Give the Gift of Botox

What are you getting your teen this Christmas? Maybe a gift card to their favorite clothing store, an IPod or a video game? How about liposuction, a nose job or breast implants? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2009, the last year statistics were available on their website, teenagers accounted for 5% of all plastic surgeries and 1% of cosmetic procedures.


The top surgeries were nose reshaping, breast reduction in boys, ear surgery and breast augmentations for girls. The top noninvasive or minimally invasive cosmetic procedures were laser hair removal, laser treatment of leg veins, laser skin resurfacing and Botox.

What message are we sending kids if we allow them to have plastic surgery? The stats include children as young as 13. And while some of the surgeries may have been to correct deformities or may have been reconstructive surgeries, that doesn't account for all of the cases.

Teens are wanting plastic surgery to feel better about themselves. They feel that by changing their bodies they will increase their self esteem. And maybe surgery does just that, temporarily. If a child has low self esteem, it's only a matter of time before they find something else wrong with their body and wish to change that. In addition, how many teens are educated on what plastic surgery entails? Do they know about the potential risks and the recovery time?

And what about the parents? Plastic surgery is expensive and not covered by most insurances. Wouldn't the money be better spent on their child's education or saved for emergencies? Parents should be trying to help their child feel good about herself for being a unique individual, not reaffirm her bad self esteem. No wonder we live in such an image-conscious society. We're starting them out young.

Ghost Boy Caught on Tape?

Do you believe in the afterlife or in ghosts? Well, be prepared to debate the issue after viewing this video.


The video was shot by an Akron, OH, teen while he was on vacation in Savanna, GA, reportedly one of the most haunted places in America. He and his family were visiting a cemetery and he decided to play with the camera.

What he caught was a boy dressed in what looks like 19th century clothing running in the background then climbing a tree and falling from it. No one around seems to react to the boy. Experts have reviewed the video and say it was not altered. However, they could not prove that the video wasn't a hoax. After all, they point out, neither the teen nor his parents went to see if the boy was alright or tried to talk to any one else who was in the cemetery. Having other creditable witnesses would go a long way to prove the video was indeed authentic.

What do you think? To view the video click here.

DNA Tests Predict If Your Kid is a Future Pro

Hoping little Joey will grow up to the be the next Michael Jordan, Cal Ripkin or (insert name of famous football player)? Well, two U.S companies and one from Australian claim they can tell by testing your child's DNA.


So how does it work? You swab the inside of your child's mouth and send it to the lab for analysis. Supposedly, the lab can then tell how athletic gifted your child will be as an adult.

Just when I thought I had heard everything, the story about one of these labs aired Monday on the local news. Do we live in such a sports-obsessed society that we have to DNA test our children so we know almost from birth (they test children as young as one) whether they will be pro athletes? No wonder test scores in this nation are dropping compared to other nations. Our priorities are in the wrong place. Why don't we have parents wondering if their child is the next Einstein? I'd much rather know whether my child was going to go on to find a cure for cancer or colonize Mars or do something good for humanity than I would if she was going to get a sports contract.

Yes, pro athletes have fame and fortune. But other than their entertainment value what do they contribute to society or to better anyone's life other than their own? Nothing. At least not most of them. There are those few who start charities or go into politics. Bottom-line is we should be focusing more on the education of our children, not whether they are skilled in a stadium or arena.

For more on the topic: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5434474.ece

The Survival Rates of Preemies

If you were a fan of the TV show Roseanne -- either when it originally aired or now in reruns -- you know that in the final season of the show Roseanne's daughter Darlene gave birth to a premature baby. The baby was born at 28 weeks and when the episode was written (1996) that was pretty much a death sentence. The show was a comedy, after all, and the baby did survive and it was deemed a miracle. So this got me thinking, how has medical science advanced since the mid-1990s?


Amillia Taylor is usually cited as the youngest surviving preemie. She was born Oct. 24, 2007, during the 21st week of gestation. Doctors admitted that at birth they thought Amillia was in the 23rd week and had they known her true age probably would not have provided her with medical care. At birth, she weighed 10 oz and was 9.5" long.
Source.

However, the youngest surviving preemie is James Gill. He was born May 20, 1987, also in the 21st week of gestation. Source.

The survival rates for being born at under 23 weeks is 17%. At 25 weeks, it jumps to 50%. At 27 weeks, survival is at 90%. On Roseanne, the baby was born at 28 weeks. At 28 weeks, a baby has a 90-95% survival rate. Source. Still, survival doesn't always come without a price. Many preemies suffer long term physical, mental and developmental disabilities.

Some famous historical figures who were born prematurely are British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, scientist Johannes Kepler and ballerina Anna Parlova. All three were born in the 7th month of gestation. Scientist Isaac Newton was also born prematurely although exactly by how much is unknown. Source.

The American Public Has Spoken, or Have They?

The phrase "the American people have spoken" has been bantered about a lot this week. But have the American people really spoken? In my state, voter turnout was 48%. Think about that for a moment. That means less than half of the people made the decision for all of the people. Don't forget that 48% is only of registered voters. That doesn't include people who are eligible to vote but aren't registered. Voter turnout this year was 70% less than it was in 2008. Staggering.


A friend of mine from high school told me that in her household politics were never spoken about. She had no idea what political party her parents were registered as or anyone they had ever voted for. She was an adult at the time when she told me this and refused to talk about politics with me.

This is a foreign concept to me. I always knew what political party and views my parents and grandparents believed in. Politics and current events were always discussed. I have very strong political views myself and I'm sure being able to discuss topics openly while growing up had a lot to do with shaping those beliefs.

The first presidential race I remember clearly was 1988. A candidate from my grandmother's home state was running, someone with the same ethnic background as us, and that was a big deal in our family. I remember my grandfather making homemade signs to display along his driveway. I remember watching election returns for hours.

Some election years since have been borderline obsession. I'll be constantly reading the latest news. I'll stay up until all the votes are in, even Hawaii. I can't imagine it any other way.

It's vitally important to discuss politics with your children. Do you want them to be in the percentage that voted or the percentage that stayed home and didn't care?

Time Traveler Caught on Film?

Was an extra from a Charlie Chaplin movie a time traveler? That's what filmmaker George Clarke thinks. Clarke was reviewing behind the scenes footage of the 1928 film The Circus and saw a woman in the background who is holding what he says is a cell phone. He could come up with no other explanations.


You can view a close-up photo and the clip from the film at: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/26/5353411-cell-phone-time-traveler-from-1928?gt1=43001

I have to admit, it does somewhat look like the woman in the clip is holding a cell phone. However, her hand covers the majority of the device so we only see the ends and if it is a cell phone, it certainly looks larger than any phones around now. Not to mention the fact that time travel didn't exist a decade ago, doesn't exist now and if it does in the future, cell phones will be smaller than the device she is holding.

The extra moves quickly in the clip and is shown from a distance. We never get a clear look at her because the frame changes. The close-up photo is grainy and unclear.

The footage is certainly intriguing, but it needs to be examined by a historian before we jump to conclusions. Let's eliminate all the logical things it could be before we assume it's a time traveler.