THE DISTURBING "CHOKING GAME"

As if parents didn't have enough to worry about...
Don't let the title fool you... This is no game. It is very serious and it's deadly. Kids around the world are choking themselves or their friends to get a high from passing out. The high actually comes when the blood rushes back to someone's head after they've been choked. Unfortunately, young naïve minds end up dead from this so-called "game."
We just ran a story where a mother found her 13-year-old daughter dead in her closet, and had accidentally hanged herself while trying to get high. Parents are often naïve in these situations as well. Experts tell parents to watch out for the slang terms that can mean their kids plan to do this...
Blackout
Passout
Space Monkey
Flatliner
California High
Airplaining
Tingling
Parents should also look for warning signs their kids are doing this. They include: bloodshot eyes, burn marks around the neck, severe headaches, and bungee cords, ropes or neckties found in odd places.

CHANGES IN THE SOUTH

As many of you know, I recently moved to South Carolina. Here are a few differences I've noticed since arriving.

-- You have to pay different prices depending on *how* you pay for gasoline. On the signs, they say X price for cash, X for debit, X for credit card. They are passing the fee to run a card on to the customer... Per gallon! However, South Carolina has a much lower gas tax than most states, so even if you pay with your card every time, you're probably still getting cheaper gas.
-- You can't buy beer on Sundays... I expected that in the bible belt.
-- There are no speed limits on the highways... it is a free for all on most interstates and you better fly or you will make people very angry.
-- The state used to have no rules on who could put property where, and there are a lot of newly developed neighborhoods. So you may travel into a neighborhood with a $300,000 home, and a trailer on the next lot... Continuing that way throughout the whole neighborhood. That has made our home search very interesting. They now have a rule in place, however.

Here is where news is headed... CNN already uses giant touch screens for their newscasts, but this demonstration is incredible to watch. Just imagine the urgency of this program... You have instant access of a view of anywhere! That probably sounds scary to most people, but being in news it excites me. During a natural disaster, your local news could show you exactly what homes were damaged and what ones are safe, where to go for shelter or to look for a loved one...
But let me put myself into the average person's shoes for a moment... What happens when these programs get into the wrong hands? Would it help someone plan an attack? Keep in mind this program is pre-mapped, it's not live picture so you can't spy on anyone's home, but you sure could navigate streets, avoid roadblocks etc if you wanted to plan something serious.... Watch this and let me know what you think. I have a feeling it could be very controversial... Even if news geeks are excited about the resource. Please click on the link above, the video is 3 minutes or so, but you'll get the picture before then. It's worth your time.

Entertainment News

When is entertainment news? I had a conversation with my fiance the other day (still getting used to that word by the way!)... About all the britney stories we see these days and whether or not we feel weird running britney stories in a newscast. I think it depends... There is certainly a line between news and entertainment and you have to stay on the right side of it. When Anna Nicole died, Heath Ledger was found dead... Definitely news. It's unexpected, people will be talking about it for sure, and if you don't have something, most of your viewers will flip until they find someone who does. Do people go overboard? Yes. I don't think there needs to be a britney update every day in local newscasts, that's what E and the Insider are for. But when something breaks, like having her committed into a facility, sure, I think it warrants a mention. This also brings up an age-old debate for me because there's a thin line between producers and newsrooms choosing what's news, and simply following what ratings and viewers respond to as news. Like it or not, people love some Britney from time to time.