Episode 110
Notes
{cue synth intro}
{cue ‘mortal – stay tuned… EFX}
{cue Evan – time to roll}
{cue intro}
Banter:
Welcome to the
static-charged, sanforized,
neutrino-free, hermetically-sealed DADDYCAST!
Its been a busy week. I’m still fighting this cold – story of my
life. Takes me three
weeks to get over a cold. When I
went to the doctor, he basically said, “well, I can tell you to keep doing the NyQuil thing and you’ll be better in 14 days, or I can give
you some antibiotics and you’ll be better in two weeks”. {cue
rimshot} I’ll
explain the whole static-charged and sanforized
thing a bit later on.
In the
world of parenting, my son had some memorable milestones this week. He had his first ride on the school bus, and
he had his first field trip, and his first hay
ride…all in one day. He’s never actually
taken the bus to school…we live too far away, so mommy (and sometimes daddy)
take care of the transportation duties.
He visited a pumpkin patch, and picked out a fine specimen. Mommy is an excellent pumpkin-carver, and
uses some of the most wicked carving knives (I think she had these left-over
from some biology class, and I’m sure animal disembowelment was their original
purpose)
I had an
encounter with “big brother Bill” today…y’know,
Microsoft. My server PC, where I save
all my music and sound EFX for the show needed an “automatic update”. I let it install, then my network card was
dead, and Windows wanted to “register” saying that “your hardware has changed
significantly since you registered your windows product” or some such
nonsense. I had to call them THREE times
to get through, and had to reboot a bunch of times, only to find out that the
so-called UPDATE turned OFF my network, and broke my Firefox
web browser. Now I don’t know if the browser
breaking was intentional, but something smells.
I don’t like Microsoft telling me that a product I’ve had for 4 years is
suddenly being switched OFF…especially when my hardware has NOT significantly
changed…I’m switching to LINUX! Here I
come, penguin-heads!
Headlines:
“Weighing in” on childhood obesity – it’s the parent’s fault, Kids WiFi at Mickey-D’s, Noisy Toys will be big this holiday
season, Building Baby’s Brain with Music, Some food mythology and lots more,
after this..
{cue drop ELEMENT_2}
{cue Laylah Hathway
PSA}
{cue newstheme – the new one with
loop added}
In The News….
Building
Baby's Brain: The Role of Music – STORY
#1
By Diane Bales, Ph.D.
"Researchers
believe that musical training
actually
creates new pathways in the brain."
Music has a
powerful effect on our emotions. Parents know that a quiet, gentle lullaby can
soothe a fussy baby. And a majestic chorus can make us swell with excitement.
But music also can affect the way we think.
In recent
years, we’ve learned a lot about how the brain develops. Babies are born with
billions of brain cells. During the first years of life, those brain cells form
connections with other brain cells. Over time, the connections we use regularly
become stronger. Children who grow up listening to music develop strong
music-related connections.
Some of
these music pathways actually affect the way we think. Listening to classical
music can improve our spatial reasoning, at least for a short time. And
learning to play an instrument may have an even longer effect on certain
thinking skills.
Does Music
Make Us Smarter?
Not exactly. Music seems to prime our brains for certain kinds of thinking. After
listening to classical music, adults can do certain spatial tasks more quickly,
such as putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Why does
this happen? The classical music pathways in our brain are similar to the
pathways we use for spatial reasoning. When we listen to classical music, the
spatial pathways are “turned on” and ready to be used.
This
priming makes it easier to work a puzzle quickly. But the effect lasts only a
short time. Our improved spatial skills fade about an hour after we stop
listening to the music.
Learning to
play an instrument can have longer-lasting effects on spatial reasoning, however.
In several studies, children who took piano lessons for six months improved
their ability to work puzzles and solve other spatial tasks by as much as 30
percent.
Why does
playing an instrument make such a difference? Researchers believe that musical
training creates new pathways in the brain.
Why
Classical Music?
The music
most people call “classical”--works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, or
Mozart--is different from music such as rock and country. Classical music has a
more complex musical structure. Babies as young as 3 months can pick out that
structure and even recognize classical music selections they have heard before.
Researchers
think the complexity of classical music is what primes the brain to solve
spatial problems more quickly. So listening to classical music may have
different effects on the brain than listening to other types of music.
This
doesn’t mean that other types of music aren’t good. Listening to any kind of
music helps build music-related pathways in the brain. And music can have
positive effects on our moods that may make learning easier.
…I make it
a point to NEVER discourage my son when he wants to make music, no matter how
horrible it sounds. In my honest
opinion, the fastest way to squelch creativity is to say “that’s awful” to your
kid. You’re the authority, so your kid
will believe you if you tell ‘em they suck – so
DON’T. Even if they do! And never use the word
never….oops….
How Does
Increased Television Watching "Weigh Into" Childhood Obesity? – STORY #2
Newswise
- Obesity is one of the major health concerns among both children and adults in
the
Drs. R.M. Viner and T.J. Cole from the University College London
evaluated the effects of early childhood television watching on adult obesity
by assessing data from 8,158 participants of the 1970 Birth Cohort. Height,
weight, and frequency of television watching were assessed at ages 5, 10, and
30 years. At age 5, approximately 40% of the participants exceeded the AAP's guidelines, although the average number of hours
watched was 1 1â„2 hours. The researchers
found
that each additional hour of weekend TV watching by five-year-old children over
the AAP's suggested two hours may increase the risk
of obesity in 30 year olds by 7%.
Drs.
Kirsten Davison, Lori Francis, and Leann Birch from the State University of New
York evaluated the television viewing behaviors of 173 girls and their parents.
At both 9 and 11 years old, the girls watched an average of 1.9 hours of
television a day, although approximately 39% of girls and 30% of parents
exceeded the AAP's guidelines. Parents who relied
heavily on television viewing as a recreational activity reported higher levels
of television watching with their daughters. Girls who were exposed to two or
more parenting risk factors for increased television viewing, such as the lack
of parental limitations on their television watching and their parents' own
television viewing habits, were five to ten times more likely to exceed the AAP's guidelines at both 9 and 11 years old. Girls who
watched more than the recommended two hours per day were 2.6 times more likely
to be overweight than girls who watched less than two hours.
Limiting
the amount of time a child spends in front of the television (for example,
removing televisions from children's bedrooms) may be a good way for parents to
reduce the risk of obesity in children. Because parents' television viewing
habits directly influences their children's, parents must serve as role models.
Parents should limit the frequency of television viewing by encouraging
alternate forms of recreation and selective program choices for themselves and
their children. The TV Turnoff Network (www.tvturnoff.org) offers additional
guidance for parents and children who want to spend more time away from the
television. Although the increase in childhood obesity is not caused solely by
television watching, Dr. Reginald Washington points out in the editorial that
accompanies the articles, "Society, as a whole, must realize that to
effectively control and prevent this obesity epidemic, all risk factors must
simultaneously be reduced."
…Wanna spend more time away from the TV? Leave!!
This sounds real convincing coming from a guy who just dropped major
bank on a new PLASMA TV – but hey, get up off the couch and go DO
something! Use the TiVo
to catch the shows you really wanna watch. You do that with podcasts,
why not TV?
My ToonTest segment was created to “test” you all on how much
you know about what your kids are watching on TV. Trust me, if you watch what your kids watch,
you will WANT TO LEAVE after awhile!
Food Mythology – STORY #3
Little
Science Behind Baby Feeding 'Wisdom'
Ditch the
rice cereal and mashed peas, and make way for enchiladas, curry and even —
gasp! — hot peppers.
It's time
to discard everything you think you know about feeding babies. It turns out
most advice parents get about weaning infants (search) onto solid foods — even
from pediatricians — is more myth than science.
That's right, rice cereal may not be the best first food. Peanut
butter doesn't have to wait until after the first birthday. Offering fruits
before vegetables won't breed a sweet tooth. And strong
spices? Bring 'em on.
"There's
a bunch of mythology out there about this," says Dr. David Bergman
(search), a
Word of
that has been slow to reach parents and the stacks of baby books they rely on
to navigate this often intimidating period of their children's lives. But that
may be changing.
As research
increasingly suggests a child's first experiences with food shape later eating
habits, doctors say battling obesity and improving the American diet may mean
debunking the myths and broadening babies' palates.
It's easier
— and harder — than it sounds. Easier because experts say 6-month-olds can eat
many of the same things their parents do. Harder because it's tough to find
detailed guidance for nervous parents.
"Parents
have lost touch with the notion that these charts are guides, not rules,"
says Rachel Brandeis, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association
(search). "Babies start with a very clean palate and it's your job to mold
it."
It's easy
to mistake that for a regimented process. Most parents are told to start rice
cereal at 6 months, then slowly progress to simple
vegetables, mild fruits and finally pasta and meat.
Ethnic
foods and spices are mostly ignored by the guidelines — cinnamon and avocados
are about as exotic as it gets — and parents are warned off potential allergens
such as nuts and seafood for at least a year.
Yet experts
say children over 6 months can handle most anything, with a few caveats: Be
cautious if you have a family history of allergies; introduce one food at a
time and watch for any problems; and make sure the food isn't a choking hazard.
Parents
elsewhere in the world certainly take a more freewheeling approach, often
starting babies on heartier, more flavorful fare — from meats in African
countries to fish and radishes in Japan and artichokes and tomatoes in France.
The
difference is cultural, not scientific, says Dr. Jatinder
Bhatia, a member of the
How to
introduce healthy children to solid food has rarely been studied. Even the
federal government has given it little attention; dietary guidelines apply only
to children 2 and older.
In a review
of the research, Nancy Butte, a pediatrics professor at Baylor College of
Medicine, found that many strongly held assumptions — such as the need to offer
foods in a particular order or to delay allergenic foods — have little
scientific basis.
Take rice
cereal, for example. Under conventional American wisdom, it's the best first
food. But
Dr. David
Ludwig of Children's Hospital Boston, a specialist in pediatric nutrition, says
some studies suggest rice and other highly processed grain cereals actually
could be among the worst foods for infants.
"These
foods are in a certain sense no different from adding sugar to formula. They
digest very rapidly in the body into sugar, raising blood sugar and insulin
levels" and could contribute to later health problems, including obesity,
he says.
The lack of
variety in the American approach also could be a problem. Exposing infants to
more foods may help them adapt to different foods later, which Ludwig says may
be key to getting older children to eat healthier.
Food
allergy fears get some of the blame for the bland approach. For decades doctors
have said the best way to prevent allergies is to limit infants to bland foods,
avoiding seasonings, citrus, nuts and certain seafood.
But
…My son
LOVES spicy food…Salsa! Bring it
ON! But WE didn’t discover that! Our neighbors are from
Point is,
experiment with your kids. We took my
son to a buffet and he ASKED for broccoli…!
Let your friends and extended family try new things on your kids. Be open-minded, and just because you don’t
like something, don’t teach your kids that they don’t like it, cuz theat’s what they’ll learn! Variety IS, the spice
of life….
In another
food related story….
Family Meals = proud kids – STORY #4
Study:
Family meals nurture resilience in children
ATLANTA,
Ga. Oct 13 -- Families who regularly share meals together have children who
know more about their family history and have higher self-esteem, interact
better with peers, and show higher resilience in the face of adversity,
according to Emory University psychology professors. These findings are the
result of a three-year study called the "Family Narratives Project."
Researchers believe that family meals provide a context in which children and
parents develop a sense of family history and a family place. They note it's
not only what families say, but how they talk about events
together that's important. Children benefit when parents listen to them
and validate what they say and how they feel, according to researchers, who
express concerns that many families have abandoned the family meal and may be
losing the benefits that help nurture resilient children.
…This can
be tough when schedules are so fouled up…Shift work, overtime…this can all make
family meals tough. So pencil in a
family meal each week, at least. We
reserve SUNDAY as our family meal day…I usually cook or BBQ, and we have music
and candles and set the table nice, which means moving piles of papers,
homework, bills, laptops, the cat…
Noisy Toys
to be
Noisy Toys
Set to Be
By JENN
WIANT
Associated
Press Writer
Parents
beware! It's going to be a noisy Christmas.
From a
voice-modifying Darth Vader mask to stuffed animals that sing mobile phone ringtones, toys unveiled on Wednesday at a
The event
has also been a good indicator of what will be hot for the
The
must-have toy of the season this year promises to be Roboraptor,
a two-foot long electronic dinosaur with personality. Roboraptor,
made by toy company Character Options, is the follow up to last year's British
best seller Robosapien.
Roboraptor
moves on its own, reacting to visual sensors according to one of five modes:
hunting, docile, angry, cautious and playful.
Put a
finger in its mouth while it's in angry mode and Roboraptor
will chew on it. Stroke its face while in docile mode and it nuzzles up to you.
At 90
pounds ($159), Roboraptor is the most expensive item
in the top 12 toys on sale.
The
cheapest toy in the top 12 is the Crazy Frog Ringtone
Plush Character at 12 pounds ($21). The character on display at the Dream Toys
2005 exhibition was a frog labeled 'The singing annoying thing,' which did
exactly what it said: It sang a loud, repetitive song that sounded like a cell
phone ringing.
One popular
toy was the Tyco Cyber Shocker by Mattel. The bio-mechanical beast transforms
from a tame-looking ball into an all-terrain vehicle with spinning wings that
propel it around the floor.
Another
favorite - iZ from Vivid Imaginations, a
Girls may
find the Baby Annabell doll that cries real tears
appealing. Other new dolls in the top 12 include Barbie's Pegasus Annika and the Bratz Rock Angelz series.
The Bratz dolls aim at a slightly older age, from 6 to 9, than Barbies, according to Emma Arthur of Norton and Co., a
public relations agency marketing the dolls by Vivid. The Bratz dolls are
aimed at girls age 6-9, and are called ‘edgy’ and ‘attitude-driven’.
…So stock
up on those batteries…um…or don’t…if you want some peace and quiet..!
{cue radio_tuner}
{cue backschool-ed}
CHECK THE
CLOCK!!
Birth
Mother Vs. Egg Donor Decision Upheld – STORY #6
By ROSE
FRENCH
Associated
Press Writer
A woman who
gave birth to triplets using donated eggs is the legal mother of the children
even though she has no genetic link to them, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled
Thursday.
The court's
4-1 ruling upheld decisions by lower courts that awarded parental rights to the
birth mother.
Cindy
Culpepper and Charles Galiwango were not married when
they sought to have a child by in-vitro fertilization using two anonymously
donated eggs, which were fertilized with Galiwango's
sperm. One of the eggs divided, resulting in triplets.
After the
relationship deteriorated, Galiwango challenged the
parental rights of his ex-girlfriend, who gave birth to the children in 2001.
The court
said it took into consideration the fact that before the
children were born, the couple intended Culpepper would be their legal
mother.
'Recent
developments in reproductive technology have caused a tectonic shift in the
realities which underlie our legal conceptions of parenthood,' the court's
opinion said.
The
decision could apply a broad definition of a parent in later cases involving
nontraditional parents, according to legal scholars.
'In most
states, the courts have not looked beyond the biological connections, marriage
or adoption in determining the definition of a parent,' said Susan Brooks, law
professor at
'People who
support greater rights for nontraditional parents like gay couples would be
encouraged by an opinion that would define parent more broadly than simply by
marriage, genetics or adoption,' she said.
…red
alert! The DAD was the only one with any
DNA in the game here folks! But yet his
“parental” rights were ignored by the courts.
Now I’m probably gonna catch a lot of flack
for this in the e-mail…but the law has favored women in divorce and child
custody issues, largely due to the fact that these laws were written in the
70’s when the ‘gender gap’ existed.
Women now enjoy far more freedom than men do. Men have three choices when it comes to
family life: work, work, or – work.
Women can stay at home, be caregivers to their kids,
Experts
Decry Decline of Good Manners – STORY #7
By DONNA
CASSATA
Associated
Press Writer
Americans'
fast-paced, high-tech existence has taken a toll on civility. From road rage in
the morning commute to high decibel cell-phone conversations that ruin dinner
out, men and women behaving badly has become the hallmark of a hurry-up world.
An
increasing informality _ flip-flops at the White House, even _ combined with
self-absorbed communication gadgets and a demand for instant gratification have
strained common courtesies to the breaking point.
'All of
these things lead to a world with more stress, more chances for people to be
rude to each other,' said Peter Post, a descendent of etiquette expert Emily
Post and an instructor on business manners through the Emily Post Institute in
In some
cases, the harried single parent has replaced the traditional nuclear family
and there's little time to teach the basics of polite living, let alone how to
hold a knife and fork, according to Post.
A slippage
in manners is obvious to many Americans. Nearly 70 percent questioned in an
Associated Press-Ipsos poll said people are ruder
than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The trend is noticed in large and small
places alike, although more urban people report bad manners, 74 percent, then
do people in rural areas, 67 percent.
Peggy
Newfield, founder and president of Personal Best, said the generation that came
of age in the times-a-changin' 1960s and 1970s are
now parents who don't stress the importance of manners, such as opening a door
for a female.
So it was
no surprise to Newfield that those children wouldn't understand how impolite it
was to wear flip-flops to a White House meeting with the president _ as some
members of the Northwestern women's lacrosse team did in the summer.
A whopping
93 percent in the AP-Ipsos poll faulted parents for
failing to teach their children well.
'Parents
are very much to blame,' said Newfield, whose Atlanta-based company started
teaching etiquette to young people and now focuses on corporate employees. 'And the media.'
Sulking
athletes and boorish celebrities grab the headlines while television and
'It's not
like the old shows 'Father Knows Best,'' said Norm Demers, 47, of
Nearly
everyone has a story of the rude or the crude, but fewer are willing to fess up
to boorish behavior themselves.
Only 13
percent in the poll would admit to making an obscene gesture while driving;
only 8 percent said they had used their cell phones in a loud or annoying
manner around others. But 37 percent in the survey of 1,001 adults questioned
Aug. 22-23 said they had used a swear word in public.
…We
re-enforce the ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ here at the Gray household. If my son wants something, he’d better say
please! And I don’t have any problems
confronting a parent whose kid is outta control, even
at Chuck-E-Cheese. I keep my own son in line, I expect others to do the same, foe their kid’s sake.
I have to
work on my son’s habit of interrupting Mommy and me when we’re having a
“discussion”…..
Now a
follow-up to the SIDS topic from last week’s podcast…
New SIDS
Policy Recommends Pacifiers – STORY #8
By LINDSEY
TANNER
AP Medical
Writer
Babies
should be offered pacifiers at bedtime, and they should sleep in their parents'
room _ but not in their beds _ in order to lessen the risk of sudden infant
death syndrome, the nation's largest group of pediatricians says.
Both
measures may help keep babies from slumbering too deeply _ a problem for
infants prone to SIDS, said Dr. Rachel Moon, who helped draft the new
recommendations on SIDS prevention. They were prepared for release Monday at
the annual meeting of the
The death
rate from SIDS has fallen sharply in recent years, now that parents are warned
not to let their babies sleep on their stomachs or amid fluffy bedding or
stuffed toys. But it remains the leading case of death in
SIDS is
defined as a sudden death of an infant, often while sleeping,
that remains unexplained even after an autopsy and death scene
examination.
Some
breast-feeding proponents have advocated letting infants share their parents'
bed to facilitate nighttime nursing and have opposed pacifier use because of
concern that the devices might interfere with nursing.
But the
academy is a longtime supporter of breast-feeding, and the new policy was
crafted with that in mind. It recommends delaying pacifier use for breast-fed
infants during the first month of life _ when SIDS risks are low _ 'to ensure
that breast-feeding is firmly established.' And it says placing cribs near the
parents' bed makes breast-feeding more convenient. Infants may be brought into
the bed to nurse, but should be returned to their cribs afterward, the policy
says.
Pacifiers
offered at bedtime should not be reinserted if they fall out during sleep,
should not be coated in sweet substances, and should not be forced upon infants
who refuse them, the policy says.
The new
policy, which updates the academy's 2000 SIDS guidelines, also says that the
only recommended sleep position for infants is on their backs. Letting babies
sleep on their sides, considered a less favorable option in the old policy, is
now considered too risky to even be considered an option, because infants could
roll over to their stomachs.
In 1992,
4,660
'Over 2,000
babies a year are still dying. We should be able to do something about that,'
said Dr. John Kattwinkel of the
Doctors
think actual numbers are higher because some true SIDS deaths are being blamed
on other causes, said Moon, a SIDS researcher at Children's National Medical
Center in Washington, D.C. Data suggest, for example, that accidental
suffocation, which is hard to distinguish from SIDS, has increased in recent
years, Moon said.
Doctors
aren't sure about SIDS causes but a prevailing theory suggests that brain stem
abnormalities affecting arousal reflexes leave some babies vulnerable when
faced with challenges during deep sleep, including overheating and breathing
hampered by pillows, stuffed animals or other soft objects. Babies sleeping on
their stomachs are at risk because they sleep more deeply and their airway
risks being partly obstructed.
…Don’t know
what causes SIDS?? Here’s a theory…How ‘bout the fact that young kids fall
asleep so deeply at night, you could call it a COMA! I tried to wake my son up at
GeoPocket:
A Classroom Tool for the GameBoy Generation – STORY #9
Newswise
- Keeping students alert and engaged is a constant challenge for professors who
teach large lecture courses. Even when the lecturer is a dynamic speaker and
the presentation is peppered with compelling images and gee-whiz
demonstrations, students are still mostly passive listeners.
Not so in
"In a
way, we're trying to integrate laboratory experiences into the classroom
environment without taking up the entire class," said U-M professor of
geological sciences and professor of the environment Ben van der Pluijm, who developed the GeoPocket with Perry Samson, professor of atmospheric,
oceanic and space sciences, and Peter Knoop, a School
of Information research investigator.
The
teaching tool is ideal for students who are used to spending their leisure
hours playing hand-held computer games, listening to music on MP3 players and
text-messaging their friends, said van der Pluijm.
"The
kids using this are accustomed to technology, and they're accustomed to
multitasking---they can interact with things and listen at the same time,"
he said. "This is a way for them to play with the material that's being
presented in class. But it's not just play; they're learning something in the
process."
Using
handheld computers in the classroom isn't entirely new. Other devices have been
used as "clickers" to allow students to respond to simple yes/no or
multiple-choice questions and then compare their answers with those of their
classmates. But GeoPocket applications add new
dimensions, quite literally, by making use of spatial information. For example,
if van der Pluijm is
discussing why the Earth is colder in northern areas than around the Equator
and explaining that it has to do with the angle at which sunlight strikes the
planet, students can fiddle with an animated diagram, dragging a cartoon
flashlight to make it shine on a surface at different angles. As they drag the
flashlight, the solution to an equation that describes the relationship shows
the effect.
In another GeoPocket exercise, van der Pluijm asks students to point out, on a map on their
screens, the primary sources of the world's oil supply. Their answers are
recorded centrally, and the students can click on "Show All Answers"
to see their classmates' responses. The answers can also be projected for the
whole class to see. The professor can then use that information as a jumping
off point for a class discussion. "You can point out that they're right or
wrong, but better yet, it's the perfect platform to explore the topic at
hand," van der Pluijm
said. "You can also pose a question and tell the students to talk to their
neighbors before they answer, so that you encourage them to interact with one
another."
The
students' responses also alert the professor to points the class doesn't
understand. "It gives you a sense of what registers and what does not, and
it allows you to change gears while you're right there in class," van der Pluijm said.
Class
participation and attendance both increase when students use the interactive
devices, van der Pluijm said.
"That may be related to the fact that we keep track of who answers
questions, and the students know that we're keeping track. But the bottom line
is that you learn more by being in class than not being in class, and we think
this is a complementary way for them to experience the material."
In June,
the U-M team received $125,000 in equipment from the Hewlett-Packard Company
for the GeoPocket project.
..Are we
helping the situation, or are we caving to short-attention-span? I like games, but I don’t know about
encouraging distracted behavior in the classroom, especially when kids are
learning skills to enter the workforce…
The video
game manufacturer is expected to unveil its plan for free wireless Internet
access at McDonald's restaurants for its handheld game system, according to a
report published Tuesday in The New York Times.
The new
service would allow Nintendo DS owners to play other gamers online at the fast-food
chain.
"This
is such an interesting direction for McDonald's," Anita Frazier, an
entertainment industry analyst with the research firm NPD Group, said. "This could encourage kids to go to
McDonald's to play games. It is like the kids' version of Starbucks' wireless
hot spots."
Approximately
2.2 million Nintendo DS units have been sold in the
McDonald's
currently offers customers wireless Internet access for laptops in 6,000 of its
restaurants, although it is for a fee, according to the newspaper. Wayport, the Texas-based firm that provides McDonald's with
its Wi-Fi service, will provide wireless access for
the DS.
According
to the Times, Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American SK8Land will be the first
two titles offered.
…heck with
kids, I’m taking my DS and heading down to the golden arches!!!
That wipes
out the news….
{cue drop___________________________________}
{cue song #1________________________________}
{cue Mailtime}
Do Mailtime segment
Liberal Govt's Child Care Discriminates Against 85% of Canadian
Parents – STORY #11 - HOLD
Social
Development Minister Ken Dryden implies daycare superior to parents looking
after own children
Local
Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott regrets that Stronach did not use the opportunity to make a commitment
to the priorities and values of all Canadian parents. "The Liberal
government thus continues to discriminate against 85% of Canadian
parents," said Vellacott.
In a Vanier
Institute study this year, daycare centres ranked a
distant 5th when Canadians were asked who they would prefer to care for their
pre-school children. A parent, grandparent, another relative and home daycare
all ranked higher. "Does the Liberal government believe in freedom and
choice or is it trying to coerce Canadians into their discriminatory funding
scheme?" asked Vellacott.
The
Conservative Party's alternative, according to their website is straightforward
and simple. "We will give money
directly to all parents so they can make their own childcare choices," it
says.
The
Saskatchewan MP is even more shocked at the Orwellian nature of comments by
Social Development Minister Ken Dryden. This summer, Dryden tussled with
"As a
Conservative MP, I completely renounce this bigoted smear against the majority
of Canadian parents in my riding and across the country," stressed Vellacott. "Quality childcare is critical to
Vellacott
does not dispute the importance of quality training for childcare workers, but
he notes the recent work of Australian feminist writer Anne Manne
who explains that love and care are different. Caring is reproducible, she
says, but parental love is not. "Severing that bond of love through
excessive taxation policies that force all parents to fund a very narrow
childcare agenda is inexcusable," said Vellacott.
…Listeners
in
Anyway, I
wanted to bring this story to parents’ attention, because things of this sort
have been tried in the
Can a
Child's Final Adult Height Actually Be Predicted? – STORY #12 - HOLD
Newswise
- Children pass through growth phases at various points during adolescence
before reaching final adult height. Some children begin their growth phases
early on while others are "late bloomers." Many parents and children
may be curious to know how tall the child will be as an adult. A study in the
October issue of The Journal of Pediatrics describes an inexpensive and noninvasive
method for parents and doctors to predict a child's adult height based on sex
and growth factors.
Lauren Sherar, MSc and colleagues from
the
Because
children can be insecure about their adolescent height, predicting their adult
height can play a role in their physical and social well-being. Ms. Sherar explains that "this technique is a valid,
non-intrusive, inexpensive, and simple method of predicting adult height in
adolescent children, free of growth limiting diseases." Caregivers can try
this technique at home by entering in required information about their child at
http://www.usask.ca/kinesiology/research_index.php .
…I tried
this. I got an error message – child
should be at least 7 years of age…blah blah.
Here’s what
you need to know before you visit the site;
Birth date, today’s date, their height standing, their height sitting,
and their weight. You can use English or metric units of
measure. Now remember: its only 92%
accurate! Don’t get all freaked out if
your numbers reveal your kid will be a mutant or something!
Baby Wipes
Use #23 - Anti-static cleaner-upper
Due to
recent health developments (namely the fact that my wife and I have allergies
to just about everything you can have allergies to) we have taken on the
monumental task of removing all sources of allergens from our environment. We’ve been told that since WE have allergies,
its very likely that our son does, too.
Of course,
all of our friends have opinions on just how to accomplish the decontamination
process.
One friend
suggested we buy this fancy-schmancy vacuum cleaner
that removes 99.5% of allergens from the air, or so it says. It makes no such claim about removing
allergens from the CARPET, mind you! Isn’t that odd. I
generally don’t use a vacuum cleaner to clean the air, although it is a novel
idea.
Instead, we
use a silent, high-tech, ZENION-effect, hypo-allergenic electro-static air
cleaner. We ordered this on the internet
from one of those catchy, trendy, high-tech mail-order places that advertises
night and day and between their ads and friends pestering us to get one of
these gizmos, they plain wore us down and we gave in…so I bought two.
I take
issue with the manufacturer’s claim of SILENT operation, though. These things do makes a noticeable hiss. It has no fans, and air just comes out of it,
smelling like the outdoors after a thunderstorm – you know, musty and charged
with electricity that makes your hair stand on end.
It makes
noises like the thunderstorm itself, actually.
When the “collection grid” collects enough dirt on it, the “grid”
resembles a chia pet, fuzzy with dust and stuff I
would otherwise be sucking into my lungs, and the device starts making little
static-shock-type-noises, it sounds like lightning bottled up in a fan.
I’m
supposed to pull these grids out of the cleaner when it starts making these
noises to clean them. These grids have
warnings all over them, “DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER”, “
Wipes to
the rescue! The so-called “grids” are
actually these long, polished flat stainless steel plates that get charged with
static electricity and attract the dust in the air to them. Problem is, static is like glue for dust, so
getting these grids clean is a nightmare.
And I can’t get ‘em wet?! How am I supposed to clean em? Out of
frustration, I used baby wipes – lots of wipes – to polish the surfaces to a
nice high shine again. No more static
zaps like a mosquito trap in the middle of the night while I’m trying to sleep,
just that hiss of air, that gentle breeze soothing us to sleep with the “zenion effect”.
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#3___________________________}
We’re All
Wipes out for this week’s show…..my thanks to
_______________________________________________
From
Garageband.com, and _________________________________________ from the podsafe music network, that’s music.podshow.com.
Mailtime…!
Again,
thanks to everybody for listening and for subscribing. Comments, suggestions,
gripes, whatever – e-mail to submit-at-1-0-1-uses-for-baby-wipes-dot-com. Skype me at USESFORWIPES, or call 805-MAIL-610, 805-624-5610.
Darren Swartzendruber writes…
Another
great episode! First time I have heard the Tune Test -- great, loved it. My
kids will love listening to this episode (I subject them to podcasts
in the car).
…Well, I
try not to think of my podcasts as something to be
subjected to…I hope…have fun, kids!
Enjoy the toon-test coming up in just a few!
John wrote
to set me straight on the Wallace&Grommit
situation…
The
WAREHOUSE was all that burned down, and I didn’t make that clear. The older sets from older shows done at AArdman were destroyed, not the sets and props from the
newest movie – IN THEATRES NOW – Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Fat Jeff
(he calls himself that, I’m not labeling anyone here!) writes from
Aloha,
I'm been
listening for a few episodes and am totally enjoying the "Daddy Cast".
Besides all the thought provoking parenting information I also like the OTHER
STUFF. Music? Yes! Include it. Interviews that aren't all hard core
parenting info, you bet! Balances the show out, adds to the entertainment
factor. The music test...I was 1 for 3, only knew Sponge
Bob Squarepants. But hey, I'll improve in time...my is only 8 weeks old, not too much into the TV yet.
Although I have caught him seemingly sneaking a peek at "Lost" the
other night.
ADHD...Ritalin...never
seemed to help my Nephew...although as lazy as he is maybe a stimulant would
help. Or it could just be he's a typical 16 year old.
Y’know
I’ve not been to
Jeff owns a
small business that distributes ballons – n – things
to gift and florist shops in the
Molglorf
writes…
Thanks for
the podcast Dennis.
Two things:
You asked about movies for babies in other parts of the world. Here in
Also, for
the music, leave it in. I for one really enjoy it, and on the other hand: IT’S
YOUR SHOW. If you feel that it adds to the experience, leave it in. People who
don’t want to listen can fast forward. (Although it may help
to add chapters to your podcast.)
David in
Movies with
Babies in
So there’s
this whole world to moviegoing that I just had no
clue about…I really need to get the local theatres involved with these matinees
for kids. Its kinda sexist though, targeting moms only! I’d take my son, but not if I’m gonna be the only guy in the place!
Kenneth
from
Hey there,Great show - wanna get that remote for my 3-year old boy. Do you know if we can get the remote for kids
"weemode"?) in
Kenneth Madsen,
You bet,
Kenneth – its www.weemote.com...great
product! My son loves his! I’m just not
sure if it works in
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{cue Song #2______________________________}
{Cue
Drop________________________________}
Time for
the ToonTest
{cue Evan-Play it}
{Cue ToonTest}