Daily Dose of Common Sense

Stupid haircut? Yes, for sure.

But, worthy of getting suspended from school? Not even close.

This boy was suspended from a Cincinnati middle school because the school deemed the haircut as violating its “extreme and distracting hairstyles” code. The student is a Bengals fan and wanted to show his team spirit.

What kind of world are we living in where we refuse children the right to have any hairstyle or haircut they want? I had a mullet in middle school. For SURE that look should have been banned somehow. (I still have to live with the photos to this day.) Perhaps the school should realize that the future shame will be enough punishment for this haircut.

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Crazy cat ladies, beware. If you live in Dudley, Massachusetts, you’ll need to get a special license to own more than three cats.

One woman there is responsible for the new law. She owns fifteen cats, and they’re tearing up the neighborhood. Literally. She’s being charged a $100-a-day fine, and is looking to move to more cat-friendly digs.

To be a responsible pet owner, you have to be able to properly care for animals, which isn’t cheap. Shots, medicine, flea prevention, food…the list goes on and on. This also means you have to clean up after the pets, bathe them, and keep them from being a public menace. That’s where a lot of crazy too-many-cat owners get into trouble.

I suppose it’s a judgement call to determine how many is “too many” cats. But, when you reach double digits, common sense dictates that you need to reexamine your priorities.

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Science-Based Medicine has a great article on the dangers of homebirth with a midwife. It is the most dangerous form of planned birth in the U.S. As a friend on Twitter said, “Get to the hospital, hippy!”
• In an effort to encourage Californians not to drive so much, pay-as-you-drive insurance plans will now be offered there. If you’ve ever experienced their traffic, any reasonable measure to get fewer cars on the road gets a thumbs up.
• A Wisconsin woman called 911 to report herself as a drunk driver. She said she didn’t want to hurt anyone. We realize she never should have gotten behind the wheel in the first place, but at least she wised up. Most drunk drivers don’t have the cajones to report themselves; instead, they take their chances on the road.
• The two greatest SNL hosts ever–Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin–take over hosting duties for the 2010 Oscars. Smart choice by the producers, who must know that the show format is stale, stale, stale. Here’s hoping for a “Pete’s Schweatty Balls” sketch on awards night.

And, some did not.

• A company has released a $100 mobile device that connects only to Twitter. It doesn’t make phone calls or let you retrieve emails. Only Twitter. In case you didn’t know, you can get an iPhone at these prices, which will give you a whole lot more functionality.
• 53% of Maine voters denied gays the same rights as heterosexuals. Hey, Maine, you think gay marriage is immoral? Blag Hag said it best: Know what else is an abomination, Maine? Lobster.
• Because the airline industry is doing so well, United says “no” to track suits in first class. Shouldn’t they just be grateful that anyone can afford to buy a first class ticket these days?
• A man repeatedly saw Jesus’ image on his truck window. While many look to this as a sign, we think he just needs to wash his truck more often.

Talk about tenacity. A South Korean woman has taken–and failed–the driver’s written exam around 950 times since April 2005. Well, she has finally achieved a high enough score to pass the written portion of the driver’s license test.

The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

She still has to pass a road test in order to secure her driver’s license. Perhaps this is an indication that this woman should NOT be on the road? Look out, South Koreans!

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Now that I’m back driving on the road, I’m amazed at motorcyclists. Not all motorcyclists, though. Just the ones that believe the rules of the road don’t apply to them.

There are two lanes of traffic and who comes squeezing through between them, making his or her very own lane? Yes, a motorcyclist. I’m sorry…did I miss the memo where we can all just throw traveling caution to the wind? I have also seen many motorcyclists weaving and speeding on highways. While small and low to the ground, dodging and weaving in traffic while on a motorcycle seems incredibly dangerous.

And, I won’t even touch the helmet debate. (It shouldn’t be a law, but it sure seems like a good idea. Who wouldn’t want to wear a helmet?) The way some of these cyclists drive, they should be wearing head-to-toe body armor.

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Here’s an amazingly stupid ad campaign. It’s from Jameson Brewery in Australia. And, yes, that’s “Ho White” and her seven dwarfs, which have names like Randy and Filthy. [See the ad in a larger size here, including Ho White's cleavage.]

Did the beer company really think Disney would let this one slip by? {shakes head} Well, the Mouse House stopped this campaign in its tracks.

[Thanks, AdFreak!]

In New York City, a law was passed in 2008 that required chain restaurants post the calorie counts of their menu items. The early results are in, and it appears that most people don’t change their eating habits after knowing the amount of calories in the food.

A new study, performed by some NYU and Yale professors, tracked customers in four fast-food restaurants in poor neighborhoods of NYC:

It found that about half the customers noticed the calorie counts, which were prominently posted on menu boards. About 28 percent of those who noticed them said the information had influenced their ordering, and 9 out of 10 of those said they had made healthier choices as a result.

But when the researchers checked receipts afterward, they found that people had, in fact, ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect, in July 2008.

Anyone who thought these calorie postings would be the end to the obesity problem in this country were deluded. People want to eat what they want to eat. Knowing how unhealthy it is doesn’t counteract the convenience and the cost. It will take a lot more than a few small numbers up on a menu board to educate people on how to make smart food choices. Also, these restaurants don’t offer a ton of healthy options. Even some of the salads aren’t exactly healthy in terms of calories.

Plus, it’s hard to order a salad when the smell of french fries is swirling around you like a cloud. A greasy, delicious cloud.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: ebruli

A first grader in Delaware was excited about recently joining the Cub Scouts. So excited that he brought his new Scout utensil to school. The problem was that the utensil contained a knife–along with a spoon and a fork–and this broke the zero-tolerance weapon policy in his elementary school. Now, this six-year old faces 45 days in a reform school.

Really? I’m not advocating children bringing weapons to school. But, this kid was clearly not bringing a weapon. At worst, it should have just been taken away for the day. But, a suspension and reform school seems way over the top. What genius lawmakers enact these “zero tolerance” policies thinking that there will never, ever be an exception?

For Delaware, Zachary’s case is especially frustrating because last year state lawmakers tried to make disciplinary rules more flexible by giving local boards authority to, “on a case-by-case basis, modify the terms of the expulsion.”

The law was introduced after a third-grade girl was expelled for a year because her grandmother had sent a birthday cake to school, along with a knife to cut it. The teacher called the principal–but not before using the knife to cut and serve the cake.

In Zachary’s case, the state’s new law did not help because it mentions only expulsion and does not explicitly address suspensions. A revised law is being drafted to include suspensions.

There’s a web site set up to help Zachary’s cause and show support.

Most pedestrians jaywalk at one time or another. For those who don’t know, jaywalking is defined as, “to cross a street at a place other than a regular crossing or in a heedless manner, as diagonally or against a traffic light.” I’m a fan of jaywalking if it helps you get where you need to go a little bit faster. However, if you’re jaywalking, you should know to move your ass if cars are approaching.

I’ve seen it time and time again: lollygagging jaywalkers. Some pedestrians appear to think that traffic should stop for them, even though they are in the middle of the street. I don’t know whether that attitude stems from selfishness, naiveté, ignorance, or what. But, it’s very unwise to play chicken with something much larger and heavier.

I want to have a sign that says, “You’re the one breaking the law and a 4,000 pound metal machine is speeding towards you. Can you get a MOVE ON?!”

Photo courtesy of Flickr: Adrian Miles

In Washington, a group of mental patients were taken to a county fair for fun. One particular patient, a man convicted of killing an elderly woman years before, escaped during the trip.

He didn’t have to work too hard to get free. While on the outing, the patients aren’t restrained or wearing any special clothing. They can all wear street clothes and don’t even have to stay together. The staff try to keep all of them in eyesight the entire time.

How would that even be possible? The news reports said there were thirty-one patients and only eleven staff members. If the patients don’t have to stick together, it would be easy for one (or more) to sneak off. How about lowering the patient-to-security ratio in order to give more attention to the task at hand?

Photo courtesy of Flickr: Sister72