It had to be devastating -- to learn that their son had a deadly genetic disease destined to cut his life short after just a decade. But then science reared its helpful head and offered a solution. Andres, suffering from a rare hereditary disease called Beta Thalassaemia major, could have a brother who was not only free of the genetic malady, but could save Andres' life.

And so, Javier was born, free of the disease, and an immunological match for his brother -- meaning he could donate bone marrow to his brother and quite possibly cure Andres' condition. Andres' body does not produce enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells but his brother's umbilical cord blood will be used in a bone marrow transplant. Doctors say that "the possibility of healing the boy after the transplant is very high."

The parents used in vitro fertilization to conceive Javier and, prior to implantation, were able to verify that the embryo was genetically healthy. After he was born, doctors determined that Javier was indeed the ideal donor for his brother. I'd say that's one boy that better be nice to his kid brother!

I must have been nine or ten; I remember being almost as amazed that I won the auction for the pocket knife as I was that my mother let me bid on it. That was, however, the first of many knives and other weapons I owned -- a few of which my mother knew about and many which she didn't. Apparently, Angelina Jolie had a similar experience.

According to the Perez Hilton website, Angelina told W Magazine that her mother took her shopping for a knife when she was eleven years old and she is now continuing the tradition -- she recently took her son Maddox knife-shopping. Maddox is a bit younger than both Angelina and I were; he is only seven.

I'm not sure seven is old enough to have a knife of one's own but given his mom's experience, I'll bet Maddox will learn to use it safely.

A group of teenage girls, fourteen and fifteen years old, had the brilliant idea of writing their mobile phone numbers on their backs with blue skin cream so that boys could see them when the girls were sunbathing. The girls were hoping to attract some attention, but admitted that they got some they weren't looking for. "An old guy tried to talk to me. He was trying to take pictures of us," said one fifteen-year-old.

Nikki Goldstein, author of Girlforce, thinks it's a bad idea. "They're in their bikinis, showing off their bodies, objectifying themselves in a way that is, to my mind, a bit trashy," she explained. "Really what they're saying is 'Dial me up for sex'." Child protection experts are warning other girls not to follow this example and Goldstein notes that "we'd never advise girls to broadcast their phone number on the internet or anywhere that could make them a target."

The girls themselves see it as just being a good bit of fun, especially since they're not planning on going any further than chatting. "We come for both the beach and the boys, but I'm taken, so it's all good," said one. Unfortunately, it's not always "all good" and not everyone at the beach is someone you want to have your phone number.

Make magazine and its associated website are running a contest for do-it-yourself types. There are lots of categories, from hack-o-lanterns (no simple carvings here!) to costumes, food, and even green Halloween. Prizes are understandably DIY-ish, with grand prizes from the Maker Shed store and Plaid Craft Express.

This is the sort of thing I'd love to be involved in, if I had the time and I had any talent for such things. I do have a neighbor who could probably do pretty well in the "best decorations" category and we're making Jared's costume from scratch this year. I'm not sure it will be good enough to enter in a contest, let alone be prize-worthy. He's only six, though, so imagination goes a long way when it comes to Halloween costumes.

It will be fun to see the results of the contest although I think I might skip the "Food" category.

If you're tired of the same old alphabets for your little ones (and Sweet Juniper's doesn't do it for you), have a look at this collection of twenty-three different alphabets. There is the well-known butterfly wing alphabet, of course, but also some very creative and fascinating new ones as well.

There is the rather unexpected meat alphabet, the mind-boggling buildings and sky alphabet, and even a few found alphabets. I think my favorites are the matchbook alphabet (very creative idea), the pebble alphabet (amazing), and the truck rear end alphabet (just plain cool). You might like the whimsical beard alphabet or the binder clip alphabet more, however.

I have to say -- this makes me want to grab my camera and come up with my own set of alphabet photos. Anyone have any ideas for a creative alphabet?

The spanking debate has been duked out repeatedly and will probably continue to be waged so long as people keep having kids. There was the California lawmaker who tried to ban it, but it seems that folks around here see it overwhelmingly as discipline rather than abuse. Me, I'm against it, but that's mostly because I'm very anti-violence.

Cathy Sorbo, a Seattle, Washington stand-up comedienne and mother, is on the non-spanking side as well and has written a column for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the matter after a woman was arrested for abandoning her newborn baby near a church in the middle of the night. More than just opposing spanking, Sorbo offers an alternative: tickling.

"You can carefully and skillfully overpower your child and inflict torture in a dominant fashion," she explains, "but instead of crying and fear, you will elicit shrieks of laughter." She notes, also, that there are disciplinary advantages too -- "you'll find your child to be more receptive to your concerns after you have both had a good giggle."

I don't know how effective a method of discipline tickling would turn out to be, but it sure seems a lot healthier and happier than spanking. As Sorbo says, "Laughter is healing. Spanking is not."

In this country, sadly, we don't encourage advanced studies anywhere near as much as we should. In fact, it seems almost the opposite -- those who are passionate about hard science are the target of ridicule at best and victims of institutionalized physical abuse at the worst. And yet, while the stars of track and field can go on to become lawyers and own car dealerships, it is the nerds of the world that seem to make the difference -- people like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak and, yes, Grace Hopper.

But can we afford this culture of anti-science where the brightest students are stuffed into lockers just for being smart? According to scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we cannot. And when it comes to girls, doubly not. "It is deemed uncool," the researchers wrote, "within the social context of USA middle and high schools to do mathematics for fun; doing so can lead to social ostracism. Consequently, gifted girls, even more so than boys, usually camouflage their mathematical talent to fit in well with their peers."

The problem is that "a majority of the top young mathematicians in this country were not born here," says Janet Mertz, the professor who led the study. "We are wasting this valuable resource," Mertz noted. "Girls can excel in math at the very highest level. There are some truly phenomenal women mathematicians out there."

She's right, of course. Since men are no longer banging women on the head and dragging them back to their caves, we need every great scientific mind we can get, regardless of what type of body it might be in.

They disagree on the economy. They disagree about foreign policy. They even disagree on how to pronounce "Pakistan". But whatever their philosophical, economic, military or social differences, there is one thing the two presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, can agree upon -- pirates are cool.

In interviews with Nick News, both candidates told the thirteen-year-olds quizzing them that their favorite costume from their own past was that of a pirate. Now, having dressed as a pirate for a friend's son's birthday party, complete with real saber, I can understand that. There's something to be said for the romantic notion of a pirate's life -- sailing the seas, answering to no one, sort of an ocean-going hobo. Only, with plundering and pillaging thrown in.

McCain seems partial to that part; "When I see the way they behave in the United States Senate," he said in the interview, "sometimes I wish I (could) put my costume on and take my sword out or my dagger and get 'em back in line."

Obama, on the other hand, remembers fondly the costume he wore when he was three years old. He says it was "one of the best costumes of all time," adding that it even came complete with a pirate sword and a "little mustache."

I think we've finally found something that truly crosses all party lines and that everyone, republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, boxers or briefs, can agree on. And if we're all into being pirates, surely the rest of these problems can be solved? What say ye? Arrr!

As a teacher, here in the U.S., my wife is required to report suspected cases of child abuse or endangerment. If she sees or hears something that indicates there could be a problem, she is obligated to contact child protective services. I'm okay with that -- sometimes, kids need protection even from their own family. In England, however, it seems the government wants to take that a step further -- by having teachers report potential terrorists to the police.

The plan extends the "in loco parentis" responsibilities of teachers to include keeping an eye out for pupils who consider violent extremism an option. Francis Gilbert, a teacher who would have to watch out for these disgruntled teenagers (are there really any other kind?), has written a critique of the idea noting that students, aware that their teachers might turn them in, would be afraid to say anything that might be considered anti-establishment.

The teenage years, especially, are a time when kids rebel against the status quo, looking for ways to solve the problems they see and improve society. From the Beatles to Romeo and Juliet, this is part of growing up, part of becoming the next generation. Setting teacher out to crush that is a very bad idea.

How does a woman signal to a man that she is fertile and about to ovulate? Researchers have found that women raise the pitch of their voice when talking in social situations; the better the timing for conception, the higher the pitch. This, apparently, makes them more attractive to members of the opposite sex.

The researchers at the University of California recorded female undergraduate students and noted that they spoke in higher tones when they were nearer to an egg being released. The difference, however, only showed up when they said a sentence they would normally say in a social setting, such as "hi, I'm a student at UCLA." The change was not apparent for simple vowel sounds.

A study at the State University of New York recently found that men and women both preferred female voices more when the speaker was more fertile; perhaps now we know why. Perhaps, also, we know why sopranos always get the lead roles.

After more than twenty-five years in the business, the shine is definitely off the industry in which I've toiled for so long. And yet, I go to work every morning and trudge through the day, not taking off for Botswana to bum around in an old Land Rover. Why? Because of the kids. I couldn't imagine not being around them, hugging them, hearing Jared say he loves me and watching Sara climb things. I didn't set out to be a parent but, like someone who expects lengua to taste terrible but tries it anyway and loves it, I am now, first and foremost, a father.

But what if I weren't able to see the kids every day? What if I weren't around all the time to take them to school and cook them dinner and hug them in the middle of the night when the monsters come calling? That must be what it's like to be a single parent. Such is the tale of William Leith who shares custody of his three-year-old son with his ex-wife; Leith sees his son for half a week at a time.

Leith has written a very touching and sadly informative piece about what being a part-time dad means for him. "...even after three and a half years. My son! I don't usually go more than three days without seeing him. But sometimes it feels like a long time not to see your son." I could imagine going three days without seeing the kids -- perhaps on a business trip or something -- but it would certainly be a rarity. I don't think I've gone more than a day without seeing them since they were born. That would be like walking around without an arm -- or a heart.

Check out Leith's article; I know it made me think about life without the kids and strengthened my resolve not to miss out on their lives. I joke that I would never get a divorce because my wife would stick me with the kids but, in reality, the exact opposite is true. I don't want to have to visit my kids.

Creative answers lead to great fun in this classic game of categories.

"Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, / To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak." So wrote William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, way back in 1697. Turns out the guy knew what he was talking about. Researchers in Taiwan studied pregnant women and found those who listened to lullabies and classical music over a two-week period lowered their levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

About half the women in the study were given four CD's and told to listen to at least one of them every day for two weeks. Each woman got a CD of classical music, one of lullabies, one of nature sounds, and one with new age versions of children's songs. "Pregnancy is a unique and stressful period for many expectant mothers and they suffer anxiety and depression because of the long time period involved," explained Professor Chung-Hey Chen of Kaohsiung Medical University, who led the study. "Our study shows that listening to suitable music provides a simple, cost-effective and non-invasive way of reducing stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy."

This comes as no surprise to me; I've known for a long time that a little Vivaldi, Ray Lynch, or Beethoven before a trip to the dentist makes a huge difference. It's good to see the idea put to use making pregnancy a little easier.

Okay, so maybe the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator wasn't of interest to you. Maybe your politics make you more interested in her opponent, the charismatic senator from Illinois. So how do you support Obama and get your fledgling democrat involved in the 2008 presidential election at the same time? Easy! Just ship him or her off to get a kiss from the candidate.

Kissing babies is a longstanding tradition in American politics and, even in this era of modern campaigning, Obama is not one to ignore the past. The only thing is, he can't be everywhere. So, if you've got a baby and you want Obama's blessing, just go to the Send Barack your baby website for instructions on how to pack up the little one and send him on over to campaign headquarters.

Upon arrival, your baby will be unpacked, given your choice of a hug, a kiss, or hope, and then packed up again to be sent home. And as if that weren't enough, there's also a slideshow of adorable little Obama supporters. Too bad they're not old enough to vote!

All I can say is that I'm sure glad they didn't have this system when I was a teenager. Ford is introducing a system that allows parents to control a vehicle's maximum speed, limit the radio volume, and even ensure that seatbelts are worn. All of this is part of a system called MyKey that will initially be standard on the 2010 Ford Focus due out next year and on other vehicles in the future.

The system comes with up to eight keys, each of which can have its own settings. Parents control the system with a master key. "Teens are probably the riskiest drivers," said Sue Cischke, group vice president of sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford. "MyKey helps parents encourage their teens to drive safely." More like forces them to drive, well, safer, anyway. Take the seatbelts, for example. Not only is the car more annoying in reminding occupants to buckle up, but the stereo won't come on until everyone's belted in.

As a teen, I don't think I would have liked this system but, as a parent, I am definitely intrigued. This seems a lot simpler than following them around all the time.