Tom Henderson
G.I. Joe, My Little Pony Invading TV With New Children's Network
In The News, Toys & Games, That's Entertainment
G.I. Joe from his Rise of the Cobra collection. The versatile soldier may be getting his own show. Credit: Craig Ruttle, AP
G.I. Joe has plans to invade children's television.
This time, he has more than a cartoon show in mind. He's looking at an entirely new network.
Toymakers at Hasbro -- the company behind G.I. Joe, Transformers and My Little Pony -- announced last year they are joining forces with Discovery Communications to form a TV network called Hub.
Credit: Discovery
The Wall Street Journal reports this week that those plans are forging ahead. Hasbro CEO Bryan Goldner expects profits to dip a bit this year because of the cost of putting together the new network, according to the newspaper, but tells shareholders profits will go back up in 2011.
Movies May Influence Children's Food Choices, Study Shows
Eating & Nutrition, Development, In The News
Could food featured on film can lead to poor nutritional choices among kids? Credit: Darrren Hester, Flickr
You can see them eating at a Burger King in "Men in Black 2," and of course, Steven Spielberg thoroughly documented how much E.T. loves Reece's Pieces.
But that doesn't necessarily mean those are good choices for kids. Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School say movies may have a profound influence on children's food choices.
Movie characters often eat foods high in energy and low in nutrition, Lisa Sutherland tells the Web site HealthCanal.com.
She's a research professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth and the lead author of the study that appears in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers from the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth found that six companies (Burger King, McDonald's, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper/Snapple and Nestle USA) account for 45 percent of the product placement in mainstream movies.
Study Suggests Link Between Autism and Parents' Ages
Medical Conditions, Development, In The News, Special Needs
As parents and researchers struggle and debate about the cause of the autism epidemic -- or if there's even an epidemic at all -- a new study suggests a link between the disorder and parents' ages.
A study published Feb. 8 in the journal Autism Research concludes that older mothers are more likely than younger ones to have a child with autism. In addition, older fathers significantly contribute to the risk of autism when their partners are under 30.
The New York Times reports researchers analyzed almost five million births in California during the 1990s. Some 12,159 of those children were diagnosed with autism.
According to the Times, previous research concluded that autism diagnoses grew with the age of the father. In this latest study, researchers found when the father was older than 40 and the mother was younger than 30, the autism rate was 59 percent higher than it was for younger men. When the mothers were over 30, that number was about 12 percent.
Canadian Hospital Offers Surgery for Obese Children
Teens & tweens, Medical Conditions, In The News
A hospital in Canada offers some obese children surgery designed to help them lose weight and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other potential killers.
The surgery is performed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The hospital -- nicknamed SickKids -- is Canada's largest research hospital and one of the largest pediatric academic health science centers in the world.
The Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reports physicians at the hospital are the first in Canada to routinely provide obesity surgery to children. The program officially launches this week.
According to the Globe and Mail, it is designed for children ages 12 to 17 with "complex obesity." That means they are overweight because of a medical condition such as a brain tumor.
Bob Dylan's 'All the Animals' Inspires Children's Book
In The News, That's Entertainment, Books, Music
Kid-friendly Dylan. Credit: Amazon.com
A Bob Dylan song has inspired a children's book.
No, it's not "Subterranean Homesick Blues" or "Highway 51." It's not even "Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts."
Here's a clue: "He saw an animal leavin' a muddy trail, real dirty face and a curly tail. He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big. Ah, think I'll call it a pig."
Give up? It's "Man Gave Names to All the Animals."
Girl, 7, Wins Dancing Queen Title; Generates Outrage in Brazil
Kids 5-7, In The News, Weird But True, Extreme Childhood
Tiny dancer Julia Lira, 7, busts a move in Rio. Credit: Felipe Dana, AP
A 7-year-old Brazilian girl has won the coveted title of drum corps queen of a top samba school for the annual Carnaval of Brazil.
And, now, children's rights activists are outraged. The girl's father, however, sees nothing wrong with people watching his daughter dance in one of the scanty, sequined costumes associated with samba music and Carnaval.
"Any man who looks at a 7-year-old child and feels any sort of excitement should go see a doctor," Marco Lira tells the BBC, Britain's national television network.
Lira is the president of the Viradouro Samba School that chose his daughter, Julia, as its Carnaval queen.
Tinkerbell Bracelets Recalled for Lead
Safety, In The News, Toys & Games, Alerts & Recalls
A number of Tinkerbell charms contain excess lead. Credit: CPSC
Tinkerbell has been poisoned ... again.
This time, however, you can't blame Captain Hook. And it will take more than clapping to set things right.
According to Consumer Reports, more than 252,000 Tinkerbell charms are being pulled from shelves because they contain more lead than federal allows allows.
The Disney charms, manufactured by Playmates Toys, were sold as part of the Tink Tink and Friends toy jewelry set -- mostly between November 2008 and November 2009. The charm can be attached to a toy necklace, bracelet or key chain also included in the set.
If your child has one, Consumer Reports advises, take it away immediately. Contact Playmates Toys in Cosa Mesa, Calif., at 888-810-1133 or playmatestoys.com for a replacement or refund.
Big Brother May Have Your Baby's DNA
Newborns, Babies, Pregnancy & Birth, Medical Conditions, Development, In The News, Weird But True
Annie Brown, pictured with daughter Isabel, was shocked to learn that her baby's DNA was in the hands of the feds. Credit: Gregg Andersen
Newborns in the United States are regularly screened for various genetic diseases. These tests are mandated by the federal government.
As a result, children's DNA samples are often stored -- sometimes indefinitely.
Some parents are creeped out by the Orwellian image of the government keeping babies' DNA without their parents' knowledge or consent and they're filing lawsuits. Members of the Texas Legislature felt the same chill down their spines last year.
L.A. to Focus More On Protecting Kids, Less On Reuniting Families
Divorce & Custody, Safety, In The News, Childcare, Environment
Angel Montiel was reunited with his parents after they enrolled in parenting classes and agreed to drug testing and other services.
Now his mother is spending 15 years in prison. She pleaded no contest to beating the toddler to death.
Angel is one reason the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angles County is readjusting its thinking.
The overarching goal of many state and county agencies designed to protect children is to reunite and preserve troubled families.
Not in Los Angeles County. Not anymore.
Boy Scouts Start Recruitment Drive In Latino Communities
Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, In The News
The Boy Scouts are recruiting Hispanic kids. Credit: Corbis
And if he happens be Hispanic too, gosh, that would be swell.
Scout leaders are specifically looking for Hispanic kids.
"The challenge we have is that there's very little understanding of what Scouting is about in the Hispanic community, at least in the first- and second-generation families," Marcos Nava tells the Denver Post. He heads the Boy Scouts of America's Hispanic Initiatives project in Irving, Texas.
He tells the Post that Denver is part of a national pilot project to recruit Scouts from the Hispanic community.












