Cali Swag District Rapper M-Bone Shot And Killed

Rapper, M-Bone from the group Cali Swag District, died of gunshot wounds today. | News One

Lazy Cakes Leave You, Well, Lazy

Convenience stores are filled with energy-boosting products; it seems some companies would be happy if we never slept a wink.

But now there's a movement in the opposite direction: products with names such as Simmer, Unwind and Lazy Cakes. That last one, Lazy Cakes, is a particularly hot seller. NPR

• Doctors Say Lazy Cakes Could Be Harmful To Kids – KTVI

• Lazy Cakes dangerous for children, school counselor warns

The Region’s First Black Comic Book Convention Celebrates 10 Years of Promoting Art, Literacy & Creativity!

For Immediate Release Contact: Yumy Odom, Founder
Phone: 267.536.9847
Mobile: 908.334.1793

The Region’s First Black Comic Book Convention Celebrates 10 Years of Promoting Art, Literacy & Creativity!

Annual convention celebrates the Black experience in comic books and posthumously awards the creators of the first independent Black comic book!
*** Famed Cartoonist Ray Billingsley, Creator of the Curtis comic strip, Black Jack Creator Alex Simmons, and Kidz of the King Creator Reggie Byers to appear***
PHILADELPHIA, May 20 & 21, 2011—The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC, Inc.), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and Philadelphia’s premiere Black comic book convention, dedicates this 10th annual convention to highlighting breakthroughs in the comic book and sci-fi industry. ECBACC, Inc. kicks off the two-day convention on Friday evening, May 20, 2011, from 6:30p.m. - 9p.m. with its annual FREE reception and awards ceremony at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) located at 701 Arch St.
On Friday evening, May 20, 2011 from 6:30p.m. – 9p.m., the Glyph Comics Awards will recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about Black people from the preceding calendar year. The Award is named for the blog Glyphs: The Language of the Black Comics Community started in 2005 by comic book journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary on comics with Black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of Black science fiction, fantasy and animation.
While it is not exclusive to Black creators, the GCA does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comic book medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. The goal of the GCA is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.
The Convention culminates on Saturday, May 21, 2011, from 10a.m. – 7p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Center City located at 1800 Market St. with a day of networking, panel discussions, a comic book marketplace and adult and youth workshops. Admission for Saturday is $15 for teens and adults; FREE for youth 12 and under.
―ECBACC is the region’s first bona fide ‘Black Comic Book Convention’ and offers workshops and activities dedicated to promoting literacy, achievement and professionalism. The great thing about this is that the ECBACC was founded in Philadelphia, the city of many of the nation’s firsts --- the first White House, zoo, library, museum --- and the very first independent Black comic book: All-Negro Comics created by brothers Orrin C. Evans and George Evans, Jr. in 1947,‖ said Yumy Odom, Founder and President of ECBACC, Inc., and a self-described archivist of the Africentric comic book tradition who has been using comic books as educational tools since 1982. The Evans brothers will be the posthumous recipients of the ECBACC Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award! This marks the 10th year for this unique, informative and enlightening conference that connects comic book creators to their fans from across the country, providing a venue for them to network and dissect, examine, discuss and explore the images in comic books and sci-fi.
The ECBACC Kids’ Corner returns this year, featuring myriad youth activities. The KC will be open to all young people who attend the convention. The KC will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering children a chance to learn how to take their own ideas and create superheroes and comic books. The KC "kick back zone" will provide free comic books to read throughout the day.
And, there's more!

Mom Defends Decision to Give 8-Year-Old Daughter, Britney Campbell, Botox (Video)

 

We first told you about Britney Campbell of San Francisco in March -- she's the eight-year-old aspiring pageant queen already dabbling in Botox and virgin waxes, courtesy of her mom, Kerry. The pair appeared on Thursday's "Good Morning America" to talk about the extreme beauty regimen with Lara Spencer.- StyleList

Trends in juvenile detention in Australia

 

Another area of concern is the continued over-representation of Indigenous juveniles in detention in Australia. The AIC's Juveniles in Detention in Australia Monitoring Program emerged following the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC 1991), which recommended the ongoing monitoring of rates of Indigenous juveniles in detention.

As described above, however, the over-representation of Indigenous juveniles has increased steadily since data began to be collected. It is important to note that over-representation ratios, used to demonstrate Indigenous over-representation, reflect rates of Indigenous juveniles in detention relative to rates of non-Indigenous juveniles in detention. This means that a high over-representation rate ratio may be due to an unusually high number of Indigenous juveniles in detention relative to non-Indigenous juveniles, or an unusually low number of non-Indigenous juveniles in detention relative to Indigenous juveniles (Taylor 2009). Read more…

Why geeks make better adults than the in-crowd

Robbins followed seven self-described outsiders at public and private high schools for a year and concluded that what makes kids popular—conformity, aggression, visibility, and influence—won't make them happy or successful after they graduate. She distinguishes between perceived popularity, when peers say someone is at the top of the social hierarchy, and actual popularity, when peers report actually liking someone. Her book focuses on the former, a state that Robbins says tends to evaporate outside of the high school gate. - Yahoo! News

YWCA Dayton Summer Camp

 

Breastfeeding leads to better behaviour in children, researchers claim

 

Babies who are breastfed are less likely to have behavioural problems by the age of five than those given formula milk, according to new research.

The question of whether breastfeeding has a long-term impact on behaviour has been investigated before, but the studies have usually been small-scale and inconsistent in their findings. The Guardian

Breastfed babies 'develop fewer behaviour problems'

Breastfed children are better behaved

One in 38 Kids in South Korea May Have Autism, Study Says

One out of every 38 children in South Korea may have autism, a surprisingly high number based on a new research approach that suggests autism is a global problem that is significantly under-diagnosed, researchers said on Monday.

The estimate, which translates into 2.64 percent of children, is far higher than the estimated 1 percent rate seen in studies in the United States and Europe. - FoxNews.com

Black unemployment crisis takes toll on kids' mental health

 

In a study of 7,000 households, black middle-class children whose parents lost their jobs were three times more likely to postpone plans for college. Instead, some of these children entered the workforce in order to financially support the household, observed Ariel Kalil, the study author and developmental psychologist at the University of Chicago.

Black unemployment crisis takes toll on kids' mental health

Federal Civics Test Shows Little Progress

 

Only 7 percent of eighth graders could correctly identify the three branches of government on the civics portion of the 2010 National Assessment of Education Progress test to satisfy the grading standard of "complete." A further 10 percent of the sample group -- 9,600 eighth graders from 470 schools -- received a score of “acceptable” on the question, which asked students to fill out the chart describing the three branches' relationship to one another.

Federal Civics Test Shows Little Progress

Michigan’s Corporate Martial Law Meets Detroit’s School Reform

 

If you’ve ever wondered whether the solution to a cash-strapped low-performing urban school district’s financial and education woes is the wholesale privatization of the public school system, you’re about to get your answer. Detroit, which is caught up in a state that has turned on its public workers, is auctioning off its public schools.

The city is taking applications as part of its Renaissance 2012 plan to put 45 public schools up for charter school takeover, and yesterday, the Detroit Free Press reported its gotten 18 charter school companies eyeing some 50 schools.

- COLORLINES

Fighting Childhood Obesity Through "5-2-1-0 a Day"

Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" and the First Lady's Let's Move are noble initiatives drawing attention to childhood obesity, but their results can be hard to quantify. - GOOD

Study into the effect of passive smoking on children shows boys are more likely to suffer high blood pressure more than girls

 

In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that boys who inhale second-hand tobacco smoke at home may experience significant levels of raised blood pressure.

In later life the study revealed that this could lead to high blood pressure, or hypertension, and an increased risk of heart disease.

However, in girls, passive smoking appeared to be associated with a lowering of blood pressure.| Mail Online

Grandma was right, babies DO wake up taller after a sleep

 

Scientists have finally confirmed what grandma knew all along: babies really do wake up taller right after they sleep.

Findings from the first study of its kind measuring the link between daily growth and sleep show the two are inextricably linked.

Scientists have linked increased sleep and changes in sleep patterns in babies to increased body length for the first time.

The research paves the way to a better understanding of newborns and allows parents to predict when their baby is going to grow. | Mail Online