Kristen Meinzer

A lot of people set their children in front of the television to watch educational videos and programming — from "Sesame Street" to "Baby Einstein" — with the hope that these shows will help their children to learn. But a new study out last week in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, says these videos don’t actually make kids smarter, and may in fact impede their learning.

After weeks of anticipation, the Academy Awards show is finally upon us. At 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Oscars will be handed out and speeches will drag on forever. Telling us about what to expect from this year’s show, which will be broadcast on ABC, is Rafer Guzman, Takeaway movie contributor and film critic for Newsday. He gives his predictions on the winners.

Later today we expect to hear new national unemployment data which should offer economists a reasonable idea of where our economy is moving on a macro scale. But what about the smaller economic engines of America? How about the small towns in our country that may be largely sustained by a single industry or plant? Even if the economy, as a whole, were to make an unexpected recovery, that wouldn’t bring back the single manufacturing plant that sustaining some ten percent of its nearby residents, or the auxiliary economy that springs up around it like housing, restaurants, or shopping centers.

Today, the latest film by "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua hits theatres nationwide. It's called "Brooklyn’s Finest," and it follows three cops who are forced to make impossible decisions during crisis points in their lives – and then live with the outcome of those choices.

When most of us watch the Oscars, our eyes are glued to the movie stars. But if you’re a movie star on Oscars night, it’s more likely that your eyes are glued to two accountants. We refer, of course, to the accountants of Pricewaterhouse Coopers – those guys with the briefcases who hit the red carpet each year, ballots in tow. From the actor's perspective, it's they who hold the key to your acceptance speech, or your stiff upper lip as a loser in front of the cameras.

Online vigilante justice has become commonplace in China, but it also occurs right here in the U.S. It's a phenomenon in which internet users hunt down and punish people who’ve attracted their wrath...oftentimes for unpunished acts that are considered reprehensible. Some feel this particular form using tech savvy to give people what they deserve is useful, but questions arise about whether online vigilantism is dangerous.

Each week, Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman and Takeaway producer Kristen Meinzer get in a heated, but friendly debate about the movies. This week, they discuss the Oscar nominees they each consider must-sees, and the ones they think are over-rated.

For this week's food segment, we take our inspiration from proposed sales taxes on sweets that are sweeping the nation — from California to Mississippi and New York. Legislators, government administrators, and others say such taxes like this may help to discourage us from consuming so many 'empty calories,' and to curb the rising problem of obesity throughout the country.

Our question: Are sweets really so bad? And should we be penalized for eating them?

Unemployment has spared no community in the past few years, but it’s been especially hard on older workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job-seekers over 45 make up a disproportionate percentage of the long-term unemployed population. And in many cases, those older workers never even get asked in for an interview. If you’re over 45 and applying for jobs, how do you avoid getting your resume tossed in the trash, and increase your chances of getting your foot in the door?

Frederic Chopin always claimed that March 1st was his birthday, despite church records saying he was born on February 22. Chopin would have been 200 this year, and it seems churlish to argue with a 200-year-old, so in honor of his special day we look back on what made him great, and why we still love his music.

President Barack Obama does it, and according to a study by the AARP, so do 33 percent of all 18-to-49 year olds. Living with your parents or in-laws is sometimes done out of necessity, other times voluntarily, and in many other cultures, much more frequently.

A little over a week remains until Oscar night. With ten best picture nominees this year, not to mention a full roster of five animated features (on top of all the other categories), there's not a lot of time to see what's on the ballot. Newsday critic and Takeaway film contributor Rafer Guzman fills us in on which movies are must-sees and which are okay to avoid.

...then you probably shouldn't read this. With ten best picture nods this year, a full roster of five animated features, all the nominations in the other categories (and only a week left of movie-watching before Oscar night), it's nearly impossible for film contributor Rafer Guzman and I to pick just one Oscar-nominated movie for you to see. But we can each give you three (as well as three to skip).

Each week, Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman and Takeaway producer Kristen Meinzer get in a heated, but friendly debate about the movies. This week, with so much Olympics coverage: sports movies for people who don't like sports.

A jury in Italy has ruled that three Google executives are guilty of invasion of privacy after a user uploaded a video depicting four Italian teenagers bullying a boy with Down syndrome to the company's video service. The prosecutors' argument as to why the executives are responsible says that "a company's rights cannot prevail over a person's dignity." But the ruling has many legal and tech experts wondering: should a hosting platform be held responsible for what people post while using the service? And when do attempts to uphold personal dignity impede on free speech?

Let’s be clear about something: we’re not here to tell you that everything you eat is expiration-proof. It’s not.

That said, a lot of what’s on your cupboard shelves isn’t going to kill you if you eat it past the date that’s printed on the box.

As more of us are being forced to stretch our food dollars further, the question on some of our minds is: Can I eat that old can of soup in the back of the cupboard? Or more generally: Can I eat expired food?

In the current economy, there are more than six applicants for every job opening. As a result, employers are looking for more ways to weed through the pool of applicants and are opting for unusual screening techniques. Takeaway work contributor, Beth Kobliner, explains what job seekers can be expected to endure in the interview process these days — from online identity searches, to questions about the shape of manhole covers.

Takeaway co-host Celeste Headlee will be getting married this summer and, in the process, she'll be taking on the role of stepmother, as her husband-to-be brings a new son into the household. At the same time, her son will get a new stepfather. She's not alone: 65 percent of remarriages involve children from a previous marriage, so we look at the challenges of blended families.

For all the people out there who couldn't care less about the Olympics, NASCAR or the Super Bowl, but are forced to live in a world where everyone else does, this week's movie segment is for you. The topic: sports movies for people who hate sports.