Israel begins giving COVID shots to children age 5 to 11

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Tuesday began administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

The country recently emerged from a fourth COVID wave and daily infections have been relatively low for the last few weeks. But Health Ministry statistics show that a large share of the new infections have been in children and teenagers.

Children age 5 to 11 make up nearly half of active cases. Officials hope the new inoculation campaign will help bring down the numbers and perhaps stave off a new wave.

Israeli media reported low demand for the shots on the first day they were available to this age group. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accompanied his son David, 9, on Tuesday to get his jab in a bid to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

Bennett held his son’s hand as he received the shot. David Bennett said he was a little scared but the shot didn’t hurt. The prime minister urged all eligible children to get vaccinated: “It protects our children and also parents,” he said.

Israel, which has a population of more than 9 million, has had more than 1.3 million infections since the start of the pandemic and more than 8,100 deaths.

-Associated Press

Israel requires COVID tests for children aged 3 and up

Israel is to require Covid tests from next week for children as young as three to enter schools, swimming pools, hotels or gyms as infections surge despite extensive adult vaccinations.

Israel already required children aged 12 and over to show a Green Pass re-introduced late last month showing a person's vaccination and testing status and whether they had recovered from Covid.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said from next Wednesday the state would fund unlimited tests for children aged three to 11.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said it had opened 120 rapid antigen testing centers nationwide.

Screening at these stations costs 52 shekels (around 17 euros) and allows those tested to obtain a Green Pass valid for 24 hours.

On Thursday, Bennett announced that Israel was also considering lowering the age limit for its campaign of booster vaccinations, currently offered only to those aged 60 and over.

"I estimate that this evening we will receive approval from the team on dealing with pandemics to vaccinate a lower age bracket with the booster, the third inoculation," the 49-year-old said. 

"Therefore, you must prepare to expand the range of ages for the third inoculation next week."

The booster vaccinations offered by Israel and some other countries have drawn criticism from the World Health Organization, which has said the global priority should be providing the standard inoculation to all. 

Israel has also announced mandatory quarantine for travelers, vaccinated or not, arriving from most countries of the world beginning Monday.

A country of nine million inhabitants, Israel was one of the first to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign in December, thanks to an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. 

The deal gave Israel quick access to millions of shots in exchange for medical data on the vaccine's effects. 

The campaign saw infection rates plummet, which allowed Israel to resume an almost normal routine, with schools, bars and concert venues open.

However, the more contagious Delta variant of the virus has driven a rise in cases to levels not seen since February.

The health ministry said Thursday it had recorded 5,946 new cases the previous day. 

In total, it has counted 921,083 cases and 6,593 deaths since the pandemic started early last year.

Agence France-Presse

YouTube 'creators' fret over impact of new child protection rules

SAN FRANCISCO, United States— Samuel Rader quit his job three years ago to work full time on his YouTube channel, "Sam and Nia," featuring videos of his family life.

The channel created by the Texas-based couple -- with videos of their Hawaii vacation, setting up their backyard pool and other content about "Christian family life" -- has become one of the stars of the Google-owned video service with some 2.5 million subscribers.

But the future is now uncertain for "Sam and Nia" and other YouTube "creators" as a result of a settlement with US regulators that will make it harder to get ad revenues from videos and channels directed at children.


"I went into a minor panic attack when I heard," said Rader, whose channel has taken in a reported $2 million from ads placed along the videos.

"I thought we would have to find a new source of revenues."

YouTube earlier this month agreed to pay a fine of $170 million and change how it handles collected data from children under a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission.

YouTube will treat data from anyone watching children's content on YouTube as coming from a child. It will also stop serving personalized ads on this content entirely, and bar features such as comments and notifications.

The new rules, set to go into effect in four months, have stoked fears in the YouTube community of creators and "vloggers" like the Raders, who live off the advertising revenue.

Shock, grief, fear 

"There's a lot of shock, grief and fear. For many creators, this is their only source of income," said Melissa Hunter of the Family Video Network, a consultancy which also operates a group of channels on YouTube.

"They are people making content in their houses, not huge companies; they're small homemade businesses."

Many questions remain as to how YouTube will define children's content -- intended for kids up to age 12 -- which will be subject to the new rules.

Rader said he has been advised that "we are a low-risk channel because our content is not targeting children."

YouTube is believed to have millions of content creators on its network, who share in the service's ad revenues, estimated to be more than $10 billion annually, though it is unclear how much of YouTube's content is directed at children.

In announcing the new policy, YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki acknowledged that "these changes will have a significant business impact on family and kids creators who have been building both wonderful content and thriving businesses, so we've worked to give impacted creators four months to adjust before changes take effect."

Wojcicki added that YouTube is "committed to working with them through this transition, and providing resources to help them better understand these changes," and would also establish a $100 million fund "dedicated to the creation of thoughtful, original children's content."

Critics of the internet giant said YouTube marketed itself as a destination for children and benefitted by selling advertising to toymakers and others.

FTC chairman Joe Simons said the settlement "prevents YouTube and Google from turning a blind eye to the existence of kids-directed content" on its platform.

Hunter said the creators of family content may collect anywhere from $30 to $100,000 per month, but that "those families are going to make almost nothing on January 1" when the new rules come into effect.

Ending targeting? 

YouTube and creators may still be able to generate revenue from video ads as long as they are not targeted based on data collected from children, although these are far less lucrative.

"Advertisers do spend more for trackable, measurable placements," said Nicole Perrin, an analyst at the research firm eMarketer.

"I'm not sure there is a way to comply with this for kids without limiting some of the revenues on that side."

Shaun McKnight, whose Dallas-based M-Star Media has created several popular YouTube channels which have attracted millions of subscribers, said he and his wife anticipated changes were coming.

"My wife and I thought it was too risky so we pulled back," he said.

source: philstar.com

Some US migrant children shelters accused of violations: report

CHICAGO, United States — More than a dozen shelters where the US government sent migrant children have a history of allegations of misconduct and violations of care standards, according to a report published Wednesday.

The joint investigation by the Texas Tribune news website and The Center for Investigative Reporting came on the same day that US President Donald Trump reversed a tough policy and ordered an end to separation of migrant children from their parents on the US border.

His backtracking followed domestic and international outrage at the policy.

The new report cited government and other reports for accusations of physical and sexual abuse, and violations of standards for children's safety and care.


The alleged breaches occurred at privately-run shelters where migrant children receive long-term housing.

Texas state inspectors cited violations including a lack of medical attention to injuries and illness, and mistakes in administering medication, the report says.

More than 70 private entities—mostly religious and nonprofit groups—are contracted with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to take care of migrant children, according to the report.

These are children who arrived in the US without parents, or who were separated from parents by immigration authorities.

Since 2014, 13 shelter operators have faced serious complaints, according to the Tribune report, but only two have lost their contracts with ORR.

The accusations of violations and misconduct dated as far back as two decades—before the ORR contracted with the shelters—and as recently as last month.

Among the offender companies identified was Southwest Key Programs of Texas. 
It operates the converted Walmart supermarket, called Casa Padre, which has been featured by much of the US media in the last few days as holding about 1,500 immigrant children under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.

The report says Texas inspectors found 246 violations at the company's other facilities, including shampoo dispensers filled with hand sanitizer.

In a statement, the company said deficiencies were found in less than one percent of the standards for which it is evaluated.

"We take each of the deficiencies seriously by self-reporting to invite external investigations, as well as performing our own internal investigations," the company said.

"When called for, staff have been terminated or retrained as we continue to strive for excellence in the services we provide to the children entrusted to our care."

Another Texas-based company, International Educational Services, was one of the two shelter operators whose ORR contracts were not renewed.

It had been cited with more than 100 deficiencies at nine facilities, including "inappropriate sexual contact between staff and children, harsh punishment and lapses in medical care," the report said.

The ORR did not respond to a request for comment.

source: philstar.com

US boy, 8, beats crying baby to death, is charged with murder

MIAMI -- An eight-year-old boy beat a baby girl to death to stop her crying while her mother was out partying at a nightclub, US police said Wednesday, charging him with murder.

The boy was one of several children left alone for hours in a Birmingham, Alabama home last month, in what experts said was a rare case of a child so young being prosecuted.

"Since becoming a police officer over 22 years ago, this is by far one of the saddest cases I have witnessed in my career," Birmingham police spokesman Lieutenant Sean Edwards told AFP.

The incident happened at the home of a friend of the baby's mother, whom police have identified as 26-year-old Katerra Lewis.

She has been charged with manslaughter over what Edwards called "reckless" actions.

Police said Lewis left her one-year-old, Kelci, together with several children aged two to eight, while she and her friend went out clubbing.

The children -- six in total, according to local media -- were left unsupervised while Lewis and the friend were gone from roughly 11:00 pm until 2:00 am.

"It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the eight-year-old viciously attacked the one-year-old because the one-year-old would not stop crying," police said in a statement.

"The one-year-old suffered from severe head trauma as well as major internal organ damage which ultimately led to her death."

The mother told police on the morning of October 11, a Sunday, that she found the baby unresponsive in her crib.

The girl was treated at the scene by first responders and was later pronounced dead at a children's hospital.

"This type of behavior, this type of irresponsibility on behalf of a parent is totally unacceptable," Edwards said of Lewis.

"No education, no school, no degree, no training can really prepare you for an eight-year-old committing a heinous crime like this."

The mother was released on $15,000 bail. The Department of Human Resources said it had no prior complaints concerning Lewis or her daughter.

The DHR is holding the boy and won't release his name.

'Very, very unusual'
The age at which minors can be held criminally accountable varies from state to state in the US, but Alabama has no set minimum age for prosecution in juvenile court.

"It is very, very unusual for somebody as young as eight to be prosecuted," Tobie Smith, a lawyer who specializes in the defense of minors in Alabama, told AFP.

The boy will be tried in juvenile court and risks being sentenced to juvenile prison until up to age 21 if found guilty, Smith said.

However, prosecutors must demonstrate that the boy is competent to stand trial and participate in his own defense, Smith said.

"That requires a level of intellectual development and coordinative functioning that is less and less common the younger you go."

Prosecutors could also technically file for the boy to be tried as an adult under Alabama law, although it is extremely unlikely that they would do so.

"I would be stunned and shocked and appalled if they did and I also cannot imagine that the judge would transfer him to an adult court if they asked," said Smith.

Last month, an 11-year-old boy from Tennessee was charged with first degree murder after he shot and killed his eight-year-old neighbor following an argument over a puppy.

source: interaksyon.com

Google considering YouTube, Gmail accounts for kids: reports

Google Inc is considering allowing online accounts for children under the age of 13 and give their parents control over how the service is used, according to media reports.

Google has been working on a version of YouTube, its video-sharing site, for youngsters and is considering other child-friendly accounts such as its Gmail system, the Financial Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Internet companies such as Google and Facebook Inc do not offer their services to children under 13, but it is tough to catch users who sign up by providing false information.

A U.S. law called Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, imposes strict controls on the collection and use of information about children under 13.

Google’s effort is partly driven by the fact that some parents are already trying to create accounts for their children and the company wants to make the process easier and compliant with the rules, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the effort.

Google’s move was first reported by technology news website The Information.

Google spokesman Peter Barron declined to comment on what he called “rumors and speculation”.

source: interaksyon.com

At frontline in fight vs Ebola, a doctor finds grief and inspiration

LONDON -- After a month on the frontline battling Ebola in a hospital in Sierra Leone, the memories that both haunt and inspire British doctor Tim O'Dempsey are of the children.

Many memories of children dying in isolation wards while their parents wailed outside. And one of a small girl who fought her way out of a coma and was reunited with her father.

"Seeing a mother come in with a little baby, and within a few days the baby die -- it's very difficult," he told Reuters. "What you do is just get on with it. There are lots and lots of patients that need to be attended to. Occasionally, entire families would be admitted. You can't stop."

O'Dempsey, a doctor with three decades' experience studying and fighting tropical diseases, was seconded to Sierra Leone by the World Health Organization to help battle the biggest outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever in history.

He ended up as part of a team of between two and four doctors, plus a handful of nurses, caring for 40-60 patients a day with one of the most lethal known diseases.

Kenema hospital's three Ebola wards -- one for suspected cases, the other two for confirmed infections -- had barely 10 or 12 beds each, so patients lay on mattresses on the floors and in the corridors.

Many of the staff themselves became ill, and many died, including the head nurse on the Ebola wards, Mballu Fonnie, and the doctor in charge of the unit, Sheik Umar Khan -- declared a national hero by the government when he passed away last month at 39 after treating more than 100 Ebola sufferers.

Amid the misery, it was the small triumphs that made the work worth doing, like that of a girl aged around six or seven.

‘Stormy course’

"Her father had brought her in, but because he wasn't a suspect case he had to leave, so she was on her own," O'Dempsey said. The girl was soon confirmed with Ebola and moved to the isolation wards.

There, she had "a pretty stormy course" with high fever, vomiting and diarrhea. She slipped into a coma and was close to death.

"But we managed her as best we could, and she came out of her coma, and very, very slowly we were able to encourage her to drink, and then begin feeding her," he said.

"Just before I left -- four weeks later -- I arranged for her to go into a side room so her father could see her and look after her again. I hear that she is getting stronger every day."

Such stories, he said, are important because they encourage people to come forward and seek the medical attention that can save lives and prevent the disease from spreading. They are also a blessing for staff who risk their own lives to provide succor.

"It's quite fantastic to see people convalescent and waiting to be discharged -- walking around the place, joking, singing and looking remarkably well."

WHO Director General Margaret Chan said last week that one of the most important factors in being able to bring the outbreak under control was to ensure healthcare workers were cared for and respected.

"Governments affected need to send a very strong signal that the local healthcare workers' contribution is appreciated, they are properly paid, and security is provided to make sure they can work quietly and do what they are best at," Chan said.

Infected health workers

O'Dempsey saw the struggle faced by local doctors and nurses at first hand.

"When I arrived the nurses had been on strike since the previous day. There were no nurses inside the wards at all, so conditions were really pretty grim," said O'Dempsey. "There was a high infection rate among healthcare workers and nursing staff. It was very difficult for people to see their colleagues becoming ill and in some cases dying."

The death toll in this Ebola epidemic -- the largest and most deadly ever seen -- reached 961 on Aug. 8 from a total of 1,779 cases, according to WHO data. In the four countries hit so far, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, the virus has infected some 140 or 150 healthcare workers, killing around 80 of them, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said last week.

Many epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists -- including O'Dempsey, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine -- fear it could get far worse.

"It's unlikely we've seen the peak," he said. A lot more needs to be done to improve and expand treatment facilities to ensure all patients who need to be contained and isolated can be, and to make sure fear and stigma were not made worse, he added.

Nurses and other health workers were not only exhausted and fearful for their lives, he said, but are also shunned by family, friends, landlords and other members of the community, some of whose traditional beliefs lead them to see Ebola infection as a punishment for doing something wrong.

"We need enough nurses who are properly trained and we need clinicians able to offer support and expertise," he said. "You can't have nurses working 12, 14 hours a day, seven days a week for months without a break."

source: interaksyon.com

White House weighs in on Jimmy Kimmel China controversy

WASHINGTON | The White House has weighed in on a petition calling for the government to crack down on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” a television talk show that sparked a furor in China in October with a child’s joke about killing Chinese people to avoid paying down U.S. debt to the country.

More than 105,000 people signed on to a White House petition calling for an apology after the show, broadcast on ABC, included a segment where Kimmel asked a group of children how the United States should pay back the $1.3 trillion it owes to China, the world’s second-largest economy.

A 6-year-old said, “Kill everyone in China.” Kimmel replied: “That’s an interesting idea.”

Afterwards, Chinese-American groups protested outside the California headquarters of ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Co, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry complained. ABC and Kimmel apologized for the segment.

The White House, which accepts petitions and responds to the most popular ones, noted that ABC and Kimmel have “already apologized independently” and said that the comments “do not reflect mainstream views of China in the United States.”

“As the president has stated publicly, the United States welcomes the continuing peaceful rise of China,” the White House said in its official response to the petition. (Link to petition: r.reuters.com/waw85v)

However, the White House also noted that the U.S. Constitution protects free speech and that the federal government cannot force ABC to “cut the show” as the petition had requested.

“It may be upsetting when people say things we might personally disagree with, but the principle of protected free speech is an important part of who we are as a nation,” the White House said.

source: interaksyon.com

Hi5 remains popular with young fans as two new members join ‘House Party’ concert

In their third go-round in the Philippines, Hi5, the popular entertainment group for children, now includes new faces in the mix.

Gone are Tim Maddren and Casey Burgess who last performed with the group in Cebu City only last January. Taking their place are Ainsley Melham and Mary Lascaris, who are currently in town along with mainstays Lauren Brant, Steve Nicholson and Dayen Zheng for a weekend show at the Samsung Hall of the SM Aura Premier mall in Taguig City.

Still popular with young audiences, Hi5 continues to attract large crowds at their concert which started last Friday and will conclude this Sunday with three performances scheduled for 1PM, 4PM and 7PM.

During the recent press conference to promote their concert, the group said that unlike last year’s show which was “a Hi-Seas adventure to Hi-5 Island”, this year’s presentation called “Hi5 House Party” has more of a concert feel and is billed as “a dance party extravaganza” that also serves as a greatest hits revue of some of the well-loved songs they’ve performed on their TV show over the years.

These include all-time favorites such as “Ready or Not”, “Move Your Body”, “Making Music”, “Robot Number One” and “L.O.V.E.”. New songs like “Dance with the Dinosaurs” and “Come On In” will be performed by the group live for the very first time.

“Also, what’s special about this tour is that it’s also the first time we are performing with this new line-up,” Steve noted.

Indeed, Hi5’s new show is an opportunity for the group’s young Filipino fans to get to know Ainsley and Mary, the two newest members of the gang. Both debuted with the group last January during a performance in Melbourne, Australia.

Ainsley, 22, had just graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts when he passed the group’s auditions for new members. He said entertaining children from many parts of the world is already a rewarding job to begin with.

“But what I find really amazing is when we always get reactions like ‘Are you real?’ “Huh? What’s going on?’ or ‘How did you get out of the TV?’ whenever we perform live,” he enthused. “It’s definitely one of my favorite things about being in Hi5,” he shared.

Although she was born in Australia and is based in Melbourne, Mary’s parents are actually Greek. She got her training from Centre Stage in Melbourne where she finished her course in Inaugural Musical Theatre and was a performer in Universal Studios Japan where she dresses up as different characters, including Princess Fiona from “Shrek”.

“Meeting so many new friends, so many new people as we travel to different places, it’s just so surreal. I still don’t believe I’m doing this,” she exclaimed.

Being their first time in the Philippines, both Ainsley and Mary were looking forward to eating Filipino food such as adobo and balut as well as get a better feel of Pinoy culture and hospitality, something that second time visitor Dayen is already familiar with.

“I love Filipino culture. The people here are so friendly,” she declared.

Dayen, a native of South Korea who replaced half-Filipina member Fely Irvine who left the group to pursue acting, said that as a member of Hi5, she enjoys teaching children all around the world through song, dance and interaction which she describes as “the best and more fun way to learn”.

She added that another rewarding aspect of being with Hi5 is that they get to be ambassadors of World Vision and Starlight Foundation that allows them to cheer up their young fans in hospitals.

Ainsley said all five of them were concerned when news of typhoon Yolanda hit Australia.

“Our immediate reaction was, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’. Since these guys have worked with World Vision, we thought that is something we want to explore and give back to those kids affected by the typhoon and maybe help bring back the smile on their faces.”

“Hi5 House Party” is presented by Hi5 and Wilbros Live, in cooperation with SM Aura Premier, Magnolia Chocolait, and Disney Junior. For ticket information, visit www.smtickets.com.

Asked what makes this show different from their last performance in Manila, Lauren said that aside from its Christmas theme, Hi-5 will embark on a Hi-Seas adventure in what the group calls as “the most fun-filled place in the world: Hi-5 Island.”

source: interaksyon.com

Kids diagnosed with ADHD needlessly taking powerful drugs - researchers

PARIS - Doctors sounded a warning Tuesday over a rise in ADHD diagnoses, saying some children may be needlessly taking powerful drugs intended to correct a poorly understood disorder.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the researchers noted treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had risen massively in recent years, even though its causes are unclear and drugs can have adverse effects.

ADHD is a disorder blamed for severe and frequent bouts of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity. Children and young adolescents are those who are most diagnosed with it.

But some experts fear the term ADHD may "medicalise" problems related to a child's personality or maturity level, the effects of poor parenting or other home problems.

In Australia, prescriptions for the stimulant Ritalin and other ADHD drugs rose by 72 percent between 2000 and 2011, while in Britain and the Netherlands prescriptions roughly doubled between 2003 and 2008, said the paper.

According to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly one in 11 American children aged 13-18 and one in 25 adults are affected by ADHD.

The analysis noted that Ritalin and other drugs were meant to be used only for "severe" ADHD symptoms, which according to research data only occur among about 14 percent of children with the condition.

Yet "about 87 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD in the US in 2010 subsequently received medication," it said, warning of "unnecessary and possibly harmful medication treatment."

The study said the main ADHD drugs could have side effects like weight change, liver damage, and dwelling on suicide. And the drugs' long-term impact, as a child moves into adulthood, remained unknown.

The study, led by Rae Thomas at the Center for Research in Evidence-Based Practice at Australia's Bond University, did not dispute the existence of ADHD as a medical condition.

It noted that children who genuinely had a severe form of it ran the risk of failure at school and of social rejection.

But it called on doctors to follow a six-step program of "watchful waiting" over 10 weeks to confirm that a child really did need help.

A separate study using lab rats suggested high, abusive doses of the chief ingredient in Ritalin stimulates a brain chemical mechanism implicated in drug addiction.

Rats were given the possibility of self-administering a dose of methylphenidate (MPH) in experiments led by Sara Jones at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Caroline.

Repeated high doses of the substance released a neurochemical brake in the brain, boosting levels of the "pleasure" chemical called dopamine.

The results are important in the context of reports of widening use of MPH for a non-medical high, especially among US college students, said the paper in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.

"We think it (the reported abuse) is more dangerous than generally believed," Jones told AFP in a phone interview.

In rats, Ritalin caused the brain to become more sensitised to dopamine signals, which meant they did not need ever higher doses -- the opposite observed in cocaine trials.

This characteristic could make Ritalin a "gateway" drug, added to the fact that traces of it stayed in the body for a long time -- giving an added boost to a user simultaneously taking cocaine, amphetamines or other narcotics.

Jones said the rats gave themselves doses "probably between five and 10 times" the amount prescribed for children with ADHD.

"There were no effects (on the rats) from oral doses that you would typically prescribe to a child," she added. "That was comforting."

source: interaksyon.com

WANT TO SAVE LIVES? Promote handwashing with soap to cut 1,400 child deaths daily - UN

NEW YORK -- Millions of children Tuesday took part in the sixth annual United Nations-backed Global Handwashing Day, driving home the message that the simple use of soap and water could slash highly preventable diarrheal diseases that kill 1,400 children under five every day.

“Washing hands before eating and after defecation drastically reduces the spread of diarrheal disease and has far reaching effects on the health and welfare of children and communities,” the global head of the UN's Children’s Fund (Unicef) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) programs, Sanjay Wijesekera, said in a message marking the Day, whose theme this year is "The Power Is in our Hands."

“The simple act of handwashing with soap is one of the most effective ways to save children’s lives.”

In Ethiopia, some five million children participated in handwashing demonstrations and workshops around the country.

In Yemen, Global Handwashing Day celebrations took place in 3,300 schools, involving 1.4 million children. There is also a mass media campaign aimed at sensitizing the public around handwashing.

At least 1,000 schools in Vietnam, 450 in Sierra Leone, 424 in Mali, 200 in 50 communities in Gambia, as well as 12 cities in Indonesia and 22 educational institutions in several municipalities in Bolivia held Global Hand Washing Day activities.

600,000 children die of diarrheal diseases every year

According to Unicef, diarrhea remains the second largest cause of under-five mortality globally. Some 600,000 children die each year from diarrheal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation, and basic hygiene out of a total of over 1.7 billion cases.

These diseases are also associated with a higher risk of stunting, as shown by low weight for age and developmental delay, and they take a huge toll on society. One of the simplest and most inexpensive barriers to infection is handwashing with soap.

“The evidence is clear. Each individual - every mother, every child, every teacher, every member of every community - can contribute to the health of all by just washing their hands,” Wijesekera said.

“If you knew of something monumental that could benefit the world, you would do it. Everyone has this power - simply wet, lather, and rinse with soap and water.

source: interaksyon.com

Non-regular bedtimes tied to kids' behavior problems

NEW YORK - Kids without a regular bedtime tend to have more behavior problems at home and at school, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that when children started going to sleep at a more consistent time, their behavior improved as well.

"If you are constantly changing the amounts of sleep you get or the different times you go to bed, it's likely to mess up your body clock," said Yvonne Kelly, who led the study.

"That has all sorts of impacts on how your body is able to work the following day," Kelly, from University College London, told Reuters Health.

She and her colleagues analyzed data on more than 10,000 children. They were part of a long-term study of babies born in the UK in 2000 to 2002 that regularly surveyed parents about sleep and behavioral problems.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or an autism spectrum disorder were not included in the study.

When kids were three years old, close to 20 percent of parents said their child sometimes or never went to bed at a consistent time. That fell to 9 percent among five-year-olds and 8 percent for seven-year-olds.

Children without a regular bedtime tended to score worse on a measure of behavior problems such as acting unhappy, getting into fights and being inconsiderate. The assessment is scored from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating more problems.

When children were seven years old, for example, those without a regular bedtime scored an 8.5, on average, based on their mothers' reports. That compared to scores between 6.3 and 6.9 for kids who had a consistent bedtime before 9 p.m.

The researchers said one to two points represents a small or moderate difference, but is "meaningful."

Teachers of seven-year-olds were asked to report on their behavior as well. They also gave worse scores to children who didn't have a regular bedtime.

Kids whose parents said they had non-regular bedtimes on every survey growing up had the most behavioral issues, Kelly's team reported in Pediatrics.

But when children went from having a non-regular bedtime to a regular bedtime on the following survey, their behavior scores improved.

That is encouraging, Kelly said, because it shows parents can make changes to affect their child's behavior.

Although the researchers accounted for other parent characteristics and family habits, it's still possible kids' behavior problems weren't directly caused by irregular bedtimes.

"It's very difficult to know whether or not from a study like this, is it literally the not having a regular bedtime schedule that was contributing to the difficulties or is it representative of a bigger picture?" said Jodi Mindell.

A pediatric sleep specialist from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, she was not involved in the new research.

Still, Mindell said, getting kids to bed early and at a consistent time is "really important."

Kelly recommended families avoid television and other screens before bed and get into a routine that includes a bedtime story and other calm activities.

"All of these things which are kind of just basic common sense are going to help," she said.

Having a bedtime routine that is quality family time also makes it something children will look forward to, Mindell told Reuters Health.

"I think that parents need to make sleep a priority, and they need to realize that it has huge ramifications not only that evening, but the next day, the next week, the next year," she said.

However, parents don't have to drive themselves crazy, Kelly said. "The odd late night is not going to cause harm either," she said.

source: interaksyon.com

Peru confirms bishop defrocked for alleged pedophilia

LIMA - A Peruvian bishop has been defrocked over allegations of pedophilia in line with an order from Rome, the Peruvian Bishops Conference said Thursday.

This is the first time a bishop has been accused of abusing children in Peru.

The alleged offender is Gabino Miranda, until now the auxiliary bishop of Ayacucho in southeastern Peru. His whereabouts are unknown.

His punishment -- being reduced to a layman -- was first reported September 15 by another Peruvian bishop. Now it has been confirmed by the full blown bishops conference. It is the harshest punishment the Vatican can impose on a clergyman.

Pope Francis notified Peru in July via the Vatican's embassy here that Miranda must be dismissed and stripped of his status as a clergyman, said Salvador Pineiro, president of the bishops conference.

Pineiro said he supported a government investigation under way into Miranda's alleged pedophilia.

Pineiro is archbishop of Ayacucho and thus had worked with the alleged pedophile.

"In the two years I have been archbishop of Ayacucho, I have never received a complaint against him," Pineiro said in a statement.

After news of the case first broke, Ayacucho prosecutor Gary Nunez began proceedings to have Peru's foreign ministry ask the papal nuncio -- the pope's ambassador -- for information so as to launch a probe of Miranda.

source: interaksyon.com

MTRCB summons producers of ‘Eat Bulaga’, ‘Ryzza Mae Show’ for ‘violating child star’s dignity’

This has been an unpleasant week for TAPE, Inc., the producers of the daily noontime show “Eat Bulaga” and its 30-minute pre-program “The Ryzza Mae Show”.

Right on the heels of the sex video scandal involving two of its talents, comedian Wally Bayola and dancer Yosh Rivera, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board on Wednesday summoned the people behind the two shows to a mandatory conference on Friday “for scenes allegedly insensitive and unfriendly to children”.

The MTRCB took exception to a recent episode of each show for “palpably violating the dignity” of child star and host Ryzza Mae Dizon.

One of her adult co-hosts on “Eat Bulaga”, the agency said but did not identify the culprit, spat juice on Ryzza Mae’s face during the show’s July 29 episode.

And a guest on the August 4 episode of “The Ryzza Mae Show”, the MTRCB said and again did not identify the culprit, told her “Landing bata ka!”

“To which the latter replied by pleading that she was just a child, and asking the said guest not to be harsh on her,” the MTRCB added.

“The MTRCB hopes (for) the cooperation of all those concerned in finding out what caused those scenes, who are responsible thereof, and what immediate and concrete measures can be done so they do not happen again. In this connection, the MTRCB reiterates its serious and urgent concern for the welfare of children, who are most vulnerable in media and entertainment,” the agency concluded in a statement.

source: interaksyon.com

My Kid's Drowning in Credit Card Debt! What Do I Do?

If you trusted your son or daughter to keep track of their finances, and they slipped up, what in the world are you supposed to do?

Let's say they've racked up a big, nasty credit card debt -- to the tune of thousands of dollars. Should you pay off their debts to help keep their credit score above water? Or is it better to let them learn from their mistakes and suffer the consequences? Though each individual situation is different, here are your options, what's at stake, and a few pointers to help you plot your course of action.  



A Personal Loan, With a Contract

If you have the means, think about whether or not you want to loan your daughter the money. Sometimes her debt is manageable enough that you can pay it off in the form of a personal loan to your daughter. You can charge her interest as well, so she learns just how much a high APR can cost her.

But you have to examine the situation from a lender's perspective, rather than simply write a check and expect she'll make payments. What is her employment situation? Will she be able to make payments to you without the security blanket of your relationship making her complacent? Has she typically been a responsible spender in the past, or does she impulsively purchase on a grand scale regularly? If you do decide to help protect her credit history, it's a smart idea to sign a contract with your daughter to make your agreement more official and binding.

If You Co-Signed, You're on the Hook

If you co-signed on your son's account, you're responsible for his credit card debt. Because of regulations passed in the CARD Act of 2009, it's more difficult for young adults to qualify for credit cards, so more and more parents are co-signing on accounts and acting as guarantors for their children. If you've already taken that step, you should hopefully have realized that your son's purchases will affect your credit, regardless of your involvement.



 In this case, it may be more prudent to pay off the debt if you can, cancel his account, and work together to come up with a payment plan to rectify the situation and make sure it never happens again. If you haven't co-signed yet, sit down for a serious conversation with your son on your values and financial responsibility.

Lessons to Be Learned?

Bad credit now will impact her financial future later, but so will bad habits. If your daughter doesn't learn from her mistakes now, there could be bigger and more damaging mistakes ahead. Will bailing your daughter out of her financial mess with creditors make her realize the gravity of her mistake? Or will you just end up fostering her sense of dependence on you? You won't always be there, wallet in hand to save her, so if she can manage to take the credit hit, perhaps it's best to let her learn her lesson this time, and give her some tough love.

Communication Is Key

Loaning money to someone you love is always, always messy. While your son should intellectually know that your love is unconditional (which is why your help comes so willingly), for him, it's emotionally very difficult to face your parents when you owe them money. Plenty of relationships have been ruined by debts of personal loans, both from neglected payments and feelings of shame. Be sure that if you choose to help your son, you commit to maintaining an open dialogue and doing your best to keep business and family separate.

Ultimately, each family and financial situation is different. But before you make a plan to tackle your son or daughter's debt, you need to examine the situation from all angles. There are many factors in play, but above all, your relationship and your child's sense of responsibility from this learning experience should be at the forefront of your mind.

source: dailyfinance.com

Good penmanship begins with the right tools

MANILA, Philippines - Selecting pencils that a beginner can easily grip and work with is more important than most parents think, according to Cristina Caraig, marketing manger of Amalgamated Specialties Corporation (Amspec), exclusive makers of T-Pencil and Crayola in the Philippines.

For many beginners, the T-Pencil with large-sized hexagonal barrels are ideal. Others find the Jumbo model with round barrel in black — the standard pencil for kinder students in the ’50s up to the ’60s — easier to work with. Still other pupils are more comfortable with the T-Pencil with triangular barrel. The same model works well for left-handed youngsters.

Each child has his own preference, point out studies by Amspec, which has been making pencils for 50 years. It used to manufacture other pencil brands until it decided to develop its own label.  “The key is to help a child experiment — beginning perhaps with the hexagonal models with larger barrels,” says Caraig.

She notes that the best time to prepare a child to write is as young as 18 months or old enough to grip a crayon. The best precursor to a good pencil is a good crayon — one that is easy for little hands to grasp and at the same time will not easily snap. More important, a crayon should be non-toxic to avoid harming youngsters who tend to put things in their mouth.

Crayola’s My First Crayons were designed especially for toddlers and meet all of the above requirements. They are also deliberately not labeled so that kids don’t have to struggle peeling them off after long hours of scribbling. Like all Crayola products, they meet the European Union’s consumer safety, health and environmental requirements. They are also registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration and have been deemed safe by the USA Arts and Crafts Materials Institute.

“Drawing and writing are complex tasks for growing children to master,” says Caraig. Both activities require grasping an implement, holding the paper so it stays in place, and applying just the required pressure. A crayon that glides easily on paper facilitates mastery of this skill. In lieu of a crayon, markers made intentionally for pudgy hands like Crayola’s stubby Pip-Squeaks help a child hone the skill. With the right coaching, scribbling metamorphoses to writing with a pencil.



Crayons and pencils that are easy for a toddler to use also build his confidence. “A two-or-three-year-old, says Caraig, “automatically attributes the efficiency of his writing implements to his own abilities — and vice versa. When a crayon does not register well on paper or when a pencil’s lead snaps easily, he automatically thinks it is because he has done a bad job.”

source: philstar.com

How Much Life Insurance Does a Stay-at-Home Parent Need?

Generally, financial gurus recommend that you get 5-20 times your annual income in life insurance coverage. But what if you have no income because you’re a full-time stay-at-home parent? Or what if you contribute a few hundred bucks a year to the family bank account with your side job while you mostly stay home with the kids?

We all know that anything times zero is zero, but that doesn’t mean that a stay-at-home parent should not have life insurance.

In fact, as a stay-at-home parent, you make hugely valuable contributions to your household, contributions that would cost your family a pretty penny should something happen to you.

According to a recent Salary.com survey, the services of a stay-at-home mom in 2012 (sorry, dads, you weren’t part of the survey this time) would cost about $113,000 if you had to outsource those services. The survey looked at the services provided by a typical homemaker, including housekeeper, child care, chauffeur and more. If you had to outsource all those services, you’d pay a lot to do it.

But does that mean that a stay-at-home parent needs more than $1 million in life insurance? Probably not.

The truth is that in single-parent households, not all of these services are outsourced. Yes, if something happened to you, your spouse would have to pay for day care and would probably like to pay for extra services like housekeeping. But plenty of working single parents clean the house, make the lunches, plan the doctor’s appointments, run to school and soccer practice, and work.

The Goal is Something In Between

 

While your stay-at-home parent services are invaluable for your family, you don’t want to wind up with more life insurance than you can afford. So when you’re deciding how much term life insurance coverage to buy for yourself, you’ll have to do some personal calculations and some hard thinking.

Here’s one process for deciding how much life insurance to carry on the stay-at-home parent in your family:

First, talk about what life would look like if that parent died. No one likes to think about this possibility, but to make good life insurance decisions you must.Which services would the surviving spouse need or want to outsource? Look into the cost of full-time child care in your area and include that in your calculations.You may also want to check out things such as housekeeping services.

Remember to look at the ways a stay-at-home parent saves your family money, as well. For instance, many stay-at-home moms are able to shave hundreds off the monthly grocery bill by meal planning, couponing and cooking at home. If something happened to this parent, the family’s food costs could go up quite a bit.

Also look into counseling services. If something happens to your children’s primary caregiver, chances are they’ll need some professional help to cope in a healthy way. How much would some basic grief counseling or therapy cost your family?

Again, it’s not fun to think about these possibilities, but it’s essential to choosing the right amount of life insurance for a stay-at-home parent.

Second, research how much life insurance coverage would cost. Term life insurance rates are typically low. But if you’re a one-income family living on a tight budget, you may not be able to afford much coverage. On the other hand, if rates are very low, you might be able to afford the luxury of more coverage.

The key is to make sure you can pay for it, even if you get into a tight place financially. Not paying your premiums can result in a termination of coverage, which is not a place you want to find yourself.

Finally, choose how much coverage you want. Your best bet is to apply through a broker, so you can get the best deal on the amount of coverage you need. It’s also easy to get life insurance quotes online.

Having the right type of life insurance coverage for both parents in a family can give you peace of mind, knowing that you’re protecting your family, and especially your children, in the worst possible circumstances. If one partner in your family stays at home with the kids, figuring up life insurance can be more complicated, because you can’t just multiply your annual income. But taking the time to figure out how much life insurance the stay-at-home parent needs is an important step in making sure your family is well protected.

source: doughroller.net

6 Ways To Teach Your Kids All About Money

Kids are fast learners, and one of the best lessons that we can teach them is money management. However, money management is often hard for many adults to grasp, so how can we teach our kids about money in a way that is engaging?

First, we can realize that there are opportunities to teach children about money every single day. Whether we take them with us into the bank or let them push some buttons at the ATM, they can learn simply by doing. If you are looking for more ideas, check out the 6 below.

1. Talk About It All The Time

I don’t know why (because I’m not shy about it!) but money is a taboo topic. People don’t like talking about their budgets or their debt or what they paid for their house. While I am a private person and I don’t want my future kids to know my salary, I do think that it’s important to talk about money topics. Kids can learn about investing, interest rates, banks, checking accounts, and credit cards at a very young age. Having all of these topics open for discussion will make them comfortable with money. It will also put them way ahead of the curve when it comes time for them to grow their own nest egg.

2. Teach Them To Give

While it’s important to teach children how to save, it’s equally important to teach them how to give. Whether it’s splitting their allowance with a charity of their choice or having them drop change in a donation bucket, you can teach them how lucky they are and how the money they decide to donate can be used to help others.

3. Teach Them To Earn It

Instead of giving your kids an allowance just for being your kids, why not ask them to complete certain chores around the house? This will teach them that money doesn’t drop out the sky. You actually have to work hard in order to get it.

4. Teach Them To Organize It

When kids are young, many parents decide to have two or three piggy banks. You can have one for spending, one for saving, and if you want, one for giving too. That way, every time your child receives money, they can split it between their piggy banks. When they grow older, they can get their own checking and savings accounts.

5. Set An Example

Kids watch absolutely everything we do. I remember telling my mom to “just write a check for it.” However, I had no idea what writing a check meant at the time! Show your kids how you are paying for things. Explain to them different methods. Tell them that you are buying yourself a new dress because you worked hard, and you have money in your bank account because of it. You’d be surprised what they pick up! Kids are sponges!

6. Let Them Play Games

T.Rowe Price has a fun, interactive game called The Great Piggy Bank Adventures where you can “earn money and buy cool stuff.” Kids also learn about investing and saving up for goals through the game, so it’s a great resource!

source: everythingfinanceblog.com

Singer Shakira, soccer star Gerard Pique welcome baby boy

BARCELONA – Singer Shakira gave birth to her first child, a boy, on Tuesday in Barcelona, the Colombian pop star said on her website.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer and her boyfriend, the Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, named the six-pound, six-ounce boy Milan.

“Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn) means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious, and in Sanskrit, unification,” the star said in a statement posted on her website.

“Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth,” the couple joked in a statement. Pique is a defender for Spanish La Liga runner-up FC Barcelona.

Shakira, 35, announced her pregnancy in September after bowing out of a performance in Las Vegas.

The couple last week asked fans to donate gifts such as mosquito nets and vaccines to help needy children in an online baby shower. Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Shakira has signed on to be a judge on the upcoming season of the hit singing contest “The Voice,” which is broadcast by U.S. network NBC. She and R&B singer Usher will replace judges Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.

The singer fist met Pique, 25, in 2010, but only confirmed that they had been in a relationship in March 2011.

source: interaksyon.com

Epilepsy drug has long-term effect on child IQ - study

PARIS - A drug found to affect the cognitive ability of toddlers born to women who took the medication for epilepsy has a longer-term impact on their IQ, a study said on Wednesday.

Researchers in the United States carried out follow-up tests among the same group of children whose investigation in 2009 led to warning by the US health watchdog about the potential risks of the drug valproate in pregnancy.

The children -- examined at the age of three -- had below-par cognitive skills, which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a warning about its use in pregnancy.

The new research, published in the journal The Lancet Neurology, examined the same children at the age of six.

Children born to mothers who had used valproate in pregnancy had an IQ that was seven to 10 points lower than children whose mothers had used one of three other epilepsy drugs, it found.

The higher the dose of valproate the mother took in pregnancy, the greater the IQ discrepancy. Verbal skills and memory were also affected.

The study, conducted between October 1999 and February 2004, by Kimford Meador at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, covered 305 pregnant women who had been using either valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, or phenytoin.

The first analysis looked at 311 children in the United States and Britain; in the followup at the age of six, it covered 224 of them.

Counteracting measures

However, the study also suggested that IQ may improve with age for infants exposed to any of these drugs.

And by taking folic acid supplements, expectant mothers may improve IQ scores. This is the first time a boost has been shown in a study of pregnant women with epilepsy.

Valproate is, for some people, the only drug that can control their epilepsy, so the findings on dosage and the beneficial effects of folic acid could be useful.

"Valproate usage during pregnancy has a significant negative effect on children's IQ, which lasts beyond their earliest years. IQ at age six is strongly predictive of adult IQ and school performance, so our research suggests that valproate use during pregnancy is likely to have long-term negative effects on a child's IQ and other cognitive abilities," Meador said.

"For many antiepileptic drugs, there is simply no research available on their effects on women and their children during pregnancy, and given that many women do not have the option of stopping medication during pregnancy, more research in this area is urgently needed."

source: interaksyon.com