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The European Union is about to ban social media platforms from accessing children under age 13. This is how Ursula Van Leyen puts it - it is not about children accessing social media, it is about social media platforms accessing our children, says Leyen. She will announce this in her address to the European Union in September. A new report by a psychologist Fegert and an epidemiologist Melchior comes to the conclusion that social media is harmful for children, not just under 13 years, restrictions should be placed on 13 to 18 year olds also to prevent infinite scrolling and other addictive features. Australia has announced a ban setting the age at 16 years. Britain is tightening its ban. France is planning to ban setting the age at 16. The following countries are about to do this- Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, India, Indonesia and Malaysia. When the EU announces a ban it will apply to all of Europe. In the US Florida passed a ban setting age at 14 years. Across Europe children spend 4 to 6 hours on social media a day and for 60% of children it is having harmful effects on emotional health and creating psychosocial problems for children. It also affects the education, the reading comprehension of children as less books are read, and a whole new generation of children is growing up in a way that was never before seen in the Modern period where books and reading were a key aspect of modern society for the last 200 years. ...

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Sandra Boynton is unique in children's books because of her avoidance of what she calls the "cutesy tedium and arrogant condescension" of children's books and children's music. She is simple but can adapt difficult words or ideas to sound simple. She has also avoided television because she says TV outlets merely want the rights and a children's product that makes it to a hit that will then turn up on hit toys, you know the commercial kind, and backpacks, then lunchboxes!

She lives in the foothills of the Berkshires mountains with the farm to table food, outdoor activities and fall foliage, and is married to Jamie McEwan, Olympic medal winning canoeist.

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Beverly Cleary grew up in Portland, Oregon in the 1930's and 40's . At the time she met children at libraries who kept asking her what about books about "kids like us." Most of the books in the Pacific Northwest were simply books about British children at that time. Clearly took up the task of writing books about real life children in America.

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About 19% or one in five do not have access to books at home in Britain, new research shows. A recent report shows 51% of parents find books just too expensive. The National Literacy Trust Report shows 64% of parents say the amount of money they have to spend on books has decreased. The findings are alarming as 1 in 13 children do not read at all, and only half of the children read daily.  This has serious repercussions on children's futures- in school, in college and in the job market. Reading habits develop with access to books at home and at libraries. Owning books encourages children to develop reading habits. The very basis of the fair societies and democracy of the UK, US and Europe is the access to books and reading for all parts of society and people at all income levels. Without this democracy cannot be sustained as the population is less and less literate and unable to preserve and protect its freedoms or misled by political leaders. The current threats to freedom Mr Biden has pointed out at Independence Hall in Philadelphia arise from this neglect that opened up with the neglect of manufacturing communities in the US and Europe which gradually eroded incomes and access to the goods and services that were opened up through the improvements of the last half of the 20th century. And improvements then lost in the "free markets" period of the last three decades that shifted manufacturing and jobs overseas, and reduced incomes of ordinary people.  ...

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Reading a physical book is better than seeing some on on You Tube reading a book- this becomes a problem with You Tube targeting schools and school children with its Chromebooks in American schools. You Tube has become prevalent in American classroom and its marketing works closely with parents and teachers. Problems are that children can end up spending too much time watching You Tube, neglecting reading and home work. Watching a person read on You Tube gives verylittle of the benefits from reading a book oneself. The practice of reading is an important skill and can be developed only by reading and reading a physical book. Attention spans become shorter when watching You Tubes and more You Tubes. Sweden has studied the problem of using screens with teachers, education experts and curriculum experts and is now moving all its classrooms from screens to binders that include exercize books for children to write in. Writing is similar only when takes up a pen and paper can one write and write more till one gets better at it. Sweden should be closely followed and the US should start using a similar approach to fight the lack of reading comprehension skills in American schoolchildren as part of the Movement for Global Literacy of lyrarc.com. ...

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What a kitchen looks like, what a kitchen renovation looks like with a budget of $1 million - or similar in simple style, no bells and whistles, could be done for less than $100,000. A kitchen one could use with small children or grandchildren out in the garden, as this one is for a Danish owner of a house on Lake Zug in Switzerland.

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Reading of childrens books to expand horizons and adults role in building a love of reading in children at a young age.

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The new Social Studies, Civics and English Reading curriculum for K-12 in Texas Schools looks at a broader approach to reading of classics which have been largely bypassed in an erroneous approach to reading focused on whatever is in contemporary trends. The current approach is leading to a generation of children who do not know much about the Nation's history and culture and form of government, about the English language and its prominent American authors. One draft includes books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle for kindergartners, “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle for seventh graders and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech for eighth graders. Frederick Douglas and Langston Hughes are also included. It also has passages from the Bible, including a meditation on Love from First Corinthians.  All this is happening as the Nation has a new Test alternative to ACT and SAT called the CLT Classical Learning Test which provides longer reading passages from English and American Literature and history, science, technology, world knowledge, far better than ACT or SAT. ...

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Reading the AI summary of this simplistic editorial- taking the first 50 of the 258 comments as a sample shows about 95% of the Comments are strongly critical of social media companies, and support a ban on social media for under 16 year olds, for the safety and education of children. Most consider this Editorial as poorly written, simplistic and many say it could have been written by the social media companies.  They question the motives as Amazon founder is owner of the Washington Post. A look at the AI Summary of the Comments itself show why AI is good for routine tasks processes where no intelligent thinking is involved. On something involving risks to children, risks to society, AI is the wrong tool and can lead to disastrous decisions as it cannot understand the dangers and what is being discussed, its implications for children and education. It serves as an eye opener of why AI should only be used very carefully because of serious risks when used in an indiscriminate manner. The list of countries in Europe pursuing the bans show Canada following Australia and Britain, France, Greece and Spain, a big part of Europe imposing social media bans for under 16's. Indonesia, Brazil and China itself (by limiting its use with strict controls possible in a society like China's) are also doing the same. These countries have not arrived at this conclusion without months and years of discussion- none of this is even considered in this editorial by Washington Post Editorial Board. Another factor that is not put to the forefront is that over time the advantages of the US and Europe in education are being eroded because social media takes time out of education and study so that it handicaps US and European societies which leads to gradual decline. On the 250th Anniversary everything the founders did, and the vision of the founders for America is put at risk by not educating the next generation of Americans in the best possible way, and this means sticking to binders and books, pen and paper for schools not even using electronic means such as iPads or laptops. This is the view of one of the most carefully thought out education centers in the world. For years Sweden across all segments of society and experts in different fields studied the poor performance in reading comprehension, writing and other educational skills from the use of screens instead of pen and paper. Sweden now is implementing a program that is removing all screens in schools and replacing it with binders that have pen and paper and book lists, and hard copy books in libraries to read holding them in ones hands as has been done for centuries of western civilization. Forget about social media screens one of the smartest countries on the planet is thoughtfully getting out of screens altogether. Lyrarc.com has covered this Swedish example. Sweden is fighting back. European societies are fighting back  one by one. And the US to be great again and not to fall into decline the way it has in world trade- that was misunderstood by sticking to what economists told different administrations which turned out to be wrong- should be careful every step of the way and study diligently what other countries in Europe and Asia are doing, not to fall behind. ...

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How to best integrate iPad reading to children with reading paper books to children and libraries is an effort that is still being developed.

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Ian Jack asks if Johnson's Conservative party can deliver for Britain, can deliver for women, can deliver for climate change, can deliver for health, education and infrastructure, can deliver dignity for workers, deliver for families and children, by looking at the roots of one of its leaders. He looks at Jacob-Rees Mogg and how he sees himself in the bewildering mix of English social classes in St Pancras neighborhood of London where he comes from.

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Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot ask if Johnson's Conservative party can deliver for Britain, can deliver for women, can deliver for climate change, can deliver for health, education and infrastructure, can deliver for workers dignity, can deliver for families and children, by looking at one of its leaders. He looks at the polished image of Rishi Sunak after his Stanford days. This Guardian report says Treasury insiders see this Tory leader with respect rather than warmth, with some saying that the smooth veneer or polished tech-bro image is hard to penetrate. In a separate piece Ian Jack looks at Jacob Rees-Mogg in The Guardian in January 2022. This comes as Johnson's leadership is challenged because of Christmas partying at a time when the Queen was alone in Westminster Abbey mourning for Prince Philip to follow Covid-19 protocol. What kind of leadership Britain needs for the future after the pandemic is the question put forward by these writers in The Guardian. ...

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BBC says "tech's seedy side exposed" by Musk- Altman trial 2026. Let's face it there is a seedy side, and a much less benevolent side to Tech than it likes to show. The overspending on AI is a sign of misplaced priorities when so much of US infrastructure is dilapidated, much of it from before 1945, that badly needs to be rebuilt. Much of the promise of hardware from Tech that would change education is a failure so much so that Sweden is shifting on a nationwide effort in its schools to a program - "from screens to binders" that gives children binders with notebooks to write in and books to read, removing screens altogether, and for good reasons of the educators of Sweden. Tech in its grandiose style pretends it is about the technological revolution when it is simply the companies Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, three of which are from the last 15 years. The technological revolution and the scientific revolution date back to Copernicus and Newton and the hundreds, thousands of scientists and pioneers of the industrial revolution of the last 250 years, and the men of vision and wisdom that gave us the British and American Constitution, the principles of self-government of civilized societies. ...

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Yale's internal report on its failure on price, value and political polarization.  “In its report, the committee calls on Yale to reflect on and take responsibility for our role in the erosion of public trust.” Maurie McInnis, Yale president  wrote- “I accept this judgment fully.” The report cites one fault as tilting admissions in one direction- to the children of the rich and connected. Report has 20 recommendations including removing the tilt to legacies, varsity athletes, children of faculty, staff, donors. This is not the institution or institutions of higher education that promote the social mobility that happened under FDR and throughout the 20th century to create what emerged as a society that made it possible for people of all incomes to rise. This is also what Marco Rubio has made his main complaint in his book -Decades of Decadence How our Spoiled Elites Blew America's Inheritance of Liberty, Security, and Prosperity. How a immigrant family from Cuba was able to raise a child (Rubio) with a decent income from factory work making steel chairs in a Florida factory and give him a good education.  Something Rubio says is no longer possible today. Much of this factory base was shifted to China under the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, and no longer exists. In its place is a financial services business that does nothing for workers and ordinary Americans and a business culture that puts costs further and further away and out of reach for education in the nation's universities and colleges. ...

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Good advice for parents from a children's books author, Mo Willems. Its ok to be fumbling, its ok not to know, we are human. Its all about being a better human oneself, everything follows from that.  Its ok to tell your children you don't know how to discuss the pandemic.

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The Indian Express looks at the impact on children for learning and education of the coronavirus pandemic. More children in areas that have lagged behind economically are unable to read in second grade. In some states the number of children who are not able to read second grade text has more than doubled. This can be seen across other grades.

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DW.com on what international students from India or China pay at EU universities-  44000 euros in UK vs 4000 euros or less in Germany and France. For Chinese or Indian students Germany and France offer education for bachelor and masters degress that is attractively priced even at the higher prices being now set by the government. In the past Chinese students in France were able to get Masters degrees at very little cost. Germany is looking at the higher prices as a way to increase the salaries of teaching staff and professors whose salaries lag far behind the salaries in the US and other countries. For China and India no aid program is as vital for their economies and industrial development as the access the EU provides to its universities and educational system at a fraction of the real cost. Today German universities are attracting large numbers of Indian students from middle class families where the parents life goals are to get their children into European universities. American universities cost significantly more today as American bachelors and masters degree can cost upwards of 50,000 euros a year. Even local students in the US pay between $30,000 and $100,000 a year making bachelors and masters degrees no longer affordable for much of the American middle class and leaves working class parents children totally out of the universities system. One immigrant is from Cuba- Marco Rubio of Florida, now Foreign Minister of the US. He describes in his book - "Decades of Decadence How America's Spoiled Elites Blew Up Inheritance of Liberty, Security and Prosperity"- an average factory job in Florida in the seventies enabled his parents to send him to college, which he says is no longer possible for immigrants to the US today, and no longer possible for working class parents in general. For this reason Germany and France have to be commended for their generous policies towards Chinese and Indian students. Increases in the university prices in Germany and France to 4000 euros a year for international students makes a lot of sense when British universities charge about 44000 euros a year. ...

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Poland's collapsing birth rate at 1.0 compared 1.62 in France another Catholic country, and Spain's 1.1, Germany's 1.3- 2.1 is the replacement rate per woman. This has profound consequences for Poland. The future workforce will be 20% smaller compared to 4% smaller in France in 2 decades. Many schools will close in rural areas which are hit hard. There are more deaths than births in many small towns. At this rate 1.7 million homes will become vacant in 2 decades.This report looks at Warsaw as well as rural areas near Belarus where the war has created much anxiety. The population of Poland will shrink from 36 million to 31 million over three decades if these trends continue. By 2000 the birhtrate dropped from 2.1 to 1.3 and the government introduced payments of 190 euros per child per month and expanded the childcare system. But this has not helped as the rate dropped to 1.03 in 2025. Under the Communist system industries were located in small towns and men stayed there while women moved to cities leading to a mismathch for men and women. The economic boom that doubled per capita income led to less interest in having children. The economy was supported by long hours of work which led to less interest in bearing children for women. Other reasons are a lack of interest in sharing and making the effort, the cost of raising children in a hyper competitive society like South Korea where births are at 0.7. ...

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McGurn looks at a time when population growth was seen as an existential threat in China. China's population declined by 850,000 in 2022. An accompanying article in the NYT by Hawon Jung describes the views of South Korean women, which also reflect views of Chinese and Japanese women, about the uneven burdens of raising children between men and women, the discrimination against married women with young children in the workplace, the other challenges women face that have led to a marraige strike.

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The Guardian looks at the catastrophe in the aftermath of flooding in the form of waterborne diseases that affect 33 million people in Pakistan. The worst hit parts are in Sindh province. A separate report says 16 million children are affected in 2022.

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This story in The Guardian looks at volunteer schools in Kashmir, India, as school children take classes in open meadows. Volunteer teachers are working to keep Kashmiri children in open air makeshift community classes in fields, pine forests and orchards,  so that some form of continuity in schooling can be maintained during the coronavirus. One volunteer teacher works with 100 children, And children have to cross rising rivers over wooden bridges in the rainy season, coming over long distances. Many families do not own a smartphone which cost Rs. 10,000 to %s. 15,000 to take internet classes. The government offers video classes on television and radio classes for older children in India.