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	news bulletins may 2005

• Allies Available in Autism Recovery
• New Star Wars Food Lures Children to the Fat Side
• 4th Annual Black Midwives and Healers Conference
• A Mother Lode on Motherhood
• Celebrate the Power of Mother’s Day

Allies Available in Autism Recovery

A new nonprofit organization, Generation Rescue, has just been launched with a full-page ad in USA Today bearing a stunning message: autism is preventable and reversible. The organization's website, www.generationrescue.org provides treatment information and offers connections to more than 150 "Rescue Angels," parents who are successfully treating their own autistic children using a variety of biomedical interventions individualized for each child. Also announced was the availability of 1,000 parents around the country to talk to media about the reversal of autism in their children.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism, up from 1 in 2,500 since the 1970s. According to the CDC, autism is a life-long disorder that is not treatable. Generation Recovery is dedicated to changing that perception, through the sharing of experience. "We're parents who want to help other parents caught in the nightmare of autism find hope and recovery for their kids," said J.B. Handley, one of the organization's founding parents and father of a son diagnosed with autism. He added that the organization is completely founded, funded and run by parents. Through thorough research, medical consultation and the use of pioneering new medical treatments, the founding parents of Generation Rescue have seen tremendous improvements in their autistic children-including complete recoveries. Generation Rescue hopes to provide parents the information and support to understand the cause of autism and to make informed decisions regarding treatment options.

For more information, click here


Source:
http://releases.usnewswire.com

New Star Wars Food Lures Children to the Fat Side

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith promotes unhealthy eating, according to a review conducted by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC).  Sixteen separate food promotions feature twenty-five different products, most of which are devoid of nutrients, filled with empty calories and targeted directly to young children. 

“The quantity of nutritionally deficient Star War’s food being marketed to children is staggering,” said nutritionist Jane Levine of Kids Can Make a Difference.  “In the midst of an epidemic of childhood obesity, once again junk food marketers have shown that they have no restraint when it comes to targeting kids.  The Star Wars promotions demonstrate why we need restrictions on food marketing to children.”

 Among CCFC’s findings:

Star Wars Food is Junk Food
Every single Star Wars promotion is for food of little or no nutritional value.  Ten Star Wars food products have 35 or more grams of sugar per serving; another seven have more than 20 grams of sugar.  Many Star Wars foods are also high in fat and full of empty calories.  A two-ounce serving of Limited Edition Star Wars Frito Lay Cheetos contains 20 grams of fat and 320 calories. Two Lava Berry Pop Tarts contain 400 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 38 grams of sugar.  The smallest size Star Wars collectible M&M package contains 440 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 56.5 grams of sugar.

Star Wars Junk Food is Everywhere
The sixteen promotions include Star Wars packaging, contests, collectibles, and toy giveaways for fast food, sugar-laden cereal, soft drinks, candy, cookies, and snacks.  In addition, there are several limited edition products created specifically of Star Wars: Episode III including Kellogg’s Star Wars Sweetened Oats Cereal with Marshmallows, Lava Berry Explosion Pop Tarts, Keebler Lava Stripe Fudge Covered Shortbread Cookies, Star Wars Fruit Snacks, and the Pepsi Darth Dew Slurpee.

Star Wars Promotions Encourage Repeated Purchases of Junk Food
The Skittles website encourages Star Wars fans to collect all 48 collectible Star Wars Skittles wrappers.  It fails to mention that fans will need to purchase eighteen pounds of Skittles in order to complete their collection.  This figure pales in comparison, however, to the forty-five pounds of M&M’s (containing more than 10,000 grams of sugar) kids need to buy to collect all seventy-two M&M Star Wars wrappers.  To collect all thirty-one Star Wars Super D toys “for free,” kids will need to buy more than five Burger King children’s meals (690 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 35 grams of sugar) per week during the six-week promotion.

Star Wars Junk Food is Marketed to Young Children
George Lucas has stated the violence in Episode III may be inappropriate for children six and under, but many of the Star Wars food promotions – such as the Burger King toy giveaway - are clearly designed to market both junk food and the PG-13 movie to young children.  Kellogg’s Star Wars Sweetened Oats Cereal with Marshmallows has children’s games and a maze on the back of the box. Many of the prizes in Pepsi’s “Call Upon Yoda” sweepstakes - – including Star Wars toys, the Lego Star Wars Video Game, and a Hasbro 100-piece puzzle  – are clearly chosen for their appeal to young children.

According to CCFC’s Susan Linn, author of Consuming Kids, “The movie sells the food and the food sells the movie.  It’s win/win for Lucas, Fox, and the food industry, but a losing proposition for families.  Given George Lucas’ concerns about the film’s dark themes being inappropriate for young children, it’s particularly egregious that they are being targeted heavily for food promotions.”

For more information, click here: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/ starwarsnutrition.htm

Source: www.commercialfreechildhood.org

4th Annual Black Midwives and Healers Conference

The International Center for Traditional Childbearing, Inc. (ICTC) is having its Fourth Annual Black Midwives and Healers Conference themed “Honoring Our Legacy, Reducing Infant Mortality, Building Our Future” October 14-16, 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The word ‘midwife’ in many African languages is synonymous with spiritual healer,” says Shafia Monroe, founder of ICTC. She adds, “The community midwife’s work constituted more than just delivering babies. She was also a healer, a spiritualist, a public health activist and a community organizer.” In keeping with that tradition, it is the goal of the Black Midwives and Healers Conference to acknowledge the legacy of midwives and healers, who channeled the healing wisdom of the ancestors and distributed its power unselfishly throughout various communities, and to utilize that wisdom to help reduce the number of African-American babies dying premature deaths.

“Midwifery has always been an honored and spiritual profession among black people, who continued their rich traditions, even while enslaved” Monroe said. Continuing, “Historically black midwives have saved the lives of countless mothers and babies throughout the United States. Both free and enslaved Black midwives provided midwifery care not only to their communities but also to families outside of the Black community.”

The conference will feature workshops and panel discussions, explore methods for reducing infant mortality and promote breastfeeding, community midwifery, nutrition and more. In addition, Doula Training and CPR Certification will be available.

The community is also welcomed to participate in the luncheon and fundraising banquet, which will feature keynote speakers the Honorable Barbara Mobley, a long time supporter of midwifery in the state of Georgia, and Gertrude Fraser, author of African-American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory, respectively. Continuing education units may also be available.

Early bird registration will be available online in July. Click here for more information.

Source:
www.blackmidwives.org www.blackmidwives.org

A Mother Lode on Motherhood
How do mothers in the United States today feel about the work of mothers and the part that mothers play in children’s lives and in larger society? What are mothers’ most pressing concerns and priorities? These questions and more are answered in the findings of a groundbreaking large-scale national study of mother’s attitudes, values, concerns, and needs. Refreshingly, the results of the Motherhood Study counter the current portrait of US mothers being hyped in public dialogue. Instead of emphasizing the stresses and strains of motherhood and divisions among mothers, the findings reveal that -- regardless of background or life circumstances -- mothers across the US have a great deal in common and derive deep satisfaction from motherhood, even as they worry about the impact of American culture on their children.

The study was designed by a 12-member team of social science researchers convened by the Mothers' Council and Motherhood Project, based at the Institute for American Values. It was implemented in partnership with the University of Minnesota and the University of Connecticut. In January and February of this year more than 2000 mothers of children under the age of 18 were surveyed. The sample was representative of the diverse population of adult mothers across the US in terms of income, education, age, race, ethnicity, marital status and employment. The researchers also conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with a wide range of mothers.
Findings of the Motherhood Study point to three issues as particularly salient for mothers and ripe for immediate action: reducing family violence and promoting healthy marriages; improving the financial security of mothers; and enabling mothers to spend more time with their children and on personal and family relationships. Regardless of their current employment status, a majority of mothers said they want to be employed, but in positions that demand less time away from their children and other important relationships.

"Although motherhood long has been the subject of academic and popular writing and discussion, the voices of mothers from different walks of life have been noticeably missing from the national conversation," said Martha Farrell Erickson, Ph.D., the study's principal investigator and a Senior Fellow with the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth & Family Consortium. "The Motherhood Study aimed to change that by going directly to mothers across the United States and hearing what they had to say about their attitudes, values, concerns and needs."

According to Enola G. Aird, J.D., Affiliate Scholar and Director of the Motherhood Project, Institute for American Values, "We want to know more about what mothers think, and we invite mothers - and those who care about mothers, children and families - to use this report as a tool to continue to move the national conversation about motherhood and mothering forward." The report also includes a discussion guide designed to promote conversations about the findings in communities across the country.

Click here to learn more, and to access the Motherhood Study.

Source:
www.motherhoodproject.org

Celebrate the Power of Mother’s Day

Mothers Acting Up (MAU), an organization dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers* to ensure the health, education and safety of every child, has announced that on Mother’s Day, May 8, thousands of concerned citizens will participate in community events across the country. Mothers* will be acting up at parades, community garden events, luncheons, rallies, and neighborhood potlucks. These diverse gatherings will be mass celebrations of the desire and ability of mothers* to protect and nurture children. The 2005 MAU Mother’s Day events aim to inspire, educate, and engage mothers* to “Connect the Dots” and to take action on behalf of children everywhere.  
 
“We live in a global economy and environment and we must recognize that children’s lives are interconnected, whether they are in Rwanda, Iraq, Indonesia or the US,” said Juliana Forbes, one of MAU’s co-founders. “The MAU parades and events are invitations to start connecting the dots—through our daily choices and political voices, what we buy, how we vote, what programs we support—so together we can weave a fabric strong enough to sustain our children's future.”
 
Drawing on Julia Ward Howe's 1870 proclamation calling for a mother's day for peace and political action, MAU began in 2002 with one event in Boulder, Colorado and has spread rapidly due to the resonance of its message with people from all walks of life. There are a number of events planned across the country all organized by mothers*, many of whom have never taken political action before. This movement is enabling mothers* to find their voice and move from concern to action at the local, national and global level. Click here www.mothersactingup.org to learn more and to find the MAU action near you.

 *mothers and others, on stilts or off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller.

Source:
www.mothersactingup.org