What are the long-term effects of spanking?Francisco Luco, CC BY-NC-NDSpanking, or, as it’s formally known, “corporal punishment,” has been much in the news of late.
Out on the presidential campaign trail there was Senator Ted Cruz’s revelation that
If my daughter Catherine, the five-year-old, says something she knows to be...
Read more: Is it OK to spank a misbehaving child once in a while?
In the late 19th century, three brothers from New Hampshire drew uniforms for the military troops of their imaginary world.Amherst College“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
This line, from 1 Corinthians, still sums up how we tend...
Read more: How studying the old drawings and writings of kids can change our view of history
Earth's city lightsNASA Visible EarthWe live in an urbanizing world. Up to two-thirds of the world’s population – some six billion people – may live in cities by 2050.
Cities have emerged as first responders to climate change because they experience the impacts of natural disasters firsthand and because they produce up to 70...
Read more: Building climate resilience in cities: lessons from New York
Tap water in Flint's hospital on October 16Joyca Zhu/Flint Water StudyMany observers see race and class as factors in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water crisis. Earlier this week Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, said, “It’s a minority community. It’s a poor community. And our voices were not heard.” We asked Robert D....
Read more: Flint's water crisis is a blatant example of environmental injustice
Avoiding stress could help stave off the flu.Sick woman via www.shutterstock.com.Along with snow and frigid temperatures, the winter months also bring coughs, colds and the flu. Lower respiratory tract infections, the ones that cause feelings of chest congestion despite the deepest coughs, are one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States...
Read more: Take a chill pill if you want to avoid the flu this year
Children in the U.S. foster care system can languish for yearsPixabyFirestorms regarding child-protective systems have become sadly commonplace, occurring recently in Massachusetts, Colorado and Florida. Elected officials and the general public often don’t pay much attention to child protection systems until a child dies in a family known to...
Where does self-esteem in children come from?Saulo Victor, CC BY-NC-NDA YouTube clip called “Jessica’s Daily Affirmation” recently went viral. The clip shows a four-year-old Jessica standing in front of the bathroom mirror saying what makes her happy about herself.
Jessica’s Daily Affirmation.
Many youngsters, like Jessica,...
Read more: When do children show evidence of self-esteem? Earlier than you might think
An all-white affair?ReutersIn 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy award for best actor in a leading role for “Lilies of the Field.”
It took another 38 years for another African American, Denzel Washington, to win the award for his role in “Training Day.” But only two years later, Jamie...
Oil's continuing slide so far isn't leading to lower U.S. production, but concerns are growing that it'll drive some out of business. ReutersGlobal stock markets have been in a tailspin this week. And the sinking price of oil received at least some of the blame.
Just this week, the cost of a barrel of crude reached a 12-year-low of US$27, down from...
Hurricane Pali churns over the eastern Pacific on January 11NASA Earth ObservatoryJanuary hurricanes are extremely rare events. But this year, two have already formed – Alex in the northeastern Atlantic last week, and Pali in the central Pacific, south of Hawaii, a few days earlier. The last hurricane to form in January in the Atlantic did...