Screen Time Before 2

Parents are inundated with tips and tricks for raising their children from the moment they tell someone a baby is coming. Everyone has advice for everything from diapers to sleeping habits, clothing to toys. Nine months into this pregnancy and I think I have heard it all! It’s hard to make sense of it all and to learn what is marketing propaganda, what a study is really saying, and whose advice can be trusted.

Take it one topic at a time. Today, its media and toddlers. Media can be anything from television programs to videos/DVDs, web-based programming to smartphone and tablet applications.

It will pay to look closely at media exposure and its effects on your baby. These murky waters are clouded with false advertising claims, muddled research and studies that never reach their intended audience. The bottom-line is technology definitely won’t help you raise a genius and it may very well stunt learning skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there is no evidence anywhere that supports any positive educational or developmental impacts gleaned from media exposure for children under two years old (2011). Incidences of obesity, sleep problems, aggressive behaviors and attention deficit disorders are dramatically increased in school-aged children who had a higher rate of exposure to media when they were under two (Nunez-Smith, 2008).

This can be confusing as many products are marketed as educational for children in this age group. Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby are two companies that have perpetuated these ideas. Disney came under fire in 2007 and 2009 when it was discovered, not only are the videos and DVDs sold NOT helpful, they can actually harm the tiny viewers. "The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew," said Dr. Dmitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital. "These babies scored about 10% lower on language skills than infants who had not watched these videos" (Park, 2007).

In fact, according to Christakis’ study, for every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who had never watched the videos. More often than not, parents reported using technology to distract their children while they addressed other needs of their household. These products had the strongest negative effect on babies eight to 16 months old which is the age when language skills are starting to develop (Park, 2007). This didn’t go unnoticed by consumers and the general public. The New York Times released an article stating that after being threatened with a class action lawsuit, Disney was forced to remove “educational” from advertisements and packaging (Lewin, 2009). They went as far as to offer refunds to those who purchased under false pretenses. 

The way children learn changes dramatically once they hit two years old. There is recorded and research-backed proof that certain programs for children over two can improve social and language skills as well as school readiness. However, limiting exposure before to any kind of screen use will help your child. Even long-term successful shows like Sesame Street have been shown to have a negative effect on language skills for kids under two (Linebarger, 2005). It’s important to remember that not all language heard by infants is created equal. Big Bird singing the ABC’s or Barney talking about colors does not help a child learn nearly as much as when they are recited by Mom or Dad.

Apps for smartphones and iPads require a little more oversight as they are still too new for long-term research. The Apple store lists over 700 apps for children up to two years of age, but can they really be beneficial? The AAP is concerned because the time spent interacting with a tablet, is time spent removed from the three-dimensional world we live in (van Gilder Cooke, 2011). It stands to reason that watching a show on a tablet has the same results as watching television. But some games and the assertion that they can increase fine-motor or even language skills are still debatable. “Surely we would not want that to substitute for actually getting blocks and building something,” Dr. Christakis said. “This is not how the real world works, and babies do need to learn how the real world works.”

No one is saying that mild exposure to television or a computer screen is going to cause your child to lag behind other classmates. It is just critical to be mindful of what your child is tuning in to. It’s important to participate with your child if they are engaging media. Talk to them about what they are watching or playing with so multi-tasking and language skills can expand. Solo, unstructured play time for your little one is always better than unsupervised technology use. 

Limit or set concrete rules and timelines regarding media use. As always, if there are any major concerns, have a discussion with your pediatrician. “We know parents can’t be with their children 24/7,” said Tanya Altmann, a pediatrician and author of the best-selling parenting book Mommy Calls. “But don’t forget that when we were kids, our moms would just give us toys to play with on the ground and say, ‘Play.’ Just give them some time to explore occasionally on their own. They don’t have to have external stimulation every second of the day.”

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011). “Media use by children younger than 2 years.” Pediatrics.

Lewin, T. “No Einstein in your crib? Get a refund.” The New York Times. New York. Retreived from: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?_r=0

Linebarger, DL and Walker, D. (2005). “Infants and toddlers television viewing and language outcomes.” American Behavioral Sciences. Vol 45 (5).

Nunez-Smith, M. (2008). “Media and child adolescent health: a systematic review.” Common Sense Media. Washington, DC.  

Park, A. (2007). “Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All.” Time. New York. Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html#ixzz2JVFoOrLG

Van Gilder Cooke, S. (2011). “Should Your 2-Year-Old Be Using an iPad?” Time. New York. Retrieved from: http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/20/no-screen-time-for-2-year-olds-do-ipad-apps-count/#ixzz2JVjS0MWP 

Shared Value or CSR

The world economy is trying to recover from one of the biggest downturns in history. People are being laid off in record numbers. Unemployment rates are unacceptable. Poverty reaches all corners of the globe. And those who make money are being looked at more closely. What are they doing to help? How are they giving back? For years this has job has been given to a department known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). These businessmen and women are tasked with creating or developing programs that give back to the community in one way or another.  
 

CSR has been great for marketing and building a company’s reputation, but their solutions are usually short-term. A lot of these programs require constant management from the parent company and the resources are spent with little return. It has been considered poor form to actually make any money off of these projects. Working with the poorest sector it can be hard to come to terms with profiting off what was once intended to be a philanthropic venture. However, the idea of shared value is making headway and in the last 5 years more and more companies are seeing the potential.

The idea of shared value is simply defined as “policies and operating practices that enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates.” A major difference from a CSR philosophy is that these programs focus on improving the social and economic status of the geographic area.

Shared value is actually more beneficial for both the larger company and the poor or the economy of the third world country they are trying to assist. By helping to build a self-sustaining economy and making money off their ventures they are giving local people more reason to work hard and improve the quality of their products.

Plenty of companies are having issues with moving to a new set of rules for their projects. They are stuck in the outdated ideas of CSR and aren’t seeing any value in creating programs that may generate long-term profits. One of the hot ideas in CSR is a buy-one-give-one model. For example, Americans can buy a pair of shoes and another is given to a shoeless child in another country. It’s immediate gratification and appears to be a great idea. But what happens to the shoe maker in the other country? Less people will be buying shoes from him. The child has shoes for the short-term, but what happens when they get too small or worn out? A shared value take on this can be seen in Adidas’ program in Bangladesh with Grameen Bank. They are working to build a plant in Bangladesh that will provide jobs to the poor and create a product that can be sold for less than one Euro. This puts money back into the economy, provides a product that is available to more people and Adidas will get the benefits in the long-term.     

Companies are in their markets to make money. There is no reason why their philanthropic ventures cannot add to their overall value. Businesses aren’t used to seeing a problem in society and thinking how can we make an impact, but also make this work for us? Leora Black writes, “Companies could bring business and society back together if they redefined their purpose as creating ‘shared value’— generating economic value in a way that also produces value for society by addressing its challenges.”

How does a company find a way to convert their CSR values into ones that operate on the shared value model? The first option is to look at the products they make and where they are marketed. Can they be made cheaper or in the locations where they are sold? Can a new product line be developed geared towards the poorest sector? Another option is to take a close look at their value chain. How many executives know the ins and outs of their products from beginning to end? Looking at the source and the livelihoods of those supplying the raw materials may reveal a great opportunity to create a new program.  A third way to create a shared value program is developing a stronger support system for the company at all of its locations.

Sustainable programs are highly valued by the poorest sectors. These create a reason to keep improving their products by strengthening the buyer-supplier relationship. “Shared value could reshape capitalism and its relationship to society. It could also drive the next wave of innovation and productivity growth in the global economy as it opens managers’ eyes to immense human needs that must be met, large new markets to be served, and the internal costs of social deficits—as well as the competitive advantages available from addressing them,” says Michael Porter.

There is nothing wrong with profiting from shared value projects. They are more sustainable for the company as well as the group of people who they are trying to help. It is nothing to hide and the more programs that emerge with these ideas, the more society will see the true benefits. In a world that is so afraid of blogger or public relations backlash it is hard to want to pioneer a new field of thought. However the concept of shared value is gaining momentum. It’s time for more big businesses to jump on board and make the change. Everyone benefits. What’s so wrong with that?

One Story for My Memoir - First Submission

The Australians were already 45 minutes late, but I had gotten accustomed to life according to “Uganda Time” so that really wasn’t too bad yet. It was still strange that I found myself sitting in a beat up tan jeep early one morning in Jinga, staring out the passenger-side window.  As the Nile River raged by, I let out a deep sigh and played with my necklace; pushing the charm back and forth along the chain had become calming habit. It was a gift my new sister-in-law had given to me a few months earlier as a thank you for being in her wedding.

 

My pursuit of a Zoology degree had taken me halfway around the world and given me the opportunity to visit a land I had always been captivated by. This was one of only a handful of days during my internship that I had left open to play tourist. Most of my time was spent walking through the grasslands of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary flanked by armed guards. The guns were there to protect the rhinos, I was there to study them.

The mist was rising up from the water and began settling like a fog over the dusty ground. It was a pleasant cool feeling on my skin as I climbed out of the jeep. I knew it wouldn’t last long because the sun was getting higher and that meant heat was coming. The first few steps I took toward the edge of the ravine were confident and determined.  The closer I got, the more I wondered if it was smart to look at my challenge head-on.

Standing in the shadow of a tall, wooden platform I began to watch men cut a path down the slope with their canoes. Their constant Swahili chatter filled the air as they put their vessels in the water. They paddled out to the mouth of the tiny inlet and tied up- also awaiting the arrivals of the Australians.

I saw the cloud of dust before I heard their truck rumble down the dirt road. Running back to the jeep for my wallet, I couldn’t help but get a little anxious that I was going to cross another item off my bucket list. Ropes and cords appeared and methodical workers moved slowly along them checking for any kind of defect. I hadn’t heard the man approaching from my left and was startled when he I asked if I was here to jump. My hands shook as I filled in the forms and waivers and my signature was nearly unreadable. Once I handed everything back and counted out the shillings I knew it was a done deal.

Following the man up the wooden later, I laughed thinking, if my mom could see me now. We walked across wooden planks worn down by the beating sun and countless others whose bare feet had traversed the same path. I could see the dirt below through the slats in the wood. I looked up to see the man looking back at me and gesturing to the plastic folding chair. I hadn’t heard his request that I take a seat to go over a few things. He introduced another Australian who was going to make sure everything was secured properly and then began giving me tips about the jump.    

It was almost impossible to hear him over the roaring river; besides I wasn’t really listening to what he was saying. I was fascinated by the churning waters 144 feet below me and questioning how good of an idea this really was. My fourth knee surgery was less than 18 months behind me and this was definitely going to take its toll on my joints. It took less than 5 minutes for his partner to strap my feet and get everything secured to the cord.

I vividly remember his face as he pulled me up from the chair. His blond hair lightened and his fair skin darkened by years under the African sun. A week’s worth of beard growth surrounded his smile and he had a glint in his eye just daring me to do it. He helped me scoot to the edge of the 5x5 platform and put my hands on either side of fence.

When he slid the gate back he said, “I’m going to count to three and then you jump.” I looked up at him and he must have seen a shadow of doubt flash across my face.

“It’s ok if you don’t go the first time. I’ll just count again. Ready?”

I fiddled with the charm of my necklace and I’m not sure he even saw he nod my head yes.

“One. Two..”      

I didn’t hear three.

Social Change is Messy

Copyright the Portland Tribune

It has been two-months since the Occupy movement landed in Portland, Oregon.
October 6, 2011 began with a march of hundreds of people through downtown Portland’s streets carrying signs and shouting for a change. Since then encampments have been created and evicted, rallies and marches have permeated the streets, and stories of clashes between OccupyPortland and the civil servants in City Hall have made headlines.

In a matter of 60 days a country that was at one time fixated on the United States’ massive debt has shifted focus to who is controlling the money that got us there. Alex Pio, 25, a committee member of Occupy Portland, knows their goals are on a broad base and encompass a massive amount of problems. He feels that by choosing to focus on getting corporate money out of politics and encouraging citizens to rise up and reclaim the government, it will help to get the more specific harms adequately addressed. Those problems include the unemployment rate, education and tax reform, food security, foreclosures, and clean energy.

Occupy Portland's Activities on Prezi

Creating a Conversation

While the Occupy Portland movement cannot state any concrete successes, the intangibles are what they are focusing on. Simply starting the conversation about corporate personhood, political corruptness and improper banking practices is one thing they hold as a token of progress. Illona Trogb, a member of Occupy Portland since September 27^th, stresses how crucial it is that these topics have moved beyond people’s living rooms and out into the streets. The movement is banding people together and creating a network that was never possible before. Pio states, “I am now part of a network of over 400 activists who are dedicated to changing the world. Two months ago I didn’t know any of them.”

Two-Pronged Approach

Most members of Occupy Portland are eager to express they are trying to work in a two-pronged approach; both within the system and outside of it. Committees and strategy teams work with City Hall to organize tackling corporate personhood, as well as drumming up support for Run-off Voting.  

The tactics outside the system are the ones most publicized and tend to attract the most attention. These include encampments, Move Your Money and Foreclosure rallies, the N17 march, and the calls for actions against banks. These demonstrations tend to draw police presence and even riot or SWAT teams despite pleas from both sides of the movement to remain peaceful.

The Impact on Portland

Closed Chapman Park - Adolph 2011

Because encampments and marches garner the most media attention, more of these kinds of demonstrations are planned in coming days. In a statement released in response to a letter by Occupy Portland by Mayor Sam Adams on December 2, 2011, Adams states he supports the movement’s objectives by writing, “we have learned a lot in the eight weeks since the first Occupy Portland camp set up … the camp shone a bright light on important national issues of economic equity, it also showed the on-the-ground local impact of state and federal cuts to social service funding.” He is clear to point out however, that another camp would be detrimental to the city. Adams says he “would much rather spend our finite dollars on direct services to those in need, rather than patrolling and cleaning up after an encampment.”

Protester outside the Justice Center - Adolph 2011

It is unclear how the struggle between those in power and the Occupy Portland protesters will resolve. Police will continue to enforce park rules and make more arrests where they deem it necessary. Occupy members will continue to march, rally, chant and gather in places to make sure their message is heard. The general public will undoubtedly be affected: commutes may be interrupted, parks may be closed, and when walking the streets of downtown one may find them more crowded than before. Occupy Portland asks you to remember social change is messy. Pio comments, “Sometimes disruptions are necessary to make people aware they’re on a sinking ship… it’s time to realize the hard, uncomfortable truths and try to rectify them.”  

CCF - VuVox

Saving Sadie - Oregon Basset Hound Rescue

How much would you give to save your pet? What about someone else’s? Oregon Basset Hound Rescue (OBHR) sees no difference between the two. Founded in 1999, OBHR is supported by volunteers who help rehome around sixty basset hounds a year. These volunteers help find foster or adoptive families and are guided by a few dedicated board members.

A Desperate Call

Sadie at home

The organization was Diana Zwicker’s last resort when she turned to them in 2006 to help her basset, Sadie. At one year old Sadie was diagnosed with an adrenal disorder, known commonly as Addison’s disease, in 2004. Addison’s affects the production of steroid hormones and can lead to crises if not closely monitored and medicated. Zwicker and Sadie received more tough news when they learned she also suffered from hypothyroidism. “You have to keep an eye on it all the time; notice their ups and downs,” Zwicker says about Sadie’s care which costs approximately $150 each month.    

As the economy began to turn down, Sadie’s medical bills began piling up and Zwicker could no longer afford to keep her healthy. When OBHR learned of the situation they immediately placed Sadie in their foster program and began paying for her medicine. Unfortunately, this problem is not uncommon. Nancy Vanis, board member of OBHR, reports “bassets are prone to Addison’s... they are known to be hit by it.” Sadie has had a great response to both treatments. At one point she tipped the scales at 71 pounds, but as soon as her thyroid was regulated Zwicker was able to slim her down to 48. She gets two pills a day, exactly 12 hours apart with each of her meals.

Sadie's Future With Addison's

If an owner doesn’t understand the disease and how regimented the medicine has to be it can be deadly for the dog. OBHR tried to adopt Sadie out to a new home which was looking for a companion for their male basset. Within one week Sadie was experiencing Addison’s related complications because her adopted family didn’t stay on top of the situation.     

   

So for now Sadie, 9 years old, stays with her owner who knows her every mood and is adamant about her medicine. OBHR still pays to keep the medicine cabinets full and Sadie healthy and happy. They hope to one day find a donor to cover the remainder of her bills, but until then they do as much as they can.

Help OBHR Help Hounds

A limboing basset at the Games 2011

Fundraisers like the Oregon Basset Hound Games (pictured), a yearly event showcasing the best bassets have to offer, and adoption fees make up the majority of funds for OBHR. Most of the dogs they receive are relinquished by their owners because they didn’t understand the breed or don’t have time for the dog.  Others they pull out of shelters which are so overcrowded, many dogs are euthanized simply because there is no room.  

If you would like to help please visit their website, www.oregonbassethoundrescue.com, for more information.

Check Out My First Published Piece

No Fairy Tales at Bedtime
By Kimberlee Adolph

Published by Yahoo! Associated Content