10 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad for Students

If these two reasons alone are not enough to convince your child that the iPad is not the right choice for them, here is Somogyi's full top ten list of reasons why you should not cave and buy your child the iPad:

#1 It's Expensive

#2 It's Not the Best Solution for Note-Taking or Editing Documents

#3 It's Too Distracting

#4 It's Ultra-Portable and Ultra-Droppable

#5 What Makes it Desirable to your Kid is What Makes it Desirable to Criminals

#6 It's Meant for the Enjoyment of One Person, Which Means Social Seclusion

#7 Digital Text Books are a Marvel, but There's No Secondary Market

#8 It's a Status Symbol, Plain and Simple

#9 It'll Already be Old Technology by the Time You Buy It

#10 They'll Also Want a Laptop, Too

Watch the interview and visit dealnews for more information (or ammo).  Read more…

Xbox addict 'dies from blood clot'

The family of a budding computer programmer have on Saturday launched a campaign to raise awareness about the health risks of playing online computer games after their son died following a marathon session on his Xbox.

A post-mortem revealed that 20-year-old Chris Staniforth -- who was offered a place to study Game Design at Leicester University -- was killed by a pulmonary embolism, which can occur if someone sits in the same position for several hours.

Read more…

Republican lawmakers and corporations have a new target: kids in special ed.

It sounds like a sick joke, but it’s true.

Like cartoon schoolyard bullies, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—the powerful coalition of corporations and rightwing legislators—has worked out plans to trick special ed students and their families into giving up their federally protected educational benefits, in exchange for cheap vouchers that can be used in unregulated, fly-by-night academies.   | The Progressive

Kids With ADHD Less Adept at Crossing the Street

Parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have one more worry to add to their list: Kids younger than 10 years old with ADHD may be unable to cross the street safely on their own.

New research found that while children with ADHD may look as if they are capable of crossing the street solo — they do stop and look both ways before crossing — they aren't always good at judging how much time they need to safely cross.   - Everyday Health

The mass overmedication of foster children with psychiatric drugs

For a long list of reasons, the day-to-day life of a child in foster care can be challenging. Foster parents are often stretched thin and overburdened, foster children often wrestle with emotional issues that can go misdiagnosed, unrecognized or misunderstood, and qualified medical care for this vulnerable population is constantly in short supply.
These challenges are now being compounded by an additional concern: the over-administration of psychotropic drugs. Psychotropic medications are intended to combat or ease the symptoms of behavioral and mental health problems, but among children in foster care, these drugs are being prescribed at excessive levels and often for inappropriate reasons.

The mass overmedication of foster children with psychiatric drugs

Filthy factory foods win big in Federal Court: Abbott’s Similac baby food includes beetles and larvae

Baby formula laced with beetles and larvae does not necessarily violate its manufacturer’s promises of wholesomeness and quality, a federal judge ruled, in dismissing without prejudice a class action involving Abbott Laboratories’ Similac.  | Food Freedom

Scientists find a mass of synthetic chemicals in every glass of milk

When you wake up and go to the kitchen to pour yourself a cold glass of milk, it seems you are filling your body with calcium, vitamins, and an abundance of goodness. That seemingly white beverage may look innocent, but the hidden ingredients packed into the liquid that is a popular staple in the American diet are anything but.
According to a recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists have found through analysis that one single glass of milk can contain a delightful (or not) medley of up to 20 different kinds of painkillers, antibiotics and growth hormones (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021...). These medicinal residues, found in samples of cow, goat, and human breast milk, are from a variety of chemicals used to treat animal and human illness.

Scientists find a mass of synthetic chemicals in every glass of milk

Where Do (Some) Babies Come From? In Washington, a New Law Bans Anonymous Sperm and Egg Donors

Traditionally, the identities of egg and sperm donors have been tightly guarded secrets, numbers with no names attached, making it difficult for their biological offspring to ever make contact. Today, that changes as Washington becomes the first state to chip away at that anonymity, with a controversial new law that guarantees children conceived with gametes from Washington sperm banks and egg donation agencies access -- when they're 18 -- to their donors' medical histories and their full names— unless the donors specifically opt out of being identified.  – TIME Healthland

Is BET in the business of silencing smart hip-hop?

On July 18th, BET became the target of heavy thumbs and repeated exclamation marks following the ban of Georgia-native rapper Killer Mike's latest video, "Burn."

Politically charged, the artist expresses his sympathy for the Oscar Grant's of our country, the financial plagues of lower-income neighborhoods, lies and deceit within church communities, and the prison industrial complex to name a few. Read more…

Tavis Smiley Brings Youth Together For Leadership Institute

Tavis Smiley, Lupe Fiasco, Cornel West, actress Camille Winbush and leaders of the Freedom Rides will discuss leadership, advocacy, civic engagement and community service with middle and high school students at the Tavis Smiley Foundation's Leadership Institute this week.

Under the theme, Transforming Youth: Mind, Body & Spirit, the conference will be held July 21-25, 2011 on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles. About 160 students, ages 13-18, representing 16 states have been selected to participate in the program held annually for the last eight years. Combined the students have completed more than 3,000 hours of community service this year.  Read more…

For more information, visit www.youthtoleaders.org.

PRESS CONTACT:
Leshelle Sargent
(323) 404 -1602
lsargent@tavistalks.com

Dems, Students Fight to Save Pell Grants Amid Debt Ceiling Talks

Alongside the debt ceiling battles raging on Capitol Hill, urgent negotiations are happening that could affect low-income students and students of color this fall. Pell Grants and other student aid programs have been put on the chopping block as House Republicans demand cuts before they agree to raise the debt ceiling.

On Tuesday, congressional leaders sent a letter to President Obama pressing him to protect the programs that the country’s neediest students depend on to get through college as he continues his debt ceiling negotiations. Their letter coincided with a rally and press conference in Washington, D.C. led by the United States Student Association to protect federal student aid.  - COLORLINES

Thousands of Migrant Kids Trapped Inside the World’s Border Politics

According to a 2010 article by Wendy Young and Megan McKenna, of the advocacy coalition Kids in Need of Defense, the unaccompanied youth population spans the scope of global crises: some are simply trying to get out of poverty. Others are displaced by war, or fleeing abuse, female genital mutilation or forced marriage. Some are struggling to escape local gang violence. Government data indicates that most originate from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

The term “unaccompanied” tells only part of their story. Many of these kids seek to reach a parent or relative on the other side of the border. But they must travel alone, exposed to brutal conditions as well as abuse by the coyotes hired to guide them.  - COLORLINES

Soweto, Simba and African Youth: Young Lions in Life and Struggle

The observation of African Youth Day this month throughout the world enables the African community to mark the Soweto Uprising June 16, 1976 It provides us with a focused opportunity to pay hommage to the courageous students of Soweto, whose struggle and sacrifice for freedom offer an important mirror and model for youth and all of us everywhere.

In their heroic rising in revolt against apartheid and taking the lead at a critical moment in the history of the South African liberation movement, they fought not only for a better education for themselves, but also for the right of the South African people to live free and dignity-affirming lives and to forge their future in their own image and interests. Moreover, such an observance also provides us with an excellent opportunity to remember and reaffirm in special ways the essentiality of young people to the good life we all deserve to live, to the lasting legacy we want to leave, and to the transformative struggle we must wage and the hard work we must accomplish to achieve this.  Read more…

Mentoring Program Campaigns to Stop Youth Violence

Recently, St. Louis, Missouri was given the title of the “Most Dangerous City in America.” It's safe to say the community would be calmed by action plans and solutions to this disturbing news. As we analyze this problem that has reached monstrous proportions, it is a fact that youth are part of this equation, whether they are victimizers, or victims. Can a part of the problem become a solution?  Final Call

Mentoring Program Campaigns to Stop Youth Violence

Recently, St. Louis, Missouri was given the title of the “Most Dangerous City in America.” It's safe to say the community would be calmed by action plans and solutions to this disturbing news. As we analyze this problem that has reached monstrous proportions, it is a fact that youth are part of this equation, whether they are victimizers, or victims. Can a part of the problem become a solution?  Final Call

Mentoring Program Campaigns to Stop Youth Violence

Recently, St. Louis, Missouri was given the title of the “Most Dangerous City in America.” It's safe to say the community would be calmed by action plans and solutions to this disturbing news. As we analyze this problem that has reached monstrous proportions, it is a fact that youth are part of this equation, whether they are victimizers, or victims. Can a part of the problem become a solution?  Final Call

60 percent of Texans suspended before high school graduation

A new study by the by the Council of State Governments finds that 60 percent of Texan students were suspended, expelled or faced in-school suspensions by the time they graduated high school.

The researchers followed every Texas seventh grader into high school, the New York Times reports, studying almost 1 million students.

Fifteen percent of the students were disciplined 11 times or more over the six years. And the more frequently a student faced suspension or expulsion, the greater the chances would be that the disciplined student would eventually drop out, according to the Council of State Governments analysis.  Read More »

Only 25 percent of American students passed their geography test

The National Assessment of Education Progress announced that only about a quarter of American schoolchildren scored "proficient" or above on a 2010 geography test.

You can take the sample 4th grade, 8th grade, and 12th grade tests here, to see if you would pass. Some of the questions:

4th grade:

Which of the following is most likely to be located in a major city rather than in a small town?

1. An international airport
2. A movie theater
3. A public library
4. A playground

Read More »

TEENS TACKLE TOUGH RACIAL ISSUES AT ACADEMY

A main thrust of the academy is to dismantle racial stereotypes, such as the skit’s notion that all young black people are shoplifters.

This is done through a range of art forms, including poetry, literature, theater, slideshow presentations, and song and dance. | African-American youth

From June 24 to July 31, 2011, Macy's will donate your $3 to Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) to help reach our goal of giving 1 million books to kids. http://ping.fm/QzmGS

The Republicans Want a More Ignorant Population, So They are Cutting Educational Funds for College and Pre-College

The Republican Party, particularly the rabid Tea Party-influenced majority in the House, is embarked on a juggernaut to take the public out of everything it can in American life, including libraries, elementary and high schools, government workers, environmental protection, even parks and parking meters.

And the movement is fast succeeding at taking the public out of higher education by cutting - most noticeably at state levels - subsidies to state and community colleges to such an extent that tuition is no longer affordable to many young Americans and their families.  | BuzzFlash.org

Death At An Early Age, is the school system setting our children up for failure? - Dr. Amos Wilson

Travels with The First Lady: Africa

Hop on board with the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, as she travels to South Africa and Botswana for an official visit. Walk step-by-step with the First Lady as she delivers the keynote address to a U.S.-sponsored Young African Women Leaders Forum with 76 women from 24 African countries in South Africa, meets with inspirational leaders Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, joins forum participants at service projects, speaks with secondary school students at the University of Cape Town as she raises awareness for youth leadership, education, and health.

Jasiri X, One Hood Media presents New Media Academy for Black youth

New Media Academy is a tool to help Black young men critically analyze media messages, broaden their experience of media, and develop the creative skills needed in creating their own media. All too often the young African American male is either underrepresented or misrepresented in media. The mission is to improve self image, dispel stereotypes, and provide a positive forum of self expression.

Jasiri X, One Hood Media presents New Media Academy for Black youth

Also read:

Hip-Hop Detoxx Brings the heat!

Rap COINTELPRO: Subverting the power of Hip-Hop

Wise Intelligent discusses 'The Manufacturing of a Dumbed Down Rapper'

The Real Housewives of Detroit?

Death of reggae singer ignites protest

The Psychology of Exploitation: Black Women In Entertainment

Popular hip-hop artists discuss real life issues with youth

Google+ Must Serve Youth To Topple Facebook

"In dorm rooms across the country and much of the world, kids are updating messages on social networks and pretty much “hooked into” cyberspace all day and night. It is this demography that initially launched Facebook’s extraordinary growth – and now Google+ will have to likewise, or perhaps even do better. - International Business Times

CAIR-WA: 150 to Take Part in Muslim Youth Leadership Program

On Sunday, July 10th, the Seattle office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) will host some 150 Muslim students (ages 13-22) for its fourth annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) at Seattle's City Hall. (The event is co-sponsored by the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.)

Kellye Testy, dean of the University of Washington Law School, will deliver the opening speech. KING-5 television reporter Allen Schauffler will also discuss the importance of journalism and the ways students can engage effectively with local media professionals. - PR Newswire

'Octomom' on 'Today' show [Video]

Suleman (she said she's a mom, not an "Octomom," and notes she's almost finished writing a book "all by myself," perhaps to better meet the kids' $15,000-a-month needs) also vigorously denied a recent InTouch report that quoted her as saying, "I hate babies, they disgust me," and, "My older six are animals, getting more and more out of control, because I have no time to properly discipline them."

- latimes.com

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

Fewer Black Children In Big Cities As Parents Seek Better Lives

The same pattern has repeated from coast to coast. Los Angeles saw a 31.8 percent decline in its population of black children, far surpassing the 6.9 percent drop in black adults. The number of black children in Atlanta fell by 27 percent. It was down 31 percent in Chicago and 37.6 percent in Detroit. Oakland, Calif. saw a drop of 42.3 percent, an exodus that fell only 6 percentage points below the decline in flood-ravaged New Orleans. Fewer Black Children In Big Cities As Parents Seek Better Lives

The changing face of America's youth

For the first time in national history, the majority of young people in two states -- California and New Mexico -- now identify as Hispanic, according to census data released this year.

In eight additional states -- Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Maryland and Hawaii -- white children are in the minority compared with peers from other racial and ethnic groups combined, according to data analyzed by William Frey at the Brookings Institution. - CNN.com

Progressive Youth Frustrated by President They Helped Elect

During the 2008 election Obama-the-candidate inspired unprecedented numbers of people under the age of 30 to flock to the polls, almost doubling the youth voter turnout from the 2000 election. But three years after that historic election, America's young people are less than inspired by Obama-the-president. - ABC News

Pharrell Williams to Open Youth Center

Eurweb is reporting that musician Pharrell Williams is opening a youth center in his native Virginia to provide youngsters with an outlet for their creativity. Williams has recruited renowned architect Chad Oppenheim to create a modern tree house-style space in Virginia Beach that will provide an escape for local kids while nurturing their artistic talents.

Pharrell Williams to Open Youth Center

Children not exempt from widespread torture in Israeli detention

Sleep-deprived and suffering from a broken leg, 16-year-old Muhammad Halabiyeh endured days of torture at the hands of Israeli soldiers and police officers, who punched him repeatedly in the face and abdomen, shoved needles into his hand and leg and threatened the Palestinian teenager with sexual abuse.

SOUTH LEBANON: Children not exempt from widespread torture in Israeli detention

SOUTH LEBANON: Iraq: A Bad Place For Children

Decades of war and international sanctions have turned Iraq into one of the worst places for children in the Middle East and North Africa, with around 3.5 million living in poverty, 1.5 million under the age of five undernourished and 100 infants dying every day, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns.

SOUTH LEBANON: Iraq: A Bad Place For Children

Teachers in middle of debate over immigrant kids

When an award-winning journalist recently revealed he's an illegal immigrant, two of the key players in his tale turned out to be educators who helped keep his secret. It's the kind of story teachers and principals scattered across the country know well.

With some 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., educators increasingly find themselves caught between their obligation to educate each child and conflicting guidance, or simply no direction at all, about whether to help such students beyond the classroom.

News from The Associated Press

Study: Doctors Denying Specialty Care for Low-Income Children

The disparity didn’t end with a lower likelihood of obtaining appointments.  The study also found that even when low-income kids were able to get an appointment, they had to wait much longer to see the doctor than children with private insurance.  Even children with very serious conditions, such as diabetes, asthma or a bone fracture had to wait an average of 42 days to see the doctor.  Children with private insurance only had to wait an average of 22 days.  Read more…

Failure To Ban Violent Video Games Makes Job Harder For Parents

As a mother of a teenage son, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve walked into a room and turned off a video game or TV program that I felt was inappropriate for a still developing child. But despite how often I pull the plug or refuse to let him buy certain products, the reality is that our Supreme Court just made my job and the job of other parents that much more difficult. Ruling on Monday that violent and dangerous video games could not be banned to minors, the Supreme Court in essence said to all of us: you’re on your own.  | News One

Free Activities for Kids at the 2011 Cityfolk Festival!

Cityfolk's innovative outreach program, Culture Builds Community

 

(CBC), develops healthy vibrant communities by bringing people together to celebrate Dayton's beautiful cultural diversity. Family Funway activities at the 2011 Cityfolk Festival are organized by CBC, and they're all about participation! On Saturday and Sunday there will be many fun FREE opportunities to participate and engage with artists at the Street-Level. Follow the link to a printable schedule

 

. Interactive Storytelling with Native American painter Edwin George and Appalachian/African American Omope Carter Daboiku Assist K12 Gallery for Young People artists in building an enormous chime, which is a work of art and an instrument all in one, outside of the Sound Effects exhibit on St. Clair Street. Community Rhythms: learn percussion techniques and join festival artists and community members in lively drum circles and dancing in the Culture Builds Community Area on Saturday and Sunday. Make instruments such as drums, kazoos and chimes and learn all the sounds you can make with you. Sonic Play: Violinist Shaw Pong Liu invites you on a sonic exploration, weaving the unique sounds that each participant brings into the space into one unified piece of music. Bring an instrument you made at the Festival, a professional instrument, or come just as you are. Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM on the Sound Effects Stage. Sidewalk games: 4-Square, hopscotch, chalk drawing, corn hole and more! This year's Passport Stations will allow participants to learn more about the artistic and cultural backgrounds of various Festival artists. By focusing on six distinct areas of the world--Latin America, Appalachia, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and New Orleans--participants will receive a diverse and informative introduction into art and music across the globe. Youngsters and their parents can get a passport at any of the six Passport Stations located across the Festival. When all six activity questions have been answered and the raffle entry in the Passport has been completed, they are to be dropped off at the CBC Learning Station inside Memorial Hall for a chance to win a Remo Inc. Conga Drum or a Jumbi Jam steel drum kit from Panyard Inc.! Enjoy lively street performances happening throughout the festival site, and on our new Street-Level Stage at Home Plate. All ages! No experience necessary!

 

     

Is feminism reducing the quality of America’s teaching force?

Instead, countries such Finland, Singapore and the Chinese province of Shanghai--who far outperformed their American counterparts on the latest international PISA tests--are investing in an elite teaching force recruited from the top third or higher tier of each country's college classes by offering various incentives. In the United States, high school students who said in 2008 that their intended college major was education scored in the bottom third of American students who took the SATs.  - Yahoo! News

Child Shoots Another Child on Playground in Hillcrest Heights

Prince George’s County Police say a five-year-old boy shot a four-year-old boy on a playground in the 4400 block of 23rd Parkway in Hillcrest Heights.

Police are still trying to figure out where the five-year-old boy was able to access the gun. They believe he found it in the home, but don't know whose gun it is.

Police say the bullet passed right through the upper part of the four-year-old’s torso.

Child Shoots Another Child on Playground in Hillcrest Heights

Child Shoots Another Child on Playground in Hillcrest Heights: MyFoxDC.com