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When we hear the word "Sandy," numerous images come to mind: downed subway lines for days/weeks/months; the Rockaways; that famous New Yorker cover photo of the city shrouded in darkness; the relief money struggles; and, of course, blackouts--if only to name a few. For most of those who weathered it, "aphrodisiac" is not synonymous with one of the worst storms New York City has ever seen. But apparently, that was the case for hundreds of couples across the five boroughs.

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In 1982, 37 percent of U.S. births were unintended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And guess what?

In 2010, 37 percent of U.S. births, the latest year for CDC stats, were ALSO unintended.

Meaning: Public health authorities have kindasortaTOTALLY failed at preventing unintended births.

So what's up?

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Time to further complicate the nature-versus-nurture debate...

A new study published today in Pediatrics suggests that academic achievement and brain development are directly tied to gestational time -- how long a kid is in the womb.

What's unique about this study, which tracked 128,050 New York City births, is that researchers examined standardized test scores of 8-year-olds born within a normal age range -- rather than comparing them to premature children.

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Time for Plan B?

Nearly 1 million packs of birth control pills are getting recalled by Pfizer in the U.S., because a packaging screwup boosts your chances of pregnancy (via Time). Oy.

The pharmaceutical giant says that women with these sketchy scripts -- such as Lo/Ovral-28 tabs and Norgestrel and Estradiol pills, sold as Akrimax Rx -- should probably start using backup contraception if they don't want a kid. The expiration dates are from Jul. 31, 2013 to March 31, 2014.

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Once upon a time, hip, taste-making Manhattanites in the know would trek to Brooklyn to propagate the species with relatively more space and sometimes even backyards in which to park their Maclarens. But a surprising trend has been uncovered by DNAinfo, which reports that birth rates in Lower Manhattan have surged in the last 10 years. Community Board 1, which makes up the area below Canal Street, reports 1,086 babies born there in 2010. This is up 12 percent from 2009 and doubles the number born in 2001.

This also represents a recovery trend in the neighborhood from 9/11. But the point is, it's a trend.

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via A Walk in the Park NYC

Kids! They just love the out-of-doors! And all that fresh air sure is good for their little lungs! Except, it turns out, certain parks are actually not so good for the children, ridden are they with prostitution, crack vials, and people actually having sex in plain view. Not for the eyes of babes, that. Crispus Attucks Park on Classon Avenue and Fulton Street in Brooklyn is such a park, and, reports WPIX, "Some parents are fearful about how the park may affect their families." As they have every right to be.

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This baby seems okay with it. [via frohrn/flickr ]

Say you're a flight attendant. Say there's a kid, and his dad, and they're on your plane playing a fun little game of peek-a-boo. And so you try to help out, putting the kid in the overhead compartment, because that's what you do, put things in the overhead compartment and make sure those things fit and the compartment can close. And sometimes you move things around for a better fit, perhaps to include something about the size of a small suitcase, or a kid. And then you close it again. That's your job! You do it with a smile, because you have been well trained, and you are nothing if not a consummate professional.

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Via The Daily: seven-year-old Asher Bradshaw is a precociously talented skateboarder in L.A. who is totally the next Tony Hawk. Just look at him go! My favorite element of this is watching him interact with the older skaters at the skate park. His role models are these grizzled burnouts with holey Vans and ear gauges. Oh, to be young.

[@_rosiegray]

Earlier this week, a YouTube video of a baby laughing hysterically as his father ripped what turned out to be a job rejection to shreds began to circulate, to be seen by more than 6 million sets of American eyes. America laughed, America cried, America needed to make this baby a star! And, so, some lowly staffer from the Today Show was dispatched to locate the mysterious laughing baby, along with its handlers, to find out what made it tick...and to see if it could be done again, on national television.

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Have you ever seen a baby anteater? We didn't know they came in baby! The cuteness is painful. Painful, but in a good way. Maybe the world's an okay place after all.