Though we here at NXT strive to keep an eye on all things local (and funky), sometimes the news rises to a level where even we can’t help but say, "huh?"

But first, in a great bit of follow-up from Monday’s skate park column, your daily newspaper had a story on a survey from Portland’s Parks and Recreation department on recreation needs in town. On further observation of the list, the suggestions from the public weren’t exactly "youth-friendly:"

"The top five parks and recreation facilities needs that the city isn't meeting are: street trees, small neighborhood parks, picnic areas and shelters, outdoor ice-skating areas and indoor fitness and exercise facilities.

Topping the list of desired indoor recreation facilities are: a
walking/jogging track, followed by a weight-lifting/
cardiovascular equipment room, space for fitness or dance
classes, pool lanes for lap swimming, pool slides, a rock-
climbing wall, an arts-and-crafts room and warm-water therapy."

"Warm-water therapy?" Riiiiiight.

Moving on.

Ever wonder if all those hours playing "Halo," "Guitar Hero" or Madden amounted to addiction? Ever get twitchy whenever you’re away from a controller for a few hours?
This week, the American Medical Association backed off on earlier plans to consider excessive gaming a mental disorder.

For some reason I'm reminded of a phrase my friend Matt used to say, "let's play video games until our eyeballs bleed." Clearly he was joking...I think.

While we can all agree that too much playing of video games can be bad for you, does it really rise to the level of addiction? If that’s the case, does it mean video game companies are pushers? How would you treat this addiction? I’m sure parents out there would say "by going outside for a change."

Don’t you know gamers have an adverse reaction to natural sunlight?

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the controversy is beginning to subside over a school superintendent’s decision to black out a photo of a gay student kissing his boyfriend in the yearbook.
Days ago, when students at East Side High School in Newark received their yearbooks, senior Andre Jackson was surprised to see that the picture of him and his boyfriend kissing had been blacked out while similar photos of hetero couples were untouched.

Superintendent Marion Bolden had originally said she made the decision to black out the photos in 230 books because she felt the picture was “illicit.”
The superintendent says the school will reissue the yearbook to any student who asks for it. For more check out this video from the Associated Press that tells more.

The issue has gotten national attention from gay rights groups, but how would you feel if you were a student at East Side and the superintendent just came in and decided what should and should not be in the yearbook after the book’s been published?

Finally, speaking of high school, the question of what students can say and do on school grounds is getting more and more complicated thanks to the "Bong Hits For Jesus" case.
To bring you up to speed, in 2002 a student at a high school in Alaska displayed a sign with the phrase on it during the running of the Olympic torch on its way to Salt Lake City.
The principal of the school quickly snatched the banner and later suspended the student, Joseph Frederick.
Frederick made it out to be a violation of his First Amendment right, and the case made its way to the Supreme Court on Monday.
In a 5-4 decision the court said the school was right to punish Frederick and did not violate his freedom of speech in doing so.

The case has raised questions about students' First Amendment rights in schools and the power of school administration. At most schools around the country now there are some aspects of a dress code, dictating that students cannot wear certain types of clothing (no Allen’s Coffee Brandy T-shirts, for instance) as well as things you can’t say (it would be bad to tell off your principal, for example.)

While school boards, superintendents and other administrators have the task of watching out for students in schools, the question now might be, do students have different rights inside the school than they would outside?

In other news, anyone seriously considering taking part in the great iPhone riots of 2007?

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