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#LikeAGirl campaign to raise awareness about gender bias

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#LikeAGirl campaign to raise awareness about gender bias

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Watch this video to see what everyday gender bias looks like. This changes how we think as we grow up. What messages should we be sending instead?

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The Future of Green Building. Ashoka Fellow Jason McLennan

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As the world seeks to slow the pace of climate change, preserve wildlife, and support more than eight billion people, trees inevitably hold a major part of the answer. Yet the mass destruction of trees-deforestation-continues, sacrificing the long-term benefits of standing trees for short-term gain of fuel, and materials for manufacturing and construction.

We need trees for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that they absorb the carbon dioxide we exhale and the heat-trapping greenhouse gases that human activities emit. As those gases enter the atmosphere, global warming increases, a trend scientists now prefer to call climate change.

There is also the imminent danger of disease caused by deforestation. An estimated 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases come from animals, and a major cause of viruses' jump from wildlife to humans is habitat loss, often through deforestation.

But we can still save our forests. Aggressive efforts to rewild and reforest are already showing success. Tropical tree cover alone can provide 23 percent of the climate mitigation needed to meet goals set in the Paris Agreement in 2015, according to one estimate.

Causes of deforestation

Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world's land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Since 1990, the world has lost more than 420 million hectares or about a billion acres of forest, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-mainly in Africa and South America. About 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, and losses recently have been on the rise. The organization Amazon Conservation reports that destruction rose by 21 percent in 2020, a loss the size of Israel.

Farming, grazing of livestock, mining, and drilling combined account for more than half of all deforestation. Forestry practices, wildfires and, in small part, urbanization account for the rest. In Malaysia and Indonesia, forests are cut down to make way for producing palm oil, which can be found in everything from shampoo to saltine crackers. In the Amazon, cattle ranching and farms-particularly soy plantations-are key culprits.

Logging operations, which provide the world's wood and paper products, also fell countless trees each year. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, also build roads to access more and more remote forests-which leads to further deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl as land is developed for homes.

Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by a combination of human and natural factors like wildfires and overgrazing, which may prevent the growth of young trees.

Why it matters

There are some 250 million people who live in forest and savannah areas and depend on them for subsistence and income-many of them among the world's rural poor.

Eighty percent of Earth's land animals and plants live in forests, and deforestation threatens species including the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and many species of birds. Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun's rays during the day and retains heat at night. That disruption leads to more extreme temperature swings that can be harmful to plants and animals.

With wild habitats destroyed and human life ever expanding, the line between animal and human areas blurs, opening the door to zoonotic diseases. In 2014, for example, the Ebola virus killed over 11,000 people in West Africa after fruit bats transmitted the disease to a toddler who was playing near trees where bats were roosting.

(How deforestation is leading to more infectious diseases in humans.)

Some scientists believe there could be as many as 1.7 million currently "undiscovered" viruses in mammals and birds, of which up to 827,000 could have the ability to infect people, according to a 2018 study.

Deforestation's effects reach far beyond the people and animals where trees are cut. The South American rainforest, for example, influences regional and perhaps even global water cycles, and it's key to the water supply in Brazilian cities and neighboring countries. The Amazon actually helps furnish water to some of the soy farmers and beef ranchers who are clearing the forest. The loss of clean water and biodiversity from all forests could have many other effects we can't foresee, touching even your morning cup of coffee.

In terms of climate change, cutting trees both adds carbon dioxide to the air and removes the ability to absorb existing carbon dioxide. If tropical deforestation were a country, according to the World Resources Institute, it would rank third in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, behind China and the U.S.

What can be done

The numbers are grim, but many conservationists see reasons for hope. A movement is under way to preserve existing forest ecosystems and restore lost tree cover by first reforesting (replanting trees) and ultimately rewilding (a more comprehensive mission to restore entire ecosystems).

(Which nation could be the first to be rewilded?)

Organizations and activists are working to fight illegal mining and logging-National Geographic Explorer Topher White, for example, has come up with a way to use recycled cell phones to monitor for chainsaws. In Tanzania, the residents of Kokota have planted more than 2 million trees on their small island over a decade, aiming to repair previous damage. And in Brazil, conservationists are rallying in the face of ominous signals that the government may roll back forest protections.

(Which tree planting projects should you support?)

Stopping deforestation before it reaches a critical point will play a key role in avoiding the next zoonotic pandemic. A November 2022 study showed that when bats struggle to find suitable habitat, they travel closer to human communities where diseases are more likely to spillover. Inversely, when bats' native habitats were left intact, they stayed away from humans. This research is the first to show how we can predict and avoid spillovers through monitoring and maintaining wildlife habitats.

For consumers, it makes sense to examine the products and meats you buy, looking for sustainably produced sources when you can. Nonprofit groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance certify products they consider sustainable, while the World Wildlife Fund has a palm oil scorecard for consumer brands.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on February 2019. It has been updated.

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Deforestation and Its Effect on the Planet

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Large scale destruction of trees-deforestation-affects ecosystems, climate, and even increases risk for zoonotic diseases spreading to humans.

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Deforestation and food: your questions answered

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You might have heard that our food is causing deforestation - but what does this mean? We're here to answer your questions.

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What Would Happen If the World Suddenly Became Vegetarian?

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Bethany Williams: Can Fashion Have A Social Purpose? - Autumn / Winter 2020 Live Panel Discussion

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My ex-student who I am incredibly proud of!

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Bethany Williams' 2019 will be hard to beat. The 30-year-old British designer has quickly become known for her sustainable practices, after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Award last February (following in the footsteps of inaugural winner Richard Quinn). She was also shortlisted for the LVMH Prize the same month, named a British Fashion Council NEWGEN recipient in April, and won the British Emerging Talent Menswear award at The Fashion Awards in December.

Her rise may have coincided with the year that the wider fashion world finally began to take the climate crisis seriously, but sustainability has always been part of Williams' ethos. "I was really interested in sustainability growing up," she tells Vogue at her studio in the London College of Fashion. "My mum is very hot on environmental issues; I've always been around these ideas."

It's fitting then that "motherhood, nurturing and childhood" are the themes of her autumn/winter 2020 collection. Pieces include a coat woven out of toy ribbon off-cuts, a printed frock inspired by play dresses and oversized jackets featuring illustrations of mothers and their children.

Ahead of her show at London Fashion Week Men's, Williams talks to Vogue about her latest collection, fashion's ability to amplify social issues and what she's got planned this year.

What is the inspiration behind your autumn/winter 2020 collection?

"We worked with The Magpie Project, a charity in Newham, east London, which supports women and children under the age of five in temporary accommodation. It's been hard to process the conditions of some people living in the UK and especially really small children. Magpie provides a safe place for children to be able to play, as well as clothing and food and access to legal [services]. I worked with Melissa Kitty Jarram, an illustrator who's a friend; she came to Magpie and did illustrations around the female connection between mother and child.

"I like the idea that if [a man] supports or buys the collection in store, he's helping to fund all these projects we do with women. It's feminist [whether] you're doing it consciously or unconsciously."

You're known for blurring the lines between mens and womenswear. How does this work in practice?

"[My designs] are more unisex, but it is men's sizing. I prefer the oversized shapes of menswear; I wear a lot of it and find it more interesting. The different categories are becoming more fluid. It's going to be interesting to see how department stores react to that - is there going to be a menswear and womenswear section, or is there a crossover section within that?"

You always put a lot of thought into sourcing materials. Where are the textiles in your latest collection from?

"Everything's either organic or recycled. The whole theme of the collection is around motherhood, comfort and nurturing, so we've used recycled bedding, old blankets and toy ribbon waste. We got a load of bell tents from a glamping site, so we've upcycled those. I've always loved taking something discarded and giving it time to make it beautiful. We also worked with [shoe designer] Helen Kirkum and Adidas to upcycle trainers that have been given back as part of its circular programme."

Previously, you've collaborated with the San Patrignano rehabilitation centre and Fashion for Change. Do you think more designers should be using fashion to create social impact?

"I do like to have a social benefit through my work. Fashion has the ability to amplify ideas and take them to a bigger stage. The work Magpie is doing is really important and needs to be supported and talked about. They told us that no one donates socks, so we spoke to [knitwear company] Wool and the Gang and I designed a sock that people can knit and donate. 20 per cent of the profits from the main collection will go to the charity."

What should we expect at your autumn/winter 2020 show?

"With the casting, we wanted [to continue] the theme around family and motherhood. Not in the sense it has to be a blood-related family; you can choose your family. Melissa has created a film on the work at Magpie, with a poem by Eno Mfon, that we're going to play first. For me, that's the most important part of the show, to get across the work that Magpie is doing."

You had an amazing 2019 - what do the successes mean to you?

"[It's been] mind-blowing. It's been a big year for learning; growing a business sustainably is hard. It's been really amazing to get recognition, because it paves the way for younger people coming out of university that are doing the same thing."

How do you think the conversation around sustainability has changed recently?

"It's become a really hot topic; lots of people are engaging with it, which is amazing. Everyone has to be mindful in their approach. Making sure that things are authentic and that people are actually doing what they're saying is important, because there's an ability to greenwash. I'm having to be careful of the projects that I work on to make sure they are genuine."

What's next? What are your hopes for 2020?

"I'm doing an upcycling project with Lee in Copenhagen [for the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair]; a commission for Somerset House for Earth Day in April; and the Design Museum has asked me to do a project as well. I want to do more art-based projects and work in different spaces. I'm looking to eventually set up my own foundation and social manufacturing project in the UK. I want to keep growing in a sustainable way and remain true to the work I want to do."
More from British Vogue:

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"If A Man Supports The Collection, He's Helping To Fund Projects We Do With Women": Bethany Williams On Creating Social Impact With Her AW20 Collection

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Bethany Williams' 2019 will be hard to beat. The 30-year-old British designer has quickly become known for her sustainable practices, after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Award last February (following in the footsteps of inaugural winner Richard Quinn).

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The life cycle of a t-shirt - Angel Chang

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How Your Thoughts & Feelings Directly Affect Your Health & Wellbeing

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Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues Football Community

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Great sports action and local athletes sharing their experience of physical and mental health and well-being. If you or someone you know is having trouble coping with your feelings check out http://www.mindingyourhead.info

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Importance & Benefits of  Sports on your Health

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Excellent environment, extremely supportive instructors/coaches. This is a place my child feels at home. We have been a member at Paramount Gymnastics for 10 years and plan to continue for many years.

Joy Vrabel

Great place to improve your gymnastics skill from open gym to higher level like USAG. Coaching and staff is very professional and welcoming. The gym is large , well equipped and clean. *****My daughter never want to miss a class*****

Francoise Lacombe

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Gymnastics Encourages Good Posture In Kids, Crucial For Body Development And Self-Confidence

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday-Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Excellent environment, extremely supportive instructors/coaches. This is a place my child feels at home. We have been a member at Paramount Gymnastics for 10 years and plan to continue for many years. Joy Vrabel Great place to improve your gymnastics skill from open gym to higher level like USAG.

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Visit our new Getting Into The Game microsite to download the Report Summary and to browse key message and data charts. The full report, which is still in production, can also be accessed in provisional form. (Cover image ©ChildFund Pass it Back)

(28 March 2019) Participation in sport improves children's educational attainment and skills development including empowerment, leadership and self-esteem - contributing to their overall well-being and future prospects, according to new research released today by the Barça Foundation and UNICEF.

"It's long been understood that sport promotes children's health, and physical development, but now we have solid evidence to suggest that sport can have a powerful impact on their overall education and life skills development," said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. "We must use this evidence to inspire investment in sports for children, especially the most vulnerable."

Other highlights from the report include:

Successful sport for development initiatives involve multi-sectoral cooperation, such as the inclusion of education and social components.

Coaches play a critical role in safeguarding children and mitigating possible negative influences.

There is little evidence to suggest involvement in sport reduces a child's risk of abuse and exploitation. In fact, when not done well, there are indications that some sports can increase exposure to violence.

Better evidence is needed for the monitoring of sport for development initiatives, including more research on effective implementation.

More meaningful child participation in programme design and evidence building is needed.

Barça Foundation and UNICEF Partnership on S4D

Barça Foundation and UNICEF have been working together since 2006. Their partnership has helped nearly two million children access sports, play, education and child protection initiatives. The two organizations identified a critical gap in robust evidence on sport for development programming, which led to the production of Getting into the Game. In a second phase, the researchers will test the report recommendations in programmes, including at UNICEF projects funded by FC Barcelona in Brazil, China, Ghana and South Africa, as well as projects in countries affected by conflict or disaster.

"With the presentation of this research, the partnership between UNICEF and the Barça Foundation is positioned as a benchmark in sport for development in the world. Our commitment to evidence and rigor will have an enormous impact on the organizations that work in this field, improving the actions and positively impacting the lives of millions of children," said President of FC Barcelona Josep Maria Bartomeu.

"This partnership goes beyond programme implementation, goes beyond the logo of UNICEF on the Barça shirt, beyond a research. It's all that, and more," said Jordi Cardoner, First Vice President, FC Barcelona. "This alliance has an incalculable value, because with it we are positioning sport as a great tool to improve the quality of life of children around the world."

"Sport is not only inspiring, it is also a real tool for inclusion and to guarantee fundamental rights of children, such as the right to play, "said Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, Chair of the UNICEF Spanish Committee. "This report is a first step to learn how to overcome the barriers that prevent vulnerable children from enjoying sports in a safe environment. Sport generates development and, together with the Barca Foundation, we will work to demonstrate that."

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Participation in Sport Can Improve Children's Learning and Skills Development

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(28 March 2019) Participation in sport improves children's educational attainment and skills development including empowerment, leadership and self-esteem - contributing to their overall well-being and future prospects, according to new research released today by the Barça Foundation and UNICEF.

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Updated

Sobering statistics about physical activity for young children:

Children who are physically inactive will most likely become inactive adults.

Less than 24 percent of children aged 6 to 17 are physically active for the stipulated minimum of 60-minutes.

On average, children spend more than 7 hours in front of the TV and computer.

The benefits of physical activity for the human body remain the same today just as they have been for centuries. Consistent physical wellness is known to keep the body healthy and fend off the growing number of non-communicable diseases. These include cardiovascular diseases such as heart complications and stroke, respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes.

Physical wellness is receiving renewed interest in the 21st Century because of the invasive challenges created by technology, and urbanization. The use of digital contraptions has made humanity adopt a worrisome sedentary lifestyle, and lack of sufficient living spaces means there is less room for play and sporting activities. This comes with its share of health implications, mentioned above, and is unfortunately not sparing young children.

Aerobic and other forms of physical exertions are also advised in order to enhance cognitive, physical, social and creative skills in children. This even as they juggle their way inside the expanding digital landscape and crammed neighborhoods.

So, what is physical wellness?

According to the World Health Organization ( WHO), physical activity is

any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure ... Physical activity includes exercise as well as other activities which involve bodily movement and are done as part of playing, working, active transportation, house chores and recreational activities.

The art of physical wellness can be grouped loosely into three categories: active play, organized sport and active transportation.

Active play is the unstructured mode of playtime for children where they crawl, run, jump, climb trees, dance or even swim. This can happen indoors or outdoors.

Organized sport is a structured model of play which may include set rules which involve more than just one child or youth. The sport from football, netball, baseball, tor any other related form of sport outdoors or at school.

Active transportation involves body-powered forms of movement such as walking, jogging, running, cycling, canoeing and skating. This kind of physical activity for children is preferably done outdoors.

As per WHO Global recommendations on physical activity,

Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.'(MVPA)

While 60 minutes looks achievable, not as many children get to do it, especially those that dwell in urban areas. And the situation is not getting any better given the projected acceleration of urbanization world over.

While only 53% of the global population lives in cities today, the number is projected to hit 68%, or more by 2050! This is according to the United Nations.

Ultimately open spaces and playgrounds for playtime are getting smaller and very few parents are willing to send kids outdoors for fear of violence and criminality. Instead, parents promote a sedentary lifestyle by letting the little ones sit hours on end playing computer games and watching movies.

At the end of the day, children are involved in minimal physical exertion in comparison to their counterparts 50 years ago.

Here is Why Physical Activity for Children is Important

Well, if you are a parent and are caught in this inactive mess, it is probably time to get your child up and running.

1. Fantastic for the Brain

Physical activity for young kids is fantastic for the brain

Health experts around the globe agree that physical activity is fantastic for brain development, overall health, and mental excellence. And for good reasons:

First and foremost, medium-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is known to increase blood flow to the brain, to facilitate the supply of much-needed oxygen and nutrients. These are invaluable in boosting the growth of the brain while improving memory and mental wellness.

The brain in young children is undergoing tremendous and rapid changes in early childhood. From birth to 5 years, it develops extensively in response to the environment, sleep, physical activity, nutrition, human interactions, and everything else positive and negative. Sustained MVPA, or lack of it, will prepare young children to excel or fail in both life and academics. The consequences will stretch up to adulthood.

It is imperative therefore to nurture the brain positively from birth, in order to ensure a lasting mental impact.

Besides the nutritional needs, environment, and sufficient sleep, physical wellness ensures the brain is continuously stimulated to grow at per with the rest of the body, and avoid dementia - with Alzheimer's disease top of the list.

Finally, a good amount of physical wellness throughout life helps to slow down the brain from aging fast! In fact, regular physical activity can reduce aging by up to 10 years!

So, why not prepare your child from early on?

2. Great for Appetite

Physical wellness for young kids will supercharge their appetite. Photo by Dragne Marius on Unsplash

It is no secret that making children eat correctly is a puzzle many parents have to deal with on a regular basis. Yes, young children can become quite picky or out-right impossible when they choose not to eat. It annoys.

Apart from trying out a few sneaky tricks to get your child to eat again, you can smuggle in physical activity, if you have not been doing it. Children need a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity every single day for proper growth. Of course, more is better. When they indulge in these activities the body naturally demands more energy in order to keep going.

What happens is that the level of Ghrelin in the stomach will increase as glucose is used up. This will alert the brain to trigger a hunger spike, forcing the child to develop the urge to eat. Ghrelin, also called the hunger hormone is released by the stomach to stimulate appetite.

This should just about get the children back to the dining table.

On a good note and healthy note, the burning of glucose is good news since it helps reduce sugar levels in the body.

You can also use this opportunity to smuggle in that nutritious serving your child dislikes after the marathon playtime. At the time of exhaustion and hunger, your child will readily eat whatever is served on the dining table.

3. Great for Body Growth

Appropriate and consistent physical activity by kids is instrumental in strengthening the bones, muscles and the heart. This allows them to accomplish both mental and physical chores with improved endurance and less strain. Consistent physical wellness energizes their bones and muscles and helps children maintain leaner and better-looking bodies.

During the first years of life, body growth is usually manifested in what is known as a growth spurt, where the child actually grows in height and weight. For this growth to happen as per the recommended development milestones, the child should also get sufficient sleep during the night.

You should concerned be concerned, however, when the child becomes overweight even after sustained daily physical activities. This could be a sign of bad eating habits or caused genetically. In extreme cases, it could highlight a medical condition such as hormonal imbalance. This may require prompt medical attention. If unattended to, the child will experience repeated illnesses in the long run and will likely develop heart complications and type-2 diabetes during adulthood.

4. Important for Psychological Wellbeing

Physical activity will get your emotional baby back to speed soon enough. Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash

Emotional stress and depression are synonymous with every person around the world, and this includes children. It brings down even the very strong amongst us. Learning to deal with them is a very important skill, especially when started early. Children are more emotional than adults simply because they lack the experience which the latter have in dealing with emotions.

That is where physical activity comes in.

There is clear evidence of psychological wellness in most people who are physically active. They are less prone to extended effects of depression and anxiety and somehow tend to get out of the 'depression room' faster.

According to American Psychological Association,

We now understand much more about effective strategies for reducing stress responses. Such beneficial strategies include: ...Engaging in regular physical exercise.

In addition, physical exercise is instrumental in abating boredom, improving confidence and self-esteem, and the overall wellbeing of mental health.

5. Great for Overall Health

Overall, the health of a child is a reflection of mental, physical, emotional and social wellness, and starts very early in life. The benefits of physical exertion on the health of children are definitely immense. Most important, it helps reduce the onset of illnesses and eradicates others completely.

The following and many other illnesses are neutralized with life-long physical activities:

heart disease

stroke

type-2 diabetes

blood pressure

tech-neck

body posture

sleep disorder

regulates the sedentary lifestyle

Besides keeping diseases at bay, physical wellness provides additional benefits outlined below:

keeps children away from the TV, computer and game consoles - at least for a few hours!

is a good enabler for socialization

creates opportunities for physical skills in sports and games

Reference:

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The Benefits of Physical Activity for Young Children in the 21st Century

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Updated Sobering statistics about physical activity for young children: Children who are physically inactive will most likely become inactive adults. Less than 24 percent of children aged 6 to 17 are physically active for the stipulated minimum of 60-minutes. On average, children spend more than 7 hours in front of the TV and computer.

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Why is healthy eating for kids important?

Encouraging children to eat a nutritious, balanced diet early on is important for a number of reasons. Ensuring they get the right vitamins and minerals in their diet will help them grow and develop optimally. They are also more likely to be energised and motivated, supporting their ability to learn. Educating them on healthy eating during childhood will also help them make healthier choices as they become adults.

Despite the obvious benefits, we recognise that there can be challenges when it comes to healthy eating for kids. We recently surveyed 1,000 parents to find out what sort of challenges they face. The results included fussy eaters, cost of healthy food, as well as convenience and time restraints.

What does healthy eating mean for your child?

The term 'healthy eating' is very broad and encompasses a range of areas, including the following:

enjoying a varied diet

having a healthy relationship with food

following the Eatwell Guide

encouraging appropriate portion sizes

In this video, we chat with award-winning baby and child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed and share her answers to your frequently asked questions on how, when and what to feed your children.

As we will explore, healthy eating is not necessarily the same as 'eating healthily'. It does not just relate to eating a balanced diet at appropriate portion sizes, but the idea extends to the way we feel about food. This can be just as important as the food we are consuming.

Enjoying a varied diet

All foods contain different nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In order to get all the nutrients they need, it is important for children to have a varied diet containing lots of different foods. Aim for three balanced meals a day and up to two healthy snacks. Use different protein sources in each meal and different varieties of vegetables.
For further guidance, visit our balanced diet fact sheet.
As well as a variety of ingredients, it can be beneficial to introduce children to a variety of cuisines. The same ingredient can taste very different depending on the way it is prepared and what other ingredients accompany it. This can be an exciting way for children to learn about other cultures, as well as teaching them the importance of trying different foods before deciding what they do or don't like.

Having a healthy relationship with food

Ensuring children have a healthy relationship with food will establish a positive attitude to eating in the long-run. Try to teach them about food and nutrition (for example where their food comes from) and get them cooking early on.

As parents, you are their role model so it is really important that you eat well because then you will have more chance of encouraging them to follow suit.

- Alex Gear DIP NT. CNM mBANT, CNHC discusses how to establish healthy eating habits for children.

Very often, we pass on the way we feel about food to our children. So, to encourage healthy habits in children, it is first important that you have a healthy relationship with food yourself.

Following the Eatwell Guide

Getting the right amount of food groups in their diet promotes health and well-being. The Eatwell Guide is a helpful starting point.
The following video from the British Nutrition Foundation provides more information about the Eatwell Guide, including how to implement it for children.
Encouraging appropriate portion sizes

Get used to dishing up 'me-sized plates' instead of adult-sized plates as this can encourage overeating. It might be a habit that was encouraged when you were a child but try to avoid forcing your child to clear their plate if they are not hungry.

Finding support

Every family is different and children will naturally differ in what they require nutritionally depending on age, weight and height. If you are concerned your child isn't getting a fully rounded diet, you may benefit from professional support.

You can seek tailored advice from a nutrition professional who will look at your child's diet and suggest helpful tweaks to help them get all the nutrients they need. They can also offer advice for fussy eaters and those with specific health concerns.

Food groups - what does my child need?

There are several food groups and it's important that your child gets the right amounts of each in their diet. Below we outline what the Eatwell Guide recommends.

Fruit and veg

You should look to include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Portion sizes will differ depending on age, size and physical activity. As a rough guide, a portion of fruit and veg should be the size of your child's palm.

In our Loveable Lunchboxes survey, we found that 20% didn't include fruit in their child's lunchbox and 41% didn't include veg. If you're struggling to get enough fruit and veg in your family's diet, please see our 5 a day page for ideas.

Starchy foods

Children should have a source of carbohydrates within every meal. Where possible, choose whole grain varieties as these provide more fibre and nutrients. They also provide slow energy release which will keep children fuller and more energised for longer.

Protein

Protein is always important but is even more so during childhood. Protein encourages healthy bones, growth and brain development. You can get protein from animal products like lean meat, fish, milk, eggs, yoghurt and cheese. These contain all 9 essential amino acids. You can also get protein from plant-based foods like beans and pulses. Aim to include two portions of fish a week (one portion being oily, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines), which can be fresh, frozen or canned.

Dairy

Dairy products like cheese, milk and yoghurt give children a great deal of nourishment. They provide calcium, vitamins A and B12 as well as being a source of protein. If possible, avoid too many flavoured yoghurts as these can be high in sugar - opt for natural or Greek varieties instead.

Fat and sugar

Fats are important for children, but in moderation. The beneficial fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and can be found in nuts, seeds, avocados and oily fish. Some of the saturated fats found in pastries, animal fats and baked goods are often poor quality and come alongside sugar and salt. These types of foods should be kept as occasional treats. Too much sugar disrupts children's energy levels, damages teeth and can lead to weight gain.

Salt

As adults, we shouldn't exceed 6 grams a day; children should have even less. As a general guide, kids aged 4-11 should have between 3-6 grams a day. Start looking at food labels and keep in mind that many pre-packaged foods contain lots of salt.

Drinks

Between meals, the best drinks to opt for are milk and water as these are kind to teeth. Drinks containing sugar (fruit juice, squash, carbonated drinks etc.) should be enjoyed as an occasional treat and with meals to limit damage to teeth.

Reference Intakes (RIs) explained

From our survey, we found that 57% of parents did not know the Reference Intakes (RIs) for their children. RIs are another term for Recommended Daily Amounts (RDAs). As everyone differs in their nutritional needs, RIs are used to give a general guideline as to what the average person needs.
These should not be considered targets, but guidelines. If your child is more active for example, they may need more food and nutrients.
Healthy snacks for kids

Including nutritious snacks is important to help keep your child's energy levels consistent and their appetite satisfied! Below are some sweet and savoury options recommended by Samantha Paget, founder of Paget Nutrition:

Sweet

slices of fruit with unsweetened nut butter

natural yoghurt with mango or papaya

Nakd bars

Savoury

unsweetened oatcakes with hummus or unsweetened nut butter

vegetable crisps with hummus

raw vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peppers and sugar snap peas) with homemade guacamole

How to help fussy eaters

If your child is a picky eater, it can be difficult to know how to keep their meals healthy, balanced and nutritious. One thing to bear in mind, although it can be really hard, is that it doesn't often last forever.

Most toddlers go through a fussy stage with their eating. However, it's a whole different ball game when your eight-year-old-plus child still only eats a handful of foods. Most parents in this situation have tried a million strategies to get their child to eat but find that nothing seems to make any difference. All that happens is everyone gets more and more stressed and relationships start to be impacted.

- Dr Stephanie Fade PhD Dietitian explores three key reasons why children struggle to cope with new foods and what can be done to combat this.

If your child is a fussy eater, getting them involved with the process can help. Ask them to choose what goes into their lunchbox and then let them help you prepare it. Rewarding them when they try something new can also help to encourage them to be more adventurous. Why not make a food reward chart, where they receive a gold star every time they try a new food?

Sometimes it is the amount of food that can be daunting. Children like to feel the food, so preparing snacks that are quite 'hands on' may encourage them further. Perhaps look to downsize the main meal and increase the number of snacks they have.

It is common for children to stick to what they know - if they like two types of food, it is likely they will ask for that every day. But don't eliminate it completely, try to incorporate it with other foods in their meal. For more inspiration, please see our lunchbox ideas page.
All content displayed on Nutritionist Resource is provided for general information purposes only, and should not be treated as a substitute for advice given by your GP or any other healthcare professional.

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Encouraging children to eat a nutritious, balanced diet early on is important for a number of reasons. Ensuring they get the right vitamins and minerals in their diet will help them grow and develop optimally. They are also more likely to be energised and motivated, supporting their ability to learn.

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Want to learn some chemistry? Look no further than your kitchen! Dsicover the science of making food items such as cheese, strawberries, grilled meat, and more.

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Food and Cooking Chemistry - American Chemical Society

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To get the best possible experience using our website, we recommend that you upgrade to latest version of this browser or install another web browser. See our Browser Support/Compatibility page for supported browsers list. Want to learn some chemistry? Look no further than your kitchen!

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This is the first in our ongoing Kitchen Science series exploring the physics, chemistry and biology that takes place in your home.
Earnest websites, advertisements and well-meaning popular articles routinely warn us about nasty "chemicals" lurking in our homes and kitchens. Many tout the benefits of switching to a " chemical-free lifestyle ".

The problem is: the word "chemical" is entirely misused in these contexts. Everything is a chemical - common table salt (sodium chloride), for instance, and even water ( dihydrogen oxide).

The chemicals in our diet are often put into four broad categories: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and lipids, and everything else. This final group has no defining characteristics but includes vitamins, minerals, pharmaceuticals and the hundreds of trace chemicals each of us consumes every day.

Of course, there are toxic and harmful chemicals, but just as many are completely fine for human consumption. So here's a handy guide to the chemicals in your kitchen and what they mean for your health.

The macronutrient chemicals

Proteins, lipids (such as fats) and carbohydrates are known as the macronutrients. These provide most of our daily energy needs.

Despite 118 known elements in the periodic table, these three categories predominantly contain just four elements - carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen - with trace amounts of the remaining elements.

Chemicals called amino acids link together to create proteins. The richest sources include meat and eggs, but significant amounts are also found in beans, legumes and wheat flour.

Carbohydrates contain just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, all connected in very particular ways. "Carbs" include sugars, starch and cellulose, all of which are digested differently.

While sugars are one type of carbohydrate, artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and saccharin, are not actually carbohydrates.

Despite concerns about the health effects of artificial sweeteners, the health spotlight has recently been on the natural sweeteners: the sugars. White sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup (a mixture of fructose and glucose) have been linked to a range of widespread health conditions.

Just like carbs, fats only contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but gram for gram release more than twice the dietary energy of either protein or the carbs. Perhaps it's for this reason fats have copped a lot of bad press for longer than the sugars. Nevertheless, some fat is essential for a healthy diet.

Acids and bases

Acid sounds bad. But there are many acids sitting benignly in our pantries and fridges.

Consider varieties of food and drink that are acidic. A classic example we often hear is that Coca-Cola has a pH value of about 3.2 (lower means more acidic, with 7 being neutral). That's strong enough to remove rust from metal. And it's true, thanks to the phosphoric acid in Coke.

As it happens, the human stomach also contains phosphoric acid (as well as hydrochloric acid), and this has an even stronger acidic pH value. Actually, apples and oranges have a similar pH value to Coke, and lemon juice is ten times more acidic.

The acidic characteristics of food and drink combine with other chemicals to provide flavour. Without some acidic character, many foods would be bland.

Chemically speaking, the opposite of acidic is known as basic, or alkali. While acidic substances have a pH of less than 7, basic foods have a pH greater than 7. Examples of basic foods from the kitchen are fewer, but include eggs, some baked products like cakes and biscuits, and bicarb soda.

Toxic chemicals in the kitchen

Obviously, there are also toxic chemicals lurking in our kitchen cupboards. But these are usually kept under the sink and often have pH values at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

Cleaning products such as ammonia and lye (i.e. Drano) are very basic. Soaps and detergents are also at the basic end of the scale.

Acidic cleaning solutions are also common, such as concentrated sulfuric acid, which can also be used to unblock drains.

Cooking is chemistry

Cooking itself is really just chemistry. Heating, freezing, mixing and blending are all processes used in the laboratory and the kitchen.

When we cook food, a myriad of different physical and chemical processes simultaneously take place to transform the ingredients (i.e. chemicals) involved.

Carbohydrates are an interesting case study. Simple sugars combine with proteins in the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for browning food when it's cooked. Add a little more heat and caramelisation takes over, while too much heat for too long leads to burnt flavours.

jeffreyw/Flickr, CC BY

Starch is another carbohydrate well known for its ability to create gels, such as in a panna cotta. Upon heating, powdered starch combines with water and a completely different texture is created.

So next time you hear someone say "I don't like to put chemicals into my body", feel free to chuckle. Everything is made of chemicals. We'd be in a bit of strife without chemicals, not least in the kitchen.
This article is part of the Kitchen Science series, exploring the amazing physics and chemistry going on in our kitchens every day. If you're an academic with an idea for a Kitchen Science article, get in touch!

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Kitchen Science: everything you eat is made of chemicals

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This is the first in our ongoing Kitchen Science series exploring the physics, chemistry and biology that takes place in your home. Earnest websites, advertisements and well-meaning popular articles routinely warn us about nasty "chemicals" lurking in our homes and kitchens. Many tout the benefits of switching to a " chemical-free lifestyle ".

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A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition.
It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet.

A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods. These include:

Staples like cereals (wheat, barley, rye, maize or rice) or starchy tubers or roots (potato, yam, taro or cassava).

Legumes (lentils and beans).

Fruit and vegetables.

Foods from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs and milk).

Here is some useful information, based on WHO recommendations, to follow a healthy diet, and the benefits of doing so.

Breastfeed babies and young children:

A healthy diet starts early in life - breastfeeding fosters healthy growth, and may have longer-term health benefits, like reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing noncommunicable diseases later in life.

Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk from birth to 6 months of life is important for a healthy diet. It is also important to introduce a variety of safe and nutritious complementary foods at 6 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until your child is two years old and beyond.

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit:

They are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein and antioxidants.

People with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Eat less fat:

Fats and oils and concentrated sources of energy. Eating too much, particularly the wrong kinds of fat, like saturated and industrially-produced trans-fat, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Using unsaturated vegetable oils (olive, soy, sunflower or corn oil) rather than animal fats or oils high in saturated fats (butter, ghee, lard, coconut and palm oil) will help consume healthier fats.

To avoid unhealthy weight gain, consumption of total fat should not exceed 30% of a person's overall energy intake.

Limit intake of sugars:

For a healthy diet, sugars should represent less than 10% of your total energy intake. Reducing even further to under 5% has additional health benefits.

Choosing fresh fruits instead of sweet snacks such as cookies, cakes and chocolate helps reduce consumption of sugars.

Limiting intake of soft drinks, soda and other drinks high in sugars (fruit juices, cordials and syrups, flavoured milks and yogurt drinks) also helps reduce intake of sugars.

Reduce salt intake:

Keeping your salt intake to less than 5h per day helps prevent hypertension and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population.

Limiting the amount of salt and high-sodium condiments (soy sauce and fish sauce) when cooking and preparing foods helps reduce salt intake.

More information:

Whether you are a seasoned health advocate or just now committing to taking the first steps in becoming more healthy, share your progress and inspire your friends and family to do the same. While you are here, take a minute to sign up to our weekly updates and we'll be in touch with more health advice and latest findings to improve your health and wellbeing.

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A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet. A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods.

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Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 - Official UN Video

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UK website

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Bringing together our disability advice, guidance, news, blogs and information across the Equality and Human Rights Commission website.

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Canada

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About the Convention on the Rights of the Child

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Learn more about children's rights and how they were declared in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. UNICEF is dedicated to ensure all children's rights are recognized.

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Goal 3: Good health and well-being - The Global Goals

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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

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End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

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Food Waste

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The German Animal Welfare Act explicitly allows the use of animals in basic research.

The German Animal Welfare Act ( pdf) is some of the strictest legislation in the world and affords animals far-reaching protection. According to the law they are fellow creatures. At the same time, animal research is explicitly allowed, but it must always be shown that the goal of the experiments cannot be reached using other methods or techniques.

According to the Animal Welfare Act, animal experiments may only be carried out if at least one of the following criteria is fulfilled:

The experiments serve the purpose of prevention, diagnosis or treatment of diseases in humans and animals.

They help recognize environmental hazards.

They are part of safety testing for materials or products.

They are necessary for basic research.

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The German Animal Welfare Act explicitly allows the use of animals in basic research. The German Animal Welfare Act ( pdf) is some of the strictest legislation in the world and affords animals far-reaching protection. According to the law they are fellow creatures.

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We want to prevent animals from suffering. This simple sentence often raises a whole range of questions which need to be answered. Are the animals really suffering? And why? Who is causing the suffering? And what needs to be done to improve their situation? Do economic reasons, conflicts of interest in society or the wishes of individual citizens stand in the way of animal protection? Can we change these with pressure from the public, by changing the political framework and/or by raising public awareness?

We examine these questions in detail and derive our activities from our findings. Our experts in the Academy for the Protection of Animals (Akademie für Tierschutz) work to establish the scientific basis that underlies our further actions.

Unfortunately, general demands for animal suffering to stop are rarely immediately successful. So we use pilot projects to demonstrate that it is possible to keep and look after animals according to their needs and to address scientific issues without resorting to animal experiments. Especially in livestock farming, there is often a major conflict between economic interests and circumstances and the needs of the animals.

Our scientists and political leaders are working together to resolve such conflicts of goals. In our federal office, the results of our investigations and activities are processed for the public, media and other supporters.

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We want to prevent animals from suffering. This simple sentence often raises a whole range of questions which need to be answered. Are the animals really suffering? And why? Who is causing the suffering? And what needs to be done to improve their situation?

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USA

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How many pets are in the United States? How many animals are in shelters?

Facts about U.S. Animal Shelters:

The terms "humane society" and "SPCA" are generic; shelters using those names are not part of the ASPCA or The Humane Society of the United States. Currently, no government institution or animal organization is responsible for tabulating national statistics for the animal protection movement. These are national estimates; the figures may vary from state to state.

Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011. The biggest decline was in dogs (from 3.9 million to 3.1 million).

Each year, approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized (390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats). The number of dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 2.6 million in 2011. This decline can be partially explained by an increase in the percentage of animals adopted and an increase in the number of stray animals successfully returned to their owners.

Approximately 4.1 million shelter animals are adopted each year (2 million dogs and 2.1 million cats).

About 810,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 710,000 are dogs and 100,000 are cats.

*These estimates are based in part on Shelter Animals Count data and other known and estimated sources, 2019. These are national estimates based on data obtained from shelters and rescues; the figures may vary from state to state.
Facts about Pet Ownership in the U.S.:

It's estimated that 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats are owned in the United States. Approximately 44% of all households in the United States have a dog, and 35% have a cat. (Source: American Pet Products Association 2015-2016 (APPA))

Approximately 40% of dog owners and 46% of cat owners learned about their pet through word of mouth. (Source: APPA)

According to the APPA, these are the most common sources from which primary methods cats and dogs are obtained as pets (Note: this information was based on a multiple response question, which results in the total % exceeding 100% individually for cats and dogs. In addition, the 'other' category includes all source categories that were reported by <10% of both dog and cat owners):

APPA reports that 34% of dogs are purchased from breeders, while 23% of dogs and 31% of cats are obtained from an animal shelter or humane society.

Around 27% of cats are acquired as strays, down from 35% in 2012. (Source: APPA)

According to the ASPCA's National Rehoming Survey, pet problems are the most common reason that owners rehome their pet, accounting for 47% of rehomed dogs and 42% of rehomed cats. Pet problems were defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, grew larger than expected, or health problems owner couldn't handle.

The preceding data are ASPCA estimates unless otherwise indicated.
You may also wish to visit:

American Pet Products Association
https://www.americanpetproducts.org/

The National Council on Pet Population Study & Policy (NCPPSP)
https://theaawa.org/page/nationalcouncil

The American Veterinary Medical Association
https://www.avma.org/ (see U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics)

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How many pets are in the United States? How many animals are in shelters? Get the answers to these and other questions about pet statistics.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irS_5-eVFUo

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Horizon explores the existence of Zoos - Horizon: Should We Close Our Zoos? - BBC

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UK

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The Largest Animal Welfare Charity in the UK | RSPCA

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We specialise in animal rescue & furthering the welfare cause for all animals. Click to learn more about & support the UK's leading animal welfare charity.

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https://youtu.be/7-1Y6IbAxdM

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https://www.chesterzoo.org/news/discover-the-science-we-do-at-the-zoo/

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Our conservation activities both in the zoo and in the field, are focused on six regions across the globe, which represent some of the planet's most biodiverse and highly threatened ecosystems. The scientists at Chester Zoo need to understand how a change in these environments can affect the species living within it, this often involves recording the wildlife in the wild before looking at the data back in the lab.

Have a look at how we go about recording wildlife...

Download out: How to Record Wildlife [VIDEO]

Once we have the data we can look at how different environmental factors can affect the number of species and apply it to the habitats at the zoo. For example, in the Aquarium our aquarists have to test the water in the tanks every single day to make sure the chemistry of the water is at exactly the right balance for our aquatic species

The knowledge they are gaining from studying these species can then be applied back to those in the wild, this is particularly important when looking at coral reefs which are especially sensitive to changes in their environment.

To learn more about the environmental factors that affect aquatic species, watch our: Aquarium - Science at Chester Zoo [VIDEO]

Try our test to detect pH levels, download our:

Science Experiment - pH Science - Teacher's Guide

Then for a test showing the effects of pH, take a look at our:

Science Experiment - Acid Egg Shells

Fancy having a go at maintaining your own aquarium? Check out our collection of:
Science Aquarium Activities
Our reptile team at the zoo have the tricky job of making sure their habitats are warm enough, many of the species in their care are from tropical environments, so they need to come up with some nifty solutions to make them comfortable.

Looking into temperature?

Download our: UK Light and Heat for reptile [VIDEO]

Let's see if you can design a perfect reptile habitat!

Download: Design your own Reptile Habitat - Heat and UV Light

Temperature can even affect the breeding of some species and in a world with drastically changing temperatures, what we learn here in the zoo can help us come up with solutions to help the same species but in the wild.

Learn about the critically endangered radiated tortoise and how they like to be toasty here

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Discover the science we do at the zoo | Chester Zoo

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Our conservation activities both in the zoo and in the field, are focused on six regions across the globe, which represent some of the planet's most biodiverse and highly threatened ecosystems. The scientists at Chester Zoo need to understand how a change in these environments can affect the species living within it, this often involves recording the wildlife in the wild before looking at the data back in the lab.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9eqh_kGg-Q

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Jane Goodall on Role Zoos Play in Saving Wild Animals

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https://netivist.org/debate/dolphins-in-captivity-dolphinariums

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Dolphins in captivity: should dolphinariums be banned?

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Kids and adults enjoy watching dolphin shows. But should such intelligent animals be kept in captivity? We discuss the role of dolphinariums

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZbpu4S-jU

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How SeaWorld Is Changing Since Killer Whale Controversies | NBC Nightly News

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https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/09/why-we-only-eat-certain-animals/571255/

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But is it? While Ho reflected on the racism and xenophobia behind the question "Do you eat dog?" in a recent story for Taste, we at Gastropod decided to add to her research by tackling the broader question: How do humans choose which animals to eat? And why does the idea of eating other animals typically fill us with revulsion?

To answer this, we assembled a group of experts to explore a series of hypotheses. For example, it seems logical that we eat so much chicken today because our ancestors domesticated it-and that happened because chickens were particularly amenable to domestication and our ancestors found them particularly attractive as food. Not so fast, say Naomi Sykes, a University of Exeter archaeologist, and Greger Larson, an evolutionary genomicist at the University of Oxford. Their research shows that the process of domestication doesn't play out that way at all. The chicken's jungle-fowl ancestors seem to have been first adored for both cockfighting and for the animal's supposed connection to the divine, Sykes explained. Imagining that our ancestors looked at these stringy birds and saw nuggets is, Larson tells us, "a presentist fallacy."
To eat dog, or not to eat dog
Another approach is to flip the question: Why don't we eat all the animals? Hal Herzog, a psychologist and the author of the book Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, and Paul Rozin, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist and expert in disgust, talk us through the varying reasons-logical or (more often) not-that explain why different cultures see insects as disgusting or as dinner, and dogs as pets or as meat. With Harriet Ritvo, a historian at MIT, we explore brave attempts to change these cultural norms, including the "acclimatization movement" of the Victorian period, when well-meaning elites attempted to expand the range of protein available for a growing population by adding various exotic animals to their diets-almost always without success. (The most famous such attempt in the United States occurred when an entrepreneur and a politician teamed up to-unsuccessfully-turn Louisiana swamps into hippopotamus ranches.)

So when did those semidivine jungle fowl become food? Why do French people eat horse, while the idea makes many of their fellow Europeans gag? And how did dog meat go from something everybody ate, according to the archaeological evidence, to the bone of contention between East and West it still is today? Listen in now to find out!

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Nicola Twilley is a writer based in New York. She is a co-host of the podcast Gastropod and a contributor to The New Yorker. She also runs the blog Edible Geography.

a co-host of the podcast Cynthia Graber is a writer and audio journalist based in Somerville, Massachusetts Gastropod. H , and er work has appeared in Scientific American and The New Yorker.

Gastropod is a podcast that covers food through the lens of science and history.

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The Cultural Convictions That Land Some Animals on the Menu

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But is it? While Ho reflected on the racism and xenophobia behind the question "Do you eat dog?" in a recent story for Taste, we at Gastropod decided to add to her research by tackling the broader question: How do humans choose which animals to eat?

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https://gastropod.com/why-these-animals/

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In the West, when it comes to which meat is for dinner, we nearly always choose beef, pork, or chicken. Yet cows and pigs are only two of more than five thousand of species of mammals, and chicken is one of ten thousand species of birds.

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Dogs and covid (including a video - A BRIEF HISTORY OF DOGS)

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Dogs and covid (including a video - A BRIEF HISTORY OF DOGS)

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/pets-are-helping-us-cope-during-the-pandemic

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As the coronavirus pandemic wears on, one thing is clear: Many of us are turning to pets to help us endure this challenging time in history.

In fact, as people remain stuck at home, the demand for adopting or fostering pets, particularly dogs, has risen worldwide, from Canada to India. Between March and September 2020, the number of foster pets in U.S. homes increased by 8 percent, according to PetPoint, which collects industry data on pet adoption.

While the health benefits of having a pet are well known-from lowering blood pressure to reducing stress-the relationship is complex, and how pet owners and their pets are coping amid lengthy lockdowns is an open question. ( Discover the surprising ways pets are good for us.)

To find out, researchers in Spain, Israel, and the United Kingdom conducted online surveys of pet owners in their countries. Their studies, published in three separate scientific journals, found that overall our animal friends have provided additional comfort.

But the research also revealed some concerning developments: Pandemic restrictions are making pet owners concerned for their pets' well-being. Not only that, but some pets are exhibiting signs of stress, such as increased barking, fear of loud or sudden noises, and anxiety when at home alone.

In April 2020, Jon Bowen, a behavior consultant at the Royal Veterinary College in London,asked 1,297 dog and cat owners in Spain questions abouttheir feelings toward their pets and their animals' recent behavior. Most owners saidtheir pets had provided "substantial support" during the pandemic, yet 62 percent of respondents said they thought their pet's quality of life had decreased. About 41 percent also reported observing behavioral changes in their animals during the pandemic, particularly dogs that had experienced behavioral problems in the past.

Plenty of research shows that dogs have emotions and can absorb what their owners are feeling-particularly if an owner is emotionally dependent on them, says Bowen, whose study appeared in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior in May 2020.

"It was really interesting that the findings of the three studies are remarkably similar," says Emily McCobb, a clinical associate professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, who wasn't involved in any of the studies."They're very similar to what we hear here [in the U.S.], at least anecdotally." ( If you're chronically stressed, your dog may be too. Here's why.)

"People are getting more pets and people are finding their pets helpful in dealing with isolation," McCobb says. In her veterinary practice, "we are seeing that for animals that had behavioral problems, those seem to be getting worse," she says.

New anxieties emerge

In April and June 2020, Elena Ratschen, a senior lecturer at England's University of York, asked 5,926 people in the U.K. about their mental health, well-being, and loneliness, as well as their bonds and interactions with their pets.

The survey, published in the journal PLOS ONE in September 2020, included any companion animals, such as fish, birds, dogs, cats, and small mammals. Most respondents-including 91 percent of dog owners, 89 percent of cat owners, and 95 percent of horse and farm animal owners-said that their pets "constituted an important source of emotional support," Ratschen says.

People who self-reported being more vulnerable to mental health problems pre-lockdown responded that they were experiencing stronger bonds with their animal during the pandemic.

In addition, pet owners overall reported feeling less lonely and isolated than those who did not own pets. This may be due to a "buffering effect": Pets can't replace our social interactions with other humans, but they can help fill that gap, she says. ( Read how dogs are more like us than we thought.)

Yet both the Spanish and U.K. studies noted new fears among pet owners, including whether their dog is getting enough exercise, the ability to buy pet food, obtaining access to veterinary care, figuring out who would care for the animal if they got sick, and the uncertainty of how their pet will adapt to post-pandemic life.

Pups aren't panaceas

Her results do not support a widely held assumption that pets protect us against worsened mental health and increased loneliness, Ratschen asserts.

"Evidence on the benefits of pets is mixed generally, both in research before the pandemic and during the pandemic," she says, "because people have a lot of worries and concerns related to their pets."

In other words, it's not necessarily the case that getting a puppy will help you come through the pandemic in a healthier fashion, as many may believe.

Megan K. Mueller, an assistant professor of human-animal interaction at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, agrees.

"Some of the media that I see is, 'Lonely during the pandemic? You should get a pet!' But it is more complicated than that, and the science is starting to bear that out," she says.

Improving pet-human relationships

When Liat Morgan, a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University, surveyed2,906 Israeli dog ownersfrom March to April 2020, she found a significant increase in requests for adoptions.

The most striking result, Morgan says, is that almost 80 percent of people who adopted a dog in 2020 were already planning to adopt, and "knew what they are going into." This suggests that people were not impulsively bringing a new pet into their home.

Similar to Bowen's study, Morgan's study also revealed that a person who feels their quality of life has declined may perceive their pets' behavior has also worsened, even if it's not the case.

"It doesn't really matter if the dog objectively has bad behavior, " Morgan says. "What matters is the attitude of the person."

More difficult behavior, such as excessive barking, is one reason people cite for relinquishing their pets, she says.

Fortunately, the majority of the Israelio survey respondents-even those who felt their quality of life had decreased-did not plan to relinquish their pets, according to the study, published in November in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

Even so, at least in the U.S., industry experts predict an increase in pet abandonments due to the pandemic, for reasons such as an inability to care for their animal or access to pet-friendly affordable housing.

McCobb notes that to avoid pet abandonments, local governments and nonprofits should support pet owners in need. For instance, some pet food banks have popped up in Canada and other countries.

Some pandemic positives

The experts stressed there are some bright spots in their research.

Despite the Spanish study's findings of increased behavioral issues in some pets, Bowen says the data they've acquired across several countries since the Spanish study suggests that our pets are, for the most part, doing all right.

Bowen, like Morgan, cautions that respondents in the Spanish study evaluated their dogs' quality of life through their own lens, and they may think that if they feel worse, their pets must, too. (Learn how cats can communicate with their owners.)

"But when you look at the effects the pandemic has had, many of them are not very strong," Bowen says. In his survey, "hardly any dogs got new behavior problems, and of those which already had behavior problems, not that many of them got worse."

Looking ahead, McCobb says, "It would be nice to see if we could keep some of the lifestyle changes we've had to make because of the pandemic," such as eating lunch at home or spending more time walking our dogs. ( See some of National Geographic staffers' favorite pets.)

"The positives are few and far between," she says, "so we have to keep them if we can."

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Pets are helping us cope during the pandemic-but that may be stressing them out

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As the coronavirus pandemic wears on, one thing is clear: Many of us are turning to pets to help us endure this challenging time in history. In fact, as people remain stuck at home, the demand for adopting or fostering pets, particularly dogs, has risen worldwide, from Canada to India.

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/coronavirus-brings-increase-in-pet-adoptions-and-abandonments/12074914

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People are turning to pets as isolation companions. But animal refuges are afraid of what’s next

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There has been a surge in people applying to foster cats amid the coronavirus outbreak, but animal groups fear a spike in pets being surrendered as economic conditions deteriorate.

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https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/dec/01/rescue-me-why-britains-beautiful-lockdown-pets-are-being-abandoned

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Rescue me: why Britain’s beautiful lockdown pets are being abandoned

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The cats and dogs that helped us through the pandemic are increasingly being dumped in the street or handed over to charities – and shelters are dealing with the fallout

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https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/muscles.html

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What Do Muscles Do?

Did you know you have more than 600 muscles in your body? They do everything from pumping blood throughout your body to helping you lift your heavy backpack. You control some of your muscles, while others - like your heart - do their jobs without you thinking about them at all.

Muscles and Joints

The human body has more than 600 muscles. They do everything from pumping blood throughout the body to helping us lift something heavy.

Click through this slideshow to learn more about the muscles and joints.

Muscles are all made of the same material, a type of elastic tissue (sort of like the material in a rubber band). Thousands, or even tens of thousands, of small fibers make up each muscle.

What Are the Three Types of Muscles?

You have three different types of muscles in your body:

smooth muscle

cardiac (say: KAR-dee-ak) muscle, and

skeletal (say: SKEL-uh-tul) muscle

What Are Smooth Muscles?

Smooth muscles - sometimes also called involuntary muscles - are usually in sheets, or layers, with one layer of muscle behind the other. You can't control this type of muscle. Your brain and body tell these muscles what to do without you even thinking about it. You can't use your smooth muscles to make a muscle in your arm or jump into the air.

But smooth muscles are at work all over your body. In your stomach and digestive system, they contract (tighten up) and relax to allow food to make its journey through the body. Your smooth muscles come in handy if you're sick and you need to throw up. The muscles push the food back out of the stomach so it comes up through the esophagus (say: ih-SAH-fuh-gus) and out of the mouth.

Smooth muscles are also found in your bladder. When they're relaxed, they allow you to hold in urine (pee) until you can get to the bathroom. Then they contract so that you can push the urine out. These muscles are also in a woman's uterus, which is where a baby develops. There they help to push the baby out of the mother's body when it's time to be born.

You'll find smooth muscles at work behind the scenes in your eyes, too. These muscles keep the eyes focused.

What's the Cardiac (Heart) Muscle?

The muscle that makes up the heart is called cardiac muscle. It is also known as the myocardium (say: my-uh-KAR-dee-um). The thick muscles of the heart contract to pump blood out and then relax to let blood back in after it has circulated through the body.

Just like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle works all by itself with no help from you. A special group of cells within the heart are known as the pacemaker of the heart because it controls the heartbeat.

What Are the Skeletal (Striated) Muscles?

Now, let's talk about the kind of muscle you think of when we say "muscle" - the ones that show how strong you are and let you boot a soccer ball into the goal. These are your skeletal muscles - sometimes called striated (say: STRY-ay-tud) muscle because the light and dark parts of the muscle fibers make them look striped (striated is a fancy word meaning striped).

Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles, which means you can control what they do. Your leg won't bend to kick the soccer ball unless you want it to. These muscles help to make up the musculoskeletal (say: mus-kyuh-low-SKEL-uh-tul) system - the combination of your muscles and your skeleton, or bones.

Together, the skeletal muscles work with your bones to give your body power and strength. In most cases, a skeletal muscle is attached to one end of a bone. It stretches all the way across a joint (the place where two bones meet) and then attaches again to another bone.

What Are Tendons?

Skeletal muscles are held to the bones with the help of tendons (say: TEN-dunz). Tendons are cords made of tough tissue, and they work as special connector pieces between bone and muscle. The tendons are attached so well that when you contract one of your muscles, the tendon and bone move along with it.

What Do Face Muscles Do?

You may not think of it as a muscular body part, but your face has plenty of muscles. You can check them out next time you look in the mirror. Facial muscles don't all attach directly to bone like they do in the rest of the body. Instead, many of them attach under the skin. This allows you to contract your facial muscles just a tiny bit and make dozens of different kinds of faces. Even the smallest movement can turn a smile into a frown. You can raise your eyebrow to look surprised or wiggle your nose.

And while you're looking at your face, don't pass over your tongue - a muscle that's attached only at one end! Your tongue is actually made of a group of muscles that work together to allow you to talk and help you chew food. Stick out your tongue and wiggle it around to see those muscles at work.

What Are Some Major Skeletal Muscles?

Skeletal muscles come in many different sizes and shapes to allow them to do many types of jobs. Some of the biggest and most powerful muscles are your calf and thigh muscles. They give your body the power it needs to lift and push things. Muscles in your neck and the top part of your back aren't as large, but they are capable of some pretty amazing things: Try rotating your head around, back and forth, and up and down to feel the power of the muscles in your neck. These muscles also hold your head high.

Because there are so many skeletal muscles in your body, we can't list them all here. But here are a few of the major ones:

What's the Deltoid Muscle?

In each of your shoulders is a deltoid (say: DEL-toyd) muscle. Your deltoid muscles help you move your shoulders every which way - from swinging a softball bat to shrugging your shoulders when you're not sure of an answer.

What Are the Pectoralis Muscles (Pecs)?

The pectoralis (say: pek-tuh-RAH-lus) muscles are found on each side of your upper chest. These are usually called pectorals (say: PEK-tuh-rulz), or pecs, for short. When many boys hit puberty, their pectoral muscles become larger. Many athletes and bodybuilders have large pecs, too.

What Are the Rectus Abdominus Muscles (Abs)?

Below these pectorals, down under your ribcage, are your rectus abdominus (say: REK-tus ab-DAHM-uh-nus) muscles, or abdominals (say: ab-DAHM-uh-nulz). They're often called abs for short.

What Is the Biceps Muscle?

When you make a muscle in your arm, you tense your biceps (say: BYE-seps) muscle. When you contract your biceps muscle, you can actually see it push up under your skin.

What Are the Quadriceps (Quads)?

Your quadriceps (say: KWAD-ruh-seps), or quads, are the muscles on the front of your thighs. Many people who run, bike, or play sports develop large, strong quads.

What Is the Gluteus Maximus?

And when it's time for you to take a seat? You'll be sitting on your gluteus maximus (say: GLOOT-ee-us MAK-suh-mus), the muscle that's under the skin and fat in your behind!

Date reviewed: September 2023

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As the prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology becomes widespread, it's becoming more useful to understand the pros and cons of AI. This technology has previously been seen as something futuristic, especially with its prominence in popular science fiction. In these works, it's seen as something that can revolutionise the way we live, or even takes the form of robots or systems like HAL 9000. With AI becoming more widespread, it's worth examining its use cases and what it offers for the future.

Although it's taking its tentative steps out into the limelight, it isn't fully developed and can be improved greatly. This isn't to say, however, that the use of AI hasn't increased in recent years, as it's now able to carry out basic functions, with its use becoming more common in plenty of sectors. Examples of this include smart home assistants, but it also has a home in industrial applications.

The use of AI by businesses has been both impressive and worrying at the same time. Business use of the technology provides examples of how the tech is used in positive and negative ways.

What are use cases of AI?

The uses of AI include systems like AlphaGo or Watson. These are well known due to their ability to win against professional human rivals at specific games. An example of this is when an AI beat five expert players at the same time in a game of poker.

Most of the AI technology in use today tend to get on with their functions in the background of processes, instead of the flashy feats focused on by many news headlines.

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In Gmail, for example, sometimes you might see text pop up when you type with suggestions of what to include in your email. If you use it from a mobile device, you might see buttons you can press to reply to emails with short sentences too. You're able to hit one of these suggestions and make changes if needed.

A key use case of AI is mining data to help businesses, NGOs, governments, and others make informed decisions on everything from strategy to product development, and to do so much more quickly than ever possible before.

But that's just scratching the surface of AI's potential. Indeed, it's being used in myriad sectors and scenarios, many of which are explored below.

Like all technologies, however, it's not a neutral force, and there is always the potential for negative outcomes and benefits in equal measure. The late theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking famously believed that AI presents an existential threat to humans, and many experts have voiced concerns over the severe risk presented by improper use.

So is AI a force for good? Or is it something we should be inherently distrustful of?

What are the pros of AI?

AI is going to proliferate over the next few years and likely beyond that, too. The applications of the tech are far too impressive, efficient, and cost-effective for businesses to ignore which means the amount of AI we interact with daily will increase in all areas of life. What's more, it's becoming safer. Algorithmic biases are still problematic, for example, but innovative work is being done to make AI better for everyone.

Improved efficiency

Data is now as important to business as oil once was, and there is a necessity to process this data accurately and quickly for real-time results. A great example of this type of artificial intelligence is being utilised by DeepMind to diagnose sight-threatening eye conditions with the same level of accuracy as the world's top clinicians.

Alongside UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology and London-based Moorfields Eye Hospital, their research could lead the way for the rollout of AI systems in hospitals throughout the UK. Thanks to the AI system, doctors can spend less time studying thousands of eye scans and can help diagnose patients within seconds.

Eradicating human error

Even the best of us are prone to errors, whether it's a lapse in concentration or a simple mistake. However, an artificially intelligent machine built to carry out a specific task does not display these idiosyncrasies.

Technology giant Amazon has recently begun to roll out fully autonomous robots in its fulfilment centres, which can work alongside humans to perform physically-difficult manual labour and sorting of packages. It's possible that this could make Amazon warehouse work a lot safer. A 2021 study by the union coalition the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) concluded that 5.9 out of every 100 Amazon warehouse workers experienced serious injuries in 2020, a rate just under 80% higher than at other warehousing employers.

Smart technology

Similar to Amazon, AI will be utilised in the future to power many of our automated services. These could be smart cities that are predicted to improve our environments, or self-driving cars that use AI to navigate roads and assess obstructions.

An AI machine's ability to process large data sets quickly and accurately will be vital for many smart technologies and environments to operate. An example of this is already in operation on many top-range smartphones, where AI operates in the background constantly tweaking the phone's settings for maximum performance or battery life.

What are the cons of AI?

It's natural to be fearful of powerful technology. Recent history with data scandals, malware, and social media has made that clear. AI is no different and many of the concerns held by onlookers are, in some areas, justified. But that doesn't mean great work isn't being done to mitigate the drawbacks.

In 2016, an industry-wide organisation including five Silicon Valley giants was formed, known as the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society. This body works to promote the fair and ethical development of artificial intelligence technologies that have the potential to bring as much disruption as it will benefit.

Decision-making AI in the workplace

The speed and efficiency of certain AI applications make them appealing to executives looking to find more value across their organisation.

IBM's Watson has been used to decide if employees are worthy of a pay rise, a bonus, or a promotion by looking at the experience and past projects of employees to indicate the future qualities and skills individuals could bring to the company.

Decision-making software used in this way has caused some concern. The Trades Union Congress, the federation that represents the majority of trade unions in the UK, called for legislative changes last year to safeguard employees against this kind of technology. It is also recommended that employers consult trade unions before deploying such systems.

"Our prediction is that left unchecked, the use of AI to manage people will also lead to work becoming an increasingly lonely and isolating experience, where the joy of human connection is lost," TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said.

The potential for human job losses is widely regarded as the number one downside to AI, the implementation of which could set in motion a wave of lay-offs as employees struggle to outperform machines.

However, while this scary scenario is often presented as just over the horizon, AI is expected to create more jobs than it takes. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2020 Future of Jobs Report predicts that by 2025, automation will have affected 85 million jobs around the world but 97 million jobs will be created in industries such as artificial intelligence.

"No matter what prediction you believe about jobs and skills, what is bound to be true is heightened intensity and higher frequency of career transitions, especially for those already most vulnerable and marginalized," stated FutureFit AI CEO Hamoon Ekhtiari.

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The report also stated that, although the pandemic has accelerated the automation of many repetitive and dangerous tasks, "around 40% of workers will require reskilling of six months or less". One area of skills worth developing in time for the AI-based future is data, but soft skills shouldn't be ignored either. John Whittingdale OBE, former minister of state for media and data, described soft skills as "hugely important", adding that, "without them, there is the potential for data to be misread or miscommunicated, which can have significant implications for businesses and the decisions they make".

Human error

Although AI can virtually remove human error from processes, its code is still subject to bias and prejudice. Being largely algorithm-based, the technology can knowingly or unknowingly be coded to discriminate against minorities or fail to cater to groups that its programmers failed to consider.

If security measures are not followed carefully, hackers can exploit AI seeking to collect public data. For example, Microsoft's ill-fated chatbot Tay Tweets had to be taken down after only 16 hours as it had started to tweet racist and inflammatory content driven by input from other Twitter users.

Importantly, Tay Tweets was purposefully fed hateful content in an effort by Twitter and 4chan users to break it. But other examples of AI going astray have come despite the best efforts by its developers.

For example, in 2018 Amazon decided to retire a recruitment algorithm after it was discovered to discriminate against non-male candidates. The AI system was intended to provide hiring recommendations and had been fed ten years of application data to help train its decision-making. However, as the majority of submissions have been handed in by men, the conclusion the AI came to was that men were preferred candidates.

Responsible use of AI

There is a great deal to be positive about when it comes to AI. Any emerging technology that has the power to disrupt the existing structures of individuals and organisations must be assessed for its potential risks.

But being mindful of the downsides does not mean becoming blinkered to the benefits. Indeed, decision-makers have been warned against doing just this, or else risk losing out on the clear improvements that careful use of AI can bring.

"Look at how you are using technology today during critical interactions with customers - business moments - and consider how the value of those moments could be increased. Then apply AI to those points for additional business value," said Whit Andrews, distinguished vice president analyst at Gartner.

"AI projects face unique obstacles due to their scope and popularity, misperceptions about their value, the nature of the data they touch, and cultural concerns. To surmount these hurdles, CIOs should set realistic expectations, identify suitable use cases and create new organisational structures."

Gartner advises that business and IT leaders should endeavour to cut the AI hype away from reality by carefully considering and weighing up the opportunities vs risks. Obsessively focusing on automation, rather than the bigger picture, will only obscure the wider benefits, the analyst firm warns.

In July 2022, the UK government and Alan Turing Institute jointly announced the establishment of the Defence Centre for AI Research (DCAR). Its goal is to develop areas of AI research that are currently proving challenging to implement, such as training without the need for large data sets, AI ethics, and war gaming.

"Everything we love about civilisation is a product of intelligence," said Max Tegmark, president of the Future of Life Institute.

"Amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilisation flourish like never before as long as we manage to keep the technology beneficial."

Organisations can also check if their use of AI systems breaches data protection laws using a risk assessment toolkit launched by The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The AI and Data Protection Risk Assessment Toolkit, available in beta, draws upon the regulator's previously published guidance on AI, as well as other publications provided by the Alan Turing Institute.

It contains risk statements that organisations can use while processing personal data to understand the implications this can have for the rights of individuals. Based on an auditing framework developed by the ICO's internal assurance and investigation teams, the toolkit also provides suggestions for best practices that companies can put in place to manage and mitigate risks.

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We explore the pros and cons of AI and examine how the technology is changing business

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https://interestingengineering.com/17-everyday-applications-of-artificial-intelligence-in-2017

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Despite being a staple for science fiction fans, Artificial Intelligence remains one of the most divisive topics in the world of technology. Everyone from For better or worse, we can find applications of artificial intelligence pretty much everywhere. From chat bots to recruitment, AI is almost all pervasive and growing in sophistication. We don't want to scare you; at present most are pretty benign. However, future advances might not be (especially if you Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos has weighed in on the pros and cons of AI 'taking over the world.' agree with Musk).

In the following article, we'll take a look at 17 applications of artificial intelligence in the world today. Like other lists, this one is far from exhaustive nor is it in any particular order.

1. Smart Cars

Let's start our list of applications of artificial intelligence with one most are familiar with. Self-driving cars are becoming increasingly a reality with each passing moment. From Google's self-driving car project to Tesla's "autopilot" feature, it won't be long before AI is standard issue. In fact, some high-end vehicles come with AI parking systems already.

The Washington Post recently reported that Google is developing an algorithm that could let cars learn to drive, much like your younger self. Granted without the panic and fear of the instructor.

is a little less advanced but is already being road tested. It won't be long before we see this technology in its full form.

2. Surveillance

Traditional security camera monitoring is usually conducted by a human operative. Humans, as we all know, are prone to boredom and have trouble tracking multiple monitors simultaneously. And you can't blame them; it's far from exciting.

Wouldn't it be great if you can have a computer do the heavy lifting? Like other applications of artificial intelligence here, AI can be trained using supervised exercises, security algorithms etc to take input from security cameras. Eventually, they can identify potential threats and warn human security officers to investigate further.

Currently, they are pretty limited in what they can perceive as a threat. detailed that they can see flashes of color, for instance, that may indicate an intruder or someone loitering where they shouldn't be. More sophisticated misbehaviors like identifying potential shoplifters are far beyond its capability at present. This is likely to change very quickly as the technology improves.

Of course, there is also the potential for physical patrolling robots, but they can be hit and miss...

3. Detecting fraud

Financial service companies have found some interesting applications of artificial intelligence. If you hold any kind of credit card or bank card, you've probably had a potential fraud message of some kind. It could have been an email or text or even phone call. Many high street banks have offered this kind of service for several years now.

[Source: beebom

They use AI to detect unusual activity on your account to block potential fraud. You'll often be asked to authorize the transaction or simply say it was you.

In most cases, the AI is "fed" a large sample of fraudulent and genuine purchases and made to learn to look for the warning signs of fraud. After enough exposure and learning, the system is then ready for deployment in the real world.

4. Fake News (Yup, it's true)

AI is increasingly being used to write simple news stories. recently noted that the Associated Press started using AI to write simple stories like financial summaries, sports recaps and fantasy sports reports. AI certainly isn't being used for traditional journalism. However, the systems could help aggregate data to make a reporter's life a little easier. The AI can be very well equipped to churn out simple articles lacking a lot of analysis.

Automated Insights , the guys behind the Wordsmith software, believe that e-commerce, financial services, real estate and other data-driven industries are already benefitting from its services. Wordsmith still needs human direction but the concept is proven and is likely to become more popular with time. Moving beyond data-driven writing will, of course, need a lot more advancement in the technology.

AI writers are not here yet, but it's just a matter of time.

5. Customer Service

There are many websites now that offer customers the chance to chat with customer support. It's one of the more ubiquitous applications of artificial intelligence. You'd be surprised how many of these are not actually living breathing human beings.

A lot of these chat support bots are little more than automated responders. Some, though, are able to extract information from the site and present it to you on request.

The most interesting thing about them is this. Chat bots, given their intended use, need to be adept at understanding natural language. This isn't a simple task. Computers and people hardly think or communicate in the same way. Plus there is a massive variety of speech amongst individuals anyway.

Teaching a machine to do this is no easy feat. Rapid advances in natural language processing (NLP) means they are getting better all the time.

6. Video games

Here's an example of applications of artificial intelligence, you might not have noticed. AI has been used in video games for some time now. You are probably already familiar with a lot of its applications in your favorite games when you think about it.

You could argue that it has been there from the very beginning, more or less. Its complexity and level of "intrusion" into the virtual worlds offered by games have been increasing exponentially for decades.

Many modern games have player performance based difficulty modifiers to keep the game challenging, whilst not making the player frustrated. For instance. Others will learn your behavior, the way you respond to stimuli and try to react in unpredictable ways.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a good example. Non-player characters within it that have memories of past interactions and variable objectives. Another interesting example was in the form of the Alien/xenomorphs in Alien: Isolation . The game was marketing as having an AI monster that learned from the way you played the game.

Monster Hunter was another series with some interesting AI. The monsters become increasingly harder to fight and more unpredictable as the game progresses. If you fancy a challenging game series, you could do a lot worse. Yes, I am a bit of a fan boy, no apologies.

Compared to other AI applications, AI in computer games is relatively simple. Owing to the massive revenue this industry generates, there has been heavy investment in perfecting AI in recent years.

7. Predictive purchasing

Honestly, this one is a little spooky. The likes of Amazon and Target stand to make a killing if they can predict your needs. Amazon has an anticipatory shipping project that, they hope, will send you items before you need them.

In theory, it could use your past spending habits for regular stuff and send it to you before it runs out. This could save you a lot of embarrassment on anniversaries or birthdays.

This principle is nothing new, traditional stores have been providing a similar service or years. Tesco, in the UK, has had a coupon service that provides you with offers based on regular purchases for a long time. In the U.S., stores like Kroger, Walgreens, and CVS sometimes tailor coupons based off of frequent and consistent buys.

This AI could come in the many forms. It might be sending you coupons, offering discounts, targeting advertising or stocking warehouses close to you with products you tend to like.

As you can imagine, these kinds of applications of artificial intelligence is far from without controversy. Does keeping tabs on what you put in your shopping cart serve as a breach of privacy, for instance?

8. Smart recommendations

Here's another "breed" of applications of artificial intelligence. Though much simpler when compared to other forms of AI things like Spotify, Pandora and Netflix provide a useful service to its users. They can recommend music, movies or anything really, based on the customer's interests.

Though somewhat similar to predictive purchasing, your historical "tastes" in stuff could leave you exposed to future spending. 'How could you resist that new album or series? We know you like this stuff, go on!'

These AI systems monitor your choices and put them in a learning algorithm. From this, they can recommend similar things you might like.

Most of their usefulness is predicated on your input. This is as true for this one as it is for other targeted advertising in any industry. As intrusive as this might sound, it can help you discover something that might become your new favorite thing.

9. Smart Homes

Our homes are becoming smarter every day. Not just you or the people you live with, but the actual devices within your living space. Many smart devices can now learn your behavior patterns and help you save money.

Thermostats and building management systems can help automate building heating and cooling, for instance. In effect, they learn and can predict when to turn your boiler on or off for optimal comfort, whilst factoring in outside weather conditions. Amazing really.

They could be used to set defaults and preferences for lights around your home. If tandomed with occupancy sensors, they could turn lights on or off as you move around the house or what you are doing.

They might be able to dim lights when you're watching TV for instance. The future is indeed bright with AI, or dim, or just plain dystopian. We don't know anymore.

10. Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants work pretty much in a similar way to other AI applications we've already covered. They do, however, conduct a some very particular tasks unique to them. The likes of Siri, Google Now and Cortana are all examples of this technology.

If you aren't aware, though we'd be surprised, you can actually speak to them to help you find something. It could be location, general information, help schedule your day or set reminders, etc. These clever assistants then provide you with the requested info or send commands to other apps, depending on the request.

The core of virtual assistants is their reliance on AI. Cortana, Microsoft claim, can actually continually learn information about you. Eventually, the company said Cortana could predict your needs and get accustomed to the way you speak.

11. Preventing heart attacks

Artificial intelligence can now be used to potentially save your life. They are being used to scan medical data and help predict if a patient is susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.

A recent study even found that AI was more accurate than actual doctors in making these kinds of predictions.

The AI can actually look through the patient's medical records and cross reference them with historical data from other patients who have suffered from heart attacks and strokes.

found that the AI made 355 more correct calls than those made by doctors alone. This should not really be surprising given the processing capabilities of computers compared to the human brain.

12. Identifying criminals

Yes just like Minority Report, scientists from Shangai Jiao Tong University have managed a form of AI that identifies criminals with an accuracy of around 89.5 percent.

It achieves this by using machine-vision algorithms. The AI uses still photos of suspects and real criminals all without facial hair.

Such determinations definitely brought up moral concerns, particularly whether or not it was just to associate these features with criminal activity. (And again, we're not suggesting judging people by these features at all.) Some of the traits found by the AI included:

inner corner distances of their eyes

specific lip curvatures and;

nose-mouth angles

13. Preserving Wildlife

Wildlife preservation is notoriously difficult, especially when attempting to analyze population sizes or track animals. Scientists, simply, cannot possibly track every animal or tag them all with GPS devices.

It can also track habitat ranges from GPS coordinates provided by each photo, estimate the animals age and even determine its sex.

The ran a massive campaign in 2015 that managed to determine that lions were killing too many baby Grevy's Zebra in Kenya. This prompted local officials to alter their lion management program. Impressive.

14. Search and Rescue

Applications of artificial intelligence can be used to disaster events for finding stranded survivors. Traditionally, you'd either have to go out in person and search on foot or look at aerial footage of the disaster areas.

Sifting through footage and photo is very time consuming indeed and any time lost could potential mean someone dies before help can arrive.

are already in use to provide real time footage of disaster areas which still rely on humans to analyze the footage. the examination of large amounts of data, photos, and footage to help find missing people, sometimes in less than 2 hours. It can even find piles of debris in flooded areas that may have trapped victims in them.

AI can also analyze social media like Twitter to learn about who is missing during disasters.

15. Cybersecurity

Finding gaps in your cyber defense can be quite a challenge. Normally it's a manual process, often using reformed hackers to find and close loopholes.

Michael Walker, a program manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Information Innovation Office believes that applications of artificial intelligence has a place here.

"Attackers can spend months or years developing [hacks]" he says. "Defenders must comprehend that attack and counter it in just minutes."

The attacking system noticed this and ended its attack -- in only 15 minutes.

16. Work automation and maintenance prediction

This might sound like some impended employment crisis, but that's likely to be an overreaction. This is not unprecedented. The industrial revolution led to a loss of a lot of traditional jobs yet there was not a mass unemployment of the populace.

It will simply mean companies will become more efficient. They will also be able to predict potential problems in their production stream or infrastructure early on. Engie, a French Electronics company uses drones and AI-powered image processing to monitor its infrastructure for instance.

GE reduces machine downtime by collecting and analyzing data from smart sensors installed on its equipment.

The IoT and AI allow and will continue to improve operating costs, productivity and perhaps produce many new industries for all those defunct employees.

17. Hiring (and perhaps firing)

To date, there are billions of devices and gadgets that are connected worldwide. The internet of things is growing at an exponential rate with large amounts of data being generated and collected. Smart sensors, for instance, will likely 400 zettabytes by 2018. Applications of artificial intelligence will, likely, play an important role in the future.

Making sense of all this "noise" would be a Herculean task for the best of us, but for AI it's just a walk in the park. Analyzing this information and making some useful insights into it has unlimited benefits.

Sean Captain wrote a book on how this could apply to recruitment. "Can Using Artificial Intelligence Make Hiring Less Biased?" is based on Fama's program for screening job applicants social media activity. This program actually scans peoples social media activity to flag up some warnings about unacceptable content.

Incredibly, around 40 percent of companies access candidates social media profiles in a similar way. Using AI instead of manually "digitally stalking" saves HR departments hours of time.

Of course, this is only as good as the instructions to the AI. 'Garbage in, garbage out' as they say. We are not sure about the ethics of such a process -- especially in the realm of politics which is notoriously subjective and fickle.

The Final Word

Applications of artificial intelligence are with us today and are set to become ever more invasive in the future. Are you ready for it? Some will probably save you life, others might just bring it crashing down. Horses for courses. This doesn't mean you should be overly worried unless of course we inadvertently build Skynet.

Have we missed any applications of artificial intelligence? Feel free to make some suggestions below. Have any scared the wits out of you? Comment below.

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17 Everyday Applications of Artificial Intelligence in 2017

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Artificial Intelligence seems to make headlines with every innovation, garnering both praise and fear. But is it really at the point where we should fear everyday AI? Here are 17 common place applications for AI systems and a look into where the technology could be going.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii3q9w2uAfo

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https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder

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Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior ("digital-gaming" or "video-gaming") characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behaviour pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the basis for identification of health trends and statistics globally and the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions. It is used by medical practitioners around the world to diagnose conditions and by researchers to categorize conditions.

The inclusion of a disorder in ICD is a consideration which countries take into account when planning public health strategies and monitoring trends of disorders.

WHO released the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in mid-2018.

A decision on inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 is based on reviews of available evidence and reflects a consensus of experts from different disciplines and geographical regions that were involved in the process of technical consultations undertaken by WHO in the process of ICD-11 development.

The inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 follows the development of treatment programmes for people with health conditions identical to those characteristic of gaming disorder in many parts of the world, and will result in the increased attention of health professionals to the risks of development of this disorder and, accordingly, to relevant prevention and treatment measures.

Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities. However, people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour.

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Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior ("digital-gaming" or "video-gaming") characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

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https://gamequitters.com/are-video-games-addictive/

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https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/

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Learn how to stay safe online and protect yourself, your family and your devices with these tips and resources.

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https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/staying-safe-online

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Find out what the risks are and what you can do to stay safe online.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/39896362

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There was a massive hacking attack on computers all over the world on Friday. We take a look at exactly what hacking is and why people might do it.

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https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-art-therapy-2795755

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Art therapy is a treatment approach that integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve well-being. Learn more about art therapy.

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Art therapy - explained - including history

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Art therapy - explained - including history

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https://youtu.be/R8QOTzjLP-4

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https://youtu.be/dH-ZA6WGSBY

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Meditation resources (if you want any printouts, I have an account so can print things for you).

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Meditation resources (if you want any printouts, I have an account so can print things for you).

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https://www.twinkl.de/teaching-wiki/meditation

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Find out more about meditation, including what it is, the different ways in which it can be practised, and its numerous health benefits.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is the art of focusing on something (such as a picture, a sound, an object of the imagination, or one's own breathing) to encourage attention and awareness, as well as achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, stable state.

Meditation has been practised for religious/spiritual reasons in many parts of the world (particularly in areas of India and South East Asia) for hundreds, if not thousands of years. When it became easier for Europeans and Americans to travel to these parts of the world in the late 19th Century, meditation practices started being introduced to Western audiences.

Nowadays, meditation is often utilised in a secular capacity as a practice for improving emotional and mental health.

Types of Meditation

There are so many different ways to practice meditation, and which methods will work best depend very much on the individual practising them. Here are some commonly-practised meditation types.

Breathing meditation is arguably the most straightforward and versatile type of meditation. While doing any breathing meditation exercise, the aim is to remain focused on one's own breath and to practise bringing one's thoughts back to one's breath whenever the mind wanders.

Visualisation meditation is similar to breathing meditation, except instead of focusing on breathing, the meditator is encouraged to create a mental picture of something on which to focus. This something could be a setting (a room, a garden, a favourite place), another person (a loved one, for instance) or an idea (love, joy, a positive thought).

Body scan meditation is an excellent technique for people who experience physical pain and tension throughout their bodies. It involves focusing on different parts of the body in a gradual sequence, travelling from the feet to the head.

As the meditator goes through body scanning exercises, they become aware of every single part of their body, including any aches, tension, or discomfort. In this way, they get to know their body better, which can lead to working out ways to better manage their physical issues.

Also known as Meditation for Compassion, loving-kindness meditation involves developing feelings of love and kindness towards yourself, your friends, your enemies, and eventually the entire world.

This meditation is done in stages, so the meditator can focus on developing that feeling of love/kindness for themselves before moving on to feeling it for their friends, for other people they know, and so on.

Observing-Thought Meditation

Also known as 'noting' or 'thought-labelling'. This technique can be employed alongside techniques like breathing or visualisation meditation. When the meditator's thoughts wander off, observing-thought meditation encourages the meditator to, rather than become consumed in the thought, notice that the thought is there, give it a simple label, then leave it and return to their point of focus.

The aim in doing this is for the meditator to actively practise disengaging with wandering thoughts. Much like when we bookmark an interesting web page or stick a label on a jar so we can forget about it and come back to it when we want to/are ready, we are imagining putting labels on these thoughts so we can put them away and forget about them until we might want to engage in them again.

Health Benefits of Meditation

Meditation has become increasingly popular, with meditation sessions now being frequently carried out in schools and workplaces, as well as being practised by individuals.

Many people start meditating to manage their stress and/or anxiety levels. While these are both excellent reasons to start meditation, the truth is there is a huge range of physical, mental, and emotional benefits to be gleaned from meditation. These include:

An increase in focus/decrease in the mind wandering

An increase in mental resilience

Decreases in blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels, thanks to its stress-lowering properties

A reduction in aggression and irritability

An increase in positive emotions and compassion

An Example of Basic Meditation

A breathing meditation exercise might look like this:

1. Get comfortable: Find a calm and quiet place, and arrange yourself into a position that feels comfortable to you (sitting, lying, eyes open or closed). Be sure to choose a a less busy time of day, so you don't have to worry about keeping track of minutes or stopping at an exact time.

2. Feel your breath: Follow your breathing as it goes in and out. Feel your chest expand on the in-breath and contract on the out-breath.

3. Re-focus when needed: Your mind will wander while you meditate. Whenever you notice that your mind has wandered, bring your attention back to your breath. Don't berate yourself for the wandering - it happens and is part of the learning process.

4. Close with kindness: When you are ready to stop meditating, take a few moments to notice things around and about you, like different sounds in the environment and what your body is thinking and feeling.

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What is Meditation? - Answered - Twinkl Teaching Wiki

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Find out more about meditation, including what it is, the different ways in which it can be practised, and its numerous health benefits. Meditation is the art of focusing on something (such as a picture, a sound, an object of the imagination, or one's own breathing) to encourage attention and awareness, as well as achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, stable state.

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https://liveanddare.com/what-is-meditation/

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What is Meditation — Definition, Benefits and How-to %%sep%% %%sitename%%

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Learn exactly what is meditation, how to meditate, the benefits of meditation, tips for getting started, posture, myths and common questions.

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https://youtu.be/uSBakWOsYdA

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Health Problems by using computer. Every computer users must see video. watch this video and protect your health

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https://youtu.be/rx1l51qxGbQ

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What Staring At A Screen All Day Is Doing To Your Brain And Body | The Human Body

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https://youtu.be/rx1l51qxGbQ

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What Staring At A Screen All Day Is Doing To Your Brain And Body | The Human Body

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https://www.makegreatlight.com/about-us/blog/what-is-computer-vision-syndrome

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What Is Computer Vision Syndrome? - Make Great Light

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Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) used to sound like a made up term. In fact, optometrists have long recognized and issue with spending hours in front of a computer monitor and how lighting can exacerbate the symptoms of CVS.

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https://www.makegreatlight.com/about-us/blog/what-is-computer-vision-syndrome

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What Is Computer Vision Syndrome? - Make Great Light

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Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) used to sound like a made up term. In fact, optometrists have long recognized and issue with spending hours in front of a computer monitor and how lighting can exacerbate the symptoms of CVS.

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https://youtu.be/YCHwXmhSj9c

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https://sciencemadefun.net/blog/the-science-of-basketball/

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Pass, dribble and shoot! It is time for March Mania basketball - one of the most famous annual sporting events in the US. Whether you are watching college teams on TV or playing in the backyard, basketball is fun because of Science! I betcha' didn't know there was science involved in the sport of basketball!

Bouncing the ball on the ground, passing to your teammate, and shooting at the goal all depend on physics, math and the laws of motion.

Basketball is considered the first sport that completely originated in the United States. It was invented in December of 1891 when Dr. James Naismith nailed up some peach baskets in a gym. Basketballs today are designed to bounce around the court and soar in an orange arc from your hands into the basket. But were they always like this? Why do they have those bumps on them?

When the sport was first invented soccer balls were used and players had a harder time holding on to and dribbling the ball than they did shooting a basket. The orange, bumpy ball we know today was developed as a result of problems players were having trying to play this brand new game.

Changes they made to the ball included making them bigger and adding bumps to the leather surface. This added bounce and friction to the equation. Modern basketballs are hollow with an inflatable inner rubber bladder and have a small opening that lets you control the air pressure. This hollow center is generally wrapped in layers of fiber and finally covered with leather, which is usually bright orange so players can easily see them. They took a problem - slippery, not so bouncy ball - and engineered a solution!

Basketballs bounce because of the pressurized air inside of them, gravity and Newton's Laws of Motion.

When you dribble a basketball, your hand and gravity both push the ball towards the ground (Law #1). As it drops, the ball accelerates and speeds up (Law #2). It wants to stay in motion so the ball pushes into the ground when it hits, compressing the air inside. The ground pushes up with an equal, but opposite amount of force resulting in the ball bouncing back up in to your hand (Law #3). The energy in the compressed air is transferred back to the ball pushing it back into motion. If you were to take your hand away and stop dribbling, the ball would continue to bounce due to Newton's first law, but would slow down and eventually stop due to friction.

The more air pressure inside, the harder it will push on the sides of the ball and the more bounce you'll get. This is why an under inflated ball won't bounce very well because there is not enough air pressure inside to maintain the forces necessary for bounce.

So the last detail they added to their new ball was little bumps on the surface of the leather called pebbling. Adding these bumps was all about friction. When forces collide, friction naturally slows things down over time and the more points of contact an object has with another surface the more friction comes into play. So the bumps on the basketball basically increase the surface area of the ball and the amount of friction acting on it. This makes the pebbled ball ideal for a player to grip, pass quickly, and dribble without fear that the ball will slip away in a random direction.

Next time you shoot some hoops, observe all the features of the basketball that make it special. It's a great example of engineering and American innovation in action!

Try this fun, at-home STEM basketball activity: http://sciencemadefunwnc.net/downloads/basketball_STEM.pdf

Catogories: E-News HTHT

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Pass, dribble and shoot! It is time for March Mania basketball - one of the most famous annual sporting events in the US. Whether you are watching college teams on TV or playing in the backyard, basketball is fun because of Science! I betcha' didn't know there was science involved in the sport of basketball!

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Solar energy is light, heat, and other forms of energy given off by the Sun. Solar energy can be collected and used to heat buildings and to make electricity. Solar Heating...

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https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/alternative-energy/476218#282758-toc

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Most alternative energy sources are renewable, which means that, unlike fossil fuels, they are not likely to run out. Examples include the Sun, wind, rivers and oceans, heat from inside Earth, and biofuels. These energy sources can be used to generate electricity, to heat water, and, in some cases, to fuel vehicles.

Solar Energy

The heat and light produced by the Sun provide an enormous source of energy. A number of technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) cells, have been developed to harness this energy so it can be used as a power source for generating electricity and heat (solar heating).

Wind and Water Energy

When the blades of a wind turbine spin, they convert wind energy to electrical energy by means of a machine called a generator. Wind turbines can work alone or in a group, called a wind farm.

In a similar way, rivers and oceans can provide electric power. The water flowing through a river dam runs generators, which produce electricity. This is called waterpower or hydropower. Wave energy is produced when generators are placed in an ocean. The amount of energy depends on the size, force, and frequency of the waves.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is heat that comes from inside Earth. In some places, such as Iceland, the heat is so close to the surface that it can be easily used as an energy source. In other places holes must be drilled down through rocks to reach the heat.

Alternative Energy for Vehicles

Most vehicles in history have been powered by fossil fuels, in the form of gasoline or diesel fuel. One alternative fuel is liquid petroleum gas (LPG), which is made from natural gas. However, natural gas is a fossil fuel and therefore not renewable. A renewable type of fuel is ethanol, which is made from grains such as corn. Biodiesel, made from oily plants, is another renewable fuel. Ethanol and biodiesel are called biofuels-fuels made from plant or animal materials.

Some vehicles now run on batteries or fuel cells. Fuel cells are similar to batteries but last for much longer. They use a fuel, such as hydrogen, to create electricity. Fuel cells also are used in spacecraft and in some buildings.

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Most alternative energy sources are renewable, which means that, unlike fossil fuels, they are not likely to run out. Examples include the Sun, wind, rivers and oceans, heat from inside Earth, and biofuels. These energy sources can be used to generate electricity, to heat water, and, in some cases, to fuel vehicles.

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https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/nuclear-energy/353549

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The energy that holds together the nucleus of an atom is called nuclear, or atomic, energy. Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter. The nucleus is the central part of...

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https://youtu.be/oIU5fFmDeSc

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Alternative Energy | National Geographic

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A new wave of technologies is on the verge of producing energy that's clean, renewable, and most importantly, affordable. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ovdxOvP_A

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https://youtu.be/TW6s2Q4Zl9E

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https://youtu.be/uvhi4vju1TY

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https://youtu.be/w16-Uems2Qo

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Types of Energy for Kids - Renewable and Non-Renewable Energies

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Pros and cons of different energy production

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Pros and cons of different energy production

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRyhs6jybiY

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advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources

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https://youtu.be/1kUE0BZtTRc

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Renewable Energy 101 | National Geographic

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https://women.ca.gov/women-of-color-and-the-fight-for-womens-suffrage/

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After the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, women of color were often kept from the polls through a variety of tactics. They faced racial and ethnic discrimination and were often discouraged from voting via violence.

As we celebrate the 100 th anniversary of women's suffrage this year we celebrate the hard won achievements of the women who made possible the modern right to vote!

We have come a long way, but we still have miles to go to achieve equality for all and especially for women of color. The Commission on the Status of Women and Girls enters this centennial with a new commitment to be intentionally inclusive of all women, particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ community, young women, and those most vulnerable among us. Specifically, the Commission has been hard at work to re-imagine the role we play as a support system for the women and girls of California and the ways in which we celebrate our history.

As a companion to our effort to encourage voting through the Your Vote is Your Voice campaign, we are proud to celebrate the contributions of women of color specifically to the struggle that made votes for women possible.

Below you will find links to exhibits, articles, videos, and timelines as well as a small snapshot of some of the suffragist heroines we don't always get to see or celebrate. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to request that include additional links to this collection.

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Women of Color and the Fight for Women's Suffrage

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https://www.kqed.org/education/531208/should-16-year-olds-be-allowed-to-vote-2

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When you turn 18, our society generally considers you an adult. You can join the military. You're eligible for jury duty. And, of course, you gain the right to vote. However, you can get a job, pay taxes, and even be tried as an adult for some crimes at 16. Clearly, laws have an impact on nearly everyone well before they can cast their vote. Maybe we need to rethink the voting age. Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote?

FOR EDUCATORS
Want your students to discuss this Above the Noise episode with peers from around the country? Sign up for KQED Learn ( https://learn.kqed.org/) and join the conversation ( https://learn.kqed.org/topics)!

OK, so voting may not SEEM like a big deal, especially since there's a ton of eligible voters out there that don't vote.

But it's kinda awesome that in America, voting is a right. I mean, 40% of the world doesn't even have the option to vote, which means they don't get a say in their government. HOWEVER, the laws governing who can vote and who can't have evolved over time. Regarding voting age, Some critics say that 16-year-olds aren't mature enough or have enough life experience to cast an informed vote. Others argue that 16 year-olds should have a stake in laws that affect them.
Can you vote anywhere if you're under 18?
In some other countries, voting under the age of 18 isn't controversial. Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua all allow voting at 16. And, 3 cities in the U.S. allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in local elections.

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Should 16-Year Olds Be Allowed to Vote? | KQED

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When you turn 18, our society generally considers you an adult. You can join the military. You're eligible for jury duty. And, of course, you gain the right to vote. However, you can get a job, pay taxes, and even be tried as an adult for some crimes at 16.

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https://youtu.be/5KQGz-toMnk

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https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention

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What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

In 1989 something incredible happened. Against the backdrop of a changing world order world leaders came together and made a historic commitment to the world's children. They made a promise to every child to protect and fulfil their rights, by adopting an international legal framework - the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Contained in this treaty is a profound idea: that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights. The Convention says childhood is separate from adulthood, and lasts until 18; it is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity. The Convention went on to become the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children's lives.

What has the Convention achieved?

The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. It has inspired governments to change laws and policies and make investments so that more children finally get the health care and nutrition they need to survive and develop, and there are stronger safeguards in place to protect children from violence and exploitation. It has also enabled more children to have their voices heard and participate in their societies.

Childhood today: new threats, new opportunities

Despite this progress, the Convention is still not fully implemented or widely known and understood. Millions of children continue to suffer violations of their rights when they are denied adequate health care, nutrition, education and protection from violence. Childhoods continue to be cut short when children are forced to leave school, do hazardous work, get married, fight in wars or are locked up in adult prisons.

And global changes, like the rise of digital technology, environmental change, prolonged conflict and mass migration are completely changing childhood. Today's children face new threats to their rights, but they also have new opportunities to realize their rights.

What needs to happen

The hope, vision and commitment of world leaders in 1989 led to the Convention. It is up to today's generation to demand that world leaders from government, business and communities end child rights violations now, once and for all. They must commit to action to make sure every child, has every right.

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Find out about the world's most widely ratified human rights treaty in history

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https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version

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Convention on the Rights of the Child: The children's version

1. Definition of a child

A child is any person under the age of 18.

2. No discrimination

All children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.

3. Best interests of the child

When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children. All adults should do what is best for children. Governments should make sure children are protected and looked after by their parents, or by other people when this is needed. Governments should make sure that people and places responsible for looking after children are doing a good job.

4. Making rights real

Governments must do all they can to make sure that every child in their countries can enjoy all the rights in this Convention.

5. Family guidance as children develop

Governments should let families and communities guide their children so that, as they grow up, they learn to use their rights in the best way. The more children grow, the less guidance they will need.

6. Life survival and development

Every child has the right to be alive. Governments must make sure that children survive and develop in the best possible way.

7. Name and nationality

Children must be registered when they are born and given a name which is officially recognized by the government. Children must have a nationality (belong to a country). Whenever possible, children should know their parents and be looked after by them.

8. Identity

Children have the right to their own identity - an official record of who they are which includes their name, nationality and family relations. No one should take this away from them, but if this happens, governments must help children to quickly get their identity back.

9. Keeping families together

Children should not be separated from their parents unless they are not being properly looked after - for example, if a parent hurts or does not take care of a child. Children whose parents don't live together should stay in contact with both parents unless this might harm the child.

10. Contact with parents across countries

If a child lives in a different country than their parents, governments must let the child and parents travel so that they can stay in contact and be together.

11. Protection from kidnapping

Governments must stop children being taken out of the country when this is against the law - for example, being kidnapped by someone or held abroad by a parent when the other parent does not agree.

12. Respect for children's views

Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them. Adults should listen and take children seriously.

13. Sharing thoughts freely

Children have the right to share freely with others what they learn, think and feel, by talking, drawing, writing or in any other way unless it harms other people.

14. Freedom of thought and religion

Children can choose their own thoughts, opinions and religion, but this should not stop other people from enjoying their rights. Parents can guide children so that as they grow up, they learn to properly use this right.

15. Setting up or joining groups

Children can join or set up groups or organisations, and they can meet with others, as long as this does not harm other people.

16. Protection of privacy

Every child has the right to privacy. The law must protect children's privacy, family, home, communications and reputation (or good name) from any attack.

17. Access to information

Children have the right to get information from the Internet, radio, television, newspapers, books and other sources. Adults should make sure the information they are getting is not harmful. Governments should encourage the media to share information from lots of different sources, in languages that all children can understand.

18. Responsibility of parents

Parents are the main people responsible for bringing up a child. When the child does not have any parents, another adult will have this responsibility and they are called a "guardian". Parents and guardians should always consider what is best for that child. Governments should help them. Where a child has both parents, both of them should be responsible for bringing up the child.

19. Protection from violence

Governments must protect children from violence, abuse and being neglected by anyone who looks after them.

20. Children without families

Every child who cannot be looked after by their own family has the right to be looked after properly by people who respect the child's religion, culture, language and other aspects of their life.

21. Children who are adopted

When children are adopted, the most important thing is to do what is best for them. If a child cannot be properly looked after in their own country - for example by living with another family - then they might be adopted in another country.

22. Refugee children

Children who move from their home country to another country as refugees (because it was not safe for them to stay there) should get help and protection and have the same rights as children born in that country.

23. Children with disabilities

Every child with a disability should enjoy the best possible life in society. Governments should remove all obstacles for children with disabilities to become independent and to participate actively in the community.

24. Health, water, food, environment

Children have the right to the best health care possible, clean water to drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment to live in. All adults and children should have information about how to stay safe and healthy.

25. Review of a child's placement

Every child who has been placed somewhere away from home - for their care, protection or health - should have their situation checked regularly to see if everything is going well and if this is still the best place for the child to be.

26. Social and economic help

Governments should provide money or other support to help children from poor families.

27. Food, clothing, a safe home

Children have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way. The government should help families and children who cannot afford this.

28. Access to education

Every child has the right to an education. Primary education should be free. Secondary and higher education should be available to every child. Children should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level possible. Discipline in schools should respect children's rights and never use violence.

29. Aims of education

Children's education should help them fully develop their personalities, talents and abilities. It should teach them to understand their own rights, and to respect other people's rights, cultures and differences. It should help them to live peacefully and protect the environment.

30. Minority culture, language and religion

Children have the right to use their own language, culture and religion - even if these are not shared by most people in the country where they live.

31. Rest, play, culture, arts

Every child has the right to rest, relax, play and to take part in cultural and creative activities.

32. Protection from harmful work

Children have the right to be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for their education, health or development. If children work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.

33. Protection from harmful drugs

Governments must protect children from taking, making, carrying or selling harmful drugs.

34. Protection from sexual abuse

The government should protect children from sexual exploitation (being taken advantage of) and sexual abuse, including by people forcing children to have sex for money, or making sexual pictures or films of them.

35. Prevention of sale and trafficking

Governments must make sure that children are not kidnapped or sold, or taken to other countries or places to be exploited (taken advantage of).

36. Protection from exploitation

Children have the right to be protected from all other kinds of exploitation (being taken advantage of), even if these are not specifically mentioned in this Convention.

37. Children in detention

Children who are accused of breaking the law should not be killed, tortured, treated cruelly, put in prison forever, or put in prison with adults. Prison should always be the last choice and only for the shortest possible time. Children in prison should have legal help and be able to stay in contact with their family.

38. Protection in war

Children have the right to be protected during war. No child under 15 can join the army or take part in war.

39. Recovery and reintegration

Children have the right to get help if they have been hurt, neglected, treated badly or affected by war, so they can get back their health and dignity.

40. Children who break the law

Children accused of breaking the law have the right to legal help and fair treatment. There should be lots of solutions to help these children become good members of their communities. Prison should only be the last choice.

41. Best law for children applies

If the laws of a country protect children's rights better than this Convention, then those laws should be used.

42. Everyone must know children's rights

Governments should actively tell children and adults about this Convention so that everyone knows about children's rights.

43 to 54. How the Convention works

These articles explain how governments, the United Nations - including the Committee on the Rights of the Child and UNICEF - and other organisations work to make sure all children enjoy all their rights.

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The Convention on the Rights of the Child: The children's version

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Read and download the child-friendly version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

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Gender pay gap  - Equal pay for equal work

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Gender pay gap  - Equal pay for equal work

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Watch this video to see how kids understand the concept of equal pay for equal work. If kids can understand this, why is there still a gender pay gap across many jobs?

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Finansforbundet on Equal pay  What do these kids understand that your boss doesnt

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Learn about anatomical sex, gender identity, gender expression and attraction

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Learn about why pronouns matter and more about gender identity and expression

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Pronouns.org Resources on Personal Pronouns

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Pronouns.org Resources on Personal Pronouns

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This Berlin-based company, the Uhlala Group, developed a Pride Audit. A set of questions for companies to answer about how LGBT+ friendly they are. German companies are then ranked according to their results. How LGBT+ friendly do you think our school is?
The founder, Stuart Cameron, could be interviewed (let Ms. Aow know as he is in her network).

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Find out how LGBT+ friendly you are as an employer | UHLALA Group

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Find out how LGBT+ friendly you are as an employer You can participate in the audit of the past year online free of charge. With the result you can then compare your company with the DAX 30 companies (to the DAX 30 results).

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Created by teachers, this site shares stories of LGBTQ+ people coming out to their communities.
Kristina works at the Berlin Brandenburg School, so let Ms. Aow know if you want to interview her.

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Tricia Friedman, a teacher, has created this website that is full of useful resources. Check out the infographics and more!

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Tricia is an amazingly innovative educator. She brings people together in creative ways having an intuitive understanding of what will capture their interest or challenge and develop them. Any professional learning with Tricia is a guaranteed success. She creates a 'safe to fail' environment where participants feel at ease immediately and are encouraged to take risks with their own learning.

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https://youtu.be/TFMqTDIYI2U

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School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast

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United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child

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Human body organ systems for kids - Compilation

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LGBTIQ explained (explainity® explainer video)