Is childhood a disease?

"Drug toddlers"
More nutty ideas arrived from the USA. Not satisfied with dosing 12 million of their children with Ritalin, they are pushing a new diagnosis on normal kids.

The symptoms include separation anxiety, tantrums (especially in response to the word "no"), defiance, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, unpredictable mood swings, and distractibility. Those "symptoms" will be familiar to anyone who has lived with a toddler - any toddler.

But to Dr Dimtri Papalos they mean the child is suffering from early-onset bipolar disorder (EOBD). His treatment plan to cure the normal exuberance of the ‘terrible-2s’ features powerful psychotropic drugs.

Papalos would have us believe that behaviour normally associated with toddlerhood are actually manifestations of a disease that should be treated with drugs that have pronounced negative side effects (e.g., nausea, diarrhoea, severe drowsiness, significant weight gain) as soon in the child's life as possible. Is childhood a disease?

Another part of the treatment is to never use the word ‘no’ to an EOBD child. They will suffer meltdown. Parents are also told to ‘suffer physical abuse’ from their kids. Don’t discipline them. Drug them.

An unknown author has posted on the Internet a satire titled "The Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood" in which he proposes, with tongue in cheek, that childhood itself is a disorder with congenital onset. The symptoms include knowledge deficits, dwarfism, emotional lability, and legume anorexia, to which I would add separation anxiety, tantrums, defiance, hyperactivity, and every other thing associated with the so-called "terrible 2s."

The satire is truly funny, even hilarious. The question becomes: Is it also prophetic?

Note: The satire can be found here: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/emma_holister/2004/09/19/the_etiology_and_treatment_of.htm

What a team!

The chutzpah and exuberance of GLC, the powerful message of Friend of the Earth plus the political punch of the two Newport MPs are united in the fight for a strong Climate Change Bill.
This is the great challenge of our generation.

We paraded this morning on Newport new bridge and braved the artic winds to launch a fresh campaign for global sanity. Goldie Looking Chain has already produced some planet friendly songs. Is there a market there for songs that have a hard political edge?  It’s not easy to find. But as the realisation grows of the serious threat, a market will sprout for a hip-hop message

Jessica Morden and I will continue to work closely with GLC and FOE to ensure a safe future for our human habitat.

Homer's woe
Duffryn Junior School were all fired up when I visited today.

Homer Simpson fared badly on the usual warm-up debate on whether he is a good father or not. It was a big ‘not’ today. Sorry Homer.

The children had sophisticated views on the big issues. They were fully informed on global warming, famine and disease. Some wanted to ban fishing. Others said we need the healthy food. Some wanted to lower school leaving age to 16. Most disagreed. Speed humps came in for a bashing.

It’s forgotten that the argument for speed humps was won in Newport. On a private road in Llanwern steel works in the 60s there was a dreadful crop of fatal accidents. I believe it was at least 12 in seven years. The steelworks has a long straight road down which the afternoon shift sped to get their after-work pint.
A manager named Len Raby installed ferocious speed humps. There were no more fatal accidents for at least ten years. At the time humps were illegal on public roads. I used the Llanwern experience to argue for their introduction nation wide. Many lives have been saved.

Diolch o’r galon, staff and children of Duffryn Junior School for a great stimulating afternoon. You are all very bright and remarkably self confident.

Film talent

A brief but powerfully evocative filmette by Newportonian Darragh Mortell is up for a prize. Punchyand  compact with disturbing message, it can be viewed on

http://www.60secondsoffame.co.uk/bafta/sixtysec/_entry/0000000016f808e6011745388c0e162c/

jsps/entry?foneblog=1201686095157  Well worth  a look.

Unselfish delegation
A resistible invitation in the post this morning,

“In 2008, if you are looking for a different type of Leap Year experience, why not pledge to try a skydive parachute jump for charity FREE OF CHARGE? This is the ultimate high adrenaline activity that will give you a brand new view of the world.
Imagine standing at the edge of an open doorway in an aircraft at 10,000 feet – the wind is ringing in your ears with only the outline of distant fields below. Then it’s go, go, go as you start to freefall at over 120mph!”

It’s for a good cause Muscular Dystrophy. This is something I believe I should unselfishly delegate to my staff. Difficult to know which one of the four to favour. I think it may be my wife. She is lowest paid. 

Comments

[Roger Jardine Thomas]

OK

This weeks is more directly related to you. Re the coal mine closure.

tackling poverty in Wales, Communities first, Welsh assembly
Gary Foreman Penywaun Partnership etc.

Newstart 1st Feb vol 10 No 419

might be they wanted a focus on Scotland from me now covering Wales this issue.

[paulflynn]

Thanks.
I'll ask the library to dig it out. It sounds very promising.

[valleylad]

Your "childhood" link is broken it should read:

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/emma_holister/2004/09/19/the_etiology_and_treatment_of.htm

[Roger Jardine Thomas]

RE What A team

Paul

I wrote something that might be of interest a few weeks ago, as it links with the above.

It's in Newstart magazine, 18th January,Vol 10, No 417, page 23 The Lion Rampant.

The editor asked me if I could do an assessment of the Scottish Government's economic policy. The mag has a readership of around 30,000 UK eonomic development professionals. If you haven't read the article the Chief Executive and Econ Dev dept of your LA will have.

I think the editor got what he asked for, but not what he expected. It's just a 900 word introduction to Celtic economics, but even before it was published he wanted a follow up. (just starting it now, Led Zep to flooding)

It is an assessment of Scottish policy, but it is quite easy to replace Celtic Lion with Red Dragon.

In view of what you have written here, it is quite close. So might be of interest to you, FoE and GLC. So much I could recommend your wife, niece, cousin or great Aunt to pop into the HoC library to get you a copy.

It was published on the Friday and the stock market crashed on the Monday. I believe some of the experts Paxman had on Newsnight might have read it.

Congratulations on the Rugby!