THE LEFT LANE
Grill girrrls

This is not a test

Nice to see kids take the initiative on an issue they care about — even if the cause is doing away with standardized tests.

The Web site for Students Against Testing , www.nomoretests.com, argues that standardized tests like the SAT have sparked a plague of boredom and competition and have stopped the learning process by creating "a Jeopardy-like rote environment in which (students) cover more and more information on a shallower level." And that's just one of 10 indictments the site lists.

The SAT site is a grass-roots effort and provides ways for like-minded testing rebels to put up fliers espousing their goals, while also providing a series of strategies to get schools to reject the tests. One suggestion: "Make administrators and politicians take the test."

Ozzy Osbourne and his family have swiftly become cultural icons thanks to MTV's most popular series ever, "The Osbournes." And now the marketers behind the irreverent family's show are hoping that a slew of merchandise tied to the reality series will be just as big.

Last month, basic products like T-shirts and mugs hit retailers' shelves, but more items, ranging from backpacks to trading cards and watches, will appear in stores in the next month or two.

"We touched upon an extraordinary, slightly different view of family values," said Del Furano, chief executive of Signatures Network, the San Francisco-based entertainment developing the merchandise. The company projects that retail sales tied to the show will total $200 million this year.

"There's interest for condoms, slot machines and video games," Furano said. Family chains like Target and Kmart Corp. as well as toy retailers will carry "edited versions of the family's irreverent attitude," Furano said.