ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com/media/feedlogo.gif ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Wyoming report cards include 'weight grade' that upsets parents of overweight kidshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wyoming-report-cards-include-weight-grade-that-upsets-parents/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wyoming-report-cards-include-weight-grade-that-upsets-parents/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wyoming-report-cards-include-weight-grade-that-upsets-parents/#commentsFiled under: ,

In addition to their grades for math, English, and social studies, students at schools in Gilette, Wyoming are being graded on how fat or thin they are, and this new grading system has some parents upset. The "weight" grade is actually based on each student's mass body index (BMI), a a simple calculation based on a student's height and weight that, according to the school district, indicates whether a student is too fat for his/her own good.

Some parents don't think it's the school's place to be passing judgment on their children's size, and don't appreciate the "free offer" to join a "Strong Kids Club" for those students who exceed the normal range for BMI, in which students will exercise three times a week.

I understand the school district is trying to do something about a serious problem affecting so many young people today, but I have to say this seems like the wrong way to go about it. I remember truly obese kids in my schools growing up, and my recollection is they had things hard enough without getting officially judged by the school and segregated into an exercise program. But I also think the parents getting all defensive is pretty ridiculous too. The school is trying to send a message to these people that they obviously haven't been getting in their day-to-day interactions with their kids. Help them eat less and move more. Spend that energy on helping your kids rather than heaping on the self-righteous indignation.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenFri, 11 May 2007 09:35:00 ESTWisconsin mom mistakes actual 911 for Nanny 911http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wisconsin-mom-mistakes-actual-911-for-nanny-911/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wisconsin-mom-mistakes-actual-911-for-nanny-911/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/wisconsin-mom-mistakes-actual-911-for-nanny-911/#commentsFiled under: ,

A woman in Dodge County, Oregon called 911 this week and asked the emergency services dispatcher to send her a nanny. "I need a nanny," she said. "Yeah, this is a nanny 911." The recording of the phone call goes on, the woman asks the dispatcher for a babysitter, help with her kids, and someone to keep her company around the house.

The dispatcher informed the caller that 911 is for emergencies like police, fire and ambulance services. After some back and forth, the caller realizes her mistake, said, "Okay," and hung up.

Local law enforcement claims it was the evil influence of television that's to blame. "That's just an example of some of the influences television has on some of the things we deal with," said Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls. Police could go after the caller for misuse of the 911 system, but Nehls said, "With this one, we didn't push it. If she had called back, we may have taken it further."

Everyone is acting like this lady was incredibly stupid, but I think she's a genius. If there really is a wonderful Hobbiton-like land where nannies all live together in a thatched-roof cottage under the strict tutelage of a gray-haired uber-nanny, waiting for overworked housewives living in McMansions in anonymous American subdivisions to call with requests for help, why shouldn't every county in America set up a similar service?

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]]>J.D. GriffioenFri, 11 May 2007 09:03:00 ESTStillborn fawn dressed like a baby left outside Tacoma theaterhttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/stillborn-fawn-dressed-like-a-baby-left-outside-tacoma-theater/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/stillborn-fawn-dressed-like-a-baby-left-outside-tacoma-theater/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/11/stillborn-fawn-dressed-like-a-baby-left-outside-tacoma-theater/#commentsFiled under:

According to police, a dead newborn fawn was discovered abandoned at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma, Washington, wearing a n human infant sleeper and a bib that said, "You think I'm cute? You should see my aunt."


A police officer discovered the cute, yet gruesome, carcass on Tuesday night, and it was clear from the odor that the deer had been dead for some time. A vet from the local humane society said the fawn might have been stillborn.

Police are baffled as to why anyone would dress up a stillborn deer in baby clothes, place it in a basket, and leave it outside a theater that is a local landmark.

"It's just bizarre," said police spokesman Mark Fulghum.

What's up with all the dressing up of dead animals in baby clothes these days?

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]]>J.D. GriffioenFri, 11 May 2007 08:05:00 ESTYoung volunteers supplement Meals on Wheels with food for seniors' petshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/young-volunteers-supplement-meals-on-wheels-with-food-for-senior/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/young-volunteers-supplement-meals-on-wheels-with-food-for-senior/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/young-volunteers-supplement-meals-on-wheels-with-food-for-senior/#commentsFiled under:

When I was a kid, I used to make Meals on Wheels deliveries with my grandfather. The experience had a profound effect on me. It's the kind of experience I want to give my daughter as soon as she's old enough to appreciate it.

Students at Matthews Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio are participating in a program that supplements Meals on Wheels by providing free bags of pet food for recipients with pets. Run by the Progressive Animal Welfare Society of Columbus, it's called the AniMeal program. Meals on Wheels volunteers in the area had noticed that the recipients often gave the protein portion of their meals to their pets, and this allowed them to keep a beloved pet in their home. The program receives donated 50-lb bags of food, and the kids help by scooping the dog food into smaller containers, and then organize the containers in cardboard boxes to be distributed to the needy.

Click here to read more about the kids volunteering.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenThu, 10 May 2007 14:04:00 ESTBritish researchers link food additives to behavioral problemshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/british-researchers-link-food-additives-to-behavioral-problems/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/british-researchers-link-food-additives-to-behavioral-problems/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/british-researchers-link-food-additives-to-behavioral-problems/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Researchers in Britain have found a "definite link" between artificial additives with no nutritional value used in drinks, sweets, and processed foods to behavioral problems such as temper tantrums and poor concentration. The study also suggests a possible link between food additives and allergic reactions such as asthma and rashes.

This could be a potential wake-up call for the entire food industry, which could be forced to reformulate many popular children's food products by removing additives that could trigger such reactions. Vyvyan Howard, professor of bio-imaging at Ulster University said: "Parents can protect their children by avoiding foods containing the additives. I personally do not feed these sorts of foods to my 15-month-old daughter."

Britain already has laws banning such additives for foods designed for children under th age of one, and could easily extend the age affected by that ban. Most of the additives are simply used to brighten colors in the food. Those tested to produce the results above were artrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104) and allura red AC (E129). The researchers also looked at the preservative sodium benzoate (E211), a commonly additive in soda.

The complete results of the study aren't being published until a thorough peer review have been conducted.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenThu, 10 May 2007 13:33:00 ESTStudy shows 40 percent of infants are regular TV watchers by the age of 3 monthshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/study-shows-40-percent-of-infants-are-regular-tv-watchers-by-the/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/study-shows-40-percent-of-infants-are-regular-tv-watchers-by-the/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/study-shows-40-percent-of-infants-are-regular-tv-watchers-by-the/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I was really influenced by the recommendations that kids shouldn't watch television until they are two. I became one of those self-righteous anti-TV people, and I took a lot of flak for that whenever I mentioned television here or at my personal blog. I know everyone thinks I'm a snob. You don't need to remind me.

Now that my daughter is two, I do let her watch about 20 minutes of television a day. She isn't that interested in it, and that anti-TV guy in me doesn't want to encourage it. But a new study just released shows that I am definitely in a minority in my beliefs. The study by the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that 40 percent of infants are regular television watchers by the time they are 3-months old. By the time they are 2 (the age that the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest parents start allowing their children to watch television) 90 percent of children are already regular television viewers. The study also showed that the TV is not being used as a "babysitter" to allow parents to get chores done or give attention to other kids, but that parents are actively seeking out television time for their toddlers because they believe television will "expand their minds, language skills and cognitive abilities." No study has ever been able to determine that television helps kids in those ways, but I have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that it does.

A second study by the same entity determined that 14-year-olds who watch more than three hours of television a day are far more likely to "have a negative attitude toward school, skip homework and to have trouble paying attention" than kids who watch one hour a day or less. Kids who watch 3 or more hours are also less likely to go to college.

One recommendation from the study was resounding: parents shouldn't let kids have televisions in their room at any age.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenThu, 10 May 2007 10:43:00 ESTMother to sue hospital for refusing to release her placentahttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/mother-to-sue-hospital-because-they-refuse-to-release-her-placen/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/mother-to-sue-hospital-because-they-refuse-to-release-her-placen/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/10/mother-to-sue-hospital-because-they-refuse-to-release-her-placen/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A woman in Las Vegas is suing the hospital where she gave birth to her child because the hospital is refusing to release her placenta to her, and she had been planning to ingest it for its nutrients. Anne Swanson, 30, is an earthy mama who google searches reveal is an advocate for natural hypnobirth, and before the April birth of her second child by emergency C-section, she had planned to have her placenta dried, ground into powder and placed into capsules for the treatment of post-partum depression. The theory behind this non-traditional practice is that excess hormones build up in the placenta during pregnancy, and new mothers can take the pills and replenish depleted hormones and control PPD.

Swanson says the hospital has told her the organ was contaminated. "Like any other body part, placentas contain a lot of blood, which can carry infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis,'' said Twinkle Chisholm, a spokeswoman for the hospital. "We take great measures to prevent disease transmission.'' Swanson thinks that is ridiculous, because she does not have HIV or hepatitis, and believes she is really just a victim of intolerance for non-traditional beliefs. "I can keep my baby, but I can't have the link that connected us,'' Swanson said. "This was my last pregnancy. I am not going to have another placenta. To me, it was a big deal to have it, whether I was using it for medicinal reasons or planting it.''

Swanson is planning to sue the hospital, though concerns over legal fees have her considering the ACLU and Planned Parenthood for support. The placenta is scheduled to be destroyed tomorrow. There are no state or federal laws regulating whether hospitals should or should not return placentas to mothers. The hospital has not explained why Swanson's placenta is contaminated more than any other placenta, and it sounds to me like they are treating the matter this way because they think it's weird. It is a little weird, but I don't see how it's any of the hospital's concern what she wants to do with it. It came out of her body, wrapped around her daughter after sustaining her for so many months. If she wants to eat it, or bury it her garden, or wear it draped over her breasts during a naked solstice moon dance, I don't see why she shouldn't be able to do whatever she would have been able to do had she given birth at home according to her wishes.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenThu, 10 May 2007 10:21:00 ESTStay-at-home Mom to canoe 2,000 miles from Miami to Mainehttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/stay-at-home-mom-to-canoe-2-000-miles-from-miami-to-maine/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/stay-at-home-mom-to-canoe-2-000-miles-from-miami-to-maine/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/stay-at-home-mom-to-canoe-2-000-miles-from-miami-to-maine/#commentsFiled under:

For years she has considered herself a stay at home mom, but staying at home is the last thing on Margo Pellegrino's mind these days. The 39-year-old mother from Medford Lakes, New Jersey recently embarked on a 2,000 mile solo canoe journey from Miami Beach, Florida to Camden, Maine. She expects that her journey will end in late July, and hopes to use the trip to help raise awareness of man's impact on the earth's oceans. "I'm just hoping to get enough awareness going so that we can put some pressure on the guys at the top to do some ocean conservation measures," she said.

Pellegrino hopes to paddle 25 to 65 miles a day and spend 90 to 95 percent of her time canoing along the Intracoastal Waterway. She will stay in the homes of members of a volunteer ocean conservation group along the way. Her husband, Carl, will be the sole parent for 3 months, and he told reporters he has "spent a lot of time with the kids without her in preparation." I'm willing to bet when Margo comes home, Carl will have a whole new appreciation for his wife.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 16:28:00 ESTYou knew this day would come: Pamela Anderson's kids find her nudie picshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/you-knew-this-day-would-come-pamela-andersons-kids-find-her-nu/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/you-knew-this-day-would-come-pamela-andersons-kids-find-her-nu/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/you-knew-this-day-would-come-pamela-andersons-kids-find-her-nu/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's got to be hard when your mom is any kind of celebrity, but I imagine it's really rough when the primary role your mom has played in society for more than a decade has been serving as masturbation fodder for teenage boys and men with really bad taste in women. Pamela Anderson's kids are just getting old enough to realize their mom's entire oeuvre involves heaving her enormous breasts in slow motion, and they aren't comfortable with it. Anderson recently admitted that her son Brandon, 10, was embarrassed when he saw his mother's naked picture on the front cover of her novel Star. . .

Wait, Pamela Anderson wrote a novel?

But Pamela's kids aren't the only ones uncomfortable looking at pictures of her naked. The blond novelist herself says she is uncomfortable with pictures she sees of herself, but only because they don't do her justice: "I can't stand pictures of myself because I'm much better looking in my mind. I see pictures and go, that's not me."

Regardless of what she thinks, the pictures (and Playboy spreads) are out there, and for her sons with ex-husband and former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, things are only going to get worse. Someday they are going to realize that video is out there. And in addition to their mom expressing sincere and thorough admiration for the size of their father's penis, the video also purportedly shows them having sex on a boat. I can only imagine the psychological torment of realizing that your own fate was born of a presumably similar lurid encounter.

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]]>kidsnudepamela andersonPamelaAndersonJ.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 16:02:00 ESTAngelina Jolie and Brad Pitt prohibit their brood from seeing movies in which they handle gunshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-prohibit-their-brood-from-seeing-mo/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-prohibit-their-brood-from-seeing-mo/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-prohibit-their-brood-from-seeing-mo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Angelina Jolie and her partner-in-parenthood Brad Pitt have been in some pretty violent movies. They met and fell in love on the set of the uber-violent gunfest Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jolie has played the double-pistol-packing and well-endowed video game heroine in Tomb Raider, and Pitt has handled a weapon in films such as Kalifornia, Seven, Snatch, The Mexican, and more. Despite their willingness to make these kind of movies, apparently Jolie and Pitt don't feel their kids should watch them. Your kids, though, well, that's up to you and your local cable programmers.

A source on the set of Angelina's new movie, Wanted (in which she plays a bloodthirsty killer) told reporters that the couple don't let their kids watch their violent movies, and have even prevented them from playing with toy guns of any kind. "Angelina is protecting them from seeing her making violence look good," the source said. "It's caused a few chuckles. Most of her successful roles have had her waving weapons and getting violent. Staff have been told the kids can't even see props. And toy guns are a complete no-no."

While I have no beef with Jolie and Pitt trying to protect their kids from the culture of gun violence, I do wonder if they are capable of appreciating the irony of how much their own movies have contributed to it.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 14:27:00 ESTSchool punishes student with Tylenol under 'Zero tolerance' policy for drugshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/school-punishes-student-with-tylenol-under-zero-tolerance-poli/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/school-punishes-student-with-tylenol-under-zero-tolerance-poli/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/school-punishes-student-with-tylenol-under-zero-tolerance-poli/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I hate zero tolerance policies at schools. They remove the ability of a human being to implement critical thinking skills and use their better judgment to prevent ridiculous stories like this one from making their way into the media.

An eighth-grade student in Norfolk Virginia has been found in violation of her school's zero tolerance policy for drugs. She was suspended indefinitely. School officials want her to attend a drug counseling program. Her crime: she attempted to take one tablet of over-the-counter Tylenol to counter the effects of a headache.

Gabriella Nieves, 13, was suspended after she asked a teacher whether she could take the tablet---given to her by an unnamed classmate---for a headache. She was told by her teacher she was in violation of the school's "zero tolerance policy" and was removed from the classroom by a security guard, who took the pill and forced her to write a statement about how she got it.

After two days of suspension, school officials have allowed her to return. But they are insisting that she attend a counseling program. Her mother has refused: "She's not going to no drug and alcohol program," she told reporters.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 13:37:00 ESTMiddle school cafeteria serves students sewing pinshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/middle-school-cafeteria-serves-students-sewing-pins/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/middle-school-cafeteria-serves-students-sewing-pins/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/middle-school-cafeteria-serves-students-sewing-pins/#commentsFiled under: ,

A terrible thing is taking place at Rachel Carson Middle School in Fairfax, County, Virginia: someone is putting sewing pins in the cafeteria food. It has been slowly building over the course of several weeks. On April 24, a cafeteria worker discovered one pin in a serving of applesauce. Two days later, a teacher saw a pin in a serving of yogurt. Then, on May 4, another cafeteria worker found a pin in a serving of cranberry sauce.

Some criminal is spiking these kids' food with sewing pins, and they must be stopped. Police do note that all of the food in which pins have been found were within reach of students going through the cafeteria line. And the pins were resting on top of the food. "Whoever did this was not going out of their way to hide them," said Paul Regnier, a spokesman for Fairfax County Public Schools.

The school has beefed up in security in its cafeteria in an effort to prevent, identify and immediately deal with any other reported incidents. "The police investigation continues, and every effort will be made to identify, arrest and prosecute the anyone responsible for these incidents," authorities said. The police warn that the crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. I really think they ought to get the Fairfax County CSI unit into the home economics classroom at the school. Next thing you know, the perpetrator could escalate her crime spree by putting crochet hooks in the hot dogs.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 13:05:00 ESTHamas using Mickey Mouse to indoctrinate young extremistshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/hamas-using-mickey-mouse-to-indoctrinate-young-extremists/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/hamas-using-mickey-mouse-to-indoctrinate-young-extremists/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/09/hamas-using-mickey-mouse-to-indoctrinate-young-extremists/#commentsFiled under: ,

I certainly can't vouch for the translation by Palestinian Media Watch, but if it is accurate, this video might be one of the most twisted things I have ever seen. The makers of a children's program called "Tomorrow's Pioneers," (on the official Hamas television station Al-Aksa TV) are using a guy dressed up in a Mickey Mouse costume to teach young Palestinian children to hate America and Israel and promote extremist viewpoints. If you ask me, the subject matter would be a little dull to most 4-year olds, but it is clear that it is an attempt to indoctrinate even the youngest and most innocent minds to hate. The show features "Mickey" (called Farfur) and a young girl named Saraa discussing captivating topics like how the viewers themselves "will liberate Al-Aksa, with Allah's will, and we will liberate Iraq, with Allah's will, and we will liberate the Muslim countries, invaded by murderers." The duo repeatedly implore the viewers to pray and issue strict religious warnings.

Well, with the exposure this show is receiving, I don't think Farfur is long for this world. If Hamas thinks the Israeli army is tough, wait until they meet the Walt Disney Corporation's elite squadron of intellectual property attorneys.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenWed, 09 May 2007 12:28:00 ESTBritish fertility clinic granted license to begin screening embryos for cosmetic defectshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/british-clinic-to-begin-screening-embryos-for-cosmetic-defects/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/british-clinic-to-begin-screening-embryos-for-cosmetic-defects/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/british-clinic-to-begin-screening-embryos-for-cosmetic-defects/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A family clinic in London is set for the first time to screen embryos for a cosmetic defect. The Bridge Centre Family Clinic has been licensed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to create a baby free from a genetic disorder which would have caused the baby to have a severe squint. The clinic's client is a businessman who, along with his father, suffers from the condition, and he does not want to pass the defect on to his child. This may not seem like such a big deal, but critics say it is a landmark shift from HFEA's former policy of granting licenses for doctors only to screen for life-threatening problems, not simply those that might affect the quality of a child's life. They also say this is the first step towards using advances in genetics and embryology to creating "perfect-looking" babies in a laboratory.

Prof Gedis Grudzinskas of HFEA also does believe this is a major shift, and says this procedure will still be used primarily to prevent major defects that would cause a family major distress: "We will increasingly see the use of embryo screening for severe cosmetic conditions," he said. While he uses modifiers like "major" and "severe," Grudzinskas also said he might consider licensing such a screening for problems as minor and as common as asthma or ginger hair color.

Critic David King, the director of Human Genetics Alert, responded to this decision by saying: "Philosophers love to deride the idea of a slippery slope, but here it is in practice. We moved from preventing children who will die young to those who might become ill in middle age. We now discard those who will live as long as the rest of us but are cosmetically imperfect." It's a brave new world.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenTue, 08 May 2007 12:30:00 ESTIf soymilk will turn your son gay, will hemp milk turn him into a hippie?http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/if-soymilk-will-turn-your-son-gay-will-hemp-milk-turn-him-into/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/if-soymilk-will-turn-your-son-gay-will-hemp-milk-turn-him-into/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/if-soymilk-will-turn-your-son-gay-will-hemp-milk-turn-him-into/#commentsFiled under: ,

I just got back from the old food co-op and I saw something there that blew my mind: right next to the soy milk and the rice milk and all the other non-dairy milks I've seen all my hippie friends pour over their nutty nuggets in the morning, I saw a new product: hemp milk (or HempMilk[TM]) from Living Harvest foods. The product is advertised as a dairy free, soy free, cholesterol free, vegan non-GMO, kosher, gluten free delicious and nutty-tasting beverage that provides essential and balanced nutrition to the entire family. Whoa. The milk is apparently made from the hemp seed, not those delicious green THC-filled buds that made college so much fun, and hemp seeds are full of protein and healthy Omeda-6 fatty acids.

I'll admit I was intrigued. I took a look at the product's website, and Living Harvest assures its customers that they will not get high or fail a drug test if they consume any of their products, because they contain 0.0% of THC. Disappointed, I read on. The milk is made from delicious hemp seeds grown in the Canadian prairies, using only the whole hemp nut inside. I also learned that in addition to hemp milk, I can "sprinkle on salads or yogurt or eat them straight from the can, drizzle hemp oil on steamed vegetables, make a dressing with it, use it in a marinade or as a dipping oil with bread, or add it to a smoothie. I can also start my morning with a Hemp Protein powder smoothie with Living Harvest[TM] Hempmilk[TM] or stir the Hemp Protein into soups or use as a flour substitute in low temperature baking. Yowzah! My life is going to be Hemp-terrific from here on out! I just need to go to Woody Harrelson's garage sale and pick me up one of those hemp suits!

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]]>J.D. GriffioenTue, 08 May 2007 12:02:00 ESTIs having a large family a crime against the earth? (quick: somebody arrest the Duggars, and no conjugal visits!)http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/is-having-a-large-family-a-crime-against-the-earth-quick-some/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/is-having-a-large-family-a-crime-against-the-earth-quick-some/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/is-having-a-large-family-a-crime-against-the-earth-quick-some/#commentsFiled under: ,

Global climate change has been everywhere in the news lately, and it seems like the issue has finally reached a tipping point where the public is no longer going to give much credence to the demagogues and propagandists on the right who continue to claim the entire body of science is a hoax. But to the interest of parents, a new study was published yesterday that says the cheapest and most effective personal strategy for tackling global climate change was stopping at two children. The study claims that having excessively large families should be considered an "eco-crime" and that adding a third child to a family increases that family's carbon footprint by the equivalent of 620 round-trip flights between London and New York.

The Optimum Population Trust (OPT) said a lower birth rate in the countries of the developed world would seriously help cut carbon dioxide emissions and help eliminate the nearly 750 tons of carbon dioxide that the average Briton, for example, will create over the course of his or her lifetime. With developed nations like Britain the the United States using a shockingly disproportionate amount of energy and creating and equally shocking disproportionate amount of waste, this certainly makes sense (and considering the legally-mandated one-child policy in energy-hungry China, it isn't even that big of a sacrifice.

Still, something tells me the OPT is not going to convince any advocates of the Quiverfull movement or the Duggars that they should cease and desist their exponential baby-making activities.

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]]>duggarsJ.D. GriffioenTue, 08 May 2007 10:36:00 ESTThe one movie I am looking forward to seeing this year: Knocked Uphttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/the-one-movie-i-am-looking-forward-to-seeing-this-year-knocked/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/the-one-movie-i-am-looking-forward-to-seeing-this-year-knocked/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/the-one-movie-i-am-looking-forward-to-seeing-this-year-knocked/#commentsFiled under:

The thing I miss most about being childless is going to movies. My wife and I have gone to two movies together since our daughter was born: Borat and 40-Year-Old Virgin. Part of the problem with never going to movies is that you never know when a good movie is coming out until the previews start playing and you realize the two months it normally takes you to line up a babysitter probably will prevent you from seeing it. Last night I saw the preview for the movie Knocked Up, about a guy who gets a girl pregnant after a one-night stand and their effort to prepare for parenthood together despite the circumstances. The movie is being made by the same team who created 40-Year-Old Virgin (and The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), primarily Judd Apatow, one of the geniuses behind the greatest television show ever, Freaks and Geeks. It looks like this movie is going to be a reunion of sorts for much of the cast from that show and Apatow's other great television program, the college freshman comedy Undeclared: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, James Franco, and Loudon Wainwright III are all Freaks or Undeclared alumni who will be in this movie. I am so excited, partly because I can't wait to see how these guys take on the very real (and in my case, completely harrowing) experience of learning you're about to become a father.

The movie also looks like it's going to have an amazing soundtrack, with the greatest Old Dirty Bastard song ever and classic tracks from Bright Eyes, Beck, the B-52s, the Clash, Sublime, and original Loudon Wainwright II songs inspired by the movie.

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]]>knocked upKnockedUpJ.D. GriffioenTue, 08 May 2007 09:32:00 ESTJudge limits David Hasselhoff to phone visitation with kids after release of messy burger videohttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/david-hasselhoff-limited-to-phone-visitation-with-kids-after-rel/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/david-hasselhoff-limited-to-phone-visitation-with-kids-after-rel/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/08/david-hasselhoff-limited-to-phone-visitation-with-kids-after-rel/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Things are getting even uglier for David Hasselhoff in his already ugly divorce with ex-wife Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff. TMZ is reporting that the video tape that was released last week and widely-circulated on the internet has caused a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to suspend Hasselhoff's right to visit his children. The video, taken by his daughter, shows the former Baywatch star plastered on his living room floor, unable to stand and hardly able to speak. During the video, his daughter implores him not to continue drinking. Under the judge's ruling, Hasselhoff will only be allowed telephone contact with his children. The judge also ordered that Hasselhoff, his ex-wife, and their kids must meet with a psychologist prior to their next court hearing, where the psychologist will have the power to adjust the court's order based on his meeting with the family.

As messed up as that video is, I have to say, I am starting to have some sympathy for celebrities like Alec Baldwin and the Hoff. This sort of ugliness is a part of so many divorces, but with the way these tirades and episodes are being recorded and disseminated so widely, it makes me wonder if they aren't being punished for stupid celebrities rather than bad parents. For example, the judge in the Hasselhoff matter never introduced the tape into evidence, but it was clear he considered it as a part of his decision, admitting he viewed the shirtless burger extravaganza on TMZ himself. I'm not condoning their behavior, it just seems calculated efforts to achieve our amusement by interested parties are having a very real and lasting effect on these guys' opportunities to parent their kids.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenTue, 08 May 2007 07:30:00 ESTFlorida students arrested for replacing apple juice with urinehttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/florida-students-arrested-for-replacing-apple-juice-with-urine/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/florida-students-arrested-for-replacing-apple-juice-with-urine/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/florida-students-arrested-for-replacing-apple-juice-with-urine/#commentsFiled under: ,

In India, low-caste students may get purified with cow urine, but in America, bullies just trick other students into drinking human piss. As part of a cruel joke, two 15-year-old students at Palm Harbor University High School in Pinellas County, Florida removed a bottle of apple juice from a vending machine, dumped the juice and replaced the contents with their own urine. The students then managed to return the drink to the queue inside the refrigerated machine, and later another unsuspecting student purchased the chilled bottle and drank from it. Noticing the disgusting piss smell and piss taste, the student showed the bottle to his mother, who called the Sheriff's Office. Agents took the bottle in for laboratory analysis, where the contents were confirmed to be teenage jerk urine.

Two students were arrested after police investigators confronted some suspects, who later admitted their involvement. They could possibly be charged with a felony: poisoning of food or water with intent to injure or cause bodily harm.

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]]>J.D. GriffioenMon, 07 May 2007 19:57:00 ESTBratz to be a live-action movie this summerhttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/bratz-to-be-a-live-action-movie-this-summer/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/bratz-to-be-a-live-action-movie-this-summer/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/05/07/bratz-to-be-a-live-action-movie-this-summer/#commentsFiled under: ,

As if the Bratz franchise wasn't busy enough expanding its toy aisle empire, sluttifying our nation's nurseries and preschools this summer, now there is going to be a live-action Bratz movie. It apparently wasn't enough to keep the slutz and trampz in molded plastic form, now we have to deal with them in thonged unknown-actor celluloid form---because there's money to be made from it, apparently. The only name I recognize on the cast list is Paula Abdul, who will probably be playing the heavily-sedated former-stripper adult Fairy Bratmother with a heart of gold. I'm sure the Bratz will encounter lots of adversity but triumph under extraordinarily impossible odds in the end. Oops, I didn't mean to ruin the ending for you. The Bratz in the movie will be named Sasha, Jade, Cloe, and Yasmin---four friends from diverse ethnic backgrounds who find commonality in baring their bellies and coin slots to the world, oh, and being the stars of every middle school rainbow party they can talk their way into. Apparently there's also some conflict with their high school principal played by the guy with pretty teeth who sired Angelina Jolie and his preppy daughter (whose thong you totally can't see! as if!).

The movie will be released August 10.

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]]>bratzmovieJ.D. GriffioenMon, 07 May 2007 19:36:00 EST