We’re not religious people, but I think I can speak for my wife, Hilary, and I when I say we feel really blessed to have Ben.  So, that said, I want to talk about my second favorite son, Julian.  Just so you understand, I say “second favorite” only because I don’t love Julian as much as I love Ben.  And I say “son” because he’s not a daughter, which is what I really, really wanted.  Badly. 

Read the whole story after the jump...

Basketball Diaries: In various corners of the web, Malcom Gladwell and Bill Simmons argue about the strategic uses of the full-court press. In this corner of the web, my heart melts a little.  (New Yorker, ESPN) 

Insulin Shock: Does federal judge Sonia Sotamoyer's diabetes mean she wouldn't be able to serve a long term, were she to be appointed to the Supreme Court? Huffington Post author Sam Stein does some digging: we're better able to care for diabetes then ever before, but the life expectancy of a diabetic is still 10 years less than average. Of course, it's possible President Barack Obama could appoint a justice with a perfect bill of health, who then gets hit by a bus the day after she's sworn in. "There is one constant in Supreme Court history, and that is the inconstancy of the appointees," says a source. (HuffPo)

 The End of Eroticism:  Craigslist eliminates "Erotic Services" category, replaces with more closely monitored "Adult Services." Designed to weed out prostitution, posters will now have to pay for the ads. Irony! Both Erotic Services and Adult Services categories are currently live on the site, with "Erotic Service" postings expiring after 7 days.  However, the "Adult Services" page lacks the both categorization of services by gender and the explicit warning against human trafficking.  (Boston Post)

Chemical Complications: Chicago bans the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles. Used to harden plastic, BPA in plastics can eventually leech into the liquids the bottles contain.  The FDA ruled BPA safe, but according to the Chicago Tribune, "hundreds of other studies have linked the chemical to breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. The harmful effects appear to start early in life, when small doses of BPA, a synthetic estrogen, subtly wreak havoc on the developing bodies of fetuses and young children. 'The science is very clear: We can't say this chemical is safe,' said Laura Vandenberg, a developmental biologist at Tufts University who has been studying BPA."  Last week Minnesota became the first state to ban BPA.  (Chicago Tribune)