Filed under: Child Development, health and Safety, Pregnancy and BirthWhat if, by using a certain type of formula, you could guarantee that your child would never become obese — no matter what? Would you give it to your baby? It might sound like science fiction, but British scientists say they’re only 10 years away from finishing a baby formula that could chemically restructure children’s metabolic systems — making it impossible for them to become obese. They plan to insert leptin — a widely-used appetite suppressant — into formula, believing that when it’s taken during infancy, the drug acts to hard-wire a person’s appetite, rather than merely controlling it on a temporary basis. They’ve already been successful with mice, but making the formula available to human babies raises a number of ethical — even legal questions. First and foremost, should childhood obesity even be treated as a medical condition? Many say no, asserting that growing obesity rates are social problem — a reflection of our modern culture of fast food and inactivity rather than something medicine can fix — but others point to the rising costs of treating those with weight-related medical conditions, and see this as a possible solution. At first, giving a baby anything that will permanently alter their response to food seems almost abusive. But when you think about all the associated medical complications involved with obesity, and the increasing probability that your child will grow up to be overweight, maybe it’s merely looking out for their best interest in the long run? Is this a quick fix for poor diet and lack of exercise, or simply vaccinating your baby against a common disease? Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Quality Park Redi-Seal First Class Window Envelopes for Form HCFA-1500, 9 12-1/2, 100/Box 54692 / QUA54692
Quality Park Redi-Seal First Class Window Envelopes for Form HCFA-1500, 9 12-1/2, 100/Box 54692 / QUA54692 Quality Park Redi-Seal First Class Window Envelopes for Form HCFA-1500, 9 12-1/2, 100/Box 54692 / QUA54692 / Single Window, Open End First Class Envelopes with Security Tint for health Care Claim FormsFor medicare Form #HCFA-1500, Medicaid and other health [...]

Russian boy travels to Oklahoma for ‘free’ brain surgery, ends up brain dead
Filed under: health and Safety, LifestyleThe father of a 16-year-old Russian boy thought he’d found a miracle: a hospital halfway around the world offered to remove the tumor in his son’s brain for free, as long as the treatment and surgery could be filmed for a story by a local television station touting the charitable nature of the surgery. In other words, in exchange for free surgery, the Oklahoma hospital would get a nice promotional piece of P.R. But the surgery did not work out as either the hospital or the father had hoped: the surgery left young David Kurbanov brain dead. The boy’s father is angry, but still hoping for another miracle. While refusing to remove life support for his son, he is accusing the hospital of using his son to practice experimental surgery, and arguing that “the news story amounted to a TV commercial that talked about the hospital and the doctor, and that even people from Russia came to them to find miracles,” the elder Kurbanov said bitterly. “There is no support at St. Anthony; there must be some other hidden agenda the doctors pursue.”The $100,000 surgery had been scheduled in Russia, but surgeons there warned there was a 30 percent chance that the surgery would have complications, such as partial paralysis. The father believed the free surgery in Oklahoma would be performed by a better surgeon who would reduce the risk of complications. The hospital claims the father signed all the proper waivers and consents.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Arkansas man demands $20,000 from city because lesbian library book kept his sons up all night
Filed under: Lifestyle, Media, Teenager, Books, FeminismBack when I was a kid, there was no place like the public library to learn all about those things your parents just couldn’t tell you. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, before the internet because the source of all information, I actually used libraries to learn about the world outside my small town. And, as a curious teenager, the library was a place I could read about sex in honest and forthcoming books that went well beyond what my parents were willing to tell me. But considering the kind of information that is available on the internet, the fare at public libraries seems downright tame.That isn’t stopping a man on Bentonville, Arkansas from demanding $20,000 from his city after his two teenage sons found a book on a library bookshelf called The Whole Lesbian Sex Book. Now, honestly, from its cover, that looks like a book I wouldn’t have minded peeking at when I was a teen, but apparently Earl Adams’ sons were “greatly disturbed” by the images they saw inside. He also said the book caused “many sleepless nights in our house.” I’ll bet it did. As easy as it is to laugh at that ridiculous statement, I’d be willing to bet the boys were more disturbed by the fact that this book portrays lesbian sex on the terms of lesbian women, not as it exists in most heterosexual male fantasies (i.e. two skinny, large-breasted porn stars going right from kissing to oral sex). One review described the book as a guide to “G-spot stimulation, oral sex, vaginal fisting, dildos for fun and fashion, dynamics of butch/femme sex, anal sex, the pleasures of lube and latex, where to cop the best cybersex, and leather, piercings, tattoos, high heels, and other fetishes.” All of that might have just been a little too San Francisco for the Bentonville, Arkansas public library. The library has removed the book from circulation, and plans to replace the book with one taking a “more sensitive, more clinical approach.”Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Child stops out of control van, saves family
Filed under: 10-12 years, Pre-teen, Making a DifferenceThink of yourself as an 11-year-old. Now pretend you’re in the car, it’s moving 80mph, and your mom starts acting sick and driving erratically — what do you do? In what sounds like a Steven Spielberg action sequence, Abigail Parker climbed from the back seat of the van and into her mother’s lap, stopped the vehicle, and called 911. Then — even as cars whizzed past, with the van partially blocking one lane of highway traffic - Abigail managed not only to keep herself calm, but also to comfort her mother and 8-year-old brother while she told paramedics about her mother’s diabetic condition. The State Trooper on the scene called Abigail’s actions “nothing short of heroic,” and I couldn’t agree more. What an amazingly brave and resourceful little girl. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

UK health watchdog calls for WiFi radation inquiry
Filed under: health and Safety, Computers, Internet, Mobile phonesConcern about ‘electronic smog’ and the possible dangers it poses to children’s’ health has prompted the UK health Protection Agency to demand an investigation into the use of wireless communications networks (Wi-Fi) in classrooms.Wi-Fi is known to give off radiation, just as cell phones do. While research has shown that the radiation emitted from mobile phones and phone masts can be linked to cancer and brain damage, the dangers of Wi-Fi radiation have not been clearly determined. Some some scientists are concerned that this radiation could cause cancer and premature senility. Since it is estimated that more than half of primary schools and almost all secondary schools in the UK are using it, there is growing pressure on the government to examine Wi-Fi’s potential health hazards.Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the health Protection Agency, has been involved in the inquiries into the hazards of mobile phones and is advising that students should be monitored for any ill effects from exposure to Wi-Fi radiation.There are some who are already convinced that Wi-Fi radiation is dangerous. Professor Olle Johansson, of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, is adamant that science has already proved the adverse health effects and wonders “Do we not know enough already to say, ‘Stop!’?”What’s going to happen if they do find that Wi-Fi radiation is harmful? When cell phone radiation was determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals, we didn’t get rid of them and return to standard land-line phones. Like cell phones, we are far too dependent upon our wireless networks to ever plug back in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

DeLonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator
DeLonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator DELONGHI RADIATOR HEATER RETRO STYLE OIL FILLED Customer Review: Review of Delonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator I purchased this Oil-Filled Radiator Heater in mid-December 2000. I am very happy with its performance. It is a very handsome unit; so it compliments the other pieces in the Living [...]

Trash to Cash-Episode 1-A Garage Sale Adventure w/Lynn Dralle (Your guide to buying & selling at online auctions like ebay & Yahoo.)
Trash to Cash-Episode 1-A Garage Sale Adventure w/Lynn Dralle (Your guide to buying & selling at online auctions like ebay & Yahoo.) Lynn Dralle is a 3rd generation antiques dealer. She is an eBay Power Seller who sells up to $20,000 a month at online auction. She is an award winning author [...]

Followup: Racial slur on couch label
Filed under: Child Development, LiteracyIt was the software. Remember the woman who bought a couch and chairs only to have her daughter discover a label describing them as “nigger brown”? It turns out the problem was with an outdated version of Chinese-English translation software. It seems that when “dark brown” is entered in Chinese, it comes out with the outdated and derogatory term.Kingsoft Corp., the Chinese software company that developed the translation software, acknowledged that its software caused the problem. Huang Luoyi, a product manager for the Beijing-based company’s translation software, says his company has fixed the software so that the translation does not result in the offensive wording.According to the CNN article, Moore, the black woman who bought the couch, and whose daughter discovered the label, has met with a lawyer and is looking for compensation. “Something more has to be done. We don’t just need a personal apology, but someone needs to own up to where these labels were made, and someone needs to apologize to all people of color,” Moore said.I guess she’s upset that her daughter learned such an unpleasant word in that manner. I dunno. I think I would use it as an opportunity to teach my kid about the word, its history, and its connotations. I also think I’d be happy she didn’t learn it by being called it. I’m not sure I’d be looking to sue. What do you think? Could her daughter really be traumatized or is she trying to capitalize on the situation?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Buying & Selling on eBay
Buying & Selling on eBay Adam Ginsberg shows you how to make six figures from home in the powerful DVD that is both inspirational and educational. With over 150 million customers and practically $0 start-up costs, eBay lets every little guy go head to head with global corporations. These days, whether you [...]