British Toddler with 'Worst Case of Chickenpox Ever Seen' Turned Away from Doctors; Mum Told Not to Worry (VIDEO)

The scariest case of chicken pox I've ever seen.

And the doctor's office told the mum, "every mother thinks their child has bad chickenpox," so stop freaking out already.

At Pajamas, "Toddler With 'Worst Case of Chickenpox EVER Seen' Turned Away from Doctors."

I had to check around to make sure the kid was okay.

Thankfully, yes.

At the Mirror U.K., "Tot with worst case of chicken pox ever entertains This Morning hosts with his bored antics."

Here's the video, "Severe Chickenpox Put My Child In Hospital - This Morning."

I had chicken pox. The itching just about kills you, but you'll survive.

But both of my sons were vaccinated, so thank goodness they didn't have to go through it.

Collette Francisco, 9-Years-Old, Brought to Tears by Puppy for Her Birthday (VIDEO)

At London's Daily Mail, "'Tell me this is not a dream!' Heartwarming moment a nine-year-old girl is left in tears after finally getting the puppy she always wanted."

And on YouTube, "Girl Bought to Tears as She Receives Dog for Birthday."

And Remember, Tiny House Hunters...

Heh.

My wife and I have watched this show a few times, and it's fascinating. Of course, I'd never even consider one of these tiny houses, but it's still pretty cool how the builders can get so much stuff in an extremely small space. And hey, maybe it will work for some people (although the family of five or six we watched once had to be insane, but whatever).

In any case, you gotta read this hilarious essay from Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds, "An Open Letter to Tiny House Hunters."

It's getting Instalanched and SDA-alanched, so I had to toggle back and forth and arrow-browser buttons before it would load, but what a hoot:

Second, the toilet. Nobody has brought this up on the show, but I’m going to now: if you live with other humans, eventually one of you is going to take the kind of deuce-evacuation that could conceivably destroy a marriage. Normally you’d be fine, because normally you’d be living in a normal-sized human house where you have a door to close and a fan and several rooms or even floors of separation. But now you dwell in an elf-house and now you and all the other elves are going to share in that dump you just took. You’re going to live with it for a while. Everyone is going to become intimately familiar with one another’s bathroom peccadilloes, okay?

Heh.

He goes on about "those aforementioned Herculean/Sisyphean dumps" again, but you get the picture.

Over 300 comments there as well. It's like the old days of blogging.

Dad Pulls Loose Tooth in Particularly Creative Way (VIDEO)

It's Sean Copeland and his son Brodie, two Americans who were slaughtered during the jihad truck rampage in Nice.

A beautiful video. What a great dad. And what an enormous loss of human life, for no reason other than an Islamic nihilist death wish.

At iOWNTHEWORLD Report, "Not Just Another “Dad Pulls Loose Tooth in Creative Way” Video."

Georgia Mother of Five Sentenced to 6-Years Probation for Smoking Marijuana, Drinking Alcohol, and Playing Naked Twister with Teenagers in 2015

Naked Twister, eh?

I wonder what else this "hip" mom did with her clothes off.

Sheesh.

I know parents try to be cool with the teenage kids, but you have to draw the line sometimes, man.

Frankly, she's lucky she's not doing some time behind bars.

At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

'Naked Twister' mom gets probation for teen party https://t.co/9xx1yPJK1P pic.twitter.com/8xa2eF2Uyi

— AJC (@ajc) July 12, 2016

Blake Lively Loves Babies

Heh.

I love babies too, although my wife and I haven't been in a position to have the full complement of in-home nanny services, to say nothing of house cleaners lol.

She's sweet though. Big families are cool — and oh so politically incorrect!

At the Federalist, "Blake Lively Loves Babies So Much She Wants a House Full."

#HugAShark https://t.co/7ZcFXwKoCm

— Blake Lively (@blakelively) June 9, 2016

PREVIOUSLY: "Blake Lively Under Attack for Alleged 'Racist' Instagram Caption."

Father's Day

Sorry for the light posting.

My younger sister was here on Friday, and then yesterday my mom came for Father's Day. We went out to B.J.'s in Irvine for a wonderful dinner last night.

I've been hanging out watching sports all day today, with the exception of an afternoon excursion to Barnes and Noble, where I picked up a copy of the new book out from Eric Metaxas, If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty.

I'm also halfway through Roger Scruton's, Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left. Scruton's an absolutely stellar writer, and the book's excellent. It's heavy duty scholarship, though, so not a quick read. But his command of the literature is breathtaking, and he's just merciless in skewering all the neo-Marxist postmodernist pap.

On the sporting front, the Angels have been outstanding this weekend, especially the pitching. Both offense and defense have been great too, especially yesterday, with the Halos taking the Athletics 7-1. Tim Lincecum made his major league comeback, picking up the win, although this Sports Illustrated piece just savages him as a hollow shell of his old self.

Today Jared Weaver had a pretty amazing outing, a 2-0 shutout over the A's. I don't know how great or not it was according to all the sophisticated metrics of professional analysts, but it was nice to see Weaver pitch the complete game for the win, clearly rekindling some badly needed confidence for a pitcher who's also seen better days.

LAT's Pedro Moura was impressed, in any case:

Attended two sporting events in Oakland today. This is a story about the less lit one. Jered Weaver threw a shutout. https://t.co/PAX59kZq3W

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 20, 2016

And the first man in the majors to throw a Maddux in 2016 is Jered Weaver, because you can’t predict baseball and, really, you shouldn’t try

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 19, 2016

The Angels beat Oakland, 2-0. Jered Weaver threw a CG. At 2:19, it was their shortest non-Kershaw game of the year. That’s what you want.

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 19, 2016

Jered Weaver’s 23rd out was his first strikeout. He has only thrown 85 pitches through 8 scoreless innings. This is a remarkable performance

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 19, 2016

Jered Weaver has now thrown seven scoreless innings without striking anyone out. Last man to do that was Rick Porcello in July 2014.

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 19, 2016

Deal of the Day: Save Big on Select Refurbished Samsung Display Monitors

At Amazon, Samsung S22E310H 21.5" Full-HD LED-backlit Monitor with Simple Stand (Certified Refurbished).

Also, Samsung 27-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor (S27E390H) Certified Refurbished, and Samsung 23.6-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor (S24E390HL-R) Certified Refurbished.

More, Save Save Big on Select E-Z UP Outdoor Canopies.

And, Optoma HD37 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector (Manufacturer Refurbished).

Still more, Father's Day BLACK+DECKER $10 off $50 Promotion.

Plus, Father's Day Makita $20 off $100 Promotion.

BONUS: Helen Smith, Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream - and Why It Matters.

How Marriage Influences Male Economic Success (VIDEO)

Here's Brad Wilcox, for Prager University.



And check out his study, "For Richer, For Poorer: How Family Structures Economic Success in America."

Baby Sees Mom's Face for the First Time with Eyeglasses (VIDEO)

I almost started to cry watching this video.

So precious.

'Sesame Street' Unveils Islamic Jihad Muppet: 'Zari'

Oh brother.

And to think I used to let my kids watch "Sesame Street." I thought it was harmless. But then, one of our daycare ladies used to change the channel to Disney, lol.

At Blazing Cat Fur, "‘Sesame Street’ Unveils Hijab-Clad Muppet: ‘Zari’ Is a Feminist from Afghanistan."

Get Ready for Mother's Day

At Amazon's Mother's Day Shop.

BONUS: From Alison Wolf, The XX Factor: How the Rise of Working Women Has Created a Far Less Equal World.

9-Year-Old Reporter Hilde Lysiak Breaks Crime News, Sparks Backlash on Parenting

I don't see what the problem is. We push kids so hard in school, with high school algebra and what not pushed down to K-6, and now folks are upset by a precocious kid who likes to cover the news?

More power to this kid and her mom, who were on "GMA" yesterday.



And see the Washington Post, "9-year-old reporter breaks crime news, posts videos, fires back at critics."

Juliette Kayyem, Security Mom

Her new book was just released yesterday.

See, Security Mom: An Unclassified Guide to Protecting Our Homeland and Your Home.

It’s time to put the “home” back into our homeland. Part prescription and part memoir, this exceptional view of America’s security concerns by a leading government Homeland Security advisor, Pulitzer Prize–finalist columnist, CNN analyst and mother of three delivers a message and a plan: security begins at home.

“Soccer Moms” are so last decade. Juliette Kayyem is a “Security Mom.” A national security expert who worked at the highest levels of government, and also a mom of three, she’s lived it all—from the fears of being a target of an anthrax hoax, to the challenges of managing the BP Oil spill, to the more intimate challenges of defeating lice in her children’s hair—and now she tells it all. Weaving her personal story of marriage and motherhood into a fast-paced account of managing the nation’s most compelling disasters, Juliette recounts the milestones that mark the path of her unpredictable, daring, funny, and ultimately relatable life....

Security Mom is an utterly modern tale about the highs and lows of having-it-all parenthood and a candid, sometimes shocking, behind-the-scenes look inside the high-stakes world of national security. Unlike so many in her field who seem invested on terrifying citizens into paralysis, Juliette’s motto has always been “don’t scare, prepare!” In her signature refreshing style, Juliette reveals how she came to learn that homeland security is not simply about tragedy and terror; it is about what we can do every day to keep each other strong and safe.

2 Girls Dead in Shooting at Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona (VIDEO)

It's a parent's ultimate nightmare.

At the Arizona Republic, "Police: 2 girls dead, no outstanding suspects at Glendale school":

Two 15-year-old female students are dead, and there are no outstanding suspects, after a double shooting Friday morning at the Independence High School campus in Glendale, police said.

Glendale Police officer Tracey Breeden said each of the two sophomores sustained a single gunshot wound, were found next to each other and were declared dead at the scene. They were found in an isolated area of campus near the administration building.

"This is not an active-shooter situation, and we realized that once we got on scene," she said.

Police did not provide the names of the victims.

Shop for Valentine's Day Gifts

Well, it's coming up in two weeks, although it's the last thing I've been thinking about, which is not to say it isn't important.

I used to take candy and flowers to my wife at work when I was in grad school. My wife worked the fragrance counter at Robinson's department store back then, and having the husband drop of the Valentine's presents like that gained my wife some high creds with her female colleagues, heh.

At Amazon, Shop Amazon - Top Valentine's Day Gifts.

MORE: Shop for gym bags and running shoes.

Dakota Meyer Has Filed Court Papers Asking for Joint Legal and Physical Custody, and Child Support, for Sailor Grace, His Daughter with Bristol Palin

Another weird story.

And here I thought they were going to be married.

At London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: Who's the daddy? Dakota Meyer's custody battle with Bristol Palin escalates as he's forced to take PATERNITY TEST amid questions of baby's actual birth date."

There was the controversy last year over his previous marriage, so perhaps the paternity test and court filing relates.

I don't know, but Victory Girls posted on this at the time, "Yes, Chicks on the Right, Dakota Meyer IS Legally Divorced From His First Wife."

Rowland Heights Killings (VIDEO)

What's interesting is that the son was arrested after killing his father. Wasn't it self-defense? I mean, if he was right there, perhaps the father was about to kill him too.

In any case, at KTLA News 5 Los Angeles, via Memeorandum, "Son, 33, Fatally Shoots Father Who Killed 3 People in Rowland Heights: Sheriff's Department."

And at LAT, "Sheriff's officials: Four dead in Rowland Heights shooting, including gunman shot by son."

And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Man, 54, Shoots and Kills 3 People Inside His Home Before His Son Fatally Shoots Him."

Beatles Streamed 70 Million Times During First Three Days on Spotify

I was at my son's new apartment yesterday, helping him finish his recent move, and we were listening to the Beatles. He mentioned that he'd been using Spotify.

I tweeted, and below is David Joachim, at the New York Times:

Helping my son move in at his Artist's Village apartment. Listening to the Beatles too, heh. pic.twitter.com/fIatXa8Okn

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 28, 2015

In the Beatles’ first three days on Spotify, their songs were streamed 70 million times - https://t.co/SwQWRfdb7Y

— David Joachim, NYT (@davidjoachim) December 28, 2015

Social Class Differences Increasingly Affect Children's Success

Any educator serious about student success has to deal with the one thing that's not politically correct to discuss: influences from students' home life are perhaps the most powerful indicators of academic success. A classic book on this is Annette Lareau's, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. I only have students for one semester in my classes, but I try my hardest to impart as many basic life skills to students as I can. A lot of this is simply modeling values of hard work and professionalism, and then providing as much real-life examples of up-from-the bootstraps work ethics as possible. I also provide handouts and overheads on what it means to be a successful student, something that isn't appreciated by young people, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds.

Often, one semester is just not enough for students to make big changes, but at least the most conscientious students will have a chance to build on that foundation, internalizing those crucial tips from my classes, to increase their levels of student success. It's an entire culture that we have to battle against, and economic class disadvantages are extremely difficult to overcome.

In any case, at the New York Times, "Class Differences in Child-Rearing Are on the Rise":

The lives of children from rich and poor American families look more different than they have in decades.

Well-off families are ruled by calendars, with children enrolled in ballet, soccer and after-school programs, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. There are usually two parents, who spend a lot of time reading to children and worrying about their anxiety levels and hectic schedules.

In poor families, however, children tend to spend their time at home or with extended family, the survey found. They are more likely to grow up in neighborhoods that their parents say aren’t great for raising children, and their parents worry about them getting shot, beaten up or in trouble with the law.

The class differences in child rearing are growing, researchers say — a symptom of widening inequality with far-reaching consequences. Different upbringings set children on different paths and can deepen socioeconomic divisions, especially because education is strongly linked to earnings. Children grow up learning the skills to succeed in their socioeconomic stratum, but not necessarily others.

“Early childhood experiences can be very consequential for children’s long-term social, emotional and cognitive development,” said Sean F. Reardon, professor of poverty and inequality in education at Stanford University. “And because those influence educational success and later earnings, early childhood experiences cast a lifelong shadow.”

The cycle continues: Poorer parents have less time and fewer resources to invest in their children, which can leave children less prepared for school and work, which leads to lower earnings.

American parents want similar things for their children, the Pew report and past research have found: for them to be healthy and happy, honest and ethical, caring and compassionate. There is no best parenting style or philosophy, researchers say, and across income groups, 92 percent of parents say they are doing a good job at raising their children.

Yet they are doing it quite differently.

Middle-class and higher-income parents see their children as projects in need of careful cultivation, says Annette Lareau, a University of Pennsylvania sociologist whose groundbreaking research on the topic was published in her book “Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life.” They try to develop their skills through close supervision and organized activities, and teach children to question authority figures and navigate elite institutions.

Working-class parents, meanwhile, believe their children will naturally thrive, and give them far greater independence and time for free play. They are taught to be compliant and deferential to adults.

There are benefits to both approaches. Working-class children are happier, more independent, whine less and are closer with family members, Ms. Lareau found. Higher-income children are more likely to declare boredom and expect their parents to solve their problems.

Yet later on, the more affluent children end up in college and en route to the middle class, while working-class children tend to struggle. Children from higher-income families are likely to have the skills to navigate bureaucracies and succeed in schools and workplaces, Ms. Lareau said.

“Do all parents want the most success for their children? Absolutely,” she said. “Do some strategies give children more advantages than others in institutions? Probably they do. Will parents be damaging children if they have one fewer organized activity? No, I really doubt it.”

Social scientists say the differences arise in part because low-income parents have less money to spend on music class or preschool, and less flexible schedules to take children to museums or attend school events.

Extracurricular activities epitomize the differences in child rearing in the Pew survey, which was of a nationally representative sample of 1,807 parents...

More.