Should Military Mothers Be Deployed Overseas?

A recent post about a single mother soldier who refused deployment to care for her son has spurred a lively debate about what limits and protections, if any, should be afforded to mothers in the military.

While some commentators are arguing that women have no place in the army whatsoever, others are arguing that no soldier deserves special treatment and that women who “shirk their responsibilities make things harder for those who are trying to receive equal treatment.” Continue reading »

Soldier Chooses Her Son Over Her Service

No matter how loyal one is to the military, there’s not a parent alive who can’t sympathize with the predicament of Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old single mother and army cook who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because she had no one to care for her son. Hutchinson is currently confined to Hunter Army Field in Georgia and may face criminal charges, depending on what the Army’s investigators turn up. Continue reading »

They Say: Abstinence Only Responsible for Skyrocketing STIs

According to the CDC, approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur in the U.S. each year, with half of these cases affecting youth between the ages of 15 and 24. According to John Douglas, director of the CDC division of sexually transmitted diseases, “We have among the highest rates of STDs of any developed country in the world.” Continue reading »

Healthy Baby Born With 12 Toes and Fingers

Kamani Hubbard is the seventh known human to be born with six perfectly functional fingers on each hand. The nine-month-old was also born with twelve toes, but, unlike his hands, his two extra toes were not perfectly formed. Continue reading »

Principal Camps Out on School Roof

Students in a Michigan elementary school were all eager to get to school last Thursday morning–they wanted to see how their principal had fared after spending the night on the school roof.

To reward students for meeting their school’s fundraising goals, Principal Bill Cain camped out on the school roof overnight. Continue reading »

Middle Schoolers Arrested for Food Fight

A massive arrest took place at a Chicago middle school the other day, with 25 kids between the ages of 11 and 15 being handcuffed, thrown in a paddy wagon, and charged with reckless conduct. Their crime? Throwing food in the cafeteria. Continue reading »

‘Cougar’ Mom Used to Sell Cough Drops

The blogosphere is all atwitter with commentary on what is, hands down, the weirdest cough drop ad ever. I’m not sure I’m as fired up as the American Decency Association, which believes that the ad is promoting the “legitimization of elderly ones with younger ones,” but I certainly agree that this commercial is “perverse.” Continue reading »

Babies Cry in Different Languages

Newborns seem to be getting smarter and smarter by the minute. First, fetuses learn how to distinguish external sounds during the last trimester; then infants start sending explicit messages with their cries; and now, we discover that babies are born with regional accents. Continue reading »

The Obama Family at a Miley Cyrus Concert

Michelle Obama took her daughters to a Miley Cyrus concert at the Verizon Center last night, putting both election results and weekday bedtimes second to Sasha and Malia’s desire to “Party in the U.S.A.” with their peers. Continue reading »