Children's News Online

2007-01-30T04:38:00.000-08:00

NHL better listen to kids

Kids love action and adventure. They prefer snowboarding over baseball. It's about moving fast and taking chances. So you would think kids love watching hockey. Few mainstream sports offer the kind of action and adventure as hockey. So I took a little poll of a dozen Newburgh Free Academy hockey players. Who better to gauge hockey's popularity than young hockey players? Three of the 12 players interviewed watched the NHL All-Star game. Six of the 12 watch the NHL with any kind of regularity. The NHL better listen to the kids. They give the league its only chance of becoming some kind of major sport. This was supposed to be a breakout year for the NHL and for hockey. Changing rules and enforcing other rules were supposed to add interest. Only another layer of questions has been added.

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Dentists to give kids reason to smile

February is Dental Health Awareness Month. To kick off a month of promoting good oral health care, the South Carolina Dental Association (SCDA) is donating a day of caring for the dental needs of underprivileged children. Friday is Give Kids A Smile Day. Nearly 300 local dentists, hygienists and dental assistants will provide cleanings, sealants and restorative care to needy children at designated clinic sites across the state. Some of the sites include Midlands Technical College in Columbia; Florence-Darlington Technical College; Greenville Technical College; Aiken Technical College; Spartanburg Technical College; Palmetto Health Dental Clinic/Richland Hospital Campus; Tri-County Technical College; Medical University of SC Dental Clinic, Charleston. Many dentists in private clinics will also welcome Give Kids A Smile children at various locations around the state.

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Nickelodeon builds virtual community for kids

MTV Networks' kid-centric powerhouse will on Tuesday (January 30) launch Nicktropolis, an online environment for youngsters to chat, play games and watch video amid branded properties. In Nicktropolis, kids can customise the appearance of an avatar, the onscreen character with which they navigate a digital world complete with its own currency. The environment includes branded regions like Nicktoon Boulevard, where surfers can visit rooms inspired by such Nick shows as "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Danny Phantom." Avatars can interact with icons representing characters from the shows or cue up episodes for viewing. Nicktropolis is a continuation of Nickelodeon's push in recent years into more interactive programming online. With the younger demos it targets emerging as the first generation to be as comfortable with the PC as the TV, Nick has put increasing emphasis on Nick.com and successive versions of a broadband player, TurboNick.

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2007-01-29T04:37:00.000-08:00

Less of Omega- 3 in Obese Children

Swedish researchers have found out that consuming the right type of fat may actually keep child obesity at bay. Obese children are habituated to consume lesser quantities of unsaturated fat and very little omega-3. A study on 200 healthy children in the age group of four was undertaken by scientists at Goteborg University. These children belong to families with good socio-economic background. This study revealed that 23% of the children belong to an overweight category and 2% come under obese category. Children who consumed less fat had higher BMI readings and were heavier than the ones who had more fat. It was also found out that the heavier children had less of omega-3. Their eating habit was far from the set guidelines. When 400 grams of fruits and vegetables are required per day, these children consumed only 140 grams.

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Children pick up parents' behavior

Children living in a home with an alcoholic adult are twice as likely to engage in risky behaviors as they grow up, according to a national and state report. As children witness multiple adult dysfunctions, they will cope by overeating, smoking, becoming promiscuous or using drugs and alcohol. For children exposed to adults going through severe psychological stress from mental illness or substance abuse, they tend to have higher rates of divorce, unemployment, criminal histories and domestic violence. "Americans think that children are resilient and can get over bad things that happen to them," said Anne Roberts, executive director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. "But what we are seeing is that adverse childhood experiences are difficult for children to come through and are interrelated.

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Women 'birthing machines' says Japan's health minister

JAPAN'S health minister has provoked a storm of protest after he described women as "birth-giving machines" in a speech he gave on the country's falling birthrate. Hakuo Yanagisawa made the remarks in a speech he gave on Saturday as the government announced a council to draw up new strategies to tackle the country's shrinking population. .

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2007-01-28T04:38:00.000-08:00

Details in death of child may be opened

A federal magistrate must decide whether to unseal what's been called "lurid and inflammatory" admissions contained in a plea agreement of a woman who pleaded guilty to murder in the beating death of her 5-year-old stepdaughter. Federal Magistrate Judge Leslie Kobayashi heard arguments on the request by The Honolulu Advertiser to make public the sealed portions of Delilah S. Williams' plea agreement. Williams' defense lawyer and the federal prosecutor on Dec. 6 requested that a seven-page section of her agreement be sealed, a request Kobayashi granted. Williams pleaded guilty for her role in the July 16, 2005 death of Talia Williams. Advertiser attorney Jeffrey Portnoy argued that the defense attorneys and prosecution failed to establish why the admissions should remain confidential, particularly when the media has already reported the allegations surrounding the child's death due to "battered child syndrome." The defense and prosecution argued that the disclosure would jeopardize the rights of a fair trial for Delilah Williams' husband, Naeem Williams, a co-defendant who faces the death penalty if convicted of murdering his daughter when he goes to trial scheduled for October this year.

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Child pornography law coming

With paedophiles and other sex devils using technology, particularly Internet chat rooms and instant messengers, to lure persons into sex traps, calls have come for legislation to protect minors and greater public education on technology. Mary Clarke, the Children's Advocate, says, "There certainly needs to be more regularisation of the IT (information technology) sector, especially as it relates to children." Similarly, Errol Anderson, president of the Jamaica Computer Society, says he would support legislation that would make criminal, persons who pose as teenagers in chat rooms and on instant messengers in order to lure minors into sexual encounters. "Such law is something we need to enact as soon as we can," says Mr. Anderson. He believes children make up a vast number of Internet users, and notes that a lot of them are often unsupervised.

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Child care foes face off again over tax-break plan

Some families with a stay-at-home parent say they should be able to split their incomes to reduce taxes. Opponents say the plan, which would cost the treasury billions, would mostly benefit the upper classes The new frontier in the battle over child care begins this week in Parliament's venerable West Block, the dust still swirling from the old frontier fight over $100-a-month payments for children under six. .

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2007-01-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

Couple a 'positive influence' on kids

And although the couple has no children of their own, since September a significant amount of their time outside of work is spent with kids. It was a Sunday morning in late September and Ray was out in the neighborhood mowing a lawn when one of the boys in the neighborhood come up and asked if he could help. After the two raked the lawn, the boy asked Ray if he could help fix his bicycle. In the days and months that have followed, Ray and Retha have been introduced to the boy's family, friends, cousins and neighbors. Now the Haases spend time with 12 to 15 local kids, taking them to New Life Community Church for youth group on Sundays and taking trips together such as going to see planes at the airport, watching for deer and looking at Christmas lights. Since the first boy asked for help with his bicycle, Ray started to ask people at church, work and Habitat for Humanity for unused bicycles.

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Mom needs affordable home to get kids back

A 25-year-old Edmonton mom who's trying to regain custody of her four kids from Children's Services is doing everything right, her lawyer says. After separating from her husband with whom she had a stormy relationship, Roxanne is staying sober and undergoing counselling for a variety of issues, including anger management, explained Vic Findlater. But there's one final stumbling block. She can't find any affordable housing and is currently living out of a west-end hotel. "I'm very proud of this young lady. This lady has turned her life around," Findlater told the Sun. .

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New activities for Cool Kids

Cool Kids Wednesday, sponsored by Smart Start and community donations, will hold the following events at the Little River Family Resource Center, 8307 Roxboro Road. Suggested donation is $3-$5.* Feb. 7: Frozen Treasure Dig - Dig through ice as it melts and try to figure out how to get the "treasures" out.* Feb. 14: Happy Valentine's Day - make Valentines for your special someone.* Feb. 21: Rainbow Stew - Make a squeezable mixture that allows children to play with color mixing and "squoosh" as much as they'd like with no mess.* Feb. 28: Ocean in a Bottle - Make an ocean bottle to take home that will be fun for days to come.For more information, call 471-3231 or e-mail Melissa Gibbs at treefrg@netzero.com. .

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2007-01-26T04:38:00.000-08:00

Report says area children faring worse

On several measures of well-being, Cape Girardeau County's children are faring worse than they did in 2001, according to the latest Missouri Kids Count report, released Thursday by Citizens for Missouri's Children. The number of Cape Gir?ardeau County children receiving free or reduced price lunches at school, the number born to mothers without high school diplomas and the number involved in child abuse or neglect cases were all up in 2005, the year the new ratings are based on, the child advocacy group reported. The good news is that generally the county is better off than most in the state, but the county's overall ranking fell from 25th last year to 30th this year. The Cape Girardeau County ranking is the best in the region. The most dramatic change in ranking took place in Perry County, which moved from 75th in 2005 to 34th in the 2006 ratings on the strength of declines in the births to mothers without a high school diploma, a reduction in the dropout rate for high school students and a decline in births to teen mothers.

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Are children safe at area schools?

An authority figure at a school, someone who once had students' trust, is accused of being a sexual predator. In the past six weeks, these stories sound particularly familiar in the Inland Valley. Since Dec. 14, four adults have been arrested on suspicion of sexual or lewd misconduct with minors. Three of them were teachers, one a coach. The arrests have prompted many frustrated parents to wonder what kind of place schools have become and how safe their children are behind classroom doors. They are understandable questions, but local experts believe the recent spate of arrests is a sign that the public is identifying and aggressively investigating child predators more, and not necessarily evidence that incidents are occurring more often. "This is not a huge new problem, but rather part of the human condition," said Norm Dollar, deputy director of the San Bernardino County Department of Children's Services.

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Pledge to disabled children reaffirmed by Treasury's Ed Balls

A Treasury minister yesterday reiterated the government's commitment to improving the lot of disabled children and their families in the next comprehensive spending review. Economics secretary Ed Balls, a prominent champion of disabled children, laid out how the current Treasury-led review of children and young people's services which will feed into the review in the summer, may benefit the group. .

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2007-01-25T04:37:00.000-08:00

Child protection amendments stall

Legislators stalled an effort to bring Utah's child welfare rules for foster children laws in line with federal standards on Wednesday. House Bill 245, which enacts provisions in the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, would add a layer of background checks and exclusions for potential foster parents. Some people are concerned about the bill because it could cause a delay in the placement of children into foster care. "This is prior federal legislation, and should have been included in ours, but we just haven't done it," said the bill's sponsor Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan. The bill would require the fingerprinting of potential foster parents for an FBI criminal background check. Potential foster parents also would be subject to a check against the child abuse and neglect registry in every state they have resided in for the past five years.

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Lost child found safe and sound

A three year old child, who temporarily wandered away from his home in Mayo, was found safe, but hungry, approximately three-fourths to one mile in the woods nearby. The child went missing on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at approximately 10:30 a.m., found approximately one half hour later, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office (LCSO).LCSO personnel were quickly on the scene frantically searching for the child The Mayo Correctional Institution K-9 Unit was dispatched to provide assistance in the search and rescue.Before the MCI K-9 Unit arrived, the child was successfully located and brought back to his family.Sheriff Carson McCall recently stated that he commends everyone who became involved, determined to find the child no matter how long it took. - Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.

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Crime victim gets child-support check

Mary Barry thought the state's Victims of Crime Compensation Board was wrong to deny her child-support claims. She told her story to The Press of Atlantic City and convinced the board she was right. Barry's former husband allegedly stabbed her outside her Somers Point home in September 2005. The board initially denied her ensuing claims for child-support compensation, but has now reversed its decision and overturned precedent, paying Barry and opening the door to support future victims with derelict former spouses. The former husband, Brian Hoffman, had not paid child support to Barry for more than 10 years before the crime. Before Barry's case, board practice was to reject child-support compensation if victims had not been receiving entitled payments at the time of the crime, a frequent situation for victims, board Chairman Edward G.

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2007-01-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

‘Gen We’: Today’s kids and parents happy to consume, create media ...

The parents of Gen We are also comfortable with the ubiquity of advertising and media, as well as technology. And they are encouraging their kids to understand it and learn how to customize it for their own use. "Parents of Gen We's don't see technology as the enemy and don't need to moderate it as much: They see it (as a way to) help them with parenting. They see it as a bonding experience," Robinson said. "As a kind of media Sherpa, they're encouraging kids to not just absorb what media tells you, but to think about how you can change it." Although television is far from going the way of the betamax, with TiVo, downloadable movies and YouTube, the viewing experience is now more interactive and customizable. According to a 2004 study of viewing habits, kids spend an average of three hours a day watching TV, the same amount from five years earlier.

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Cookbooks to light a fire under creative kids

Getting youngsters into the kitchen to help prepare meals and master some survival skills need not turn into a culinary tug-of-war -- if the right incentives are used. Kid friendly cookbooks will help ease the transition from table to kitchen for those young people who wish to lend a hand when it comes to planning and preparing meals. "Kids Cook 1-2-3" (Bloomsbury, ages 9 and up, $17.95) by Rozanne Gold combines lavish illustrations with more than 100 healthy and mouthwatering recipes. By focusing on recipes that use only three ingredients, chef Rozanne Gold simplifies the process and assures young cooks success on their initial foray into the kitchen. There are great ideas here for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks and delicious desserts.

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Super Franks keeps kids, adults happy

PLEASANTON Some people spend half their lives dreaming about owning a particular kind of business before actually even thinking of making it a reality. But for Frank Tate, his new business started out as a joke. There weren't any longtime, lofty dreams, just a joking challenge from his wife. After yet another trip to Chuck E. Cheese ended up in a headache and missing baseball playoffs on television Tate's wife dared him to do better. Only kidding, Tate began to tell his friends how he was going to open a family entertainment center that was fun for all family members. He joked that it would be called "Super Franks." But his friends didn't think he was so crazy. Two years later, his "joke" is now reality. "This is a dare gone wild," said Tate, a Lafayette resident.

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2007-01-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

S. Korean children's trans fat consumption higher than adults

South Korean children's consumption of trans fats, known as a major cause of heart disease, is twice as much as adults' intake, a study showed Tuesday. Trans fats are used in many kinds of fast food and snacks. They came into the media spotlight last year when New York City officials banned their use in restaurants. According to a recent study by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), the average daily consumption of trans fats among 916 children between the ages of five and 12 stood at 0.36 grams, while the figure among 781 adults aged 20-77 was 0.18 grams. The figure for those aged between 13 to 19 was the highest, at 0.48 grams, the study showed. However, Korean consumption is overall much lower than that of other nations, with the adult average of the United States and Canada being 5.3 grams and 8.4 grams respectively.

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Indian children adding more blood to tainted diamonds?

Leonardo di Caprio may well be nominated for the Oscar for his role as the South African diamond smuggler in ‘Blood Diamond', a film attempting to lay bare the thriving international trade in conflict diamonds that fuels wars and conflicts in several part of Africa. The movie, supported by Global Witness and Amnesty International, opened in India a few weeks ago and is showing in glittering multiplexes in the heart of Mumbai, just around the corner from the diamond markets of this bustling ‘financiapolis' of India. Over 90% of the world's rough diamonds pass through these markets on their journey to Surat, the biggest small-diamond processing centre in the world 326 kms by road from the city. A Guardian Observer investigation alleges that ‘blood diamonds' from Ivory Coast and Liberia are being illegally processed here.

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Miss America pageant to raise money for children's hospitals

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Miss America Organization for the first time has chosen to focus its community service efforts on a single cause - helping children's hospitals. Under a partnership with the Children's Miracle Network, the 86-year-old pageant plans a national platform to advocate on behalf of children's hospitals. The Tennessee hospitals in the network are T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital in Chattanooga, East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville, Le Bonheur (luh BAWN'ur) Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Monroe Carell Junior Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Wellmont Health System in Kingsport. Miss America 2007 is to be crowned January 29th in a show to be broadcast live on the cable channel Country Music Television from the Aladdin hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

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2007-01-22T04:37:00.000-08:00

Families cry for overhaul of child care

JUNEAU -- Early-education advocates have armed themselves for the 25th legislative session with a 31-page report that, for the first time ever, gives a snapshot of child care in Alaska. Among the findings: Parents spend much of their paychecks to put youngsters in programs where teachers are often lower paid and less educated than people in other industries in the state. The commissioners of the report hope to use the numbers to put a statewide system in place for early child care and learning -- one that would not only mean better care for children, but would allow parents more diversity of choice in child care and free them up to work. "Now people are really understanding that early years are the most important years, especially when we are looking at things like our high school graduation rates and ways to impact our children who are ready to learn and succeed in school," said Joy Lyon, executive director of the Association for the Education of Young Children in Southeast Alaska.

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Govt ratifies child abuse treaties

The federal government announced on Monday it had ratified the two optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The first obliges countries to criminalise child prostitution and pornography, the sale of a minor for sexual exploitation, forced labour and trade in children's organs. The second requires nations to ensure people under 18 are kept out of armed conflicts and not compulsorily recruited into armed forces. Both protocols were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 and came into force two years later. The Australian government ratifies treaties once domestic laws and regulations comply with them. "Ratification complements Australia's strong legislation and enforcement arrangements to combat sex crimes against children," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said in a statement.

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Swedish police in record child porn haul

Police in Sweden have confiscated record quantities of child pornography in a raid in Srmland county, south of Stockholm. But the news has coincided with accusations by campaigners that too few resources are being devoted to combating the problem. The raid saw police impounding between 2.5 million and 3 million images, stored on 290 CDs and DVDs and on two hard-disks. Each disk can contain between 4,000 and 6,000 pictures. The haul is believed to be the largest ever confiscated in Sweden, .

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2007-01-21T04:38:00.000-08:00

Retail Notebook: Kids' voices, from behind a black door, give the ...

In the windows of Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. are cans of Dark Matter brand rocket fuel, a box labeled "Gravity" and a full-sized chrome rocket bike straight from the 1950s. Intrigued and a bit puzzled, you are drawn inside. The walls are covered with antiquated scientific equipment. For sale is a whimsical assortment of toys, food, books, clothes and gewgaws -- everything needed to travel in outer space, according to the signs on the wall. Much of the items' appeal lies in their witty labels. Then you notice the murmur of kids' voices -- though none are visible -- and the black cylindrical door set into the back wall. It's marked "Atomic Teleporter" and carries the warning, "Keep atoms belonging to your person inside teleporter at all times." With a grin, you wonder: What is this place? It's a retail store whose profits help fund 826 Seattle, a 14-month-old non-profit center that offers free creative-writing programs, drop-in tutoring and homework help to students ages 6 to 18.

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Mission accomplished in Monster Concert: Kids learn to perform for ...

Glenna Battson directs piano students during the 2007 Music Teachers' Association of California "Monster Concert" Saturday at Chico State University's Laxson Auditorium.(Bill Husa/Enterprise-Record)

All Chico E-R photos are available here.

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Enforce gun laws to protect kids

Two years ago, when a 14-year-old boy accidentally shot his 11-year-old brother, we called for the strict enforcement of gun laws even in family tragedies. We argued that not doing so sends the wrong message, and that before enacting new gun laws, we need to aggressively enforce the laws we already have -- even if at times it seems "hardhearted." Such an example is the case of Andrea Parker, a Cook County correctional officer who was charged Wednesday with reckless conduct in the accidental shooting death of her 6-year-old grandson, Jaylen Parker. The grandmother apparently left her handgun in the glove box of her car, and her grandson in the backseat, when she stopped at a South Side school to pick up his younger sibling. Jaylen allegedly crawled into the front seat, found the gun and shot himself in the mouth.

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2007-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

Global Goal to Reduce Measles Deaths in Children Surpassed

Measles deaths have fallen by 60 per cent worldwide since 1999 - a major public health success. This exceeds the United Nations goal to halve measles deaths between 1999 and 2005 and is largely due to an unprecedented decline in measles deaths in the African region. The progress was announced today by partners in the Measles Initiative: the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). According to new data from WHO, global measles deaths fell from an estimated 873 000 deaths in 1999 to 345 000 in 2005. In Africa, the progress has been even greater, with measles deaths falling by 75 per cent, from an estimated 506 000 to 126 000. The data will be published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

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Half Million Children Infected with HIV in 2006

Around 530,000 children were infected with the HIV/AIDS virus in 2006, mainly from mother-to-child transmission, states a report from the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF). The Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking Report was released Tuesday on the first anniversary of the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign promoted by UNICEF and its associate organizations. In the report, UNICEF points out that without treatment half of the infected infants will die before reaching two years of age. While the report noted progress reached in some countries in prevention of the mother-child transmission and in providing treatment to children living with the virus, UNICEF maintains that many HIV positive pregnant women are not receiving the necessary antiretrovirals.

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MySpace Finding Ways to Let Parents Monitor Children

News that myspace.com has been investigating ways to allow parents to view important details of their children's myspace profiles surfaced early this week and have sparked controversy in teens everywhere. Apparently, the ever so popular online hang out for young teens and college students has recently taken steps to develop software that will allow parents to snoop on their underage children. Currently, children under the age of fourteen are banned from Myspace and fourteen and fifteen year olds can only have profiles with special privacy settings which control who can view their personal pages. Under this setting, only those signed up as a "friend" can view the details on a profile. Critics say that this setting is pointless as long as children can add whomever they wish to their friends list.

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2007-01-19T04:37:00.000-08:00

Waldorf man arrested in 1995 child death case—

A Waldorf man is under arrest on murder charges in the September 1995 death of his then-girlfriend's 16-month-old daughter. Thirty-four-year-old Theodore Seman was arrested at his home Wednesday and could get a bond review hearing today. He's charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in the slaying of Nina McDonald. The child's autopsy report concluded she died under suspicious circumstances, then was amended in 2001 to say her death was a homicide and resulted from asphyxia. The sheriff's office is saying little about the details of the investigation, but Detective Tim Miner tells The Washington Post that an expert in forensic medicine played a key role in solving the case. --- Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com .

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Judge lifts grounding of ex-coach in child- porn case

A Lake County judge Thursday modified bond restrictions on Wayne Kuklinski, the Lake Zurich High School football coach who is charged with child pornography and weapons violations. Associate Judge Valerie Ceckowski said Kuklinski, 59, of Ingleside can now leave home to seek employment and work, and also for evaluation and treatment, in addition to seeing his attorneys and for court appearances. He is still banned from contact with persons younger than 18 and from being on school property. .

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Man frustrated in bid to report child porn e-mail

Internet child pornography may be the focus of police crackdowns across the country, but reporting a child porn concern is not so easy, an Eastern Passage man says. "The police phone structure is not very good," said Bill McKinnon. "Their numbers should be a little more accessible." Mr. McKinnon was checking his e-mail Thursday when he opened an unwelcome offer to view a sample of a child pornography collection with his anonymity guaranteed. "I dont know why this was sent to me," he said. "I didnt click it. Im not interested." His first reaction was to pick up the phone and call the RCMP. After trying several numbers, Mr. McKinnon said he was directed to Crime Stoppers. The folks at Crime Stoppers took his complaint but explained that child pornography is not really their concern, Mr.

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2007-01-18T04:37:00.000-08:00

A fight for kids' sake

Politicians must help parents control the violence their kids watch, hear and download, warns a London anti-violence activist also pushing for a ban on hockey fights. Peter Jaffe, a psychologist and Thames Valley school board trustee, was backed by a coalition of teachers and parents in demanding tighter checks on all media violence. At a Queen's Park news conference, the group called for age-based restrictions on music sales, similar to existing systems to prevent minors from obtaining inappropriate movies and video games. They also called for controls that would prevent radio and television stations from airing violent content before 9 p.m. "We have listened to the research, and cigarette packs now carry large and graphic warnings about the dangers of smoking," said Jaffe, a professor at the University of Western Ontario.

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Rockland proposal would ban smoking in cars with kids

RAMAPO - Add automobiles to the growing list of places where smokers might soon be banned from lighting up. The Rockland County Board of Health adopted a resolution yesterday recommending that the county "study the possibility of prohibiting smoking in automobiles when children under the age of 18 are present." "It makes a great deal of sense to prohibit smoking in cars," said Dr. Jeffrey Oppenheim, a neurosurgeon and the member of the board who proposed the ban. "Children don't have a choice when someone lights a cigarette in a car with closed windows." The county's health commissioner, Dr. Joan Facelle, said she was in favor of the idea. "The time is right to address this," said Facelle, a pediatrician. Facelle said she would propose the idea to County Executive C.

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Cards can help kids manage money

John Baumann knows how important it is to teach kids how to manage money. He's a parent volunteer at Chase Finance Park, a role-playing facility operated by Junior Achievement in Louisville, Ky. The kids usually figure out pretty quickly how to handle a pretend budget, he says, paying bills and trying to save just like their parents. .

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2007-01-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

World Children's organization honors Inderjit Khurana

FREMONT: Inderjit Khurana, Founder of Ruchika Social Service Organization (RSSO) was named a finalist for the 2007 World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC). Inderjit Khurana, RP Dwivedy and two children, Bijay from the Ruchika Platform School and Sanjukta from the Alternative school, will be in Sweden in April 2007 to receive the award. A vote by children between now and April determines the final "place" of the three finalists, and which award they win. Previous laureates include Craig Kielburger in 2006 and Nelson Mandela in 2005. Announcing the award, a WCPRC press release from Sweden commends Inderjit Khurana of India, as one, "who has run over a hundred schools and two phone help lines for 21 years, helping the poorest, most vulnerable children who live and work on station platforms.

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Jeffrey Modell Foundation, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene ...

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Health researchers in Wisconsin today announced a first of its kind newborn screening study aimed at detecting a rare but often undiagnosed immune system disease that is fatal without treatment and believed by some doctors to be responsible for a number of unexplained infant deaths. The pilot program will be a collaborative effort between the State Laboratory of Hygiene at UW-Madison and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Using residual blood specimens from Wisconsin's nationally recognized newborn screening program, the pilot program will develop the protocols to screen all newborns for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency disease (SCID), sometimes known as "Bubble Boy Disease." The goal is to extend routine screening for SCID to every newborn in Wisconsin, estimated at 70,000 annually.

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2007-01-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

Nancy Duggin: See where your child is on language-development timeline

Although children vary in their development of speech and language, there is a natural progression of skills and a timetable by which to measure normal development. Last time we looked specifically at language development for children birth to 5 months of age. The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) offers the following as milestones for language development: .

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Uganda: Only Courts Can End Child Battering

CORPORAL punishment of children refers to intentional application of physical pain or discomfort on a child as a method of changing behaviour or as a disciplining measure. Is corporal punishment of children a human rights issue? International child rights instruments acknowledge the need to discipline children but make it clear that in administering discipline, parents or school authorities are bound by the need to ensure a child's personal integrity. .

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Child support versus change in income

Q: How much does my ex-husband's income have to change for me to get more child support? I was told it has to increase 20 percent from when the support order was entered. Is that correct? A: Illinois law is a bit vague. In general, it says "an order for child support may be modified … upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances." What's substantial depends on the particular facts of each case. The 20 percent change you refer to comes into play if you're getting help from the child support enforcement services of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (formerly, the Department of Public Aid). That department can help set and collect child support, even if you're not getting any state aid. When the state helps collect child support, the law is more specific about when support orders can be changed.

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2007-01-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

Eras, stars influence how kids' names come into and go out of vogue

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Her name stands out from among the herd of Madisons, Emilys, Emmas, Hannahs, Abigails, Isabellas and Ashleys of her generation. "I don't know of anyone with the name `Barbara' but my grandma," 13-year-old Barbara Stattman says. If she needed more proof that her name is on the endangered species list, she found it at a party for local Barbaras, held last month in celebration of St. Barbara's Day. The other 70 Barbaras attending the party were, except for one 4-year-old, middle-aged and elderly. How the name game has changed since the 1930s, when "Barbara" began a three-decade run on the list of top 10 girls' names. This once-popular name dropped out of fashion like a poodle skirt, as did such other stalwarts as Linda, Susan and Carol - which had, themselves, replaced the ubiquitous Mildred, Dorothy and Virginia of earlier decades.

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Putting kids on the juice might not be the sweetest idea

Until a recent taste test, Williams had never sampled soda. Instead, his regular fare consists of mostly milk and juice the healthy choices, right? Maybe not entirely. Milk and water are recommended, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Juice is advised only when consumed in moderation. And any drink made with high fructose corn syrup is out. "It's hard to know what's the right thing to give kids these days," said Denise Michaels, a Pittsburg mother of three, as she recently shopped for drinks to put in her children's school lunches. "Water always seems to make the list, but my kids want something sweeter." The beverage industry is heeding that call. In the past two years, more than a dozen beverage companies have unveiled flavored water or watered-down juice products.

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More Kids 'On Track' at School - 1 in 4 Gifted

Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Seventy-five percent of children 12 to 17 years old enrolled in school were academically "on track" (at or above the grade level for peers their age) in 2003, up 6 percentage points since 1994, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest report on how kids are spending their days. A Child's Day: 2003 [PDF] is the third examination of children's well-being and their daily activities based on the Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Nearly 1 in 4 children in the 12- to 17-year-old age group were in a special class for gifted students or did advanced work in an academic subject. Other highlights: Parents were more likely to impose restrictions on TV viewing in the last decade. For example, about 67 percent of children 3 to 5 had limits on what television shows they could watch, when, and for how long in 2003, up significantly from 54 percent in 1994.

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2007-01-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

2007 North American International Auto Show Charity Preview Raises ...

DETROIT, Jan. 13 -- As the conclusion to the excitement of Press Days and Industry Preview Days, the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) celebrated the annual black-tie Charity Preview gala on Jan. 12, 2007, raising around $6 million for 11 local children's charities. Along with the excitement of seeing celebrity guests, attendees strolled along the show floor donned in their best formal wear as exhibitors put their best foot forward with jaw-dropping displays. "Charity Preview is always a special highlight of the NAIAS," said Robert Thibodeau, Jr., senior co-chairman for the NAIAS 2007. "We are proud to put on this annual event that raises much needed funds that go to support children's charities. What a better way to spend an evening? Not only is it a chance to get dressed up and preview the exciting exhibits and vehicles on display but to support organizations that help so many children each year." The NAIAS Charity Preview attracts some of the most notable names in entertainment.

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Donations large and small help children

Two unexpected large gifts pushed the 2006 Goodfellow Fund to about $780,000, the largest amount contributed since Star-Telegram employees began the holiday program for needy Tarrant County children in 1912. But small donations were equally important and allowed Goodfellows to provide clothing and shoes to 12,859 children from 5,215 families, Goodfellows Chairman Richard Greene said. "We got a letter from one lady whose little son picked up soft-drink cans from the side of the road to raise $20 for people in need," Greene said. "There are hundreds of stories like that." Fund directors had set an ambitious goal of providing clothing and shoes for 15,000 children, double the usual number. They set a goal of raising $650,000; the reserve fund from 2005 held $7,500.

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Center for abused children to be discussed this week

HAMILTON - Butler County officials and residents will discuss plans this week for a $2.8 million, one-stop treatment center for abused children and families in Hamilton. The meeting will be h 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Ohio Casualty Group's auditorium, 9450 Seward Rd., Fairfield. Last fall, Butler County commissioners threw their support behind the concept of working with the Butler County United Way to open the facility. If financing and location can be worked out, the Child Advocacy Center could open this year. The center would house agencies that deal with child and family issues - police, prosecutors, social workers and others - under one roof. Cincinnati and Dayton already have such facilities but Butler's would be different, officials say. .

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2007-01-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

Police: Organist had child porn

Richard W. Stocker, a former organist for two Will County Catholic churches, has been charged by the DuPage County state's attorney's office with eight counts of possession of child pornography. Stocker, 60, of Glendale Heights was charged after Wheaton police investigated complaints. Police were assisted by officials from the Joliet Catholic Diocese. Stocker is not in police custody at this time. He worked in several Joliet Diocese churches since 1996, including St. Jude in Joliet, St. Joseph in Lockport, St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale, and St. Daniel the Prophet in Wheaton, according to a press release from State's Attorney Joe Birkett's office. Stocker is not charged with any offenses alleging inappropriate contact with children, according to the press release. However, anyone with any relevant information about Stocker should contact the Wheaton Police Department at (630) 260-2060.

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Neighbors Concerned After Child Hit

A 9 year old girl was struck by this van while crossing busy Eastern Avenue in Schenectady. It happened while she and several children were leaving Elmer Ave. School for the day. Neighbors now are concerned that this won't be the last time. Neighbor Nathan Darby said, “There's too much traffic up and down this block." Police have not charged the driver and they do say the child crossed the road where there isn't a cross walk but residents like Nathan Darby say speeding cars have been a major problem. Darby said, “Some people don't even know it's a school here, they're going too fast." The posted school speed limit is 15 mph but neighbors tell us rarely do they ever see anyone obeying that limit during school hours. Neighbor Robert Hughes said, “It is a problem, they should slow down a little bit more, they should do something about it." Patrolman Kevin Green said, “There is a speed zone there, there is a school zone so we do try to stay on top of that because of that reason." Darby, who has young kids of his own, says speed isn't the only issue.

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Clayton child found decapitated

CLAYTON - Amber Violette arrived at her Clayton home late Friday afternoon to find that her 4-year-old daughter had been killed, the child's head severed from her body, according to emergency dispatchers.Clayton police searched for John Patrick Violette, 37, on Friday night, anxious to speak to him about the death of his only child, Caitlyn. As of 9:30 p.m., authorities had not found Violette or the light-colored Buick stationwagon he was last seen driving.Police were tight-lipped Friday as they canvassed the young family's quiet subdivision off a country road near the edge of town. Police tape looped around trees in neighbors' yards, and high-powered lights lit up the street like a stadium.Emergency dispatchers received a panicked call from Amber Violette just before 5 p.m., said Fred Simmons, supervisor at the 911 communications center.

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2007-01-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

Census tracks habits that help kids

The other day at dinner, Garic Griffin, 8, told his parents that when his buddy at school was drinking milk, he sucked it all into the brain. Garic's folks tried to tell the boy that milk doesn't travel that route, but he was reluctant to believe them because of the stories he'd heard in the hallways. .

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North Dakota Kids Suffer From Mysterious Illness

West Fargo, ND (AHN) - Doctors are perplexed over the cause of illness of two kids from North Dakota, who have been sick since the time they were born. The kids, 6-year-old Ariana Kaseman and her 2-year-old brother, Lucas, are now restricted to wheelchairs after unending bouts of fever, pain and other neurological problems. Their parents, Teresa and Kevin Kaseman, have approached doctors in Fargo and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to find a possible cause of kid's illness but all their hard-work is in vain as the doctors have not been able to detect any particular cause for their mysterious illness. Dr. Janet Tillisch, a pediatrician at Dakota Clinic in Fargo told AP, "We've checked with everything for them, and we've just not been able to come up with anything." "There's hundreds of diseases these kids could have, and every test has come up normal.

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Madonna calls for more adoption of Malawi kids

When Madonna initiated the adoption of a Malawian boy, she was "saving a life", the singer told David Letterman as she called for increased adoption from the African nation. "There's over a million orphans in Malawi and in my opinion the laws need to change because these children need to be rescued," the Material Mom said yesterday on Letterman's Late Show on CBS. Madonna, 48, said she had been warned that pursuing an adoption from the country could be difficult. "My social worker ... said: 'Good luck. You're going to be making it up as you go along,' " the pop star recalled, according to a show transcript released last night. "She didn't say don't do it, but she just said expect challenges, and, boy, did we get them." .

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2007-01-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

Bodies of four children found in India

Police in India have recovered the half-burnt bodies of four children from an abandoned mill owned by a ruling party politician. Police said the four corpses, found in Muktsar, about 210 kilometres southwest of Chandigarh, the twin capital of Punjab and Haryana states, could be those of three girls and a boy who were reported missing from a nearby village last November. The unused rice mill belongs to senior Congress party leader Jagmeet Singh Brar, but he said there was no evidence so far to link the politician with the case. Mr Brar said he had no knowledge about the bodies lying in his mill. The discovery follows last month's find of bones of at least 17 people, mostly children, at a house near New Delhi. That discovery sparked criticism of a police force many Indians see as corrupt and ineffectual.

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Let's answer challenge to do better by children

Based on the lusty cheers and whistles in the House chamber Wednesday morning, five interruptions for applause and even a standing ovation, you might have gotten the idea that Iowa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus is running for something. This clearly was not your standard State of the Judiciary speech. The warm greeting no doubt was recognition of a new chief justice, the first woman to hold the job and the first time she delivered an address to the General Assembly. It was more than just a matter of firsts, however: Ternus was interrupted five times by applause because of the content of her speech. She delivered a passionate plea for better treatment of foster children under the jurisdiction of the state and the courts. She was blunt: "Iowans like to say that we put our children first; it's now time to show that we mean it." The court system will do its part.

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Nutrition Studies' Conclusions Tied To Funding Source

Recent analyses have documented bias in pharmaceutical studies funded by industry. Now, an analysis from Children's Hospital Boston finds a similar phenomenon in scientific articles about nutrition, particularly in studies of beverages. The analysis - the first systematic one performed on nutrition studies - found that beverage studies funded solely by industry were four to eight times more likely to have conclusions favorable to sponsors' financial interest than were studies with no industry funding. Findings are published online in the January 9 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine. David Ludwig, MD, PhD, the study's senior author and director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children's Hospital Boston, believes that bias in nutrition studies may have far greater effects than bias in pharmaceutical studies.

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2007-01-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

African child: subsisting on promises

The obligations are reflected in the universally ratified Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). The promises are found in national policies, including the National Plans of Action for Children and the Declarations of the 1990 World Summit for Children, the 1992 GAU International Conference on Assistance to African Children (ICAAC), the 2000 Millennium Summit, the 2002 UN Special Session on Children and the African Common Position which preceded it. The promises and the country goals and targets which took them further have been largely consistent over the last one and a half decade. There is little argument about what needs to be done. It is also clear, from the best examples, what can be achieved.

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Felon charged with child molesting

NEW CASTLE -- Nearly 15 years after he was convicted of trying to kill a teenager, a Henry County man has been charged with sexually abusing a child. John W. Perdue, 43, most recently of 414 N. Market St., Lewisville, is charged with two counts of child molesting, one a class A felony carrying a standard 30-year prison term and the other a class C felony with a standard four-year sentence. .

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OLPC Nepal aims at providing one Laptop to every Nepali Child

One Laptop Per Child Nepal (OLPC Nepal), a group of Nepali engineers, educators, and social entrepreneurs have urged all to assist in its aim of providing one Laptop computer to every child. A press statement issued by the OLPC Nepal said the core of this initiative is an inexpensive, durable, and highly power-efficient laptop as a learning tool to children. "This will allow children, teachers and parents to engage in hands-on learning activities previously only available to students in the richest of countries," it said. However, the statement further said, accomplishing this goal requires cooperation and collaboration of the government, international community, teachers, students, and grassroots organisations. The statement further said that OLPC Nepal works in close collaboration with global OLPC movement that was started in 2005 by a group of faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

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2007-01-09T04:36:00.000-08:00

New mag targets kids

Maria Sanz, a mother of four, wanted a fun fitness magazine for her kids that would encourage them to live healthy, smart lives. When she couldn't find one, she created it. Along with childhood friend Marycel Diaz, Sanz is now publisher of Be Fit Kids, a bimonthly sports and fitness magazine that targets kids 8 to 14. Created two years ago, the Miami-based magazine has a circulation of 25,000. .

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Ananzi Kids teams up with CNA

If you thought games were just for kids - you were wrong. Ananzi Kids, the online kids site on Ananzi, South Africa's premier search engine and information portal, teamed up with Edcon's CNA to present a new look and feel site to gamers for the festive and back to school season - not just for kids, but for the tweenies and adults who also frequent the site. A major trend in recent years shows that online gaming has moved away from being traditionally sought out by digitally-savvy, young consumers to the growing Internet savvy pool of teens and adults. Mark van Diggelen, CEO of Trafficonomy, which powers Ananzi Kids, has combined his passion for gaming with a distinct gift for identifying internet trends. He had the vision to develop a world-class online gaming platform and created one of the world's leading networks of online gaming portals and web sites.

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Kids Hope United Improves Foster Care For Thousands Of Florida ...

Through its Family Services of Metro Orlando (FSMO) affiliate, Kids Hope United cares for 3,200 children in Florida's Orange and Osceola counties. To keep close track of children in its system – and to regularly measure the performance of FSMO and its subcontractors – Kids Hope United recently deployed Hyperion System 9 BI+ software from Hyperion (Nasdaq Global Select: HYSL), the global leader in Business Performance Management (BPM) software. The nationally acclaimed organization, with an annual operating budget of $96 million, oversees the operations of FSMO, the state's leading not-for-profit agency dedicated to caring for abused, neglected and abandoned children. FSMO contracts day-to-day fostering to case management organizations (CMOs), whose performance Kids Hope United measures with Hyperion System 9 BI+ software.

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2007-01-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Salty diets blamed for increase in children with kidney stones

Doctors around the country are beginning to report a curious increase in children with kidney stones -- another possible consequence of America's dependence on processed foods. Bad eating habits have already fueled twin epidemics of childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Although doctors have blamed fats and sugar for those ills, they say the culprit in this case might be two other features of the fast-food culture: too much salt and not enough water. Though kidney stones remain uncommon among children, specialists who once treated only a few cases a year are trying to figure out why they are now seeing many times that number. ``Five years ago, we used to see maybe a handful of children a year, maybe five or six,'' said Dr. Yegappan Lakshmanan, a pediatric urologist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

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Children's Immunization Status Worsens As Mothers' Income ...

Mothers with more income and education may be less likely to keep their children's immunizations up-to-date, a large new study finds. Children in the poorest Hispanic and non-Hispanic black families were more likely to have received the recommended childhood vaccinations compared to children of non-Hispanic white mothers. "This finding, at least in the case of immunization, indicates that higher income and education is not a predictor of being up-to-date," said Patrick Rivers, Ph.D., study co-author and associate professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The study appears in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Parents of 11,860 children ages 19 to 35 months answered questions about income, marital status and race/ethnicity and noted whether their children had completed the recommended childhood vaccinations by 18 months of age.

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Sleep directly affects mental condition in children

Sleep-disturbed children, with both insomnia and hypersomnia were more likely to face severe depression than those with either insomnia or hypersomnia. In the study led by Xianchen Liu, MD, PhD, and colleagues of the University of Pittsburgh, 553 children with a depressive disorder were observed. Almost three quarters of these children reported to have sleep disturbance, 53.5 percent had only insomnia, 9 percent had hypersomnia alone and 10.1 percent had both these disturbances. Children with both insomnia and hypersomnia reported a longer history of illness, were more severely affected and likely to have weight loss, fatigue, and other problems, compared with those with either insomnia or hypersomnia. Depressed girls report more sleep disturbance than boys.

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2007-01-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

Injured Child Transported To Little Rock Hospital

FORT SMITH -- A 23-month-old boy who fell out of a vehicle and then was run over by another vehicle Friday has been transported to a Little Rock hospital, according to Fort Smith police.Ruben Lopez, 35, of Fort Smith was traveling south in Sixth Street just before 6 p.m. and as he attempted to turn left on T Street, his son, who was in the front seat, somehow fell from the vehicle onto Sixth Street, said Cpl. Jeff Taylor of the Fort Smith Police Department. The boy, Alex Valdez, was not secured in a child safety seat, police said.Lopez stopped his vehicle in the middle of turning onto T Street, which caused a woman driving northbound on Sixth Street to veer to the left, Taylor said. The woman, Anna Hernandez, 38, of Fort Smith, swerved left, not realizing the child was in the street, Taylor said.

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Because Child-Rearing's The Most Important Job

Ben Franklin wrote that assertive women tend to be "active in the business of the family." In Franklin's day, such women were frowned on. Today women who choose full-time motherhood over a profession are seen as less assertive or less accomplished. But not the wives of Dell CEO Kevin Rollins or JetBlue Airways CEO David Neeleman. .

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Bayfield man faces child porn charges

A convicted pedophile has been charged after police found him -- and a computer on which child pornography was being downloaded -- in a London home. Police detectives last week went to a Bayfield home where a man was supposed to be staying according to his bail conditions. When they couldn't find him there, detectives went to an east London apartment where they thought he might be. That led to his arrest Thursday on alleged breach of bail conditions, said Const. Reed Holland. "They spun around and there was (a) computer humming away, actively in the process of downloading child pornography. They caught him red-handed, so to speak." The Bayfield man spent four months in jail for possessing child porn in 2005. He had previously been given an 18-month conditional sentence in 1998 for sexual interference and touching a 13-year-old boy.

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2007-01-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

For kids, MS itself just half the battle

CHICAGO - Tiffany Jones stood before her classmates at Hillcrest High School, trembling with emotion. It was time to present her anatomy class project - and reveal a secret she'd closely guarded. Eyes downcast, Jones described a high school senior with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative illness of the nervous system. "Numbness, tingling, poor balance, muscle weakness, bladder (problems) and forgetfulness" are among the girl's symptoms, she explained. The 18-year-old "tries to stay positive because she has a lot of support from her family, friends and her church," Jones continued, her voice cracking. "(But) it makes her feel less of a person at times because she is living with a disease that she can't do anything about. Her name is - Tiffany Jones." Jones paused, trying to keep her composure, as her classmates stared, some with their mouths open.

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Parents worry about 'nature-deficit disorder' in kids

After squishing through mud, crawling under tree boughs and skirting a glassy pond, the small troop of kids and teachers stopped at a clearing in the woods. Squatting in the wet leaves, instructor Sol Doran placed a sprig of fir on the ground in front of her and another a foot away. "If this is malalo," said Doran, pointing to the first sprig and referring to the African-style hut where the journey started, "and this is the pond," she said pointing to another, "where are we?" The students from Duvall's Wilderness Awareness School, who ranged in age from about 7 to 12, considered the question. They moved a third sprig back and forth into different spots on the impromptu map. Consensus was reached. "I would agree," Doran approved.

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Oprah and the kids back home

No one has ever accused Oprah Winfrey of hiding her talents--or her generosity--under a bushel basket. Her most recent charitable venture, chronicled in Newsweek and People, on "Access Hollywood" and other places, is the opening of a private and very exclusive school for girls in South Africa. Winfrey told the BBC, "I'm looking for the opportunity to change the paradigm, to change the way not only these girls think ... but to also change the way a culture feels about what women can do." The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened with $40 million and a plan to create a protected space where 152 young girls from deprived backgrounds will be groomed to be comfortable in power positions. .

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2007-01-05T04:38:00.000-08:00

9 of 12 infant car seats fail group's tests

Nine out of 12 infant car seats, all designed to meet a federal standard for protecting the smallest passengers in autos, vans and SUVs, "failed disastrously" when subjected to the higher-speed front- and side-impact crash tests used to rate vehicles' crashworthiness, Consumer Reports said yesterday. The car seats "twisted violently or flew off their bases," the magazine said. In one case, a test dummy was hurled 30 feet across a lab in a test on an unenclosed sled, designed to simulate a crash in a Ford Explorer SUV. The test results prompted the magazine's parent organization, Consumers Union, to call for a more stringent safety standard for the rear-facing infant seats. Don Mays, senior director for product safety and consumer science at Consumers Union, said the different standards for cars and infant seats meant that safety-conscious parents could walk away from a crash that kills or injures their child.

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Little children go hungry in India

India is on the go to achieve greater heights but in the rush to get there, are we leaving our younger and defenceless citizens behind? A report suggests that our under 6 year olds are malnourished, stunted and usually not immunised against dieseases. In fact, their plight may be worse that expected. India has the highest rate of malnourished children, India also has the dubious record of having the highest number of children who are sexually abused and the highest rate of child labour. As usual, India seems to score the highest in the worst possible denominations. The recent National Family Health Survey shows that 79% are anaemic, 46% are undernourished and 27% are stunted. Economist and Right to Food activist, Jean Dreze told CNBC-TV18, "These figures are embarrassing in several ways.

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Study places Tennessee children 45th in success index

Tennessee ranks 45th in the nation in the likelihood that its children will achieve academic and professional success, according to a report issued Thursday. But the outlook for kids growing up in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is considerably better than for other children in Tennessee, say some involved with education here. .

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2007-01-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Child Magazine Ranks Children's Hospital of Michigan Among ...

DETROIT, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Child magazine announced the highly anticipated results of its 4th exclusive survey to identify the top children's hospitals in the country. Children's Hospital of Michigan is among the top 40 hospitals that will be published in the magazine, placing it among America's best providers of pediatric health care. Children's Hospital of Michigan ranked 27. The comprehensive survey, whose complete results will appear in the February 2007 issue of Child magazine on January 9, was based on strict criteria and data compiled during the magazine's extensive 9-month investigation. "Children's is the first and most experienced hospital in Michigan created 120 years ago just for kids. With the backing and expertise of our inspired healthcare team of pediatric medical and surgical specialists, we have provided advanced pediatric care to millions of families," said Herman Gray, M.D., president of Children's Hospital of Michigan.

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Pitt. study shows Keystone STARS is a promising program for child ...

Since 2002, Keystone STARS has worked to improve the quality of child care by promoting staff education, staff participation in ongoing professional development, use of a curriculum and helping practitioners support children's early learning and development. As of September, nearly 4,300 child care programs were enrolled in Keystone STARS. A study released recently, "2006 Evaluation of Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Quality Rating System in Child Care Settings," shows an increase in quality in child care since the decline in the mid-1990s and a sharp increase in quality among programs participating in Keystone STARS. Keystone STARS is making it possible for child care providers to reach their goal of continuous quality improvement. Monroe County has 115 licensed child care practitioners actively enrolling children with 60 percent participating in the Keystone STARS program.

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Babysitter and husband held for suffocating crying child

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have detained a babysitter and her husband for allegedly causing the death of an eight-month old child by using a pillow to smother the crying baby, reports said on Thursday. The child had been sent to a hospital in the northern Kedah state late on Tuesday where he was declared dead upon arrival. Following a post mortem, the boy was found to have been smothered to death, the Star daily said. Police immediately detained the two suspects, aged 22, for questioning. The suspects had allegedly suffocated the baby with a pillow after he refused to stop crying, the report said. The baby's parents had employed the services of the babysitter to care for the child for several months, it said.

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2007-01-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

Marin fares well in report on care of kids

A new report critical of the health and education of California's children indicates Marin kids are faring better than many others in the state. The research report, released today by Children Now, an Oakland-based nonprofit, focuses on key indicators such as health insurance, obesity, preschool attendance, academic achievement and family income. Children Now warns that significant policy changes are needed to prevent future generations from being far worse off than previous ones. "If we ignore the warning signs," said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, "California will be forced, at a minimum, to cover higher costs of remedial health services and confront the lack of a well-educated workforce needed to compete in tomorrow's economy." In several of the categories, Marin kids did significantly better than the statewide average.

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Slain Bronco Williams wanted to help kids

Williams' mother, Rosalind, doesn't want her son's dreams to die after he was shot and killed early Monday. The white stretch Hummer in which the 24-year-old player was riding was hit with a barrage of bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party. "I want every kid to know to live their life to the fullest," she said. "Don't let anyone say you can't do anything. Look what Dee achieved in 24 years." Williams sustained a single gunshot wound to the neck, according to Robert Whitmore, chief medical examiner in the county coroner's office. Police had no motive and no indication Williams was targeted in the drive-by shooting, which occurred hours after Denver was eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to San Francisco. .

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Kids' summer camps are hot, hot, hot

So now that you're finished with the shopping, returning, family-visiting and New Year's celebrating, here's something else you should do: Plan your child's summer. According to the summer camp industry, if you're not thinking six months out, you're already behind. "Now, about 31 percent of the camps we work with start signing kids up as early as September," said Peg Smith, chief executive of the American Camp Association. "One, it's never too early, and two, it's getting earlier." It's almost too much for some parents to bear. "Oh, good, once I finish the Christmas anxieties, I can start the camp anxieties," said Leslie Bowie, of Silver Spring, Md., the working mother of 8- and 13-year-old kids. About 6.2 million kids went to camp last summer, both day and overnight, up from fewer than 5 million five years ago, according to the National Camp Association.

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2007-01-02T04:36:00.000-08:00

Link Between Insomnia And Hypersomnia, Depression In Children ...

According to a study published in the January 1st issue of the journal SLEEP, sleep-disturbed children are more severely depressed and have more depressive symptoms and comorbid anxiety disorders compared with children without sleep disturbance. To ensure the most effective care, parents of sleep-disturbed children are advised to first consult with the child's pediatrician, who may issue a referral to a sleep specialist for comprehensive testing and treatment. The study, authored by Xianchen Liu, MD, PhD, and colleagues of the University of Pittsburgh, was conducted on 553 children with a depressive disorder. Out of this study group, 72.7 percent had sleep disturbance, of which 53.5 percent had insomnia alone, nine percent had hypersomnia alone and 10.1 percent had both disturbances. Depressed girls were more likely to have sleep disturbance than boys, but age had no significant effects.

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Five children rescued from Belfast house fire

The fire and rescue service has rescued five children from a house fire in County Antrim. The incident happened shortly after midnight last night, when the blaze broke out at a property in the Springfield Road area of west Belfast. It is understood that the children were staying with their grandmother who raised the alarm after being woken by a fire alarm. The five children and four adults who were in the house at the time were taken to hospital. A five-year-old girl is said to be in a serious condition in the intensive care unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital, while the other four children are said to be in a stable condition. William Laverty from the Fire and Rescue Service said that the blaze is understood to have been started accidentally. He said: "The two fathers of the children had rescued four of the children and attempted, unfortunately in vain, to get to the fifth child.

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Adults Living With Children Eat More Fat

Adults living with children eat more saturated fat -- the equivalent of nearly an entire pepperoni pizza each week -- than do adults who do not live with children, according to a University of Iowa and University of Michigan Health System study. The finding was based on data from the federal government's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. The UI-led study was made public today, and the paper will appear in the Jan. 4, 2007, online edition of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Most family diet studies have examined how adults influence children's eating habits, but few studies have considered how children or their habits may be associated with adults' food intake, said Helena Laroche, M.D., an associate in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Iowa Roy J.

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2007-01-01T04:36:00.000-08:00

Awards top comeback year for former child star

SAN FRANCISCO Movie fans used to know Jackie Earle Haley mostly for playing Kelly Leak. He was the motorcycle-riding Little Leaguer from the original 1976 version of "The Bad News Bears." Now, with multiple awards for his performance as the sex offender Ronnie in the 2006 Golden Globe-nominated "Little Children," Earle's career has reignited after nearly 15 years away from acting. Haley's now 45. He tells the San Francisco Chronicle that by the time he was 30, he was delivering pizzas and taking small guest spots on T-V shows. So he dropped out of acting entirely. Haley went on to start a successful business directing commercials in San Antonio. He married and was honeymooning in France in 2004 when he got the phone call that changed everything. Haley was asked to audition for director Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake of "All the King's Men." He got the part.

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Green Oaks mayor charged with child pornography

GREEN OAKS -- Five months after Mayor Thomas Adams was accused of possession and distribution of child pornography, this tiny village of 3,500 is slowly beginning the recovery process. A new trial date has been set for Adams, who was arrested and charged with possession and distributing child pornography in July. .

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Get paid to send child to school on a bike

PARENTS could be paid to get their children to cycle to school rather than take the bus under new plans to help tackle obesity. The Government has said the proposals will improve school transport, cut congestion and encourage children to lead more active lives. The news comes days after figures revealed a quarter of four and five-year-olds in Bolton and almost 30 per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds are were obese or overweight. .

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2006-12-31T04:36:00.000-08:00

Russell Crowe misses his kids

The Gladiator star has two sons, Charlie, three, and six-month-old baby Tennyson, with wife Danielle Spencer, 36, and admits he longs to be close to them when he is away on set. 'I've got two boys now and the whole priority of my existence begins with what they and my wife need,' he says. 'Whatever they need is where every day begins. When I'm away from them when I'm working I get lonely for their company." Russell recently admitted fatherhood had made him realise how shallow Tinsel Town is and helped him put his priorities in perspective. 'The world of celebrity becomes this strange place to live in,' he announced. 'But marriage and kids have made me less concerned with it.' See more Celeb News .

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Extra funding broadens kids' horizons

E, as in do-re-mi. To add a vibrato depth to her classroom's wooden xylophone, her fifth- and sixth-graders at Edison-McNair Academy in East Palo Alto play single bars of one note. She had D, F, G, A, B and high C, but the missing E made songs sound, well, like they were missing a note. Thanks to a grant of $500 from the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, "now we've got a beautiful E bar. We have the full gamut, so we're rolling," the ebullient Fitzhugh said. She is one of nearly 200 teachers in 11 Ravenswood schools who received grants this fall from EPAK, as the foundation is known. Previous grants funded maracas, snare drums and other instruments for her music classes, the only extracurricular courses offered to fifth- and sixth-graders at the charter middle school. The foundation is celebrating a milestone this year.

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2006-12-30T04:37:00.001-08:00

UAB Researchers Assess Psychopathological Symptoms In Pre-School ...

The Unit of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, part of the UAB Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, is undertaking pioneer research in Catalonia on the prevention and detection of emotional and behavioural disorders among children between the ages of three and six. The results show a high percentage of children in this age group with some kind of psychopathological symptom. According to the researchers, detecting these is vital since at this age children can be treated to prevent psychopathological symptoms appearing at a later stage. The objective of the research carried out by the Unit is to generate awareness of psychopathologies in pre-school children, particularly in schools and in educational psychologists. The aim is that these not only focus on children with language disorders, developmental delay, etc, but also on the whole of this population, based on the idea that improving prevention is much easier with children of this age group.

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'IRIS SCAN' DATABASE OF CHILDREN FORMS

Technology developed to keep track of prisoners by scanning their irises became available Thursday to identify missing children or elderly people afflicted with Alzheimer's disease in Galveston County. The Galveston County Sheriff's Department is the first sheriff's department in Texas and the 47th nationwide to join the Children's Identification Database, or CHILD Project. -Houston Chronicle Click Here For The Full Story Staff Selections - Links .

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Lend a HAND: New donation honors someone children loved

The Zeoli children spent Christmas in towns across the country as they grew up, moving frequently, as many Navy families do. We went from one coast to the other, and everything in between,'' said Patricia Zeoli of Quincy, mother of six.No one enjoyed the holiday season more than her daughter, Teri Hendee, who died a year and a half ago at the age of 44 after a tragic medication interaction.Patricia and her husband, Louis Zeoli, who was an operations specialist in the Navy for 22 years, donated to Lend a Hand this year in memory of our Christmas angel.'' Hendee had been a nanny in Cohasset, Milton and Hingham since the Zeolis moved to the South Shore in 1980.She had a 23-year-old daughter, who lives in Chicago, and 20 nieces and nephews. They all just loved her to death,'' said Patricia Zeoli, recalling how children were drawn to her daughter.Having read Lend a Hand stories, especially the ones about children, Zeoli decided to give.

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2006-12-30T04:37:00.000-08:00

Art sale in San Jose will help children get medical care

Beginning Wednesday, art collectors can purchase original works priced far below their estimated value. And you get to help out a worthy cause. The Thrift Box -- a resale shop on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose -- has been given a cache of decorative prints and paintings. Included are pieces by noteworthy artists including Don Hatfield, David Halbach and Muriel Branegan. A Hatfield limited edition serigraph, for example, evaluated by a Bay Area auction house as being worth between $2,000 and $3,000, is tagged $600. Other pieces are bargain-priced from $15 to $150. In 2006, the Thrift Box raised nearly $392,000 allowing underprivileged children access to specialized care at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at the Stanford University Medical Center.

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In capital’s backyard, skeletons point to serial murder of children

The police today recovered at least a dozen skulls, seven part skeletons, several severed and decomposed body parts, and a number of slippers, sandals and school bags and a tiffin box, believed to be the belongings of the missing children. The police said they picked up Surendra this morning for the murder of Payal, a 20-year-old resident of Sector 19 in Noida, who had gone missing in May. Police had been tracking Payals mobile number ever since and Surendra was found to be using it, said SSP Rathore. Surendra, during interrogation, confessed that he had killed Payal and when the police questioned him about the missing children, he broke down and accepted that he was behind the kidnapping of some of them. RK Singh, who lives next to Mohinder Singhs house, said that Mohinder was an infrequent visitor and would come home 10-12 times in a month.

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Surin provincial police asks parents to teach children to refrain ...

Surin provincial police have asked parents to teach their children to refrain from disorderly conduct during the New Year Holidays. The commander of the Surin provincial police, Pol. Maj. Gen. Boonlert Jaipradit (ح 㨻дɰ), said that many youths who worked in Bangkok and surrounding provinces would return to their home provinces during the New Year Holidays. Pol. Maj. Gen. Boonlert said gatherings by youths may lead to loss of life and property due to consumption of addictive substances, which would result in brawls and reckless driving. The Surin provincial police commander is therefore asking parents to look after their children during this period to ensure that they do not behave in a disorderly manner. Pol. Maj. Gen. Boonlert added that police would be stricter on entertainment venues and vice during the holidays in order to protect youths.

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2006-12-29T04:39:00.000-08:00

Fund for Murder Victims' Child

FULTON - Relatives of a Callaway County couple who were killed on Christmas Eve have set up a bank account for the victims' child. Both sets of grandparents have set up the Jade Bonnie account at the Callaway Bank, 5 East Fifth St., Fulton, Mo., 65251. Call 573-642-3322 or toll-free 1-800-446-2265 for more information about the account. .

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Child abuse in the information age

In today's climate, the nature of sex crimes involving children is changing because the nature of childhood itself is changing. Information technology may be the single largest factor to account for this change TOMASSO NELLI ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News In September 2002 the parents of an 11-year-old British girl had a microchip implanted into her arm, as the result of widespread panic following the tragic abduction and murder of two girls in Cambridgeshire. The chip would send a signal via a mobile phone network that could be located at any time. Some object that this surveillance is too extreme, but several years down the line companies have learned to exploit this fear among parents by marketing child-friendly mobile phones outfitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to let parents monitor their children's whereabouts and censor obscene content.

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2006-12-29T04:38:00.000-08:00

White Plains mom pleads not guilty to endangering child, 10

A 10-year-old boy who called the police on his mom because she was making him do his homework got a lesson in the criminal justice system yesterday when he watched her plead not guilty in City Court in White Plains to a child endangerment charge for allegedly leaving him home alone. The boy sat quietly as Judge JoAnn Friia accepted the 32-year-old mom's plea and adjourned the case until Jan. 23. He held her hand as they left the courtroom after the brief appearance. "I think the police have overreacted in this case,'' David Gordon, the woman's court-appointed lawyer, said afterward. "The notion that it's a criminal offense to leave a 10-year-old home alone for a short time is overreacting. This should not be treated as a criminal offense.'' The woman, whose name is being withheld by The Journal News because the charge was minor and to protect her son's identity, was arrested Tuesday after her son made an emergency 911 call to police, asking that officers "come and take his mother away because she was pressuring him to do his homework,'' according to a police report.

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Child abuse cases create concern

Towards the end of 2006, one particular question has gripped minds in Turkey as the country is faced with the bitter reality of widespread Internet usage for the purpose of viewing child pornography: If children are the living messages we send to a future we will not see, as a prominent media theorist and educator once said, what is the message being sent from this part of the world, where there exists a society known to be conservative and nationalist as well as paternalistic and religious? Prominent Turkish intellectual Murat Belge once asserted that Turkish society, for numerous reasons, is guilty before its children. When Neil Postman in the early 1980s, in his famous book titled The Disappearance of Childhood, described children as living messages sent to the future, he was not specifically talking about child pornography but was talking about the world of Barbie baby models in the United States.

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Batavian charged with child solicitation

Police arrested a 48-year-old Batavia man Wednesday after an undercover St. Charles police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl on the Internet arranged to meet with him for sex. Gregory W. Mexin, of the 100 block of North Barton Trail, was charged with five counts of indecent solicitation of a child, police said. Mexin already is on probation for a previous conviction of child solicitation that came after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2005 at the Batavia Public Library. The recent sting operation began Dec. 15, when Mexin first began communicating online with the undercover officer he thought was a teenage girl, authorities said. Police said Mexin asked the officer to perform various sex acts in five different online conversations from Dec. 20 to 27. In the final exchange, police said Mexin arranged for a face-to-face meeting at a business on the west side of St.

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2006-12-28T04:36:00.000-08:00

Too many kids failing in school, whites included

There's been a welcome focus recently on the so-called achievement gap between this community's white students and students of color, who face severe academic challenges. But so do white kids. The federal No Child Left Behind law forced the disaggregation of academic data. The goal: to identify academic failure previously hidden in aggregated data. Now, for the first time in our nation's history, achievement data are readily available by racial and socioeconomic breakdowns. Unfortunately, the law did not anticipate the manipulation of data, particularly relating to white kids. As a result, countless white kids in academic crisis are hidden, if not erased, by the education bureaucracy. For example, the Des Moines school district reported 97.9 percent of its juniors (1,624 out of 1,659) in 2004-05 took the Iowa Test of Education Development.

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560 kids blend into Hilo Intermediate

The 560 seventh- and eighth-graders who attend Hilo Intermediate come from six feeder schools across the Big Island. With students coming from so many different communities, there could be a lot of trouble at the campus. But there isn't. "If this were any other school, it would be a war zone," said Principal Elaine Christian. "But here, you see these kids blend. I see them grow." Christian, who has been at the school for nine years, said her students overcome a host of economic and personal challenges to succeed. Though the school is struggling to meet the demands of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, it has seen test scores improve for the last two years. The school was put into restructuring in 2004. "We may not be a rich and fancy school," Christian said.

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Kids spend holiday rush with cops, firefighters

Devin Hay, 7, was sure his mom's eyes would perk up Christmas morning when she discovered her new coffee pot. That was the gift he selected for her last Thursday when cops and firefighters brightened the holidays for 33 area children through the fourth annual "Shop with a Deputy/Firefighter" program. The program allows children from lower-income families a chance to shop for themselves as well as their families. .

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2006-12-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

US pediatricians try to save National Children's Study

While all parents are spending Christmas holiday together with their children, U.S. pediatricians are buttonholing their congressmen and making a heartfelt plea: Save the National Children's Study. The study is one of the most important study of children's health and their living environment in the United States. This is the latest attempt to rescue this study since the project started from 2000. Hundreds of scientists have helped plan the project since then. The scope of The National Children's Study is to examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. But earlier this year, President George W. Bush's proposed budget called for terminating the 2.7 billion U.S.

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Consumers turn to resale shops for children's clothes

Nicholas Guerin and his grandmother, Shirley Walker, were on the hunt for new suit for the 4-year-old to wear to church.Donald and Kathleen Deischer, proud grandparents of 1-month-old twins, were looking for a play yard for their grandkids.Walker found what she was looking for at Kids Again Children's Resale and Maternity Support Center. The Deischers found what they wanted at a store called Once Upon a Child.They represent a growing number of consumers who choose to shop at resale shops for "gently used" maternity or children's clothing and baby gear at prices lower than those at major retailers."You can get more for less here," said Once Upon a Child manager Chris Waters of Florissant. "We work very hard to have great stuff. Our prices are roughly one-third of what you would pay at a major retailer." .

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2006-12-26T04:40:00.000-08:00

Gill: Funding key to county schools' ability to improve

Editor's note: DNJ Staff Writer Tosheena Robinson-Blair recently sat down with Rutherford County Schools Director Harry Gill Jr. for a conversation about the year in the classroom, the board room and the year ahead. Here's what he had to say: Q: What, for you, were the top three educational highlights of 2006? .

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Students, parents face ever-rising tuition costs

You know college costs have gotten out of control when a 6 percent increase in tuition is considered good news. This year's 6.3 percent rise in public four-year university prices was the smallest increase in three years, according to the College Board, a nonprofit that represents colleges and universities. But over the past five years, the cost of college, after adjustment for inflation, has risen 35 percent. College Board officials point out that most families don't pay the full sticker price for college, once financial aid and tax benefits are included. Yet the report shows that financial aid is shrinking. The amount of money awarded through the Pell Grant program, the largest source of federal aid for low-income students, fell for the first time in six years.

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If child can't ring, he will loudly sing

Myself, my mother and my 3-year-old son also rang the bell outside of J.C. Penney. My son was having a terrific time ringing the bell and singing. He was so excited when people came and donated money.About 30 minutes into it, about three security people and two ``suits'' walked by. I wondered why they walked by and looked at us.About 20 minutes later, a lady came by and told us she was from the Salvation Army and we could not ring the bells we had because they were too loud. She was very nice and apologetic about it, explaining that it was not the Salvation Army decision but the mall management's decision.I explained that the bells were here when we got here so I assumed they were OK to ring. She informed us we were only allowed the one white bell, and that someone else had tied other bells onto the white bell.Needless to say my son was very upset that he could no longer ring the bells.Whatever the reason was, it was ridiculous, but since we couldn't ring the bells my son sang all the songs he knew as loud as he could for the remaining hour we had left.Everyone who came by enjoyed my son singing and thought it was wonderful.

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2006-12-25T04:40:00.000-08:00

KIRBY: For kids, Christmas Eve is an eternity

It started long before that for your kids. Be patient with them. No day moves slower than Christmas Eve for a kid. No night lasts as long. The 24 hours preceding the arrival of Santa Claus qualifies as cruelty to children. I remember it far too well. Boise, Idaho. 9 p.m. Dec. 24, 1961. I'm in bed with a resting heart rate that sounds like a chain saw. Actually, I'm not technically in bed. I'm levitating over the mattress. My parents are still moving around downstairs. I listen for sounds that the old man is eating the treat I left for Santa: pizza. I figured that he would appreciate something more substantial than cookies. Someday I'll be old enough to leave him rum. My little brother is silent.

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Collision kills mom, 2 kids

A mother and two children died Sunday in Murray after a drunken driving suspect allegedly ran a red light. Those killed were members of a Cedar Hills family of six who were riding in a 1997 Mercury Sable. The crash killed Cheryl Ceran, 47, Ian Ceran, 15, and Julinna Ceran, 7. Cheryl Ceran's husband and two children, ages 17 and 12, were injured, but will recover, Murray police said. Carlos R. Prieto, 24, the driver of the pickup that struck the car, was held without bail Sunday in the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and driving without a license. The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. Sunday at 5400 South and 700 West. Prieto was driving north.

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Attention disorder isn't just for kids

Q: I've read that some kids don't outgrow ADHD. What does this disorder look like in adults? What treatment options are available? A: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that generally involves problems such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. In adults, the symptoms are often more subtle. For example, hyperactivity in adults may be displayed as restlessness and an inability to relax. Impulsiveness shows through in a range of ways, from impatience waiting in line or driving in heavy traffic to mood swings and intense outbursts of anger. People with ADHD often have more trouble with organization and concentration as adults than they did as children because, as they get older, their lives become more complicated and demanding.

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2006-12-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

Adopted children bring Christmas aplenty

Nine years ago, Norma Acob Rau and Zachary Rau had a pretty serene marriage. He was teaching math at Davis High School, while she worked as a registered nurse. Both Yakima Valley natives, they had plenty of relatives, friends and projects to keep them busy. But life wasn't entirely whole. Then, nine years ago, along came adopted baby Zimahdar. And she attended to the soul. Zimahdar, which means "princess of the morning" in a Filipino dialect, was followed by Joshua, 7, Leah, 5, Sarah, 4, and Gabriel, 3. With the adoption of all five, the house has filled with light. After transitioning from a couple to a family of seven in less than a decade, the Raus, who live in Wapato, have blended their busy children and a big, noisy house into a robust existence.

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A painting fest for street children

New Delhi: As children wait for Santa Claus to knock on their doors this Christmas, there was something in store for their not so lucky brethren surviving on the streets too with an NGO bringing them together for a painting fest on Saturday. Under the guidance of noted painter Bulbul Sharma, children's organisation Plan India held a competition for street children aimed at raising funds for them. ``This is a substantial platform for the children from the `Plan' community to come forth, interact with each other and unleash their thoughts on the canvas,'' Sharma said. ``The theme of `Right to Education' is apt for kickstarting the initiative to make the dream of having it for every child a reality,'' she said. The next fundraising event would be held in Mumbai in April next year and would be hosted by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.

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What about the children? What about illegal immigrants' children?

Families and community leaders rushed this month to find care for youngsters after immigration authorities detained parents in raids at meatpacking plants in six states. But questions about the children and their futures are larger than what will happen to the families torn apart in Marshalltown and other places. The bigger issue: How will the United States deal with the reality that nearly 5 million children live with parents who are illegal immigrants? We've heard from many frustrated readers in recent days who insist anyone who came to this country illegally should be rounded up and deported immediately and that enforcement should be air-tight from here on out. We've also heard from readers sympathetic to the reasons immigrants come here illegally: to earn a decent living that is out of reach in their home countries.

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2006-12-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

'Light a bulb, help a child'

This is the call of Fr. Noly Que of the Queen of Peace Parish in Bacolod City, who is campaigning to raise P900,000 to send poor children in the squatter areas of his parish to school. The 50-foot tree at the St. John's Institute compound has 3,000 lights and donors are urged to buy a bulb at P300 each to make a difference in the lives of poor children, he said. The campaign to help deserving elementary, high school and college students that is on its second year, has so far benefited 35 scholars from his parish, Que said. We have given not only financial support for their schooling but spiritual formation for their total human development, he said. He said through the help of Mr. and Mrs. Eduard Tan the tree was constructed this year to bring the light of Jesus to more unfortunate children.

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Crash kills woman, hurts child

A WOMAN died and her eight-year-old granddaughter was severely injured this morning in a car crash at Lake Clifton, south of Mandurah. Rescue teams worked for almost two hours to free the 56-year-old woman from her car after it crashed into a tree. A St John Ambulance spokesman said she died at the scene. Her granddaughter, freed earlier, was taken by helicopter to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with suspected internal injuries, fractures and spinal damage. The crash in a 110kmh zone on the notorious Old Coast Road happened about 7:50am. .

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Nepal hosts regional meet on child labor

Despite ratification of numerous international conventions and promulgation of legal provisions to prevent children's involvement in the labor market, almost no progress has been made so far in Nepal and the South Asian region. To discuss the problem to address it more effectively, experts from the South Asian region are meeting in Kathmandu to formulate strategic plan for child labor, The Himalayan Times reported. Addressing the inaugural program of a two-day South Asia Regional Strategic Planning Meeting on child labor, Subas Nembang, speaker of House of Representatives, said, "Even though we are party to many international conventions and successive governments enacted laws related to the children, they are still exploited, sexually abused and new forms of abuses like adoption, child pornography are coming up against them." Nembang added that the commitment of the regional meet would ensure in improving the status of children within the region.

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2006-12-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

Serious fun, just for kids

Blame that pesky Murphy and his perverse law. There I was furiously scribbling away on the trusty notepad at the Kids for Kids Ball when I finally gave in to a rather firm request to lay it aside. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. After all, a Gazette social columnist can't be ALL work, no play. .

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Choosing books that make great gifts - and that kids will love

Kids love receiving books as holiday gifts, and those who give them feel reassured that the present is a thoughtful one, a children's literature expert says. "I give books as gifts for children and I've seen them like it," says Jill P. May, a professor of literacy and language in Purdue's College of Education. "If you buy the right one, the whole family can grow into it and enjoy it together." She notes that for families, reading books can be a social activity instead of a solitary one. For instance, an inside family joke might be born while reading together, or family members may start using phrases or expressions from a book in conversations. Plus, there are the academic benefits, too, May points out, saying that all of her best writing students were avid readers as children because today "they know how a story works." Tips for buying books as gifts Pop-ups and sticker books are popular with older kids, but babies and toddlers will do better with board or cloth books that they can really touch - or chew.

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A few green acres now belong permanently to urban kids

About 15,750 square feet of green space in a corner of north Dorchester, one of Boston's densest neighborhoods, is now guaranteed to stay that way. The city of Boston has purchased half of the site and been given the other half, so there's no longer any chance that housing could be built on the Stanley Bellevue Urban Wild on Meetinghouse Hill. The vacant property was once strewn with trash until neighbors started keeping it clean and sending their kids there to play. Then Dorchester Land Gardens, a nonprofit, sold half of the property to the LaRosa Development Corp. last year. "There's not a lot of open space in north Dorchester," said resident Michael Pratt. "Kids don't have backyards, so rather than play in the street, this is a nice safe haven for them. So we were horrified when LaRosa bought a piece of it." There are no parks close enough for young children to get to on their own, he said.

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2006-12-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

First international school for children of interracial marriages ...

The first international school for children of interracial marriages will open in South Korea in 2008, a nongovernmental organization said Friday. The group Christian Solidarity for Multicultural and International Education said it aims to establish a school that can provide an educational environment in which children from interracial marriages can learn in Korean, English and other languages. It is a joint project carried out by about 20 leading personnel from the religious, diplomatic, judicial and business communities, the organization said. Interracial marriages have shot up in South Korea, mostly between Korean men and women from other Asian countries. Of all registered marriages in South Korea last year, 13.6 percent were interracial, up significantly from 1.2 percent in 1990. The organization said it has secured 2,200 square meters of land for the school in Gyeonggi Province, and will receive approval for construction from the Ministry of Education after it fully meets the criteria for the foundation of an alternative learning school.

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Congress targets children's health insurance

WASHINGTON -- Members of both parties in Congress have begun to discuss ways to dramatically expand the decade-old federal health insurance program for children, a debate that could move the nation closer to universal healthcare for children. With the State Children's Health Insurance Program set to expire Sept. 30, and the program facing an acute funding shortfall that needs to be dealt with by May, legislative leaders and healthcare advocates say the time is right to tackle the issue in a broad way. They are seeking to provide insurance to more of the approximately 9 million children who still lack healthcare coverage in the United States. Lawmakers are hoping to build on momentum from the final hours of the outgoing Congress, where they took a series of steps to keep 560,000 children, including 40,000 in Massachusetts, from losing healthcare coverage as early as March.

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Shakira to help children in Latin America

Pop singer Shakira and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez launched a foundation to fight child poverty in Latin America. "Latin America has some devastating statistics," said Garcia Marques. Povetry in the region causes deaths of 350,000 children under 5 y.o. each year, 40 million minors work in the street. The ALAS foundation, conceived about a year ago by Shakira, who also heads the Colombia-based nonprofit foundation Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) which helps the child victims of violence in that South American country. "We all have to do our part to fight against inequality," Shakira said. Foundation programs aim to provide health assistance to pregnant women and babies, as well as to enroll homeless children in schools. Other musicians supporting the effort include Ruben Blades, Juanes, Ricky Martin, the rock group Mana, Aleks Syntek, David Bisbal and Alejandro Sanz.

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2006-12-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

Dangerous jobs for India's child workers

IN the corner of a dark room filled with the stench of kerosene, Prabhu Dayal crouches over a fire, his nimble fingers forming glass bangles in the flames. Prabhu is only eight, but his life is already one of endless toil, making colourful glass bangles popular among women across India. "Sometimes I get sores on my fingers but it's okay," Prabhu says without looking away from the flame for a moment. "When the flame is blue, it's OK. When it turns yellow, then foul gas comes out," he explains. "It's not that difficult. Just hold the two ends (of the bangle) like this and join them with the fire," he adds, deftly showing his skill. Despite a government ban on child labour, Prabhu is one of tens of thousands of children in India who work in horrific conditions in often dangerous industries to support their poor families.

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Church says it cooperated in investigation that led to child porn ...

A Waterloo man went to church for several months with at least one of his alleged victims and her family, all while he was being investigated for soliciting minors for sex and nude photos. They probably sat less than 100 feet apart at First Baptist Church in Columbia during the inquiry. Aaron J. Niles, 20, was arraigned on Wednesday in Monroe County. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of child pornography and one count of indecent solicitation of a child for incidents in April and May. All are felonies. Church pastors said they were first made aware of the problem roughly six months ago, when the parents of a minor showed them inappropriate instant messages that were allegedly from Niles. .

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Child abuse high for the week

Christine Salazar, 23, of 212 Virginia, was arrested and charged with four counts of child abuse after police went to her residence on a call of an injured child, according to Sgt. Lee Wilder of the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety. He said once inside, officers discovered a "disgusting mess," including no food, water or heat. Salazar was allegedly using a bathtub full of dirty water to wash the three children found inside, and there was "feces all over the place," Wilder said. The children were taken to a family member. Salazar was booked into the Otero County Detention Center. Her bond is set at $60,000. Also arrested for child abuse was Jon Durham, 25, of 1102 Mescalero No. 32. He was charged in a separate incident. DPS had been investigating Durham on Monday after his child was brought into Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center with a broken arm.

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2006-12-13T04:38:00.000-08:00

Carrie`s Kids Get Help From Whiteshield School

Tis the season for giving and even if you don`t have a lot to give, there are always people who are in need. The students from the Whiteshield School on the Fort Berthold Reservation know that first hand, but when they found out about some students here in Bismarck, they jumped at the opportunity to help. "I wanted to help raise money for them, for all those people that didn`t have homes and stuff," said 8th grader Dylan Ross. This week was a perfect time for the students to give a donation to the homeless coordinator of the Bismarck Public Schools and Carrie`s Kids. Through a week full of events, including a volleyball tournament, pajama day and a blanket sale, the students were able to raise $200 to give to the less fortunate students in Bismarck. "When kids help kids, it to me is helping bridge that gap and show that caring isn`t at a certain age level and that concern comes when you can care about the humanity and about our growing population," said Carrie Grosz, Bismarck Public School homeless coordinator.

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Kids At Children's Hospital Get Holiday Treat

Local kids are getting an early holiday treat Tuesday. Police officers around the county are taking part in the 16th annual San Diego Regional Law Enforcement Teddy Bear Caravan at Rady Children's Hospital to brighten the day for many young kids.Pull over Santa -- the elves are coming through. Their sleigh, cop cars bursting at the seams with bears and other stuffed animals."This all started 16 years ago when a Coronado police officer took it upon himself to load up his cruiser with teddy bears and deliver them here to Children's Hospital," explained He dropped off 12 bears that year, and it's grown a little since then.Laughter is what this event is all about. Every child who will spend the holidays in the hospital gets a teddy bear. For a few minutes, it's a chance to forget about the pain."I don't really think my stomach is hurting or anything, and I like the bears.

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School kids to be tested for heart disease

CAPE TOWN: For the first time ever, schoolchildren in India will be routinely screened for health complications like congenital heart disease and diabetes. Risk factors like high blood pressure, hypertension and obesity among children, the primary causes behind cardio-vascular diseases (CVD), will also be identified for parents to better manage and avert impending diseases. Nearly 10 years after the idea was first mooted, Planning Commission has approved in principle India's first national programme for prevention and control of cardio-vascular diseases, stroke and diabetes. To be implemented and supervised by the health ministry, a six-month pilot programme starting in January 2007 will involve setting up of a national non-communicable diseases cell in the ministry, regional cells in six states to monitor the programme and six regional resource centres dedicated to research into CVDs besides collecting and tabulating information on the actual burden of cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes in India.

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2006-12-12T04:37:00.000-08:00

Killings of children raise anger in Gaza

JERUSALEM -- Popular anger against the Palestinian leadership, which has been locked in an increasingly bloody internal power struggle, peaked yesterday after the early morning killing of three children in Gaza . The victims were the sons of a top Palestinian Authority intelligence official who had twice before been the target of assassination attempts. Hamas was widely suspected in the attack, but denied responsibility. The killings -- the latest attack in an escalating factional clash between Hamas and Fatah militants -- were notable for their brutality in a city where violence is commonplace. Gunmen sprayed the car of the intelligence official, a Fatah member, with dozens of bullets; he wasn't inside, but the boys, ages 3, 6, and 8, died, along with a bodyguard.

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Children seized after pot busts

Six children have been taken from their parents after police officers, conducting two search warrants, discovered them living in marijuana grow operations. On Thursday, members of the Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team (SAMIT) burst into a home in the 100 block of Suncrest Way S.E. and discovered 120 marijuana plants worth $90,000. Staff Sgt. Monty Sparrow said two children, ages 18 months and four, were found living inside the house and were apprehended by Child and Family Services. The childrens father, 35, and mother, 24, were arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, theft of electricity and proceeds of crime, said Sparrow. Charges under the Drug Endangered Childrens Act are also pending against the parents, he added. The next day, a second warrant took place in the 200 block of Whitefield Dr.

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Mentally ill children wait 18 months for assessment

UP to 150 mentally ill children have had their treatment stopped and will have to wait 18 months to be reassessed because there was no replacement when their doctor left the service. The children, from Carlow and Kilkenny, have been left to their own devices since their community psychologist took leave of his post in April. The children will also have another delay before their treatment programmes can continue. Donna Haydens son, Dylan, nine, is one of the Kilkenny children involved. He has had his six years of treatment suspended since April and his mother said her son is suffering. When the doctor left in April (the Health Service Executive) rang everybody, but since then there has been nobody there to monitor the childrens treatment. We have just been left to cope on our own with no support.

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2006-12-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

Pregnant Mother And Child Caught In Crossfire

(CBS4) NORTHWEST MIAMI DADE Three victims, including a three year old boy, his 18-year-old pregnant mother and another man are caught in a crossfire of bullets in Northwest Miami-Dade Sunday evening.Police say the three were walking when they were caught up in a barage of bullets. "They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time who possibly got caught up in the crossfire," Miami Police spokesperson, Mary Walters told CBS4.CBS4's Natalia Zea reported that the three victims, whose names have not been released, are expected to recover but the 3-year-old boy, who was hit in the ankle, may become disabled from his injury.Police have no descriptions of the suspects and according to Zea, people who live in the neighborhood where the incident happened are not eager to talk."A little baby, a little kid, you know is innocent, so that's something to really think about," neighbor, Felton Graze, told CBS4.Police believe that family lives in Broward county, and may have been visiting family or friends when the incident happened.Another shooting took place in the same neighborhood recently and police are investigating whether the two incidents are related.

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Santos family sends child to hospital

Described as worldwide phenomenon affecting communities ranging in size and scope from Kansas to Hawaii, from Italy to France, from India to Australia and beyond, there is an increase across the globe of reported copper thefts. And even in our little corner of the world, the rash of copper wire theft is taking its toll on Guam. Last Friday we brought you the story of the Santos family - seven people living in the Harmon Industrial Park whose apartment complex was struck twice by copper wire thieves. Because their power was literally cut off, it has paralyzed their ability to live comfortably. And their situation was so bad that one of the children had to be taken to the hospital.The crime of stealing copper wire couldn't be more real for the Santos family. The sores on the body of the five children paint a stark reality of living powerless.

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Hopewell Child Dies

A Hopewell child found hanging in a closet last week has passed away. The five-year-old boy's fight for life took a tragic turn this weekend. The boy was found hanging in a closet just before 7 PM Thursday night at a home on Old Woodlawn Street in Hopewell. Investigators say the child was playing with his 11-year-old brother in a bedroom closet, when the five-year-old was found by his father, hanging by a luggage strap. The boy had been on life support at UVA Medical Center, but was believed to have lost brain function. On Sunday night, 8NEWS has confirmed he has passed away. Investigators have been calling the hanging suspicious. Copyright 2006 by Young Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. .

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2006-12-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Milind Soman to produce kids' serial

Casper goes Indian in a new children's series Ghost Bana Dost, starting December 19 on Star One. Model-actor Milind Soman, who makes his debut as television producer announced the weekly series early this week. Milind, who wooed children on the telly as the lead in the sci-fi saga Captain Vyom, said, "Kids' programming is big. But I don't want to make anything that talks down to the children, rather something that appeals to the adults in the family as well." Style check Sporting a Mangal Pandey-style moustache, long locks, rugged unkempt look, contrasted with a mischievous smile, he introduced the show's teenage and peppy 'ghost' Ni Ke (Manish Paul). Milind plays the indulgent father figure, letting his cast take the limelight. But the buzz refuses to die down around him — age certainly hasn't dimmed one of our best-known male model's charm.

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Anchorage kids excited about shuttle launch

Anchorage, Alaska - With the shuttle launch in Florida, Bill Oefelein brings young Alaskans' hopes and dreams with him to space. This is especially so with West High School. Bill Oefelein contacted the school to find a flag to fly on the shuttle. Tonight young Alaskans wish him and the crew a safe journey. For Noah Judge it's all systems go. There's no waiting here as this 6-year-old goes from one activity to the next. But out of all the things you can do at the Imaginarium, perhaps it's what's in this room he loves most. "He's really interested in space, he's read a lot of books and watched videos and he knows a lot about space," said Dale Judge, Noah's grandfather. And today for Noah and other Alaskans this lesson is quite relevant as Alaska's Bill Oefelein and the rest of the seven-member crew of the space shuttle Discovery prepare to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Oefelein is from Anchorage and went to school at West High.

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Bikers rally to help kids

But yesterday, more than 30 merry motorcycle riders and volunteers gathered in an effort to help local children enjoy the simple things in life, like owning a brand new bicycle. For the third year in a row, the Berkshire County Harley Owners Group, better known as H.O.G. Chapter 2030, has been able to expand its Bikers for Bikes program. "Anything for kids, we'll pretty much do," said Gary Swain of Pittsfield, while assembling a new bike at Ronnie's Cycle on Wahconah Street. When the program began in 2004, the group was able to purchase 42 bikes. This year, they'll be giving almost a hundred Huffys, from tricycles to mountain bikes. The group also collected more than 200 bike helmets from various local law and safety enforcement departments. "Wild" Bill Knowles, director of the local H.O.G., spoke of one local mother, a homemaker, who has three children and recently lost her husband.

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2006-12-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Uganda: Uganda to Host Fifth African Conference On Child Abuse

UGANDA is to host the fifth African conference on child abuse and neglect. The African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) information officer, Topher Mugumya has revealed. Mugumya said Uganda has been chosen because it faces challenges from the increasing numbers of orphans and mother to child HIV transmission. The conference to be held in Kampala, March next year, will attract over 400 participants from all over the world. .

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Reid urges action on child porn sites

ACTION against illegal websites peddling images of child pornography across Europe has been proposed by Home Secretary John Reid. He said Britain had already taken action, but only a concerted European effort could rid the internet of images of extreme violence and sexual abuse against children. Mr Reid, speaking at talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts, was responding to concerns from EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini about the "obscene cruelty" of psychological horror computer games available in Europe. .

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Why your child needs a flu shot

In Washington today, politicians too often just stand their ground. Liberal strategist Bob Beckel and conservative columnist Cal Thomas provide a better model. Read columns Voices of Immigration Readers discuss their personal experiences. Read letters Voices of Katrina Readers share the impact Hurricane Katrina has had on their lives. Read letters Opinionline What people are saying about the news of the week. Read columns Al Neuharth Read columns DeWayne Wickham Read columns .

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2006-12-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

State lags in meeting foster kids' needs

Missing out on more than $2 million in federal funds is certainly not good news for Colorado's budget, but in this case, it's not about the money; it really is about the children. Foster children, that is. In 2003, the federal government and Colorado's Department of Human Services agreed on an "action plan" to ensure the state met federal standards for care of foster children. On Thursday, the staff of the Joint Budget Committee told lawmakers that the state was still out of compliance in several areas, and would likely lose federal funds as a result. It's not a huge amount of money for the state; it's not even a huge amount of money for the department, whose budget is $1.8 billion. But it is a huge problem for the children who don't get the services they should. Colorado falls short in finding permanent homes for older foster chidren, in preparing them to live on their own, in ensuring they get medical care and in making certain they are meeting regularly with social workers.

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Kids under 7 will need car-seat boosts

A booster seat may end up being a good Christmas gift for some parents, especially since the law will require children up to 7 years of age to sit in one starting next month. The state Department of Health and the Honolulu Police Department reminded the public last week that beginning Jan. 1, children under 8 must be using a booster seat whenever traveling in a motor vehicle. Currently only children under the age of 4 are required to be in a booster atop a child safety seat. But in the new year, drivers violating the law will be fined between $100 and $500 and made to attend a four-hour safety class. Hawaii will be the 38th state in the nation to implement a booster-seat law. Of about 600 children between ages 4 and 8 involved in collisions each year in Hawaii, 126 of them have to be rushed to the emergency room, and nine are hospitalized for an extended period of time, said state Health Director Dr.

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Teach kids about wine, say French MPs

French schools should teach young people how to appreciate wine, a group of parliamentarians said in a report on Thursday, calling for an education campaign to help the ailing sector. French winemakers have suffered from a decline in exports and a fall in consumption at home, where 92 per cent of under-25s say they prefer other drinks, the report said. "To hold a forceful position in the world, French wine must first assume a strong position at home," the report said, calling for education programs to inform young people about the origins, history and characteristics of French wines. "Learning about healthy living starts from childhood and primary school," said the report, compiled by Philippe-Armand Martin and Gerard Voisin, deputies from the ruling UMP party.

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2006-12-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

Children present 'Nutcracker' to benefit hospital

American Ballet Academy will present "A Children's Nutcracker" on Saturday and Dec. 10 as a benefit for the pediatric ward of the Salem Hospital. Approximately 120 students of the academy, primarily ages 3 to 18, have been working for two months to put together and perform "Nutcracker," except the Grande Pax and Cavalier dance (because of the lack of advanced male dancers). Last year, the performances raised nearly $5,500 for the pediatric ward. Local sponsors include Chemeketa Community College, Cascade Baking Co. and families of the dancers. Shows will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Building 6 Auditorium at Chemeketa Community College. Tickets are available through the academy at 241 State St. or by calling (503) 364-4738. Admission is $8 in advance and $9 at the door; or $6 in advance and $7 at the door for ages 11 and younger.

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Neighborhood ministry seeks to help children

Checks or money orders can be sent to Joy Fund, The Times, P.O. Box 30222, Shreveport LA, 71130. Donations may also be made through www.shreveporttimes.com/joyfund or be dropped off in the lobby at The Times, 222 Lake St. Credit cards will be accepted there. To apply To apply for a Joy Fund grant, write to Executive Editor Alan English at The Times, P.O. Box 30222, Shreveport LA, 71130 or e-mail him at aenglish@gannett.com. Send a detailed letter explaining how the money will be used. .

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Liz Hurley wants two more children

The actress has made a promise to four-year-old son Damian that he can have a brother and a sister - who will be named after his favourite Scooby Doo characters Fred and Daphne."Damian is obsessed with me having another child," Liz told Marie Claire magazine. "He wants a girl named Daphne and a boy called Fred. He talks about it every day, saying 'Mummy, when you put Daphne in the school next door to mine, will Fred grow into my clothes?'"Hurley will start trying for her next child after she ties the knot with Arun Nayer in March next year.She explained: "We'll make an effort after the wedding. Not before. I'm too vain." .

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2006-12-02T04:36:00.000-08:00

Screams of mum as car hit child

A 22-YEAR-OLD motorist who knocked down a child aged three drove off with the mother's screams ringing in his ears, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Khyam Ahmed Ilyas panicked after sending the boy flying through the air. He refused to stop for a taxi driver who witnessed the incident and accelerated away at such speed the driver was only able to get part of his registration. .

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Northern Child log 6

This morning it is the 1 December and I guess that for most of you the days are drawing in, the temperatures are becoming cooler and the weather more wintry? Well, out here we're suffering too - the wind has been generally light for the last 36 hours, which has meant that the boat has been nice and steady. The skies are typical of this region at this time of year, mostly blue with puffy white cumulus clouds dotted around like woolly sheep and during the day the temperature has got up to around 30 degrees C. Hmm, I guess it's not that bad! Off watch in the afternoon, the crew is mostly to be found reading on the foredeck in the shade of the sails, listening to the water rushing past the foredeck. Just before dark yesterday evening we had to gybe, bringing the wind across to the other side of the boat, as it had shifted.

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Man charged in death of child

A Fort Collins man is in jail today facing charges in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son in July. Andrew C. Jones, 28, was arrested Friday and charged in the death of Dartanian Whelan, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Deputies took Jones into custody shortly before 10:30 a.m. at his work in the 1700 block of Lincoln Avenue. .

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2006-12-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

'Move It' for computer crazy kids

Prolonged computer sessions coupled with poor posture is proving a bad mix for over a quarter of today's computer bound children. "Aches and pains, and muscularskelotal problems in school children is fairly prevalent," says ergonomics expert Professor Stephen Legg. So a stay-at-home mum is trying to solve the problem. "Kids are spending 15 years or more on computers before they get into the workforce and that's a long time for them to start forming bad habits," says concerned mother Brenda Buchanan. So she has developed a computer program that teaches kids better habits in the hope that it will decrease their chances of getting work related injuries later in life. The program is called "Move It" and it emphasises the importance of changing position regularly and getting the right support.

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Fit family: Two moms launch fitness magazine for kids - and ...

MIAMI - Maria Sanz, Miami mother of four, wanted a fun fitness magazine for her kids that would encourage them to live healthy, smart lives. When she couldn't find one, she created it. Along with childhood friend Marycel Diaz, Sanz is now publisher of Be Fit Kids, a bimonthly sports and fitness magazine that targets kids 8 to 14. Created two years ago, the Miami-based magazine has a circulation of 25,000. The glossy magazine satisfies kids' hero worship of professional athletes by featuring a high-profile jock on the cover. The August/September issue had New York Yankees player Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez on the front, with the Miami-reared pitcher granting a quick interview with a local 10-year-old inside. Cover celebrities have included The Rock (WWF-wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson), Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, tennis star Serena Williams, seven-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong, soccer star Mia Hamm and Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell.

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State exploring kids' health care

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrats who control the Legislature are crafting plans to reduce the number of Californians forced to use emergency rooms as their primary doctor's office. Ideas range from a Canadian-style, government-run system to a universal health insurance mandate a la Massachusetts to smaller ideas to lower the soaring cost of health care. Chief among those proposals is one to cover every uninsured child in California. Children's advocates have been seeking this for years, and Schwarzenegger has said since the recall election in 2003 this is a priority for him. He has promised to push expanded access to health care to the forefront of the next legislative session. Two main roadblocks stand in the way: cost and Schwarzenegger's fellow Republicans.

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2006-11-30T04:35:00.000-08:00

FDA advisers back Celebrex for children despite risks

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Children as young as 2 who suffer from arthritis can be treated with Celebrex, but to ensure the painkiller doesn't put them at later risk for heart attacks, their health should be tracked for decades, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said yesterday. The panel voted 15 to 1 to recommend expanded use of the Pfizer Inc. drug, even though eight members said the treatment can be toxic for children. Those who said Celebrex is safe did so begrudgingly, citing the short time it was studied in children and a flawed study design that Pfizer selected and the FDA approved. The FDA does not have to follow its advisers' guidance, but often does so. During the hearing, the panel struggled with how to implement long-term safety surveillance without placing barriers between patients and a drug that works for many.

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Safety of school children low on Delhi Government's priority list

NEW DELHI: Despite umpteen number of incidents involving the "unsafe vans'' ferrying school children, often leading to fatal accidents, the State Transport Department has failed to come out with any kind of effective and standardised safety norms for plying of such dangerous vehicles on the road putting at peril the lives of thousands of children everyday. This Monday's accident at Kehsavpuram in North-West Delhi, where a "unlicensed van" ferrying school children was involved in a gruesome accident with a call centre vehicle, has once again brought into focus the failure of the authorities to take preventive measures and save precious lives. What is even worse is that despite repeated incidents involving school children and these illegal vans on the city roads, the Government is yet to wake up from its slumber and put in place a policy for plying of such vehicles especially those ferrying these children.

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Namibian children pay the price of WFP funding crisis

WFP has announced that unless it receives new contributions urgently it will be forced to halt food distributions to 90,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia by the second half of December because of a critical shortage of funding. "It's an unjust and preventable tragedy that children – especially orphans -- become the victims of funding shortfalls," said John Prout, WFP Country Director for Namibia. "The international community should not forget that a hungry child in Namibia is every bit as desperate as a vulnerable child in the rest of the world," he said. Too late It is already too late to ensure an uninterrupted flow of food aid to the children through December. However, if US$1 million were donated in cash now, WFP could resume rations in January.

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2006-11-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

A child will light up Brookside Christmas

Instead of an athlete or celebrity, one lucky child will get to light the Brookside Christmas tree at Thursday night's ceremony. "It is great because the kids always see the dignitary get to the light the tree or the Plaza," said Karrin Huhmann, a spokesperson for the event. "This time, they get to be the dignitary." A child has always kicked off the Christmas season in Brookside. "We've done it for about three years, but this is the first time we'll draw the kid's name," said Marti Lee, executive director of the Brookside Business Association. The tree lighting takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the south end of the parking area between Sharp's restaurant and Bank Midwest, at the corner of 63rd Street and Brookside Plaza. Also, unlike most lightning ceremonies, the Brookside festivities are a week after Thanksgiving.

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Researcher jailed for child porn

LONDON -- A British astrophysicist with the University of Lethbridge has been sentenced to 15 months in an English jail after he was caught taking indecent photos of children near one of London's most popular landmarks. Robin Phillips appeared in a courthouse in south London yesterday after pleading guilty in early October to four charges including taking indecent images of children and possessing indecent images of children. Phillips, a 33-year-old father of two, entered the courtroom in a dark grey suit, accompanied by his parents and wife, Barbara, who have stood by his side since his arrest on Aug. 27. Phillips was arrested in Trafalgar Square after police in civilian clothing caught him taking photographs up the skirts of young girls climbing on the square's famous bronze lions.

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Loved ones gather to bury slain child

More than 100 family members and friends gathered Tuesday to remember the short life of Ethan Esparza, who was killed in a drive-by shooting the night before his fourth birthday. His family followed Ethan's casket into St. Madeleine Catholic Church as a woman inside sang sweetly in Spanish of the God they call Sir. "El Se or es mi pastor," she sang. The Rev. Alex Aclan stood next to Ethan's white casket and remembered the little boy with the bright smile whose life was stolen outside his grandparents' home the night of Nov. 19. Ethan was outside his grandparents' home in the 800 block of East Columbia Avenue in Pomona when he was hit by bullets fired from a passing light-color sport utility .

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2006-11-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

You Should Never Have Had Kids November 28 2006

The Children's Commissioner for England, Prof Sir Al Aynsley-Green is appealing to the United Nations for support for a smacking ban. The commissioner is backed by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish child tsars. He is preparing a case for the United Nations in which he clais that parents who smack their children are abusing their human rights: ' Children and young people in England should have the same right to protection under the law on common assault as that afforded to adults.' Sir Aynsley-Green has plenty of heavyweight backing for the ban, with many not mincing their words on the subject. Dr Miriam Stoppard is on record as saying that parents who smack their children should 'never have had children in the first place.' If the United Nations were to agree and Britain was to make smacking illegal, it would probably criminalise a large percentage of British parents at a stroke.

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Sheriff's Department Brings Christmas To Kids

The Worcester County Sheriff's Office tries to keep trouble off the streets year round. This time of year they are putting other efforts to spread holiday cheer with the Santa Shop. For 20 years the Santa Shop has brought Christmas to kids in Worcester County. Toy collections for this year kicked off long ago. Sunday, more donations were added. The Santa Shop toy room basically looks like an over-stocked toy store. They've got all of the latest in toy technology. Volunteers say this year the need was greater than ever. "When we first started this we thought each year there would be less and less families; Instead there are more and more, says Shop Chairperson Dena Holloway. When the program first started there were 12 families in need. Last year the Santa shop provided toys to 1-thousand children.

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Hep A outbreak hits 20 kids

Twenty children have fallen prey to hepatitis A in northwestern Toronto, public health officials say. All 20 infected elementary and high school students in the Martin Grove Rd.-Finch Ave. area have recovered, including some who displayed no symptoms, according to the health department. There's another possible case -- a kid who's now in hospital but has not tested positive for the virus, said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, director of communicable disease control. "We have been actively investigating this outbreak over the past eight weeks or so," Yaffe said. Among those infected, 12 attended Elmbank Middle Academy on Pittsboro Dr., a junior kindergarten to Grade 8 school. .

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2006-11-26T04:32:00.000-08:00

Keeping a bright child challenged

Q. I am the parent of a third-grade boy who has generally thrived in his Boston public school. Next year he's likely to have the choice of taking Boston's "advanced work" option, which would require a change of schools. Further school changes would occur in the sixth grade for middle school, before possibly getting into an exam school starting in seventh grade. The only reason I consider subjecting him to this many transitions is to provide him the opportunity to be with a class of intellectual peers, which he has been short on in his present school and which he has complained about often. His current school offers only limited advanced options. How important are intellectual peers and an advanced curriculum when keeping a bright student working to the best of his ability? Anonymous, West Roxbury A.

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Zambia reduces mother to child HIV transmission significantly

Zambia has made significant progress in the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV since 2003, Zambia Daily Mail reported Saturday. Canissius Banda, spokesperson of the Zambian Health Ministry was quoted as saying that 12 percent of pregnant women have been tested for HIV through the prevention program and the HIV prevalence at PMTCT sites is estimated at 23 percent, which is higher than the 19 percent prevalence recorded at sentinel surveillance sites. "Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) activities were scaled up and we have seen an increase in personnel to 700 being trained in the administration of ART and management of opportunistic infections. The number of centers providing ART have also increased from two in 2003 to 84 in 2005," he said. About 70,000 people are currently accessing anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs ) in the 84 centers, he said, adding that levels of HIV/AIDS awareness have improved significantly, leading to a rise in the number of eligible patients accessing ART.

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Chubbiness is not an index of a child's health

ERODE: As families move up the socio-economic ladder and become nuclear, and parents' purses get fattier, their lifestyles change. Children spend hours in front of the television, go in for fast foods and become obese. Doctors here are concerned over the rising incidence of obesity. Affluent families The number of obese children Dr. M. Ramesh, a paediatrician of eight years, treats may be a case in point. He says when he started practice he attended to only one or two cases a month but today it is six. And they are no longer children from from just affluent families. "Today I see obese children from the middle income group as well, who like their rich cousins have stopped playing. They instead spend hours in front of the TV while consuming junk food,'' says Dr Ramesh. No physical activity He adds: "There is complete absence of physical activity.

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Children’s Day given a miss at Anant's school

2006-11-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

It is Children's Day, but Noida is not celebrating. At Lotus Valley School which Anant, the kidnapped three-year-old son of Adobe CEO Naresh Gupta, attends, students and teachers joined their hands in prayer for the safe return of the toddler."We have been praying since yesterday right from the time we heard of Anant's abduction. We are praying very quietly and just felt it is improper to celebrate when one of our children is missing. I have a very strong intuition that he will return home safe," said Madhu Chandra, principal Lotus Valley School. Chandra said parents were also praying for his safety."We have been getting calls. Everybody feels it could happen to their child. We are all praying," she added."Hum Children's Day Anant ke ane ke baad manayenge. (We will celebrate only when Anant returns safe)," said a Class II student of the school.Schools across Noida prayed for Anant's safety.

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Sri Lanka army 'helps child recruitment'

2006-11-14T00:45:00.000-08:00

The United Nations has accused Sri Lanka's military of helping to forcibly recruit child soldiers for an armed group which is fighting the Tamil Tiger separatists. The UN said that 135 children had been abducted by the Karuna faction - a group that broke away from the Tamil Tigers and is now suspected of working with the military - since May in the eastern district of Batticaloa, and that there was "evidence that this trend is accelerating". Allan Rock, a special adviser to the UN special representative for children and armed conflict in Sri Lanka, said: "One very disturbing element that confronted us ... has to do with the complicity and participation of some elements of the government's security forces in the forcible abductions by Karuna of children [in the east].

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Nation : Honey, the kids have taken after the maid

2006-11-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

Women are no longer holding babies on their hips, not after scientific stats said that way lay fat hips. The figure is ruined, fear a legion of females, not by chocolates, fried chicken or caramelised nuts, but by childbirth.As they banish their flabby husbands to 14 years of gym exile, arm candy is all that's on the yummy mummy's mind. The brat, in turn, is bunged into the basement of her life - crèche, day-care centre, play school, the best school/college money can buy. Entire generations of hapless tykes are turned over to sour-faced, foul-mouthed, kleptomaniac maidservants, who play surrogate mothers at the expense of their own unmanned progeny and the resultant bitterness.Twenty posh birthdays later, the 'privileged' child-adult is unleashed upon the world. Here, says the mother who never wanted him, you can have him now.With feminism moving on to singleton waahs, blogger blahs and the miracle of adultery, hands-on childcare has been shrugged aside as a primeval preoccupation.

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Three children killed in car bombing south Baghdad

2006-11-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

BAGHDAD, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three Iraqi children were killed and 15 others wounded when car bomb went off near a primary school in a town south of Baghdad on Sunday morning, a police source told Xinhua. "An explosive-packed car detonated near the al-Thawra primary school in Yousifiyah town, 20 km south of Baghdad," the source said on condition of anonymity. The blast damaged part of the school building, killing three pupils and wounding 15 others, the source added. Violence surged again on Sunday with up to 33 killed and 56 others wounded earlier in the morning when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd police commando recruits in western Baghdad. .

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Are you footloose but not child-free? Step this way

2006-11-12T03:53:00.000-08:00

To the list of accoutrements necessary for a few hours of spinning on a bar stool -- cash, cellphone, skinny jeans -- add one more: your child. Baby Loves Disco , the parents' parties that have sprung up in more than a dozen cities around the country, is coming to Boston in late January. The Revolution Rock Bar , at 200 High St., will turn into a child-proof disco for three hours the last Sunday of every month, complete with bubble machines, diaper-changing tables, and string cheese. But the organizers of Baby Loves Disco, which debuted in Philadelphia two years ago, make clear that although kids are invited, these parties are for adults. Barney is banned, and the Wiggles will not sing. Kristin Chalmers , a former professional dancer and DJ who now has a toddler son, is responsible for bringing Baby Loves Disco to Boston.

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Group collecting toys for children

2006-11-12T03:30:00.000-08:00

An international evangalism and relief organization is looking to send children in need shoe boxes full of holiday cheer.Samaritan's Purse is led by Franklin Graham.The organization's Operation Christmas Child sends children suffering from war, poverty, disease and natural disasters around the world shoe boxes filled with gifts and Gospel literature in the children's native language.Anyone who wants to participate should decide whether the shoe box will go to a child age 2-4; 5-9; or 10-14. The boxes should be filled will age-appropriate gifts. A $5 check to help cover shipping should be included.The boxes should be standard size, and shouldn't be wrapped other than the lid if desired.The shoe boxes should be brought to collection centers between Monday, Nov. 13 and Monday, Nov. 20. .

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Block Play Jump-Starts Children's Language Acquisition

2006-11-09T04:47:00.000-08:00

MONTREAL, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Findings from an independent pilot clinical research study released today by the University of Washington indicate that children who engage in block play benefit from improved language acquisition. The study, commissioned in September 2005 by MEGA Brands, validates a growing body of research that supports the benefits of block play for a child's development. The University of Washington research team conducted a randomized controlled trial for six months in a sample recruited from a pediatric clinic in Seattle, Washington. The children studied were between the ages of 1.5 years and 2.5 years of age. The sample was split into an intervention group and a control group, with children in the intervention group receiving two MEGA BLOKS playsets -- one set at the start of the study and one set approximately two months into the study.

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NSW Labor accused of covering up child sex allegations

2006-11-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

TONY EASTLEY: The NSW Iemma Government is fending off allegations this morning that Labor Party officials were told a year ago about child sex allegations against former Aboriginal Affairs minister, Milton Orkopoulos. The MP was sacked from his ministry yesterday with party officials moving to expel him from the ALP. But it's been alleged in newspapers this morning that an electoral worker in Mr Orkopoulos's electorate office on the central coast contacted police with claims a year ago. Premier Morris Iemma says the impending court case will consider those claims, and he's warned if party officials have been involved in any cover up they will be removed from the party. Sabra Lane reports. SABRA LANE: Just a couple of months ago, Morris Iemma commanded a 10 per cent lead over his opposition.

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India needs to focus more on preschool kids: UNESCO

2006-11-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

India needs to focus more on care and education of preschool children along with nutritional needs for their proper growth, a senior UNESCO official stated here Wednesday. "Unless there is sufficient investment in early childhood, the less would be the returns (when the child becomes a working adult)," said Minja Yang, director and UNESCO representative in India, at a function to release the annual "Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2007" report. The report takes a critical look at the fact that despite well-documented benefits for child development and well being, early childhood "area remains the forgotten link in the education chain in many regions, and that half the world's countries have no early childhood care and education policy for children under age three".

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How UP carpet sweatshops exploit children, law

2006-11-09T02:31:00.000-08:00

With 23 million child labourers, India is the sixth most unsafe country in the world for children. From cracker industry to weaving carpets to being exploited as domestic helps, the unfortunate face of childhood in India largely goes unnoticed. Leading up to Children's Day on November 14, CNN-IBN brings a series of stories on such children in a special series Child, Interrupted! Mirzapur: Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur and Bhadohi districts are the two flashpoints in India's carpet weaving belt, contributing crores to the nation's economy. However, behind the glitter of a thriving cottage industry and a booming local economy are young children who work day in and day out on looms, getting little or sometimes no wages at all. Despite a 20-year-old ban, the children brave the heat, dust and the unhygienic conditions and continue to toil in the looms that dot the countryside.

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Father accused of child murders

2006-11-09T02:01:00.000-08:00

Perry Samuel, 35, is accused of asphyxiating Caitlin and Aidan Samuel, aged five and three, at their home in Bodelwyddan, north Wales, on Sunday night. The youngsters were found in the bath by officers called to the house at 11pm and taken to nearby Glan Clwyd Hospital where they died within an hour. Samuel was arrested at the scene and will appear before Prestatyn Magistrates' Court. The children's mother, Sarah Graham, was not at home at the time of the alleged murders. She is said to be "traumatised" by the deaths of her "little angels" and is being supported by relatives, as a growing number of floral tributes pile up outside the family home. The family released a statement on Wednesday through North Wales Police to thank local people for their support.

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