Strollerderby : international

Another 8 year old on the terrorist watch list

Brett Singer — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

So remember the 7 year old kid who had the same name as someone on the terrorist watch list?

Here's an 8 year old kid who has the same name as someone on the terrorist watch list.

This time, we have video of the boy and his mother testifying before Congress.

"Since 2005, when James was 5 years old, the Robinson family has had to deal with the delays and hassles of having a son who has been consistently misidentified when traveling."

Despite her experiences, Denise Robinson is "a strong proponent of the watch list" and feels that we all have to "accept some inconveniences" in order to keep our country safe from terrorists. However, she thinks the list has been "mismanaged." Considering the fact that, without looking, I found two examples of children who had been detained multiple times because their names appeared on the list, that could be the understatement of the year.

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7 year old on terrorist list

Brett Singer — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:30:00 GMT

A 7-year-old boy was detained at JFK airport in New York because his name was on a terrorist watch list. More accurately, his name is the same as someone else who is on a terrorist watch list. The fact that he was, you know, 7, didn't factor into the decision to keep the entire family in a locked room for an extended period of time.

Twice.

On two occasions, Alex and his family were kept in a holding room upon arrival at Kennedy International Airport from London because his name apparently matched a name on the list.

Alex was born in 2000.

“They hauled us out of the line and into a holding room,” said Ms. Harris. “It’s 8 o’clock on a Saturday night and they said, ‘We have to call Washington to have him cleared.’ And I’m like, ‘Just who do you suppose is available in Washington at 8 o’clock on a Saturday night?’ ”

It took more than two hours before Alex, a United States citizen like his parents and twin brother, was free to go. That was in late 2006. Six months later, the family arrived again from London, around 11 p.m.

Again, Alex was detained, his mother said, even though she carried his birth certificate and Social Security card.

“I said, ‘Look at him. He’s clearly not a terrorist. He’s 7!’ ” she said.

I'm all for fighting terrorism, but if this doesn't prove that a lot of the effort being expended is misplaced, I don't know what does.

Source: NYTimes, Image: ACLU

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Madonna's Malawi/UNICEF Fundraiser Gets Criticized

Madeline Holler — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:57:00 GMT

Critics say Madonna's recent fundraiser at the U.N. was actually a Gucci store opening attention-getter in disguise and also an indirect promotion of Hollywood's favorite mystic religious center. These same critics think the U.N. should never have allowed the event, which raised more than $3.7 million for relief efforts in Malawi, the country of origin for Madonna's adopted son, and UNICEF.

Yes, but she brought Lourdes. We never see Lourdes! Doesn't that count for something?

From UPI:

The Guardian said Internet bloggers and some mainstream media outlets have blasted the United Nations, claiming the event -- which was presided over by pop star Madonna -- was used to drum up publicity for the Kabbalah Centre and a new Gucci shop in New York.

They say it was inappropriate because half of the funds would go to Raising Malawi, an organization run by the Kabbalah Centre. The rest of the money was donated to UNICEF (weren't they critical of Madonna's adoption, by the way?)

Still, where's the critics' sense of fun? The turnout was all star and loaded with celeb moms and dads. Jezebel's got pics of the best and worst dressed and pics of Gwen Stefani and a very preg. Jennifer Lopez.

Photo: via Jezebel

Are Kids in the U.S. and U.K. the World's Dummies?

Madeline Holler — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:03:00 GMT

Let’s start with the bad news: fourth-graders in the U.S. haven’t improved their reading skills since No Child Left Behind was started. And the number of countries and regions whose fourth-graders are now better than their American counterparts has increased. A lot.

The good news? U.S. scores are still above the international average. And, U.S. fourth-graders scored better than their peers over in the U.K. (They still have the better accents when reading aloud, which, sadly, for them, was not a part of the standards.)

Here’s the rest of the competition: U.S. students posted a lower average score than students in Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Hungary, Italy and Sweden, along with the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. (Damn Canadians)

In the last round of these international literacy tests, Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore were behind the United States.

These scores are the source of much consternation for the U.K., who not only falls behind the U.S. (which is likely quite humiliating for them) but is also actually scoring lower than in previous years. Great Britain fell from third to 19th place in the overall scores. Only Morocco and Bulgaria fell harder, faster.

Experts in the U.K. fault computer games, a decline in reading at home, and a decline in the amount of time students are read to at school.

Photo: BBC

It's a Small World, After All

Kelly Mills — Tue, 08 May 2007 19:11:00 GMT

Hey, I apologize in advance if anyone reading the title of this post ends up humming a certain tune for the rest of the day. Babycenter is going to be releasing the results of some surveys of parenting styles and beliefs from around the world. It'll be an international look at stuff like sleep routines, maternity and paternity leave, and division of household labor. Sounds like the results can be summarized with "There are some things we do differently, and some we do the same." Shocker!

Here's some preview tidbits: In China, "There's a widespread belief that exposure to computers, microwaves, and cell phones can lead to miscarriage or birth defects, according to BabyCenter editor Joy Jia. As a result, many pregnant women buy 'antiradiation vests' to protect their developing babies." I believe my giant maternity underwear might have also had antiradiation properties.

How about another one? "In Mexico and other Latin American countries, many believe that if you don't eat the food you crave during pregnancy, your baby will have a birthmark shaped like that food." Luckily, I indulged, so my child did not end up with a birthmark shaped like a deli-made roast beef sandwich, extra mayo, and cheddar cheese Ruffles chips (which you put on the sandwich as soon as you reach the privacy of your car.)

Or from Cuba and Panama: "People in many Latin American countries share a belief in the 'evil eye' — that is, the power of an evil or envious person to cause harm to a pregnant woman or her baby. In Cuba, pregnant women won't let anyone they don't know or trust touch their pregnant belly." I wish I had heard of this one when I was pregnant, because all that belly-touching from total strangers was creepy. I would have loved to shout, "Get your evil eye away from me!"

I wonder what the one for the U.S. would be... Maybe: "In the United States, many pregnant women believe they are supposed to exercise enough to be in the best shape of their lives, even though most are too tired and manatee-like to do it and just end up feeling really guilty. Also, people think the second trimester is a magical, racy time of constant sex, when hello! Tired manatee... Oh, and there's this overall belief that pregnancy brings on a certain glow-y euphoria, when lots of women are really just channeling the sleepy sea-cow."

Strollerderby : international

Another 8 year old on the terrorist watch list

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7 year old on terrorist list

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