Guilt Free TV
By Daniel McGinn
November 11, 2002

In the beginning, there was Big Bird. Now, thanks to intense competition from Disney and Nick, there are more quality shows for preschoolers than ever.

Newsweek reports that due to the increasing number of TV shows with educational "content," today's parents (who are yesterday's TV Generation) are warming up to the idead of allowing their children to spend quality time with the cathode tube.

...even as some families choose to go TV-free, more parents are recognizing that television can be beneficial. In the Public Agenda survey, 93 percent of parents agree that "TV is fine for kids as long as he or she is watching the right shows and watching in moderation."

But I'd warn against letting the little tikes watch any television at all, at least until they become sullen teenagers and won't listen to parental admonitions anyway. Too much TV too soon can turn an otherwise mature adult into a Cartoon Network freak.

Something from the referral bag: As Ripley's would have it, the strange, the bizarre, and the unexpected.

wtc jumping snuff • autoerotic asphyxiation • are kids dressing too sexy • necktie bicycle tying • you're in my heart when i lose control • hard core porn magazines • charge of the light brigade tennyson imagery • "tori welles" • "feral moon"

Then again, all those "porn" and "sex" queries might be called the familiar, the ordinary, and the usual.

Neva Cavatio (aka, Miss Feva) is Kermit. Douglas Anders from the Agora is Fozzie. Yours truly is Rowlf.

What Muppet are you? If you find out and publish the results, let me know.