3-year-old timeline: tantrum tamers

Your 3-year-old now
She's 3, but still having tantrums. Although she's older, when she's upset she's every bit as emotionally primitive as she was as a toddler. (And, brace yourself — it's not unusual for occasional tantrums to pop up through the fours and beyond.) When your child is in full-meltdown mode, don't try to reason with her, no matter how advanced her language skills are. Stay calm, even detached. Raised voices and anger only escalate the situation. If you can, ignore her. If you're in public, try to remove her to your car or some other more private, less overwhelming place.

In one important way, handling a tantrum with a 3-year-old is different: Giving in is especially risky at this age because it sets a dangerous precedent — your child is able to remember that pitching a fit can work. For instance, she screams because she doesn't want to pick up her toys so you let it slide, or she flails when she can't have candy in the checkout aisle, so you give in "just this once" to hush her up. If you cave, you teach her that screaming works and that all limits are flexible — probably not the kind of discipline messages you're aiming for.

A great prevention technique: Reward your child when you see her handling frustration or disappointment in a mature way. "Wow, I like how you didn't fuss one bit when I asked you to help pick up the toys on the floor before going outside."


Your life now
Make reading interactive and your child will get even more out of the experience (and you'll ward off the boredom of reading the same story 900 times). Ask questions about the pictures to reinforce numbers, colors, and other skills: "Can you count the monkeys? ... What does a puppy say? ... Where's the red house?" Let your preschooler predict what will happen on the next page. Insert her name in place of the main character's.

source www.parentcenter.babycenter.com

Why so serious?

The follow-up to the action hit "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime.

With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") stars as arch-villain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast in the role of Rachel Dawes. Returning from "Batman Begins" are Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Oscar winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") as Lucius Fox.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, "The Dark Knight." Nolan directed the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan are the producers, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers. "The Dark Knight" is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

source www.movieweb.com

3-year-old timeline: Name Writing

Your 3-year-old now
It's exciting when your child's scribbles begin to look more like real letters. Some threes even start writing their name, or a few letters of it. But writing is one of those developmental milestones that varies greatly from child to child. Don't stress out if your child isn't even interested in writing.

A lot depends on fine motor development. Your child may have a clear dominant hand by now (or it may not be clear for another year or so). But it's still hard to control a pencil to make letters with diagonal lines (M, N, K). Other letters may not look quite right either. The lines might not connect at the right place, or letters like E may have too many horizontal lines. What kids should be able to do at this age is copy a circle and make an "x."

Regardless of where your child is on the spectrum, encourage his writing by keeping paper, fat pencils, fat crayons, and chalk within easy reach. Another way to pique interest: Pour sand, salt, or sugar onto a tray and show him how to trace letters with a finger.

Your life now
Some clever bedtime resisters prolong the routine by asking you to kiss not only them, but an ever-increasing cast of stuffed animals. If your child tries luring you into a 20-minute kissing party, put your foot down. What seems fun at first will get tiresome fast. Say, "You have too many animals for me to kiss. Let's pick three, and then I'll blow a big kiss to all the rest when I walk out the door."

Source http://www.parentcenter.babycenter.com/

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth
Opened July 11, 2008
Runtime:1 hr. 32 min.

Intense adventure action and some scary moments. On a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother, a scientist, his nephew and their mountain guide discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

During a scientific expedition in Iceland, visionary scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and their beautiful local guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), are unexpectedly trapped in a cave from which their only escape is to go deeper and deeper into the depths of the Earth.

Traveling through never-before-seen worlds, the trio comes face-to-face with surreal and unimaginable creatures--including man-eating plants, giant flying piranha, glow birds and terrifying dinosaurs from days past.

The adventurers soon realize that as volcanic activity increases around them, they must find a way back to the Earth's surface before it is too late.

Take the Journey in RealD 3D – RealD 3D is the world’s leading 3D cinema experience. It’s all digital, so the visuals will blow you away! Check out the RealD 3D theater near you.

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Anita Briem, Josh Hutcherson Director: Eric Brevig Genres: Fantasy Adventure, Prehistoric Fantasy, Adventure, Fantasy

Source : fandango.com, imdb.com

No history of commodity computer clusters would be complete without noting the pivotal role played by the development of Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) software in 1989. This open source software based on TCP/IP communications enabled the instant creation of a virtual supercomputer -- a high performance compute cluster -- made out of any TCP/IP connected systems. Free form heterogeneous clusters built on top of this model rapidly achieved total throughput in FLOPS that greatly exceeded that available even with the most expensive "big iron" supercomputers.

PVM and the advent of inexpensive networked PCs led, in 1993, to a NASA project to build supercomputers out of commodity clusters. In 1995 the invention of the "beowulf"-style cluster -- a compute cluster built on top of a commodity network for the specific purpose of "being a supercomputer" capable of performing tightly coupled parallel HPC computations. This in turn spurred the independent development of Grid computing as a named entity, although Grid-style clustering had been around at least as long as the Unix operating system and the Arpanet, whether or not it, or the clusters that used it, were named.

Kiat Utama Tatalaksana Asma Anak ( Bag 2 - habis)

sambungan ...

Orang tua pasien seringkali melaporkan eratnya kaitan makanan tertentu dengan timbul atau memburuknya gejala asma pada anaknya. Selain zat makanannya itu sendiri bisa menjadi pencetus, suhu dingin dari makanan/minumannya juga dapat menjadi pencetus. Misalnya air putih tidak dingin tidak menjadi faktor pencetus, tapi air putih dingin dapat menjadi pencetus.

• Es, makanan-minuman dingin, termasuk air dingin, buah dingin
• Permen, dengan segala variasinya
• Coklat, dalam segala macam bentuknya: susu coklat, kue coklat, wafer, misis, selai, dan semua makanan/minuman yang mengandung coklat
• Vetsin, semua makanan bervetsin: snack gurih, fried chicken, mie instant, nugget, sosis, dan lain-lain
• Kacang tanah, dalam segala macam bentuknya: selai, biskuit, somay, sate, pecal, gado-gado, ketoprak
• Gorengan, terutama yang menggunakan minyak goreng bekas
• Buah tertentu, anggur, tomat, klengkeng, rambutan
• Zat pewarna, zat pengawet. Makanan anak-anak seringkali dibuat dalam warna warni mencolok untuk menarik perhatian. Seringkali pewarna atau pengawet dalam makanan menjadi faktor pencetus.

Faktor pencetus serbaneka adalah yang di luar dua kelompok sebelumnya.

• Infeksi respiratori akut (IRA), berupa salesma atau common cold yang sering keliru disebut dengan flu. IRA sebagian besar disebabkan oleh virus, sehingga sebagian besar IRA tidak memerlukan antibiotik. IRA senidiri dapat dimanifestasi sebagai batuk &/ pilek, sebagaimana asma (batuk alergi) dan rintis alergika (pilek alergi). Namun karena infeksi virus bersifat self limiting, biasanya paling lama 1 minggu batuk-pilek karena IRA akan menghilang. Jika lewat seminggu, apalagi jika lebih dari 2 minggu batuk/pileknya masih berlangsung, sangat mungkin asma/rintis alergikanya sudah tercetus oleh IRA.
• Aktivitas fisis (exercise), termasuk di dalamnya berlarian, teriak-teriak, menangis, tertawa berlebihan
• Kelelahan/stress, baik jasmani (fisis) maupun rohani (psikis), emosi berlebihan (sedih, marah, gembira)
• Hawa dingin, suhu dini hari/pagi hari, termasuk suhu AC yang terlalu dingin
• Perubahan musim/cuaca/suhu: kemarau-penghujan, panas-dingin

Faktor pencetus ini bersifat individual, dalam arti belum tentu sama untuk tiap pasien. Oleh karena itu pasien/orang tuanya, perlu apa saja yang berperan sebagai faktor pencetus. Yang perlu mendapat perhatian juga, biasanya faktor pencetus ini tidak berperan tunggal, namun kombinasi dari berbagai faktor pencetus, sehingga bersifat kumulatif.

Sebagaimana halnya keadaan tubuh kita mengalami fluktuasi irama (bioritmik), sifat alergi seseorang juga mengalami irama naik turun. JIka sifat alerginya sedang 'tenang', pasien tidak terlalu sensitif, dan sampai batas tertentu masih dapat mentoleransi faktor pencetus. Tapi jika sedang 'kumat', dengan pencetus tunggal yang sederhana saja dapat timbul gejala penyakitnya.

Jadi sekali lagi kiat utama tatalaksana asma anak adalah penghindaran, bukan obat saja. Penghindaran pencetus in memang mudah untuk dikatakan, tapi sangat sulit pelaksanaannya. Namun dalam penanggulangan asma anak hal ini tidak dapat ditawar-tawar. Seberapa banyak atau betapapun canggihnya obat asma, jika penghindaran faktor pencetus in tidak dilaksanakan, dapat dijamin asmanya tidak akan terkendali (batuk tetap ada/timbul lagi).

Bekasi, 2 Mei 2008
Dr. Darmawan Budi Setyanto, SpA(K)
Spesialis Anak Konsultan Respirologi
Fak. Kedokteran UI
Pusat Asma Anak SUDDHAPRANA RSCM

Kiat Utama Tatalaksana Asma Anak ( Bag 1)

Asma merupakan penyakit kronik (menahun) pada anak yang paling sering dijumpai. Berbeda dengan asma pada orang dewasa yang gejalanya sesak disertai bunyi ngik-ngik, pada anak seringkali gejalanya berupa batuk yang 'bandel'. Dasar penyakit ini adalah faktor alergi yang bergejala di saluran napas. Penyakit ini tidak bisa disembuhkan dalm arti dihilangkan sama sekali dari seorang pasien, namun penyakit ini dapat dikendalikan. Jika terkendali, gejalanya tidak ada, sehingga praktis 'sembuh'. Dalam mengendalikan asma kiat utamanya adalah penghindaran, penghindaran dan sekali lagi penghindaran faktor pencetus. Faktor pencetus adalah hal/keadaan yang bisa menyebabkan gejala asma yang tadinya tidak ada menjadi timbul, atau gejala tidak kunjung membaik, atau yang gejala awalnya ringan menjadi lebih berat.

Hal ini seringkali tidak dipahami oleh pasien/keluarganya. Banyak orang mengira dengan pemberian obat, asma dapat disembuhkan bahkan dihilangkan sama sekali. Keadaan ini yang sering membuat orang tua pasien menjadi frustasi, karena umumnya mereka sudah berkeliling ke banyak dokter, diberi berbagai macam obat, tapi batuk sebagai gejala utama asma tidak kunjung reda/hilang. Ataupun jika membaik sebentar kemudian gejalanya timbul lagi.

Bila digali sedikit lebih dalam, biasanya peran faktor pencetus in belum mendapat perhatian, dan tentunya belum dihindari. Padahal penghindaran faktor pencetus ini merupakan kiat utama dalam tata laksana asma. Pada kebanyakan kasus, dengan penghindaran yang adekuat, asmanya dapat dikendalikan, bahkan bisa tanpa obat. Bila sesekali timbul gejala asma karena faktor pencetus yang tidak terhindarkan, baru diperlukan pemberian obat asma.

Faktor pencetus in biasanya merupakan hal-hal yang lazim dijumpai dalam kehidupan sehari-hari seorang anak. Faktor pencetus ini dapat dibagi menurut beberapa pengelompokan, namun secara praktis dapat dibagi tiga kelompok, yaitu:

• Lingkungan
  
• Makanan
• Serbaneka

Faktor pencetus di >lingkungan ini biasanya berbentuk zat yang dapat terhirup melalui saluran respiratori/napas (aeroinhalan). Ini bisa dijumpai di dalam rumah (indoor), di lingkungan sekitar rumah, di lingkungan sekolah, maupun di lingkungan luar (outdoor pollution). Faktor pencetus hirupan ini antara lain:

• Debu rumah dan tungau debu rumah

Ini banyak terdapat dalam perabot rumah yang potensial menyimpan debu, apalagi bila jarang dibersihkan, misalnya:
- Karpet bulu, boneka bulu, sofa kain bulu
- Korden yang lama tidak dicuci (sebaiknya paling lama setiap 2minggu)
- Koran & majalah bekas, buku-buku tua

• Kapuk: kasur, bantal, guling boneka
• Asap, merupakan salah satu pencetus utama yang sering dijumpai
  - Rokok: termasuk merokok di halaman, teras, garasi, KM/WC, dapur, terlebih dalam rumah
  - Obat nyamuk (bakar, semprot, elektrik), asap hio/dupa
  - Dapur: kayu bakar, minyak tanah, gas
  - Kosmetik: hairspray, parfum, deodorant
  - Bakaran sampah, bakaran hutan
  - Polusi kendaraan, polusi pabrik

• Renovasi rumah: debu puing bangunan, debu semen, bahan kimia (cat, terpentin, dllI)
• Rontokan binatang (animal dander): rontokan bulu, serpihan kulit, air liur, dan kotoran binatang
  - Ayam, burung
  - Anjing, kucing, kelinci, hamster

• Industri rumah tangga (home industry): konveksi, percetakan, bengkel (cat, motor, las)
• Jamur bisa tumbuh subur di lingkungan kamar kita, misalnya
  - dalam AC yang jarang diservice
  - dinding kamar yang lembab
  - rumah yang lama tidak ditinggali

bersambung ...

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Believe it or not, he’s the good guy.

With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world’s toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.” Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (”Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy”).

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it’s up to the planet’s toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development–pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann–the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

source www.movieweb.com

The Incredible Hulk

“The Incredible Hulk” kicks off an all-new, explosive and action-packed epic of one of the most popular superheroes of all time. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk.

Living in the shadows–cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler)–Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power.

As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk’s creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth), whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk’s own. And on June 13, 2008, one scientist must make an agonizing final choice: accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or find heroism in the creature he holds inside–The Incredible Hulk.

source www.movieweb.com

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

Steven Spielberg says that the film will feature all of Jones’ former babes in various cameo roles including Karen Allen and other Indy girls who had smaller roles. It is still up in the air whether or not Kate Capshaw, Spielberg’s wife, will make an appearance. The film is set in the early ’50s.

source www.movieweb.com

Hancock

There are heroes. There are superheroes. And then there’s…

There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility - everyone knows that - everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough - as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet - and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he’s a lost cause.

source www.movieweb.com

Kung Fu Panda

Prepare for awesomeness.

Jack Black heads the voice cast as Po the Panda, the laziest of all the animals in the Valley of Peace. With powerful enemies at the gates, all hope has been pinned on an ancient prophesy that a hero will rise to save the day. But among all the martial arts masters who come forward, none has shown the mark of The Chosen One … until now. When Po unwittingly shows up in the midst of the competition, the masters are shocked to see that this unmotivated panda bears the mark. Now it is up to them to turn this gentle giant into a kung fu fighter before it’s too late.

Dustin Hoffman will voice the role of Shifu, the by-the-book and tough-as-nails Kung Fu master, who has been given the unenviable task of turning the undisciplined Po into a kung fu fighter.

Jackie Chan will lend his voice to Master Monkey, a strong, agile and dedicated kung fu warrior, who serves as a daily reminder to Po of everything he is not … yet.

Ian McShane (Deadwood) will be the voice of the villainous Tai Lung, a ferociously powerful snow leopard, who breaks out of prison, intent on using his kung fu skills to destroy the Valley of Peace.

Lucy Liu is in discussions to be the voice of Master Viper, another of Po’s teachers, who can be coy and feminine when she needs to be, but can then uncoil the lethal kung fu warrior within.

source www.movieweb.com

3-year-old timeline: Can-Do Kid

Your 3-year-old now
"Look at me! Mom, look at me!" your preschooler calls as she zooms down the slide — headfirst. Her growing bravery on the playground may make you wince sometimes, not that she notices. She loves showing off new skills. As well she should — she's enormously proud of them.

At 3, children walk on tiptoe, try to stand on one foot (and might even succeed for a few seconds), gallop and try to skip, and pedal a tricycle. To keep these gross motor skills developing, shoot for at least an hour of physical activity a day. Unstructured play offers plenty of practice running and jumping. More organized games like tag, hopscotch, and simple ball games build endurance and coordination. To work on balance, encourage your child to walk next to you along a curb or follow a line on the driveway. Obstacle courses set up inside or outside help children grasp spatial relations: "Climb over the chair. Now skip around the cone." Better yet, show her yourself — you can get some exercise, too.

Your life now
If your child has a beloved blankie or stuffed animal, you've probably had to retrieve it from afar more than once. Maybe it was left at Grandma's and you had to fetch it in the middle of the night. Or you had to ask a hotel to FedEx it across the country after leaving it behind. You might be wondering when the jig will be up.

Whatever you do — don't do anything! Children let go of security objects at different ages. Some may be ready when they start preschool; some like to carry theirs to preschool in their backpack and leave it in their cubby by day. Others continue to sleep with a special pal well into elementary school and beyond. Most children wean themselves eventually.

To avoid losing a lovey, if you haven't already, establish some rules about where the blankie or bear can and can't go. For 3-year-olds who once had unrestricted limits on where to bring a lovey, make new "big kid" rules. If it never leaves the house, it's a lot easier to find. Obviously, doctor's appointments and vacations are reasonable exceptions. (By 3, a child's chosen object is usually so well-loved and tattered it may be too late to try the ol' buy-a-replacement ruse.)

source www.parentcenter.babycenter.com

3-year-old timeline: Magical Thinking

Your 3-year-old now
Learning to distinguish between fantasy and reality is a gradual process. During this year, your child is at an interesting juncture. He still practices what developmental psychologists refer to as "magical thinking," assigning traits to objects or people that are impossible but seem logical to your child's early reasoning abilities.

So, your child might believe that a letter dropped in the mailbox immediately flies right to Grandpa's mailbox. He might think that tigers live in trees, that birds can talk to him, and that there really is a man on the moon. Sometimes things grownups say are taken literally because they sound plausible to your child: "The mosquitoes are eating us alive." "You're killing me!"

At the same time your child is, bit by bit, figuring out that certain flights of fancy probably are not real: His toy airplane doesn't really fly. The Wiggles don't live inside the TV. This process takes years — witness 8-year-old tooth fairy and Santa Claus believers. No rush: It's wonderful to retain a little bit of magical thinking right into adulthood.

Your life now
Do mealtimes ever feel tense because your child won't touch a bite on his plate? Most experts advise against forcing a child to eat anything. Food should be a source of pleasure and nourishment, not power struggles. Research suggests that coercive feeding practices can lead to weight problems or eating disorders later in life. The child learns to associate food with control. Wait until the next regular snack or meal and offer food again then; if he's hungry he'll eat — or he may not, and that's fine, too. Most experts say it's best not to start the habit of preparing special meals for a finicky eater. But neither should you punish him for not eating. Just let it go.

source www.parentcenter.babycenter.com

Top 10 Country in Internet Subscribers

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regularly conducts studies of 30 nations to measure broadband penetration. Broadband penetration refers to the number of broadband Internet subscribers compared to the overall population. The OECD usually breaks this down in a simple ratio: the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

­­­The OECD includes DSL, cable modem, fiber-optic and local area network (LAN) connections in its calculations. It doesn’t include dialup modem users, because those users don’t qualify as broadband subscribers.

According to the OECD, the top 10 most wired countries are:

• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Korea
• Norway
• Iceland
• Finland
• Sweden
• Canada
• Belgium

Each of these countries has at least 23 subscribers per 100 inhabitants — Denmark has 34.3. In comparison, the United States has 22.1 subscribers for every 100 inhabitants. Despite this relatively small discrepancy, the U.S. ranks 15th on OECD’s list.

So why is it that these countries have proportionally more broadband subscribers than the United States? There are several factors to consider:

• Population size: The United States has more than 300 million inhabitants. Denmark, the top-ranked country on the OECD’s list, has a population of 5.5 million. Out of the top 10 countries listed, Korea has the largest population (49 million) and Iceland has the smallest (301,931) [source: CIA].
• The size of the countries: The United States has an area of 9,826,630 square kilometers. Denmark has an area of 43,094 square kilometers. Out of all the countries on the top 10 list, only Canada is larger than the United States [source: CIA]. It’s more difficult and expensive to implement a broadband network in a larger country than a smaller one.
• The price of subscriptions: Out of the 30 countries the OECD examines in its studies, the United States ranked 18th in average monthly subscription price.
• National policies: The governments in the countries that make up the top 10 have a national broadband strategy. These countries consider broadband access a political priority and provide a framework for the Internet infrastructure. The United States does not have a comprehensive broadband strategy, leaving such decisions to corporations and utility companies [source: Foreign Affairs].

Source : howstuffworks