Strollerderby : AP

Dad Charges Daughter With Grand Theft Auto

Brett Singer — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:00:00 GMT

A girl in Fort Lauderdale, Florida took her dad's car while he was visiting her much younger sibling (19 months old) at the hospital. She's 12. She drove around without the headlights on and hit a police car.

Her dad isn't messing around. He asked police to charge his daughter with grand theft auto. Not the video game -- the crime.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, this is the second time the girl has stolen her dad's car, according to the AP. On the other hand, it's your daughter. Do you really want her to rot in jail? Is that likely to help?

Something similar happened on 'Gossip Girl' this season. (Yes! I know. You think I'm nuts. Stay with me for a moment.) Lillian Van der Woodsen gives her daughter Serena an expensive bracelet, which is a family heirloom. Then, when Serena does something Lily doesn't like (it's not worth explaining what that was), she calls the police and tells them Serena stole the bracelet. Serena goes to jail. Not exactly the same situation of course, but similar enough. Choosing whether or not to send my kid to jail is a choice I hope I never have to make.

(Side note: what the heck is in the water in Florida? Crazy juice?)

What would you do if your kid were a repeat offender? Turn them over to the police or try something else?

Source: AP via Fox News

Image: SXC

13 Year Old Alfie Definitely Not A Dad

Not Every Kid With a Mother Has a "Mommy"

Baby Asleep On Dad's Head

10 Year Old Burned By Tanning Bed

Colbert to Food Movement Guy: Yes, But Were YOU Breastfed?

Single Mom Sells Ad Space On Her Body on eBay

Texas School Accused Of Student Cage Fighting

Brett Singer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Next time you have complaints about your children's school, remember this story. Because things could be worse.

According to a report obtained by the Dallas Morning News, school officials at South Oak Cliff High in Texas (ironically known as "SOC", pronounced "sock", as in "sock it to me") had students settle their differences by fighting. In a cage. This did not happen last Tuesday. It happened back in 2003 and continued until 2005. And no one did anything about it.

Listen to this quote:

"Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told the newspaper that there were 'some things that happened inside of a cage' and called the fights 'unacceptable.'"

See, the only thing that should be happening "inside of a cage" at school is a hamster being fed. Maybe a little jog on the ol' exercise wheel. The hamster, I mean. Perhaps a bunny. I'm thinking cages at schools are for class pets. Students generally should not be doing ANYHTING in a cage. Especially at school.

In a blog entry at The Dallas Morning News web site, Kent Fischer digs up a few facts about former SOC principal Donald Moten. Moten allegedly "not only allowed [the fights] to take place, but that he egged on the participants." Hey, at least he wasn't just picking up a paycheck, right? Fischer points out that Moten's other "accomplishments" at SOC include "An athletic grade changing scandal, times two," "Allegations of credit card abuse," "Allegations of inappropriate sexual relations with students' mothers." Oh, and of course -- "Cage fights." The piece questions why Moten was even hired for the $92,000 a year job in the first place, since his employment history includes a stint as a police officer where he faked his own kidnapping.

When I was a student at a New York City Public School, people would always ask me how horrible it must have been. Sure, there were problems. But we never had anything like this. Well, as far as I know.

Source: Yahoo! News

Image: SXC (stock photo)

Baby Born in Penn Station During Rush Hour

Stroller As Gun Rack

Soldier Gives Birth At Army Barracks

Octo-Doc Not the Only One Breaking the Rules

Madeline Holler — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:27:00 GMT

A report by the Associated Press says that fewer than 20 percent of fertility clinics abide by the guidelines set out by their profession. So 80 percent break the rules? Why? And how?

The guidelines are purely voluntary, which is how it's not uncommon for multiple embryos to be transferred to a young woman's uterus, as was the case -- more than once -- for Octo-mom Nadya Suleman.

What do the doctors say?

From AP (via Salon):

Fertility doctors say there are many reasons clinics skirt the guidelines: pressure from patients who want to use more embryos to improve their chances of getting pregnant; financial concerns from those who are paying for their treatment out of their own pockets; and the competition among clinics to post good success rates.

And the only penalty for violating the guidelines is expulsion from some of the industry's professional organizations, though that can affect whether insurance companies will cover a clinic's treatments.

"You have patients who are desperate and you have doctors who are driven by success rates. It's not a good combination," said Pamela Madsen, founder and former head of the American Fertility Association.

The open outrage over Suleman and the simmering anger of the expense of the often sick children in these mega-multiples births are prompting some professionals to try to turn the guidelines into laws.

Think that'll happen?

Ex-Employee of OctuDoc Shocked He's Still in Business

Octuplets' Fertility Doctor Strikes Again!

Octuplets' Mom Done Making Babies, Plans to Survive on Loans

Octo-Mom Looking at Buying a Million Dollar Home? What the...

Photo: mishl982.blogspot.com

Ex-Employee of OctuDoc Shocked He's Still in Business

Madeline Holler — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:28:00 GMT

A woman who worked for Michael Kamrava, the fertility doctor made famous after the birth of Nadya Suleman's octuplets, told the UK Telegraph she's shocked he is still in business.

Embryologist Shantal Rajah said she left the clinic after working there only three weeks, due to the secretive nature of Kamrava and the lack of regulation.

Some more revelations about the doctor:

Dr Kamrava, who has described himself as a medical pioneer, is known in Southern California for promoting techniques to improve pregnancy success rates, including placing newly created embryos in a capsule and cultivating them inside the vagina for a few days before transferring them to the uterus in hopes of achieving a pregnancy.

Federal records suggest that his clinic in Beverly Hills has a low success rate. Of the 61 procedures Dr Kamrava conducted in 2006, there have been only five pregnancies and two births.

Well, 2008 was certainly good for his stats. Nadya Suleman became sucessfully pregnant with octuplets. Another woman, who underwent treatment shortly after Suleman, is due with quadruplets in a few months.

Octuplets' Fertility Doctor Strikes Again!

Photo: LA Times

Octuplets' Mom Done Making Babies, Plans to Survive on Loans

Madeline Holler — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:02:00 GMT

First reaction? Well I should hope so! Second reaction ... hmmm, think she means it?

Nadya Suleman told Ann Curry in her interview for NBC's "Dateline" that she's done having babies. She said the octuplets were "a sign from God" that she should stop.

Perhaps she's getting her signals mixed up ... because the 33-year-old also thinks she's going to support her 14 kids on the student loans she takes out in order to finish up her master's degree -- in counseling, of course.

Oh, Nadya! Nadya, Nadya, Nadya.

Octuplets' Grandma Calls Daughter 'Unconscionable' as Babies Introduced to the World

Why the Octuplets Mom Went For It

The Poor Man's Angelina Jolie?

Ann Curry Scores Interview with Octuplet's Mom

UPDATE on Sneak Peek! The Octuplet Mom Interview

Doctors Who Delivered Octuplets Say 'Don't Look at Us'

Report: Octuplets Mom Used Sperm Donor, IVF for All 14 Kids

Reports: Mom of Surprise Octuplets Already Had 6 Kids

Photo: msnbc.com

Octuplets' Grandma Calls Daughter 'Unconscionable' as Babies Introduced to the World

Madeline Holler — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:01:00 GMT

The grandmother of the California octuplets (plus six others) turned on her daughter, Nadya Suleman, calling her unconscionable for undergoing IVF yet again -- the pregnancy that conceived the now famous eight babies.

The grandmother's change of heart comes after Suleman told the press she had a sad, dysfunctional childhood. On the Today show this morning, Suleman introduced to the world babies Malia, Nariah, Isaiah ...

... Noah, Mcai (where's his letter 'h'?), Jonah, Jeremiah, and Josiah.

Grandmother Angela Suleman told reporters that she and her husband pleaded with their daughter to stop having babies. When she wouldn't, they went to the doctor that had treated her for her six other children and begged that doctor to stop. Daughter Nadya, according to her mother, just went to another doctor. Nadya told NBC's Ann Curry, in an interview on the Today show, that she had the same doctor for all her pregnancies.

The grandmother of 14 didn't sound terribly happy even with life with the six oldest grandchildren, explaining they were up all night, kids clothes were all over the house, and that everyone's squeezed into bunk beds in their small two-bedroom house. In an interview with Radar Online, she says that she doesn't think Nadya is capable of caring for all 14 children. They also posted photos from inside the house.

Also from the Today interview, we learn that Nadya's 14 children were conceived with sperm from the same donor. He has not met any of her 14 children. Here's what she said:

When asked his reaction to the amount of children she had, Nadya revealed: 'He was shocked. He didn't know what to say.

'He needs time. So in the future, somebody day maybe, he would be open minded to knowing them... This probably makes him feel a little bit worried and scared and apprehensive, you know, to be in their life right now. And it's maybe just not the right time,' she said. 'Someday, he will.

But she added firmly: 'I'm not going to say that I am hoping or relying on that... This is my choice to be a single parent.'

The doctor that preformed this latest embryo transfer is now being investigated by California authorities. Ethicists, too, are concerned that a single clinic might be responsible for all of the children born to this single mother with no job.

The Poor Man's Angelina Jolie?

Ann Curry Scores Interview with Octuplet's Mom

UPDATE on Sneak Peek! The Octuplet Mom Interview

Doctors Who Delivered Octuplets Say 'Don't Look at Us'

Report: Octuplets Mom Used Sperm Donor, IVF for All 14 Kids

Reports: Mom of Surprise Octuplets Already Had 6 Kids

Photo: Daily Mail

Why the Octuplets Mom Went For It

Madeline Holler — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:34:00 GMT

Finally! An explanation why the woman with no job, no partner, no home of her own -- but with four sons and two daughters - would undergo IVF to conceive. As we're all aware, that pregnancy resulted in the birth of octuplets -- six boys and two girls.

Her mom spoke to the press explaining the seventh pregnancy:

She was "hoping for just one more girl." So she asked fertility doctor to transfer eight embryos to increase the chance of a girl.

The grandmother of 14 defended her daughter. From the LA Times:

Suleman stressed that her daughter "is not evil, but she is obsessed with children. She loves children, she is very good with children, but obviously she overdid herself."

Reasonable?

Photo: LA Times

Report: Octuplets Mom Used Sperm Donor, IVF for All 14 Kids

Doctors Who Delivered Octuplets Say 'Don't Look at Us'

Reports: Mom of Surprise Octuplets Already Had 6 Kids

No Great Outpouring of Support for Struggling New Mom of Quintuplets

Pulling the Plug on Plural Pregnancies

Reports: Mom of Surprise Octuplets Already Had 6 Kids

Madeline Holler — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:01:00 GMT

So, the woman who had been expecting septuplets but actually gave birth to eight already had six other children at home (including a set of twins), newspapers are reporting.

This hasn't been confirmed, but the U.K. Telegraph tells us that people claiming to be the grandparents called into a radio talkshow and spilled the beans. At least one fertility researcher is cautiously outraged:

From the Telegraph:

Michael Tucker, a researcher on fertility treatment in America, told reporters: "If a medical practitioner had anything to do with it there's some degree in inappropriate medical therapy there.

"When we see something like this in the general fertility world, it gives us the heebie jeebies."

Us too. Still, the other children report has not been confirmed. Whether the woman had fertility treatments has also not been confirmed (though, come on, what are the chances?).

CBS news talked to an unidentified acquaintance of the woman, who also said there are six other children at home, four boys and two girls. Asked whether the additional eight could be supported, the acquaintance hedged.

"Well," she responded, "so far, they've been fine with the six they have. Fourteen I don't know."

The acquaintance also said the woman is young, lives with her parents in a house on a cul-de-sac where homes are mainly two- or three-bedroom. Tight!

Feels a little out of control, huh?

Photo: AP

Mom Stuns Docs With Extra Baby, Stuns Us With Ambitious Feeding Plans

Pulling the Plug on Plural Pregnancies

They Say: Crack Babies? Not Such a Big Deal

Damned if You Do, Doomed if You Don't (Breastfeed, That is)

No Great Outpouring for Quintuplets

Grieving Chinese Parents Not Allowed To Sue

Brett Singer — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

A Chinese court has officially refused to hear the lawsuit filed by 57 parents whose children were killed in the earthquake earlier this year, according to the AP.

The New York Times had confirmed this morning that the lawsuit had in fact been filed. 127 students in the town of Deyang lost their lives on May 12; some, but not all, of their parents are involved in the suit. Many parents blamed shoddy construction at the school buildings they were in when the quake occurred; in total, 88,000 people were killed, 10,000 were schoolchildren. The Chinese government has said that they plan to investigate the disaster and promised to punish anyone found guilty of not making the school buildings as safe as they could be; so far nothing has been done, despite an admission by a Chinese official that, "a rush to build schools in recent years likely led to construction flaws causing so many of them to collapse," according to the AP report. The Chinese government has actively tried to stop anyone from talking about the earthquake, offering grieving parents "the equivalent of $8,800 in cash and several thousand more dollars in post-retirement pension payments if they agreed to drop the issue of the collapsed schools," according to the New York Times.

Now the parents and the lawyer who agreed to represent them may be in danger of being charged with treason. Despite this, more parents are expected to join the lawsuit. So this isn't over yet.

In other news, a Chinese court did allow someone to sue KFC – yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken – because she ate potato chips that had "black and silk-like things" in them. Priorities, people, priorities. Sheesh.

Sources: chinacsr.com

AP via Google News

New York Times (also image)

Boy Saves Brother's Life With Bone Marrow

Infant Twins Safe After Newark Carjacking

New Zealand Girl Treated Successfully With Cord Blood

Brain Wave Study Sheds Light On Autism

Brett Singer — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Interesting news item from The Discovery Channel (via AP) -- "unique brain wave patterns" have been found in children with autism.

Using an imaging helmet that resembles a big salon hair dryer, researchers discovered what they believe are "signatures of autism" that show a delay in processing individual sounds.
That delay is only a fraction of a second...[but] Imagine if it took a tiny bit longer than normal to understand each syllable. By the end of a whole sentence, you'd be pretty confused.

I find this fascinating. More importantly (yes, I acknowledge that there are things in this world more important than what I personally find intriguing), these findings could help parents of autistic immensely. Doctors could potentially discover and diagnose the disorder "in children as young as age 1", according to the article. That would enable parents to begin a treatment program much earlier than usual.

It's all very sci-fi looking – check out the photo. The article says that the device looks like a "salon hair dryer", but I think it looks more like something out of the X-Men. Anyway, I love trumpeting technological advances that are used to help parents and children. It's a reminder that tech isn't all about video games and cellphones that make pancakes. (Apologies to the late George Carlin, from whom I borrowed that line about pancakes. Mmmm... pancakes...)

I'd be curious to hear from anyone with more knowledge of autism than I (doctors, parents) if this treatment sounds promising, and/or if this is something that you have heard about, and whether or not you feel it will be helpful. It certainly sounds to me like it could.

Source: AP via Discovery.com

Autistic Girl Kicked Out Of Girl Scouts

Conjoined Twin Surgery: One Lives, One Dies

High School Student in Hospital After Scavenger Hunt

Rare Condition Makes Boy Look Like Werewolf

3-Year-Old Girl's Identity Stolen

SunnyChanel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:43:00 GMT

If your toddler starts getting collection notices from telephone and gas services, don’t think that it’s a result of them trying to ‘pitch in’ and help pay the family bills. It’s sadly much more likely that they are a victim of identity theft. According to the AP, this is what happened to a 3-year old girl. A 44-year old man in Mebane, North Carolina allegedly abused her Social Security number.

What brought this to light was the girl’s grandmother contacting the authorities after the family started to get collection notices to in the toddler’s name. But it wasn’t a total sticky fingered stranger, apparently the suspect is a related to the girl. Let’s here it for family, glad they're not mine.

Source

Political Nanny: Michelle Obama Says Don't Vote For Cute

Madeline Holler — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:01:00 GMT

At a women's roundtable discussion today, possible first lady Michelle Obama told participants they should vote on the issues, not because "I like that guy," or "she's cute."

In case anybody thought she was referring to McCain VP pick Sarah Palin when referring to "cute," she coyly clarified: "I'm talking about me."

Which leaves us with the question, can we vote because he's cute? And by "he" and "cute," we think you know who Political Nanny means.

Photo: blog.nypost.com

Meet Your New Amish Neighbors

Madeline Holler — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:03:00 GMT

In the past 16 years, the Amish population in the United States has nearly doubled. To avoid overcrowding, large groups of them have formed new rural settlements and expanded into seven news states, mostly in the Midwest and the South.

While my first thought is: easier access to homemade shoo-fly pie for larger swaths of America, my second thought is: huh. I always figured the Amish were struggling to survive like so many other subgroups in the U.S.

Here's their secret, it seems. The average family has five or more children. And despite the tradition (or maybe because of it) of letting teens go live and party and live among the mainstream in the U.S., four out of five choose to stay in the faith and live the rest of their lives in the close-knit communities.

But it's not all zipperless fun and games for the townsfolk who live near these newer communties of convenience-eschewing Anabaptists. From the AP:

In Mayfield, Ky., an area into which a few hundred Amish have moved in recent years, nine men are fighting charges they operated horse-drawn buggies without the flashing lights or orange safety triangles that state law requires.

"They are moving into new states and settling or establishing new settlements in communities where local officials aren't acquainted with them. That creates some misunderstanding on zoning issues or other unique factors in Amish practice," Kraybill said.

Any Amish Babble readers out there?

Photo: amishamerica.typepad.com

It's Hard Out There for a Mom Who Says 'No'

Madeline Holler — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:57:00 GMT

Here's how the arguments go: I say how unregulated advertisement aimed directly at kids is contributing to childhood obesity rates among other societal ills. You remind me I'm the parent, I have the right to tell my kid "no," grow up, be the adult, how about a little personal responsibilty?

Here's the deal: I do say "no," all the time. Almost every time, truly. I've had a strict "no characters -- ever" policy, just so there were no gray areas. I even pass over the bargain clothes if they are emblazoned with Hannah Montana or Raven or Bratz or whatever. My seven-year-old knows this and mostly doesn't bother asking anymore.

Those times where there is a request for Sponge Bob this or Princess Whoever that, I set out the invisible lectern and launch into my diatribe on how this particular cereal is displayed just where they'll see it and the reason Johnny Depp is on a candy wrapper is so they'll want me to buy it. If the response is a whine, I go ahead and point out that Company X wants them to whine so I'll give up and I usually finish with "Your whining has strengthened my resolve! The answer now is especially 'no'!"

But damn. My resolve is growing weak. I'm really tired of it all. And I'm not convinced that all the no's now will result in them making better choices later. The thing is, personal responsibility/no regulation folks, parents are up against a lot. I'm pretty sure we're not winning either.

The Federal Trade Commission recognizes this too. They commissioned a study and found that the food industry spends $1.6 billion on all kinds of marketing to kids -- not just TV commericals, but those maddening grocery store displays and online brand interaction games and contests, school donations and more.

Here's some of what the study found (from AP via Salon):

The commission studied spending directed at children ages 2-17. Spending on soda marketing came to $492 million, with the vast majority of that spending directed toward adolescents. Fast food restaurants reported spending close to $294 million, which was divided about evenly between children and adolescents. For cereals, companies spent about $237 million, with the vast majority of that targeted to children under age 12.

Also, the Internet ads are completely unregulated and may differ from what is on TV and if you don't know exactly what you're kid is seeing online, well, then, the marketers have won. They always win.

Kathryn Montgomery, a communications professor at American University, said "Parents who are concerned abut their children's eating habits have to understand that you can't just look at what's happening on television. That's not the way it is anymore. It's a pervasive marketing environment."

Anyway, the FTC made some recommendations based on the report, including calling on marketers to use their money and ingenuity on promoting healthful foods and excercise in the same way they promote the other crap.

Personally, and here's where the initial argument begins again, I'd like to see tighter regulation of advertisements directed at children and strict limits on it as well. Un-American, I know. But my personal responsibility only gets me (and my kids) so far. You too, you know, you too.

How are you teaching your little ones to be media savvy? How do you keep from giving up?

A Nation of Wimps

How to be an annoying camp parent

Congress Moves To Ban Phthalates, Despite Bush Opposition

Photo: in-sect.com

Five more FLDSers Arrested

Brett Singer — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

AP (via Jezebel) is reporting that five male members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) have turned themselves in to the police. They were indicted with the crime of having sex with minors, as was FLDS "prophet" Warren Jeffs. One of the men, Merrill Leroy Jessop, was also charged with bigamy. Another, Lloyd Hammon Barlow, was charged "only" with not reporting child abuse, which is a misdemeanor. He is the resident doctor at the ranch.

This is the first we're hearing about the FLDS folks since April, when Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) raided the polygamist compound (which I still think sounds like a wart cream. Hello??? Is this thing on?), except for when the head of CPS resigned, which makes one wonder if Jezebel is right when they imply that the raid was treated as a bigger crime than whatever may be going on inside the walls of the Zion Ranch. I'm kind of surprised that it took this long to charge someone with bigamy, since that's, you know, a major tenet of their religion – polygamy. Poly marriage. Not legal. Just sayin'. Of course, that charge is nothing compared to forcing minors to have sex. But it's all just "alleged" for now.

image: Jezebel

Readin', writin' and Dianetics?

Savage stands by his stupid words

Stay out of my room or I'll pee on your tree

Distilled: Behind The Braid

Condom Maker Offers $1Mil to Miley Cyrus to Sell Rubbers

Crocs Don't Rock

Baptism by Hockey

No twin visits for Jon Voight

Brett Singer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Usually the birth of a child can bring a family together. But whatever is going on between Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie must be pretty bad. According to E! (that's hard to type – the !) Voight says, "I was just as excited as everybody else" about the birth of the twins. (Maybe, "I'm more excited than everybody else" would have been a better choice of words?) As for actually seeing them in person, "If I'm asked, I'll find a way but I haven't been asked." Here's the REALLY LOUD CELEBRITY NEWS VIDEO FROM E!ONLINE(!!!!!):

It's kind of sad news -- grampa not allowed. But here are some facts about their relationship (in this case, "facts" means stuff I read on the Internet that could be true):

Jolie was raised by her mom, and officially changed her last name from Voight to Jolie in 2002. (I don't remember her ever being known as Angelina Voight, but who knows, maybe I was just busier back then.) She did this about a month the Midnight Cowboy said, on television, that his lovely daughter had "serious emotional problems." Nice! Here's the quote that seems like there's more here than meets the eye: "My father and I don’t speak. I don’t hold any anger toward him. I don’t believe that somebody’s family becomes their blood. Because my son’s adopted, and families are earned." She stated that she did not want to publicize her reasons for her estrangement from her father, but because she had adopted her son, she did not think it was healthy for her to associate with Voight. (Premiere Magazine, via Wikipedia)

Taking that quote at face value, it makes a certain amount of sense. She's adopted, what, about 47 children at this point? She wants them all to feel loved. I would imagine that anyone who adopts a child would say the same thing. (I have no idea if this is true, but it seems like a good thing to feel.) Plus, dad wasn't around for her when she was growing up.

Maybe she's just annoyed at this line from Voight's own Wikipedia page that talks about Angelina and her brother, James Haven: Both children would go on to enter their father's business, James as an actor and assistant director, and Angelina as a major Oscar-winning movie star in her own right.

In her own right? Is that a joke? How often do you hear about what James Haven is up to? I think the last time was when everybody thought he and Angie were a little tooclose, if you know what I mean. Oh, he played an usher in 2003's "Hunter of Man". Didn't see it? Maybe you were sick that day. No disrespect to James, but whoever wrote that needs to get out more.

Anyway, bummer for Jonny V, but based on my potentially inaccurate information, it sounds like Angelina has a right to be pissed off. Brad's parents can play Gramma and Grampa.

image: Heatworld.com

Dad Rod to visit Kid Rod

Xtina and Max Rock the Vote

Brangelina's Twins Have Arrived!

Angelina's Due Date - Got It!!!!

Want to know about the twin Earths? Ask people with twins!

Couple Dump Twins at Hospital for Being the Wrong Sex

Introducing The Twins - Photo!

Brangelina Twins' Photos

20 mil for pics of twins

Brett Singer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:45:00 GMT

OMG! Magazines might be paying $20 million for pics of twins! Quick! Everyone with twins hurry and get some shots taken!

Oh, wait. Not YOUR twins. The Jolie-Pitt twins. OH. Sorry. Didn't mean to get your hopes up.

The Associated Press (via Yahoo! News) quotes Darryn Lyons of the photo agency Big Pictures in London, as saying that the "official" photos of the most famous pair of rugrats on the planet could fetch between $15 and $20 million.

How does this compare to previous bambino/bambina windfalls? AOL Money says that Jennifer and Marc Lopez (let's face it, she's the one with the career) received $6 million for photos of Max and Emme in March of 2008. They also received sighs of relief from millions when they gave the kids normal names. But Shiloh Nouvel, Brad and what's-her-name's first non-adopted child, snagged $4.1 million in June of 2006. So the $20 million figure is probably not far off.

Quote of the day: The only other photos that "would possibly come that close is Britney Spears giving birth to an alien," [said Lyons.] I'd pay a couple of bucks to see that.

image: jewels-whatevah

Brangelina's Twins Have Arrived!

Angelina's Due Date - Got It!!!!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Baby Names!

Screw twin Earth, I'm going to Mars

Want to know about the twin Earths? Ask people with twins!

Lesbian Mama is Pregnant With Twins, and so is Her Partner

Couple Dump Twins at Hospital for Being the Wrong Sex

BREAKING NEWS: Doctor Confirms to AP That Angelina Jolie Twins Are Here

Maybe these pit bulls are dangerous

Brett Singer — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

I'm a dog lover (though not a dog owner), so I'm usually willing to sympathize with people that blame bad owners when their pooch attacks someone.

But with so many pit bull attacks, maybe these muscular little k-9's don't make the greatest pets.

Henry Piotrowski, a 90-year-old man in Staten Island, was attacked by two pit bulls and had to have his leg amputated. According to NY1, the owner, James McNair, allows the dogs to wander the neighborhood sans leash; Piotrowski was attacked outside his home.

Then there's the sad tale of Kamar Reynolds, a 3-year-old Brooklyn boy who had an ear bitten off by a pit bull a few days ago. He seems to be recovering nicely, or as nicely as he can, considering the fact that he had to have his ear reattached.

Now, to be fair, this particular incident happened because some jerk threw his dog through an open window into a room full of kids, including Kamar. The dog has been put to sleep, the owner is being held "on charges of assault and criminal possession of a weapon - the dog." I've never heard of a dog being classified as a weapon, but this probably isn't the first time.

Are there any stories of poodles attacking people? Chihuahuas? Pugs? Golden retrievers? Labs? Maybe it happens and isn't reported. But I sort of doubt it.

This may be a bit of a stretch, but I think you can draw a parallel with gun ownership. Yes, guns don't kill people, people kill people. But one way to ensure that nobody gets accidentally shot is to not have a gun in the house.

Are pit bulls the doggy equivalent of a loaded gun? Or is it just stupid owners?

image: nydailynews

Related:

Pit bull attacks one-year-old girl

Brett Singer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:29:00 GMT

A pit bull in Greensboro, NC attacked a one-year-old girl. How does something like this happen? The dog is a pet, and the child went to touch the pooch's puppies; when she did, the dog bit her.

The dog is now in an animal shelter for at least 10 days, or "longer if they can't determine if the dog has current vaccinations for rabies." I thought you had to keep records of that sort of thing, but maybe not.

The two comments on the site where I found this story are a bit over the top but do make a good point: "The big question is--where were the parents?" To paraphrase, leaving a little girl, especially a one-year-old, alone with a new mama pit bull and her litter is probably not a great idea.

If you look at the "Related Links" for this story on digitrad.com, it seems like there's an awful lot of pit bull attacks going on in North Carolina. One dog was put to sleep two years ago after attacking two kids, and this story where a pit bull killed another family's pet a month ago. In that case, the owner asked the now-really-unfortunate question, "What if this was a child?"

The little girl – a baby, really – is recovering at a local hospital. Hopefully she'll be OK.

For a video report, click here.

image: digitrad.com

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Other uses for diapers: Heroin Hiding!

Brett Singer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:50:00 GMT

Ah, diapers. So useful for so many things. You know, like... well, okay, diapers are really just for keeping the stuff that bounces out of your babies' bodies away from their clothes.

But Frank Keys Jr. is not bound by convention! According to this Associated Press story, Frank was pulled over by state police in New Orleans. After searching the car, drug sniffing dogs discovered something was going on in his pants.

Here's a couple of quotes:

During the pat-down, "officers felt a large hard object in the pants area on Keys," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Out of context, that could be taken the wrong way. Methinks somebody was chuckling when they wrote that press release.

Then there's this:

Keys told officers he was wearing a diaper and when they asked if there was anything in the diaper, he "shook his head affirmatively."

Tell me you haven't had that exact conversation with your toddler.

Of course, there's a key (no pun intended) difference between what's in your kids' diaper and what was in Frank's. The man had "257 grams of heroin" hidden in there. According to this site, one gram goes for approximately $300, or more if it is broken up into milligrams. That means there was at least $80,000 worth of dope in this dope's diaper. Good thing he wasn't wearing one of these.

image: ebaumsworld (note: this image is not a picture of the man with heroin in his diaper)

Political Nanny: Ralph Nader Hogs the Votes!

Madeline Holler — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:33:00 GMT

Obama supporters and Democratic candidate generalists, you might want to stay close to a defibrillator.

Sure, a recent AP poll shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 47 percent to 43 percent. Ahhh, but wait. There's a familiar face back on the playground and he's got juuuuust enough of friends of his own.

Ralph Nader, in that same AP poll, gets 6 percent.

Here we go again.

AP also note these interesting details:

If Nader, the independent, is not included, Obama's lead is 49 percent to 46 percent. About one in five voters say they may change their minds. Four in 10 Democrats say Hillary Rodham Clinton should stay in the race until the party's August convention. If she is Obama's running mate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is McCain's, the Democrats' lead is 6 percentage points. Just over half of Democrats want Obama to put Clinton on his ticket, and if he doesn't one in four want her to fight for the spot at the convention. More than four in 10 Republicans still say they'd rather see the GOP nominate someone besides McCain.

But it doesn't look as if Nader will leave the race (we'd sort of forgotten he was in it!) anytime soon. Check out this message he sent in April to Hillary!

Which brings us to this Democratic in-fighting question: if Obama loses, will it really be allllll Hillary's fault?

Also, if you're of the 6 percent supporting Nader, you must, MUST write in and explain. No, judgment, we're just super curious. Courtesy tip: you might want to sign in as "anonymous."

Photo: NYMag.com