Parents Spend Big On Kids Extracurricular Activities

(Atlanta, GA) — Parents are shelling out big bucks for extracurricular activities. A new survey from Suntrust Bank shows 40-percent of American families are paying more than one-thousand-dollars each year on their kids’ after school activities.

At least 20-percent said they spend more than 25-hundred-dollars.

The majority of parents polled said they skip things like eating out to hold down expenses. Others took more extreme steps like not paying off debt or skimping on retirement savings to pay for their kids’ extracurricular activities.

New Research Highlights Youth Football Players’ Brain Injury Risk

(SL) -A new study says young football players can have measurable changes in the brain after only one season of play. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas say that’s true even with youngsters who have not had concussions.

They found changes that can lead to traumatic brain injuries and mental disorders. Researchers say the vast majority of head impacts players experience don’t cause concussions. They say that’s something that needs a lot more study among youth football and high school players.Science Daily reports, For the study, 26 youth football players (ages 9-13) were outfitted with the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS) for an entire football season. HITS helmets are lined with accelerometers or sensors that measure the magnitude, location and direction of impacts to the head. Impact data from the helmets were used to calculate a risk of concussion exposure for each player. Players were equally divided into high and low concussion exposure groups. Players with a history of concussion were excluded.

A third group of 13 non-contact sport controls was established. Pre- and post-season resting functional MRI (fMRI) scans were performed on all players and controls, and connectivity within the DMN sub-components was analyzed.

The researchers used machine learning to analyze the fMRI data. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to perform analyses based on existing relationships of data.

“Machine learning has a lot to add to our research because it gives us a fresh perspective and an ability to analyze the complex relationships within the data,” said Murugesan. “Our results suggest an increasing functional change in the brain with increasing head impact exposure.”Five machine learning classification algorithms were used to predict whether players were in the high-exposure, low-exposure or non-contact groups based on the fMRI results.

The algorithm discriminated between high-impact exposure and non-contact with 82 percent accuracy, and low-impact exposure and non-contact with 70 percent accuracy. The results suggest an increasing functional change with increasing head-impact exposure.”The brains of these youth and adolescent athletes are undergoing rapid maturation in this age range.

Cute Kid Alert! Harper Beckham Spotted Hanging Out With Her Mom

(SL)-It was just a typical girls’ day out, green juice and all, for Victoria Beckham and her adorable daughter Harper. Boy, these kids grow up fast. The pair was seen strolling through the streets of West London and Harper is a cutie pie.

Victoria’s only daughter is just 5 years old and is often on the scene for with her mom, dad and brothers Brooklyn, 18, Romeo, 14, and Cruz, 12, who are equally as cute. Can’t help but to be right..with genes like that.

Carrying a bag of bubble drinks, she held hands with little Harper who skipped alongside her mum excitedly clutching a green smoothie.

Victoria, was recently on the Today show where she talked about her husband, retired soccer star David Beckham with whom she’s been with since 1997.  Here’s what the former Spice Girl turned Fashion Designer had to say about her hubby.

“He’s my soulmate. He’s the most incredible husband. We complement each other.’He inspires me every day, with the children, the way he treats me; it just works. We are lucky to have each other.”

Seems like there have only been two bumps in the road for the two. David allegedly had an affair with Rebecca Loos years ago and another woman Malaysian-born Sarah Marbeck came forward with the same claims. But, Victoria stood by her man.

Through it all Posh and Becks have raised a beautiful family. Still time for one or two more to be added!

 

IMAGES: Inside The Life Of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman

(SI) – It’s a life of crime..yes, but captivating nonetheless.  He’s the second richest man in Mexico and one of the most powerful in the world. His sons aren’t shy about sharing the luxuries their father’s riches provide.

To quell the rumours.png

Kid Sensation: 7-Year Old Entrepreneur Blows Steve Harvey Away With His Mushroom Farm

(SL) – I don’t know about you, but when I was 7-years old I was running through country fields and playing with barbie dolls. The closest platform I had for a career choice was dance class, cheerleading and Girl Scouts.

However, I didn’t quite turn those extra curricular activities into business ventures like this kid sensation.

Meet Te’Lario. The 7-year old entrepreneur who recently gave Steve Harvey a run for his money and business when he made an appearance on Steve’s Act Like A Success segment, the JR. Edition.

Te’Lario is a mushroom farmer who has turned his basement and spare room into an in-house farm space.

Yes, at 7-years old he has mastered growing shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

As the baby genius explains, his interest was piqued after growing cat grass and basil in his Cub Scout troop.

From there, he wanted to cultivate something else and when his parents asked him what could he sustain during the winter months, he said mushrooms.

Why? Because they can sprout in the dark, of course.

And…they’re full of Vitamin D! Did you know that?

lol What an amazing and beautiful little boy and when he gives Steve his business plan….priceless!  Hey, kid! I love mushrooms too!

Watch the creator/owner of Tiger Mushroom Farms  explain to Steve how his business blossomed from one single mushroom growing kit!