Students in Chile are preparing for a two day strike after talks with the government about education reform broke down, according to the BBC. The general strike on Oct. 18 and 19 is the latest development in five months of boycotts and demonstrations demanding free education. A poll organized by a teachers’ union showed that the majority of the million Chileans who took part are in favour of the students’ demands. Student leader Camila Vallejo blamed the government for the breakdown in talks last week. President Sebastian Pinera has said he would allow some reform and about $4 billion in extra funding but student leaders want major changes to be made to the country’s education system which was set up during the rule of Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990.
Lap dance to put yourself through college
An executive for a U.K. lap dancing company has suggested female students strapped for cash should strip to meet their financial needs, a comment that has the National Union of Students up in arms. According to the Scottish Daily Record, Spearmint Rhino U.K. vice-president John Specht said that students struggling to pay for rising tuition fees can work in the clubs and make the money they need. A Sheffield law student has also admitted that she dances at a Spearmint Rhino club to pay for her law degree. She intends to become a corporate lawyer. Estelle Hart, the NUS’ women’s officer, blamed government cuts to education for pushing female students to turn towards the job.
Listen to your mothers, kids
A Connecticut teenager was charged with disorderly conduct on Sunday after his mother called police to report him for his confrontational attitude and for refusing to clean the house. The Stamford Advocate reported that when 18-year-old Luis Perez started swearing and yelling, his mother called police, who found Perez in his room on his cellphone without pants and refusing to come out. His mother told police she wanted him out of the house. Perez, who continued to yell throughout the police intervention, was placed under arrest and threatened to call his lawyer. He later asked police to be given a second chance while being escorted out of the house.
Utah Undie Run breaks world record
Residents of Salt Lake City, Utah took to the streets in their underwear on Sept. 24 in protest of the state’s conservative politics. The event drew 2,270 people according to the Salt Lake Tribune, setting a new world record. Participants ran the five mile course to show support for causes like gay marriage and to express their frustration with the state’s conservative stance on issues like liquor laws. The previous Guinness World Record for “largest gathering of people wearing only underpants or knickers” was set last year in the U.K. by a gathering that attracted 550 pant-less people.
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