No one could be blamed for losing their minds a little on the migraine-inducing unavoidable major artery that is the BQE—many who came before us have cursed the name Kosciusko as some karate-techno song drifted through the window during some endless traffic jam caused by a broken down truck...and many after us will as well. But it still doesn't mean you should resort to choking your bus driver for not letting you off in the middle of the bridge. more ›

Up until November 2010, if there was no obvious visible physical evidence of strangulation, prosecutors were forced to lower charges against the perpetrator to a non-criminal count of harassment. But NY State has improved its choking laws since then, adding a criminal count of obstruction of breathing or blood circulation to the law, which can be proven with other courtroom tools, including witness testimony. And since the new law has been implemented, over 2,000 people have been arrested under it. more ›

Watching TV can be lifesaving: A Long Island 12-year-old saved her best friend's life when she performed the Heimlich maneuver—which she recalled from an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. Miriam Starobin told the Post, "It was like a flash right in my eyes. I saw in my head Squidward with his clarinet lodged in his throat and then SpongeBob does the Heimlich maneuver and the clarinet comes flying out of his mouth." FWIW, that's the Squidtastic Voyage episode. more ›

At yesterday's Yankees game, a "prominent Bronx rabbi's wife [was] choking on a piece of kosher London broil," according to the Daily News. Army medic John Stone, 15 rows away, went over when he saw the commotion and performed the Heimlich maneuver, "I stepped behind her, gave her about five or six abdominal thrusts and eventually she coughed up whatever she was choking on." Just in time—a police source said that Toby Weiss was "panicking" and about to "pass out." Stone, who served in Iraq and got high fives from fellow spectators, got a seat upgrade to right behind home plate when the Yankees heard about his save, "It was incredible. They have the utmost class." And here's how to do the Heimlich. more ›

Ten-year-old Keith Johnson is being hailed as a hero after he helped save a classmate who was choking. Newsday reports that Keith noticed the student choking during lunch--"His face was turning red"--so he "went behind the victim, put his fists under the student's rib cage and pushed up." Which helped the boy "dislodge" a sandwich. The school, which gave Keith a certificate of appreciation, says there was a lunch aide, but the fifth-grader got to the choking boy first. Keith's parents believe their son learned the Heimlich maneuver by seeing the safety signs in restaurants--his mom said, "He's always reading. He likes to know what's going on around him." more ›

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Encouraged by the passage of a law requiring chain restaurants in New York City to display calorie information for food and beverages, Councilman Domenic Recchia has introduced a bill that would require store owners to post signs or labels warning parents about bite-size foods that pose a choking hazard for children under the age of five. more ›

Good news about the man who was found in respiratory distress while suspended from the ceiling at a Midtown S&M club on Friday. The 60-something retired math professor from Montreal woke up yesterday, but he didn't remember the incident. more ›