Women who join sororities are more likely to judge themselves on their appearances and display bulimic tendencies, according to a new study published in the journal Sex Roles.

Each year, thousands of women participate in the rush process to join sororities on college campuses across the United States, and millions of women around the world are already initiated members, according to the National Panhellenic Conference, an umbrella group for 26 international sororities and women's fraternities.

Yet, while sororities were created to provide college women with opportunities for personal growth and enrichment, researcher Ashley Marie Rolnik reports they are often criticized for their potential to lead women to focus excessively and unhealthily on their appearances.

Nope, it's not the new must-have booties or the latest rad stroller. The latest baby trend could actually alter the makeup of the U.S. population.

For the first time in history, more minority babies may be born in the United States than white babies, the New York Daily News reports. The research, released days before U.S. census forms are set to arrive at 120 million homes, suggests this year's minority baby boom could be what spurs our country into a minority majority during the next 40 years, according to the newspaper.

Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor with the University of New Hampshire and senior demographer at the Carsey Institute, studied the trend and tells the News that 20 years ago, more than a third of children born in the U.S. were minorities. By 2008, that percentage had grown to almost half of U.S. births.

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who brought kabuki makeup, fire breathing and 7-inch tongues to rock 'n' roll when they founded the rock band Kiss in 1973, have signed a deal with Canada's E1 Television to develop a new kids' program.

The New York Times reports the half-hour comedy will introduce children to the band's music and stage personas. Simmons says in a press statement that this is going be a very special show.

In other words, don't expect the Wiggles.

Apparently, it's not just teens or grownups who recognize the power of an "in" logo or brand -- preschoolers know their Apples, McDonalds and Nikes, too.

In a study that may have parents worrying about logo-conscious toddlers coveting $100 brand-name sneakers, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan found that youngsters may recognize brands and logos earlier than once previously thought, according to MSNBC. The study appears in the March issue of Psychology & Marketing.

"Children as young as 3 are feeling social pressure and understand that consumption of certain brands can help them through life," the study's lead researcher, Anna McAlister of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells MSNBC. "Findings like this show us that we need to think about materialism developing in very young children."

That D-minus you got in Chemistry? Mom is going to be, like, soooo mad. You're totally going to be grounded for a month. No Xbox. No iPod. No (gasp!) cell phone. Dude. What're you gonna do?

Eight students at Maryland's Winston Churchill High School reportedly decided to take their grades into their own hands, and used a USB device to gather teachers' passwords and user IDs to change their grades and those of 46 of their classmates, according to The Washington Post.

In what could become an example for school districts nationwide, the Los Angeles school board passed a controversial plan last month that will let teachers manage nearly two dozen schools in the state's largest district.

Ramon C. Cortines, the district's superintendent, backed the plan "to turn over 22 of the schools to teacher-led efforts" while allowing some outside groups and teachers to share management of a handful of campuses, according to the Los Angeles Times. The program, Public School Choice, will go into effect for the 2010-2011 school year.

The reforms target underperforming schools where, for example, less than 25 percent of the students are proficient in either math or English based on state standardized tests, according to the Times.

Flexible students at University College Dublin in Ireland have broken the world record for the largest mat used in a game of Twister.

The 1,438 square-meter mat (or about 4,717 feet, for those who aren't metric-system-inclined) beats the University of Oklahoma's previous record of a 1,411.8 square-meter mat, or about 4,631 square feet, The University Observer reports.

We love that college students are taking a time out for some serious fun (and fundraising -- the event collected money for five university organizations), but we have to say that we're none too pleased that a U.S. university's record was broken. So, to all you bend-y college students out there, it's time to break a record!

Related: Quadriplegic Woman Sails Into the Record Books

When we heard that American Apparel was collaborating with "Sesame Street," our first reaction was: Eww.

The very idea of pairing one of America's most beloved children's shows with a company known for ads that resemble homemade porn and "pervy madman CEO" Dov Charney -- who has been sued for sexual harassment by his female employees -- was disturbing.

Surprisingly, the line of T-shirts and totes for kids and adults is rather tame -- adorable, even. Still, that doesn't mean we'll let our daughter pair an Elmo T-shirt with pint-size gold lamé leggings.

Related: American Apparel to Terminate 1,500 Undocumented Workers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts sporting club is donating $10,000 to children's charities as part of a deal settling criminal charges in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi during a gun fair.

Christopher Bizilj's parents approved the Westfield Sportsman's Club's plea deal reached Thursday in Hampden Superior Court, where his mother's description of their grief left the judge visibly shaken.

Christopher, a third-grader from Ashford, Conn., died after the accidental shooting during an October 2008 gun fair at the Westfield club. His father and brother were a few feet away.

Three men who arranged the gun fair and provided the weapons are scheduled to stand trial in June on charges of involuntary manslaughter, including Pelham's former police chief.