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Newsweek
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May 31, 09 5:47 PM CDT
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Former Sopranos matriarch Edie Falco is back, and this time her cable series character is closer to the actress herself—a blue-collar woman who shirks appearances and works hard, Newsweek reports. But Falco isn't quite the brassy protagonist in Showtime's Nurse Jackie , either. The Long Island native is a warm, happy mother of two adopted kids.
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Associated Press
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May 29, 09 4:01 PM CDT
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The Pennsylvania Department of Labor is investigating Jon & Kate Plus 8 to see if the show violates child labor laws, the AP reports. TLC says it complies with all state regulations; the department would not reveal who made the complaint, saying only “any complaint we get, we investigate.” At issue is whether the Gosselin kids are actors, or whether the cameras in their home are simply documenting their lives.
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New York Times
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May 28, 09 8:26 AM CDT
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Hugging is hip these days among teens: School hallways are clogged with pairs, or trios, of kids embracing, the New York Times reports. “We’re not afraid, we just get in and hug,” said a high school junior. But some schools aren’t so happy with the public affection. “Touching and physical contact is very dangerous territory,” said a principal who banned the practice.
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Sun (UK)
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May 28, 09 6:39 AM CDT
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A new CD is lulling babies to sleep with the gentle sounds of Nirvana, AC/DC, and Queen, the Sun reports. The makers of Rockabye Baby created lullaby renditions of hits like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with xylophones, wood blocks, and glockenspiels. The CD—which also includes songs from Bob Marley and Radiohead—has been a hit in baby stores, its makers say, especially with dads.
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Times (UK)
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May 27, 09 2:04 PM CDT
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Russian police have removed a feral girl from the home where she was raised by cats and dogs, the Times of London reports. Natasha, 5, who mimics the animals rather than speaking, has never been outside her family's unheated apartment. Her grandparents and father also lived there, but she had little contact with humans. She understands Russian but only barks in response.
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Newsweek
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May 23, 09 6:19 PM CDT
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“Parental neglect” is a tricky term that may indicate just the opposite: devoted parents who care for their children, but in a way authorities oppose, Kate Dailey writes in Newsweek . It’s a paradox illustrated by two moms who fled with their sons this week, one to prevent him from receiving chemo—she prefers holistic healing—and the other perhaps too poor to hire a doctor for her 555-pound son.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
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May 20, 09 2:06 PM CDT
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The father of a Minnesota 13-year-old ordered to undergo cancer treatment says his son and wife have fled the US, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “I have an opinion where they are, but I can’t say I know,” said Anthony Hauser, noting that wife Colleen’s disappearance was likely a “spur-of-the-moment” decision, and that he doesn’t think the pair is in Canada.
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Los Angeles Times
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May 20, 09 10:55 AM CDT
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In this tough economy, requests for long-term contraceptives and abortions have spiked at family planning clinics, reports the Los Angeles Times . Planned Parenthood of LA County has seen its caseload jump 15% in just a year, and requests for IUDs nearly doubled in the first quarter compared to a year ago. A recent Gallup poll showed a correlation between finances and family planning.
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Fox News
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May 19, 09 9:32 AM CDT
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A Texas mom checked with doctors when she noticed her twins didn’t look much alike—and learned they had different dads, Fox News reports. Much to the surprise of her partner, paternity tests showed two eggs had been fertilized by different sperm; the woman said she’d had an affair and had been impregnated by two men at the same time. “I'm very shocked,” Mia Washington said.
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette News
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May 18, 09 1:28 PM CDT
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Massachusetts police have charged a 22-year-old man with raping his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter, setting fire to her blanket, violently resisting arrest, marijuana possession, and a litany of other charges, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports. Christopher C. Mundell was supposed to be babysitting the toddler, and was highly intoxicated upon arrest.
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BBC
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May 18, 09 2:39 AM CDT
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A Belgium zoo webcast its first elephant birth to enthralled animal lovers yesterday as the newborn plopped out of mom Phyo Phyo after 38 hours of labor. The mother, sister and aunt scrambled in excitement in a circle around the newborn, trumpeting, until the baby responded with squeals of its own. The newborn female was up on its feet shortly after birth and is nursing well.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
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May 15, 09 3:35 PM CDT
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A Minnesota judge ordered today that a teen with cancer must receive an X-ray despite his family’s religious views, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “Daniel Hauser is a child in need of protection,” the judge said, citing state law requiring parents to provide “medically necessary care.” Countered a family lawyer: “Chemotherapy … amounts to an assault upon his body, and torture when it occurs over a long period of time.”
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Boston Globe
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May 14, 09 12:01 PM CDT
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Baby boomers are joining the ranks of grandparents, and as usual, they want to be the best—which includes outranking other grandparents in their mutual grandchildren's affections. The competition is so fierce that it's an economic stimulus unto itself: 42% of gift spending is by grandparents, the Boston Globe reports. "I have found myself in a somewhat competition with my son-in-law's mother over the oldest grandchild," one conflicted nana confessed online.
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New York Times
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May 14, 09 7:41 AM CDT
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Tempers are fraying in households across America as tough times force a growing number of adults to move back in with their parents, the New York Times reports. The move is difficult for both sides, experts say, as the offspring chafe at new restrictions and struggle with feelings of failure, while the parents often resent having a less tranquil retirement than they'd bargained for.
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DoubleX
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May 12, 09 4:19 PM CDT
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Marie Myung-Ok Lee gives marijuana to her 9-year-old autistic son and has no intention of stopping, she writes for doubleX, a new Slate spinoff for women. It’s working to calm him and curb his aggressive behaviors, writes Lee, who had her own misgivings initially. “I was already the weirdo mom who packed lunches with organic kale and kimchi,” she writes. “Now, I’d be the mom who shunned the standard operating procedure and gave her kid pot instead.”
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Gawker
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May 10, 09 2:33 PM CDT
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The Gosselin brood is kind of like the family of Russia's Czar Nicholas II. So who is the Rasputin scheming to tear down this public family? Don't just assume it's US Weekly, or TLC, or the alleged Other Woman, writes Foster Kamer for Gawker. The real force working against the Jon and Kate is... all of us.
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