The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has announced that pregnant women and those who plan to become so should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil if possible because of a risk of birth defects. They also cautioned against pregnant women taking a number of other related antidepressants, but said cases should be considered on […]
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a travel-guide thread, so here it is. I chose Washington, D. C. because April sent me a great link of Free Things to Do there. Please leave a comment if you have additional ideas for places and events to see in the area, especially, but not exclusively,
LEGO Bricks were one of the favorite toys of my childhood. I can’t wait until my son is old enough for the gear-filled LEGO Technic sets. I therefore enjoyed reading Business Week’s recent article on The Making of a LEGO Brick (thanks, Slashdot), which details the precise production process (“only 18 out of 1 million
As both the mother of a train-obsessed child and a refugee from grad school in history, I was delighted to find a Wikipedia article on the history and geography of the Island of Sodor, home of Thomas the Tank Engine. It’s not quite world-building on the Tolkien scale, but it’s a step in that direction,
It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), rates of flu infection are highest among children. They recommend vaccination of all children between 6 and 59 months of age, as well as “all children and adults who have certain diseases that put them at risk of serious complications from the
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has launched an asthma friendly(R) Certification Program to help identify toys, pillows, bedding, and other products suitable for people with asthma and related allergic sensitivities. I imagine that most parents of children with asthma or allergies (or who have them themselves) are already aware of what to
When Nina interviewed me for Queercents a few weeks ago, one of the questions she asked was “Does money buy happiness?” I answered “no,” though admitted that money can sometimes facilitate the things in which one finds happiness. Turns out I was wrong. According to economist Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick, “There is
Thanksgiving and the pending winter holidays are for most of us a time to be with family. As we enter into this season of love and light and kinship, it seems appropriate to reflect on the changes propagating through society’s traditional view of families.
Last weekend’s Saturday Night Live show featured a skit about Olivia Cruises. It’s crude and obvious, revolving around the ship captain’s prurient thoughts regarding lesbians. Still, the women get the final word, and Olivia itself is promoting the skit via its e-mail list. I figure that being made fun of on SNL connotes a certain
Speaking at the International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference, Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean said his party needs to work harder to get more LGBT candidates on the ballot. Lambda Legal submitted papers to a California Court of Appeal, urging them to uphold a jury decision that found former Poway High School students were severely
