School District in Philippines Bans Gambling on Spider Fights - According to the Minda News in Mindanao, Philippines, the biggest problem for the local school district isn't truancy, drugs or teen pregnancy. It's playing spiders--at least for money--which it has now been officially banned. If you don't know what "playing spiders" is, you're not alone. Most of the world fears spiders (or at least leaves them alone) but the kids in Mindanao have turned them into the latest gambling craze. According to an article in Maxim the wagering starts after the kids "get a couple of big, hairy spiders, put ‘em each on a stick, and make the poor suckers fight to the death, or until one has completely wrapped the other in a silky cocoon." (Didn't Mr. Rogers do that frequently on his TV show?) The best combatants are kept in matchboxes, and a champion can fetch 100 pesos, or $2.40, which is about a year's worth of wages for most people in the Philippines (we could be a little off on that fact). In addition to the actual spider fighting and gambling that goes along with it, the kids also spend most of their free time (and frequently skip school) finding these monster in trees, although some claim the best areas to find them are beneath power lines. (No nuclear power plants nearby, eh kids?) Superintendent Dr. Goria Mudanza was forced to prohibit school children from playing spiders for gambling purposes after visiting one local schoolyard. "I was shocked upon seeing these school children holding a piece of stick broom where the spiders are fighting, while the rest from the group are yelling while holding the bet money." (Minda Times)
BONUS: Last summer we reported increase in illegal gambling on "cricket fights" in Hong Kong - Betting on Cricket Fights Leads to Arrest of More Than 100

Streaker Gets All Dressed Up for Rugby Game - In what appears to be a planned streaking, a young man wearing a hat and some kind of streamers around his neck, dashed across the field during an Australian rugby match between Russells Creek and Old Collegians over the weekend. Once he reached the end of the field the naked man jumped a fence (that's kinda risky, isn't it?) and got into a waiting car for a clean getaway. (The Standard) Click on image for larger view.

#136! Middle School Coach Sentence for Sex With 14-Year-Old - James A. Landrum, 26, a former coach at Tecumseh Middle School in Indiana, has been sentenced to three years in prison for having two sexual encounters with a 14-year-old female student. (Indy Star)

ESPN Reporter Found Dead, Apparent Suicide? - Adrian Karsten, a former college football sideline reporter for cable sports channel ESPN, was found dead at his home the victim of an apparent suicide, according to some reports. This occurred just days before he was scheduled to start serving an 11-month prison sentence for tax evasion to serve after pleading guilty to failing to file federal income tax returns. Karsten made BadJocks back in 2003 during the Auburn/Alabama football game when, as a sideline reporter for ESPN, he convinced Bama cheerleader Christopher Bailey--who had transferred from Auburn be close to his girlfriend and became a Crimson Tide cheerleader--to review one of his Auburn cheers, shouting "War Eagle" while wearing his 'Bama uniform. Bailey was summarily relived of his duties by the university. (Omaha.com)

Referee at Boys Soccer Game Beaten by Parents for Giving Player a Red Card - Fan violence at soccer games is not unusual, but at a game for boys under 11? There was about five minutes left in a game in Montreal, Quebec when the referee reached into his pocket and pulled out the red card. A best player for one team had committed a number of fouls during the match and was finally ordered off the field after he tripped an opposing player. That didn't sit well with some parents sitting in the stands as they stormed the field and began punching the ref. A parent from the opposing team who tried to come to the ref's aid was also punched in the face as he tried to protect the official and call police on his cell phone. And parents wonder why their kids would rather skate board than play in organized sports. (Montreal Gazette) Thanks to David Solomon for the link!