On behalf of parents everywhere: thank you, Internet!
http://www.sacbee.com/848/story/1969651.html
By DEBRA-LYNN B. HOOK
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2009 - 7:17 am
Today's communication technology has rendered an entire generation of teenagers incapable of holding real conversations in real time. Meanwhile, newspapers are struggling to stay afloat. Highway accidents and brain tumors are on the rise.
Now, the Digital Age has its clutches on the family, bringing new norms in bad parenting. To name a few:
Tetris Addled Parent: "If you don't stop hitting your sister, I'm going to take away your DS, your iPod, your Mac and your Wii," the parent threatens the child. The parent, unable to take his eyes off his own laptop, never follows through. "That's it. I'm not going to tell you again," he says several times without actually looking up from his Tetris game. The child falls asleep with his game beeping in his hands. Nobody learns anything except how to create horizontal lines of tetrominoes.
Meddling Mario Mama: When families used to eat dinner together, this parent gave his/her child an eating disorder with a constant barrage of: "Get your elbows off the table. Put your hands in your lap. Don't chew with your mouth open." Now it's: "Don't slouch over your DS. Who taught you to play Wii like a girl? You'll get carpal tunnel if you keep pressing your thumbs on the controller like that." The long-term effect of this behavior is not a child who sits up straight with well-developed hand-to-eye coordination.
It is a dull-eyed 25-year-old hunched over games where monsters kill baby rabbits.
Tech Knows No Bounds Parent: This parent hands over a GameBoy whenever he should be teaching his child how to function in society. The other day I saw a little boy no more than 4 years standing on the crowded sidelines of his older sister's championship soccer game, wearing headphones, struggling to hold open a miniature laptop in his arms. Beside him was his 3-year-old sister with a DS she couldn't possibly understand. Despite their stimulating diversion options - and maybe because of them - these poorly trained and bewildered children still screamed and begged for attention from their irritated parents.
Co-Dependent Guitar Hero Dad: As a kid himself, this guy always wanted, but never was allowed, to play in a rock band. Known to embarrass his wife in nightclubs by standing next to the stage playing air guitar along with the bar band, this parent drags neighbors down to the basement to watch his child play Mississippi Queen on Guitar Hero. "I'm telling you, we've got another Black Sabbath in the making down here," he says proudly, as if Ozzy Osbourne would be a good thing to have in the basement.
Txt. Me 24-7 Mom: This parent, formerly known as Helicopter Mom because of her ability to hover over her child without being physically present, does not know how to let go. Why should she, when she can text her high school-er morning, noon and night say, "How was your breakfast/dinner/ lunch-y lunch? Don't forget to Purell! TTYL, pumpkin muffin! :>3/4"
The late family/parenting guru, Dr. Benjamin Spock (1903-1998), concerned in the 1960s about the effects of the simple 19-inch black-and-white TV, would most certainly shake his head about the Digital Revolution in Y2K09.
On the other hand, Dr. Spock, were he still alive, might consider how lucky we parents are to have all this technology.
What with the ruinous impact of Facebook, WiFi, Wii, DS, DSi, IM, iPhone and iPod, there's somebody to blame besides ourselves.
(Journalist and mom of three Debra-Lynn B. Hook of Kent, Ohio, has been writing about family life since 1988. Contact her at www.debralynnhook.com or dlbhook@yahoo.com)
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U-turn on mast by school
Thursday, 25 June 2009
http://www.times.co.nz:80/cms/front_page_feature/2009/06/u_turn_on_mast_by_school.php
By AMANDA KING
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
A SCHOOL under threat of sharing its boundary with a telecommunications antenna and service box is breathing a sigh of relief after a new site was confirmed.
Cockle Bay Primary School launched a full-scale petition last week after being told new telco 2degrees was planning to install a cellphone mast just metres away from classrooms.
Due to the negative reaction to the proposal, Manukau City Council and 2degrees decided to relocate the site across the road at the entrance to Paparoa Park, opposite the Litten Road shops.
Councillor Jami-Lee Ross has worked with 2degrees in assigning the most appropriate locations in the area and says within a week of hearing negative feedback from the school, he took action to have the site revised.
"This just goes to show this is what consultation is all about," Mr Ross told the Times. "We took on-board the negative reactions from the school and acted."
Earlier in the week, Mr Ross and councillor Dick Quax were criticised for showing poor judgement in choosing the school boundary as a possible site.
Principal Graeme Lomas was in disbelief when he saw draft plans.
"I can't believe two councillors would have helped to choose such an inappropriate site. They should have pre-empted no one would be happy with this outcome.
"People don't want them close to houses but it raises questions about the value of one household with more than 700 students."
But Mr Lomas was delighted when the Times contacted him yesterday to say a new location had been identified.
"I hope this gesture of goodwill will satisfy our parents, who obviously have strong views on such sites being located on school boundaries," he says.
In two days, the school received more than 200 responses from parents, grandparents and students opposing the mast, mainly on health grounds.
Following concerns from Manukau residents in April, eight initial sites for the cellphone masts were revised to be further away from residential properties.
Mr Ross says the new site at the entrance to Paparoa Park is suitable because it's designated as a road reserve – towers cannot be placed on park reserve unless it is absolutely necessary.
His priority is for antennae to be as far away from residential areas as possible.
"I was happy it was going to be moved away from residents' properties," says Mr Ross. "I suppose we did not give enough thought to the school, and whether or not there would be concerns from the school.
"The company responded to those concerns and that's a good thing."
The consultation period for the new sites is open until this Friday for residents and schools to have their say.
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- "The Interphone story - it's gone on long enough!"
- All Next-up News:
www.next-up.org/Newsoftheworld/2009.php
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Feds' $300M loan guarantee helps nokia Siemens buy nortel wireless
Canwest News ServiceJune 21, 2009
A federal government agency will help finance the breakup of Nortel Networks with $300 million in loan guarantees.
Nokia Siemens disclosed the funding from Export Development Canada as it announced plans to buy Nortel's wireless business for $650 million US.
The move is ironic, as Nortel failed to get financing from the Conservative government late last year in a bid to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection Jan. 14.
"We are delighted to have secured the backing of EDC for this transaction," said Luca Maestri, the company's chief financial officer.
"Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to Canada as an important centre of excellence for next-generation wireless technology."
The Finnish-German company is counting on Nortel technology and an installed equipment base with major U. S. and Canadian carriers to build a strong base in North America, which complements a stronger profile in Europe.
EDC has been a vital financing lifeline to Nortel as other lenders fled in recent years as its fortunes fell. It provides the vital financing that allows Nortel's international deals to go forward.
But EDC appears to have had second thoughts about the prospects for Nortel survival as an independent entity.
As a key member of a creditors committee, it has a significant stake in Nortel fortunes and hopes for restructuring. Nortel recently got court approval to seek up to $30 million in financing for export deals from other sources after lengthy negotiations with EDC for more financing appeared to stagnate.
Nokia Siemens will hire 2,500 Nortel wireless research employees, a majority of the wireless research teams in Ottawa, Dallas, Mexico and China. Nortel has close to 1,000 wireless employees in Ottawa.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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Dr Klinghardt is well known in the USA for his diagnostic and treatment protocols for chronic modern day illnesses, he looks at EMR, heavy metals and environmental toxins and can diagnose EMR damage.
The talk could be a useful source of information for any new electro sensitive.
Also watch out for Dr Klinghardt on autism, 26-28 September 2009 at a location in London, (where the impact of EMR will be discussed). Please note that Dr Klinghardt is a medical doctor and also holds a PhD.
Kind regards
Sarah
Electromagnetic Radiation and Health
A talk and presentation from Dr Dietrich Klinghardt MD PhD
With an emphasis on Childhood Health and Nutrition
Monday 6th July 2009 at 7.00pm
FOREST ROW VILLAGE HALL
Lewes Road, Forest Row
RH18 5ES
Enquiries to:
Sarah Charlton, tel: 01342 824906
Email: info@klinghardtacademy.com
www.klinghardtacademy.com
In response to the recent planned installation of Third Generation (3G) mobile phone technology on the mobile phone mast in Forest Row, Dr Klinghardt will present recent findings on the effect of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on our health.
Emphasis will also be on childhood=2 0health and the probable damage to the genome of the unborn baby caused from wireless internet, cordless phones and microwave from near-by cell phone emitting devices.
The talk will include information on childhood health, nutrition and toxicity generally. This is an opportunity for anyone interested to learn more about published scientific findings and developments in this area where real knowledge is often clouded by politics and money.
Dr Klinghardt will present simple integrative solutions to these urgent man-made environmental issues, that may be at the very heart of the recent rise in autism, learning disorders, hyperactivity, short term memory problems, sleep disorders, premature aging of the brain and more. No booking is required but early arrival is recommended as this event is likely to fill up fast!
Dr Klinghardt has been a practising physician (Seattle, USA) and international lecturer for over 35 years. He was awarded the prestigious international award as "Physician of the Year" in 2007 by the Global Foundation for Integrative Health.
