# data[].attributes.body
There are a number of poisonous ingredients in laundry detergents which can cause a number of problems. The ingredients in the laundry detergent can be toxic to the environment and organisms that consume the water. A number of health problems can occur which can lead to diesease  and death.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Even though detergents do a tremendous job of getting rid of the dirt and grime in our fabrics, at what cost does this come? Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and carbon cost of production, it's not surprising that some people have concerns about the impacts of laundry detergents on the environment.

Their carbon footprint alone is significant by many people's standards. Carbon footprints are an indicator of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced while making, shipping and using a product. According to the Wall Street Journal, the carbon footprint of using UK detergent brand Tesco, varies from 1.3 pounds (0.6 kilograms) to 1.9 pounds (0.9 kilograms) per load, depending on the form of the detergent that's used. To put this in perspective, it is estimated that for every mile an average car travels, 1 pound (0.5 kilograms) of CO2 is emitted. Recall that American families on average do 300 loads of laundry per year. This means that the carbon footprint of laundry detergents for one year of laundry is approximately 480 pounds (218 kilograms) per year, or about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) per week. So, while this may not seem like a lot, especially if your car produces about 5 tons of CO2 per year, this number only reflects the laundry detergent. It does not factor in the extra energy requirements of running the washer and dryer [source: Wall Street Journal].

Now, add to that the toxic effects of the chemical components in detergents. According to the EPA, some of the major concerns about the chemical ingredients used in laundry detergents include the following:

Toxicity to aquatic organisms and algae

Persistence in the environment

Eutrophication of fresh water, particularly by phosphate-based detergents (now, phosphates have been replaced by zeolites which may be alleviating this problem)

Health problems in people, such as cancer [source: EPA]

Another concern relating to laundry detergent is that it can make the wash water acidic, and depending on where that water runs to, it could further impact the environment, having effects similar to acid rain. Read on to the next page to find some green alternatives to regular detergents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Even though detergents do a tremendous job of getting rid of the dirt and grime in our fabrics, at what cost does this come? Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and carbon cost of production, it's not surprising that some people have concerns about the impacts of laundry detergents on the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
When President Obama took the presidential office, the world was going through a food prices. Foods that are a main source of nutrition, like rice, reached an all-time high in price. To combat this, President Obama launched an organization, on behalf of the government of the United States, that provided around three and a half billion dollars of relief to people most affected by this price hike. The organization, called Feed the Future, helped around twelve and a half million children, and seven million farmers internationally.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Feed the Future | Improving Food Security & Nutrition Around the World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Feed the Future is the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative. It addresses the root causes of hunger and poverty in the developing world to improve global food security and nutrition.

# data[].attributes.body
Education is very important in bringing an end to world hunger. It is very important to educate mothers in the amount of nutrition developing children need. With the lack of essential nutrients, children are vulnerable to disease, and their development will stop, leading to  lifelong problems. In many countries, mothers attempt to feed their children well, however with low income and small food supply, they are unable to obtain foods. A solution to this would be educating parents for the nutrition their children need. Organizations have called to governments to help provide funding in fighting malnutrition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When Rianne was four months old, she seemed to be normal and healthy. But then her development stalled, although she was fed twice a day by her mother. But the meals were made of just rice and water, so Rianne lost weight and was underweight by the time she was one year old.

She was lucky, though, as her mother received some training via a radio program and a local nutritionist. She learned how to make simple, but healthy meals for her children. That is what saved Rianne. She started growing again and developed normally. In a few years, she should be able to start school.

Millions of children in Asia and Africa do not get that chance. The lack of adequate nutrition in the first few months stays with them. Children who do not get enough healthy food in the first thousand days of their lives, suffer lasting damage, according to development experts.

"The decisive phase starts the moment the child is conceived and ends with the child's second birthday," said Simone Rapp from Germany's Welthungerhilfe (World Hunger Aid). From then on, it is virtually impossible to reverse the damage.

Millions starve

It makes for grim reading: Worldwide, millions of children under the age of five are underdeveloped, because they are not getting the right food. That is why they have vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Infectious diseases and anemia are common in these children. They are small and skinny, their immune system is weak, their motor skills are poor and they can be mentally underdeveloped too.

Malnourishment at a young age mark a person for life

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) points out the long-term impact of the lack of adequate food. It makes children less able to learn and therefore makes it unlikely that they will finish school. And that means fewer people will train to enter the workforce and help their country's development.

The life expectancy of babies in the affected countries is equally grim. Three million children die each year of malnutrition before reaching the age of five, according to the Red Cross.

Light and shadow

Countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are most affected by malnutrition. Ninety percent of the world's malnourished children live there. In Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi and Rwanda, more than half of all children are underdeveloped. In Bangladesh, it is 48 percent.

India, one of the emerging economic powerhouses, holds the grim record for the highest number of malnourished children worldwide. But the Indian government recently lowered the official numbers of those living in poverty and cut benefits, according to Simone Rapp, to polish their image as an economic success story.

But there is some good news too. In Thailand, government programs have helped change certain habits, and thus, reduced malnutrition. The same applies to China and Brazil, where state-financed education and health projects have had some success.

What's needed

While industrialized nations like Germany are producing overweight or over-stimulated children with busy schedules, fueled by ambitious parents, children - and parents - in many developing countries still lack the basics. Experts agree that a whole host of measures is needed to break the cycle of malnutrition and poverty, if there is any hope of turning a hunger for food into a hunger for education.

Children are better able to learn with a full stomach

Access to clean water, proper sanitation, health care and routine inoculation are all important factors in that process.

"Educating parents, training teachers and establishing schools that take into account children's needs in rural areas, must all go hand in hand," Rudi Tarneden from UNICEF Germany explained, pointing to the organization's "Schools for Africa" project.

Ideally, of course, children should grow up in an environment that is free of conflicts and civil wars. Millions of children not only live in poverty, but in constant fear for their lives.

Educating mothers

Women who have suffered from malnutrition when they were children are more likely to give birth to malnourished babies, exacerbating the problem. Aid organizations therefore emphasize that it is essential to help mothers and provide them with all the information and training they need.

The first step is to keep children fed; the second is to make sure they eat right

"Many women believe, a bowl of maize porridge is enough," said Rapp. "But children need a different kind of nutrition. The problem is that the mothers are not educated enough, and it's that ignorance that stands in the way of development." she explained.

Germany's Welthungerhilfe is trying to help educate mothers in Africa, Asia and Latin America by offering practical advice.

"In Burundi, for example, we offer cooking classes for pregnant women and mothers. We use simple, colored signs to teach women why children need a different kind of diet from adults," Rapp said.

Many mothers would love to feed their kids better, if they had the means. But incomes are low and food is too dear. Markets, hospitals and other medical centers are often far away from home. Sometimes, tribal traditions and superstition keep the women from attending the classes.

And, more often than not, women are not seen as on a par with men. Gradually, people are beginning to realize that even men could benefit from better nutrition. But it's a slow process and Rapp says it is not easy to approach villagers.

Aid groups say fighting malnutrition needs to be a priority

"Many show an interest, but there are just as many who are very hesitant. Trying out new things is often not popular. That's why we need positive examples. To prove to them that it works. In any case, it requires a lot of patience," said Rapp.

A political challenge

All that costs money, of course - money that some countries do not have. But others do have the funds, which is why aid organizations call on their governments to make the fight against malnutrition a priority.

Aid workers have experienced a reluctance on the part of some governments to implement aid programs, despite the shocking numbers. But German and other international aid is still in high demand.

"We need more funds for the education of children in the most disadvantaged countries," said Rudi Tarneden. For children like Rianne and millions like her, who just want a chance.

Author: Cornelia Rabitz / ng
Editor: Nancy Isenson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education is key to fighting hunger | DW | 14.11.2011

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When Rianne was four months old, she seemed to be normal and healthy. But then her development stalled, although she was fed twice a day by her mother. But the meals were made of just rice and water, so Rianne lost weight and was underweight by the time she was one year old.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Best Countries to Live in if you are in Need

# data[].attributes.subject
The Best Countries to Live in if you are in Need

# data[].attributes.body
The United Nations recently conducted many studies regarding world hunger and water availability. The studies detailed where the best and worst places to live would be if you are in need of food or water. They made claims like these through a few requirements. The first was the percentage of malnourished people living in the country. The next requirement was can people afford to purchase foods high in nutritional value. The third requirement was based on the quality of the food, and whether or not the food was high in necessary vitamins and nutrients. The study showed that the best countries to live in were all in Northern Europe, such as the Netherlands. The worst countries to live in were all developing countries located in Africa, such as Nigeria.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-01-17/hungry-these-14-countries-are-best-and-worst-feeding-their-citizens

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home " World Maps " World Map

This is a large 38" by 48" colorful wall map showing the United States of America and state flags.
More Information.

The map above is a political map of the world centered on Europe and Africa. It shows the location of most of the world's countries and includes their names where space allows.

Representing a round earth on a flat map requires some distortion of the geographic features no matter how the map is done. We have used a Mercator projection for this map because it is the projection most commonly used in schools. On this map, geographic boundaries that trend north-south appear as vertical lines, geographic boundaries that trend east-west appear as horizontal lines. This type of projection causes a minimum of country-shape distortion near the equator, a small amount of distortion at mid-latitudes, but extreme distortion near the poles. For that reason, the map does not extend to the north and south poles.

The United States Central Intelligence Agency standard time zone map of the world in .pdf format. Easy-to-read.

This is a large 33" by 54" wall map with the world's physical features shown.
More Information.

The map shown here is a terrain relief image of the world with the boundaries of major countries shown as white lines. It includes the names of the world's oceans and the names of major bays, gulfs, and seas. Lowest elevations are shown as a dark green color with a gradient from green to dark brown to gray as elevation increases. This allows the major mountain ranges and lowlands to be clearly visible.

This map is also a Mercator projection centered on Europe and Africa. A scale of miles is not shown on these maps because the scale changes with distance north and south of the equator. Scale is highly exaggerated as distance from the equator increases.

Countries of the World:
The United States Department of State recognizes 195 "Independent States in the World". We have listed these countries below, and those that we have a map for are clickable.

Copyright information: The images on this page were composed by Angela King and Brad Cole and are copyright by Geology.com. These images are not available for use beyond our websites. If you would like to share them with others please link to this page. The maps were produced using digital vector graphics licensed from and copyright by Map Resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World Map: A clickable map of world countries :-)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A large colorful map of the world. When you click a country you go to a more detailed map of that country.

# data[].attributes.body
The Irish Famine.

Davidson, Lillian Lucy. Detail from Gorta. 1946, oil on canvas. Quinnipac University, Connecticut, United States of America.

# data[].attributes.body
One of the main organizations dedicated to ending hunger in America is the “Second Harvest Food Bank.” They are known nationally as the organization “Feeding America.” Their mission is to help anyone currently facing problems relating to hunger. Currently, they give assistance to one in every ten people residing in the Santa Clara County. They deliver nutritious grocery items to many schools located in Silicon Valley, in order to provide nourishment for the learning students.

# data[].attributes.headline
Water.org: Giving Water to Support Countries and Citizens

# data[].attributes.subject
Water.org: Giving Water to Support Countries and Citizens

# data[].attributes.body
Water.org is a charity that provide water, a necessary resource to developing countries. Their effects have been seen in many third-world and developing countries, such as India, Nigeria, and Sudan. The charity raised over one billion dollars that all went in to supplying water. They have built many water pumps and wells in villages that would normally have to walk for hours to get their water. With less time required to be dedicated towards getting water for the village, people have more time to do other things that we take for granted, such as education. Education in these villages can generate so much income because better jobs can be acquired.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Credit: Shutterstock

One of the most basic things we are taught in school science classes is that water can exist in three different states, either as solid ice, liquid water, or vapour gas. But an international team of scientists have recently found signs that liquid water might actually come in two different states.

Writing in an experimental paper, published in the International Journal of Nanotechnology, the researchers were surprised to find a number of physical properties of water change their behaviour between 50℃ and 60℃. This sign of a potential change to a second liquid state could spark a heated discussion in the scientific community. And, if confirmed, it could have implications for a range of fields, including nanotechnology and biology.

States of matter, also called "phases", are a key concept in the study of systems made from atoms and molecules. Roughly speaking, a system formed from many molecules can be arranged in a certain number of configurations depending on its total energy. At higher temperatures (and therefore higher energies), the molecules have more possible configurations and so are more disorganised and can move about relatively freely (the gas phase). At lower temperatures, the molecules have a more limited number of configurations and so form a more ordered phase (a liquid). If the temperature goes down further, they arrange themselves in a very specific configuration, producing a solid.

This picture is common for relatively simple molecules such as carbon dioxide or methane, which have three clear, different states (liquid, solid and gas). But for more complex molecules, there is a larger number of possible configurations and this gives rise to more phases. A beautiful illustration of this is the rich behaviour of liquid crystals, which are formed by complex organic molecules and can flow like liquids, but still have a solid-like crystalline structure

Because the phase of a substance is determined by how its molecules are configured, many physical properties of that substance will change abruptly as it goes from one state to another. In the recent paper, the researchers measured several telltale physical properties of water at temperatures between 0℃ and 100℃ under normal atmospheric conditions (meaning the water was a liquid). Surprisingly, they found a kink in properties such as the water's surface tension and its refractive index (a measure of how light travels through it) at around 50℃.
Special structure
How can this be? The structure of a water molecule, H₂O, is very interesting and can be pictured like a sort of arrow tip, with the two hydrogen atoms flanking the oxygen atom at the top. The electrons in the molecule tend to be distributed in a rather asymmetric way, making the oxygen side negatively charged relative to the hydrogen side. This simple structural feature leads to a kind of interaction between water molecules known as hydrogen bonding, in which the opposite charges attract each other.

This gives water properties that, in many cases, break the trends observed for other simple liquids. For example, unlike most other substances, a fixed mass of water takes up more room as a solid (ice) than as a (liquid) because of the way it molecules form a specific regular structure. Another example is the surface tension of liquid water, which is roughly twice that of other non-polar, simpler, liquids.

Water is simple enough, but not too simple. This means that one possibility for explaining the apparent extra phase of water is that it behaves a little bit like a liquid crystal. The hydrogen bonds between molecules keep some order at low temperatures, but eventually could take a second, less-ordered liquid phase at higher temperatures. This could explain the kinks observed by the researchers in their data.

If confirmed, the authors' findings could have many applications. For example, if changes in the environment (such as temperature) cause changes in a substance's physical properties, then this can potentially be used for sensing applications. Perhaps more fundamentally, biological systems are mostly made of water. How biological molecules (such as proteins) interact with each other likely depends on the specific manner in which water molecules arrange to form a liquid phase. Understanding how water molecules arrange themselves on average at different temperatures could shed light on the workings of how they interact in biological systems.

The discovery is an exciting opportunity for theorists and experimentalists, and a beautiful example of how even the most familiar substance still has secrets hiding within.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scientists discover a new state of matter for water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of the most basic things we are taught in school science classes is that water can exist in three different states, either as solid ice, liquid water, or vapour gas. But an international team of scientists have recently found signs that liquid water might actually come in two different states.

# data[].attributes.body
Freerice is an organization which both aids in educating children along with providing food through the World Food Program as a solution to end world hunger. Freerice allows users to answer a variety of questions ranging all the way from humanities to SAT preparation. For every answer the user gets correct, Freerice will donate 10 grains of rice. To date, Freerice has given a total amount of 95 billion grains to date!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Freerice.com | Not Your Average Online Trivia Game

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play online, learn online and feed the hungry | Freerice.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For every correct answer you choose, 10 grains of rice are raised to help end world hunger through the World Food Programme.