Program pushes pupils to higher thinking level
By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:12:00 01/07/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- There will be no more boring lectures, stifling chalk dust and schoolchildren falling asleep in class.
All these are expected to be eliminated when public school teachers soon incorporate in their daily teaching grind an IT-based pedagogy that would engage students in a “higher level” of thinking.
Called microLESSONs, they are “easy-to-develop” student-centered instructional units pioneered by Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE) in 1998, which focus on a small section of a topic in the school curriculum.
The instructional packages may include simulations, games and problem-solving that see students “pulling” information rather than teachers “pushing” theories, principles and facts, said Dr. Philip Wong, division director of the NIE’s Academic Computing and Information Service.
They are so entertaining and versatile that students could be weather forecasters for an hour and learn about the different types of clouds, or movie buyers versed in expository texts, or elfin financial analysts for popular fairytale character Jack, who didn’t know what to do with his “magic beans” and later learned algebraic expressions.
Adopting these instructional materials will draw teachers away from the blackboard and actually help keep students awake and responsive in class, Wong told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
“We will do away with the tutorial mode where teachers talk and talk and talk while students listen, listen and listen until they fall asleep,” Wong said at the launch of the Leaders and Educators in Asia Program (LEAP) at Ateneo de Manila University on Friday.
Compact discs containing templates of these instructional materials -- particularly lessons in Math, Science and English -- were distributed to participating teachers during the launch, which they could forthwith use in their classes, Wong added.
Real-life situation
With microLESSONs, teachers will have a more interesting way of presenting their lessons for the day by engaging students in case studies, scenarios or real-life situations pertaining to the topics.
“This is one way of encouraging a higher level of thinking among students. We don’t just let them memorize what is being taught,” he said.
A joint project of NIE, Temasek Foundation and Ateneo, the LEAP is expected to encourage the growth of and innovations in Philippine education through the training of public school teachers.
NIE, an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University, is the sole teacher-preparation institute in Singapore.
Temasek, which shelled out P60 million for the project, is a Singapore-based nonprofit organization.
9 public schools
Under the program, over 80 teachers and principals from nine pilot public schools in Quezon City will undergo a six-week training beginning this month. This will include a workshop on creating and designing their own microLESSONs -- one of the many components of the program.
The pilot schools, which were selected by Ateneo, are Sauyo Elementary School, Pasong Tamo Elementary School, Mines Elementary School, Tandang Sora Elementary School, Culiat Elementary School, San Bartolome High School, Ernesto Rondon High School, Ramon Magsaysay High School and Ismael Mathay Sr. High School.
The schools’ population, performance and potential were among the factors considered in the selection.
The teachers and principals who will excel in the training will receive scholarships to postgraduate diploma, leadership and other professional development programs conducted either at NIE or Ateneo, said NIE director Lee Sing Kong.
Ripple effect
“The initial ripple effect from this first group will potentially bring benefit to more than 30,000 students, when the LEAP participants return to their schools and communities to help and facilitate the professional development of fellow educators,” Lee said.
During the three-year program, the university will seek out other schools and tap more government sources so teachers and students in far-flung provinces in the country could benefit from the program, said Ateneo president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres.
“One of the realities we face today in [our education system] is that we are rather behind top countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China and Taiwan. That’s why we are trying to catch up,” Nebres told reporters.
from Inq7.net
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2008
Thursday, October 4, 2007
KIDS AND SMOKING
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20071002/hl_hsn/firstpuffcanturnkidsintosmokersstudy
First Puff Can Turn Kids Into Smokers: Study
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
Mon Oct 1, 11:45 PM ET
MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Just a single drag on a cigarette may drag a teen into smoking addiction, a new study suggests.
Researchers say almost a third of kids interviewed who tried smoking said their first cigarette brought them a feeling of relaxation -- and two-thirds of those kids went on to become smokers.
"This provides further support for the idea that dependence begins with the first cigarette," said study lead author Dr. Joseph DiFranza, a professor in the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass.
DiFranza's findings are reported in the October issue of Pediatrics.
Between 2002 and 2006, the study authors tracked the smoking habits of 217 sixth-graders, averaging 12 years of age, who they recruited from six schools in Massachusetts. Nearly three-quarters of the children were non-Hispanic whites, and all reported having inhaled a cigarette at least once.
A total of 11 in-person, 20-minute interviews were conducted over the four-year study period. The teens also completed psychological evaluations while recounting their history of tobacco use.
Tobacco-dependence was assessed based on such criteria as cravings, compulsion to smoke, changes in tolerance, time devoted to the pursuit of smoking, and an inability to quit.
As well, all the boys and girls were asked questions regarding basic personality traits, attitudes and beliefs, their social environment, and involvement with their family and community.
The result: Once a teen had tried cigarettes, very little they did afterward impacted on whether they became addicted or not.
Furthermore, experiencing that feeling of being "relaxed" immediately after the first puff of a cigarette was the leading predictor of becoming dependent on cigarettes and then being unable to quit, the researchers found. Almost 29 percent of youngsters interviewed said they had experienced such a feeling after their first cigarette.
Just over 38 percent of the ever-smoking youngsters went on to develop a clinical dependence on cigarettes. Almost 67 percent of the participants who recalled being relaxed following their first inhale became dependent, the researchers reported, compared to 29 percent of those who experienced no such relaxation effect.
Another factor that appeared to somewhat up the risk for dependence was having seen an ad with Joe Camel -- the Camel cigarette brand's mascot between 1987 and 1997, the study found.
Psychological factors -- such as being depressed and having a novelty-seeking personality -- also boosted the likelihood of addiction.
Post-inhale relaxation was the biggest risk factor for being unable to quit smoking, the researchers added. In fact, 91 percent of teens who claimed such feelings also said they were unable to kick the habit. Overall, almost 60 percent of the entire group of kids interviewed said they had lost their "autonomy," in terms of being able to stop smoking.
The findings suggest that the physiological addiction triggered by a first cigarette may be even more of a risk factor for smoking dependence than personality-driven factors, according to the researchers.
Based on the study results, DiFranza's team advocated an all-out ban on tobacco advertising to lower teens' likelihood of experimenting with cigarettes. More might also be done to educate young people of the dangers of that first cigarette, DiFranza added.
"You've never seen a commercial on TV warning that you can get hooked from the first cigarette," he noted. "And, to my knowledge, this has not yet been taught in classrooms. This is not a message that we've ever used in our public health programs. So, probably 99 percent of kids you asked probably think it's safe to try it once. What could be the problem with that? But there is a big risk to even trying it just once. And that should be the message that we give to our kids."
One expert said the study raises a few interesting questions.
"First, I wouldn't have expected that young people -- of all groups -- would experiment with cigarettes as a way to seek relaxation," said Joel Killen, a professor in the department of medicine with the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif. "I would think that as a social group, kids would tend to look for the opposite -- for stimulation," he said.
"There is also this ongoing conundrum concerning nicotine addiction that people have talked about for a long time," Killen said. "That is that a lot of smokers report that they smoke for this relaxing effect -- an easing of their anxiety -- despite the fact that nicotine is actually a stimulant."
However, recent animal studies have suggested that the first few puffs of cigarette smoke do provoke a physiological reaction akin to relaxation, but it is a transient feeling that occurs before stimulation kicks in, Killen said.
Does this mean that teens might, in fact, be attracted to cigarettes for that relaxation-stimulation effect?
"To my knowledge, this question has yet to be studied in humans," Killen responded. "So, it remains a paradox."
First Puff Can Turn Kids Into Smokers: Study
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
Mon Oct 1, 11:45 PM ET
MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Just a single drag on a cigarette may drag a teen into smoking addiction, a new study suggests.
Researchers say almost a third of kids interviewed who tried smoking said their first cigarette brought them a feeling of relaxation -- and two-thirds of those kids went on to become smokers.
"This provides further support for the idea that dependence begins with the first cigarette," said study lead author Dr. Joseph DiFranza, a professor in the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass.
DiFranza's findings are reported in the October issue of Pediatrics.
Between 2002 and 2006, the study authors tracked the smoking habits of 217 sixth-graders, averaging 12 years of age, who they recruited from six schools in Massachusetts. Nearly three-quarters of the children were non-Hispanic whites, and all reported having inhaled a cigarette at least once.
A total of 11 in-person, 20-minute interviews were conducted over the four-year study period. The teens also completed psychological evaluations while recounting their history of tobacco use.
Tobacco-dependence was assessed based on such criteria as cravings, compulsion to smoke, changes in tolerance, time devoted to the pursuit of smoking, and an inability to quit.
As well, all the boys and girls were asked questions regarding basic personality traits, attitudes and beliefs, their social environment, and involvement with their family and community.
The result: Once a teen had tried cigarettes, very little they did afterward impacted on whether they became addicted or not.
Furthermore, experiencing that feeling of being "relaxed" immediately after the first puff of a cigarette was the leading predictor of becoming dependent on cigarettes and then being unable to quit, the researchers found. Almost 29 percent of youngsters interviewed said they had experienced such a feeling after their first cigarette.
Just over 38 percent of the ever-smoking youngsters went on to develop a clinical dependence on cigarettes. Almost 67 percent of the participants who recalled being relaxed following their first inhale became dependent, the researchers reported, compared to 29 percent of those who experienced no such relaxation effect.
Another factor that appeared to somewhat up the risk for dependence was having seen an ad with Joe Camel -- the Camel cigarette brand's mascot between 1987 and 1997, the study found.
Psychological factors -- such as being depressed and having a novelty-seeking personality -- also boosted the likelihood of addiction.
Post-inhale relaxation was the biggest risk factor for being unable to quit smoking, the researchers added. In fact, 91 percent of teens who claimed such feelings also said they were unable to kick the habit. Overall, almost 60 percent of the entire group of kids interviewed said they had lost their "autonomy," in terms of being able to stop smoking.
The findings suggest that the physiological addiction triggered by a first cigarette may be even more of a risk factor for smoking dependence than personality-driven factors, according to the researchers.
Based on the study results, DiFranza's team advocated an all-out ban on tobacco advertising to lower teens' likelihood of experimenting with cigarettes. More might also be done to educate young people of the dangers of that first cigarette, DiFranza added.
"You've never seen a commercial on TV warning that you can get hooked from the first cigarette," he noted. "And, to my knowledge, this has not yet been taught in classrooms. This is not a message that we've ever used in our public health programs. So, probably 99 percent of kids you asked probably think it's safe to try it once. What could be the problem with that? But there is a big risk to even trying it just once. And that should be the message that we give to our kids."
One expert said the study raises a few interesting questions.
"First, I wouldn't have expected that young people -- of all groups -- would experiment with cigarettes as a way to seek relaxation," said Joel Killen, a professor in the department of medicine with the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif. "I would think that as a social group, kids would tend to look for the opposite -- for stimulation," he said.
"There is also this ongoing conundrum concerning nicotine addiction that people have talked about for a long time," Killen said. "That is that a lot of smokers report that they smoke for this relaxing effect -- an easing of their anxiety -- despite the fact that nicotine is actually a stimulant."
However, recent animal studies have suggested that the first few puffs of cigarette smoke do provoke a physiological reaction akin to relaxation, but it is a transient feeling that occurs before stimulation kicks in, Killen said.
Does this mean that teens might, in fact, be attracted to cigarettes for that relaxation-stimulation effect?
"To my knowledge, this question has yet to be studied in humans," Killen responded. "So, it remains a paradox."
Saturday, September 29, 2007
IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=st/wk/08200000aaa0112d.ap&Sys=doctordebi&Filter=Top%20Stories&Fid=TOPSTRYS
Poll: Family Ties Key to Youth Happiness
By JOCELYN NOVECK and TREVOR TOMPSON
Associated Press Writers
So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey - more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 - conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.
'They're my foundation,' says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. 'My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.'
Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier, across economic categories, than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said 'money' when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
From the body to the soul: Close to half say religion and spirituality are very important. And more than half say they believe there is a higher power that has an influence over things that make them happy. Beyond religion, simply belonging to an organized religious group makes people happier.
And parents, here's some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.
Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.
Poll: Family Ties Key to Youth Happiness
By JOCELYN NOVECK and TREVOR TOMPSON
Associated Press Writers
So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey - more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 - conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.
'They're my foundation,' says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. 'My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.'
Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier, across economic categories, than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said 'money' when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
From the body to the soul: Close to half say religion and spirituality are very important. And more than half say they believe there is a higher power that has an influence over things that make them happy. Beyond religion, simply belonging to an organized religious group makes people happier.
And parents, here's some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.
Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
KIDS AND TV
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070904/hl_nm/attention_television_dc;_ylt=AppatqiMyvDiatB1F7haii2s0NUE
Childhood TV viewing can cause teenage problems
By Andrew Stern
Tue Sep 4, 11:50 AM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.
The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis wrote.
Landhuis offered several possible explanations for the association.
One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may over stimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison.
"Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he wrote.
It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he said. The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.
The study was not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis said, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television.
"However, our results show that the net effect of television seems to be adverse," he wrote.
Previous studies have linked the sedentary habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, and another study in the same journal cited the poor nutritional content of the overwhelming majority of food products advertised on the top-rated U.S. children's television shows.
Up to 98 percent of the TV ads promoting food products that were directed at children aged 2 through 11 "were high in either fat, sugar, or sodium," wrote Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Childhood TV viewing can cause teenage problems
By Andrew Stern
Tue Sep 4, 11:50 AM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.
The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis wrote.
Landhuis offered several possible explanations for the association.
One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may over stimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison.
"Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he wrote.
It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he said. The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.
The study was not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis said, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television.
"However, our results show that the net effect of television seems to be adverse," he wrote.
Previous studies have linked the sedentary habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, and another study in the same journal cited the poor nutritional content of the overwhelming majority of food products advertised on the top-rated U.S. children's television shows.
Up to 98 percent of the TV ads promoting food products that were directed at children aged 2 through 11 "were high in either fat, sugar, or sodium," wrote Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Friday, June 1, 2007
CHILDREN AND MATH
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070531/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_study_shows_children_good_at_approximate
Study shows children good at approximate maths
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children who had never been taught addition or subtraction were able to solve approximate maths problems involving large numbers, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that reveals a new understanding of children's innate math ability.
They said children's early struggles with maths may be linked to the need to produce a precise number. Their finding could lead to better ways to teach math to young children.
Writing in the journal Nature, Camilla Gilmore of the University of Nottingham, Elizabeth Spelke of Harvard University and colleagues conducted a series of experiments with 5- and 6-year-old children from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
"I was astonished," said Spelke, who expected to find just the opposite.
"Clearly, the number words have to be learned and the Arabic notation has to be learned. These things aren't built into us, but I do think there is a basic nonsymbolic sense of number that is built into us," she said in a telephone interview.
Spelke said researchers have known for some time that adults, children, infants and animals have a sense of number.
What surprised them was that children who had learned their numbers could draw on this ability when presented with problems in symbolic arithmetic.
"We didn't think they would be able to do it," she said.
In one experiment, children were read simple statements and a question: "Sarah has 64 candies. She gives 13 of them away. John has 34 candies. Who has more?" These were accompanied by simple faces and numbers.
Most of the children (65 percent) were able to solve the problems without resorting to guessing or other means of calculation, and the finding could not have been the result of chance, the researchers said.
To see whether the children were drawing on prior knowledge of addition they may have learned at home or elsewhere, the researchers asked them to produce the exact solution, which they were not able to do.
They said teachers in the classroom-based study were sceptical about the experiment and surprised by their students' success and how much they enjoyed participating.
The authors said their study might be useful for teaching maths to young kids.
"It may help children who are at a point of getting discouraged," Spelke said.
Study shows children good at approximate maths
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children who had never been taught addition or subtraction were able to solve approximate maths problems involving large numbers, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that reveals a new understanding of children's innate math ability.
They said children's early struggles with maths may be linked to the need to produce a precise number. Their finding could lead to better ways to teach math to young children.
Writing in the journal Nature, Camilla Gilmore of the University of Nottingham, Elizabeth Spelke of Harvard University and colleagues conducted a series of experiments with 5- and 6-year-old children from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
"I was astonished," said Spelke, who expected to find just the opposite.
"Clearly, the number words have to be learned and the Arabic notation has to be learned. These things aren't built into us, but I do think there is a basic nonsymbolic sense of number that is built into us," she said in a telephone interview.
Spelke said researchers have known for some time that adults, children, infants and animals have a sense of number.
What surprised them was that children who had learned their numbers could draw on this ability when presented with problems in symbolic arithmetic.
"We didn't think they would be able to do it," she said.
In one experiment, children were read simple statements and a question: "Sarah has 64 candies. She gives 13 of them away. John has 34 candies. Who has more?" These were accompanied by simple faces and numbers.
Most of the children (65 percent) were able to solve the problems without resorting to guessing or other means of calculation, and the finding could not have been the result of chance, the researchers said.
To see whether the children were drawing on prior knowledge of addition they may have learned at home or elsewhere, the researchers asked them to produce the exact solution, which they were not able to do.
They said teachers in the classroom-based study were sceptical about the experiment and surprised by their students' success and how much they enjoyed participating.
The authors said their study might be useful for teaching maths to young kids.
"It may help children who are at a point of getting discouraged," Spelke said.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
NEW EXOPLANETS
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070529/sc_space/28newexoplanetsdiscovered
28 New Exoplanets Discovered
Jeanna Bryner
Staff Writer
SPACE.com
HONOLULU-Astronomers have discovered 28 new planets outside of our solar system, increasing to 236 the number of known exoplanets, revealing that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types-from tiny, dim stars to giants.
"We added 12 percent to the total in the last year, and we're very proud of that," said one of the study team members Jason Wright of the University of California at Berkeley. "This provides new planetary systems so that we can study their properties as an ensemble."
The planets are among 37 new objects spotted within the past year. Seven of the objects are failed stars called brown dwarfs, with masses that dwarf the largest, Jupiter-sized planets but too small to sustain the nuclear reactions necessary for stellar ignition.
John Johnson of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues presented the findings here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Astronomers don't directly spot extrasolar planets, but rather look for stellar wobbles caused by orbiting planets. The planet's size and distance from the parent star affect how strong or weak of a wobble, and more sophisticated techniques for measuring the stellar wobbles has led to an ever-lengthening list of such outer planets. Now they can detect wobbles of a meter per second compared with the 10-meter limit just 15 years ago.
Planet profiles
One of the exoplanets, a red M dwarf just 30 light-years from Earth, was discovered two years ago, but recent observations have allowed astronomers to pin down its mass, radius and density. The ice-giant planet circles the star Gliese 436 (GJ 436) and has a radius and density that are surprisingly similar to that of Neptune.
Weighing in at 22.4 Earth-masses, the exoplanet is the first Neptune-sized planet observed to transit a star. The previous record holder, dubbed HD 140926b, weighed in at 100 Earth masses, and Jupiter is 320 Earth masses.
"[Gliese 436b] must be 50 percent rock and about 50 percent water, with perhaps small amounts of hydrogen and helium," said head of the planet-search team Geoffrey Marcy, also of UC Berkeley. "So this planet has the interior structure of a hybrid super-Earth/Neptune, with a rocky core surrounded by a significant amount of water compressed into solid form at high pressures and temperatures."
Its 2.6-day orbit around GJ 436 means the hybrid planet circles very close to its star, just 3 percent of the Sun-Earth distance, and making it a hot Neptune. Unlike most giant planets found with such close ties to their stars, this planet has an eccentric orbit. The elongated orbit suggests the parent star could have another planetary companion with a more distant orbit.
"I'm sure people will immediately follow up and try to measure the atmospheric composition of this planet," Wright said.
GJ 436 is an M star and 70 percent of all stars are considered M-type stars, so finding that these dim stars can support planets could mean a boon for planet hunters.
Bigger is better
At least four of the newly spotted planets belong to multiple-planet systems, supporting the idea that at least 30 percent of all planet-parent stars have more than one planetary companion. Since smaller planets and those outside our solar system are trickier to detect, Wright predicts this percentage will continue to rise as detection methods improve.
And three of the just-discovered planets circle stars that boast masses between 1.6 and 1.9 times that of our Sun. The stars are A- and F-type stars, which are typically difficult to detect because they rotate fast and have pulsating atmospheres.
Due to their extreme rotational velocities and high temperatures, A and F stars only jitter slightly from orbiting planets and so surveys can only pick up wobbles from super-massive planets and brown dwarfs in short-period orbits around these stars.
Johnson discovered that "retired" A stars, which have nearly burned all of their hydrogen and remain stable for a short stint, have slower rotation rates and are not so hot. That makes it easier for astronomers to measure their planet-caused wobbles.
Unlike planets orbiting M-type stars, these exoplanets tend to orbit at least 0.8 astronomical units (AU) from the parent stars.
For this reason, massive stars are more likely to harbor Jupiter-sized planets than are lower-mass stars, Johnson said. And retired A-type stars are twice as likely to support planets compared with Sun-like stars, which Johnson attributes to the fact that bigger stars start out with more material in their disks to feed planet building.
So these massive stars also could represent a treasure trove for places to spot new exoplanets, along with the M stars, Johnson said.
28 New Exoplanets Discovered
Jeanna Bryner
Staff Writer
SPACE.com
HONOLULU-Astronomers have discovered 28 new planets outside of our solar system, increasing to 236 the number of known exoplanets, revealing that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types-from tiny, dim stars to giants.
"We added 12 percent to the total in the last year, and we're very proud of that," said one of the study team members Jason Wright of the University of California at Berkeley. "This provides new planetary systems so that we can study their properties as an ensemble."
The planets are among 37 new objects spotted within the past year. Seven of the objects are failed stars called brown dwarfs, with masses that dwarf the largest, Jupiter-sized planets but too small to sustain the nuclear reactions necessary for stellar ignition.
John Johnson of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues presented the findings here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Astronomers don't directly spot extrasolar planets, but rather look for stellar wobbles caused by orbiting planets. The planet's size and distance from the parent star affect how strong or weak of a wobble, and more sophisticated techniques for measuring the stellar wobbles has led to an ever-lengthening list of such outer planets. Now they can detect wobbles of a meter per second compared with the 10-meter limit just 15 years ago.
Planet profiles
One of the exoplanets, a red M dwarf just 30 light-years from Earth, was discovered two years ago, but recent observations have allowed astronomers to pin down its mass, radius and density. The ice-giant planet circles the star Gliese 436 (GJ 436) and has a radius and density that are surprisingly similar to that of Neptune.
Weighing in at 22.4 Earth-masses, the exoplanet is the first Neptune-sized planet observed to transit a star. The previous record holder, dubbed HD 140926b, weighed in at 100 Earth masses, and Jupiter is 320 Earth masses.
"[Gliese 436b] must be 50 percent rock and about 50 percent water, with perhaps small amounts of hydrogen and helium," said head of the planet-search team Geoffrey Marcy, also of UC Berkeley. "So this planet has the interior structure of a hybrid super-Earth/Neptune, with a rocky core surrounded by a significant amount of water compressed into solid form at high pressures and temperatures."
Its 2.6-day orbit around GJ 436 means the hybrid planet circles very close to its star, just 3 percent of the Sun-Earth distance, and making it a hot Neptune. Unlike most giant planets found with such close ties to their stars, this planet has an eccentric orbit. The elongated orbit suggests the parent star could have another planetary companion with a more distant orbit.
"I'm sure people will immediately follow up and try to measure the atmospheric composition of this planet," Wright said.
GJ 436 is an M star and 70 percent of all stars are considered M-type stars, so finding that these dim stars can support planets could mean a boon for planet hunters.
Bigger is better
At least four of the newly spotted planets belong to multiple-planet systems, supporting the idea that at least 30 percent of all planet-parent stars have more than one planetary companion. Since smaller planets and those outside our solar system are trickier to detect, Wright predicts this percentage will continue to rise as detection methods improve.
And three of the just-discovered planets circle stars that boast masses between 1.6 and 1.9 times that of our Sun. The stars are A- and F-type stars, which are typically difficult to detect because they rotate fast and have pulsating atmospheres.
Due to their extreme rotational velocities and high temperatures, A and F stars only jitter slightly from orbiting planets and so surveys can only pick up wobbles from super-massive planets and brown dwarfs in short-period orbits around these stars.
Johnson discovered that "retired" A stars, which have nearly burned all of their hydrogen and remain stable for a short stint, have slower rotation rates and are not so hot. That makes it easier for astronomers to measure their planet-caused wobbles.
Unlike planets orbiting M-type stars, these exoplanets tend to orbit at least 0.8 astronomical units (AU) from the parent stars.
For this reason, massive stars are more likely to harbor Jupiter-sized planets than are lower-mass stars, Johnson said. And retired A-type stars are twice as likely to support planets compared with Sun-like stars, which Johnson attributes to the fact that bigger stars start out with more material in their disks to feed planet building.
So these massive stars also could represent a treasure trove for places to spot new exoplanets, along with the M stars, Johnson said.
Monday, May 14, 2007
ALIBATA ALPHABET
I would LOVE to learn this and teach this to Nikki and Ethan, if only to preserve our culture. I think it would be wonderful...
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=65575
Teaching ABCs the alibata way
By Tina Santos
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines – Raymond Cosare initially couldn’t explain his fascination with the Chinese brush.
“I was just fond of collecting it but I didn’t know why,” he told the Inquirer.
A psychology professor at the Far Eastern University, the 38-year-old Cosare discovered the answer about seven years ago shortly after he began working as a volunteer at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, an old house in Quiapo, Manila that has been turned into a museum for artifacts belonging to its previous owners and members of the Katipunan.
Since 2000, Cosare has been putting his brush collection to good use by teaching children, as well as the young at heart, the art of writing the baybayin, the ancient Filipino script.
He explained that baybayin is an old Tagalog word that refers to all the letters or alphabet used in writing a language. It is taken from the root word, baybáy, meaning “to spell.”
Syllabic writing system
The baybayin is a syllabic writing system, which means that each letter represents a syllable instead of just a basic sound compared to the modern alphabet. There are a total of 17 characters: three vowels and 14 consonants, but when combined with the small vowel-modifying marks called kudlít, the number of characters increases to 45, Cosare added.
“Though it is more commonly known as alibata, it is proper to use baybayin,” he stressed.
He explained that alibata was the term introduced in the early 1900s by Paul Versoza of the University of Manila. He said Versoza claimed that the term was coined from alif, ba and ta, the first three letters of the Maguindanao arrangement of the Arabic letters.
These days, while his students are on their summer break, Cosare is busy holding “baybayin classes” for curious guests who drop by Bahay Nakpil-Bautista.
His students include children and their mothers as well as local and foreign tourists, he said.
Each class, which lasts about an hour and a half, begins with Cosare talking about the history of baybayin.
“It’s very informal because I don’t want them to get bored, especially if it’s the kids I’m talking to,” he added.
But the real magic begins as soon as Cosare’s eager students sit on the wooden floor of the ancient house to write their names in baybayin using a brush, paper, ink or paint.
“They write awkwardly at first but little by little, they develop confidence until their handwriting flows, and the curls they draw become so natural it’s as if they’ve known how to do this before,” he said of his students.
According to Cosare, he first encountered baybayin when he was in second year high school.
“Our Filipino teacher wrote the baybayin characters on the blackboard but she did not explain it, she just told us to copy what she was writing on the board,” he said. He added that he quickly became interested in learning how to write the characters, even using these to write letters and journals.
“I mastered baybayin because I used it to hide my deepest thoughts in my journal—my way of protecting it from my nosy siblings,” he said with a laugh. “At least, they wouldn’t understand what these characters stood for.”
But with no one to share his newfound interest with, Cosare put aside baybayin when he got to college.
Then one day, Teresita Obusan, the ebullient curator of Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, showed him material that featured seemingly intimidating characters.
“She asked me to practice writing it and use those characters in writing ‘Merry Christmas’ on cards she was about to send her friends. She was surprised because I finished faster than she thought I would. That’s when I told her that I’ve been writing baybayin since high school,” Cosare recalled.
Since then, Cosare said he and Obusan have found something new to share with guests of Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, apart from giving them a tour of the house and of Quiapo.
Asked why it was significant to study something that many people has long regarded as “useless” and passe, he answered: “Baybayin is something Filipinos can really call their own. So, why don’t we use it?”
Making Filipinos prouder
“But more importantly, baybayin makes Filipino people prouder of who they are,” he added.
Contrary to common belief, when the Spaniards arrived in the country, they found a culture that was very different from their own, he said.
“The ability to read and write is the mark of any civilization and according to many early Spanish accounts, our ancestors had already been writing with the baybayin for at least a century. This script was just beginning to spread throughout the islands at that time,” Cosare added.
But baybayin soon went out of style. “Perhaps practicality was the main reason,” was his answer when asked why, adding that social expediency could be another.
He further explained: “Maybe Filipinos abandoned baybayin in favor of the alphabet because they found the latter easy to learn and it was a skill that helped them to get ahead in life under the Spanish regime, working in relatively prestigious jobs as clerks, scribes and secretaries.”
But Cosare happily noted that because of information revolution, many Filipinos are taking a new interest in their heritage and it is usually the baybayin that catches their attention first.
“Through the use of computer fonts, the baybayin is now being used in graphic designs for websites, multimedia art, jewelry, compact discs, T-shirts, and logos,” he disclosed.
And for some Pinoys, it seems that baybayin has come full circle, he added. “Today, a growing number of young Filipinos are getting tattooed with baybayin characters to show their pride in their heritage.”
However, he claimed that he was referring to Filipinos staying in other parts of the country.
“Malakas ang interest (There is a lot of interest). But for some, either they’re not aware or they find it very Filipino. I don’t know what that means but somehow too Filipino is not a very positive thing for others.”
“Check the Internet and you will see that most websites about baybayin were done by Filipino-Americans, Filipino-Canadians, walang purong Pinoy,” Cosare lamented.
According to him, he would be happy if baybayin is introduced in school curriculums.
“The suggestion has always been there but maybe the Department of Education has other concerns for now,” he said, adding that it would be better to introduce baybayin to preschool children.
Ultimately, Cosare added, his goal is to be able to produce a book about baybayin.
“That’s my next target. To reach out to more people, something that hopefully would give them a little pride, something that would work wonders for the Filipino people’s sense of who they are,” he added.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=65575
Teaching ABCs the alibata way
By Tina Santos
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines – Raymond Cosare initially couldn’t explain his fascination with the Chinese brush.
“I was just fond of collecting it but I didn’t know why,” he told the Inquirer.
A psychology professor at the Far Eastern University, the 38-year-old Cosare discovered the answer about seven years ago shortly after he began working as a volunteer at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, an old house in Quiapo, Manila that has been turned into a museum for artifacts belonging to its previous owners and members of the Katipunan.
Since 2000, Cosare has been putting his brush collection to good use by teaching children, as well as the young at heart, the art of writing the baybayin, the ancient Filipino script.
He explained that baybayin is an old Tagalog word that refers to all the letters or alphabet used in writing a language. It is taken from the root word, baybáy, meaning “to spell.”
Syllabic writing system
The baybayin is a syllabic writing system, which means that each letter represents a syllable instead of just a basic sound compared to the modern alphabet. There are a total of 17 characters: three vowels and 14 consonants, but when combined with the small vowel-modifying marks called kudlít, the number of characters increases to 45, Cosare added.
“Though it is more commonly known as alibata, it is proper to use baybayin,” he stressed.
He explained that alibata was the term introduced in the early 1900s by Paul Versoza of the University of Manila. He said Versoza claimed that the term was coined from alif, ba and ta, the first three letters of the Maguindanao arrangement of the Arabic letters.
These days, while his students are on their summer break, Cosare is busy holding “baybayin classes” for curious guests who drop by Bahay Nakpil-Bautista.
His students include children and their mothers as well as local and foreign tourists, he said.
Each class, which lasts about an hour and a half, begins with Cosare talking about the history of baybayin.
“It’s very informal because I don’t want them to get bored, especially if it’s the kids I’m talking to,” he added.
But the real magic begins as soon as Cosare’s eager students sit on the wooden floor of the ancient house to write their names in baybayin using a brush, paper, ink or paint.
“They write awkwardly at first but little by little, they develop confidence until their handwriting flows, and the curls they draw become so natural it’s as if they’ve known how to do this before,” he said of his students.
According to Cosare, he first encountered baybayin when he was in second year high school.
“Our Filipino teacher wrote the baybayin characters on the blackboard but she did not explain it, she just told us to copy what she was writing on the board,” he said. He added that he quickly became interested in learning how to write the characters, even using these to write letters and journals.
“I mastered baybayin because I used it to hide my deepest thoughts in my journal—my way of protecting it from my nosy siblings,” he said with a laugh. “At least, they wouldn’t understand what these characters stood for.”
But with no one to share his newfound interest with, Cosare put aside baybayin when he got to college.
Then one day, Teresita Obusan, the ebullient curator of Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, showed him material that featured seemingly intimidating characters.
“She asked me to practice writing it and use those characters in writing ‘Merry Christmas’ on cards she was about to send her friends. She was surprised because I finished faster than she thought I would. That’s when I told her that I’ve been writing baybayin since high school,” Cosare recalled.
Since then, Cosare said he and Obusan have found something new to share with guests of Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, apart from giving them a tour of the house and of Quiapo.
Asked why it was significant to study something that many people has long regarded as “useless” and passe, he answered: “Baybayin is something Filipinos can really call their own. So, why don’t we use it?”
Making Filipinos prouder
“But more importantly, baybayin makes Filipino people prouder of who they are,” he added.
Contrary to common belief, when the Spaniards arrived in the country, they found a culture that was very different from their own, he said.
“The ability to read and write is the mark of any civilization and according to many early Spanish accounts, our ancestors had already been writing with the baybayin for at least a century. This script was just beginning to spread throughout the islands at that time,” Cosare added.
But baybayin soon went out of style. “Perhaps practicality was the main reason,” was his answer when asked why, adding that social expediency could be another.
He further explained: “Maybe Filipinos abandoned baybayin in favor of the alphabet because they found the latter easy to learn and it was a skill that helped them to get ahead in life under the Spanish regime, working in relatively prestigious jobs as clerks, scribes and secretaries.”
But Cosare happily noted that because of information revolution, many Filipinos are taking a new interest in their heritage and it is usually the baybayin that catches their attention first.
“Through the use of computer fonts, the baybayin is now being used in graphic designs for websites, multimedia art, jewelry, compact discs, T-shirts, and logos,” he disclosed.
And for some Pinoys, it seems that baybayin has come full circle, he added. “Today, a growing number of young Filipinos are getting tattooed with baybayin characters to show their pride in their heritage.”
However, he claimed that he was referring to Filipinos staying in other parts of the country.
“Malakas ang interest (There is a lot of interest). But for some, either they’re not aware or they find it very Filipino. I don’t know what that means but somehow too Filipino is not a very positive thing for others.”
“Check the Internet and you will see that most websites about baybayin were done by Filipino-Americans, Filipino-Canadians, walang purong Pinoy,” Cosare lamented.
According to him, he would be happy if baybayin is introduced in school curriculums.
“The suggestion has always been there but maybe the Department of Education has other concerns for now,” he said, adding that it would be better to introduce baybayin to preschool children.
Ultimately, Cosare added, his goal is to be able to produce a book about baybayin.
“That’s my next target. To reach out to more people, something that hopefully would give them a little pride, something that would work wonders for the Filipino people’s sense of who they are,” he added.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
PULLING THE PLUG
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070508/hl_nm/tv_school_performance_dc
More TV time means worse school performance
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The more TV adolescents watch, the more likely they are to develop attention and learning problems, and to do poorly in school in the long-run, a new study confirms.
The findings "suggest that by encouraging youths to spend less than 3 hours per day watching television, parents, teachers and health care professionals may be able to help reduce the likelihood that at-risk adolescents will develop persistent attention and learning difficulties," Dr. Jeffrey G. Johnson of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and colleagues write.
Children in industrialized nations generally watch 2 or more hours of TV each day. There is evidence linking TV watching and poor academic and intellectual performance, the researchers point out, but it's not clear whether the TV time leads to school failure, if kids who don't do well in school tend to watch more TV than their better-performing peers, or if there are factors such as poverty or neglect that may contribute to both increased television watching and learning problems.
To investigate, the researchers followed a community-based sample of 678 mother-child pairs from upstate New York beginning when the children were about 14 years old until they reached age 22.
The amount of TV kids watched when they were 14 was positively linked with having attention problems later, not doing homework, being bored at school, not finishing high school, and "hating school," the researchers found.
The relationship between TV watching and school failure was stronger among kids with higher-than-average verbal intelligence scores, and those whose parents had more than 12 years of education.
When children who watched less than 2 hours of TV at age 14 reduced their TV watching by 1 hour or more, they halved their risk of school failure, the researchers found. But when 14-year-olds who watched fewer than 2 hours added 1 more daily hour of TV, they doubled their risk of academic failure at age 16.
Further analysis of the findings found that time spent watching television likely contributed to learning and attention problems, rather than vice versa.
Future research should address "whether promoting opportunities for developmentally appropriate weekend, summer, and after-school extracurricular activities...may help to reduce risk for the development of attention and learning difficulties during the adolescent years," the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, May 2007.
More TV time means worse school performance
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The more TV adolescents watch, the more likely they are to develop attention and learning problems, and to do poorly in school in the long-run, a new study confirms.
The findings "suggest that by encouraging youths to spend less than 3 hours per day watching television, parents, teachers and health care professionals may be able to help reduce the likelihood that at-risk adolescents will develop persistent attention and learning difficulties," Dr. Jeffrey G. Johnson of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and colleagues write.
Children in industrialized nations generally watch 2 or more hours of TV each day. There is evidence linking TV watching and poor academic and intellectual performance, the researchers point out, but it's not clear whether the TV time leads to school failure, if kids who don't do well in school tend to watch more TV than their better-performing peers, or if there are factors such as poverty or neglect that may contribute to both increased television watching and learning problems.
To investigate, the researchers followed a community-based sample of 678 mother-child pairs from upstate New York beginning when the children were about 14 years old until they reached age 22.
The amount of TV kids watched when they were 14 was positively linked with having attention problems later, not doing homework, being bored at school, not finishing high school, and "hating school," the researchers found.
The relationship between TV watching and school failure was stronger among kids with higher-than-average verbal intelligence scores, and those whose parents had more than 12 years of education.
When children who watched less than 2 hours of TV at age 14 reduced their TV watching by 1 hour or more, they halved their risk of school failure, the researchers found. But when 14-year-olds who watched fewer than 2 hours added 1 more daily hour of TV, they doubled their risk of academic failure at age 16.
Further analysis of the findings found that time spent watching television likely contributed to learning and attention problems, rather than vice versa.
Future research should address "whether promoting opportunities for developmentally appropriate weekend, summer, and after-school extracurricular activities...may help to reduce risk for the development of attention and learning difficulties during the adolescent years," the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, May 2007.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
BUST IS BEST
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070502/ap_on_re_as/philippines_breast_feeding;_ylt=AkTpaAN8zs3g2JRifsuz3FZZ24cA
3,608 mothers breast-feed at same time
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines - More than 3,000 Filipino mothers breast-fed simultaneously in day-care centers and hospitals Wednesday in a campaign to counter advertising claims that artificial baby foods are better than breast milk.
Breast-feeding advocates, social welfare officials and UNICEF organized the event — also hoping to set the first Guinness record for the most mothers breast-feeding at the same time in multiple locations. There already is a record for simultaneous breast-feeding in the same place.
At least 3,608 mothers took part nationwide, according to an initial count on the organizers' Web site and Felix Armenia, an official in the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
"We need every possible way to get the message out that Filipino mothers should breast-feed exclusively for six months and then continue to breast-feed for two years and beyond with household foods," said Dale Rutstein, UNICEF's spokesman.
"Unfortunately, through advertising, most Filipino mothers now believe that artificial forms of foods for babies are actually better than breast milk," he said.
A U.N. expert in February criticized milk companies and a Philippine pharmaceutical association for "deceptive and malicious" advertising practices aimed at selling infant formula in the country.
Jean Ziegler, the Geneva-based U.N. food rights expert, said aggressive marketing practices by milk companies were misleading the public by claiming that breast-feeding cannot be done by a majority of women and that their consumer products raise healthy, smart and happy babies.
In 2003, the World Health Organization estimated that 16,000 children below age 5 died in the Philippines due to improper feeding practices, including use of infant formula.
Only 16 percent of Filipino children between 4 and 5 months old are exclusively breast-fed, while 13 percent of mothers do not breast-feed at all, believing they do not have enough milk, according to UNICEF.
Last year, the city of Manila, in partnership with breast-feeding advocates, broke the Guinness record on simultaneous breast-feeding in a single place when 3,541 mothers gathered at a sports complex. That event broke the previous record of 1,130 mothers breast-feeding simultaneously in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002.
3,608 mothers breast-feed at same time
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines - More than 3,000 Filipino mothers breast-fed simultaneously in day-care centers and hospitals Wednesday in a campaign to counter advertising claims that artificial baby foods are better than breast milk.
Breast-feeding advocates, social welfare officials and UNICEF organized the event — also hoping to set the first Guinness record for the most mothers breast-feeding at the same time in multiple locations. There already is a record for simultaneous breast-feeding in the same place.
At least 3,608 mothers took part nationwide, according to an initial count on the organizers' Web site and Felix Armenia, an official in the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
"We need every possible way to get the message out that Filipino mothers should breast-feed exclusively for six months and then continue to breast-feed for two years and beyond with household foods," said Dale Rutstein, UNICEF's spokesman.
"Unfortunately, through advertising, most Filipino mothers now believe that artificial forms of foods for babies are actually better than breast milk," he said.
A U.N. expert in February criticized milk companies and a Philippine pharmaceutical association for "deceptive and malicious" advertising practices aimed at selling infant formula in the country.
Jean Ziegler, the Geneva-based U.N. food rights expert, said aggressive marketing practices by milk companies were misleading the public by claiming that breast-feeding cannot be done by a majority of women and that their consumer products raise healthy, smart and happy babies.
In 2003, the World Health Organization estimated that 16,000 children below age 5 died in the Philippines due to improper feeding practices, including use of infant formula.
Only 16 percent of Filipino children between 4 and 5 months old are exclusively breast-fed, while 13 percent of mothers do not breast-feed at all, believing they do not have enough milk, according to UNICEF.
Last year, the city of Manila, in partnership with breast-feeding advocates, broke the Guinness record on simultaneous breast-feeding in a single place when 3,541 mothers gathered at a sports complex. That event broke the previous record of 1,130 mothers breast-feeding simultaneously in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002.
Monday, April 30, 2007
NEWSBIT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6601465.stm
Tighter rules on food ads urged
Teaching, health and consumer groups have written to the government urging it to tighten up the rules on food adverts that target children.
They said a revised code for non-broadcast adverts, such as those on the internet, did not go far enough.
The National Union of Teachers and the British Heart Foundation are among 10 groups highlighting "inconsistencies" with the rules governing TV adverts.
The industry said there was no need for more restrictions like those on TV ads.
The new code for non-broadcast adverts, including those appearing on websites, was unveiled this month by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).
Its measures - to come into force on 1 July - do not include "rules to restrict the volume or frequency of food advertising to children" and failed to "differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods", said the 10 groups.
Their letter, sent to Health Minister Caroline Flint, said there were "major omissions and inconsistencies" between rules for print and internet adverts compared with those for broadcast adverts, which are developed separately by industry regulatory Ofcom.
Firms Accused
The British Heart Foundation described the way food manufacturers target children on the internet as "unprincipled" and "unacceptable".
It said fast food firms like McDonald's and Burger King were using the internet and online games to target children.
McDonald's said it was a responsible advertiser and adhered to the code of practice, while Burger King said it was reviewing its communication with children, including on its website.
CAP's rules - applying to all foods except fruit and vegetables - say print and online media adverts for food and soft drinks should not encourage under-16s to be unhealthy.
Nor should they encourage excessive consumption, or use popular celebrities to target pre-school or primary-age children.
But the 10 groups said the advertising industry had done little more than repackage old rules, failing to put pressure on food manufacturers to come up with healthier products.
'Staggering' response
Which? food campaigner Miranda Watson said the CAP restrictions fell "well short of the mark".
And the consumer group's head of campaigns, Anna Butterworth, told BBC Five Live there were many loopholes - especially regarding the internet.
Food manufacturers and advertisers were using their own sites "to lure kids in to buy their unhealthy food products", she said.
She added: "There are a lot of loopholes and there's a lot of vagueness about exactly what restrictions are now in place, so it makes it very easy for food manufacturers and advertisers to continue doing what they're doing at the moment."
But Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers, said it was "staggered" the new rules were being "attacked before they have been given a chance to work".
The Department of Health said it welcomed the new code but would prefer more "consistent" rules for adverts across all media.
It has promised to monitor the impact of the code and restrictions already imposed on broadcasters.
Advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt have been banned by Ofcom during or around TV programmes made for children, or programmes that would particularly appeal to seven to nine year olds, since the start of this month.
Restrictions are due to be extended to children aged up to 15 next year, along with an outright ban on promoting junk food on dedicated children's channels.
'Greater influence'
CAP said there was no need for similar restrictions on ads in non-broadcast media.
A committee spokesman said: "All of the limited evidence that exists for the effect of advertising of food to children relates to TV and not to other media."
He added it was appropriate for broadcasters to face tougher rules because of the greater influence of TV.
Other groups that signed the letter to Ms Flint were the National Heart Forum, National Consumer Council, National Children's Bureau, National Federation of Women's Institutes, Diabetes UK, Sustain and Netmums.
Tighter rules on food ads urged
Teaching, health and consumer groups have written to the government urging it to tighten up the rules on food adverts that target children.
They said a revised code for non-broadcast adverts, such as those on the internet, did not go far enough.
The National Union of Teachers and the British Heart Foundation are among 10 groups highlighting "inconsistencies" with the rules governing TV adverts.
The industry said there was no need for more restrictions like those on TV ads.
The new code for non-broadcast adverts, including those appearing on websites, was unveiled this month by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).
Its measures - to come into force on 1 July - do not include "rules to restrict the volume or frequency of food advertising to children" and failed to "differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods", said the 10 groups.
Their letter, sent to Health Minister Caroline Flint, said there were "major omissions and inconsistencies" between rules for print and internet adverts compared with those for broadcast adverts, which are developed separately by industry regulatory Ofcom.
Firms Accused
The British Heart Foundation described the way food manufacturers target children on the internet as "unprincipled" and "unacceptable".
It said fast food firms like McDonald's and Burger King were using the internet and online games to target children.
McDonald's said it was a responsible advertiser and adhered to the code of practice, while Burger King said it was reviewing its communication with children, including on its website.
CAP's rules - applying to all foods except fruit and vegetables - say print and online media adverts for food and soft drinks should not encourage under-16s to be unhealthy.
Nor should they encourage excessive consumption, or use popular celebrities to target pre-school or primary-age children.
But the 10 groups said the advertising industry had done little more than repackage old rules, failing to put pressure on food manufacturers to come up with healthier products.
'Staggering' response
Which? food campaigner Miranda Watson said the CAP restrictions fell "well short of the mark".
And the consumer group's head of campaigns, Anna Butterworth, told BBC Five Live there were many loopholes - especially regarding the internet.
Food manufacturers and advertisers were using their own sites "to lure kids in to buy their unhealthy food products", she said.
She added: "There are a lot of loopholes and there's a lot of vagueness about exactly what restrictions are now in place, so it makes it very easy for food manufacturers and advertisers to continue doing what they're doing at the moment."
But Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers, said it was "staggered" the new rules were being "attacked before they have been given a chance to work".
The Department of Health said it welcomed the new code but would prefer more "consistent" rules for adverts across all media.
It has promised to monitor the impact of the code and restrictions already imposed on broadcasters.
Advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt have been banned by Ofcom during or around TV programmes made for children, or programmes that would particularly appeal to seven to nine year olds, since the start of this month.
Restrictions are due to be extended to children aged up to 15 next year, along with an outright ban on promoting junk food on dedicated children's channels.
'Greater influence'
CAP said there was no need for similar restrictions on ads in non-broadcast media.
A committee spokesman said: "All of the limited evidence that exists for the effect of advertising of food to children relates to TV and not to other media."
He added it was appropriate for broadcasters to face tougher rules because of the greater influence of TV.
Other groups that signed the letter to Ms Flint were the National Heart Forum, National Consumer Council, National Children's Bureau, National Federation of Women's Institutes, Diabetes UK, Sustain and Netmums.
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