UPDATES
The C-Cave Music Recital is coming up on November 6th, 2008. Click here for more information.
Here is an article demonstrating how tv is a distraction even when the kids are not watching.

ENTRIES PRIOR TO July 22, 2008
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson's speech to the Downtown Toronto Rotary Club in May can be read here.
Here is a recent news clip sent by Professor Jeff Robbins at Rutgers University in New Jersey about teens acting out the Grand Theft Auto video game. The print version of the story is here.
Please sign Toronto Mayor David Miller's petition for a Canada-wide handgun ban here.
The CCFC press release on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notice of proposed rule making regarding product placement (NPRM) as a form of advertising in TV programming can be found here.
Here is an article from The Province newspaper written by Lena Sin on Haisken-DeNew's research on what it is worth financially to fight in the NHL.
The CCFC recently issued this press release to the Democrats regarding marketing to children.
Marianne White wrote this article on sexist images of women in the media for the June 12, 2008 edition of The National Post.
Here is a press release from the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council regarding the use of the F-Word.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has issued this press release regarding the identification of program sponsorship.
This is where you can find the upcoming schedule for Mary Rothchild's radio program 'How are the Children?' which can be listened to Tuesdays at 1 p.m. EST Brattleboro Community Radio, on WVEW 107.7 lp FM streaming at www.wvew.org and via BCTV’s Channel 10 audio feed.
Bill Moyer's commentary on the state of Democracy in America can be read here.
Here is DAVID PSUTKA's article for The Globe and Mail relating to an increase in the rise in drug and violence related crimes amongst youth.
The CCFC's press release regarding the marketing of PG-13 movies to preschoolers can be found here.
On May 12, 2008 Lt. Col.David Grossman spoke at the 'Confronting Violence in the Media and Entertainment Industry' conference held in Toronto. You may gain further information here.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson's presentation for the April 23, 2008 CRTC hearing has been added to our Articles section.
Here is an interview from the Epoch Times newspaper with C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson regarding Bill C-10.
On April 23rd, C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson made a gave presentation to the CRTC hearing in Gatineau, Quebec as part of the Review of the regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings and discretionary programming services. It was broadcast live on CPAC. Check out the latest updates to our Events section for other important and exciting happenings, as well.
Here are C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson's followup comments on the Bill C-10 Banking Committee Hearings.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson's remarks in support of Bill C-10 at the April 9th, 2008 Banking Committee Hearings in front of the Senate of Canada can be found here.
Eileen Shapero's remarks in support of Bill C-10 at the April 9th, 2008 Banking Committee Hearings in front of the Senate of Canada can be found here.
CASH, Not censorship, is the issue was the comment from Dr. Dyson that was published in the Toronto Star on March 18, 2008 regarding their Bill C-10 article entitled 'PM should let sleeping filmmakers lie'.
C-CAVE members, Dr. Rose Dyson and Eileen Shapero appeared before the Banking Committee Hearings, Senate of Canada in Ottawa on April 9th, 2008 in support of Bill C-10. The Bill proposes amendments to the Income Tax Act that would eliminate tax credits for film productions involving content, such as pornography and gratuitous violence, deemed not to be in the public interest. They were calling on the Senate to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the new rules apply equally to foreign and domestic productions - films and apply to video games, as well .
Here are Minister Verner's opening remarks for the meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce on Wednesday, April 2 2008.
On April 8, 2008, C-CAVE President, Dr. Rose Dyson, met with the Panel appointed by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty last year, to review the roots to youth violence. It was co-chaired by the Hon R. Roy McMurtry, Chancellor of York University and Alvin Curling. Stay tuned for the results of that meeting.
Here is the latest issue of The Learning Edge in which Dr. Dyson has two articles entitled, "Shifting the paradigm toward a Greener Earth in media, business, and community" and "A New Strategic Plan for a Screen-based Industry in Hollywood North".
Dr. Rose Dyson attended and reported on the 4th Annual Summit: Preventing Violence in Schools, April 2-4th, 2008. It was sponsored by the Strategy Institute and it was held at the Sutton Place Hotel, Toronto. For further details visit here.
C-CAVE members, Norman and Dr. Rose Dyson both attended the 52nd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York City, February 25-29th. Rose was a delegate on behalf of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace. Norman was a delegate for the World Federalists. The main theme for the Commission in 2008 was Financing for Gender Equity and Women's Empowerment. In collaboration with delegates from the World Youth Alliance, Rose drafted amendments for proposal to those presented by the UNICEF Working Group on Girls. These were developed to ensure that ways in which cultural products such as media violence and pornography detract from empowerment of women and girls be acknowledged and included in calls for change.
This letter was sent to the Senate regarding the funding of films in Canada by the Canadian government and the proposed changes to the Income Tax Act to adjust the funding.
An Ohio Hospital is planning to sell naming rights to Abercrombie and Fitch. To see examples of why it should be prevented click here and to take action click here.
Here is John Ivison's comment on the funding of various films in Canada by the government.
Here is Michael Coren's take on the proposed changes to how the Canadian Government funds art.
Kristin Rushowy has written this article concerning a coalition being created to help get the Criminal Code to include women with regards to hate crimes.
Here is the March 3 National Post article relating to CFTA Chair, Sandra Cunningham's comments regarding the Bill C-10 being proposed by the Tories with regards to funding for film and television projects.
Open Letter to the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe from the Violence in the Media Coalition regarding amending the Hate Propaganda Law to include women can be found here.
Rachel Sa's Sunday, March 2nd article for the Toronto Sun about the documentary film Sexy Inc. can be read here. The film explores the origins of the sexualization of young girls.
The Science for Peace homepage has information on the FEBRUARY 29th, 2008 public Forum, 'CAN I HAVE A SAY IN OUR FUTURE' which was held at the OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor Street West from 1pm to 5pm. This event was prior to 'The Sound of Hate' event which occurred at 6:30pm at U of T Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle, Room 2158 on the same date.
The CCFC February newsletter contains many important updates and it can be found here.
Here is an article from Kathy English of The Toronto Star discussing the violent film , 'No Country for Old Men' the day before it recieved the Best Picture Oscar.
Dr. Michael Gochfeld has reviewed the 'Sustaining Life on Earth'book for the European Journal of Oncology. You may read the .pdf file here.
The book 'Sustaining Life on Earth' (which has contributions from C-CAVE's own Dr. Rose Dyson) is mentioned in this article for the University of Alberta's School of Health.
Natalie Alcoba's February 22, 2008 article for the National Post entitled 'Girls accept sexual assault as 'way it is,' educator says' can be found here.
Andrew Chung's article for the Toronto Star entitled, 'The Inescapable Sales Pitch' can be read here.
The Toronto Sun has this article from STEVE TILLEY and NORMAN DE BONO on Australia banning the ultra-violent Canadian video game. Dark Sector.
On February 29th, 2008 at The University of Toronto Medical Sciences Building (room 2158) there will be a panel discussion and public forum entitled, 'The Sound of Hate- Where sexual orientation, race, dancehall music and human rights collide'. For more information please contact Egale Canada at 416-642-5030.
The Toronto Star's education reporter, Kristin Rushowy has this article relating to the astonishing numbers of sexual harrassment that occurs in south-western Ontario schools.
The Free Radical, Valerie Smith has issued a press release entitled, 'Politicians are responsible for toxic, misogynist environment facing girls' as a follow up to Louise Brown's recent article for the Toronto Star mentioned below as well as the Falconer report. The press release may be read here.
'Too bad Slotek has nothing better to suggest in his review of this film other than "turning your brain off from all geo-political awareness and critical considerations" before watching it. Instead, he should be calling for a boycott. But then, he'd probably lose his job.' is what C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson had to say regarding Jim Slotek's January 25th review (entitled 'Geysers of Blood') of the latest Rambo film.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson's January 23rd 'Letter to the Editor' of the Toronto Star newspaper regarding the Falconer Report can be found here.
Please read the letter to HMV from shocked parent, Randy Fisher regarding the current window front SAW IV promotions here and you can even use the mailing address to write your own letter.
Here is education reporter Louise Brown's article for THESTAR.COM on examples of sexual harrassment in five Toronto High Schools with references made to the Falconer report.
Read the January 18, 2008 C-CAVE press release regarding the Falconer reporthere.
For updates on The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood's efforts towards getting the MPAA to stop promoting PG-13 movies to children, click here.
A transcript of Dr. Rose Dyson's TORONTO ROTARY CLUB SPEECH, January 16, 2008, Toronto Lawn and Tennis Club can be read here. the speech is entitled, 'What does media violence have to do with climate change?'
Here is where you can find Valerie Smith's updates on Bill C-254 (The Tory government did not support the idea of adding gender to the hate propaganda portion of the Canadian Criminal Code) including a letter to Gail Asper in her capacity as Campaign Chair for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights who'sfamily also owns CanWest Global, one of Canada's largest news and entertainment conglomerates.
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. You can find out more here (and you can even watch the film there, as well).
January 5, 2008 - The Free Radical, Valerie Smith, has a press release on her website regarding the Harper Government's failure to protect women from hate propaganda via a proposed amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code. Here is were you can find it on the website thefreeradical.ca.
January 5, 2008 -A copy of Jeff Robbins talk from the November 21, 2007 C-CAVE Event is available in .doc form here. The title is 'Feeding Frenzy: The Cannibalizing of Childhood for Profit'.
December 5, 2007 - The the Society for Scientific Discussion Psychotherapy (GwG), the largest organization of its kind in Europe has released this press release (in German) on the 'truthful psychological effects of violent video games', dated 11-28-2007. A minimal english synopsis can be found here at the Heise Online web site and a rough translation can be found here at the Lyndon Larouche web site.
December 5, 2007 - Valerie Smith's Free Radical www.fradical.com is now www.thefreeradical.ca. Please correct any links that you may have.
December 5, 2007 - Thank you to everyone who made the November 21, 2007 C-CAVE event the best ever! C-CAVE President Dr. Rose Dyson sends this message...
"As President, I wish to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who attended, for their support as well as to those who did not attend for their donations. A special thank you to organizing committee members, Sylvia Cauley, Linda Wilding, Yvonne Buckingham, Melanie Duras, Evelyn Baker and Gloria Osborne."
November 24, 2007 - Here you can find out about the possibility of the CRTC approving the purchase of Alliance-Atlantis by CanWest which could open the doors to foreign ownership of the Canadian Media.
November 24, 2007 - The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) wants to disuade the National School Boards Association in the USA from further promoting advertising laden Myspace and Facebook to it's students by sending a message to NSBA executive director Dr. Anne Bryant. Further information can be found on the CCFC web site, here.
November 24, 2007 - November 19, 2007 was World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and exposing children to media violence is now considered a form of child abuse by the WWSF (Women's World Summit Foundation) based in Geneva, Switzerland. To find out more about the coalition which includes 786 organizations from 128 countries in it's membership or the World Day itself; please visit here.
November 18, 2007 - Andrew Stern's November 5, 2007 article for Reuters (printed in the National Post) can be read here.
November 18, 2007 - The "2007-2008 TRUCE Toy Action Guide" is now available. You can find it and more at here.
November 18, 2007 - The Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has a release on the Oct. 31 release of the Manhunt 2 video game here for more details.
Check out this press release from The Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) web site regarding Mcdonald's including the My Scene Barbie toys in their happy meals.
The UK is remaining strong in it's convictions and is continuing to ban the revised version of the video game, Manhunt 2. For further details, please read Marc Saltzman's article for the Toronto Star here.
Click here to learn how to recieve a 15% discount on the new book, "Sustaining Life on Earth: Environmental and Human Health through Global Governance". This book not only has C-CAVE member Laura Westra as one of it's editors, it also has C-CAVE Chairperson, Dr. Rose Dyson and C-CAVE member Helmut Burkhardt as contributors.
The Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has brought to light the hypocrisy of Unilever's Dove 'Real Beauty' and Axe campaigns. See here for more details.
The Toronto Star had this article on the Kool Haus nightclub 'pulling the plug' on two concerts that from musicians that had anti-gay lyrics in their music.
Here is an article by Sharon Kirkey from the CanWest News Service on the effects of televisions placed in children's bedrooms.
The Globe and Mail recently published an article on contrasting opinions regarding sexist and violent language used in Hip Hop lyrics. It can be found here.
The Union for Democratic Communications Conference will be held at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, October 25th to 28th, 2007. C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson will be chairing a session on the exploration of media realities.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson and fellow member Elaine Purdie met with Ihor Wons, Executive Assistant to Scarborough City Councillor Michael Thompson to discuss rising levels of youth gang violence in Toronto and what can be done about it on September 8th, 2007.
Dr. Susan Linn and The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have issued a press release on the recent downgrade in rating of the interactive video game, Manhunt 2 which can be read here.
Here is the recent report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.
Details on the film, 'Juarez: The City where Women are Disposable' can be found here. This film illustrates the rise and escalation of violence against women in Mexico in part due to high levels of corruption there.
Here is an article entitled, 'Rebelling against a culture of porn ' by Barbara Kay for the National Post which deals with the sexualization of women from as early as birth.
Subsequent to the study mentioned below, The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has now set up a message that you can send to the CEO of Disney, Robert Igor to 'Tell Disney's Baby Einstein: Show us the Evidence' that the Baby Einstein videos are actually beneficial to babies. The message can be sent from here.
Dr. Susan Linn from the The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has issued a statement regarding a study which has found that infants who watch baby media actually experience slower language development. Here is where you can read it in full..
A new study has found that there is slower language development for infants who watch baby media. The details can be found at the The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood's web site, here.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has a press release that you can read here on Bill H. 89 which would prohibit advertising on public school grounds in the United States.
Here is the Toronto Star's coverage regarding the ceremonial burial of the N-word by the NAACP on July 10, 2007 in Detroit. A call has gone out for a similar intiative to take place in Toronto.
The boyfriend of a 12 year old girl accussed in the multiple murders of the girl's family in Medicine Hat had watched the film, Natural Born Killers, the night before the murders took place. To find out more about this tragic link, please read the article here.
DEBORAH MAES essay printed in the July 5th edition of The Globe and Mail, entitled, 'Mom, what's a pimp?' can be found here. The essay relates to the self-regulation of advertising and focuses on a recent Labatt's beer campaign for Bud Light.
Ms. Nicole Demers MP re-introduced the motion to add women to the Criminal Code in reference to hate propaganda in the June 20, 2007 session of Parliment. It should be noted that Jaques Brodeur had a relevant op-ed piece published in Le Devoir on June 18, 2007.
The Parents Television Council gave testimony on June 26, 2007 before the Media Violence and Children Senate Commerce Committee in the United States. There has been no known mention of these hearings in the Canadian press. To read the testimony, please go here.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood has a press release relating to the marketing behind the PG-13 Transformers movie here. The release mentions how some marketing is directed towards the under 2 age group.
Here is University of Western Ontario educator, Peter Jaffe's article in the Spring Issue of Education Today entitled, "Challenging the Proliferation of Media Violence: A call to Action for Educators, Parents, Students and Our Communities".
Rockstar Games and Manhunt 2 suffer another blow. Read Scott Colbourne's article for The Globe and Mail here.
Manhunt 2 has been rated 'Adults Only' by the ESRB but it can still be appealed by Rockstar Games. Please support the current rating by going to this page and sign the petition.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood is attempting to get the Adults only label placed on the extremely violent game 'Manhunt 2'. Here is where you can find out more.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson has sent this letter to the Honourable Roy McMurty who was recently appointed as co-chair of a study on how best to address gun violence among youth in Ontario. You may read it here.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood has an item on Kellogg's historic adoption of standards for marketing their foods to children. it can be found here.
The L.A. Times has an article By Rachel Abramowitz and Sheigh Crabtree on Hollywood's horror movie woes here.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson response to the Jordan Mannners shooting can be found in our Articles section here.
Dr. Paul D. Boin of the University of Windsor sent this expansion of his OP-ED article for the May 21 edition of The Globe and Mail calling for the resignation of CRTC Chairman, Konrad Von Finckenstein.
The latest article from C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson can be found in our Articles section here. The article is based on her remarks from the recent ICA Conference in San Francisco and it is entitled, "Celebrating the Scholarship of George Gerbner".
The Toronto Star has posted Gary Pieter's article on the transition and identity crisis of Hip Hop culture here.
C-CAVE Chair, Dr. Rose Dyson participated in a Roundtable entitled: "Celebrating the Scholarship of George Gerbner" on Sat. May 26th, 3: 00-4:15 p.m. This was part of the International Communications Conference that was held in San Francisco, California May 24-28th, 2007. Further information can be found here.
C-CAVE Chair, Dr. Rose Dyson has contributed a chapter for the upcoming book, Sustaining Life on Earth:Environmental and Human Health Through Global Governance from Lexington Books. The official description is as follows...

Dyson R. The Cultural Environment: Implications for Public Health, Human Rights and Ecological Sustainability. Chapter 26. In Soskolne CL, Westra L., Kotze L.J. Mackey B, Rees WE, Westra R. (Editors) Sustaining Life on Earth:Environmental and Human Health Through Global Governance. Forthcoming from Lexington Books, A Division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, USA. (Late 2007, expected publication date).
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood is targeting the ten largest cable companies in the U.S to remove BabyFirstTV from their lineup. To find out more information on the reason's for this action, please visit here.
The Free Radical website has two press releases regarding the Harper Government's media priorities. Apparently, camcorders appear to be deemed more of a concern than hate violence towards women with regards to amending the Criminal Code. You can view the releases at www.thefreeradical.ca.
The CBS News website has posted a follow up to it's segment on the troubling 'Stop Snitchin' movement in the hip hop community. You can view it here.
C-CAVE has a copy of the Media History Form created by the American Pediatrics Society for physicians in helping gather information on children's multimedia exposure. This includes books, television and video games, for example. It can be found here in .pdf format.
Here is Daniel Trotta's article on Russell Simmon's change of viewpoint regarding Hip Hop slang and extreme curse words.
The Globe and Mail has an article entitled, 'CSI: NY historically significant? Federal regulators think not', from Gayle Macdonald on the History Channel's controversial airing of CSI NY saying that it is historically significant to Canadians. You can access it here.
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) held it's annual general meeting March 15-17, 2007. A .pdf report on this can be found here.
The latest commentary from C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson regarding the recent suggestion of making pornography synonymous with erotica can be found in our Articles section here.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood has now initiated a write-in campaign to get Scholastic to remove the sexualized Brats brand from schools. To find out more information on how you can protect your children from this, please go here.
On February 21, 2007, The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood and The Parents Television Council requested to have the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) to follow Boston's stance on banning Mature and Adult rated video games from their locations. The official letter sent to the RTD may be found in .pdf format here.
The Globe and Mail published John Dunbar's article on February 16th regarding potential limitations on television violence. Click on article to read more.
The Winter, 2007 issue of THE LEARNING EDGE, a periodical edited by Dr. Rose Dyson, President of C-CAVE, for the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education is now on line and it can be found here.
C-CAVE Chair, Dr. Rose Dyson recently submitted this letter on February 5th, 2007 in response to Ronald Cohen's January article in the Toronto Star regarding much being done about curbing violence on tv.
C-CAVE now has the brochure entitled, "TIME IS RUNNING OUT: LET'S STOP THE GROWTH OF MEDIA VIOLENCE" available for teaching and public education purposes. Please email info@C-CAVE.com for more details.
C-CAVE chair, Dr. Rose Dyson appeared on the February 5th 11am edition of Mary Rothschild's radio program, "How are the Children?" on WVEW 107.7 fm in Brattleboro, Vermont. Stay tuned for a copy of the broadcast in case you missed it.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood has issued a statement regarding President Bush's support of the Baby Einstein company during a presidential speech in January 2007. The statement can be found here.
Here is a press release from a coalition of educators and other concerned agencies from January 2007 calling for regulatory action to protect children from media violence.
This article from the BBC discusses recent legislation changes in the UK regarding the marketing to children of junk food.
Valerie Smith of thefreeradical.ca directs our attention to this article concerning the creeping of violence into the 9pm timeslot. The article specificly deals with the CRTC investigating the CBC but the story illustrates a growing trend.
The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood's action to have Violent Video game ads removed in Boston was successful.Here is further information on this great victory and here is their December newsletter, too!
Mary Rothschild, Director of Healthy Media Choices a non-profit educational organization for parents and teachers of children 0-8 years of age has a streaming version of her radio program, "How are the Children?" here. It can be listened to on the radio in Brattleboro and on the website every Monday at 11am.
The Toronto Star newspaper has two articles on sports and violence. Here is the article on the NHL and fighting. The soccer article can be found here.
Earthscan Publications has released C-CAVE member, Dr. Laura Westra's book, 'Environmental Justice and the Rights of Unborn and Future Generations' and it can be found here. You will also find expanded details on the book there, as well.
The Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment have released their "TRUCE 2006-2007 Toy Action Guide" in time for the Holiday toy-buying season. Here is where you can download it.
The Peace Magazine website has details on their Dec. 1, 2006 co-sponsored event with Science for Peace entitle, 'Climate Change and the Coming Energy Crisis' which will also included a screaning of 'The Inconvenient Truth'. The event was held at the Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle, University of Toronto.
On October 28th 2006, C-CAVE Supporter, Dr. Susan Linn was honored by the American Psychological Association with it's President's Citation for her effort's defending children from marketers. Further details can be found at the Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood website here.

Raffi is to receive Fred Rogers Integrity Award by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) for his strong stance against marketing to children. The award will be presented to Raffi on October 26 at 7:30 PM at the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston. For more information, please visit here.

The HATE ON THE INTERNET: 3rd International Symposium was held on September 11th and 12th in Toronto was attended by C-CAVE Pres. Dr. Rose Dyson (author of the source article) and you can read the report on the event here.
Thanks to Josh Golin of the CCFC for directing us to the NBC Dateline special report entitled 'Food Fight' which looks at food marketing and the obesity epidemic. The report also features Dr. Susan Linn of the CCFC. For further information and a clip go here.
The Wednesday, November 22th, 2006 C-CAVE Fundraiser was a great success. Special thanks to everyone who attended.
Right-Click on this link and select 'Save target as' so that you can download your copy of the "Handbook on Critical Global Issues and Viable Solutions" which was developed for the recent World Peace Forum and co-authored by C-CAVE chairperson, Dr. Rose Dyson.
Special thanks to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman for identifying John Flesher's article for the Associated Press on the correlation between video games and school performance. It can be found on The Free Radical website here.
Highlights from the More 2 Life episode from January 5, 2006 discussing the topic, 'Does Rap Music Encourage Violence?' can be found here.
For an alternative to violent summer fare, check out An Inconvenient Truth which brings the Global Warming Crisis home.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Babyfirst TV regarding the claims made by them on the benefits of their programming. The complaint can be read here.
Here is a Washington Post article on a video game detox centre opening up in Europe.
Valerie Smith has posted an article from the Sydney Herald's Deborah Cameron which illuminates some of the cagier aspects of the video game industry. Nintendo's Brain Training game has an interesting back story. The article can be read here.
C-CAVE members Metta Spencer and Dr. Rose Dyson actively participated in the World Peace Forum which occurred June 23-28, 2006 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Visit our Events page for further details.
C-CAVE Chair, Dr. Rose Dyson, presented on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 on a panel during the 25th Annual CASAE/ACÉÉA 2006 CONFERENCE at York University. Click here for the full programme.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) issued a statement on the findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s New Report, “The Media Family: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Their Parents". Click here for the statement and here for the report itself.
Dads and Daughters and The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) successfully launched a letter writing campaign to have Hasbro stop it's plans to market the Pussycat Dolls. Click here for the Dads and Daughters take on the victory.
Here is the CCFC (The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood)'s statement on the launch of BabyFirst TV.
The Toronto Star has an article on Metta Spencer's new book, 'Two Aspirins and a Comedy: How Television Can Enhance Health and Society' which discusses the positives that tv has to offer. Read Olivia Ward's article here.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) filed a complaint on May 1, 2006 with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby for false and deceptive advertising. Click here for further details and to see how you can help.
C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson reviews 'AMERICAN DREAM: GLOBAL NIGHTMARE' By Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies here.
Check out the Learning Edge Winter 2005 issue for a feature article by Dr. Rose Dyson, photos from the 2005 Run Against Media Violence and much more!
The largest case of cyberbullying has been settled out of court. The Free Radical has the article here.
For Andre Picard's Globe and Mail article, "Media diet can affect your children's health" go here.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is proud to announce that this year's winner of the Fred Rogers Integrity Award is Raffi Cavoukian, the beloved children's troubadour. Check out their web site here section for more details on this and the upcoming CCFC’s 5th Annual Summit Consuming Kids: Marketing in Schools and Beyond.
Dr. Rose Dyson will be speaking on a panel at the 2006 CASAE (Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education) conference. Visit our Events page for further details.
Howard Stern has returned to Canadian airwaves and it is felt that the situation should be addressed by the new Heritage Minister. For a press release on this, go here.
Need for Speed video game believed to be linked to Taxi Driver's death. CP24's coverage can be found here.
Valerie Smith has written a letter to the CBC Union regarding Howard Stern's return here.
Support for keeping Stern out of Canada may be wavering. Here is an article found by Valerie Smith.
C-CAVE Chairperson, Dr. Rose Dyson appeared on the TV Ontario program, 'MORE 2 LIFE' on Jan. 5th at 2:00 p.m est. The topic discussed was gang violence and hip hop.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has released it's surprising annual report here.
Toronto's plans for 50 Cent can be found here.
Video Game Industry To Go on Trial in Alabama! A trial court in Fayette, Alabama, has just entered an historic order denying all motions to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of the families of two police officers and a police dispatcher against Sony, Take-Two/Rockstar, Wal-Mart, and GameStop. The teen killer literally trained on the Grand Theft Auto games to kill them.
One of the purposes of the Alabama case, which is expected to be tried in 2006, is to stop the sale of these games to kids, which is in fact the law in Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Take-Two’s CEO, Paul Eibeler, was last week voted by MarketWatch “America’s Worst CEO.” Take-Two’s NASDAQ stock has plummeted on his scandalous watch. Contact attorney Jack Thompson for further details at 305-666-4366, cell 305-588-3005.
John Tory's thoughts on curbing gang violence can be found here.
On Dec. 12, several US cable operators announced that they will be creating family tiers to help parents stem the flow of sex and violence that their children are able to view.
This is a follow-up article on the possible women-hating trend on tv this year.
View a letter regarding 50 Cent and his use of a City of Toronto venue here.
50 Cent is cleared to enter Canada for his tour! Some details can be found here.
Here is a piece of Margaret Wente's Dec. 1st article on Gangsta Rap.
The CCFC Organizational member Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE) has just released its annual “Toy Action Guide”. It can be found here.
The Globe and Mail's poll on whether rapper, 50 Cent should be denied entry into Canada can be found here. The short version= 53% said Yes to deny him entry.
Scott Colbourne of The Globe and Mail has an article outlining some of issues with video and computer games here.

Howard Stern will not be found on Sirius Canada. Here is a reprint of the Toronto Sun article on the Free Radical web site.

C-CAVE Chair Dr. Rose Dyson, was interviewed on Nov. 2, 05 by Marsha Lederman, National Arts Reporter and said, "Thank Goodness we do not have to fight that battle again. C-CAVE worked very hard, jointly with Media Watch and Standard Broadcasting, to get him off the air during the nineties. Canada is entitled to its cultural sovereignty. We have rules and regulations in this country that place limits on freedom of expression both on public and private air waves. These include those set out by the CRTC and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They have already been tested by Howard Stern who was found in the past to be in violation of them as well as criteria established by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council when he was a talk show host on radio station Q107".

Information on reporting the online sexual exploitation of children can be found at Cybertip.ca.
Dr. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, has written a book on television's affect on us all entitled 'Remote Controlled'. For background on the book, click here.
The violent 1979 gang film, The Warriors, is being reinvented by Rockstar Games on Oct. 18th. The Free Radical web site has a couple of articles on it here.
C-CAVE members Catherine Drillis and Angus Shene have produced an excellent new series celebrating the history and architecture of the world's religions entitled, Building Faith. This informative series debuts on October 8th on Omni Television at 9pm est.
Supporting this show with your viewership demonstrates that entertainment can be violence-free and successful.
For more detailed information on the program, visit here.
View Lisa de Moraes' Washington Post article, 'Female Characters, Made To Suffer for Our Art' which discusses the use of violence against women to sell new tv shows here.
The Runs against Media Violence held in Scarborough and Brampton on September 11th were great successes. C-CAVE thanks everyone for doing their part.
Chris Doucette has written an article for the Toronto Sun regarding Theodore Huxtable's views on gangsta rap being one of the causes of his son's death. You may read the article here.
The Scarborough and the Brampton Runs Against Media Violence were held on September 11th. Festivities and registration began at 1:00pm at the Scarborough Civic Centre and 10:30am at Brampton City Hall, respectively.
Miami attorney Jack Thompson is pleased to inform the public, particularly parents of children, that the Howard Stern Show has been removed as of Septmeber 1, 2005 from Columbus, Ohio, radio station WBZX-FM, "The Blitz," by the station's management.
The next step in this saga will take the form of Jack Thompson asking the United States Justice Department to prosecute Howard Stern personally for the criminal airing of indecent material, in violation of 18 USC 1464.
That is precisely what that statute envisions. If Stern is prosecuted and convicted, he can be sentenced up to two years in jail. Let's see Howard Stern do his radio show from a federal penitentiary.
Contact Jack Thompson for more information at 305-666-4366.
August 31, 2005 Press Release from AP - Brits plan Internet porn ban Downloading violent images could mean prison.
Rockstar Games is releasing another set of violent video games. View the Free Radical web site's take on it here.
The Free Radical website has issued some news releases on the controversial 'Pimptones' set of cellular ringtones recently offered by Bell Mobility. You can view it here.
Press Release: The pioneering new book, "The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to Be Perfect" (John Wiley and Sons) is just released and examines the alarming problem of mature women struggling with body image distortion and eating disorders. It was written by Dr. Margo Maine, a member of Dads and Daughters board of directors, and DADs President Joe Kelly. Visit http://thebodymyth.com/ for more information.
Peter Phillips of http://www.commondreams.org has written an interesting article on how the U.S. Media and Corporate America are intertwined. The article can be found here.
Revised: Dr. Dyson presented with Phyllis Creighton at the Science for Peace Retreat in Georgian Bay, July 7-11, 2005 on the topic of, "What Canada Can Contribute to Betterment of the World" .
C-CAVE met with Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson and Bala Kumar to discuss plans for the Run Against Media Violence to take place in Scarborough on Sept. 11, 2005 which will coincide with runs taking place in other locations across North America.
On March 8th, 7:00 p.m. at the University of Toronto, a guest lecture was given by: Shekhar Raj Bastakoti, CEO, Center for Research and Global Communications, Kathmandu, Nepal. Rm. UC 175.
(Contact Daryl at Science for Peace Office, 416-978-3606)
Check the Events section for additional information.
The Free Radical website has issued a new release on why the Criminal Code's Obsenity Law needs to be changed. You can view it here.
Dads and Daughters encourages you to take action against the Alliance for American Advertising lobby who are fighting for the right to target children in their advertising here.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has appointed John MacNab as it's new Executive Director. The CBSC press release can be found here.
CONGRATULATIONS to C-CAVE member, Laura Westra who successfully defended her SECOND Ph.D. in December, 2004 at Osgoode Hall Law School with a thesis on Environmental Law. Her first Ph.D. is in Philosophy. Laura has also just had a book published, based on her thesis. It is entitled: ECOVIOLENCE & THE LAW: Supranational Normative Foundations of Ecocrime.
Stemming from an initial meeting last November by C-CAVE member, Gloria Osborne, a follow-up meeting with Bala Kumar and Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson took place Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005 for the purposes of organizing a run against media violence in Scarboro as well as Brampton this fall.
On Tuesday, Jan. 11 and Feb. 16, 2005, C-CAVE participated in a protest in front of OISEUT (252 Bloor St. W.) re: the research partnership proposal with Altantis Systems International. It was organized by PAMO (People Against the Militarization of OISEUT). This proposed project would involve a collaborative endeavor of public and private, local, national and international stakeholders. The research would be a cross-sector project bringing elementary and post-secondary education, health and business interests together.
Dr. Rose Dyson accepted the chairmanship of a working group on the power of media for Science for Peace (which will be based at the University of Toronto) under the combined flag of SfP, C-CAVE, and CGI. **Addition** Dr. Dyson also accepted the position of Vice President on Media on the Board of Directors for the Centre on Global Issues, co-sponsor of the Evolution of World Order Conference with Ryerson University, Science for Peace and C-CAVE, October, 2004. Keep checking the site for more details!
Valerie Smith of The Free Radical website has issued a press release for the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) report on reducing media violence. It can be found here.
C-CAVE President Dr. Rose Dyson participated in a conference on December 3 & 4th, 2004 entitled, "Taking Public Universities Seriously". The conference focused on the evolving role of the public university in industrialized democracies and the implications of this role for creating optimal government policy. The invitation was an outgrowth of correspondence with the President regarding growing concerns about the militarization of society through widespread marketing of violent video games to young people. For details on this issue within the OISEUT community see the November 17th article entitled Simulation - Based Training within the Military Fuels a Culture of Violence.
The Toy Action Guide from TRUCE (Teachers for Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment) contains information on how to select toys that promote positive play and reduce the influence of harmful toys on children. There is a list of TRUCE's 2004-2005 recommendations for "Toys for Healthy & Creative Play" as well as "Toys and Toy Trends to Avoid." The Guide again provides suggestions for "Shoe Box Gifts," an alternative gift idea that promotes play around themes with common objects often found around the house.
Both the Toy Action Guide and a revised version of the 2004-2005 Media Violence and Children Action guide, can be found on their website, http://www.truceteachers.org
An important announcement from the former SCEC:

To reflect its growing membership and commitment to positive action, the coalition formerly known as Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children (SCEC) has renamed itself the CAMPAIGN FOR A COMMERCIAL-FREE CHILDHOOD (CCFC).

To learn more about the name change and what we're doing, we invite you to visit our brand new website: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org.

Josh Golin
Action Coordinator, CCFC: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu, (617) 278-4172
Brian Towie has written an interesting article on the video game series, Grand Theft Auto. It can be found on the Toronto Observer website.
Click hereto read C-CAVE President's remarks from the Video Conference on the IMPLEMENTATION OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION. The official website for the event can be found here

A message from Dr. Rose Dyson, President of C-CAVE:

The C-CAVE fundraiser was a great success!. Our sincere thanks to all our members and donors, both those who were able to attend on October 13th and those of you who, nevertheless, sent in generous contributions. They are still coming in! We would not be able to function without your wonderful support.

Special thanks to Jeff Robbins whose remarks on "High Definition Television: The Big Picture Nobody is Looking At" were stimulating and thought provoking.

Our deepest appreciation goes out to everyone who contributed AND bid on items in our Silent Auction.

Thanks to the co-ordinating committee, especially Sylvia Cauley, Anelise Martens, Gloria Osborne, Evelyn Baker, Mary Jane Speers, Natelie Coulter, Linda Wilding and Clint Cummings.

Rose

From Josh Golin, Action Coordinator, SCEC: Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children:

This month, Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children sent a public letter - signed by thirty prominent children’s and environmental organizations - to US Youth Soccer (USYS) asking them not to renew their sponsorship agreement with TruGreen/ChemLawn.

Today, ActForChange, one the nation's leading activist websites, has set up an action based on SCEC's letter. If you believe that children's love of soccer should not be exploited to market toxic products to families, please let USYS President David Messersmith and Marketing Director Chris Branscome know.

Please visit here for more details.

Read C-CAVE Chairperson Dr. Rose Dyson's review of the book, "Learning to Hate Americans" by clicking here.

Details of the Video Conference on the IMPLEMENTATION OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION which occurred before the C-CAVE Fundraiser on Oct. 13, 2004 can be found here

Details of the 4th Interdisciplinary Conference on the Evolution of World Order can also be found here

The City of Brampton was proclaimed September 11, 2004 as PARENTS AGAINST MEDIA VIOLENCE DAY. The 2004 Run Against Media Violence was also held in Brampton on this day with C-CAVE members, Dr. Rose Dyson and Sylvia Cauley participating. Click here for more information on the day and the run.

Click here and learn why we should protect our kids from unregulated advertising.

Click here to check out some key strategies on addressing media violence globally and locally!

Read the review of Susan Linn's book, "Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood" by C-CAVE Chairperson Dr. Rose Dyson by clicking here.

The video, 'The 10-Day TV &Videogame–Free Challenge' which chronicles the '10 Day Challenge' issued by the Parents’ Association of Quebec and Chaudiere-Appalaches in 2003 has been released.

Visit the EDUPAX website for more details on how the 100 students, parents and teachers from eleven schools rose to the occasion.

If you have not yet written to your elected representatives to demand a congressional or parliamentary investigation of marketing to children, please take a moment and go to this site to do so.

There is media interest in this action and it is important that we demonstrate the strength of the grassroots movement to protect children from exploitative marketing. For those of you who have already participated in this action, thanks for your efforts and please help spread the word to your friends and colleagues.

A message from C-CAVE partner, Josh Golin, Action Coordinator, SCEC: Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children.

Be sure to check C-CAVE often for new articles, actions and events.