New Braunfels schools to randomly drug test
They're going to be drug testing in New Braunfels schools now. It's NBISD and not Comal ISD (where I went and taught) but it's still pretty big news. They'll be testing students who are involved in extracurricular activities, who purchase an optional school parking permit or whose parents request that their children be tested.
The penalties only include suspension from extracurricular activities and counseling but I'm sure parents are still pissed that anyone is parenting their children. If they don't raise them right then no one should!
Full article posted below because requiring registration and then disabling right-click is BS.
NEW BRAUNFELS - Students who are involved in extracurricular activities, who buy a school parking pass or whose parents request it will be subject to random drug tests in the New Braunfels School District beginning Aug. 1.
School board trustees, in a 5-0 vote, instructed the district staff to craft a policy for testing those students in grades 7 though 12.
Trustees Paul Fisher and Randy Rust were absent.
The policy will have to pass two readings, the first of which is scheduled for June 20.
Trustees said they want an aggressive program that will include testing for steroids.
"Hit and hit hard and make sure they know we mean business," said Trustee Ed Clark, who urged the board to set aside at least $50,000 for testing so students know there is a high probability they will be tested. "I also would not mind going beyond the extent of the rulings of the courts. ... Test all of them."
Court rulings limit testing to students who are involved in extracurricular activities, who purchase an optional school parking permit or whose parents request that their children be tested, which is what the board approved Monday night.
"I'm interested in doing what we can do legally now, where we know we are on safe ground," said Trustee Rob Johnson.
Trustees did not give the staff any direction on what the policy should include as far as consequences of positive drug tests.
However, Superintendent Ron Reaves said he will use the Fredericksburg School District's policy as a starting point.
For a first positive test, that policy calls for a 45-day suspension from extracurricular activities, completion of a drug awareness program and retesting. For a second positive test, it's a one-year suspension from extracurricular activities and drug counseling.
The San Marcos and Marble Falls school districts also have mandatory student drug testing policies.
San Marcos' policy does not include any suspension of privileges for a first failed test.
Only one resident addressed the board, although a public hearing held last year attracted mostly supporters of testing.
Monday, Pat Lynch Jr. urged the board to approve a program.
"I believe you can never fix a problem until you admit there is a problem," he said.
Trustee Lee Edwards said the goal of the testing is to give kids a reason to stand up to peer pressure to do drugs.
"If it stops 10 kids today, it's worth it," he said. "If it keeps one kid out of the emergency room, it's worth it. If it stops one teen pregnancy, it's worth it."

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How dumb rich people end up in debt
Great title on this article about how a good deal of America's wealthy are just as stupid with their money as us poor folks. It doesn't matter how much you make, if you spend more than you've got coming in then your ass is gonna be in debt.

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Feuding Hillbillies Pepper-Spray Infant In Wal-Mart Parking Lot
I just liked the headline Sploid used.

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Picking the Pope's Domain Name
Rogers Cadenhead bought BenedictXVI.com on April 1.

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German elected pope for his birthday
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany turned 78 on Saturday, he was named pope today. Nice birthday present.
Ratzinger, the first German pope in centuries, served John Paul II since 1981 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that position, he has disciplined church dissidents and upheld church policy against attempts by liberals for reforms.
Good to see the Catholic Church is still staunchly opposed to change, the last thing it needs is reform.

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Vatican installing cellphone jammers for papal conclave
I just can't see the pope texting his homies on his cellphone.
(via Engadget)

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California teen beats friend to death with bat
A 13-year-old boy beat a 15-year-old to death with a bat at a Little League concession stand after being teased. Parents today rock!
I'm sure Jack Thompson will be all over this one.

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Florida mom sells daughters for car, prostitution
One of the creepier news stories I've read in a while.

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Head football coach shot in Canton, TX
A parent shot the head coach/athletic director in Canton, TX this morning. There's no word on his condition, but I'm fearing for the worst. At this time of day, he was probably sitting in his office alone working, and since the gunmen got away....

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Schiavo's parents cashing in
If you expressed your support for Terri Schiavo's right to live, the Schindlers are paying you back by selling your information to a direct-mailing firm.
Remember, there's always more to people than we can learn from television.
(via Sixfoot6)

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The pope has died
I had no idea he was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

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Terri Schiavo has died
Now everyone can finally move on.
Everyone who freaked out on one side or the other can shut up and find something else to fight about. None of us knew what she wanted or had half a clue what was going on, yet you think you know better than everyone else.
Did she want to live? Did she want to die? You don't know and neither do I.

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Johnnie Cochran dead
Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, perhaps best known for his defense of O.J. Simpson, died Tuesday afternoon after suffering from an inoperable brain tumor, his family said. He was 67.

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Jack Thompson, ignoring all reason and evidence, links Red Lake Shooting to games
Wow, I knew it would happen. Continual moron, Jack S. Thompson, has somehow ignored the fact that the kid was a neo-nazi who liked to create Flash animations of a person killing everyone then himself and is trying to blame the Red Lake shootings on Grand Theft Auto. You know, despite the fact that no one knows if the kid even played the game.
What more should we expect though from this guy.

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Postings to a neo-Nazi message board by the MN teen who killed 10 people
I'm sure they'll still try to blame this on Grand Theft Auto somehow.
(via Kottke)

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Modern parenting
Skylar and Forrest get in a sword fight.

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Apple wins suit against fan sites
That's freaking retarded. I'm sure it'll get appealed, but a moron judge ruled today that the protection that shields journalists from revealing the names of unidentified sources does not apply to websites.
How does that make any sense whatsoever? I don't know.

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BTK killer president of his church
The man who allegedly confessed to killing at least six people was the predident of his Lutheran church in Kansas.

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The Somerville Gates slideshow
Hargo had to take down all the photos on his site because of bandwidth concerns (four million hits will do that to ya), so I set up a slideshow of all the images I could find. I think I may have gotten all of them.
They'll be up as long as my bandwidth can take it. (Flash 7 required)

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Hunter S. Thompson commits suicide
Hunter S. Thompson fatally shot himself last night.
I knew him best for his ESPN.com Page 2 articles (which he was still writing as of February 15th.) I tried watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Christina one time, but we both couldn't stand it.

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