« May 2008 | Main | July 2008 »
We had the great pleasure of meeting Fr. Leo at last weekend's Catholic New Media Celebration.
Fr. Leo presented the keynote speech and we found him to be both hilarious and humble- traits which are in abundance in this video:
For more videos, visit Fr. Leo's site. For recipes and a good read- buy Fr. Leo's book: Grace Before Meals
For a healthier family- have dinner together tonight!
Last week I told you about the FCC's plans to auction off unused airwaves to create a free, nationwide wireless Internet service. The auction has one stipulation: the winning company must provide filters to make the service porn-free.
The ACLU and "free-speech" activists want the FCC to remove the porn-free requirement claiming the porn-ban condition constitutes censorship.
The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families has established an online petition so that we can let the FCC know that Americans want the family-friendly requirement maintained.
Please take a moment to add your signature to this petition.
USA Today has an interview with Susan Linn, the author of The Case for Make Believe
Q: You write that studies show the time children spend in creative play has diminished over the years. Why?
A: Kids are spending about 40 hours a week engaged with electronic media after school. That's time taken away from creative play. The combination of this screen time and all the toys based on TV shows and movies narrows children's options for make-believe. So do these best-selling electronic toys where all you have to do is push a button, and the toy talks, walks and does back flips by itself. It's like the toy is having most of the fun, but it's not giving children a chance to be creative. When it comes to toys that encourage creative play, less is more. A good toy is 90% child and only 10% toy.Q: How will the toys associated with some summer movies —Indiana Jones, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight — help or hinder play?
A: These very violent movies are spawning thousands of new toys and other licensed media-linked products. Kids play less creatively with media-linked toys. These toys come with a built-in script. There is a particular character with a particular history, and it does particular things. That's not conducive to creative play. I see this with little girls and the Disney princess movies. There are 40,000 Disney princess items on the market today. Girls see the movies again and again. And so when they play, they often just reiterate the movie instead of inventing something new or bringing something of themselves into it.Q: What can parents do this summer to make sure their kids have an opportunity for creative play?
A: Make sure that children have unstructured time away from screen media and electronic toys. Take advantage of nice weather and get kids playing outside. Children actually play more creatively in nature. Play together as a family. Set up regular times when cellphones, computers, televisions, MP3 players are off and do something fun together — bake, play board games, do art projects or build with blocks. Fill the house with music — sing, dance, be silly. If your kids are going to camp or day care this summer, pick one that doesn't rely on showing movies or watching television and that encourages a variety of activities, including unstructured playtime.Q: What kind of things should parents have available for children ages 3 to 7 that will encourage creative play?
A: Invest in art supplies, including paint, crayons, markers, glue, glitter. Give them dress-up clothes, puzzles, blocks, old sheets for pretend tents and caves, dolls that aren't sexualized, puppets and stuffed animals that don't have computer chips.Q: Do adults remember the creative play from their childhoods?
A: People often tell me that their happiest memories are the times they spent in unstructured creative play by themselves or with friends. Don't today's children deserve a chance to play like that as well?
I love Dr. Linn's definition of a good toy: 90% child and 10% toy!
A conversation with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods
From WBZTV.com in Boston:
There's a stunning twist to the sudden rise in teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School. 17 students there are expecting and, according to a published report, most of them became that way on purpose.
Time Magazine is reporting that nearly half of the girls confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. None of the girls is older than 16.
Principal Joseph Sullivan has not returned calls from WBZ to confirm the report.
Sullivan told the magazine that the pact wasn't the only shocking incident.
"We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," he told Time.
Last month, two top officials at the high school's health center resigned in a fight over contraceptives distribution.
Medical Director Dr. Brian Orr and chief nurse practitioner Kim Daly support confidentially giving contraceptives to students. They were outraged about resistance from Addison Gilbert Hospital, which administers the state public health grant that funds the school clinic.
Normally, the school has about four pregnancies per school year.
According to Time, school officials started looking into the spike in pregnancies after an unusual number of girls came to the school clinic for pregnancy tests. Some came by several times.
"Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan told the magazine.
Click the links above to read the entire story.
My goodness.
One thing that I don't understand from the article- why did the author bring the contraception issue into this? This doesn't have anything to do with the teens access to contraception- from what I gather from reading the article is that these girls purposely set out to get pregnant. They didn't get pregnant because they didn't have access to contraception. It's a non sequitur argument.
I received this update from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families:
As you may have heard, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin was set to auction off unused airwaves at a June 12 meeting to establish the first-ever free nationwide wireless Internet service. The winning wireless company, however, had to abide by one stipulation: the free service must also be porn-free.
While the vote was put on hold to research issues of interference, it is likely the proposal will be added to the July meeting agenda.
“This could be one of the greatest family-friendly technological advances we have seen in a long time,” said Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition. “What a wonderful way to give children access to the Internet while also guaranteeing their safety.”
The National Coalition has worked with Chairman Martin and members of the FCC for years to help protect children from objectionable content not only on the Internet but also on broadcast television and radio.
“We continue to be encouraged by Chairman Martin’s commitment and conviction to do all he can to protect the eyes of the innocent,” added Schatz. “This is just one more example of how his strong leadership will impact the nation.”
As expected, however, free speech activists are arguing the FCC is censoring material by filtering out all pornography.
“The Chairman is not trying to take away adults’ right to view porn,” commented Schatz. “But he is looking to protect our children, for which we are very grateful.”
The National Coalition will continue to stay abreast of this issue and update you as information is released. Be sure to watch for upcoming email alerts on ways you can encourage the FCC and make your voice heard in this critical issue for children and families!
We'll keep an eye on this as well. No doubt there will be an intense 1st Amendment debate. If you would like to stay informed on this issue I encourage you to sign up for free email alerts from the National Coalition.
I just received this from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families and thought I would share it.
From an article by Luke Gilkerson of Covenant Eyes, an Internet filtering and accountability product for families and organizations:
So how can you, as a parent, know if your child is developing an Internet addiction?
Have you noticed an increased amount of time on the computer? Does your child seem to crave more and more time online?
Is there an air of privacy around Internet use? Maybe you've walked in on your teen with the computer screen turned away from the door. When you come close to the computer, do you notice your teen quickly shifting what is visible on the screen? Do they shut off the computer or screen altogether? Do you often find the door to the computer room locked?
Are they defensive and protective about their time online? Maybe you've confronted them about the amount of time they spend online and have been met with anger or frustration.
Are they neglecting time with family, chores, or school work?
Have you noticed personality changes? Do they seem irritable until they get online? Do they seem to have a sense of "well-being" while on the computer? Do they seem restless, moody, or depressed if their Internet use is cut short? Internet addictions have a way of engulfing someone emotionally.
Is there a change in sleep patterns? Have you ever caught your teen on the computer late at night or early in the morning? Often the largest bulk of free time to use the Internet is at night.
Have you noticed physical symptoms such as dry eyes, migraine headaches, backaches, eating irregularities (skipping meals), neglecting personal hygiene, etc.? These can be signs of too much time spent at the computer.
Where do you start if you think your child has a problem? While these are all possible indicators of an Internet addiction, in the end the best way to know if your child has developed an addiction is to engage in open and honest communication with your teen. As one expert writes, "A warm and communicative parent-child relationship is the most important nontechnical means that parents can use to deal with the challenges of the sexualized media environment" (Patricia M. Greenfield, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology).
Be practical about avoiding Internet addiction. Keep the lines of communication open about the expectation of Internet use. Set guidelines early and stick to them. Put the computer in a more central and open location so you can more easily monitor how it is used. Teach responsible online behavior: show your children the great benefits of the Internet while showing them how to balance their time—online and off-line.
Lisa from the Parents for Ethical Marketing has a thoughtful post on a recent speech delivered by FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. Here is an excerpt from his speech:
In case you don’t know it already, many parents are feeling inundated by an array of media that are flooding their children’s minds with inappropriate material. Too many parents feel like they are losing control, and they’re frustrated by a seemingly relentless march of coarse material that is too violent, too sexual, too commercial or too unhealthy for their children. Messages or images their children are not ready to hear pop up in too many places for parents to easily control, from insensitively timed commercials during otherwise family-friendly programming to Internet ads and spam coming over the computer.
There is growing concern about unhealthful messages and images as well. . . . Many studies show the damaging effects of advertising on children’s food choices. Some of your companies have taken important steps, but there is far more to be done.
For parents, it’s like a game of whack-a-mole, with an increasing number of moles jumping up faster and faster. Too many parents suffer from a sense of exhaustion or futility. I suspect many of you share these concerns on a personal level, but many of you also work for powerful media companies that are helping this mole population to proliferate. . . .
I believe I speak for millions of parents when I say we’re overwhelmed, fed up and looking for help from the government and the industry alike.
Parents for Ethical Marketing plans to contact Commissioner Adelstein's office to find out how PEM members can participate in the FCC's rule-making process.
Please visit PEM and sign up for their action alerts and news bulletins. This is a great way for you to get involved and influence children's programming and advertising.
Narrated by Peter Coyote:
The idea of Dads & Daughters is simple and profound. Our work promotes the power and potential of father-daughter relationships.
Strong, positive relationships between daughters and their fathers and stepfathers helps girls increase their self esteem, gives them greater opportunities for self-fulfillment, delays the onset of puberty, and provides many other benefits—including improving the father's health.
Strong father-daughter bonds also motivate dads and daughters to speak up and act up to make the world safe and fair for every daughter.
Created by men with daughters, Dads & Daughters improves the lives of fathers, daughters, and their families with outstanding resources supporting fathers' and stepfathers' positive involvement in girls' lives and advocacy for girls' well-being.
Visit Dads and Daughters.
One of our readers kindly sent a link to this video showing the Major League "draft" of former Negro League players:
Thanks to Kat for sending this to us!
Take a look at Kat's site Growing Bolder for more videos of "great people with awseome attitudes".
Recent Comments