ReadOnly: Ideas, Essays, and Reports on toy safety, health, psychology, and other things

<body BGCOLOR="#FFFFE8" TEXT="#000080" VLINK="#800080" alink="#FF00FF" link="#4423FC"> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="2">Essays on whatever interests us: hazards of PVC toys, health, nutrition, psychology and mind-body interaction, creative play, the USDA's Organic Foods regs, Vermont's Green Mountain Club.</font> <table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="620" bgcolor="#e9e9ff" height="68"> <tr> <td width="151" height="44" valign="middle" align="center"> <a href="readonly.htm" onmouseover="window.status='ReadOnly Home Page: more reports and articles'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" title="ReadOnly: table of contents. Lots of things to read" target="bottom"> <img border="0" src="ReadOnly_txt175px.gif" width="150" height="40"></a> </td> <td width="356" height="44" valign="middle" align="center"> <font size="2"><b>Ideas, Essays, Reports on health, toy safety, psychology, and whatever else interests us</b></font> </td> <td width="100" height="44" valign="middle" align="center"> <a href="index.html" target="_top" onmouseover="window.status='TURNERTOYS Home Page - Premium American classic wood toys '; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" title="TURNERTOYS.COM - The toys we gre up with still challenge, entertain, and educate today\'s kids"> <img border="0" src="ttoysBlocksTxtLogo4_90px3k.gif" width="100" height="43"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="612" colspan="3" valign="middle" align="center" bgcolor="#800000" height="24"> <a href="contact_noScript.htm" target="_blank" onClick="javascript:popwindowContact()" onmouseover="window.status='5 ways to get in touch with us'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" title="phone, fax, email, snailmail, & quick-message form"> <b><font face="Arial Rounded MT Bold" color="#ffffff" size="2">CONTACT US</font></b></a>    <font color="#FFFFFF" size="3">|</font>   <a href="WebHelp_noScript.htm" target="_blank" onClick="javascript:popwindowHelp(); return false" onmouseover="window.status='SPEND SOME TIME HERE, SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY, AVOID FRUSTRATION'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" title="IMPORTANT TIPS FOR QUICK AND EASY SHOPPING: Spend a few minutes here and save lots of time, avoid frustration"><b><font face="Arial Rounded MT Bold" color="#ffffff" size="2">HELP</font></b></a><font size="2">  </font> <font color="#FFFFFF" size="3">|</font>    </td> </tr> </table> <p>   <div align="left"> <table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="608" height="84"> <tr> <td width="606" valign="top" align="left" height="5"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2"><b><a name="TopOfPage">Sponsored</a> by</b> </font><b><a href="index.html" target="_top"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">turnertoys.com</font></a></b>   <font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2"> Classic American wood toys<i> - The Toys we grew up with</i></font></td> </tr> </table> </div> <b><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2"> Please help pay for this research and writing by shopping at </font><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS" color="#0000FF">turnertoys</font><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">. <i> Thanks!<br> </i></font></b> Unless otherwise noted, the material is written by Ed Loewenton, who received a BA, MS (1969), and completed part of the work for a hDP in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.<b><font face="Arial Rounded MT Bold" size="2"> All material © 1987 - 2000 18th Century Industries, Inc. or  Edward Loewenton    <a href="copyright_notice.htm">Please read copyright notice.<br> </a></font></b>We suggest you save the longer articles to your hard disk and read offline.  You may print one copy for your own use. (Windows: <alt>+f, save <b>A</b>s or <alt>+f, <b>P</b>rint)       <p><font face="Century Schoolbook" size="3"><b><i>4/27/00:</i> <a href="ADHD/RO_AHDH_SUD0300.htm" target="_top"> Pharmacologic (drug) treatment of children with ADHD reduces risk of later substance abuse (alcohol and drugs)</a></b><a href="ADHD/RO_AHDH_SUD0300.htm" target="_top">.</a>  Possibly an argument in the plus column for the use of such drugs as Ritalin. <br> <b>Related short article:</b> <a href="ADHD/R0_ADHDconvg0400.htm">Connection Possible Between Eye Disorder in Children and ADHD</a> <br> <br> <font face="Arial" size="3"><b>Articles for March, 2000</b></font> </p> <ul> <li><b><a href="RO_toothVaccine0300.htm" target="_top">The end of tooth decay as we know it?</a> </b> A tooth decay vaccine, in development for the past 20 years, enters human trials later this year and may be available for public use in 3 to 5 more years.  Genetic engineering replaces the "bad" bacterium with a "good" one. Learn why "refined" sugars are bad for your teeth.<i>  3/19/2000</i> <li><b><a href="RO_obeseDiet0300.htm" target="_top">2 Articles on diet and obesity in children</a><br> 1. Asking obese children to reduce the amount of time they spend on sedentary activities </b> has the same effect on physical fitness and weight loss as asking them to increase the amount of time they spend being physically active. Two groups of 8- to 12- year-olds showed equal weight loss<br> <b>2. Eating Meals With Family Helps Adolescents Maintain Healthy Dietary Habits.</b> A group of 9- to 14-year-old children who frequently ate dinner with their families had healthier dietary patterns than those who reported fewer family dinners. <i><br> 3/19/2000</i> <li><p><b><a name="SEC rules on GMO foods">SEC requires major food processors</a> to allow shareholder vote on genetically enginered foods. </b><i>2/25/2000 <br> </i>Three major U.S. food processors, Coca Cola Co, PepsiCo Inc, & Phillip Morris, will probably allow shareholder proposals restricting the companies' use of genetically modified foods to be introduced at coming annual meetings.  <i><a href="NOP_GenEngFoodStockProposals.htm">more</a></i> <li><p><b><a href="PVC_framepage1.htm" target="_top">Are PVC Toys Safe for Children? </a> <a name="PVC_toys"> Phthalate</a> Update 11/1/99:</b>  <br> <b> C. </b> <b>Everett  Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General, has been called "America's Doctor".  He was senior author of a review of the literature on DEHP & DINP, phthalates used respectively in Medical products and soft toys (including  teethers), published June 22, 1999. The paper's conclusion? Phthalates in PVC are safe for consumers, although more study is recommended</b>. The recommendation of further study is repeated several times in the document,  although the popular press often simply reported the findings as <i>"Koop declares vinyl safe!"</i>. The reporting has even referred to the group as the "Koop Commission", suggesting that this is somehow a official Federal undertaking.  In fact, it was funded by a private organization to which Koop had close ties, funded by, among other sources, donations from many private corporations.<br> PVC, or Polyvinyl Chloride (Vinyl), is one of the materials most commonly used  for children's toys, and in fact, for so much of the things with which we surround ourselves: car trim and interiors, household water pipes, packaging (including food packaging), house siding, all sorts of medical and surgical devices, clothing, and children's products, including toys.  .  There is a growing concern about some of the components of PVC, which may present a very serious hazard to children.  During 1999, a growing list of mass-market manufacturers have announce that they are seeking alternatives to the use of PVC,  including Nike, many toy companies, and Ford Motor Co. In this large and expanding section of the <b> turnertoys.com </b> website, we  examine these questions in great detail.  We present here the nature of the hazard, responses from the plastics and chemical industry spokespeople, and our own analysis, in an effort to sort out the arguments. <font face="Arial" size="2">To get full value from these pages, you should plan to spend a fair amount of time browsing the pages.  <font color="#CC0000">We have prepared a new "print-friendly" version, which allows you to print the main parts of the report, read off-line, and return to read the supplementary documents when you have time</font></font> </ul> <font face="Georgia" size="3"> <table align="left" border="2" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#3300c0" bordercolor="#CC0000" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="middle"> <a href="#TopOfPage"><font color="#FFFFFF"><b>top of page</b></font></a> </td> </tr> </table> </font> <p> <br> <ul> <li><p><b><a name="GMO_IndxLink">12/25/99</a>: <a href="RO_gmoCrops1299.htm" target="_top"> What is the real problem with the genetically modified crops?</a>  Let's talk sense.</b><br> We don't believe genetic engineering is inherently "evil".  Science and its working-class younger brother, technology, are essentially amoral: they yield both good and harmful results, according to the moral fiber and wisdom of those entrusted with their use. The question we need to ask is rather, how are the techniques of genetic modification  of crops being used now?  Read our thoughts on the topic <li><p><font size="4" color="#008820" style="background-color: #ffcc00"><b>7/4/99: Organic Food Standards Update </b> </font><b> We have some very useful information for you about the meaning of <i>"Certified Organic"</i>.</b> The Federal Government is still trying to formulate national standards. We are working on a section of the website which will tell you what standards are now in effect state-by-state, and how they are enforced.  In other words, what  the term "organic" really means.   Right now, you can read about what it means when the label reads "In acordance with the California Organic Food Act of 1990". You can also share with your fellow readers your opinion on the Feds' efforts at a nationwide standard. <b> To read what we have so far,</b> go to <br> <big><a href="NOP_framepage1.htm" target="_top"><b>The Future of Organic Agriculture </b></a></big><strong>:  <a name="OFPAlink">The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture's National Organic</a> Program </strong>    <br> <b><i>Summary:<br> </i></b>In 1990, in response to the perceived need to establish a set of standards to which foods labeled and sold as "Organic" must conform, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).  This established the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), composed of organic processors and farmers, and other experts involved in the production and processing of organic foods.  The NOSB was instructed to recommend to the USDA a set of standards  In 1997, the USDA proposed a set of regulations and definitions called the National Organic Program.  In doing so, USDA ignored many of NOSB's recommendations, and inserted many loopholes that appeared to offer the industrial food processing industry, and large-scale conventional agribusiness, an easy and low-cost entre' to the ever-growing and very profitable organic foods market.   On April 30, 1998, the public comment period for the proposed NOP regulations came to an end.   By that date, the USDA had received more formal comments  than for any other issue in history.   <i>The results were overwhelmingly negative... </i><font face="Century Schoolbook" size="3"> </ul> <font face="Georgia" size="3"> <table align="left" border="2" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#3300c0" bordercolor="#CC0000" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="middle"> <a href="#TopOfPage"><font color="#FFFFFF"><b>top of page</b></font></a> </td> </tr> </table> </font> </font><p><br> <ul> <li><big><a HREF="quarks2a.htm">Play-based Learning in Very Young Children</a><br>     </big>Thoughts on Creativity - an adult's interaction can spoil a toy for a young child - <br>      what makes a toy "open-ended", what kind of toys supports mental growth - hints for<br>      interacting with a young child to promote creative learning. </li> <li><big> <a HREF="praise1.htm">Praise as a Reward</a></big> <br>      Paying for a behavior that should be rewarding by itself can discourage that behavior.  </li> <li> <big><a HREF="mike1a.htm">Michael's Cookie</a></big><br>      Teaching a delay of gratification with a simple reinforcement schedule. </li> <li> <big><a HREF="resphlt1.htm">Responsible for Our Health</a></big><br>      A Few Words on Exercise, Nutrition, and Attitude:<br>      The fundamentals of a healthy life.   </li> <li> <big><a HREF="kessler1.htm">Teaching the Mind to Heal the Body</a></big><br>       Interview with Dr. Rodger Kessler.  Using behavioral techniques to improve surgical<br>       outcomes: faster healing, less anesthetic, reduced doses of painkillers.     </li> <li>  <b><a HREF="Content/asiakids.htm">DOING WELL IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS </a></b><br> <small>      </small>Are Asian Kids Really Better Students?  Review of Scientific American article<br>       (Feb, '92) </li> <li><a href="etstory1.htm"><strong>THE ELWOOD TURNER STORY</strong></a><br>     Myth or truth?  Also- what we believe about the toys we make. </li> <li><a href="bosglb1.htm"><strong>OUR FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME</strong></a><br>     Boston Globe article, 12/25/96 <font face="Georgia" size="3"> <table align="left" border="2" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#3300c0" bordercolor="#CC0000" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="middle"> <a href="#TopOfPage"><font color="#FFFFFF"><b>top of page</b></font></a> </td> </tr> </table> </font> <p><br> </li> </ul> <p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"><a href="index.html">And Now - A Word from Our Sponsor, ELWOOD TURNER: <br> </a></font><font face="Comic Sans MS">visit the <a href="index.html">ELWOOD TURNER: "Good Things for Kids" Home Page </a><br> </font><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"><a href="index.html">(Buy something and help pay for all this research & writing!)<br> </a> </font></p> <font face="Century Schoolbook" size="3"> <font face="Georgia" size="3"> <table align="left" border="2" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#3300c0" bordercolor="#CC0000" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="middle"> <a href="#TopOfPage"><font color="#FFFFFF"><b>top of page</b></font></a> </td> </tr> </table> </font> <p> </p> </font> <p align="center"> </p> </body>