All in the name of kids

Bankruptcy should end the BSA, but not Scouting in America

February 20th 2020

The problem with Scouting isn’t the lawsuits, it’s the culture and structures that failed to address the needs of victims and boys. In this post, I recommend that its time for Scouting in America to leave the hold of the BSA. Yes, that’s possible. Your Congressional representative in fact, can vote to do just that.

Santa’s privilege check: Kringle rethinks the ‘Naughty or Nice?’ list in a remarkable mental health ad

December 20th 2019

Our most meaningful work will almost never arrive wrapped in RFPs. Take a look at this beautiful ad by Weiden + Kennedy for the National Alliance On Mental Illness. Its a gift.

Delighting Kids in Childrens Hospitals: A Valentine for Creative Caregivers

February 14th 2017

Kids have to be kids, even in the hospital. Doctors, parents, friends and even other patients who act on this impulse, create amazing moments – and telling their story to bring out our better angels for Valentines Day seems like a good way to keep the holiday. Check it out, this could start a new Valentine’s day tradition.

Bad Advertising Part 5: Kellogg’s Cereal Killers

February 28th 2010

Bad advertising is the fun pause that refreshes here on UsefulArts. On our previous bad advertising safaris, we’ve: Found the the worst law firm ad ever, and helped get it pulled down. Treated the airport as a museum of misfit ads. Pointed out that UPS has a pretty bad tagline. Chronicled the offensive or silly […]

Pennsylvania “Blake Robbins” Webcam Privacy Suit Discussed: What Good is Suing A School?

February 23rd 2010

As the case of the Pennsylvania school system that allegedly spied on their students gains broader attention, the Lazy Man and Money blog raises a provocative question…why sue a school? Lawyers and lawsuits are controversial, especially as we debate health care and malpractice reform.  I’d like to hear what you think about this. The more […]

Surveilling Kids: It’s Still Spying and Full of Trouble

February 19th 2010

According to a class action lawsuit, a Pennsylvania school district used laptops it issued to high school students to regularly spy on them at home via the built-in webcams. In a court filing (Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District), the parents of student Blake Robbins are suing the school district for: invasion of […]

Protecting Kids Will Legitimize Surveillance and Censorship: 2010 Online Law Trend

February 17th 2010

Your Digital Papers, Please? Last week at the Davos World Economic Forum, Microsoft’s chief research and technology officer floated what to date has been an obviously bad idea: that Internet users should be licensed. The suggestion is covered and advanced in a Time Magazine article that takes the familiar dystopic theme of the Net as the […]

False Identity: A Federal Crime in the US, But Heroic in the UK?

November 23rd 2009

On The Internet Nobody Knows If You’re a 14-Year-Old Girl In Wales, a 61-year-old woman suspected that her husband had been sharing elicit emails with a 14-year-old girl, and feared he was a pedophile. She logged on from a computer elsewhere in their home, pretended to be such a girl, and found he was all […]

Online Tools Help Parents Pick Safe Toys This Holiday Season

November 17th 2009

This year, online tools are helping parents identify dangerous products, and better still, select healthy choices from the field of safe picks. In today’s complex world, everyone’s health safety is increasingly in their own informed hands. Healthy Stuff Bet you didn’t know that many toy cars contain materials known to cause birth defects or cancer. […]

Hoax Alert: UK Nanny State Takes Kids From Fat Family, Issues Biscuit Threat Index

November 13th 2009

We’ve previously commented on how the land of Orwell seems hell-bent on invading the personal lives of its citizens.  Now here’s all the proof necessary to feel both concerned and superior at once. Sadly, only one is a hoax. Here’s a remarkable story of government power from Dundee, Scotland, in which the state has taken […]