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SUMMER READING At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the students' behaviour itself is the fact that everything has been caught on camera. Testimony by Anita Shreve is now out in paperbook. A must-have accessory for your summer holiday.

Hello from Mumsnet Towers...

Where we've been slaving over a hot keyboard to bring you our slap-up new Food section. Feast your eyes on our really rather useful seasonal food guide and savour five-star Mumsnetters' tips for eating on the cheap or whipping up a grand birthday party tea. And that's but a taste... Click, browse and inwardly digest - and then tell us what you think (no roastings, please).

Thanks to everyone who took part in our first Mumsnet Local Site of the Month poll. After totting up the votes, we're proud to announce the inaugural winning Tsarinas are sarah33, Hulababy, katz and LouLouandHarry from the Sheffield site. Hats Crowns off to them.

Now for this week's parenting news ...

Compulsory vaccination urged: Pressure is growing for childhood vaccinations such as the MMR jab to be made compulsory for all children before they start school after a prominent doctor, former British Medical Association chairman Sir Sandy Macara, said he would lobby for a change. "The suggestion is that we ought to consider making a link which, in effect, would make it compulsory for children to be immunised if they are to receive the benefit of a free education from the state," he said. Meanwhile, the Welsh Assembly is considering the move after a spate of measles outbreaks across the country. (Guardian 04.06.09)

Premature baby chances up: Survival chances have greatly improved for premature babies, even those born extremely early, according to research published this week. About 70% of babies born alive between 22 and 26 weeks gestation in Sweden, where the study was based, now survive past the age of one, largely thanks to medical intervention. But the authors say their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association does not answer the bigger ethical question over intervention - over half of the babies who survived experienced serious health problems. Lead researcher Dr Karel Marsal, of Lund University Hospital, said that although gestational age was not enough to judge prognosis, the fact was that at 23 weeks the chances of survival were much better than at 22 weeks. (BBC Online 04.06.09)

Other stories in brief

DOCTORS WANT TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF CRITICALLY ILL BABIES. Please spare a minute to take our survey for the General Medical Council - and help shape guidelines for doctors' treatment plans in the future. The survey's open to any parent living in the UK; you don't need to have/have had a baby in Special Care to fill it in.

Hot threads

Competitions

This week's prizes are:

It's easy to enter (and keep an eye on winners' corner to see if your name has come out of the hat). 

ARE YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN JAM FANS? Hartley's Squeezy Jam is looking for 100 volunteers to test their fruity jam in a new squeezy bottle. You need to have a child under 10, live in the UK and like jam! If you're interested, click here.

Quote of the week

SheherazadetheGoat wonders why so many parents feel the need to schedule 'fun' activities for their kids: "My dd is perfectly happy playing with her wooden hoop and practising her Slovakian folk-dancing in a nearby meadow. We don't have a TV and knit our own hair."

Looking for somewhere to take the kids this half-term? Mumsnetters suggest:

Find more Mumsnetter recommendations for great days out near you in Mumsnet Local. 

Aitch's TV round-up: Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic, Sat 6 June, C4, 10pm
There was a thread, a while back, talking about how comedian Sarah Silverman had bombed on the Jonathan Ross show, how she couldn't respond to his quick wit and how she just generally embarrassed herself by being arrogant and crass. Wrong. All of you on that thread who didn't agree with me (and Onebat, as I recall) that Sarah Silverman out-foxed Ross at every turn and is, in fact, a ragingly fabulous humourist and iconoclast (with nice shoulders) are plumb WRONG. I submit as evidence this stand-up show of hers. Watch it and weep, suckas...

Blog of the week: Terrible Twos Times Two
jennycameron on her all-too-brief breakout for coffee and cake: "I left Husband with the twins. Twin 1 on usual cheery form, Twin 2 has a cold. Twin 2 is also a drama queen. Not a great combination. As I was leaving the house, I told Husband he could call me if he needed me to come home early, as Twin 2 was being such a fusspot. Halfway through the piggy cake session with my friend, my phone rang. Me: 'Everything alright?' Husband: 'Yes... Um... What do you want them to wear?' Who says men can’t cope alone?"
Bursting to blog? Why not start your own?

Recipe of the week: WelliesAndPyjamas' Fabtastic Easy Strawberry Ice Cream
What with strawberries being in season and all, we thought you might fancy whipping up this fruity little treat of a dessert. You don't need an ice-cream maker but you do need to be able to hold out long enough for the gorgeously gooey mixture to freeze. Hang in there: it's worth it!
Review this week's recipe here - or why not post one yourself?

That's all, we're off to try a spot of hair-knitting...
Love,
Mumsnet Towers

GOT MUMSNET'S BOOK OF THE MONTH ORYX AND CRAKE? Order your discounted copy of Margaret Atwood's futuristic tale - and join us for our (ever-so-friendly) Book Club Discussion on 30 June at 8pm.

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