See why rappers are ditching ice for cubic zirconia and take a look at our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.
- Beware the bogus bling. As record sales and concert attendance declining with the economy, many rappers are shopping around for bargain basement bling and even opting for fake ice. Gaudy diamond-encrusted jewelry is simply unaffordable to many artists, who are asking their celebrity jewelers to sub in less-precious stones and metals in for pricier materials to keep up appearances.
- An 18-year-old Maryland high school senior has had perfect attendance since kindergarten. She never played hooky, called out sick or took a personal day in 13 years. An informal survey of 20 schools showed that just one other local graduating senior had a similarly unblemished record.
- Rampant texting may be causing teens thumb damage! Texting can cause teens "damage to the thumbs" and experts say the pace and frequency at which teens text -- an average of 2,272 texts sent and received each month -- can have lasting detrimental effects.
- Some "suburban survivalists" are bracing for the worst: runs on banks, hyper inflation, power failures and food shortages. You name it, they've prepared for it. The economic crisis has served as the impetus for many to stockpile food, 55-gallon water jugs, freeze-dried food and hardcore survivalist gear -- just in case.
- It's natural to stare at disfigured faces, experts say. The brain stores patterns of facial movement and expressions but has no reference point for one that appears to fall outside the realm of the norm. Face transplant patient Connie Culp was stared at out of instinct not because people were insensitive, according to experts.
