Monday, October 8, 2012

Why You Should Celebrate International Babywearing Week ...


Many thanks to Victoria Ward from?Babywearing UK?for this guest blog post:

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Celebrate International Babywearing Week Oct 8-14th, 2012?

Every year, families around the world get together to celebrate ?International Babywearing Week?. What is it, you might ask? And why the need to celebrate what is actually something simple: carrying your child? Is there anything novel about that?

For thousands of years, women carried their babies everywhere: in the house, at work, outside? It was the best ? and possibly the?only?way ? to keep them safe and warm. Then it became usual to place babies in various contraptions?away?from their mothers ? from buggies to car seats, rocking chairs, cots, even walkers. As usual with these things, you might have noticed that the tide is turning. More and more parents (re)-discover that it is practical and convenient to carry their baby. And it is actually a?good?thing.

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Above image Copyright Calin Bleu

Parents can be at a loss to understand their newborn. Why is he fussing? Is he hungry, tired, does he need a clean nappy? Carrying your baby close helps you understand his signs much quicker, establishing the early foundations of communication and satisfying his needs before he gets to the full-on cries. A much nicer experience for the whole family.

The extra cuddles and closeness give the baby just the reassurance he needs to transition from the womb to the outside world. It can be bright and noisy out there but snuggled up against mummy or daddy?s chest, it?s alright. The closeness allows baby to sense his parents? reactions much better and gradually makes sense of his experiences.

If you have to be separated from your baby for work or other reasons, carrying him closely in a baby sling while you are with him ? perhaps on the way to nursery ? is a good way to catch up on closeness. It is also true for working fathers who might not be able to see their little one as much as they want during the week. A baby sling is not just for parents: try lending a baby carrier to your childminder and show her how you use it. She will be able to comfort your baby throughout the day even if she has other children to care for.

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?Above image copyright Moby Wrap

?Babywearing? is not just for newborns and babies. There are numerous child carriers who have been designed to fit toddlers. They allow you to carry your child right up to about 20kg (45lb). You can help him catch a nap on your back in the middle of a busy day, or encourage him to walk independently knowing that if he gets too tired, you can pop him on your back. A baby sling is a good way to keep young children safe in busy surroundings ? at the market or when you?re travelling on public transport for example. Perched on your back, they have a good view of their surroundings (probably less scary that if they were much lower on the ground, surrounded by what must surely seem like giants!).

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Above Image: Copyright. Connecta Baby Carrier.

So why celebrate International Babywearing Week? Because parents all around the world are choosing to parent their children a different way, a way that suits the whole family. Because carrying their baby or their toddler in a comfortable baby carrier allows parents to live the life they want to live?with?their child.

To find a babywearing event near you visit:?www.babywearing.co.uk

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A Guest blog by Victoria Ward from Babywearing UK.

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Source: http://babycalm.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/why-you-should-celebrate-international-babywearing-week-guest-post-by-babywearing-uk/

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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Winner of Georgian election to visit US first

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) ? The opposition leader who won Georgia's parliamentary election wants to restore ties with Russia, where he made his billions as a businessman. Bidzina Ivanishvili said Wednesday, though, that his first foreign trip as prime minister will be to the United States.

Ivanishvili may be anxious to fend off accusations that he intends to take Georgia back under Russian domination, and also to reassure the Americans that he is serious about deepening a relationship that was forged under his predecessor.

President Mikhail Saakashvili, whose party was defeated in Monday's parliamentary election, turned the former Soviet republic into a U.S. ally. The Kremlin, however, has refused to have any dealings with him since Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in 2008.

Diplomatic relations remain severed, which has complicated travel between the two neighboring countries and separated families. Georgia has a population of 4.5 million, and as many as 1 million Georgians live and work in Russia.

Particularly for Georgians old enough to have been educated in the Soviet Union, when Russian was taught in schools and they were all citizens of the same country, the rift has taken an emotional toll.

The economic consequences also have been painful for many Georgians. Trade between the two countries has been cut since Russia banned imports of Georgian wine, mineral water, vegetables and fruits in 2006 as tensions rose. Ivanishvili has promised to work to reopen the vast Russian market to Georgian products.

But Saakashvili remains Georgia's president for another year, so no major changes are expected immediately.

"There is a hope that after Georgia's 2013 presidential election some warming up is possible in the trade and economic sphere, transport, and possibly humanitarian field," said Alexei Pushkov, who heads the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament.

Restoring diplomatic ties will be much more difficult because of a dispute over South Ossetia and Abhkazia, the two Georgian separatist provinces at the center of the 2008 war. Russia has recognized their independence and still has thousands of troops stationed on what most of the world still considers Georgian territory.

Russia has made clear it has no intention of changing its stance. "It's hard to expect a radical improvement in the political sphere because of the problem of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Pushkov said.

The lack of diplomatic ties and Russia's tough visa requirements make it difficult for Georgians to travel to Russia unless they have immediate family living there.

Valentina Kevlishvili, a 60-year-old Russian married to a Georgian, wants to go to Russia to visit her father. She and her husband applied for visas at the consulate of Switzerland, which represents Russia's interest in Georgia.

"There they tell me that for me it's no problem, but my husband can't go because he's not a blood relative of my father," Kevlishvili said. "Those are the kinds of laws that Russia thinks up."

Georgia has abolished visas, so Russians can visit freely. Everyone arriving at the Tbilisi airport is welcomed at passport control with a small bottle of Georgian wine.

Natela Baguashvili, 47, who owns a small food shop in Tbilisi, remembers how strange it was for her and her Russian friends to find themselves on opposite sides during the war.

"I grew up with Russian friends and classmates, and we have stayed friends and we write back and forth," she said. "During the war they were worried about us. They love Georgia."

The Russian government has welcomed Ivanishvili's victory. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Wednesday that Moscow hopes Georgia will now be able to establish "constructive and respectful ties with its neighbors."

The head of the Russian parliamentary committee in charge of relations with former Soviet nations said there is hope for more positive relations. "Historically, geographically and culturally, our people are simply bound to have good-neighborly relations," said Leonid Slutsky.

Ivanishvili has strong business ties in Russia, and the Kremlin may be hoping to use him to bring Georgia back into the fold. Saakashvili has accused him of being a Kremlin stooge.

Ivanishvili denies this, and since his Georgian Dream coalition won the election, he has used every opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to making Georgia an integral part of Europe and a member of NATO.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen reciprocated on Wednesday. "NATO is committed to our close relationship with Georgia and we look forward to making this relationship even stronger," Rasmussen said in a statement.

Ivanishvili took pains Wednesday to show his distance from Moscow.

"I have not received congratulations from Russia and have not contacted the Russian side," he said. "And moreover I am going to the U.S., to our main partner and friend."

Ivanishvili said he had an official invitation to visit Washington, but would wait to schedule a visit until after the U.S. presidential election in November.

He will become prime minister after the new parliament goes into session on Oct. 21.

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Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Georgia contributed reporting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/winner-georgian-election-visit-us-first-181210699.html

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FDA chief says scarce funding hobbles sweeping food safety regulations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it is having difficulty implementing expansive new rules to improve food safety, nearly two years after President Barack Obama signed the standards into law, because of a lack of funding.

FDA chief Margaret Hamburg predicted on Monday that her agency "very soon" will issue new regulations needed to enforce the Food Safety Modernization Act, a sweeping piece of legislation enacted to upgrade the security of the U.S. food supply after a deadly salmonella outbreak in 2009.

Hamburg said the implementation process has been slow because Congress has not provided sufficient funds to meet the law's ambitious demands.

The legislation imposes the biggest changes in food safety since the 1930s and requires the FDA to undertake a major shift from a longstanding reactive role to a system designed to prevent food-borne outbreaks. It also calls for the agency to create new science-based safety standards for fruits and vegetables, packaged foods and food imports.

"Implementing that broadly expansive mandate with limited resources has been a challenge," Hamburg told a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Her comments come at a time when the FDA is working to meet a host of new priorities, including improved international drug regulation, while analysts and industry officials say the agency's resources could fall prey to deficit reduction talks that are due to resume in Congress after the November 6 election.

The Food Safety Modernization Act, which Obama signed into law in January 2011, represents an effort to step up the federal government's battle with food-borne illnesses that afflict nearly 50 million Americans each year, killing thousands.

The United States, by most measures, has some of the safest food in the world. Still, roughly one in six people get sick from eating tainted products each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deadlines under the law for major regulations intended to safeguard produce, packaged foods and food imports have passed without the issuance of even preliminary guidelines.

"It has been frustrating," Hamburg said. "We are moving forward. But it has been harder and slower than any of us would have wanted."

She called on private industry to help finance the law's provisions, which give the agency the power to mandate recalls when outbreaks strike. The FDA regulates about 80 percent of the U.S. food supply. Among the exceptions are meat and poultry, which are overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"What we have is a really nice car without any gas in the tank," said Erik Olson, food program director for the Pew Charitable Trusts.

He says the FDA's $866 million food safety budget could need hundreds of millions of dollars more to pay for the field the inspectors and scientists required to meet the new duties.

The legislation became law two years after a massive salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter killed nine people and sickened nearly 700, half of them children.

There have been about three-dozen major food-borne outbreaks since then, according to the CDC. There have been about dozen so far in 2012, including a recent salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter.

(Editing by Karey Wutkowski and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-chief-says-scarce-funding-hobbles-sweeping-food-211421325.html

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Synta Pharma jumps on lung cancer drug data

NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. jumped to a three-year high Monday, after the company reported positive clinical trial data for its drug ganetespib as a treatment for a type of lung cancer.

Synta said patients who were treated with ganetespib and the chemotherapy drug docetaxel are living longer than patients who were treated with docetaxel alone. Earlier this year, Synta said the combination of ganetespib and docetaxel halted the progression of cancer for longer than docetaxel alone. The trial is designed to evaluate the drug as a secondary treatment for adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small cell lung cancer.

The company said Monday that based on the results, it expects to start a late-stage trial of ganetespib later this year.

Synta intends to enroll 240 patients in the next portion of its current trial, which is designed to identify the patients who might benefit the most from ganetespib. There will be about 500 patients in the late-stage trial.

Ganetespib is Synta's most advanced drug, and it is studying the compound as a treatment for breast cancer, liver cancer, leukemia, and several other cancers in addition to adenocarcinoma.

Shares of Synta gained $1.79, or 23.5 percent, to close Monday at $9.41 on Monday. That was the highest price for shares of the Lexington, Mass., company since February 2009.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/synta-pharma-jumps-lung-cancer-drug-data-203640508--finance.html

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'Good People' becomes nation's most produced work

NEW YORK (AP) ? David Lindsay-Abaire's Tony Award-nominated play "Good People" tops the list of most produced plays nationwide during the 2012-13 season, according to the theater industry's largest trade group.

The Theatre Communications Group revealed on Monday that the Top 10 list also includes Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," Matthew Lopez's "The Whipping Man," the musical "Next to Normal" and Katori Hall's "The Mountaintop." Interestingly, "A Raisin in the Sun," first produced in 1959, also made the list.

Lindsay-Abaire's other works ? including "Rabbit Hole" ? have long been among the top produced works, but "Good People" marks his first time atop the list, which was compiled from 415 member theaters. Seventeen theaters produced "Good People" this season.

The list began in 1994-1995 and omits holiday themed shows and Shakespeare works.

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Online: http://www.tcg.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/good-people-becomes-nations-most-produced-201413306.html

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Video: Plouffe touts progress on U.S. foreign relations

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/49229985#49229985

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