An alternative to religious schools in Pakistan

However, the kids quickly quieted themselves after entering one of the church’s rooms as a small, spectacled woman led them through some vocal exercises.

"I left, I left, I left my kids in 49 states, right from the country where I came from," the children sang emphatically, clapping and marching.

For the hour that followed, fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade pupils from throughout the region rehearsed for an upcoming concert. The Main Street Singers, as they are known, practice with a blend of discipline and fun under the guidance of the spectacled woman, Mary Ellen Junda.

On Nov. 20, the group will give their second concert at South Church, singing songs with Jewish, African and American roots.

Although the children ocassionally act much like children during their rehearsals, they focus on performing most of the time. Under Junda’s direction, pupils sing with confidence and grace, church members say.

Junda is a nationally recognized teacher of children’s voices and an associate professor of music at the University of Connecticut. She is assisted by Gabriel Lofvall, a pianist and associate director for a high school girls choir in Hartford. Suzanne O’Connor, a music teacher at Smalley Academy, also assists Junda.

For Katrina Rodis, a fourth-grader at Irving Robbins Middle School in Farmington, this is one of the more challenging music groups she has been in.

"We’ve met a lot of new people," she said. "We learn new songs."

The content of the concert is a little more adult than most children’s choirs, as the youths sing songs like "Sh’ma Yisrael," a Hebrew liturgical prayer.

The songs represent one of Rodis’ favorite part about the choir.

"We’re not just singing goofy stuff," she said. "The songs have meaning."

Throughout Tuesday’s practice, the choir students rehearsed the whole concert, with Junda and O’Connor listening to each individual voice. Junda reminded them to sit taller, sing higher and remain in tune.

The choir was formed about a year ago, with its principals hoping to bring children from diverse economic, religious and cultural backgrounds together to make music. Those behind the choir say they want to encourage the children’s musical and personal growth by instilling in them a sense of community and foster a love of music and singing.

For most of the young pupils, singing is already a big part of their lives.

Fifth-grader Geandhrelry Delapaz sings all the time -- in the shower, in the car and in school. This choir is more intense than anything she has ever been in, she said, and she has met other children who share her love of music.

This year, the choir was expanded to allow more children; 38 are enrolled. New Britain provides 24 singers; the remaining 14 come from Plainville, Farmington, Coventry, Kensington, Rocky Hill and Bristol.

HEADLINES

ADVENTURE OR DANGER?

Young kids survive 5 days in jungle -Malaysia

The New Paper - 13 Nov 2004

FOR five days, the family prayed and feared the worst.

Their three young children - 6-year-old Saharuddin Salehuddin, his brother Budin, 5, and their sister Mariam, 3 - had suddenly disappeared, right in their own backyard.

One minute they were playing in a rubber plantation just 50m from their house in Kampung Mambang Seberang, near Paloh Hinai, Pekan.

The next, they were gone. That was Saturday.

'I thought I would never see them again,' said the children's mother, Madam Hasmah Sih, 25.

Her fears became worse two days ago, when rescuers found Mariam's dress and slippers near a swampy area.

Said the father, Mr Salehuddin Abdul Halim, 41: 'I was scared they may have drowned. In fact I was even preparing myself for the worst in case they were never found alive.'

Then came the good news.

On Wednesday - five days after they disappeared - rescuers finally came upon the children, sitting in the forest 6km from their village, reported the New Straits Times.

BRUISES AND BITES

They were found covered with bruises and insect bites.

It was a miracle how they survived five days in the wild.

Pekan OCPD Supt Mohd Jasmani Yusoff told reporters that the children had survived only on water from a nearby stream.

'They were found shivering with cold probably because they had followed a stream behind their house before losing their way and ending up at the swampy forest,' he said.

The three young children had to navigate their way through dense jungle.

When darkness came, Saharuddin and Budin comforted their little sister.

Still dazed at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan where they were warded, Saharuddin was the only one who managed to answer queries on how they had survived.

'Yang (Mariam) cried, Budin didn't cry,' said Tot, the pet name for Saharuddin.

Mr Salehuddin, who has two other children, 2-year-old Su and 4-month-old Duan, said the children told him that they only drank ground water and ate fruits throughout.

MYSTERY WOMAN

When visited by reporters, the children were eating watermelon.

Reporter: 'Were you afraid?'

Tot: 'I was not afraid.'

Reporter: 'Did you cry?'

Tot: 'No, Yang cried.'

Reporter: 'Did Budin cry?'

Tot: 'Budin did not cry.'

Reporter: 'Yang cried?'

Tot: 'Yes, at night.'

Berita Harian reported that an elderly woman had lured the children deeper into the jungle.

For five days afterwards, she took them into the jungle about 6km from their home, said Saharuddin.

He said: 'My siblings and I only drank ground water. We weren't scared because the woman was with us, we just felt hungry and thirsty sometimes.'

The mystery surrounding their disappearance also received attention from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who ordered the search and rescue operation to be step up.

HEADLINES

IMPROVING KIDS’ LIVES:

An alternative to religious schools in Pakistan

Foundation seeks to address ‘dismal state of education’

By Naveen Naqvi

Producer

NBC News

Updated: 1:42 p.m. ET Nov. 5, 2004

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Kiran Shaheen lives in Uthal, a village on the outskirts of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.

The eight-year-old girl lives with her two brothers, sister and parents in a single-room house where there is electricity, but no running water or proper sanitation. As part of their daily chores, she and her sister help their mother cook meals that usually consist of bread and vegetables, draw water from the village well, and feed their two goats.

Shaheen’s mother makes clay stoves and anklets made of thread to sell to the village women. Her father is unemployed and uses his wife’s money to fuel his drug habit. He frequently lands in jail for petty thefts, and beats his wife and children regularly.

But her difficult home life has not stopped Kiran and her two siblings from marching off to school every morning.

Her light brown hair is neatly plaited with two bright green ribbons and her beige uniform with its white scarf trimly placed across her chest as she carries her tattered bag across the fields.

She attends a school in Uthal set up in April 2002 by an organization called The Citizens Foundation (TCF), established in 1995 by six affluent businessmen based in Karachi to address “the dismal state of education in Pakistan.”

Alternative to Islamic schools
In addition to allievating the dire state of the educational system, the TCF schools, now numbering 180, are seen as an alternative to Pakistan's Islamic schools, known as madrassas.

Traditionally, in the poorest areas of politically unstable Pakistan, the only choice for an education was an Islamic one.

But they came under scrutiny after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States. Many of the Taliban leaders in neighboring Afghanistan were trained in the schools, which were viewed as a breeding ground for extremism.

Many of the institutions are believed to be sponsored by militant Islamic groups, who train boys and eventually recruit them to fight in the disputed Kashmir region or in Afghanistan.

The TCF, for its part, says the main goal is simply to improve basic education.

“Our struggle is against illiteracy," said TCF chairman Ahsan Saleem. "The root of most of Pakistan’s problems — be it religious intolerance or poverty — is lack of education.

"We are in a type of war that is not for us to win and the other side to lose. It’s not mine. It’s not yours. It’s ours,” he said.

Hope for one girl
The men in Uthal were initially resistant to the new school, particularly because of its all female staff, but the local women were steadfast in their resolve to educate their children in this unique school.

There are 115 students, nearly evenly divided between boys and girls. Each class has a maximum of 30 students to ensure personalized attention.

At Kiran Shaheen’s school, 84 of the 115 students are on scholarship, which means that they pay as little as 16 cents a month, instead of the standard $3 tuition fee.

The typical school fees can prove insurmountable in Pakistan, a country where, according to the World Bank, the average per-capita income is $470. The smaller fee for scholarship students at the TCF schools provide students with not only an education and textbooks, but also uniforms.

The purpose-built primary school building is white on the exterior with a myriad of colorful trimmings. There are two small gardens which the students help maintain: one in the front and the other in the back where the children play during recess and their daily sports hour.

There are two sparkling white-tiled bathrooms, one for boys and the other for girls. The classrooms and corridors are spotlessly clean with posters adorning the walls, made by teachers and students, depicting a range of subjects from the alphabet, fruits, vegetables, and numbers, to the virtues of gender equality and the harms of domestic violence.

Unlike other schools, the foundation’s curriculum places a great deal of importance on the arts — to the extent that one of the students won an international art competition that sent his work to the Tate Modern in London.

The brightly lit art room also functions as a library. It has a computer on one side, which students are being taught to use, a book shelf with tidily stacked Oxford University Press books, and student artwork.

Sharp contrast to the alternative
The environment and curriculum of TCF schools are in sharp contrast to other schools available to impoverished children in this country with a population of over 150 million, where 41 percent of adult men and 70 percent of adult women are illiterate.

The madrassas are the only other welfare education system existing in Pakistan, but in return they indoctrinate principles that make it difficult, if not impossible, to adjust in society or compete in the job market.

“People send their children to madrassas for lack of viable alternatives,” said Sheheryar Fazli, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, a multinational think tank that studies conflict prevention and resolution. “TCF is definitely a viable alternative.”

Over the years it has become evident that in the neediest neighborhoods, parents are opting when possible to send their children to TCF schools rather than the local madrassas.

The medium of instruction at the foundations schools is both English and Urdu, which immediately gives graduates an edge over students who emerge from not only madrassas but also state-run schools.

The teachers are all women who go through eight weeks of pre-service training before they can begin work and four weeks of practical training once they commence.

Sadaf Hina, the head teacher of Kiran’s school with undergraduate degrees in Arts and Education, travels 90 minutes from Rawalpindi to work. And she admits it's hard work.

“It takes about two weeks to train the students about basic hygiene such as how to wash their hands and use the toilet," she said. "But that is part of the reason why it is more rewarding to work here than any other school. We can help these deserving children.”

Naveen Naqvi is an NBC News producer based in Islamabad, Pakistan. See The Citizens Foundation website for further information.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6409474/

HEADLINES

WHEN KIDS BOTHER KIDS:

Children teased and bullied at school over healthy food choices -England

Lucy Ward, education correspondent
Tuesday November 9, 2004
The Guardian

http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=3718

Peer pressure and the threat of bullying are prompting school children to choose highly processed snacks and fast foods over healthy options, a survey of pupils from nursery to secondary school has found.

A study published today by the children's charity Barnardo's concludes that the food and drink youngsters consume categorises them in the eyes of their peers in the same way as their clothes, music or interests. Media-influenced stereotyped attitudes among youngsters linking certain foods with gender or social class are so strong that children cannot entertain the concept of boys eating salad, researchers found, while healthy food is generally regarded as "posh".

The contents of school lunchboxes now generally conform to a high-fat, high-sugar standard of white bread sandwiches, crisps, sweets and sugary drinks. Youngsters bringing other kinds of home-cooked food or even low-cost brands are subject to bullying or ridicule, researchers found. One child from a Chinese family was driven to tears as fellow pupils dubbed him "chicken boy" because he brought home-cooked chicken legs for lunch.

Researchers also discovered that children presented with a picture of a healthy lunch of sandwich, raw carrot, tomato, milk and apple found it impossible to imagine anyone their age choosing to eat the meal. Youngsters suggested it might be eaten by a "posh, sporty girl" who was a "goody-goody teacher's pet" and lived in a big house in London.

A photograph of a burger, chips and a fizzy drink, on the other hand, was viewed as appealing by the vast majority of children. They associated the meal with "naughty, greedy boy heroes", in the tradition, said researchers, of Dennis the Menace and Bart Simpson. The Barnardo's study, entitled Burger boy - sporty girl - What children say about school meals, follows mounting concern over the low nutritional value of school dinners, and the contribution of poor diet to the steep rise in childhood obesity.

Critics argue that a new government healthy-living blueprint for schools, announced in September and billed as offering schools "options and ideas on improving children's diets in school", does not go far enough in enforcing higher nutritional standards.

Today's report adds to the debate because it reveals how entrenched youngsters' attitudes to different foods have become, and how powerful peer pressure can be in dictating the meals children choose.

Researchers interviewed 174 children in nine nursery, primary and secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland to establish the factors influencing their food choices in school. They also looked at the nutritional value of school meals and packed lunches in one school in each age group.

"In the context of school, peer pressure strongly influences children's food choices," the study concludes. "Teachers, on the other hand, are believed to have no influence on food preferences." It adds: "There is an expectation among both children and adults that children are supposed to prefer unhealthy food."

Barnardo's wants vending machines selling sugary or fatty foods to be phased out from schools in England, as is happening in Scotland and Wales, and argues that the schools watchdog Ofsted should inspect school meals provision.

Promoting healthy living for kindy kids

The Rakaia Playcentre picks up Heart Foundation award

Healthy living has earned Rakaia Playcentre a healthy heart award from The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand.
They are the first early childhood centre in Mid Canterbury to have done so.
Pictured at the presentation were centre members (from left) Tayla Dunlea, Jack Houston, Josh Bloomfield, Claudia Brown, Preston Docherty and Ella Docherty with (centre) foundation representative Meg Foulds. Centre president Kylie Taylor said the playcentre was thrilled to receive the award.
“The children are more aware of what foods are healthier options and parents are giving them healthier lunches,” she said.
To promote a healthier lifestyle, the children have helped make a range of healthier foods, including popcorn, yoghurt and rhubarb.
Parents from the centre have also got behind the programme attending workshops on healthy food and recipes and receiving health information in a monthly newsletter.
The programme takes a novel approach to the prevention of childhood obesity, by positively influencing the environment of early childhood centres to promote healthy food and active movements to the under-five age group and their families.

HEADLINES

KIDS CHANGE THE WORLD:

Children to write slang letters -England

Slang words are to be allowed for the first time in a UK-wide letter-writing competition for schoolchildren.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1346429,00.html

An "urban music star" - identity not yet revealed - is expected to be a judge of the 28th annual Royal Mail Young Letter Writers Competition.

The contest, for five to 11 year olds, is designed to "bring letter writing in line with the communication trends of children today".

The results should "express the sender's personality".

'Stimulus'

Common turns of phrase like "chav", "as if", "minging" and the perennial "cool" might be expected to feature heavily.

The terms "innit", immortalised by spoof rapper Ali G, and "yeah but, no but", favoured by Vicky Pollard of BBC TV's Little Britain, are also among modern youth catchphrases.

However, even in the age of e-mails and text messages, certain competition rules apply.

Carrie Holder, Royal Mail's social policy manager, said: "If a child's hero is Eminem we would expect the language used to be very different to a formal letter to Tony Blair, for example.

"It is important that children recognise the value of letter writing, whether it's to inform, advise or respond effectively or to convey feelings and emotions.

"We hope the function of letter writing will act as a stimulus to further in-school discussions, engaging children in debate relating to the pleasure that can be experienced through sending and receiving a letter."

Apart from the hoped-for musician, the judging panel is made up of literary experts.

Nigel Hall, professor of literacy education at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "The most powerful letters from children capture a reader's interest by being original, creative and often include a touch of humour. These are the letters that win competitions."

Entries are accepted in formats including audiotape, Braille, handwritten and typed.

Last year's winner, Jack Smoothy, wrote a touching letter to his teaching assistant that made her cry.

Last week, examiners working for the OCR board complained that some A-level and GCSE students were using colloquialisms in exams.

But Viv Bird, social inclusion director at the National Literacy Trust said: "Where appropriate, allowing modern forms of communication styles will attract children who might not otherwise have participated."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/education/3997289.stm

HEADLINES

Children fight against phone mast -ENGLAND

BBC

Published: 2004/11/12 15:18:56 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4000000/newsid_4007000/4007007.stm

Two children have taken their battle against phone masts near where they live to the Court of Appeal.

Phoebe St Leger-Davey, six and James Harrison, seven, want the court to have another look at the decision to allow a mast close to their Winchester homes.

Some people are worried the masts give off radiation dangerous to children.

The hearing might influence 12,000 other similar cases, including one against a mast near three schools in Harrogate, Yorkshire, on Friday.

The radiation that the masts give off is below international guidelines.

But the law says people's fears about health should be thought about when putting new masts up.

The children's lawyers say that means the decision should be reconsidered.

HEADLINES

Kerala boy fights child labour- India

11/13/2004 1 Source : India-Society-Kerala

http://www.onlypunjab.com/fullstory1004-insight-Kerala+boy+fights+child+labour-status-24-newsID-21192.html

Ten-year-old Mishal intends to highlight Kerala's rampant child labour problem by embarking on a 750-km cycle expedition across the state on Children's Day.

"I'm sad to see children of my age working in hotels and workshops. My main aim is to open the government's eyes and have this evil practice banned," Mishal told reporters here Friday.

He took up cycling when he was eight. He regularly cycles six kilometres to his school, Attingal Mother India International.

Mishal, who is also a gifted dancer and mimic, plans to visit a large number of schools en route and hold awareness talks to emphasise that children should not be engaged in any form of labour.

He expects to cover the entire distance in two weeks. Former chief minister A. K. Antony, Labour Minister Babu Divakaran and senior police officials are among those who plan to cheer the boy as he embarks on his mission.

--Indo-Asian News Service

HEADLINES

KIDS AND PARENTS MOVE TOGETHER:

Parents, children eager to learn English together- CALIFORNIA, USA

By Tim Pallesen

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/greenacres/content/neighborhood/greenacres/epaper/2004/11/10/npg1_parents_1110.html

The overcrowding at Greenacres Elementary School is in the parents' class.

Excited immigrant parents are clamoring to learn English, so they can help their children with homework at a top-ranked school, they say.

Cydney Scott /Palm Beach Post

Stella Medero (right) wanted a better life for her son, Matias Perez, 6, when they moved with her husband to Florida. Wanting to help her son excel in life and in school, Medero spoke with Greenacres Elementary Principal Diane Conley (left) about offering English lessons to immigrant parents. The evening classes, in the school's cafeteria, are filling up.

But it appears that both parents and children have seized this new opportunity in America to get a quality education — so they're learning together.

"I'm very surprised by how much my daughter is learning here, compared to the education offered in my country," Karina Vallejos, a new arrival from Argentina, said through an interpreter.

"She comes home and asks, 'Mommy, how can I help you?'" said the mother of first-grader Maria.

Greenacres Elementary achieved its A ranking on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test last June after a steady climb from its C ranking just two years before.

The achievement is unusual, because many of its students are from families so new to America that neither parents nor children have experience with English.

Stella Medero worried at first that her son's new school wouldn't accept her because she couldn't speak English. Her family came to Greenacres from Uruguay three years ago.

"But this school will accept all members of the community, even if they don't know the language," she said, also through an interpreter.

Medero was so excited by her welcome to Greenacres' oldest school that she volunteered to be co-chair of the school's parent-teacher committee. Then she and other mothers pushed to start an English class, so she and other immigrant parents could get involved in their children's education.

Forty Hispanic parents registered for the first English class. Another 26 parents, who arrived in town speaking no English and are struggling with writing and reading Spanish, are waiting for a second remedial class to begin.

The faculty and administrators at Greenacres Elementary are thrilled by the parents' initiative.

"The parents are so eager," teacher Catherine Wallace said. They want so much for their children to get a good education.

"And a lot of these parents haven't had an education for themselves, so that's why they want it so much for their children," she said.

Greenacres Elementary dates to the 1930s when Greenacres was first settled. But 62 percent of today's students are of Hispanic origin.

Principal Diane Conley recognized the changing demographics of the city's original section several years ago when the countywide push began for improving FCAT scores.

Conley realized that the Hispanics moving to Greenacres weren't simply families moving west from the coastal communities of Lake Worth and West Palm Beach.

"Now, we were becoming a community of new immigrants settling right in Greenacres," she said. "More and more families were coming to us with little or no English."

That didn't deter her or her teachers in their quest to improve the students' reading, writing and math skills.

Teachers adapted to their special needs, realizing that the coveted A-ranking was within reach when Greenacres Elementary improved its long-standing FCAT ranking from a C to a B in 2003.

"The teachers all saw how hard the kids were working," Wallace said. "So we wanted to give them a little extra so they could feel that success that comes with getting an A."

Twelve teachers volunteered to be reading and math tutors after school. Saturday tutoring sessions soon were added; Conley herself led a Lunch Bunch student writing group; and the Greenacres Kiwanis Club joined parents to buy prizes for students who raised their scores.

The triumph of becoming a top-ranked school was simply too exciting for the Greenacres Elementary parents to just watch.

"Parents saw how quickly their children were having success academically while learning the language," Conley said.

Now parents have their own classes.

The school rewarded 30 parents with their own "graduation ceremony" last June. Children watched proudly as their parents, many of them now learning English, were recognized for earning points because they got involved at their school.

HEADLINES

CELEBRATION / FESTIVAL: THREE DIFFERENT VIEWS

Bringing light in their lives-TAMILNADU, INDIA

NT Bureau

http://newstodaynet.com/09nov/rf5.htm

Chennai, Nov 9:

Every diya you (students and corporates) light on the occasion of Deepavali can bring light in the lives of millions of the blind in the country.

All that's needed is to buy diyas sold by Drishti , an organisation offering aid to the National Association for the Blind (NAB) through various endeavours. The Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School in the city yesterday took the lead, to become the cornerstone of the Drishti project spearheaded by mobile service provider Reliance Infocomm.

The students of the school celebrated deepavali by lighting 500 special diyas bought from Drishti. The lamps were placed in such a way so as to form a shimmering map of the country.

Drishti, through various initiatives, offers aid to the National Association for blind (NAB) by way of financial assistance, educating the masses on eye donation and also aiding medical treatment to the needy.

The diyas too are special. They are painstakingly handmade by the physically-challenged children of Cheshire Home.

Lamps lit by students of Don Bosco during

Deepavali celebrations.

Photo : A R Jayakumar

Speaking to News Today Father John Santhosam, principal OF the school, said that the institution would continue support to projects of this kind. He hailed the support provided by parents to such activities.

Father Maria Arockiam, rector and correspondent of Don Bosco, Meyammai Murugappan, president, NAB and Dexter Bob, head, Reliance Web World Tamilnadu circle, were among those who took part in the celebrations.

HEADLINES

Kids Helping Kids:

Kids flag off anti-cracker drive- NEW DELHI, INDIA

[India News]: New Delhi, Nov.10 : Children are playing a big role in bringing down the pollution levels in the Capital during the festival of Diwali. Like every year, this year too, students from various school took to the streets urging the people to shun firecrackers and not to pollute the city this Diwali.

The anti-crackers campaign by school students, which started five years back by the Delhi government and the Department of Environment has come a long way. Like every year, this year too, students from various schools took to the streets urging the people to shun firecrackers and not to pollute the city this Diwali.

The students think that taking out an anti-crackers rally will bring about more awareness about the harmful affects among public. Other than taking out rallies, students perform skits to create awareness among the public regarding the harmful affects of bursting crackers.

"The campaign will help reduce pollution because we are campaigning on the roads and streets. The people who are passing by can look at us and the banners and they can realise that if small children are campaigning like this we should also try to reduce pollution and contribute," said Komal, a student of the Presentation Convent School, Delhi.

"When we burst crackers it is basically for enjoyment. So, I can enjoy by decorating my house, by giving sweets to my relatives and helping the poor, which are better ways of celebrating. We can stop people from bursting crackers. If bursting crackers can bring joy to you, helping the poor can also bring joy to you," said Rabya Kidwai.

Presentation school has been involved in this campaign from the time it started. Sister Rosamma, Principal, Presentation School, says from the time the campaign has started the numbers of children bursting crackers during Diwali has reduced drastically.

"Positive results are that if you ask our students they will tell you that they do not burst crackers in Diwali festival but light candles and diyas. This this is a positive change that we have seen. Also they tell their parents not to use crackers. So from students it is going to parents. As a result, we see that they are agents of transformation in the society," said Sister Rosamma.

The officials of the environment department say that they have chosen students because they are the best medium to disseminate a social message.

"During Diwali, we come out with the 'Say no to Crackers'. The campaignis carried out in 1500 schools in Delhi and students play an important role in this campign. We started this campaign in 1999 and it has proved to be a huge success. Delhi pollution control monitors it every year and the pollution level has come down drastically. The campaign has become a huge success because of the school children campaign," said B C Sabath, Senior Scientist officer, Department of Environment, NCT OF Delhi. (ANI)

http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/?action=fullnews&id=41972

http://www.expressindia.com/print.php?newsid=38297

HEADLINES

Stunning fireworks, sparkling brands-INDIA

G JAGANNATH

http://newstodaynet.com/diwali04/SS5.HTM

When Deepavali comes it is time for fireworks, sweets and new clothes.

According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on Earth, making the Gods aware of their plentiful state. A wide variety of stunning fireworks has flooded the market to light up the skies this weekend.

The scientific reason is that the smoke produced by crackers kill insects that come in large numbers after the rains.

People from all age groups light earthen diyas, bursting fire crackers and invite relatives and friends to their homes. The lighting of lamps is said to be an indication of obeisance to God for the health, knowledge, peace, valor and fame. Children slip into festive attire, and light up little oil lamps, candles and agarbathis.

Who shall set off the first chain of crackers that go boom, bang and vroom? And who is the owner of the 10-minute banger that steals the thunder from your little chain of needle-sized crackers? Does the boy next door have more crackers than me? Competition is stiff, and even the little girl in silk pavadais, frocks and their finery are watching out for the best sparklers and flowerpots, the rockets and Vishnuchakras which light-up the night sky like a thousand stars.

Grown-ups are all the souls of generosity, and its nary a harsh word of reproach except a warning to steer clear of the crackers. Crackers, clothes, good wishes and festive bonhomie abound, as if there is more coming from the bottomless source of all this happiness.
For this day the children's wait for a year to come to burst crackers. Different varieties of crackers including sparklers, one sound/two sound crackers, atom bombs, electric crackers, flower pots, chakkars, novel fire works, rockets, fancy fire works, color matches and paper caps.

Boys are mostly fond of sound crackers, atom bombs, electric crackers and rockets. Atom bombs, cake bombs, hydrogen bombs and bullet bombs were some most dedecibelising crackers which they never want to share with other members of the family.

There are electric crackers which start from 24 shells and to 10,000 shells, some children even venture into take them in hand and burst them. Some children who don't want to burst them at once indulge in stripping them into pieces and patiently burst them for hours.

Rockets that burst in the evening sky with wonderful fire sparkles to watch. Three stage satellite, Rainbow thunder, Meteors, seven shots, Fire Phoenix, and Jasmine drops were some of the fancy fire works that entered the market for the first time.

Silver stick, Air bomb, TV tower, 1000 Gems, Dancing Butterfly, Silver Dragon, Green Horn, Vampire, Snow balls, Happy Spring, Royal Gems, Garden Eden, Golden Dust and Lavender Light are some of the new crackers introduced into the market this year.

The 'War Devil', is another new entry, a which when ignited goes up in the air and burst and comes down with 'Skeleton'.

HEADLINES

ENTERTAINMENT / TECHNOLOGY/ TOYS:

Smart new world of digitoys-AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

INFOTECH

Reuters

Amsterdam, November 10: Jes Overmaat, a mother of five, thought she had bought a sweet old-fashioned Teddy bear for a present, when it suddenly started talking.

"It's tough to buy normal toys these days. Children can't even sleep with them because of the batteries bulging out," sighs Overmaat, also a young grandmother who bakes her own bread and tries to avoid buying plastic toys.

Toy land is digitizing, and the victory march of GameBoy and computer games is just the tip of the iceberg. Enter any toy store, especially the big retail chains, and you are met by walls of staring, talking, moving and responding dolls.

Hot sellers this holiday season are plush kittens, cubs and pandas that need to be pampered and bottle fed.

Four-year-old Liv from The Hague just got a FurReal "Luv Cub" and needs to hug it to get its attention. Her mother is fascinated by the Hasbro product and recommends it to friends as a gift suggestion.

"They're selling extremely well. Smart toys have really broken into the pre-school age group," says Val Stedham, a toy store owner in Newmarket, England.

Smart toys came onto the market around five years ago, but Moore's Law of exponentially increasing computer power means manufacturers can put a lot more sensors, processors and memory into a plaything for the same amount of money, toy retailers say.

In the upcoming winter holiday season, when 50 percent of all toys are typically purchased, a Pooh bear cub from Mattel-owned Fisher-Price that walks toward your child when called sells for $25. Hasbro's FurReal plush animals start at a mere $13, rising to $30 or $50 for more functions.

"We're pushing the boundaries all the time. An awful lot of toys are cheaper now than they were five or even 10 years ago," Stedham says.

VIDEO GAMES CHANGE EVERYTHING

One reason for the $20 billion a year US toy industry becoming 'smarter' is that the video games generation is casting a shadow over traditional toys. Boys ages 5 to 12 spend more time playing video games than with each of the traditional toy categories, market researcher NPD Group found.

Toy categories that are being most threatened are action figures, building sets, games, puzzles and cars. Manufacturers need to put the power of video games in traditional toys, says analyst Michael Redmond at NPD.

Interactive toys maker LeapFrog is one of the companies which has used the availability of cheap computing power to create educational toys. It is one of the reasons learning and exploration toys are the only two categories that are not under pressure from increasing popularity of video games.

But many other toy makers are just using technology to rev up old-style toys with some motion and speech. Some industry watchers reckon it will only be a matter of time before all toys will have an electronic component.

It may even help kids prepare for the digital age.

Stirling University professor Lydia Plowman found that 'touchable technology', such as a soft toys, may encourage very young children to interact with computers and even improved social interactions.

But she also found that a child's interest in talking toys, with a vocabulary of up to 10,000 words, diminished over a relatively short period. Most children learned little from talking toys and found they became monotonous or irritating, she noted.

This is why some specialized toy retailers are deeply concerned about developments in their industry.

"You can give a 3-year-old a toy train that moves by itself, but that doesn't support the child's development, because it won't have to choose if the train should go left or right at a junction," says Norien Jansen, who owns a store Cedille in Amsterdam that specializes in wooden and educational toys and costumes.

"Although I stock them for older children, I discourage every young mother to buy one," Jansen said.

Beauty from ugliness –SHANGHAI, CHINA

Shanghai Daily news

12/11/2004 9:30

http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/node20665/node20667/node22808/node36685/node36686/userobject1ai646505.html

The Children's Art Theater of the China welfare Institute will stage "The Ugly Princess," an adaption of American writer Phyllis Mckinley's novel, this weekend.

What is the truth about beauty? Parents do not have to search their brains for an answer -- just take their children to the play, ``The Ugly Princess.''
Adapted from the novel by American writer Phyllis Mckinley, the play presents an interesting story which can teach children how to acquire true beauty and be popular.
The lead character is a spoiled young princess who has a twisted face due to her extremely detestable temper. Learning that the prince in the neighboring country calls her ``the ugly princess,'' she turns to her father who then searches for a magician to fix her face. However, neither the magicians nor the best doctors can do anything to help her. Then a woman cleaner in the palace brings along her four pretty daughters to takeover the task ...
Produced by the Children's Art Theater of the China Welfare Institute, the play is suitable for pre-school children and young students. For years, family education has been a hot topic among experts, parents and teachers, particularly in a modern Chinese family under the one-child policy. How to educate and bring up the only ``star'' in the home is a top issue for parents and grandparents.
``As a theater designed especially for children, we've been working hard to bring happiness to them,'' says Cui Zhiyin from the theater. ``Particularly we want to present instructive entertainment that fires the imagination of their pure hearts.''
The play tells children medicine and magic cannot provide real beauty, but rather friendship, affection and a considerate heart. Since its debut last January, the play has had 18 performances and become very popular with children.
Cui reveals that she has been delighted to discover that after every show the young audience has really been able to learn something from the play. She says that the children insist on putting on their coats by themselves, telling their parents that they can manage alone.

Youngsters' fashion creations go on display at exhibit

By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia

HEADLINES

SUCCESSFUL KIDS:

Cartoon film debut for kids –WEST BENGAL, INDIA

A STAFF REPORTER

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041111/asp/calcutta/story_3984708.asp

They had spent long hours with pen, paper and animation tools to bring their stories to life. And Children’s Day promises to reward all that hard work. Animation films made by eight kids — from the youngest Nehal Binani, 8, to oldest Gabriel Gomes,13 — are scheduled for screening at Sisir Mancha on November 14, as a part of the Kolkata Film Festival.

Work had started at a four-day workshop at Toonz Webel Academy in June. Selection was tough since there were around 1,000 applicants. And the young animation enthusiasts gave it their best shot, loving every moment of it.

The semi-finished creations were then packed off to the Toonz headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. “The finished films have not deviated much from what the children sent,” explained Srimati Mukherjee, project leader of Toonz Webel Academy. “Some minor adjustments were made by experts, such as adding a few missing frames and putting finishing touches.”

The result: six traditionally hand-drawn 2D films, one stop-motion and one Flash-based short. “The character skin colours and dresses were all done according to the way the children wanted them to be,” explained Mukherjee. “They had even jotted down the sound effects in the margins, which were followed.” The animation shorts do not have voiceover, but have background music and sound effects.

“The experts were very impressed with the material they received,” said Mukherjee. “In fact, they said it was the best lot they have seen in the past few years.” The Toonz workshop had started in 2001, but this year was a first for West Bengal.

Though the entire process of fine-tuning took place in Thiruvananthapuram, the kids were actively involved in it, even from faraway, providing feedback and updates.

“We were in touch over email,” said 12-year-old Sumit Sen, whose Green Man will be shown on Sunday. “We were also called to the academy in October, when someone from Thiruvananthapuram showed us our storyboards. They were looking so much better and I loved them.” Sumit and his family are eagerly waiting for Sunday.

In what is a first for the Kolkata Film Festival, a separate 90-minute slot has been provided for animation films daily, where Toonz will showcase some of its earlier productions. Thus, along with nine-year-old Srijoni Gupta Roy’s Each Book Values, 13-year-old Gabriel Gomes’ Eat Us Not, and eight-year-old Nehal Binani’s Foolish Fox, films from children’s animation workshops in 2001 and 2002 can also be seen.

HEADLINES

Essay Contest Grand Prize Winners to Take Trans-Atlantic Trips Americans to Visit London; British to Visit New York

NEW YORK and LONDON, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scholastic Inc.

announced today the winners of its extensive trans-atlantic "Three Wishes for

the World" essay contest where children in the United States and United

Kingdom have the chance to win all-expense paid trips to New York and London.

The essay contest was inspired by Scholastic's New York Times best-selling

Children of the Lamp trilogy by acclaimed British author P.B. Kerr.

In the hundreds of entries received from children throughout the United

States and United Kingdom, world peace, cultural understanding, and education

were the three most popular themes. Entries were judged by a panel of

Scholastic editors in the United States and The Times newspaper editors in the

United Kingdom. The winning essays were selected for their creativity,

innovative ideas, and writing ability.

In the United States, Hillary Goodfellow, a 13-year-old from Diamondhead,

Mississippi was selected as the grand-prize winner. In her winning essay,

Hillary wished for cultural understanding of others, for everyone to be able

to read, and for everyone to have a friend. The grand prizewinner will be

treated to an all-expense paid trip for two to London, $3,000 donation to the

charity of the winner's choice, $300 worth of books for her school and lunch

with author P.B. Kerr.

Three U.S. runner-up winners will each receive signed copies of Children

of the Lamp, a Children of the Lamp backpack, $150 worth of Scholastic books,

and $150 worth of Scholastic books for his or her school. Their wishes

included world peace, a strong leader who could unify the world, a world where

people don't live in fear, an end to discrimination and poverty, education for

all, and a safe school environment.

Excerpts from US winners:

"My final wish for the world would be for everyone to have cultural

understanding of others ... If we take the time to learn about someone else's

culture we will see that they aren't that different from us." -- Hillary

Goodfellow, 13, Diamondhead, MS (grand prize winner)

"I wish we could have a strong leader that could unify the planet. We

need someone who can stand up for what is right and what is wrong." -- John

Newberry, 13, Austin, TX (1st runner up)

"One of the wishes I would make would be no discrimination of races ...

I'm Mexican-American and can't tell you how many times someone has made fun of

me or has judged me because of my race or because of the color of my skin." --

Esmeralda Jaime, 13, Berwyn, IL (2nd runner up)

"My second wish is that everyone be given an education. School is an

important part of a child's life ... I know that with all the things that I

have learned, I'm ready for just about anything thrown my way." -- Yuki

Mizuma, 12, Fort Lee, NJ (3rd runner up)

In the United Kingdom, the grand prizewinner was an eight-year-old from

Reading in Berkshire who wished that he could fly, that he could talk with

animals and that all imaginary things (in particular dragons) would become

real. He will win a trip to New York, 3000 pounds Sterling to the charity of

his choice, 500 pounds of Scholastic books and lunch with P.B. Kerr. Two

runner-up winners, from Birmingham and Devon, will each receive a trip to

London, 200 pounds worth of Scholastic books and lunch with P.B. Kerr.

In addition to such powerful themes as a desire to end hatred and

prejudice, and a wish for world peace, U.S. and U.K. entries also revealed

wishes for stronger leadership from elected officials, and cures for serious

diseases including cancer and AIDS.

Scholastic acquired the publishing rights for the Children of the Lamp

trilogy in a seven-figure deal in 2003. Released this fall in the U.S. and

U.K., the first book The Akhenaten Adventure is currently on the New York

Times best-seller list. Movie rights have been bought by DreamWorks' top

producer team, Lorrie MacDonald and Walter Parkes, whose credits include Catch

Me If You Can, Men in Black and Road to Perdition. Scholastic is the

publisher of the best-selling Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling in the US and

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman in the UK.

The first book in the Children of the Lamp series, The Akhenaten

Adventure, is a fast-paced fantasy featuring John and Philippa Gaunt,

twelve-year-old twins of an affluent New York couple. Only when their wisdom

teeth appear do they develop an extraordinary gift for making other people's

wishes magically come true. In a wonderfully imaginative and hilarious

adventure story, John and Philippa travel to London to meet their wildly

eccentric genie-uncle, Nimrod. Before you can say "Akhenaten," the twins are

pitting their fledgling Djinn skills against Iblis, the most wicked Djinn of

all, which takes them to London, Egypt, and finally to the North Pole.

Although this is P.B. Kerr's first children's novel, he is well known as

the thriller-writer Philip Kerr, author of the Berlin Noir trilogy, A

Philosophical Investigation, Gridiron, The Shot and several other acclaimed

thrillers. The New York Times Book Review hailed Philip Kerr as a "[a] sly

and serious writer" and Salman Rushdie praised him as "a brilliantly

innovative thriller writer."

HEADLINES

FASHION SHOW-SINGAPORE

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/116961/1/.html

SINGAPORE : It was not exactly high fashion, but some primary school students turned fashion designers and proved they could turn just about anything into clothes.

They did it all from scratch, from the drawing board to the final showpiece.

The children were required to design and re-create fashion items from any material of their choice.

The event is part of this year's National Arts Council Thumbs Up Art Competition, which was organised to promote arts appreciation among the young.

Of over 410 entries, 48 stood out for their creative designs, workmanship and aesthetics. The creations will be exhibited at the MICA Building till November 20.

Fashion designs from students of the LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts will also be on display. - CNA

HEADLINES

Kudos for Tygerberg Children's Choir –SOUTH AFRICA

November 11, 2004

By Aarjan Van Oosterhout

http://allafrica.com/stories/200411110672.html

Cape Argus (Cape Town)

In the past 32 years the Tygerberg Children's Choir has won prizes all over the world and sung for royalty and presidents.

Now the choir has garnered well deserved recognition from the Western Cape department of cultural affairs and sport.

Last Friday it won an Arts Culture and Heritage Award for its contribution to the promotion of the Western Cape countrywide and overseas.

The choir comprises 76 members who believe they have established themselves as "ambassadors in harmony".

Hendrik Loock, 60, of Kuils River, who has been the choir's conductor since its inception in 1972, said the choir had always been of a high standard.

"It's the good blend and the total understanding of music that makes this choir so special.

"The expression on the members' faces is also very important."

Loock remembers when he went overseas with the choir for the first time. "We went to a place called Katwijk in Holland in 1980. There was some protest when we arrived there because of South Africa's political situation. But we won a big choir competition there and went back home with an award."

Many trips overseas followed, including visits to Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Hungary.

The choir won various international youth choir competitions and in 2001 it was invited to participate in Songbridge, a mass celebration of 50 children's choirs from all over the world in Vancouver, Canada.

Loock thinks his choir deserves the recognition it has now received. "It's the first time we get a nice bit of recognition from the institutions here," he said.

Over the years, the choir has performed for Pope John Paul II and many heads of state.

"We have an autograph book with different texts from important people we performed for," said Loock's wife Theresa, while showing former US president Bill Clinton's autograph.

She is the composer and musical arranger of the choir. "We do all different kinds of music," she said, "from spiritual songs, to indigenous South African ones, to musicals."

Children who want to join the choir have to audition for a place. They can be members until the end of Grade 8.

"It's amazing how quickly these youngsters pick up things," said Hendrik Loock. "Some of them come in when they're only nine years of age and many members can play an instrument, which they can use in our performances."

The choir practices on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings at the Excelsior Primary School in Bellville.

"You have to know how to combine the singing with your homework," said Emmy Aylward, 14, of Panorama.

"But it's so nice to be in the choir. I've been in it for three years now and I get sad about the thought that I'll have to leave soon. It's like one family, with a lot of opportunities."

Emmy, with Mikhail Swartz, 13, from Eerste Rivier, and others, went to Hungary, Poland and Egypt with the choir last July. Mikhail said some audiences thought they were "just beginners, but others started crying tears of joy because of the beauty of our singing".

HEADLINES

SHORTBITES

More than $200,000 presented for lifelong contributions to children across globe

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2004 World of Children Awards were

presented today at the UNICEF House in New York awarding more than $200,000 in

prizes to humanitarians from around the world.

Read the details at http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/11-16-2004/0002459084&EDATE=

NEWS PHOTOS

Eid-al Fitr Festival - Bangladesh

Eid-al Fitr Festival : Bangladeshi children and women wearing traditional costumes carry paper flowers and play musical instruments as they take part a colourful march to celebrate the Eid-al Fitr Festival in Dhaka. (AFP/Stringer )

Tue Nov 16, 7:04 PM ET

Children and women wearing traditional costumes carry paper flowers and play musical instruments as they take part a colourful march to celebrate the Eid-al Fitr Festival in Dhaka. (AFP/Stringer )

Dogs help ill kids- Russia

A Russian girl rides on the back of a dog during a therapy session at a center in Moscow, November 16, 2004. The center uses specially trained dogs to assist its treatment for children with a range of problems including nightmares and cerebral palsy. REUTERS/Viktor Korotayev

Eat Healthy- England

Tue Nov 16, 1:50 PM ET

A shopper passes a poster outside a supermarket in west London, November 16, 2004. The British government plans to impose a sweeping public smoking ban across England and Wales within two years and will consider curbs on television advertising of 'junk food' aimed at children. Food retailers and manufacturers will be expected to come up with a clear labeling system for healthy and unhealthy foods. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Kids make kimchi-South Korea

South Korean children make the traditional side dish 'Kimchi' or fermented cabbage at a donation drive in Seoul November 16, 2004. Hundreds of volunteers made Kimchi from 33,000 cabbages to donate to needy neighbors during the winter season on Tuesday. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Reuters - Nov 15 11:08 PM

Art for kids or art by kids?- American artist in Australia

Children discuss the paintings of US artist Cy Twombly. Australia's Art Gallery of New South Wales has spent millions of dollars on its most expensive acquisition ever, an abstract by US artist Cy Twombly, which the gallery admitted looks like it could have been painted by a child(AFP/File/Gabriel Bouys)

Spin around-Afghanistan

Cheap thrills : Afghan children spin around on a ride at a local playground in Kabul during the Eid Festival. (AFP/Farzana Wahidy) Cheap thrills : Afghan children spin around on a ride at a local playground in Kabul during the Eid Festival. (AFP/Farzana Wahidy)

Swing in Iraq

Children crowd a playground in the Sadr City section Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004. While U.S. troops launched a major attack Saturday against insurgent holdouts in southern Fallujah, residents of Sadr City enjoyed relative calm following a peace agreement last month. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

The original swastika- India

Children light lamps in the shape of Swastika, on the eve of Hindu festival of Diwali, in the northern city of Chandigarh, November 11, 2004. According to Hindu mythology, the swastika is the sign of prosperity. People decorate their homes with lights during the biggest Hindu festival of lights, Diwali that will be celebrated on November 12 this year. REUTERS/Ajay Verma

HEADLINES

Lake Titicaca- Peru

Children look at the Lake Titicaca in the Andean city of Puno, November 11, 2004. Titicaca is the world's highest lake navigable to large vessels, lying at 12,500 feet (3,810 m) above sea level in the Andes Mountains of South America, astride the border between Peru to the west and Bolivia to the east. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

HEADLINES

Soccer in Southern Summer-Brazil

Brazilian children play soccer at sunset on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, November 9, 2004. Temperatures for the day in Rio reached 27 degrees celsius (81 fahrenheit.) REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

HEADLINES

Jarred in Japan

Japanese children crawl down on the floor at an elementary school in Kawaguchi town, northern Japan as a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 jolted the area November 8, 2004, the latest aftershock to hit a region struck by a deadly tremor last month. Photo by Kyodo/Reuters

HEADLINES

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