Society & Culture

Australian girls shun swimming, cycling because of body fears

AT least 200,000 Australian girls aged between 10 and 17 are not swimming because they feel bad in bathers, a survey suggests. More than 70 per cent in the age group feel internal and external pressure to look beautiful and 17 per cent avoid activities such as going to the beach or riding a bike. [...]

Limited success for child abuse prevention programs

In a review conducted for the USPSTF, researchers from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland analyzed 10 studies of child abuse prevention programs involving home visitors in the U.S., UK and New Zealand and one intervention done in a Baltimore clinic. Those studies included families at higher risk of child abuse based on responses [...]

How to Do Kindness in school

Following last week’s column regarding Random Acts of Kindness, I received a lot of correspondence asking me how we implemented the activity.   So I thought I would share exactly how we did the RAK activity at our school.   We did the activity with fifty Year 10 students.   We secretly assigned each member [...]

Five lies the weight loss industry wants you to believe

1. Weight loss is a simple matter of willpower We’ve all heard that weight loss is easy. People just need some good old-fashioned will power. This myth is so ingrained in our culture that it’s assumed that a person with a fat body is lazy and undisciplined which can lead to discrimination in employment opportunities and by health care professionals. "Most people [...]

Mackenzie Rosman strips for Maxim magazine

The problem is that this is an accepted rite of passage for former female child stars, which means that there’s a culture of managers, agents and PR people who keep the cogs of the objectification industry well oiled. via Mackenzie Rosman strips for Maxim magazine.

Parenting, american style

If we keep parenting like this, civilization as we know it is doomed. There is a new breed of toddler on the loose; he has discriminating tastes, he makes decisions, and he weighs in on conversations that no toddler has previously been asked to participate in. Do you know this toddler? My guess is we [...]

Drunks should pay for damage: NSW report

DRUNKS should pay for the damage they cause and the resources they use, the NSW auditor-general says. Alcohol abuse is "like a parasite drawing the lifeblood out of government services", Peter Achterstraat said in a report handed down on Tuesday. He called on the state government to consider charging alcohol abusers for the $1 billion [...]

Random Acts of Kindness

“Why should I be nice to people? They aren’t nice to me...” This is a common response from adolescents when I try and engage them in the notion of being “kind.”   Researchers will tell us that because of the adolescent brain, the teaching of such concepts need to demonstrate: “What’s in it for me?” [...]

One in three US youths report being victims of dating violence

About one in three American youths age 14-20 say they've been of victims of dating violence and almost one in three acknowledge they've committed violence toward a date, according to new research presented at the American Psychological Association's 121st Annual Convention. via One in three US youths report being victims of dating violence.

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