Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: US Cyber Challenge to reward young technophiles

 

Do you have a budding teenage geek in the family? Know any high-schoolers who might have a future in cyber security? If so, tell them to check out the national competition just launched by the US Cyber Challenge—a national public-private partnership that identifies and develops cyber-security talent.  CRead more…

Youth violence grows in fast-changing Vietnam

By Tran Thi Minh Ha

Parents now have less time for the family as they pursue material wealth, he said.

"In the society now, people only pay attention to earning money and spending it rampantly," said Toan.

Now, even though traditional moral principles are taught at school, those virtues are not reinforced at home because parents are focused more on improving their lifestyle, and this leaves youngsters confused, he added.

After years of poverty following the country's reunification in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, communist Vietnam in 1986 began to embrace the free market under economic reforms known as "doi moi".  Read more…

Picture By J-Hob

Parents beware: “Canna Cola” Brings Marijuana To The Soda Industry

Canna Cola is the new spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
The beverage combines soda and THC, a psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana, to create a drink that co-brand-developer Clay Butler calls “medibles,” edible medicine. | Disinformation

First-Year College Students Stressed, but Optimistic, Survey Finds

Today's first-year students at U.S. colleges are reporting record-low levels of emotional health and more students say they feel overwhelmed even before entering college, according to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) freshman survey, UCLA's annual survey of U.S. students entering four-year colleges and universities.

Only 51.9 percent of first-year students reported their emotional health was in 'the highest 10 percent' or 'above average' in 2010, which is 3.4 percent lower than the prior year, and the lowest ever since the CIRP study first asked the question in 1985 -- when 63.6 percent of students placed themselves in those categories. - ParentDish

Study links teen suicide and lack of sleep

Teenagers who thought about or attempted suicide were more likely to have suffered sleep disorders in earlier years, researchers say.

Idaho State University psychology professor Maria Wong, who worked on the study, said the finding should aid parents, educators and others in identifying teens at risk of harming themselves. - msnbc.com

Sony announces 'Next Generation Portable' handheld

Codenamed 'NGP' for Next Generation Portable, the system packs a load of impressive technology, including two analog sticks, a 5-inch OLED touchscreen (for reference, an iPhone's screen is 3.5 inches), a second touch pad on the back of the device, and a new flash-card media format.
Sony announced that the system will be released before the end of 2011, though no word on whether that's a worldwide date or just for Japan. - Yahoo! Games

Sony's NGPSony

Vintage Rarely Seen Footage Of Lauryn Hill Kicking The Truth To The Young Black Youth! Circa 2000 [Video]

McCaskey tries new mentoring program: all-black homerooms

Editors note: YES Media applauds Angela Tilghman for her earnest desire to see Black children properly educated.  We have no doubt outsiders will attack Mrs. Tilghman and label the program reverse racism.  These same people care nothing about Black children nor do they have an viable alternative program.

By BRIAN WALLACE

The all-black homerooms are part of an experiment to determine if grouping students homogeneously for a brief period each day will help them socially and academically.

'At first I was kind of like iffy because why would we be in homeroom together?' T'onna recalled. 'But we work together and we do problems together, so I like it.

'Here we learn about how we can basically make a difference and how we don't have to settle for less.' - Lancaster News

"ICE " Your Phone.

Apparently this is a standard procedure paramedics follow at the scene of an accident when they come across your cell phone.

ICE - 'In Case of Emergency'
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call.. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.

 
The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell(mobile) phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case O f Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE.'
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!
Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!
Please forward this . It won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this . It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest . ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.

Learning Without a School? Why Educators Should Pay Attention to Experiments in “Self-Organized Learning”

There was buzz on the blogs this week about the latest project from Sugata Mitra, a professor of educational technology at Newcastle University in the UK. Mitra is known for his “Hole in the Wall” experiments that place internet-enabled computer kiosks in public spaces and schools in poor neighborhoods of India, Cambodia and Africa for children to use without supervised training.

Left to their own devices, Mitra finds that street children use their natural curiosity to teach themselves and each other, even when most of the web content they’re accessing is in English. He calls this “self-organized” learning. (“Hole in the Wall” recently won a 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition award). | Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning

What Kids Should Learn from President Obama's State of the Union Address

If you break the State of the Union address down into kid-inspiring bites, there's a lot for them to chew on.

On ParentDish there are 15 parts of President Obama's 2011 State of the Union address that kids can understand (with a little help from you). These quotes are not just hopeful, but they teach history and inspire curiosity. Just be sure to stand by to answer questions! - ParentDish

Toddler's self-control predicts success

A child's success in his or her 30s in measures of health, wealth and more can be predicted by how well they can control their impulses as early as age three, says a new study, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - msnbc.com

Kids Of Divorce And Suicide: New Study Shows Link

 

Children with divorced parents are at an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, with boys especially vulnerable to the effects of marital breakups.

These new findings were revealed by the recent study, "Suicidal Ideation Among Individuals Whose Parents Have Divorced," conducted by Esme Fuller-Thompson, a professor at the University of Toronto.  Read more…

MTV Skins and Child Pornography | MTV Exploiting American Youth

We are perplexed and disgusted (as we should be) by tales of second graders having oral sex in public school classrooms, by the nation’s monumental problems with adolescent drug use and by the countless issues we see with bullying, personal image and the like. Media outlets and entertainment venues continue to provide our children with the most vile and incomprehensibly stupid examples of how to make the world’s worst decisions. Inevitably, shows like “Skins” glorify grotesque behaviors, while making them appear normative.

Why are we surprised by the decline in morality among America’s youth when we fail to put pressure on networks, music producers and other entertainment companies to act responsibly? If Hillary Clinton was right and it truly does “take a village,” then MTV should surely take heed. | Mediaite

Today's Youth: From Back Lots to Black Ops, Times Have Changed

Remember Roller Skating?

Football, soccer, baseball, basketball, whatever. Didn't really matter most of the time as long as we were out there, together, havin' a good time.

If too many people were grounded, doing homework, out of town or just unaccounted for, we'd just turn to the old stand-bys. Hide and Seek, Kick the can, Smear the queer, (if you're offended by that, too bad—I didn't name it, I just loved playin' it).

From the time we got home, until the street lights came on, unless we heard the dreaded screech from our mother from the front porch, we'd be outside playing. Forming lasting relationships, creating memories, building character. - associatedcontent.com

The (mis)education of the black child

Harold Muhammad

After all, in the past 16 years or more, the mental training of black youth has, largely, been entrusted to whites.

It is white teachers and principals who shape the black youth’s self-understanding, historical knowledge and formulation of perception about what is really going on in the country.

Since the dawn of freedom and democracy, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of young black children and youth who have been educated outside their families, communities and history.

The are very few schools that promote education from a black historical perspective, if you like. Thought Leader

Texting, Typing Killing Cursive?

 

Cursive writing has been eliminated from the Common Core State Standards, a school instruction policy adopted last summer by 40 states.

For now, cursive is still being taught, but more kids can’t read it or write it.  - Read more…

Nicki Minaj: Kicked Out of London Hotel Due to Raucus Fans

 

London loves Nicki Minaj. In fact, they love Ms. Minaj a little too much!

The 26-year-old rapper was forced to leave a London hotel on Friday after massive crowds of Nicki's fans (AKA "Barbz") and paparazzi posed a security threat and disturbed the hotel patrons.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Colorful (Multiple) Personalities Of Nicki Minaj

| Read more…

She ate 162 school lunches and lived to blog about it

This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released new proposals to improve school breakfast and lunch nutrition standards as part of an attempt to reduce childhood obesity. It proposed cutting down on school lunch staples often spotted on Mrs. Q's blog, such as pizza and French fries.

The USDA proposes increasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk while cutting the amount of sodium and saturated fat and limiting the number of calories.

"I really do believe we need to upgrade school lunch food," Mrs. Q said. "I think it affects performance in a big way."  - CNN.com

Mastectomy for a 4-year-old preschooler

 

Aleisha Hunter is not your average 4-year-old. In fact, she's the youngest breast cancer survivor in Canada.

Not exactly the news her mother Melanie was expecting when she noticed a small lump in her daughter's right breast while bathing her when she was 2.  Finally after trying to figure out what was causing Aleisha so much pain, at the age of 3, doctors diagnosed  juvenile breast carcinoma, a very rare form of  cancer.  CNN.com Blogs

'A stark warning:' Smoking causes genetic damage within minutes after inhaling

In research described as "a stark warning" to those tempted to start smoking, scientists are reporting that cigarette smoke begins to cause genetic damage within minutes -- not years -- after inhalation into the lungs.

Their report, the first human study to detail the way certain substances in tobacco cause DNA damage linked to cancer, appears in Chemical Research in Toxicology, one of 38 peer-reviewed scientific journals published by the American Chemical Society.  'Read more…

Young adults' sexual relationships increasingly favor men, research finds

While young women's educational and career opportunities have skyrocketed over the past two decades, their opportunities for stable, long-term relationships have declined, according to new research from sociologists at The University of Texas at Austin.


In their new book "Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think About Marrying," (Oxford, 2011)

"There have been many changes in romantic and sexual behavior over the past 30 years," says Regnerus. "One is that the 'price of sex' among unmarried Americans has dipped to an all-time low."

Regnerus and Uecker describe the "price of sex" as the cost — to men — of romance, status, stability and commitment that men exchange for access to sex in a relationship. They argue that despite women's successes, contemporary relationships are becoming more male-centered than ever, with men gaining access to sex earlier and more often, yet providing fewer and later commitments than a generation ago.   Read more…

Related article:

Study: Couples who delay having sex get benefits later
 

Sexual attitudes differ whether one is in or outside of a relationship

The Toxin So Dangerous - Even CDC Now Warns Against Consumption by Infants

By Dr. Mercola

Fluoride is a potent neurotoxin that's been fraudulently promoted as a cure for cavities for the past five decades. Finally, we're beginning to see the kind of research needed to hopefully reverse this great injustice…

The two recent scientific developments above deserve special notice as together they offer a compelling picture of the truth. Not only do we now have yet another study showing that fluoridated water has a significant impact on children's IQ, but researchers have also discovered that the benefits of topical application of fluoride is highly questionable.

Folks, there are FAR better options for decreasing tooth decay than using a topical poison or ingesting a harmful industrial pollutant.

Does Fluoride Really Fight Cavities

Walmart's Big, Healthy Move Bypasses Organics

By Emily Main

Thursday morning, the world's largest retailer announced that it's using its corporate clout to trim the waistlines and boost the heart health of the American public. At a press conference in Washington, Walmart executives pledged to cut the sodium content of processed foods by 25 percent, remove all trans fats and hydrogenated oils from packaged goods, and cut added sugars by 10 percent by the year 2015. By requiring that food makers follow these guidelines in order to sell their wares in its stores, Walmart's healthy food initiative is imposing new standards on the food industry. Healthier reformulations of packaged foods has been predicted as a key food trend in 2011.  Read more…

Self-Taught 14-Year-Old App Developer Bounces Out the Birds

Filed by Sarah J.

Turns out a teenager from Utah might just be the world’s best game designer.

Robert Nay, 14, made the news this week when his iPhone physics game “Bubble Ball” knocked out the popular “Angry Birds: Seasons” from the top spot on the App Store’s top free apps list.

Nay taught himself programming after checking out a book from his local public library. “Bubble Ball” is the first game he’s ever designed. The puzzle game challenges players to use objects and gravity to guide a ball to its destination. It’s been downloaded over 2 million times since its launch on Dec. 29th.  Read more…

Excess gaming linked to depression, bad grades

Researchers in the U.S. and overseas looked at more than 3,000 elementary and middle-school children in Singapore and found that almost 9% of them were considered pathological or 'addicted' to gaming – similar percentages were found in other countries.

Over a two-year period about 84% of those who started out as excessive gamers remained so, indicating that this may not simply be a phase that children go through. Boys were more likely to show symptoms of excessive gaming. Overall those considered 'pathological' gamers displayed higher levels of depression and other mental health issues than their peers who played fewer video games. The researchers also found that students who did stop their excessive gaming reduced their levels of depression, anxiety and social phobia. - CNN Blogs

Read more...

• Do video games fuel mental health problems?
• Video Game 'Addiction' Tied to Depression, Anxiety in Kids
• Virtual-Reality Video Game Helps Link Depression To Specific Brain Area

FDA probing seizures reported after flu shot - Health - Cold and flu

The febrile seizures, or seizures related to a fever, have primarily been reported in children younger than 2, the FDA said in a statement on its website.

The FDA said 42 cases of febrile seizures had been reported as of Dec. 13 and it and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were investigating if they could have been caused by the vaccine, called Fluzone, or if other factors were involved, the FDA said. - msnbc.com

The State Against Blacks: Welfare means Farewell to being Self-reliant

By JASON L. RILEY

'The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn't do. . . . And that is to destroy the black family.'

Even in the antebellum era, when slaves often weren't permitted to wed, most black children lived with a biological mother and father. During Reconstruction and up until the 1940s, 75% to 85% of black children lived in two-parent families. Today, more than 70% of black children are born to single women. "The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn't do, what Jim Crow couldn't do, what the harshest racism couldn't do," Mr. Williams says. "And that is to destroy the black family."

Zina Saunders

Government programs and regulations are favorite butts of the professor, who is best known today for his weekly column—started in 1977 and now appearing in more than 140 newspapers—and for his stints guest-hosting Rush Limbaugh's popular radio program. Libertarianism is currently in vogue, thanks to the election of a statist president and the subsequent rise of the tea party movement. But Walter Williams was a libertarian before it was cool. And like other prominent right-of-center blacks—Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele—his intellectual odyssey began on the political left.  Read more…

Sony Said to Be Preparing to Unveil New Portable PlayStation Next Week

Sony Corp plans to unveil an updated PlayStation Portable handheld game device on Jan. 27, followed by a game-playing smartphone in February, according to two people with knowledge of the plans.

Sony, the world’s second-largest maker of portable game players, will also outline a strategy to use its networked entertainment services to share games, movies and music among handheld products, TVs and other devices, said one person, who declined to be identified because the plan isn’t public. - Bloomberg

Maryland youth basketball league forces 12-year-old to sit because of her religious head scarf

After a 12-year-old Muslim girl was disqualified for the first half of a youth basketball game because she wore a religious head scarf, parents in Maryland are calling for officials to make some common-sense rules.

The discussion began when a referee made Maheem Haq sit out the game because she wouldn't take off the head scarf, which he deemed could be a danger on the court. Maheem, like many Muslim women, wears the scarf as a sign of modesty. Read more...

MTV's new show, 'Skins': Has edgy gone too far?

MTV's racy new teen drama, 'Skins' is a hit. But does it expose too much?

The Parents Television Council wants Congress and the Justice Department to investigate the show for child pornography and exploitation of its underage stars, and Taco Bell is pulling their ads from the show because they say its content isn't fit for their brand. - CNN

Also read (and watch video):

• MTV's 'Skins': Has New Show Gone Too Far?
• Parents Group Petitions Congress, Attorney General to Investigate MTV for Child Pornography in 'Skins' Series

Unplug yourself & your children to live life again

Georgina Guedes

Susan Maushart, a New York mother has released a book called The Winter of our Disconnect in which she details the six months that she and her family disconnected from anything with a screen. You heard right...she turned off all televisions, computers, internet access and cellphones.

Her children adjusted to “The Experiment” with varying degrees of trauma. By the end of the six months, her son opted to stay unplugged, because he had discovered the saxophone. Her other two have learnt to love outmoded pleasures like board games and nature walks, and her older daughter’s grades had improved.  Read more…

Related articles:

• Occasional unplugging helps
• Mom challenges family to unplug for 6 months

Videos: Susan Maushart on Youtube

Marian Wright Edelman: The Black Community Crusade for Children

As our country remembers the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., new research conducted for the Children’s Defense Fund has found the vast majority of America’s black community, seven in 10 adults, view these as “tough or very bad times” for black children and many see poor black youths falling further behind. When 40 percent of black children are born poor, 85 percent of black children cannot read or do math at grade level in fourth grade and later almost half drop out of school, and a black boy born in 2001 has a one in three chance of going to prison sometime in his lifetime, we know we are facing a crisis. So an intergenerational group of black leaders have just committed to a renewed movement to reweave the fabric of family and community for black children and to provide a stronger voice for children in their states and nationally. Read more...

Kidnapped Newborn Finds Family - 23 Years Later

More than two decades ago, a newborn sick with fever was snatched from a New York City hospital, her frantic mother returning to the emergency room to find an empty crib. She cried to reporters at the time, 'Just give me my baby back, please! I want her back now. I just want her back.'

On Wednesday, police said the baby - now a woman - has been found. - CBS News

Also read:

Kidnapped girl found

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Study: Students slog through college, but don’t gain much critical thinking

By Sara Rimer

An unprecedented study that followed several thousand undergraduates through four years of college found that large numbers didn't learn the critical thinking, complex reasoning and written communication skills that are widely assumed to be at the core of a college education. Many of the students graduated without knowing how to sift fact from opinion, make a clear written argument or objectively review conflicting reports of a situation or event, according to New York University sociologist Richard Arum, lead author of the study. The students, for example, couldn't determine the cause of an increase in neighborhood crime or how best to respond without being swayed by emotional testimony and political spin.  | Seattle Times Newspaper

Related articles:

• Study: College Students Not Learning Much

• The Choice: How Much Do College Students Learn, and Study?

• Student tracking finds limited learning in college

Robert Nay knocks Angry Birds off its perch

 

He's 14, CEO of his own mobile application design company and he's the center of media and online attention with his first game app.

Robert Nay of Spanish Fork has written a mobile game app that toppled Angry Birds from its perch as the No. 1 downloaded game on mobile phones.

Angry Birds, which ranges in price from free to 99 cents,

Robert Nay knocks Angry Birds off its perch

Sexual abuse in childhood tied to schizophrenia

By Frederik Joelving

Sexually abused children are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, Australian researchers have found. Although child abuse has been firmly tied to other mental health problems -- including depression, anxiety and suicide -- the link to psychotic illnesses has long been a subject of debate. | Reuters

India Suicide Rate

In India, National Crime Records Bureau has released an official report that every four minutes, one person takes his or her life and one in three victims is below the age of 30.

90 Girls Pregnant at Memphis Middle/High School

What in the world is going on at Frayser Middle/High School in Memphis, Tenn.? More girls are carrying babies than backpacks! 

There are a reported 90 teens who are pregnant now or who have had a baby this school year. Eleven percent of the school's female population is already in the throes of parenthood. 

Now an all-out campaign is being launched to deter teen pregnancy at the school.- BV Black Spin

Related article:

• Teen Pregnancy Epidemic? Memphis Officials Say No, But Do See Problem

Bill Gates wants to register all new babies on the planet for vaccines

Bill Gates is promoting a plan to use wireless technology to register every newborn on the planet in a vaccine database.

In a keynote address to the mHealth Summit, which focuses on using mobile technology to improve health care, Gates said that improving survival rates among children under the age of 5 would benefit not just individual families, but societies and the planet as a whole. Read more...

In Honor of Dr. King: Let's Solve the Worst Crisis Facing Black Children Since Slavery

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Washington, D.C., 37 years ago, in part to end racial segregation in schools. Sadly, despite today's holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader, a less overt but still pernicious form of school segregation—the achievement gap—continues unchecked.

Just how starkly different are the school experiences of black children and white children in America? According to the latest Children's Defense Fund (CDF) research, black students are half as likely to be placed in a gifted and talented class, but twice as likely to be put in a class for students with mental retardation. - Read more...

Black leaders regroup to address widening poverty among African American children

By Krissah Thompson

Two decades ago, 22 black leaders gathered for a retreat on farmland in rural Tennessee once owned by writer Alex Haley. The reason for the gathering, which included historian John Hope Franklin and civil rights matriarch Dorothy Height, was to address growing rates of poverty among black children.

The idea for the Harlem Children's Zone was born there. So was the Freedom School initiative, which has provided summer and after-school enrichment programs for 80,000 children.

But a larger issue has overshadowed those successes: Rates of black childhood poverty keep growing." Read more...

Child sex trafficking in UK on the rise with even younger victims targeted

Alexandra Topping

White, black and Asian children at risk with abusers using mobiles and web to groom victims, say Barnardo's

The trafficking of British children around UK cities for sexual exploitation is on the increase with some as young as 10 being groomed by predatory abusers, a report reveals today.

The average age of victims of such abuse has fallen from 15 to about 13 in five years, according to the report by Barnardo's, the UK's biggest children's charity. | The Guardian

Hundreds of Kids Raise Awareness of CO

By CPSC Blogger

More than 400 Posters!

That’s how many entries we received from middle schoolers in our “Help Stop a Killer Contest.”

We sponsored this contest to help raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide, or CO, in the home. More than 180 people die every year from accidental, non-fire related CO poisoning associated with consumer products. In 2007, more than half of those deaths occurred from November through February.

Products like faulty or incorrectly vented fuel-burning appliances. Products like stoves improperly used to warm a home in the winter. Products like portable generators improperly used inside basements or near homes, garages, or sheds.

CO is a poisonous gas that you can’t see or smell. In addition to following these safety tips, you should take two main steps to prevent a CO tragedy in your house:

• Have a professional inspect your fuel-burning appliances, such as your furnace and fireplace, every year, and
• Install a CO alarm on each level of your home and outside sleeping areas.

• Take these steps today. And look at the terrific posters that so many kids took the time to make. Learn from them. Share your favorites with friends.

  As for us, we’re starting the judging and will announce the contest winners at the end of February. | OnSafety

California's Turning Tide on Youth Prisons

Seven years ago, Books Not Bars started calling for closing California's youth prisons. People laughed in our faces. Literally. Even reformers who agreed in private, thought we were foolish to call for shuttering the largest set of youth prisons in the Country.

Monday, Governor Jerry Brown presented a plan to do just that. In the $12.5 billion in spending cuts was a proposal to close the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) youth prisons by 2014.

This is not merely a victory of activists and politicians. The real champions are the mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles that would not give up on their children or our state. Families who knew that by closing youth prisons we could open real opportunities for California's youth. Families that pushed us to look at what other states had done. States such as Missouri showed there was a better way to invest in youth, families and communities, while decreasing crime at the same time. Bringing together families of incarcerated youth gave Books Not Bars the power and the resolve to push for closing this costly and abusive system. : Read more...

Youth suicides in Arab world spark concern

By AHMED EL AMIN

Young men resorting to self-immolation on the issue of unemployment in Algeria after a young man’s action led to street protests leading to the overthrow of Tunisian strongman Zine Al Abedin is a new and dangerous phenomenon that is worrying many in the Arab world.

While most people in Doha this newspaper spoke to yesterday were happy with the turn of events in Tunisia, the copycat acts worried them.

A jobless man who set himself on fire in a northeast Algerian town bordering strife-torn Tunisia to protest the mayor's refusal to meet him over jobs and housing died of his injuries yesterday, his family said. It was the one of four attempted public suicides in Algeria this past week. Read more...

Murdoch takes aim at youth market with digital newspaper for iPads

EVEN FOR the world's most powerful media mogul, it was a bold call. ''We'll have young people reading newspapers,'' the chief executive of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, said in August during an earnings call for the company.

The method by which he plans to achieve this feat is believed to be ready for unveiling within weeks.

It is called The Daily and it is a new national US digital ''newspaper'' that will reportedly cost US99¢ a week on tablet devices. It will not exist on the internet, and according to Mr Murdoch, 79, it will be a ''real game changer''. Read more...

Cathie Black gaffes rile parents concerned about overcrowding

Now that's Black humor.

Less than two weeks into her new gig, Schools Chancellor Cathie Black has riled parents and public officials by jokingly suggesting that 'birth control' was the solution to school overcrowding.

The off-color quip came in response to concerns by public-school dad Eric Greenleaf, who said at a meeting of parents and officials at state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's downtown office that there will be 'huge shortages' of classroom space in lower Manhattan in coming years.

'Could we just have some birth control for a while?' Black cracked. 'It could really help us all out a lot.' - NYPOST.com

Survey: Blacks feel kids have bleak future

With the approach of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Black Community Crusade for Children released research findings on the black perspectives on what black children face and what the future holds.

'We need to pick up where he started and make sure we make that dream viable again,' said Marian Wright Edelman, a leader in the Black Community Crusade for Children.

The Black Community Crusade for Children released the information in a press conference Thursday morning. - The Daily Journal

Israel demolishes homes and classroom in West Bank village

Harriet Sherwood

In a bleak but beautiful landscape of undulating stony hills I watched a group of Palestinian schoolchildren take their lessons yesterday in the open air next to a heap of rubble that, until this week, was their classroom.

This is the village of Dkaika, about as far south in the West Bank as you can get. It's a community of around 300 people, without electricity or running water, whose days are spent tending their herds of goats and sheep and trying not to attract the attention of nearby Jewish settlers. Guardian.co.uk

(Nayfeh Ka'abneh and a friend. Photograph: Harriet Sherwood for the Guardian)

Infant formula manufacturers routinely violate marketing rules in Africa

Infant formula companies regularly promote their products in violation international standards adopted to protect infant health, an article on AllAfrica.com charges.

So widely accepted are the benefits of breastfeeding that in 1981, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) adopted an international code for the promotion of infant formulas and other breast milk substitutes. The purpose of the guidelines is to promote breastfeeding and the make sure that breast milk substitutes are used only with informed consent and only when absolutely necessary. read more...

'Toxic' Candy: Carmel Company Issues Voluntary Recall

 

By: John Lester

'Toxic' Candy Carmel company issues voluntary recall. 'Toxic' candy has been recalled for elevated levels of lead, no reported illnesses. The California Department of Public Health said there were no reported cases of illnesses.  'Read more…

Toxins found in pregnant U.S. women in UCSF study

 

Multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in items such as nonstick cookware, furniture, processed foods and beauty products, were found in the blood and urine of pregnant U.S. women, according to a UCSF study being released today.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, marks the first time that the number of chemicals to which pregnant women are exposed has been counted, the authors said.  Read more…

Amber Alerts for missing kids come to Facebook

 

Facebook users in the 50 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands can now sign up to receive Amber Alerts in their region. The bulletins will be sent to their Facebook pages the same way they see updates from friends or businesses they like. It's further sign just how ubiquitous Facebook has become in people's day-to-day communication.  | ajc.com

The Economic Crisis and Black Youth

Under current conditions, disenfranchised Black youth are said to be in danger of falling further and further behind. In fact, according to a conference on Millenials held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., unemployment is affecting this generation, arguably, more than any other. If this is a long drawn out period of unemployment, and they don’t feel change and any answer or solution, frustration could be exhibited in various ways. Pew Research Center has noted that employment for native-born blacks decreased by 142,000 in the first year of the recovery and that the unemployment rate for native-born blacks increased from 15.4% to 16.3%. The figures are evident at the same time Pew actually reports an 8% increase in Black enrollment at higher institutions.  Read More…

Spreading The Word On The Global Google Science Fair

by Meredith

In the latest effort to help encourage teen interest in science and technology, Google is taking the traditional science fair to the web! Announced yesterday, the Google Science Fair is open to students around the world between the ages of 13 and 18. | Ypulse

Survey: Exposure to Anti-Drug Messages Among Teens Drops Dramatically

Slashed Prevention Funding and Drastic Reductions in Federal Media Campaign Add Pressure on Parents

The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study (MTF) – the largest survey on teen drug abuse tracking over 46,000 8th, 10th and 12th graders – found a huge falloff in teens' recalled exposure to drug abuse prevention messages over the past seven years. The new data from the MTF study have been released at a time when teens themselves report finding the drug-prevention messages to be effective. PRNewswire-USNewswire

News Corp.'s MySpace Cuts Staff by 47% Amid Reports Website May Be Sold

MySpace is cutting 47 percent of its staff amid reports that owner News Corp. is preparing the social-networking website for a possible sale.

MySpace is firing about 500 employees in a broad restructuring across all of its operations, according to an e- mailed statement from the Beverly Hills, California-based website today. MySpace will enter into local partnerships in the UK, Germany and Australia to manage advertising and content. - Bloomberg

DC Universe Online 1-11-11

The end of the beta is near, and the next step to legendary is coming…1-11-11!
Tomorrow, Wednesday January 5, 2011 will be the last day of the DC Universe™ Beta in the U.S. and Thursday will be the last day to fight to save or rule the universe in Europe (in beta that is!).

To celebrate – we plan to stage The Battle of the Legends in-game in the spirit of the DCUO cinematic, 'Who do you trust?' Beta players can align and fight alongside or against some of DC Comics most notorious superheroes and villains including; Batman, Superman, Lex Luthor and The Joker. Together will we take on DC's greatest icons as we embark on our own path to legendary! Show up to the battle when it erupts on your server! Check the schedule below and don't miss your chance to become part of the 'Battle of the Legends!' DC Universe Online

McDonald’s Maple Syrup Not Real Maple Syrup and Illegal in Vermont

By Melanie Warner 

State officials in Vermont have taken notice that McDonald’s (MCD) is not actually using real maple in its new oatmeal, a violation of state laws designed to protect Vermont’s esteemed maple syrup producers. As a result, McDonald’s is probably going to need to change the way they label their oatmeal, possibly quietly dropping ‘maple’ altogether or amending its ingredients to acknowledge that it’s using fake maple flavor. | BNET

Zionist vigilantes attack Black youth

By Steven Ceci

Community groups are responding to a racist attack by members of a Zionist vigilante group called Shomrim against a 15-year-old African-American student in northwest Baltimore. They are demanding that the group be disbanded, that hate crime charges be brought against it and that more resources be provided to the predominately African-American community of Lower Park Heights.

On Nov. 19 a student from Northwestern Senior High was assaulted by three members of the Shomrim, which calls itself a community patrol group (the name means “watchers” in Hebrew). Only one of the attackers, Eliyahu Eliezer Werdesheim, has criminal charges pending. Read more...

A Thin Line: sexting, cyber-bullying and digital dating abuse

MTV's A THIN LINE campaign was developed to empower young people to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse, which includes behaviors like sexting, cyber-bullying and digital dating abuse. Digital abuse is impacting young people nationwide, with 50 percent of 14-24 year olds reporting they have been the target of some form of digital abuse.

The campaign is built on the understanding that there's a 'thin line' between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact. We know no generation has ever had to deal with this, so we want to partner with young people to help figure it out. On-air, online and on cell phones, we hope to spark a conversation and deliver information that helps young people everywhere draw their own digital line. : www.athinline.org

Optimism Could Help Kids Keep Depression at Bay

Here's a reason to try to change your kid's attitude: The most optimistic adolescents may be somewhat less likely to be depressed than their peers.

Researchers also have found a slight link between optimism and less heavy drug abuse and bad behavior. - Yahoo! News

Abstinence Until Marriage Gets Boost from New Study

A study in the December 2010 Journal of Family Psychology has just been released, revealing information about sexual practices that lead to stable and happy marriages. Abstinence until marriage came out the winner after an online survey with 2,035 married couples in the United States. While the study is being given plenty of credence by conservative press venues, many other blogs and websites are blasting the fact that the main survey came out of Brigham Young University, which holds to the Latter Day Saints' tenet of abstinence until marriage. - Yahoo! News

Negroe History Lost, Stolen, or strayed Part 2

China's 'Angry Youth' Movement

The transcript of Kai-Fu Lee's keynote on China's 'Angry Youth' at The Brookings Institution is a fascinating read full of insight and observations of Chinese youth made by someone with the experience and knowledge to do so.

Dr. Lee was the founder of China-based Microsoft Research Asia and was the founding president of Google China. Kai-Fu Lee, is a household name in China, has written three best selling books and all them aim to help people understand, educate or mentor China's young people. :: Barking Robot

NH high school bans safe-sex kits over contents

Officials at a New Hampshire high school say they will no longer allow a group to distribute safe-sex kits to students because the contents include flavored lubricant and candy as well as condoms. - Yahoo! News

Children of rape: Latest legacy of Haiti quake

By Jonel Aleccia and Meredith Birkett

A year after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, women in Haiti’s still-teeming tent cities face yet another threat: sexual violence. With little protection from community or law enforcement, many have been violently raped, only to become pregnant with their attackers’ children. - msnbc.com

Fluoride causing spots on teeth, U.S. says - Health - Kids and parenting

By MIKE STOBBE

Fluoride in drinking water — credited with dramatically cutting cavities and tooth decay — may now be too much of a good thing. Getting too much of it causes spots on some kids' teeth.

A reported increase in the spotting problem is one reason the federal government will announce Friday it plans to lower the recommended levels for fluoride in water supplies — the first such change in nearly 50 years. - msnbc.com

Psychiatry's 'Shock Doctrine': Are We Really Okay With Electroshocking Toddlers?

by Bruce E. Levine

Psychiatry's "shock doctrine" is quite literally electroshock, and its latest victims are – I'm not kidding – young children.

On Jan. 25, 2009, the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia, reported: "Children younger than 4 who are considered mentally disturbed are being treated with controversial electric shock treatment." In Australia, the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is increasing, and the Herald Sun's report on "Child Shock Therapy" stated that last year, "statistics record 203 ECT treatments on children younger than 14 -- including 55 aged 4 and younger."  Read more…