The relationship between California and the DNC, what is Airbnb doing to address discrimination claims, and Liev Schreiber tackles 'My Little Pony' role for his kids
Sand Fire: California declares state of emergency in Los Angeles County
The Brood: Getting ready for a big move? Research says prep the kids
Getting ready for a move is hard work. There’s a lot to consider when relocating your family— finding a place, packing everything into boxes, renting a moving truck, the list goes on.
Now, you can add getting your kids ready to the top of your to do list. New findings suggest there may be long-term impacts on children to think about.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that moving during childhood was linked to all sorts of negative outcomes later in life.
But moving is a fact of life for many families, so what should parents know about the impact of moving on kids?
Fred Medway, distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of South Carolina, talked with Alex Cohen about the impact of moving on kids.
Researchers look at all sorts of factors that can influence a child's development-- schools, parenting styles, sleep, nutrition-- to what extent do researchers and psychologists look at moving and how that affects a kid?
We certainly do and we also look very closely at the reasons for a move. The research is a little different based upon whether you're moving for an upward mobility corporate move, for a divorce, for a homelessness situation, or a military situation. Each of those will give you different kinds of outcomes for the most part.
Overall, is there a sense of whether moving is good for a kid or bad for a kid?
More of the research indicates that it's not bad for kids. It's not necessarily always good, but generally it's not bad. The thing that we need to look out for is are there any preexisting conditions that could be exacerbated by a move. For example if children already have reading problems, or anxiety, or difficulty making friends, then when you throw the move on top of that, that may then make it a little more difficult when they get to a new residence.
Does it matter how far you're moving?
Yes, but it's not simply in terms of miles. The real big issue is whether you are changing schools if you're a school-aged child. That certainly is a big one. So you could be moving a block or two away, but if you're changing schools, that's going to have a more profound impact. When we get more into the miles issue is when you're moving into more of a cultural change. So if you're moving from the East Coast to the West Coast you've got some cultural stuff to deal with. Or moving into places where there might be a bigger population or a more urban setting. So it's not just miles per se. What we're looking for are what sorts of changes in one's environment are we asking kids to deal with.
What about age and how that influences all of this? If a kid is moving when he or she is just a year or two old, they probably won't remember it down the line, right?
That's certainly true. However there is some research to indicate that even for preschool kids, it's not necessarily a rosy thing. Again it really depends on what that new environment looks like compared with the old environment. Most people assume that moving is the most problematic for kids in their high school years, when in fact the middle school years tend to be the most problematic. Usually around 7th or 8th grade. Those are the years where the moves are the toughest mostly because the peer influences are really so strong at those times and when they have to leave friends it makes things more difficult. Nowadays with Skype and FaceTime and the Internet it's really easier to maintain those relationships.
All of this is very comforting to hear, but it seems to run contrary to a study that sparked our interest in this topic. It came out recently from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This looked at data from people born in Denmark between the years of 1971 and 1997, and researchers found that moving during childhood was linked to all sorts of negative outcomes-- suicide attempts, criminality, psychiatric disorders. The risks increased for kids who moved beyond the ages of 11 or 12 and for kids who moved once a year or more than that. Is the main issue here moving too much?
I think there are some similarities in what we're saying, because this research also seems to say that after age 11 we need to be watching things that can become a little more problematic. I would certainly agree with that. Most of the research I have seen has not looked at what we call 'very frequent movers,' ones that move once a year or more. And let me add that here in the U.S., because of economic reasons, we're only just starting to see frequent moving pick back up. So there's many cultural issues happening here as well. But I would end with this, that I would really wonder what is going on in a family that's moving maybe once a year. What's driving that?
What should parents and caregivers keep in mind when talking with kids about a move and making it as smooth a transition as possible?
Here I'm going to parrot what psychologists say about most things in the world. The answer is you have to be positive, optimistic and upbeat. And comforting and reassuring too. We're now, as psychologists, interviewed many times about how do we talk to children about the tragic events they see going on in the world. The number one rule is not only to allow them to express their feelings but to be comforting and supportive. And really not let them believe that the world is unpredictable or it's negative. And really the same things hold when it comes to moving because many times kids go into this thinking that it's going to be more bad than good. But we do have to go beyond that and do our homework and make sure that on the other end there are all the things in place that a child needs to be comfortable, like finding doctors and getting kids enrolled in school.
What about positive impacts of moving on kids? I moved a lot before I went to college and I credit that with my ability to adapt to new situations and the fact that I like traveling a lot. Is that the correct connection to make that moving as a kid can make you a more adaptable adult?
Yes, that's definitely true. The other benefits that we sometimes see are that kids are much more aware of other cultures, and more open to different kinds of people, and better able to roll with different kinds of punches, and they just simply become open to many different things. That's a very very big benefit. But if you're starting with a child who is, by their temperament or personality, shy and withdrawn, they're going to have more difficulty with these challenges.
Questions and responses have been edited for clarity.
In California's fire fights, partnerships soften blow of prison realignment
Summertime in California means extra trips to the beach, or maybe relaxing poolside with a good book. But there's no break if you're a firefighter. Multiple fires are burning across the state at the moment, according to KPCC's Fire Tracker, and this map from CalFire.
Extra fire fighting help traditionally comes from inmates. But recent changes in prison realignment raised concerns that inmates might not be available to back up firefighters.
Janet Upton, deputy director of communications at CalFire, said there was concern that when prison realignment took effect, fire crews could be impacted by about 50 percent. But right now, crew strength is at 85 percent.
"The good news is we didn't see the impact of what we thought might be an unintended consequence," she said. "Through a lot of great cooperative work with other state partners, we're minimizing that impact."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
New music from Ricardo Arjona, Reik, La Tribu de Abrante and Borchardt
If you don't have the time to keep up with the latest in new music, we've got the perfect solution for you: Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our music experts come in to talk about the best new tunes in one short segment. This week, Billboard's
and music journalist
join A Martinez with their top picks.
Leila Cobo
Artist: Ricardo Arjona
Album: Apague La Luz Y Escuche
Songs: "Para Bien O Para Mal," "Nada Es Como Tu"
Artist: La Tribu de Abrante
Album: Otro Formato De Musica
Songs: "Dale Pa La Calle," "Yo No Se"
Justino Aguila
Artist: Reik
Album: Des/Amor
Songs: "Voy A Olvidarte," "Ya Me Enteré (feat. Nicky Jam)"
Artist: Borchardt
Album: Dulces De Menta
Songs: "Nada De Nada," "Te Sigo Hasta El Fin"
Liev Schreiber’s not a bad guy, he just plays one in 'My Little Pony’
On the set of the critically acclaimed TV show "Ray Donovan," the director calls for take after take, and with each, actor Liev Schreiber sips at a glass of what looks like Irish Whiskey, again and again and again. Watching this, one realizes just how repetitive acting jobs can be.
But Schreiber sees his time on set as a training opportunity. After working mostly in theater and independent films for much of his career, he wanted to do TV for a little consistency and took on the role of the title character in the show, which is now in its fourth season.
"There is something about this genre that I really liked," he told Take Two's Alex Cohen. "I think I have always wanted to find an environment where I could practice film acting, having felt like I was primarily a stage actor. I like the idea of getting to do it over and over again in a relaxed environment where there wasn't a lot of pressure."
He also did it for his family.
"I was looking for a job that would allow me to be a dad. That would allow me to be in one state for a decent portion of the time, at least six months of the year... And I thought it would be a good idea," he said. "The other really big thing about 'Ray Donovan' for me was that my first son had just been born. And I remembered how interested I was and how obsessed I've always been with the idea of what it is to be a father. And that at the heart of this script is a story about fathers. And so that, that part meant a lot to me."
The show follows Ray, a fixer for Hollywood's elite as he deals with his client's issues and his family's dysfunction. Moving from job to job in a crisply tailored suit, occasionally covered in blood, he uses his connections to make problems go away.
Schreiber likes to play the "bad guy" because it's more interesting, but he says his kids are starting to wonder if he really is a bad guy. After all, billboards of a very imposing Schreiber have been plastered all over to promote the current season of "Ray Donovan."
"My children don't really know what I do for a living. Occasionally they'll pass by a subway poster and they think that daddy does very bad things for a living. Or daddy's a very cruel man. Or their friends will tell them about 'X-Men' Sabertooth with the fingernails and the teeth and they're convinced that I'm horrible," he said. "I tell them that I'm an actor and that I play bad guys because I think the roles are more interesting. And they say, when are you going to do something that we can see?"
And those conversations led him to his next role: a gig in the upcoming film adaption of "My Little Pony."
"When the opportunity to play a role in the 'My Little Pony' came along, I thought, here's my chance to do something that my kids can see. And sure enough, I got the role of the arch villain in the 'My Little Pony' thing, so we'll see how that turns out."
To hear the entire conversation between Liev Schreiber and Take Two's Alex Cohen, click on the blue audio player above.
Liev Schrieber will appearing Tuesday, July 26th, along with the rest of cast and crew of 'Ray Donovan' for an event at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills.
How Airbnb plans to 'go beyond what the law requires' to address discrimination
Head to Airbnb's website and you'll be invited to explore the world and "belong anywhere".
But not all users of the online vacation rental platform have felt so welcome. There have been complaints of racial discrimination by Airbnb's hosts, inspiring the hashtag
. A Harvard Business School Study that began last year, found that guests with traditionally black-sounding names were more likely to be denied a booking than people with white-sounding names.
Last month, Airbnb said it would conduct a widespread anti-discrimination review of its platform and last week the company announced that former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had been hired to craft the company's new anti-discrimination policy.
Laura Murphy, former head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington DC legislative office, was retained by AirBnB to lead the review process joined Take Two to discuss the company's strategy to combat discrimination.
Interview Highlights
You're halfway through this review process, walk us through what you're doing.
"I started around June 2nd and what we did was develop a strategy to look at Airbnb's platform, it's policies and it's partnerships to figure out how it could make sure that the platform is not discriminating and even go further, make sure that the company itself was a more diverse operation. Make sure that the people in customer service understood how to handle things like discrimination. Make sure that the policies were clear, that Airbnb doesn't tolerate discrimination. And so what I did was set out a strategy with the company leadership, with the CEO, about all the areas that needed to be developed to address any racial discrimination problems on the platform and also discrimination at large, discrimination based on sexual orientation, disabilities, all of the protected classes.
Laura, that sounds like one very long laundry list.
"Oh yeah, it's a huge laundry list. The thing with discrimination is that, unless you cover all of the areas where discrimination manifests, you're really not going to make a big dent. I say almost jokingly to my colleagues at Airbnb, discrimination is like ants around a house. You can spray the front door but the ants will still come in through the windows. So, you need to look at all aspects of the operation to deal with the discrimination problem effectively."
What will Eric Holder do at Airbnb and how does it fit into what you're doing?
"I'm in charge of the 90-day review process, but it was my strong belief that we should avail ourselves of experts from around the nation and you cannot a get a greater expert on civil rights enforcement than the formal Attorney General who made this a huge part of his legacy. We've got great minds that we're bringing to this problem because we want to get it right, because the sharing economy is going to just grow in size and not all of the previous civil rights laws really apply in this new economy, but Airbnb wants a policy to be fair and nondiscriminatory as part of its makeup. So, we're going to go beyond what the law requires in this area."
Murphy also spoke about how Airbnb has fallen short, speaking with guests who have been discriminated and more. What do you think of Airbnb's plan? Let us know in the comments.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.