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    What's buzzing on Shine

    A ban on father-daughter dances creates huge controversy in one Rhode Island School district. Researchers find pacifiers may stunt emotional development in boys. And Shine viewers express outrage over Blake Lively’s engagement ring. Two million dollars! What??? Senior Editor, Piper Weiss, chats with The Shine’s Allison Fishman Task about what’s buzzing on Shine right now.


    The Shine's Host Allison Fishman is wearing:
    Dress by Alice and Olivia
    Ring and earrings by Ann Taylor
    Boots by Plenty Tracy Reese

    A Rhode Island school district has banned father-daughter school dances after a single mom complained she was denied entrance to a dance. As Piper explains, the move by the school's superintendent was made in an effort to comply with the state gender discrimination law.  Some people are calling the ban too politically correct to be cancelling this tradition among parents and children. Many people are upset, saying,  “What’s next?” Shine viewers took the debate to Shine’s comments section. One viewer writes, “Some children are not physically capable to participate in sports, but they don’t ban sports. Some children aren’t smart enough to get into the “gifted” programs at school, but they don’t ban those!!! Pathetic!”


    Another story getting lots of buzz on Shine concerns boys and pacifier use.  New scientific research suggests pacifiers may blunt boys emotional maturity. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin interviewed college-aged men and found that those who heavily used pacifiers as children, were worse at mimicking emotions expressed by faces on a video. Piper says the study has been compared to studies done on Botox.  “Emotions become blunted because they don’t know how to internalize the faces that they can’t seem to make”, says Piper.


    And Shine viewers responded big time to the news of Blake Lively’s 12-carat engagement ring, estimated to have cost $2 million dollars. “It’s just a great moon on her finger!”, says Piper. And Piper points out: “few comments express envy or interest. Everyone’s just pissed off!” One viewer wrote, I don't question Blake for getting/wearing a $2 million diamond, or Ryan for buying it for her...I question a society where RYAN FREAKIN" REYNOLDS makes that much money that he can afford it. Seriously? It's Ryan Reynolds we're talking about here."