If you thought 'funny' lady Roseanne Barr had quietly disappeared to wherever it is that loud, opinionated comedians disappear to, you were wrong. She's still out there and she's still making her opinions known. A few days ago, she posted a rather nasty piece on her blog taking aim at actor John Voight, his daughter Angelina Jolie, as well as Brad Pitt and the kids.

Barr appears to be angry that Voight isn't supporting Barack Obama and that Jolie has said she likes McCain but is undecided as to who will get her vote. According to Barr, that makes Voight a "frightened little girl in a pink ballet tutu" and Jolie his "evil spawn." Brad did not escape Barr's wrath either as she refers to him as Jolie's "vacuous husband."

Addressing Jolie, Barr writes: "....it might be good for your Asian and African children's self esteem to know you support a brown man for the leader of the free world. How nice of Barr to be so concerned for the self-esteem of the Jolie-Pitt children. It is unfortunate that she refers to their biological children as "dunces that will consume more than their fair share and wreck the earth even more."

Of course, Barr is entitled to her opinions and her political point of view, but I am just not sure what she was trying to accomplish with this rant. Calling someone an evil spawn and referring to their children as dunces is probably not the best way to bring them around to your way of thinking.

Just last month, eldest Hanson brother Isaac and his wife Nikki had their second child, a son named James Monroe. That brought the total number Hanson babies to six, but not for long. Middle Hanson Taylor, 25, and his wife Natalie, 24, have announced that they are expecting their fourth child this winter. "Each of our kids has made life richer and more exciting," say Taylor and Natalie. "We can't wait for this guy to join the party."

The Hanson brothers aren't just hanging around making babies with their lovely wives, they are also gearing up for their Walk Around the World Tour, which begins next month. The guys aren't actually walking around the world, but they want to encourage their fans to do some walking of their own. With the goal of reaching a total of 24,902 miles (the equivalent of once around the globe), the Walk Around the World campaign is working to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa one mile at a time. To learn more about hosting a walk in your town or joining Hanson on their walk, check out Takethewalk.net.

Who ever could have imagined that those cute boys who sang MMMbop would turn out to be such great family men and philanthropists?

Who knew that former party girl Nicole Richie was such a giving and charitable person? I think that the way she has turned her life around and started giving back to those less fortunate is wonderful and I applaud her efforts. And apparently she has only just begun helping children - here and around the world.

Through the Richie-Madden Children's Foundation, Nicole is launching an online gift registry that will help needy mothers and their children. Families in need can sign up through local social service agencies and submit a list of the things they need for their children. Asked-for items could include cribs, blankets and other essentials. Donors could then look at the registry and choose what they want to contribute. Initially, the registry will benefit families in New York and Los Angeles, but the hope is to take it nationally and then internationally.

I think this is fantastic idea and love the idea of being able to choose a family to give to and personally pick out what they receive. Way to go Nicole!

Vanessa Lovelace and her son Lenny were both excited about enrolling him in his new school in Kenosha, Wisconsin until it came to actually filling out the enrollment forms. In the section where it asked what race/ethnic group the child belonged to, none of the available options fit 10-year-old Kenny. Lovelace was asked to choose from Asian/Pacific Islander, Black not Hispanic, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska native, or White not Hispanic. Since Kenny is biracial with one white parent and one black, Lovelace checked both Black and White boxes.

That didn't go over well with the secretary at the Kenosha Unified School District's Educational Support Center. "She handed the form back to me and said I had to pick one, otherwise, someone would pick his race for me," Lovelace said. District policy dictates that if the race of the child is not indicated by the person filling out the form, an "observer identification" must be made. By that logic, Kenny Lovelace looks white, so he is white.

How is it that a form with such a narrow field of choices should even exist? According to Patrick Gasper, of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, a multi-racial category has been allowed since 2007, but that change won't go into effect for all Wisconsin public school districts until the 2010-11 school year.

If you are wondering why the school even needs to have a check box for a child's race, Gasper explains that as well. He says that racial demographic data is gathered by the federal government and can indirectly affect funding for certain programs. He encourages parents in the district to choose a race even if it is incorrect, otherwise their child cannot be enrolled in school.

With the change allowing a biracial checkbox not going into effect for several years, Lovelace is considering her options. She is thinking about moving back to Illinois, where Kenny attended school last year, or even homeschooling him. But in the end, it is Kenny who is stuck in the middle and feeling like the odd one out. "It made me feel kind of weird," he said. "I'm sad because I'm not only one race. I'm black and I'm white."

School dress codes are getting a lot of attention lately, mostly as a result of school officials actually trying to enforce them. In a sad twist on the dress code debate, a family in California is suing the Hueneme school district for not enforcing the dress code.

Dawn and Gregory King claim that E.O. Green Junior High School official's failure to enforce the dress code resulted in the murder of their 15-year-old son, Larry King. Larry was gay and liked to wear feminine clothing and makeup to school. Apparently this angered classmate Brandon McInerney so much that he felt it necessary shoot Larry to death as he sat in class.

King's parents say that Larry's "unique vulnerabilities" made him a target for abuse and that the school should have protected him by not allowing him to dress this way. You may be asking yourself why Larry's own parents weren't enforcing the dress code, especially if they were so concerned, but the answer is simple: Larry didn't live with is parents. At the time of the shooting, Larry was a ward of the court and living at a shelter for abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children.

The Kings have filed a personal injury claim against the district and are seeking unspecified damages. As for Brandon McInerney, he has been charged as an adult in the shooting and also faces a charge of committing a hate crime. He has pleaded not guilty.

How could the school have bettered handled this situation? I just don't know. Had they enforced the dress code, they surely risked being accused of violating Larry's rights. And by not enforcing it, they are now being held responsible for the consequences of Larry exercising his rights.

Whether you are heading to the beach, the park or just hanging out in the back yard, great snacks are an essential ingredient to a fun day. But spending hours in the kitchen preparing for your outing can spoil the fun before it has even begun. Simple snacks like fruit, chips and sandwiches are fine, but why not whip up something a little more special next time you are packing your picnic basket?

Cheaper than buying prepared foods from the store and quicker than you would think, The Observer has a list of 101 picnic recipes that can be put together in 20 minutes or less. Not all are kid-friendly (curried egg salad) and some sound downright strange (cold pizza and lemon), but all are unique and a lot more interesting than plain old potato salad and ham sandwiches.

I've bookmarked the page and will definitely reference it the next time we head out to the beach. What about you? Do you have your own crowd-pleasing picnic basket favorite?

The latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, features Heath Ledger's scary-looking Joker as the bad guy. In the film, the Joker marks the scenes of his crimes by leaving behind jester-faced playing cards. Apparently some kids in Pembroke, Virginia are fans of that movie and decided to make the Joker's calling card their own. They left playing cards with handwritten messages on them at different locations around town. What exactly the messages were isn't clear, but police say some of them referred to a specific date (August 15th) and had the word "Joker" written on them.

18-year-olds Justin Colby Dirico and Bryan Eugene Stafford say they were just having some fun and didn't mean any harm with the Joker cards, but officials are taking the prank quite seriously. They have both been charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism. This severe charge may stem from the fact that many feel the Joker character in The Dark Knight is a terrorist himself. The boys copied something a fictional terrorist does, therefore they must be terrorist themselves.

I think what these kids did was supremely stupid and they deserve to be punished. But they are facing up to twenty years in prison. Isn't that a bit harsh?

Around here, nothing ruins Friday game night quicker than a bad deal on Uno. As my seven-year-old draws card after card, not getting what she needs to play, her chin starts to quiver and her eyes fill with tears. "It's not fair!" she howls as she finally gives in to the frustration and tosses her cards on the table in disgust. Yes, she's a sore loser.

I've witnessed this scene many times and it never fails to bring back memories of my own childhood. You see, I was a sore loser, too. My family played cards a lot and if I wasn't winning, I was pouting. If the pouting didn't work, I would begin complaining loudly. If things still didn't turn around, I would inevitably quit the game and stomp off in anger. Eventually, they stopped letting me play.

I don't understand why it was so important for me to win, but it was. And those feelings of frustration, anger and the unfairness of it all were very real to me, as I know they must be for Ellie. By this age, she knows that her sore loser behavior is unacceptable and she tries, she really tries, but she just can't help herself.

I never grew out of my competitiveness, but I did learn to handle the disappointment of losing. Unfortunately, what it took for me was being excluded from games not only by my family, but by my friends, too. Being known as the cry-baby loser among my peers was a painful experience and I am trying to help Ellie avoid that. We've had the "it's just a game" talk and we've discussed ways she can try to calm herself when she gets upset.

I've read that sore losers like Ellie (and myself) generally fall into two categories: those who are by nature easily frustrated and angered and those whose self-esteem is tied to winning and who worry about what others think of them. I think there is a little of both at play here. Do you have a sore loser in your house? How have you helped them deal?

Have you seen these pictures of Lindsay Lohan's little sister, Ali? Look closely at her chest in both photos and you will notice a big difference. Taken just months apart, the latest picture shows Ali with undeniably larger breasts. This, of course, has the rumor mill flying. Ali has made no secret of wanting to be a star and her mom is obviously on-board with the plan. Did Dina Lohan really allow her fourteen year old daughter to get breast plants in an effort further her career? Or did Ali have one heck of a growth spurt over the summer?

Responding to a paparazzo who asked about the rumors, big sister Lindsay Lohan insists that their mother would never allow it and accuses the guy of being a pedophile for even asking.

I don't think the question makes the guy a pedophile, but it does ignore an obvious answer to the riddle that is Ali Lohan's breasts: a really great bra. Grown up girls wear them all the time and I know from personal experience that the right bra can transform an ordinary B-cup into a rather impressive C-cup. And while a padded, push-up bra is certainly better for a fourteen-year-old than breast implants, I still wouldn't let my kid wear one. But maybe Dina Lohan would.

Usually a school prank is a harmless trick or a clever gag designed to get attention and hopefully some laughs. But some pranks go way beyond what is considered amusing and venture into the sick and twisted territory. That would be the case with the prank 19-year-old Myles Frost pulled at Glenbard East High School near Chicago last year.

Frost has just been convicted of misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and criminal defacement after scattering mutilated mice and a decapitated rat around his school campus in 2007. He left the rodent corpses in the stairwell, the bathroom, the drinking fountain and in the slot of a vending machine.

"Even if it's a prank, to say it's in bad taste would be an extraordinary understatement,'' said Judge Robert G. Kleeman. Judge Kleeman ordered Frost to undergo a psychological evaluation and serve two years probation. During the trial, Frost's attorney denied that his client was responsible for the disgusting prank, but a school official and the police say that Frost confessed to them.

According to his lawyer, Frost is continuing his education and has high hopes for his future. "He has dreams of working with animals -- that's really what his dream is," said Frank Fanella. I am sure his court-appointed psychologist will be very interested in hearing about those dreams.

Sometimes, no matter how much you plan and prepare for something, things just don't go quite right. Like when you go into labor 6 weeks early while driving home from the mall. And the only other person in the car with you is a sleeping two-year-old .

But you gotta do what you gotta do and Jessica Higgins did it. When the Fullerton, California woman went into early labor, she managed to dial 911 as she arrived at her home. She came thisclose to actually getting inside her house, but baby Mary Claire had other plans. By the time help arrived, Jessica had already given birth to her daughter - right there on the front lawn!

I don't know if the two-year-old woke up before the excitement was over, but at least dad arrived in time to cut the umbilical cord under the front-yard ficus tree. You know, if there ever was a perfect spot to bury a placenta, I'd say under that ficus tree is it.

As for early-arriving Mary Claire, she weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces and is reportedly doing just fine.

These days, traveling by air can be an extreme test of patience and restraint. Herded like cattle and crammed into tiny seats, most of us suffer quietly and try to make the best of the situation. Most of us adults do, anyway. Kids are often a little short on patience and restraint and being cooped up for hours in an airplane can be pure torture for them. And for those who sit anywhere near them.

What if there were a separate section on the plane where families traveling with children could sit? Wouldn't that make things a lot easier for everyone involved, including the frustrated parent who can't seem to get junior to sit still or use his inside voice? Airfare Watchdog asked that question and a whopping 85% of respondents said that airlines should have a section of the plane reserved for parents with babies and smaller children.

I wish there had been a kid section the first time I flew with a baby in tow. I thought I was being very considerate of my fellow passengers by keeping her quiet with bottle after bottle of apple juice plugged into her mouth. It kept her quiet alright. After about the fifth bottle, she quietly had a massive apple juice-induced blowout in her diaper, causing everyone in our immediate area to reach for their barf bags. I am sure each and every one of those passengers who caught a whiff and glimpse of that mess wished there were a separate section for kids. And I would have been happy to sit there.

But, as 27% of those polled agree, having a section just for babies and small kids will probably never happen and wouldn't work anyway. Airlines want to fill each and every seat and telling non-family traveling passengers that they have to sit in the loud, stinky section probably wouldn't go over too well.

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Depending upon your point of view, the Confederate flag is either a proud emblem of Southern heritage or an offensive display of racism. For 18-year-old Tommy DeFoe, it's the former. He says his great-great uncle served in the Confederate army and "died for the South" in the Civil War. For that reason, DeFoe feels he should have the right to display the Southern Cross on his clothes and belt buckle, even at Tennessee's Anderson High School, where it is in violation of the dress code.

Actually, the code doesn't specifically ban the Confederate flag, but up until 2001 it did. Today the policy is more general, but school board chairman John Burrell says it is understood that the Confederate flag symbol is not allowed. Which is why DeFoe was suspended more than 40 times for sporting the flag on his clothing while at school.

DeFoe feels his right to free speech was violated and is suing the Anderson County School Board. "I am fighting for my heritage and my rights as a Southerner and an American," said DeFoe.

Anderson County officials say the flag ban is in place to avoid stirring up racial tensions. Although Anderson High currently has only one black student, two years ago the arrival of two black students was met with racist graffiti and a Confederate flag raising. And at nearby Clinton High School, which happens to have been the first public school desegregated by court order in 1956, the student body is more racially mixed. "If he had worn at Clinton High what he wore at Anderson High it would have been a riot, somebody would have clobbered him," said Burrell.

DeFoe's lawsuit isn't the first to challenge the Confederate flag ban in school dress codes, but is one of the few to make it to trial. Most others have been settled with a payment to the plaintiff or thrown out by a judge. The jury in this case is on its third day of deliberations and has yet to reach a verdict.

For some parents, the typical kids' chore chart ends up being more chore than it's worth.

Nineteen-month-old Aidan DeBeck is the latest child to beat the odds by surviving a scary fall. He fell 25 to 30 feet, the equivalent of three stories, from his playroom window and walked away with only bruises. His mom. Sara DeBeck, tells of how she left him in the third floor room to take a nap. "I put him in the playpen, which he's just started climbing out of," she said. "He wasn't really sleepy, so I gave him some books, put the gate up and turned on the monitor."

She went back downstairs to tend to her three-year-old but could hear Aidan quietly playing through the monitor. Then she heard a thump. She was confused as to the source of the sound until she noticed the playroom curtain laying on the ground outside.

She rushed out and found her son crying but seemingly unhurt. She called 911 and Aiden was transported via LifeFlight to the hospital. Aidan checked out okay and was released the next day. "In the end, he had no injuries at all," Sara DeBeck said. "It was just amazing."

She says that Aidan will no longer be allowed to be in that room alone when the window is open. That is all well and good, but I hope that isn't her entire plan for child-proofing her windows. Give a curious kid like Aidan enough time and he will be able to open that window by himself. Preventing window falls is as easy as installing window stops or guards. I hope the DeBecks do that very soon. It is a very small price to pay for peace of mind.