Last updated at 07:32am on 28th January 2008

Pupil Ben Reynolds has been suspended from lessons for drinking a can of lemonade shandy in school. The 15-year-old was stunned when his headteacher told him he had broken the rules by bringing alcohol into school. The teenager had been given the can of shandy by mum Carol who bought a family pack from the soft drinks section at her local Tesco. The alcohol content of the drink was 0.5 per cent - not enough to legally qualify as an intoxicating liquor. But when Ben was found drinking it in the playground a teacher seized it from him and poured it onto the grass. He was kept in isolation for the rest of the day while the rest of his class had a science lesson. After school Miss Reynolds, 33, received a call from headteacher Sally Wilson, telling her alcoholic drinks were banned and that her son was being suspended for one day. Miss Reynolds, from Charlton Marshall, near Blandford, Dorset, today described her son's treatment as "outrageous". She said: "I was shocked when I got the phone call, I couldn't quite believe I was being told Benjamin was in trouble for having a can of lemonade shandy. "It is outrageous and disgusting how Ben has been treated. "He had his bag searched to see if he had anymore of it and the teacher took the can from him and emptied it on the grass. "He then sent him to the headteacher's office and he spent the rest of the day on his own shredding documents. "I tried to explain to the headteacher that it was a soft drink but she didn't want to listen." Miss Reynolds bought the six pack of Tesco's lemonade shandy for £1.08. She said her son has been taking a can of it to Blandford School with him every day for the last month without any problems.

Headteacher Miss Wilson defended the school's actions. She said: "There is a zero tolerance policy in relation to alcohol at the Blandford School. "The can states clearly that the drink is made with real beer' which is why Miss Reynolds' son was given a one day fixed term exclusion

Don't ask me what a Shandy is !!

25 January 2008

SHEARING: Top shearers will battle it out next week to mark a centenary of shearing in New Zealand.

The champion shearers will take to the stands on February 2 at the North Kaipara A and P Association Show in Paparoa, Northland. The exact date of the first shearing competition is not know, but one of the first clashes was at Paparoa in 1908. The shearers taking part next week are members of the New Zealand shearing team, the current holders of the world speed shearing titles, and champions from the past five decades. New Zealand shearing team manager Neil Sidwell said it would be one of the most exciting contests held in shearing. "These are the big guys of New Zealand shearing, together in one place," he said. Mr Sidwell said that the organisers of the 1908 clash probably had no idea shearing would develop into a world-wide sport. New Zealand shearing legend David Fagan -- 582 open titles to his name, and his team-mate Paul Avery will battle it out against world record-holders Rodney Sutton (721 ewes in nine hours) and Dion King (866 lambs in nine hours).

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2008(AP)

A man who calls himself a tantric master broke his own world record by standing engulfed in ice for 72 minutes.Wim Hof, 48, stood on a Manhattan street in a clear container filled with ice for an hour and 12 minutes Saturday.
Hof said he survives by controlling his body temperature through tantric meditation. Tantra is an Eastern tradition of ritual and meditation said to bring followers closer to their chosen deities.
Hof set the world record for full body ice contact endurance in 2004, when he immersed himself in ice for an hour and eight minutes.
Hof's feat kicked off BRAINWAVE, a five-month series of events in New York exploring how art, music, and meditation affect the brain.

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TOPEKA, Kan., Jan. 27, 2008(AP)

The son of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is peddling a board game titled "Don't Drop the Soap," a prison-themed game he created as part of a class project at the Rhode Island School of Design.John Sebelius, 23, has the backing of his mother and father, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius. Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said both parents "are very proud of their son John's creativity and talent."
John Sebelius is selling the game on his Internet site for $34.99, plus packaging, shipping and handling. The contact information on the Web site lists the address of the governor's mansion. Corcoran said the address will change when John Sebelius moves.
The game also goes on sale starting Jan. 31 at a shop called Hobbs in the college town of Lawrence.
The site describes "Don't Drop the Soap" as a game "Where no one playing enters through the front door!"
"Fight your way through 6 different exciting locations in hopes of being granted parole," the site says. "Escape prison riots in The Yard, slip glass into a mob boss' lasagna in the Cafeteria, steal painkillers from the nurse's desk in the Infirmary, avoid being cornered by the Aryans in the Shower Room, fight off Latin Kings in Gang War, and try not to smoke your entire stash in The Hole."
The game includes five tokens representing a bag of cocaine, a handgun and three characters: wheelchair-using 'Wheelz," muscle-flexing "Anferny" and business suit-clad "Sal 'the Butcher.'"
Corcoran said John Sebelius sought legal advice to be sure he followed proper requirements, and he even took out a loan on his own to pay for the production of his work.
"This game is intended for mature audiences _ not children _ and is simply intended for entertainment," Corcoran said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -

- Two attentive security guards are being credited for nabbing a wanted bank robber, and they caught him in the most unusual place. When security guard Keith Rogers showed up for work Thursday, he had no idea what was in store for him. Seconds after walking through the doors of the University City YMCA, he was confronted by a belligerent man. "He said, ‘I'm a bank robber! I rob banks!’ A lot of people at the Y, they're listening to him and they're scared," Rogers told WCNC today. So, Rogers and his partner did what any good cop would and questioned the man further, padding him down and then asking to him leave. When that didn't work, they tackled and cuffed him, then called police. Turns out, Ronnie Glenn was wanted for the December robbery of the RBC Centura Bank off East W.T. Harris Boulevard. He also has a lengthy felony rap sheet. "It shocked me! The police officer said, ‘I appreciate what ya'll did. We've been looking for this guy,’” Rogers explained. "I’m really proud of myself. We got a lot of people talking about it now and they all appreciate what me and him are doing. We did better than the cops. We caught a bank robber. That's big! That's real big!” Rogers beamed. Ronnie Glenn remains in the Mecklenburg County jail. Authorities are investigating to see if he could be linked to any other recent robberies. Meantime, regulars at the University City Y are thankful they have Keith Rogers and his partner keeping a watchful eye out for them.