National Parents Center

Netflix and Disney and Family, Oh My!

Netflix took a lot of flack last summer after announcing it was raising its prices and splitting its streaming and DVD plans. Still, my husband and I had been customers for quite a while and we loved the ease and value of the service, so we decided to stick with them. Not only do we enjoy having access to thousands of movie selections between the two options, but our kids love it, too.

All of my boys know how to choose streaming movies on our computers and XBOX, including our 2-year-old. We keep an eye on what theyre watching and make sure theyre only choosing from the childrens menu, but they love the freedom of being able to watch an episode of Backyardigans or Power Rangers Samurai on a whim.

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Tags: Netflix, Netflix Disney

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New Prime Minister Surprises Moroccans With Support for Abortion

Less than two months after winning power in Moroccos elections, the moderate Islamic party of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is surprising opponents by moving to relax the countrys strict abortion laws.

In an interview last week, a top aide to Mr. Benkirane, Mustapha Khalifi, speaking in a personal capacity, confirmed media reports that the prime minister would support an initiative to allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.

Mr. Khalifi, subsequently appointed the communications minister, said in an interview that the government should push ahead with a proposal, drafted by the social and family affairs minister in the previous government, Nouzha Skalli, to address the steep rise both in illegal abortions and in the number of unmarried mothers caught in the poverty trap. Read full post…

Tags: Minister, Prime Minister

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Research Matters 2011 Recap

NIH conducts and funds wide-ranging research to improve the nation’s health. With NIH support, scientists across the country and around the world uncover basic biomedical advances and conduct the clinical and translational research that transforms discoveries into medical practice. Here’s just a small sampling of the accomplishments made by NIH-supported scientists in 2011.

Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Disease

When breast cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, many doctors believe that removing several more nodes provides better treatment.

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Tags: Research, Research Matters

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We’ve been dieting for centuries — has anything really changed?

It’s that time of year again — time for new year, new you and the chance to start a brand new diet and stick to it this time. It’s the most lucrative time of the year for the dieting industry as many of us jump on the latest bandwagon in trying to drop some pounds.

A few weeks later, most people will wonder what went wrong. Instead of beating the bulge, we’ll beat ourselves up for failing once again.

Louise Foxcroft, author of the new book ‘Calories & Corsets’, which looks at the history of dieting over 2,000 years, says the new-year diet plays into our feelings about shame.

“Most people have over-indulged over Christmas — they’ve eaten too much and they’ve eaten too many rich foods,” she says.

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Tags: Dieting, Dieting Centuries

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