Maryland boy suspended for gun-shaped pastry is now lifetime NRA member

By James Lunt

(Reuters) - An 8-year-old Maryland boy who was suspended from school for nibbling a pastry snack into the shape of a gun has been given a junior membership in the National Rifle Association.

After hearing about Josh Welch's suspension from Park Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, a state legislator paid $550 to buy him a Junior Life Membership in the NRA, Welch's lawyer said on Thursday.

"I was embarrassed that my county would do that to him," said Nicholaus Kipke, leader of the Republican minority in the lower house of the Maryland legislature. He presented the gift to the second-grader Wednesday night.

The boy's lawyer, Robin Ficker, said he is appealing the two-day school suspension that started on March 1 when Welch ate away part of his Pop-Tart during class snack time so that it resembled a gun shape.

In the appeal, Ficker included pictures of the U.S. states of Idaho and Florida because "they look more like guns than Josh's Pop-Tart."

The Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman, Bob Mosier, declined to comment on the status of the appeal.

Ficker said the NRA membership gift was a great idea for the boy, who "is a good kid, a little rambunctious," because it would teach him proper handling of firearms. He said the boy's family does not own guns and the boy has never handled a gun.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg; editing by John Wallace)

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Man sells lifetime of ‘virgin hair’ on Craigslist

"100% virgin hair," for sale. (Craigslist)Some say the average man should get a haircut every four to six weeks. But one New York man in his early 30s says his hair has never been cut—and he's offering to do so now, via Craigslist, for $600.

The man describes his "virgin hair," which he says is 27 inches long, as “jet Black, the way a raven shines in the moonlight, the color of a deep dark sleep.”

He also writes, “My radical hair ... can be cut to your specifications. I can have pictures taken for you after my hair is cut or during the hair cut if you ask, and also of the new style.”

The human hair industry is thriving, with people spending thousands of dollars for authentic locks that they can craft into wigs, extensions and other products to replace or conceal their own hairlines.

However, blonde hair drives the highest demand—and prices, according to Bradford University biology professor Des Tobin.

"About 90% of the world's population has dark brown hair," Tobin told the BBC. "It's actually really hard to get natural, adult hair that is blonde. The rarity of hair color will dictate the price. Blonde hair can cost up to three times as much as dark hair."

For those who take buying another man’s virgin hair seriously, he offers several details about his lifestyle, including, “Non smoker, says no to drugs. I live in a clean smoke free environment. I take vitamins daily. Healthy eating habits. sometimes candy.”

And as to how the hair itself is treated?

“My hair is 100% virgin hair,” he writes. “It has never been dyed, permed, or chemically altered. I shampoo and condition 2-3 times a week. I do not use any heat styling: Absolutely no straightener, curling irons, hot rollers, etc. I let my hair air dry only. I have not used a blow dryer, uhh ever?”

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