Back when I was a kid, the worst thing that could happen if you got caught toilet papering a house was a call to your parents. Times have changed and the risks of childish pranks have changed with them. On Sunday, a 14-year-old was shot while he and his buddies were draping a southwestern Michigan house with toilet paper.
The owner of the home claims he thought that someone was trying to break into his house. So, he did what any red-blooded American would do - he came out shooting. He fired three shots from his 12-gauge shotgun, striking the boy in the chest, stomach and leg.
Fortunately, the child survived and is recovering in the hospital. The homeowner wasn't arrested, but a prosecutor is considering charges against him.
Given the fact that is was one o-clock in the morning, I can see where the homeowner might be a bit startled to hear activity outside his home. But I question his instinct to shoot first and ask questions later. Considering that the boys were in his yard - not his house - wouldn't a call to 911 have been a better course of action?
Every four years since 1940, Scholastic Magazine has asked young readers to pick the next president. In all but two of those 'elections', the kids have chosen the candidate who went on to win the presidency (they failed to predict Harry Truman in 1948 and John F. Kennedy in 1960).
Because of that impressive record, some people put a lot of stock in the results of Scholastic's election results. So, who did about 250,000 pre-K through 12th grade students choose for our next president this time? Democrat Barack Obama. And not just by a little bit, either. Obama got 57% of the vote compared to Republican John McCain's 39%.
Now, you might be wondering just what do these kids know that would allow them to correctly predict our next president 88% of the time. Rebecca Bondor, editor in chief of Scholastic's classroom magazine, credits family influence. "Kids do listen to their parents, and they discuss politics in their families," she says . But she also says that with today's easy access to information, many kids are forming their own opinions.
As for the remaining 4% of the vote, those went to write-in candidates. Hilary Clinton got most of those, but Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Stephen Colbert and "my dad" also garnered some votes.
So, there you have it. Like it or not, the kids have spoken. Do you think they've got it right?
Reality show relationships have a tendency to crash and burn once the cameras have been turned off. A little time in the real world usually reveals that happily-ever-after isn't going to happen and the couples split up. But at least one made-for-television hookup seems to be standing the test of time - Trista and Ryan Sutter.
Perennially perky Trista and hunky fireman Ryan met on the first season of the Bachelorette and married in a lavish, televised wedding ceremony in 2003. In July of 2007, the couple welcomed their first child, Max.
The three Sutters may be just settling into family life, but soon they will be four. She tells Life & Style that she is about three months along with her second child. And while she admits that getting pregnant so soon after Max was a bit of a surprise, she and Ryan couldn't be happier.
"I was in total shock! I took a few tests, and they all came back negative. But a few weeks after Max's 1st birthday, all of a sudden I thought to myself, I don't think I've had my period in a while. So I took another test - the line was extremely faint, but it was there!" she said. And Ryan's reaction? "His first words were, "Holy crap!" It was positive shock, one of the best kinds you can have in your life," she said.
Trista admits that she longs for a girl, but would be happy with another happy and healthy boy. Although she is leaning towards having her tubes tied after this baby, she says doesn't rule out the possibility of adopting to get the little girl she's always wanted.
It seems that expressing your views via signs, protests and letters to the editor has become passé. These days, it is all about using your name (or the name of your newborn child) to get your point across. Like this teen who decided that her given name, Jennifer Thornburg, didn't really convey her passion. To bring awareness to her opposition to the dissection of animals in schools, the 19-year-old legally changed her name to CutoutDissection.com.
Her family still calls her Jennifer, but to the rest of the world she is Cutout. She says that she first began opposing animal dissections in middle school and while in high school, helped create a policy that allows like-minded students to complete an alternative assignment rather than dissect an animal.
Having graduated high school, Cutout is now working as an intern at - you guessed it - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Her Web address name is the same as PETA's anti-dissection page, where you can learn all about the horrors of cutting up creatures in the name of education.
Cutout says that her name is a great conversation starter and that it gives her lots of opportunities to spread the word about alternatives to dissection. I am sure her name also provides lots of opportunities to be laughed at and made fun of, but I admire her willingness to suffer for her cause.
How do you show support for your presidential candidate? Signs in your yard? Bumper stickers on your car? Maybe you just show up and vote on the first Tuesday in November? Whatever you do, I'll bet it doesn't compare to what this dad in Elizabethton, Tennessee did: he named his newborn daughter Sarah McCain Palin. Without his wife's knowledge. That's hardcore.
Mark Ciptak and his wife had settled on the perfectly lovely name of Ava Grace for their third child. But Ciptak decided that he needed to "to get the word out" about the Republican ticket for president and vice president and secretly filled in the birth certificate with a combination of John McCain's and Sarah Palin's names.
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And how did his wife and the mother of his child take the news? "I don't think she believes me yet," he told a local paper. "It's going to take some more convincing."
"I took one for the cause," he said. "I can't give a lot of financial support for the (McCain/Palin) campaign. I do have a sign up in my yard, but I can do very little."
Sarah McCain Palin is a nice name and all, but who does this? I don't mean who would name their child after political candidates - I mean who would risk the wrath of a mother by secretly changing the name of her child? If he really wanted to take one for the cause, perhaps he should have changed his own name. Any bets on how long he will be sleeping on the couch?
It is hard to find anything good to say about the economic crisis that has gripped not just the United States, but much of the world. People are losing their retirement savings, their jobs, their homes, their sense of security. Many of us have altered our normal spending habits and instead of going out to dinner or a movie, we stay home and find something else to do. Apparently in Britain, that 'something else' is sex. And according to some, this at-home recreation is having an impact on the sales maternity clothes, pregnancy tests, and sex toys (not necessarily in that order).
While many businesses are downsizing and wondering just how they will survive, those who specialize in sex-related merchandise are experiencing a boom. Pharmacies report a 20% increase in the sales of pregnancy tests and one chain selling maternity wear boasts of a 46% increase. As Miranda Levy, editor of Mother & Baby Magazine, points out: "What's cheaper and more fun than making babies?
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Making babies with the help of sex toys, that's what! One online sex toy shop claims to have experienced a 27% increase in sales since the economy began melting down. "We are gobsmacked by the upturn in sales, while everyone else seems to be suffering. We've especially noticed the rise in sales of couples' toys, showing that people are buying for play with their partners," said Monique Carty, a spokesperson for the store.
I think it is great that couples are rekindling their romance in these times of trouble. But in about nine months, those who end up shopping in the maternity stores are going to find that staying home and having sex is a play now, pay later kind of fun. Ultimately, dinner and a movie would have been much cheaper.
Considering the grief that Lisa Marie Presley got before she announced her pregnancy last March, I don't blame her one bit for keeping quiet about giving birth. But the word is out now and her publicist confirms that Elvis Presley's only child is a mom again. She and her husband Michael Lockwood welcomed their twin girls this past Tuesday and according to that publicist, "babies and mom are happy and healthy and resting at home."
The girls names have not been revealed, but we do know that they arrived via C-section, one weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces and the other at 5 pounds, 2 ounces.
The babies make three and four for Presley, who has two teenage children from her first marriage to Danny Keough - 19-year-old Danielle Riley, and 15-year-old Benjamin Storm.
Thanks to Google's Street View, anyone with an Internet connection can virtually tour the streets of cities across the United States. The tool allows you to see 360° images of neighborhoods just as if you were driving down that very street. It's a unique way to get an up-close and personal look at places like Times Square in New York and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. But Street View also lets users get up-close and personal looks at homes, schools and playgrounds. And those views, says a children's advocacy group, put kids at risk.
Stop Internet Predators has asked Google to remove the city of Pittsburgh from Street View because they say that images showing kids, toys and family cars make it easier for pedophiles to find potential victims. A spokesperson for Google says they have a process in which users may request certain images be blurred or removed from Street View, but Stop Internet Predators executive Director Stacie Rumenap says that isn't good enough.
"We want parents to have the opportunity to safeguard their children and for them to have the level of privacy and security they deserve," she said. "Our children's safety should always be the No. 1 concern when allowing a new technology to come into our neighborhoods, and putting the burden on parents to opt out of the system seems unacceptable."
Although Rumenap acknowledges that there have been no crimes against children attributed to Street View, she still thinks it should go offline until all images that might identify where children live, study or play are removed. I am not sure how this could realistically be accomplished, but Rumenap's group is actively pursuing that goal in several other cities as well. I've never used Street View for anything other than wasting time online and wouldn't care one way or the other if it went away. But does showing actual images of schools, playgrounds and homes really put children at higher risk of being victimized? Or is this just pedophile paranoia?
If you are heading out to a fair or amusement park this weekend, don't be surprised to find the YO-YO ride closed. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Chance Rides Manufacturing Inc. have closed down about 85 of the rides in order to inspect and repair them. This action was brought about by two incidents in which children and adults were injured when the sweep arms suspending the circular swinging chairs broke free from the ride's center rod. Yikes!
Chance Rides is offering ride owners and state safety officials inspection and repair kits and has also created new inspection and maintenance guidelines for the rides. CPSC has jurisdiction over amusement rides, but state and local officials are responsible for inspections and oversight.
For more information about which states have amusement ride inspection programs and which agencies carry out those responsibilities, CPSC has published a Directory of State Amusement Ride Safety Officials which can be downloaded in PDF format from the CPSC Website.
Many cities have alternative schools where kids who might otherwise drop out are given the opportunity to stay in school and graduate. These at-risk kids are often the victims of neglect or poverty and may have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law. But, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District study, there is another group of at-risk kids who might benefit from an alternative school of their own: gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers.
Studies show that gay high school students are three times more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe. Because the stigma and fear of violence puts these kids at greater risk of dropping out altogether, the Chicago Public School District has proposed a school just for them. The School for Social Justice Pride would have a maximum enrollment of 600 students who would be admitted on a lottery basis. The school would have the same staffing and oversight as other schools, but would include lessons about sexual identity in literature and history as well as offering counseling.
"We want to create great new options for communities that have been traditionally underserved," said schools chief Arne Duncan. "If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates. . . . I think there is a niche there we need to fill."
While the idea seems to have plenty of support, it is not going over well with some gay rights advocates. They want to see schools focus on fostering acceptance, not segregation.
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the matter on October 22nd and if passed, Chicago's first gay high school would open in 2009.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 330,000 Nerf N-Strike Recon Blasters due to faulty design. When firing the toy, the plunger on the blaster can pull the user's skin resulting in injury to the face, neck and/or chest. There have been 46 reports of children aged 4 to 12 who received bruises, abrasion, pinch marks, blood blisters and welts.
The recall involves the Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 Blasters for kids aged 6 and over. The toy is yellow with a black handle and orange plunger, trigger and reload clip. The word "NERF" can be found on both sides of the blaster in black lettering and the word "ARMED" is indented on the orange plunger. RECON CS-6 can be found on the gray cocking mechanism. The toy comes with five interchangeable parts including a shoulder stock, flip-up sight, barrel extension, quick re-load clip and dual-mode light beam. Model number 63552 and UPC codes 653569272021 and 653569311218 can be found on the packaging. Only blasters with an exposed orange plunger are included in this recall.
These were made in China for Hasbro Inc. and sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us, discount stores and toy stores nationwide from November 2007 through August 2008 for about $20 each.
If you have one of the recalled toys, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Hasbro for a free cylindrical cover to prevent injuries. For more information, contact Hasbro by calling (800) 245-0910 anytime or by visiting their Web site.
Elmo Live may be the hot toy of the season this year, but it's a cute little baby doll who is getting all the attention right now. Fisher Price's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo doll is supposed to utter only one actual word: Mama. The rest of the sounds emanating from the speakers inside the doll are just cooing and giggling sounds. Or are they? Some say they hear the words "Islam is the Light" among the baby babble are demanding the toy be removed from the shelves.
Gary Rofkahr of Owasso, Oklahoma says he bought the doll and was shocked by what he heard. "I have a 1-year-old granddaughter," he said. "It makes me mad that someone is trying to indoctrinate our children with an innocent toy."
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But wait, there's more. Others say in addition to promoting Islam, the doll also utters the phrase "Satan is King". Now, that makes absolutely no sense to me as Islam is most definitely not a pro-Satan religion. Is someone trying to indoctrinate our children or just confuse them?
This may sound like a few parents getting up in arms over what is in all likelihood just a misunderstanding, but the Wal-Mart in Owasso is taking it seriously. They've pulled the doll from the shelves. And in response to emails from a local television station, Fisher Price's parent company, Mattell, has issued a statement on the matter. They admit that one of the baby noises may indeed sound like the word "light", but insist that the rest is just gibberish. "We have found that if told to listen for a particular phrase, you may hear something similar due to the power of suggestion," the statement says.
Have a listen for yourself and tell us what you hear.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 11,000 pairs of girls' sandals sold by Rack Room Shoes of Charlotte, North Carolina. The ornamental flowers on the sandals can detach and pose a choking hazard to young children.
The sandals are leather with attached leather flowers and were sold under the Kids Feet brand name. They are either all white or white with pink soles. They were sold in girls' sizes 5 through 12 at Rack Room Shoes stores nationwide from February 2008 through June 2008 for about $25 each.
If you have the recalled shoes, you are advised to immediately take them away from your child and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund or store credit. For more information, you can contact Rack Room Shoes by calling (866) 344-1213 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by visiting their Web site.
A six-year-old girl in Bristow, Virginia is being hailed as 'amazing' for fighting off an intruder who jumped into the backseat of her mother's car while it was parked in the family's garage. The girl was strapped into the car alone while her mother dropped a note in a mailbox a few doors down. In the blink of an eye, a man ran into the garage, lowered the door and got into the back seat of the car with the little girl.
According to Sgt. Kim Chinn, the girl gets an A+ for remembering her stranger danger lesson. "The 6-year-old fought him," Sgt. Chinn said. "She screamed, she kicked, and she pinched him. And I just think that was amazing for a 6-year-old to think to do that. Screaming was fantastic; the other stuff, even better."
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The girl's screams alerted her mother, who ran back into the garage in time to see the intruder flee the scene. News reports are referring to this guy as a would-be burglar, but I question why he got in the backseat with the girl if all he intended to do was steal. What was he after? Her lunch box?
Talking to your kids about what to do should a stranger approach can be a scary thing. Scary for you because the idea that someone would want to harm your child is at the top of the list of Very Bad Things that could happen in life. Scary for your child because it makes the world seem like a big, unfriendly place where horrible strangers are out to get them. Unfortunately, sometimes the world is a big, unfriendly place. But this story proves that those stranger danger lessons are important and that being small doesn't have to mean being powerless.
Back when I was a kid, the worst thing that could happen if you got caught toilet papering a house was a call to your parents. Times have changed and the risks of childish pranks have changed with them. On Sunday, a 14-year-old was shot while he and his buddies were draping a southwestern Michigan house with toilet paper.
Every four years since 1940, 
Reality show relationships have a tendency to crash and burn once the cameras have been turned off. A little time in the real world usually reveals that happily-ever-after isn't going to happen and the couples split up. But at least one made-for-television hookup seems to be standing the test of time - Trista and Ryan Sutter. 
It seems that expressing your views via signs, protests and letters to the editor has become passé. These days, it is all about using your name (or the name of your 
It is hard to find anything good to say about the economic crisis that has gripped not just the United States, but much of the world. People are losing their retirement savings, their jobs, their homes, their sense of security. Many of us have altered our normal spending habits and instead of going out to dinner or a movie, we stay home and find something else to do. Apparently in Britain, 
Considering the grief that Lisa Marie Presley got 
Thanks to Google's 
If you are heading out to a fair or amusement park this weekend, don't be surprised to find the YO-YO ride closed. The 
Many cities have alternative schools where kids who might otherwise drop out are given the opportunity to stay in school and graduate. These at-risk kids are often the victims of neglect or poverty and may have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law. But, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District study, there is another group of at-risk kids who might benefit from an alternative school of their own: gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers. 
Elmo Live may be the hot toy of the season this year, but it's 
A six-year-old girl in Bristow, Virginia is being hailed as 'amazing' for 
