Whole Kids Project

Media Intelligence: Embedded Ads

Some subtle, and not-so-subtle, examples of embedded ads:

Abercrombie is up to its old tricks

Abercrombie continues its shameful tradition of sexualizing our youth.

From the American Family Association:

Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) continues its pattern of pushing pornographic-themed material into mainstream America. Abercrombie & Fitch has just begun offering their "New College" line of T-shirts.

The first A&F T-shirt pictures a young girl opening her blouse - exposing herself. A&F titles the image: "Show the Twins".

The second picture is of a female running nude. A&F titles it: "Female streaking encouraged."

The next Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt is entitled: "Female Students Wanted for Sexual Research"

Abercrombie & Fitch does not merely sell a popular line of clothing they sell a lifestyle. And because A&F clothing is popular among teens and college kids, the influence of their sex-as-recreation lifestyle is widespread.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention reports that Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new infections occur each year almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age.

You can see the pictures of the shirts here.  WARNING: They are offensive.

Review: Great Adventure Kids Pack

We received a review copy of the Great Adventure Kids Pack from the Catholic Company.  Here is my daughter Katy's review of the card game set that comes with the pack:

The Great Adventure Kids Card Game Set is for people 3-103! The starter set includes instructions for 6 games, including the easy games of "Crazy Eights" and "Go Fish" and the more complex "Rummy", "Doubt It", and "Spoons" games.  These card games will help you have fun while learning about the Bible

The Bible is divided into 12 time periods and each time period has a different color. There are 4 different cards of each color (time period). Card # 1" tells the time period from Bible history that the card belongs to.  Card #2 tells the name of an important story from that time period. Card #3 tells the name of important people from the time period. Card #4 says where in the Bible you can find the important stories and people.

My favorite card game is "Crazy Eights". You can have 2-6 players. The recommended age is 6+ but the game is very easy to learn. I also like "Go Fish".

I really like the Great Adventure Kids Card Game Set!

The card game can be purchased individually or as part of the Kids Pack which also includes a Bible timeline, prayer beads, a coloring book, and a bookmark. 

We've done the Jeff Cavins Bible study for adults and this pack is an excellent way to introduce children to Mr. Cavin's approach to the "big picture" of salvation history.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Great Adventure Kids Pack .

WSJ Numbers Guy Looks at Childhood Obesity Data

Carl Bialik details some of the problems with childhood obesity statistics.

Obesity rates could have hit a plateau, some scientists propose, if only a certain percentage of children are genetically predisposed to obesity, and that share has gotten fat already. Timothy Olds, a professor of health sciences at the University of South Australia, believes genetics could play a role, but he also points to "all the little things people are doing to encourage healthy weight."

Some researchers argue the data used to produce these conclusions are flawed. And other scientists say that while the methodology of the recent batch of studies appears sound, the findings aren't definitive. Future surveys using different methodologies, they say, could show obesity rates on the move again.

"Most developed countries are not doing annual surveys," says Tim Lobstein, director of policy and programs for the International Obesity Taskforce, a London-based research and advocacy group. "We probably know more about growth patterns in cattle than we do for human children."

In the U.S., obesity rates among children hovered at about 16% between 2002 and 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The leveling off was a surprise to William Dietz, director of the CDC's division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity, who notes that prominent anti-obesity-awareness campaigns have only been around for a few years. (A survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center, a group based at the University of Chicago, showed increases in most states between 2003 and 2007, but that was based on phone interviews rather than physical examinations.)

Bialik continues,

Some health advocates have been leery of giving too much attention to the encouraging numbers, noting that a plateau or small decrease won't stave off the high financial and medical toll likely in store for today's overweight children.

"What I worry about is that people will read these numbers and think we've got this solved," says Dr. Dietz of the CDC. "I'm encouraged by the results, but this is no time for complacency."

High School Gives Away Souvenir Shot Glasses

From CNSNews.com:

Lititz, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania high school ordered more than 450 shot glasses for its prom, a move the assistant principal now says sent the wrong message.
 
As the Warwick High School students left last week's dance, the prom committee handed them souvenir shot glasses. The girls who attended last year's prom got a picture frame; the boys, a money clip.
 
Assistant Principal Scott Galen says: "Unfortunately, this year the junior class didn't have quite as much money."
 
Galen says the principal signed off on the purchase order, but that paperwork simply said "prom souvenir" and didn't identify the mementos as shot glasses. Galen says he's certain this will never happen again.
 
The school is in Lancaster County, about 65 miles east of Philadelphia.

Really?  No adult saw the shot glasses before they were handed out? No one (students included) had the smarts to realize that this was a bad idea?

I wonder what the school's test scores look like?

Action Alert: Nickelodeon and Burger King Reach New Low

This Action Alert from the CCFC:

Nickelodeon and Burger King have reached a new low. They've partnered to produce a new, highly sexualized, ad for a Burger King SpongeBob SquarePants Kids Meal. The commercial, which ran during the men's NCAA basketball championship and other programming, features The King singing a remix of Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1990's hit song, "Baby Got Back" with the new lyrics, "I like square butts and I cannot lie." The ad shows images of The King singing in front of women shaking their behinds for the camera intercut with images of SpongeBob dancing along. The King even measures the behind of one of the woman who has stuffed a phonebook under her dress. After the King informs children about the free SpongeBob toy they get with the purchase of a Burger King Kids Meal, the ad ends with Sir Mix-A-Lot, lounging on a couch with two female admirers, saying, "Booty is booty."

It's harmful enough when a beloved media icon advertises junk food to children, but it's utterly reprehensible when SpongeBob simultaneously promotes the objectification of women through sexualized imagery.

Please take a moment to view the ad for yourself at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/spongebobburgerking.html. If you agree with us that this is an egregious way to advertise a kid's meal -or anything--to children, tell Nickelodeon and Burger King to immediately pull this commercial off the air by visiting http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/t/6725/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27008.

There is little doubt that Burger King was hoping to court controversy when they produced this ad. The company continually positions itself as an edgier alternative to other fast food chains. But it's one thing to market edginess to adults. It's another to exploit children in the process.  It is simply unacceptable that Burger King is objectifying women and using sexual stereotypes to lure young children to its restaurants. 

As for Nickelodeon, it's bad enough that the company profits from using their most popular characters to sell kids on junk food. But to associate a beloved male cartoon character with lechery SpongeBob sends an even stronger message about how little Nick cares about the wellbeing of their devoted audience. 

Tell Nickelodeon and Burger King that this ad needs to stop. Now.

Action Alert: Teachers Tell Scholastic to Shape Up!

From the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) newsletter:

"Our school is taking a stand against mass marketing to children. Scholastic is a Book Club and should not be an advertising base for products marketed to children. We see this as exploitation! Our teachers will not be used as salesmen."~ Jeanne Voltz-Loomis, Pre-K Teacher, Myrtle Beach, SC. 

When nearly 5,000 CCFC members told Scholastic to "Put the book back in book club," a Scholastic executive told the New York Times, "We work with teachers to make sure that items are O.K. to put out in their classrooms." But teachers all over the country are telling a different story. More than 800 people have already signed CCFC's teacher petition to Scholastic and many have included personal, eloquent expressions of discomfort about promoting toys and plastic trinkets to their students. Some have stopped distributing the flyers altogether. 

If you're a teacher and you have not yet signed the petition, please take a moment to do so by visiting http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/scholastic.   If you're not a teacher, please share our petition with the teachers you know by visiting http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=4134.   And be sure to visit our Shape Up, Scholastic headquarters at http://commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/scholastic.html for information and resources for countering Scholastic's in-school commercialism.

Go get 'em!

More Than The Game

Our friend Diahn shared this inspirational video with us:

J-MAC: Hoop Dreams

I love these videos!

Action Alert: Tell Claire's to Stop Selling Flasks to Children

This came to us from our good friend Diahn and the Drug Free Action Alliance:

Drug-Free Action Alliance is joining underage drinking prevention advocates in calling on the teen accessory store chain, Icing by Claire's, to stop selling girl-friendly flasks. The initial report was done by the Chicago Sun Times.

Join Together reports that the flasks are decorated with charms and designed to hold 5 ounces of liquor and are available for $12.50, and one-shot keychain flasks with room for the individual's initials are available for $8.50 each.

The flasks show disclaimers that the product is not meant for minors, and warns that the flasks are designed to carry alcoholic beverages and should not be used for beverages with acidic contents like fruit juices.

Advocates are concerned that Icing by Claire's is encouraging underage drinking by selling flasks, while targeting its products to girls as young as 17. Icing by Claire's is a subsidiary of Claire's, Inc., which operates approximately 3,000 stores throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Alcohol containers should not be considered fashion accessories -- which plays into young women’s increased alcohol consumption.

 WHAT YOU CAN DO   

You are encouraged to contact Claire's corporate offices and voice your concern at these harmful marketing practices. You can contact them by visiting their Website by clicking here or by contacting them by E-mail at customerservice@claires.com.

Please share this with your friends and contact Claire's and let them know that this type of irresponsible, predatory, marketing to our kids is unacceptable.