Bus Stops - November 4

Mom sues Franklin Township schools over bus fees (Indy Star) 

(Lora Hoagland struggles to get her two sons to Franklin Township schools each day. The district axed its bus service this year to cut costs. Now, a nonprofit offers transportation -- but for a fee. Hoagland, 38, can't afford to pay, so she drives her children to school. But, she said, that means she can't take pain medication for her back and knee problems because the medication might interfere with her driving.)

Argentine train collides with school bus; 8 dead (MSNBC) 

(A cargo train and school bus collided Wednesday at a railroad crossing in rural Argentina, killing one adult and seven schoolgirls on a spiritual retreat with nuns and priests. At least 35 people were injured. The school bus was carrying more than 40 people when it crossed the tracks and was hit by a cargo train carrying cement and charcoal near the town of Zanjitas in the central Argentine province of San Luis, police commissioner Luis Calderon said. The impact turned the bus into a charred hulk of metal.)

State honors deal, drops charges against anti-bullying school bus mom (Orlando Sentinel) 

(With no fanfare and little drama, a prosecutor today announced that the state has dropped charges against the Sanford mom who refused to get off her daughter's school bus when the driver wouldn't listen to her complaints about bullying. Laura Booker, 40, was not in court, but in a hearing that lasted less than 60 seconds, Assistant State Attorney Lisa Haba told Seminole County Judge Jerri Collins that the case was closed.)

Nude lady recreates Star Wars tauntaun scene in dead horse (The Register) 

(An Oregon woman who posted photos of herself reclining nude and spattered with equine bodily fluids in the carcass of a dead horse has declared she was partly inspired by Star Wars. Jasha Lottin and her friend John Frost came to the attention of authorities in Oregon after an animal lover in South Carolina took exception to a series of pictures of the aspiring model and the increasingly dismembered animal on 4chan.)

Justin Bieber speaks for the first time about claims he fathered a baby with fan (Mirror) 

(Justin Bieber has spoken for the first time about allegations he has fathered a baby son with a fan. The singer shrugged off the claims by 20-year-old Mariah Yeater that she had taken his virginity in a 30-second backstage romp by tweeting: "So I'm going to ignore the rumors...and focus on what is real. Love yall!" )

5 Trapped in Border Tunnel Filled with Sewage (NBC) 

(Five people were trapped in a tunnel near the U.S.-Mexico border and had to be rescued early Wednesday. The four men and one woman were discovered inside the tunnel partly filled with sewage in Otay Mesa. The tunnel is believed to lead to Mexico, which is about 150 meters away. The five were trapped at a point in the tunnel where a fence made it impossible to get through to the U.S.)

Recall issued after reports of 'exploding' toothbrushes (CTV) 

(Colgate-Palmolive is recalling their Motion Electric Toothbrush after receiving reports that the devices "exploded" in the hands of some users. Health Canada says there have been nine reports of the problem in Canada, though none involved long-term injuries. Health Canada is advising Canadians who have this brand of electric toothbrush to stop using the device, which is no longer licensed for sale.)

Meet The Senior Citizen Militia Members Arrested In Georgia Bio Attack Plot (TPM Muck Raker) 

(Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested four Georgia senior citizens for allegedly plotting to attack U.S. citizens and government officials with the deadly toxin ricin. Lets meet the players. Frederick Thomas; Cleveland, Ga.; 73. Thomas was allegedly the leader of the bunch. He lives in a brown two-story family residence that sits on two acres of property. The first meeting allegedly took place at his home, where he claimed he had enough weapons to arm everyone present.)

Australian Doctor Discovers Gun In Prosthetic Leg Of St. Vincents Hospital Patient (Huffington Post) 

(Some people are so well armed, they're armed in their legs. Medical professionals at St. Vincents Hospital in Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital were shocked on Monday upon discovering a concealed firearm inside a 66-year-old man's prosthesis. Hospital staff alerted authorities and placed the facility on lock down around 3:50 p.m. after finding the weapon, which the man had "secreted under a stocking" inside his false limb, according to a New South Wales Police Department press release.)

School cancels Remembrance Day event (Canoe) 

(The 20th anniversary of an educational Remembrance Day event is being cancelled at a west Ottawa Catholic high school after the teacher organizing it was told “no tanks or guns” are allowed in the school. Notre Dame High School history teacher Gene Michaud sent an e-mail to friends last Friday, sadly announcing the end of the Remembrance Day Symposium — shocking many in the military community.)

NYC lawsuit over photos seeks to recreate wedding (AP) 

(A New York City man has filed a lawsuit seeking $48,000 to recreate his 2003 wedding, even though the marriage ended in divorce. The New York Times (http://nyti.ms/vzmp92 ) reports that Todd Remis sued H & H Photographers claiming that the photographers missed the last dance and the bouquet toss.)

Jack the Ripper: Is this six-inch knife used by Victorian serial killer? (Telegraph) 

(A six-inch blade recently discovered could be the one used by Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper, it has emerged. It was found among possessions belonging to Welsh surgeon Sir John Williams, a chief suspect in the Victorian murders. Sir John, known to his family at the time of the killings as "Uncle Jack" was the surgeon to Queen Victoria who lived in London at the time of the slayings.)

Joey Buttafuoco Battles Amy Fisher's Husband, Lou Bellera, In Celebrity Boxing (Huffington Post) 

(People who got famous because of a scandal tend to get boxed into a corner, professionally speaking. So maybe it's no surprise that they are the celebrities mostly likely to agree to appear in celebrity boxing matches. Case in point: Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher, who descended into infamy in 1992 when their affair resulted in Fisher shooting Buttafuoco's wife, Mary Jo, in the head.)

Engaged couple discover they are brother and sister when their parents meet just before wedding (Daily Mail) 

(An engaged couple who dated for five years have been left in turmoil after their families met and they discovered they were brother and sister. The woman, who is due to give birth next month, is devastated by the discovery that the father of her child is her brother. The couple, who met at university, had decided they wanted to introduce their single parent families to each other before they got married.)

$1.1M German museum piece falls victim to cleaning lady (ACN) 

(A cleaning woman at a German museum who mistook a sculpture for an unsightly mess has destroyed the valuable artwork beyond recognition, a spokeswoman for the western city of Dortmund said Thursday. The cleaner at the city's Ostwall Museum went to work on the Martin Kippenberger installation titled When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling, which was valued by insurers at 800,000 euros ($1.1 million), she said.)

Husband secretly fed wife steroids to 'fatten her up' and make her stay at home (Mirror) 

(A JEALOUS and controlling husband secretly fed his wife dangerous ­steroids so she would get fat and stay at home to cook for him. Dalwara Singh, 41, ground up high-strength anabolic steroid tablets before slipping them into meals and wine for his wife Jaspreet Singh Gill, a court heard.The powerful drugs caused the 37-year-old mum-of-two to break out in spots and grow hair on her face and back.)

Former B.C. solicitor-general Kash Heed 'thought he was Batman,' says ex-aide (The Province) 

(By day, he’s known as Kash Heed, less-than-mild-mannered Liberal MLA and former top cop of British Columbia. But to his once-loyal sidekick, Heed will be forever known as the Caped Crusader of the legislature. “Kash thought he was Batman — and I was his Robin,” said Heed’s former campaign manager Barinder Sall, who was rung up on electoral-finance charges on Friday.)

‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer Attached To ‘Sherlock Holmes’? (Movie Night) 

(We now know that on December 16, a six minute prologue for "The Dark Knight Rises" will debut in front of certain IMAX showings of "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," but according to the latest round of rumors, that won’t be the only place to find a preview of the next Batman movie. According to both Batman-on-Film and Batman-News, the first full trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" will also premiere on December 16 in front of another holiday release, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." Both sites claim to have confirmed the story with unnamed sources.)

Ex-Batman sidekick now a true Boy Wonder for dogs in need (Movie Night) 

(There is a very special animal shelter in Norco, California where the dogs are as big as Los Angeles Lakers, and a former TV star is in charge of the whole brigade. The appropriately-named business – Gentle Giants – is run by Burt Ward, known to his legions of fans from the 1960s as “Robin,” Batman's campy sidekick. Burt and his wife Tracy began their mission of the heart 17 years ago out of their home. This adoption operation has found homes for over 14,000 dogs – from "minny to mighty" – from around the world.)

Is this Bane’s ultimate weapon from The Dark Knight Rises? (io9) 

(Have set photos revealed the device that Bane will use to bring Batman to his knees in The Dark Knight Rises? Possibly — a collection of photos and blueprints may have just revealed Bane's dastardly plan for the good people of Gotham. Major Spoilers Ahead...)

Bacteria exposure limits baby allergy risk (UPI) 

(Infants who encounter a wide range of bacteria are at less risk of developing allergies later in life, researchers in Denmark said. Professor Hans Bisgaard of Gentofte Hospital and the University of Copenhagen said 25 percent of the population of Denmark suffer from allergies.)

Prolonged Sitting Linked to 173,000 Cancer Cases Yearly (Live Science) 

(Our culture of sitting may be responsible for 173,000 cases of cancer each year, according to new estimates. Physical inactivity is linked to as many as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer a year in the United States, said Christine Friedenreich, an epidemiologist at Alberta Health Services-Cancer Care in Canada.)

Study finds women still prefer to take husband's last name (MNN) 

(At what point does sex cease to function as a purely practical means of reproduction? In other words, by what process does sex become something more than just a biological imperative; when do things like eroticism and sexuality emerge in an anthropological context? Sex and sexuality have obviously been well-established cornerstones of humanity's collective social experience for some time, so answering questions like these is understandably difficult.)

New GPS Device To Help Warn Domestic Violence Victims About Abusers (CBS) 

(It’s a tragedy that happens all too often. The victim of domestic violence gets a restraining order against her abuser, only to be beaten or killed when that order is ignored. But now, new technology may give victims a fighting chance. Maria Santiago knows what it feels like to be afraid. Growing up in the Bronx, and later at the hands of her boyfriend, she was the victim of domestic abuse.)

New GPS Device To Help Warn Domestic Violence Victims About Abusers (CBS) 

(It’s a tragedy that happens all too often. The victim of domestic violence gets a restraining order against her abuser, only to be beaten or killed when that order is ignored. But now, new technology may give victims a fighting chance. Maria Santiago knows what it feels like to be afraid. Growing up in the Bronx, and later at the hands of her boyfriend, she was the victim of domestic abuse.)

Kindle Lending Library Takes A Chance With Borrowing Books (Wired) 

(Amazon unveiled a long-rumored “Netflix-for-books” digital lending library Wednesday. Via yet another enhancement for Amazon Prime, subscribers who also own Kindles can borrow one (and only one) book per month from about 5,000 available titles. Once borrowed, you keep the book for as long as you like — there is no due date after which DRM will cripple the file.)

BP to Pay Texas $50M for Pollution (Time) 

(Oil company BP has agreed to pay Texas $50 million for air pollution violations at a Gulf Coast refinery where a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers, the state's attorney general announced Thursday. The settlement between BP Products North America and the State of Texas resolves 72 emissions violations between 2005 and now, Attorney General Greg Abbott told a Houston news conference. The violations include some that contributed to the massive explosion six years ago at the Texas City refinery.)

Video of Texas Judge Beating Daughter Provokes Online Outcry (Time) 

(A video making the rounds online reveals a troubling history of domestic abuse from a Texas family court judge. The video, which was recorded in 2004, was reportedly posted by Hillary Adams, the daughter of Aransas County Court at Law Judge William Adams, and the one on the receiving end of the judge’s belt. The video shows the judge allegedly whipping his daughter for the very teenage crime of downloading music from the internet.)

U.S. glossed over cancer concerns as it rolled out airport X-ray scanners (MNN) 

(On Sept. 23, 1998, a panel of radiation safety experts gathered at a Hilton hotel in Maryland to evaluate a new device that could detect hidden weapons and contraband. The machine, known as the Secure 1000, beamed X-rays at people to see underneath their clothing. One after another, the experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised questions about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle in radiation safety — that humans shouldn’t be X-rayed unless there is a medical benefit.)

The strange eating habits of Steve Jobs (MSNBC) 

(No matter your opinion on the legacy of Steve Jobs, we can likely all agree on this: Dude had some unconventional health habits. The new biography by Walter Isaacson details some of the weirder ones, from extremely restrictive diets to questionable personal hygiene. (A personal favorite: One of his go-to stress relievers during Apple's early days was soaking his bare feet in the company toilets.) We asked some nutrition experts to weigh in on some of the stranger, stricter eating habits of the legendary tech tycoon.)

Bus Stops - November 3

'Dirty Divas' girl gang named and shamed after turning town centre bus station into no-go zone for elderly passengers (Daily Mail) 

(A teenage girl gang who waged a campaign of terror against commuters and elderly passengers have been banned from a town centre bus station after dark. The group, all aged between 14 and 16, would turn up after school and begin abusing people waiting to catch their bus home. Dubbed the ‘Dirty Divas’ for their vile and filthy language, the five-strong gang would get drunk and skateboard or play football in the forecourt of Cheapside bus station, Oldham.)

North Van commuter claims bus driver stormed off without reason (Vancouver Sun) 

(A North Vancouver commuter has filed a complaint with TransLink after he says a bus driver overreacted to grumbles that his bus was running late by dressing down the passengers, then refusing to drive any further. “To treat a busload of adults like a carload of kids, it’s really not appropriate,” said Greg Robinson, who was heading to work at Capilano University on the 239 bus when the incident happened recently. “If people have legitimate complaints, you have to hear them out.”)

British Couple Killed In Bus Blaze During Pilgrimage to Mecca (My Fox DC) 

(A British couple taking part in a pilgrimage to Mecca died on a bus in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after a fire broke out on the vehicle. Aboo Talhah Daawood and his wife, who had seven children, were killed when the blaze took hold on a trip from Jeddah Airport to the holy shrine of Mecca, the Birmingham Mail reported.)

State to drop charges against mom who wouldn't get off school bus (Orlando Sentinel) 

(Seminole County prosecutors are dropping charges against Laura Booker, the anti-bullying Sanford mom who climbed aboard her daughter's school bus in April and refused to leave when the driver wouldn't listen to her, prompting police to handcuffed her and force her to the ground.)

MSP Elaine Murray raises alcohol price 'booze bus' fear (BBC) 

(An MSP in southern Scotland has warned of "booze buses" heading to England if plans for a minimum price for a unit of alcohol north of the border go ahead. Labour's Elaine Murray, who represents Dumfriesshire, said it could "increase the incentive" for people in her area to shop in Carlisle.)

Schoolgirl hit by bus was sharing headphones (NZ Herald) 

(A Northland school girl was sharing a pair of headphones with a friend when she was hit by a bus outside her school on Monday. Taimania-Rose Marie Martin-Heke, 14, is in a stable condition in Auckland's Starship Hospital where she underwent surgery yesterday.)

Lindsay Lohan given 30 days in jail for probation violation (LA Times) 

(Lindsay Lohan avoided a lengthy jail sentence Wednesday when a judge ordered her to serve 30 days behind bars for violating her probation, which will probably be reduced to only about a day because of overcrowding. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner warned the troubled actress that she would receive plenty of jail time if she slips up again.)

Poop Transplant Could Save Arizona Man's Life (Phoenix New Times) 

(Figuratively speaking, a lot of guys take a lot of shit from their wives. Jerry Grant, 33, is literally taking shit from his wife -- and it will likely save his life. Grant's had some poop problems for the past several months -- bleeding rectally, and what not -- and the procedure that will likely "save his life" involves taking his wife's feces and transplanting it into his body.)

Man dressed as superhero arrested following M8 incident (STV) 

(The 24-year-old is accused of causing major disruption on the motorway on Tuesday during rushhour. Two lanes of the motorway were closed near Charing Cross in the city centre for over four hours in the morning. Police were called to the scene shortly before 5am following reports of a man sitting on a ledge over the road below. He came off the bridge shortly before 9am.)

Man Delays Suicide Until After Lindsay Lohan Playboy Shoot (SMEW) 

(Local resident Jeffrey Knutson, 34, was all set to commit suicide this week, until he learned of Lindsay Lohan’s deal to pose nude for Playboy. “I had the pills on the table,” said Knutson. “I was literally doing the final edits on my suicide note in Google Docs.”)

(SUBMITTED BY: @g0db3rry)

Japanese Lawmaker Drinks Fukushima Water To Prove It’s Safe (Inquistr) 

(Japanese lawmaker Yasuhiro Sonoda drank a glass of water on Tuesday that had been taken from puddles underneath one of the Fukushima’s reactors. The Japanese lawmaker drank the water so he could prove to journalists that the decontaminated water from the area was safe to drink. During the news conference Yasuhiro’s hands were visibly shaking as he drank the water...)

(SUBMITTED BY: @fitzman73)

Future gang members 'can be spotted at age three' (Telegraph) 

(Theresa May, the Home Secretary, unveiled plans to cut off gang violence at the root by intervening in “problem families” from the moment children are born. A new Home Office report said the beginnings of teenage violence lie in the “very earliest childhood experience”. It found warning signs are “already clear” by the time a child enters primary school, including neglect, aggression, absence from class and slow development.)

Little horrors: City kindergarteners being suspended for misbehaving (NY Post) 

(Apparently, even 5-year-old tots can be terrors. A number of city public schools suspended kids in kindergarten for misbehaving last year — including three schools that hit the double-digit mark. PS 212 in Brooklyn registered 13 suspensions of kindergarten this past school year, followed by PS 13 in Staten Island with 12 suspensions and PS 115 in Brooklyn with 10.)

Sailor falls off boat, saved by mobile call (Reuters) 

(French sailing star Florence Arthaud fell off her boat during a pee break but rescuers whisked her from Mediterranean waters in the early hours of Sunday after she called her mother by mobile phone. Arthaud, winner in 1990 of the Route du Rhum single-handed transatlantic sailing race, was located and rescued near the island of Corsica thanks to a headlamp and the GPS system on her phone.)

Marriott hotel guest checks out — after 10 years (Yahoo) 

(Last week, 79-year-old Joy Bricker checked out of the TownePlace Suites in Virginia. She had been living there for 10 years. The former pilot made headlines when movers came to her Falls Church, Virginia, hotel room to mark the end of her stay. Now ailing with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, the otherwise active woman is leaving her decade-long home to move in with her daughter, Christy Winton.)

Helenan accused of making up kidnapping (Helenair) 

(A Helena man attempting to trick his girlfriend into believing he was kidnapped by men in skeleton masks on Halloween was treated by authorities to a jail cell after it was discovered he made up the whole ordeal. Police tracked the man’s cellphone, which he had allegedly used to text and call his girlfriend repeatedly throughout the early morning implying that he was being held captive, and found him safe and sound in his downtown Helena apartment.)

Concern over 'act less gay' anti-bullying advice (BBC) 

(Claims that some school children in Essex have been told by teachers to "act less gay" to avoid being bullied have been as labelled as "worrying". The anecdotal evidence came from a report to Essex County Council about an anti-bullying conference in March organised by the Young Essex Assembly.)

Putin hails Russian boy as world's "7 billionth" (Reuters) 

(Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hailed a two-day old Russian boy as the world's seven billionth person Wednesday, weighing into a bizarre scramble to claim a title that is almost impossible to verify. Russia's Pyotr Nikolayev was born on Oct 31, two minutes after midnight in a maternity hospital in Russia's Western exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Poland and the Baltic Sea.)

Former West Elgin resident animates on highly anticipated Batman video game sequel (The Chronicle) 

(Not everyone gets to work on one of the most hotly anticipated video games of the year. Not every is Simon Warwick. Warwick, 29, grew up on Fleming Line, outside Rodney, and was the Senior Technical Cinematic Animator for Batman: Arkham City, released in North America Oct. 18 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 game consoles. Arkham City is the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was released in 2009. Akrham Asylum hit a high note with fans, praised as one of the best Batman games of all time. Arkham Asylum received a 92% average on GameRankings, a game review aggregator, and holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever'.)

Old people today have more sex (Times of India) 

(As the number of elderly rises worldwide, researchers find that old people today have more sex, are more likely to be divorced, are cleverer and feel better, and are more outgoing. An extensive research project at Sweden's University of Gothenburg compared the elderly of the 1970s with those of today.)

Where have all the females gone? (SMH) 

(It's a man's world - more than ever - and that spells doom for the future. As the global population hits seven billion, experts are warning that skewed gender ratios could fuel the emergence of volatile "bachelor nations" driven by an aggressive competition for brides.)

Toyota Shows Machines to Help Sick, Elderly Move (ABC News) 

(Toyota unveiled its ambitions for high-tech health care Tuesday, displaying experimental robots that the auto giant says can lift disabled patients from their hospital beds or help them walk. The company aims to commercialize products such as its "independent walk assist" device sometime after 2013 — seeking to position itself in an industry with great potential in Japan, one of the world's most rapidly aging nations.)

Facebook figures in Des Moines arson case (Desmoines Register) 

(The alleged motive in a Des Moines arson case is tied to actions on Facebook, a social networking site, according to police. Detectives have arrested Jennifer Christine Harris, 30, of Des Moines, on a charge of first-degree arson. She is being held in the Polk County Jail on $100,000 bond.)

Luxury iPad 2 comes covered in gold, diamonds and dinosaur bones (Digital Trends) 

(Luxury goods designer Stuart Hughes has come up with a gold iPad 2 encrusted with diamonds and bits of dinosaur bone. However, buyers may prefer to wait for the cheaper iPad 3, which should be out some time next year. If you’re thinking of buying an iPad 2 but feel rather uninspired by the regular black and white models currently available, then how about a gold one encrusted with diamonds and the thigh bone shavings of a 65 million-year-old T-Rex dinosaur?)

'Twitter Stories' tells dramatic tales behind the tweets (CNN) 

( Lives have been saved, small businesses have avoided shutting their doors and average folks have met their political leaders, sports heroes and other celebrities. All because of Twitter. That's the story the micro-blogging service wants to tell with Twitter Stories, a new site meant to showcase what Twitter calls the power of a single tweet. Because while good stories can begin with a tweet, most can't be told in 140 characters.)

Did an Italian Hospital Turn Away a Lesbian Blood Donor? (Time) 

(Donating blood is one more civic act that Italian gay-rights activists now say must be explicitly protected by law. The latest controversy comes after a woman in Rome says she was not allowed to give blood at one of the city's largest hospitals because she is a lesbian. The 39-year-old accounting-firm employee, referred to as Angela, says she was told by a hospital official at Policlinico Umberto I that she is "considered at risk" because of her personal life.)

CBS Vindicated over FCC Super Bowl Fine (Time) 

(In the latest court battle over the steamy 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that CBS should not be fined $550,000 for Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction." The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held its ground even after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a review after its ruling in a related Fox television case. In that case, the high court said the Federal Communications Commission could threaten fines over the use of even a single curse word uttered on live TV.)

Safeway drops sandwich theft charges (Yahoo) 

(The Safeway supermarket chain is declining to press charges against a Honolulu couple whose arrests over stolen sandwiches led state workers to take their 2-year-old daughter and sparked nationwide outrage. Safeway told Honolulu police Tuesday that it won't press charges against Marcin and Nicole Leszczynski, company spokeswoman Susan Houghton told The Associated Press. The couple were arrested last week when Nicole, who is 30 weeks pregnant, ate a sandwich while shopping and walked out without paying.)

Casey Anthony takes Fifth 60 times in civil suit deposition (CNN) 

(Attorneys representing Casey Anthony invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 60 times during a deposition given in a civil suit against her, according to a transcript of the proceedings. In addition, Anthony's attorney Charles Greene asserted he would also invoke the Fifth Amendment on her behalf if questioning delved into the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.)

Angry Birds tops 500 million downloads (Reuters) 

(Mobile gaming firm Rovio said on Wednesday its hit game Angry Birds had reached a record 500 million downloads in less than two years since its launch. "It's more than any game ever before," Rovio's marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka told a conference in Helsinki.)

Bus Stops - November 2

Girl, 9, Facing Four Felonies For Wild School Bus Tantrum, Battering Sheriff's Deputy (The Smoking Gun) 

(A nine-year-old Florida girl is facing four felony charges after she allegedly threw a tantrum yesterday on a school bus, spit on the driver, threw rocks at the bus, and tossed a patio chair at a cop, who she warned, “I will fuckin kill you!” The child, a fourth grader at the Royal Palm School in Fort Myers, was traveling home when the driver told her to stop eating candy on the bus. The girl “became very upset” and started yelling obscenities at driver Robert Middleton, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report.)

Bus Crisis In Detroit Hampers Riders (NPR) 

(A bus crisis in Detroit has some people waiting up to three hours at bus stops, with close to half the city's fleet out of commission. Riders are complaining of losing jobs and having to drop classes because they can't get where they need to go. The problem is especially distressing in the Motor City, where about a third of residents don't have cars. Mayor Dave Bing is promising to do "whatever it takes" to fix the problem. He's accused the city's bus mechanics of a deliberate work slowdown. The union says Bing has laid off too many mechanics — hindering their ability to keep up with the work.)

Ruptured radiator hose burns students on bus on Highway 18 (ABC) 

(Twenty-one junior high students were left with burns and breathing problems when a radiator hose on the school bus they were riding in ruptured and spewed hot anti-freeze. The accident happened just after 8:40 a.m. as the bus carrying 50 students overheated on Highway 18 on its way to Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School in Lake Arrowhead, authorities said.)

Wellington bus driver praised for train escape (MSN) 

(With the alarms ringing in his ears the driver of a bus stuck on a railway level crossing rushed to usher his seven passengers off before a train crashed into the bus. The southbound freight train took out the back end of the bus, leaving wreckage strewn along the tracks, but no one was hurt in the accident at Paekakariki, north of Wellington, about 10.30pm on Monday.)

Tour bus driver rescued after going for walk in heavy mist (Independent IE) 

(A BUS driver taking walkers to see Ireland's tallest cliffs had to be rescued after deciding to go for a walk himself. The man, in his 50s and from Dublin, had driven a group of experienced walkers from Co Kildare to Slieve League in south-west Donegal.)

Woman jailed for false rape claim against bus driver (STV) 

(A woman who claimed she was dragged to the back of a bus and raped by the driver because she was "feeling unloved" has been jailed for 18 months. It took Charlene Kielty 16 months before she admitted to police that her allegation of rape was a lie. The man she accused of raping her said he was "shocked" and "very upset" at the allegation.)

Police seek Spiderman-clad robber (QC Times) 

(Moline police are looking for man dressed up as Spiderman in connection with a Sunday night gas station robbery. Police say two men, one dressed in a Spiderman mask and wielding a foot-long machete, robbed the Shell Express Lane, 3759 41st St., at 6:56 p.m., according to witnesses. The men fled westbound on 38th Avenue in a light-colored pickup truck, possibly a Ford F series, according to police.)

German 'Yoda' charged with drunk driving (UPI) 

(Police in Germany said a motorist in a Yoda costume was unable to use his Jedi powers to get out of charges stemming from a drunken driving incident. Investigators said the 42-year-old Weiterstadt man, whose name was not released, had apparently been out celebrating Halloween Saturday night, dressed as the "Star Wars" character, and struck a pedestrian while driving home early Sunday morning, the Berliner Kurier reported Monday.)

Halloween party fracas lands two ghouls in Pasco jail (Tampa Bay) 

(Two men dressed as the undead were arrested on charges of assaulting the living, authorities said. Kevin Fearn and his brother-in-law Reynaldo Reyno were decked out in ghoulish attire for the Halloween party at the nudist Caliente Resort and Spa when a fight erupted about 2 a.m. Sunday. A woman complained that Fearn, 47, of Land O'Lakes, had grabbed her. When a security guard asked Fearn to have word with him outside, Fearn threw the 71-year-old man to the ground, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report.)

Tourist attraction gives free deodorant (UPI) 

(Officials with England's York Dungeon said they are giving complimentary deodorant to visitors after complaints from actors. Mark Pollard, a supervisor at the tourist attraction, said bosses decided to distribute free deodorant to visitors after actors who perform for up to 10 hours a day at the Dungeon complained of being "overwhelmed" by the body odor of audience members, The Mirror reported Monday.)

Sinkhole Swallows Man, 80, As He Goes for Morning Newspaper (NBC New York) 

(An 80-year-old man who went out to get his morning newspaper fell into an 8-foot sinkhole that opened up in his Long Island lawn. Michael Ciron was not seriously injured in his Sunday morning ordeal, and even boasted that he managed to hang onto the papers, according to Newsday. He yelled for his daughter, who woke up and came to his aid by calling police and firefighters to the Oceanside home.)

Students Born To Illegal Immigrants Sue Over Tuition (NPR) 

(A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Miami by Florida residents being charged out-of-state tuition rates to attend state colleges and universities. The students are American citizens — children who were born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants — and they say Florida's regulations violate their constitutional rights. Wendy Ruiz, a 19-year-old sophomore at Miami Dade College with a 3.7 grade point average, has a plan. She expects to graduate later this year with a two-year associate's degree in Biology.)

Two Russian girls switched at birth to live next door to each other (Pravda RU) 

(The maternity hospital of the town of Kopeisk in Russia's Chelyabinsk region is to pay three million rubles ($100,000) to each of the two families, whose daughters were switched at birth, Vesti.ru reports. Neither the doctors nor the obstetrician are going to incur criminal penalties: the statute of limitations on the case expired a long time ago. The parents discovered that they were raising someone else's children only 12 years afterwards.)

Aphrodisiac – America’s Hottest Ice Cream Truck (Oddity Central) 

(Hot is good even when it comes to ice cream, and Aphrodisiac, a unique Miami ice cream truck that comes with smoking hot spray-painted models is the perfect proof. As if ice cream wasn’t tasty enough, Miami photographer Justin Price and Costa-Rican model Jacqueline Suzanne thought it would taste even better if served by scantily clad babes. According to Aphrodisiac Ice Cream’s official site, the concept was born late one night, when Justin and Jacqueline were at a Miami club, drunk and craving ice cream.)

Rail bosses in Holland to give male passengers bags to pee in (Mirror) 

(Railway bosses in the Netherlands have been blasted for giving male passengers bags to pee in rather than providing toilets on 131 new trains. Ineke Van Gent, public transport spokeswoman for the GreenLeft party, told the Dutch parliament: “It is madness that we will soon have internet access on all trains – but no toilets.”)

Two convicted after DNA tests on poop (UPI) 

(Two men who were arrested after Swedish police conducted DNA tests on feces left at a robbery scene have been sentenced to prison. One of the men was sentenced to four years in prison and the other was sentenced to four years and four months Monday after they were convicted of the March aggravated robbery at the Vara home of strawberry farmer Elof Dahlen, 64, The Local reported Monday.)

Teens trapped in shopping cart call cops (UPI) 

(Two teenage girls were joy riding in a shopping cart in Sweden when they found themselves stuck -- both in the cart and in the middle of nowhere, police said. Emergency services in the small tourist town of Ed, in western Sweden, said they were surprised when they received a call Saturday night from two girls asking for help getting out of a shopping cart, The Local reported Monday.)

Man admits switchblade assault in squirrel dispute (Billings Gazette) 

(A Worden teen who threatened a man with a switchblade in a dispute over the teen's attempt to stab a squirrel has admitted to charges in District Court. Lance Joseph Topel, 19, appeared Tuesday before Judge Russell Fagg and pleaded guilty to felony assault with a weapon.)

Chicago Man Dies Trying To Remove Pacemaker From His Chest (My Fox NY) 

(An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday for a 47-year-old Chicago man who died after apparently attempting to remove his pacemaker from his chest, officials said. Channing Askew, who lived in a group home in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, complained of chest pains Monday night and asked a worker at the home to call paramedics.)

Kevin Smith's 'Hit Somebody' Is 'About So Much More' Than Hockey (MTV) 

(Kevin Smith might have been calling "Hit Somebody" his "hockey movie," but when he chatted with MTV News recently, he was quick to clarify that it's much more than just that. "Now I understand some people are like, 'Dude, one hockey movie is a tough sell. Two?' I call it a hockey movie in the same way I've been calling 'Red State' a horror movie, and then people see 'Red State' and are like, 'That's not a horror movie.' Well, I don't know what else to call it," he explained. "Trust me though, it ain't a hockey movie. It's about so much more.")

Kevin Smith teases second volume of Widening Gyre is ‘half-done’ (MTV) 

(Filmmaker Kevin Smith this morning offered a first look at Walt Flanagan’s pencils for the second volume of Batman: The Widening Gyre, trumpeting that the remaining six issues are “half-done.” The 12-issue miniseries, which debuted in October 2009, reacquaints Bruce Wayne with Silver St. Cloud and introduces Batman to a new partner in his fight against crime in Gotham City. Despite efforts to keep the project on schedule, the first volume met with delays, extending its conclusion to September 2010.)

5 Reasons "Batman: Arkham City" Should Follow "The Dark Knight Rises" (Film Critic) 

(As The Dark Knight Rises continues to film in New York, the buzz for Batman fans is fully on Batman: Arkham City, the acclaimed followup to 2009's video game smash Arkham Asylum. Dense, action-packed, and featuring a storyline written by Batman comic book and animation scribe Paul Dini, Arkham City debuted to rave reviews and more than 2 million copies sold in its first week. With talk that Arkham City is the best Batman video game ever, it's only a matter of time before Hollywood takes notice. Warner Bros. hasn't discussed plans for Batman after The Dark Knight Rises, opting instead to let Christopher Nolan end his trilogy gracefully before planning another reboot. It's safe to say, though, that Batman won't lay dormant for long.)

Lindberg Road bridge reopens, celebrates Halloween (Purdue Exponent) 

(More than 100 neighborhood residents got into costume and attended the long awaited reopening of the Lindberg Road bridge on Monday. In the spirit of Halloween, the christening of the bridge was done by local Batman and West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis. He was the first to roll across the bridge in a black police Charger disguised as the Batmobile while wearing a Batman costume.)

Concerns Are Raised About Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes (New York Times) 

(These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children. Researchers on Sunday reported initial signs of success from the first release into the environment of mosquitoes engineered to pass a lethal gene to their offspring, killing them before they reach adulthood.)

Zombie worms found in whale fossil (Telegraph) 

(These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children. Researchers on Sunday reported initial signs of success from the first release into the environment of mosquitoes engineered to pass a lethal gene to their offspring, killing them before they reach adulthood.The millimetre-wide Osedax worms, which means “bone-eating” in Latin, have never been discovered in the Mediterranean. However, researchers from the Natural History Museum in London found examples of what they believe to be their distinctive bore holes in whale bones held by the University of Florence, BBC Nature reported.)

Trees not adapting well to climate change (UPI) 

(More than half of tree species in eastern U.S. forests aren't adapting to climate change as quickly or consistently as predicted, researchers said. Nearly 59 percent of the species examined in a study by Duke University researchers showed signs that their geographic ranges are contracting from both the north and south, a Duke release said Monday.)

Vibrators Boost Sexual Satisfaction, Don't Intimidate Men (Live Science) 

(A sex-toy spending spree by pop singer Rihanna made headlines last week for the $1,500 she reportedly spent in a Parisian shop. But it turns out, the star isn't alone in her appreciation of erotic toys. According to a new national survey of more than 3,000 Americans, most people feel positively about women using vibrators.)

Makers of infamous BigDog robot unveil human version - PETMAN (Physorg) 

(Uh oh. Boston Dynamics, makers of the BigDog robot that can haul stuff around for the military has released a video of PETMAN, a human version that looks like a combination of the Terminator and a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica. Maybe even scarier is the fact that it walks like John Wayne; just enough attitude to let you know he's not someone to be messed with.)

E-readers get heavier with more books says boffin (News Lite) 

(A couple of years ago we made up a April Fools story that iPods get heavier with more music -- so we approached this story with some trepidation. But according to respected scientists from University of California, Berkeley, E-readers really do get heavier with each book. Honest. Prof John Kubiatowicz recently claimed that holding more books on your Kindle does make it heavier -- even though each new book is only as heavy as a single molecule of DNA.)

'Potato Bags!': Sleep-Talker's Rants Go Viral (Sky News) 

(A mild-mannered husband's surreal sleep-talking has become a viral hit after his wife started recording his often expletive-filled rants and published them online. In the past five days, around half a million people in over 50 countries have read the hilarious blog Sleep Talkin' Man. Karen Slavick-Lennard said she started logging husband Adam's comments for her own amusement. But after putting them in a blog two months ago for friends to read, the couple, both 36, have been overwhelmed by its popularity.)

iPads used in gaping torso Halloween costume (News Lite) 

(Last week we looked at what we thought could be the best Halloween costume of the year (the functioning camera) but this gaping torso hole is our new favourite. NASA employee Mark Rober used two Apple iPad 2s to create the costume which looks like he has a gaping hole in his torso. The rocket scientist from California says the costume wasn't exactly brain surgery and was as simple as starting a Facetime video chat between the two devices.)

Teen Weight Loss: They're Doing It Wrong (Time) 

(In a recent study of high school students in Philadelphia, researchers found that 14% were obese. The good news is that three-quarters of these obese teens said they were trying to lose weight. The bad news is they appeared to be going about it all wrong. Led by Clare Lenhart, a doctoral candidate in public health at Temple University, researchers looked at data from the 2010 Philadelphia Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included 43,753 students from the city's public high schools.)

Who's Hungry? Some Florida Schools Serving Lunch As Early As 9:30 A.M. (Time) 

(It might seem like some schools in Florida have confused the concept of brunch. But they're actually just serving lunch as early as 9:30 every morning. While most schools are federally required to organize lunch hours between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Florida Department of Education waives those hours for certain schools each year. Which means that some students are eating lunch while most of us at work are just polishing off our first cup of coffee.)

Real-Life 'Field of Dreams' to Become Youth Baseball Hub (Time) 

(Quite simply, this is life imitating art. In NewsFeed's opinion, one of the greatest baseball movies ever is Field of Dreams, which starred Kevin Costner as farmer Ray Kinsella who hears a strange voice essentially convince him to build a baseball field for the long deceased (and disgraced) Chicago White Sox team of 1919.)

Gym, Tan, Learn: University of Chicago Hosts 'Jersey Shore' Conference (Time) 

(Stop your fist-pumping and get ready to take some notes. Who would have thought that one day our eight preternaturally tanned guidos and guidettes would be placed in a proverbial academic fishbowl for careful examination and study? Apparently the time has come; last week the University of Chicago held a conference centered around MTV's controversial reality show.)

On Boggle App, 'Queer' Is a Bad Word (Time) 

(When I first downloaded the Boggle app, I was agog over all the unfamiliar words — AAL, AIS, ANE, etc. — the game showed me I could have found in the 16-letter jumbles. But a few hundred rounds later (yes, I'm obsessed), I'm more interested in the words the good people at Hasbro won't let me play. FART and CRAP are off limits. So is SLUT, which seems downright prudish. Stranger still is the exclusion of QUEER and POOF.)

Bus Stops - November 1

Courage My Love's new EP "For Now"

is yours for the listening. 

Check it out over on

iTunes by clicking

above!

Congrats to the band, Nicole

and all involved!

Bus driver acquitted after punching cyclistBottle thrown at bus window narrowly missed passenger (STV) 

(A bottle has been thrown at a bus smashing a window and narrowly missing a passenger. Officers are linking the vandalism with an incident last week where a brick was thrown off a bridge at a train.)

Border Patrol's newest weapon is a bus (USA Today) 

(The Border Patrol has a new weapon in its battle to keep illegal immigrants nabbed in Arizona from crossing back into the United States -- buses. Colleen Agle, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, tells The Arizona Republic that busing illegal immigrants to Texas or California before returning them to Mexico makes it harder for them to reconnect with their human-smuggling guides.)

Bus driver shaken after hitting girl (Stuff) 

(A school bus driver is "pretty shaken" after hitting a 14-year-old girl in Kaitaia this morning. The Kaitaia College student was struck by the bus on Redan Rd at around 8.50am. She was taken to hospital with "serious injuries".)

Train smashes into bus (Stuff) 

(Seven bus passengers leapt for their lives last night at Paekakariki as a freight train smashed into the rear of the bus, shearing it in half. Inspector Marty Edghill, from Police Central Communications, said the accident happened at Beach Rd at the main intersection into Paekakariki around 10.30pm.)

Gunman kills himself at Greyhound Bus station (Cincinnati News) 

(A man shot himself to death after a standoff with police at the Greyhound Bus station downtown shortly after noon today, police said. Shortly after noon, police and SWAT teams fired tear gas and entered the building along with firefighters carrying a heavy saw and other equipment.)

MAN GETS PERMISSION TO KILL EVIL SQUIRREL (Short List) 

(When it comes to the confidence of squirrels, we've all witnessed an inarguable change over the years. Think back to your youth and you'll probably remember them coyly scampering away whenever you got close, trying desperately to play the part of the constant wallflower. Cut to 2011 and they represent the tough, violent underclass of the animal kingdom.)

'Jon and Kate' Editor Arrested for sex exploit of a minor (Huliq) 

("Kate Plus 8" may have been cancelled, but it's not out of the news, despite the fact this news is not about Kate Gosselin or her children, but about a TV editor who worked on TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8," along with other family-oriented reality television series.)

Hero dog saves owner knocked unconscious by lightning strike (The Mirror) 

(A MAYOR struck by lightning was dragged home to his wife by his faithful dog. Ian Thomas, 64, was walking his giant schnauzer Monty when he was hit by the bolt. He was knocked unconscious by the huge electrical charge and doctors said his life was only saved because he was wearing wellies.)

12-Year-Old Builds Real-Life Angry Birds Game Using Pumpkins (Oddity Central) 

(Sam Beards, a 12-year-old Angry Birds fan from England, has taken his obsession with the popular video game to a whole new level, by creating a real-life version using pumpkins and a giant cannon. Just like millions of people around the world, Sam spent hours every day playing Angry Birds on the tiny screen of his iPod, but when he got the idea of making a real-life adaptation of his favorite game using a pumpkin cannon his father built last Halloween, he jumped at the opportunity.)

Kim Kardashian Files For Divorce (MTV) 

(Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries said "I Do" in an elaborate, very public ceremony over the summer, and now comes word that the reality starlet and her basketball player hubby are calling it quits just 72 days after tying the know. TMZ reported that Kim filed for divorce from Humphries on Monday (October 31), coincidentally the scariest day of the year. Sources told the site that Kim is not seeking an annulment and cites "irreconcilable differences" as the cause for the split.)

More than 2 million without power as Northeast recovers from storm (CNN) 

(More than 2 million people in at least five states were without power Monday, a day after a rare October snowstorm buried parts of the Northeast under more than two feet of snow. Utilities throughout the region reported significant progress in restoring power, but the cold, snowy conditions and house-by-house nature of the damage was slowing the work, officials said.)

'Body hair sandwich' prompts Pennsylvania cop to sue deli (Grand Forks Herald) 

(A Pennsylvania policeman who found body hair in his bagel sandwich last year has sued the deli where he bought it and the cook who admitted sabotaging it as payback for a previous run-in with the officer. Jeremy Merck, 30, a six-year veteran of the Evesham department, alleged in the suit that Good Foods to Go was negligent for failing to keep its premises safe and for failing to properly examine the sandwich that Ryan J. Burke served him on Feb. 20, 2010.)

Smithfield police say they may have to stop investigating some crimes to save money for gas (WTKR) 

(Police in Smithfield say they may have to stop investigating misdemeanors and ignore some 911 calls if town leaders don't provide more gas money. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports (http://bit.ly/sbcKKm ) that Police Chief Michael Scott will make the proposals Tuesday to the town council.)

Kevin Smith talks ‘Red State’ film (Daily 49er) 

(As it turns out, Silent Bob is not completely silent. Filmmaker Kevin Smith, director of "Clerks," "Chasing Amy" and his latest film, "Red State" really likes to talk. "Filmmaking isn't my forte — talking is my forte" Smith said at his recent screening and Q&A at the Long Beach Art Theater. Smith's love of spoken-word shows in his weekly Smodcast radio show and the expertly-written dialogue in his many films.)

Kevin Smith finds movie inspiration through hockey (NHL.com) 

(Kevin Smith is the first person to admit that he's far from a "sports guy." However, the award-winning filmmaker not only has dedicated himself to the game of hockey, he's announced that his final movie -- actually, movies -- will be hockey-themed. Smith currently is working on the script for "Hit Somebody," which is based on the Warren Zevon song of the same name. The song tells the fictional story of Buddy McCracken, who dreams of scoring a goal in a game, but instead, is used by teams more for his fists.)

'The Dark Knight Rises' arrives in the Big Apple, comes to Newark Thursday (NJ.com) 

(Wearing a crisp suit, slicked-back hair and a serious mug, Christian Bale walked out of Trump Tower in Manhattan and into a waiting police car. Tourists and other pedestrians gawked from all sides around the building yesterday, along the stretch of Fifth Avenue from East 56th Street to East 57th Street.)

Kim Kardashian sexes it up as ‘Batman & Robin’ villain Poison Ivy for Halloween party (NY Daily News) 

(Kim Kardashian's Halloween costume was very deadly. The reality star dressed up as Poison Ivy from "Batman & Robin," who killed her enemies with toxic kisses, for the Midori Green Halloween bash at LAVO in New York City on Saturday.)

he Dark Knight Rises to film Batman and Bane fight scene on Wall Street (Metro UK) 

(Location Vacations is reporting that the two stars will appear in 'full costume' for the scene which will involve more than 1000 extras. The streets of New York will be transformed into a Gotham which is ruled by genetically-enhanced baddie Bane. It reports: 'After months of chaos the cops return and the “good guys” battle it out with the “bad guys” for the streets of Gotham.')

Samsung overtakes Apple in smartphone shipments (Xenophilia) 

(Samsung overtook Apple to become the world’s biggest shipper of smartphones between July and September. Research from Strategy Analytics showed that Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the three-month period, compared with 17.1 million from Apple and 16.8 million from Nokia.)

Diverted by Snowstorm, JetBlue Passengers Stuck on Tarmac for Eight Hours (Time) 

(We don't expect too much from airplanes, as long as they can get us to our destination (roughly) on time, travel safely and maybe show a decent movie. What we do expect is not to be stuck on a tarmac for eight hours. When JetBlue Flight 504 left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for Newark, N.J., at 10:07 a.m. E.T. on Saturday, departing 32 minutes late, the 100-plus passengers probably weren't too perturbed. But then Mother Nature got involved and all hell broke loose.)

FBI Releases Details of Russian Spy Ring (Time) 

(The FBI on Monday released surveillance tapes, photos and hundreds of pages of documents that shed new light on operation "Ghost Stories," the bureau's investigation of a ring of Russian sleeper agents that ended after more than a decade in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War. Called illegals because they took civilian jobs instead of operating inside Russian embassies and military missions, the spies, including New York real estate agent Anna Chapman, mostly settled into quiet lives in middle-class neighborhoods.)

FBI Report: Insane Clown Posse Fans Are on Par with Bloods and Crips (Time) 

(When you think of gangs, the Bloods, and the Crips quickly spring to mind. What about fans of the Insane Clown Posse? Well, the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment has listed the so-called Juggalos as a "loosely-organized hybrid gang" that are "forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity." Yes, the FBI considers fans of the rap group Insane Clown Posse to represent a threat similar to the Aryan Brotherhood and Latin Kings. Here's hoping that the Insane Clown Posse subscribes to the notion that all publicity is good publicity.)