Four children die everyday from child abuse and neglect and a child abuse report is made every ten seconds. Abusers are sometimes so caught up in their own dramatic lives that they don’t even realize the irreparable harm they are inflicting upon a young life. Since children are so timid and unquestionably loyal to their parents, they often take the abuse and keep quiet about it. Yet the telltale bruises, scrapes and broken arms show the scars of physical abuse. Sexual and emotional abuse aren’t so obvious, so many cases go unreported.
There are several types of abuse and neglect perpetrated against children. Physical neglect involves the refusal of health care to treat a physical injury, medical condition or impairment, or a delay in health care. It also involves abandonment, which is the desertion of a child without supervision. Kicking a child out of the house, allowing the child to leave overnight without knowing his or her whereabouts and showing reckless disregard for the child’s safety, such as driving while drunk, are all causes of physical neglect. Providing inadequate clothing, food and shelter are common causes as well. With physical abuse, the child is intentionally slapped, kicked, punched, burned or injured in an attempt to control them.
Additionally, educational child abuse and neglect occurs when the child is missing from school at least 5 days each month, if the child is not registered for school, or if the child is refused remedial education to treat a diagnosed disorder or special educational need. Sometimes, it is recognized that the parents are trying to ensure their child gets proper education but the child is simply defiant, in which case, the child may need to attend a special boarding school for more individualized care.
There are many other devastating effects of child abuse and neglect in both the short and long term. Following a severe beating, kids exhibit bruises, burns, lacerations, broken bones and permanent disabilities. Often, parents avoid seeking medical care for fear of being “found out,” which may lead to the child’s death. Psychologists speculate that children who are exposed to consistent patterns of household violence develop neurological problems, either strengthened fear response connections along nerve pathways that lead the child to experience the world as hostile and threatening, or inactive regions of the brain that prompt the child to be overly aggressive and insensitive, or withdrawn and antisocial. Maltreatment, STDs, cancers, diseases, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and impaired immune systems are more common among abused children. Children from abusive households are also 25% more likely to engage in risky behavior, like smoking, teenage pregnancy, delinquency, drug use and skipping school. The dangers are all evident. If you suspect a child has been victimized, then call one of the abuse hotlines today.
A survey of 500 young women found that 60% of those aged 15 to 24 were involved in an ongoing abusive relationship. Dating violence experts say the main problem is that many victims fail to see the slow escalation and feel overly nostalgic about “the good times,” often internalizing guilt, being manipulated into staying or expecting their partners to “change.” Having a verbally abusive partner is one of the first predictors of those who use physical violence to control (NVAW Survey, July 2000).
Once you’ve “been through so much,” where do you draw the line on dating violence and say “enough is enough?” Over time, as patterns emerge, it’s natural for one to lose sight of reality. It seems like “everyone fights” or is involved in some drama, yet that doesn’t make it ok. You do not ever have to be someone’s physical or emotional punching bag. There are so many other possible partners out there, don’t think you have to settle, especially so young. If your partner shoves, slaps, hits or punches you, then get out! If you fear bringing up certain topics, feel you’re walking on egg shells or that you’re a prisoner in your own home and suspect he’s listening in on your phone calls, then escape while you still can! If he’s accusing you of cheating, giving you “the look,” calling you disparaging names or shouting at you, then remember that you don’t have to put up with his abuse.
Teen dating violence is often hidden for many reasons. As a teen, you’re relatively inexperienced in the dating world and you haven’t fully figured out what is normal behavior and what is excessive mental illness or severe behavioral problems yet. You may feel like all of your peers are “acting violently,” that violence is “masculine,” or view your relationship as defiance against your parents. Many teenage boys mistakenly believe they “possess” their girlfriends, have the right to “control” their partners, have the right to demand intimacy, that their girlfriends “force” them to resort to violence, and that they may lose respect if they are attentive and supportive to their girlfriends. Many teenage girls mistakenly feel there is only one person for them, that they are solely responsible for problem solving, that their boyfriend’s jealousy is really just love, that there is no one to ask for help and that abuse is “normal.” The reality is that teens can identify warning signs, exercise their tremendous number of options and live a healthy, happy life as a valuable individual who deserves respect.
Many teens recognize that their boyfriends have “anger problems,” but they refrain from seeking help because they want to deal with it “on their own.” Perhaps, it’s naivety or they fail to realize that dating violence is more than an inconvenience. It is extremely dangerous and it is often deadly. More than one third of all partner-committed rapes and physical assaults result in injury requiring medical care (NVAW Survey, July 2000). According to the CDC, there are 2 million injuries and 1,300 deaths caused by intimate partner violence. Additionally, medical expenses from domestic abuse totaled $3-5 billion (Domestic Violence for Health Care Providers, 3rd Edition, Colorado Domestic Violence Coalition, 1991). To stop the cycle of violence, teens must report incidents and seek treatment.
Transformers figures are wildly popular toys thanks to their excellent story lines, wild past, and sheer coolness factor. While today’s toys are impressive with their intricate transformations and gadgetry, the clunkier and heavier figures of the eighties are exceptionally desirable, partially thanks to their varied history.
In the 1970’s, Japanese toy company Takara manufactured the popular Microman and Diaclone toy lines, which featured figures that transformed into electronics devices, robots, and vehicles. Hasbro was already licensing Takara’s technology for the G.I. Joe toy line and continued the partnership to develop the Transformers figures toy line, while simultaneously purchasing the Diaclone toy line outright.
A backstory was developed for the toy line and a plethora new figures were added, while many of the original Diaclone toys were reworked to blend into this new story line. That’s the easy piece of their history. Then things begin to get confusing.
Soon afterwards, the Marvel comic was released in the United States. The comics would later be released in Japan and the UK, spawning new toy variations and multiple names for toys in the process. In 1984 the cartoon series was created, but the writers veered from the original path that was set.
In 1986, the Transformers animated movie was created, two more seasons of the animated show were created, and the UK and Japanese story lines were still being developed. In the early 90’s, the second generation series was released (G2), followed by Beast Wars, followed by a new series of comics and toys created by Dreamwave in the early 2000’s. All of this led to wild discrepancies in plots, backgrounds, characters, and many other aspects associated with the toy line and the backstory.
Concurrently, Hasbro was creating more and more Transformers figures and sets, including Technobots, Targetmasters, Omnicons, Masterforce, Combiners, Brainmasters, Micromasters, Minibots, Pretenders, Powerlinx, Aerialbots, Actionmasters, Multiforce, and many more. Many of these lines were truly engineering marvels. What, don’t tell me that you thought there was only one toy line?!
Adding to the confusion are the current Transformers toy lines, inspired by the PG-13 Michael Bay feature film. Some of these new toys even feature cross-over promotions with the popular Star Wars franchise. While these transforming toys don’t carry the same geek appeal as Star Wars vintage action figures or the original Transformers figures, they are very popular with younger fans of both the Star Wars and Transformers series.
The end result is that Transformer action figures are more than just a disntant memory for many collectors; they are also a perfect example of creativity, cooperation, and design ingenuity rarely seen in the current mass market toy releases. Thanks to their past, vintage Transformers figures should remain popular and valuable for many years to come.