First things first: the death of Jett Travolta is a tragedy, a terrible, terrible tragedy. And it seems, I don't know, wrong, somehow, to interrogate the circumstances of such a tragedy, to try to locate the cause of such a tragedy or place responsibility for it when, really, we should all just be bowing our heads and thanking the gods that such tragedy did not strike our own lives.

Is it just me, or does it seem that every time a celebrity (or politician: coughJOHNMCCAINcough) opens his or her mouth about anything related to health or parenting, they say something stupid?

It's happened again.  First it was the removing of a toddler for saying "bye-bye plane" during take-off.  Now they have removed a mother and her two-and-a-half-year-old autistic son for his "uncontrollable" behavior:A 2 1/2-year-old autistic North Carolina boy and his mother were kicked off an American Eagle flight taxiing to a Raleigh-Durham Airport Monday after the crew deemed the child "uncontrollable," WTVD reported.

Today's Science News announced a study of Tufted Capuchins (monkeys) which indicates that these animals can comprehend and use symbols. My response to this was a big fat yawn. I'm bemused that the science world is still astounding itself by revealing the obvious - that animals are intelligent creatures who process data and learn things, albeit, in a different way than humans.

It's the sort of news story you read, and then you stop, take your glasses off, clean them, and read it again. Invariably, the headline sits next to the picture of a smiling, adorable little boy. It can't possibly be true, can it? And yet it seems to be: In Port St. Lucie, Florida, kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo decided to put Alex Barton -- a "disruptive" student -- to the vote of his peers. His mother reports:

Tonight I am surfing the BlogHer Health and Wellness Blogroll. There are so many great blogs, I wish I could tell you about every one...But you could always do a little surfing yourself. So, in no particular order, here are eleven blogs that are new to me. Delicious Wisdom...

There was a lot of news coverage this week, about a court case of a family with a child who appeared to developed Autism after her childhood immunizations...I wondered how this might affect other families dealing with this devastating disease? Also in the blogs, is a petition that women can sign, supporting an end to drive-thru mastectomies. And end they should, this practice is a disgrace, as well as a travesty against women. And, my pet-peeve issue (Gardasil), is also in the news. Autism...

I decided to post on some of the interesting health and wellness issues that have been in the news this week...

Last night Revolution Health sponsored another one of those great phone calls that provides bloggers with a chance to talk to health professionals about important health and wellness topics. The topic this time was Immunizations. Good timing since this is National Immunization Awareness Month.