A study by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research found that highly educated, well-off Americans have less time on their hands to gallivant than others with less education.

The study, reported by CNN Money, says that since 1985, weekly leisure time for highly educated men, who have more than 12 years of education and generally have higher incomes, declined 1.2 hours to 33.2 hours by 2007. The leisure hours of men with little education climbed to 39.1 hours, up 2.5 hours during the same period. The same pattern was observed for highly educated women and women with little education.

The leisure time includes time to watch TV, go to the movies or socialize. The pattern also holds when the downturn in the economy and rise in unemployment is taken into consideration, according to CNN.

More than half of the increase in leisure inequality can be attributed to higher unemployment rates of adults with less education and skills, said Erik Hurst, a University of Chicago professor who co-authored the report. But even those who are unemployed and highly educated still have less leisure time than their lower-skilled unemployed counterparts, Hurst said. Thats because the former spend more time on chores.

Hurst said unemployed higher-skilled men don’t just lounge around and watch TV but “do more stuff around the house,” including cooking and child care. NBER tries to promote greater understanding of how the economy works.

A recent case on which I worked is representative of the systemic problem of cultural and social bias against transgender people that is reflected in our family court systems. Anne (all names listed are pseudonyms) has been the primary caretaking parent of her 5-year-old child, Molly. She had Molly with an ex-partner, Tom. Although Tom saw Molly occasionally, Anne was the constant, stable presence in Mollys life. Tom never objected to that arrangement. Anne recently fell in love with and married Brian, a kind, loving, supportive partner. He is also transgender, a fact Tom learned by doing an Internet search on Brian. After learning of Annes marriage to Brian, Tom filed for sole legal and physical custody of Molly. Because Brian is a caring and competent stepfather and Anne has been a stable and loving parent for Molly her entire life, Tom was unable to attack Annes parenting rights directly. Instead, Tom threatened to bring into court the fact Brian is transgender and threatened to out Brian to his employer and community.

Its not a fair fight. In fact, it shouldnt be a fight at all. But transgender people caught up in domestic relations matters have much to lose and, sadly, few protections.

A new book, Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy, which I co-edited with Elizabeth E. Monnin-Browder, is intended to improve the legal landscape for transgender people and our families. It is designed to be a roadmap for transgender clients and their attorneys navigating family court systems in an evolving area of law. Reversing bad precedent, establishing favorable outcomes, and changing public attitudes are the goals of this book.

In recent years GLAD has brought lawsuits that successfully challenged transgender bias in all types of settings: a middle schools mistreatment of a transgender student, a prison systems denial of essential health care for a transgender inmate, a government agencys denial of insurance coverage for a transgender persons medically necessary care, the federal governments unequal treatment of a transgender taxpayer, among others. Yet transgender family law cases with favorable outcomes remain elusive. In speaking with my colleagues about why that is so, I realized that one of the challenges in bringing family law impact cases on behalf of transgender clients is the dearth of knowledge among family law attorneys — even those deeply committed to advocating for transgender clients — about effective representation for our community. As a result, many transgender clients have been negotiating away family law protections out of fear, often well founded, that they will fare worse in the courts, which often share the widespread community and social bias against transgender people. Rather than risk draconian results, many people agree to negotiated agreements that unfairly and unjustly restrict their familial rights.

For instance, an attorney once told me about a client she represented some years ago, a transgender woman who, prior to her gender transition, was in a lawful different-sex marriage. The client was being divorced by her wife of many years but had a close, loving relationship with their daughter. However, the wife threatened that if her estranged spouse challenged the divorce in court, the transgender client would never see the child again. She quickly turned to poisoning the relationship between the parent and child. Although this sounds like a common family law scenario, the difference is that courts predictably side with the non-transgender spouse in imposing all kinds of unprincipled restrictions on transgender parents up to and including terminating a persons parental status. Understanding the risk she faced, the transgender client chose not to challenge the wifes legal custodial status, asking only that she be allowed to retain her parental status and a financial obligation of child support. The transgender parent, fearing the worst, wanted her child to know that regardless of what happened to their relationship, she would always provide for her.

Stories like this are common and heartbreaking. They cry out for advocacy and education to reverse the negative legal precedent, bias, and discrimination against transgender people that infuses our legal system. I hope publication of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy marks the beginning of the end of unfair and unjust outcomes for transgender people in family law matters.

In a statement distributed by the Football Association, Bayern Munich complained on Friday about a back-page report in The Sun under the headline Roy Who? that suggested key figures at the German club had not heard of Hodgson.

Similar reports were carried by The Times of London and Daily Telegraph newspapers, suggesting Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes had questioned Hodgsons credentials to replace Fabio Capello, who quit as England coach in February.

Bayern said it was surprised by the English media reports.

We have a high regard for Mr. Hodgson and, like our sporting federation the DFB, would like to congratulate him on his appointment as England manager, Bayern said. As a coach and manager Mr. Hodgson is of course very well known in Germany and it should be made clear they have nothing but respect for Mr. Hodgson and his record.

In no way did they or anyone at Bayern Munich question, or criticize his appointment.

On Wednesday, the FA complained to The Sun after the tabloid mocked Hodgsons manner of speaking on its front page, a day after his appointment.

The paper mocked his pronunciation by replacing all the letter Rs in its headline with Ws.

The 64-year-old Hodgson, who speaks five languages, was hired on a four-year contract that takes him through to the 2016 European Championship. Hodgson has previously managed three national teams and has coached in eight countries.

He was a member of a recent UEFA technical study group that also included Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Arsenals Arsene Wenger.

Its a family dynamic many can relate to, said J CITY Theater Executive Producer Clay Cockrell. Tonight the Jersey City-based company will present the West End hit, The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson, a comedy exploring strained family relationships.

The show, directed by and featuring Cockrells wife Sandy, will be more prop- and costume-heavy than J CITYs other productions, Cockrell said, but will stand out for its story.

Its a real rich, funny story and focuses on three sisters who come back home for mothers funeral, said Cockrell, who also said things start heating up when the mother comes back as a ghost. Theyre dealing with a crazy mother who haunted them their whole lives, wasnt a really good mother, and trying to come to terms with it.

Read the full story from The Jersey Journal:
Sisters struggle to hold together in new J CITY production of The Memory of Water

This situation did not make sense, either to ministers or child welfare officers. Country areas were considered to be healthy environments where children had access to fresh air and abundant fruit and vegetables.

The popular image of children helping to work the land and enjoying the fruits of their labour was also encouraged by ministers in an effort to justify evacuation schemes. But children defied all predictions in terms of child development.

The Ministry of Health concluded that children in the country moved around too much and therefore became too active to grow. They also surmised that city children sat and read comics, thereby reserving their energy for essential growth. ?All this was nonsense of course but it took some time to persuade officials otherwise,? says author Penny Starns, who has written a fascinating new book on the children who stayed behind.

Understandably the ministers who had introduced the evacuation policy were particularly keen to find evidence that children were healthier in the country because this would endorse the rationale behind their evacuation policy. The fact that children appeared to be healthier in the cities than in the countryside defied all apparent explanation.

Eventually it was a pioneering psychologist called Anna Freud ? daughter of Sigmund, the father of psychoa- nalysis ? who provided adequate explanations as to why city children, who were dwelling with family members, developed at a quicker rate than the evacuees.

She conducted extensive research into child development and children?s relationships throughout the war. In so doing she proved beyond doubt that the essential wellbeing of children was essential for their adequate physical and mental growth. Following her discoveries child welfare officers were for the first time educated about the emotional needs of children.

To many health care professionals Freud?s research findings were surprising to say the least. She dis- covered that city children who stayed with their families were emotionally more stable and far happier than those who had been evacuated. While the latter suffered from homesickness, depression and in a few cases suicidal tendencies, children who remained in cities thrived emotion- ally and even developed a well- balanced approach to bombing.

Freud discovered that even city children with bad parents coped better than those who had been forced by evacuation to sever their parental connections.

And she argued that not only were children not automatically afraid of air raids, in some cases war actually gave vent to a child?s natural aggressive instincts. Even those who admitted being nervous and fearful also expressed excitement and a greater sense of family intimacy during the air raids.

City children, who were virtually raised on bombsites, thus became the key to understanding family relationships and to what extent emotional ties dictated overall child development. Planning for evacuation had raised logistical issues but it was fair to say that emotional considerations had not entered into the process of policy formation in the slightest.

Much of the problem stemmed from the fact that most politicians and senior civil servants at this time came from upper-class back- grounds and as such they were accustomed to leaving home at the age of seven to attend boarding schools. MPs therefore found it difficult to identify with other sec- tions of society where this process was not considered to be the norm.

When all things were taken into account a mother living in an evacuation area had a basic dilemma. Was it better to keep her children with her and face the German bombers together? Or was it more sensible to entrust her children to the care of strangers?

Despite renewed calls for compulsory evacuation, almost a third of all mothers in evacuation areas decided to keep their children with them. It is likely that returning evacuees also influenced their decision, since many told stories of hostile host families and chaos in reception areas.

The way in which city children coped can be gleaned from the diaries their mothers kept. A mother of three confided to her diary: ?My children don?t seem to be taking much notice of the war. The eldest boy has come home with various songs ridiculing Hitler.?

Indeed there was even evidence that children were becoming used to the adrenaline rush that accompanied bombing raids and were thriving on the experience. One mother recorded: ?While we were playing Monopoly the children were laughing and chattering but I could hear thuds and explosions in the distance. This morning Dick said to me, ?I feel bored now on days when there is no warning?.?

Boys would tear around school playgrounds with their arms out- stretched pretending to be war planes while girls waited for them to ?land? and pretended to nurse their injuries.

Quite a number of children also imbued the enemy with benevolent characteristics. For instance one young girl named Janet decided that the Germans must be quite kind because they did not drop a bomb on her house while she was in the air-raid shelter.

One gentleman recalled how ?not knowing any different? made it possible for him to thrive while living with his mother during the Blitz.

?To us it was normal. After one particularly heavy raid I remember looking at my mother and saying, ?What?s wrong?? because she looked more worried than usual. We had been sheltering under the stairs during the raid. She looked at me and replied very calmly, ?No need to worry, the house has just fallen down around us that?s all.?

?Well, as a seven-year-old boy you just accept it. Rescuers came and eventually got us out. They had to remove part of the wall brick by brick until there was enough space for us to crawl out of the rubble. We simply accepted things and people helped each other.?

Steve Schmitz, left, and Mike Bearbower of Waterloo Leisure Services remove the old box seats at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa on Thursday, May 3, 2012. Over 200 new seats are on order in two different styles. (RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer)

April 27th, 2012

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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health problem that significantly impairs a child’s academic performance. The behaviors of children with ADHD can also negatively affect social functioning and relationships with other family members. The most commonly used methods of treatment for children with ADHD are medication and behavioral therapy. Both approaches have proven to be effective in some areas, but neither has successfully addressed all the issues that families and children with ADHD struggle with. In recent years, professional educators and clinicians have devised new strategies that focus on behavior and family involvement. Some of these methods incorporate parent-teacher communication and include child report cards, homework monitoring, and other elements that increase parental involvement and child accountability.

One of these methods is the Family-School Success (FSS) program, a program created to increase the academic performance and family awareness of elementary-age children with ADHD. FSS integrates behavioral therapy, daily accountability through the use of report cards, and homework interventions. To test the effectiveness of FSS, Thomas J. Power of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study of 199 elementary school students with ADHD, one-fourth of whom were taking medication. The students and their families were assigned to 12 weeks of FSS or a control treatment known as Coping with ADHD Through Relationships and Education (CARE).

At the end of the 12 weeks, Power discovered that the families and children in FSS had better outcomes than those in CARE. Specifically, the relationships between the schools and families were stronger for FSS participants, and there were improvements in homework completion and positive parenting. Previous research has shown that parental involvement and school and family relationships are essential to improving the academic performance and social skills of children with ADHD. Power said, “This study affirms the important role that parents can serve in improving variables related to student success in school.”

Reference:
Power, T. J., Mautone, J. A., Soffer, S. L., Clarke, A. T., Marshall, S. A., Sharman, J., et al. (2012). A family-school intervention for children with ADHD: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0028188

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copy; Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Long Beach Bureau – All Rights Reserved.

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BOSTON, MA, May 01, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
National Family Mortgage, America’s premier peer-to-peer lending
solution for home loans between relatives, today announced that it
has won a prestigious Communicator Award as judged by the
International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA). National Family Mortgage
was selected from amongst over six thousand top creative
organizations from around the world and recognized with an award of
distinction.

“National Family Mortgage is disrupting the traditional banking
system to help families save money and reduce taxes,” said Timothy
Burke, National Family Mortgage’s CEO and Founder. “We look at family
finance from a new perspective and created an innovative solution
that builds family wealth. Our team is honored to be recognized by
the Communicator Awards and to join a select group of America’s most
trusted brands.”

National Family Mortgage helps families properly structure, document,
and register tax-deductible mortgage loans between relatives. From
down payment loans and home improvement loans, to one hundred percent
financing or refinancing, National Family Mortgage’s technology
eliminates the cost and complexity of the broken banking system to
provide Borrowers with lower interest rates and Lenders with solid
returns. Interest rates on mortgage loans through National Family
Mortgage average 3.50 percent, with an average term of twenty three
years. The company has surpassed $32 million in loan origination
while protecting family relationships, reducing IRS tax issues, and
keeping over $17 million of interest within families.

“The pool of entries we received for this year’s Communicator Awards
serves as a true testament to the innovative ideas and capabilities
of communications and marketing professionals around the world,” said
Linda Day, executive director of the IAVA. “On behalf of the entire
Academy, we congratulate this year’s Communicator Award Winners for
their passion and dedication. We are humbled to be given the
opportunity to recognize such amazing work.”

The Communicator Awards is the leading international creative awards
program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals.
The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International
Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA). The IAVA is an invitation-only
member-based organization of leading professionals from various
disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and
the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current
membership represents an acclaimed group of media, advertising, and
marketing firms including: Time, Inc., Wired, Disney, Lockheed
Martin, Yahoo!, and more.

About National Family Mortgage
National Family Mortgage is an online
peer-to-peer lending company committed to offering consumers
alternatives to traditional and costlier forms of home financing.
National Family Mortgage has developed a safe and easy way for
families to structure real estate loans with their relatives –
thereby helping people arrange affordable loans, while reducing tax
issues, protecting relationships, and keeping money in the family.
With interest rates that are typically lower than rates charged by a
bank, National Family Mortgage allows consumers to take major steps
toward achieving their dreams with help from family, while saving
thousands of dollars.

National Family Mortgage Press Contact:
Jeanne Kleinberg
781.269.5478
Email Contact

http://www.twitter.com/FamilyMortgage

SOURCE: National Family Mortgage, LLC

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=ABA6BAB9CE7AE097

http://www.twitter.com/FamilyMortgage

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Financial Glossary

Words used in this article:

The SAFA leadership, which includes president Kirsten
Nematandani, vice-presidents Mandla Mazibuko, Dr Danny Jordaan, Dr Irvin
Khoza, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, Alpha Mchunu and CEO Dr Robin Petersen -
released a statement condemning the recent claims in the media.

We are united in our condemnation of these reports, said Nematandani in the statement.

They seek to create divisions where there are none, and to
falsely create an impression that SAFA LOC (Local Organising Committee)
board members will profit from the hosting of AFCON 2013.

We have undertaken to investigate both the purported facts of
these reports, as well as the source of the leaks that have led to
these. Strong action will be taken against anyone who is found to have
been a part of these malicious leaks and allegations.

The probe will also scrutinise reports that indicated there are plans afoot to depose Nematandani as president.

Bainbridge Main Street has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.

Each year, the National Trust and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four-Point Approach methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center.

“Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the recession head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by Bainbridge Main Street which works in partnership with the National Trust Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 performance standards.

These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization.

Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings.

Bainbridge Main Street has received national accreditation for the past ten consecutive years.