Ohio child cancers confound parents, investigators

By JOHN SEEWER

Every time his kids cough, Dave Hisey's mind starts to race. Is it cancer? Is it coming back? His oldest daughter, diagnosed with leukemia nearly five years ago when she was 13, is in remission. His 12-year-old son has another year of chemotherapy for a different type of leukemia. And his 9-year-old daughter is scared she'll be next.

Hisey is not alone in fearing the worst. Just about every mom and dad in this rural northern Ohio town gets nervous whenever their children get a sinus infection or a stomachache lingers. It's hard not to panic since mysterious cancers have sickened dozens of area children in recent years. - Yahoo! News

US teen birth rate still far higher than W. Europe

MIKE STOBBE

The rate of teen births in the U.S. is at its lowest level in almost 70 years. Yet, the sobering context is that the teen pregnancy rate is far lower in many other countries. The most convincing explanation is that contraceptive use is much higher among teens in most Western European countries. - Yahoo! News

A Third of 9-Month-Olds Already Obese or Overweight

Almost one-third of 9-month-olds are obese or overweight, as are 34 percent of 2-year-olds, according to the research, which looked at a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. The study is one of the first to measure weight in the same group of very young children over time, said lead researcher Brian Moss, a sociologist at Wayne State University in Detroit. The results showed that starting out heavy puts kids on a trajectory to stay that way. | LiveScience

Related articles:

Childhood obesity can begin as early as 9 months of age, researchers find

One Third Of US Babies Obese Or At Risk For Obesity

Kozol on The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

Despite the gains made after the 1954 desegregation ruling Brown Versus Board of Education, schools today are more segregated than ever. My guest Jonathan Kozol, well known for his books about the American educational system and children’s rights, such as Savage Inequalities, has a new book out. It’s called “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America.” Kozol visited 60 schools in 11 states over a five-year period and found that schools in the US are racially segregated, and that wealthy white suburbanites receive far better facilities and resources for their children than poor children of color. Kozol believes that a new civil rights movement will be necessary to eradicate the injustices of the educational system. - uprisingradio

Listen to the entire program

Independent Lens | Children of Haiti

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/ch... Premiering Tuesday, January 11. Check local listings:http://www.pbs.org/independentl­ens/broadcast.html

Filthy streets and beaches jeopardize the health of Denick and his friends.

In the midst of Haiti's lush mountains and historical relics is an epidemic of over 500,000 orphan children who wander the streets day and night. Known as the "soulless" and forgotten by their own people, they do what they must to survive each day. This film follows three teenage boys who share a common dream of education, government assistance, and social acceptance.

Find out more about Children of Haiti: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/ch... Learn more about "Independent Lens":http://www.pbs.org/independentlen­s Watch "Independent Lens" films online:http://video.pbs.org/program/1218239994/

Four reasons to avoid high fructose corn syrup

 By Sara Novak, Planet Green

By now, you've more than likely seen one of the ads put out by the Corn Refiners Association. The ads tell the story of a "natural" sweetener made from corn. They go on to insinuate that high fructose corn syrup has been unfairly portrayed and that this truly American ingredient is fine in moderation.

Lloyd wrote about this massive $30 million ad campaign last year. The campaign claims that high fructose corn syrup has the "same natural sweeteners as table sugar and honey." Since then, the association has released a number of ads with the same message.

But when push comes to shove, what are the facts about high fructose corn syrup? How is it made? Is it healthy in moderation to the body and the planet? Here are the facts, so that the next time you're asked, you can confidently dispel any high fructose corn syrup rumors.

1. The process of making high fructose corn syrup is pretty weird

2. High fructose corn syrup does weird stuff to your body

3. There might be mercury in your corn syrup

4. The environmental impact of high fructose corn syrup is huge

Our advice: Skip the high fructose corn syrup

Read the article in detail - Yahoo! News

Obesity: A supersized problem

By Angie Long

It’s not so unusual for someone in their 50s to deal with hypertension or high cholesterol.

But what if you haven’t even made it to your 10th birthday?

Childhood obesity is on the rise in the U.S., nearly tripling in the number of cases over the last 30 years.

Alabama, which is second in the nation in the number of obese adults at 31.2 percent, ranks sixth nationwide with 36.1 percent of its children, ages 10-17, falling into the obese category.

Studies indicate states with high numbers of overweight or obese youth also have high rates of childhood poverty with low scores in measurements of childhood wellbeing. | The Demopolis Times

Tobacco Company Found Guilty of Giving Free Cigarettes to Black Children

A North Carolina-based tobacco company tried to entice African-American children to become smokers by handing out free cigarettes in Boston during the 1950s and 1960s, a jury ruled on Dec. 14, awarding $71 million in compensatory damages to the estate and child of a woman who died of lung cancer in 2002.

According to the Associated Press, the Suffolk Superior Court in Boston announced the guilty verdict against Lorillard Tobacco following weeks of testimony in the case. | The Afro-American Newspapers

White House outlines tax benefits for Black families

An estimated 2.2 million African-American families will benefit from the expansion in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) that are extended in the agreement. These credits help roughly 4.7 million African-American children or almost half (44 percent) of all African-American children. For example, an African-American mother with three children making $20,000 will receive. This family will also receive a $400 tax cut from the new payroll tax cut and a total tax benefit of $2,500 next year. Read more...

No Easy Decision › Full Episodes | MTV's Abortion Special

No Easy Decision - MTV Shows

Before you condemn get all the facts, then put then put this genocidal plan in perspective.  Here are a few links to help: 

• http://www.theafricanarmy.com/video/445/MAAFA-21-BLACK-GENOCIDEFULL; 
• http://www.seventhfam.com/temple/books/black_man/blk35.htm;
• http://www.maafa21.com/

Exodus 1:10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Mexico drug cartels increasingly turn to youths to do bloody work

Thousands of Mexican youths who have gotten caught up in drug-related crime – and increasingly, organized crime – as Mexico's war against criminal organizations rages on. He was busted at 15 on theft and drug-related charges and spent six months in a youth jail 'with pure killers and rapists,' he says. | Read more...

More than 25% of Kids and Teens in the U.S. Take Prescriptions on a Regular Basis

By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS

These days, the medicine cabinet is truly a family affair. More than a quarter of U.S. kids and teens are taking a medication on a chronic basis, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc., the biggest U.S. pharmacy-benefit manager with around 65 million members. Nearly 7% are on two or more such drugs, based on the company's database figures for 2009.  read more…

Xtranormal charges for formerly free cartoon tools

By RACHEL METZ

Animation website Xtranormal — whose cartoon-making tools have spawned viral videos of cuddly puppies debating such topics as quantitative easing and the iPhone in stilted monotones — is no longer offering free, unlimited use of its tools.

The change reflects the higher costs of running Xtranormal as the site's popularly grew. - Yahoo! News

http://www.xtranormal.com/

Delaying Sex Makes Better Relationships, Study Finds

Jeanna Bryner

Delaying sex makes for a more satisfying and stable relationship later on, new research finds.

Couples who had sex the earliest - such as after the first date or within the first month of dating - had the worst relationship outcomes.

"What seems to happen is that if couples become sexual too early, this very rewarding area of the relationship overwhelms good decision-making and keeps couples in a relationship that might not be the best for them in the long-run," study researcher Dean Busby, of Brigham Young University's School of Family Life, told LiveScience. - LiveScience.com

Congress Fails to Pass Increases for Education and Early Learning

Children's Defense Fund

We are grateful the Senate consented to ratify the New START treaty last week which reduces the number of nuclear weapons and makes the world a safer place for our children. But as many of you know, significant increases for education and early learning were lost when the Senate failed to pass an omnibus spending bill for next year. Congress has instead passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will last until March 4 anddoes not include the increased funding for education and early learning programs like Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, CCDBG, Head Start/Early Head Start, and the Early Learning Challenge Fund. Thank you to all who urged their networks and Members of Congress to support early learning and education programs throughout the year—but the work is not over! We will be tested in the months ahead and will need to work to stave off deep cuts in programs which benefit children. Learn more about how these programs help children by visiting the early childhood development and education portions of our Web site.

CDF Needs Your Help Now More Than Ever

 

With the current Congress’ recent failure to invest in early learning and the incoming Congress already rattling the saber to slash deficits by cutting back on existing safety nets that protect children and families, CDF needs your financial support now more than ever. With your help, we will work tirelessly to continue our programs and campaigns totrain the next generation of young leaders, and put forth the most accurate and pertinent data, reports and arguments which prove beyond a doubt that there is no wiser investment our nation can make than to ensure all children a better 2011 and that we move forward—not backwards—as a country in preparing our young to compete in the global economy. Please take a moment to make a donation, helping us to reach our goal of raising $150,000 this December.

Children in America Held Captive (by Poverty)

Children's Defense Fund

This Christmas season 15.5 million children in America, more than one in five, are living in poverty, a number of them in extreme poverty. This is the highest child poverty rate the nation has experienced since 1959. Each one of these children has a name, a unique face and story to tell. That is why CDF has just released a new report, “Held Captive”: Child Poverty in America, which chronicles the real life toll child poverty is having on millions of children in the richest nation in history. The report, commissioned by CDF and written by Pulitzer prize winning journalist Julia Cass, found foreign aid supporting programs for children in an impoverished county in Mississippi, Katrina-displaced children still struggling in Baton Rouge, La., and childhood disrupted for the newly poor in Long Island, N.Y. Cass reports that despite safety net protections put in place over the past generation, poor children are still adrift in a sea of poverty with their future in jeopardy. Download and read the full report, share it with your friends and get ready to join the fight to end child poverty in 2011 and beyond.

MTV to air special report tackling abortion Dec. 28 (Exclusive)

After documenting dozens of teen mothers’ heart-wrenching stories via its hit 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom series, MTV will tackle the sensitive issue of abortion with a separate special called No Easy Decision, EW has learned exclusively. | EW.com

Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and the Destruction of American Childhood

Today, a Democracy Now! special with the Canadian physician and bestselling author, Dr. Gabor Maté. From disease to addiction, parenting to attention deficit disorder, Dr. Maté’s work focuses on the centrality of early childhood experiences to the development of the brain, and how those experiences can impact everything from behavioral patterns to physical and mental illness. While the relationship between emotional stress and disease, and mental and physical health more broadly, is often considered controversial within medical orthodoxy, Dr. Maté argues too many doctors seem to have forgotten what was once a commonplace assumption, that emotions are deeply implicated in both the development of illness, addictions and disorders, and in their healing. Read more…

The Demography of Muslim Youth and the Future

demographers can do nearly definitive projections about population trends until then. What they're telling us is that a lot of the world's little ones are coming up in Muslim households and societies.

Those Muslim five-year-olds better get serious quick. Look what they're facing.  iViews.com

Michael Jackson Keeps Giving to Youth even in death: Neverland Ranch Could Be Turned into Teen Music School

Michael Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch in California could possibly continue the late King of Pop's love for music and the arts. Read more...

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Wants State to Release Control of Young Inmates

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said Tuesday that he would ask New York State to turn over control of prisons and services for juvenile offenders to local governments, a move that he said would end the failed and costly practice of shipping troubled young people from New York City to upstate facilities far from their families. - NYTimes

Youth urged to rekindle spirit of volunteerism

Mr Mumuni Sulemana, the Upper West Regional Coordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), has called on the youth to rekindle the spirit of volunteerism, to help boost productivity and the development of the nation.

He said it was worrying to note that the youth, these days, usually think of benefits whenever they are called upon to render services rather than their contribution towards the success of projects. Read more...

Teen girls in most deprived areas 5 times as likely to be assaulted

The impact of deprivation on youth violence: A comparison of cities and their feeder towns 2010

Teen girls living in the most deprived areas are five times as likely to be assaulted as their affluent male and female peers, reveals research published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

Young men are twice as likely to be a victim of assault as young women, but the link between deprivation and assault is far stronger for their female peers, the study shows.

Violence is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 19 year olds and the 14th leading cause of death among 10 to 14 year olds worldwide. In 2007, around 66,000 children and teens in England and Wales were treated for injuries sustained during violent assault. Read more...

KISSing a theory goodbye in the link between puberty and nutrition status

The timing of the onset of puberty is linked to levels of nutrition: later onset is associated with malnutrition, while earlier onset is linked to childhood obesity. A team of researchers, led by Carol Elias, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, has now generated data in mice that run counter to current thinking about the molecular pathway by which nutrition status affects the onset of puberty. Further, the team defines a new regulatory pathway for the process, which, if confirmed in humans, could potentially lead to new approaches to treating disorders of puberty and fertility. Read more...

Young Black Males Bear Brunt of Economic Crisis | Dissident Voice

by Billy Wharton

While Manhattan salaries surged this year, up 12% because of Wall Street’s recovery, young black males continue to bear the burden of the economic crisis that ensued in 2008. A new report by the Community Service Society (CSS) indicates that only one in four young black men between the ages of 16 and 24 in New York City is employed. The group tied the shockingly low employment rate to the effects of the economic crisis, which rendered already inferior jobs training and alternative education structures even more ineffective. | Dissident Voice

If your child is obese make sure they are screened for obesity related complications

By Frederik Joelving

Only a minority of obese youths are screened for diabetes, liver problems and high cholesterol, electronic medical records from an Ohio healthcare system show.

Researchers say the findings are a call for action, since such complications could be part of the reason why heavy kids appear to have shorter lives than their slimmer peers. - Yahoo! News

Childbirth deaths from spinal anesthesia rising

By Amy Norton

The number of U.S. women who die from anesthesia complications during childbirth has fallen sharply in recent decades. But deaths specifically related to so-called regional anesthesia, which includes epidurals and spinal blocks, have crept upward since the mid-1990s, a new study finds. - Yahoo! News

US teen birth rate at all-time low, economy cited

By MIKE STOBBE

The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping — a decline that stunned experts who believe it's partly due to the recession.

The birth rate for teenagers fell to 39 births per 1,000 girls, ages 15 through 19, according to a government report released Tuesday. It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940. - Yahoo! News

Is Big Pharma skewing another report about the benefits of Alternative medicines

The 'study' by Australian researchers found that 'alternative' medicines like herbs, vitamins, naturopathic and homeopathic remedies may have more deadly side effects than conventional medicines when treating sick children.

The research out of Australia was published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. Read the main articles at: - Yahoo! News

A force behind the lower teen birthrate: MTV's '16 and Pregnant'

By Patrik Jonsson

But according to a new government study that shows the US teen birthrate falling dramatically in 2009 after a five percent increase from 2005 to 2007, experts say the network may have redeemed itself with its gritty "16 and Pregnant" documentary series, which many teens credit with opening their eyes to the consequences of unprotected sex and early parenthood.- CSMonitor.com

Nearly 1 in 4 fails military exam

Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the U.S. Army fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions, according to a new study released Tuesday.
The report by The Education Trust bolsters a growing worry among military and education leaders that the pool of young people qualified for military service will grow too small. - Yahoo! News

South Africa holds Youth & Students Festival

 

The World Festival of Youth and Students is held every four years. In its 65 years of existence, this was its first meeting in Africa.  PressTV

Tyler Perry Saves At-Risk Youth Training Center With His Amazing Gift

Georgia writer, actor and producer Tyler Perry has helped at-risk youth in our nation's communities continue learning to BE SOMEONE through his amazing act of generosity.

Orrin 'Checkmate' Hudson announced that Mr. Perry has stepped forward to match an anonymous $14,000 donation that will save the struggling BE SOMEONE youth center from a December 31st deadline to make critical improvements which, if not completed, would have meant the closure of the BE SOMEONE center. PRNewswire

One More Way to Avoid Diabetes: Breastfeed

New moms know that breastfeeding can be good for babies, providing them with much-needed nutrition as well as a shot of antibodies and other cells that help build immune systems. Now, evidence suggests that the practice may keep the mothers themselves healthier too.
Researchers led by Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz at University of Pittsburgh found that women who breastfeed are half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women who do not. - TIME

Study: Breast-Feeding Improves Academic Performance, Especially for Boys

 By ALICE PARK

Evidence for the long-term benefits of breast-feeding - well beyond infancy - continue to grow. In the latest analysis of the academic performance of children who were breast- or bottle-fed, researchers found that breast-fed babies scored higher on tests of math, reading and writing skills at 10 years old, compared with those who were bottle-fed as babies. - Yahoo! News

Study maps need for kids' doctors in rural areas

By CARLA K. JOHNSON

CHICAGO – There are enough children's doctors in the United States, they just work in the wrong places, a new study finds. Some wealthy areas are oversaturated with pediatricians and family doctors. Other parts of the nation have few or none.

Nearly 1 million kids live in areas with no local children's doctor. By moving doctors, the study suggests, it would be possible for every child to have a pediatrician or family physician nearby. - Yahoo! News

Hollywood-style special effects give girl new ear

 

Facial prosthetics are becoming more realistic and longer-lasting, and Elise's journey offers a glimpse of the tricks that help: Titanium rods adapted from dentistry that bond with bone to hold them in place. More flexible silicones. Even "flocking," using those nylon particles that make the velvety insides of jewelry boxes can help give silicone "skin" more dimension — and not in flesh tones, but flecks of bright reds, plums, blues, oranges. - Yahoo! News

A cuddle for baby boy with the youngest parents in the UK... but 14-year-olds are living apart and arguing already

 

Cradling the new arrival, April Webster may look like the proud big sister.

But the baby-faced schoolgirl and her sometime boyfriend Nathan Fishbourne have just become Britain’s youngest parents after conceiving son Jamie when they were both only 13.

April and schoolfriend Nathan started having unprotected sex after they began dating in September last year. | Mail Online

Internet pornography: Parents to be allowed to block sexual imagery

 

Internet pornography sites will be automatically blocked from home computers unless households request access under an ‘opt-in’ system.

Ministers want to reverse the current situation in which such sites are accessible to anyone surfing the internet, including children, unless a lock is installed.

Under the plans, those who want access to pornography sites would have to ask their broadband firm to make them available. | Mail Online

Facebook knows your face. Is that a problem?

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Facebook will soon unveil a new face-recognition functionality, reps for the social network have announced. The software – which should hit Facebook by next week – crawls recently-added photos and rapidly coughs up a series of suggested tags, based on its analysis of the data. Facebook says the feature should make it easier for users to tag large numbers of pictures. - CSMonitor.com

Senate Blocks Bill for Young Illegal Immigrants

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

The Senate on Saturday blocked a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, completed two years of college or military service and met other requirements, including passing a criminal background check.

The vote by 55-41 in favor of the bill, which is known as the Dream Act, effectively kills it for this year, and its fate is uncertain. - NYTimes.com

The corporate takeover of American schools

 

The top positions in state education across the US – for example, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, recent chancellors Joel Klein (New York) and Michelle Rhee (Washington, DC), and incoming Chancellor Cathleen P Black (New York) – reflect a tru st in CEO-style leadership for education management and reform. Along with these new leaders in education, billionaire entrepreneurs have also assumed roles as education saviours: Bill and Melinda Gates, and Geoffrey Canada. | guardian.co.uk

WikiLeaks Cables: Pfizer fraudulent drug tests on Nigerian children.

Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general to pressure him to drop a $6 billion lawsuit over fraudulent drug tests on Nigerian children. Researchers did not obtain signed consent forms, and medical personnel said Pfizer did not tell parents their children were getting the experimental drug. Eleven children died, and others suffered disabling injuries including deafness, muteness, paralysis, brain damage, loss of sight, slurred speech. We speak to Washington Post reporter Joe Stephens, who helped break the story in 2000, and Musikilu Mojeed, a Nigerian journalist who has worked on this story for the NEXT newspaper in Lagos. Read more…

Top 10 Food Additives to Avoid

Some food additives are worse than others. Food Matters suggests these as the top ones to avoid:

1. Artificial Sweeteners
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup
3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

4. Trans Fat

5. Common Food Dyes

6. Sodium Sulphite

7. Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite

8. BHA and BHT

9. Sulphur Dioxide

10. Potassium Bromate

Read the article in full detail…

Daily Marijuana Use Rises Among Youth: New U.S. Survey

The rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from last year’s 14.5 percent, with daily marijuana use up in all grades surveyed, says the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey issued today by the National Institute or Drug Abuse. For 12th-graders, declines in cigarette use have put marijuana ahead of cigarette smoking by some measures. In 2010, 21.4 percent of high school seniors used marijuana in the past 30 days, while 19.2 percent smoked cigarettes. The Crime Report »

Facebook’s Top 10 Status Update Trends of 2010 Reflect Its Global Youth

Facebook posted a blog today revealing the top 10 status update trends over the past year. Interesting, many of these pertained to youthful fads like Justin Bieber and the acronym HMU (“hit me up”) but also there were several that reflected Facebook’s increasingly global reach with references to the World Cup, Haiti and the Chilean miners. Read more...

Ypulse Toolbox: Tween Safety Resources Online To Know

As tween-targeted social networks and kid virtual worlds continue growing at a rapid pace, the need to foster online safety in these spaces has become increasingly important. Beyond moderation from the site administrators, this means helping tweens and their parents understand what it takes to be a good digital citizen (an issue discussed at length by Anne Collier of ConnectSafely.org and fellow tween/teen community experts at last year's Ypulse Mashup).

Today we're looking at online safety resources specifically geared towards tweens and their parents. Take a look at what we found and let us know in comments if we missed any you think should be featured. | Ypulse

Youth exposure to alcohol ads on TV growing faster than adults

Despite efforts by alcohol companies to strengthen their self-regulatory standards, the average number of ads seen by youth watching television increased from 217 in 2001 to 366 in 2009, or one alcohol ad per day.

“One a day is great for vitamins but not for young people being exposed to alcohol advertising,” said David H. Jernigan, PhD, CAMY director. “This is a significant and troubling escalation, and shows the ineffectiveness of the industry’s current voluntary standards.” Read more....

The report, which is available at http://www.camy.org

New Federal Report Shows Drop in Child Abuse Rates

 

The rate of child maltreatment in the U.S. decreased in 2009 for the third consecutive year, according to new federal figures.

Although the decrease was slight, it ran counter to the predictions of some experts that the onset of the recession in late 2008 would trigger an upsurge of abuse.

Read more @ | BET.com

A Vote for Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 directs resources to a variety of programs that fight hunger and malnutrition in Ohio communities. These programs include the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch Program. The new law also works to stem the dramatic rise in childhood obesity in the United States by removing sugary drinks and candy in our schools’ cafeterias and increasing funding for fruits and vegetables. Read more...

A LIVE Twitter Chat with Bill Nye the Science Guy, Thur. Dec. 16 from 6-7pm est

US students lag far behind their peers in math and science literacy.  We need to change public attitudes toward these subjects so kids are inspired to take them on. Continuing the conversation we started on November 17 with  Global Online Town Hall, we invite your questions and comments for Bill Nye on this important topic.

What?

A live Twitter Chat

When?

Tomorrow, December 16 from 6-7PM EST

Who?

YOU in conversation with Bill Nye

Where?

Twitter; Follow @ConnectMinds and @TheScienceGuy

How?

Direct questions and comments related to discussion topics to @TheScienceGuy and use event hash-tag  #FutureOfOurNation in your tweets.

• What kinds of activities inspire kids to pursue education and careers in math and science?
• Do kids make the critical connection between math and science skills and landing their dream jobs?
• Why are kids in other countries celebrated for being good in math & science while high-achieving students in the US are portrayed as “uncool” or “unpopular?”

Marijuana use overtakes smoking in teens

Marijuana use among high school-aged kids is on the rise, according to a new study, and has overtaken cigarette smoking among 12th-graders specifically.

The Monitoring the Future Survey - compiled from 46,000 anonymous questionnaires given to teens – found that 8% of eighth-graders say they've smoked marijuana within the past 30 days, up from 6.5% just last year. More than 16.7% of 10th-graders and 21.4% of 12th graders say they've smoked pot within the last month as well.

Only 19.2% of 12th-graders are smoking cigarettes in any given month. - CNN.com Blogs

Woman sues McDonald's over Happy Meals

A California woman is suing McDonald's claiming the fast-food giant uses toys to market directly to young children. Monet Parham, a Sacramento, California, mother of two small children filed the lawsuit Wednesday in San Francisco along with health, nutrition and food safety advocates Center for Science in the Public Interest . CSPI is seeking court approval to proceed as a class action.

Parham, a 41-year old state employee, says her kids repeatedly ask for Happy Meals, mainly for the toys. - CNN.com Blogs

'Purple Drank' Addiction Sweeps the Inner City

Apollonia Jordan

There is a new addiction going around among young people in inner-city communities. The latest trend is a legal but deadly cocktail, a mixture of Sprite and Promethazine/Codeine cough syrup.

The drug has been popularized by hip-hop artists, and has even spawned its own music style. But it’s also turning young people into zombies. - New America Media

Clock Running Out On Child Care For 55,000 California Children

Chris Levister

As promised, Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles), introduced an emergency bill to reinstate CalWorks Stage 3 funds for welfare-to- work child care subsidies through the rest of fiscal year ending June 30. The bill, AB 1, requests the restoration of $233 million in state funds, and was the first item of business to be taken up Monday by the new Legislature. - New America Media

"Snitch"— A YO!TV Motion Picture - New America Media

 

SNITCH by YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia from New America Media on Vimeo.

"Snitch"— A YO!TV Motion Picture - New America Media

Kids write Santa this year for basic needs instead of toys

By Donna Leinwand

Santa Claus and his elves are seeing more heartbreaking letters this year as children cite their parents' economic troubles in their wish lists.

U.S. Postal Service workers who handle letters addressed to Santa at the North Pole say more letters ask for basics — coats, socks and shoes — rather than Barbie dolls, video games and computers.

Read more…

Obama Signs Child Nutrition Bill

President Barack Obama Monday signed a bill aimed at improving child nutrition and ending child hunger across the country.
Speaking at a local elementary school in Washington, D.C., Obama said that the measure, which was a major priority for First Lady Michelle Obama, would be a "vitally important" step in improving the health and welfare of America's children.
"It is worth noting that this bill passed with bipartisan support in both houses of Congress," President Obama said. "It reminds us that no matter what people may hear about how divided things are in Washington, we can still come together and agree on issues that matter for our children's future and for our future as a nation."
He added, "That's really what today is all about."
The bill, Obama said, tries to tackle the dual problems of not enough children having access to meals at school and improving the nutritional quality of the meals that are offered.  INO.com News

Also read:
Obama Signs Child Nutrition Bill Into Law as Part of Anti-Obesity Push
President Obama signs child nutrition bill into law
Obama signs child nutrition bill, championed by the first lady

Young Environmentalists Challenge U.N. Climate Delegates: "Stop Talking. Start Planting"

In a courtyard outside within the Moon Palace Resort in Cancún, young environmentalists dug holes for 193 baby trees, one for each nation in the world. Their message for the delegates at the U.N. Climate Change Conference: “Stop talking. Start planting.” Felix Finkbeiner, the 13-year-old founder of Plant for the Planet, says their goal is to plant one million trees in every country, a feat that has already been accomplished in his home country of Germany. We speak to Felix and 10-year-old Alessa Miridis Monroy of Cancún. [Young Environmentalists Challenge U.N. Climate Delegates: "Stop Talking. Start Planting"]

Global Children's Campaign to Climate Delegates: Stop Talking. Start Planting

This years UN climate change conference has attracted many children from around the world. In Cancún, Mexico, Democracy Now! had the chance to speak with two children from the youth-led group Plant-for-the-Planet.

"Click Here for Full Cancún Climate Summit Coverage."http://www.democracynow.org/tags/cancnclimatesummit
Click Here for Full Climate Change Coverage

Global Children's Campaign to Climate Delegates: Stop Talking. Start Planting

California Law Forces Parents of Gang Members to Attend Training Classes

Los Angeles is a complex city. Interwoven with mountains and beaches, unrelenting sunshine and unrepentant earthquakes, the wealthiest and poorest residents in America all flock here for the myriad opportunities that can only be found in the City of Angels.In the 1920s and 1930s, African American clubs were formed to dabble in prostitution and the rare robbery. By the 1960s, many blacks migrated to Los Angeles during World War II, and the clubs shifted their focus to protect themselves from the racist and often violent actions of the white clubs, which were unhappy about the influx of 'colored' people. It was in the '60s, during the Watts Rebellion that a shift occurred in political awareness and the LAPD began referring to black clubs as radical 'gangs.' - BV Black Spin

Unemployed African youth to benefit from UN-backed finance programme

Some 200,000 low-income youth in sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from a United Nations-backed initiative announced today to increase access for them to financial services in a region where youth unemployment rates are two to three times that of adults.

YouthStart, co-sponsored by UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the MasterCard Foundation, which has made a four-year, $12 million contribution, is a competition-based programme that will identify and support up to 12 financial institutions to pilot and roll out sustainable financial services tailored to youth. Read more...

Israeli rights group says law broken in Palestinian youth arrests

By Kareem Khadder

Israel is violating its own laws by arresting an increasing number of Palestinian minors in East Jerusalem for stone-throwing, according to a new report by Israeli human rights group B'tselem.

The group says it has documented the arrest of 81 Palestinian minors in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan for stone-throwing during a 12-month period, from November 2009 through October 2010. - CNN.com

Why do One in Ten Kids in the US Have ADHD

 

A U.S. government survey claims that 1 in 10 U.S. children now has ADHD. This is a sizable increase from a few years earlier. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) makes it hard for children to pay attention and control impulsive behavior.

About two-thirds of the children diagnosed with ADHD are on some form of prescription medication.  Read more….

Also read:

What Causes ADHD? Myths and Facts

Father Harassed By CPS For Feeding Kids Organic Food

Paul Joseph Watson

A father of two was harassed and investigated by Child Protective Services and police for feeding his daughters organic food, refusing to make them drink fluoride-poisoned tap water and not having them injected with mercury-laden vaccines, all of which constitutes “suspicious activity” in the new Sovietized America, a foretaste of what’s to come once Big Sis’ Wal-Mart spy campaign gets up and running.

Relating his story to the Sherrie Questioning All blog, the man states that a child abuse investigation was launched after one of his neighbors reported him to the authorities, prompting a CPS worker to visit his home accompanied by a police officer, during which she bombarded him with questions and conducted a warrantless search of his house, even down to the contents of his refrigerator.

Father Harassed By CPS For Feeding Kids Organic Food

Consumer Reports Warns Pregnant Women Against Canned Tuna

By Bryan Walsh

Pregnant women and children have long been warned that they should be wary of eating certain kinds of seafood because of the risk of mercury contamination. It's a real threat — mercury is a neurotoxin, and exposure in-utero at high levels can damage an infant's developing cognitive skills.  – TIME

General Mills cuts sugar content in children's cereals but still uses GMOs

by: Ethan A. Huff

Breakfast cereal giant General Mills recently announced plans to slightly cut the sugar content in its children's cereals in accordance with overall pressures on major food producers to fight childhood obesity and its related diseases by making healthier products. However the company continues to use genetically-modified (GM) ingredients in its cereal products, as well as corn syrup, artificial flavors, and artificial colorings -- all of which wreak havoc on health.  Read more...

Bedtime routines are important for children

By Louise Chang, MD

Bedtime routines are important for children. Regardless of age, regular schedules and bedtime rituals greatly impact our ability to obtain sound sleep and function at our best. When it comes to children, this is especially true. Establishing and maintaining good sleep habits helps your child fall asleep, stay asleep, and awake rested and refreshed. It may also prevent future sleep problems. Good sleep habits can not only take the stress out of bedtime, but can help make it the special time it should be for you and your child.  Read more...

One of the Worst Parenting Mistakes You Can Make

By Dr. Mercola

No matter how physically active a child is, time spent in front of the computer or television screen is associated with psychological problems.

In other words, children can't make up for TV time by spending extra hours exercising.

The findings also suggest that the way children spend their sedentary time, in addition to how much time they spend being sedentary in the first place, matters for their mental health.  Read more,,,

Nine month old twins die just minutes after measles vaccination

by: David Gutierrez

When the first girl began to experience distress -- breathing heavily and vomiting -- her sister had not yet been vaccinated. Sharma asked the doctor to hold off on vaccinating the second girl, but he insisted on going ahead. The second girl went into distress, and both girls lost consciousness.

"Even as the condition of one of my daughters deteriorated, the doctor told us that we need not worry since it was a normal reaction to the vaccine," the girls' father, Sunil Sharma, said. "The deteriorating condition of the baby did not deter him from administering the vaccine to my other daughter."   Measles Vaccination

Study: 99% of Children Living in Apartments May Be Exposed to Secondhand Smoke

By Alice Park

There are fewer and fewer places where smokers can light up these days, with smoking bans being instituted by governments and private companies in virtually every public place, from offices and airplanes to bars and restaurants. And now there's evidence that supports bringing no-smoking policies to the only remaining place (other than outdoors) where smokers can still light up — inside their homes.

Or, at least where smokers are living in apartments. In a study of tobacco exposure from secondhand smoke in more than 5,000 children, researchers led by Dr. Karen Wilson at University of Rochester found that youngsters aged 6 to 18 years who lived in multi-unit housing had a 45% increase in a chemical byproduct of tobacco in their blood compared with children who lived in detached family homes. And these were youngsters who lived in units where nobody smoked inside the apartment itself, meaning that the exposure was occurring primarily via secondhand smoke drifting in from other units.  - TIME

CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride

A new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association finds once again that, contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is actually bad for teeth.

Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, in which tooth enamel becomes discolored. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth. The new study found that fluoride intake during a child's first few years of life is significantly associated with fluorosis, and warned against using fluoridated water in infant formula.  Read more...

National KIDS COUNT 2010 Data Book

According to data in the 21st annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, overall improvements in child well-being that began in the late 1990s stalled in the years just before the current economic downturn. Find national data and state-by-state data and rankings on 10 key indicators of child well-being.

Autism Research: Breakthrough Discovery on the Causes of Autism

 Mark Hyman, MD:

A study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers from the University of California, Davis called "Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism" (i) discovered a profound and serious biological underpinning of autism -- an acquired loss of the ability to produce energy in the cells, damage to mitochondria (the energy factories in your cells), and an increase in oxidative stress (the same chemical reaction that causes cars to rust, apples to turn brown, fat to become rancid, and skin to wrinkle). These disturbances in energy metabolism were not due to genetic mutations, which is often seen in mitochondrial problems, but a condition the children studied acquired in utero or after birth.

Bottom line, if brain cells cannot produce enough energy, and there is too much oxidative stress, then neurons don't fire, connections aren't made and the lights don't go on for these children.

Autism Research: Read more…

Video Game Designers Play to Solve Real-World Problems

By JOHN TIERNEY

By the age of 21, the typical American has spent 10,000 hours playing computer games, and endured a smaller but much drearier chunk of time listening to sermons about this sinful habit. Why, the experts wail, are so many people wasting their lives solving meaningless puzzles in virtual worlds?

Now some other experts — ones who have actually played these games — are asking more interesting questions. Why are these virtual worlds so much more absorbing than school and work? How could these gamers’ labors be used to solve real-world puzzles? Why can’t life be more like a video game? - NYTimes.com

Eliminating tooth decay: Breakthrough in dental plaque research

 

The University of Groningen researchers analysed glucansucrase from the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, which is present in the human mouth and digestive tract. The bacteria use the glucansucrase enzyme to convert sugar from food into long, sticky sugar chains. They use this glue to attach themselves to tooth enamel. The main cause of tooth decay, the bacterium Streptococcus mutans, also uses this enzyme. Once attached to tooth enamel, these bacteria ferment sugars releasing acids that dissolve the calcium in teeth. This is how caries develops.

Eliminating tooth decay: Breakthrough in dental plaque research

MUST SEE: 15-year Old UK Student Schools the Establishment (VIDEO)

Alternative ADHD Treatments

By Tina Pavane

When parents learn their child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they often find themselves facing a mountain of treatment approaches to improve their child's well-being. Most parents will find an element of control in one or more of the many psychosocial, behavioral or pharmaceutical treatments available for ADHD. Dr. Eugenia Chan, director of the ADHD program at Children's Hospital Boston says there's no "instant fix" for ADHD.

Alternative ADHD Treatments

Students get 'Urkeled' for baggy pants

A Memphis middle school principal puts a pop culture 'twist' to his 'no baggy pants' policy.

If students’ pants are sagging a little to low, they’ll get “Urkled,”...meaning “Family Matters” TV character Steve Urkle and his signature style. And all it takes are a few zip ties...

'You slide it over. Take out the remaining slack, and it's almost impossible to get it off,' said the principal, Bobby White. Read more... 

13% of People Say They Drove Drunk in the Past Year | Driving Under Influence of Drugs & Alcohol, Drunk Driving

More than 13 percent of people ages 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol in the United States last year, and more than 4 percent of people in that age group drove under the influence of illicit drugs, according to a new government study. | My Health News Daily

The New Jim Crow: Reforming Today's Penal System

'People of color use and sell drugs at about the same rates as whites. In fact, where there is significant difference in survey data, white you are more likely to engage in illegal drug dealing than black youth, now that defies our racial stereotypes,' said Michelle Alexander, author of 'The New Jim Crow.' | Local

Gun violence is devastating black youth, group says

People whose lives have been touched by gun violence are calling for the carnage to stop, especially among young black men.

'We now find ourselves standing at the crossroads, wondering which way to go as violence among our young people has once again reached devastating and overwhelming proportions,' said Monica Willie of the Canadian Communities Youth Alliance in a news conference held Friday at City Hall. - CTV News

Single Parent Dating Tips

Getting back in the dating scene can definitely be difficult for single parents. After all, it's probably been awhile since you went out on a date. Of course, dating as a single parent brings with it many challenges and pressures that you have to deal with as a parent. It can be difficult enough being a single parent and adding a relationship to the mix can definitely bring up some complications. However, while there are unique challenges ahead, it doesn't mean that you can't have enjoyable dates and find someone special again. To help you navigate this new territory, here are some helpful single parent dating tips that will make the entire process easier for you, your date, and your children.

Tip #1 – Never Lie About Being a Parent

Tip #2 – Talk to Your Children

Tip #3 – Don't Introduce Dates Right Away – Take it Slow

Tip #4 – Don't Feel Guilty

Tip #5 – Avoid Talking About Your Ex

Tip #6 – Be a Role Model in Your Relationship

Tip #7 – Keep Safety in Mind

Tip #8 – Listen to Your Children

Read more in detail...

American Prospect Report on Mass Incarceration

I am pleased to share with you a soon-to-be-released special report from The American Prospectmagazine on “Mass Incarceration in America.” The issue includes essays from journalists andcriminal justice experts who review the policies that have contributed to the nation’s high rate of incarceration and the subsequent impact on youth and low-income communities of color in particular. It also details promising initiatives that seek to change incarceration trends and aid at-risk populations with social services support in order to prevent crime.