The Importance of Play

A study published in the British Medical Journal is reporting that play (psychosocial stimulation) in early childhood significantly helps emotional development in children with stunted growth.

“Researchers found that those who had received the stimulation of play as young children reported significantly less anxiety and depression and higher self-esteem. Their parents also reported that the children had fewer attention problems.”

The researchers concluded that the next challenge is to take this information to develop interventions that can help meet the needs of developmentally-challenged kids. I think it’s interesting in terms of all children.
Maybe next time you’re stuck on the floor playing another round of teddy bear tea party/fight club with your little one, it won’t feel so much like the fifth circle of the inferno but an important part of emotional development…even more important than we realized.

Read the entire article, “Early Play Helps Stunted Children.”

The Right to Be Just as Boring as Everyone Else

Cokie and Steven V. Roberts are like a lot of heterosexual people, their views on gay marriage has changed. Both news people originally had a stance of accepting civil unions, but not gay marriage as equal to hetero marriage. And yet life interferes and you learn that (a) have gay family and friends, and (b) they are so freaking normal that the gay strawman created for you (the one that would ruin the sanctity of marriage) is obviously absurd.

You want your family and friends to fall in love, you want them to find their true love, and you want them to have the same rights and benefits that you get. Because you love them, you want the best for them. Because their lives are just as normal and boring as yours. A love, a house, some kids, and a dog. Not so scary as many people originally thought and not a threat to hetero marriage.

The Roberts’ views have grown and changed to a more accepting place with gay marriage.

“As we approach our own 40th anniversary, we believe in marriage more than ever. It might not be right for all people all of the time, but it’s right for most people most of the time, whatever their sexual orientation…”

Read the entire article, “The Right to Be Boring.”

Women Considering Pregnancy May Want to Go Vegetarian

A recent nutritionist has suggested that women who are, or are considering getting pregnant, may think twice about eating meat and dairy products.

The added hormones found in animal products seem to increase the chances of conceiving twins or other multiples. Women who typically eat a “plant-based diet had twins at one-fifth the rate of women who consumed milk and meat.”

However, it’s not only twinning that is at issue. A diet rich in hormone-added animal products also seem to increase the risk of cancer.

The insulin-like growth hormone (IGF-1) is the problematic element in animal products. Elevated levels seem to happen quickly, one study “showed that the addition of three daily, eight-ounce servings of nonfat or 1 percent milk for 12 weeks caused a 10 percent rise in IGF-1 levels.”

Read the entire article: “A Healthier Diet During Pregnancy”

China’s Topless Women’s Health Ad

A television presenter for “Women’s Health” channel in China, Chen Dan, has made a public apology after appearing topless with two other women on recent Shangmei Gynaecology Hospital advertisemtent for women’s health.

“A caption referred to the three women as spokeswomen for “pink ribbon” — a “series of activities concerned about women’s health,” — but made no reference to breast cancer prevention.”
The advertisements appeared in bus stops and billboards in Hunan’s capital, Changsha. Titled, “Clever Girls Love Themselves More,” a commenter called the ads a “serious attack on women” on the grounds that it “goes completely beyond the moral and aesthetic baseline.”

The ads were not the first to show women topless in hopes of gaining attention for women’s health. Several Chinese actresses posed nude to support breast cancer in an October 2005 magazine ad.

I’m not sure how I feel about this type of advertising. On one hand, it’s only a breast and if the object is to demystify women’s body and encourage women to realize that their health is of utmost importance, then I’m all for it. On the other hand, if it’s only a ploy to make heads turn in a typical pose oriented for the male gaze, eh, not so much. This is one of those cases where I wish I could see the actual ads for myself.

So I did what anyone would do, I googled it.

Being American-born, I can’t say how this ad functions in Chinese society. From my perspective, it is very typical sex-kitten in the posing and in her look. However, she’s not showing anything but her back. The image is stark and definitely eye-catching. I could see why the ads creators chose it. It stops people in their tracks and makes them look at the ad. The controversial discussion following it only promotes the hospital’s name even more. I understand, I think.

How do you feel about it?

Read the full article here: “China irked by topless women’s health ad,” Reuters UK.
See the partial ad here: “TV presenter apologizes for topless ad,” China View.

Health Insurance Quote no obligation

More Jamaican 12 and 13-year-olds Becoming Pregnant

As the rate of very young women impregnated by older, predatory men climbs, women’s advocate groups demand stronger laws for criminal abusers and rapists.

The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation reports an average of 55 pregnant 12 and 13-year-olds per year. Even an 11-year-old pregnant girl was reported. Often, the young girls become pregnant before ever menstruating.

The main perpetrators of these rapes are males 20-23 years of age. Men of this age group only get a misdemeanor charge if they claim they believed the victim was over 16 at the time of the incident(s). In addition, the victims themselves are subjected to cross-examination in which their own sexual past, conduct and experiences, are also put on trial. As a result, the majority of girls are scared to even report abuse and rape so it is difficult to persecute rapists or to keep an accurate registry of offenders.

Chief executive officer of the Child Development Agency, Allison Anderson, says it is difficult to know how many cases are being reported because the children’s register has not been put in place. Under the Child Care and Protection Act, a children’s register and registry is to be established to lodge and keep information about offences against children.

Read the article: “Predators! More 12 and 13-yr-olds being impregnated and Jamaican women’s advocates want tougher laws” by Gareth Manning.

Gay Rights Parade is a First in Russia

Although it became a violent affair, the leader of the march considered it a “great victory.” Nikolai Alexeyev, 26, organized a march of about 40 activists planning to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Saturday. The Tomb is one of Russia’s sacred places for its association with the end of fascism.

Instead of laying flowers, however, police barred the activits from the park where the Tomb of the Unknown Solder resides.

The parade, a first in Russia’s history, ended in violence as a group of nearly 100 people arrived to stop the activists by force. However, police quickly controlled the situation. The fairness of their actions is under question as more gay and lesbian activists were seemingly arrested than those who came to incite the violence.

About the demonstration:

Other gay activists had disapproved of the demonstration, claiming it was a risky move given Russia’s widespread intolerance of homosexuality. The parade was meant to mark the culmination of several days of festivities planned as part of Russia’s first Gay Pride festival.Homosexuality was illegal in Russia until 1993, and public displays of affection between same-sex couples are almost unheard of.

Read the entire article: “First Russian Gay Rights Parade Ends in Violence.”

Tearing Up Credit Card Applications Is NOT Good Enough

No matter how many times we hear it, tearing unsolicited credit card applications is not good enough to protect yourself from scam artists.

A story in the Modesto Bee yesterday suggested that to protect ourselves, we should:

Rip up or, better yet, shred all mail and other documents with personal financial information before throwing them away.

Except you should read this Cockeyed.com experiment before you feel safe in tearing up important documents:

I almost always tear them in half and throw them away. Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly paranoid, I’ll tear them into little bitty pieces. Is that good enough? Could a determined and dexterous criminal gather all the bits, tape them together and apply for a card in my name? Would a credit card company balk when confronted with an obviously resurrected application? A test was in order, and when the latest application arrived from Chase Mastercard, I was equal to the task.

Let me reveal to you the outcome of this experiment. He got the card.  He sent in a credit card application that was torn in tiny pieces, glued back together, on which he changed the address, and subsequently activated the card on his cell phone. He got the card without question.

In the meantime, the Modesto Bee also had some practical suggestions for dealing with your financial identity.

Monitor your bank accounts and credit accounts carefully for any unexplained charges. To cut down on potentially troublesome paper records, consumers also might consider switching to online banking.

People also should check their free annual credit report — dispensed by three companies — to detect any possible problems. The Web site for a report is annualcreditreport.com. You also can call 877-322-8228 to get one by phone.

Maybe the only way to protect our finances is to buy a shredder that also torches the paper and shoots the ashes to the moon.

Read the Modesto Bee article: “Scam Alert: Shred Papers to Protect Finances.”
Read the Cockeyed.com experiment: Torn-Up Credit Card Application.

Pop the Champagne: Small Amounts of Alcohol Okay in Pregnancy

Never being one for scare tactics, I’m happy to see that finally some research is being done on the warnings given to pregnant women.  The pregnancy books are full of things not to be done during the nine months of gestation, but have you ever wondered why we received those recommendations?  Yeah, me too.

Thankfully, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are making headway with unlocking the secrets of women’s health and pregnancy.  Recently, they have rejected the long-held belief that mild alcohol consumption during pregnancy, meaning a couple of glasses of wine once or twice a week, causes babies to develop learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

Furthermore, they state that:

“There is no evidence of harm from low levels of alcohol consumption, defined as no more than one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week.”

This is a good note in women’s health.  Giving research-based recommendations to women is not only a good idea, it’s necessary for healthy babies.  Subjecting women to scare tactics and empty ideas promotes the idea that we have a clue about how to make and deliver healthy babies when so much more science-based work needs to be done.   Bravo.

Read the full article: “Odd Drink in Pregnancy OK” by Sarah-Jane Templeton

Kids Get Physical Injuries from Video Games and Computers

“The word ‘arthritis’ comes to mind,” concerned mom Mitali Perkins wrote in an e-mail to CNET News.com.

Her children, thirteen-year-old twins, are already showing odd physical traits that she thinks is the result from too much gaming. Both kids can bend their thumbs all the way back to their forearms, stretch and crack their knuckles with ease, and use their thumbs only for tasks like ringing a doorbell or dialing a phone number. Perkins’ children have three computers, two Sony PlayStations, a Nintendo GameCube, and a Microsoft Xbox for playing video games.

A study from Australia in 2000 focused on the effects of computers in schools. They found that 60 percent of students aged 10 to 17 complained of neck and back discomfort.

Kids nowadays can spend hours cradling a cell phone with a crooked neck, slumping over a computer game, slouching in front of a PC while text messaging friends and listening to music. And that’s on top of time they might spend in school on a PC surfing the Web to research topics and do homework.

The article focuses on the high occurance of Repetitive Stress Injuries in children and the importance of ergonomics in computer use. Methinks perhaps time management, a few less gaming options in the home, and more exposure to physical activity, along with better ergonomics, could help counteract these startling findings.

Read the full article: “Is Tech Injuring Children” by Stefanie Olsen.

Don’t Forget to Spring Clean Your Finances

It’s easy to allow your finances to sit untouched, plodding along year after year.  Make a point to shake out your financial situation each spring, you could save money in the process.  A spring cleaning of your borrowings, savings, credit cards, and household finances can make a difference in your yearly earnings.

Britons waste £147 billion every year by not switching finances to more competitive deals, according to price comparison service moneysupermarket.com Rooting out the best mortgage, credit card, personal loan, current account, savings product, home insurance, motor insurance and utility providers could free up more than £3,000-worth of cash in the next 12 months.

I can’t imagine what I’ve left sit for so long and this article is a timely reminder.  Must. clean. finances.

Read the full article: “Spring Cleaning Can Lift Your Finances” by Jennifer Hill.

Your Family Portraits Say More Than You Think

A new exhibition of 18th and 19th century group portraits is more than just a series of old pictures. They show us that we accidentally reveal the state of our relationships in these captured images. Compare this family portrait,

An anonymous family arrayed itself before the camera around 1875. Clearly, this is a family of means, eager to show off their material success. Yet something is askew in this family of four. Husband and wife look past each other. Junior, frowning, gazes off to the right, while Sis stares balefully in the same direction. No one makes eye contact with anyone else, including the photographer. Each family member seems lonely within the group, caught in a separate sphere of alienation.

with this group:

An 1853 portrait of the wealthy businessman Charles White Kellogg and his family emphasizes the patriarch’s confident posture - his legs are crossed and he leans back easefully - and his children’s perfect, gleaming hair. The disposition of the family’s hands plays out a counterpoint of intimacy: Father’s arm encircles daughter, who rests one hand on his shoulder. Son places a hand on mother’s shoulder, and she enfolds the youngest girl into her embrace.

What do you think your family portrait will say to the next generations? “Group Dynamics: Family Portraits and Scenes of Everyday Life” is on view at the New York Historical Society, USA from 5 May to 17 September, 2006.

Read the full review here.