(NEW YORK TIMES) 15 June 2008:

There’s a slightly surprising result from looking at the figures about who does all the work around the house. Yes, the number of hours that both men and women work to keep the home running have been falling as a result of technology. And yes, men have also been doing more than their previous share of what work remains.

However, the huge imbalance in child care hours still remains: women do more than men in a ratio of five to one, very much the same number of hours as their grandmothers.

It’s almost enough to make you think there might be something immutable, biological, about this, isn’t it?

(MSNBC.COM) 14 May 2008:

Angelina Jolie confirmed that she’s having twins…after her “Kung Fu Panda” costar Jack Black spilled the beans in an interview with the TODAY show’s Natalie Morales.

Black made the announcement and Jolie confirmed the news:

“You’re gonna have as many as (the) ‘Brady Bunch’ when you have these,” Black joked.

“It’s confirmed? Is it two?” Morales asked.

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve confirmed that already,” Jolie responded. “Well, Jack’s just confirmed it actually.”

“Is that true?” asked a surprised Black.

“Yeah, you did,” said Jolie.

“Sorry!” said Black.

Jolie is keeping the sex of the babies private, but said that she may “possibly” give birth to the twins in France.

(The Mail) 25 April 2008:

Naturally conceived identical triplets are very rare; 200 million to one, actually. Carmela Testa of the U.K and her three new babies have beat the odds. She has three adorable baby girls  that were born a bit early but are fine now.

Testa said: “I found out at my 12-week scan I was having triplets.

“I knew they would be identical because there was just one placenta, so they were from the same egg.

“I was very shocked. They weren’t planned. I’m quite small – only 5ft tall – so at the unit they joked that out of all the midwives it would have to be me that gave birth to triplets.”

(CNN) 17 April 2008:

An 8-year-old girl in Yemen was able to get a divorce from her husband, who is four times her age. The girl has also been removed from her father, who forced the marriage. What makes the story so unusual is that the girl took the unusual action of seeking out a judge on her own and filing for divorce on her own.

The judge terminated the marriage on the basis that the girl has not even reached puberty.

Her parents testified that they did not help her after she told them she was being beaten by her husband.

(THE ADVOCATE) 26 March 2008:

Thomas Beatie is a normal guy. He and his wife Nancy live in Oregon and are expecting their first child. Except Nancy is not the one carrying the child. Thomas is pregnant.  Thomas is transgender female to male, legally male, and legally married to Nancy. When Thomas had his sex reassignment procedures, he kept his female reproductive organs. Nancy has a hysterectomy and therefore is unable to carry a child for the couple. When the couple decided they wanted a child, Thomas stopped taking his testosterone injections. After four months, his body knew what to do. He was able to get pregnant without the aid of fertility drugs or any additional hormone treatments.  The sperm came from a sperm bank. Many people they’ve encountered are hostile and angry, but they are thrilled that the pregnancy is free from complications and they are expecting a baby girl on July 3.

(WFTV.COM) 25 March 2008:

Detectives said 24-year-old Shawanda Butler of Ocala went to Little Angels Adoption Agency in Sebring, Fla. in November 2007 claiming she was three months pregnant and wanted to give up the baby for adoption. The agency then began providing assistance to Butler for such things as medical bills, rent, clothing and groceries.

According to investigators, the adoption agency sent an agent to Butler’s home in February to confirm the pregnancy, but Butler refused to get up from her couch or show her stomach. The agency representative said Butler then went into a bedroom where the agent saw her put a pillow under her shirt.

The adoption agency then contacted authorities who arrested Butler on Tuesday on claims she defrauded the agency of $5,000. She is being held at the Marion County jail.

(NEWS.COM.AU) 19 March 2008:

Maybe mom really did have eyes in the back of her head.

A recent study has shown that women with children are more responsive and visually aware than women without children. Lab tests in rats have shown “The flow of estrogen promotes neuron growth and enhances the plasticity of the brain,” according to Professor Craig Kinsley, a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond. The professor said, “As a result, mothers in our animal models have better vision, coordination and memory, stronger survival instincts, and go about their tasks more efficiently than non-mothers.”

These benefits make sense when considered it’s a mother’s main job and biological imperative to protect their children until they are old enough to reproduce, thus perpetuating the human race.

(FOX NEWS) 21 February 2008:

A five month old baby died after being strapped in a carseat in his parents’ home for eight days.  It’s unclear who dropped the baby off at the parents, but he was dropped off while strapped in his carseat. The parents apparently put the carseat in the crib and went about their daily routine for eight days. State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons explained that the couple were both home, “playing video games, watching TV, feeding and caring for themselves.” The parents face first-degree murder charges in Central Illinois.

(CNN) 5 February 2008:

A new study confirms something that expectant and new moms already know: Pregnancy is hard on the memory.

The Australian study found that pregnant and new moms experience a slight loss of memory. The memory loss is minor and usually involves “unfamiliar or demanding tasks.” CNN reports one of the study’s authors, Dr. Julie Henry said, ”For example, a pregnant woman is more likely to forget a new telephone number, but she is able to recall a number she has dialed many times before.”

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, found that the memory loss can last up to a year after giving birth for these forgetful moms.

Henry said, “You’re probably more preoccupied with the upcoming birth and (how) your whole life is going to be changing. You’re going to have more difficult sleeping. And other studies have shown that sleep deficiency definitely disrupts cognitive performance. There’s no reason to think it won’t do so during pregnancy.”

(WAFB.COM) 24 January 2008:

Hannah Montana fever is in full force. Tickets have been nearly impossible to come by. A Louisiana radio station held a contest for fathers willing to go all out to get their little princess tickets to the show of the century. Participants had to dress in drag.  “I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life than right now,” said participant David Weems. “Yes, well, I shaved my chest just for this. I have a chest full of hair and I couldn’t have that sticking out the dress,” he adds.