Report Links Media Use With Kids’ Obesity, Smoking, Sex

“The National Institutes of Health and a nonprofit advocacy group, Common Sense Media, have another reason for President-elect Barack Obama to keep urging parents to ‘turn off the TV.’ In what researchers call the first report of its kind, a review of 173 studies about the effects of media consumption on children asserts that a strong correlation exists between greater exposure and adverse health outcomes.”

Ugly Memoirist Wins Libel Suit Brought By Her Mother

“The mother of a prominent barrister faces a legal bill of £500,000 after losing a High Court libel action against her daughter over allegations of abuse in Ugly, the bestselling memoir. … The verdict is both a triumph and a relief for [author Constance] Briscoe, a criminal barrister and one of Britain’s first black part-time judges. Her career was at stake had she lost.”

Now Playing Everywhere: YouTube Symphony Orchestra

“Traditionally, auditioning for an orchestra means appearing alone onstage in a nerve-jangling performance before grizzled veteran musicians. In the Google way, it means posting on the company’s video-sharing site, YouTube, for online judging by the professionals and then, ultimately, the YouTube universe.” Winners of Google’s YouTube Symphony Orchestra project, announced Monday, will play at Carnegie Hall.