Author: Brett

Seth Walsh Project to Counter Bullying in California Schools

Brett

http://sdgln.com/causes/2011/06/17/seth-walsh-project-counter-bullying-california-schools

LOS ANGELES – The Seth Walsh Students’ Rights Project — a major new initiative aimed at eliminating bullying and discrimination in California schools — has been launched by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

The project particularly looks at harassment directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students.

The creation of the Seth Walsh project was prompted by the September 2010 suicide of Seth Walsh, 13, an eight-grader at Tehachapi’s Jacobsen Middle School. Since coming out as gay in the sixth grade, Seth was subjected to severe verbal harassment based on his sexual orientation and refusal to conform to traditional gender stereotypes.

Tiffani Faison Opening Sweet Cheeks Barbecue in Boston

Brett

Later this summer, former Top Chef contestant Tiffani Faison will open Sweet Cheeks, a Southern-style barbecue restaurant in Boston. It’s unclear what style of barbecue, exactly: Faison grew up in a military family and “traveled throughout the South extensively.” So maybe a mix?

The restaurant will feature a large deck, “a serious beverage program,” and a take-out menu. This is the ex-cheftestapant’s first restaurant since her Italian restaurant, ROCCA, closed in January.

Coca-Cola VitaminWater class action to go to mediation

Brett

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/content/view/print/379316

A class action lawsuit brought against Coca-Cola by advocacy group The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) over Coke’s VitaminWater range is set to go to mediation, FoodNavigator-USA has learned.

The lawsuit , which was filed in 2009 and brought together class actions in New Jersey, New York and California, alleged that Coca-Cola had misled consumers over the health benefits of VitaminWater.

Coca-Cola immediately filed a motion to dismiss the suit, which was rejected last summer.

Federal judge John Gleeson of the US District Court in Brooklyn also rejected Coca-Cola’s argument that by listing the sugar content of VitaminWater in the nutrition panel it could not be accused of misleading consumers: “The fact that the actual sugar content of VitaminWater was accurately stated in a Food and Drug Administration-mandated label on the product does not eliminate the possibility that reasonable consumers may be misled.”

Meanwhile, the description of the product as a ‘vitamin-enhanced water beverage’ and the phrases ‘vitamins + water = all you need’ also had “the potential to reinforce a consumer’s mistaken belief that the product is comprised of only vitamins and water,” added Gleeson.

Rules Of Engagement, From The NBA Social Media War Room

Brett

http://www.fastcompany.com/1757355/rules-of-engagement-from-the-nba-social-media-war-room

While bored traditional sports reporters wait for quotes from the megastars, the NBA’s elite social media team finds images, videos, and moments that take followers up close and behind the scenes of the Finals. We follow–literally–the social media masters during before, during, and after the action to watch how it all works.

The New Online Wars

Brett

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576362861950356484.html?mod=e2tw

Eric Schmidt spent 10 years as chief executive of Google Inc., taking the company from a rapidly growing search engine to a global behemoth that provides operating systems for mobile phones and Web-based software for consumers as well as being the synonym for finding stuff online. Mr. Schmidt, who recently handed over the CEO job to Google co-founder Larry Page, is now the company’s executive chairman. He spoke with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg about the new platform wars, keeping information private and using technology for good and evil. Here are edited excerpts of that discussion.

L.A. Schools Consider Dumping Chocolate Milk

Brett

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-milk-20110605,0,2287697.story

Citing health issues such as childhood obesity and diabetes, the school district’s new superintendent plans to recommend eliminating the sugary drink.

An item that’s on millions of kids’ meal trays once or twice a day has become the subject of a food fight in school districts around the country, called everything from part of a healthy diet to “soda in drag.” How could a half-pint carton of chocolate milk be so complicated?

The new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, John Deasy, said he will recommend that the school board eliminate chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk in its next dairy contract for the 650,000 meals it serves daily. The current contract expires June 30.

Family Group Warns Disney Goers of Gay Presence

Brett

http://gawker.com/5808735/

Helpful Family Values Group Warns Disney Goers of Gay PresenceThis weekend the Florida Family Association hired a plane to pull banners warning Disney World-goers about “Gay Days,” part of which were celebrated inside the beloved theme park. They didn’t want families to be exposed to “the reality of witnessing over 15,000 Gay Pride Day revelers.”

Message For Transgender Kids From One Who’s Been There: You Matter

Brett

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/03/136923024/message-for-transgender-kids-from-one-whos-been-there-you-matter

“Kids who grew up like me needed to know that despite the fact that their internal sense of gender did not match their sexual organs … they mattered.”

That’s why, People.com associate editor Janet Mock said today on Tell Me More, she decided to reveal in a book, on the pages of Marie Claire magazine and in an It Gets Better Project video that she made the transition from male to female.

“Nearly half of transgender youth contemplate wanting to kill themselves,” Mock said during a conversation with Tell Me More host Michel Martin. She wants them to know that they can get through what are hard times. Things do, in fact, get better.

Complex Magazine’s 25 Hottest Girls of Summer 2011

Brett

http://complexmag.com/girls/2011/05/complex-previews-the-25-hottest-girls-of-summer-2011/janina-gavankar#gallery

After she left The L Word, Janina Gavankar’s subsequent TV show The Gates was quickly canceled. At that point, we were afraid we’d know longer get out weekly fix of the actress. Luckily, it was announced that the Indian/Dutch beauty had joined the new season of True Blood as Luna, the latest shapeshifter to rile up Sam Merlotte’s equally animalistic tendencies. Now, all is well.

New Symbol for Healthful Eating: Hello Plate, Goodbye Pyramid

Brett

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/02/136884100/new-symbol-for-healthful-eating-hello-plate-goodbye-pyramid

It’s a pretty safe bet that not many people will mourn the demise of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid — the 20-year-old symbol of the department’s dietary guidelines — when it’s officially retired Thursday.

Just about everyone agrees the pyramid was complicated, and tried to get too many messages across at once — more dairy, less sweets, exercise, portion control, etc.

But the new symbol is simple — a plate divided into portions. And that’s a good thing, said first lady Michelle Obama at a news conference on the subject.

“Parents don’t have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of chicken or to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving,” she said.