Weblogic

With the rising cost of fuel, many school districts have found their transportation budget increased by more than 40%. As a way to combat these expenses, many districts are moving to four-day school weeks. The school days are simply lengthened so that students do not have less classroom time And, the biggest bonus is that many of the schools that have done this, are looking at a $300,000 budget savings.

Question: As a parent, would you like or dislike it if your child had a four day school week?

Edison had his lightbulb, Ford had his Model T, and Jan Vinzenz Krause has his spray-on condom. Inspired by the mechanics of a drive-through car wash, the German sexual-health educator designed a custom-fitting male contraceptive using liquid latex and some materials from a hardware store. "I felt a little like MacGyver," he says of building the contraption. The prototype, which began testing last year, consists of a hard plastic tube with nozzles that spray liquid latex from all directions, much like the water jets in the tunnel of a car wash. The biggest problem with the design — which is what has kept the product off the market thus far — is that the latex takes too long to dry. Liquid latex currently takes two to three minutes to vulcanize, making it impractical. "For people to buy it," Krause says, "it needs to be ready in five to 10 seconds."

Question: Do you think this concept would ever take off in the market?

As we near the start of the school year, it raises an interesting question about the trend of teachers setting up profiles on sites like Facebook and MySpace so that they can socially network with their students. Those in favor of the practice say that it opens up communication between teachers and students, but many think it fosters inappropriate relationships.

Question: When teachers and students engage in social networking online, are they playing with fire or is it a good way to communicate with each other?

If you have been watching the news, you have no doubt heard about John Edwards and his extra-marital affair with a former campaign worker. The media and the public are saying that Edwards' political career is over. However, John McCain has admitted to having affairs during his previous marriage.

Question: Why is the media skewering Edwards for his behavior, but giving relatively little attention to the infidelities of the Repulican presidential candidate?