Well, that’s just great. As if figuring out when you need what exam isn’t tricky enough, now women have the added confusion of dealing with conflicting advice on mammograms. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government panel of doctors and scientists, women don’t need to start getting mammograms until they are in their 50s, reports the AP. And even then, they only need them every two years. Oh yeah, and according to this panel, self breast-exams apparently are worthless and women shouldn’t even be taught how to do them.

The government task force reported that too many early mammograms can lead to unnecessary biopsies and false alarms. "The benefits are less and the harms are greater when screening starts in the 40s," said Dr. Diana Petitti, vice chair of the panel. The task force’s full findings are posted here.

The videos that many parents believed would turn their babies into the next Mozart, Shakespeare, Galileo, and well…Einstein, may not actually do all the pretty packaging promised, according to the New York Times. In a somewhat surprising move, the Walt Disney Company is offering refunds to parents who are upset that the ‘Baby Einstein’ videos didn’t magically turn their children into geniuses.

People will be able to get $15.99 for up to four ‘Baby Einstein’ DVDs per household. No receipt is required and this offer runs through March 10.

Guest Blog Written by Susan Badeau

It was a chilly, rainy Friday night in October and the World Series hadn’t started yet. A perfect night for a cup of hot cocoa and a good TV show – for me, that would be Numbers. The story line, about a kidnapped child who just happened to be the world’s first human clone, was a little bit out there, but it was a fun diversion nonetheless, and I was particularly excited to hear Charlie and Amita talk about volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. And then, in a commercial break, "Charlie" (Actor David Krumholtz) was pitching volunteerism and sending viewers to the website www.iparticipate.org. On my computer, I quickly learned that the stars of several of my favorite shows had made PSAs for iparticipate.org and that the story lines of many shows would feature a volunteerism or community service theme. (see this article) Excellent! I can indulge my guilty pleasure and feel good about it. Volunteerism and community service were hot stuff last week, it seems, making appearances in over 100 popular TV shows, and serving as the centerpiece of a Texas event featuring both President Obama and the elder President Bush.

In my last blog post, I waxed nostalgic over the looming demise of the video store industry, but there is a business that I would like to see become extinct. OK, maybe extinct is a bit harsh, but I would like to see the phone book business make some major changes.

I mean, do the masses actually still use phone books? I know I don’t. Yet, three to four enormous books are still delivered to my house every year. They go directly from my porch to the recycle bin. I may not be the “greenest” person in the world, but even I can recognize this needless waste of resources. It’s a waste in every way possible--a waste of time, a waste of paper, a waste of energy, and a waste of advertisers’ money.

The recent news that Blockbuster, America’s top movie rental chain, may be closing almost 1,000 stores by the end of 2010 has left me feeling sad and nostalgic. The writing has been on the wall for movie rental stores for quite some time now, but I don’t know if I’m prepared for them to completely go the way of vinyl records.

I have so many childhood memories of going to the video store with my mother and siblings, carefully looking through each aisle and row of video categories to choose that one special VHS for movie night. I loved reading the back of the boxes and seeing all of the movies I had never even heard of before. My choices were predictable at that age. I loved Grease!

The recent inappropriate outbursts by Joe Wilson, Serena Williams, and Kanye West are just a reflection of the type of behavior that is becoming more prevalent and even more acceptable in America. Let’s face it, the term “rude Americans” didn’t come out of thin air.

Yes, these disgraceful acts have all been publicly shunned and each offender has issued an apology. But there is also a more quiet sense of acceptance if not appreciation for this type of behavior. For example, after Joe Wilson yelled out “You Lie” during President Obama’s health care speech to the nation, it has been reported that his campaign raised a significant amount of money. In addition, some conservatives have turned him into a hero on their blogs and YouTube videos.

A few weeks ago, there was some chatter on my local freecycle.org message boards about an online puppy adoption scam and I thought that was horrible. But this new scam story takes the cake.

According to CNN and other sources, Jenni Brennan of Abington, Mass. received an email from a stranger telling her that her son’s photo was being used in an international adoption scam based out of Cameroon on the popular Web site Craigslist.com.

Just because you can say whatever is on your mind and you have people “following” you who will listen, doesn’t mean you should. Twitter is opening up a whole new can of TMI (too much information) worms. Even in this culture of over-sharing, there are still some things that should probably be kept to yourself.

Take the recent case of tenant versus landlord. Renter Amanda Bonnen, of Chicago, was reportedly unhappy about a leak in the roof and wanted to share her dissatisfaction with her 20 followers on Twitter. She posted this 16-word tweet: "You should just come anyway. Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment is bad for you? Horizon Realty thinks it's okay."

Even though Jon Stewart refers to his show as “fake news,” many viewers are taking him seriously. Comedy Central’s Daily Show host recently beat out CBS’s Katie Couric, ABC’s Charlie Gibson, and NBC’s Brian Williams in a Time.com poll that asked the question, “Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America’s most trusted newscaster?” Stewart received 44 percent of the vote, while Williams came in second with 29 percent. Katie Couric, not surprisingly, came in last.

About 9,000 people participated in the unscientific poll, so this obviously doesn’t reflect the opinions of all Americans, but it may be indicative of the changing nature of the way people prefer to consume news. In 1973, Walter Cronkite won the “most trusted” title in a Gallup poll.

Today is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. It’s hard to believe that it has been 40 years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and said, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” While we remember this remarkable feat that seemed impossible at the time, let’s also take a look at some of the other noteworthy items from the summer of ‘69.

I wasn’t even born yet in 1969, but I have heard so much about this summer of jaw-dropping news and events, that I almost feel as if I was there. In fact, according to the AP, most Americans did not live through that summer, since the median age of Americans is 36.8.

Earlier today, I reported that Michelle Obama's father was buried at the Burr Oaks Cemetery outside of Chicago that is under investigation. The White House has since retracted their statement and released a revised one that says her father, Fraser Robinson III , was actually buried at another Illinois cemetery.

Michelle Obama's communications director Camille Johnston issued the following statement:

"There has been some confusion that has been cleared up. Fraser Robinson III was buried at Lincoln Cemetery NOT Burr Oak. Mrs. Obama’s father is Fraser Robinson III and he is NOT buried at Burr Oak. I do not know where her grandfather was buried, but I do not believe he is at Burr Oak either."

First Lady Michelle Obama’s father was buried at the Burr Oak Cemetery where hundreds of bodies were dug up in a graveyard scam scandal uncovered last week, according to officials.

White House spokeswoman Camille Johnson told the Chicago Tribune that Fraser Robinson III was buried at the cemetery in 1991 after dying from multiple sclerosis complications.

While the NAACP prepares to celebrate its 100 year anniversary in New York later this week, a race controversy is swirling around a private swim club outside Philadelphia, making some people wonder what year this is.

NBC Philadelphia is reporting that The Valley Swim Club in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania turned away 60 black and Hispanic kids after the Creative Steps Day Camp paid the club over $1,900 by e-mail in advance to let its campers use the pool.

When it isn’t worrying about President Obama swatting a fly, PETA is busy advocating for cows in Wisconsin. The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has written a letter to Governor Jim Doyle requesting citizens be given the option to choose a “Wisconsin: America’s Cow Hell” license plate instead of just the standard-issue “America’s Dairyland” plate.

The new license plate would depict distressed cows crammed together on a dirty factory farm rather than the image of a quaint barn seen in the background of the state’s current plate.

Sarah Palin’s bizarre, rambling, and interestingly-timed resignation statement has many politicians, and reporters, scrambling to figure out exactly what she’s up to. Is there a secret scandal (though the FBI says she is not under investigation.)? Did the intense spotlight burn her too severely? Is she resigning to prepare for a presidential bid in 2012?

Or perhaps she realized she could make more money off her new-found fame outside of office. She does have a book planned. Is a tour or even a talk show in the works? Who knows.

Statement from First Lady Jenny Sanford

Columbia, S.C. - July 2, 2009- The last week has been very painful for me, my family and for the people of South Carolina. However, throughout this terrible ordeal, the incredible outpouring of kindness, support, and prayer I’ve received from countless friends and folks I have never even met has been truly uplifting. I appreciate that more than I can say. Please know that my sons and I are doing fine, given the circumstances. We are surrounded by friends and family, and we will make it through this. I believe it is how we respond to the challenges we face in life, and what we learn from them, that is most telling about who we truly are.

Why doesn’t someone tell South Carolina Governor Sanford to just stop talking? Hasn’t he humiliated his wife and family enough? As if his infidelity wasn’t bad enough, Sanford has now come out and declared to the AP that his mistress Maria Belen Chapur is his soul mate. A true love story he says. Sanford also added he is trying to fall back in love with his wife. How very nice of him.

As if that wasn’t enough, he wanted to let everyone know that he has also “crossed lines” with other women, although he says he never crossed the “ultimate line” with anyone other than Chapur. He should tell that to Bill Clinton.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has requested an investigation be opened into the death of Neda Agha Soltan, the 26-year-old woman who became the face of the opposition in Iran after video and images of her gruesome shooting death circulated around the world, according to the AP.

Iran’s state-run TV station, Press TV, is reporting “new revelations” in Soltan’s death, according to CBS News. Ahmadinejad's Web site said Soltan was killed in a “suspicious" manner.

America’s smallest state may soon be dropping a portion of its name. No, not the Rhode or the Island (although that would make sense since it isn’t actually an island)—the Providence Plantations portion that’s at the end of the tiny state’s official name: “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” according to the Associated Press.

On Thursday, House lawmakers voted 70-3 to let residents decide if “Providence Plantations” should be dropped from the state’s name. The bill will now head to the state Senate. Many believe the full name conjures up images of the slavery.

"And isn't it ironic... don't you think A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think..."

-Alanis Morissette

Life is ironic, isn’t it?

On April 19, Andrew Lopez, a recent college graduate, was waiting for a bus in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia after eating dinner at a friend’s home. What happened next is becoming increasingly common in inner cities plagued with violence. He was approached by three teenage boys between the estimated ages of 14-16. One of the teens asked Lopez if he knew the time. He told them the time and was then was struck very forcefully in the face.

A Belgian teenager is seeing stars and she is not happy about it. 18-year-old Kimberley Vlaminck is suing a tattoo artist she says inked 56 black stars on her face when she only asked for three. Vlaminck says she fell asleep during the procedure and awoke to a starry “nightmare.”

“I can’t go out on the street.” 18-year-old Kimberley Vlaminck told local Belgian press. “I am so embarrassed. I look horrible.”

A recent national Zogby poll indicates that the majority of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, according to the Huffington Post. The poll, commissioned by the O'Leary Report, said that 52 percent of the 3,937 respondents want to tax and regulate the sale of the drug to gain revenue to help the economy.

In addition, an April Field Poll found that 56 percent of California voters now back legalizing marijuana. And a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll reported that 46 percent of Americans are in support of legalizing the use of pot for personal use. This is up from 22 percent in 1997, according to Contra Costa Times.

After seventy-two years and seven princess movies, Disney finally has its first black princess, Tiana, in the upcoming animated flick The Princess and the Frog. The film is set to open later this year, but the Internet is already buzzing with some cheers and a lot of jeers.

In 1937, Snow White became Disney’s first animated princess. Since then, the majority of movie princesses have been white, although other ethnic princesses have included a Chinese Mulan, a Native American Pocahontas, and an Arabic Jasmine.

Last week, a group of men pummeled a “person of interest” wanted in connection to the brutal rape of an 11-year-old girl in Philadelphia.

This weekend, the family of the young victim threw a party to honor the men who caught and beat the suspect Jose Carrasquillo, the Philadelphia Metro reported.

What do you do if the doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with you? Washington high school senior Jessica Terry decided to do some investigating of her own.

The teen discovered she had a granuloma which indicated Crohn’s disease (an autoimmune disease that attacks digestive cells and prevents absorption of nutrients) while studying tissue diseases in histology class.

Former Vice President Al Gore might be heading to North Korea to try to negotiate the release of the two American TV journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who are being held for vague crimes, according to the AFP.

Ling and Lee were working on a story in China about the trafficking of women for California-based Current TV (where Gore happens to be the Chairman) when they were detained on March 17 near the North Korean border. The two are accused of entering the country illegally and engaging in “hostile acts.” The charges could possibly get them stuck in a labor camp for a decade.

One day after an 11-year-old girl was brutally raped on her way to school in Philadelphia, a group of angry residents took matters into their own hands and swarmed and assaulted the ‘person of interest’ in the crime, according to KYW Newsradio.

Police released a photo of the man, Jose Carrasquillo, and the Fraternal Order of Police issued a $10,000 reward for his arrest on Tuesday. Within hours of the photo airing on local TV stations, the 26-year-old man, who has a criminal record, was spotted walking down the street near the crime scene.

What happened next can only be described as vigilante justice of sorts. A group of angry residents pummeled Carrasquillo with fists and a two-by-four before police arrived to arrest him.