Matthew Hess is an advocate for the elimination of routine infant male circumcision. Gledson Baretto is a comic book artist. Together, they created the superhero Foreskin Man:
Miles Hastwick is a former corporate scientist who now heads the Museum of Genital Integrity on a small island surrounded by San Diego's famous beaches. Unbeknownst to the public, Miles is also Foreskin Man, an intactivist superhero who rescues innocent boys from the clutches of the world's cleverest and most dangerous circumcisers.
When I put my toddler to bed, I start by talking with her about her day and all the things that she did, like playing with the dog or visiting her grandma. Then I sing her a few lullabies. There are four of them, always presented in the same order, so that when I finish the fourth, she says "Bed." She knows the routine and thus being placed inside the crib is not a surprise.
The first lullaby is this one, which is the theme song to the Canadian science fiction TV show Lexx. The lyrics translate from Brunnen as follows:
Fighters of the Fight For their home and their heart We fighters will win or die Forever we are Brunnen G
A father in Indianapolis is under arrest after his two young children were found in the street while he was inside their apartment, playing a computer game. A woman named Noemy spotted the children and summoned the police:
When Noemy drove into the apartment complex, she says the naked two year old girl was standing just around a small bend where she could have been hit. Noemy stopped her car to tend to the girl, and then noticed another one year old boy was playing in the grass near the curb wearing only a soiled diaper.[...]
When officers arrived they found an open door several apartments down. Despite yelling through the open door and knocking several times nobody answered. The officers then walked inside and up the stairs before finding 31 year old Timothy Hausaman, who was supposed to be watching his two children.
Though he didn't initially respond, officers say Hausaman wasn't sleeping. He was actually on his bed playing an online role-playing game called "Atlantis" on his laptop. He said he had left his kids downstairs to play, and he was so into his game that he had no idea they got out.
Of course, the most disturbing part of this story is the father was captivated by a game as lame as Atlantis.
Link via Kotaku | Photo by Flickr user Arbron used under Creative Commons license
An 11-year old girl who calls herself Jessi Slaughter has become an Internet sensation. And not in a good way. If you're late the story (as I am), here's a summary: this girl posted suggestive photos of herself online, received nasty responses, and posted a crying breakdown in response on YouTube. This video whipped up entire legions of trolls to go after her. Some of these trolls found her home and sent pizza deliveries to her. Jessi responded with more follow up videos, which included painfully inept cameos by her father, which, of course, fed the trolls.
Anyway, there's a lot of commentary about the story going around the blogosphere today, such as this take by Adrien Chen of Gawker:
Don't pick on 11 year-old girls. Seriously. No matter how dumb they seem-no matter how much they might seem to deserve it-they are, at the end of the day, 11 year-old girls. You wouldn't make an 11 year-old girl cry in real life; why do it on the Internet?
Cole Stryker of Urlesque focuses his much of his response on Jessi's parents:
Only eleven and posting nudes and threats online! Which is why the real failure here lies squarely on Mom and Dad's shoulders. All 11-year-olds are idiots. When given the power of a worldwide platform to exhibit their vanity, they'll take it. Kids with unfettered internet access need parents who understand how the internet works.
So, the practical application question:
How do you address your children's activities on the Internet?
Margaret Eby of Flavorwire compiled an exhaustive list of baby name meanings from the perspective of rock 'n' roll:
Jenny A daredevil on the motorcycle, likes to spin around. Oh, and everyone knows your number. According to: The Mountain Goats, The Sonics, Tommy Tutone
Jimmy A Bollywood star who leads ladies on and enjoys pyrotechnics According to: M.I.A., The White Stripes
Joanna, Johanna Reliable. Plus, Bob Dylan likes you better than Louise According to: Bob Dylan, Kool and the Gang
Each baby name is followed by links to music videos illustrating the name in song.
Before World War II, there were 320 boys and men in England and Wales named Adolf, but as you can imagine, this baby name became less popular during and after the war. There are now only 20 or so people named Adolf in the UK. From The Daily Telegraph:
The website also uncovered other unusual naming trends, with 10 babies born in Lancashire in the late 19th century given the name Fish Fish, and at least one registered with the full name Fish Fish Fish.
In the 1800s there were six babies named Dick Turpin, and five babies were named Ringo in the 1960s.
Following Brazil's World Cup win in 1970, at least eight boys were named Pele, while four Maradonas were registered in England and Wales in 1986 after the 'Hand of God' incident.
One of the boy names that my wife and I considered was in honor of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, but it was ultimately the Adolphe part that changed our minds.
This could be just a hysterial media scare, but a casual search of YouTube suggested that, yes, some teenagers are trying to get high by snorting or swallowing large amounts of nutmeg. And they're succeeding, after a fashion.
Doctors couldn't figure out why 15-year old Hayley Lairmore had agonizing stomach aches. So her mother went online, did some research, and hypothesized that her daughter had a heard ailment called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS):
Doctors and top specialists in the Los Angeles area were unable to find a cause for the girl’s pain, and one recommended that she see a psychiatrist. A gastroenterologist prescribed such strong laxatives that Hayley had to wear a toddler pullup during the half-hour drive from the family’s home in Arrowhead Lake, Calif., to the doctor.
Seven months after Hayley’s symptoms started, the doctors admitted they didn’t know what was wrong. But Christine Lairmore spent hours online trying to find information that would help her child, although she says she is not computer-savvy. One night, she came across a chat room in which a teen girl was discussing a condition called POTS. And after more links, more clicks and a YouTube video of a girl talking about all-too-familiar-sounding symptoms, Lairmore ultimately got hooked up with the Mayo Clinic.
Now that she's getting the correct treatment, Hayley is on the mend and regaining weight.
Link via Digg | Photo by Flickr user csc4u used under Creative Commons license
Under pressure from the British government, Facebook will add a button to the profiles of underage users in that country to enhance the user's safety from online predators. The news articles that I've seen are a bit unclear on exactly what this feature does, it appears to allow a government agency to take over your Facebook profile:
The button, aimed at children and teenagers, will report abuse to the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) and Facebook.
Once installed, the application appears on their homepage to say that "they are in control online".
The launch follows months of negotiation between Ceop and Facebook, which initially resisted the idea.
Ceop, the government law enforcement agency tasked with tracking down online sex offenders, called for a panic button to be installed on social networking sites last November.
Link via Fast Company | Photo by Flickr user Ernst Vinke used under Creative Commons license
The Etch-A-Sketch, invented by André Granjean, was first publicly sold fifty years ago today for $2.99:
The Etch A Sketch, now sold in the UK by Mattel at £14.99, fast became one of the world’s most popular toys, earning it a place in the exclusive US Toy Hall of Fame, along with only 43 other classic toys.
In an increasingly technological toy market, the original Etch A Sketch, with its iconic red frame, continues to hold its own amongst the likes of the Nintendo DS.
In fact, the timeless toy – which was named one of the century’s top toys in 2008 – has seen a 20 per cent rise in worldwide sales this year.
Link | Photo by Flickr user star5112 used under Creative Commons license
James R. Rummel is a self-defense and home security blogger. His current project is to create a thorough first aid kit for a family of four which includes two children. He's never raised children, so he asks readers what they would put in such a first aid kit.
In addition to what he's thought of already, I suggest age-appropriate ibuprofen, acetaminophen, Benadryl, antibiotic ointment, hand wipes, and a nasal aspirator.
What do you consider to be the first aid essentials for children?
The four-year old daughter of YouTube user PattyAnnAmy had a tantrum while in the shoe department of a store. The mother holding the camera knows how to make social networking technology work to her benefit. She says, "Stop crying, or I'm going to put this on YouTube."
My wife and I just got a Moby Wrap. It's a long strip of stretchy fabric that you can wrap around yourself in order to carry your baby. There are all sorts of different positions -- even for twins or while nursing.
Anyway, the instruction manual showed one man with a camo pattern wrap. That's really clever, because when you're hunting, you need both hands free, if for no other reason than to handle a bow or long gun properly. Not to mention the messy work of field dressing a deer. Good thinking, Moby Wraps!
