kapai books

'Kapai says'Harry Potter might have waved his wand and cast a spell, but author JK Rowling sat down and cheerfully signed 1600 books for school kids as she launched her first American book tour in seven years.

"This is an amazing treat for me," Rowling said of the mass book signing and reading for cheering Harry Potter fans who gave her a pop star welcome in Los Angeles.

"I really miss being able to interact directly with the readers. Everyone keeps saying, 'it must be so onerous. Doesn't it hurt your hand?' But, honestly, that's the bit I really enjoy," Rowling told reporters.

The 42-year-old British author said that after 10 years of writing to a deadline, she now felt as if she was on vacation and has not yet started writing the promised Harry Potter encyclopaedia that fans around the world are awaiting.

She gave no clues as to her next project, but told an audience of 1600 children that Harry Potter would be a hard act to follow.

"I want to fall in love with someone the way I fell in love with Harry. I never think about a particular genre. It is all about the story and the characters, but it has to be something I adore," she said.

Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the seventh and final book in the boy wizard series – became the fastest-selling book in history when it was released in July. More than 11 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours in the United States and Britain.

Seated on an oversized red and gold throne in the Kodak Theatre – home to the annual Oscar ceremony – Rowling read a chapter to a spellbound audience and answered questions from 12 Los Angeles children about her inspiration as a writer and about characters in the series.

She will hold similar readings and book signings in New Orleans and New York this month.

"I was super excited. I have been looking forward to this day for weeks," said Hannah Nelson, 12, one of the lucky few who got to pose a question.

"I really idolize her, and to be able to meet her was a great experience," Nelson said.

Despite widespread praise from teachers and parents for boosting interest in reading in children, the Harry Potter books have regularly been banned by schools and libraries in parts of the United States and Britain because of their focus on wizardry.

But Rowling said she was in good company with other acclaimed writers. "I take my inclusion on the banned book list as a massive compliment."

'Kapai says'Last week, we went to the Auckland Botanic Gardens with some other Mums from kindy. It was such an amazing place for kids to run around, I can’t believe we haven’t been there before.

The first place we went was to the lake to feed the ducks with the 4 boys running ahead the whole time. The bonus is that there are also huge eels which pop out from under the pond weed, grab a piece of bread and reverse back into the weed again.

Not far from the lake is the Potter Childrens Garden. Circular, full of walkways and mazes and planted to encourage kids to use their imaginations, get moving and learn about New Zealand birds and trees while they’re at it. Some of the fun stuff included:

• a life-size moa you could sit on
• a tunnel made of pungas to crawl through
• a boardwalk bridge curling around a tree
• stumps and planks to jump from one to the other
• a giant birds egg to climb in
• a vege garden and lot of seats and little creative touches

We headed back to the main building for a toilet stop. There is a large cafe but we’d brought our own so sat at one of the picnic tables under a huge covered area nearby. We left exhausted but will be going back very soon.


 

'Kapai says' Adults living with young children eat significantly more fat than grown-ups with no kids at home, a new study shows.

Adults with kids consumed nearly five more grams of fat and 1.7 more grams of saturated fat every day, the equivalent of a individual pizza a week, Dr Helena Laroche of the University of Iowa in Iowa City and her colleagues found.

Adults living with children younger than 17 also ate more salty snacks, cheese, beef, ice cream, cakes and biscuits, pizza, and processed meats like bacon.

Busy schedules and time constraints may be forcing parents to choose more high-fat convenience foods, Laroche and her team suggest in their article in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Adults with children may also be more likely to keep these foods around the house because they think kids like them.

"We need to approach nutrition as good for the whole family," Laroche told Reuters Health. "Everybody should be eating the same nutritious food."

She and her colleagues analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative sample that included 6,660 men and women aged 17 to 65.

Households with children younger than 17 didn't consume more calories, but they did eat more fat, Laroche and her colleagues found.

"These findings suggest that food advertising aimed at children may influence not only the child's diet but also indirectly affect parents' diets," they note in their report. The authors suggest switching kids to lower-fat milk after age two, as recommended by the American Academy of Paediatrics and the American Heart Association, as well as limiting snack food, cheese products, and pizza.

Kapai And The Highway Robbers

'Kapai says'
31st of July 2007: One out of every eight children suffering from HIV/AIDS worldwide are in India. About 70,000 children below the age of 15 in India are battling the dreaded HIV/AIDS, some who are born with it and others who have got it through blood transfusion, a top health ministry official revealed for the first time here Tuesday. 'There may be 70,000 children infected with HIV in India with nearly 21,000 new infections occurring every year,' Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said.

This is a little over a seventh of the total number of children who are afflicted with the disease globally. India has so far been surveying the HIV positive population in the 15-59 age group and this is the first time that the government has released data on the HIV positive children population. Speaking at the launch of the 'Policy Framework for Children and AIDS' Dayal said: 'The figure is based on the new estimates of HIV prevalence in India'.

Earlier this month, the health ministry had released fresh data that halved the estimates of AIDS prevalence in India - the new data shows that the country is home to 2.5 million AIDS patients as against the previous estimate of 5.2 million. According to Arjan De Wagt, a US-based representative of Unicef, there are around 530,000 HIV infected children worldwide and nearly 15.2 million children are orphaned due to AIDS. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) chief K. Sujatha Rao said that the organisation that is part of the ministry now has a record of around 19,000 children. 'We have a record of 19,000 children and are looking out for the rest of these young patients. At present we are giving anti-retroviral doses to 6,500 kids,' Rao said.

Elaborating on the measures launched to reduce the number of children being born with HIV infection, Dayal said: 'The government is implementing a nationwide programme called Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission.' 'Since the introduction of this scheme four years ago, we have counselled and tested nearly five million mothers, detected 47,000 HIV positive mothers and provided prophylaxis (treatment for the prevention of a disease) to 20,000 mother-baby pairs,' Dayal said.
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
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Kapai's Sunsmart Rules

Newtown Kindergarten parents and teachers say it is only a matter of time before a child is injured or killed in the traffic chaos created by losing half their car parking spaces.

There have been five collisions in the narrow cul-de-sac in the year since Wellington Hospital took away seven of the 15 car parks traditionally reserved for the early childhood centre.

Chairwoman Vanya Schoeler said Capital and Coast District Health Board, which expects $1.3 million from parking fees at Wellington Hospital this year, was treating profit as "more important than children".

However, Capital and Coast said it had given the kindergarten several options and was disappointed the issue had not been resolved.

Mrs Schoeler said the kindergarten had enjoyed access to the car parks for more than 60 years till this month, when they were redesignated as hospital parks. With 40 families arriving to drop off and pick up children simultaneously at each of the morning and afternoon sessions, the result had been "total chaos and confusion".

'Kapai says' "It really is only a question of when is a child or person going to be injured - or worse."

For the past year, the kindergarten's lawyers had been trying to find a workable solution but they had reached a stalemate, she said.

The situation was hugely stressful for teachers and families. "We have been told we should be grateful the hospital will leave us our remaining car parks for a few years.

"We are not grateful. We are angry at being ignored and steamrolled. We are angry the safety of our children is not the hospital's main concern."

A Capital and Coast spokeswoman said the board's main concern was ensuring that patients, visitors and staff had access to parking. "The car park is currently a very high-demand area for our staff, who need to be able to get to work quickly at any hour of the day."

The latest offer to the kindergarten included 15 car parks, including nine free ones, free parking for parents dropping off children, free policing to ensure no non-kindergarten cars were parked there in kindergarten hours, and free off-site parking for kindergarten staff, with a free shuttle service between sites.

The board would also investigate roadworks to create additional parks and to improve drop-off safety, and fund three-quarters of the cost of the work if it was feasible.

Since Capital and Coast introduced its parking management system based on "commercial principles" in October, it has doubled its income from fees to $101,000 a month on average.

The Dominion Post reported in March that parking was one factor behind the resignations of senior clinicians.

Kapai goes Whitewater Rafting

'Kapai says' “How do I talk to my kids about the issue of kidnapping?” We at Screamin’ Kids feel that the idea of kidnapping or child abduction should be introduced at the same time and with the same simplicity that you might discuss the issue of your child “getting lost”.

Parents typically begin talking to their kids about “getting lost” while out shopping, from the moment their kids take their first steps. This concept of “getting lost” seems to be talked about in a very simple manner and the fear that it may introduce to a child is typically not a concern. Maybe this fear is not addressed because we as caregivers understand that this inherent fear of being lost, can actually be a tool that acts as a reminder to children to be mindful of sticking close to the adult they are with. On the other hand, we hear over and over about the concern parents have about instilling a fear in their children concerning kidnapping. Surely we don’t want to frighten our children into a box void of adventure, but understand that “fear” or better stated “valid” fear, can be lifesaving.

Consider the fear that keeps you from taking the dark alley verses the well lit and well traveled route.

You can see that perhaps its not the “valid” fear that we should be so reluctant to instill into our children. And we should understand the value in “valid” fear.

So, “How do I talk to my kids about the issue of Kidnapping ?” We at Screamin’ Kids recommend keeping it simple, and introducing it early. For more information on the Screamin’ Kids approach, be sure to check out our e-book available for free with any purchase of our safety-tip reminding T-shirts.

Remember today is the perfect day to start teaching your kids about safety!

Kapai's Firewise

'Kapai says' Finding time to teach your kids about safety may not be as big of a challange as you think. As the founder of “Screamin’ Kids” you may invision my kids are running safety drills day in and day out. Truth be known thats just not the case. Actually, our days probably run like many of yours…

…running to school, having breakfast in the car, catching a snack after school on the way to the latest sports practice, rushing to the grocery store, doing homework, eating dinner and then preparing to do it all over again the next day.

So as you see, the overall picture probably looks somewhat like yours.

Now that I have shown you the overall picture, lets take a closer look as you may see a few subtle differences. In these differences may lie the divider between a child that is unknowingly a target for an abductor or sex offender, verses a child that is aware of the red flags and knows how to blow the whistle on these preditors.

On the way to school, I remind my son of who will be picking him up and that he is not to go with anyone else. After football practice, I may ask my son on occasion, “have any coaches asked you to keep any secrets? ” or “Did you remain with the team today or did the coach spend any time alone with you?” My son understands from previous conversations that adults don’t ask kids to keep secrets from their parents and that he should not be asked to go anywhere alone with the coach unless I am aware of the situation.

My daughter at times will walk to work, so I remind her to take a different route from the one she may have taken the days before and I confirm with her which route she will take. My daughter knows that its important not to take the same route day after day as a predator wanting to access her could establish her pattern and use that to pursue a plan of abducting and/or violating her.

Before leaving any of my kids at school or extra curricular activities, I might ask them to give me their best “scream”. My kids really like to practice their scream, which they understand can be used as an alarm should anyone try to lure them away or threaten them. Also, all three of my kids have a cell phone which allows me to call and check on them as I please. For some, having cell phones may be a financial burdon, however, my kids join in on my family plan for about $10.00 a month. If you (the parent) have a cell phone, I suggest inquiring to your provider the cost of adding your kids and if its within your budget you may want to consider it.

So you see, these little nuggets of safety, along with many more, can be popped into the hello’s and goodbye’s throughout the day. Some children have an ability to be attentive for long lectures of safety but if your kids are anything like mine, these ideas need to be just a part of life and kept simple. By the way, to my youngest, I will often pose the questions as if I assume it has been done, for instance I might say;

“How much time did you spend alone with your coach?”

Once in awhile, posing my question like this prevents my son from having to admit something to me that he may have been told should be kept between him and a perpetrator. I know that my son may have a harder time — breaking the news — of being alone with the coach, as opposed to just giving some detail about a situation that I seem to already know about due to how I stated my question.

I strongly encourage all of you to find the time to teach your kids about safety.

Finding time to teach your kids about safety may save you the misfortune of having to — try and find your kids.

Kapai's keep safe Childrens Waterwise

'Kapai says'
WASHINGTON--Tired of their antipiracy messages being ignored by the teen- and college-age set, the entertainment industry is attempting to indoctrinate far younger disciples.

Representatives from the Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry's trade group, and the Canadian Recording Industry Association shed some light on their strategies at an antipiracy summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here.

"In the 15- to 24-year-old (range), reaching that demographic with morality-based messages is an impossible proposition...which is why we have really focused our efforts on elementary school children," said Ric Hirsch, the ESA's senior vice president of intellectual property enforcement. "At those ages, children are open to receiving messages, guidelines, rules of the road, if you will, with respect to intellectual property."

The ESA has gone so far as to develop a copyright education curriculum geared toward the kindergarten through fifth-grade set. Since 2005, the organization has been trying to find ways to get teachers to incorporate its tenets into their everyday lessons, although Hirsch did not say how successful that effort has been. The components, which include charts, teachers guides, lesson plans and a wall poster imploring students to "Join the © Team," are also now available online.

The reason for targeting youth at that age is that they're at an "inflection point" where they're just learning how to use computers and the Internet, and the classroom seems a perfect opportunity for delivering copyright education, Hirsch said. The ESA devised its own curriculum after finding "very little out there in the form of institutional education addressing this issue," he said.

The video game industry isn't alone in trying to infiltrate classrooms with its antipiracy messages, although it appears to be targeting younger kids than some of its counterparts. The Recording Industry Association of America offers a similar set of curriculum ideas, but none of them appears to target students younger than third grade. The Motion Picture Association of America last year released a "Respect Copyrights" curriculum (PDF) tailored to merit-badge-seeking Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area.

Some fair-use advocates have argued the copyright-dependent industries send contradictory messages through such materials. They've criticized, for example, an RIAA video intended for college students that they argue gives mixed messages about when it's legal to copy music for personal listening or to share with friends.

The Canadian record industry group, for its part, would like to work with provincial governments to help schools develop their own copyright-minded curriculums "so it's organic...it's not something they're tacking on," said Graham Henderson, the group's president.

Youthful voices may be able to help to influence parents who themselves don't set such a great example on the copyright-protection front, much in the same way some kids have been able to pressure adults to stop harmful habits like smoking, he suggested.

Parents--and mothers in particular--do represent an important audience to educate, though, Henderson added. That means planting messages in places that may seem less-than-traditional, such as women's interest or general parenting magazines, he said.

I don't know about you, but I have to wonder what's next: exposing babies still in the womb to antipiracy audio messages, a la the so-called Mozart effect?

By Alice Dembner, Globe Staff | October 6, 2007

A year ago, Holly Poirier would have had to refuse chemotherapy for her son in order to get the free counseling, massage, and baby-sitting that is helping them cope with his life-threatening brain tumor.

"I want to try every last option . . . until the end," she said last week, as she cradled 3-year-old Owyn Tyler Law in her lap.

Now, Massachusetts families no longer face that painful choice.

The state is blazing a path that melds the latest medical treatments with emotional and spiritual supports for families of children with life-limiting illnesses. Massachusetts is one of only three states using this approach, according to Children's Hospice International. The initiative brings government-paid palliative care to the homes of families, without requiring them to meet the strict requirements of end-of-life hospice programs.

"We're trying to improve the quality of life and make the process of going through this type of illness more bearable," said Stewart Landers, who oversees the program at the state Department of Public Health.

More than 80 children have been helped since the program began in January with little public notice. State funding, $800,000 this year, would cover services for about 200, and officials aren't sure if the demand will eventually be much greater than that. The program is open to children 18 and under who have diagnoses that are expected to cut their lives short, including HIV, cystic fibrosis, metabolic diseases, and cancer. Families of all incomes qualify.

Under federal payment rules, which are also followed by many private insurers, patients qualify for hospice only if they have less than six months to live and are willing to give up curative treatments. In most cases, they must also forgo home health services provided by any nonhospice agency.

For children, meeting those rules is difficult, since prognoses are often uncertain and few parents are willing to concede their child is dying or to give up on a possible cure. As a result, very few children get hospice care.

"The new program removes those barriers," said Rigney Cunningham, executive director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts. Services are being provided by 10 of the state's 53 hospice programs.

The program also reflects an acknowledgement that seriously ill children and their families need more support than they typically get, and not only in the last months of the child's life. Lawmakers authorized the program last year as part of the state's health reform law, after lobbying by families, doctors, and hospice officials.

At his home in Dudley, a small town south of Worcester, Owyn tears from room to room with the energy typical of boys his age. Dark circles under his eyes and an undercurrent of anxiety are the only palpable signs of his illness.