by Janelle Weiner
-USA-

One of my favorite mothering “manuals” is a book called “So That’s What They’re For: Breastfeeding Basics.” I was raised in a culture that prefers to see a baby with a bottle over a baby at the breast, where women who breastfeed in public are sometimes labeled “lactivists,” and where the boob is rated R for sexual content rather than E for every baby. So when I was pregnant with my first child, this book, with its semi-corny title, introduced me to an area of my body that was biologically mine but whose function was shrouded in mystery – or, under a blanket.

I decided to breastfeed my baby because my mother breastfed my two sisters and me. But without the 275 pages of information and encouragement in “So That’s What They’re For,” and the help of the midwives at the “Baby Friendly” Cambridge Birth Center, where my first son was born, initiating and sticking with nursing would have been a lot more difficult. Over 20,000 hospitals worldwide have earned a “Baby Friendly” designation because of their supportive breastfeeding policies. Only 94 of them are in the U.S.A.

by Janelle Weiner
- USA -

In the Galapagos germs hitchhike with eager travelers, threatening the survival of native species. Camera flashes, voices, and human touch have cracked ancient Egyptian pyramid walls. The very breath of people viewing the Lascaux cave paintings in France has been blamed for causing humidity to rise and fungus to spread.

Fragile ecosystems and ancient archaeological wonders are the most obvious and unintended victims of tourism. But with the United Nations World Travel Organization expecting the number of international travelers to reach 1.6 billion by 2020, urban tourist destinations around the globe are also under threat.

by Janelle Weiner
- USA -

As school districts across the United States brace for midyear budget cuts, nervous teachers are whispering about the layoffs that could follow. In this bleak economic climate, where one state’s proposal calls for eliminating $10.6 billion in education spending, teachers are hesitant to ask administrators for classroom extras or even necessities.

Teachers often reach into their own wallets to bridge the gap.

by Janelle Weiner
USA

Women in the US make a lot of choices before their babies are born, from which foods to eat, to which birth preparation class to take, to how to decorate the nursery. For most, however, there’s no question where their babies will be born: a “bun in the oven” means feet in the stirrups for a delivery in the hospital - accepted as the safe, modern location for giving birth.

But studies show that giving birth at home can be just as safe and can even lead to more positive outcomes for both mother and child.

by Janelle Weiner
- USA -

Johnny realized late in his high school career he needed to make a change or face the fate of not graduating with his class. After cutting school regularly his first two years, he decided he didn’t want to struggle like his mother and father, both of whom never graduated.

Once he made that decision, his behavior changed.

“I started coming to school a lot and not getting into fights,” he said. “Stayed away from the bad behavior and drugs.” Johnny’s turnaround is exactly what every teacher and administrator in the Sacramento public school Johnny attends wants to see.

However, Johnny has a major hurdle remaining: the California High School Exit Exam. (CAHSEE). He has failed it four times.