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POPSMajority of Kids Are Computer Savvy An overwhelming majority (89%) of all kids age 6-11 in the US spend at least some time doing online activities and - though many of their basic social activities haven’t changed much over the years - they have vastly different communication styles and preferences than older age groups, according to a study from Experian Consumer Research.
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POPSTo know or not to know? I do not understand nor support her attitude. What is the 'father' she seeks? someone to blame for misfortunate emotional state? and if she looks him in the eyes, then what? would she understand something?
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POPSTwo doctors in Saudi Arabia want to change cultural attitudes to female genital mutilation In Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali, for example, more than 80% of women have undergone FGM. Typically, the procedure is carried out by a Daya (an elderly female birth attendant) when a baby girl is a few days old, but it can be done at any time during childhood, adolescence, before marriage or during a first pregnancy. The scope of the operation – which is often carried out in non-sterile conditions using household implements – can vary considerably from removing the clitoris to cutting away all of the woman's external genitalia before stitching the wound back together leaving only a tiny hole for menstruation and urination." yes it still exists.
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POPSCan a 13-year-old refuse treatment? "How old is old enough to decide whether to live or die? Priscilla Alderson, professor of childhood studies at the Institute of Education, says her research had found that even very young children could give or withhold informed consent to medical treatment. Decisions about treatment, or even about whether to live or die, cannot be based on age, she argues. "Our research has found that age isn't a helpful criterion - but experience is," she says. She has found that even at four years old, a child who has diabetes can understand the principle of insulin treatment - and it is vital they do understand or they risk interpreting the pain they as some kind of parental punishment."
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POPSThe God of Genesis "What I find disappointing about most religious beliefs is that they are a kind of statement of contempt for nature and reality. It's absurdly hubristic. It holds the myths of a few thousand years above nature's many billion-yeared journey. It says reality is inferior and less satisfying than the stories we make up."
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POPSOCD, May be caused by Strep We all could use more information about how childhood illnesses may cause long term problems in adults....maybe our parents mistakes ( concerning our upbringing ) didn't cause us to go crazy....maybe the unhappiness of our adult lives caused us to develop OCD.
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POPSPoverty and the Brain "The point is that poverty isn't just an idea, or a state of mind: it actually warps the mind. Some brains never even have a chance." deserves a second thought
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POPSObama's 0-5 plank This plank of Obama's platform has tremendous potential IF it treats parents as responsible and partners with businesses, schools and organizations to empower them.
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POPSChristians Sacrificed To ‘Clean Up’ Obama’s Past
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign as well as making the requisite pilgrimage to Barack Obama’s childhood school. According to our Indonesian sources, “officials” who accompanied Faleomavaega were interested in acquiring any and all documentation or photographs of a young Barry Soetoro for America’s “national archives” and they were offering cash, lots of it. In a show of faith, Barack Obama’s childhood school would be one of the very first beneficiaries of this outpouring receiving thousands of dollars to upgrade the school and for the purchase of computer equipment, thanks in part to the benevolence of this visiting junket. The challenge of course was securing Indonesian goverment records potentially damaging to Barack Obama’s candidacy for the US presidency as well as other records pertaining to a young Barry Soetoro and his family wouldn’t be so easy to acquire and secure, and for this, the visitors would need the assistance and cooperation of the Indonesian government.
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POPSSmarter people more likely to vote "Childhood intelligence is associated with how and how much people engage in the democratic processes, and with support for political ideologies that are based on ecological sustainability and social liberalism," conclude the Intelligence study authors. For example, voters were 32% more likely to vote for the UK's more left-wing Liberal party over the Conservative party for every 15 IQ points they scored above average as children. They were more likely to be tree-huggers too, voting more often for environment-oriented parties. "Although these data apply to one country's political system, there are broad similarities in political parties across Western democracies, and so these data might have wider relevance beyond the UK," say the authors.
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POPSHeart-Warming News on Hot Coffee I like this piece, mainly because it points to so much of the unseen ecology that affects a human on the immediacy. something to think about and drink next time we are so convinced about something...