in the restive southern Philippines on Wednesday, killing three passengers and wounding 16 others, the military said. The military initially reported 10 dead but regional commander Lt. Col. Benjie Hao later revised the death toll. The bomb went off on the bus as it pulled into a terminal in Carmen town in North Cotabato province, said another military officer, Col. Leopoldo Galon.)

Fired Bus Driver Accused Of Not Giving Bus Back (WMUR) 

(A longtime school bus driver is facing charges after school officials said he refused to turn over a bus after he was fired. Scott Leathe, 52, of Farmington, said he drove a school bus for the Middleton and Farmington school district for 14 years and had a clean driving record until he was abruptly fired Monday morning. "I've never been in trouble," Leathe said. "I've actually never in my whole life been fired, and I was very emotional about it.")

Batman streaker banned for life by the Orioles (Washington Post) 

(The man who ran onto the field at Camden Yards on opening day in Batman undies and a cape has become a bit of a celebrity. “It was my birthday, and I just love to make people laugh and get them going,” Mark Harvey told WJZ in Baltimore. “So I was like, what’s better than to go on opening day and do it.”The YouTube video of an underpants-clad Batman storming the field during the Baltimore Orioles' opener last week has been viewed almost 200,000 times. Now the joker behind the black bloomers — Mark Harvey, a 26-year-old from Severn, Md. — is speaking out. Just what compelled Harvey to put a dent into the O's-Twins game last Friday?)

Want To Protect Your Business in a Divorce? Be Batman (Reuters) 

(You might be thinking right now that the last thing you'd be worried about in a divorce is protecting your business. Not necessarily. As much fun as it may be to live like a college student again, chances are the joys of eating a cup of instant noodles in your underwear will start to wear pretty thin if a divorce makes it an everyday necessity. So what can you do to keep get divorced in a way to keep you eating steak and not Top Ramen?)

Batman races to halt the criminals (Biggles Wade Today) 

(BATMAN will be fighting crime in the capital on marathon day. Biggleswade’s Bernard Rix will be running the London Marathon to raise funds for Crimestoppers – and he will swap his standard running gear for a batman outfit. Appropriately the superhero is known for fighting crime without revealing his identity.)

Marvel opens digital comics storefronts (Comic Book Resources) 

(Marvel unveiled the Marvel Digital Comics Store yesterday. If that doesn’t seem like news, it’s because Marvel already has a number of digital offerings, but what’s nice about this is that it syncs with the Marvel iOS and Android apps as well as their Chrome Store.)

Justice Dept. sues Apple, publishers over e-book prices (Washington Post) 

(The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it was suing Apple and five major publishers, charging that the companies had colluded to keep the price of e-books artificially high to kill the competition. “As a result of this alleged conspiracy, we believe that consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. “We allege that executives at the highest levels of these companies–concerned that e-book sellers had reduced prices–worked together to eliminate competition.”)

Bus Stops - April 10

British child hunting for Easter eggs finds hand grenade (Seattle Times) 

(A child on an Easter egg hunt organized by a pre-school group in an English village stumbled upon an unexpected surprise -- a hand grenade. The hunt was taking place in a field near the town of Holford, Somerset, on Saturday, This Is Somerset reported. The area was cordoned off and the bomb disposal squad destroyed the grenade in a controlled explosion, police said. It also resulted in the closure of a highway for a few of hours.)

Easter Bunny arrested for drug possession after 'acting suspicious' while entertaining children (Daily Mail) 

(A mall Easter Bunny has been arrested after reported acting suspicious while on break - without any relation to hiding Easter eggs. Bunny-suited Joshua Lee Bolling, 24, of Virginia, was found in illegal possession of prescription narcotics while entertaining children at the Piedmont Mall in Danville. Bolling was escorted to a private changing area during his arrest to escape view of the children.)

UFO Coverup on Last Shuttle Mission? (Gather) 

(Official video from the last shuttle mission has been reviewed and analyzed. Did NASA coverup evidence of a UFO? A segment from NASA's live, public feed shows an angle of the Atlantis cargo bay and boom being opened and serviced. The ground controller on the last shuttle flight is describing the action to the audience, and it's all pretty dry stuff. Until about the 4:30 mark.)

New Jersey capital city running out of toilet paper (Bizarre News) 

(Toilet paper supplies in Trenton, the capital of the US state of New Jersey, may run out by week's end following their city council's dispute over budgets. The council has declined to sign a contract for paper products worth $42,573 after falling out over a $4,000 charge for paper cups.)

New Jersey man survives 4-inch nail in heart (Reuters) 

(A New Jersey man who survived accidentally shooting a 4-inch (10-cm) nail into his heart while trying to clear a jammed nail gun said on Friday he feels like he won the lottery. Dennis Hennis, 52, who was revived from cardiac arrest before being airlifted for surgery to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, laughed off Dr. Michael Rosenbloom's suggestion that he buy a lottery ticket.)

Alec Baldwin dined with stalker, complaint says (CNN) 

(A Canadian woman accused of stalking Alec Baldwin began sending "a series of annoying and unsolicited communications" to the actor after having dinner with him in fall 2010, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Genevieve Sabourin, 40, was arrested by New York police Sunday on five misdemeanor counts of harassment and stalking after she appeared at Baldwin's Manhattan home.)

Wyoming town with 1 resident sold to private bidder for $900,000 (680 News) 

(The small town of Buford, Wyoming, with a total population of one, has been sold to a bidder for $900,000. The unidentified buyer from Vietnam snagged the tiny town in an 11-minute Internet auction. Online bidders from 46 countries attempted to purchase the 10-plus acre town, which contains a convenience store, gas station and modular home.)

Milton student steers bus to safety after driver passes out (Seattle Times) 

(A quick-acting Milton middle-school student guided his school bus safely off the road Monday morning after the driver had a medical emergency. With the driver passed out, seventh-grader Jeremy Wuitschick, 13, grabbed the wheel, steered the bus to the curb, pulled the key from the ignition and started chest compressions on the driver. Meanwhile, another student called 911 to get medical aid.)

Mississauga bus driver suspended for washroom break (Toronto Star) 

(Mississauga Transit is being accused of violating a bus driver’s human rights after the transit worker was suspended for five days for delaying service by taking a washroom break. The driver had to stand in line for about seven minutes behind two other bus drivers at the single washroom designated for bus drivers at the Meadowvale Town Centre. He then spent about seven minutes in the stall, after which he went directly back to his bus to continue work, according to union president Nicholas Bye.)

Take this bus if you're off wagon (LVRJ) 

(In a city where partying has gone mobile, from minibuses equipped with stripper poles to Jacuzzi limos, now comes a curbside service to treat those massive hangovers. According to a new Las Vegas website, HangoverHeaven.com, a fleet of tour buses is already rolling, with stops at major casinos.)

New 'Batman' gets PG-13 rating (Toronto Sun) 

(Rest easy, teen Batman fans: “The Dark Knight Rises” has been rated PG-13, the Motion Picture Association of America said on Monday. That means that adolescents eager to see Batman (Christian Bale) save Gotham from the threat of steroidal criminal mastermind Bane (Tom Hardy) and jewel-thieving Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will be able to buy a ticket without dragging along a parent or guardian. The MPAA said the film earned its PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.”)

"Petoskey Batman" hanging it up, plans to auction off suit (NPR) 

(It all started last year. That's when police in Petoskey turned on their caped crusader - "Petoskey Batman.")

Holy stars Batman! 1960s Caped Crusader Adam West finally gets spot on Hollywood Walk of Fame (Daily Mail) 

(He is now arguably the most famous of all the pantheon of superheroes. But it was 1960s TV star Adam West who transformed Batman from comic book favourite to pop culture icon. And he has finally recognised with a spot on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame today, nearly 50 years since the show originally aired.)

'Universal' cancer vaccine developed (Telegraph UK) 

(A vaccine that can train cancer patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells has been developed by scientists. The therapy, which targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, could provide a universal injection that allows patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.)

Kevin Smith Announces S.I.T.

Kevin Announces S.I.T.

SModcast Internet Television!

Finally - Something to look at on the internet.

—Mondays—
Babble-On Classic or Get Old Classic!
SModCo has been shooting almost all of our live shows for the last year.
So now, after hearing Jay and Silent Bob Get Old
and Hollywood Babble-On podcasts, see your favorite episodes come to life -
all thanks to the magic of digital video!

—Tuesdays—
SMarchive
This is gonna be my favorite…
Fatty McNoFly hosts a weekly look into the Smith family personal video library!
SEE footage of a Fat Kenickie in Kev’s high school production of Grease!
SEE Baby Jay Mewes lament having no money for a first date, circa 1990!
SEE Old-ass interviews with the stars of SModCo from decades past!
SEE How SMod came to be!
The pre-history of SModCo every week, only on SMarchive!

—Wednesday—
Mewes News
Bus News! Melan-cholly News! The Iggy Biggy is back!
Born from the sweet morning oral of Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs,
watch as Kevin tries to explain the headlines to a baffled @JayMewes!

—Thursday—
SModCo Cartoon Show
Kick back, blaze up and watch the stars of SModCo come to animated life!
SModCo cartoon maven Ken Plume, the Canadian Chuck Jones Steve Stark,
Clerks: The Lost Scene legends Powerhouse Animation,
and a growing club of SMartoonists give you potty-mouthed eye candy EVERY WEEK!

—Friday—
SMorning Show LIVE
It’s just like listening to the SModCo @SMorningShow…
But now WITH MOVING PICTURES!
SEE The S.I.R. living room and it’s lack of decent morning snacks!
SEE what Jenny Schwalbach looks like in the morning with no makeup!
SEE Meghan bitch out Alan!
SEE Shecky yap!
SEE Kev wear a bathrobe to hide his morning rod!
SEE The Fishies have no eyes!
SEE a crazy great lineup of interesting motherfuckers chatting candidly!

And in 2013: Our first scripted series…

Come, sons and daughters of Jor-El…

Kneel before SMod.

Bus Stops - April 5

Kevin Smith Endorses Romney For Republican Bid (CHRON) 

(Kevin Smith, best known for writing and directing '90s slacker comedies such as Clerks and Chasing Amy, may not be the first name to appear on a list of authoritative political pundits, but Smith has some unique and interesting reasons for choosing Mitt Romney as his candidate. "If it’s gonna be Romney I can breathe a sigh of relief because I just saw Book of Mormon on Broadway and I love it," Smith said in our exclusive interview. "He’s got a kooky religion, as depicted in the musical. It's fun and adventurous and whatnot.")

'Clerks III': Kevin Smith on bringing his Jersey boys to Broadway (Pop Watch) 

(When Kevin Smith announced last year that his upcoming hockey movie Hit Somebody would be his final film as a director, you could almost hear a collective sigh of disappointment from hard-core fans of Dante and Randal, Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s convenience-store drones and derelicts introduced Smith’s Jersey brand of profane wit in 1994′s Clerks, and a successful 2006 sequel proved that audiences hadn’t had enough.)

Smith's hell over plane shame (Toronto Sun) 

(Heavyweight filmmaker Kevin Smith was plunged into a deep depression after he was thrown off a plane because he was too fat. The Clerks director was left fuming after he was ordered to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight in February 2010 after staff deemed him too portly to fly. He went on a Twitter.com rampage against Southwest executives, who promptly apologized for the incident, but Smith admits he endured "the three worst days" of his life when the story headlines around the globe.)

Does Red State redeem Kevin Smith? (NZ Herald) 

(After an extremely limited theatre run in December, writer-director Kevin Smith's latest film Red State was released on DVD in this country last week. The film garnered some attention in January, 2011, when Smith announced he would auction the rights to distribute the film following its screening at the Sundance Film Festival, then promptly sold them to himself for US$20. I've been intrigued by Red State ever since it was announced - as a horror-thriller it's a radical departure in tone for a filmmaker best known for his potty-mouthed sex comedies.)

Filmmaker Kevin Smith blasts MPAA ratings in online-porn era (CNET) 

(For certain types of people, finding out that fantasy writer Neil Gaiman likes their work could be considered the cherry on top of a career. So for filmmaker Kevin Smith, seeing that Gaiman once tweeted "I suspect @ThatKevinSmith is what all gods and demons aspire to be" had to make for one terrific day. @ThatKevinSmith, of course, is the man who made such cult hits as "Clerks," "Mallrats," and "Chasing Amy." More recently, he's moved on from wry humor to darker stuff like "Red State." And he's even been telling the world that he is quitting movies altogether.)

Kevin Smith depressed after plane incident (CHRON) 

(Heavyweight filmmaker Kevin Smith was plunged into a deep depression after he was thrown off a plane because he was too fat. The Clerks director was left fuming after he was ordered to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight in February 2010 after staff deemed him too portly to fly. He went on a Twitter.com rampage against Southwest executives, who promptly apologized for the incident, but Smith admits he endured “the three worst days” of his life when the story headlines around the globe.)

Marvel's introduces 'infinite comics,' makes digital superheroes cinematic (Fox News) 

(Marvel announced "Infinite Comics" at SXSW 2012, a new format for digital comics that uses tricks like dialogue box transitions, blacked-out pages, and cinematic cuts to go beyond the simple panel-to-panel experience found in on-screen comics as we know them. On Wednesday, Marvel released the first Infinite Comic, Avengers vs. X-Men #1, through the Marvel Comics app/store. Simply describing the new format doesn't do it justice so we took a few screenshots on the new iPad's 2048 x 1536-pixel Retina Display to show you just how Infinite Comics change the reader experience in a way paper comics can't imitate.)

Marvel's introduces 'infinite comics,' makes digital superheroes cinematicComic book artist Chris Eliopoulos publishes first graphic novel (North Jersey) 

(If you want to make comics kids will love, it helps if you can sometimes think like them. That’s not a problem for River Vale’s Chris Eliopoulos. He’s a free-spirited, Wii-playing, "Back-To-The-Future"-worshipping artist, writer and kid-at-heart who has forged a career by making comics that kids and their parents will enjoy.)

Holy cow! Batman arrested after threatening to blow up hospital (Daily Mail) 

(As the famous caped crusader, Batman is known for hunting down the infamous criminals of Gotham City and saving many lives in the process. But for one would-be superhero, he has managed to land himself in hot water for behaviour which is out-of-character for Bruce Wayne. Christopher Schwartz, known as 'Bar Harbor Batman,' has made appearances at parties and summer parades in the Maine area dressed as Batman.)

TV’s ‘Batman’ Adam West To Get Hollywood Star (CBS) 

(Adam West, best remembered for his campy portrayal of Batman in the 1966-68 ABC series, will receive the 2,468th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday. Seth McFarlane, producer of the Fox animated series “Family Guy,” for which West supplies the voice of Mayor Adam West, and Ralph Garman, a radio personality and fellow “Family Guy” voice who also supplied the voice of West in a 2006 episode of the MTV2 claymation series “Celebrity Deathmatch,” will join West in speaking at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony in front of the Guinness World of Records Museum on Hollywood Boulevard.)