DANGERS OF KIDS SLEEPING IN ROOM ALONE

By Olivia Katrandjian

Apr 22, 2012 10:45am

Open Window Shows Missing Tucson Girl Was Abducted, Parents Say

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Credit: AP Photo/Tucson Police Dept.

Isabel Mercedes Celis’ window had been pushed open and the blind was pushed to the side when the 6-year-old disappeared from her Tucson, Ariz., home this weekend, her parents said, and police said they have found a “suspicious … entry point.”

Celis’ parents said they last saw the little Friday night around 11 p.m. in her bedroom. When Celis’ father went to wake her up on Saturday morning, she was gone, but the window was open, police said. There was no broken glass.

“She was checked on at about 8 o’clock so they can start their day. And she was not in her room at that point,” Tucson Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Maria Hawke said.

Initially police treated the disappearance as a missing persons case, but they have reclassified the case as a suspicious lost child or possible abduction and are exploring all possibilities.

Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said in a press conference today that there were still questions about whether anyone had forced their way into the house.

“We have a location where we think that could be a possible location of entry, but there’s also questions that we’re looking into on that,” he said. “The family has been cooperating with us…but we’re not ruling out anything of this investigation.”

Hawke said this evening that police had found “suspicious circumstances around a possible entry point,” and were investigating further.

Police have served some search warrants in the case, the police chief said, but he would not go into details.

Scores of police, FBI agents and federal marshals are engaged in a massive manhunt, which includes aerial grid searches and checkpoints on the ground. FBI dogs are being flown out from Virginia to help with the search.

Villasenor said anywhere from 150 to 250 people are working on the case.

“We don’t have an actual piece of evidence that points us in one direction or another, so, for example we don’t have a piece of evidence that says she was definitively taken from the residence,” Hawke said. “We don’t have any specific piece of evidence that tells us she left the residence on her own.”

They have virtually locked down the neighborhood, asking anyone if they’ve seen Celis. Police have served several search warrants since Celis’ disappearance in and around the neighborhood. Police have kept everyone away from the home as they look for any signs of damage or forced entry.

Celis’ family has no doubt she was kidnapped by a stranger.

“You don’t think anything like that would actually really happen to you. And all of sudden, you wake up one morning and you’re in that scenario. Everything goes through your mind, you’re angry, you’re upset, you’re frustrated, you’re confused,” said Isabel’s uncle and family spokesperson Justin Mastromarino.

Mastromarino said her family is a loving one.

“They’re very upset right now, mother is beside herself we’re just trying to let police do their thing and get as much info as possible,” said Mastromarino.

Mastromarino described his niece as “just a sweet little girl.”

“All the ambition in the world. She could do whatever she wanted. Didn’t really like strangers or anything like that so very close knitted and just very wise,” said Mastromarino.

Villasenor said the neighborhood is mostly middle class and residential.

“I wouldn’t call this a high-crime area at all,” he said.

ABC News Radio contributed to this report.

HUMILTY OF PRESIDENT

Boy who touched Obama’s hair: Story behind White House photo is probably in your inbox

By Dylan Stableford

Senior Media Reporter

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By Dylan Stableford | The Cutline – Thu, May 24, 2012

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Click image to see more photos. (Pete Souza/White House)

The story behind a photograph showing a 5-year-old black boy touching President Obama's hair may be coming to your inbox soon.

The New York Times published the adorable back story about the photo—which has been hanging in the West Wing of the White House for more than three years—on Thursday, and it's quickly become the most-emailed article on the Times' website.

[Related: Obama can't stop talking about his girls]

In May 2009, the child, Jacob Philadelphia, was visiting the White House with his father, a former Marine who was leaving his 2-year stint working for the National Security Council as part of the White House staff. The father asked to take a family photo with the president. Jacob said he had a question for Obama, who was then in his fifth month in office.

The Times recounts the rest:

"I want to know if my hair is just like yours," he told Mr. Obama, so quietly that the president asked him to speak again.

Jacob did, and Mr. Obama replied, "Why don't you touch it and see for yourself?" He lowered his head, level with Jacob, who hesitated.

"Touch it, dude!" Mr. Obama said.

As Jacob patted the presidential crown, ... [White House photographer Pete] Souza snapped.

"So, what do you think?" Mr. Obama asked.

"Yes, it does feel the same," Jacob said.

As the paper noted, President Obama has largely avoided discussing race during his first term. But the photo "is tangible evidence" that the president "remains a potent symbol for blacks, with a deep reservoir of support."

"As a photographer, you know when you have a unique moment," Souza told the Times. "But I didn't realize the extent to which this one would take on a life of its own. That one became an instant favorite of the staff. I think people are struck by the fact that the president of the United States was willing to bend down and let a little boy feel his head."

DANGERS OF LEAVING BABIES WITH MINORS!

Baby Destiny: Stolen in Delta, recovered in Abia

Written by Alphonsus Agborh, Asaba
Wednesday, May 16, 2012

EIGHT-MONTH Destiny Umeh Umegboro truly lives up to his name.From the parents' compound in Ogwashi-Uku Delta State, the child was stolen and transferred to buyers in Imo, Abia and Abuja before he was finally dumped alive inside a church in Abia, Abia State, subjecting the parents to 10 days of traumatic experience.

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Between April 27 2012 when Destiny was stolen and May 6 when he was recovered, the residence of the Umegboros' at Isa Road, Ogwashi-Uku witnessed an unprecedented number of people who came to sympathise with them, some prayed with them, others merely gave advice and hope while tears of anguish welled up in the eyes of the mother, Patricia Umegboro, a mother of three.

At the same time, the father, Innocent, an Okada rider, who kept vigil at nights wondering where the boy would be, suffered schizophrenic problems but was confident that the son was alive.

Again, after the recovery of the boy, the same compound attracted persons both from their native place in Imo State and Delta, who called to rejoice with the family.

Destiny's journey to the unknown started on April 27, the market day of the Ogwashi-Uku community. The mother, while leaving for the market at about 11am left Destiny with his siblings to look after, as usual.

Although problem was lurking in the corner, the mother did not smell any rat and was confident to return from the market to meet her children.

At about 11.30am, two women went to the compound and asked after their parents.

The women; Tina Opia, an indigene of Ogwashi-Uku who claimed to be 32 years old, and Agnes Ujiah 45, a native of Benue State, who also claimed to be a visitor in Ogwashi-Uku, deceived the children into believing that they were friends of the family. They went as far as bathing the baby, changed his clothes and cuddled him to sleep.

Later, the duo gave money to the older children to go out and buy biscuits and before their return; they disappeared with the child, causing confusion in the neighbourhood.

Despite the search party organised within and outside the community, getting the child became a mission impossible because unknown to the search parties, the baby had been sold to a nurse who ran a maternity home in Imo State.

At Oru, Imo State, 45 years old Chinwe Ojijeleme, operator of the home and her worker; Chizoba Ejike, 24 yrs, both of who allegedly bought the child from the women from Ogwashi-Uku had conspired to dispose of Destiny before nemesis caught up with them.

The four women are now in police net.

Tina Opia, who said her only surviving girl was an undergraduate, was restless at the police headquarters when the group was paraded along with other criminals.

She pleaded for forgiveness when interviewed by newsmen.

"Please, make u na forgive me. I no go do am again. Na devil" while the nurse tried to exonerate herself from the deal.

Agnes Ujiah could not give a vivid account of what she knew about the deal, saying that she was a visitor to the town and did not know what was happening.

Police spokesman, DSP Charles Muka, who paraded them, said after investigation, the suspects would be charged to court.

Destiny's mother was full of promises to God after the police handed over the child to her.

"When the incident happened, I ran to my God, I cried and cried to the Almighty and at last my God heard me.

"I don't know either of the women. They came to our compound when I was away to the market and took away my baby.

"They sold the child to somebody in Imo, who took him to another in Aba and again to another person in Abuja. That is what they said.

"May be fire was burning them. The one in Abuja returned the child to Aba and finally they dropped him at a Winners' church in Aba, Abia State.

"Information went round and behold the child happened to be Destiny, our baby.

"What else can I say, the Lord is good. Destiny is destined to live and we are going to appreciate God for this wonderful thing He has done.

"The state commissioner of police and his men are doing a good work and I thank God for their efforts," she said.

SECRET CULTS AND KIDS !

Anxiety as cults spring up in primary, secondary schools Education    Thursday, May 10, 2012 By Amaka Abayomi & Favour Nnabugwu Despite concerted efforts by government and concerned stakeholders to provide Nigerians with quality education, a few have chosen to toe the line that leads to destruction through voluntary initiation into different cults, which has eaten deep into the education system. Education minister, Ruqayyatu Rufai  advertisement   What is known as secret cult in tertiary institutions started at the University College, Ibadan in 1953 when Prof. Wole Soyinka, Aig-Imoukhuede, Pius Oleghe, Ralph Opara, Nat Oyelola and Prof. Muyiwa Awe formed the Pyrates Confraternity with the objectives of abolishing convention, reviving the age chivalry, and ending tribalism and elitism. But these objectives have been defeated as thousands of lives have been lost and properties worth millions of naira lost due to the evil activities of cult groups in our tertiary institutions. As a result, the National Association of Sea dogs ordered a cessation of all its activities on campuses of higher institutions effective 1984. But it is unfortunate that our primary and secondary schools are veritable grounds for breeding cultists, making one to wonder if we are civilizing in the right way. The expulsion of 26 secondary school students for involvement in cult activities in 2002 in Cross River State, the beating of a secondary school typist to death in Eket, Akwa Ibom State in 2004, the killing of one Victor aka 'papa', a secondary school student in Oron, Akwa Ibom State in January 2004, the massive initiation of children into more than 150 cult groups identified by the anti-cultism law of Rivers State and the arrest of seven secondary school kingpins in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in 2004, opened our eyes to the rot at the secondary school level in Nigeria. It was reported that kid cultists, consisting of four girls aged between 13 and 15, were arrested at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Some of the cultists had been expelled from various secondary schools in connection with cult-related activities. The boys had the marks of Eye Confraternity cult group on their arms, while the girls belonged to the Queen of White Angels. Worried by the rise in cultism in primary and secondary schools, President Goodluck Jonathan has called on the National Assembly to enact tougher laws against cultists and those engaging in examination malpractice. He said the eradication of cultism was a national project for all stakeholders in the country as campuses of higher institutions had been turned into breeding ground for cultists, an avenue for the practice of immoralities and a base for grooming terrorists. Jonathan who called for a 're-orientation of our children said government would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to curb the activities of cultists and their sponsors. Speaking with Vanguard Learning at the 3rd national conference on Strategies for Eradicating Cultism in Nigerian Educational Institutions organised by the University of Ibadan in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayat Rufa'i, said there had been recommendations in the past to curtail cultism but the greatest challenge was implementation. "If we must succeed in eradicating cultism in Nigerian institutions, all hands must be on deck. Parents, religious organisations and both members and non-members of the government are to work jointly on this measure." Attributing the rise in cultism to the complicity of some desperate politicians, President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Com. Dauda Mohammed, said: "It is frightening to see the depth at which the menace of cultism has eating deep into our educational system, particularly with its incursion into the secondary school levels, and we expect government to take a decisive step in checkmating cult activities on our campuses and also taking practical steps in bringing the sponsors of these cult groups to book. "The presence of cult groups in our secondary schools is a spill over of the prevalence of cultism in our tertiary institutions. The first practical step that government must take is the promotion of Students Unionism as cultism took an increased dimension from the point when unionism became voluntary and union activities were facing repression on our campuses." Suggesting how to effectively combat secret cultism, the minister said Nigerian universities must enjoy improved funding, recreational/academic facilities must be improved and virile students union activities must be allowed to thrive. For the NANS President, the return of vibrant and compulsory students unionism to the campuses coupled with the promotion of other voluntary organisations in our institutions will go a long way in reducing the menace of cultism. Mohammed urged the National Assembly to also repeal the military decree of the recommendations of the General Abisoye panel which made students unionism voluntary rather than compulsory for students in our higher institutions. How to identify cultists in secondary schools Most schools prone to these acts are not fenced while those that are fenced are not high enough, making them prone to such things. The question is how do you know such students? *They hardly stay in class to study and are fond of moving aimlessly trying to recruit new students or trying to disturb the peace of the class and also disturb the students who refuse to join. *They don't obey laws and orders that have been laid down by the school authorities. If it is a mixed school, they are fond of toasting girls and any who refuses would be beaten seriously. *They are known to put on certain colours of attires like black, red, green and yellow berets, so also they put on mufflers with different colours, depending on the cult gang they belong to. Some put on the chaplet, it is either yellow, or those mixed with different colours, with the same bangles especially yellow, depending on which group they belong to.

GOOD GOVERNANCE

TOWARDS GOOD AND PEOPLE ORIENTED GOVERNACE-THE IMO STATE EXAMPLE 

Imo declares four-day holiday

From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

THE Imo State government has declared the rest of this week work-free days for its workers.

According to a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Obinna Duruji, the days are today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday.

The statement asked workers to use the holidays to go to their communities and partake in the take-off of the Community Council Government (CCG), which the state is proposing as the fourth-tier of government.

Meanwhile, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has approved the disbursement of N3 billion for the take off of the CCG.

The money, according to the governor, will be disbursed at N5 million to each community in the 27 local councils.

5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say to Their Kids

By Charlene Prince Birkeland, Team Mom | Team Mom – Mon, Apr 30, 2012 1:13 PM EDT

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Say what?It's no secret that parents should pay attention to how they communicate with their children.Even tiger moms and parents following theFrench style of raising children could agree that what we say to our kids -- and how we say it -- matters. Tiger moms and French parents get the results they want largely because of what they say. But besides using words to get kids to do what they want, how moms and dads communicate with their kids directly impacts the parent-child relationship long term. And it's the simple statements parents make, usually in a moment of frustration with their young children, which can cause the most damage later on.

Related: 8 things you should never say to a mom

"Words hurt and they can't be taken back, so be careful" says Debbie Pincus, a therapist, parenting coach and author of "The Calm Parent: AM & PM." Team Mom on Shine asked Pincus and other parenting experts about the most common phrases that moms and dads say to young kids in the midst of parental panic. Don't feel bad if you've said them -- most parents have! "We're human. Our lives are crazy and sometimes we don't give ourselves time to pause and think," she says. "We don't want to be so careful that we're not authentic. We're real. Be passionate with your kids, be real, say what's on your mind. Say it passionately. Just be conscious and responsible, no matter who we talk to." Pincus adds that calm is contagious and better things come out of our mouths when we stop ourselves from reacting in the moment.

The bottom line is that as parents, we're teaching our kids how we want them to behave in similar situations; modeling the desired behavior is key. Check out what Pincus and others had to say about five things parents shouldn't say to kids--and how to turn a moment of frustration into a positive life lesson.

"I don't care." Little kids love to share details...of their playground conversations with friends, of the cloud formation they think looks like a sea serpent, of why they squeezed an entire tube of toothpaste into the bathtub. And sometimes? Parents just don't want to hear the specifics. But beware of saying "I don't care!" because you're cutting off communication with your child and saying that something important to him or her isn't so important to you. "Most parents have a difficult time once children reach the adolescent stages and complain that their teens are not communicative with them. Well, the question must be asked then, 'How has the parent-child communication been nurtured throughout the child's life?'" says Melinda Garcia, a licensed clinical social worker with ESCAPE Family Resource Center in Houston. "The process of parent-child communication must evolve positively over the years. There's an unspoken trust that occurs when communication is nurtured." Try this: Garcia recommends that parents let the child know an issue can be discussed later, perhaps at a better time when the parent is more focused. She stresses, however, that parents must follow through. "Don't let the day end without addressing your child's need to share with you."
"Act your age!"
Your daughter is seven years old but you think she's acting like she's three...and you tell her so. Pincus says this common reaction is less about the child's behavior and all about the parent trying to manage his or her own frustration. The child may, in fact, be acting their age. "It's just not working out for the parent," she says. "It makes us feel better in the moment." The result? Kids hear their parents criticizing them at a time when they, as children, are having trouble and perhaps need some help gaining control. Try this: Says Pincus, "When you are stirred up, just take that pause. Come up with an effective response instead of a reaction. Most of what we do is a knee-jerk reaction. That pause helps to get that adrenaline down so you can get the thinking part of your brain working instead of the emotional part of the brain."

"Say you're sorry!" Your preschooler takes a toy from another child and makes him or her cry. You instantly tell your child to say sorry for his or her actions. You're trying to teach your child to be compassionate, which is a laudable goal. But "forcing a child to apologize does not teach a child social skills," says Bill Corbett, a parent educator, author, and producer/host of the parenting TV show "Creating Cooperative Kids." Young children don't automatically understand why they have to apologize. Corbett says that if parent forces a child to say they are sorry, "it could delay the child's natural acceptance" of apologizing. Try this: Apologize to the child for your kid as a way to model the behavior you're trying to encourage. And make sure that when you're in situations where an apology is warranted, you deliver it just as easily.

"Don't you get it?"
You've taught your kid how to catch a baseball five times over. Or how to add and subtract fractions. But when your child shows signs that it's not clicking for him or her, you hastily ask, "Don't you get it?" Learning specialist and author Jill Lauren tells Team Mom on Shine that this comment is degrading. "If the child 'got it,' which he desperately wants to do in order to please his parent, it would be clear. Implicit in a 'don't you get it' comment are the judgments of 'Why don't you get it?' followed by 'What's wrong with you for not getting it?' While a parent may not mean to send those messages, that is the message the child receives." Try this: Take a break. If you're stuck on how to teach your child something, step away. Return to the "lesson" when you're ready to try again, perhaps after researching alternative approaches to teaching whatever it is your child is trying to learn.

"I'm going to leave without you!"
Your kid refuses to leave the toy store or a park and you are going to be late for an appointment. So you issue an ultimatum sure to freak your child out: "I'm going to leave without you!" For young kids, fear of parental abandonment is very real. But what happens when your threat doesn't work? "The biggest problem is that we want our kids to believe what we say. For a whole host of reasons, we need our kids to believe us. If you want them to believe what we say is true, we cannot say something that is patently false," says Deborah Gilboa, a family doctor, parenting speaker, and mom of four boys. The result is that the child quickly learns that mom or dad makes empty threats. "Parents say it because they don't know what else to do...it's a bad idea," says Dr. Gilboa: "You need to strive not to make empty threats. If you plant a flag, you have to defend it...say what you mean and follow through." Try this: Don't tell your kids you're going to leave without them. Instead, plan ahead. Chances are high that you've seen your child behave this way before. You know what will trigger a tantrum. What will you say if your child throws a fit or refuses to leave? "It's okay to identify unacceptable behavior," says Dr. Gilboa. "You can tell them it's not acceptable but you have to motivate them with a consequence that you can carry out."

Courtesy yahoo.com 

KIDS AND NUTRITION

                                             

Popular Kids' Drinks to Avoid

By U. S. News & World Report | Team Mom – Mon, Apr 30, 2012 1:22 PM EDT

By Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil

As childhood obesity rates continue to balloon, sugary beverages are emerging as a prime culprit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sweetened beverages are the largest source of empty carbs, in the form of added sugars, in children's diets, and the extra calories are helping to expand young waistlines.

[See: Is Child Obesity an Infectious Disease?]

Even among adults, sugary drinks have been linked to not-so-sweet effects that include weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart problems. A recent study in the journal Circulation suggests that men who drink 12 or more ounces of a sugar-sweetened beverage a day are 20 percent more likely to develop heart disease than men are who abstain. Most Americans--including kids--get too much sugar. The AHA recommends that men get a total of no more than 36 grams of sugar a day, the equivalent of 9 teaspoons, and that women get no more than two-thirds that much. Children are advised to limit their sugar intake to 12 grams a day, or 3 teaspoons. During 2001 to 2004, however, children ages 4 to 8 consumed 21 teaspoons per day on average.

While Debbie Beauvais, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, doesn't think sugary beverages should be singled out as causing childhood obesity, she does recommend that kids--and adults--opt instead for water, milk, or small portions of 100 percent juice. Low-fat and fat-free milk are rich in calcium, and pure juice, she says, offers lots of nutrients.

[See: Are Sports Drinks Healthier Than Soda? Teens Think So]

Here's a look at some of the sugary drinks kids favor, along with tips on building better beverage habits.

Hi-C. These little cartons may deliver all the vitamin C your kid needs in a day, but Hi-C is only 10 percent juice. A single 6.75-ounce serving contains 90 calories and 25 grams of sugar. That's more sugar per ounce than in a regular Coke.

Hawaiian Punch. Eight ounces has 70 calories and 17 grams of sugar. With just 5 percent juice, this drink also includes preservatives and artificial flavors and colorings such as "red 40" in its ingredient list.

SunnyD. It might taste like orange juice, but SunnyD Tangy Original is just 5 percent juice. Along with 80 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C, your kid will also get 11 grams of sugar in a 6.75-ounce bottle.

Capri Sun. One 6-ounce pouch packs 60 calories and 16 grams of sugar.

Dannon Danimals. These 3.1-ounce yogurt smoothies may look healthy, but they only have 10 percent of the recommended daily calcium based on a 2,000 calorie diet-slightly more for a kid's 1,600 calorie diet-plus 70 calories and 14 grams of sugar.

There are healthier ways to quench a juvenile thirst. Here are some tips:

Choose water. The Institute of Medicine recommends that kids ages 4 to 8 get about 5 12-ounce glasses of water each day, and that older kids and teens get between 5½ to 8 glasses, depending on age and gender.

Use pure juice, not juice drinks. Juice shouldn't replace apples, oranges, grapes, and other fruits-it doesn't have the fiber content of whole fruits, and nutrition labels show that even pure, all-natural juice has considerable sugar. But it's in the juice, not added to it, and the juice offers far more than just empty calories. New research published in the journal Public Health Nutrition shows that drinking pure fruit juice is linked to improved nutrition in 2- to 18-year-olds.

Limit juice portions to 1 cup a day. "Portion size is most important," says Beauvais. Four to 8 ounces a day is plenty for children. Serving sizes have increased over the years, so be careful-one juice box typically is about 7 ounces. Dilute with water if you have concerns.

[See: A School Nutrition Experiment: Junk Food Carrots]

Make sure kids get 2 to 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk each day. Milk is rich in nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, adequate amounts of which are tied to healthy bones and lower rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If your kids don't like milk, try flavored varieties. Beauvais isn't an enemy of flavored milk. "Flavored milk is a trade-off to no milk at all," she says. "The nutrition that milk provides is more important than those few extra calories and sugar that add flavor."

Courtesy, yahoo.com