BLENDED FAMILIES Statistics show that "approximately 1300 new stepfamilies are formed every day in the US, and it's predicted that by 2010 there will be more stepfamilies in the US than any other type of family."1

A look at different types of stepfamilies can highlight the unique challenges each stepfamily may encounter.

Portrait no. 1: Husband with children marries never-married, no-kids wife.

Dads who remarry often expect their new brides to assume a similar role to their former wife. The new wife, on the contrary, steps into the marriage ready for romance and quality time together as a couple. Instantly filling the role of wife is challenge enough; being interim Mom is often overwhelming. Wives in this situation often feel frustration and disillusionment when they are handed someone else's kids to care for (and the kids don't like it, either!). Read On

Ten years ago you could walk across a middle school, high school or college campus and never see a cell phone. Now up to 75 percent of U.S. teens own mobile phones. And parents and teachers find it necessary to create rules and make decisions they've never considered before. Is it appropriate to talk on the phone during passing period? What about text messaging at the dinner table? On top of mobile phones, there's the ubiquitous iPod, with music that comes in digital packages rather than cellophane. And then there's Facebook. And MySpace. And IM (instant messaging). Not only do teens use them all, they use them all at the same time. New technology has always bewildered those who have grown up without it. And it almost always raises questions about wise and ethical ways to use it. But this generation of technology — and technology users — may take the cake. It's easy for parents to throw up their hands and despair of ever getting a handle on it. But what you don't know about your teens' technology use may hurt them. On the other hand, staying current on your offsprings' techno-habits can provide opportunities for both meaningful conversation and personal growth. This series of articles will help you better understand how you as a parent can relate to your kids technologically, while giving good guidance spiritually. Linda Keffer reporting.

A financial expert is offering some free advice on how to weather tough economic times. John Gannon, senior vice president of investor education with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), says during tough economic times one should not abandon short-term and long-term saving or paying off debt. In addition, says Gannon, people should plan seriously to have an emergency fund. "You know [that] financial emergencies can come in many forms -- from job loss, to medical expenses, to home and auto repairs," he points out. "And you really don't want your credit card to be your emergency fund, because that's only going to compound the problem." He adds that cutting 401k contributions to pad a household budget is not a good idea because many people do not have enough savings for retirement. "People need to continue to contribute [to their retirement savings]," he advises. "Actually in some ways, with the price of stocks so down, it's actually a good time to invest through your 401k." Another bit of advice from Gannon: beware of identity theft. "A lot of fraudsters are taking advantage of the turmoil with financial institutions," he warns. "[W]e've seen a lot of spam email that purports to come from banks and other financial institutions asking people for customer account information, Social Security numbers, and other personal identifying information." Don't fall for it, says the financial expert. "People should understand that their banks and other financial institutions are never going to send them an email asking for personal identifying information," says Gannon. "The best thing they can do with those types of emails is delete them." Reported by OneNewsNow.

Years ago a wink was considered flirting. Today young people use technology instead. The current trend among youth is to transmit nude or semi-nude photos or videos via cell phones. Marisa Nightingale of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy explains the phenomenon. "It begins in the teen years -- and rather than it being seen as sort of a youthful indiscretion that fades with time, it actually does become more ubiquitous and more commonplace as you get older," she says. Nightingale's organization surveyed 13- to 26-year-old males and females about the topic. "The findings were that one out of five teen girls, and almost the same number of teen boys, have sent or posted online a nude or semi-nude image of themselves," she shares. Often the photos are circulated among friends. Reportedly the boys especially consider it to be an invitation for intimacy. According to news reports, those images sometimes make it to the Internet. Nightingale offers some advice on what action is needed to stop the practice. "I think the first line of defense is really the parents," she offers. Recently, three teenage girls were arrested in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and three boys they sent pictures to were charged with child pornography. Charlie Butts reporting.

Made Twin Town A German doctor who was commissioned by Adolf Hitler to artificially increase the Aryan birthrate may be responsible for a large number of twins born in a small Brazilian town, a new book claims. Argentine historian Jorge Camarasa, who specializes in the post-war Nazi flight to South America, alleges Nazi doctor Josef Mengele — also known as the "Angel of Death" — continued his genetic experiments with twins there, The Telegraph reported. The Telegraph reported that one in five pregnancies in the town of Candido Godoi produce twins, often with blonde hair and blue eyes. "I think Candido Godoi may have been Mengele's laboratory, where he finally managed to fulfill his dreams of creating a master race of blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryans," said Camarasa, who authored the new book "Mengele: The Angel of Death in South America." Camarasa said there is "testimony that he attended women, followed their pregnancies, treated them with new types of drugs and preparations that he talked of artificial insemination in human beings, and that he continued working with animals, proclaiming that he was capable of getting cows to produce male twins." Click here to read more on this story from The Telegraph.

Opinions expressed in 'Perspectives' columns published by CentersForDecency.org are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of the staff or management of, or advertisers who support the CfD.  If you wish to contact CfD - call 713-266-2715 or write: 1415 South Voss Road, #110-393, Houston, Texas 77057.  We also appreciate your Comments@CentersForDecency.Org.