Fascinating story. I had no idea that surrogacy was illegal in many countries, particularly in Europe.

Quoted: Thousands of largely invisible American women have given birth to other people's babies. Many are married to men in the military.

Weird! Man, kids' toys keep getting stranger and stranger...

Quoted: Products like Webkinz are not my thing. At first glance, they seem to be a cunning and more commercial version of old-fashioned stuffed animals. Each bear or tiger comes with its own code, which its kid caretaker enters into the Web site. Next, the kid decorates his pet's house by earning points in inane game-playing followed by even more inane shopping. And voilà, there you are, fighting with your 8-year-old about screen time.

Mmmm, I LOVE chocolate babka. I can relate to this piece so well. I still mourn the closing of the Second Avenue Deli in the East Village purely because of the chocolate babka. So good.

Quoted: A few years ago, when my kids were small and we lived in New Haven, Conn., we had a beloved Friday afternoon routine. We went shopping at a grocery store called Edge of the Woods, which has a bakery. We had a standing order for challah and chocolate babka.

These cases make me SO mad. You mean to tell me her doing a year in jail won't royally screw up her otherwise well cared for chidlren? This is why American kids are growing up to be so neurotic... they can't be left alone for more than a minute without people crying neglect. I wonder if that cop ever had to look after 3 kids by himself...

Quoted: Treffly Coyne was out of her car for just minutes and no more than 10 yards away. But that was enough to land her in court after a police officer spotted her sleeping 2-year-old daughter alone in the vehicle.

Cool, I used to like the House of the Future... there's something so absurd about it.

Quoted: Decades after it closed the House of the Future, Disneyland will once again take a crack at predicting what tomorrow’s home might look like.

Fascinating study/story that should really reframe the way abortion is talked about in the media. I also wasn't aware of some of the more racially charged initiatives forming around the issue of reproductive rights...

Quoted: In American pop culture, the face of abortion is often a frightened teenager, nervously choosing to terminate an unexpected pregnancy. The numbers tell a far more complex story in which financial stress can play a pivotal role.

Another interesting family/parenting piece from Emily Bazelon.

Quoted: Is it good parenting to make your kids say they're sorry to other kids whom they've wronged?

Ha, my 19-year-old cousin is the featured American bridge player in this article! (Justin Lall, mentioned in the first paragraph...)

I once saw him play in NY, and I had absolutely no idea what was going on...

Quoted: There are few young players coming into bridge in the United States. The reasons are debated regularly, with no firm conclusions being drawn.