Whole Kids Project

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.

Book Review: Prayers for Catholic Men

One of my pledges for 2009- and one that I have thankfully kept- is to deepen my prayer life.  The little prayer book, Prayers for Catholic Men from The Catholic Company, has played a big role in helping me follow through on my pledge.

I say a "little book" because it is conveniently sized to fit in a pocket- there is no excuse for not always having this book close by.

And while small, the book is loaded with prayers for every situation:

• For every day
• For work
• For personal strength
• For family
• For sexual purity
• For in death

Also included are traditional Catholic prayers such as the Rosary, the Angelus, the Act of Contrition, Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, and more.

I highly recommend keeping this book with you- you'll find strength and comfort and a closer relationship with the Lord.

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 Prayers for Catholic Men.

Get Back Up!

An amazing video:

Hat tip to Elizabeth Ficocelli

7 Things Teenage Boys Need Most

From Zenit:

Being the parent of an adolescent boy is legendary for its difficulty. But according to one priest who acts as a spiritual director and confessor for high school boys, just keeping in mind seven points can make for a better relationship with adolescent sons.

Legionary of Christ Father Michael Sliney suggests the following seven necessities for parents of adolescent boys:

1. Clear guidelines with reasonable consequences from a unified front; cutting slack but also holding boys accountable for their actions.
2. Reasonable explanations for the criteria, guidelines and decisions made by parents.
3. Avoiding hyper-analysis of boys' emotions and states of mind: avoiding "taking their temperature" too often.
4. Unconditional love with an emphasis on character and effort more than outcome: Encourage boys to live up to their potential while having reasonable expectations. To love them regardless of whether they make it into Harvard or become a star quarterback.
5. Authenticity, faith and fidelity should be reflected in parent's lifestyles.
6. Qualities of a dad: Manliness, temperance, making significant time for family, putting aside work, and being a reliable source of guidance.
7. Qualities of a mom: Emotional stability, selflessness, loving service and extreme patience.

The article goes into more detail on each point.

Hat tip to the CatholicDads blog.

Who Needs Pockets?

Good thing that frogs don't bite!