Mike Falick's Blog

KFDA TV Reporting on the "Ten Second Fight Game" - A Dangerous Game Being Played At Local Schools

KFDA, a television station in Amarillo, is reporting today on a new "game" being played at local schools in Amarillo.  The "ten second fight game" involves students "doing as much damage to another student as possible in ten seconds.

The video of the report is available on teh KFDA website. The transcript of the report appears below.

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Dangerous Game Being Played At Local Schools

Parents are being alerted about a dangerous game students are playing in local schools. Newschannel 10's Stephanae Benson spoke with a parent who son was a victim of this game and warns other parents to talk to their kids and look out for signs of violence like unusual bruising on their body. 

It's a dangerous game being played at local schools and it could harm your child.

"They tell me there's a ten second fight game where you do as much as you can within ten seconds to the other kid."  said concerned parent Tamara Brock whose son was a victim of this violent horseplay. 

"I got a phone call to go to the school and when I got here his mouth was busted open, it was butterflied shut and I had to take him to get stitches."

After receiving 8 stitches, Brock was told a fight started in the cafeteria, that ended in the boys bathroom at Canyon Intermediate. We're told its a popular place to keep fights out of the view of teachers and staff. Now that the school is aware, they say they are taking actions to stop the dangerous game. 

"We're gonna monitor the halls, we're gonna monitor the restrooms, we also have cameras positioned that see the restrooms, we have a camera pointed towards the restroom, not in the restrooms, so we'll know who goes in and out." That's according to Alan Cornelius, a Student Services at Canyon Independent School District.

Both boys involved in the fight received in school suspension, but Brock says the police should have been involved because bodily harm was done to her son, but Cornelius says Texas law says something else.

"The penal code describes an assault as knowingly or recklessly or intentionally involving a student in a fight and we have to determine if they were knowingly or recklessly involved in the fight."
   
Cornelius adds anyone who comes forward with information about a fight will remain anonymous and protected. Brock says she grounded her son for a month with no TV or music and wants to alert other parents about the violence they're kids could be facing at school.

"We need to stop this, they have the right to an education and they have the right to be safe at school."

Brock has two sons at Canyon Intermediate and says her sons are not allowed to go into the bathrooms anymore, she has asked permission that they only go in the nurses restroom. 

"When I was in sixth grade i took part in bullying  a girl and I pray every day that her life turned out okay because she ended up leaving the school."

KEYE TV in Austin Runs Another Story on the Questionable Collection

KEYE TV in Austin ran a story tonight on a subject I have previously posted about here and here -- the collection of kindergarten student's personal identification information by an outside vendor for "research" purposes.

The KEYE report can be viewed here and the text of the report appears below.

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Texas students at risk for identity theft

Reporter: Gregg Watson Email: gewatson@keyetv.com Last Update: 8:07 am

School districts are turning over social security information, birth dates and addresses, and the Texas Education Agency says it doesn't need your permission.

For parents like Amanda Clark, a busy mom, the last thing she wants to worry about is who has her five-year-old’s personal information.

"I think that's a bad idea,” Clark said. “Personally I don't want any of my children's information available to anybody."

But by next month, the Texas Education Agency wants every kindergartner to be on-line in a state wide database, which will include test scores, their name, social security number, birth date, parents’ names and address.

If computer hackers were to get this information, it's all they'll need for identity theft.

Teen Drug Slang: A Dictionary For Parents

WebMD has published a useful dictionary on teen drug slang

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Teen Drug Slang: A Dictionary For Parents
Aug.  7, 2007

(WebMD) Is your teen robotripping on CCC?

How would you know if you don't even know what that means?

"It's very important that parents brush up on ... slang, because just like with text messaging, kids use all these abbreviations and parents don’t know what they mean. But the more they understand what these things mean, the more they will be able to monitor kids’ behavior," says Gregory Pollock, a psychotherapist specializing in addiction at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio.

That's why WebMD went directly to the experts on the front lines of teen drug abuse to get a better handle on the today's teenage drug slang.

Here's what you need to know about teens and drugs today:

A New Reason to Tell Your Kids Not to Take Candy from Strangers: Drug Dealers Marketing Candied Methamphetamines to Kids

It is being widely reported that candied methamphetamines are being sold to children across the United States.  The article below contains the information about this danger.  (See also prior posts here, here, and here).
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May 10, 2007 5:34 a.m. EST

Christopher Rizo - AHN Staff Writer

Dallas, TX (AHN) - Drug dealers are using catchy names as Pop Tarts, Strawberry Quick and Cheese to get young children hooked on illegal drugs.

Police in Lake Worth this week found candy-flavored methamphetamine, known as Strawberry Quick, the Dallas Morning News reported in its Thursday editions.

Cheese, which is crushed nighttime cold tablets laced with heroin, has infiltrated Dallas schools, the newspaper reported, noting that at least 21 youths have died by overdosing on the drug.

"These are evil drug dealers who are marketing to kids," Special Agent Terri Wyatt told The Morning News.

Strawberry-flavored meth gained national attention after the Nevada Department of Public Safety issued a police bulletin alerting law enforcement of the substance in late January.

According to the bulletin, the drug first surfaced in Sacramento, CA, where dealers were cooking methamphetamine with strawberry-flavored drink mix to diminish the drug's naturally bitter taste when snorted.

"If meth is cut with something after it is cooked, it loses its potency," said Special Agent Wyatt. "With this, it's cooked into it. It's not diluted. It retains its potency."

Arkansas police also have reported finding strawberry meth, and federal authorities report that a similar pinkish crystalline drug has turned up in Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Missouri and Minnesota, according to the newspaper.

In March 2006, federal agents raided several warehouses near Oakland, CA belonging to Beyond Bomb, a company that manufactured an entire line of marijuana-laced snacks and soft drinks.

DEA agents uncovered thousands of marijuana plants, as well as an array of products, among them "Pot Tarts," candy called "Stoney Ranchers," drinks named "Toka Cola" and chocolate named "Rasta Reece's" and "Buddafingers."

Memorial High School is Hosting a Parent Forum on Internet Safety on May 3 at 7:00pm

Memorial High School is hosting a parent forum on May 3 at 7:00pm.  The forum will feature author Anastasia Goodman, who has written Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online.  The forum will focus on cyber-bullying, cheating and plagiarism, social networking, and the good and bad of the internet.  More information from the Houston Chronicle's This Week article by Annette Baird appears after the jump.

Houston Press Discusses the Tragic Consequences of the "Choking Game"

The current issue of the Houston Press has a long article concerning the "choking game," which as regular readers of this blog know, is something I have warned about in several prior posts (here, here, here, here, and  here).  The article appears below the jump and contains additional disturbing information, including the fact that "how to" videos demonstrating the "choking game" are on YouTube.

Dallas Morning News Reports on Escalation of "Cheese" Plague as More Kids Seek Help for Addiction to Heroin Mixture

Today's Dallas Morning News has an article on the skyrocketing use of "Cheese" in Dallas.  The Dallas Morning news article provides the following useful information.

Cheese, which sells for as little as $2 a hit, is a highly addictive blend of black tar heroin and crushed Tylenol PM, or any similar cold medicine containing a sleep aid. It has spread fastest in a cluster of middle and high schools in northwest Dallas.

Students are vulnerable to the heroin mix because it's so addictive and they can't tolerate the physical symptoms of withdrawal. The average user is 14, male and Hispanic, according to DISD. Kids typically snort the drug and hits generally are 2 percent to 7 percent heroin, the district says.

Officials blame cheese for the deaths of at least four teens in Dallas County since spring 2006. Officials are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether it also killed a 15-year-old Molina High School student in late March.

Students have come up with creative ways to sneak the drugs into schools. They carry it inside pens, waistbands, pockets, belt buckles, cellphone battery compartments and notebooks, DISD officials say.

In a recent attempt to foil investigators, dealers dyed their product green for St. Patrick's Day, Chief Bernal said. There also are reports of the drug being loaded into Pixy Stix, a powdered candy sold in straws, he said.

Symptoms of addiction

• Sleepiness, difficulty waking up

• Disorientation

• Personality shifts, possible aggressive behavior or dropping grades

• Flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting and anxiety from withdrawal

The attractions of cheese:

• It's inexpensive. Each hit, about a 10th of a gram, costs about $2.

• It's addictive. Withdrawal symptoms are so severe, even after the first or second use, that users seek another hit to escape the pain.

• It's easy to make. Reports show that teens are the mixers and users of the drug and sell to their peers to support their own habits. Generally, the mixture is 2 percent to 7 percent heroin, with Tylenol PM or a similar over-the-counter drug making up the remainder.

• It's easy to package, transport and hide. Students bring it to school inside pens, belt buckles and the battery compartments of cellphones.

• All students are vulnerable to its addiction. The average user is 14 years old; 80 percent are male, and 98 percent are Hispanic.

The dangers of cheese:

• Life-threatening consequences include liver failure and respiratory failure. Five teens are believed to have died from overdoses of the drug.

• Withdrawal symptoms, which often mimic flu symptoms, include drowsiness, headaches, mood swings, abdominal pain and nausea

The Dallas Morning News has also posted an online parent's guide that has much more information and links to articles on the subject.

Cyberbullies Scare Schoolgirls into Stripping Online

That eye-catching headline appears today on ZDnet's technology website.  The entire article appears after the jump below, but here are some of the lowlights

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Cyberbullies are even forcing their girlfriends to undress in front of Webcams and then sharing the images with others online. 

"They're pressuring each other. This (pressure) is particularly for girls to send pictures of themselves with their tops off," said Faye Mishna, a professor at the University of Toronto who has been researching the cyberabuse of children.

"Girls might send (a photograph) to their boyfriend," Mishna said, after being convinced that only he will see it. "So she gives in, and the next thing you know, it's all over (the place)."

. . . . . . .

The focus groups also revealed that victims refuse to tell an adult about the abuse because they fear they will be punished in order to be protected.

"They're scared that their parents will take away their computer privileges," Mishna said.

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For more information, you can go to www.stopcyberbullying.org.

Website Provides Comprehensive Guide to Illegal Substances and Symptoms of Each

This website provides a comprehensive guide to illegal substances and the symptoms they cause.

From the website:

If you’re a parent, or if you’re concerned that someone you love may be taking an illegal substance, it is vital to understand what the many different types of drugs look like and the kinds of symptoms they can cause. This knowledge will give you the ammunition you need to make informed decisions and it may even save someone’s life. While there are a myriad of illegal substances, each one has a unique signature that can help you determine exactly what is going on. Here’s a guide that will make it easier to understand what you’re dealing with and what to look for.

Table of Contents

• Ecstasy
• Narcotics and Painkillers
• Morphine and Opium
• Amphetamines
• Methamphetamines
• Stimulants
• Barbiturates and Methaqualone
• Tranquilizers
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
• Mescaline and Peyote
• Psilocybin
• Heroin, Opium and Fentanyl
• Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
• Amyl Nitrite
• Butyl Nitrite
• Chlorohydrocarbons and Hydrocarbons
• Nitrous Oxide
• Marijuana
• Hashish and Hashish Oil

 

The Faces of Addicts of Crystal Meth: This Should be Mandatory Viewing

I have previously posted on the dangers of crystal meth (here and here), both to the users/addicts and the children of users/addicts.  Now the Partnership for a Drug Free America website has posted pictures that prove that a picture really is worth a thousand words.  The pictures show before and after affects of addiction to this drug -- and the pictures are harrowing.