Page 2 - Show Prep News Today

An award-winning author of crime novels in Spain, a feminist professor who wrote under a pseudonym and was quite secretive, was exposed when she won an award and turned out to be three men who took advantage of the marketing opportunity to pose as a female writer and got honored for "her" work. Does the authors identity matter to you when youre reading a book? If its a good story, is it an issue for you that the author might not be who you think it is? Or does the deception repel ...

Did someone say over-the-top Halloween house decorations? Heres a woman in northeast Pennsylvania who decks her house out in spooky stuff and has for the past 15 years, drawing gawkers from the whole area. Every town has one like this. Where are yours? (WBRE-TV-WYOU-TV/Wilkes-Barre-Scranton)

Heres a real find: An archeological dig in Israel turned up a 7th century B.C. toilet. Not just any toilet, but a fancy one. Granted, its basically a hole in limestone, but it was a throne for its time, pre-flushing. Yes, people had bodily functions in the 7th century B.C. What did you think they did? (Washington Post)

People did not react well to a report leaked from the opposition conservative party in Australia that theyre thinking of proposing giving Tasers to teachers to control unruly students. And, yes, thats outrageous! Everyone knows they SHOULD be packing Glocks for that. (Brisbane Courier-Mail; Thanks to Jeff Katz at WXKS (Rush Radio 1200)/Boston for the link)

Mexico is justifiably proud of Monterrey, a city thats become a modern, bustling metropolis. Apart, that is, from the requisite gang activity. And a reminder that the Mexican government is not in control of its own cities is the narco-blockade of Monterrey, in which the drug cartels blocked off at least 13 major roads, using carjacked vehicles. It all happened after cops shot and killed one of the cartel leaders. They have a civil war in their own country, and in places like Monterrey ...

The cops have now filed criminal animal cruelty charges against two weird sisters who were found with 84 cats in two cars. They loaded up their cars with the cats and said they were trying to get the mostly feral cats into shelters, but the cops say that the sisters were really just trying to avoid prosecution in New York when they were caught in a grocery store parking lot in Vermont. And if they were trying to help the cats, that doesnt explain the dead cat in the trunk and several so ...

Heres a controversial pumpkin patch in South Kansas City. How can a pumpkin patch be controversial? Simple: When its next door to a strip club. Think of the children! Well, what ABOUT the children? If they dont go INTO the bar, theyre not going to see anything, are they? (KSHB-TV (NBC Action News)/Kansas City; Thanks to Casey Bartholomew at WKXW (New Jersey 101.5)/Trenton for the link)

Nobody wants to be murdered, but some folks would probably choose being smothered to death by 38DD breasts if they have a choice. Thats the allegation against a woman who allegedly tried to kill her ex, a lawyer, that way in Germany. They were having sex and she allegedly shoved his face in there and he had to break free and run. Nice that they included a file photo of breasts to be helpful. (Metro)

Is it even possible to pick two more difficult foes than this atheist group is taking on in Tennessee: prayer before football games and University of Tennessee football? The group is suing to end the practice of a nonsectarian prayer before Vols games, and you know all the arguments. The thing is, theyre right -- the Constitution and case law say that a state agency like the university cant promote religion with a sanctioned formal prayer, even if its nominally "nonsectarian," ...

You can fly from Canada to the U.S. You cant drive across in that direction. It makes no sense, yet here we are, and a lot of Canadians want to know why when were heading into snowbird season. It will affect places like Florida that have a lot of snowbirds, and its causing Canadians who usually drive their RVs to Florida at about this time of year to have to have the RVs shipped down and meet them down south instead of simply driving across the border. Somewhere, a bureaucrat is trying to ...