First, what are fish pedicures? It’s not fishes having their fins undergoing pedicures (duhh) — its having humans soak their feet in a tank full of toothless fish that eat dead skin cells. The result? Rejuvenated, fresh feet! Sadly, fish pedicures have been banned by Washington state officials. An Associated Press story said the Peridot Nail Salon in Kent was the first salon in the Northwest to offer such a pedicure. Department of Licensing officials visited a salon that provided fish pedicures last week to see the operation firsthand, and after reviewing state laws, notified the owners to stop the service.

State law requires all tools and implements used in a pedicure to be sanitized or disposed of after each service to protect salon customers from the possibility of disease and infections. Since the salon cannot directly sanitize the fish and guarantee the practice doesn’t spread germs or diseases, fish pedicures do not meet state safety and sanitation laws. Health officials said they will notify all salons about the decision next week.

Yeah, cheerleaders have it sooo good right?? Hehe! According to reports, Sequoia High School cheerleaders were told by school officials that their $800 short skirts didn’t conform with the school dress code (”shorts or skirts shorter than mid-thigh” banned) and that members of the nationally ranked competitive cheer team would not be able to wear their purple-and-black uniforms on campus. However, the cheerleaders and their parents protested the restriction and the school relented.

Bettylu Smith, a spokeswoman for the Sequoia Union High School District, said the agreemen will allow the cheerleaders to continue wearing their uniforms on campus during days featuring a sporting event such as a football game and spirit-related activities for the rest of this academic year. “Certainly, the administration of the school seeks to support its cheerleaders,” Smith said. So, essentially, the Sequoia Union cheerleaders are exempted from the school’s short skirt ban.

And the bad news: gamers who ignore the ban could theoretically even face time behind prison bars! YIKES! However, the real problem for poker fans is enforcing their winnings from providers who are often far away in other countries, says Michael Terhaag, a lawyer in Germany. In the event of a problem, he said the gamers “generally have no legal options for suing to get their money back.”

The gamers must also be aware of the fact that it’s impossible to rule out cheating when playing poker on the net. That said, Michael Terhaag “doesn’t know of a case” where a player has been prosecuted for playing illegal online poker. Well, that’s a relief to hear! Hehe! But Germans, I reiterate, playing online poker for real money is an illegal activity in your country!!

Guess you all heard of what happened to Wallstreet’s big names over the week — they said bye-bye and was either bought or filed for bankruptcy. And now, to calm their volatile stock markets, officials in the United Kingdom and the United States have temporarily banned a practice called “short selling” of financial stocks. This is a way of making money if a stock goes down in value. Here’s how it works:

The investor borrows some stock and sells it, promising to return the same number of shares to the lender. If the price falls, then the investor can buy back stock at a lower price and return the same number of shares. The profit is the difference between the sale price of the borrowed stock and the cost of replacing it. But if the price goes up, the investor loses money. Short selling is legal, but is banned now to calm the financial markets.

After the train crash involving Metrolink’s train that killed at least 25 people, Michael R. Peevey (President of the California Public Utilities Commission) issued a statement that he will propose an emergency order banning the personal use of cellular communication devices while operating a train. He said,

“On behalf of the CPUC, I would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of those involved in the Metrolink accident. The CPUC is the principal state agency for rail safety and we are leaving no stone unturned in our investigation of this accident, including interviewing the former spokesperson for Metrolink who resigned from the agency, allegedly after her candor in assessing responsibility for the accident was questioned by her superiors. Further, I will ask my fellow Commissioners on Thursday to approve an emergency order prohibiting the personal use of cellular communication devices while operating a freight or passenger train anywhere in California. Some railroad operators may have policies prohibiting the personal use of such devices, but they’re widely ignored. Our order would make it the law and we’ll go after violators. We owe it to the public.”

Just so you won’t get jailed when you go to other countries — you light up your fave cig, only to find out smoking is banned and you’re subject to prosecution. YIKES! Anyhow, smoking is bad for health, it kills, so you better stop smoking now!

According to reports, 2 movie posters for Angelina Jolie’s hit action movie “Wanted” have been banned by the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority. The reason? The sexy, weapon-baring promotional images glamorize the use of guns and violence and are unsuitable for children. A total of 17 complaints were lodged against the ads, one of which features Angelina Jolie draped over the hood of a car brandishing guns.

ASA said in a statement, “We acknowledged most viewers would understand the posters reflected the content of an action film. However, we considered that because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of, or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorize the use of guns and violence.”