Watercooler Sensation

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RIP Steve Irwin: Croc Hunter Killed By Stingray

The story

• We’ll admit it: this one got us choked up. Steve Irwin — the world famous crocodile hunter from the land down under — has been killed. [New York Times]
• While filming segments for his show “The Ocean’s Deadliest,” Irwin was stung by a stingray. The ray’s barb went through Irwin’s heart. It’s been presumed that Irwin died from cardiac arrest after the attack.
• In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past ten years: Irwin’s show “Crocodile Hunter” was shown in over 100 countries. His daring antics — ranging from wrestling crocs to handling poisonous snakes — made him a bonafide celebrity the world over.
• Really bad luck: while he often encountered animals who could easily kill him, Irwin’s death-by-stingray fate is a rare one. Experts say there are only one to two stringray-related deaths per year.
• Irwin is survived by his wife, a daughter, Bindi Sue, and a son, Robert Clarence.

The audio

• Crocodile Hunter producer John Stainton, from Newshour: “Today the world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist, and one of the greatest dads on the planet. He died doing what he loved doing best.”
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• Crocodile Hunter producer John Stainton, from The Situation Room: “The stingray’s barb went up, and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart. It’s likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him.”
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• Wildlife expert Stewart Clark, from The Situation Room: “As far as the animals lashing out — that’s really rare. The animals really use that barb [as] a defense mechanism.” Comforting.
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• Australian President John Howard, from Fox Report: “He was a wonderful character, he was a passionate environmentalist, he brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people.”
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Crickey.

Say Hello To The New First Grade

• Remember the first grade? Yeah, we loved finger painting activities, too. And we totally agree — playdough tastes *great.* Unfortunately, it’s looking like today’s first graders won’t be sharing the same memories. [Newsweek]
• Studies are showing that during the past decade, the earliest grades are being marked by less play time, and more hard learning.
• Example: at many school, students as young as 6 are tested — often times every 10 days or so — to ensure that they’re making adequate progress.
• But is it working? “In Buffalo, N.Y., the district sent a group of more than 600 low-performing first graders to mandatory summer school; even so, 42 percent of them have to repeat the grade.”
• While parents are pressuring their sons and daughters to read Crime and Punishment by the second grade, many scholars and policy makers are blowing whistles. Experts say many children burn out by the third grade, unable to meet the high expectations set for them.

Goodbye Dr. Seuss, helloooooooo William Faulkner.

When Things Go Too Far: Enter, MyDeathSpace

• Tired of MySpace and Friendster? Looking for a new way to socially network on the web? Good news! There’s a new site out there. Bad news! You’ve got to be dead to be on it. [ABC]
• Enter MyDeathSpace — a site entirely devoted to posting the profiles of MySpace users who have died.
• The site was founded by Mike Patterson, a 25 year old in San Francisco. After reading about the death of a teenage girl in the local papers, he found her profile on MySpace, and used it for his test version of MyDeathSpace. Creepy, Mike. Just creepy.
• On top of dead users’ pages, MyDeathSpace (or, MDS), features a death discussion board, where visitors can discuss the deceased.
• While MDS may seem deeply disturbing (let’s face it: it is), it has proven to be cathartic for many. “I have lost a few friends and now a family member,” Nicole Lambert of Fairchild, Wash., wrote to ABC News in an e-mail. “It is nice to be able to view their profile and remember and leave comments. It is a nice way for friends and family to get condolences and see how loved and how missed that person will be.”

MySpace just got that much creepier.

By the Numbers

Kids are depressed. Parents are thrilled. You guessed it — it’s early September, and that means it’s Back To School season. Let’s take a look behind the numbers. And yes — these will be on the final.

$17.6 billion

The forecasted amount that 2006 back-to-school spending will take in, according to National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2006 Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. [About]

$228.14

What the average consumer spends on back-to-school clothing and accessories. [About]

$86.22

What the average consumer spends on school supplies. [About]

44 minutes

The average amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework per week in 1981. [Time]

More than two hours

The average amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework per week in 1997. [Time]

Celebrities: Unfiltered

“I actually was not intending to be here tonight, but then MTV explained that Justin Timberlake was bringing sexy back.”

— Former Vice President Al Gore, on his appearance at MTV’s Video Music Awards last week. Sometimes, we really do love that man. [TMZ]

Speed Round

CLEAN, CLOSE SHAVES

Men, listen up. If you shave less than once a day, you’re 70% more likely to have a stroke. (Plus it makes you a scratchy kisser.) [BBC]

EXORCISMS

With all of the world’s other problems obviously solved, Pope’s head exorcist calls Harry Potter “the signature of the king of darkness, the devil.” (BTW: The pope has an exorcist???) [Daily Telegraph]

TRENDS

“Mancations”: Vacations taken by guys with their old college buddies. Think bachelor party weekends, minus the strippers. [AP]

HEALTH

Cost of adding a year to your life? $20K. [FARK]

TERROR

New terrorist money-raising schemes: Stolen baby formula. Fake Viagra. Have fun making the connection. [UPI; Globe & Mail]

NAPTIME

We’ve just changed our minds about evil law firms: Law firm in New Zealand institutes nap time for employees. [AP]

LONG LIFE

Secret to a long, long, long life: Sausages and waffles. Meet us at IHOP. [AP]

BOOZE

New study shows people who live in boring states more likely to booze it up. (Sorry, Wyoming, but maybe you need a hobby or something.) [NY Times]

CALENDAR BOYS

Does “Mr. August” look familiar? He should. He’s your school’s superintendent. [AP]

CHINA

China plans Bruce Lee amusement park. Look forward to suchs rides as “Flying Roundkick To The Face” and “Knock You Senseless.” [UPI]

THINGS YOU ALREADY KNEW

Yes, that Big Mac has a trillion calories. And no, you’re not allowed to be surprised. [CBS]

U.S. OPEN UPDATE

Agassi’s out, Roddick defeats Becker to advance. [NY Times]

STARBUCKS

Your latte’s about to get *very* sexy: Starbucks set to open its first store in Brazil this fall. [AP]