I’m sad to see more of my favorite magazines bite the dust. Cookie and Gourmet are the latest casualties of the magazine world. When Wondertime and Domino folded I said how much of a fan I was of print media despite recent trends. Although I work in online media, I do not want magazines or newspapers to disappear.  I know times have changed and we need to be mindful of the environmental impact of print media, I still think there is a value to it’s existence.

I find the personal connection with a physical magazine or newspaper more rewarding at times than reading the same article online. Call me old-fashioned? Magazines can be portable, shared and visually stunning in ways different than on my iPhone or a laptop.  I  still treasure my time curling up with my cup of tea at the end of the day—after I have been in front of a computer screen far too long—with a pile of magazines, flipping pages, folding corners of the pages I want to reread or tearing out pictures or recipes I want to save.

I hope during these lean times when businesses must find ways to cut costs out of necessity we find opportunities to make the online world and print media coexist without sacrificing one for the other. Maybe this will mean more specialized magazines, smaller print runs, more environmentally friendly printing. We’ll see…

In the meantime my latest issue of Vanity Fair arrived today so I have this to add to my pile of magzines on my bedside table for reading this evening.

By Katy Killilea

When Bo Obama humped the President’s leg, I knew we were ready for a pet. My six-year-old loves dogs so much, he practically is a dog—springy, gregarious, often rolling around on the ground, and not noticing when his long messy hair dips into the milky dregs in his cereal bowl. My eight-year-old loves stuffed animals so much, he designs and sews his own and treats each one with tender care, although at the bus stop he’s aloof, holes in jeans, practically spitting tobacco juice as he gives a small wave and climbs into his bus. I felt that in the case of my younger son, a dog might be a soul mate. And that for my older son, a pet might provide an outlet for his tenderness while he moves inexorably toward the publicly macho. Also, both boys had been begging for a dog for at least two years. I realized that if Michelle and Barack could do it, so could we. And so we got our puppy: Butter.

It feels like the right choice. Here are a few things I’m glad I knew in advance. They might seem like no-brainers, but all were news to me:

1. If your family gets a puppy, the adults can count on doing the walking, feeding, grooming, and poop handling. Kids might adhere to the responsibilities you give them, but the puppy of course will need more than sporadic care.

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Daylight Saving Time is March 8, 2009.

I find it helpful to set our clocks forward 1 hour before we go to bed tonight so when we wake up we know what time it is supposed to be. Read from our archives, Time to Spring Forward for helpful tips and activities about time.

Cool racing car clock from Olive Kids.

Request by Professor David Sobel

Research in the Causality and Mind Lab at Brown University

What are kids thinking?
(We’re trying to find out)

The Causality and Mind Lab at Brown University is running a series of research studies about young children’s understanding of pretending, cause and effect, and learning. We are looking for children between the ages of 3 and 6 to visit our lab on the Brown campus and play some games with our friendly and experienced staff. Testing usually consists of one session that takes between 20 and 30 minutes

Testing is ongoing, and we can work with your schedule.

If you’d like your child to have a fun and interesting experience, and to contribute to the study of child development, please call (401)-863-3527 or e-mail causalitylab@brown.edu
____________________________________________

All research is designed and overseen by Professor David Sobel:
phone: (401) 863-3038
e-mail: Dave_Sobel@brown.edu
http://titan.cog.brown.edu/~sobel