Do the toys girls play with shape their job prospects later in life? British education minister, Elizabeth Truss, thinks so. If we steer girls away from stereotypical "boy toys," are we inadvertently steering them away from possible careers in engineering and science?
According to an article in the BBC, those fields are still heavily dominated by men—at over 80 percent—while the vast majority of those in caring and administrative positions are women.
"Boys' toys tend to contain didactic information, with technical instructions and fitting things together with Lego and Meccano, whereas girls' toys tend to be around imaginative and creative play, which develop different skills," said Professor of Education at Roehampton University, Becky Francis.
I can vouch for that. As a discerning shopper and mom to a boy, I'm sometimes put off. Even toys that shouldn't be gender-specific, like pet care and cooking kits, tend to be wrapped up in pink ribbons, with overtly girly packaging.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Sobeys Inc. have recalled the Compliments brand of stir-fry vegetables due to potential Listeria contamination in 340g (12oz) bags with a best before date of January 21, 2014 (UPC code 0 68820 10648 7).
Though no illnesses have been reported in relation to the product, which was sold in Ontario, the CFIA is carrying out further testing and may expand the recall.
Customers are advised not to consume the vegetables, and to immediately throw out the affected product or return it to the nearest Sobeys.
Please note that food contaminated with Listeria may smell and look fine, but can make you ill—with symptoms including: vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache, and neck stiffness.
The infection is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, and can prove fatal.
In pregnant women, Listeria can cause an infection in the newborn, premature delivery, and even stillbirth.
Click here for further updates.
The 9/11 Memorial Museum is slated to finally open in May. Already, controversy is breathing down its doors. Although relatives of victims and 'front line' workers during the World Trade Centre terrorist attacks will gain free admission, everyone else will have to pay $24 to pay their respects to the fallen of 11 September, 2001.
According to an article in the LA Times, the museum will feature some 10,300 artifacts, including portraits of the attack's "nearly 3,000 victims," a burned-out ambulance, and firefighter helmets of those who fought (and sometimes lost) to save those trapped in the Twin Tower wreckage.
Directors claim the admission is justified to meet the running costs of the museum, while others feel it is insulting to charge for entry to what is essentially a shrine.
Tickets to Broadway productions like the The Lion King can run anywhere upward of $100, argue organizers, who maintain the admission is reasonably priced.
Some have blamed exorbitant salaries paid to the board of directors as the reason driving the proposed entrance fees. The museum receives no federal funding toward its $63 million operating costs.
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