Is Parenting getting harder?

According to a study in the “Journal of Human Capital”, there is evidence breast-fed babies are more likely to do well in high school and go on to college than bottle-fed babies. Comparing 126 siblings in 59 families allowed researchers to account for such variables as parental intelligence, home environment and socioeconomic status. The researchers concluded an additional month of breast-feeding was linked to an increase in high school grade point averages of .019 points and an increase in college attendance of .014 points. This is information that parents – especially mothers – should stay abreast of.

 
According to a study done in the Netherlands, children who are overweight at age 6 to 7 have an increased risk of having asthma symptoms when they’re 8 years old. Each year until their children were 8 years old, parents of 3,756 children reported their children’s weight, instances of breathing difficulties and use of steroid inhalers. Children who were overweight between the ages of 6 to 7 were 68% more likely to have asthma symptoms at age 8. However, children who developed normal weight by this age didn’t experience increased risk. This study puts more weight on parents’ – shoulders.

 
According to a study done at Florida State University, boys who have the “warrior gene” – variants of a specific MAOA gene – are more likely to join gangs. Previous research linked low-activity MAOA variants with a range of antisocial and violent behavior. In fact, variants of this gene can predict which gang members are more likely to act violently and use weapons. The MAOA gene affects levels of neurotransmitters – such as dopamine and serotonin – that are related to mood and behavior; and unfortunately, those variants related to violence are hereditary. They represent a violent cry for more DNA research.

 
According to a study published in “Child Development”, the more parents know about their teenagers’ friends and activities, the less likely their teens are to have sexual activity. Researchers surveyed 3,206 teenagers yearly for 4 years. All were ages 13 to 18 and from 2-parent families. The researchers asked about sexual and parental relationships. On a 5-point scale, each point higher of personal knowledge for mothers equaled a 3% lower rate of teenage sexual activity. Each point higher of personal knowledge for fathers equaled a 7% lower rate of this activity. However, one extra family activity a week equaled a 9% lower rate. Parenting requires “twogetherness”.

About the Author:
As a child, a pencil and paper were my favorite playthings – with them I could create anything. In adulthood I’ve created daytime drama scripts; a three-times-a-week newspaper column, in which I took a humorous look at everyday things; and humorous verse for greeting card companies. Today I write Knight Watch, in which I take a look at what makes life interesting.

© 2009. This article was excerpted with permission from Knight Pierce Hirst at http://knightwatch.typepad.com. Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Knight Pierce Hirst from http://knightwatch.typepad.com Originally published in, http://knightwatch.typepad.com 09/09”.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine Los Angeles. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

WHO ARE THE INVENTORS OF INVENTIVENESS?

Joseph Carnevale, a student at North Carolina State University, made a 10-foot, roadside monster using orange-and-white, safety barrels. The smiling monster leaned toward traffic, right arm extended with thumb out, as if hitchhiking. After Carnevale was arrested and charged with 2 misdemeanors, hundreds of people in Raleigh wrote to the city, saying they liked the sculpture and wanted Carnevale’s charges dropped. The company that owned the $120-barrels didn’t press charges, wanting to use the monster for advertising. Unfortunately, because Carnevale was already on probation, he faces 6 months in jail. By stealing the safety barrels, Carnevale stole the show.

Georgie Davis, a British fashion student, designed a dress with mobile-phone maker Sony Ericsson as part of a school project. The project was to incorporate modern technology into today’s fashion. The result was a dress that lights up when the wearer’s mobile phone rings. Actually, it’s the translucent, white scales that decorate the right shoulder of the dress that light up. They also move. The knee-length, sleeveless, white dress is also designed to be connected to the wearer’s phone via Bluetooth wireless technology so the wearer can hear it ring too – making the dress quite a little number.

Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg unveiled the “Solar Impulse”, a prototype solar-powered plane they plan to fly around the world in 2012 after 2 years of test flights for the $98-million project. With the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and weighing less than a small car, the plane will be flown day and night using approximately 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and 4 electric motors. Flying at about 44 mph, the flight will be made in 5 stages, with airtime lasting up to 5 days per stage. Because solar panels are necessary for day flying and charging batteries for night flying, the need for sunlight is a “plane” fact.

John Joseph Houghtaling, who died in 2009, was also an inventor. In 1958 in his New Jersey garage he invented the coin-operated Magic Fingers machine, which was a feature in motel beds in the 1960’s. For 25 cents the guests got 15 minutes of relaxing vibrations. Although Magic Fingers made millions, Houghtaling continued inventing. In the mid 1970’s he invented a machine that reads magnetic strips on plastic cards. He also expanded his coin-operated business with a scale that gives customers their weight and a lotto number. Houghtaling, however, was a self-made winner.

About the Author:
As a child, a pencil and paper were my favorite playthings – with them I could create anything. In adulthood I’ve created daytime drama scripts; a three-times-a-week newspaper column, in which I took a humorous look at everyday things; and humorous verse for greeting card companies. Today I write Knight Watch, in which I take a look at what makes life interesting.

© 2009. This article was excerpted with permission from Knight Pierce Hirst at http://knightwatch.typepad.com. Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Knight Pierce Hirst from http://knightwatch.typepad.com. Originally published in, http://knightwatch.typepad.com 09/09”.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine Los Angeles. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ANIMALS?

Demand for detection canines has increased dramatically as the U.S. government focuses on homeland security. According to the North American Police Work Dog Association, there are 35,000 dogs trained to do detective work. For each drop of odor detected by a dog’s nose, a human nose would need 1,000-10,000 drops. Dogs begin training as puppies and are chosen for training by purity of breed, confidence, sociability and temperament. Most law enforcement agencies use Belgian Malinoises or German shepherds; but labs, bloodhounds and beagles are used too. Although honeybees are better at detecting TNT particles, they are more suited for sting operations.

English researchers discovered that rooks – members of the crow family – are capable of making and using tools in captivity. In one experiment rooks learned to get food by collapsing a platform with a stone. Without training they would select the right size stone to accomplish the task. When they couldn’t find the right size stone, the rooks modified sticks to use instead. In another experiment rooks not only got food with a hooked tool from a tube, but they also bent wire into a hook when it was necessary. It seems rooks can make habitual tool users like chimpanzees look like rookies.

A study in the journal “Current Biology” determined that the hoots and pants made by apes when tickled are related to human laughter. Researchers analyzed 11 acoustic features in a recording of tickled apes and discovered a revealing pattern of similarities and differences compared with a tape of 5 related species – orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans. The results suggest evolutionary origins of human laughter can be traced back 10-16 million years to the last common ancestor of humans and modern great apes, with the sounds evolving as apes emerged. Obviously, evolution can be a laughing matter.

Scientists accidentally discovered how to find lost penguins – follow their poop. In remote parts of Antarctica researchers, unable to find colonies of emperor penguins, didn’t know if they were in danger. Emperor penguins spend months breeding on ice – which global warming is expected to reduce by one-third by the end of this century. The good news is stains of penguin poop on ice can be seen from space. Using satellite data, scientists found 10 new colonies of emperor penguins, 6 colonies that had moved and 6 colonies that seem to have disappeared. At least that’s according to the latest poop.

About the Author:
As a child, a pencil and paper were my favorite playthings – with them I could create anything. In adulthood I’ve created daytime drama scripts; a three-times-a-week newspaper column, in which I took a humorous look at everyday things; and humorous verse for greeting card companies. Today I write Knight Watch, in which I take a look at what makes life interesting.

© 2009. This article was excerpted with permission from Knight Pierce Hirst at http://knightwatch.typepad.com. Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Knight Pierce Hirst from http://knightwatch.typepad.com Originally published in, http://knightwatch.typepad.com 08/09”.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

IS GOOD HEALTH GETTING BETTER?

In May 2009 the Institute of Medicine issued new guidelines for how much weight women should gain during pregnancy. More than half of pregnant women don’t follow these guidelines; and unfortunately, more of them are heavier, older and have more pre-existing conditions than a decade ago – making extra pounds riskier. According to the guidelines, women with normal body mass indexes should gain 25 to 35 pounds; overweight women should gain 15 to 25 pounds; and for the first time there’s a recommendation for obese women. They should gain 11 to 20 pounds. Having a baby can be a weighty decision in more than one way.

A study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health found a 7-week acupuncture treatment helped many ease their chronic lower back pain. The patients volunteering for the study ranked their pain at least a 3 on a scale of 0 to 10 and were divided into groups. Some groups received usual care – medicine and doctor checkups. Other groups received usual care plus acupuncture. About 40% of volunteers receiving usual care improved. About 60% of those receiving usual care plus acupuncture improved. In acupuncture needles are inserted in specific points to get energy flowing. Unfortunately, acupuncture won’t work on the economy.

A study published in the “Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry” found vitamin D may help to reduce mental decline later in life. Researchers compared the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 European men aged 40 to 79. After adjusting for education level, depression, physical activity and physical performance, those with low levels of vitamin D did less well on a task designed to test mental agility. Vitamin D is produced by the body when skin is exposed to sunlight, is present in some foods and is available in supplement form. It seems the “sunshine vitamin” could brighten futures.

Finally, the Dandelion School is Beijing’s only government-approved middle school for children of migrant workers. In 2006, in cooperation with China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the school gave students 3 fortified meals daily for 8 months. Migrant workers’ children come to school on average 4 inches shorter and 22 pounds lighter than average children their age. Blood tests before and after the 8-month experiment showed major improvements in the students’ nutrient levels. Before the fortified food experiment the passing rate was less than 1%. In 2008 it was 98% – fortifying the program’s permanence.

About the Author:

As a child, a pencil and paper were my favorite playthings – with them I could create anything.  In adulthood I’ve created daytime drama scripts; a three-times-a-week newspaper column, in which I took a humorous look at everyday things; and humorous verse for greeting card companies.  Today I write Knight Watch, in which I take a look at what makes life interesting.

© 2009. This article was excerpted with permission from  Knight Pierce Hirst  at http://knightwatch.typepad.com.  Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Knight Pierce Hirst from http://knightwatch.typepad.com   Originally published in, http://knightwatch.typepad.com 08/09.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.