School Bans Students From Playing Tag

You read the title right. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• An elementary school in Massachusetts has banned students from playing tag or any other unsupervised chase game for fear the kids will get hurt and hold the school liable.
• Schools in Washington, Wyoming, and South Carolina have also recently enacted similar bans.
• One parent says she feels safer about her son at the tag-banned school since she's "witnessed enough near collisions."

My $0.02: It seems like every two minutes you see a headline about an increase in overweight children. Now, a school goes and bans tag, one of the best forms of exercise for kids. Yeah, I crashed into a few walls and bumped my head countless times, but I'm a better and slightly healthier person for it. *spaces out for a minute, stare around the room, and then snaps back to reality* Umm... Yeah... I think I am...

Students Use Classroom Trash Can as Toilet

A South Carolina teacher gave five fifth-grade students permission to use a trash can as a toilet during a lockdown drill. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• The teacher, Philip Frandino, allowed four girls and one boy to use the trash can during a lockdown drill which lasted for less than an hour.
• Girls used their jackets to shield the view of another girl using the bathroom while the other students turned their backs.
• The boys followed the same procedure for the one boy who used the trash can.
• The school district spokesman says the students were given all possible privacy and sanitary wipes.
• Last year, Philip Frandino was reprimanded for isolating a student for two hours by cardboard for talking.

My $0.02: Wow. If it was an actual lockdown, the intruder would have been a bit disarmed by such a scene. I'm sure that was the strategy all along....

Wedding Dress Made of Cream Puffs

Ukrainian baker Valentyn Shtefano made his bride a wedding gown of cream puffs. The dress weighed 20 pounds and contained a total of 1,500 cream puffs. The outfit also featured a crown, bouquet, and necklace of caramelized sugar. Viktoriya, the bride, liked the dress. More can be found here.

Hmm... I wonder if it came with a matching underwear set?

Recon Coffee Energy Cola Review

Drink: Recon Coffee Energy Cola
Official Site: JUMP Beverages

When I popped open the can, a pungent coffee smell greeted me. Now, let's explain something about me and coffee: In it's hot form, I feel like the heat of the liquid is a betrayal of the refreshing nature of beverages. However, I do like the taste of coffee, so I actually enjoyed Recon. It was like a more refreshing version of Coke Blak. The only downside to the flavor was the after taste due to the lack of sugar in the drink. After a few sips, however, you get used to the effect. Recon also manages to combine a good flavor with decent energy.

Summary: Really good despite diet after taste.
Final Score: 4 out of 5

Hot Pure Energy Drink Review

Drink: Hot Pure Energy
Official Site: JUMP Beverages

Hot looks suspiciously like TaB's energy drink and has text at the bottom calling you to 'Release Your Inner Heat'. As you can understand, I was reluctant to try it. My fears weren't unfounded. When you first try Hot, the flavor bubbles up on your tongue, and you expect a tasty surprise. Instead, the drink fizzles out to a nasty, mutant cotton candy cough medicine flavor with a hint of strawberry. In addition to tasting bad, Hot provides no energy. I actually felt sleepier after drinking it! Hot's only good attribute is the can. The design looks kind of cool.

Summary: Don't try Hot unless you want to burn your taste buds off.
Final Score: 1 out of 5

Man Exchanges Frequent Flyer Miles for Space Trip

You read the headline correctly. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• An electrician in London flew to and from the United States over 40 times in the past six years with Virginia Atlantic flights.
• He redeemed his 2,000,000 frequent flyer miles toward a trip to space.
• The trip is scheduled for 2009.
• Virginia Galactic, who plans to start the space trips in 2008, will offer trips lasting 2 1/2 hours with 5 minutes of zero gravity.
• Tickets cost about $200,000.

My $0.02: Wow. This is seeing the first steps of something grand. Once you have space trips, you have to have something more to do while there. So that leads to space cafes and the like... And then people will start to stake a claim on the moon and have bases there for entertainment... And then... Sorry. I couldn't help but go off on a science fiction geek tangent.

Meth Found in Man's Prosthetic

Police busted a man who hid crystal methamphetamine in his prosthetic leg. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• In Oklahoma, Larry Harper, 64, was arrested at his car business.
• The drugs were found inside of a sock-like material in his prosthetic.
• When the drugs tumbled out of the prosthetic, the man laughed, jokingly saying he thought he had pulled the wool over their eyes.

My $0.02: Better leave the meth alone before he loses his teeth too...

This Is Your Mouth On Meth

Methamphetamine causes users to go from having healthy teeth to monstrostities for mouths like the one on the right. Tooth loss can occur within a year. The condition has been coined "meth mouth". The tooth decay of meth mouth is caused by meth's dry-mouth effect and the way the drug causes cravings for pop, teeth grinding and clenching, and long periods of poor oral hygiene. You can see more of the article at Science Daily.

Wow. I think a lot fewer people would try meth if you showed them this picture.

$1000+ Dollar Keyboard

Yep, a company called Stealth Computer Corporation is offering an industrial desktop computer keyboard for the paltry sum $1195. According to the site, the keyboard features:

1. Totally Sealed NEMA 4X Stainless Steel Full Case travel QWERTY.
2. 114 Keys, 24 Function Keys, WIN KEY
3. Removable trackball for convenient cleaning
4. Adjustable Tension Ring ensures the proper amount of trackball smoothness for any user.
5. 10 Million cycles expected life
6. 6' cable w/ 5-pin DIN, 9-pin serial connectors, PS/2 cables or USB connector
7. Dimensions: 20.25"W x 7.9"D x 1.9"H

Ready to dole out about $1200 for a keyboard? The ordering page is here. I can imagine that you're desperately clicking on the link to make sure you get your keyboard before they run out.