Becoming A Bully Magnet Claudia Kalb |FROM Newsweek

"Every parent wants to know the secret to school happiness: why is one kid well liked while another gets picked on? There's no recipe for social success among first graders. But a new study published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry reveals some intriguing clues about why certain children land in the dreaded world of what science calls "peer victimization." One key finding: they're more likely to be aggressive early on in life. That may sound counterintuitive, but it's not surprising to experts in the field, who have known for some time that there's a link between being aggressive and being tormented, which can lead to a host of emotional and social problems. When volatile and angry children act out on their frustrations—smashing a toy after someone takes their ball away—they aren't exactly beloved by their peers. "They're easy marks," says Kenneth Dodge, a psychology professor at Duke University. 'You know you can get a rise out of them, you can push their buttons.'"

A Penny Saved is a Penny Spent

As talk of recession and belt-tightening makes headlines, I wonder where and how I lost my grandfather's sense of thrift. Like many young professionals (I'm 36), I embraced the lessons of my seniors about hard work. Yet my generation racks up debt the way our grandparents used to squirrel away pennies. A study by the Journal of Consumer Research to be released next month, titled "Tightwads and Spendthrifts," finds that people ages 18 to 40 are most likely to say they're spending beyond their comfort range. While my grandfather refused to take out a mortgage, I bought my first two-bedroom condo (in a marginal neighborhood) for $450,000 two years ago with 5 percent down and an interest-only loan for the next seven years (note to boss: please don't ever fire me). Though mired in debt, I still manage to sleep most nights. "Your generation has a completely different attitude about going into debt," says George Loewenstein, professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, who says the availability of cheaper goods, as well as Internet shopping and longer store hours, make it far easier to waste money. "It used to be that the simple opening and closing of store doors exerted some control on spending. That's all gone now," he says.

Boys, 4, cuffed for refusing nap FROM Ananova

Parents of two four-year-old boys in New York are suing officials after their sons were allegedly handcuffed for refusing to take a nap.

Lawyer Scott Agulnick says a substitute teacher took Jaden Diaz and Christopher Brito to an empty classroom.

Then, a school safety officer allegedly entered the room, cuffed the boys' wrists - and told them they would never see their parents again.

77 Police Officers Hurt in Paris Riots by NICOLAS GARRIGA from the Associated Press

Rampaging youths rioted overnight in Paris' suburbs, hurling Molotov
cocktails and setting fire to dozens of cars. At least 77 officers
were injured and officers were fired at, a senior police union
official said Tuesday. The violence was more intense than during three
weeks of rioting in 2005, said the official, Patrice Ribeiro. Police
were shot at and are facing 'genuine urban guerillas with conventional
weapons and hunting weapons,' Ribeiro said. ... The riots were
triggered by the deaths of two teens killed in a crash with a police
patrol car on Sunday in Villiers-le-Bel, a town of public housing
blocks home to a mix of Arab, black and white residents in Paris'
northern suburbs. (11/27/07)

http://tinyurl.com/23d2qn

Kids LOL @ Navy recruiters In These Timesby Aaron Sarver

FROM Kids LOL @ Navy recruiters In These Times by Aaron Sarver

"Teenagers, be warned: Military recruiters have armed themselves with 'Wat up, dude?' and 'nmu' in their effort to lure you to Iraq. (For those who lack daily interaction with teens, 'nmu' means 'Not much.You?') As headlines reveal that the military is lowering standards to meet its recruiting goals, the Pentagon is trying new techniques to connect with Millennials -- those born between 1980 and 2000, formerly known as Generation Y." (11/23/07)

The same article cites a report that says children have the following characteristics:

• Many of their experiences have been secondhand.
• A sizable part of their life has been spent in a virtual world rather than in the real world.
• The television/computer screen has always acted as a ‘screen’ that has kept them away from many direct real world interactions.
• Their ‘B.S.’ barometer is very high.
• Status and authority will not impress them, bureaucracy and red tape will frustrate them and a patronizing attitude will drive them crazy.
• Perhaps they’ll even expect their parents to “rescue” them.
• They are used to instant gratification and praise.