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City Council Silences Tour Buses In New York City

Tourists from all over the world love to see New York City from atop open-air double-decker sightseeing buses. New Yorkers aren't so fond of the loudspeakers aboard the buses. The New York City Council passed legislation Thursday that requires sightseeing buses to replace their loudspeaker systems with headphones.

City Council Silences Tour Buses In New York City

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Australian Street Cleaners Destroy Famed Graffiti

The mayor of Melbourne, Australia, just wanted clean streets. She sent out cleanup crews and they painted over some graffiti. They also painted over a priceless stencil of a rat by celebrated British graffiti artist Banksy.

Australian Street Cleaners Destroy Famed Graffiti

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Boy Scouts Offer Video Game Merit Awards

The Boy Scouts of America announced it will reward skills for playing video games. Scouts who master a game can earn a belt loop or pin for their efforts. There are other tasks involved. For example, they must explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games.

Boy Scouts Offer Video Game Merit Awards

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Flea Infestation Shuts Down Health Department

Workers in a building in Ohio discovered they had a problem with fleas. The employees might have called the health department — except they were the health department. The Fairfield County Department of Health had to shut down. Fleas spread disease, and the building has to be cleaned and fogged with insecticide.

Flea Infestation Shuts Down Health Department

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Venezuela's Chavez Sends His First Tweet

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is starting to use Twitter to counter his opponents online. Chavez, who often talks for hours, is now forced to sum up thoughts in 140 characters or less.

Venezuela's Chavez Sends His First Tweet

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Study: Depressed People Eat More Chocolate

Researchers say depressed people are more likely to eat a lot of chocolate than those without symptoms. According to the research, people who were depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared with 5.4 servings among those who were not.

Study: Depressed People Eat More Chocolate

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Professor Encourages Texting In Class

Unlike other educators, a professor at Georgia State University is not trying to stop his students from texting in class. He'd just like them to send text messages to him. David McDonald says his students can text their questions from the back of class, and then their questions will be projected on what looks like a news ticker.

Professor Encourages Texting In Class

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Louisiana Man Booked On Gun Charges, Littering

Police in Lake Charles, La., say a man who allegedly threw a gun out of a car at a traffic stop has been booked with littering. He also is charged possessing a gun after a felony conviction.

Louisiana Man Booked On Gun Charges, Littering

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Stephen Hawking: Aliens Could Be Dangerous

In a new documentary, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says aliens are almost certainly out there. But Hawking doesn't recommend trying to contact them. He believes they may be dangerous nomads looking to colonize.

Stephen Hawking: Aliens Could Be Dangerous

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Policewoman Sent Home Because Of Purple Hair

Philadelphia police officer Renee Norman came into work with a new hair color. Her captain said her hair was purple — violating rules against "unnatural colors." She said it's not purple, it's red. The captain sent her home. And then she filed a discrimination complaint. She says the label on the dye clearly read "crimson."

Policewoman Sent Home Because Of Purple Hair

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Lufthansa Offers Apple Engineer Free Flight

Gray Powell could probably use a drink this weekend. He's the Apple engineer who lost a prototype of the new iPhone. It was found in a German beer garden in Silicon Valley, Calif., and turned up in tech blogs this week. The German airline Lufthansa offered to fly Powell — for free — to Germany, where he can pursue his love of German beer.

Lufthansa Offers Apple Engineer Free Flight

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Motorized Recliner Sells Online

A motorized lounge chair in Minnesota has been up for auction three times — two previous sales fell through. But now it's been sold for $3,700. The winning bidder gets a chair with a lawnmower engine, cup holders and a stereo. Proceeds go to the Proctor Police Department, which seized the chair after the owner crashed into a parked car.

Motorized Recliner Sells Online

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Burglars Break Into Dutch Prison Steal TVs

Inmates at a Dutch prison received a weekend furlough. When they returned, they discovered their televisions were missing. This is the second time that's happened in six weeks. And so far, nobody has been thrown in jail with them for the crime.

Burglars Break Into Dutch Prison Steal TVs

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Security Camera Captures Runaway Saw Blade

Construction workers in Lorain, Ohio, were using a giant power saw when the spinning blade came off, and left a 3-foot gash in a vacant house. Neighbors figured out what happened when they checked a security camera.

Security Camera Captures Runaway Saw Blade

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